Bengals at Texans: How was it for you?
So here goes my first attempt at a running diary during a game. The game in question was the wild card matchup between the Bengals and the Texans. Now this isn’t play by play or me breaking down film, it’s more of a stream of consciousness sort of thing. I may do it again, I may not, it all depends on how this is received. Also, an advisory may be required as these are the notes I took during the game and you may not agree with some of my opinions. If you don’t agree, you can hunt me down on twitter @NFL_Andi. Anyway, here goes….
N.B. I am currently working away from home, so don’t have the luxury of watching the game on my home system, which may go to some lengths to explain some of my comments.
21:35 The playoffs are here. SkyGo app is fired up on the iPad and I am welcomed by the Neil Reynolds. Already regretting my decision.
21:36 David Tuckman starts to talk. MY GOD! He makes Nick Halling sound intelligent. I must try to avoid changing any letters in his surname, that’s just juvenile.
21:37 Thank god for Follett.
21:38 We hand over to the stadium following a pointless and random stat from Cadle, I know this won’t be the last of the night.
21:39 The Texans’ O-line reel off their elementary schools in the player introductions. Reminds me of Terrell Suggs, “Sizzle, Ball So Hard University”. T-Sizzle’s was much cooler.
21:40 Petko looks like “Thing” from the Addams Family, or was it “It”? The hairy one anyway.
21:41 Love that NBC are using Mike Mayock for colour commentary. Probably my favourite in the league. Very knowledgable, but does like the sound of his own voice. Reminds me of me.
21:43 AJ Green is All Pro? Really? How many WR’s are All Pro this year? He disappeared down the stretch.
21:45 SkySports spell Zack Follett’s twitter handle wrong, and then mock his appearance. They’re probably right though, best not to talk about the playoff game taking place.
21:51 Fu…Sorry, Tuckman talks, I tune out.
21:52 Wow! 52 yard pass interference call. It amazes me that a play can go 52 yards for linking arms down the field, but a helmet to helmet hit is 15 yards.
21:54 Andy Dalton overthrows a pass to AJ Green in the corner of the end zone, and I mean overthrows. It was about 8 yards past him. Jonathan Joseph celebrates like he had something to do with it..
21:56 Touchdown Bengals. Ced Benson sneaks into the end zone. Maybe he’ll celebrate by getting arrested.
21:57 Finally fire up the laptop, and turn on twitter, this is how you watch football.
21:59 Every time I see Andre Johnson, all I can do is think about him beating the hell out of Cortland Finnegan.
22:03 https://twitter.com/#!/polakojones/status/155770230537330688 The first laugh out loud tweet of the evening, that will take some beating.
22:04 Touchdown Texans. Arian foster goes in at the pylon. On the pylon. Over the pylon.
22:05 Arian Foster has the Texans logo shaved in to his head. Old school Anthony Mason style. http://yfrog.com/kew3yajj
22:10 Can’t help but notice how loud the Reliant Stadium sounds. It might just be the iPad speaker, might be worth investigating when I get back home, oh wait, no, Mayock just mentioned it
22:13 Love the way these giant human beings on D point when someone false starts. “oh, oh oh he moved, he did, I sawed him” like little children.
22:15 https://twitter.com/#!/realfreemancbs/status/155774155181137920
22:19 Not related to game, but a tweet like this is always going to get your attention https://twitter.com/#!/Deadspin/status/155775489032716288
Feel bad for Jared Williams and Andrew Taglianetti on this one. I could think of few things more painful than a broken femur.
22:25 I feel bad for the things I think about Kevin Cadle. He seems like a really nice dude, but I’m sure he only has this job because of the Rooney rule.
22:27. Follett’s first shot at the commish. I have the over under at 5.5 through the broadcast
22:29 Oh no, the Halling is coming out in Reynolds https://twitter.com/#!/neilreynoldsnfl/status/155777614852792323
22:36 As per usual, Jason Whitlock is on point with these officials https://twitter.com/#!/WhitlockJason/status/155779526373285888
22:41 Back to the studio for SkySports no expense spent computer graphics of how Andy Dalton and AJ Green are connecting.
22:44 Rey Mauluaga has hardly been involved in this game, but just mentioning his name gives me an excuse to fire up this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdDGYsYXHKc
22:46 The Bengals have used both there challenges in the first half of the game. Seems imprudent so early in the game.
22:49 Let’s not talk about the game or the challenge on the field, let’s talk about who had a better rookie season, Lawrence Taylor, Randy Moss or Cam Newton. It’s scary to think that the only reason I get SkySports is for NFL coverage. I may have to just opt for internet streams next year.
22:49 Cincy loses the challenge, Marvin Lewis should know not to listen to Pac Man Jones, and Peter King seems to agree with me https://twitter.com/#!/SI_PeterKing/status/155783152885972993
22:53 Andre Johnson makes another beast catch, this time with someone draped all over him and at the sideline. Over 700 receptions in his career, I think he has to be my favourite WR in the league, even if he did kill my fantasy season by being human and getting injured.
22:57 NBC tell us about their halftime show. Dan Patrick, Tony Dungey, Rodney Harrison, Bob Costas and the most entertaining NBA analyst ever, Charles Barkley, we’re probably going to get Cecil Martin going to a restaurant in Indianapolis.
23:01 If the Bengals get beat here Marvin Lewis’ challenge strategy will be questioned all week.
23:01 JJ Watt with the pick six! I much preferred it when linemen were giant fat dudes, not athletes like Watt. I’d much rather a BJ Raji pick six.
23:04 The twitter-sphere goes crazy about the JJ Watt touchdown https://twitter.com/#!/ViewFromVegas/status/155786644421738496 – https://twitter.com/#!/mortreport/status/155786739062018048 – https://twitter.com/#!/nflnetwork/status/155787390198353920
23:08 JJ Watt sacks Andy Dalton and puts his stamp on this game.https://twitter.com/#!/ESPNStatsInfo/status/155787608386060288 Revenge is sweet.
23:08 Time for a shower, and a quick bite, I’ll have to come back to this. I hate it when life gets in the way of football, especially playoff football.
23:46 I was wondering how long it would take for the NBC team to mention that Arian Foster was undrafted. We got all the way to under 3:00 remaining in the 3rd. Its amazing how a year changes coverage.
23:51 In other news, LeBron James is back for the Heat against the Nets, Dwayne Wade is still out.
23:52 TD Texans, Andre Johnson goes DDDDEEEEEEEEEEEPPPP! Did I mention how much I love AJ80? The guy is a monster. He just made Pac Man Jones look like a damn fool. Why would you single cover Andre?
23:55 https://twitter.com/#!/NYPost_Hubbuch/status/155799091555733504 Merely re-enforcing my point.
23:57 Jason Allen just man handled Jerome Simpson in coverage. You think he was saying “Try and flip over me big boy!”?
23:58 A Jermaine Gresham sighting. Oh my! Another guy that Mayock thinks could be All Pro, but he does say that about everyone.
00:01 Vince Vaughn is getting ready to watch the Lions and the Saints. I think I prefer fat Vince Vaughn to tall, skinny Vaughn. Tall skinny Vaughn sounds like some kind of coffee based drink.
00:03 13:30 left in the game, and down by 14 the Bengals are in 4 down territory. This is when football get’s interesting. But not when Dalton throws a pick. I think this one might be in the books.
00:07 Pac Man Jones apparently loses it on the sidelines. That could be the story coming out of this game, especially if he hits a few bars after the game. Although one would imagine that if Pac Man has a drink in him, bars wouldn’t be the only things getting hit.
00:09 Twitter may have just gotten a little more interesting.https://twitter.com/#!/realfreemancbs/status/155802546911453184 – https://twitter.com/#!/DaRealOtisMoss
00:12 The TJ Yates glorification has begun. Not a bad trip from the “throwing quarterback” at the draft to starting and winning a playoff game.
00:16 Dalton throws another pick. Starting to remind me of the Bengals and Ravens game earlier this year
00:18 Every other advert is for holidays. Surely somebody in advertising has to realise that US sports fans are a loyal bunch, and will buy anything attached to the NFL, well, with the exception of a Chrysler.
00:21 Another Texans TD. Arian Foster breaks to the outside appears to get felt up instead of tackled by the Bengals’ Chris Crocker.
00:23 Seeing J-Lo drive, sing and dance around that Fiat 500 really makes me want to buy a Fiat 500. Then drive it into J-Lo’s knees.
00:26 It would appear that this is the Chris Crocker who tried to tackle Arian Foster on that touchdown play. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHmvkRoEowc
00:33 The refs appear to be going for the Hoculi look https://twitter.com/#!/PaulPabst/status/155808970186047488
00:35 Jonathon Joseph just capped the Bengals season by breaking up a 4th down passing attempt by the Bengals. Now time to try and make some sense of this drivel.
Well, that was my experience of watching the Bengals and the Texans. If you enjoyed it, hated it or thought anything let me know, either here in the comments or on twitter @NFL_Andi
