Game On!

Well, I had technical difficulties setting up the laptop so the first series has just completed. Looks like the cloud (huh?) crowd noise is goign to be a bigger factor than the non-existant weather. Snow? What snow? Well, the five minutes of commercials is done, so let’s see how the defense does. I’ll update on the fly…

ARGH. Had him dead to rights for the sack. Still forced a punt. Good coverage.

9:49 in first quarter. Clear that the weather isn’t stopping the Saints passing game, but the turf is a issue.

OUCH. We got lucky on the fumble. I remember high school. “Never try to pick up a fumble, fall on it!” I’m constantly amazed that pros can’t follow that rule. Eyes on the goal, not the ball.

Tip drill! Dangit.

Ok, got the ball back. Lets get rolling.

Grr. Fumble. Clearly, the Bears D is out to prove something.

Hmm. So’s the offense. First and goal. And we’ve gotten past the required bad officiating call against the saints.

Well that should be challenged successfully. He clearly had his hand on top of the ball as well as his arm underneath; the ground cannot cause a fumble. I’m thinking more people need to take their gloves off.

Ok, I was wrong. NOW we have the bad call. Yes it slipped before, but HE STILL HAD CONTROL OF IT. Still, we shouldn’t be allowing it to be possible for a call that bad to occur.

Ok, our D is doing it’s job. Now if the offense will just hang on to the ball. So far, it’s been enough to make me regret that the NFL banned Stickum.

So am I the only person that sees the robotic football player in the Fox graphic and thinks “Space Marine!” from Warhammer 40k?

Hm. The announcers were talking about how the turf favored the receiver over the defense. I don’t know about that, but I think it’s a lot clearer that it favors the defense over the runner. None of the running backs are on their game. Though they do seem to be on their butts a lot.

Woof. Saints D is saving our keisters right now. It could easily be 21-0.

Sigh. And that D has been on the field too long, so the advantage has gone to the running back; the defenders are a half-step too slow. It’s about to be 16-0.

Damn, we need Joe Horne. Colston can’t get it done today. (And as soon as I say that he catches a big one.)

YES! TD! Finally on the board.

Halftime. We’re in striking distance and I’ll be honest: we’re lucky to be there. I don’t think the cold is affecting Drew Brees as much as the announcers are making out, but it’s clearly affecting the team overall.

Ok, second half, and we’ve held them on the first series. Clearly we’re going to live or die by the corners and safeties. Sigh. someone always gets overzealous and blocks in the back.

OH YEAH. THATS WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT BABY~! Bush is just cocky, dayum. If this hadn’t been a playoff game, I think he’d have gotten flagged for taunting.

Gah! My liveblogging is on hold. For some reason the laptop claims it has lost the wireless connection and can’t get it back. Or rather, the browsers are claiming such; the wireless software says it’s doing fine. Rebooting while I’m on my main comp (which is in another room). It’s not the router, computer #3 is six feet from the laptop and working fine. If I get back up, I’ll continue, otherwise, notes at the major breaks only.

Ok, rebooting did the trick. Held them after the punt, but the snow has started, and we’ve got our backs to the end zone.

Sigh. Brees wasn’t outside the hashmarks. Intentional grounding, safety.

Yes, the Saints D has definitely stepped up. 3 and out.

Hm. Chicago has figured out the secret to punting to the Saints. Don’t let Bush touch the ball!

Grrr. The offense isn’t getting the job done either. Chicago’s D is tenacious.

And Grossman’s finally gotten his act together. That’s two good passes and catches. I think the snowing is affecting the Saints more psychologically than physically right now.

Yep, Wait, that’s a TD? Not down by contact? Sigh. Probably is… I don’t think he touched him again until he was back up. Yep, on the replay, the receiver was off his knee before he was touched. Thomas knew it too, you could see it in his eyes: “I f—ed up.”

ARGH. We almost got away with that one. I think they’re saying that Brees was down when the Bear took the ball away. I thought at first he wasn’t but Oguliate (sp?) dropped it before the refs realized he had it. If it hinges on whether Brees was down, I think we’ll win the challenge, based on the way the earlier one went. Well, no luck. Damn.

Ok, I’m not even arguing it, with 11:29 to go, I don’t think it’s going to happen. They’re not that good.

And Brees just threw an interception to boot.

Grrr. I realized that the dark background hid the title, but I can’t for the life of me, edit the right line the right way to make the color change. There is such a thing as making stylesheets too complicated, and I’ve damaged this one enough trying to fix the title.

Eh. Ugly margin of victory too. I really expected the Saints to give a better accounting of themselves.