How can you not like pandas?
My mom and dad left on Monday. My mother had been here for 3 months and was nothing short of a Godsend. I'm not sure we could have survived without her. Since she has left we can't help but miss her. Sadly, the blog has been shafted a bit as it has become difficult to post but we are trying to get some normalcy back around here.
Due to a lot of circumstances I haven't been paying much attention to football season this year and I think this story declaring the Cowboys defense dead is a good reason not to pay much attention.
Cowboys' defense lacks direction
09:26 PM CDT on Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Column by JEAN-JACQUES TAYLOR / The Dallas Morning News | jjtaylor@dallasnews.com
IRVING – Wade Phillips has well-documented issues that make me question his ability to succeed as the Cowboys' head coach, but he's always been an outstanding defensive coordinator.
Until now.
These Cowboys can't stop the run. Or the pass. At least not in the same game.
Here's the problem: The players don't know what they're supposed to do.
After giving up 174 yards to Tampa Bay's group of average runners, Phillips told us the Cowboys did a poor job of run blitzing. He said the defense hadn't practiced it much during training camp to avoid injuries during blitz drills, so the players weren't sure what gaps they were supposed to plug.
On Monday, a day after Eli Manning passed for 330 yards and two touchdowns, and a couple of average receivers such as Steve Smith and Mario Manningham combined for 20 catches, 284 yards and two touchdowns, Phillips said it was in part because the secondary didn't understand its defensive concepts.
Phillips cited Manningham's 22-yard touchdown catch late in the first half as an example.
The Cowboys blitzed, which meant Terence Newman, should've known the receiver was either going to run into the end zone or run a slant because Manning wasn't going to have time to throw anything else.
"Once our whole group understands the whole concept of what they can do, and we get a strong rush, we can take away some things better than we've been doing," Phillips said.
Are you kidding me? What a joke.
These guys spend most of the off-season attending various OTAs and minicamps before spending about a month in training camp. Aren't they supposed to be learning the defensive concepts during those practices?
This isn't all about Phillips.
Some guys simply have to play better, especially Newman and Anthony Spencer. Each is supposed to be a key part of the defense.
Neither has contributed much. The time is now.
Besides, the NFL season is too short for on-the-job training. This isn't the NBA, NHL or Major League Baseball, where you can easily overcome an awful start.
Whether he's having early morning tutoring sessions or late-night study halls, Phillips had better make sure his guys know what to do against Carolina because they've been making mental mistakes, while often using poor technique.
Some physical mistakes such as missed tackles will always exist, though there were way too many against the Giants. The other miscues must stop.
The core of this defense is a veteran group that has played together for several seasons, so it's hard to fathom they're struggling mentally. Phillips said it's because the Cowboys have played more man than zone coverage this season.
"Our plan of attack was to be aggressive and play man-to-man, but we haven't played as well as I have liked," he said. "We have to make some adjustments."
The numbers are obscene, but SportsDay provided special permission to reveal them in a family newspaper. Here's where the Cowboys rank in several defensive categories:
• 26th in points allowed per game (26.5)
• 30th in yards allowed per game (438.5)
• 30th in passing yards allowed (303.0)
• 24th in rushing yards allowed (135.5)
Don't forget, the Cowboys are the only team without a sack. They haven't forced a turnover either.
Ridiculous.
Modern Family begins tonight, I laugh every single time I see the commercials for this new show. Here is a 3 1/2 star review.
Finally, ABC gives us a 'Modern Family' we can relate to
By Robert Bianco, USA TODAY
It's about time.
After years in the comedy wilderness, much of it spent in a futile attempt to clone NBC's snarkier, more ironic sitcom style, ABC is finally returning to its family roots — and in gloriously funny fashion. You get The Middle next week and Cougar Town later tonight, both terrific sitcoms. But the best of the bunch, and the best new series of the fall, comes first.
Modern Family, created by Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd, smartly updates ABC's Home Improvement/Roseanne tradition for a new TV generation. True, the shooting style borrows the faux-documentary approach made popular by a rival, The Office. But the down-to-earth tone of this good-natured comedy, and its bighearted embrace of its characters, harks back to ABC and Disney at their comedy peak.
Times, however, have changed, and families have changed with them. The show does pivot on a sitcom-familiar home mix, a mom and dad (Julie Bowen and Ty Burell) who take a comedically different approach to raising their two kids. But Mom has an extended family, and they're the "modern" part of the title: Her father (Ed O'Neill) has just married a hot young single mother from Colombia (Sofia Vergara), and her brother (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and his partner (Eric Stonestreet) have just adopted a Vietnamese baby girl.
Courtney Cox's new show Cougar Town starts tonight, here is a 3 star review.
'Cougar Town' or 'Eastwick'? Go with the cat
By Robert Bianco, USA TODAY
Today's TV lesson: It's better to live in Cougar Town than Eastwick.
Both shows deal with women who are rethinking their choices and reclaiming their lives, though whether it's wiser to do so by dating a young stud or dabbling in witchcraft remains open to question.
But one thing is as absolutely certain now as it ever has been: You can't sell any concept without the right cast and good writing, and Cougar Town wins that battle of the TV townships hands down.
For that victory, you can start by thanking Courteney Cox, making a sparkling return to network television as a newly divorced, middle-aged single mother facing a world where all the so-called eligible men are "either broken, gay or chasing younger girls." She feels too young to give up on love, but she's afraid to do anything that violates her "act your age" rules.
Your first thought is that Cox is too gorgeous to have such concerns, but from her opening scene (as she's unhappily studying her bare body in the mirror), Cox is not only convincing but touching — and unfailingly funny. Her insecurities seem as natural and ingrained as her loving if sometimes tortured relationship with her teenage son, wonderfully played by Dan Byrd of Aliens in America.
Luckily, Cox has an excellent writer behind her (Scrubs' Bill Lawrence) and excellent actors around her. They all shine, from Busy Philipps as a younger, slightly trashy co-worker, Josh Hopkins as the neighborhood playboy and Brian Van Holt as her underachieving ex, to Christa Miller (Lawrence's wife) and Ian Gomez as the happily married couple next door.
Still, it's Cox who does all the heavy lifting, and she does it beautifully. There's a fragility to Cox that in the wrong show can come across as brittle, but is used here to increase her vulnerability and appeal.
Bruce played a show Sunday in Chicago and another one Monday in Des Moines.
September 21 / Wells Fargo Arena / Des Moines, IA
Notes: Bruce and the band hit Des Moines just two days before Springsteen's 60th, the closest we'll get to a birthday show. Lots of "Happy Birthday" signs scattered around, including those words emblazoned across the shirts of two women in the crowd, who got a lot of screen time. There wasn't a full house for the party, with much of the deck curtained off, but as is often the case, Springsteen seemed to work harder because of it.
It was an energetic show from the start, kicking off with a powerhouse trio of "Tenth Avenue," "Badlands," and "Candy's Room," with a blistering solo from the birthday boy. Max pounded the drums all night. "Two Hearts" included the "It Takes Two" outro, and by the sixth song, Springsteen circled the pit on "Hungry Heart" for the third show in a row. Tonights Recession Trio wrapped with "Youngstown," Nils again blowing minds with his solo.
Then, a choice request set. In a WXRT interview this morning, Little Steven called the recent E Street Band world debut of "Satisfaction" "one of the greatest moments of our career." Tonight they reprised it, bashing out the Stones classic for the second time ever. "Cadillac Ranch" followed before another first: Dion's "The Wanderer." Bruce and the band had a particularly long meeting before this one, but soon enough they were working it out, with an impromptu lyric change: "I tear open my shirt, I got Rosalita on my chest!" The sign for this one read, "The Wanderer... Stumped?" After their performance, Bruce tore the sign up.
You can request "Incident on 57th Street." And Bruce and the band might play it, and you know it'll be good. But you never know just how good it's going to be. Tonight's was stellar. Bruce stretched out his solo, and this was one for the ages. To top it off, they followed it, just as on the Wild & Innocent album, with a rare mid-set "Rosalita." (Sorry, no "New York City Serenade" to close it all out.) A couple songs later, a rare "Into the Fire" was an extra request, Bruce propping the sign agains the mic stand. Lovely emotional color from Curtis and Cindy.
In the encore, Steven led the crowd in a sloppy "Happy Birthday" for the Boss. Bruce had a wry smile as he sang "we ain't that young anymore" in "Thunder Road." But as he told the crowd, thanking them for coming out to the show, "We're having the best times of our lives." Which, hovering around 60, is saying something. Soon, Springsteen had an octogenarian up on stage with him for some "Dancing in the Dark," a nice reminder that it ain't exactly autumn yet. Wrapping it all up fittingly with "Glory Days," Springsteen finally hollered, "Thanks for a great birthday party!"
Setlist:
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out
Badlands
Candy's Room
Two Hearts
Outlaw Pete
Hungry Heart
Working on a Dream
Seeds
Johnny 99
Youngstown
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
Cadillac Ranch
The Wanderer
Incident on 57th Street
Rosalita
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
Into the Fire
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Born to Run
Encore
Thunder Road
Hard Times
Bobby Jean
American Land
Dancing in the Dark
Glory Days
September 20 / United Center / Chicago, IL
Notes: What a wonderful diversion this show was, as the band settles in for the last leg of what has amounted to a two-year-plus-long tour. We knew we were going to get the Born to Run album start to finish but could only speculate whether it would open the show, close the show, or none of the above. Bruce takes such care to craft a new show—how would he insert a 40-minute opus into an otherwise solid set?
Not to open: a gritty "Seeds" took that spot for the first time. "No Surrender" followed, with Nils and Bruce locked in their frenetic guitar duel. "Johnny 99" had Bruce prowling the stage, cueing each solo with a shake of his fist. "Cover Me capped off this early Recession Suite, Bruce repeating the refrain "times are tough, just getting tougher" several times, and Nils closing the song with a searing solo.
Ater "Outlaw Pete" the mood brightened with "Hungry Heart," a major crowd pleaser for which Bruce again circumnavigated the pit as in South Carolina. He dropped out of sight for a moment, then suddenly he was making his way across the back barricade, hopping from one built-in bench seat to the next. Back on stage, two verses into "Working on a Dream," the song came to a halt. "Ladies and gentlemen, I hear the sound of the E Street Band fucking up! It can still happen after all these years... It ain't pretty." Following the song, Bruce fessed up: "Steven said I missed a verse, so it was the Boss's fault."
At 9:05 pm, the night's centerpiece began. Bruce introduced the Born to Run album: "What we are about to do we've only done once before, in a little theater in Red Bank.” He added, “When we made this record we were close to being dumped by our record company. This was our last chance." At the opening notes of "Thunder Road," the crowd became unhinged with emotion, turning the song into a full-length audience participation event.
And so the album sequence began. The only song of the eight that lagged, surprisingly for me, was "Night." It lacked the intensity with which I've seen them play it before. The much-coveted "Meeting Across the River" into "Jungleland" pairing was phenomenal, closing the Born to Run show-within-a-show at 9:54 pm; 49 minutes in total. In an era of iTunes and record company meltdowns, it was a treat to hear an album played as it was originally meant to be heard, some 34 years ago. Guest musicians included Curt Ramm on trumpet for "Tenth Avenue Freeze-out and "Meeting Across the River," along with Richard Davis for the latter, reprising his album role on on stand-up bass.
Back in the regular set, it was time for "Sunny Day." Mid-song, Bruce threw his guitar to Kevin Buell—it shot farther up in the air than out, leaving Kevin to dive in front of Max's kit to catch it. Bruce hunched his shoulders, offering a sheepish “Uh... Sorry?" A young boy, ten or 11 years old, came on stage to sing the chorus. His voice was shaky, but as Bruce made a move to count him back into tempo, the kid kept singing. Bruce laughed and looked at him as if to say "Don’t mind me, kid. It looks like you know what you're doing."
"Badlands" closed the main set, a counterpoint to its opening slot on much of this tour. And on to the encore: "Hard Times" was stellar, in particular the a cappella portion at the end, and the request portion of the night began, delayed but not preempted by the Born to Run performance in the main set. The band vamped on "Raise your Hand" as Bruce collected signs. I saw requests for "Man's Job" (!), "Point Blank," "Splish Splash," "Spirit in the Night," "Ramrod," "Runaround Sue," and what looked to be several hundred others. The first winner, however, was "Da Doo Ron Ron," on a big bright green sign from up in the 300 level, courtesy of my buds Jeff and Sarah (way to go, guys!). Bruce dedicated it to Ellie Greenwich, "a fantastic songwriter who passed away recently." The band didn’t have much trouble with it, achieving a Spector-worthy Wall of Sound just a few bars in. Bruce said to Clarence: "C, it’s got a very complicated sax solo. Just play it!" And Bruce sang it from a woman's point of view, channeling his inner Crystal: "I met him on a Monday and my heart stood still, Da Doo Ron Ron Ron, Da Do Ron Ron. Somebody told me that his name was Bill..."
Next was Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin" (no mention of Michael Jackson), which was considerably harder for the band to sort out. As the band worked to find the right key, the crowd started singing the song. Bruce said, in a gravelly, insincere, funny voice: “Yeah, we appreciate it! Yeah yeah, it’s a great one...” "Dancing in the Dark" (with a gaggle of adolescents on stage for the Heyyyyy, babys), "American Land," and a very loose "Rosalita" closed the show. Bruce shouted, "Thanks for a great night!" And off he slipped into the night.
Setlist:
Seeds
No Surrender
Johnny 99
Cover Me
Outlaw Pete
Hungry Heart
Working on a Dream
Thunder Road
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out
Night
Backstreets
Born to Run
She's the One
Meeting Across the River
Jungleland
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
Radio Nowhere
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Badlands
Encore
Hard Times
Raise Your Hand (instrumental)
Da Doo Ron Ron
Rockin' Robin
I'm Goin' Down
American Land
Dancing in the Dark
Rosalita
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