Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

I have other things to bitch about but those will have to wait.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

One of our two political parties is a cult whose leader admires Vladimir Putin.

Many life forms that would benefit from greater intelligence, sadly, do not have it.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

The Supreme Court cannot be allowed to become the ultimate, unaccountable arbiter of everything.

It could be worse. Vance could have said “post-menopausal sows.” Waiting for that audiotape to surface.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

The words do not have to be perfect.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

This really is a full service blog.

It’s pointless to bring up problems that can only be solved with a time machine.

Prediction: the gop will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

Innocent people don’t delay justice.

“The defense has a certain level of trust in defendant that the government does not.”

If you are still in the gop, you are either an extremist yourself, or in bed with those who are.

Please don’t feed the bears.

Polls are now a reliable indicator of what corporate Republicans want us to think.

Days Since JD Vance Insulted Women Across America: Zero

Let the trolls come, and then ignore them. that’s the worst thing you can do to a troll.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

This country desperately needs a functioning Fourth Estate.

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / NFL Open Thread

NFL Open Thread

by | 85 Comments

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So here are this week’s games and my crappy picks, which comprise zero parts knowledge, 1/2 part wishful thinking and one part uninformed guesswork:

nfl-2016-09-25

I just hope today is a better football day for valued commenter Raven and me than yesterday was. I broiled in the noonday sun watching my daughter’s school get clobbered by FSU (ptui!), then went into the blessed air conditioning to watch my alma mater lose to Tennessee. Figgety fuck-a-doodle!

Anyone cooking today? I’m making a pasta salad that features sun-dried tomatoes, basil, Kalamata olives and feta cheese. Hubby is going to grill some very thin ribeyes for steak sandwiches. That’s all I know.

Open thread!

Reader Interactions

85Comments

  1. 1.

    tofubo

    Your football pick method sounds a lot like the fucking racist imbecile on the Republican side of the aisle’s approach to governing.

  3. 3.

    Roger Moore

    Anyone cooking today?

    Like every Sunday, I’ll be making pizza. Today, it will be my fabulous duck breast with Seville orange sauce; it’s the last of the sauce I made with last winter’s Seville oranges. I guess I’ll have to wait another couple of months for this year’s crop before making it again.

  8. 8.

    Corner Stone

    Cleveland at Miami! FEEL The Excitement!
    And as much as I want your Bears pick to be right, I just do not see them winning at Dallas.
    I also think AZ and OAK also both win their road games.

  10. 10.

    Wag

    I’ve been using my sous vide cooker to slow cook a Vietnamese style pork shoulder that we’ll do as lettuce wraps this evening. 24 hours at exactly 158 degrees. It’ll be perfect.

  14. 14.

    dexwood

    No cooking here. Plenty of my wife’s great chicken egg rolls leftover from last evening which we will finish off after a trip to our favorite local brewery.

  18. 18.

    WaterGirl

    Oh Betty, I am so stealing this:

    …which comprise zero parts knowledge, 1/2 part wishful thinking and one part uninformed guesswork

    Now that I think of it, that’s a pretty good description of the process by which a whole lotta folks have chosen Trump as the better candidate.

    edit: I always try to read the comments first, but I loved that phrase from you so much that I just had to comment right away. And now I see commenter #1 has said that’s how the Rs govern. Not all that far from my thought about how folks are choosing Trump.

  19. 19.

    Elmo

    Betty, your pasta salad sounds a lot like a pasta dish I make, but I also add toasted pine nuts and a whole head of garlic, and then use white wine with the feta cheese to make sauce. YUM. It’s Mrs Elmo’s favorite dish.

  20. 20.

    WaterGirl

    Betty, how long do you grill very thin ribeyes for sandwiches? 30 seconds on each side for medium rare?

    The place where I got great ribeye sandwiches closed. :-(

  25. 25.

    Betty Cracker

    @Elmo: That sounds intriguing! I’ve added red wine vinegar and garlic to mine before — in a food processor to chop up the sun-dried tomatoes. But usually I just dice it really small and skip the pureeing.

    @WaterGirl: Yeah, a minute tops unless you like it pretty done.

  27. 27.

    Schlemazel

    Putting up lunches for the future this afternoon. Palak Paneer and a chickpea curry who’s name I forget at the moment. A dozen tubs for the freezer to mix in between lunches of leftover whatevers.

    I read that the football gods still hate the Vikings though I don’t know why. That poor team suffered enough when Mike Lynne ran it into the ground. Betty? Do you keep track of your percentages? I know you did this all last year & I wonder if you are doing as well or better than the jackholes on TV.

  30. 30.

    redshirt

    @WaterGirl: Like a mushroom bloom after days of rain, the Trump yard signs all suddenly appeared in my area. It always gives me a mild sense of anxiety, but also anger, and also sadness.

    It’s also very helpful for pointing out assholes.

    And any business who puts up a Trump sign is banned for life from my money.

  34. 34.

    Miss Bianca

    @Roger Moore: So, I was at Vitamin Cottage yesterday and I noticed that – probably thanks to the paleo-crowd – animals fats as cooking oils are suddenly A Thing again. They had jars of lard (Fancy jars! Of lard!), beef tallow, and…oh, boy…duck fat. Now, my favorite way of getting duck fat would be just to cook a duck, but I thought it was cool.

    And then I got dried organge slices (regular and Mandarin), for chocolate-dipping.

  36. 36.

    Aleta

    @Roger Moore:

    Seville orange sauce; it’s the last of the sauce I made with last winter’s Seville oranges.

    It’s good to know such a paradise exists as homemade Seville orange sauce made from one’s own tree. What I mean is, wow. Life is still very wow.

  37. 37.

    donnah

    My husband, son and I were lucky to attend a rally this morning for Hillary here in Dayton, Ohio. The guest speakers were cast members from The West Wing. We got to see Bradley Whitford, Allison Janney, Josh Molina, Richard Schiff and Dule Hill each speak on her behalf. They were wonderful and it was so cool to have them here.

    They’re on a whirlwind tour across our state and I’m so glad we got to see them in person. They did a great job!

  38. 38.

    Prescott Cactus

    @Feebog:

    Buffalo over Arizona? Are you serious?

    Never overestimate Arizona.

    @Pogonip:

    What is a sous vide cooker?

    You put the meat in a sealed plastic bag and a pot of water. The cooker is a water heater thingee keeps the temp at precisely what you set it at and circulates the water. Looked into, but never pulled the trigger. Supposed to be fantastic.

    Wag, make and model ?

  39. 39.

    geg6

    I am making a peach bourbon bbq sauce that I’m putting on nice pork loin chops which I’m serving with some long grain and wild rice with chopped carrot s and shallots and grilled asparagus marinated in a balsamic marinade. Yellow butter cake with milk chocolate icing and vanilla bean ice cream for dessert.

    Turnpike rivalry today!

  41. 41.

    Shana

    We’re going out for dinner tonight with our older daughter who’s back in town after law school (and working) and a couple of friends of ours so I’m not cooking today. Stuck at home without my car since Hubby’s off doing a charity bike ride and won’t be home until later. His tiny car can’t handle our bike rack, and it’a a manual that I can’t drive, so he took my car.

    I’ve been making one lunch a week, for about 12 people, for the local Clinton office. We keep kosher and there’s one person in the office who does, and a couple of people who need hallal but will eat kosher. So far I’ve done a shredded chicken mole with tomatillo salsa, refried beans and corn tortillas; vegetarian lasagna with veggie crumbles so it seems like meat; and beef brisket with home made rice a roni and green beans.

    Anyone have any ideas for meals? I can’t use pork or shellfish, can’t mix meat and dairy products but most other things are OK, or work-around-able. I’m thinking of doing a shepherd’s pie for this week’s lunch, but would love to broaden the repertoire. Thanks in advance.

  42. 42.

    WaterGirl

    @redshirt:

    It’s also very helpful for pointing out assholes.

    And any business who puts up a Trump sign is banned for life from my money.

    I really cannot look at people the same, knowing they are voting for Johnson or Trump or even staying home. Staying home this year is like watching a house burn and doing nothing – even if you didn’t light the match, you bear some responsibility.

    Count me in on the “none of my money for life” policy.

  43. 43.

    Citizen_X

    OT: Anybody want to talk me down over this ABC/Post poll? It’s got Trump fucking tied with Clinton! And people trust Trump with the economy over Clinton, 50 to 43%??? What the everloving fuck? He’s a conman and crook who mused about bankrupting the country because everything would be wonderful after that!

  44. 44.

    WaterGirl

    @Shana: No food ideas here, just want to say that it’s really good of you to do this. Anyone who brings real food to campaign volunteers is a god or goddess. But what you are doing shows an infinite amount of respect that I’m sure ripples out far beyond the initial impact of the meals you bring.

  45. 45.

    Betty Cracker

    RE: the Buffalo pick — that falls under the “wishful thinking” heading. I don’t like the Bills, but my adorable mother-in-law does and is disappointed that they suck so hard this year, so I hope they win for her sake!

  47. 47.

    Prescott Cactus

    @Shana:

    Anyone have any ideas for meals?

    An old “go to” for me was burritos. Ground beef, spices, onions, a can of chopped chili peppers and the secret was to add a can of refried beans. The beans change the consistency and hold it together. Big tortilla’s, pre fold & wrap. Easy to heat.

    Crock pot a roast and make BBQ sandwiches.

    @Steeplejack (tablet): I remember the cheap ones being $600 to $800 when I was looking. Now with Wi-fi & Bluetooth. . . Geez

  48. 48.

    WaterGirl

    @Steeplejack (tablet): I worry about cooking foods in plastic. Plastic + heat just seems like a really bad combination to me, so I figure in 10 years that will be the next thing they say is killing us.

  49. 49.

    PaulWartenberg2016

    Betty, as a boy who graduated from UF (Bachelors) and also USF (Masters), yesterday was a really sucky day for me as well.

    Here’s hoping the Bucs can generate an offense and score more than two touchdowns against a Rams team questionably lacking offensive talent.

  52. 52.

    hovercraft

    @Citizen_X:
    At the moment it’s an outlier among the reputable polls, but it is tight.

    Poll Date Sample MoE
    HC DT GJ JS Spread
    RCP Average 9/8 – 9/22 — — 42.3 40.1 8.3 2.7 Clinton +2.2
    ABC /Wash Post 9/19 – 9/22 651 LV 4.5 46 44 5 1 Clinton +2
    Rasmussen Report 9/20 – 9/21 1000 LV 3.0 39 44 8 2 Trump +5
    Gravis 9/20 – 9/20 1560 LV 2.5 44 40 5 2 Clinton +4
    Economist/YouGov 9/18 – 9/19 936 RV 4.0 40 38 7 2 Clinton +2
    McClatchy/Marist 9/15 – 9/20 758 LV 3.6 45 39 10 4 Clinton +6
    NBC /Wall St. Jrnl 9/16 – 9/19 922 LV 3.2 43 37 9 2 Clinton +6
    Reuters/Ipsos 9/15 – 9/19 1111 LV 3.4 37 39 7 2 Trump +2
    Associated P-GfK 9/15 – 9/16 1251 LV — 45 39 9 2 Clinton +6
    NBC News/SM 9/12 – 9/18 13320 LV 1.2 45 40 10 4 Clinton +5
    FOX News 9/11 – 9/14 867 LV 3.0 41 40 8 3 Clinton +1
    CBS News/NY Times 9/9 – 9/13 1433 LV 3.0 42 42 8 4 Tie
    Quinnipiac 9/8 – 9/13 960 LV 3.2 41 39 13 4 Clinton +2

  55. 55.

    James E Powell

    @Betty Cracker:

    RE: the Buffalo pick — that falls under the “wishful thinking” heading.

    @Feebog:

    Buffalo over Arizona? Are you serious?

    Halfway through the 2nd Q: Buffalo 17, Arizona 0

  57. 57.

    hitchhiker

    It’s peach/nectarine season around here, so time for the amazing India-inspired peach salad. Peel or don’t, as you wish. Slice and make bite sized pieces. Season with a little sugar & salt and a medium amount of pepper, and cumin. Eat asap, because the peaches break down quickly and turn soupy. (Still good, but very runny.)

    The election is about how many racists there are, and how motivated they are. I think that the ABC poll from last night (which caused me to stop reading politics news) reflects a bunch of white male no-college Johnson voters expressing their outrage over events in Charlotte NC. The last thing I saw before turning off my laptop in despair was a graphic that showed that group fall off a cliff for Johnson and plump up Donald’s numbers.

    The selection of Steve Bannon foreshadowed this, right? They were making a bet that there are enough racists, and that they’ll be very motivated. I need to believe they’re wrong, and if they’re right I’d rather not know it until I absolutely have to. In the meantime, GOTV like never before.

  64. 64.

    ThresherK

    Nice job by The Washingtons’ punter with that pass. The rules geek in me is failing on the chapter-and-verse of what defensive pass penalties apply in a play like that, but the Giants’ guy really should have been able to do better; was he really that surprised?

  65. 65.

    Shana

    @Prescott Cactus: That’s a nice idea, change it up from the chicken mole.

    I’m also thinking of something chinese-y. They tend to get a lot of italian because it’s easy to do in quantity so I’m trying to do other things. It’s finally starting to cool off here in Virginia so I may do chili or hearty soup at some point.

  68. 68.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    OT in Miami. *waves brown flag* Go team. Move the thing to the other thing.

  69. 69.

    Corner Stone

    That was beautiful. Joe Buck and Aikman just got through polishing Eli’s nutz and he then promptly throws an INT to end this game.

  70. 70.

    catclub

    @bk:

    Our refrigerator died early this morning. Warm beer.

    Our freezer is too enthusiastic – the defrost drain freezes. But I found a fix on the internet – copper wire from the defrost element into the drain. I also turned up the temp in the freezer. We shall see.

  71. 71.

    J R in WV

    Looks like the Iggles have a chance against P’burgh. So I’m a Stillers fan, but I hate Ben Rapesburger. Plus the Iggles have a running back out of WVU.

    Best friend is from Philly, and I spent a few months there as a callow youth. So easy to root for them.

    Ugh… he may be a creep, but dayum he can throw deep… damn.

  74. 74.

    Robert Sneddon

    @WaterGirl: Sous-vide (“vacuum”) cooking is done at very low temperatures compared to ovens and stovetops. Since the meat is sealed it never dries out and cooking times can be extended to ridiculous levels. A foodie friend cooked a haunch of goat for three days at 68 deg C sous-vide (I built the water bath temperature controller for him) and it turned out excellently, very tender. The long cooking times means the meat reaches the set temperature all the way through, there’s no overdone and underdone portions. A quick hit on the grill afterwards to brown the outside and sugar it up via the Maillard reaction and it’s done.

    The low temperatures means the plastic wrapping doesn’t degrade or release chemicals into the food.

  75. 75.

    J R in WV

    Wow, the Eagles are crushing the Steelers today, just sacked Ben a second time, stripped the ball, recovered it on the Steelers 40. Ben also threw 8 incompletions in a row. 27-3 right now, Eagles 1st and goal.

    ETA: Now it’s 34-3, three touchdowns in the 3rd quarter.It’s just that good a game for Philly. Not very good for P’burgh.

    The touchdown before this one was by a rookie RB out of WVU, Smallwood, his first NFL touchdown.

  81. 81.

    BillCinSD

    and there’s a lightning delay at the 2 minute warning at Ray Jay, you doesn’t have to call me Johnson, Stadium with the Bucs trailing by 5

  82. 82.

    HinTN

    FWIW, my Niners suck, but that means Mrs H’s Sea Chickens are feasting. As for yesterday and next week (sorry Betty and Raven) Go Vols!!! As for food, made purple cabbage with apples, modified to replace butter for the sauté with bacon fried crispy and incorporated into the final product. Not half bad, if I do say so myself.

  85. 85.

    Uncle Cosmo

    And at the end of Week 3, one team sits alone atop the AFC North:

    The Baltimore Ravens!??!?!?!?

    IMO even we passionate supporters of the Purple & Black are a bit, um, taken aback. But we intend to enjoy the living shit out of it as long as it lasts. Go Crows, hon!

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