NFL Mascot of the Week

It's none other than Cincinnati Bengals mascot "WHO DEY," shown here giving a hug to wide receiver Chad Ochocinco.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Who Dey is the mascot, yes, but it's also the name of a chant of support by Bengals fans.  The entire chant goes like this:  "Who dey!  Who dey!  Who dey think 'gon beat dem Bengals?"  To which, the entire stadium enthusiastically replies, "NOBODY!"  Really gets the crowd going.  Sometimes, the entire chant is shortened to simply, "WHO DEY," but I prefer the extended club mix.

(BTW:  Who has their name legally changed to 'Ochocinco? ' Johnson must've been too boring for him.  Maybe he thought 'Chad Johnson' sounded too much like the captain of a sailing team or something - which, you have to admit, it does.)

Drama!  Some give the "Who Dey" chant a little bit of the side-eye because it's remarkably similar to the New Orleans chant "Who Dat."  I'm not judging ... I'm just sayin' ...

Listen, Bengals fans, who dey think they are trying to give YOU the side-eye?!!  Grab your Skyline Chili and maybe some beer from Oldenberg Brewery, get your tailgatin' on, and cheer your Bengals to success!

The Pride of San Diego!

Poolmembers "JewyGooey" and her son, 'WackyZacky,' at the Chargers vs. Colts playoff game last season.  Playing on Peyton Manning's then-popular Mastercard commercial with him in his hotel room presumably while in town for a game against the Chargers, these two comedians crafted signs that they took into the game that said, "You're going down, Manning" and "Weather here's SWEET!"  Which were two notable-quotables from the Mastercard commercial.  Priceless.

And, in case you don't recall, the Chargers won in overtime by a score of 23-17, thereby advancing them to the second round of the playoffs. Unfortunately, the Chargers imploded the following week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who went on to become the Super Bowl champs.

It's a new year ... GO BOLTS!!

Just Over 10 Days To Go !!

Live-action shot from the Patriots v. Redskins preseason match-up this past Friday night (8/28/09) at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.

Poolmember, GlamourBeast, was among the many Redskins fans in attendance at the game which resulted in a win for Tom Brady and the boys, much to GlamourBeast's chagrin.

Do you have a personal football photo - past or present - that you'd like to include on our blog? Just forward it to Tits McGee at thefleaflickers@gmail.com, and we'll get it posted!

"Hail to the Redskins,
Hail victory ... (just not this night.)
Braves on the warpath,
Fight - for old D.C.!"

Brett Favre vs. AARP

Image via Wikipedia

He's Brett Favre. He bleeds football. He’s a good ‘ole boy from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and his middle name is Lorenzo - who knew?

Well, unless you’ve been stuck under a rock somewhere, you already know that he’s re-unretired, and will be QBing for the Minnesota Vikings. As mentioned previously, the NFL season always seems to provide some sort of “soap opera-esque drama,” and by former Green Bay Packer Favre joining the Packers’ NFC North division rival Vickies, you can bet that I’ll be microwaving some popcorn for the match-up set for 10/5 at the Metrodome (and, subsequently, 11/1 at Lambeau.)

So, I will go on record as saying that I have been conflicted by his return, again, to football. After having been a Favre fan for years, because of his love for the game, but mostly driven by his looks, there – I said it, I was sad to see him retire. I was moved by his tear-filled retirement announcement, sad to see the end of an era, but grateful that I could be counted among a generation who could say they saw Favre play in his prime.

Then, he un-retired and played for the Jets. Then, retired, again. Now, he’s re-unretired and playing for the Vikings. I’m getting dizzy.

Who knew the range of emotions that Brett’s indecision would elicit from the general public, myself included? There are a lot of people out there with a lot of strong opinions, but mostly I’ve noticed that they all boil down to the two very divided camps of: “WTF, Just Stay Retired, Brett” and “I’m Just Happy I Get To See Him Play More.” I’ll admit, I have been a staunch advocate of both viewpoints at various times throughout this whole saga.

But, then, after a thought-filled conversation with a good friend of mine about the subject, debating both sides of the retirement controversy (nod to Prince's “Con-tro-ver-sy,”) it dawned on me – wow, Brett Favre is coming back! Why in the world would I NOT be excited about this?!! I want my six-year-old godson, Sean, to watch him, and to understand that Brett Favre is someone who will be spoken of in the world of football until the end of time. When he’s grown-up, I want Sean to be able to tell his kids about watching Brett Favre play! Sean’s a Titans fan at the moment, but he can still admire a legend from another team, right? (The commish is actively trying to recruit him to the Chargers side, but Daddy’s a Bronco lover, so that might be a challenge.) Regardless, at six, Sean just may be old enough to remember watching Brett Favre play football – how cool is that?!!

So, bottom line: Look, if Brett wants to re-unretire, why in the world would I feel so invested in his decision? What a waste of emotion, really. I don’t think Brett would care if I were to waver on any retirement decisions I were to make, and I’m a living legend, too, right? I can assure you that if I had retired then someone came to me waving $10 million in my face to do what I’d previously loved to do, I would jump back in the saddle faster than you could say, “A.A.R.P,” too, so who am I to judge?!!

Do what ya’ gotta do, Brett. Get in that Vikings uniform, hop into that shotgun formation, and make it happen! You know, we’ll ALL be watching ... with popcorn in hand!