Foukas NFL All Decade Team 2000-2010

You know what I didn't realize? That it's 2010, a decade is past, it seems like only yesterday I was watching Charley Steiner's Sportscenter Y2K Commercial. Probably a top ten commercial of all-time. Time flies and we see new players come and go in the NFL. Taking a look back, I put together my all-decade team from 2000-2010. John Elway may be on this list even though he retired in 1999.

1. Tom Brady - QB New England Patriots

Is there really a discussion? Besides his ridiculous chin, Brady gets the nod as the top player on my decade team. 3 Super Bowl wins, 5 Pro Bowls, 2 Super Bowl MVP's, and not to mention he's tapping super model Gisele. That right there should get you the nod. Here is the reason why I have Brady listed #1. Besides Randy Moss' arrival in 2007, Brady never had a great group of receivers. Every receiver that's left New England has never amounted to anything else. Brady made them good and the fact he's never had a dominate running game. Brady is that good, he's a winner, and will go down in history as one of the best all-time.

2. Peyton Manning - QB Indianapolis Colts

Probably the smartest quarterback to play the game of football and definitely one of the hardest ones to look at. Tell me this, can you ever remember a quarterback being his own offensive coordinator? You know he just gets the play from the sideline, under his breath says F$%^ this, and changes the play. Why do you think he screams all the time at the line of scrimmage? Regardless, I've never seen a quarterback be so unstoppable. Every route he knows off the top of his head, he knows where the protection goes, and his timing is impossible to duplicate. That and he hasn't missed a game since I was a fetus. If he stays this healthy, he could probably play until he's 45.

3. Ray Lewis - MLB Baltimore Ravens

Have you ever seen a defensive player change the outcome of a game more than Ray Lewis? Lewis gets a bad rap because he shanked some guy down in Louisiana but the man knows how to find the football. Probably the best middle linebacker to ever play the game, even better than Dick Butkis. He's the most intense football player I've ever watched play the game. He doesn't back down from anyone and he never is afraid to exchange words with any player on the field. I guarantee you if Lewis hadn't been mixed up in that whole deal down South, more people would be on board with him being the best defensive player of all-time.

4. LaDanian Tomlinson RB San Diego Chargers

As much as this pains for me to write this because I'm an avid Denver Broncos fan, I watched his cat run up and down the field on the Broncos. The funny thing about LT was that he was incredibly fast but he also finished runs by lowering the shoulder. I hate the fact that he started the visor trend, except for the d-bag Phillip Rivers that wore one in college. Did I mention I can't stand Phillip Rivers? Anyways, no one could impact a game on offense like LT. He ran it, he caught it, and basically carried the Chargers organization for years. I feel bad that he was under the curse in San Diego for not winning a ring. I hope he wins one with the N.Y. Jets.

5. Jonathan Ogden - LT Baltimore Ravens

Anytime you are elected to the pro bowl 11 times you must be doing something right. Probably the best offensive lineman to ever play the game of football. You never realize how important left tackles are until you watch the move "The Blindside." By the way, thank you to that movie for making me relive the Joe Theisman leg collapsing like a lawn chair scene at the first. I could have done without that. Ogden was part of that Super Bowl team in 2001 that was won by the defensive because they had no offense. Anytime Trent Dilfer is your starting quarterback you may as well pull a guy out of a dumpster to play quarterback. Sorry, we got off topic, Ogden kept his quarterbacks clean and he made way for running backs. Just ask Jamal Lewis who had an amber alert issued for him when Ogden retired, his productivity dropped quicker than Bill Clinton's pants in the oval office.

6. Champ Bailey - CB Denver Broncos

Easily the best shutdown corner we've ever seen. Bailey has recorded 7 straight Pro Bowls and has been reliable every year he's been in the league. One of the only good moves Mike Shanahan made was trading drag queen Clinton Portis to Washington for Champ Bailey. To be honest, the trade worked out well for both teams, but I've always been a huge Bailey fan. The pick he had on the goal line in the 2005 AFC Championship game was one of the best plays I've ever seen. If you don't know what I'm talking about, watch the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n74qajrx4b4&feature=related

7. Ed Reed - FS Baltimore Ravens

A safety that covers so much field and has the hands of a wide receiver is just flat out scary. I'd be willing to bet that quarterbacks that look across the line of scrimmage and see Reed have urinated on themselves. Reed is scary good, and like teammate Ray Lewis, changes the game unlike any player I've seen playing safety. I can count on one hand on how many picks he's taken to the house and punts he's returned for touchdowns. Anytime this guy touches the ball you better watch out. I would definitely say he's a top 3 safety of all-time. He gives Ronnie Lott a run for his money.

8. Tony Gonzalez - TE Atlanta Falcons

Like LT, this guy terrorized my Broncos for years. Easily the best tight end to play the game of football. I read a stat where he hasn't missed a game in 10 years. For a tight end? That's ridiculous. The guy weighs close to 250 lbs and just runs over people. And not to mention he has the hands of a wide receiver. He's another guy I want to see win a ring even though the a-hole single handily kept me awake after running down the middle of the field on Denver.

9. Troy Polamalu - SS Pittsburgh Steelers

Is there anyone else that means more to their team than Troy Polamalu? Besides Kyle Orton? Just kidding, but seriously this guy means more on his team than anyone in the NFL. You saw the Steelers last year after they lost Polamalu, they folded like Barack Obama in 2011's Democratic race. It's a give, Obama is done, and thank the Lord for that. Not only does this guy punish running backs coming up the middle, he also punished wide receivers for coming across the middle. Also the most important part, his hair is insured for a cool million dollars. This guy will keep terrorizing people for the next 10 years.

10. Randy Moss - WR New England Patriots

This kills me to put this guy here because he quit on the last organization he played for in the Oakland Raiders. Ok check that, I'd probably quit on them too, what an awful franchise. Moss has freakish ability. Hops, speed, hands, and the ability to fake moon people at the Lambeau Field. The guy hasn't put it altogether yet though. It's too bad he hasn't because the guy could have been one of the greatest receivers of all-time. Let's hope he turns things around and stays with the Pats, he won't play with another great receiver like Tom Brady, he better realize what he's got.

Top 5 TV Characters I'd Love to Hang Out With

Generally this is supposed to be a sports blog, but I need to be like Chelsea Handler's night time alcoholic drink and mix it up. I couldn't sleep last night and so I thought of an immediate blog topic that I could start in the morning, what TV characters would I like to hang out with. I think we can all agree that we have our own individual lists of characters. And then there is probably people who claim "Well I don't watch TV," and to them I say well then you're not American. Before you start down this list Rand Sargent and Ike Tingey, you will not find Kramer, George, or Seinfeld on this list, I actually dislike Seinfeld, and I have been very clear with you on that since day 1 of our friendship. I actually I take it back, I don't dislike Seinfeld, I just don't find it hilariously funny like 30 of my other friends do, I can only take Kramer's bed hair so much in an episode. With that being said, on to the list.

#5 - Olivia Benson & Elliot Stabler - Law and Order SVU

My wife and I starting watching this show right after we tied the night and I must say it's absolutely wonderful. There's nothing like watching Elliot Stabler put his forearm into some sex offender's throat (something I'm sure we'd all like to do one day) and telling them the next time he sees them that they'll be hooked up to a lethal injection needle. No kidding around, the guy doesn't bluff, and neither do I. Stabler and Benson are perfect compliments to each other, Stabler is the muscle, and Benson is there to keep Stabler on the train track but she has a tendency to get feisty herself. You go on a ride along with these two and you are guaranteed to see : a) a crime scene in which I've always wanted to investigate, b)Elliot toss some dirt bag down the stairs and spit in his face, c) you get to hang around New York all day, what better three things to ask for? All in the life of a special victims unit officer.

#4 - Lauren Conrad & others - The Hills

Now obviously this isn't a TV character but she is in a TV reality show, so it counts, if you have a problem with it well then I have a four letter word I can tell you to go to. Another show my wife introduced me to when I started dating her and one that I have tried to watch every week. Here is Lauren's day : Wake up, go to school, go to lunch at some ridiculous restaurant (by the way I'm baffled by how many people spell ridiculous rediculous,) and go get hammered at the end of the night and make $50,000 an episode. I'll take that for $300 Alex, except the part of getting hammered, who knows how us Foukas' would handle our liquor. Here's the thing, Lauren is probably the most loyal friend out of anyone on The Hills, but she is also probably the most dramatic. I couldn't hang out with Spencer because he belongs in Arkham Asylum. I couldn't hang out with Heidi because if you hug her you would get a concussion (use your imagination), and if she tripped and fell she would be like the T-1000 in Terminator 2 and just shatter. Lauren honestly seems the most normal out of all of them. I remember Hilary Felsted laughing at me in our Communication Theory class when I told her I watched The Hills, well Hilary it's one of the most watched shows in the world, who is laughing now? On a quick note, really Brody Jenner? You got rid of Kristin for Avril Lavigne? I mean make it interesting and date Hayley Williams from Paramore but Avril Lavigne? Gag me.

#3 - Babysit for Stewie Griffin - Family Guy

There's no denying it, Stewie is the funniest character on Family Guy. I love how Family Guy portrays him as some evil baby yet when The Children of Jolly Farm come on TV he can't be pulled away. Stewie has done everything from getting sauced to deal with his problems, juicing it after he got beat up by a baby girl, and hung out with the cast of Star Trek. Wait, I've dealt with friends like that already minus hanging out with the cast of Star Trek. I've yet to find anyone that's hung out with Whoopi Goldberg or Will Wheaton, kind of a bummer. But anyways, you can't dispute Stewie's humor, at times it can be a little much but for the most part you always pee yourself with laughter. My wife will always say "When Family Guy is on, you will always watch it!" My only reply to her is that I'm wheezing because I'm laughing so hard. That and I haven't taken care of myself since my senior year of high school. I always enjoy getting texts from Dave Tibbs and Ike Tingey about a specific episode of Family Guy where Stewie does something crazy and we all laugh about it. One thing is for sure, all of us would love to hang out with the great Stewie Griffin

#2 - Dwight K. Schrute - The Office

Three reasons why I would hang out with Dwight. 1.) He drives a 1987 Pontiac Trans Am. 2.) He listens to Motley Crue anytime he is going into a sales call (if you don't know who Motley Crue is than I'm going to have to ask you to stop reading this blog.) 3.) He's gullible to believe the stupidest things in the world. For instance, we know that he's 99.9% sure that the guy Jim hired for Phyllis' party is not the real Ben Franklin. The fact that he believes Gaydar is a real product sold the deal for me. I used to think Steve Carrell made The Office funny but now I firmly believe that Rainn Wilson makes that show go. Carrell is good but there is only so much awkwardness I can take in a season. I think my favorite Dwight scene is when he finds out Michael grilled his foot in his George Foreman grill, flies out of the parking lot and tags a telephone pole, gets out of his car and pukes on the back of it. I don't think I have laughed so hard in my life except when I saw Brody Van Brocklin dance for the first time. If you have seen the movie Pinocchio than you know exactly what I'm talking about. This choice was easy, in the words of Michael to Dwight, Keep it simple stupid.

#1 - Dr. Sheldon Cooper & Howard Wolowitz - The Big Bang Theory

Justin Denney introduced me to this show about two months ago and I haven't been able to stop watching it. I just finished season three and stoked about this upcoming season. If I had to pick between these two to be number one I would definitely go with Sheldon. He makes the show go, without him there is now Big Bang Theory. Howard is the perverted Jewish guy desperate for a girlfriend while Sheldon is the exact opposite, and he uses the word koydos for the word sex. Never have heard of it but it may become my favorite word. Besides, Sheldon shares my same love for vintage video games, he owns every gaming system known to man. How can you not love the way Howard dresses in this sitcom? The Nintendo belt buckle I will find one day, and I will sport it on the golf course. If you haven't watched The Big Bang Theory, I suggest you do it, you will become addicted, and it'll be a good addicition. Unlike Tiger Woods' addiction that cost him his marriage and golf game. See that, I made another joke, Bazinga!

I encourage you to post your favorite quotes or scenes from any of the characters above if you'd like. Enjoy

Random Thoughts from the Past Week

University of Utah Football

We are into week 3 of the football season and the boys are off to another solid start. Coming off a blowout with a backup QB against UNLV, Utah is on it's way to another solid season. This team reminds me a lot of the 2008 team that went 13-0. Solid running game, solid offensive and defensive lines, and a defense that will flat out lay the wood to you. If you need any indication on how hard this defense hits, please see Brian Blechen's hit on UNLV's Mark Barefield. If I would have taken that hit I would have had urine and poop running down my leg. A lot of people doubted the linebackers for this team but I have been extremely impressed. They're fast, athletic, and Chaz Walker undoubtedly reminds me of Chaz Michael Michaels from Blades of Glory, although I don't know if he's an ice devouring sex tornado. Note: Blades of Glory in my book just about beat out Anchorman as Will Ferrell's best movie. Jordan Wynn at times reminds me of a cool collected quarterback and other times he reminds me of Jake Plummer, the old mountain man gunslinger who was best known for throwing off his back foot. Two things the season will rest on : Jordan Wynn's ability to protect the football and the secondary getting settled in. Do those two things and we may be packing our bags to another solid bowl game this year. That and we need to beat TCU - - how can I forget that damn horned frogs from down south?

BYU Football - Independence & Two Quarterback System

I guess I'm still having a hard time understanding why Bronco Mendenhall went with a two quarterback system to start the year. It's like choosing between Khloe or Kim Kardashian, hello, you'll take Kim any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Let me ask you this, you are breaking in a whole new offensive side of the ball besides a few wide receivers, why not start with a fresh QB? Especially a 5-star athlete and not a castoff from Utah State. Take it easy Aggie fans, I cheer for your football program, but let's be realistic, the only thing to cheer for up north is your cheese, and get rid of that stupid cult chant you do during the basketball games. If I'm Bronco, I come out tomorrow and say Jake Heaps is my guy for the rest of the year. Let the kid learn the hard way, look what happened to Jordan Wynn. During the TCU game he got beat up more times than Tiger Woods did with a 3 iron from his wife. Note: I glanced at the People Magazine article that his wife gave, in which she claims that she never harmed Tiger. OK, so why does Tiger take off at 2 a.m. unless he is being assaulted? That's like saying I've never ate at Buffalo Wild Wings, which is the greatest restaurant on the face of the earth. BYU fans should call for Heaps, he should be the man for the rest of the year.

I'm still trying to understand why they are going independent. 3 teams in NCAA athletics are independent, what does that tell you about the success rate? They aren't getting the same love that Notre Dame is getting, which Notre Dame's last good season was 2005 when they were getting blown out by Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. I understand they want to launch their own broadcasting network and I understand they signed the deal with ESPN and it's more money. But it won't equate to more wins, unless they take the Hawaii route and then they will be laughed right off of the national scene. BYU pulled the classic "I'm taking my ball and going home, nobody wants to play with me." Well, enjoy mediocrity for the next 10 years, you'll look back on this with regret.

"Chris, why do you golf so much?"

I guess the real question is, why the hell does anyone care? No but realistically, the golf course is a great place to get away. It's the one place where you don't need to worry about anything else but hitting your next shot or for me when to drop the next expletive. There is nothing better than getting up at 7 a.m. and meeting friends at Davis Golf Course to play just right as the sun comes up. Hardly anyone is out, you can hit multiple balls, and you can cuss as loud as you want. Between shots you talk about Utah football, how much work blows chunks, and how Lady Gaga has emerged as the greatest artist to walk the face of the earth. OK, that last part was all my doing, but when one guy says Panic at the Disco (Ike) is the best band, and the other guy just listens to AM radio (Rand), I don't have much to argue with. I enjoy the game, I'm not great at it, but it's a game you can enjoy without being a scratch golfer.

9/11/2001 - 9 Years Later

Boy I can't believe it's been nine years since the September 11th attacks. I remember walking into the old field house at Davis to put my football gear away for practice that day. Brody Van Brocklin came in and told me that a plane had crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers. I honestly thought it was an accident. Went to my first class and realized that we were under attack when we saw the next plane crash into the second tower. Words can't describe what must have been going through the minds of the passengers on those planes. Words can't describe what people were thinking seeing a plane flying into their work building. Horrific scenes of people jumping out of the towers because it was so unbearably hot, people running from the towers collapsing, and watching people post pictures at a command center hoping their loved ones would be found or identified. I remember hearing Afghanistan and the name Osama Bin Laden and my reaction was "load up the Anola Gay with Little Boy and drop the a-bomb on them." I remember how angry I was and I realize how much I appreciate those who keep my family safe every night fighting overseas. Words can't express what our soldiers should mean to us, everyday we hear about a car bombing, an ambush, or a suicide bomber going off overseas. Paul Butterworth, Tyler Burgin, Dustin Durrant, and the rest of you, thank you for serving. This country is safer because of you. And thank you to the rest of our men and women serving all over the world.

UNITED WE STAND