Unknown DIII college now in the record books!!!!

Normally, no one gives any care towards division three football games. Last Saturday Trinity beat Millsaps College giving them national attention for the play that ended the game. Being down 22-24, Trinity had the ball on the thirty-nine yard line with only two seconds remaining. Everyone in the crowd thought they knew what was coming next which would be a hail-mary pass. As the ball was hiked, Trinity quarterback Blake Barmore looked deep and he found no one was open. He threw a short pass to receiver Shawn Thompson hoping that he would get into the end zone giving Trinity the win. Well, after 15 laterals later, the ball ended up in the end zone giving Trinity the win.

This is the most amazing play ever because of the elusive ability that Trinity showed escaping the defense. To be honest, when watching the play, it looked as if Trinity was playing hot potato! This play reminded me of the 1982 play that the University of California ran against Standford to win the game when the band ran out onto the field. While watching the replay of the play that won the game, it looked as if Trinity was in bad shape many times, although they seemed to squeak the ball out and throw it to another teammate. Millsaps College quit on the play! I think many of the players thought the play was over, although Trinity would not give up. Fans do not really care about a division three college, although this play was incredible. Kudos to Trinity for not giving up. To find the video, you can check it out at youtube.com or at this link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=VrI52_2GaZI.

Let The Good Times Roll

The Detroit Lions are five and two, that is "cinco y dos" in Spanish. That is some unfamiliar territory for the lowly Lions of the twenty-first century. Things are starting to click in Mo-Town where a newly healthy Kevin Jones has provided the pass heavy Lions with a little zag to their zig in the run game. This past Sunday's win over the Bears showcased KJ when he went over 100 yards rushing for the first time this year. Along with KJ getting to his peak, Jon Kitna's solid play continues as he picks from any of his talented receivers. It seems that any given week one of the pass catchers can have a breakout performance. The league is quickly finding out that it is hard to game plan for an offense that has this many weapons.

The downside to this surprise team is that they seem to forget to come to some games. When they have lost it has been ugly. The first loss came in week three when they went to "The Link" and played the Eagles where they got obliterated 56-21 in an offensive assault on the Detroit defense. The second loss was not much better as they lost at the Nation's Capital to the Washington Redskins. They lost 34-3.

What seems to be the difference this year then in year's past is the coaching. Head Coach Rod Marinelli keeps the moral and chemistry on an even keel. They don't get to high nor do they get to low. The Lions also had a roster makeover at the request of their head coach. They got rid of the bad attitudes and what seemed to be the cancers of the team. In addition to getting an attitude adjustment and other locker room issues the coaching has also changed on the field. It seems like everybody is pulling their weight. O-coordinator Mike Martz is showing what he can do with weapons. D-coordinator Joe Barry is showing his knowledge of HC Marinelli's Tampa 2 system. Even the Special Teams coordinator is pulling his weight as Stan Kwan came up with a way to put returner Devin Hester in check, keeping his big plays to a minimum.

The wins have been both ugly and a thing of beauty. At this point I think any Lion fan will take a win either way. It just seems they are playing beginning till the end in every game, like a real team. With this past weeks win against Chicago they not only swept the season series against them but stayed undefeated in the NFC North, which will help if playoffs come down to tie-breakers. Wait...did I just mention the Lions and the playoffs in the same sentence. It's called drinking the kool-aid. I think I just took my first sip. Yes I finally, not only hope for wins but, believe that the Lions can win games. They have the coaching, players, and now the fans to make a real run at the playoffs.

Knock on wood...

UConn!!!!!

Today South Florida had a challenge ahead of them. Number 23 Connecticut hosted number 10 South Florida today. Although Connecticut is only ranked number 23 in the nation, South Florida knew they had some competition coming. UConn needed to win this game! If they were to win this game, their ranking in the nation would move up tremendously.
Through the first quarter, UConn had possession of the ball the entire quarter. They finally scored at the end of the quarter only by kicking a field goal. At the start of the second quarter, the score was still 3-0, favoring UConn. With about 9 minutes left in the first half, UConn scored with a 3 yards pass from Tyler Lorenzen to Steve Brouse. The score now 9-0. Next Scott Lutrus intercepted a pass throw from Matt Grothe and returned the interception 23 yard for another UConn score. UConn now led South Florida 16-0. The score carried through until the third quarter until South Florida scored on a safety when UConn tried to punt. I think this was the turning point of the game because the momentum changed. South Florida went to score again in the quarter with a 10 yard rushing touchdown from the quarterback Matt Grothe now making the score 9-16. UConn then scored a field goal making the 19-9. Most people thought "Oh no, the game is over," although South Florida still had a little bit left in the tank. South Florida could not come back from the deficit only scoring on two field goals in the fourth quarter while while UConn delivered another field goal ending the game. The game ended up being 22-15 favoring UConn.
My personal feelings of the game were that South Florida still had a chance. To be honest, I thought they were going to win even until the end. I never thought that UConn could beat the number 10 ranked South Florida because of the talent that South Florida brings to the field. South Florida really upset me with the game they played because they weren't necessarily getting demolished on defense, but they let UConn get close enough to the end zone that they could still score a field goal. Overall, I think South Florida's defense really killed them. If South Florida's defense would have stepped up to the plate and stopped UConn, they would have never got close enough to the end zone to put the football through the up-rights to score the field goals. UConn had a couple field goals that changed the momentum of the game, and truly, it made South Florida lose. Good luck to UConn in the future because if they continue their good play against ranked teams, their ranking will move up, and they will be a contender for the highest bowl games. South Florida really needs to step up their play because if not, they will end up not ranked at all, and struggle to end up in a bowl game.

I Wanna Be Like Mike (Lebron)

Is far as I'm concerned Lebron James should be playing for the USC Trojans. They recently lost to the Oregon Ducks today to bring their loss column to two losses. In addition to that Michael Jordan shoud be playing for the Purdue Boilermakers as their starting Wide Receiver. He should be starting because, statistically, his physical attributes surpass every athlete on the team. Their loss column is also at two.

Lebron should play football: reason number one: His height and weight are optimal for football playing at six foot two, two hundred three pounds. He could definitely dominate the college ranks at such positions as Wide Receiver and Quarterback. He already has experience at wide out so it's intuitively obvious that he would excel at the position. His quickness and agility would conquer any other athlete in, not only the college standings, but the National Football League as well. His vertical leap is better than one of the best in the league in Randy Moss. With Randy Moss doing so well it's easy to compare Lebron to him in wanting to find out who is the better athlete. With RM's vertical leap at 39" and LBJ's at 44" it's blatant that LBJ can take a Tom Brady pass down over the highly talented WR. With vertical leap being such an important factor in winning the battle of coming down with 'the rock' speed is the deciding factor in the battle for a NFL position. Moss takes this statistic as he ran a 4.25 once which is beyond all comparison.

One man of the past that his shined through is the one and only Michael Jordan. He is known as "His Airness" for his jumping abilities and therefore would make him an excellent pick to be an NFL player. Who wouldn't want the one and only MJ on their fantasy team battling it out every Sunday with the Peyton's, the Ladanian's, and the Brady's of the league. Can you imagine MJ going up for a jump ball against double coverage on John Lynch and Champ Bailey? He would come down with the ball and make just another one of his signature plays in professional sports.

Throughout pro sports many great athletes, like MJ and LBJ, have tried other sports like football and baseball. Few have made it pro in two sports, the great ones have, i.e. Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders. These greats come far and few between but I think our era has one in LBJ, if he only tried. Here's to LeBron making an international name for himself and trying out for one of the great NFL teams in our day. Do it LBJ, because we know you can.

Gotta love the Big Ten

Ok so we've got a BIG ten game on our hands tonight. The undefeated Ohio State buckeyes go to Happy Valley to play the Nittany Lions, of Penn State. This game is going to be big in two ways.

One way it is going to big is that we will see if anyone else can contend for the Big Ten title. At the beginning of the year it looked like the Big Ten would be a conference not to mess with. They had many teams ranked top ten such as, Wisconsin at number 7, Michigan at number 5 and just out of the top ten, Ohio state, which was ranked Number 11. So there should have been serious competition for the Big ten title. We are now at week nine and it looks like Michigan and Penn State can only hope that the Ohio State Buckeyes forget how to win and either one of them wins out the rest of their season, if they want a Chance at the Big Ten title. This probably won't happen due to the fact that Penn State plays Purdue, so they won't win out. Michigan could win out but still has to play Ohio State and Wisconsin. So based on this we should probably just give Ohio State the Big ten title.

The Second way that it is a big game would be that Ohio State is ranked Number one overall in the coach’s poll. They are one of the only undefeated teams that plays in a hard enough conference to actually make run for the BCS title. Now if they lose this could be a different story. They would then drop to probably a 5 or 6 ranking and might not get a chance at the BCS title.

So either way the Ohio State, Buckeyes need to keep on doing what they are doing, winning. If they do so they will find themselves once again the Big Ten champions and also find themselves searching for a BCS title, which they let slip though their hands last year.

Indianapolis Colts

Last weekend, the Colts smoked the Jaguars making them along with the Patriots the only unbeaten team. This week the Colts face the Carolina Panthers. I think this game will be a joke. I don't for see the Colt's having any problems with the Panthers because the Panthers to be honest suck. The Panthers offense is going to have problems left and right with the quickness of the Colts defense, and the Panther's defense will have problems all across the board with the offensive attack that Peyton Manning commands. Panther's quarterback Jake Delhomme shows improvement, although the rest of his offensive crew doesn't look so promising. The Panther's do not have any obvious stars other than Delhomme, although you really cannot count them out. The odds are definitely stacked against them, and I am definitely cheering for the Colts, although every player on the team is obviously good enough to play in the NFL, so anything can happen.

Tea and Football

Nfluk.com reported that the first goal posts were put up on Monday at Wembley stadium. Why is this important? Because this coming Sunday, October 28, the Miami Dolphins and the New York Giants will play at the famous stadium in Great Britain. It will be the second NFL regular season game to be played outside the US and the first since 2005 when a record crowd showed up at Mexico City to see the Cardinals trounce on the 49ers. The hype is trying to get built up in Britain where the NFL has been trying to make a base. The NFL's plan will be implemented in the next 16 years when every team will have played a game outside the US. Spreading the great news of the NFL is a great idea but we seem to be so different then all the other nations. We love football while the very closely related game of Rugby a lot less popular. The game of soccer is beloved by every nation in the world, except the US. Yeah, we have soccer and it is decently popular, but compared to sports like football and baseball it doesn't even compare.

So will the plan work? Maybe. The NFL has tried a minor league across the pond as well as a few preseason games and it still is not popular. Regular season games could make the difference though. A real game is so much more intense then a minor league game or a preseason game. Emotions run high and it could spill over to the stands and get some excitement going. This could result in a popularity rise. As a football fan that wants the popularity to rise in foreign nations I for one want to see the boys from Miami and New York put on a good show. I just hope they string some big hits, big plays, and most of all a good game.

So here's to popularity growth, a bright future, and the betterment of the league we all love. Show them what we have got guys!

Whose Number One

Through this 2007 football season, the NFL has two dominant teams. The New England Patriots, and the Indianapolis Colts. Both teams have great players, but which one is best?
The New England Patriots have several players that are experts at the position they play. Quarterback Tom Brady is great although I do not think he can make decisions like Peyton Manning. I like Payton more because of the chemistry he creates on the team, and also because he can read the defense so well. Many times a game you will see Peyton coming to the line and choose an audible that gives the Colts a better chance of gaining yards. Both have great players to throw to although I think the Colts are better in this area too.
The Patriots have a great combination of athletes to throw to including Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and Donte Stallworth. Randy Moss is the leader of all these and is very flashy. Many fans love his "flashiness" on the field although I think his end zone dances and over confidence doesn't help the team because it turns a team win into the media seeing it as a one man show.
The Colts on the other hand are not so cocky. The colts receiving core includes Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, and Marvin Harrison. The chemistry that Peyton has worked to have with these three is second to none. You can see the chemistry on the field because when Peyton has to scramble away from the defense, the receivers change routes in order to get open for Peyton. The Colts truly do play team ball, and I think that is why they win.
On the defensive side of the ball, I think the teams are even. I mean yes, both teams do have some stars in Bob Sanders and Dwight Freeny for the colts and Tedy Bruschi and Junior Seau for the Patriots. I think the Colts would win in the long run, although it will be a tough match becuase of the offensive power both teams bring to the table. We will just have to see who can tough it out, and who wants it more.

Not again

Man it seems like every time I write about the colts I just end up talking about how they can't be beaten. This last Monday night was no exception. They once again came into the game and showed why they are the defending world champions. The colts ended up with over 250 passing yards and about 140 yards on the ground. The defense only surrendered seven points. They also only turned over the ball once. All these impressive stats. were a huge contribution to why the Colts pulled out yet another victory.

Now I am not going to over look the next game against the Carolina Panthers, who are 4-2, but the game I still can't wait for is the one against the New England Patriots. This game is going be the best game of the year. It is shaping up to be a game in which both teams will be going in undefeated. The Patriots need to beat the Red Skins to make that happen, which I don't think will be that hard, but still it’s the NFL and any thing can happen.

So even though the Colts pull out another solid victory over a worthy opponent, the true test to see if they can repeat a world title will be the game against the patriots. They still need to take it a step at a time and make sure that they pull out another win against a tuff opponent this weekend.

Michigan VS Illinois

Today the Michigan Wolverines had a game against Illinois Illini. Michigan ranked top 25 in the nation came into this one thinking they were going to get an easy win. I am starting to like Illinois because they always come into a game fighting no matter what the chances they have to win. Just two weeks ago, they went into the Wisconsin game as an underdog, as the Badgers are ranked 5th in the nation. Illinois did not back down from the Badgers, and went on to defeat them 31-26.
Today was just about the same kind of game. Illinois came into the game as an underdog but gave one hell of a fight. After going into the third quarter all tied up, Illinois just ran out of gas letting Michigan score 10 points in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
A couple players I am especially starting to like from Illinois is quarterback Juice Williams, and running back Rashard Mendenhall. Although Mendenhall's longest rush was for only 13 yards, he is a guy you can count on a solid game from every game. He ran the ball 18 times for 85 yards. The stats do not really tell what you need to know about Rashard. He is a kind of player that can change the pace of a game at the snap of a finger. Something that makes his running game so deadly is the offensive line. They are always creating a pathway for him to run through and make it up field. Also Mendenhall cuts extremely well. He is very good at changing directs very quickly and picking up speed to gain those few extra yards. The quarterback Juice Williams runs the option great with Mendenhall. These two give teams troubles, but only if Illinois could work on their defense.
The game today was good although Illinois just ran out of gas. They only have one other tough game this year, which would be against number one ranked Ohio State. If they play well, I think they could give Ohio State a run for their money, although Ohio State is a machine on both sides of the ball.

The Better QB

Tom Brady is having a season to remember. The guy is tearing the whole league up! He has passed for 1771 yards and a staggering 21 touchdowns. Add the statistic that he has only thrown two interceptions and you have the best quarterback in the league...or do you? Mr. Commercial might have something to say about this. Peyton Manning has had another solid and silent season, which is just how he works.

Peyton's team is undefeated, just like Brady's. Peyton's stats are good but not quite in Tom's league. They show he has 10 touchdowns to only two picks, like Tom's. To go with this he has thrown for over 1300 yards. In any other year he would be the stat leader. This just goes to show just how perfect Brady has been this season. The championships category is also in Tom's favor with Manning finally getting a mark on the board last year.

So who is the league's best quarterback? I think we will have to wait till the end of the season to get the answer to that. Reason being that consistency is one of the most crucial attributes a quarterbacks need to have. Not to take anything away from either players in that they consistently win games. One thing is for sure, however. Both of these QB's sure can play the game of football exceptionally well.

Battle of Who Could Care Less

Ben Folds would be proud. It seems as though the college football season is taking after the dispersed band "Ben Folds Five." The bands hit song "Battle of Who Could Care Less" seems to be the theme of this season. Not only has there been an abundance of upsets among the top ranks but the past three weeks a number two team has lost. It started with USC's loss to Stanford followed by California's loss to OSU and again this Thursday when South Florida fell to conference rival Rutgers.

Don't be surprised if Boston College, who is off this week, gets upended next week on the road at Virginia Tech. BC looks to be the number two team in the nation next week as they are number three right now. That would continue the theme to a staggering FOUR weeks. This college football season has been everything and more then i expected. It will be really exciting to see how things finally pan out.

The mid season brings up many question thought to never be asked. Is there going to be a two loss team in the national championship? Could a one loss team that didn't win their conference championship go to the NC? With all the number two teams losing right now wouldn't it be ironic if the number two team in the NC wins it all? It's only a matter of time before these get answered. With about six weeks left to go anything can happen.

It seems that everybody is relying on someone else to take control of their season. Many teams have had the chance to control their destiny but just throw it away. Others throw it away after them giving them a chance to salvage their season. By the end you might hear everybody singing another Ben Folds Classic, "You to Thank."

Another NFL player being sued!

Adam "Pacman" Jones is being sued by Tommy Urbanski after being shot four times on December 4th, 2006. Former pro wrestler is paralyzed from the waist down after the incident. Even though Jones wasn't the shooter, Urbanski feels he can still sue him. Not only is Urbanski suing Jones, he is also suing the Tennessee Titans (team Jones played for), and also the NFL.
My personal feelings are the guy is just trying to get money. There is no evidence that proves Jones was the shooter, and since he was not the one who inflicted the injury that caused Urbanski to become paralyzed, he cannot be punished for it. Also, I think it is ridiculous that Urbanski is trying to sue the NFL and the Tennessee Titans. Urbanski is assuming that both the NFL and the Titans are responsible for Jones' actions, so they should also pay up. I think that is unbelievable and if he wins it proves that people can sue just about anyone for doing anything. So stupid and embarrassing.

Another Upset

So what a game last nite. Rutgers again showed that they seemed like they really do enjoy bursting the bubbles of top teams. Last year the took down number three Louisville at Rutgers stadium.

Last night the number two University of Southern Florida came to play Rutgers at home. The whole game was a nail bitter. They had everything that you could ever want in an game. They had anything from fake punt, to a fake field goal. It was one of those games that kept you on the edge of your seat the whole time. Even the last two plays when USF tried to make a long pass and was called back for pushing off, so the Bulls were left with 4th and 37 and ended up gettin picked off and then the fans came.

One of the key things about this games was that the fans didn't rush the field pre-mature, like they did last year. This is one of the aspects of the college game that always makes me laugh. When the guys in the yellow jackets try to stop the fans. I mean i know they have to stand there because it is their job, but c'mon. Twenty guys in yellow jackets are not going to stop a couple thousand crazy fans. If the University really wanted to keep them off the field they would start to tazer people. That would keep my ass of the field.

A.P.

Adrian Peterson (the Vikings one) put himself firmly in the leading position of the Rookie of the Year standings. His solo performance last Sunday against the Chicago Bears was one to remember. He had 224 rushing yards, nine through the air, and three touchdowns. Not to mention AP had the kickoff return to Bears territory that set up the game-winning field goal. The seventh pick overall in last year's draft has lived up to his hype and more. It's hard to understand why six other teams passed up on him.

He has rushed for over 100 in all of his games so far with the exception of a week two meeting against conference rival the Detroit Lions. He said at the beginning of the year that he was shooting for 1800 yards. I think it is very possible that he will surpass that and Eric Dickerson's rushing record of 1808 yards. The guy, known as 'Manchild', is finally giving the respect back to the Vikings since the early 2000's. If he keeps this pace up and the wins keep piling up the rookie could help his team to their first playoff birth since the '04-'05 season.

With the Rookie of the Year all but his thus far we can't forget about the ultimate individual award. I am talking of course of the Most Valuable Player award. I don't think it would be right to leave him out him from any discussion on the matter. He has put up league leading numbers and, in the words of Lil' Wayne, "the sky's the limit" for this Texas born man of a child.

Boilers, Boilers, Boilers.

Ok guys, you've all shown us that you can lose some games, congrats. Now would you please show us that you can win again. Now granted the Boilers did play some good teams, Ohio State which is now ranked #1, and Michigan, but it's now time to win. We need to insure that we get to another Bowl game. If and when the Boilers make it to a bowl this year it will be their 10th bowl apperance in 11 years.

Purdue plays Iowa Saturday, and Iowa has one of the top 25 defense's in the nation. This is not good because purdue has seemed slugish against any top defensive team. We definetly saw this against Ohio State. I think the Boilers just need to get into the grove of winning again. They need to start the game out with a couple good drives and score on each of them, even if its just a field goal. The defense aslo needs to come with and make three and outs to Painter can stay on the field as much as possible. I'm going make a little prediction, I'm thinking Purdue 35, Iowa 24. Let's hope i'm right.

Steelers got a break!

The Pittsburgh Steelers got lucky this week with this week being their bye week. Four of the Steelers starters did not play on October 7 against the Seattle Seahawks, although the Steelers did not need them blowing them out 21-0. This week being their bye week gave the Steelers players time to heal.Wide receivers Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes and safety Troy Polamalu are expected to play this week against the Denver Bronco's. These three players make a huge difference in the game not only with big catches, and great defense, but with plays that do not get noticed.
The Steelers running back Willie Parker should be happy that Ward is back because of the up field blocking Ward gives Parker. Against the Bronco's, when Ward did not play, Parker had his first game with less than 100 yards rushing. Willie Parker should be able to run all over the Bronco's because the Bronco's rush defense is terrible. They are giving up on average 186.7 rushing yards a game and with Ward back, Willie should run over them like a Mack truck.

Although Steelers cornerback Bryant McFadden will not suit up, the Steelers bring back Troy Polamalu on defense. His presence on the field can change the game with his hard hits, instinctive defense, and overall pure intimidation. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger now has two of his starters back to count on the team is needing to score. I think the Bronco's have bit off a little more than they can chew because quite frankly, they cannot handle the Steelers.

Ohio State

Ohio State this year is untouchable. With a perfect record (6-0) going into today's game, OSU knew they were going to dominate. After last weekends performance to murder Purdue Boilermakers, everyone knew Kent State didn't even have a chance. How can you stop a team that has a defense like Ohio States, and an offense that can get the job done. It's easy, you can't! After today's game you would wonder if Ohio State has a weakness.

Today Ohio State smoked Kent State 48-3. The biggest play of the game happened in the beginning of the second quarter when Ohio State was only up 7-0. Brian Hartline returned a punt 70 yards to put the Buckeyes up 14-0. They went on in the second quarter to score 28 points.

Some problems Kent State had was they went 4-14 on third down conversions. That is tough to do, I mean really, to go 4-14! Wow, they need to check out there schedule for next season and maybe put some smaller schools like Ball State (HA!) on there schedule. Also, Kent State's total yards were 223 versus Ohio State 401. Ohio States yards almost doubled Kent State's. Like I said, if you cannot play with the big dogs, stay on the front porch.

This brings up two questions. Why would a team like Ohio State be playing a team like Kent State? And, how could Kent State really get blown out by 45 points. The only answers I can make out of all this is Kent State gave up at the end, and Ohio State wanted to play Kent State in order to tune up their skills.

Ohio State really has some tough competition ahead with two out of the last five games they play are against top twenty-five ranked programs. Although three of the teams are not ranked, I think those teams such as Michigan, Michigan State, and Penn State will cause problems. Even though those teams are not necessarily doing great this year, the programs are highly respected, and you can never count them out. It's not how big the dog is in the fight, it's how big the fight is in the dog.

Ohio State performed great today on offense with quarterback Todd Boekman passing 13/16 with 184 yards. Rushing for Ohio State performed up to par also, with running back Brandon Saine rushing nine times for 69 yards. That is almost seven yards a carry! Against most teams, that would be excellent although when facing a team like Kent State, you have to think, well could he have done better against the weaker competition, or was Kent State rushing defense playing well. Well personally, I think Kent State's defense was playing well for as bad as they were getting beat. I mean really, when you get down twenty or thirty points, it's tough to even want to walk back on the field, and to only let Ohio State's running back break free for a 35 yard run is not to shabby. Good luck to OSU as they are going to need it in the future. I hope the Buckeye's coach really prepares his team well for the future because if not, they could be in trouble!

A Boiler Bulldozing

O.K. so Purdue didn't get the notice that there was a big game last Saturday. They lost and got totally dominated by OSU. Apparently they didn't get the notice that there was a game today either. The Wolverines of Michigan trounced the Boilermakers today, 48-21, in a beatdown that has ended any residual hope for a Big Ten Championship this year. Despite losing last week to OSU there was still hope but was wiped away today.

With an offense that looked explosive earlier in the season, the Boilers have not done any impressing the last two games. Their defense lived up to it's reputation today giving up 48 points and looked terrible all game. The most disappointing part of that is that they looked to be improved after the OSU game, giving up only 23 points and making some very athletic plays.

The bright side of the season is that the worst stretch is over. The Iowa Hawkeyes come in to play next week with a lot of momentum on their side. They beat a good Illinois team that was ranked in the top 25 and among the top of the Big Ten standings. Their record is 3-4 and won their first Big Ten game today against the Illini to put them at 1-3. So a good contest is set up for next weekend at Ross-Ade. I won't give up on the Boilers there is still much season and promise left, just not with the BCS. A successful season is still in close reach.

Forcasting An Upset

I know this is kind of a off the wall prediction, but now a days no upset is to wild to imagine. From what I have seen this 2007 season of college football this prediction is a pretty logical unexplainable upset. After I saw Stanford beat USC last week I will believe almost anything right now. Maybe I want Oklahoma to lose to Missouri because they beat my Texas. Oklahoma was beat two weeks ago by unranked Colorado while Missouri is undefeated and recently destroyed Nebraska (41-6). Missouri is the best they ever been even though their history with Oklahoma hasn't been pretty losing 16 straight games to them.

Both these teams have great QBs on their sides in Sam Bradford for Oklahoma and Chase Daniel for the Tigers. Missouri won't have starting running back Tony Temple who is out due to sprained ankle. So due to that Oklahoma will mostly own rushing part of the game with DeMarco Murray. The passing game is just about even to me while on paper Missouri has about 100 yards better pass yard average per game. But Oklahoma's receivers have a better receiving average per completion over Missouri's receivers. In conclusion I believe this game will rely on the defences of these two teams. Also I believe anytime can happen this game so I'm calling the upset here and now.

Test #2

Ok so the boilers didn't really pass their first test. The Buckeyes came in and pretty much did what ever the wanted, when the wanted. So, Purdue’s got Michigan this weekend and it’s at "the Big House." This will be another test. Now the question is, can the Boilers pass this one? We'll see, but they need to do a few things if they want to beat the Wolverines.

First Curtis Painter needs to come and play. Last week he played poorly. He only completed 31 for 60. Yes, he was facing one of the premier defenses in the nation but some of those passes looked more like basketball bounce passes. It also seemed like him and the receivers just weren't on the same page.

Second Purdue needs to have some sort of rushing game to set up the pass. The Boilers had a total of 4 positive yards rushing last Saturday. No wonder Painter couldn't do get anything going. There was no threat of running, so the safeties and corners just had to focus on the receivers.

Third, the defense needs to play well ALL GAME. Now last week they played really well, after they gave up two easy touchdowns. They need to keep Heart under a hundred yards to make sure that the wolverines don't stay on the field to long, so Painter and that high powered offense can put some points on the board.

This game will truly show what kind of team Purdue is this year. Michigan is starting to pick up wins and the Boilers need to get back on track. The Ohio State game showed us that we aren't a national contender this year, but the Michigan game will show us whether we can contend at all.

Wake upsets FSU

Florida State University has recently been bringing in some talent to their football club. They have been taking the talent away from other big schools in Florida such as University of Miami and University of Florida. With all this talent they are bringing in, it is not hard to see that they should be ranked in the top 25 in the nation.
FSU had no idea what Wake Forests quarterback Riley Skinner had up his sleeve. Skinner threw 19 of 27 for 215 yards and two touchdowns. The game was close until the fourth quarter came along. Skinner threw a 35 yard bomb to receiver Kenneth Moore to put Wake Forest up on FSU 24-21.
This could pose to be a problem for FSU. If FSU cannot beat an unranked team, which to be honest, doesn't have much talent at all, they are going to have problems with bowl games. I think FSU's quarter back Xavier Lee did not perform to his capabilities after throwing an interception right after Wake Forest scored in the fourth quarter. For a quarterback to lose his nerves in a game that FSU is supposed to win is ridiculous. He should have kept his cool and moved the ball down field without making mistakes. His mistakes cost FSU the game which potentially could put them in a losing streak and could take them out of a bowl game.

Vick Em'

I was reading up on other blogs today, and I found a funny article about the weekend's Texas Tech versus Texas A&M football game. Members of the fraternity Theta Chi on the Texas Tech campus decided to design and make shirts that on the front said "Vick Em'" and on the back had a picture of a dog being hung by a football player with the number seven on his jersey. The dog was ment to be Texas A&M's mascot, which is a collie named Reveille. Some controversy sparked about these actions because the creators of this t-shirt are the "future" of the country.

My personal opinion about the shirt making ordeal is that students should have freedom of speech to say or make what they want. If I went to Texas Tech, I would personally buy one of the shirts not only because the game is one of the biggest of the season for the two teams, but also because the shirt is just downright funny. It took a lot of creative thought to even think of something like this, but also, it took heart and drive to get the shirts made. If someone doesn't like what they see out of college students, then quit looking. What can you expect from a college student?

Also, in a way, I think Michael Vick should be embarrassed about the shirts, because once again, he is in the media for dog fighting. I think he will always be remember for the dog fighting instead of his ability on the field which is sad as I have already said in previous blogs. Props to those students from Texas Tech for the creative idea, and the heart to get the shirts produced.

Yogi Berra Syndrome

Recently the Dallas Cowboys caught a little of what I like to call Yogi Berra Syndrome. They stood by his infamous quote, "It ain't over till its over" and brought it to life. With a Monday night to remember they left a lot of people waking up on Tuesday wondering if their sports section box scores had some typos. But they were indeed correct and all to real of Yogi's quote coming to life once again. As the Buffalo Bills took a large lead and had numerous times to either extend or at least protect their lead but, every time they got the chance they squandered it. Mistakes by Tony Romo were all over the place with four interceptions in the first half and two additional turnovers in the second. Two of the interceptions resulted in immediate touchdowns for the Bills. It seemed early in the game that even when the Cowboys decided to do something right, the Bills just got it right back, including a 103 yard returned touchdown by Terrence McGee.

What I noticed though was the Bills inefficiency on offense. They did not get anything going all game on that side of the ball. It didn't help to have a rookie quarterback in Trent Edwards. Don't get me wrong, he did not give the game away, he just did not have any help from his teammates. Edwards only gave away one pick and threw for 176 yards.

An ending to remember was started with a little under four minutes to go when the Cowboys started a drive to attempt to tie it up at 24's. They got down to the four with a little over 20 seconds to go when Tony Romo hooked up with Patrick Clayton to put the boys within two, with the two point conversion to get even. It failed with a great defensive play to break up TO from the ball in the far corner of the end zone (if you are watching it on TV). So Wade Phillips had no other choice then to kick the onside kick, they aren't going to get it right...wrong! They recovered it and 15 seconds later after a first attempt by Nick Folk split the uprights he was forced to duplicate it and duplicate it he did. Final: 25-24, a comeback for the ages was capped!

A comeback is one of the most beautiful to see in any sport whether it be football, baseball, basketball, or, hell, even a big comeback in a track even is a great show. So here's to you trash talkers who talk a little bit too soon, you all know how to talk a big game but when the finish line is finally crossed you might have another thing coming. (I had a few friends talking a little bit too much during this last Monday night game) As another famous quote goes, "What comes around goes around."

Mid Season Madness

What I have seen in these last few weeks in college football have been upsetting, stunting, and amazing. NO team this season will come out undefeated by the end of the season. As we can see talent is everywhere and still growing. No one at this point can tell who will be in that BCS championship bowl and once we find it out it will be very controversial because those two teams will most likey have spots on their records. As you should be able to see things have really changed in the ranking right now. The AP top 25 have LSU 1, California 2, Ohio State 3, Boston College 4, and South Florida 5. At the beginning of the year LSU was 2, California was 12, Ohio State 11, Boston College unranked, and South Florida unranked.

LSU is really looking good this season right now and as of now really looks like they will make it to the BCS championship bowl. They have just ran over their first five opponents and i really mean ran over and in the process leaving a trail of blown out teams and broken dream on their route to where they are now. Their performance against Florida was really amazing trailing them to the 4th and then beating them at the end where it really counts. They have Kentucky for this coming weekend and they do have the ability to upset them. For LSU to keep their good standings they need to treat every game like they have have something to prove to the world. With Auburn the weekend after all eyes will be on LSU these next two weeks and you better believe fans are really anything these days.


California is also undefeated and also looking really good this year. With impressive wins over Tennessee and especially Oregon ducks. They have Heisman hopeful DeSean Jackson as wide out and he will be their power player all season. They have Oregon State for this coming weekend and on paper they should beat them with no questions asked after. They need to stay focused and serious with each game one at a time, they don't want to end up like USC with a embarrassing lost to their name. Down the road they has a good Arizona State and always difficult USC.

Ohio State has been a little bit forgot about but they are undefeated and more than really to redeem themselve from last years beating from Florida at the BCS championship bowl. They are in the big 10 conference and that is a hard line of teams down the road for Ohio State. They are playing Kent State next but I'm looking at their Wisconsin, Illnois, and Michigan back to back season ender. I really dont think they can beat all three them, so i see Ohio State droping 1 or 2 loses this year.

Boston College is undefeated but they haven't show me anything but a pretty good win over Ga Tech. They have a really good QB and really good receivers but have not gone up against top competition. They have somewhat of a easy schedule compared to the other teams ranked in the AP top 25. They play ND next who just came off their first win and a impressive one against UCLA. The truth is I'm looking for a upset in this one. I want Notre Dame to beat Boston College, with a lost from ND that would be the end of BC.

South Florida has really shown they are a undefeated force to reckon with. With upset wins over Auburn and then West Virginia. QB Matt Grothe is really good with his feet and his arm this season. They have a solid rush game and a solid passing game with that they look pretty strong this season. They have Rutgers, Cincy, and Louisville ahead on ther schedule. I see them dropping a lost to one of those teams but still going to a big bowl game.

Let em' kick

So the there was another amazing Monday Night Football game on last night. The Cowboys did not come to play and the Bills let them know that. The Cowboys had five interceptions along with one fumble during the game. The Bills all game looked like they had the undefeated Cowboys on the ropes and were just waiting to knock them out. The thing was they didn’t. The bills not hosting a Monday Night Football game in thirteen years, you would assume that they would come out with something to prove and they did. For the First three quarters they controlled most of the game. The Cowboys just never gave up. So at the end of the game down by two points, the cowboys had to kick on onside kick. The cowboys ended up coming up with the ball and started their drive to set up a field goal for the win. So they ended up giving their kicker a long kick with only a couple seconds left. So they get the field goal unit out there. There’s the snap, the hold, then the kick and it was good. The Cowboys just came from being down all game to wining the game by a single point, but wait there was a time out right before the kick, but the kicker still kicked. This is when I got a little upset.

Now I'm neither a Cowboys fan nor a Bills fan, but this time out crap right before a kicker kicks is ridiculous. I mean I could see the time out were it “freezes” the kicker, but this time out were the kicker has to kick multiple field goals is crazy. People say, “man, that’s great coaching!” I say hell no it’s not, it just shows that coach really scared of that kicker. Now it’s not against any rule so coaches will still do it, but personally I think it is a little disrespectful to the kicker and the opposing team. I mean the guys got enough stress and pressure without having to go through it twice and the team usually has a lot of emotion on the edge. I mean if the coach wants to call a time out before he kicks, blow the whistle and grant the timeout before he kicks. Don’t make the kicker kick twice, plus one these times someone is going to somehow get hurt in some freak way, on a play that shouldn’t have even started. I know football is a dangerous sport, and I know I probably sound like a big baby, but it just gets on my nerves when the coaches do this crap.

1-0 in October

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is undefeated in the month of October. That's right people one and zero. Unfortunately they went 0-5 in the month of September. So what does this one win mean to an Irish team that is now 1-5? It means that they now have to win 5 out of their next six games to go to a bowl game with two of the teams in the top ten including a one loss USC team and a game with a Boston College team that is ranked four in the country next weekend. Along with the two obvious powers there is also a game at Stanford who gave USC their first loss of the season last weekend. It is far from likely but ND just might have sparked a little faith in ND nation for a bowl birth.

They beat a quarterback desolated UCLA team that committed seven turnovers to ND's zero. You can pin this victory to an absolutely extraordinary performance by ND's defensive side of the ball. I don't care if the Bruins had their walk-on third stringer at quarterback a good team will not let one player commit seven turnovers, it was an aggressive defensive scheme that proved to do in the whole UCLA offense. I am not going to say that lack of motivation was the reason UCLA fell either; especially after a last second loss last year left the Bruins with their jaws wide open in disbelief of a Brady Quinn to Jeff Samardzija show stopper. The Notre Dame offense did what it should when a defense is playing as good as it was, they didn't make mistakes. They played a mistake free game that proved to not light up their side of the scoreboard, but UCLA's side didn't light up either. When the ND offense was set up by the defense they came through, like I said, mistake free football.

Young teams get better as the season goes on and that is just what this Notre Dame team is. They lost eight starters on offense while an already struggling defense lost seven starters. The youth movement at Notre Dame is in full swing and, personally, I think the worst is all but over, save for the next two weeks. Young talent is starting to show they get it including solid performances from running back James Aldridge, wide receivers Golden Tate and Duval Kamara, defensive back Darrin Walls, and a steadily improving quarterback in Jimmy Clausen. If they can pull out a bowl birth with how this season started you can count on next year being a big year for the Irish. As for the bowl birth, I wouldn't count on it. But, hey, they are the Irish right, maybe they can catch a few lucky breaks.

Illinois defeats NO 5 ranked Wisconsin

The game of the night was on ABC which featured two undefeated teams. Those teams were the Purdue Boilermakers hosting the Ohio State Buckeyes. Although most tuned in to watch this game, the game of the day was Illinois versus the number five ranked Wisconsin Badgers.

From the beginning of the game, Illinois controlled the game. They drew blood first in the first quarter scoring a touchdown. Later in that same quarter Wisconsin missed an opportunity to get on the board, and had to punt many times. As the second quarter began, Illinois scored again and made a field goal, although they allowed Wisconsin to score two field goals. Going into halftime the score was 17-6. Not favoring either team, I personally wanted Illinois to win because of the high ranking of Wisconsin. I thought with a margin that big, that Illinois had it in the bag although Wisconsin came out firing on all cylinders in the second half.

In the second half, Wisconsin was firing on all cylinders, scoring 3 touchdowns, and converting many long passes. The Badgers were starting to get the kinks out, although it was too late and they fell short beating Illinois. Wisconsin outscored Illinois 20-14 in the second half but Illinois had already created to large of a margin for Wisconsin to recover from. Wisconsin tried an onside kick, although they did not recover it. I think this was the beginning of the end for Wisconsin. I love the way the game turned out because Illinois was the underdog. In my opinion, it is always better to be the underdog because people will accept you for your performance rather than the overall outcome of the game. I think Wisconsin really had an eye opener today as they were punished by Illinois, but I think they will bounce back from this loss and come back strong.

This may just be what Illinois needed being now 3-0 in the Big Ten. Wisconsin has a tough road ahead of them facing an always tough Penn State, Ohio State, and also Indiana. Illinois could take this one and roll with it because in their future, the only team they may struggle with is Ohio State. I think the keys to the win for Illinois was the rushing ability of Rashard Mendenhall. Not only was his running key, the offensive line of Illinois created the whole for Mendenhall to pick up key yards. Something that the Badgers could not handle was the option. The option had to many choices for the quarterback to attack Wisconsin with, although he went to Mendenhall many of the times. I have to give credit where credit is due, although I do not like Illinois, but they did play exceptionally well. Illinois scored twice on the option although one was counted as a pass because it was a forward toss.

Illinois coach Ron Zook said the win was key to the team's future. He also stated that this win would put them in uncharted territory and also as a contender for winning the Big Ten as they are 3-0. I personally don't feel Illinois can beat Ohio State this year because of Ohio States defense. The defense Ohio State brings to the table is second to none. The only way Illinois could beat Ohio State is to play perfect in every aspect of the game, although the win is not probable.

Possible Turning Point

The ABC prime time game of the night is the Purdue Boilers versus the OSU Buckeyes. OSU has been in the top ranks for the last couple of years including an appearance in the National Championship last year and a National Championship victory only a few years ago. However, their opponent, Purdue, is on the rise. Purdue's game tonight could prove to be one of the most important games since their Rose Bowl appearance back when Drew Brees was at the helm.

If Purdue's defense decides to finally show up and their offense shows up again for the sixth time this season they have a good shot to win it. Not only will a win catapult them to the top of the Big Ten standings but it will also lift them to the top of the rankings. Let's not forget what this would do to them as far as the national public goes. This is the most important part. If PU wins they will gain a lot of respect and many people will start to notice this black and gold team from West Lafayette. Recruiting, the life blood of a team, will be bolstered exponentially which will result in many successful years to come.

The coaching staff so far has done a great job coaching their lowly ranked recruiting classes. These classes are obviously compared to the elites of the country. A win tonight will do all of the aforementioned things and above all make a future look much brighter. I will be their to cheer 'em on.

Favre For Life

Is Brett Favre allowed to play until he dies. To me it seems like the guy has gotten better the older he gets. He is showing more energy then he has ever displayed. For some, as a player the closer you get to breaking a record it seems like they put too much pressure on themselves to achieve it. Not Brett Favre, the guy blistered right past the all-time touchdown pass record with no problem.

The guy is leading one of the youngest teams in the league to a record that co-leads the conference and leads the NFC North. They show no signs of letting up either. A big game this weekend with Chicago looks to be a tide turner. Chicago needs a win to turn around their season while a win for the Packers will put them solidly into the top echelon of the league ranks. With a young team, as the Packers have, one bad loss could send their season into a downward spiral. Who better to lead them but the most veteran quarterback in the league Brett Favre.

It's funny to think that the past two years all the talking heads were confused as to why he wasn't retiring. I think Brett shut the critics up quite quickly with one of his best starts to a season in recent memory. So do us all a favor, Brett, and just play a few more decades.

Sticks and stones can break bones, but hopefully not the Colts season

So what the heck happened last Sunday? The Colts have some serious injuries that could potentially hurt their season. They lost six players alone on Sunday afternoon. The big ones were Joeseph Addai with a chest and shoulder injury, Marvin Harrison with a knee injury, and Bob Sanders with chest and rib problems. The dreaded infamous concussion claimed both Freddy Keiaho (linebacker), and Ben Utecht(receiver) and made them sit out for the rest of the game, both were starters on the team. Another BIG loss would have to be starting outside linebacker Rob Morris with the season endeding injury last weekend. The colts will have to look towards their bench to make big plays this weekend. The majority might not be sitting out very long, but they still will have to deal with the bumps and busies.

The colts will have to play a strong Tampa Bay Buccaneer team this weekend. The Buc's are 3-1 and their Defense is number one in the NFL with points allowed. They have only allowed an average of 11 points a game. Hopefully Peyton Manning can be a leader this weekend and lead his team to their 5th straight

Why so stupid?

When people think of an ideal lifestyle, they think of being rich, famous, and not ever having to worry about much of anything. After playing a professional sport, most athletes get that honor. Having money flowing out of their ears, being able to make money through talking about their experiences, and just having the title of being a professional athlete is quite an accomplishment. I do not understand why professional athletes would risk all of that just to get a high off of drugs.
This happened to NFL's leading rusher this year. The Denver Bronco's Travis Henry is now facing a one year suspension for failing a drug test. Henry was already suspended in 2005 for REPEAT substance abuse violations. He is also facing bonus money that the Bronco's paid him being taken away. His contract could have led him to earn somewhere around $12 million after all was said and done but now that is in jeopardy.
How stupid can a player be. He already got in trouble in 2005 for substance abuse, but he is still doing it. If a person is making that kind of money, and putting up those kind of numbers in the games, why wouldn't they wait a few years till they are out of the NFL and do what ever they want? Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me!

Great Thursday Night Showdown

I didn't think Thursday night games were worth watching but this one really was a showdown with Kentucky versus South Carolina. With the recent upsets last weekend and these two teams making upsets of their own and really coming out of nothing this season. Kentucky was ranked 8th for this game and South Carolina was ranked 11th. Kentucky was 5-0 and has a really good QB in Andre Woodson. While South Carolina has a great pass defense and just really good defense overall.

The first half was a real battle with key turnover with back and forth scoring. Kentucky's Woodson definitely wasn't looking his best in this game. With a early fumble and a interception in the end zone. South Carolina showed a great defense and good offense out scoring Kentucky 17-10 at the end of the first half.

The second half was mostly all down hill for Kentucky and especially Woodson. He had another early fumble because of a backward lateral that was supposed to be a pass. It was picked up by South Carolina's Norwood and ran back for a TD (He also recover a fumble in the first half).

I was pulling for Kentucky with for win, but they didn't show up like I expected. South Carolina is looking good right now with a very solid team this year. With that pass defense and working offense their next biggest challenge should be Florida at the end of the season. South Carolina is capable of beating Florida, especially with all these upsets i wouldn't be surprised now a days if Stanford beat USC this weekend (YES I WOULD).

Vick in trouble AGAIN

Michael Vick is in a world of hurt right now as he is being faced with charges for dog fighting. As most would think, after he got accused of these chargers, Vick would be on the straight and narrow to try to impress the judge as much as possible but obviously not in his eyes. Vick failed a drug test that he had to take in early September. The test proved positive that Vick had been smoking marijuana which could possibly change the outcome of his case. The punishment that officials enforced on him were similar to the co-defendant Quanis Phillips which is he has to be in his Virginia home between 10 PM and 6 AM. Basically, the authorities just slapped Vick on the wrist and said, whelp no more partying for you since we caught you smoking weed. I think the punishment should have been more severe, although he is already in enough trouble.

The indictments that Vick has been charged with is punishable with a total of 10 years in prison. I mean really, what is this guy thinking. First, he tries to paint the area where the dog fighting was taking place at black to try to hide it. Then, he tries to tell the authorities that the property isn't his, and he had nothing to do with it. And now he got caught for smoking marijuana after he knew he would get drug tested. He must really want to go to jail!

Also, the Falcon's are trying to take away $16 million from Vick because that was bonus money that he earned. I don't feel that is right because that is money that Vick already had in the bank, he already proved that he should have the right to that money, and his off the field shenanigans should not be punishable by the Falcon's for something that is rightfully his.

The Not So Top Ten

Usually when your favorite college football team is in the top ten you are pretty pumped about it. It usually means that they have a good team and that they have a good shot a winning it all, especially early in the season. This past weekend probably wasn't the best time to be apart of such a society. Five teams in the top ten, that's half, lost their game this weekend. Including surprise upsets of Florida, Oklahoma, Rutgers and an absolute obliteration of Texas. While West Virginia lost a close one to a pretty good South Florida team.

The Longhorns finally showed their true colors as we all knew they had. Winning by slim margins to sub par teams is like walking on a tight rope and finally that rope snapped. They got annihilated by a decent Kansas State team that was on the road. Colt McCoy looked terrible all day throwing four picks to only one touchdown. I will give the benefit of the doubt to Texas, though, that it was a bit closer then the score indicated as KSU pulled away with it in the end. That might be a sign of quit in the Longhorns, which is not good for any team.

Florida lost a close one, also at home, to an average Auburn team who, coincidentally, beat the very KSU team that Texas lost to. A last second field goal proved to do in a Gator team that should have won the game. Final Score: 20-17. Oklahoma was another team to be done in by a infamous last second field goal, 27-24. The only difference is they just plain collapsed in the fourth quarter giving up a 14 point lead in the fourth getting beat 17-0 in the fourth quarter. While Rutgers played and lost a tough one to Maryland. Getting what I would call out coached in the second half. Maryland just seemed to adjust better in the second half as the Scarlet Knights lost by 13 points in the second half to leave the final score at 34-24. What really hurt for the Knights was that it was in front of a home Piscataway crowd. West Virginia's loss seamed to be a steady dominance by South Florida. They just seemed to be slightly out matched by a steadily improving Bull team. The final score ended at 21-13 and that is pretty indicative of how the game went.

So as this week came the polls came out and they looked a bit different. As you might have guessed Texas took the biggest shot and the overrated Gators took a small blow while staying in the top ten, but maybe that isn't a good thing.

Da Who?

What is up with the Bears? I mean c'mon. Coming from a Super Bowl runner up season, to a 1-3 start this year. I’m a little disappointed and they still haven't solved their Quarter Back problem yet and it doesn't seem like they will. Greise was not impressive at all this last Sunday. Throwing only 65% completion and three interceptions, he was not looking like he body was telling him, "...bring it on, I’m feeling good." The Bears defense isn't looking so hot either. Last year, being one of the most feared defenses in the NFL, to this year allowing 321 yards per game and just about 24 points a game. This might be due to the fact that the defense is always on the field. The Bears have scored on average about 15 points a game. That is 26th in the NFL. It just seems like it going all down hill for the Bears. They have a majority of there big players hurting. Adam Archuleta who is banged up with a hand injury, Brian Urlachers back is giving him problems, and also Lance Briggs hamstring is hurting. Now these are three staples in the Bears defense and you can tell that they really do impact how the defense plays.

This weekend they are going to play the red hot packers. The packers are now 4-0, and show now signs of slowing down. Brett Favre, playing in what could be in his last year, is leaving everything on the field. Their offense is ranked 8th in the NFL in total points scored, and their defense is rank 9th in total points allowed with only 16.5 points a game. The game this weekend is going to be a huge one. The Bears need the win to stay in the chase for the NFC North, and the Packers need a win to keep their distance from the surprising Detroit Lions. If the Bears don’t figure out their problems it could be a very long and disappointing season.