Last evening, Thanksgiving Eve, saw a small handful of the faithful gather at Cornerstone EFC to give thanks to God. We gather every Wednesday to pray, but this night was different. I had taken every household’s name and put it on a small slip of paper. Included on these slips were also every missionary family we support, every leader of our congregation, others in teaching positions, as well as service positions at Cornerstone. All these slips of paper were placed in a basket and stirred around a bit. Then, after I began leading us in prayer, we’d just pass the basket, take a slip and pray. Our prayers were short and concise – we simply wanted to thank God for each person/family/leader represented there. As we went on, it seemed the Spirit was pleased to work in us to produce such a sweet harmony of praying these notes of thanksgiving that no one was aware of the passage of time (a rare thing these days within the church). When we finished, we gave thanks to God for His many blessings upon us and our little church and headed off to our homes, in order that we might prepare to do the same again today.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

The Convento de Santa Teresa de Jesús is one of the 43 monasteries that once existed in Palma de Mallorca. Nowadays, only six or seven of them are still operating as a monastic institution.

Anyway, the Esglèsia de Santa Teresa in Palma’s Rambla had recently a bit of restauration work done to its exterior. In the course of repair work and a thorough clean up, a rather large sundial was discovered on the church façade that had been unbeknown to the authorities. The monochromatic hour pattern had faded away over the ages and the old style had vanished. Only the wet from the rain made the sundial discernable from close up. Ultraviolet lamps were used during the restoration process and the gnomon was replaced. Now this rehabilitated sundial gives us the time of day once again and in replenished style.

The church of Santa Teresa was built in 1634 and it is assumed that the original sundial dates from the same period, or perhaps a little later when the convent was constructed. An astonishing 945 sundials are known in Mallorca, with about 80 of them in the Palma area, if you want to know, and some of them are priceless. The oldest known sundial in Mallorca dates from 1614 and is located in Son Puig.

There is a Google map on the web with 24 positions of sundials in Palma. Not quite accurate but interesting nevertheless.

The photo (top) was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: November 24th, 2009. The time was 13:17:57. The photo (bottom) was borrowed from the Internet. Thanks are due to arcapatrimoni.blogspot.com.

Moltes gràcies.

Power Thursday

Increíble semana sin muchos juegos importantes, pero después de todo resulto ser una semana muy importante con todos los equipos del norte de la americana viéndose mal, los leones y los cafés brindaron un juego muy interesante sin aspiraciones a playoffs y los vaqueros y los Redskings uno muy aburrido. Los Titanes siguen ganando y los broncos siguen perdiendo…

Y para una semana en la que este jueves tendremos 3 partidos, un domingo mas ligero con los partidos de las 12 teniendo cero importancia, los de la tarde quiero verlos todos (menos el de los jefes) y el de la noche un platillo interesante en un duelo divisional entre los Acereros y los Cuervos. Y el lunes por la noche el plato principal:  Santos vs. Patriotas, Brees vs. Brady… oh yeah!

Como nota extra se aprobó en el presupuesto de los equipos el sueldo para un neurólogo, cosa que es una medida de seguridad muy importante… solo falta que los equipos y los jugadores tomen en cuenta la opinión medica.

32. Browns

[1-9] Un equipo espantoso, lesiones al por mayor pero posiblemente falsas; salían del partido dos jugadas y después absolutamente nada… pero pues pese a todo eso, me gusto el partido ya que fueron dos QB que quieren lucir pero aun no están listos contra dos defensivas espantosas

31. Rams

[1-9] Corrieron con suerte de no recibir una increíble paliza, ya que el QB rival salio por lesión y el rival bajo el nivel de juego. Muy seguramente no ganaran ni un solo partido mas y se quedaran con la primera selección para intentar juntar muchas selecciones y poner gente que ayude a Steven Jackson que es mucho jugador para tan poco equipo

30. Buccanners

[1-9] Después de recibir una increíble paliza y con un cierre de calendario que suena muy complicado este equipo que no es tan malo como los dos anteriores podría sufrir pero ser beneficiado; posiblemente no gane ningún partido mas, los cafés tienen un calendario mas flexible y por ahí ganarle a los Chiefs y Tampa tendría la segunda selección del draft y ayudarse para la siguiente temporada

29. Lions

[2-8] Matthew Stafford sigue con molestias en el hombro izquierdo después de la separación de hombro sufrida el domingo pasado, seria una estupidez completa que jugara contra los empacadores… y si las molestias continúan es mejor dejarlo sanar tranquilamente

28. Bills

[3-7] Regresa TO? naaa tuvo muchas yds pero no logro ayudar a su equipo con alguna escapada importante, y en su calendario pues simplemente recibes a los Patriotas y recibes a los Colts…

27. Seahawks

[3-7] Los Vikingos les hasta por abajo de la lengua y ahora tendrán una oportunidad de victoria ante los Rams

26. Redskings

[3-7] En un partido muy aburrido contra los Vaqueros en el cual no hicieron absolutamente nada por intentar ganar (tampoco los vaqueros), con un roster sufriendo con muchos lesionados y con un calendario complicadísimo al cierre contra equipos como águilas, santos, gigantes y chargers… pues no podremos esperar una mejora

25. Chiefs

[3-7] Están en el top25 después de ganarle a un equipo que la semana pasada estaba en el 6to puesto

24. Raiders

[3-7] Suben 4 lugares y crean una interesante situación ya que después de un buen juego por Bruce Gradkowski el futuro de JaMarcus Russell con el equipo esta en duda, Gradkowski sera el que inicie el resto de la temporada. Mejoro increíblemente la ofensiva, sin estar tantos puntos abajo la defensiva aguanto y consiguieron una victoria que hizo ver mal a muchos de los “psíquicos” (al igual que contra las águilas). Veremos que noticias nos trae este equipo que dentro de unas horas enfrentan a los Vaqueros que vienen bajando de nivel y el resto de su calendario le permitiría conseguir una o dos victorias mas; cosa que seria de mucho beneficio para la confianza del equipo para la siguiente temporada y porque es importante no estar en buena posición en el draft no nos valla a tocar otro Russell cuando pudimos haber elegido un Peterson

23. 49ers

[4-6] Derrota ante los Packers pero no se vieron tan tirados pal monte… van contra los Jaguares con posibilidades importantes de la victoria y un calendario que incluye a los Leones y a los Rams que posiblemente pueda meterlos en la pelea si se ponen las pilas

22. Jets

[4-6] Mark Sanchez después del incidente del hotdog no puede levantar y se habla de que tendrá que disfrutar de algún tiempo en la banca

21. Bears

[4-6] Cutler necesita jugar mejor y punto, esta matando a este equipo ya que solamente quiere lanzar la bola sin dejar correr a Forte

20. Panthers

[4-6] Visitan a los Jets y estoy esperando un buen juego por parte de las panteras

19. Texans

[5-5] Bajan 4 lugares ya que se vinieron abajo al final del partido sin poder logar nada

18. Titans

[4-6] Una importante victoria y Chris Johnson es una maquina, con Vince Young se le abre un poco de hueco porque también tienes que cuidar que Young no sea el que corra. Y quizá podrían levantar su temporada ya que esta semana reciben a los Cards y quizá podrían llevarse la victoria y digamos que ganan (5-6), pierden en Indianapolis (5-7), recibes a los Rams (6-7), recibes a los Delfines que sin R. Brown no sabemos si puedan aguantar ya que la gente estará preparada contra Ricky Williams y digamos que ganan (7-7), los Chargers dependiendo de como decidan cerrar su temporada seria otra derrota (7-8) y contra los de Seattle una victoria (8-8) y cerrar 8-8 para un equipo que arranco la temporada con 0-6 son muy buenas noticias

17. Dolphins

[5-5] ¿Estarán con vida estos delfines? Tienen un calendario que les permitiría con un buen juego terminar la temporada con récord positivo, una vez mas si juegan bien podrían estar aunque se ve complicado

16. Ravens

[5-5] Es difícil jugar contra Peyton y los Colts, pero este equipo que empezó bien podría quedarse fuera de posibilidades numéricas ya que tienen un calendario que se podría complicar (pese a tener dos posibles, bueno… casi victorias seguras en contra de los Raiders y los Leones). Pero aun tienen que enfrentar dos veces a los acereros y este domingo es una de ellas… duelo directo que es clave para ambos equipos

15. Falcons

[5-5] Este equipo viene en caída libre. Posiblemente despierte su ofensiva pero su defensiva no esta logrando jugadas clave en el mano a mano, pero tienen la “suerte” de tener un calendario que si se ponen las pilas podría volverlos en la pelea ya que tienen que enfrentar 2 veces a Tampa y a los Bills, y prácticamente son tres victorias que los dejarían (8-5), así que la responsabilidad esta en sus manos enfrentando a las águilas y jets que con una victoria ante alguno de ellos los pondría 9-7 (incluyendo una derrota contra los Santos) y ese 9-7 los puede poner en la pelea

14. Jaguars

[6-4] JonesDrew es una maquina juego tras juego, esta semana tuvo una “baja” en su juego ya que solamente corrió para 66yds y 1TD (si eso es baja de juego pues felicitaciones). Equipo que tiene en sus manos la calificación pero no me agradan como equipo

13. Broncos

[6-4] Una tremenda barrida que recibieron por parte de los cargadores los pone de vuelta en el lugar, derrota tras derrota para tener una racha de cuatro consecutivas. Equipo que esta demostrando lo que la mayoría creíamos, pero gracias al buen inicio tiene la calificación en sus manos ya que aun puede lograr nueve victorias ya que enfrentan 2 veces a los jefes y reciben a los Raiders. Dos derrotas en contra de los hermanos Manning respectivamente (Giants y Colts) y jugarse la calificación en contra de las águilas.

Honestamente no creo que sean capaces de conseguirlo, pero tambien honestamente preferiría ver a los broncos que a algún otro del este o sur de la americana (excluyendo a los Pats y a los Colts obviamente)

12. Packers

[6-4] Interesante victoria en contra de los 49es, su defensiva esta muy lesionada… pero creo que su ofensiva es tan buena que si logran proteger un poco las a Rodgers este equipo puede despreocuparse de las lesiones y concentrarse en un puesto de playoffs

11. Steelers

[6-4] Una dura derrota contra un equipo tan débil como Kansas que podría afectar sus aspiraciones a calificar, ya que no solo es la derrota si no que pierdes a tu QB suplente para la temporada y posiblemente al Big Ben en un partido CLAVE contra los cuervos. Aunque ese posiblemente es falso, Big Ben jugara si o si

10. Giants

[6-4] Regresan a la senda del triunfo, esta semana van a ganarle a Denver lo que los pone en lucha seria y si aprendieron de sus errores como candidatos serios para la final de la NFC, y con tres juegos divisionales restantes en su calendario la calificación esta completamente en sus manos

9. Eagles

[6-4] Interesante victoria en contra de las águilas y esta semana posiblemente le ganaran a los Broncos para conseguir legítimamente el liderato de la división

8. Cowboys

[7-3] Una victoria muy aburrida en contra de los Redskings pero al final es una victoria que los sigue manteniendo empatados en victorias de su división. Buenas noticias es que Romo aparenta esta mejor y listo para enfrentar a los Raiders en algunos minutos

7. Bengals

[7-3] Dolorosa derrota en contra de los Raiders, y esperemos para bien de ellos que perder contra equipos de “abajo” no sea cosa de quedarse porque enfrentan en semanas consecutivas a los cafés y a los leones, y en la 16 a los jefes. De ser victorias estas tres estarían amarrando posiblemente un boleto

6. Cardinals

[7-3] Un partido interesante en contra de los Titanes, digo… interesante si no juega Warner, de lo contrario van a ganar y van a clasificar; si no fuera por ayudarlos mas, aun tienen partidos en contra de los Rams y los Leones

5. Chargers

[7-3] Enfrentan a los jefes, de ahí a los cafés para prácticamente amarrar la división. De ahí vaqueros, bengals, titanes y redskings

4. Patriots

[7-3] Un equipo que se viene viendo consistente durante las ultimas semanas y este lunes enfrenta la prueba de fuego ante los Santos en un partido de si o si…  y sin importar una posible derrota el lunes, de mantener el paso (sin lo de regalar juegos como contra los Colts) este equipo amarra la división y descansa la primera semana

3. Colts

[10-0] Siguen ganando, y como mencionábamos la semana pasada que no son buenas noticias… si ganan y pierden los Jaguares aseguran la división. Su defensa no me agrada y gracias al calendario que tienen posiblemente logren mantener la temporada invicta… y OJO! NOSTRADAMUS! bueno, obviamente descansan la primera semana, y después… eliminados!

2. Saints

[10-0] Un día de campo en contra de TampaBay, la ultima vez que los baje de #1 le dieron una paliza a los Gigantes… así que veremos este lunes si logran retomar la punta ya que no merecen el #1 pese a seguir invictos a como han venido jugando

1. Vikings

[10-0] Nuevo líder! Un día de campo en contra de los Seahawks es importante que el resto de su calendario no esta regalado pero tampoco en un día de campo, lo que serainteresante para mantener a ritmo de juego a Favre pero sin exigirlo al máximo y descansando la primera semana, ojo con el general en los playoffs con ayuda de su gran defensiva y el solido juego por tierra. Con una posible adelanto de playoffs en la semana 16 en contra de los Gigantes

By: Dukemich

Finally, I had a solid week with a 12-4 record. That brings my overall record to 107-54. A lot of games could have gone either way in Week 11. Let’s start with the two surprises of the week. The top teams in the AFC North both had a chance to either gain ground in the division or increase its lead. However, both lost to bad teams. The Steelers lost in overtime to the Chiefs while the Bengals lost to Raiders on a field goal  from Sebastian Janikowski. I don’t know Roethlisberger’s status and Charlie Batch injured his wrist. Will the Steelers have to go to the third string? If they both just won like they were supposed to I would have been 14-2 this week. The Colts eeked out a victory and the Saints won big. Both remain undefeated at 10-0. The Browns, Lions game was actually very entertaining with a gutsy performance by Matthew Stafford at the end. Well done!! The Giants snapped its four game losing streak. The Titans have now won four straight. The Packers beat the niners and are still in contention for a wild card spot at 6-4. The Chargers have taken the lead in the AFC West after they demolished the Broncos. Picks!!

Thanksgiving Day Games

Green Bay vs. Detroit

I’m not going to say anything. No bets on this one. The Packers just have to win.

Oakland vs. Dallas

The Raiders will not win two straight games against quality teams.

NY Giants vs. Denver

The Broncos have fallen off the face of the earth. I just can’t pick them against the Giants who got back on their feet last week against the Falcons.

Sunday 1 p.m.

Tampa Bay vs. Atlanta

The Falcons need to get back on their feet. The Bucs are a good team to do that against.

Miami vs. Buffalo

CHAD HENNE

Cleveland vs. Cincinnati

The Bengals have to recover from the embarrassing loss to the Raiders.

Seattle vs. St. Louis

The worst part about these two teams being in the same division is that they have to play each other twice. The Seahawks are a little better. Nevertheless, Arnold Schwarzenegger just wants to save everybody from the horrible game.

Carolina vs. NY Jets

I have absolutely no faith in the Jets. The Panthers are an inconsistent team. This week they’ll be ready to go starting with the running-back tandem of John Stewart and Deangelo Williams.

Washington vs. Philadelphia

The Eagles will pound the Redskins. I know I’ve said it before but this is the game the Eagles will win 51-7.

Indianapolis vs. Houston

Both undefeated teams will go down this week. The Texans get the upset.

Kansas City vs. San Diego

The Chargers will make it six straight and I’m sure Arnold Schwarzenegger will continue to back them.

Jacksonville vs. San Francisco

I’m going with my gut. The 49ers are going to come through this week. The Jaguars will have a rough time.

Chicago vs. Minnesota

The Bears are playing awful right now and the Vikings just keeps winning.

Arizona vs. Tennessee

The Cardinals are inconsistent and the Titans are rolling. I pick the Titans in the upset.

Pittsburgh vs. Baltimore

Roethlisberger is likely to play so I think they’ll be all right. They sure need the win.

New England vs. New Orleans

This is the week the Saints finally fall. The Patriots will walk into the dome and beat the Saints by a comfortable margin. I’m sure they want to prove themselves after they failed to beat the other undefeated team in the league. They need to show the NFL that they are an elite team. I know who’s pumped for the game. You guessed it, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

This week I got a little upset happy. We’ll see if that pans out.I think it’s a tough week so I’m giving myself a cushion. 9-7 or candy bars.

See ya.

In all your works, either at home or at the place of your service, do not forget that all your strength, your light and your success are in Christ and His Cross; therefore, do not fail to call upon the Lord before beginning any work, saying: Jesus, help me! Jesus, enlighten me! Thus your heart will be supported and warmed by lively faith and hope in Christ, for His is the power and glory unto ages of ages.

John of Kronstandt

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/kronstadt/christlife.ii.html

Week 11 turned out great for the pick ‘em crew as everyone improved their record. Duds held on to the top spot, but Pat now finds himself in third place behind Tony by just .002 percent. Here are the overall season standings.

1. DF 23-11

2. TB 21-13

3. PM 16-10

4. WF 19-15

5. NG 8-9

Pat can be happy that he was able to predict the biggest upset of the weekend when Oakland stunned Cincinnati by the bay. Nick picked the second-best upset of the week, correctly taking the fighting Vince Youngs on the road over Houston.

This week gives us the Turkey day games and one match up for the ages in what could be a Super Bowl preview in the Bayou…

New York Giants @ Denver Broncos (Thursday night)

PM- Denver is fighting inside the locker room and McDaniels is ok with it? Marshall is all over Moreno and McDaniels says “they are a competitive group”, not a winning combination. The Giants will come into Denver and clean house as they to are trying to get there feet back underneath of them.

NG- Ok this has to be the week that Denver gets back on track. Expect Mike Nolan to dial up more blitzes this week than they did versus the Chargers in hopes of keeping the Giants offense out of sync. I’m going out on a limb and predicting Denver big in this one.

DF- This Bronco team is very unpredictable (Ha They suck and it’s starting to show as I predicted). Eli Manning is coming around and that is all that needs to be said. I see the Giants kicking the S_ _ t outa them. Giants by 21.

TB- Lord almighty, what an awful game this will be if Chris Simms starts for the Broncos again. If he does, the Giants will win by 21. I think Orton will end up playing, so I’m going with Denver by 3.

WF- Man is that Bronco secondary starting to show it’s age. Moreno’s fumblitis leads to in-team fighting. The Quarterback position has gone from a plus to an uncertainty. The Giants just need to play their game and let the Bronco’s beat themselves. I like the odds of that happening, Giants by 13.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Baltimore Ravens

PM- What happened to the AFC North last week? Someone has to win this game so we can’t see a repeat of last week. Pittsburgh is struggling offensively, defensively and health is now of main concern. Reports show that Rothlisberger is likely, but Steelers forget how to play when Polamalu is out. I look for another rough week for the Steelers as the Ravens come out victorious.

NG- Pittsburgh is coming off a humiliating loss to the Chiefs and I fully expect them to take their frustrations out on the Ravens. This should be a hard fought physical game, but I like the Steelers in a close one.

DF- Pittsburgh is going to be tough even on the road from here on out. The Ravens have shown signs of life at times but will be no match for the Steeler defense, look for lots of turnovers in this one.
Steelers by at least 10.

TB- Both teams seem content to just let Cincinnati walk away with the division, so they have that much in common. Even if Roethlisberger starts for the Steelers, I think his head will be fuzzy all day, especially with the Ravens D swarming him all day. Ravens by 10.

WF- The Steelers are coming off an embarrassing loss with a woozy signal caller. The Ravens on the other hand took the AFC best team(record-wise) to the brink at home, but with the loss are now in desperation mode. I think the Ravens will want it more and the decline in the Pittsburgh D will aid the home team in a Ravens win.

New England Patriots @ New Orleans Saints – MNF

PM- NFL Game of the Week! An exciting Monday night as I hope no one has anything going on to have to miss this battle. Home field is clutch in this match-up and I think the Saints are still a little to hot for the Patriots.

NG- Can New England knock off the high powered Saints? No. Drew Brees is playing amazing and while the Patriots are a good team, they aren’t quite the elite team they have been in years past. Saints by a touchdown or more.

DF- Too bad this game is in NO as I see a real challenge here for the Saints. A high scoring game and whoever scores last will win. Saints by a field goal.

TB- Will this be the end of the line for an undefeated Saints season? Probably, but I’m going to go with a karma pick on this game, and no one has less good karma than Bill Belichek. Saints by 3.

WF- The Saints have shown they can win from behind, blow out opponents and do pretty much anything possible on a football field. All this said I’m going against all my counterparts and picking the Patriots. Why? Belichek made a mistake a few weeks ago, he got too cocky. He’ll use this game to show everyone why he’s still the best.

LOCKS

PM- Minnesota over Chicago

DF- Giants over Denver, Of Course!

NG- Philadelphia over Washington

TB/WF- Baltimore over Pittsburgh

UPSETS

PM(2)- Detroit over Green Bay

NG(4)- Denver over Giants

WF(2)/DF/TB- Washington over Philadelphia

Because it has been written does not make something true.
Because it has been spoken does not make something true.
Because it has been conjured by the mind does not make something true.
Thoughts are what we make of them.

Whispered into the minds of the willing, a truth it does not make.
Whispered by the mouths of saints and scholars, a truth it does not make.
Whispered by the wise and the blessed, a truth it does not make.
Thoughts are what we make of them.

Trust not he who holds his word above all others, for he has lost his way.
Trust not he who condemns and scolds, for he will be judged.
Trust not he whose words would bite and degenerate, for his tongue is wicked.
Thoughts are what we make of them.

This last Sunday and Monday were as crazy a week in the NFL as I can remember.  There was hardly a game that went down the way that everyone had expected.  Many analysts looked at this as a down week and after looking at the schedule before Sunday’s games that was my feeling as well.  Boy, were we wrong about that, where do you even start?  The fact that the Bengals lost on the last play of the game to the Raiders after they fumbled the kickoff or how about the Texans losing to the Titans who have now won four in a row, to go along with quarterback Vince Young’s personal eight game winning streak.   Maybe, you don’t like to dwell on the negatives and you want to talk about how the Colts and Saints are still unbeaten and it was not at all easy for the Colts.  I don’t know what to talk about either, but it was a great weekend.

I will say this though there is a team that won on Sunday in dramatic fashion and made me a believer and that team is the Detroit Lions.  What?  I know what you’re thinking, how could I be a believer in the Lions?  I’m not a believer in the Lions this year or probably even next year, but I believe in the guy they have at quarterback, Matthew Stafford.  I thought he might just be another Jamarcus Russell or “Jarmucus” as Tom Jackson calls him, but he’s not.  He came out and threw five touchdown passes and lead his team to victory at the end of the game.  He even threw that last touchdown with a separated shoulder now that’s tough.  You could even see him after he threw it saying it’s out, it’s out.  I am now a Stafford fan I hope he keeps playing big and that eventually the Lions will surround him with the talent necessary to win.

While Matthew Stafford impressed me I think the best team in the league to this point isn’t one of the unbeatens.  It pains me to say it, but the Minnesota Vikings thrashed the Seahawks the way they were supposed to on Sunday and nobody even batted an eyelash.  As long as Favre can keep playing at the same level for the rest of the season I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him holding up that Lombardi Trophy.  The reason that I really like the Vikings is not their offense, which is dynamic, it’s that defense.  I think they might have the best defense in the league right now and you could argue that they have the best team on both sides of the ball.  So, you heard here first look out for the Vikings I actually see them getting home field advantage throughout the playoffs passing up everybody’s darling the Saints.

Now as for this week, it should be a good one there are a lot of good games especially the Patriots and Colts game that will be the talk of ESPN for the next few days.  We’ll also have the traditional Thanksgiving Day games featuring the Cowb0ys and the Lions.  Thanksgiving is synonymous with football whether it be watching it on TV or playing it in the backyard, no holiday says football like Thanksgiving.  So have a good one tomorrow watch and play some football and most of all eat up, I know I will.

Even if you didn’t know the Vikings were 9-1, you would be able to tell they were having a good season by looking at their Trench stats. They are near the top of the scoring list every week in multiple categories.   This week they lead in fantasy points in  both the Offensive Line and Defensive Line.

Special shout out to our Trench Fantasy Ambassador Phil Loadholt who is part of that outstanding Viking line. Also, it’s not a typo, the Vikings DL held the Seahawks to 4 yards rushing and 1 in 4 SEA plays was for negative or no yards. The OL allowed Farve to complete 85% of his passes–huge.

Another team near the top every week is the Saints.  They are in the top 10 in nearly every offensive and defensive category. This could be why they are sitting at 10-0.

Vikings O-Line (77 FP):

28 1st Downs,160 Rushing Yards, 271 Passing Yards, 84.8%Pass Completion,37 Rushes,28 Pass Attempts,4.3 Rushing Average,2 Sacks Allowed, 7 0 Yard Plays,4 Negative Yard Plays,5 Forced Punts

Saints Defensive Secondary (65 FP):

3 Interceptions (53Yds),1 Fumble Recovery (53Yds),51.5% Opponent Pass Completion,126 Passing Yards Allowed,7.4 Yards per Completion, 17 Receptions,1 Reception 20+ (21),1 Opponent Passing TD

D-Line Vikings (92 FP)

2 Sacks,7 Forced Punts ,1 Fumble Recovery,1 Interception,5 Negative Yard Plays,7 0 Yard Plays,4 Opponent Rushing Yards,0.3 Opponent Rushing Average, 231 Opponent Passing Yards

Why not? That’s the question I’m asking as we head into the Thanksgiving football weekend. As any sports fan will tell you, we are always looking for the next big game. Sure, this week’s Monday Night Football game between The New Orleans Saints (10-0) and the New England Patriots  (7-3) is one of the biggest of the season, but I’m looking bigger. I’m looking to Super Bowl XLIV in Miami. Heading in to week 12, The Saints and Indianapolis Colts are the only 2 undefeated teams in the NFL, and they each represent a different conference. Now I’m sure most of you are already saying, ”No friggin’ way. Both teams going undefeated and meeting in the Super Bowl? That’s ridiculous.”

Sure the idea of it is, but why not? 2 years ago, everyone thought that the Patriots going undefeated in a 16 game season was out of the question. You know what happened. In that year’s Super Bowl, everyone thinking the 10-6 Giants beating those same 16-0 Patriots was even more ridiculous. Again, you know the story.

All I’m saying, as a football fan, is why not hope big?

Here’s both teams remaining schedules:

The Colts  play Houston (5-5), Tennessee (4-6), Denver(6-4), Jacksonville (6-4), N.Y Jets (4-6) and Buffalo (3-7). All of those teams have a combined record 33-32 for a win % of .507

The Saints have it even easier. After this week against their toughest opponent in the Patriots (7-3), they have Washington (3-7), Atlanta(4-6) , Dallas (7-3), Tampa Bay (1-9) and Carolina (4-6) for a total of 25-34 for a win % of .420

With the remaining schedules looking like they do, Can these two teams and their gunslinging quarterbacks lead them to history? I’ll be the first to admit that having two teams in the NFL go undefeated and meeting in the Super Bowl is outlandish, but I ask you, why not?

This NFL season there has been a lot of hype about the final two “unbeaten” teams. And while it would be Super to have two undefeated teams duking it out in the last game of the season, the probability of this happening is 0.00152% with 8 total games remaining for both. I’m all for improbable things happening but those are odds that no one with any sense of gambling knowledge would ever take. But who knows, if Drew Brees keeps playing the way he is and Peyton keeps miraculously coming up with the W, the odds in reality seem a little better. It would be an unforgettable matchup.

As a fan of the Colts, is it really in the best interest of my team to go undefeated this season? I’m not wishing the Colts to lose, trust me I love a win no matter how late in the game it takes to secure it. But I’m more concerned about the most important win of the season, which for undefeated teams has unfortunately rarely happened. Only one team in the modern NFL era, the 1972 Dolphins, have gone undefeated in the regular season and taken home the hardware. The Patriots attempted it in 2007 only to lose to the other Manning brother (poor Brady, he must have nightmares about the Oreo dunking duo). In the Pre-modern Era, the 1935 and 1942 Bears, as well as the 1948 Browns were undefeated in the regular season but only the Browns came away as champs. These aren’t the kind of odds that I’m looking for this season. I want another win in Miami for my team. I’ll take the odds that have been shown by one loss or two loss teams. The pressure is less after one loss; the focus is not on the chase of the goose egg at the end of the record and more on the “bling” on the finger.

Don’t get me wrong, these statistics aren’t going to stop me from cheering my team to victory every week. I just hope the guys are focusing their energy on improving our tackling and catching abilities more than all of the hoopla of the “Perfect Season” so we can display another Lombardi trophy in Indy. A win in Miami is what we want; bring home the hardware Colts!

“The Lord said, ‘I will hasten my work in its time’ (D&C 88:73). Surely anyone observing the recent growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is keenly aware of that hastening process. This should make us humbly grateful for the Lord’s omnipotent hand. Obstacles that seemed insurmountable have proven to be merely challenges for the faithful, for ‘with God nothing shall be impossible’ (Luke 1:37). “Inspiration has prepared the way from the beginning, when the Lord impressed the Prophet Joseph Smith to compose the twelfth article of faith: ‘We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.’ This inspired statement was surely written for our day. The Prophet knew that the gospel was ultimately to be taken to all nations regardless of their governmental differences. He knew that the ordinances of salvation and exaltation could bless the lives of people regardless of their politics. And he knew that people who were taught correct principles and who were loyal to their civil leaders and observing of their local laws would be most able to enjoy the blessings of the gospel.”

Elder Russell M. Nelson

Week 11

1. Colts – they remain unbeaten and have had a tougher schedule than the Saints.
2. Saints – Big game this week in fact make it a huge game this week and I have to say I think they will go down to their first lose of the season.
3. Vikings – This team is not getting alot of attention which is surprising with Favre in it but they continue to win and win well.
4. Patriots – Pretty much sealed up the division this weekend and can now look forward to ruining the Saints perfect start to the season.
5. Bengals - They are praying the lose to the Raiders doesn’t hurt them too much.
6. Chargers - Looked good beating up the Broncos and should win the division now.
7. Cardinals – This team still seems to surprise people even after last season.
8. Cowboys – Warning signs are up since they struggled to beat the Redskins.
9. Packers - How could would this team be if they could protect Aaron Rodgers?
10. Giants - Got the win they needed after the bye week even though they tried their hardest to lose it.
11. Eagles – The Bears game was closer than it needed to be.
12. Steelers - Must stop losing so silly teams like the Chiefs.
13. Broncos – Simms was so bad he made Orton look like Elway.
14. Jaguars - Nearly losing to Buffalo shows how bad this team can be at times.
15. Falcons – Not surprised by the news they are seeking a new kicker.
16. Ravens - They need to win a game against a good team to be taken seriously.
17. Dolphins – Still winning even with all those injuries.
18. Texans - Things looked so good a few weeks ago but know they look like the .500 Texans we all love.
19. Titans – Being winless seems like a long long time ago now.
20. Panthers – Run the ball in the red zone please.
21. Bears - They are only this high because there are so any bad teams right now.
22. Jets - Looks like a team coached by a rookie head coach and with a rookie starting QB.  Nice to see the disrespected us quote coming out this week.
23. 49ers - Smith looks ok at last.
24. Chiefs - Big win last week.
25. Raiders - Finally they have a QB who can throw the ball.
26. Bills - When do they move to Canada now?
27. Seahawks – Time to start worrying about next season.
28. Redskins – See above.
29. Lions - How do you lose so many yards and points to the Browns?
30. Rams - I still feel sorry for Steven Jackson.
31. Buccaneers - Man this team is bad.
32. Browns - and this team is even worse.

Isaac Watts  -  (1674-1748), English hymn writer

Watts was born July 17, 1674 at Southampton, England, the eldest of nine children. His father was a Dissenter from the Anglican Church and on at least one occasion was thrown in jail for not following the Church of England. Isaac followed his father’s strongly biblical faith. Isaac was a very intelligent child who loved books and learned to read early. He began learning Latin at age four and went on to learn Greek, Hebrew, and French as well. From an early age Isaac had a propensity to rhyming, and often even his conversation was in rhyme.

Because Isaac would not follow the national Church of England, he could not attend the Universities of Cambridge or Oxford. Instead, he attended an academy sponsored by Independent Christians. After completing his formal schooling, Watts spent five years as a tutor. During those years he began to devote himself more diligently than before to the study of the Scriptures. In 1707 he published his first edition of Hymns and Spiritual Songs.

For a few years Watts served as an assistant and then pastor to an Independent congregation in London. A violent and continual fever from which he never recovered forced him to leave the pastorate. Sir Thomas Abney received Watts into his home, and Sir Thomas’ family continued to provide a home and serve as Watts’ patrons for the next 36 years!

Though naturally quick to resentment and anger, the Lord used Watts’ sufferings to produce a gentle, modest, and charitable spirit. Out of his compassion, one-third of his small allowance was given to the poor. Watts’ tenderness to children can be seen reflected in his lovely Divine Songs for Children, published in 1715.

Watts’ most published book was his Psalms of David, first published in 1719. In his poetic paraphrases of the psalms, Watts adapted the psalms for use by the Church and made David speak “the language of a Christian.” Examples of Watts’ method can be seen in his paraphrases of Psalm 72 into the hymn “Jesus Shall Reign Wher’er the Sun,” Psalm 90 into “O God, Our Help in Ages Past,” and Psalm 98 into “Joy to the World.”

Benjamin Franklin first published Watts’ psalm paraphrases in America in 1729. Franklin was not the only American publisher to take an interest in Watt’s hymns. In Boston his hymns were published in 1739. They were well-loved by Americans of the Revolutionary period.

Besides over 600 hymns, Watts published 52 other works, including a book of logic used in the universities, books on grammar, pedagogy, ethics, psychology, astronomy, geography, three volumes of sermons, and 29 treatises on theology. After his death on November 25, 1748, a monument to Watts was erected in Westminster Abbey. His greatest monument, however, are the hymns to his God still used by Christ’s church.

NSO: Here are our NFL power rankings for week 12.

1. Colts
2. Saints
3. Vikings
4. Patriots
5. Cardinals
6. Bengals
7. Cowboys
8. Chargers
9. Eagles
10. Steelers
11. Giants
12. Packers
13. Broncos
14. Jaguars
15. Ravens
16. Titans
17. Dolphins
18. Falcons
19. Texans
20. 49ers
21. Panthers
22. Jets
23. Bears
24. Seahawks
25. Chiefs
26. Redskins
27. Raiders
28. Bills
29. Lions
30. Browns
31. Rams
32. Buccaneers

Some Festive Games and Some Turkeys

We’ve arrived at Thanksgiving week, and the NFL season has become one of haves, have-nots, and mediocre teams.  The haves (New Orleans, Indianapolis, Minnesota, Cincinnati, San Diego, Arizona, and New England) figure to be the eight teams playing in the second round of the NFL playoffs. 

 The have-nots (Cleveland, Detroit, Tampa Bay, St. Louis, Washington, Kansas City, Oakland, Seattle, and Buffalo) have nothing to play for at this point.  To wager on these teams, one must find a reason to believe these teams’ players will have a reason to give everything they’ve got.

 The 15 mediocre teams remaining are the ones competing for the final four playoff berths.  These are the teams that must be watched carefully as the stretch drive begins.  Be careful playing against one of these teams when they are playing a have or have-not.  They can be dangerous.

 This week presents some interesting contests.  On Thanksgiving night, the Denver-New York Giants game features two of the aforementioned mediocre teams.  A match-up of two mediocre teams in essence becomes a playoff elimination game.  The loser of this game has very little chance of recovering to make the playoffs this year.

 Indianapolis plays at Houston, and the Texans find their backs up against the wall.  After losing a close Monday night game, Houston is in a must-win position.

 Arizona plays at Tennessee, and if the Titans win this one to get to 5-6, they would have to be considered a dark horse candidate to finish 9-7 and sneak in as the final AFC Playoff team.  No NFL team has ever started a season at 0-6 and finished 8-8 must less 9-7.  The 1970 Cincinnati Bengals began the season 1-6 and won seven games in a row to win the AFC Central Division at 8-6.

 Baltimore and Pittsburgh face off in a blood and guts battle that could easily be a playoff elimination game.

 The Monday night game is the best MNF game of the year.  New England plays at New Orleans.  It could easily be a preview of the Super Bowl.

See I told you I’d get bored.

This is kind of a boring division (no offence to any Bucs, Saints, Falcons or Panthers fans out there), so there’s not loads to talk about.

First, we have the Panthers. They’ve been a fairly solid team over the last few years – hell, they were in the goddamn Superbowl in ‘03, and were in and out of the playoffs since then.  This season has gotta be seen as a bit of a flop.  They’re 4-6 in a division that contains the Saints – that’s game over in my book.  Jake Delhomme’s playing like he couldn’t really give a shit anymore, which is kinda sad, but I think the Carolina coaches need to man up and get him off the team ‘cos he sure ain’t helping things for them.  Their running game combo of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart should be an amazing tandem, and they’re actually pretty good, but it seems to keep getting nullified by the pathetic pass game.  Delhomme’s stats make Cutler look good: 57% completion rating, 8TDs and 14 INTs.  Not great.  Their D is good but not great, and it would have to be great to make up for Jakey boy.  Peppers is playing well again after a two-year lapse, but other than that not much to report.

Second we have the Bucs.  The less said about them the better.  I honestly don’t know why the team got rid of Jon Gruden.  I know they didn’t make the playoffs in 08, but they were still 9-7 which isn’t to be sniffed at in my opinion.  What happens? They bring in their defensive backs coach (wtf?) and put him in charge, he throws out anybody even remotely good from the squad (Brooks, Galloway, Hilliard, June, Garcia) and makes a HUGE signing: Byron Leftwich.  Sure they also got Kellen Winslow, but what’s the point if there’s nobody to throw to him?  They only have one win, and surprisingly it was against the Packers.  Any bets on next years’ head coach?

Thirdly, the Falcons, who have played well-ish, but have suffered in similar fashion to the rest of the NFC South in that they’ve played a match against the Saints.  Always going to be problematic.  Matt Ryan’s playing fairly well, and he’s definitely one to keep hold of for the future.  Other than that Michael Turner has played well, but nowhere near as well as last year.  That coupled with a messy field goal kicking situation has left them at 5-5 with a lot of work required to get anywhere near a wildcard spot.

The Saints are my last team to talk about here, and they really have exploded this year.  Drew Brees is playing like he’s throwing tennis balls, with nearly 70% completion rating.  Their running game is going well, if odd.  The load is kinda shared between three guys: Bell, Thomas and Bush.  Between them they’ve racked up about 1400 yards though, so no troubles in that department.  Their receiving corps are kinda the same, with seven or eight guys contributing (at least 100 yds receiving each) to an impressive 2,600 between them.  Their D, which is probably what held them back in the past, is playing very well.  The acquisition of Jonathan Vilma definitely making an impact this season.  They’re division champs for sure, but may lose to the Vikings at the Conference championship I think.

Anyway that was largely pointless but nonetheless fun for me.  I hope somebody somewhere has actually read this, and I will do an NFC East overview next time I do this.  Which’ll be fun as I have little to no knowledge about the NFC East.

See ya.

This is going to be my longest post yet. I will not be posting the rest of the week. This is going to top 25 pages when you include all the pictures and videos. I’d like to think it is worth the read (there are no bottom-line takeaways, but trust me there is enough to read already). So take a look, find the game or teams you want to read more about and read up. I hope you read it all, maybe a couple of games a day. Nonetheless enjoy…

Patriots 31

Jets 14

Let me start with my analysis with what has become just a mess of a Jets team. Early in the season they were treating their week 2 match-up with the Pats as if it was the Super Bowl. Rex Ryan even called all the season ticket holders with this message…

It worked…in week 2. But, when you pull out all the stops every week things inevitably go wrong. Ryan got the Jets too emotional too early. Now after a 3-0 start they 4-6 and look toast. SanCHEZ has played incredibly poorly as of late, and he might need to take a seat. I do have to give props to Darrelle Revis who once again had a big game against Moss. But, I have to wonder if he was able to shut down Moss in single coverage (the apparent claim) why were they not double and triple teaming Welker?

Let us take a quick look at the Patriots. This was a solid win, but I felt it still left a lot to be desired. We all saw their collapse in the Colts game and they came out a little slow in the second half of this game. I am not a fan of their offensive play caller, QB Coach Bill O’Brien. He does have a mean cleft chin though…

However, looking at his play calling I think he gets tight late in games and on big plays. I chronicled his 4th quarter against the Colts last week, and I do not have the time to really break down every week like that, but this is about the “eye” test. His play calling does not pass it.

Next week’s game just became a lot bigger than it should have been to be honest. With the Bengals and Steelers losing, the Patriots are in the driver seat for the second seed in the AFC and a bye. While a loss to out of conference Saints does not affect the tiebreakers (obviously record is the number 1 tiebreaker, but given two teams tie, record against the opposite conference is never a determining factor), it is important to keep pace.

Dolphins 24

Panthers 17

Wow interesting game. Ricky Williams ran wild and looked like the old Ricky Williams. The Dolphins are now at 5-5 and still have a chance to make a playoff run. In fact, if they win the next week and the Pats lose the two teams will meet with the AFC East’s first place on the line. Moreover, the good news for the Dolphins…if they win that game they would be 5-1 in the AFC East and hold the tiebreaker over the Pats.

If you were wondering how Ricky Williams stayed is such good shape apparently he practices something called Pranic Healing. What is Pranic Healing? I am glad you asked…

Please tell me you did not just watch that whole video. The quick definition for Pranic Healing is…

“Pranic healing encompasses a broad array of therapeutic approaches, both ancient and modern, based on the notion that illnesses of body or mind involve an imbalance and/or blockage in the flow of vital life energy.”

In other words Ricky is on some good stuff (note: I have nothing to back that up).

As for the Panthers…well not much to say really. They lack consistency and look to be finished. At 4-6 they have an outside shot at a playoff spot, but it is not likely. Jim Fox might be on the hot seat, but in actuality if his past performances are any indication the Panthers will bounce back next season. When Fox took over the team went 7-9, but the next season they finished 11-5 (and made the Super Bowl). Then they went 7-9 again but rebounded with another 11-5 record (making the NFC Championship game). They then had back-to-back mediocre seasons, 8-8 and then 7-9, but last year they went 12-4. Fox seems to coach a team that is either strong or mediocre, but never bad.

If I am the owner of the Panthers I actually give Fox more chance with the caveat that the next QB he picks to lead the team will dictate his future. Delhomme is not the answer, and yes I understand their next QB, if a rookie, could take a while to develop, but Fox has been stuck with Delhomme (an up and down QB, who is now on the downside) in 6 of his 8 seasons. I want to see how he does with someone with more upside.

Colts 17

Ravens 15

The Colts are playing in so many tight games that it is hard to look at them at 10-0 and feel truly confident. Even with their huge win last week seemed overshadowed by the 4th and 2 call by the Patriots. Look at the scores of their last 4 games…4 points, 3 points, 1 point, 2 points, not exactly domination station. So what has been the problem?

I think it has been a mix of things. Outside the Pats game 4th quarter they really have not had that Colts mojo going. Manning has been great but the running game is still struggling . In addition, they have had 7 turnovers the last three games. I could see the Texans pulling the upset next week, so many close games is a recipe for a loss.

I do have to give Dallas Clark props for this ridiculous catch…

For some reason this has inspired me to show some of my favorite catches of all time, check it (I have already shown Moss vs. the Colts, and Wayne vs. the Texans in past blogs)…

Moss vs. the Jets last year (the ultimate I want it more catch)…

Tyrone Prothro from college (too bad he had one of the worst leg injuries ever recorded, first video is the catch, second is the injury, hide your eyes)…

Santonio Holmes in the Super Bowl (this is to win the “F’n” Super Bowl)

Calvin Johnson in college (dude is Megatron)…

The Antonio Freeman MNF catch…

Lastly the Torry Holt catch from a couple years ago (he is running full speed when he makes it)…

I know there are others, if you find a good one send it my way.

So back to the game and specifically the Ravens…After their blowout win vs. the Broncos everyone thought they would make a “run,” but they have struggled with consistency especially on offense. Flacco is having the good old “Sophomore Slump,” which by the way is a saying I hate. It implies he is playing poorly because he is in his second year. Maybe he is playing poorly because he was not asked to do much last year and this year he has to do more and is not able to do it. It also has to be said that his WRs are not exactly world-beaters.

So looking ahead, the Ravens season comes down to one opponent. They have two games against the Steelers. Their other 4 games are against the Packers, Lions, Bears, and Raiders. The Packers are the only team in there that might be a threat and if you read this blog you know I think the Packers are not for real. If the Ravens win those four games and can take 1 of the 2 Steelers games they will finish 10-6, which might be good enough for a Wildcard birth.

Lions 38

Browns 37

Look at these two teams having themselves a regular old barnburner. The Mangina must have been enraged that his enemy Belichick was getting all the attention for a questionable play call and felt he had to beat his old mentor. For those who do not know let me “review” the end of the game…

Lions down 37-31 running the “final play of the game” from a little outside the Helmets 30 yard line. Stafford, who already has 4 TDs is rolling around avoiding the rush and throws to the endzone as time expires. Stafford gets nailed and seriously injures his non-throwing shoulder. The ball is incomplete BUT there is a pass interference penalty in the endzone placing the ball at the 1-yard line. Stafford however is hurt and there is an injury timeout to take him off the field. By rule unless either team calls a timeout Stafford cannot come back into the game for the final play. The Lions are out of timeouts, and remember both teams have had plenty of time because there was a penalty and then an injury. It would be hard to not have the “right” personnel on the field. So as a “cold as ice” Daunte Culppeper comes running onto the field the Mangina calls a timeout, effectively allowing Stafford, who has his adrenaline flowing, to come back into the game. The Lions score a TD and win the game. That timeout is INEXCUSABLE.

Any competent coach would take their chances with a cold Culppeper on that play. But don’t worry, the Mangina really put the nail in the coffin Monday when he “questioned whether the Lions faked injuries throughout the game.” The only thing I question after this game is the Mangina’s mental capacity.

I have to give Stafford credit for really gutting out this win. It was a huge performance by the rookie. Who knows where he will go from here. I was going to drop this stat at some point and I guess this is the right time. Peyton Manning threw 100 INTs in his first 5 seasons. Sometimes if a guy shows promise you have to give him time (unless his name is JaMarcus Russell).

Packers 30

49ers 24

Here comes Green Bay winning on that easy schedule and putting themselves in position to take a playoff spot in the NFC. But I have not been a fan of this Green Bay team from the beginning and for those who do not know they just lost two of their top defensive players with ACL tears, Aaron Kampman and Al Harris. They have three winnable games and three tough games left on the schedule. If they can beat the Lions, Bears, and Seahawks then they will have 9 wins and probably only need one win vs. the Ravens, Steelers or Cardinals. I really am not a big fan of this team, but I think it would be hard to bet against them. Then again it is the NFL and you never really know.

The 49ers really could have won this game had they played a full game. It was inexcusable especially because they were able to get a meaningless cover and continue my epic downfall in my picks league. Alex Smith is too inconsistent and the 49ers should not take solace in his most recent half. Consistency wins in the NFL, not a good half or a good game. It’s a 16 game season.

The 49ers did get their first Michael Crabtree TD and Vernon Davis has gone from super-specimen malcontent to team leader this year. He is putting up outstanding stats this year. He has even begun curling…

How that helps the 49ers? It doesn’t, but you have to admit it’s kind of cool.

Jaguars 18

Bills 15

If the playoffs started today the Jaguars would make it. There is no doubt that the Jags are the worst 6-4 team I have seen in a long time. MJD is an absolute stud, but there is no way this Jags team is playoff worthy. They have won their games by the following margins…7 points, 20 points, 3 points, 3 points, 2 points, 3 points. Watch out folks this team is a killer! They have a -36 points differential, meaning they have let up 36 more points than they have scored. The last team with a negative scoring margin to make the playoffs was the 2006 Seattle Seahawks who won the NFC West with a 9-7 record. They had a -6 margin. The Jags are -36 and it has only been 10 games. That is horrible. They have lost by 2 points, 14 points, 41 points, and 17 points. It does not exactly scream playoff team.

Completely unrelated…MJD has to be the most stubby star in the NFL. Look at this picture

He is so difficult to tackle and has been their X-Factor, even more than the emergence of Mike Sims-Walker. Still I cannot see them going anywhere, and if they make the playoffs it will not last long.

The Bills continue their downfall. They are now 3-7 and have an interim coach running the show. What could Terrell Owens be thinking right now about his decision to join the Bills? I always loved his attire when they first introduced him as a member of the Bills…

What is with the green shirt? It just does not make sense. I guess it is better than when he was doing crunches in his driveway…

I would expect Owens to be happy with this loss. I mean he had a big game and that’s all that matters.

Steelers 27

Chiefs 24

Do not get confused about this game. Roethlisberger did get hurt and that did enable the Chiefs to win the game, but he did not get hurt until OT. This game was a 24-24 game. The Chiefs played an even game with a team many thought was going to come out take it to an inferior team. This loss is bad for the Steelers because it came after a loss and it will be difficult for them to get in position for a bye in the playoffs. The Steelers are definitely a weaker team with out Troy Polomalu and all of their loses have come in games where he was either out or limited by injury.

Really Big Ben says he is going to be fine, but this is his 4th concussion. That is not a good thing for a QB who runs around a lot and takes a lot of hits. No one really seems to know the long-term effects of concussions, but I doubt that it is something good, I would even go as far to say it is something “not good”. Rashard Mendenhall has not exactly taken the world by storm as of late, and it looks like we all have to calm down a little bit about anointing him the next Jerome Bettis, not in the “I am fat” kind of way, but in the “lead RB of the Steelers” kind of way.

Bettis by the way is one of my least favorite backs of all time. There is no doubting he had a great career, but I always felt like he could be stopped by a good defense. Look at this Sports Illustrated cover picture…

Trust me he put on a lot more weight than that at the end of his career. The guy was basically a quick DT at RB. I found nothing more pleasing then his fumbles against the Patriots in those big games back in the early 2000s. Remember those days, when the Patriots would win big games and close out games defensively. I will now stab myself repeatedly with a pen.

The Chiefs have a winning streak and have played some solid ball the last two weeks. Interesting note for the Chiefs…every time I spell their name I mess it up. I spell it Cheifs. You see over the summer I was in a position known as “Chief Judge.” We were ordering jerseys and my buddy, also a Chief Judge, misspelled the Chief as Cheif on the jersey, or so he thought. We ended up getting the jerseys too late anyway and much to our surprise Chief was spelled correctly. Needless to say we returned the jerseys so the people who bought them could get their money back (haha yea right).

Please note the previous paragraph is entirely for one of my friends and will make no sense to anyone else reading it. The Chiefs have not lost since Larry Johnson was cut for using gay slurs and criticizing the coaching staff. Good for them.

I have to ask…Why is the word Nevertheless three words as one, but the words Needless to say are split up? These are the important things we should all take into account when writing blogs and analyzing the Cheifs (yes that is misspelled on purpose).

Vikings 35

Seahawks 9

By this point you probably know it, but it is worth repeating, Brett Favre is playing some ridiculous football. He has 21 TDs and only 3 INTs. His strong play has led to this team being considered by many as the top team in the league. You will hear people say: Are the Vikings at 9-1 really the best team in the league?!?! Let me answer the question, no. Maybe it is my hatred of Favre, my knowledge that Brad Childress is a bad coach, or the fact that their pass defense is overrated, but I do not trust this team.

With that said, can this team prove anything to us over the next 6 weeks? Probably not, which could likely create an inflated perception of this team’s actual ability. So when it comes to playoff time it is all going to be about Brett Favre. Favre has not done well in his last couple playoff appearances (the year denotes the date of the playoff game)…

2008 Packers 20 Giants 23 (OT) at Green Bay

2 INTs including one in OT

2005 Packers 17 Vikings 31 at Green Bay

4 INTs

2004 Packers 17 Eagles 20 (OT) at Philly

Packers take 14 to 0 in 1^st quarter, end up losing in OT…15-28 180 yards, 2 TDs, 1INT

2003 Packers 27 Falcons 7 at Green Bay

2 INTs

2002 Packers 17 Rams 45 at St. Louis

6 INTs

Favre’s poor play could be deemed a direct cause of his team’s playoff loses in each of the last 5 playoff loses his team has faced. His teams have won only 2 playoff games in this time span, never winning more than 1 in a given year. Three of the loses came at home (or what used to be home), a place that had never seen a loss before the Falcons came in and destroyed them. I would not feel safe if I was a Vikes fan rooting this team in the playoffs.

The Seahawks are as big a mess as any team in the league and I did not see this coming at all. On paper this team looks all set. I know, I know I say that every week but seriously. Is this really all on Jim Mora Jr.? For one thing Hasselbeck has not been healthy for an extended period of time recently. The Seahawks definitely need a new QB of the future. They used to have one of the best rushing attacks in the league, but a mix of mediocre RBs and an aging O-line have killed that. They relied on Walter Jones for so long and just hoped that he would not “get old.” Well get this…he got old. He is 35 and has been placed on Injured Reserve ending this season. He says he wants to play again next year but he is probably more of a liability at this point. Offensive line is usually looked at as a place where longevity is attainable, but I think that holds truer for interior offensive lineman. You rarely hear of the 35+ year old OTs dominating. Even Orlando Pace fell of the map after a slew of injuries and oldness.

The good news for the Seahawks? They have two first round picks next year. They traded away an early 2^nd rounder last year for the Broncos first round pick this year, and if the Broncos recent play is any indication, that pick could also be on the higher end. If I was the GM of this team I would target a QB, OT, and a defensive playmaker with my top 3 picks (two 1s and a high 2). Now, that is obviously easier said than done, but those are the trouble spots. Defensively they have struggled against the pass, which seems to be a factor of poor coverage and lack of pressure. Patrick Kerney is on milk cartons in the Seattle area.

Giants 34

Falcons 31

This is a win the Giants desperately needed. After starting 5-0 against a cupcake schedule they lost 4 straight and many had written them off. They benefited from a week 10 bye and were able to win this game even with the Falcons mounting a wild comeback at the end. Eli Manning played very well and threw for 3 TDs, but the Giants still have some very big issues. Brandon Jacobs is not the Brandon Jacobs we all thought he was. Where did this guy go…

Instead he has gone to the Shaun Alexander and Larry Johnson school of old RBs, where players learn to dance and fall. I have to go on a quick tangent and tell my favorite Alexander story for a second. Alexander was arguably the best RB in the league for a couple years. Well as he started to get old he got hurt. One year specifically he broke a bone in his foot. Alexander, a delusional person to begin with, came to the practice facility the next day and was raving how he “prayed the night before and God healed him.” I am not making this up. Alexander was convinced he had been cured. The Seahawks thought this was great, but also thought it might be wise to take an x-ray to make sure this miracle did indeed happen. X-rays were taken, the bone was still broken, and now Alexander is remembered as much for his epic fall as he is for his MVP season. I believe in God, but give me a break Alexander. I would have laughed in his face.

With the Cowboys playing very tight vested and Philly being so inconsistent it is not out of the picture for the Giants to make a run at the NFC East title. They still face the Cowboys again, with a chance to sweep the season series, and the Eagles at home. Before the season we all thought this would be the “best division in football.” I do not think anyone thinks that now, but it could still end up being one of the most competitive. Even if the Giants can’t win the division this win gives them the “head-to-head” tiebreaker with the Falcons.

The Falcons are an incredibly flawed team right now, even though they almost were able to come out and win this game. Ryan had a good game and I will give him his credit for that. Mike Jenkins has to make that catch in the endzone, a TD that likely wins them the game. Still my fundamental flaw with this team is there inconsistency with their offense. If you watch the Falcons it is almost as if they are scared to run plays they know will work. When Turner was running all over the Panthers last week (before the injury) they almost seemed to rather pass than hand the ball off to him on back to back possessions.

I may be wrong with this but next time you see a Falcons game watch what they do on 3rd down. I have seen only a handful of their games but they run a QB Roll Out to the right a ton of the time (they might call it a waggle, but I am unsure if they pull the guards or the exact play call). This is their key 3rd down play it seems. To me that screams a lack of trust in their QB. A Roll out cuts down options and is basically something I call a “layers option.” Here is what I mean, take a look at this image, I made it in paint so it isn’t great but you can get the idea of it…

This is a basic play with the options simply being different distances from the QB. The read is much simpler. Ryan can read it either long to short, 4 to 1, or short to long 1 to 4 depending on the distance needed on the play. My problem with the play is the simplicity. The elite QBs do not run this as their “go to” play. Trust me I have seen enough Brady and Manning games to know this. They might have it as an option, but it is not their 3rd down play. If Ryan cannot consistently pick up key 3rd downs from inside the pocket, he will never be a top QB in this league.

The Falcons are now 5-5 and will have to play very well down the stretch to make the playoffs. In the NFC there always seems to be at least one 9-7 team to make the playoffs. The Falcons have a relatively easy schedule but they do face the Eagles and Saints, that could be two loses right there. Win the other games and they are 9-7. Unfortunately it would be 9-7 with 6 loses coming to conference foes (a big tie breaker is record against conference opponents). Worst off would be those losses would coincide with much of their competition for the wildcard spots. If they lose to the Eagles they would not own tie breakers against the Giants, Eagles, or Cowboys, and one has to assume at least 2 of those teams make the playoffs.

Saints 38

Buccaneers 7

The Bucs took an early 7-0 lead and I have to admit I was thinking we might see an upset in the works. Obviously that did not end up being the case, not by a long shot. The Bucs are still the same Bucs we thought they were. Freeman has played well for a rookie QB, but I am still worried about this team in the long run. I really think things will get worse before they get better, which is a scary thought for a team that started 0-7. Offensively they are relying on two 29 year old RBs (30 is the age of despair) and 27 year old who has been hurt every season since he came in the league. Needless to say they will likely need a new RB sooner than later.

At WR they extended Michael Clayton even though he has done nothing since his rookie season and is a marginal WR at best. Their best WR has character issues and has been hurt this year. He played well in a contract year (stop me if you haven’t heard that one before) but never showed consistency in his career. Their top TE has all the talent in the world but thinks he is a soldier, remember this…

Not exactly build your team around material. So there you have it, I have completely broken down their offensive talent. Defensively they are not scaring anyone. Their best player, MLB Barret Ruud, is more of the sure-tackler type than a game changing defensive presence, and Ronde Barber is getting old and slow. Old and slow is a bad combo for a CB. There has only been one corner I know to stay super fast his whole career and that was not Deion Sanders, but Darrel Green. Check out this video of the former CB of the Redskins…

Green was no joke. Ronde has never been known for his speed and he always excelled in Tampa’s Cover 2, which had safety help over the top. I think it’s time for him to either move to safety or go.

The Saints have their biggest test of the season this week, at least psychologically. How will they hold-up against a very hungry Patriots team? It is unclear. It appears both teams do what is usually done the week before a big game. Very tight to the vest play calling, no big tricks. The Saints rushed the ball 36 times in this game. The Pats ran the ball 35 times in their game. I do not think either team would be considered a run first team. But they got the leads and ran the clock, buying time until they face a real test.

I mentioned earlier that this game is bigger in the sense of “who is the best argument” than seeding. Although the win has gotten bigger because of what opposing teams are doing. The Vikes are nipping at the Saints heals and the Patriots are in 2nd place in the AFC and have benefited from other teams losing. Neither team wants to give up its hold in the seedings. I think this is a tough match-up to predict, obviously I am a homer and will pick the Pats, but a Monday night game in the Super Dome is no easy task. I would not feel very secure if I was the Saints and had to sign Mike McKenzie off the scrap heap to play in your secondary. When people don’t make teams to begin the season it is not because they are “too good.”

Cardinals 21

Rams 13

If Warner is hurt for any considerable time I would be considerably worried (you like what I did there with the word considerable). He really makes this offense tick, and I think the trick he has mastered as well as any QB in this league is the ability to “move on.” There is a saying that you are only as good as your next play. Warner has had an up and down career to say the least. He started out as nothing, made it to the top, fell to the bottom, and now is back. He knows that one mistake will not define him and that is his strength. I would not put him in the class of Manning and Brady obviously. Both of them have the “I have done it before factor,” where they can play poorly for an entire game and you are still scared to death of them if the game is close late. Warner is more of the “I wouldn’t be surprised if he did factor.” He just never lets anything get to him. His backup Matt Leinart on the other hand has faced his adversity in other ways…

Like the “which girl to choose quandary”…

…or the “I better hold this high enough even if my arm hurts” problem…

Not exactly a guy who has experienced a ton of in game adversity and proven to be a leader. The Cards do not have to rush Warner back though if he is hurting. They have a 3 game lead in their division the 49ers, Lions and Rams. I like this team as a potential dangerous team in the Playoffs. They have experience after last year, and might have the “no one believes in us” card going. The Cardinals also now lead this blog in quotation’ed sayings. Good for them.

The Rams do not have much to be thankful for right now. They have played a couple teams tough, but besides that they have not done much. Their coach Steve Spagnuolo also does one of the weirder sideline routines of any coach. Those Pats fans who did not commit suicide after the Super Bowl loss might remember images of him “praying” or at the least kneeling on the sidelines as he coached the Giants defense. He can routinely be seen in this crouched down like this…

I feel like a coach’s body language is a very big deal, and although it’s not like he looks like Art Shell out there…

Not many men can look that clueless at all times.

Spagnuolo’s sideline demeanor doesn’t exactly look how  head coaches are known to carry themselves. Now I think he is an outstanding coach to be honest. In New York he did very well with what he had and played to his team’s strengths, an underrated skill for a coach, it might seem obvious but a lot of guys don’t do it. We’ll see how it turns out for him in St. Louis.

The Rams are in position to get a top QB in the draft, and they really need to hit on this pick. I have always been a fan of picking an OT high when your team is bad, especially if you do not like any of the QB options. Last year they took Jason Smith, who should be a solid OT for years. Now they need a QB. Seeing as I cannot predict who wins each week, I will not even try to predict which QB coming out this year will be the best pro. Nonetheless they need to get a guy for the future in their soon.

Chargers 32

Broncos 3

The Broncos started 6-0 and since then have gone 0-4. I have not seen a transformation like that since Sammy Sosa showed his face again recently…

No, that is not a vampire outfit for Halloween. Sosa is apparently turning white. Look at this picture of him a few years back…

I too am scared right now. But as for the Broncos they are a mess. Apparently Head Coach Josh McDaniels also told Chargers’ LBs that his team “owns them.” I have to say that his team did not back him up. It is always a mistake when a head coach talks trash. I don’t think we are going to see much of this any time soon…

The Broncos are playing the memory game. The entire team remembers who they are (not good), and it has definitely hurt them. How bad is Chris Simms that he got replaced after one series by an injured Kyle Orton. Talk about a big sample size. The Broncos face the Giants Thursday night, and then also face the Colts and Eagles. That could be three loses right there and thus the end to their magical season.

I am most scared of the Chargers right now. Everyone loves Drew Brees and talks about him making the “leap” to Manning and Brady status. I think Phillip Rivers is the guy who could make that leap this year. I never liked him, and still don’t. He talks trash, has a cocky swagger, and looks like Jason Street from Friday Night Lights (the tv show), check it out…

vs.

But the bottom-line is this guy is tough. I talked earlier about the gutsy performance by Stafford. Well Rivers played in the AFC Championship game with a torn ligament in his knee. This guy has earned the respect of his entire locker room and has backed it up with great games on the field.

If anything holds back the Chargers it will be their lack of a running game and lack of a competent head coach. If you read this blog you know I doubt Norv Turner almost religiously, and bash LT like it’s my job, which it’s not but it is fun. I still say watch out for the Chargers. That warning is for the rest of the league and their own fans. The Chargers have a way of lowering expectations and winning, then choking when people believe in them.

Raiders 20

Bengals 17

This is the NFL. That pretty much sums up this game. Upsets in the league really should not shock people like they used to. Think of it like this. There are 32 teams in the NFL and let’s say 50 guys on a roster (I know it’s 53, but for math sake). That means there are 1600 players in the NFL. That number seems large but it really isn’t when you compare it to how many people play college football, and it is especially small when you compare high school football. That means these guys are the best of the best.

Realistically what is the difference in skill level between the #1 and the 1600^th player? Yeah, most of you would say it’s pretty high, but what about the 800^th player and the 1400^th player? What I am trying to say is that the sample size is so small that even if a team is made up of only top 500 players and another team is made up of players between 600 and 1000 the difference is not huge, and further more it is hard to necessarily distinguish differences in the middle.

Now my examples are extreme and very simplified, and yes the team of top 500 players should win every time, but better teams do not always win. JaMarcus Russell might be the 1600^th player in the league but the Raiders have some very talented players. Factor in things like emotions, coaching, injuries, and on any given week there will be an upset.

The Raiders should actually be disappointed with this win. They now have a 3 wins and are really out of the top 3 pick race. If you can sense the disappointment setting in you are not alone. Russell finally took a seat and for the first time all season did not hurt the Raiders. I just found this clip of Russell and Ravens QB Troy Smith. Listen carefully, and to think I thought Russell only struggled on the field…

Good talking JaMarcus!

If the Bengals were any other team people could write this game off as a let-down game after an emotional couple weeks. But the Bengals are the Bungles. This is their history. People thought things would be different this year, but with a loss like this you have to wonder…How can you trust this team against the Pats, Colts, or Chargers in the playoffs?

I understand Cedric Benson was hurt, but this game scares me if I am a Bengals fan. The Raiders are a bad team and you had a 14-0 lead on them. Why did you stop? What happened? No one knows and now the Bengals have a lot more questions than answers with 6 games left in the season. Luckily the Steelers and Ravens lost as well, but still.

Eagles 24

Bears 20

What a mess of a season this has been for the Bears. They lost Urlacher the first game and gave the most mistake prone QB in the league a huge extension. Their RB of the future looks like Mr. Mediocrity, and they have turned maybe the leagues greatest return man ever into a middle of the road WR. At least America got to see Devin Hester’s ass Sunday…

The Bears might be in one of the worst positions of any of the “stuck” teams out there. I know that is my go to word on this blog but look at them right now. Their defense is getting old fast. They invested in a QB who looks like a bust, and they have no offensive weapons. Lovie Smith should be on the chopping block. This team needs to start over. Too bad their fans have unreal expectations, and they are not bad enough to get a top pick, and worse they don’t have their first round pick anyway (Cutler trade).

The Eagles are winning tight again and I think their offensive woes have crystallized at least in my mind. They have big play threats. McCoy, Macklin, and Jackson. But they lack the ability to put up consistent drives. I like their TE Brent Celek, but they need a WR who can get open on short routes, not only running fly patterns and deep posts.

The Eagles face one of the tougher final 6 games of teams making the playoffs, but the right wins will get them in. They face the Falcons, Giants, and Cowboys. Those teams qualify as their direct competition for the playoffs (every contender except the Packers). I think most people put the playoff benchmark at 10 wins, but in a tight race it is about wins and who you own tiebreakers against. Those games will help determine the tiebreakers.

Titans 20

Texans 17

Rhianna must have really effected Kris Brown. He has missed huge FGs the last two weeks. In fact he missed 2 huge FGs in this game. The loss seriously hurts the Texans odds at a playoff birth this year. They are now 5-5 and to make things worse this was a HOME GAME. A must win home game on a Monday Night, with your chance to make a statement. Well they did make a statement…”Were not good enough yet.” The funny thing is either because of my hatred of the Colts or just because the Texans are so inconsistent I still think they win next week vs. the Colts.

But this column has been built of long-winded explanations, stupid stories and looking ahead, so to keep that going I think the Texans should fire Head Coach Gary Kubiak and hire one of these “big gun” head coaches. Change the atmosphere and bring in a guy who instills a sense that anything but winning is unacceptable. I mean it is hard to argue that they do not have the talent. Andre Johnson is a beast, Mario Williams is a freak of nature, Matt Schaub puts up big numbers (that might be all he does, but he has to be good enough to at least make the playoffs as a Wildcard). The Texans took a step in the right direction with Kubiak at the helm. Now it is time to break down the door with someone else.

The Titans remind me of the 2001 Redskins. The Skins that year started 0-5 then won their next 5, but eventually finished 8-8 for the season. I think 8-8 is a real possibility for this team. I have gone back and forth with my friend about whether Jeff Fisher should get canned. I think factors against him are that he has never won the big game, he has been given 16 years to do it, and his team went 0-6 to start and clearly has the talent to make the playoffs this year. Now what is funny is that as I write this I envision that Fisher would be a great fit for the Texans as a coach who knows how to get teams to the playoffs. I have mentioned change of scenery guys like Dungy and Belichick who have done better with their second stop.

Now understand this, because Dungy and Belichick won a Super Bowl after getting fired does not mean that the Titans should fire him. Me stating those coaches success is to point out that for Fisher he might benefit from a change. My gut feeling is that Fisher does not get fired.

The guy who is impressing me a lot this year is Vince Young. I made fun of him and questioned his desire, but he has played extremely well as of late. He has a nice poise to himself in the pocket recently. I am interested to see if it holds up, but as of right now him and Chris Johnson make a great duo in the backfield. Even Jon Gruden got overwhelmed by them when he dropped this great quote on MNF…

“I may not be a chemist but I am seeing a lot of explosions in the backfield”

Thanks Jon! With that said you can be an Adrian Peterson lover all you want, give me some of Chris Johnson. It is rare to see someone so fast. He is on pace for almost 2000 yards and has a 6.2 yards per carry average. This team had no QB for 6 weeks and he put up these numbers.

Last week’s blog I posed the video of Titans owner Bud Adams making a fool of himself flipping the bird to Bills fans. This past week as a way to apologize he took out the following ad in the local Buffalo paper…

In other words he did not apologize at all. This guy makes no sense if you ask me, but what do I know I just wrote a 20 page blog about one week of football, which in a  couple days will be proven completely non-telling to the rest of the season. Either way enjoy the holidays. I know I will miss John Madden and his turkey inside a chicken inside a rabbi inside a priest on top of a duck.

The Life of Holy Great-Martyr Katherine

The Holy Great-Martyr Katherine was the daughter of Constus, the governor of Alexandrian Egypt, during the reign of the emperor Maximian (305-313). Living in the capital — the center of Hellenistic knowledge, and possessed of an uncommon beauty and intellect — Katherine received a most splendid education, having studied the works of the finest philosophers and teachers of antiquity. Young men from the most worthy families of the empire sought the hand of the beautiful Katherine, but none of them was chosen. She declared to her parents that she would be agreeable to enter into marriage only with someone who surpassed her in illustriousness, wealth, comeliness and wisdom.

Katherine’s mother, a secret Christian, sent her for advice to her own spiritual father — a saintly elder pursuing prayerful deeds in solitude in a cave not far from the city. Having listened to Katherine, the elder said that he knew of a youth, who surpassed her in everything, such that “His beauty was more radiant than the shining of the sun, His wisdom governed all creation, His riches were spread throughout all the world — this however did not diminish but rather added to the inexpressible loftiness of His lineage”. The image of the Christ produced in the soul of the holy maiden an ardent desire to see Him. Truth, to which her soul yearned, revealed it to her. In parting, the elder handed Katherine an icon of the Mother of God with the God-Child Jesus on Her arm and bid her to pray with faith to Mary for the bestowing of the vision of Her Son.

Katherine prayed all night and was given to see the Most Holy Virgin, Who sent Her Divine Son to look upon the kneeling of Katherine before Them. But the Child turned His face away from her saying, that He was not able to look at her because she was ugly, of shabby lineage, beggarly and mindless like every person — not washed with the waters of holy Baptism and not sealed with the seal of the Holy Spirit. Katherine returned again to the elder deeply saddened. He lovingly received her, instructed her in the faith of Christ, admonished her to preserve her purity and integrity and to pray unceasingly; he then performed over her the sacrament of holy Baptism. And again Saint Katherine had a vision of the Most Holy Mother of God with Her Child. Now the Lord looked tenderly at her and gave her a ring — a wondrous gift of the Heavenly Bridegroom.

At this time the emperor Maximian was himself in Alexandria for a pagan feast day. Because of this, the feast was especially splendid and crowded. The cries of the sacrificial animals, the smoke and the smell of the sacrifices, the endless blazing of fires, and the bustling crowds at the arenas filled Alexandria. Human victims also were brought — because they consigned to death in the fire the confessors in Christ, those not recanting from Him under torture. The Saint’s love for the Christian martyrs and her fervent desire to lighten their fate impelled Katherine to go to the pagan head-priest and ruler of the empire, the emperor-persecutor Maximian.

Introducing herself, the saint confessed her Christian faith and with wisdom denounced the errors of the pagans. The beauty of the maiden captivated the emperor. In order to convince her and show the superiority of pagan wisdom, the emperor gave orders to gather 50 of the most learned men of the empire, but the Saint got the better of the wise men, such that they themselves came to believe in Christ. Saint Katherine shielded them with the sign of the cross, and they bravely accepted death for Christ and were burnt by order of the emperor.

Maximian, no longer hoping to convince the saint, tried to entice her with the promise of riches and fame. Having received an angry refusal, the emperor gave orders to subject the saint to terrible tortures and then throw her in prison. The Empress Augusta, who had heard much about Katherine, wanted to see her. Having prevailed upon the military-commander Porphyry to accompany her with a detachment of soldiers, Augusta went to the prison. The empress was impressed by the strong spirit of Saint Katherine, whose face glowed with Divine grace. The holy martyress explained the Christian teaching to the newly-arrived, and they in believing were converted to Christ.

On the following day they again brought the her to the judgment court where, under the threat of being broken on the wheel, they urged that she recant from the Christian faith and offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. The saint steadfastly confessed Christ and she herself approached the wheels; but an Angel smashed the instruments of execution, which broke up into pieces with many pagans passing nearby. Having beheld this wonder, the empress Augusta and the imperial courtier Porphyry with 200 soldiers confessed their faith in Christ in front of everyone, and they were beheaded. Maximian again tried to entice Saint Katherine, proposing marriage to her, and again he received a refusal. She confessed her fidelity to the Heavenly Bridegroom — Christ, and with a prayer to Him she herself put her head on the block under the sword of the executioner.

In the VI Century, through a revelation, the relics of Saint Katherine were found and transferred with honor to a newly constructed church of the Sinai monastery, built by the holy emperor Justinian (527-565). The church and monastery remain to this day.

With her wealth, beauty, education, and high social class, it would have been very tempting for Saint Katherine to deny Christ, save her worldly life, and go back to an easy, privileged lifestyle. Instead, she chose to follow her faith.

HYMNS OF THE SAINT

Apolytikion (Plagal Of The First Tone)

Let us praise the most auspicious bride of Christ, the divine Katherine, protectress of Sinai, our aid and our help. For, she brilliantly silenced the eloquence of the impious by the sword of the spirit, and now, crowned as a martyr, she asks great mercy for all.

Kontakion (Second Tone)

O friends of martyrs, now divinely raise up a renewed chorus, praising the all-wise Katherine. For, she proclaimed Christ in the arena, trampled on the serpent, and spat upon the knowledge of the orators.

The Saint Michael Prayer with a pro-life twist (in bold):

Dear St. Michael the Archangel

Defend us in battle.

Be our protection against

the wickedness and snares

of the devil.

May God rebuke him,

we humbly pray,

and do thou, Oh Prince

of the heavenly host,

by the divine power of God,

cast into hell Satan

and his legion of devils

and demons who prowl

about the world

seeking the ruin of souls

and the deaths of babies

in their mothers’ womb.