Can the Packers Pull Off a Perfect Season?

Who stands between Green Bay and 16-0

Green Bay will take an 11-0 record into December.

If this happened a few years ago, the 1972 Miami Dolphins might have started to sweat a little. Media hoopla about whether the Packers can complete a perfect season would also be much higher.

Blame the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts for killing that buzz.

The 2007 Patriots already accomplished what some thought impossible in today’s parity-driven NFL — a 16-0 regular-season record. The 2009 Colts had a chance to match the mark when opening 14-0. But unlike a Patriots team that was pursuing perfection and didn’t want to risk losing momentum entering the postseason, Indianapolis management decided to rest starters for the playoffs and the Colts lost their final two contests.

Each franchise’s individual approach paid dividends as the Patriots and Colts ultimately reached the Super Bowl. They also both lost in the championship game, with New England’s chance for perfection ending against the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII.

During an interview with FOXSports.com last week, Packers head coach Mike McCarthy wouldn’t reveal how he will handle his starters during the final regular-season games if Green Bay is still undefeated and has already clinched the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed. Based upon how the Packers have played so far, McCarthy may soon have a tough decision to make.

Green Bay has yet to trail in the fourth quarter this season. The Packers are averaging a league-high 34.7 points a game. Aaron Rodgers is on pace for arguably the greatest quarterbacking season in NFL history. Problems on pass defense are mitigated by Green Bay’s NFL-high 22 interceptions. The franchise has won 17 consecutive games dating to last season.

Making all this even more impressive: The Packers are rolling despite being the NFL’s most targeted team as defending Super Bowl champion.

Five upcoming opponents — the New York Giants, Oakland, Kansas City, Chicago and Detroit — stand in the way of Green Bay entering the playoffs at 16-0. Allowing that plenty can and likely will change in the NFL over the next five weeks, here are the keys to victories for the only teams that can knock the Pack back into the pack.

1. At the New York Giants (4:15 p.m. Sunday, FOX): New York has a history of ruining undefeated seasons. Not only did they top the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, the Giants gave the 1998 Denver Broncos their first loss after a 13-0 start. Just like in that upset of New England, New York’s chances of winning Sunday are tied to its fierce pass rush. The Packers will likely have to protect Rodgers without the services of two injured starting offensive linemen — left tackle Chad Clifton (hamstring) and right guard Josh Sitton (knee). Rodgers has gotten sacked 23 times this season, which is tied for the league’s fifth highest total.

2. Oakland (Dec. 11): The Raiders enter Sunday’s matchup at Miami on a three-game winning streak since Carson Palmer settled in at quarterback. But the key to upending the Packers will be the running game. Oakland ranks fourth in the NFL with a 149.2-yard average even without the services of Darren McFadden. He may be back for the Packers game after missing the past four contests with a sprained foot. If not, the Raiders are still dangerous on the ground thanks to backup Michael Bush. As Tampa Bay’s LeGarrette Blount proved with his 18-carry, 107-yard effort in a Week 10 loss to Green Bay, a bruiser like Bush may be able to have success between the tackles and allow Oakland to control the clock. The latter is a must against an offense as potent as Green Bay’s.

3. At Kansas City (Dec. 18; FOX): With the Chiefs (4-7) unlikely to reach the playoffs, this game will serve as Kansas City’s Super Bowl. Kyle Orton, claimed off waivers last week from Denver, will likely be starting at quarterback by then in place of the ineffective Tyler Palko. Although he won’t be completely comfortable with Kansas City’s offense and receiving targets, Orton does have the benefit of familiarity with Green Bay’s defense. He started against the Packers in a 49-23 loss in Week 4 while with the Broncos. Orton had three touchdowns and three interceptions in a 22-of-32, 273-yard effort.

4. Chicago (Dec. 25): The perfect Christmas gift for the Bears would be the early return of quarterback Jay Cutler from thumb surgery. But unless Cutler heals quicker than expected, the Bears are likely relegated to starting backup Caleb Hanie. The Packers sealed last season’s NFC Championship Game win last season when defensive lineman B.J. Raji returned a Hanie interception for a touchdown with Cutler (knee) on the bench. No matter who is at quarterback, expect a much better defensive effort from the Bears than during their 27-17 home loss to Green Bay in Week 3.

5. Detroit (Jan. 1): The spotlight will be on Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who was ejected for stomping a Packers offensive lineman in the third quarter of last Thursday’s 27-15 loss to Green Bay. The Lions quickly unraveled after Suh’s departure, with the Packers scoring two quick touchdowns to take a 21-0 lead. Detroit, though, will enter this rematch knowing they stood toe-to-toe with the Packers for the entire first half. With the Packers concerned about stopping Detroit’s high-powered passing attack, Lions running back Kevin Smith gouged Green Bay for 36 yards on seven carries before suffering a high ankle sprain late in the first quarter. Smith, the best option on a team decimated by running back injuries, should be healthy for this Week 17 matchup.

Adapted from Foxsport

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Do Men Think About Sex All the Time? Maybe Not

Study debunks notion that males focus on the subject far more often than females do
-- Robert Preidt

HealthDay News -- A new study is challenging the widely held notion that men's minds are preoccupied with one topic: sex.

The research in college-age participants suggests that while men do think about sex more often than women, the subject crosses their mind an average of only about 19 times per day, compared to 10 times per day for women.

The results seem to disprove the popular notion that men think about sex every seven seconds, which would total more than 8,000 thoughts about sex in 16 waking hours, the Ohio State University researchers said.

"It's amazing the way people will spout off these fake statistics that men think about sex nearly constantly and so much more often than women do," lead author Terri Fisher, a professor of psychology, said in a university news release. "When a man hears a statement like that, he might think there's something wrong with him because he's not spending that much time thinking about sexuality, and when women hear about this, if they spend significant time thinking about sex they might think there's something wrong with them."

The study also found that men spend more time than women thinking about other biological needs, such as food and sleep.

The study included 163 female and 120 male college students, aged 18 to 25, who recorded their thoughts about sex, sleeping and eating every day for a week.

The frequency of thoughts about sex ranged widely between individual men and individual women -- between one and 388 thoughts per day among the men, and between one and 140 times a day among the women.

"For women, that's a broader range than many people would have expected. And there were no women who reported zero thoughts per day. So women are also thinking about sexuality," Fisher said.

The researchers also found that a person's comfort with sexuality was the best predictor of which people would have sex on the brain most often.

"If you had to know one thing about a person to best predict how often they would be thinking about sex, you'd be better off knowing their emotional orientation toward sexuality, as opposed to knowing whether they were male or female," Fisher said.

"Frequency of thinking about sex is related to variables beyond one's biological sex," she added.

Fisher and her colleagues also found that men thought about food an average of nearly 18 times per day and sleep almost 11 times per day. Women thought about food an average of nearly 15 times per day and about sleep 8.5 times per day.

"Since we looked at those other types of need-related thoughts, we found that it appears that there's not just a sex difference with regard to thoughts about sex, but also with regard to thoughts about sleep and food," Fisher said.

"That's very significant. This suggests males might be having more of these thoughts than women are or they have an easier time identifying the thoughts. It's difficult to know, but what is clear is it's not uniquely sex that they're spending more time thinking about, but other issues related to their biological needs, as well."

The study appears online and in the January print issue of the Journal of Sex Research.

Quoted from MSN

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LA Galaxy win 1-0 from Indonesia Team Selection

In the second half, LA Galaxy and Indonesia Team Selection conducted a series of substitutions.

LA Galaxy team win 1-0 from Indonesia Selection in a friendly match, Wednesday, November 30, 2011. Teams from the United States is superior to a single goal by Robbie Keane in the first round.

L.A Galaxy Vs Indonesia Selection 

In a match at the Bung Karno Main Stadium, Keane scored in the 13th minute. The former Tottenham Hotspur player was able to capitalize on the chaos in front of goal Indonesia Selection escorted by Andritany Ardiayasa.

LA Galaxy are actually more dominated the first round matches. But until halftime, the Galaxy 1-0.

At the beginning of second half, both teams made ​​some changes. LA Galaxy again dominated the course of action and managed to create a golden opportunity but have not been fruitful goal.

At 68 minutes, Jack McBean had fired a volley. But the ball was still able to be tamed goalkeeper Kurnia Meiga.

David Beckham is retained until the second half. But the former Manchester United failed to score a goal by passing the ball set piece that became his specialty.

In the 75th minute, Beckham got a chance to execute the ball outside the penalty box off Indonesia. But the ball back was wide on the right side of goal Kurnia Meiga.

At 78 minutes, turn off the national team that got the ball from outside the opponent's penalty box. Unfortunately, Bambang Pamungkas still free kick wide on the left side LA Galaxy.

In the 82nd minute, Indonesia Selection re-create the chaos in front of goal LA Galaxy. But Ahmad Bustomi volley back not meet the target. Until the fight was over, Indonesia remains behind 0-1 Selection of the LA Galaxy.

Adapted from VIVAnews

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Was TD dance offensive to NYC?

Jets NT: Crash celebration went too far

Jets nose tackle Sione Pouha wasn't laughing at Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson's touchdown celebration over the weekend in New York.

Bills WR Stevie Johnson is under fire for his crash celebration against the Jets.

He wasn't laughing then and he's certainly not laughing now. In fact, Pouha isn't even that mad at Johnson for pretending to "pull a Plaxico Burress" and shoot himself in the leg. What has him fuming? The fact that Johnson pretended to be a crashing jet, according to the New York Post.

Pouha believes that when Johnson acted as if he was a plane crashing to the ground, that it was insensitive to the victims of 9/11.

"Us being from New York, we like to hold ourselves to some integrity, and that airplane thing, in my opinion, was kind of a dagger considering the circumstances of remembrance of what we just had on Sept. 11," Pouha said. “It was just unprofessional. We all stand for pride around here, and that's a sacred moment for a lot of people and it's a very sobering moment."

Sources: MSN

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