Posted on 12/20/2009 1:09:34 PM PST by Baladas
Senior White House Adviser David Axelrod said today that supporters of health care reform are "right on the one-yard line" to push through passage of the legislation now that the Senate Democratic leadership says it has the 60 votes necessary to pass their version this week.
Axelrod offered that optimistic prediction, when asked on CNN's State of the Union to describe progress with a football analogy, even though the Senate bill still would have to be reconciled with House legislation that has provisions that didn't pass muster in the upper chamber, and in the face of numerous public opinion polls that showed opposition and anxiety to the chances being discussed on Capitol Hill.
Acknowledging the thorny negotiations yet ahead should the Senate as expected put the stamp of approval on its legislation, Axelrod said, "We're way deep in the red zone...We're right on the one-yard line...That does not mean that we're in."
(Excerpt) Read more at politicsdaily.com ...
Yep.
And we have 80% of the stadium cheering for us and 465 contracts to expire in the next 11 months. :)
I’d like to use AxelFRAUD’s head as a human football
It’s like watching Hitler roll into Poland. Death and destruction to follow for millions.
Uh huh, it was a transparent process too right?
I love it when these idiots get all cocky.
Personally, I’m waiting for the 2010 playoffs and 2012 CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!!!
I was thinking more along the lines of the 49ers goal line stand against Cincy in Super Bowl XVI.
His Simon Legree mustache can be the laces.
And on the next play: Safety!
Remember the Dallas Cowboys in the old days and how they use to pull out the greatest wins with no time left and one yard line?
I was thinking more along the lines of the 49ers goal line stand against Cincy in Super Bowl XVI.
...yep...good one...Cincy/Denver ‘88...The Fumble by Byner?
Cle/Den.
Time to sack the quarterback, man.
Cle/Den.
Yep...I sit corrected...
Facing a firing squad.
Kick a field goal, miss it...
We’ll take over on downs...
First play from scrimmage, we’re gonna facemask or “horsecollar” all of you...
Then we will get rough
You will lose count of the cleat marks up your backs!
Revolution is coming - we’re brewing the Tea right now!
A.A.C.
Paging Leon Lett. Paging Leon Lett.

Or Joe Pisarcik
Won’t pass the final vote in the House.
Bingo - Post of the Freekin' Year!
I grew up on “Captain Comeback”, “Roger the Dodger” - who threw the FIRST and original (so-called) “Hail Mary” pass to Pearson...seventy something yards or thereabouts.
Years before Doug Flutie even entered college
Staubach was an anomaly in his day - a huge quarterback at 6’3 and 225lbs - as big as many of those who tried to tackle him.
He was big enough and supremely skilled enough as a passer and scrambler, not to mention his unflappability - that he would succeed as a young man even in today’s game. Small wonder he racked up almost 23,000 yards passing/2 Super Bowl titles ‘way back’ in the 1970s!
Last night’s win over New Orleans’ Saints was epic - one of Dallas biggest, most valuable wins in at least the last five seasons.
For me, the Cowboys are THE team, and others in the pro ranks are a distant second.
I hope America can pull out a last-second win over this worthless bunch of cheating scrubs in DC.
A.A.C.
Gives the term: “Red Zone” Defense a whole new
meaning.
Jerry's kids caught Brees on a rare off night. If you think Romo is in the same league as Staubach, I've got some FL land for ya.
Cowboys???...1st round and out. Bank it.!!!
These people are beyond help.
As a die-hard Titans fan that's a hard one to swallow. I remember that game like it was yesterday.
But for this game of 'Rat Treason, it's time for the American Patriot team (and I don't mean Tom Brady and Co.) to force a 'Rat team fumble, and pick up the ball to run the other way for a 99 yard TOUCHDOWN to win!!
This anti-American evil must be stopped and eliminated. Every last 'Rat must be voted out! NOW!
What do you want to bet that half of these DC creeps take their families along with their spoils and leave before they ever have to live with the consequences of what they have done to the rest of us...
These people are beyond help.
Better yet, ask him if his severely impaired daughter would have made it past the first trimester, let alone out of the birthing room.
These people have NO IDEA what they are unleashing.
Very true.
Btw, Giggle, I was with the Cowboys when they started with Dandy Don Meridith and Bob Lilly. They were also married to hometown girls.
“As a die-hard Titans fan that’s a hard one to swallow. I remember that game like it was yesterday. But for this game of ‘Rat Treason, it’s time for the American Patriot team (and I don’t mean Tom Brady and Co.) to force a ‘Rat team fumble, and pick up the ball to run the other way for a 99 yard TOUCHDOWN to win!!”
Sorry about that...We’ve all got those...I still have Ben Drieth’s call against the Patriots in a playoff game with the Raiders thirty+ years ago call rolling around in my head...but, yes, the gist of the thing was to try to win one for the Gipper...
I never said Romo was on par with the great Roger Staubach. Right now, I don’t think he is.
He has a long way to go to reach those rarified heights, and he may or may not ever achieve comparable numbers - it is up to him and the lineup around him over the next several years.
I have always liked Brees as a QB, and as a person, (based on the interviews I have seen) since he was with the Chargers, and despite his shoulder injury, I thought that cuting him loose was a significant mistake on the Chargers’ part. Phillip Rivers is good, but not at all as proficient as Brees. I often wished that Dallas had picked up Brees after S.D. cut him loose. Can you imagine a 1-2 punch like that?
That said, Brees had plenty of chances last night and I do not think it was on him for having an off night, but rather on Dallas’s defense for coming up big when it really counted. The Cowboys’ primary - and most obvious problem is that of playing consistently.
They have one of the top five defenses in the entire league, and if they would play to their full potential, game after game, almost no offense in the NFL could stay on the field for long against them. The Colts could, and perhaps the Vikes - the rest also seem to struggle with consistency.
Cowboys’ “O” suffers the same challenge - but in a unique way. Clock (mis)management is important.
Look at their five losses this season: only their loss to GB was by more than one score [17 to 7], while the total margin of their other four losses was 19 pts - an average of just less than 5 pts/game.
Contrast that with a total of 105 pts. higher output in their 9 wins - avg margin of victory of just over 11 pts.
Last week against S.D. - Dallas missed both a field goal at close range, and a red zone opportunity (after four successful rushing plays, they ought to have varied their game with passing, since Romo is highly effective in Red Zone passing. Shame on Garrett or Philips for bad play calling.); suffered the loss of DeMarcus Ware for almost half the game - and still lost by just a field goal. Screw-ups, or injuries (recall also in their last loss to NY, starting R tackle Marc Columbo went out in the first series with a broken ankle, and they lost wide rec. Martellus Bennett to a concussion) like that would have cost most squads far more points.
They have also hindered their own efforts with crucial penalties (again an issue of consistency on both sides of the ball) that stopped their own drives, and which advanced their opponents’ (eventual) scoring drives.
And, although they have an offense that produces rushing and passing yardage well (how many 300+ yard passing games has Romo had this season? Last night was yet another), they definitely need to focus on translating that into point production. Read: “Big” plays...game-breaking plays.
IMHO, those are the differences - the things which separate them from the 2 or 3 “elite” teams in the league.
First round and out - bank on it? No, not quite. They have the tools to go all the way to the S.B. - and if they use them properly, they can play with any team, and send most of them home.
If they don’t, they could lose by a field goal or a TD to the likes of the Vikings and Colts or the Browns and Seahawks...
I think it will end up hinging partially on matchups - how well they match up against their playoff opponent(s) in terms of playing style.
Two more regular season games and it will be time for the fans of post-season teams to play the “IF...” game, while the rest play the “wait ‘til next year” game!
Dallas has a game in DC against the ‘skins and a homestand closer against Philly. They beat Phil. by 4 points IN Philly, and survived by 1 pt in Dallas against the ‘Skins
Dallas cannot afford to mail it in. They need to win both games; if they do, the NFC East is theirs outright. Washington has kept circling the drain since their tilt with the ‘Boys, while the Eagles have fattened up on weak teams, and right now the 6 and 7 49ers are giving them all they can handle - in Philly, with the snow flying. Not exactly weather that favors S.F. Eagles face Denver next week - which will not be easy for them
I would LOVE to see Dallas in the Super Bowl this post-season; realistically, I don’t believe they are ready for a team like the Colts at this point, but I believe Dallas will end up winning the NFC East outright, and could contend strongly for the NFC title.
The Giants are all but out of it...same with Atlanta and S.F.
Vikes and Saints will get a first round bye, Dallas and Arizona will likely host the Packers and the Eagles, but who will go where? Probably Philly at AZ and GB at Dallas, though it could be Philly/Dall and GB/AZ.
Of course I would pick the ‘Boys either way.
Assume {for a moment}, GB/Dall, and Phil/AZ.
GB is 5-0 since playing Dallas, (but is now losing to the 6-7 Steelers, losers of 5 in a row) so they would be the toughest first round draw, but I think Dallas would pull it out by one score.
Ariz., OTOH - is 9-5, and has lost 3 home games, so that one is harder to call.
Question is, would Dallas draw the Saints or the Vikes in Round 2? They have proven they can (in spite of themselves) beat the Saints in NO. They have not played the Vikings at all this year (except a 4 pt home win in preseason).
And how will the 11-2 Vikings close out the season? Carolina tonight, then Chicago and then the NY Giants. The Vikes only 2 losses this reg. season were to Arizona and Pittsburgh...so AZ can beat them...
One could easily imagine both the Saints and Vikes playing 2nd round matches, each against one of the few teams to beat them in regular season...difference being, the Cards beat the Vikes in AZ, while the Boys took down the Saints in NO.
All anyone can ‘guarantee’ at this time is that it should be interesting. The AFC is less up in the air, IMO. It is basically the Colts, the Chargers, and then “the rest” of the conference - nobody else is riding anything more than a two game win “streak”. The only also-ran capable of generating a significant upset is probably the Patriots. The Bengals might have been able, but they have lost too much...
My two cents worth...
(donning asbestos jammies)
A.A.C.
crappy photoshop job.
crappy photoshop job.
Improvements welcome...only his mustache was cropped...otherwise it is untouched...
I remember them too - but Staubach much moreso for his two Super Bowl wins.
We’re both ‘dating’ ourselves, here - you know that don’t you...?!?! LOL!
Wait - wait...I was watching all those games on “NFL Classics” on ESPN...yeahh, yeahhh THAT’S the ticket....!
A.A.C.
No thanks. His regular stalin-esque mustache is more fitting for his marxist ideology.
ROTFLOL
You may have been watching on tv LOL; but I was actuslly at the games. Uh oh, did I tell on myself.
Btw, Bob Lilly’s son looks just like him and Dandy Don’s son is the spit and image of his mother’s father. Uh oh, I am dating myself again.
Watching Brees last night, it was obvious his timing wasn't on. He was due an off night, and hope this is out of their system. No offense to your cowboys, but Romo just doesn't have the oomph to get their team deep in the playoffs. Choke factor?????
Okay if Axelroad is bringing up “one yard line” comments, I’d like to point to one of the greatest goal line stances in the history of Football.
During FSU’s 1993 Championship game of the season, they first met Kansas in the Kickoff Classic. They won that game 42-0, but what happened in the 2nd quarter was truly unbelievable. Penalties and mistakes by the Noles gave the Jayhawks 11 plays plays inside the 10 (7 of those inside the 2) and they still couldn’t score. Oh to remember the good old days:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AYA-27DX2U
What is it that causes a QBs timing to be off?
Is it his own timing, or is it the defense he plays against? If the D figures out some of the QBs quirks, and improves their methods, successfully disrupting his play and catching him flat-footed and unable to fully adapt in time, instead of vice versa...
how can we discern and argue one way or the other?
As for the Cowboys...
I am not ignoring their recent play, I’m saying it is almost completely irrelevant.
Why? Because of their very inconsistency - which I previously noted.
The best they have done this season is to win 4 in a row, the worst they have done is lose 2 in a row.
That is the definition of inconsistency - of a team that still has wrinkles to work out, and appears to be trying to do so on the fly...
They could lose their final 2, matching their worst stretch this season, and still back into the playoffs, or...
Split the final 2 and leave you and I wondering...
If they close out with wins against WA and Philly, that will make 3 in a row.
Then they could either win a 4th in a row (a postseason game), matching their regular-season performance for this year, or lose...
There really is no discernible pattern other than inconsistency. LOL! Sad but true.
As for Romo not having the ooomph versus having a “choke” factor - there is also not a deep enough history to show an established pattern of something like that (unlike someone such as - say, Donovan McNabb?) Bear in mind this is only Romo’s second full and complete season as the starting QB for Dallas.
Key stats to consider: Romo has gained greater control over his interception ratio this season - more throws, more completions, fewer INTs Less than half the number he had last season).
He has also effectively boosted his passing yardage per game (and per throw) average and overall shows signs of maturing and improving.
The “model” you are using to make your guesses seems based upon Romo not improving, or not being capable of significant enough improvement to garner better results.
His stats seem to indicate otherwise; his performance has not deteriorated or remained static.
He should be primed for some breakthrough playing.
Best of all factors, he does not have to deal with Terrell Owens’s constantly demanding to be the go-to receiver a certain number of times, or for a certain number of key plays.
That is invaluable, as I believe Owens was a significant playing (if not morale) liability.
Talk and analysis is cheap though. I believe Romo and the Boys are ready and able - the only question is whether Jekyll or Hyde will show up. You seem to believe that, with Romo at the offensive helm, choking is an inevitable given.
Once they either leave it all on the field or don’t, we’ll all have a clearer picture.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh earlier took down Green Bay with a last ditch effort, and with 9:18 in the 4th quarter, Carolina just scored another TD on Minn., and looks ready to run away with the game, 19 to 7.
FReegards
A.A.C.
Their OWN 1 yard line, if public opinion counted.
Well, Brees had a second “off night”, and it cost New Orleans a second home loss in a row; the Eagles barely won their game against Denver, and Dallas gave the ‘skins a thorough drubbing that was not even as close as the 17 to 0 would suggest. This cemented a playoff slot for the Cowboys.
The NY Giants are now eliminated by Dallas’ win, and next week’s showdown in Dallas between the Eagles and Cowboys, will result in a clear NFC East champ.
If Dallas wins, it will be theirs, by virtue of two regular season wins over Philly. This would also give Dallas a first round bye - meaning no first round and out this time! Conversely, if Philly wins, they will split the season’s two games with Dallas, but they would own the NFC East by virtue of a better W-L record. However, Dallas would still get into the playoffs.
Still no way to determine all of the “who will play whom”, though the Cardinals secured the NFC West title, and G.B. locked in a playoff spot with the ass-kicking they gave the seachickens.
You might still be right, but Dallas did themselves a huge favor today, and next Sunday’s home game will be one of the most interesting - and hopefully most watchable (speaking as a Cowboy fan) of the weekend.
I’ll be rooting for the win, so they get a first round bye, because that could mean Marc Columbo’s return to the starting lineup in time to really make a positive difference.
Hope your Holidays have been Happy and full of joy.
I don't know what you mean by off night.... Brees went 32-37. In any case I am now worried. Losing to the 2-12 Bucs at home was perplexing to say the least. I am still wondering how a QB goes 32-37, and still loses a game.
The late TD return and botched end of game FG sunk us. I am hoping they will right the ship in time for a Dallas vs. N.O. NFC championship.
If we play like we did in the MNF game against NE, no one will beat us. If we played like yesterday, we will get killed in the divsional playoffs. All we need is one Viqueen loss or one win by us to get the #1 Seed. That will help, and we will see.
Best of holidays to you too.
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