Back to the Grind

Here it is. The start of the 2012 NFL regular season.  Doesn't it feel like it's been a million years since the last season?  Maybe it's just me.

Anyway, with the new season comes roster changes, coaching and staff changes, hypothesizing about team performance, and, most importantly, fantasy football!

This is my third year playing fantasy football and the first two did not go so well.  That means that I'm out for blood this time around.  I'd like to blame specific players for my inadequacies, but it's all my fault.  The first year, I drafted a team completely based on good looking players.  As you would imagine, that strategy was not my idea.  And last year, I took players that I knew and picked a lot from the Titans and the Jets 'cause I like them the most.

This year was different.  I decided to follow my head, not my heart.  I vowed to make shrewd choices, despite how I internally felt about the players.  And where did that lead me?  It lead me to choosing Tom Brady as my 1st overall pick.

Tom effing Brady.

I hate that dude.  And I still feel gross inside that I made him my first choice.  But I'm here to win games, friends, and TB is going to do it for me. Barf.

Here's the rest of my roster, as it sits right now.

QB- Tom Brady (Pats)
RB- Shonne Green (Jets)
RB- Trent Richardson (Browns)
WR- Andre Johnson (Texans)
WR- Marques Colston (Saints)
TE- Vernon Davis (49ers)
Flex- Beanie Wells (Cards)
Kicker- Stephen Gostkowski (Pats)
Defense- Jets
Bench- Mark Sanchez (Jets)
Bench- James Stark (Packers)
Bench- Pierre Thomas (Saints)
Bench- Austin Collie (Colts)
Bench- Rob Bironas (Titans)

As you can see, my heart still had a say once it got to my bench.  There will never be a time I don't choose Mark Sanchez to be on my roster because I still believe he's going to be a great quarterback.  Also, Austin Collie's pretty face generally makes my roster, despite him being a magnet for concussions.

I feel pretty great about my team and I think that I'm gonna dominate my league.  Watch out, bitches. Blanche Sanche is all over your asses.

xoxo,
Blanche Sanche

Hey, Jake Locker...

I think I don't hate you.  And I mean that in the nicest way possible.

Perhaps over half a season with Matt Hasslebeck has been enough for the Titans and now it's time to show Locker some love.  I'm not mad at it.  I think that his two touchdown passes to Nate Washington showed that the Titans need to play our rookie QB if we have any chance of winning our division.  Now that Schaub is out for the Texans, the Titans have a decent shot at the division and I think Locker, if he can keep up this momentum, could be the final piece in the puzzle.

Granted, this could just be a fluke, but I'd really like to see him get some field time for the rest of the season.

xoxo,
Blanche Sanche

Jaguars fans, beware.

This is absolutely vile and disgusting.  Apparently, some Jaguars fan brought this little gem to their tailgate, in an attempt at humor.  Well, it's not fucking funny.  I cannot believe that anyone would mock McNair's tragic death with such a tasteless display.  I'm pissed.

McNair was not perfect; he was cheating on his wife when he was shot that Fourth of July morning, but he was a great quarterback, who played with injuries aplenty and never let them get in his way.  A lesson that Jay Cutler could learn from.  However, this is unacceptable.  It is not funny.  It is not friendly competition.  It is inhumane.

Sure, I make comments about players I don't like and how I wish bad things would happen to them, but I would never do something like this.  If Tom Brady or Kurt Warner were murdered, you wouldn't see me dressing up a skeleton with a bloody jersey.

Sorry your team is mediocre and is never talked about.  This is not the way to create publicity, Jacksonville.  I hope you have an absolutely terrible season.

xoxo,
Blanche Sanche

The Good and The Bad

THE GOOD:

Colin Kaepernick is finally signed with the 49ers for a 4 year deal, which is great because I wouldn't want my 3 Kap jerseys to go to waste!  Yes, I received 3 for my birthday. Win.

Santonio Holmes has been re-signed by the Jets for a massive deal.  Let's just hope he behaves himself and doesn't have to be a bench warmer for 5 games for drug use....

Oh, Albie.  I kind of loved him and his craziness when he was a Titan, then he went off the deep end with the 'Skins and acted like a bigger diva than Mariah Carey.  Now, he's moving on to the Patriots and I'm giddy.  I can't wait to see the stress he's gonna cause Bill Belichick!  I hope he's awful because that would just fill my heart with happiness!

THE BAD

Jason Babin is now playing for the Eagles and I'm heartbroken.  He is one of my favorite Titans and I'm so sad to see him go!  I think the Eagles are going to have a spectacular team this year, as much as it pains me to say so, and they will have a good shot at making it to the Super Bowl.

Ugh.  Why do the Titans consistently make personnel choices I do not agree with?  I guess Matt Hasslebeck is our new QB.  I'm going to try to learn to love him, but it's gonna be hard since my heart was set on Kyle Orton.  I have a feeling that they are only bringing Hasslebeck in as a buffer until Jake Locker is ready; he's not a long term guy.  Let's hope he can breathe life into my ailing Titans.

Hooray for Football!

The increasingly frequent buzz of my iPhone, letting me know I have a new text alert from NFL.com, is music to my ears.
For any fan of the NFL, yesterday was a very exciting day!  The NFLPA finally signed off on the new CBA with the owners and got everyone back to work.  But more exciting than yesterday is today.
It's wonderful to finally read about players showing up to the facilities to practice and get back on their game.  It's also wonderful to start talking free agency.  Who is going to go where and who is going to get a huge deal to stay just where they are?  
I'm personally very anxious to see who the new starting QB for the Tennessee Titans will be, especially now that the Broncos are out shopping Kyle Orton.  It's no secret that I would love to have K. Ort be the leader, and new face, of the Titans, since they have pretty much gotten rid of everyone on the team that I love.  Plus, he's a great QB who hasn't really found his niche anywhere.  Nashville would make a great home for him.
I also want to see what deals will be inked for Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards, and Antonio Cromartie because as much as I hope they will stay Jets, it's not likely to happen.  Oh, and while we are at it Jets, re-sign Jason Taylor.  Do it.  Right. Now.
This week will be full of great drama and hard work.  I'm more excited than I have been in a long time!

xoxo,
Blanche Sanche

C'mon Denver!

Reports that Kyle Orton will be the starter for the Broncos next year are surfacing and I think it's pretty obvious that I'm upset.  Despite my current displeasure with the Titans, I would love nothing more than for K-Ort to get traded to Tennessee. 

I genuinely like this dude.  I think that he has great potential to take a team to greatness, but with Tebow nipping at his heels in Denver, I don't think he's going to fully realize his potential.  The city of Denver has a hard-on for Tebow.  The second K-Ort has a less than stellar game, they are going to throw him under the bus and put the Jesus boy in.  That's just the way it works.

Plus, I think Orton would look fantastic on the back of a Titans jersey.  It would probably rejuvenate my faith in Tennessee.

xoxo,
Blanche Sanche

Eye Candy -- February 14, 2011

Trying to pick my Valentine's Day eye candy has proven difficult.  I could go with the obvious choice of Mark Sanchez, but I've written about him, and his indiscretions, enough lately.  And there is only one man in football that I have ever loved more than Sanche, so today's choice is the late Steve McNair, #9, quarterback for the Tennessee Titans (and Baltimore Ravens).

You will always be my Valentine, Steve!

xoxo,
Blanche Sanche

Dear Titans,

I'm mad.  Scratch that, I'm more than mad -- I'm pissed.

I hate every single thing you are doing with your personnel choices.  I was okay with you making Munchak the head coach, but now, he's firing the entire coaching staff and putting his buddies in their places.

I get that they are all old Oilers and that's well and good, but this overhaul isn't going to be good for the team.  It's like a intramural football team: put all your friends together and hope you can make it to the championship.  But this isn't some local business sponsored fun times; this is the NFL and you can't build a coaching staff on your friends.  Plus, if I'm not mistaken, part of the (rumored) reason Fisher left was because he wanted to hire his son.  WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE, TITANS????  Let's have a serious talk about this.

I see bad things happening for the next 2 to 4 years while they franchise tries to rebuild itself.  And, to think, we were so close to having it all.  Now, we are pushed back years.

I will continue to support you, Titans, but begrudgingly so.  Should Fisher go to another team, I will follow him.  My allegiance and devotion to him is as strong as my devotion to the Titans, so I won't have a problem picking up another team to root for.  However, my patience is running thin with your organization and if you make too many more dick moves, I don't know how long I'll wear my Titans blue.

xoxo,
Blanche Sanche

It's finally time to talk about it

I have posted a few entries since it happened, but I still feel incapable of appropriately summing up my feelings about the Jeff Fisher debacle in Tennessee via blog post.  It's finally time for me to discuss it.  Here goes nothing....

I will try to keep as much of my sentimentality toward Fisher to a minimum, as I've expressed my feelings for him before.  But I do have to say that this is the second saddest event to happen in my football-loving career.  The first obviously being the death of Steve McNair.  (The third, having to see Eddie George in a Cowboys uniform.)

I understand the need for change.  I understand that Fisher has only taken the franchise to the Super Bowl once.  I understand that Bud Adams is a crazy old man that Anna Nicole Smith would be marrying if she was still alive (R.I.P.)

HOWEVER, what I don't understand is why it all happened.  I think Fisher's inability to make more appearances in the Super Bowl was more about the lack of talent on the field and less about his coaching abilities.  I genuinely thought that with a new QB this year, the Titans would have a real shot at making it to the big game.

I should have seen the signs earlier.  Several of the members of the coaching staff were lured away, or fired, in the weeks leading up to Fisher's removal.  I guess an overhaul of staffing choices is how Adams thinks he's going to get a better team and I vehemently disagree.

Should Adams have let Fisher stay and keep his great coaching staff mostly intact, work on finding a new franchise QB and work on the connection between the QB and the receivers, it could have been magic.  Instead, they have to start from scratch, building trust between a new coaching staff and quarterback at the same time.

Now rumors are spreading that Fisher is meeting with the Eagles for a coordinator position.  I disapprove of that move for several reasons.  Fisher is too good to be a coordinator; he needs to be the main man, the one calling the shots.  Secondly,  I don't want him anywhere near Michael Vick.  Sure, he's all reformed now or whatever, but I don't think dog killers deserve to be coached by my coach.  Third, Jeff needs a break.  This last year really took a toll on him and I think he deserves a year off before another team has the privilege of calling him their head coach.

As big of a hole as a year without Jeff Fisher will leave in my heart, I'd rather give him the time to recoup from the clusterfuck that was the 2010 season so that the next team gets him at his best.  Maybe I will use my free flight that I was going to use to see the Titans in Tennessee to go find Fisher in Montana instead.

Jeff is my BFF,
Blanche Sanche

Speechless

Are you effing kidding me, Titans?  Here I am, sitting at my desk, playing skeeball on my phone, when I get a text from NFL.com alerting me that Jeff Fisher will not be returning as the head coach next year.

Tears are in my eyeballs as I type.

I thought we had worked this out.  Vince Young is out and we keep Jeff Fisher.  You were supposed to keep him, Bud.  Did you forget that?

I literally feel my loyalty to the Titans slipping through my fingers.  I'm terribly sad and I have nothing left to say today.  I'm going to go home, curl up in a ball, and listen to "Broken Hearted"* by Brandy and Wanya Morris while I cry, clutching a picture of Jeff Fisher to my heart.

Done,
Blanche Sanche

*Broken Hearted


Only, broken hearted, life's not over, I can start again,
but I'm lonely, broken hearted, it's a hurting thing to get
over.

I'm young but I'm wise enough to know, that you don't fall in love
overnight.
That's why I thought if I took my time, that everything in love
would be right.
But as soon as I closed my eyes, I was saying to love - goodbye.

But I guess I'm

Only, broken hearted, life's not over, I can start again,
but I'm lonely, broken hearted, it's a hurting thing to get
over.

No more empty conversation, next time I will be totally sure,
Don't want the pain of falling in and out of love, it's more than
my poor heart should endure.
So I listen to all advice, and remember each time I cry

but I guess I'm

Only, broken hearted, life's not over, I can start again, but
I'm lonely, broken hearted, it's a hurting thing to get over
(repeat)

So I listen to all advice, and remember each time I cry....

Only, broken hearted, life's not over, I can start again,
but I'm lonely, broken hearted, it's a hurting thing to get
over.

Never gonna be alone again, that's why I asked you to be my
best friend, boy you know you're always on my mind, I think
about you all the time, I'm only

Only, broken hearted, life's not over, I can start again,
but I'm lonely, broken hearted, it's a hurting thing to get
over.

Next season

The opponents were announced right after the last game of the regular season, but it's just now that I'm getting around to figuring out which games I'll be going to next season.

It's been my dream for years to watch a Titans game at LP Field and, thanks to a free Southwest flight and a new friend who is a Titans fan, I think my dream will come true this year.  But which team do I want to see my Titans play?  A team they will beat, obviously.  I'd really like to see them play the Buccaneers because of my newfound respect for Josh Freeman, but a Colts game would also be epic.  I guess it will all boil down to when each game is played.  I can't use too many vacation days on this trip because there are so many more games I'd like to see.

Unfortunately, a home game is all I'm going to get out of the Titans this year because they are staying far away from the west coast next season.  However, I'm getting extraordinarily spoiled by the Jets, as there are 2 games for me to attend that are close to me.

They are playing in Denver again, which is awesome because my best friend lives just outside of Denver and I can kill two birds with one stone that way.  See my bestie, my niece and my boys all in one trip?  Perfection!

The Jets are also playing in Oakland and, though I have often said I will not go to a Raiders game because their fans terrify me, I'm going to bite the bullet and go.  My friend is a Raiders fan, so if I show up with her and keep my Jets attire concealed until I'm in my seat, maybe I can escape unscathed.  Or maybe I can persuade Nick to give me family section tickets so I don't have to fear for my life.

The greatest news of next season is that I have a friend who just moved to NYC to get his Masters degree at NYU and he wants me to come visit so we can go to a game.  A home game for the Titans and the Jets?!?!  It would be the best year of my life!  Too bad I only have 2 weeks of vacation to spread throughout the year, otherwise I doubt I would work at all in the fall.

I doubt anyone really cares about my football plans, but I thought I'd lay them out there in case anyone wants to join me on my cross country adventures!

xoxo
Blanche Sanche

And the happiness keeps comin' in!

It's official:  Vince Young is out and Jeff Fisher is in!!!!!!!!

For weeks, speculation over the Titans feuding quarterback and coach has consumed my life.  Would Bud Adams' hard-on for VY finally win out over the 16 years of loyalty by Fisher or would he see that his beloved quarterback was nothing but an overgrown baby?

On  Wednesday, after a looooong day of meetings (and me successfully avoiding work by furiously checking every sports website I could think of), it was announced that the Titans would be looking for a new quarterback.  I literally jumped out of my seat!  For 3 years, I've been patiently waiting for the club to tell me we were getting rid of VY.  From his "disappearance" that led everyone to worry he was going to commit suicide to his bar fights, Vince Young's off-field antics are better known than his on-field game play.  He whines that he's not given enough trust, but hasn't done anything to earn it.  I'm just glad Bud Adams finally came to his senses and realized that he's never going to win a Super Bowl with a quarterback who doesn't inspire complete confidence in his teammates, coaches, staff and fans.

But, even after the press release Wednesday, Fisher's job was still up in the air.  Well, not really.  I mean, it was blatantly obvious that with Vince gone, Coach Fisher was still going to have a job with the Tennessee Titans.  Especially after the Cowboys, and the 49ers, had replaced their head coaches.  Today, we finally got the sweet confirmation we were waiting for and I get to keep my "happy place" for at least another year!

Now the question becomes: who is our next quarterback?  Doubtful that we will get anyone good out of the draft (except maybe Colin Kaepernick, who is my personal favorite), we are now looking to veterans that have been ousted by their teams.  I have chosen who I trust enough to be our new QB and it is...

That's right friends.  I'm choosing Kyle Orton.  He's not much to look at, which is a downer for a girl like me, but he had a record breaking season with the Broncos and I think he'd be a great fit in Tennessee.  I think he's perfectly seasoned (unlike Donovan McNabb, who is a little too old to be our franchise QB) and has a lot of effort left to give.  I can only imagine how great it would be for a Orton/Britt and Orton/Moss mash-up for our offense.  Throw Chris Johnson in that mix and I feel an unstoppable combination!  Broncos, you keep Tim "Jesus Is My Homeboy" Tebow and I'll take K-Ort off your hands.  Thanks.

Happy Friday is an understatement!
Blanche Sanche

Ode to Jeff Fisher

 I love Jeff Fisher. I have loved him since I became a Titans fan in 2000. So these persistent rumblings of him leaving the Titans to coach for the Cowboys make me sick to my stomach. I awoke to yet another "source" claiming that this scenario is likely to happen this year.

It's almost enough to make a girl cry.

The Cowboys are in a three-way tie for my least favorite team in the league (along with the Patriots and Raiders) and there is nothing that I can make myself do to like them. When Eddie George went to the Cowboys, I was hurt. Eddie, Steve McNair and Fisher are the three men who made me fall in love with the Titans. To have Fisher go to Dallas will break my heart.

I have this fantasy (my proverbial "happy place" if you will) where I'm hanging out with Jeff Fisher, having a BBQ in his back yard that inexplicably backs up to water and has a boat dock. We sit, drink beer, talk about all the great things he's seen during his coaching career and I listen as he fondly remembers Steve. Sometimes Eddie is there too. We hop on his boat and go out into the water; they fish and I make them laugh. It's a jovial time had by all and, though I know it could never happen in reality, a part of me still believes it.

If Jeff goes to Dallas, my happy place is gone.

Blanche Sanche

Another loss, another chance to eat my words

So, the Titans lost.  Again.  I didn't get to watch the game, as I was doing more important stuff (i.e. getting my nails done), but I listened to a lot of it on the radio.

All I have to say is this: if they would have shown up and played the game during the first half, they would have won.  I was very surprised, and quite happy, to see the offense do so well in the second half.  I finally got a good game out of Chris Johnson!  But the defense failed me miserably.  I got a big ZERO points out of them.  Maybe I should have hoped for Cortland to get a bit more vicious.

I was happy to see Peyton get back to playing like Peyton.  319 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, no interceptions.  Good on you, Mr. Manning.

As much as I was pulling for a win from the Titans, I'm okay with a loss to the Colts.  I need the Colts to get their shit together and take down Jacksonville.  I'm not okay with them being the division leaders.

Now, let's just send positive thoughts to the Jets for their matchup against the Dolphins this weekend.  Don't let me down, Mark and Nick!

Blanche Sanche

Titans v. Colts

Thursday night football.  Tennessee Titans versus Indianapolis Colts.  Obviously, I always root for my beloved Titans when this conference matchup comes around, but usually I'm disappointed when the Colts hand the Titans their asses.

This game is going to be different.

Both the Titans and the Colts have had terrible seasons.  With all the drama surrounding Vince Young and Cortland Finnegan, plus the injury to Kerry Collins that put third string quarterback Rusty Smith into last week's game and the terrible news about Coach Heimerdinger's battle with Cancer, the Titans have been underperforming for weeks.  The defense started out so strong this season and gave me hope that we were going to be in the running for the playoffs, then it seemed as if there was a new catastrophe keeping the team from true greatness every time I turned around.

However, the Colts have had their share of shitty luck this season too.  They aren't playing with most of their starters on offense, thanks to injuries sustained by Austin Collie, Reggie Wayne, Joseph Addai, Clint Session and the latest Bob Sanders.  Couple that with the 15 interceptions Peyton Manning has thrown this season (8 of which happened in the last 2 games), the team is not looking like the same team that made it to the Superbowl last year.

I think the Titans have a real shot at this game.  Kerry Collins will be starting at quarterback and I think they are hungry for a win after 5 crushing losses in a row.  I also think that after Eddie George's public condemnation after being the honorary 12th Titan during last Sunday's slaughter by the Jaguars, they have been called on their weak playing and are ready to show people that the Titans are fighters.

It's going to be a rough game because, despite their record, the Colts are still a strong team, but I don't think that the Titans are going to take this one lying down.  Let's just hope Cortland can keep his attitude in check tonight.  Who am I kidding?  Let's just hope Cortland can keep his fines to a minimum tonight.

Blanche Sanche

My favorite teams and how they came to be such

Being a girl from Reno, Nevada, my options are very limited when it comes to choosing a team to which I can pledge allegiance. Most people in Northern Nevada pick the teams in closest proximity, the San Francisco 49ers or the Oakland Raiders. I would rather put a bullet in the brain of my beloved Betta fish, Marco, than support either of those teams because I am not like the rest of the Northern Nevada sheep. I am an individual. Plus, I could never justify wearing red and gold together, as that's the most hideous color combination I can think of, nor can I support a team whose fans are as terrifying as Raiders fans. Therefore, I had to branch out and find a team to call my own. I will now provide you with a list of my favorite teams (both NFL and college) and the reasoning behind my choices:

Tennessee Titans- The first Superbowl I watched willingly was between the Titans and the Rams in 2000. I was 17 and knew NOTHING about football. Truthfully, I only watched the game for one reason: Justin Timberlake. MTV had a pregame show featuring NSYNC and my dearest JT, being born in Tennessee, was wearing a Titans jersey, which meant that ipso facto, I was a Titans fan. That day I fell in love with three other men: Steve McNair, Eddie George and Jeff Fisher. My life has never been the same. JT led me to the Titans, but those guys made me a real Titans fan.

New York Jets- I could lie and make up some excuse as to why I'm a Jets fan, but lets be real. The only reason the Jets hit my radar is the beautiful face of Mark Sanchez. As a matter of fact, I hated the Jets when they picked up Brett "Dick Pics" Favre because of my deep, personal loathing for the overrated quarterback, but I had a change of heart when I first laid my eyes on Sanchez. I've learned to love all things Jets. Most notably, I've started a Twitter love affair with Nick Mangold, the best center in the National Football League. After months of tweeting him, he finally gave in and started following me. Next stop, BBM contacts.

Aside from those two teams, I will occasionally root for the Colts (because Peyton Manning gets me every time with his hilarious commercials), the Steelers (because I am powerless to resist Mike Tomlin), or the Lions (because I really want to see them win).

As for college teams, my picks are just as random and baseless, as I just started watching college football this year.

Nevada- As an alum, I have to root for them. This year, they made an impressive leap to #13 of the Top 25. And I've already purchased my tickets to see them in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl on January 9th. GO PACK!

USC- I'm pretty sure you can guess why. Not only does Mark Sanchez hail from the University of Spoiled Children, but so do Jeff Fisher and LenDale White. I will cheer for anything that is related to Jeff Fisher in any way, so I have to root for the Trojans.

Auburn- I only like Auburn because it seems like every time I turn my television on, Auburn is playing a game. I swear, one Saturday, I left the house while an Auburn game was on and came home more than 6 hours later and Auburn was STILL on my TV. I gotta root for a team with that kind of stamina, even if it was just a repeat of the earlier game.

I will also root for THE Ohio State (thanks Nick Mangold) and the Oregon Ducks. Oh, and I also like Ball State because saying "Ball State" makes me giggle.

And that, my friends, is how I've picked my teams.
Blanche Sanche