SB Nation User Blog: jonahsilas

Radio discussion of football injuries

jonahsilas — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:57:10 -0000

Radio discussion of football injuries

KQED in San Francisco has a daily call-in show on rotating topics with rotating guests. Today they discussed football injuries - especially concussions - with experts from multiple brain injury centers as well as current and former player. Bonus points for including Kurt Bryant, HC at Piedmont High in the Oakland Hills, home of the A-11 offense. which, among many other interesting traits, seems to reduce injuries.

The Raiders are historically inept on offense

jonahsilas — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:49:20 -0000

The Raiders are historically inept on offense

The SF Chronicle has an article today about the state of the Raiders O as Langston Walker returns (after going from starter to cut with the Bills in like 4 quarters of football!) They are terrible - they get no first downs, few yards and hardly any points. Your 2009 Raiders, Oaktown!

What are you doing Sunday? Wanna tailgate?

jonahsilas — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:01:07 -0000

Tailgating Party (via evilmightyacorn)

This Saturday morning my wife and I will be hopping on a jet plane and heading to Denver to watch some throwback Broncos. (Trading in sunny Californian 70 F days for 35 F highs - the things we do for love of football!) Big thanks to my sister for scoring me tickets as a birthday present. Extra big ups to my wife for not just letting me go but wanting to come along! We have plans for Saturday night (our hotel is in LoDo), but Sunday morning remains unscheduled - which is where you all come in...

Although I would like to get into the stadium early and see some warmups, I would love to get in some tailgating at Mile High. I tried to meet up with a few folks last year during my bachelor party weekend in Denver, but a vindictive hangover scuttled any hope of that. This year I'd like to try again - maybe put some faces to names, perhaps hoist a pint to MHR.

Any of you all tailgating and open to having two west coast visitors join your ranks? We don't have a lot to offer other than our sunny dispositions - but I make mean Bloody Mary's (and Hot Toddies - which might be the move for this week!) and could definitely be tempted into mixing up a few.

If you aren't a potential tailgating buddy, I am interested to hearing other suggestions of how to prep for the game - especially if they involve beer! And no matter what:

GO BRONCOS!!!

Poll

How should I prepare for the game on Sunday?

Come join me and mine in the parking lot. And bring some of those toddies - it's gonna be cold!

0 votes

Go enjoy some Colorado micro-brews while you can. Watch some games and stay dry and warm. Falling Rock, anyone?

3 votes

Ya gotta tailgate - not that I will be there. Just show up - a man with booze is a man with many friends.

8 votes

Go streak the 16th Street Mall. If you don't get arrested, you will be fired up fo the game.

3 votes

Sleep in, order room service and hang out with your wife. You only live once, after all, and you have the rest of the day to be a (frozen) fanatic.

3 votes

17 votes | Poll has closed

Even by JaMarcus Russell's standard, the past month has been about as dismal as a quarterback could...

jonahsilas — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:50:58 -0000

Even by JaMarcus Russell's standard, the past month has been about as dismal as a quarterback could have. His quarterback rating in each of his four games: 47.6, 46.0, 33.6, 48.5. Amazing. He has one touchdown pass. The first pick in the 2007 NFL Draft has one touchdown pass.

100-yard rushing games by a Raider: zero ... 100-yard receiving games by a Raiders: zero. The Raiders don't have a 70-yard rushing game by a back.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/peter_king/10/04/mmqb.week.4/5.html

Stuck in San Francisco

jonahsilas — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:48:06 -0000

So I live in San Francisco, or more importantly on Sunday, within 75 miles of the Oakland Coliseum. That means that game is blacked out for me, the local bar, my buddy with the Sunday Ticket package... and my gameday plan of sitting on the couch with my wife, chatting with you all and watching the Broncs own the Coliseum is foiled.

This is not a question of whether the blackout is good or bad, just how to deal with it. If you wanna discuss the merits of the blackout, our friend BChiper just put up a post here on just that issue.

As I see it I have a number of options, and I want the MHR faithful's opinion.

I could:

Fold to the pressure of the almighty league, get tickets to the game on Craigslist, and risk my life wearing my MHR shirt and bright orange Broncos puffy vest to the Coliseum. Yell loud and proud, avoid the bathroom - and keep the eyes open!
Fold to the pressure of the almighty league and the crazy faider fans, get tickets on Craigslist but go to the game incognito in a random old hoody. Pretend to root for Javon Walker if he gets in the game.
Road trip! Get in the car and drive to Sacramento, Monterey or Fresno. Some bar will be showing the game. Nurse 2 beers and drive home.
Listen to the game on the radio and gets some errands done. Papa and Flores do an alright job, even if they are homers.
Screw the league! Someone will stream this game online - just work around their $&#*% blackout and watch the game already! (I am not advocating breaking the law here, though it is an obvious option. MHR does not condone illegal streaming of games.)
Skip the game altogether. Go sit in Golden Gate park, read the Times and catch some highlights on the news later. NFL.com will stream it, too - on Monday.

What do you all think? Vote below!

Poll

How should I watch the game?

Go to the game in Broncos colors, risking life and limb. Try to shut up during the game,

15 votes

Go to the game incognito, and cheer on the inside.

6 votes

Broncos road trip! Sacramento ain't that bad!

10 votes

Listen on the radio. Have a little imagination already!

1 votes

Stream it on the Internet - the blackout policy is outmoded anyway.

23 votes

Skip the game entirely. There will be highlights on SportsCenter.

0 votes

55 votes | Poll has closed

Friday night on the 50 yard line - my thoughts from going to the game

jonahsilas — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 02:10:20 -0000

The attempt to salvage my week after a canceled vacation, namely 50 yard line seats to last night's preseason opener, proved to be just what the doctor ordered. From our seats we had a good view of the field and the Broncos bench, and easy access to bathrooms and beer. Not quite the beach time I had planned for this week, but a great chance to see some NFL action and check out the new look Broncs' offense, defense and players.

I tweeted a few times, but my phone was not liking the MHR comments setup... I will have to fix that before I go to Denver for the NE game in October. I tried to watch for the stuff you all asked for in comments on my initial post about going to the game. I haven't yet seen the broadcast of the game, so all my conclusions are from watching realtime both with and without binoculars, and by the end of the game a thick set of beer goggles as well. Read on for a few observations and takeaways from my visit to "the Stick."

I watched some warmups from right up on the rail. Every time I get near them, I am always reminded just how larger NFL players actually are. Chris Baker is one mountainous human, as is Daniel Graham. Pedescleaux is tall and big boned, but doesn't have that cut "NFL" type body (yet!?). It seems like he could carry significantly more weight on his frame though. For warmups, the squad started with some of Tuten's new dynamic stretching, which was a nice thing to see as I entered the stadium, and then did some active-passive stretching.
After stretching, the offense ran a series of plays without the line from a number of core formations, including ST plays, first alone and then with the D on the field - again minus the line. The thing that most stood out was that nearly every pass went to Royal, and anything that came near him he pulled in and turned up field with. Even in warmups his speed and the crispness of his route running was evident. What a pro!
Early in the game, I tried to pay attention to the D-Line and especially the NT position to see how the starters were looking. The run D was excellent, with players routinely making it into the backfield or at least holding up blockers to allow for some TED blocking and LB tackles for short gains. Against the pass I would call the D line effective - if not stellar. They did develop a pass rush, but still gave Hill enough time to get rid of the ball on most plays.
Kenny Peterson and McBean did much better disrupting the run than collapsing the pocket - but they occupied blockers so that the LB's could come in and disrupt the play. McBean's sack seemed to be really due to great downfield coverage more than a great move on his part. Fields was stout against the run, and the 49ers started the game double teaming him by default, but it seemed like he was rarely actually occupying multiple blockers such that they could peel off and combat the edge rush. I was actually more impressed with the NT play of Baker. He really got into there and mixed it up - he was a very disruptive presence even when not busting into the backfield. I didn't really see Thomas or Powell out there and am not sure they were even in on that many plays. If they were, they certainly didn't stand out. The young ends didn't generally do a lot to draw my attention either.
I also tried to pay attention to the young DB's. Surprisingly it was the first year players, in Smith and McBath, that showed the most. Phonz really showed something recovering and batting away a pass after the receiver got away from him late in the game. McBath managed to run with the first stringers generally unnoticed - which in my book is what you want from a rookie safety in his first game - covering what he needed to and making the tackle when the ball carrier got to him. Both rookies made plays on special teams as well and are shaping up to be nice draft picks. I didn't see Bruton out there a whole lot, but he did make some ST tackles, which may his route to a roster spot. Meanwhile, the sophomore DB's really took a step back. As much as I love Jack MF Williams, he looked a little slow and confused out there, missing some tackles and not always in the right spot. I thought he looked better in last year's preseason. Josh Bell just looked god awful - missing tackles and covering poorly. I went into the game thinking those two could potentially push Smith to the PS for a year, but were looking more like training camp fodder yesterday. I am interested to see how this plays out.
Speaking of pass defense - the LB's flat out stunk in that area. Vernon Davis ran all over them in the first quarter and they gave up the huge TD towards the end of the game. Would have been scary to see what Davis would have done with a whole game... Otherwise, the LB's did well taking advantage of the opportunities created by the line. Doom's sack was a thing of beauty - he just pushed the lineman to the ground and kept going. I was sad to see Reid struggling in coverage, and not doing a whole lot else great. Moss had a few decent plays off the edge - he is one lanky dude - but looked tentative in run support. Larsen unloaded on some people, and looks to be a good backup for Davis - who I thought looked best of the ILBs. ~~Ayers needs work - I mostly noticed him when he was way out of position.~~ (I watched highlights, and Ayers did fine - and was not the guy I saw out of position. If anyone, it was Reid, but was really just a busted blitz... Thanks to YosemiteSam for pointing it out!) Crowder must have done something to get in the doghouse - he made it out there for a few downs on D and special teams, but was otherwise ignored. Having lost all that weight, the man looks cut, strong and quick. Why he isn't playing more is beyond me. By and large, a real mixed bag here - they need a lot of practice in the LB corps and the fellas don't look too comfortable out there yet. But they showed some promise.
Special teams has improved dramatically - players are treating it like it actually matters. Coverage was solid, and we had a punt downed around the 10 and some returners wrapped with little to no gain. Both McKinley and Smith are very capable return men. It seemed like McKinley ran with a little more awareness and patience on the kick returns - and flashed a good top gear. Alphonso's speed really showed on his punt return, though. He was out of the gate in a flash. If I was making the depth chart right now I would have McKinley returning kicks and Smith on the punts. But I feel good about that aspect, regardless.
The offense has been dissected here and elsewhere, so I am not going to go too much into it. I am not too worried about Orton's picks - they really did throw a lot of crazy formations at him. How awesome was the 4 wide to open the offensive game? And I am pretty sure some trips was seen. Sweet. What worries me is that Orton's pocket presence was nervous and impatient. Simms, on the other hand, had great poise and intention in making his throws (in a simpler game plan against the second string). He is going to need to speed up that delivery if he expects to challenge Orton. I expect Orton to pull it together as Coach McD figures out how to game plan to his level of comfort with the offense.
Moreno looked fast, shifty and tough to bring down. Too bad he didn't get a lot of run before getting dinged up. I liked that he kept trying to play through the pain - not a prima donna first rounder. I really enjoyed seeing the RB's all over the field - splitting wide, in single back sets, in two back sets. Even Jordan caught a ball! I was surprised how much they used a two back look, getting Larsen and Hillis substantial playing time. I thought Darius Walker looked surprisingly serviceable, and I could see him hanging around if there is an injury in that group, or a veteran gets cut. Hillis, as we all know, is the MAN and played like it last night.
Marshall has a role in this offense. Stokley cannot play all those downs all season - and didn't look great getting so much work. Save him for 3rd down, please! I think a big target across the middle is going to be necessary, and I expect Marshall to get some looks there. They also ran some WR screens that I can see working quite well for the big man and his YAC habit.
Both Swift and McKinley have futures in the NFL - and I hope they are with the Broncos. Swift is still a little imprecise on his routes, but showed good concentration and speed. McKinley reminds me of Royal a bit - just plays "older" than he is. His route running is quite good and he has athleticism. Plus his TD celebration was awesome. I think I like these two over Chad Jackson right now...
I will take the new Mile High over Candlestick any day as The Stick suffers from the same thing that the Oakland Coliseum does: The owners want to move to a new stadium, so have little to now reason to actually maintain the place - if anything they want it to go to crap so they have more leverage. However, the one thing Candlestick has going for it is good beer. In Denver I am stuck with Coors and Bud and maybe a Fat Tire. Last night I was sipping Lagunitas IPA, Fat Tire and Anchor Steam all night. God bless Northern California.
The 49ers fans were pretty darn cool. Really friendly to the Broncos crowd (which was sizable) but still had pride for their squad and were knowledgeable about it. I had some nice chats with SF fans throughout the night - although I did let them all know that I lived here in the City, so maybe that helped me out. And they delivered on the tailgating.... As I wandered around drinking a beer, I saw everything from a fish fry to a homemade steel barrel smoker to a spit of meat over open fire. I even saw someone with a whole display of memorabilia including a signed Montana jersey. Looked like the just loaded up the truck with the stuff and a folding table and just brought it to share with their fellow fans. Cool.

Well - I guess that is about it. I had a blast at the game. It inspired me to want to revive the "Why He'll Make the Team" franchise, so I will try to make some space this week for that... cuts are coming soon! Thanks for reading!

Go Broncos!

Tailgating tomorrow?

jonahsilas — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 06:13:24 -0000

So when the preseason schedule came out, I was saddened to see that the Broncos were coming to my town for tomorrow's game, while I was scheduled to be on the beach in Cape Cod on vacation. For reasons I won't go into, vacation was canceled and through the magic of Craigslist, I am now the proud owner of a ticket to tomorrow's game (and one for my buddy, too). 50 yard line, 23 rows back from the Broncos bench. Man am I excited.

So is anyone else tailgating tomorrow such that I can show up straight from work, big bottle of hoppy west coast ale in hand, and talk Broncs before heading into the stadium? I swill be leaving from work in downtown SF on the first bus out, and should be there before the gates open. I will be wearing the MHR shirt I won for my draft predictions. If the stars align I will even get Hillis to sign it!

During the game I will be watching the line play, especially the D-line/NT's. I am excited to see the rookies in the secondary as well. Of course Moreno will be paid attention to, but I imagine he will be hard to miss. Anyone else people want me to pay attention to? I will write up my thoughts Saturday after the game and post them here so tell me if there is someplace I should train my binocs.

Go Broncos!

5 things I am looking forward to this (second bachelor) weekend

jonahsilas — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 15:15:55 -0000

So last weekend I was in Denver with my groom's men celebrating my upcoming nuptials, seeing the Rockies look bad and being present for one of the greatest NFL finishes of all time.

Amazingly enough, this week I am headed back. No dudes, beer and nosebleed seats this week. Just me and my sister in the FedEx luxury box.

I will be coming in from Denver proper while my sister trains it from Littleton. I intend to be early (and less hungover) than last week. Anyone tailgating and want one more to join in the fun?

In the meantime, this is what I am looking forward to this weekend:

1) My second ever NFL game, second in two weeks and second luxury box experience (the other was in Oakland for the A's). Will I drink white wine?

2) Seeing my wonderful older sister, who may just be as big a Broncos fan as I am. Even though he is staying at home with a friend so we can focus on cheering, my infant nephew will be wearing his Broncos sweats. Awesome.

3) Watching for signs of life on the defensive side of the ball. Seeing Moss, JMFW, Woodyard, et al. come in and be difference makers. We have a real chance with a banged up Saints O.

4) Eddie and Brandon. Brandon and Eddie. Touchdowns and first downs. Catches and runs. (Maybe a little Cliff and Darrell would be alright, too)

5) Trying again to put some faces to the names from this great website. And maybe sharing a bloody mary or three.

Everyone enjoy the game. Go Broncos!

5 things I am looking forward to this (bachelor) weekend

jonahsilas — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 02:46:47 -0000

I posted a while ago about my bachelor weekend which is happening in Denver and includes the upcoming tussle between our Broncos and the dreaded Clunkers... now it has arrived and I sure am excited.

These are the top things I am fired up about:

1) Seeing my first game at "Invesco," and my first NFL game and my first Broncos game - all at once! Sounds like the nosebleed section will be playing a role in the events, so that is extra cool. I intend to be hoarse by the end of the first half...

1a) Seeing my first game at Coors Field Saturday. Guaranteed better than the first two Rockies games I saw - at Mile High!

2) Watching the Chargers dreams of a Super Bowl start to fade as our D shuts them down, plants Phyllis on his ass and as their D gives up yards in chunks. I feel great about a lot of the matchups, and the injuries so far are going our way. Boss will be back, and I am hopeful that the run D to be at least as good as last week.

3) Jack M!@#& F@#!*^% Williams! I hope he plays, and makes some plays. Woodyard too. I love those guys. Football players to the core.

4) Drinking Colorado beers. And lots of them. With my best friends in the world. Falling Rock, here we come. (I am skipping the strippers - do you know how many beers a lap dance costs? And last time I went to a strip club in Denver, I paid good money to hear the weepy life story of one of the young women who was working. I am waaay too nice.)

5) Meeting some MHR folks in the flesh. UnarmingMermaid said he'd be at the game, and Denver_Native sounded like a maybe for tailgating. You two - shoot me an email at the address on my profile page and we can trade cell numbers. Anyone else interested in trying to meet up? No guarantees on how early I get up on Sunday, but I will be there as soon as my hangover lets me.

Go Bachelors! Go Beer! Go Broncos!

Tailgating with bachelors at the home opener

jonahsilas — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 21:15:26 -0000

So it has just been confirmed that my bachelor party is going to be in Denver the weekend of September 14th. Besides general carousing, we will be attending the Chargers/Broncos game - we managed to get enough nose bleed seats for the whole group (6 right now). This will be my first ever regular season NFL game, first ever Broncos regular season game and I am really pumped!

I know we are going to spend significant time at Falling Rock Tap House, and probably will go out to The Ethiopian Restaurant (one of my faves) on Colfax Saturday night. The Rockies play the Dodgers that Saturday, so that might be an option. I am planning to eschew the strip club thing -- I'd rather spend the dollars on Laughing Lab and TommyKnocker MapleNut. I think we are staying at the La Quinta over by the freeway, but that isn't confirmed.

So my question to MHR is -- anyone else attending this game? Wanna meet up to tailgate or grab a drink before or after? Do you have some good seats I can come visit you at? I am hoping we will have homebrew to share before the game, but no guarantees.

Anything else we must do as a crew of bachelors in Denver?