A coach travels "home", a beloved Chief is honored and the QB gets the cheerleader. Shocker. I'm shocked. DON'T MISS the amazing drink recipe at the end of the blog. It's Week 3 in the NFL! Let's kick it off.....
Kansas City Chiefs (2-0) at Philadelphia Eagles (1-1)
8:30pm EST on NFL Network
1. Andy Reid (BYU)
returns to Philly. This is everything you need to know about this game,
and it's all you'll hear on the pre-game show and from the commentators
for about the first hour. Ugh. Michael Vick (VA Tech) credits Reid with taking a chance on
him in 2009 after serving 23 months at Leavenworth for running a dog-fighting ring, lest we forget? Double ugh. Reid coached in Philly
for 14 seasons from 1999-2012. For all the cheesesteak-eating they're bound to try to convince us he's done, Reid was born & raised in LA. His first job was as a hot dog vendor at Dodger Stadium.
2. Chiefs are thin at TE this week, with their starters both injured in Monday night's narrow win over the Cowboys. They cut TE Kevin Brock (Rutgers) two weeks ago, but re-activated him for tonight's game. I'm sure he has mixed feelings about this. :)
3. The Eagles go into Week 3 with the 2nd overall offense, but the 30th overall defense. In KC, it's Opposite Day...the Chiefs offense is 26th overall, and the D is 3rd. Hmmm....I think that's what they call a pick 'em, except the Eagles have home field advantage and an edge in Vegas, favored by 3 points. I think there is a better than even chance the Chiefs will pull off the upset, or at least cover the spread.
4. Usually stellar Chiefs running back, Jamaal Charles, is averaging only 4.1 yards per carry this season, down from his career average of 5.7. That's a lot. He's currently tied with Marion Motley for best all-time career average, but he'd better pick up the pace if he wants to keep that title.
5. Look for DeSean Jackson (UC-Berkeley) to get the ball a lot tonight as he goes for his 3rd straight 100-yard receiving game.
6. Chiefs QB Alex Smith (Utah) was drafted as the first overall pick in 2005 (over Aaron Rodgers), but was deemed a "dud". Well, things have certainly changed for the former 49er. And while it is a league rule that you can't date an NFL cheerleader on your own team, no one said anything about marrying one from ANOTHER NFL team. Smith married Oakland Raiderette, Elizabeth Barry, in 2009.
7. Be sure to catch the homage to the great Chiefs linebacker in "Derrick Thomas: A Football Life" September 24th on NFL Network.
Party Tip!!
Whether the weather
cooperates or not, it’s Fall! The equinox comes this weekend, so let’s
celebrate with an autumnal beverage you can serve at your next football party.
Here in LA, we have a favorite spot called The Tasting Kitchen. They serve a
fabulous concoction called “The Braveheart”, and I found the recipe. Hey! That’s a double! No wonder it costs so
danged much….
Tasting
Kitchen's Braveheart :
Tasting Kitchen's fresh ginger juice is a ratio of 2 parts juiced ginger
to 1 part simple syrup (its simple syrup is 2 parts sugar to 1 part water). To
juice fresh ginger, purée or grate peeled ginger and strain, discarding or
saving the solids for another use. Tasting Kitchen shakes and serves the
cocktail using single large rocks of ice. (I substitute ginger beer when I don't have time to make ginger juice.)
2 ounces
blended scotch
1
ounce fresh lemon juice
3/4
ounce ginger juice
1/4
ounce cocktail honey (3 parts honey, 1 part hot water)
2
dashes bitters, preferably Angostura
Combine
the scotch, lemon juice, ginger juice, cocktail
honey and bitters in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain and serve over ice in a
bucket glass.
Each
cocktail: 175 calories; 0 protein; 13 grams
carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 0 fat; 0 cholesterol; 11 grams sugar; 1 mg sodium.
4. Usually stellar Chiefs running back, Jamaal Charles, is averaging only 4.1 yards per carry this season, down from his career average of 5.7. That's a lot. He's currently tied with Marion Motley for best all-time career average, but he'd better pick up the pace if he wants to keep that title.
5. Though the 49ers went on to face (and lose to) the Ravens in the Super Bowl last year, they still remember the embarrassing smackdown they received from Seattle in late December, a 42-12 blowout loss in front of the 12th Man, Seattle's league-loudest home crowd.
Dust off the chip-n-dip bowl, and shake the moth balls out of your jerseys! The 2013 NFL season is here, and it marks the 48th since the advent of the Super Bowl and the 93rd since its inception. Are you ready???
The defending Super Bowl XLVII Champion Baltimore Ravens kickoff the season on the road in the Mile High City, but it's hard to defend a title without the heart of your defense: retired spiritual leader, Ray Lewis (Miami), and vicious free safety, Ed Reed (Miami), who joined the Houston Texans' squad in the offseason. Denver is favored by 7.5 points at press time with an over/under at 48.5. 
3. Broncos' outside linebacker Von Miller (A&M) is serving a 6 game suspension for violating the NFL substance abuse policy. Miller was drafted no. 2 overall in the 2011 draft and has 30 career sacks already with 18.5 last season. That's a lot. He will be sorely missed by the Denver defense, as will Elvis Dumervil (Louisville), who is now sporting a Ravens jersey at the outside linebacker slot.
4. The Ravens' offensive line took good care of Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco (Delaware) in 2012, and now they don't have to block Miller or Dumervil. Did you know that Flacco is the NFL's highest paid player with a 6-year, $120.6M contract AND that he married his high school sweetheart? Awwww.... here they are posing with the wedding party on their high school football field. 
