NFL wild card round 2 open thread; Update: Stuart Scott, RIP

Scott, who received a standing ovation during his acceptance of the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the 2014 ESPY Awards in July, addressed his uncertain future at the time. … The Colts have the #1 passing offense and have won five of their last six games, while the Bengals have the 20th-ranked passing defense and have split their last four games. … Much of the Cowboys' hopes will rest on DeMarco Murray, but the Lions have Ndamukong Suh back and are positioned as one of the better run defenses in the league, so they should be able to contain Murray…

NFL week 7 open thread, the Down Pats edition

Saints at Bears (4:25 pm, Fox) - Teddy Bridgewater has done a fine job leading the Saints in Drew Brees' absence, but he's losing two of his top three targets today -- Alvin Kamara and Jared Cook, both out with injuries. … Yes, it was an impressive win over the Cowboys last week, but that was an uneven opponent who dipped in the wrong direction just when the returning Sam Darnold put together some magic. … Ed: Speaking of the Steelers, their one-game winning streak is safe -- they have a bye, and Mason Rudolph has another week to step back into the starting role for the sad-sack Dolphins on the 28th…

NFL Week 2 open thread

The Giant's O-line didn't play up to expectations and the Lion's are already putting key players on IR. In the end this one may just come down to a combination of home field advantage and who has a better history playing Monday night games. … Cowboys at Broncos (4:25 pm, Fox) - This one is really a question of whether the Cowboys' offense can continue the dominating, grinding and clock-eating display they put on last week. … Cowboys at Broncos (4:25 pm, Fox) - The Broncos barely squeaked past the Chargers at home last week, and Dallas ain't Los Angeles Jr. Expect a defensive battle, but the Cowboys should prevail, 28-17…

NFL Week 1 open thread

They're already starting off dinged up on the O-line and the D-line, and they're playing against an always-tough D and perhaps the league's best running back in La'Veon Bell. … (Unless the Jets put some of their cheerleaders in uniform as starters.) The Steelers visit the perennially hapless Cleveland Browns and are favored by, I believe, roughly 70 points. … Given the ungodly trading and shenanigans the Jets have been up to, more than a few analysts have concluded that the ownership of the Jets is purposely trying to set up a team so incredibly bad that they will go 0-16, securing a first round draft pick in 2018…

Alert the Media: Hugh Hewitt

Hugh has compiled transcripts of some of his best interviews on the war, including General David Petraeus, John Burns, Walid Phares, Victor Davis Hanson, Michael Yon, and many more. … All of the other topics will pale in comparison, but we will also talk about the Obama inauguration, the the media coverage of the stimulus package, the Ramos/Compean commutations, and much much more. … I'll appear on Hugh Hewitt's syndicated radio show this evening at 8:20 pm ET. I will get Hugh to admit that he rooted for the Pittsburgh Steelers for the first time in his life…

TEMS Tuesday: Guest hosting the Hugh Hewitt Show

Be sure to join the Hughniverse to watch the show live on streaming video, or tune in to your local Salem affiliate to hear it in the air, starting at 6 ET. … My main mission this week will be covering the Pittsburgh Steelers' training camp in anticipation of their march to their seventh Super Bowl title, but we'll try squeezing in a little current affairs and politics topics as well. … The Ed Morrissey Show will be pre-empted all week as I guest host for Hugh Hewitt on the Salem Radio Network, from Hugh's studio in Southern California…

National pass-time: NFL ratings take big hit after anthem protests

"We strongly, strongly support the flag in every way we support — and it's almost ridiculous to be saying it — the people who for generations and generations have given it all up so that we can get out here and show off in front of millions of people on television. … The Pittsburgh Steelers and their national following in the opener went to Washington to play the Redskins, followed by the San Francisco 49ers being led by their backup QB in protests, if not in the game against the Los Angeles Rams, the nation's #2. … (For Cleveland Browns fans, the NFL is part of those trials and tribulations ... but I digress.) When sports becomes another politicized arena for multi-millionaires to lecture the fans that provide their celebrity lifestyle, it comes as no surprise that the fans will get turned off -- and turn the channel…

NFL Week 5 open thread

He was never beloved by the NFL establishment, so this is a nice tribute to a man who contributed far more than his share into making the NFL what it is today. … The Jets will play better today than their 2-2 record would indicate, but there is no way that Tom Brady and Bill Belichick will allow another New York team to surprise them. … If the Steelers can fix their O-line issues and get a running game going -- Tennessee is 8th against the rush so far this year, 7th against the pass -- Pittsburgh should eke out a 20-17 win at home over the Titans…

NFL Week 6 open thread

Note: I'm not picking the Jets game because I owe Jazz Shaw a favor or two, and I don't want to be blamed for a jinx when if the inevitable probable happens. … Packers at Texans -- The other great 2-3 team in the league goes up against the other undefeated squad in the NFL, and this one may end up being a surprise. … Last week I ended up 4-2 to take my season record to 17-13, which coincidentally will be the final score in the Steelers-Packers Super Bowl next February…

NFL final preseason week: Open thread

Ben Roethlisberger had his six-game suspension cut down to four games, apparently a reward for good behavior and cooperation with the NFL on its how-not-to-embarrass-the-league seminar. … Favre returns to Viking purple one more time to see if his arm and his ankle has another season left, and whether he has enough magic to take Minnesota to a Super Bowl for the first time since Gerald Ford was preparing to leave the White House. … After a magical season last year in which Favre took the Vikings to the brink of victory in the NFC Championship Game, the Saints blitzed and buried Favre in what most had figured would be his last game in uniform…

NFL week 15 open thread

Panthers at Redskins (8:30 pm Monday, ESPN) - Washington is the favorite here for a reason and it's a season's worth of data showing that the Panthers were heavy on potential this year but couldn't put the pieces together. … Buccaneers at Cowboys (8:30 pm, NBC) - Yes, I know the Cowboys lost to the Giants last week and the Bucs have a five-game win streak that includes the Seahawks and the Chiefs, both playoff bound. … The Vikings are supposed to have Adrian Peterson back this week and that should give them some additional flexibility on the ground, added to the impressive completion percentage that Sam Bradford has run up…

NFL week 14 open thread

New York fans will howl since this has been the kiss of death for the Giants this year, but I'll pick them to beat the Eagles at home in a close game, 21-17. … I'm picking the Colts and Peyton Manning at home, especially after an impressive win against a resurgent Titans team, but it should be a pretty good game. … Denver at Indianapolis - After starting off strong this season, Denver has lost four in a row before winning their last two against Kansas City and the Giants…

NFL Week 4 open thread

Vikings at Lions -- The Vikes took care of business against an excellent 49ers team at the Marshmallow Dome, but this week they face a pretty decent Lions team on the road. … The debacle in Seattle derailed those plans, however, and the regular officials returned on Thursday night, and brought back a modicum of sanity in the Ravens' close win over the Browns. … Instead of handicapping the teams, I was going to handicap the refs, making a few references to Lingerie Bowl-reject officiating, and offer crazy predictions ... well, crazier than normal, I guess…

NFL week 9 open thread: The Dud Bowl edition

They're 8th against the pass and seventh against the rush, which makes this game a bad choice to put Mahomes and a dodgy knee back on the field -- especially when Moore did a credible job last week. … Jazz: The Jets travel to Miami to play the Dolphins (1:00 pm, CBS) in what Ian Rapparport of the NFL Network has dubbed "the Dud Bowl" ( a play on words harking back to their legendary "Mud Bowl" AFC championship game long ago). … Don't ask me how, but I once again went 7-0 last week, bringing my season record to 33-23 and only one game behind Ed. Will this be the week that brutal reality comes crashing back down on my head?…

NFL week 12 open thread

Patriots at Broncos (8:30 pm, NBC) - Ed put this game in over my objections, either because he found it very interesting or because he's mean spirited and wanted to force me to pick the cheating Patriots. … The Raiders have been looking far better than anyone expected at the beginning of the season and they are a slim one point favorite this week, but I'll take the Titans in a minor upset, 21-17. … (1:00 pm, FOX) But Matt Ryan has a tendency to toss to people wearing the wrong color uniform so I'll go with an upset over the Vegas line and take Minnesota for a tight win 27-20…

NFL week 11 open thread

Chiefs at Chargers (4:05 pm, CBS) - This game looks like a close call, but Phillip Rivers has just been lackluster this season and the Chargers' special teams unit has been nearly as much of a joke as the Jets. … The Vikings are somehow a one point favorite over Green Bay which may look a lot more believable after they lost to the Lions (!?) but I can't see them dropping four in a row, even if they're a bit beaten up. … Jazz: The Steelers have the week off (and they probably need it after that string of injuries.) The Jets visit the Texans and Houston is probably riding high after that beating they gave Cincinnati, but one miracle game does not a season changer make…

NFL Week 16 open thread

The line has the 49ers up by 14, but let's go a little beyond that and predict a 34-17 win for San Francisco that keeps pressure on both of their NFC West rivals and puts them in position for their showdown in Tempe against the Cardinals next week. … Cowboys at Barrycaders (1 pm, Fox) - This game will be most notable for Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan committing political suicide by starting Kirk Cousins over RGIII, but if Jason Garrett and Tony Romo blow another 4th-quarter lead like they did last week against Green Bay, it's going to be career suicide for them both. … It's not much better in the AFC, either; Indianapolis is the only division winner so far in the entire NFL (with a 9-5 record!), and Denver and Kansas City have clinched unknown playoff spots…

Tuesday TEMS: Salena Zito, Peter Wehner

Can the GOP shut it down without shutting down the entire government and falling into Obama's trap? … Peter Wehner of The Ethics and Public Policy Center returns to review the options open to Republicans in pushing back against any executive action on amnesty. … We'll talk about the enduring puzzlement of the Virginia electorate, the murky crystal ball on what 2016's electorate will look like, and the Steelers…

The Ed Morrissey Show: Tim Pawlenty, Jazz Shaw

The Ed Morrissey Show and its dynamic chatroom can be seen on the permanent TEMS page — — be sure to join us, and don't forget to keep up with the debate on my Facebook page, too! … Jazz Shaw will help debate today's court ruling on ObamaCare, Obama's potential status as a million-dollar man, and the upcoming Jets/Steelers game. … We'll also ask about his new book, Courage to Stand: An American Story, which is available for preorder now in advance of its January 11th release date…

TEMS Tuesday: Andrew Malcolm, Sen. James Inhofe, Salena Zito

Salena Zito joins us late in the show to discuss Charlie Crist's fading campaign in Florida, the midterms in general, and the return of James Harrison to the Pittsburgh Steelers … Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) discusses his letter to President Obama in The Hill today on Obama's reported attempt to craft a climate-change treaty without Senate approval. … Today on The Ed Morrissey Show (4 pm ET), we have another great lineup for the news of the day!…

Pence: Why aren’t the media talking about Hillary?

Trump was "clearly saying is that people who cherish that right, people who believe that firearms in the hands of law-abiding citizens make our communities more safe not less safe," Pence explained, "should be involved in the political process and let their voice be heard." … "It seems like every single day the national press latches on to some other issue about my running mate, just each and every day of the week," Pence told a crowd of a few hundred Tuesday night, extending his usual stump speech riff on the press. … Donald Trump was in hot water Tuesday for comments he made about "Second Amendment people" stopping Hillary Clinton, but his running mate, Mike Pence, says the media are at fault and accused the press of doing what it can to elect Hillary Clinton by concocting almost daily controversies around his running mate…

NFL Week 15 open thread

Vick seems to be slowing up a little towards the end of the season after getting hammered in a couple of games, and while the Eagles are good on the road, I think the Giants will find a way to edge them at home. … They'll play their first outdoor home game in almost 30 years, longer than most of their players have been alive, on a field that's likely to be frozen solid, and with a quarterback who was their emergency QB for most of the year. … Still, their defense can play tough, and it's been a while since Ben Roethlisberger's offense scored a TD. Pittsburgh's D has outscored their O, but with Troy Polamalu out after an ankle sprain, their ability to hold back the Jets may be diminished…

NFL Week 11 open thread

Campbell should play well enough to keep the Bears in the game, but if Alex Smith gets back behind center for the 49ers, they should win in a close match, 28-24. … Bears at 49ers - Last week the 49ers earned a rare tie against the Rams, and Chicago lost Jay Cutler for at least this week to a concussion in the loss to the Houston Texans. … The bad news: Big Ben Roethlisberger will sit out the big game today against arch-rival Baltimore, thanks to shoulder and rib injuries in last week's game against the Kansas City Chiefs…

The Ed Morrissey Show: Week in Review with Duane “Generalissimo” Patterson

(And if the log-in prompt doesn't come up in the chat box below, use this link instead.) Lady Logician of True North moderates the chat, and she has the Troll Gun Trivia Contest running before the show, for those who get there early -- and are registered! … We may work in some talk about New York's new Senator, the Milli Vanilli Inauguration, tax incompetents running the IRS, and the "petty" debate over the stimulus plan. … Duane and I will discuss the big stories of the week, especially how the Steelers will go to the Super Bowl for the seventh time, which is .... seven more than the Cleveland Browns…

How long before we have to bail out the NFL?

They've just started the second quarter, and the Chargers are up 17-0, thanks to a Raiders fumble to set up one TD and a Raiders personal foul to keep another TD drive alive. Exciting! … The NFL Channel, the league's effort to keep all of those advertising dollars to itself, has a monopoly on Thursday night football, and tonight's game selection will give you an idea of how well they've managed to turn this into a showcase for the league. … Some of them even made money selling naming rights to financial institutions that will be eating at Hank Paulson's Bailout BBQ & Diner, so in essence they've found a way to get taxpayer money in several directions…

Open thread: Hey, how does three and a half hours of debate on a Saturday night sound?

Update (Bryan): You may already know this, but if you want to keep track of the game while you're watching the debate, hit the NFL's site and click on the game score and you'll get a page that's updated every few seconds. … In the meantime, for your reading pleasure, here's (a) Bob Novak whispering that it was Mitt who was behind the Fred dropout rumors last week, (b) Slublog analyzing Huckamania, and (c) word from New Hampshire that the state GOP has dropped out of the debate tomorrow night due to Fox's Ron Paul snub. … Fred may go after Huck to try to start peeling away evangelical fencesitters in South Carolina; everyone else will be gunning for Mitt, with the exchanges between him and St. John promising plenty of acid highlights later…

Video: Presidential candidates on MNF

Obama could barely get through the explanation, though, and I wonder whether he had already found out about his grandmother's death when he did the interview. … Chris Berman asked each candidate a few softballs in what should have been a palate cleanser for a tired nation. … The last look at the two presidential candidates before the election came, strangely, during halftime in last night's Monday Night Football game between the Steelers and the Redskins…

NARN, the We Need Some Stinkin’ Badgers Edition!

Tim Phillips of Americans for Prosperity will give us an update from the capital in Madison, as conservatives and Tea Party activists arrive to provide a counterprotest to the union rallies inside and outside of the legislature. … Today, Mitch and I will bring you the up-to-the-moment developments on the political crisis in Wisconsin, which is twelve parts The Fugitive and eleven parts Send Back The Clowns. … If you're in the Twin Cities, you can hear us on AM 1280 The Patriot, or on the station's Internet stream if you're outside of the broadcast area, as well as right here on on the permanent Ed Morrissey Show page at Hot Air…

NFL Week 5 open thread

Saints at Bears (1 pm, Fox) - The Saints are back, but Da Bears has won both of their home games and are coming off of a tough loss in Detroit. … That will be the Ed & Jazz Bowl, but don't expect any halftime entertainment, unless you find mutual commiseration to be entertaining. … They're one of two 0-fer teams in this week's byes (Tampa Bay being the other), and that gives them a week off to look hard at the New York Jets, who got trounced by Tennessee last Sunday…

NFL Week 1 open thread

Patriots at Cardinals (NBC, 8:30 pm) - I'm a little stunned to see Arizona listed as a seven-point favorite against the Pats, but I agree -- Arizona will win a relatively close game, 28-21. … Packers at Jaguars (Fox, 1 pm) - Green Bay should be ready for another big season, and the QB situation in Minnesota gives them an opening to restore their dominance in the NFC North. … (Okay... it was by one game, but it counts.) My regular season record against Ed was, er... somewhat less spectacular, but I've purchased a new set of I-Ching sticks and I'm confident I'll do better this time around…

The worst sports column ever

Update (Ed): Unfortunately, this isn't the first time it's happened in LA. When the Raiders played in the Coliseum, a Pittsburgh Steelers fan got badly beaten in the stands for wearing a Steelers jersey and being a little too enthusiastic. … Maybe someone can ask Stow, if he ever comes out of his coma, why he thought it was a good idea to wear Giants' gear to a Dodgers' home opener when there was a history of out-of-control drunkenness and arrests at that event going back several years... … He wore a Giants jersey to the game; afterward, two Dodgers fans jumped him and his friends in the parking lot and beat him so severely that Stow needed emergency surgery and had to be placed in a medically induced coma…

Friday TEMS special: Duane Patterson, Hugh Hewitt, and the big move to Morning Glory

Hugh Hewitt is traveling today but will try to call in from New York to discuss the new show time, plus make sure I haven't hoisted the Steelers banner back up in the studio. … Starting on Monday, April 4th, the Hugh Hewitt Show will move to morning drive time, 6-9 AM ET, so we'll talk about all of the changes and all the elements that will stay the same -- incisive interviews, the great interaction with listeners, and the Cleveland Browns despair. … I'm presently on bereavement/vacation leave in Southern California, but I'll get a break from some other family business today and drop by the Hugh Hewitt studio to air a special edition of The Ed Morrissey Show at 4 ET. What's the occasion?…

NFL open thread, Sunday divisional playoffs

The Jets surprised the Colts on the road last week, but Rex Ryan has to hope that the bye week makes New England as sluggish as the Falcons were last night. … Chicago has fixed both problems in the second half of the season, which will make it difficult for the Seahawks, even playing their best football of the season the last couple of weeks. … The Green Bay Packers nearly scored as many points all to themselves in a surprising rout of the #1 NFC seed Atlanta Falcons -- making me 2-0 yesterday, and 4-2 so far in the post-season…

The Ed Morrissey Show: Kevin McCullough

(And if the log-in prompt doesn't come up in the chat box below, use this link instead.) Jazz Shaw of The Moderate Voice moderates the chat, and he has his Troll Gun Trivia Contest running before the show, for those who get there early -- and are registered! … We'll also talk about BMX Radio Now, Kevin and Stephen's exploding success in independent talk radio, as well as Kevin's book, The Kind of Man Every Man Should Be: Taking a Stand for True Masculinity. … I'll be starting my week-long celebration of Steeler victory, but I promise to keep it to a minimum as we explore Tom Daschle's tax problems, the stimulus package, "Fireproof"ing a marriage, and much much more…

NFL week 10 open thread

Panthers at Packers (4:25 pm, FOX) - The Pack looked weak on the road last week against the Dominguez Hills Chargers, but they're playing at home in 32º weather against a warm-weather Carolina team. … Panthers at Packers (4:25 pm, FOX) - This is supposed to be a fairly easy matchup for Green Bay, but they didn't look very good in Los Angeles last week, while Carolina's rookies started showing signs of life. … However, if my math is accurate (despite being told there would be no math) it looks like that was just good enough to sneak into a tie with Ed. So here we are, more than halfway through the regular season and we're basically right back where we started…

NFL Week 12 open thread

Seahawks at Buccaneers (3:05 pm, CBS) - This one comes down to the fact that Russell Wilson has seriously uppped his game this season while Tampa Bay is 25th in passing defense and have given away 20 passing TDs. … (He's been somewhat less than impressive this year.) But this is the same QB who found a way to beat the Patriots in Week 16 last year so I'll cross my fingers and pick New York to do it again, 24-17. … The only other game I'll highlight here is the 49ers at the Dolphins (1 pm, FOX), not so much for the football but for the unfortunate timing of having Colin Kaepernick wear a shirt with Fidel Castro's face on it in Miami just days before the tyrant's death…

NFL week 5 open thread

It's even tougher on the road, so the easy pick would be to go with the 4 pt spread Vegas is giving Baltimore, but I'm going to throw Ed a bone here and pick the Redskins in a small upset, 27-24. … Nothing seems to be stopping the Vikings these days, not even the loss of their starting QB and RB. It's their defense, ranked eighth overall but #2 in points allowed, that's winning while Sam Bradford makes sure to put them in position to do so. … Sure, our QB has been collapsing to the point where a rumor was going around that we're literally thinking of signing Tony Romo (broken back and all) and Revis Island is looking more like Revis Public Parking, but this is the week when we'll turn it around…

NFL Week 5 open thread

The Raiders' only win came at home (they also lost a home game), so the Chargers can't exactly take them for granted, but this really is a character-revealing game for the Chargers. … Rams at Lions - The Lions aren't as bad as their 0-4 record suggests, as they have been competitive in every game ... but the Rams may be a little better than their 2-2 record, too. … I assume he won't poison the locker room environment this quickly, so his presence in the passing game will force the Jets to keep less than eight men in the box, which should open up Adrian Peterson's running game…

TEMS Thursday: Guest hosting the Hugh Hewitt Show

Be sure to join the Hughniverse to watch the show live on streaming video, or tune in to your local Salem affiliate to hear it in the air, starting at 6 ET. And you'll want to have the Hughniverse membership for tomorrow, when Adam Baldwin, star of the hit new TNT series The Last Ship, joins me in studio! … Kurt Schlichter, author of Conservative Insurgency, joins me in studio for hours 2 and 3 to discuss his new novel, and all of the latest stories of the day! … My main mission this week will be covering the Pittsburgh Steelers' training camp in anticipation of their march to their seventh Super Bowl title, but we'll try squeezing in a little current affairs and politics topics as well…

NFL Wild-Card round open thread

Interestingly, the Falcons are 4-4 on the road and the Giants 4-4 at home, but the Giants are a different team after nearly beating the Green Bay Packers, I think. … Congratulations to the Houston Texans and the New Orleans Saints for their playoff victories yesterday, and to their fans, but the Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Bengals shouldn't be hanging their heads. … Sorry I didn't get a chance to post a thread yesterday for the first wild-card games, but as most of you know, I'm on the ground here in New Hampshire and didn't have a chance to get to it…

NFL Week 7 open thread

Giants at Cowboys (4:25 pm, Fox) - Everyone, including the Vegas line, has the Cowboys winning this one, but it's part of that classic Eastern division NFC rivalry. … Panthers at Packers (1 pm, Fox) - Green Bay is almost a seven point favorite not just because they are at home, but because the Panthers just don't look nearly as good as originally billed. … Ed: I'm making these picks from the Vatican, so I don't want to necessarily imply that I'm going to have a better week, but -- hey, is that lightning striking around me?…

The most embarrassing Super Bowl gaffe?

Aguilera certainly isn't the first singer at a sporting event to fail the first task, nor is she the first singer to turn the national anthem into a pop ballad with ludicrous vocal flourishes, which even the ABC anchor skewers at the end of this clip. … Not only did Chrysler spend $9 million on a long Super Bowl ad when asking for a better deal on their loan from taxpayers, the CEO of Chrysler managed to insult taxpayers for not offering more friendly terms on their government bailout … You may have noticed that Chrysler released the longest ad in Super Bowl history on Sunday night, featuring the new Chrysler 200 driven by Detroit native rap star Eminem, an ad that CEO Sergio Marchionne says cost less than $9 million…

NFL divisional playoffs round 1 open thread

Their defense can't stand up to Tom Brady, and they're going to be on the field a lot thanks to their 28th-ranked offense (points scored) going up against New England's #1-ranked defense (points allowed). … Their defense looked fine at home against the Lions, but they coughed up 23 points in San Francisco in that final regular-season game, against an offense that ended the season ranked 27th in points scored. … On the other hand, the Seahawks didn't look impressive at the end of the season, going 3-3 and dropping a home game to the Cardinals in week 16 and barely getting past the doormat 49ers in week 17…

NFL Week 14 open thread

Giants at Chargers (4:25 pm, Fox) - All the sports pundits have been quick to write off the hapless New York Giants, and they've certainly given them plenty of reason to feel that way. … Based on nothing more than their compared records, the Steelers could really have their hands full as they host the Dolphins today, but recent trends make me think otherwise. … Ed is still tied up on unfortunate personal business this weekend, but the NFL must grind on and traditions must be upheld, so I've been er... volunteered to step up to the helm again…