Ah, SNL... It's great to have you back! The 40th (!!!!!) season premiere, hosted by Chris Pratt, had me excited but, honestly, the episode really didn't live up to my high expectations. Was it terrible? Absolutely not. Was it outstanding? No. It was a solid episode that showed positives that can definitely be expanded on, but still displayed some troubling tendencies.
Because I am such an eternal optimist (sarcasm), I will mainly focus on the things that I liked from the show. However, I have two pretty big gripes from this episode. First: Why can SNL not figure out how to end a sketch? There were some sketches that showed promise (like the Killam and Pratt He-Man and Lion-O one), that really fizzled at the end because, well, there wasn't an ending (although Ariana Grande really shut that sketch down before it was even over). If the writers could just improve on the endings to sketches, the overall quality of the episodes would be soooo much better. My biggest gripe deserves its own paragraph:
WHERE WAS KATE MCKINNON!??!?!?!
Who is the funniest cast member? Kate McKinnon is. Who was nominated for an Outstanding Supporting Actress Emmy? Kate McKinnon was. Which SNL was most criminally underused for this episode? You guessed it, Kate McKinnon. In an episode that really did a great job of displaying the talent of newcomers, it's a damn shame that SNL couldn't showcase the out-of-this-wordly talent of their most talented performer. But let's talk about good stuff.
Here is everything I liked about this episode: Kenan talking about school buses, Jay Pharoah's Shannon Sharpe impression, the Marvel short (I would watch all of those, especially the Pam movies), remembering how awesome Cecily Strong's recurring Weekend Update characters are, Leslie Jones, Michael Che (he's already better than Colin Jost and that's with a nervous beginning), anything with Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney, and Kenan singing about Obama and how maybe his after-presidency may not be that great after all. But what did I like most of all?
PETE FUCKING DAVIDSON.
Holy crap, this is a way to make your debut on SNL. I have watched his segment like 3 times now, and I still think it is absolutely hysterical. He has an impressive confidence level for only being 20, a confidence that should grow as he becomes more comfortable and is used more frequently on the show. I was a bit skeptical about him at first- it really seemed like he would just be another Brooks Wheelan- but boy was I wrong. I don't know what it is, but this kid just has it. And, yes I can call him a kid because I am older than him, which really just makes me sad. He reminds me so much of a young Adam Sandler, back before Adam Sandler made really shitty movies and was actually really funny, and kind of looks like a cross between Jon Cryer and Andy Samberg, but oh well. Is 1 episode a bit early to judge one's performance a bit ambitious? Sure, but I just have this feeling about Davidson. The Pete Davidson rocket has lifted off, and I will fucking drive that thing to super-stardom if I have to.
Long live SNL.
Alex
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Monday, September 15, 2014
COLTS VENTING
Ugh.
Just.... Ugh.
I don't have the words to describe what I saw tonight. Disappointing is a gross understatement. Pathetic is getting closer to what I'm looking for. Fireable? Well, not yet... But if we lose to Jacksonville then we can talk. I am just so grateful that the Colts play in the AFC South, where every other team is terrible.
You're probably wondering "Hey Alex, why are you so mad for. Haven't the Colts been to the playoffs the past two seasons? Don't they have an awesome QB? Don't they play in the worst division in the NFL?" Well, to answer all those questions: yes. The Colts have made the playoffs in consecutive seasons (and the still should make it this year), Andrew Luck is an exceptionally talented QB, and the Colts do get to play the Jaguars and Titans twice a year, so that is a positive. However that doesn't mean that there aren't problems with this team. There are a lot, both philosophical and personnel-wise.
The biggest problem I have with this team is the philosophy of the coaches. Coach Pagano preaches two things: running the football and stopping the run. Well, that wouldn't be so bad, until you remember the strengths of this team. On the offensive side of the ball it's pretty simple: the passing game. Look at all the weapons you have in the passing game; Andrew Luck is the best young QB in the game, your WR corps might be the deepest position on the team, and the strength of your offensive line is the offensive tackles. The weaknesses of the team? Interior line and running back. But keep running the ball Chuck.
On the defensive side of the football, the Colts preach stopping the run as the highest priority. Again, not a bad idea in theory, until you see that the team still sucks against the run. In order to get players to fit this (outdated) philosophy, the Colts bring in bigger players, who are (obviously) slower. What does this do? First, it really limits the pass rush that can be brought from base packages (God I miss Robert Mathis). Second, it doesn't really matter how well you can stop the run if you bring in players who can't tackle (I AM STARING RIGHT AT YOU LARON LANDRY...RIGHT AT YOU) if they even get in position to make plays. Is it sad that I think our cornerbacks and Andrew Luck might be the best tacklers on this team?
Besides the philosophical problems, this roster is really constructed poorly. There is virtually no depth. Sure, the Colts seem to suffer an abnormal amount of injuries, but the terrible qualities of the back-ups they have on the roster make the injuries even more noticeable. Ryan Grigson likes to overpay one of three things: marginal talent (D'Qwell, Gosder, Erik Walden), injury-prone role players (Toler, RJF, Donald Thomas, Art Jones), and people who are just plain bad (LaRon, DHB, Samson Satele). On top of the poor free agent signings, Grigson hasn't had a good draft (or you could even argue he hasn't made a good pick) since the 2012 gold mine, and he traded our 2014 1st round pick for TRENT FREAKING RICHARDSON (you know it's bad when people say he had his best game and he still only averaged 3.8 YPC and fumbled twice). Ughhhhhh.
Well, I have a lot more issues with this team, but I am way too tired and way too behind on homework to keep going. Is all hope lost? No. Can this team still make the playoffs? Absolutely, yes. Is it possible for the coaching staff to have a Ron Rivera-esque transformation and for Ryan Grigson to totally change his free agent philosophy? Well, sure- but I'm not sure if that will happen. The worst part about all of this is that Andrew Luck is way too good and will mask a lot of the deficiencies this team has. Is all hope lost? No. Am I overreacting to one game? Ha... Probably. Are the Colts flawless? Hell no. But hey, at least we get the Jaguars next!
Find me on twitter if you want to tell me how dumb I am or how much you agree with me.
-Alex
Just.... Ugh.
I don't have the words to describe what I saw tonight. Disappointing is a gross understatement. Pathetic is getting closer to what I'm looking for. Fireable? Well, not yet... But if we lose to Jacksonville then we can talk. I am just so grateful that the Colts play in the AFC South, where every other team is terrible.
You're probably wondering "Hey Alex, why are you so mad for. Haven't the Colts been to the playoffs the past two seasons? Don't they have an awesome QB? Don't they play in the worst division in the NFL?" Well, to answer all those questions: yes. The Colts have made the playoffs in consecutive seasons (and the still should make it this year), Andrew Luck is an exceptionally talented QB, and the Colts do get to play the Jaguars and Titans twice a year, so that is a positive. However that doesn't mean that there aren't problems with this team. There are a lot, both philosophical and personnel-wise.
The biggest problem I have with this team is the philosophy of the coaches. Coach Pagano preaches two things: running the football and stopping the run. Well, that wouldn't be so bad, until you remember the strengths of this team. On the offensive side of the ball it's pretty simple: the passing game. Look at all the weapons you have in the passing game; Andrew Luck is the best young QB in the game, your WR corps might be the deepest position on the team, and the strength of your offensive line is the offensive tackles. The weaknesses of the team? Interior line and running back. But keep running the ball Chuck.
On the defensive side of the football, the Colts preach stopping the run as the highest priority. Again, not a bad idea in theory, until you see that the team still sucks against the run. In order to get players to fit this (outdated) philosophy, the Colts bring in bigger players, who are (obviously) slower. What does this do? First, it really limits the pass rush that can be brought from base packages (God I miss Robert Mathis). Second, it doesn't really matter how well you can stop the run if you bring in players who can't tackle (I AM STARING RIGHT AT YOU LARON LANDRY...RIGHT AT YOU) if they even get in position to make plays. Is it sad that I think our cornerbacks and Andrew Luck might be the best tacklers on this team?
Besides the philosophical problems, this roster is really constructed poorly. There is virtually no depth. Sure, the Colts seem to suffer an abnormal amount of injuries, but the terrible qualities of the back-ups they have on the roster make the injuries even more noticeable. Ryan Grigson likes to overpay one of three things: marginal talent (D'Qwell, Gosder, Erik Walden), injury-prone role players (Toler, RJF, Donald Thomas, Art Jones), and people who are just plain bad (LaRon, DHB, Samson Satele). On top of the poor free agent signings, Grigson hasn't had a good draft (or you could even argue he hasn't made a good pick) since the 2012 gold mine, and he traded our 2014 1st round pick for TRENT FREAKING RICHARDSON (you know it's bad when people say he had his best game and he still only averaged 3.8 YPC and fumbled twice). Ughhhhhh.
Well, I have a lot more issues with this team, but I am way too tired and way too behind on homework to keep going. Is all hope lost? No. Can this team still make the playoffs? Absolutely, yes. Is it possible for the coaching staff to have a Ron Rivera-esque transformation and for Ryan Grigson to totally change his free agent philosophy? Well, sure- but I'm not sure if that will happen. The worst part about all of this is that Andrew Luck is way too good and will mask a lot of the deficiencies this team has. Is all hope lost? No. Am I overreacting to one game? Ha... Probably. Are the Colts flawless? Hell no. But hey, at least we get the Jaguars next!
Find me on twitter if you want to tell me how dumb I am or how much you agree with me.
-Alex
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