torsdag 10. september 2009
Notes from a jock
There are exciting times ahead...
I feel the need to express some thoughts on how the English Premier League has started, the coming NFL season, and the NCAA football season.
I must admit that even though we lost our first match of the season against Burnley, Manchester United still have started the season well. The win, deserved or not, against Arsenal was big and we need to keep winning matches like that if we are to get four in a row. Chelsea look strong and must be considered the most intimidating and biggest challenger. Liverpool are as always disappointing every fan wearing the wrong shade of red, but things might turn around for them as the season progresses. I do not believe that Tottenham and Manchester Shitty will be able to keep winning, but they might give Liverpool and Arsenal a run for the Champions League spots for next season.
Speaking of the Champions League I am not too happy about this years group stage draw. We have a poor history against Besiktas, it is always hard playing away in Russia against teams like CSKA and the german champs Wolfsburg have a fierce strikeforce. We should go through, but it might not let us rest players in 'easier' CL-matches...
On to the NFL. Am I exited? Oh, yes. From this paragraph I will only talk about football (the american style) so to all you Norwegians that are completely uninterested... go on to the Hawaii post.
So... Brett Farve in purple! Can the Vikings be a Superbowl contender? Most experts think the Green Bay Packers will challenge the Vikings in the NFC North, and most experts believe the Eagles will win the NFC Championship game. I believe that if Farve can stay healthy and not get the type of injury he had in New Jersey last year the Vikings have a great shot at not only going to the playoffs, but making it to the Superbowl.
Vikings have one of the best run defenses in the NFL, they have one of the best pass defenses in the NFL, they have the best individual offensive player in Adrian Peterson (who will get more room this year since the Vikings will have a real QB), they have an intimidating defensive line with Williams, Williams, Windfield and Allen. I believe Favre will not have the same implosion against the Eagles that Jackson had last year...
There is no doubt that the NFC North is strong this year. Jay Cutler and Matt Forte in Chicago, Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay and a young and exiting QB in Matt Stafford (first pick in last years draft) in Detroit. Hopefully the Vikings can win 12 games and get homefield in playoffs.
The AFC features a bunch of tough teams, but I believe that the Vikings (if they get there) will meet either the San Diego Chargers or New England Patriots in the SB. Both teams get great players back from injuries, Tomlinson in San Diego and Tom Brady in New England, and both have easy conferences that will give them lots of wins and homefield advantage through the AFC playoff.
On the the NCAA. For the followers of College Football that reads this, if any, it is a really exciting season this year. Most of the top ranked teams won pretty easily in their first game, except the Sooners heartbreaking loss against BYU, and both Florida, Texas, USC and Alabama are all looking strong.
I still want to make people aware of my new school, University of California - Berkeley. The Cal Bears are coming of a decent season last year and with their amazing tailback Jahved Best leading the team and being a Heisman candidate they might stir some things up in the PAC10. Are they going to be able to stop Tim Tebow and Florida... not likely... but they might get to the BCS game, or at least a BCS bowl game. It might come down to their homegame in Berkeley against USC later this fall.
A short last comment. I believe the Vikings should draft Tim Tebow next spring. If the Vikings do as good as I expect this season they will only have a late first round pick, but Tebow will not go early. I believe he could be the perfect QB to lead an Adrian Peterson based offense...
I feel the need to express some thoughts on how the English Premier League has started, the coming NFL season, and the NCAA football season.
I must admit that even though we lost our first match of the season against Burnley, Manchester United still have started the season well. The win, deserved or not, against Arsenal was big and we need to keep winning matches like that if we are to get four in a row. Chelsea look strong and must be considered the most intimidating and biggest challenger. Liverpool are as always disappointing every fan wearing the wrong shade of red, but things might turn around for them as the season progresses. I do not believe that Tottenham and Manchester Shitty will be able to keep winning, but they might give Liverpool and Arsenal a run for the Champions League spots for next season.
Speaking of the Champions League I am not too happy about this years group stage draw. We have a poor history against Besiktas, it is always hard playing away in Russia against teams like CSKA and the german champs Wolfsburg have a fierce strikeforce. We should go through, but it might not let us rest players in 'easier' CL-matches...
On to the NFL. Am I exited? Oh, yes. From this paragraph I will only talk about football (the american style) so to all you Norwegians that are completely uninterested... go on to the Hawaii post.
So... Brett Farve in purple! Can the Vikings be a Superbowl contender? Most experts think the Green Bay Packers will challenge the Vikings in the NFC North, and most experts believe the Eagles will win the NFC Championship game. I believe that if Farve can stay healthy and not get the type of injury he had in New Jersey last year the Vikings have a great shot at not only going to the playoffs, but making it to the Superbowl.
Vikings have one of the best run defenses in the NFL, they have one of the best pass defenses in the NFL, they have the best individual offensive player in Adrian Peterson (who will get more room this year since the Vikings will have a real QB), they have an intimidating defensive line with Williams, Williams, Windfield and Allen. I believe Favre will not have the same implosion against the Eagles that Jackson had last year...
There is no doubt that the NFC North is strong this year. Jay Cutler and Matt Forte in Chicago, Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay and a young and exiting QB in Matt Stafford (first pick in last years draft) in Detroit. Hopefully the Vikings can win 12 games and get homefield in playoffs.
The AFC features a bunch of tough teams, but I believe that the Vikings (if they get there) will meet either the San Diego Chargers or New England Patriots in the SB. Both teams get great players back from injuries, Tomlinson in San Diego and Tom Brady in New England, and both have easy conferences that will give them lots of wins and homefield advantage through the AFC playoff.
On the the NCAA. For the followers of College Football that reads this, if any, it is a really exciting season this year. Most of the top ranked teams won pretty easily in their first game, except the Sooners heartbreaking loss against BYU, and both Florida, Texas, USC and Alabama are all looking strong.
I still want to make people aware of my new school, University of California - Berkeley. The Cal Bears are coming of a decent season last year and with their amazing tailback Jahved Best leading the team and being a Heisman candidate they might stir some things up in the PAC10. Are they going to be able to stop Tim Tebow and Florida... not likely... but they might get to the BCS game, or at least a BCS bowl game. It might come down to their homegame in Berkeley against USC later this fall.
A short last comment. I believe the Vikings should draft Tim Tebow next spring. If the Vikings do as good as I expect this season they will only have a late first round pick, but Tebow will not go early. I believe he could be the perfect QB to lead an Adrian Peterson based offense...
A month worth of blogging
I barely remember writing a blogpost.. that is how long it's been. But I will try to capture the last month in the US in not too many words.
Last time I wrote, August 17., I was just a couple of away from going to Hawaii.
Hawaii is the kind of place that is really fun to visit once, but I don't really think I'll be going back there anytime soon. It is kind of like going to Rhodos, Cyprus or Mallorca. The weather was perfect and I did lots of fun stuff, but it did not really live of to the illusions created by movies. The food was good, but expensive.. like everything on Hawaii...
Enough whining, I did to do a couple of things I have always wanted to do. Skydiving and surfing. Skydiving was a pretty unreal experience, but I recommend everybody to try it once. A crazy feeling to jump out the open door of a plane. The 35 seconds of free fall was awesome, but it was over way to quickly. Surfing was also great fun and I did at least manage to get up on the board and catch a good bunch of waves (which was pretty easy considering the size of the board). All in all Hawaii was good relaxation and did get a little bit of a tan, even though I don't really have the patience to stay on the beach for hour after hour.
After Hawaii I spent the last weekend in San Francisco going to the Outside Lands Festival with David, Kim Joar, Per Kjetil and Anita. The festival was for me a big letdown. Beastie Boys was replaced with Tenacious D (who sucked) - what a joke! Pearl Jam was decent, Incubus was decent, Modest Mouse was decent and the only really good (or weird) concert I went to was MIA. A strange display of weird dancing and bad singing, but fun.
At the moment I am in Northfield, Minnesota after a visit with my american family in Duluth last week. i got to see the whole family again and it was good times. First time I've seen little Braeden and the little bugger is huge.
I am staying at Tyler's house and are looking forward to a couple of days with a really american small town festival, Defeat of Jesse James Days.
Last time I wrote, August 17., I was just a couple of away from going to Hawaii.
Hawaii is the kind of place that is really fun to visit once, but I don't really think I'll be going back there anytime soon. It is kind of like going to Rhodos, Cyprus or Mallorca. The weather was perfect and I did lots of fun stuff, but it did not really live of to the illusions created by movies. The food was good, but expensive.. like everything on Hawaii...
Enough whining, I did to do a couple of things I have always wanted to do. Skydiving and surfing. Skydiving was a pretty unreal experience, but I recommend everybody to try it once. A crazy feeling to jump out the open door of a plane. The 35 seconds of free fall was awesome, but it was over way to quickly. Surfing was also great fun and I did at least manage to get up on the board and catch a good bunch of waves (which was pretty easy considering the size of the board). All in all Hawaii was good relaxation and did get a little bit of a tan, even though I don't really have the patience to stay on the beach for hour after hour.
After Hawaii I spent the last weekend in San Francisco going to the Outside Lands Festival with David, Kim Joar, Per Kjetil and Anita. The festival was for me a big letdown. Beastie Boys was replaced with Tenacious D (who sucked) - what a joke! Pearl Jam was decent, Incubus was decent, Modest Mouse was decent and the only really good (or weird) concert I went to was MIA. A strange display of weird dancing and bad singing, but fun.
At the moment I am in Northfield, Minnesota after a visit with my american family in Duluth last week. i got to see the whole family again and it was good times. First time I've seen little Braeden and the little bugger is huge.
I am staying at Tyler's house and are looking forward to a couple of days with a really american small town festival, Defeat of Jesse James Days.
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