More Mike Scifers run....from 4th and Long

It is a wonder that it can even be pronounced. The combination of consonants and vowels flows off the tongue like so much peanut butter.

Scifres. Yet as strange as a combination of seemingly disparate letters, they equate to a beautiful combination of balance, power and timing which takes form on... Fourth and Long.
I love and hate that we are noticing a punter for what he does spectacularly. Mike Scifres certainly is one of the leagues best and should be known as such. He puts enough force through a football to maim a puma with enough precision to escape a mongoose. Yet I would like to point out that he is (close to) top of our sport because he performs the way we saw on Saturday (6 punts for 52.7 average punt, all 6 downed inside the 20), EVERY WEEK.

Do you want to know why he isn't in the Pro Bowl? Because he is 8th in the league in gross average and 3rd in the league in net average. What does that mean to the non punteresque individual? Punters in the NFL are getting better and better, in fact, most of them are now freaks. These guys are the same as every other NFL athlete--99.9th percentile. Go look at the bios of every punter in the league and look how many were All-Americans in something in high school or played another position in college. Just about every one. Ponder that next time you want to disparage a 32 yard shank. Punting is like driving a golf ball. Yet imagine this. You are tossed your Titelist prior to hitting it, must tee it up out of hand and then perform the proper technique to hit it over 320 yards.... Oh by the way, do this in 1.3 seconds or less and with guys sprinting at you who run 4.3 40's.... Oh and by the way again, put it on the green... every... time....

Defensive Player of the Year...would make a punter shit himself...

I step down off my soap box...

Although our punter here in San Diego is phenomenal, was stellar on Saturday, and will continue to be outstanding, so too are the other 31 guys doing it. Don't even get me started on place kickers. He has and will continue to help us win games, cause that just what he do. Small numbers, big responsibilities.

4th and Long

Until next time.. E'ry body gitcha Sprole on.....

Punter Abroad: Soaking in The Meadowlands

It's all about the style. Where have I been? Well, it has not been on tour with my musical constituency..... It HAS not been protecting elves as they make their misguided Christmas deposits.. It has been a lot closer to snow.. a lot farther from rain, and unfortunately a few degrees colder then the San Diego I have come to know, love, embrace and infuse into all I say and do Brah....

You gotta go down Bra!

That being said, we who have immigrated still have things to say as to football elsewhere in the country. It runs in our newly transfused Charger blue blood to support the Bolts, yet as the great Patrick Henry once said.... "Give me home town football, or give me death."

Liberty my good man, Liberty! And I am a Virginia Man, no supporter of Northern Causes! I throw my support behind our team...the Redskins! Wait...what?...that's not right is it?

For this still reigning (?) ombudsman, that would be the pretzel smelling, Rockefeller having, worse traffic than LA (no arguments, period, end of story... you frickin guy..), Katz's deli sporting, better bundle up at this time of year,TRI-state area. So therefore, I'll let you know, I will be heading to the soon to be "Ye Olde Giants Stadium" to cheer on your Super Bowl champion New York Giants. This game will be three things:

1) Versus the Carolina Panthers
- I am not scared of many men. This is healthy. However, Steve Smith scares the crap out of me.

2) HUGE
-Implications on the NFC playoff picture are as big as the caps I used above. Had the G men showed up for their competition against America's Dallas Cowboys, we wouldn't be having this conversation. Hopefully John Harbaugh's Revamped Rampaging Raging Raven's will Rock Romo. (and they did)

3) COLD
- I bought thermal under pants today. These should help to keep the blood pumping. Hypothermia is a massive risk... Something we do not worry about in San D.

Wish us luck if you would like. If you are not feeling very for Big Blue, I would like to point out that up until a few years ago, I felt the same on Sunday's as you all must be feeling now. I would say to myself...

"Self, I really want to watch the game, but will the frustration built up be worth the four hours which could be spent meditating to gain peace of mind. We love Tiki but my gosh, why can't we win a damn game."

Then much as Bean Town let go of NO MAh, we finally got rid of the better looking Barber brother and won us a cham peen ship. I hope one day one of your one hit wonders will walk away from the Bolts and your team will congeal with the efficiency of our back east champions.

Until then, know that this two headed fan will remember the Ghost of Christmas G-Men seasons past. When we couldn't ring the salvation army bell hard enough to buy a win. It will get better. Stay true to the cause, follow our fearless Chief and continue to Avenge, my fellow Avengers. One day, your own Eli may surface after many awful years of solemn Sundays...but until then, please help me to embrace the frigging bitter cold through thought and prayer. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a warm night.

Final resting place of many a good Italian

Blessings,

4TH and LONG

It's 4th and Long...

This is a drum kit that says R7. It stands for Relentless Seven and this photo was taken in the front row at the Belly-Up on Wednesday December 3rd. It took the Douchebag Photog. over a week to send the pics and by now it may be to no avail. Yes! What good is a concert review over a week later?

The problem is much deeper friends....we believe that the drummer for this 'side project' was none other than our own, 4th and Long. Can I prove it? No. My Douchebag Photog, despite his $3000 camera gear that he smuggled in under a Pea Coat on a blustery December evening failed to capture the man behind the drumkit....so you'll have to take our word that the guy could have been none other than 4th&L. The energy...the floppy hair...the shirt too tight...we even thought that we saw him doing a crossword before the gig. I guess you'll have to settle for my version since the high priced camera equipment couldn't capture the proper lighting to expose this undercover drummer for this new band fronted by the one and only....

BEN HARPER.

They were extraordinarily solid (the extent of our music review section)... and we may just know the drummer.

Where you at 4th and Long?