Matt's Musings

It's been an up and down season for a lot of NFL teams, which is what has led to a lot of up and down weeks picking for me... Week 14 : Jaguars +2.5 Over Texans (Jaguars) Falcons +4.5 Over Packers (Packers) Buccaneers -2.5 Over Bills (Buccaneers) Bengals -5.5 Over Colts (Colts) Browns +12.5 Over Patriots (Patriots) Eagles -2.5 Over Lions (Lions) Chiefs -3.5 Over Redskins (Chiefs) Raiders +2.5 Over Jets (Jets) Steelers -3.5 Over Dolphins (Steelers) Ravens -7.5 Over Vikings (Vikings) Broncos -12.5 Over Titans (Broncos) Rams +6.5 Over Cardinals (Cardinals) Giants +3.5 Over Chargers (Giants) Seahawks +2.5 Over 49ers (49ers) Saints -3.5 Over Panthers (Panthers) Cowboys -1.5 Over Bears (Bears) Last Week : 8-8 Lindsay : 9-7 Overall : 102-91 Lindsay : 99-94

"I still think there’s a plan. I still believe there’s a reason." — Hershel, "The Walking Dead" Throughout its four seasons, if there's one thing we've learned from "The Walking Dead," it's that people who achieve a sense of peace, purpose, and redemption aren't long for the post-zombie world. Often it is those zombies that end their journey, but in the case of Hershel, it was a man. The first five episodes of "The Walking Dead" moved at a slower pace and allowed us to grow with our heroes in the prison. The next two turned their focus to The Governor, and his attempts to rehabilitate himself. The question logically being asked during the mid-season finale, which took place Sunday, was how far is too far gone. The focus during the first half of the season was on Rick and the Governor, two men pushed to the brink by events and the way they responded. Rick recoiled from leadership, responsibility, and, in some ways, reality. He want...

It was another fierce battle, but another win for the Broncos over the division rival Kansas City Chiefs. Week 13 : Broncos 35, Chiefs 28 Season Record : 10-2 (6-0 Home) Key Play : On the opening drive of the second half, trailing 21-14, Peyton Manning connected with Wes Welker on a 20-yard pass on Third and 11 to keep the drive alive. The Broncos went down and tied the game on a 37-yard strike to Eric Decker. The Broncos scored on their next two drives as well, taking a 35-21 lead and ending up with the big divisional victory. Recap : If you want to be the top team in your division, you have to handle your business against divisional foes. For the past two seasons, Manning and the Broncos have done just that. The Chiefs were 9-0 three weeks ago, one game up in the AFC West. Now, after a brutal stretch that saw the Broncos play the Chiefs twice and the Patriots, Denver is 10-2, the Chiefs are 9-3, and the AFC West runs through Denver. That is always the goal, and Denver won when it mat...

"I didn't actually see the clocks go down, you know we haven't had a whole lot of luck with reviews anyway and there was one second on the clock. We thought about going with the block, but I knew I was going to call a timeout anyway. The wind was going in that direction and their kicker has a good leg. We just made the decision to put Chris (Davis) back there. We got some very good blocks, and made an unbelievable play at the end to win it." — Gus Malzahn, Auburn head coach Yesterday Auburn and Alabama played their annual match up. The two teams — both from the state of Alabama — came into the game as top contenders. Alabama was the No. 1 ranked team, while Auburn — with one loss — was the No. 4 ranked team. There was a lot on the line in the game. But no one knew how the game would be played. No one was prepared for what would happen. With one second left, tied at 28, Alabama lined up for a 57-yard field goal to potentially win the game. The field goal fell short. Ch...

"No one's gonna tell you nothin'. They're wise to your act. You got rules. The Joker, he's got no rules. No one's gonna cross him to you. You want this guy, you got one way. But you already know what that is. Just take off that mask and let him come find you. Or you gonna let a couple more people get killed while you make your mind?" — Salvatore Maroni, "The Dark Knight" There is a moment in the Christopher Nolan Batman films where the titular hero is forced to question his motives. In "The Dark Knight," Batman faces an evil he can't comprehend and he questions whether he needs to adopt the motives of his adversaries. Batman, of course, doesn't break with his means. He maintains the core of who he is and honors his mission. One of the architects of that story was Jonathan Nolan, the brother of Christopher Nolan and the creator of the TV show "Person of Interest." For a long time I've seen "Person of Interest...

"Something's going on. None of this makes sense." — Carrie, "Homeland" After a meandering half season on "Homeland," the end game is starting to take shape. Sadly, it's hard to tell how good that ending is shaping up to be. During its first season, "Homeland" was the best show on television. Claire Danes and Damien Lewis were the best actors on TV. The first season was a revelation, but it was hard to see how it would work long term with those two as leads. Three years later, that's the problem indeed. The two longest, most difficult to watch episodes during the third season of "Homeland" has been the two episodes that have featured Brody. His character doesn't work and this ending story arc seems problematic. Somehow this show — which was about spies, deception, and patriotism — has become about unrequited love, an unplanned pregnancy, and fighting to prove the innocence of one of the most useless characters on televisi...

The holiday movie season is upon us! Friday, December 6 : Out Of The Furnace — This film, from the director of "Crazy Heart" and starring Christian Bale and Casey Affleck, looks like a cross between "Justified" and "The Town." It looks like it could be a compelling drama and likely features a great performance from Bale. Friday, December 13 : The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug — Peter Jackson's epic, three-part take on the children's book continues with this second installment. This one will feature the dragon, Smaug, and a continuation of the journey. I am curious to see where it goes. Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas — Madea, the mouthy old lady with a heart of gold, is back in this holiday themed adventure. Wednesday, December 18 : Her — This film from Spike Jonze — the director behind "Being John Malkovich" and "Where The Wild Things Are" — looks fascinating and strange. It features a key performance from Joaquin Phoenix...