What's a wonder lick? I don't know but I know what a hen weighs. About 5 pounds, give or take. I crack myself up. I really do... And yes I am on medication.
When I first heard the term "wonderlic" I thought it was in reference to that one, super-duper lick that finally gets you to the center of a Tootsie Pop.
Sports fans will instantly recognize The Wonderlic Test as the test that's administered to players entering the NFL draft every year. It was invented in 1939 by David Wonderlic. I kid you not.
It was not invented for use in the NFL per se but they have adopted it as a sort of barometer of sorts to gauge the intelligence of incoming players. A perfect score is 50 -- 50 questions right out of 50.
The average score is 21. Here's scores of some players you may recognize:
Drew Bledsoe - 37
Steve Young & Tom Brady - 33
John Elway - 30
Dan Marino - 16
Donovan McNabb -14
The Titans' Vince Young reportedly scored a 6 a few years back. Yikes.
Wonder how you would do?
Here's some sample questions... good luck wonderlic-ing... (answers below)
1. Look at the row of numbers below. What number should come next?
27
9
3
1
1/3
1/9
?
2. Assume the first 2 statements are true. Is the final one:
True
False
Not certain
The boy plays for the Tigers. All the players on the Tigers wear white sneakers. The boy wears white sneakers.
3. Paper sells for 21 cents per pad. What will 5 pads cost?
4. PRESENT & RESENT - Do these words...
Have similar meanings?
Have contradictory meanings?
Mean neither the same nor opposite?
5. A train travels 20 feet in 1/5 seconds At this exact speed, how many feet will it travel in three seconds?
6. When rope is selling at $.10 a foot, how many feet can you buy for sixty cents?
7. A boy is 16 years old and his sister is twice as old. When the boy is 22 years old, what will be the age of his sister?
8. The hours of daylight and darkness in SEPTEMBER are nearest equal to the hours of daylight and darkness in:
June
March
May
November
9. What number is next in the following sequence:
32
31
29
26
22
?
10. In a typical city in the Southern Hemisphere, which of the following months sees the most snowfall?
January
February
April
August
November
December
***
ANSWERS
1/27. Every number is divided by 3 in the sequence.
True. All Tigers wear white sneakers and the boy is a Tiger.
$1.05. 21 cents x 5 = 105 cents = $1.05.
Mean neither the same nor opposite.
300 feet. 20 feet in 1/5 seconds becomes 100 feet in one second (20 x 5 = 100.) So, 100 feet in one second is 300 in three (100 x 3 = 300.)
6 feet. 10 cents a foot, 20 cents for 2 feet, 30 cents for 3 feet, etc.
38. If the sister is twice as old, she's 32. The boy will be 22 six years from now, so 32 + 6 = 38.
March. March and September have equal amounts of sunlight and darkness on the 21st of each month.
17. 32-1 = 31. 31-2 = 29. 29-3 = 26. 26-4 = 22. So, the next thing you subtract is 5. 22-5 = 17.
August. The Southern Hemisphere is opposite of the Northern, so our summer is their winter. August is the only month listed remotely close to our summer.
(Audio Rant below) So there we were again, about to leave the Nifty Fifty’s in Bensalem, PA. My son Josh, looking to augment his helmet mini-mug collection, deposited the necessary coinage and waited anxiously to see which NFL team he would add to his "roster."
If you recall, last week, the gods seemed to be speaking directly to him as he left with an Eagles mug. This week, however, there would be no such divine inter-vending, er, vention.
Even taking home TWO mugs this week could not reproduce a similar fate. On this day, he took home the Raiders and Giants. To make matters even worse, I did not replicate my breakfast of last week, oatmeal, opting instead to split a bacon-cheese omelet with my daughter. Yeah, you heard right, I actually split an omelet rather than devouring one of my own. Truly hard to believe, Harry.
So no mug and no repeat breakfast. We were left to fend for ourselves.
And away we go...
Since the last half of the season, including the playoffs, the Eagles were very much a Jekyll & Hyde team, so I thought 'why not write the last TMA in a J&H manner, too?'
So, here goes, First Half we’re going rapid fire/bullet manner; the Second Half... chronological.
Fox’er Terry Bradshaw said during the pre-game “the Eagles fans don’t want/like Donovan McNabb.” Reason #1,456,734 why you should never believe anything any “national” broadcaster says because they have no clue what really goes on in each individual city. The media exaggeration of Eagles’ fans supposed dislike of Donovan is an all-time high, helped of course by another moron, Deion Sanders, who recently said he knows for a fact that Donovan wants out of Philly cause of all the supposed disdain Eagles fans have for him. Eagles fans want to win. Period. And if Donovan McNabb is the one to take us to the promised land, we will support him to the death. BUT, if he’s not and he does not perform well, we will let him know about it just as we would any other player. Period.
Speaking of #5, he played a downright horrific First Half. Lord knows the Defense wasn’t much better, but #5 made some throws that smacked of nervousness, which I cannot fathom given this was his FIFTH NFC title game.
Speaking of the Eagles Defense, obviously someone forgot to tell them and Jim Johnson that this was NOT Tarvaris Jackson or Eli Manning they were facing. The blitz packages they were throwing at Kurt Warner were having little to no effect.
Play-calling. Time and again, we’ve seen Andy & Co. get ultra-conservative on the bigger stage and we saw some of that in the First Half BUT not as much as years past. What hurt the Eagles was their inability to execute when given a chance to make something happen. And nothing epitomized that more than the completion to Hank Baskett. Streaking across the middle, had Donovan hit him in stride, he more than likely scores a TD. Instead Donovan threw a poor pass and Baskett did a fine job of just holding onto the ball.
A major reason behind the Defense’s poor play in the First Half was due in large part to the poor play of their young linebackers. Out of position and missed assignments were commonplace and when you’re facing a QB like Kurt Warner, who relies on timing perhaps more than any other QB, the Eagles’ linebackers inability to clog passing lanes were a key reason why the Birds were behind 24-6 at Halftime.
Yet there I was at Halftime, writing the following: “The Eagles are going to win this game.”
One last time before we get to the Second Half. The new LeBron James commercial features him playing for the Cleveland Browns. To this I say, ‘stop LeBron, stop.’ Enough already. We get it. You’re all-world, all-everything, but you’re also getting annoying. We realize what with Tiger out, someone from the sports world needs to be on every other spot, but enough is enough is enough. Take a seat on the endorser bench. Thanks.
So Mr. Hyde was certainly front and center in the First Half, fortunately Dr. Jekyll was about to make an appearance but alas that damned Mr. Hyde would come back one last time.
4:51PM Correll Buckhalter takes the Second Half kick back to the Eagles 40. Good start.
4:55PM Another errant throw by Mac Five, this one in the direction of Kevin Curtis; would have been a first down, kept the drive going.
4:57PM Very next play, Donovan is sacked, ball loose, Cards ball.
5:03PM Eagles D holds; Cards punt
5:10PM That same Curtis guys catches a bomb from Mac Five; Uncle Mo changing hands? (that’s “is momentum changing sides in Dick Vitale-speak)
5:13PM Yeah Uncle Mo is definitely changing hands; Brent Celek TD
5:17PM David Akers, despite the benefit of kicking off five-yards closer thanks to a penalty on the extra-point, kicks the ball out of bounds. What in the world is going on with David Akers on this day?
5:21PM Eagles D holds again; Cards punt
5:29PM There’s that Celek guy again; his second TD
5:30PM Akers misses the extra-point; What in the world is going on with David Akers on this day?
5:38PM Eagles D hold again; Cards punt
5:44PM Desean Jackson goes yard; suddenly Cards’ fans collective mouths are as dry as the weather and some kind of lump is forming in the Cards’ players collective throats
5:52PM Cards Offense is successful on a 4th and 1; yeah , this would be considered a “key” play as 10 minutes later…
6:02PM Cards score a TD; Eagles Defense clearly spent after using so much energy in keeping the game close
6:12PM Eagles fail to complete their own 4th Down despite the fact that there appeared to be a pass interference call that was not made on our old friend Rod Hood; game AND season over
What others are saying...
The Associated Press via ESPN.com & NFL.com : "If the Cardinals, the first No. 4 seed to host a conference championship game, were supposed to be thunderstruck by their surroundings, instead responded like playoff veterans."
RaisingArizona.com: "Now that they are going to Tampa, it gets even tougher. At least I won’t have to read about any more ridiculous Philadelphia writers who lacked the respect for this Cardinals team. The Philadelphia fans and players though for the most part had the utmost respect for the Cardinals and that was what allowed this to be such a great game. Now those writers can go back to Philadelphia with their mouths full of crow and trying to figure out a way to explain to their readers why they ended up being so wrong."
mvn.com/thecardinalsreport: "Oh my God! That's all I have to say until I collect myself!"
phoenix.fanster.com/category/cardinals: "A cold front just blew through hell and the devil is frantically searching for a coat. Yes you read that right. The Arizona Cardinals are headed to the Super Bowl, I said the ARIZONA CARDINALS ARE HEADED TO THE SUPER BOWL!"
The bottom line… the LAST bottom line of the year…
I cannot in good conscience call this a successful season. As I said on my Audio Rant (below), only one team can call their season successful, and that’s the team that wins the Super Bowl.
Now having said that, there are a lot of positive things to take from this particular Eagles season. There was a tremendous sense of teamwork and camaraderie that came over this team in the second half of the season.
Remember kids, this team was left for dead. After the tie with the Bengals and the debacle in Baltimore, the epitaph was being written for both Andy Reid AND Donovan McNabb.
But this team came together and yes, they got in the playoffs by the grace of the football gods, but once they were in, they dispatched the Vikings and Giants, two teams that many thought were the better team(s).
So while disappointment will reign supreme for quite some time, let’s take a look at what’s to come next season.
Offense: It was plain to see that, despite the flashes of above-average-ness, the Eagles wide receivers are in need of some help. Donovan is in need of some help. The need for another offensive weapon or two is paramount this off-season. But whither Tra Thomas, Jon Runyam and Correll Buckkhalter? Free agents all, how the Eagles handle these 3 players’ contracts will be very interesting to watch this off-season. And clearly Brent Celek has assumed the role of starting TE and LJ Smith has played his last game as an Eagle.
Defense: A lot to be encouraged about including a solid nucleus of linemen and linebackers. Obviously the question whether Brian Dawkins will be back will be one of the most important on the defensive side of the ball. BDawk showed his true value to the team goes way beyond his play on the field. BDawk should and will be back.
Special Teams: This game notwithstanding, I believe the Eagles should and will bring David Akers back. Now they present him with some “healthy” competition but in the end, look for #2 to be kicking for the Birds come the opening game. Not so sure about Sav Rocca, the punter from down under. Very sporadic at times, Sav may not be back based on what’s out there re: free agency.
Coaching: Big Red is back. Period. He kept this team together and he never lost his players, unlike say Dallas?
So we're about to leave the Nifty Fifty's in Bensalem, PA, our customary Sunday breakfast stop. My wife, kids and I have been patronizing this establishment for many a year. And if you do ever go, ask for Justin and tell him I sent you. He will laugh uncontrollably for a few seconds, but then he'll take care of you. Anywho, my son Josh decided about two months ago to start collecting these little mini NFL tumblers that available in a vending machine near the exit. Over the past X number of weeks, he's added teams like the Jags, Raiders and yes the Cowboys to his collection. (NOTE: I tried to put that one BACK into the machine but to no avail.)
Well today you'll never guess which team Josh came home with. Yeah, you knew this was coming... we put our two tokens in, turned the handle and out came the Philadelphia Eagles.
Mr. Mojo, is that midnight green you're wearing?
I said this last week, perhaps you did not read the entire TMA? And I say it again on this week's audio rant and will say it right here, right now....
THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL.
Completely beyond all comprehension? Of course.
Totally unexplainable? Sure thing.
Make your plans for Tampa? You damn skippy.
In a season where logic was most certainly the exception and not the rule, what else would you expect? Dr. Jekyll is here to stay and Mr. Hyde has gone away.
I swear it's as if the entire Eagles team has become Steppenwolf fans and is saying to all of us... "Well, you don't know what we can find Why don't you come with me... On a magic carpet ride"
Ok, let's get into it...
AUDIO RANT...
OPENING VOLLEY... Not exactly the opening we wanted, huh? Course little did we know it would be a forebarer of things to come. The Giants playing on a short field yet unable to score a touchdown.
OH WHAT A STRANGE MAGIC... Borrowing that line from the ELO song... I should have known this was going to a strange game when a few days before my friend Jason Brennan asked me if I remembered a guy named Ken Rose, who had a cup of coffee for the Eagles in the 90s.
Now, I don't know what's more strange?
The fact that someone other than Ken Rose himself mentioned the name Ken Rose OR the fact that you can actually buy a picture of Ken Rose???!!
But that was just the beginning of the oddities...
How can anyone possibly explain the Giants' decision to NOT hand the ball off to the biggest RB in the game (Brandon Jacobs) when they needed ONE YARD, maybe even less? Of course based on how the Eagles stopped Jacobs on 4th & 2 on the next series, it may not have mattered but, I am quite certain the Giants' fans and media will be openly questioning that decision.
Why would the Giants not allow Lawrence Tynes (they actually dress TWO kickers) who has longer range than John Carney, try field goals from 46 yards and 47 yards?
Not sure how it looked in other parts of the country but in Philly at one key point in the 4Q, we suddenly were NOT watching grown men play a game but rather were watching a promo for the local Fox News station. What the hell was that all about??!!!
Shame, shame, shame on the officials for pulling the flag back in the 3Q. They initially flagged the Giants for Defensive Pass Interference but after hearing AND seeing Giants Coach Tom Coughlin run onto the field to argue, the zebras met and yanked the hankie. That my friends was the quinessential "home call"
Someone actually gave money to make yet another Friday the 13th movie?
And it what may have been THE strangest moment of the day. Yours truly, with a bevy of breakfast treats to choose from, chose to eat a bowl of oatmeal... OATMEAL! No scrapple. No pancakes. No eggs. Freakin oatmeal! But it was good.
TURNS OUT MR. HYDE WAS IN THE HOUSE... For the 2nd straight week, the Eagles dramatically improved their 3rd Down efficiency on both sides of the ball from the First Half to the Second.
Call it halftime adjustments, call it any damn thing you want.
The fact is their ability to maintain drives offensively while stopping drives defensively in the Second Half is a major reason they are moving on to Arizona.
WHAT THE NEW YAWKERS ARE SAYING... New York Post .com: "... it's Andy Reid re-winning the hearts and minds of his skeptical fans now, and it's Donovan McNabb converting a legion of doubters into acolytes, and it's a green-clad team with wings on their helmets who are starting to bear the unmistakable look of a team charging along with adrenaline in its engine and the wind at its back."
Newsday.com: "The Giants' Super Bowl victory last year will always be looked back upon as stunning, impressive and downright astonishing. But it will not be viewed as the start of a dynasty... The biggest culprits in today's loss were Eli Manning for throwing two interceptions, John Carney for missing two of five field-goal attempts (from 46 and 47 yards) and an overall offensive attack that seemed to be missing a top-flight wide receiver target."
GiantsGab.com: "The Giants will look back on this game, and kick themselves for not taking advantage of numerous opportunities, and not turning field goals into touchdowns. As for the season itself, a 12-4 regular season means nothing, because of a one game and done playoff appearance. The Eagles deserved to win this game. The Giants will look back on this season and wonder what went wrong."
BigBlue101.com: "GOD-FU$#ING-DAMNIT! HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED! The Eagles!! We lost to the God-Damned Eagles! Andy Reid most likely spent the majority of his week analyzing the properties of a twinkie, and yet we still couldn't score one frickin' touchdown! When I wake from my drunken stupor in a few days I'll come back and talk about what this means for the Giants. But for now, I retreat to my basement with a bottle of Jack Daniels to soothe things over. Cause at least Jack Daniels doesn't disappoint me by blowing two fourth and short conversions in an important playoff game. Motherfu$#er."
DONNIE MAC & THE WOLVERINE POSTGAME... The word "emotion" is often overused when it comes to sports. Watch this video and watch the emotion pour out of of Brian Dawkis, AKA The Wolverine.
DEFENSE! DEFENSE!... With all due respect to the memory of Gang Green, this Eagles Defense is truly something special. No superstars per se, at least not to the level of Reggie White.
But this group is playing with so much confidence right now and so much heart, another overused word in sports I readily admit but it's the right word to describe this unit.
Just watch the back to back 4th Down stands and you tell me what word would YOU use to describe them?
To win in the playoffs, you must have a great defense. And right now, the Philadelphia Eagles have a great defense.
THE BOTTOM LINE... Hey, in this crazy year, let's quote Olivia Newton-John, shall we?
"You have to believe we are magic Nothin' can stand in our way You have to believe we are magic Don't let your aim ever stray And if all your hopes survive Destiny will arrive I'll bring all your dreams alive For you"
2. Assume the first 2 statements are true. Is the final one:
