Wednesday Wide Outs

Football in General

2007-12-08T19:58:00.000-08:00

So today was a big day in Football in general. Not only just NFL but also in the Heisman watch. This football year in the NCAA has been full of upset from Michigan VS Appalachian State to the close game between Indiana VS Purdue. As Irish talked about in his recent post with the Heisman watch he hated the Gators and he didn't really say but hinted to him not wanting Tim Tebow to win. The NFL this year has been full of big games with the biggest being New England Patriot's overtaking the Indianapolis Colts.
With Tim Tebow winning the Heisman, the talk of the Heisman trophy is over. I feel he should have won the trophy because of stats you can read in Irish's post. I do feel that Ohio States running back Chris "Beanie" Wells should have been a candidate. I feel with his presence on the field along with the way he can contribute to the game changes the way a game goes in general. Like Tim Tebow he was a threat in more than just on the ground, but also in the air. He had thrown for many yards this season, along with his running game. He could change directions on a dime along with his intelligence on the field. You can tell with the respect the players show him on the field that he has more than just authority on the field but he is also a good friend. Many people may think a good friend doesn't really count for much, but when a teammate is also a good friend he can convince a player that wants to give up in a game to give it to go the extra mile and win the game.
Secondly, I would like to talk about the NFL. Like I said before the NFL this year has been full of big games. I hate the Patriots, but I will give them credit this year for the way they have played this year. They have been doing real well and have the chance of being the second undefeated team. The only other team that have been undefeated are the 1972 Miami Dolphins. I think the Patriots do have the total package along with the Colts, but they have gotten lucky. I don't think they would have won against the Colts if the Colts did have all of there players but who knows, they didn't. The Patriots bring a good running game, a great quarterback, awesome wide outs, and an even better defense. They may just be the best team ever to be in the NFL. What I want to know is how can people compare Brady to Manning. Brady is not even half of what Manning is because not only does Manning command an excellent offense, but he stays in the game and still competes even if he doesn't have everyone that should be on the field. This shows a lot of mental strength to do instead of backing out. I don't think Brady has that mental strength that Manning has because frankly Brady has never not had anyone "great" to throw to. Manning has struggled a lot this year without Harrison, but I think when he comes back, it will be a completely different story as I have said many times before.
The Colts play this weekend the Baltimore Ravens. I made a mistake on my last blog saying that the Colts played them over last weekend, but I correct myself by saying they play them this weekend. I don't think the Colts will have a problem with the Raven's at all because the Raven's frankly don't have much of an offense. I feel their defense is pretty strong because of their commander Ray "Ray Ray" Lewis. I am pretty excited about the game because I think this is a measuring stick to the rest of their success. Hopefully they blow out the Raven's because I mean i didn't give a whole lot of credit to the Raven's, but they are decent. We will just have to see!

2008 Rose Bowl: Illinois vs USC

2007-12-08T13:37:00.000-08:00

This is a great match between Pac 10 and Big 10, and I am very much looking forward to this game in many ways. Many people think Illinois shouldn't be in the Rose Bowl with USC, and instead it should be Georgia. I think Illinois is very deserving to be in the Rose bowl with the likes of USC. They have make the biggest turn around from the last two years because of the coaching and recruiting of Ron Zook. USC and Illinois have a very similar record, believe or not. USC have key wins over #14 Nebraska, #24 California, and #6 Arizona State and upset lost to unranked Stanford and #5 Oregon. Illinois have keys wins over #21 Penn State, #5 Wisconsin, and #1 Ohio State and upset lost to Missouri, Iowa, and #25 Michigan. Both teams have had their highs and lows. People don't give Illinois a chance against USC because they are unknown team from past years and people say Big 10 was weak this year, but i totally disagree.

#13 Illinois: This team has really come with the help of Ron Zook with a record of 9-3 and runner up in the Big conference. The big upset win over #1 Ohio State obviously got where they are now. I really believe they can beat USC at the Rose Bowl in another upset victory to cap off this season in a very exciting and close game. Illinois offers one of the best rush offenses in the country with 266.2 per game average yards and 5th ranked in NCAA. They run a spread offence with SEC like speed with key players; Juice Williams, Rashard Mendenhall, Jeremy Leman, and Arrelious Benn. They need to play a flawless such like they did against Ohio State, and create turnover on defense against a always tough USC.

#6 USC: This team as everybody knows always have talent on both sides of the ball, but injuries and other such distractions like media and lack of team work. Their lost to Stanford in one of the biggest upsets in history kept them out of the BCS Champion game. But they are back at home at the Rose Bowl and playing as good as they should. They have keys players such as; John David Booty, Fed Davis, and Keith Rivers. For them to win they need to play like that did against Arizona state, and kept Illinois defense from getting to John David Booty because would mean a bad day like the Stanford lost.

Heisman Talk

2007-12-07T20:35:00.000-08:00

This year has been one for the ages. It has been probably the wackiest one I have ever witnessed. All the upsets and all of the crazy plays that make us all as football fans love our scholarly athletes. In the end, though, we have to choose (or at least the media does) a most valuable player in all the land. The Heisman trophy of course goes to this individual so here is a little short list I have composed (in no particular order):

1) Tim Tebow, Florida, QB - As much as I hate to say it, because I dislike the Gators very much, the guy is good. He is setting records left and right. He has passed for over 3000 yards and thrown for 29 touchdowns. Which would seem about right for a Heisman quarterback...But then add in that he has rushed for over 800 yards and scored 22 touchdowns on the ground. Those are some big numbers from a sophomore in what many say is a bit of a rebuilding year for the Gators.

2) Matt Ryan, Boston College, QB - A solid quarterback that has gone through a steady system up there in ACC land. He has had steady experience throughout his college career freshman through senior year. He has thrown for over 4000 yards this year and thrown for 28 TD's. His rushing totals aren't anywhere near Tebow's so they won't be mentioned. Still, a very solid candidate that has a good shot tomorrow in New York.

3) Darren McFadden, Arkansas, RB - The guy is a beast. The best running back in the college ranks no question. With 1700 yards on the ground to compliment his 15 touchdowns through the run he is easily Heisman capable. Add on his one touchdown through the air and then throw in (no pun intended) his four passing touchdowns and you have one hell of a candidate for this year's Heisman running (once again no pun intended, I really gotta stop). Even his coach thinks he should take it home. He got that wood baby!!!

4) Colt Brennan, Hawaii, QB - The surfer boy from Laguna Beach, California is one who has flexed his muscle all year long. His passing stats are almost laughable (in that they are so dramatic). His passing yards are well over 4000 and his touchdowns thus far this year that he has thrown amounts to an astounding 38 (he had 58 last year). So with those kind of numbers you can throw this cat into the mix as a legitimate threat of taking home the hardware.

5) Chase Daniel, Missouri, QB - The underdogs of the year finally came to life as they lost to Oklahoma on their second go around with the Sooners. But don't let that take anything away from what Mr. Daniel did all year, and that is lead a very good team to a BCS bowl and look really good doing it too. He as well threw for over four grand in passing yards with 33 TDs to go with it. He also rushed for four touchdowns. The guy is good and will definitely get a good, hard look from all that are voting.

Interesting "game"

2007-12-07T15:52:00.000-08:00

Ok so i came across this little game while i was looking on the SI.com website. As it states in the article the game should only be played by people who are of age to drink. The game is called Brent Musburger Drinking game. The basis of the game is you are supposed to drink when he says certain things. Examples whould be like if he is shown on camera you are supposed to drink once. If he says the word "folks" you are supposed to take one drink as well. As he says more random things the more you have to consume. One of the big ones would be that if he yells "its a foot race," when someone is running towards the goal line. You have to drink the whole drink. Now this really has nothing to do with football except for the fact that watching football and drinking has been a long tradition. The only thing is that most of the time College campuses are usually dry campuses and don't allow drinking at the game. So the game is really restricked to college students in their apartments or frats drinking beer. Again like i said this was kind of a random post, but i found the story some-what intertaining. Thanks for reading it.

Purdue

2007-12-07T13:15:00.000-08:00

So Purdue made it to a bowl game this year. They play in Michigan which sucks! They play Eastern Michigan which they played earlier this year and smoked. I don't understand how Purdue is so terrible at football. I mean really, they have good talent so it must just fall back on coaching which you may have read my blog about how Purdue needs to fire Joe Tiller. Eastern Michigan doesn't have a chance at winning this bowl game, but it is in Michigan, so it isn't even an important bowl game.

Another thing I wanted to talk about like I have before are how stupid the athletes are. I just read a couple days ago how two of Purdue's basketball players were suspended due to alcohol. Really, why would you be so stupid. You are basically given 60,000 by Purdue to come here and you piss it away. Sometimes people don't make a whole lot of sense.

Any lastly I want to talk about IU's Eric Gordon. Ya Ya, he may be the shit now and everyone from IU is running their mouth about how good he is and I understand this doesn't have anything to do with football but most football fans also watch or have knowledge about basketball. But anyways, what are the IU fans going to do when Gordan goes pro after this year and they aren't left with a superstar anymore and Purdue still has their freshman recruiting class which is pretty good? Just a question!?!?!

AFC South Shuffle

2007-12-04T18:15:00.000-08:00

So my Colts ended up with another W this last weekend. It was a big one like I stated in my previous post. It almost assured them another AFC South championship and with that assures them yet another playoff birth. The colts played tough the whole game and Peyton is starting to get more and more comfortable with the players he has on the field. Given he had almost all of his starters back except Harrison, Harrison does play a huge part of Peyton Mannings game. These stats may be a little off but it was something like the passing rating with Harrison was in at least the hundreds and with out him his passing rating is around seventy. Thats a pretty big difference for only one player being gone. Though with Peyton starting to throw strong and well we can let Harrison rest for the Playoffs expecially because it looks as though we are a shoe in to get in.

Now the game between the Titans and the Texans was a big one. If the Texans would have won they could have been tied with the Jaguars and the Titans for second place. But since the Titans won and the Jags lost the wild card spot could go to the Titans and not the Jags. So the Titans winning last weekend was big for them and if they can win at least a couple more games and the Jaguars loss a couple more the Titans could come from outa no were and get into the playoffs. Man again here I go with another famous John Madden quote, but the bottom line is the Titans need to win as many games as they can and the Jags must do the same. I know it sounds simple but thats just it, it is. Just win.

Patriots Squeek One Out

2007-12-04T08:48:00.000-08:00

One would argue that its hard to beat the Patriots. I'll go on a limb and agree with this. However, someone also might argue that it's hard to beat the Patriots and the refs. That's what it felt like last night for the Baltimore Ravens. Call after call seemed to go against the underdogs as the super power Patriots came away with the last minute victory 27-24.

Despite the loss, I was thoroughly impressed with the Baltimore performance. The offense was keyed by Willis McGahee. His outstanding performance led to many scores his stats ended at 138 yards rushing and a touchdown. Also, which was quite a surprise, was Kyle Boller's impressive stint at QB. He was making all the big passes early on but finally came back to normal form as he threw a pick at a momentum changing time. The defense was also impressive (I think any team that holds this Patriots offense to 17 points in 59 minutes is impressive) as they looked to be hard hitting and unafraid of the Juggernaut Patriots.

As usual Patriots QB Tom Brady was impressive throwing two touchdowns and a pick with 250plus in passing yards. The receivers were limited however and especially the running backs as leading rusher Maroney had only 44 yards rushing.

Trash talking seemed to be going crazy as even the coaches got involved in it. After being taunted by a Patriot DB, head coach of the Ravens Brian Billick blew two kisses to him. Also highlighting foul play was a Linebacker from the Ravens throwing a referee's flag into the stands. A heated game and the only result that came from it was the continue of a streak for the Pats and a continued slide from the Ravens.

Seriously?

2007-12-01T23:36:00.000-08:00

Okay, so these past few weeks I have been extremely repetitive, at least it seems like it. These past few weeks it seems that a big development happens within the top ranks. Does this happen every year and I just notice it more this year because I write about it every week. Maybe...I digress. Anyways, back to the post at hand. So Missouri just lost at the hand of the Oklahoma Sooners. So now it gets really, really tricky. You have a couple of teams vying for the national championship. I'm just glad I don't have to sort this mess out.

The Teams:

1) Ohio State: The talking heads seem to stand pretty pat that they are in the NC come January. They have only lost once, they won the big ten championship, and seem to have been the most consistent all year.

So, assuming that OSU gets in you have these teams vying for the final spot:

2) LSU: They have a very good argument in that they won the toughest conference in the nation in the SEC. They actually lost as the number one rank twice this year which is actually quite impressive. They also beat 6 ranked teams this year.

3) Georgia: They are the hottest team right now. They lost two games all year, as did LSU. They are riding high right now and they are ranked fourth behind OSU at this point in time.

4) USC: They are flying high as well but I think they are too little too late to come back in the mix right now. However, they are getting some pub right now, so don't count them out.

5) Kansas: Losing to Mizzou might have done them in, despite only having one loss this year. Something to build on I guess.

6) Va. Tech: I don't think so, their losses hurt them too much earlier this season.

Well that's my run down. To end I will leave you with a little National Championship prediction:

OSU vs. LSU

Backyard Let Down

2007-12-01T20:03:00.000-08:00

So much for another National title run since their last against the University of Notre Dame back in the Raghib Ishmail days. That's right West Virginia straight up blew it just now. Losing to a team with a losing record in the Pitt Panthers. A 13-9 letdown leads West Virginia out of the NC, which they would have had if they would have won. Easily. There was no doubt about it. West Virginia QB Pat White had two costly fumbles while the third fumble of the game was provided on a kickoff return by WV. The Pitt defense was unstoppable all game only giving up seven points (the other two points came on a safety on the last play of the game) to what many people in the nation were calling the most lethal offensive attack in the nation.

So where were exploders Noel Devine, Steve Slaton, and Pat White. Well I think they forgot their big game games at home. Oh, wait, it wasn't even supposed to be a big game in that they were favored by four touchdowns as one source had it.

So once again we are back to something I have harped upon all friggen season, this BCS mess that this crazy college football season has made. After this loss, though, I think it is safe to assume that Ohio State slid into WV's spot. The second spot is Missouri's to lose, but that's what they are doing right now as they are down 14 points to the Sooner's of Oklahoma. What's up with all of these teams just blowing their chance at the NC once they are in position to get into it. Have any of their coaches taught them how to do a lil TCOB...that's right taking care of business. It seems to be a lost art.

Taken The Conference Title Home

2007-12-01T19:00:00.000-08:00

This Saturday was conference title night with three very big prime time match ups; Big 12, ACC, and SEC. Two teams, as of now, have calmed their conferences title in big games that were very exciting. One game was a rematch with BC vs. Virgina Tech for the ACC conference title. And the other game was for the SEC conference title with action packed teams LSU vs. Tennessee.

ACC BC vs. Virgina Tech: This game was a rematch that had a totally different look and outcome. In the first game it was undefeated BC's chance to prove themselves as a real contender for the BCS title. And Virgina Tech's chance to show BC real competition on their home field. VT dominated for about 57 minutes in terrible conditions, but still scoring 10 points. A heroic performance by BC's star QB Matt Ryan brought the team back and scored 14 points within less than 3 minutes. In this rematch saw BC take the advantage early with a strip by a linebacker was returned for a TD. From there Virgina Tech seem to get serious and limited their mistakes then and there so they wouldn't have repeat. They dominated the game in the second half scoring 14 unanswered point in a victory of 30-16.

SEC Tennessee vs. LSU: Both teams had their highs and lows from disappointing upsets to big overtime victories. In this game they put it all behind themselves and the only they wanted right then was the conference title. LSU starting QB Matt Fynn was injured for this game but Ryan Perrilloux showed that hes valuable too. This game as action packed with back and forth scoring. In Tennessee's last chance to tie the the game up, QB Eric Ainge was picked off in the red zone. LSU took it home in this one 21-14 for the SEC conference title.

Need the win.

2007-12-01T14:27:00.001-08:00

The colts have been playing well for the last couple of weekends. They played the Falcons last game and played like the Colts we were used to. They game out and really flexed their muscles and beat the Falcons 13- 31. I hoping that they can repeat a performance like that this Sunday. They play the Jaguars this weekend, who are their rivals in the AFC South. They have to beat this team to make sure that they stay on top of the AFC South. The end of the season is going to be a important one for them. The last five games that they play they end up playing three of those games with conference rivals. Back to the Jaguars game, the Colts really do need to win. They will have most of their starters back and Diem and Harrison are Questionable to start. They are playing in Indianapolis so they should be able to beat the Jaguars again but who knows it is the NFL. The big thing that the Colts need to worry about is their running backs. They have a very strong running duo in Fred Taylor and the very versatile Maurice Jones-Drew. They each look as though they each can break a thousand yards rushing. Their defense is also very solid. Although they allow a ton of yards a game almost 350 yards a game they only allow 17.7 points per a game. That means that they usually hold opponents when they get in the red zone to only a field goal. I know that this sounds a lot like a John Madden comment but if the Colts can score when they get into the red zone they should blow the Jaguars out of the water in the score. So I’ll watch the game this Sunday and hope that my boys come out with a win.

Colts

2007-12-01T13:39:00.000-08:00

So everyone knows that the toughest part for the Indianapolis Colts is over. After having many injuries over the last couple weeks including the biggest game against the Patriots, it seems like they may be back in business.

They face the Baltimore Ravens this weekend and if they win, the Colts can officially say were back. I have to give it to Peyton because day in and day out, he pushed the Colts to play their best no matter if they had all their weapons or not. Now that most everyone is back, I think the Colts will be a completely different team! I have said this before and probably will say it again and that is Harrison will be the difference maker. Although he may not go for a lot of yards, he will cause the defense trouble just because of his presence on the field. The Ravens are in trouble because you know the Colts are going to be fired up with most everyone back. People ask, will the Colts be the same dominant team they were after all the injuries. I feel they will because although the players will probably be careful about their injuries but they are professional football players, and they all know exactly what they need to do to get the job done. GO COLTS!!!

More Than A Shot At The Title

2007-12-01T09:03:00.000-08:00

In this Big 12 Conference title game that have Oklahoma versus Missouri in the most important rematch this year. Each team has a lot to gain and also a lot to lose in this rematch on a neutral field. In the first match up during the regular season it was a gridiron war at Oklahoma's home field. Missouri lead Oklahoma 24-23 entering the 4th, but due to so costly turnovers by Missouri lost 31-41. This rematch is any ones game, no one has a true advantage in any part of the game.

Missouri is now ranked #1 with a dominating victory over previously #2 Kansas, that game previewed the new and improved Missouri Tigers lead by Heisman hopeful QB Chase Daniel and WR Jeremy Maclin. Against Kansas Chase Daniel CMP% was a amazing 81.6% and 361 passed yards. They are the only #1 with a lost who is able to correct that lost, and at the same time win the Big 12 Conference title. Without turnovers like in the last game the offense can definitely score when they need to. Their defense needs to show a lot of pressure and create turnovers of their own. But it won't be easy against the always tough Oklahoma. A win here is for redemption, Big 12 title, and a shot at the BCS title.

Oklahoma is now ranked #9 due to upset loses to Colorado and Texas Tech, but they are still the favorite in this conference title game and that makes #1 Missouri mad. Oklahoma is lead by Freshman QB Sam Bradford and WRs Malcolm Kelly and Juaquin Iglesias who together run one of the best offenses in the NCAA. Their game plan is the same as Missouri's. At this point Oklahoma cannot get a shot at the BCS title, but with a win here they can get in a BCS bowl game.

More on the murderer

2007-12-01T08:53:00.000-08:00

As you read on Irish's post, football star Sean Taylor was murdered a few days by an intruder breaking into his house and shooting him. Three men were held in court via video conference today on chargers for Taylor's murder. Authorities say that the lawyers said some of them had confessed to the murder of Taylor. The three men's names are: Charles Wardlow, Eric Rivera, and Venjah Hunte. The police said the murder rose out of the burglary that occurred at Taylor's house. Jason Mitchell, a fourth member of the crew, was also arrested but has not gone to court yet for the charges. The four members were arrested Friday in southwest Florida, about 100 miles away from Miami.

Mitchell had prior connections to Taylor after he had been cutting Taylor's yard, and also was invited to his birthday party about two months prior. The funny thing is, is that Mitchell's mom is trying to get him out of the ordeal by telling the paper that her son was at home all week and weekend. She claims she does not know why he was arrested or being held for this charge. The judge denied bail for all the men involved which I think is a good thing!

This is ridiculous that the four men would actually have the nerve to break into the house when the injured Taylor was trying to recuperate from a knee injury he suffered while playing. Not to mention they killed him. If you were wanting to break into his house, AGAIN, then your an idiot, but after you kill the NFL star, you know your going to jail. Most likely, you would go to jail regardless but why would you shoot him, why wouldn't you run away? How stupid can the "fellas" get. All I have to say is those are some greedy bastards and now they have to pay for their stupidity!

Still moving on

2007-11-30T17:40:00.000-08:00

Although the Packers lost, they are still going to move on. They lost their superstar Brett Favre against the Cowboys last night when they lost to the Cowboys 37-27. He left the game with an injuried elbow and shoulder.

The Packers doctors said he should be alright and return for the December 9th game against the Oakland Raiders. Favre is the record holder for most consecutive starts with 249, 269 including play-offs. The doctor also said that his elbow injury isn't as serious as last year and he doesn't have any nerve damage.

I think Brett will do fine because the injury will not affect his throwing arm. He is a tough guy, and although he is injured, he will still make a dramatic difference in the game on the 9th. I will have to admit, after watching the Packers this year, they are probably my new favorite team. I am not going to jump on the bandwagon with them, but they are doing surprisingly well this year.

Dallas VS Green Bay

2007-11-29T11:30:00.000-08:00

So tonight, the NFL has another huge game. The Dallas Cowboys are going up against the Green Bay Packers. Both teams are 10-1 and already have won their divisions, this game will have a greater effect on the each teams playoff seed. Both Tony Romo and Brett Favre are on fire, but will their teams back them up?

The Green Bay Packers have more to worry about than what the Cowboys have because of their injury report. Defensive tackle Johnny Jolly, Tight End Bubba Franks, and Safety Aaron Rouse are all not going to be in the game. Other than that Green Bay has many players that are "iffy." Popular Corner back Charles Woodson and Defensive End Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila are both game day decisions. Safety Nick Collins although will be playing in the game after missing both of the Packers last two games.

In my own personal opinion, the Cowboys also will struggle because of frankly Brett Favre. Brett Favre is not a player that you can replace. He brings it to the field all day everyday, no matter what the problem is. He will always fire the team up and make them strive for perfection even if there is no way that they will win. You just cannot have a game plan for Brett Favre because you never know exactly what trick he is going to pull out of his sleeve.

My friend told me that the game is not going to broad casted on TV. That pisses me off because this is one of the bigger games of the season. Why wouldn't TV want to broadcast this, I mean they did make such a big deal about the Colts versus Patriots game but not this one. Hmm, weird!

FS Sean Taylor: 1983-2007

2007-11-27T06:39:00.000-08:00

This morning Washington Redskin free safety Sean Taylor died. This was after the previous night when an intruder forced entry into his home and shot Taylor in the upper leg hitting an artery. After much blood loss a miracle was needed, it never came. He was said to be unconscious and heavily sedated as he passed away.

Now what the American public wants know is an explanation. It seems to be the American way, if something happens that we don't like, we want to know what happened and why it happened. Katrina and 9/11 were the same way, just that this is not quite to that extent, you get the point though.

I'm not here to talk about what happened and why it did. I'm here to talk about the effect it will have on the Washington Redskins and the league as a whole.

The Redskins can go two directions. One is that they can take this as a bigger negative then it has to be. They can see a position that they had a pro bowler in vacated for a backup and believe that their playoff chance are over, let alone Super Bowl chances. They are 5-6 right now and still have a great shot at the playoffs. If they let this get to them and keep their heads down nothing will come good of it and will only lead to a downward spiral.

The second direction they can take is using the negative and turning it into a positive. Maybe they dedicate the rest of the season to Sean. Thus giving them that extra umphhh at the end of each game to allow them to sneak into the playoffs and still have a shot at the SB. The team has talent. A couple of good running backs in Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts. Some talented receivers in Santana Moss and Randall El. A up and rising QB in Jason Campbell. There defense is also solid with corners Fred Smoot and Shawn Springs and young gun LaRon Landry to round out a very talented defensive backfield. They still have a very good shot at this thing if they take this whole situation the right way.

As for the league as a whole, I think that there will definitely be some sort of mourning period before all the games this week in remembrance of the former pro bowler. Unlike baseball they can't take a whole day of games off like they did in the MLB for Darryl Kile. The NFL doesn't have the time to do it, everything is on such a time constraint it is hard to even cancel a game due to this factor.

If you want to know more about this story I recommend going to either nfl.com, Redskins.com, or espn.com. The facts are still being rolled in and stories are popping up like crazy in remembrance of Taylor.

Now a video in dedication to Sean Taylor.

What a Mess

2007-11-26T17:14:00.000-08:00

The Monday Night football game was one not to watch. The Steelers vs. the Unvictorious Miami Dolphins. Neither of the teams scored till 17 seconds left, and the score was a kick by the Pittsburg kicker. The game was one of the longest games ever played with no scores. The last time that their was a scoreless game was in the forties and that game didn't have overtime. The main reason for the game being so sucky was the horrible conditions of the field. The field has been played on alot. It had five high school state games on that field. The field also has had Pitt University play on it Saturday. So the field had seen better days.

The game was put on about an hour delay due to the fact that there was not only tons and tons of rain, but there was also lighting. You would think that the Steelers could playing against a team like the Dolphins would be able to score more then 3 points, even in the rain. The Dolphins though did play somewhat tough and to their defense they have lost 5 games this year by three points or less. So they are not only just bad this year they have not been the luckiest either.

So the Steelers now are 8-3 and they are really looking good towards the end of the season. The Dolphins are now 11-0 and really need to put up a win to save at least some dignity, the last time that a team went without a win was the 1976 Buccaneers. So the Dolphins need to get on it and the Steelers keep it up.

Pat Tillman

2007-11-24T13:50:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I saw something on the news about how injured soldiers serving in Iraq have to give back their bonus they received because they no longer can serve. That point really doesn't have much to do with football until instantly I thought of Pat Tillman.

For those of you who forgot or don't know who Pat Tillman is, he passed up a 3.6 million dollar contract with the Arizona Cardinals to join the Rangers and go fight in Iraq after the 9/11 attacks happened. When I first saw the show on TV about how they were taking away the money that the soldiers received I understood why. But as I thought more about it, I thought man that is ridiculous. They are serving our country, they protect our freedom, and they keep us safe and just because they got hurt doesn't mean that the United States can take back their bonus. Basically what that is telling the men and women who have been blessed with talent is that forget protecting the United States because they will take back the money they promise to give you anyway. I mean really, Pat Tillman could have stayed at home, made all the money in the world, and lived peacefully for the rest of his life but instead he chose to go to Iraq to protect women and children in the United States. I realize this doesn't necessarily go with football, but the whole Pat Tillman story connects it.

Then the thought that ran through my head is all of these players that have the 10 million dollar deals still bitch and moan about how they do not get enough money, or how they are going broke, and all this other stuff. I mean really, how can you go broke living the good life being idolized by everyone making millions. It just pissed me off because all of our men and women fighting making next to nothing, and all they have to do is strap up in some pads and go play for an hour. To be honest, I forgot the whole Pat Tillman story until I heard how the government is taking away those bonuses. The government needs to give those bonuses not only because they said they would, but because every time a soldier steps on Iraq soil, they can be killed. My ups to Pat Tillman and everything he taught the selfish football players. He didn't necessarily teach them by talking, but through his own actions.

Got er done.

2007-11-24T12:48:00.000-08:00

So the colts are starting to look like they should. They came out Thursday a little shaky but ended up putting together a great performance. The one performance that really made me happy was that of Peyton Manning. It seems as though he has finally shaken off that Patriot loss. He threw for 272 yards, he was 22-32 and he threw 3 Touchdown passes. Thank you Peyton. The whole team really did play well. The defense only allowed 13 points which helped out Peyton a lot with staying on the field. Now given that the falcons are not one of the most dominant teams of the NFL, I was still impressed with how the colts played. The defense was lead by Brackett who had 11 solo tackles and 3 asst. The defense also had two interceptions. The biggest accomplishment that the defense did was keeping Dunn under 100 yards, which they did. They only allowed a total of 112 total rushing yards. The colts also had a bunch of help from off the bench with Keith running for 74 yards on 17 attempts, but like I said I was really impressed with the way that Peyton Played. It seemed like he was in the zone and was comfortable. Now I know that he would like Harrison back, but they don’t want him to come back and get hurt worse. This does make sense due to the fact that they should make it to the playoffs once again and they will need Harrison when they match up against the Patriots. So well done Colts and lets play this well against the Jaguars next Sunday.

BCS Confusion

2007-11-23T15:40:00.000-08:00

They thought they had it all figured out; LSU will lose only one game and will still go to the National Championship. Everybody agreed with them too. Until yesterday, when chaos ensued, I would guess, in BCS land. What are they going to do now? It seems that everybody has had their shot to go to the NC but it seems everybody also screws it up. One thing we do know for sure is that Ohio State is done screwing up, for now. As they are done with their regular season ending with an 11-1 record. West Virginia is currently standing ahead of all the one loss teams after LSU got beat in triple OT, which I alluded to earlier. However, WV has two games to go and in the Big East you never know who is going to show up on any given day. The same can be said about any team this college football season. Missouri is given a chance thanks to LSU's loss. If Missouri wins out I predict they will go to the NC game. They have the same tough road as Kansas as once they square off against each other the winner goes to the Big 12 championship which will be tough to win. Kansas the only undefeated team in BCS land (since Hawaii is not in a BCS conference) will have the same path I just mentioned. They will be in for sure, bottom line, end of story, if they win out. A very BIG if.

Also if you were not alive the past few days Arizona State lost against USC the other night so their BCS NC hopes have gone to the way side as well.

football in general

2007-11-23T13:24:00.000-08:00

Alright, well I was wrong about the Boilermakers on my last post about them getting smacked against IU. I mean yes, that was an important game and everything but I still am surprised that Purdue came back. I don't necessarily think that Purdue came back because of Coach Tiller, I think they came back on their own ambition and drive. They knew deep down that all the students were behind them, while at the same time, the students want Tiller gone. Although they came back, IU still got lucky and hit a 49 yard field goal to win.

One of my buddies is a student at IU. He was trying to tell me how a 49 yard field goal is not a long field goal. I was thinking, wow, is this kid serious! 49 yards is deep no matter how you look at it because if just a slight breeze hits the football then its wide right or left. I do congratulate IU for the field goal, although they did not deserve to win. There is a big rivalry between the two schools not only in football but in all sports, and it did piss me off that my friend had that much nerve to try to tell me the field goal was like an everyday thing that happens especially with all that pressure on the kicker.

Next is the LSU tigers. I think they are the most over rated team in the NCAA. Yes, they have been ranked first in the nation twice this year, but there are many more teams that have more talent and overall more skill. I'm not saying that LSU doesn't have talent! What I am saying is that I do not think they are a number one team. Even teams that are not ranked near as high as them such as OSU can give them a tough time. I think any team can be beat on any day, its just when I see LSU being ranked so high multiple times is stupid.

Also, yesterday I saw one of the funniest things I have seen in football in a while. As I was sitting around with my buddies last night talking about football, someone brought up the fact that Brett Favre won some crazy award yesterday for his performance. My buddy said something about it being called the Gobbler Cup or Turkey Cup or something I can't really remember what but I couldn't help but laugh. I mean really, what is the guy going to say when asked about what he thought about the award. He is a 3 times MVP, a 6 time All-Pro selection, Toughest Person in America in 2003, and many more! How can a Turkey Cup compare to any of those? I like Favre because he is so tough. I thought it was funny about one of the points one of my buddies made, which was this year after he under threw a ball and it was intercepted, during the interview someone said he was to old to the throw the long ball anymore. He responded with a hysterical comment which was who ever thinks I cannot throw the long ball anymore, meet me in the parking lot. The guy is tough without a doubt, and it was a tough one to hear that a someone really asked him how the Turkey Cup felt to win.

Turkey, Food, and Football

2007-11-21T14:18:00.001-08:00

So thanksgiving is tomorrow and I can’t wait. I think it is almost better then Christmas due to the fact that there is FOOTBALL. Now with Christmas you get the food and the great company of your family, but no football. With thanksgiving you get tons of food, great company with your family, and you get the great American game of football. You can’t beat it. This Thanksgiving will be pretty much the same. I will get my plate and its stuffed full of food. I then watch, on and off some game that I really don’t care about, but hey its food and football, can’t beat it. This Thanksgiving will be a little different. First of all i'll have a team that i actually care about, plus there are a couple good matchups that should make for a good day of football.

The Green Bay Packers vs. the Detroit Lions, Detroit has now been playing for some 65 years on Thanksgiving and against the Packers on Thanksgiving have a record of 11-5-1. The Packers have been playing Thanksgiving days since the 20’s. So they both know how to play on Turkey day. The Lions are second in their conference to the Packers, and they are still on track for their “ten” wins. The Packers are playing really tough and are lead by their “senior” quarterback Brett Farve. This really should be a good one though. They are each trying to fight for the NFC north championship and this game would help them out a lot.

The next game is the Dallas Cowboys vs. the New York Jets. The Jets are somewhat new to the Thanksgiving scene, but the Cowboys have been playing on Turkey day for some time now. This I'm not sure is going to be as good as a game. Tony Romo has been playing extremely well and T.O. is finally putting up the numbers that he should be. So I don’t think that they Jets have much of a shot on this one, but then again my picks haven’t always been the best. So I'm going with the Cowboys, but don’t quote me on it.

The Final game that is going to be played is the Indianapolis Colts and the Atlanta Falcons. They both have experience on thanksgiving and it should be a fun game to watch. Now the Colts should definitely come out with the win especially because don’t really have a certain strong suit. They are 28th in total offense; they are 15th in total defense and 31st in points scored. The big one that sticks out to be is the 31st in points scored. Usually when you play the colts you need to have an offense that can keep up scoring with the colts. With one of the worst scoring offenses they will probably have trouble keeping up scoring with the colts. So again don’t make any monster bets on my pick but the colts should beat the Falcons with ease.

Big Ten

2007-11-17T15:26:00.001-08:00

First, the Ohio State Buckeyes were back at it again today. They faced the Michigan Wolverines which is one of many Big Ten games they needed to win! The 11-1 Buckeyes beat Michigan winning the Big Ten. Running back Chris "Beenie" Wells ran for a career high 222 yards tonight scoring both touchdowns for the Buckeyes! The defense also came into the game knowing they had to stop the Michigan offense and that they did holding them to only 3 points. Also, they have a good chance of going to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1997. They are number seven ranked in the BCS standings which means if a few teams lost some games, they would be in the BCS title game. My personal thoughts of OSU are the same as always which is they are one of the best teams in the NCAA. I think they are under ranked because most teams cannot stop their offense. Most teams cannot stop Wells, along with the quickness of the wide receivers. Heisman candidate Mike Hart really didn't do much against the OSU defense which says a lot about the defensive performance tonight.

Next, the Purdue Boilermakers sucked again tonight. Coach Tiller needs to either quit or be fired. The only reason why the Boilers are over five hundred ever is because the weak schedule they seem to always have at the beginning of the season. I mean really, they play small colleges/big high schools for the first 5 games of the season and when they face a large school they get smoked. The fans start thinking every season that the Boilers actually may be something this year until an actual Big Ten school comes along. The Boilers played IU today and frankly got it handed to them. I heard somewhere that Coach Tiller called in Dorien Bryant into his office to tell him that it was important that Dorien made the clutch catches during the game. What just doesn't make sense to me is that Tiller doesn't even put the Boilers in shape to make clutch catches. I thought it was funny as I was walking around the Purdue campus that their are many fliers that say, www.firecoachtiller.com." You can obviously tell that the students at Purdue understand that Tiller sucks becuase Purdue does have talented players obviously, but Tiller just doesn't understand how to use them to their full potential. The Boilermakers needed to win tonight for the chance of a bowl game, although with their performance it doesn't look good. I am watching the game right now and there is about 6 minutes left in the game with Purdue trailing 24-10. I mean that really isn't a close game. Big deal if they score again and give the ball back to IU with 5 minutes left. You know that IU is going to be able to control the clock! If IU even gets into field goal range the game is over. I am curious to see the outcome of the game. FIRE TILLER!!!!!

Maybe this will help?

2007-11-16T10:42:00.000-08:00

So the worst team in the NFL, you’d think would have nothing to lose by added or drooping players. Of course I'm talking about the Miami Dolphins, who still after week nine have not one a single game and the future isn’t looking much better. They have to play the Bills and the Jets within these next four weeks. Both of those teams are in their division which will make those games will especially tough. They also have the second worst defense in the NFL. On average they give up almost 30 points a game. Now I know a little on football and I know that if your defense gives up that many points on defense your offense better be the best offense in the NFL if you want to win a game; which their offense is ranked 19th.

So to my main topic, they once again are letting Mr. Hippie, Pot smoking, Drug Head, Ricky Williams come back and start practice next Monday. Now Ricky was good in his prime, aka the days he didn’t smoke his brains out. Now there is no way that he can get back into the game and be such a dominant threat like he was in his college days and beginning years in the NFL. Now I got to give it to the guy, he really does want to play football, but I think he wants to do drugs more. This is now he’s second time coming back? C’mon, the guy has his priorities and I think he has chosen to smoke rather then carry a football. Now I could be totally judging this man for something he isn’t. He could now be a totally changed man and have his life going in the right direction but something tells me he’s going to fail another drug test and get suspended once more. Do I blame the Dolphins for try to pick up a player that once was a huge part of their offense? No, but I do question why they pick up a guy who has disrespected, and dishonored their program time and time again. So I wish the Dolphins the best of luck with Ricky, but don’t complain when he doesn’t show up for a game or practice because he is so baked and doesn’t know what day it is.

The ole' bucket game

2007-11-15T18:59:00.000-08:00

The Boilers play IU this weekend and I decided instead of giving you my pick that probably won't be anything like the real one. I am going give you a little history on the Bucket Game. The Oaken Bucket has been going on since 1925. The first Bucket was actually found in Southern Indiana and someone thought it would be a great thing to give to the victor of the game. The very first game that was played for the Bucket ended up in a tie, so they put both an I, and a P, on the Bucket. The Boilers have almost dominated the series, with winning the matchup 43 times and the Hoosiers only have 24. The bucket has also had a way of disappearing from both campuses, but always ended up showing back up. This matchup will most likely have the same results as previous years. Purdue is coming off a couple tough losses and I think Tiller has been really practicing his boys this week. I think IU will definitely put up a fight but like everyone says," they are a basketball school."

So I guess I lied in the beginning and I will throw out a score. I'm thinking that the score will be Purdue 35, IU 28. It could be a higher scoring game due to the fact that I think both of these teams don't have strong defenses, so there should be a lot of scoring. So when I’m down at Bloomington and us Boilers add another P to the chain. I'll walk up to each IU fan and tell em'. “Don't worry, you are a basketball school, no one expected you to win this.”

More injuries

2007-11-15T11:46:00.000-08:00

Along with the Colts, the Vikings may be in trouble too. Adrian Peterson, who is the number one running back in the league and the starting running back from the Vikings, is now out for the season because of an injury to his LCL. The LCL is one of the four ligaments on the knee that helps keep the knee together. People are not to familiar with injuries to the LCL, but people relate more the the term ACL or MCL injuries which are two of the other ligaments located in the same area. Adrian Peterson has ran for over a thousand yards already this year. The Vikings are in serious trouble because their offense struggles to get over 200 yards without Peterson. I think it will be fun to see how their future goes.

Washington Redskins wide receiver Brandon Lloyd is also out all season due to a broken collarbone. Lloyd is not as great of a player as Peterson, but the Redskins signed him to a multi year multi-million dollar contract. He has got into some trouble this season already this season after he missed a team meeting and was not allowed to travel to New York to play the jets. He only has two receptions this season which is pretty after being signed to a multi-million dollar contract. The Redskins are struggling this season because they had to sign someone to replace Lloyd. They signed Jimmy Farris, who is a player that was cut at the end of 2006 preseason. The Redskins still do have some serious talent in Antwaan Randle El, Keenen McCardell, and Reche Caldwell.

Overall I think the NFL has had more injuries this season compared to most. Almost the entire Colts team is on the injured reserve, and you can see star players popping up in the news about how they are hurt and are on the injured list. Kinda weird!

Colts in trouble

2007-11-14T17:11:00.000-08:00

The Indianapolis Colts may be in serious trouble. After being plagued by many injuries they lost one of their starting defensive linemen. Dwight Freeny, who is a three time pro-bowler for the Colts is out for the season after he injured his left foot. Simeon Rice has been promoted to take the highest paid defender in the league. During the San Diego game, the Colts were without seven starters and lost four more during the game. The Colt's were a team that could not have been beating because of the massive talent they brought to the field, but now with all of their key players on the injured list, their future could be in big trouble. The rest of the players on the injured list include pro-bowl safety Bob Sanders, wide receivers Marvin Harrison and Anthony Gonzalez, line backer Rob Morris, and the list goes on. The Colts are in serious trouble with all this talent sitting on the side lines. I think its a tough call to decide what the Colts future holds because some of the players may return to the field for the post season, although without Freeny or Harrison, the Colts will not go far. Hopefully Harrison will come back from his bruised knee so he can take some of the pressure off of Manning and Wayne. Many people say his presence is not a dramatic change in the game, although it is obvious on the field the way the defense lines up you can tell they do not have to worry about a spectacular catch from Harrison, so they can concentrate more on stopping Wayne.

Heisman Hopefulls

2007-11-14T11:33:00.000-08:00

The Heisman is the award that any football player wants to get at least once. It is the most honorable award, but equally as hard to get because there is always so many deserving athletes for this award every year. This upset will obviously be one of the toughest season to pick a Heisman winner. Names that were mentioned at the beginning of the season like Brian Brohm, Ray Rice, Steve Slaton, and John David Booty have totally droped out of the Heisman race. Those athletes have fallen either because their team has been losing, not living up to peoples expectations, and/or injury. Another main reason those names are not talked about anymore is because athletes that were somewhat unknown at preseason have exceeded peoples expectations week in and week out, and those athletes are Tim Tebow and Dennis Dixon.

1) Dennis Dixon 6'4" 200bs from the Oregon Ducks truely came out of no where for his senoir season. He was your average QB for a unranked team last year 2006 with 2,143 passed yards, 12 TDs, and 14 INTs giving him a not good QB rating of 120.68. This year he really came out and so did his team which really helps when you are in the Heisman race. People got first glipse of him when he destroyed Michigan 39-7. His combination of passing and rushing makes him very exciting and very hard for a defense to contain. As of now his stats are great with 2,074 passed yards, 20 TDs, and only 3 INTs, he has a QB rating of 163.10. That makes him one of the most valueable QBs and the front runner for the Heisman.

2) Tim Tebow 6'3" 235lbs from Florida Gators is another great QB coming up and he is only a sophomore. His stats are also great with 2,532 passed yards, 23 TDs, and 5 INTs he has a rating of 177.09. His stats are better than Dennis Dixon's, but he still sits closely behind him in the Heisman race. One reason is he is a sophomore and voters always know that can vote for him next year. Second reason is his team has three losts and Heisman winners don't usually come from teams with over two losts. Even though Tim Tebow is better on paper than Dennis Dixon, he has a few things Tim wants; 2 less losts, 2 less interceptions, and #2 ranked team.

GAME OF THE CENTURY...but not really

2007-11-13T09:29:00.000-08:00

Duke at Notre Dame looks to set up two of the best teams...with a one and nine record. Funny thing is usual Juggernaut ND is playing this grotesque game on national TV as they always do, on commercial crazy NBC. Notre Dame has been nothing short of a disappointment this season. They lost the winning streak to Navy on their way to losing to both academies they play this year. They have zero offense which results in the defense looking bad having to not only play an enormous amount of plays but also try to make up for the offense's mistakes.

Enough of the negatives, I am going to try to find some positives out of this bunch. Okay, here goes...

They look to have some good, young talent in Golden Tate, who should be on every offensive and special team play as he has made all the offensive highlights this year. Duval Kamara has also looked pretty talented in the games of late. I also believe that if the offense gave the defense any help whatsoever, the D could be a pretty solid unit. Darrin Walls has a ton of talent that is just waiting to be complemented by a whole defense along with fellow CB Raeshon McNeil. It looks as if Sophomore Eric Maust is going to be a pretty solid substitution for preseason All-American punter Geoff Price. Two people I will be sad to see go are D-Lineman Trevor Laws and LB Maurice Crum Jr. They have made pretty much all the big plays this season and have tried their hardest to keep this thing together. James Aldridge is looking to be the star back in what now seems to be an offense with no air attack. Oops, another negative, ahh screw it. Jimmy Clausen has proved to be inconsistent and unable to get to speed with the college game. I just hope QB recruit Dane Crist is ready to go right away. I also disagree with Weis showing disrespect to a junior QB who has paid his dues in Evan Sharpley, maybe there is some sort of back-story I do not know. From what I see, however, Evan is the better QB. It's just that Weis has been Clausen's personal butt buddy ever since his Hollywood entrance to downtown South Bend a couple of Aprils ago. Just my opinion, like I said there could and probably is something I do not know.

So that's that, some musings for the common Notre Dame fan, and some entertainment for the common Notre Dame hater.

Sad weekend

2007-11-12T15:42:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was a hard one for me to watch football. I had only one of my picks come true and my two teams didn't come up with a win. The Boilers once again didn't seem like themselves. They just didn't play the football that they were capable of playing. Curtis Painter actually played a decent game on the ground, showing that he was a versatile quarterback, scoring two touchdowns on running plays. Passing he threw for over 300 yards, but still struggled with two picks and only one TD pass. The special teams were a little shaky as well and the defense didn't play like we needed them to. So, the Boilers play IU this weekend at Bloomington, and they really could use the win and come home once again with the Oaken Bucket.

My poor Colts, it's like watching a depleted army go against a whole nation and almost pull out the win, but in the end your reliable sniper, aka Mr. Adam. Misses the "shot" and the whole army gets destroyed. Now, I know that’s a horrible comparison but the Colts have some serious problems. They don't have three of their starting receivers. Last game both tackles went out of the game. Dwight Freeney went out of the game, with what I hope was just a minor sprain or a twists and only brought 17 players for their offense. That’s pathetic. Peyton had a really tough game. He threw 6 intercepts in all. I know it might sound bias because I’m a Colts fan but I got to believe that he threw the majority of those because he didn't have any receivers to catch the ball. Now, given six is a hell of a lot of intercepts, but a couple of those were outstanding catches like the one that Chargers cornerback pulled down. I just hope next weekend vs. the Chiefs we can get some of our starters back and pull out a win.

Heisman Race

2007-11-10T18:06:00.000-08:00

As the Heisman race continues, five players begin to stick out. These five players are: Dennis Dixon, Pat White, Mike Hart, Matt Ryan, and Darren McFadden.

1. Dennis Dixon: The quarterback from Oregon over all knows the game. He comes into the games well prepared and executes well. His arm is great as he has thrown for a little over 2000 yards with only 3 picks. He is the kind of quarterback that can throw and also run. He has ran for 549 yards and 8 touchdowns. I do not think he is number one to get the Heisman Trophy, although many do.

2. Pat White: The West Virginia quarterback is explosive. His speed reminds me a little of Mike Vick along with his passing capability. His performance is what makes the West Virginia offense work. I think the respect that the team gives him, along with his performance is what has given this Junior the position he is in with the race.

3. Mike Hart: The running back from Michigan is a tank. His running style reminds me of Barry Sanders from the Lions because his explosive speed, and his ability to switch directions so quickly. I think either Mike or Darren should win without a doubt.

4. Matt Ryan: The quarterback from Boston College really hasn't impressed me with his performance, although his stats have a different view. Throwing for a little under 3000 yards so far with twenty-one touchdowns is pretty impressive. I do not think he is a big contender in the race because of the flashiness of McFadden and Hart.

5. Darren McFadden: Overall my favorite to win the Heisman, he is a rusher from Arkansas. After his performance against South Carolina last week, his chances improved drastically. He really impresses me with his knowledge of when and how to cut back and forth. I predict he will be in New York holding the trophy.

BCS Mess

2007-11-10T15:57:00.002-08:00

The BCS is once again in shambles as the number one team went down 28-21 in The Ohio State University. Not only this but it was to an unranked Illinois team, on top of that they lost at the Horseshoe. So what does this do to the national championship picture? Well, it messes it up pretty bad. The only team that is undefeated from a BCS conference is Kansas and many people would say they are overrated at number four. I don't think you should argue with an undefeated team. Another team that is undefeated is Hawaii who looks to pull a Boise State and shake up the BCS world once again.

Question is, with this wacky of a college football season who deserves to get into the national championship? Lets look at some of the potential candidates...

LSU: They will go to the NC if they win out. They have a big game with Arkansas at the end of the year that will decide their fate. Their only trip up was a game at Kentucky.
Oregon: They look to be set up pretty well today with the loss of OSU. But I think they are depending on Kansas to lose one of their games in order for them to have a chance.
Kansas: If they win out they WILL go to the NC. They have a tough road to get there though. Including a matchup today at Oklahoma State, then a big showdown with Missouri in the last game. If they win those then they will play in the Big 12 Championship which is likely to set them up with an Oklahoma Sooner team.
Speaking of Oklahoma: They have shot as well. They will need some help though. If they do win out it will be against some good opponents as they will meet in the Big 12 Championship as I referred to earlier.
Ohio State: They are down, but not out. This loss today really hurts but look for a good game against Michigan next week. The winner of this game will go to the Rose Bowl, at least. OSU will need a ton of help though.

UPSET Watch

2007-11-10T13:12:00.000-08:00

After looking at this weekends schedule and knowing the latest trend is a unseen upset. I see a few games the shout upset. I feel there should be less upsets because teams high up on in the ranking should really have their eyes open and on their guard week in and week out. But I also feel upset are even more likely to happen because all teams weather winning or losing record want to go out with a bang and possible get themselves on the map for next year.

1) The first upset I am calling is kind of a easy one to see and it is California over USC. Both these teams are really going though some rough times. Both at one time were ranked number 2, but were beat by unranked teams in very big upsets. Coming from #2 Cal. dropped three lost in a row leaving themselves unranked and playing for there pride in this game against USC. USC had a embarrassing lost to Stanford when they were #2 going on and having a struggle win against Arizona, then losing against the great Oregon Ducks this season. These teams are very evenly matched with their dominating offenses but I feel Cal. will take this one in a close game with a one possession one so I'm predicting 35-28.

2) The second upset I am calling is a hard one but i can really see it happening is Illnois over Ohio State. Illnois i feel is the third best team in the Big Ten right now. Illnois runs that spread offense that Ohio State have yet to see this year. Ohio State has the best defense in the Big Ten, but with this spread offense Illnois presents Ohio State defense could fall apart. If Ohio State cannot contain this QB and RB combination Illnois will run all over them. Look for this to be a high scoring action packed game. This one will come down the last snap and i predict Illnois 28-24

What a weekend for Big Ten Football.

2007-11-09T14:47:00.000-08:00

So this weekend is going to be a fun one in the Big Ten. We have a lot of key match ups and I’m going to go over a couple of them and describe why it will be key for each team to pull out a win.

1) Lets start with my boys in West Lafayette, the boilers. Purdue is coming off a loss and needs to rebound if they still want a shot at another bowl game. They will be playing Michigan State, which has had a so-so season. They are now 5-5 overall and 1-5 in the Big Ten conference play. So they are playing for pride now. They probably won't make a bowl game and they won't for sure if they lose this weekend. So both teams have to win this weekend to keep that bowl appearance alive. The prediction on this one would have to be Purdue 27, Michigan State 17.

2) Ok so we have the Michigan Wolverines going to the Badgers home in Wisconsin to play another a big game. Michigan once again is at the top of the Big Ten with the Buckeyes, so they must win if they want a chance to play Ohio State, next weekend for the Big Ten title. If they do lose this weekend it’s almost a given that the Buckeyes will repeat as the Big Ten title winners. The Badgers need the win for a respectable Bowl appearance, plus this being the Badgers last home game the seniors should have something to prove by not letting the Wolverines come into their stadium and beat them. I'm thinking the score on this one is going to be a close one and I’m thinking the Badgers will come up with the upset and win 24 to 21.

3) The last match, which could be the biggest of this weekend, would have to be the Ohio State and Illinois game. Ohio State has so much on this game its unreal. They have not only the Big Ten title on the line, but they also have their shot at the National title on this game as well. They have to win out the rest of their games if they want to have a shot at the National title and Illinois is going to be the one to stop that chance. Illinois needs this win because if they do they would now have a shot at sharing the Big Ten title with Michigan and Ohio State. Now it would be slim that this would happen but if everything feel into place they could achieve the title, but first they would have to beat Ohio State. My prediction on this game would have to be Ohio State, 35, Illinois 21.

Colts vs Chargers

2007-11-09T11:42:00.000-08:00

Like I have said all year, LT cannot be stopped, only contained. This week San Diego Chargers face the Indianapolis Colts. To be honest, the Colts have a great defense although LT is really a tough runner to stop. He threatens the Colts in more than just one aspect because if they clog up the middle, LT could run around the edges, although if they spread the LB's then he could run straight up the gut. I think the Colts do have enough talent on defense to overpower LT if they can read the play right.
Other than LT, the Chargers have Antonio Gates, which is a hell of a player, although the Colts offense when Marvin is playing is unstoppable. The Chargers were thought of being one of the top five teams in the NFL until they lost to Minnesota although if they beat the Colts they will be back in the race. As everyone knows, the Colts did lose last week which you can look at two ways. Either one, they will throw in the towel and give up on the season, or two, they will be pissed off and out for blood. This is easy to explain which one they will be! With Quarterback Peyton Manning, you know he is going to fire everyone up and make sure they are all on the right page to pull off the win. Every team has hiccup's like the Colts did last week but as long as they can get those out, I think they will be just fine against the Chargers. I see this game being close towards the beginning, but then Peyton will blow the game open.

Instant Explosive

2007-11-08T19:27:00.000-08:00

Throughout the NFL you will find a team with a guy who could just take a game over by himself. No, I'm not talking about a Tom Brady or a Peyton Manning. I'm talking about a guy who with him and no one else can turn the course of a game around by himself. Guys to the likes of the Bears' Devin Hester, who's game changing kick returns have kept them and won the Bears many games in his early career. Another is Adrian Peterson who seems to make plays by himself either running over people or running through a potential tackler. On the defensive side of the ball you have a guy like Bob Sanders who can, at times, seem like he is everywhere on the defensive side of the ball.

Devin Hester has been a star since he came into the league out of Miami U. He has nine touchdowns in only two years, eight of those coming from his specialty: Returning the football. Some one has joked before that it is ill advised to give Hester a present because he will probably just return it. The guy is a game breaker plain and simple.

Adrian Peterson is another one of those young guys in the league that have made an instant impact. His last game says it all. Just a rookie he broke the single game rushing record with 296 yards against a Charger defense. He made the Chargers look stupid with his breaking of tackles and just pure speed to beat defenders to the end zone. He looks to be on his way to being one of the best RB's ever. Many would argue he is the top RB in the league right now, AS A ROOKIE!

Bob Sanders the only defensive game breaker I have listed can take over a game. His endless game changing plays have turned the 'mo' back to the Colts favor in many games. In only his fourth season he has already racked up 149 solo tackles and three INT's. Another joke I have heard is that "75% of the world is covered by water, the rest is covered by Bob Sanders."

Comical yet true.

The End is Starting to Shape Up

2007-11-06T12:02:00.000-08:00

It is officially the half way point of the NFL. The end has come in a less fuzzy view as many teams have shown enough for us to get a clear view of what kind of team they really are. Teams like the Patriots and Colts have shown they are the elite of the elite. A close loss definitely does not count out the Colts from this category as many would argue their loss this past weekend was a late game melt down.

After the two of the elite of the elite there are teams that can both win and lose any given Sunday. Don't get me wrong though these teams know how to win. Dallas and Green Bay rise to the top of this particular category as they have shown week after week that they are both very good at covering up for their flaws. The Steelers, another among this category, showed their muscle on Monday night by obliterating the Ravens on a dingy night Pittsburgh. After the upper echelon of this category leaves a few others in the playoff hunt toward the end of the season.

First the New York Giants. They have maybe the best defensive front in the league with both big name players in Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan with two less known individuals on the rise in Notre Dame grad Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka. In addition to this solid Defensive front is a very balanced offensive attack starring QB Eli Manning, RB Brandon Jacobs, and WR Plaxico Burress. The Detroit Lions have also made some noise as I highlighted in an earlier post. Read that and you should be able to find out a good idea of the great things going on in Mo-town. The upstart Tennessee Titans are the final of the 6-2 teams in the league. They have a franchise quarterback in Vince Young that has led them both through his athletic ability and leadership skills. One thing that many people have learned from the Titans is that Lendale White is a prime time running back. His numbers are comparable to those of Reggie Bush.White has 613 rushing yards on the season with 5 TD's to Reggie's 434 yards rushing and 5 overall TD's.

The other teams that look to make some noise come playoff time are the surprising Cleveland Browns, the Jags, the Saints, Redskins, and Bucs. But as we have learned thus far in the college football season, football can provide many upsets and who knows who will have a shot at the championship come late January.

Still number two!!!

2007-11-06T11:36:00.000-08:00

I heard one of my buddies today who is a big Bronco's fan that the Colts should be dropped in the rankings because of their loss to the Patriot's on Sunday. That is ridiculous! How could a team that was undefeated coming into the game, all of the sudden drop in ranking because of a late game break down. The Patriot's did not deserve to win that game on Sunday after the poor performance from Brady throwing two interception's and many penalties against them, although I guess the sun shines on a dogs ass too. Also, if you watched the game at you, it is easy to see that since Harrison did not play, it was a lot easier for the Patriot's defense. They stopped the Colts many times because they could concentrate more on Wayne, Gonzalez, and Clark rather than having to put multiple defenders on Harrison. When Harrison heals up and comes off the injured list, I think the game would change drastically. Patriot's really did not impress me on Sunday, although they did get the win. As a Colt fan, we will let them have the win because post-season will be a different story.

The seasons not over yet

2007-11-05T09:31:00.000-08:00

So the colts aren't 8-0, it's not so bad. They still lead the AFC south and they still have a promising look on the rest of the season. One of the big reasons why they lost yesterday was the lack of depth that the colts had in their receivers. Addai ended up taking the blunt of the offense on his shoulders, were he went for 112 yards on the ground and another 114 yards receiving. Thanks for the shoulders Joe. The Colts didn't have Marvin Harrison in the game and this really does limit the amount of talent they have on the field. What I mean by this is that with Marvin out of the game Reggie Wayne is now the primary receiver. Wayne's good, but I don't think he is good enough yet to be the primary receiver. Also with Harrison’s absences the Colts now have to rely more on the rookie Gonzalez, and the slot receiver Clark, to come up and be a reliable receivers. Another reason why the Colts didn't win was it seemed as though Peyton was never comfortable the whole game. I mean yea he had his shinning moments, but for the majority of the game he seemed uneasy. Again a big factor of that would have to be the absences of Harrison. Without Harrison on the field the Patriots could play more of a zone defense and didn't really have to key on more then one person. Were if they did have Harrison they would have to worry about not only Harrison but also Wayne.

But like I said in the beginning it's not the end of the world. The colts will still make the playoffs. They will make it to the AFC championship game. The only bad thing is now they probably won't get home field advantage if they end up playing the Pats for the AFC championship. So Colts fans have no fear, still believe in your Colts, just this time around the Colts will have to disappoint the Patriots fans at New England.

Fantasy Football?

2007-11-03T18:50:00.000-07:00

Ok so another post about a thing that pisses me off. Fantasy Football, I know all of you are wondering why in the hell would i not like Fantasy Football. You all are saying its just a fun thing to do or it keeps me intested in the other football teams. Now thats alright i guess but the thing that gets me upset with it is that it has completely changed how people have watched the game of football. It has changed the way fans haved watched football because they no longer root for a team. They root for players, and not just players on one team. No, No, they root for certain players on different teams. Again you might be wondering why this is so bad, i feel that you should root for a team. Football is a huge team sport and should never be a single player sport. Now you do have your star athletes that tend to put themselves apart from others, but all in all its a team sport. So when you have people that only care about if one person on the team does well, it really does go against the team aspect of football.

Another reason i don't enjoy fantasy football is that when i did try it for the one year, i found myself not only cheering for the players and not the team. I also found myself at times hoping that a certain player would play well against my favorite team, just so i could get fantasy points. That was actually one of the huge reasons i don't "play" fantasy football any more. Now i could just be blowing smoke out of my behind but fantasy football has changed the ways fans have viewed the game and in a negative way.

Michigan is BACK

2007-11-03T14:00:00.000-07:00

Right now Michigan is riding on the best win streak besides the undefeated teams with seven straight wins since their first two lost at the beginning of the season. They are also undefeated in their conference along side their arch nemesis Ohio State. I said at the beginning if Michigan can beat all their next opponents after Oregon that can get into a BCS bowl mostly likely. Mike Hart really lead his and coach out of hell in a very sad 0-2 start. After all these upsets and Michigan's seven straight wins they have finally got themselves back in the ranking at #12 in the BCS standing and #15 in the AP top 25. As everybody can see alot of great teams this season have one, two, and in some cases three lost (Florida and Kentucky). Even #4 ranked Oregon who beat Michigan has a lost.

Right now Michigan has three games left, currently #1 Ohio State is at the end of the schedule. Which if things going as expected that will be the biggest Big 10 conference showdown this season and also decide a few positions in the final BCS standing. I believe Michigan can get to Ohio State still undefeated in the conference and beat Ohio State

Today they visit Michigan State for what sure should be another tough one. At this point in the season every next game is their most important game and a team is only as good as there last game. With Hart and Henne back from injury Michigan is strong and they control their own faith right now. On paper Michigan can and should beat Michigan State.

Ohio State is Untouchable

2007-11-03T13:55:00.000-07:00

I personally do not like Ohio State. I hate when people jump on a bandwagon because a certain team is doing good and then act like they have been rooting for them all along. I have to give props to OSU though because year in and year out, they do have a respectable football program and whether or not I want to admit it, they are untouchable this year.
Being ranked number 1 in the BCS, OSU has talent coming out of its ears. Today, Ohio State had a challenge ahead of them facing number twenty-one ranked Wisconsin. Number twenty-one doesn't sound to hot really, but Wisconsin has been hot lately and with a record of 7-3, OSU had to watch out for them!
The game was a pretty good game until the fourth quarter came along, and Wisconsin just flat couldn't handle OSU anymore. The game was tied up at the end of the third 17-17, but in the fourth quarter the Buckeyes outscored the Badgers 21-0. Ohio State running back Chris Wells scored three times in the second half, helping the Buckeyes overcome the tough time they were having with the Badgers. Wells is a tough running back with his explosive power, and his ability to change directions on a dime. He really impressed me today with his running ability. Not only did the offense impress me, the defense really had their game face on also. They held the Badgers to 12 yards on 37 attempts. I mean, that is ridiculous! How can a division one football team really rush the ball over three times more than the yards they pick up. Ohio States defense really came to play today!
I don't necessarily think the Badgers rank will really fall after the loss today because frankly, the Buckeyes are so good. If they can beat number twelve Michigan next week, their bowl game situation will improve. If they do not come out firing on all cylinders next week, their future will suffer severely. Ohio State has everything in the bag! They have a perfect season so far, and will most likely dominate the bowl game they qualify for. It really pisses me off that Ohio State can really be as good as they are although I guess they deserve their success.

Will This Be The End?

2007-11-02T17:02:00.000-07:00

The Notre Dame football team has a 43 game winning streak over Navy. Will it finally come to an end this coming Saturday when Navy comes to South Bend? That's what is on every body's mind who has to do with the two programs. Without a doubt this is the one year that ND is the most vulnerable in. If Navy is ever to play a good game in the next ten years this is it. The Irish have gotten so bad the news networks seem to have stopped talking about them. That's hard to do.

It's been 44 years since their last loss against Navy, think Ara. I think it will be a little bit tougher to crack the streak then what people think. Though the defense might not show it through statistics I do believe that their rush defense is probably the best of all categories. Though they give up more rushing then passing yards realize this: they get blown out of every game real quick. What does this mean? It means that after the first quarter and a half, the other team just runs the ball in an effort to coast to another easy victory after savagely beating the secondary. However, the Navy offense isn't really a pass heavy team, or even a light passing team. They are run, run, run. That's why I think the Irish will continue the streak and with the team getting older next year, the streak will go on for awhile. A low scoring affair will bring the final score to: 16-7 Irish.

Size is irrelevant!!!

2007-11-02T11:44:00.000-07:00

Most people know this weekend is one of the biggest games of the season in the NFL with the only two undefeated teams facing each other. Defending Superbowl Champions are facing the New England Patriots and while most people think the Patriots will win because of size and athletic ability, the Patriots have something in store.

5 foot 8 inch safety, Bob Sanders, from the Indianapolis Colts is the littlest guy on the field although his size has no reflection on his ability on the field. He reads the defense like a book, hits like a semi, and runs like a gazelle. Most critics say the Colts do not have big enough players. Even though the Colts may be undersized, the speed they bring to the field is incredible. Defensive lineman Dwight Freeny is not the biggest lineman in the NFL, nor the strongest, although he demands two to three blockers every time the ball is snapped because of his agility and speed. This opens up the rest of the lineman and also the linebackers to sneak in and get the quarterback because his presence. If the quarterback does get the pass in the air, he has to weave the ball through the secondary which includes Bob Sanders, Kelvin Hayden, and Antoine Bethea. The hard hitting of the Colts secondary intimidates most, and to be honest, the defensive work that they have done has really shown. It is obvious because of the ability to read the defense, and for a high percentage of the time, have most everyone covered.

Defense is not the only place the Colts are undersized. On offense, superstar Marvin Harrison is tiny. He is not super tall, cannot jump super high, and is not super strong, although he can run his route unlike anyone in the league and that is why he constantly brings many defenders on him. The defense is forced to cover Marvin, giving Reggie Wayne room to work to get himself a passing lane for Peyton to slide the ball through. This combination that the Colts have is unstoppable. The Patriots are really in trouble this weekend because I am sure the head coach Tony Dungy has prepared the Colts to dominate the Patiots.

Gotta love the fans

2007-11-02T11:36:00.000-07:00

So i was at a the Purdue, Northwestern game last saturday, peacefully watching the game. When all of the sudden some jackass 5 rows up shouts something at the field. Naturally i don't really pay attention, but he seems to be repeatingly shouting stuff. So as the game goes on i start to pick up on what he is saying and non of the comments he says make any sense. Now it could be that he was drunk, but this guy knew nothing of football and was talking as if he did. Example: So its 4th and 4 on Purdues own 35 yard line. Now, the last time the Boilers were stuck with 4th down the went for it. One big difference from that 4th down to this one was that the boilers were on Northwesterns 35 so it would have been a long field goal or a short punt, so going for the first down made sense then. So anyways this guy is just yelling at Joe Tiller saying he's such an idiot and he doesn't know how to coach. All i can think is this is one of those kids in high school that would rather sit in the stands with the girls then go on the field and play football or any sport for that matter. So thats just one example, another would be i was watching a bears game. Why i was watching a bears game i don't know, but thats beside the fact, so the team that they were playing wouldn't kick the ball to Devin Hester, for obvious reasons. So after the game i ask a friend, who happends to be Bears "fan", and ask him what he thought of the game. Thinking that he would give me a some what respectable answer he stats,"man i wish the other kicker wouldn't have kicked so bad, would could have used Devin Hester." I just put my head down and walked away. So i might just be the only one who hates this but if not i'd love to hear about other dumb a$$ fans who know so much about football.

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

2007-10-30T13:42:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-29T18:56:00.000-07:00

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!!!!!

2007-10-27T16:41:00.000-07:00

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)

2007-10-27T16:38:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-27T14:19:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-25T20:33:00.001-07:00

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

2007-10-25T08:54:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-24T19:06:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-23T17:06:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-20T20:43:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-20T18:15:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-19T20:56:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-10-19T15:55:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-19T12:01:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-10-18T17:57:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-10-18T13:54:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-10-17T11:46:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-13T19:51:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-13T13:34:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-12T20:20:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-12T18:03:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-12T14:15:00.001-07:00

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'

2007-10-11T11:31:00.001-07:00

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

2007-10-10T11:52:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-09T20:47:00.001-07:00

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

2007-10-09T16:29:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-08T12:13:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-06T18:49:00.001-07:00

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

2007-10-06T14:48:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-05T18:20:00.001-07:00

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

2007-10-05T15:58:00.000-07:00

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?

2007-10-05T11:25:00.001-07:00

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

2007-10-04T20:21:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-03T16:28:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-02T15:57:00.000-07:00

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?

2007-10-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

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.

So...Ready to Start Your Season?

2007-09-29T19:00:00.000-07:00

Finally, five weeks into the season Purdue is lined up with a formidable opponent. Cruising to an easy 5-0 record thus far they really haven't had a challenge yet this season. The scores may have been close in the end but if you were watching you would know that they have not been in any imminent danger of losing any game this season.

So if you tune into your television sets this coming Saturday at 8 pm you will find yourselves watching what might be the Big Ten Championship. Yep, I said it this weekend could prove to be the crowning of the Big Ten Champion. Let's look at how I came to this conclusion.

The boilers have looked spectacular on offense, sluggish on defense. So if they prove this weekend to be a the real deal and beat a top ten team in OSU they will put themselves in the driver seat in the Big Ten Championship run. Purdue will go on to play Michigan, Iowa, Northwestern, PSU, MSU, and IU. Michigan: inconsistent, especially with a confusing attack that the Boilers have. Iowa: lost to IU so, well, that kind of explains itself. Northwestern: lost to Duke who before had the nation's longest losing streak. PSU: down in the dumps and looks to not be climbing out anytime soon. MSU: decent team that lost a tough one today to Wisconsin. IU: they are IU. So with a clean a road that is possible in the Big Ten awaits Purdue after OSU, the Boilers have a good chance to be champions. The only trouble is, is the slight chance of either Illinois or Wisconsin going undefeated in the Big Ten as well (one will lose as they play each other this year).

It will be a tough road but so long as Purdue takes it one game at a time and their defense improves, watch out Big Ten.

2007-09-29T14:06:00.000-07:00

Notre Dame this year has been having a less than average season. Coming into the game today 0-4, the worst in schools history, Notre Dame really did not have much to lose. Although, Purdue coming into the game 4-0, did have something to prove because many people think of Purdue's schedule as weak and that is why they have won the season's first four games. During previous season starts, the Notre Dame versus Purdue game is really a measuring stick of whether or not Purdue is going to be good this year. Notre Dame is normally a powerhouse, although this year they are awful. The game today really wasn't a measuring stick and from my eyes was a bad game for Purdue to play. To be honest, I thought Purdue was going to lose the game today because Notre Dame really did not have any pressure on them and Purdue really needed to win.
Purdue did pull it out controlling the game from the very beginning. To me it seemed like Notre Dame was playing catch up the whole game after going into the locker room at half time being down 23-0.
In the second half, they came back fighting. They only scored once in the third quarter, but in fourth they had two touchdowns. The Irish really have improved since the beginning of the year, although they have a long way to go. ND quarterbacks showed some improvements today throwing for three touchdowns and really putting the ball on the mark in all three of those. Notre Dame still had a chance with only 7:58 still to go in the game only being down by 7 points, but that was it. Purdue then score again with 5:33 sealing the victory. Curtis Painter played well today, although he threw for 2 interceptions. I think against a top ranked team like Ohio State that could prove to be fatal. I also think the key for Notre Dame's loss today was missing the 2 pats, and also the penalties. They had 11 penalties for 110 yards. If they hadn't lost all the yards, I think it would have been a lot closer game. Overall Notre Dame has shown a lot of improvement, but once again, Purdue is too much of a match for them. Maybe Notre Dame should try playing a high school team to get their spirits up, or maybe not because it's possible they would get beaten by them also.
Purdue plays Ohio State next and Curtis Painter needs to come out and perform better than what he did today. His decision making was good other than those two interceptions, although Ohio States defense will give him some problems that he has yet to see this year. My prediction for next week is that Purdue will win because they are in a "winning-groove", and also because the coaches will prepare them for the biggest game on their schedule.

Drew Brees

2007-09-28T13:24:00.000-07:00

Something many people don't really get to experience is a famous person that went to a school really giving back to that school. Now everyone at Purdue can know what that feeling is like because Drew Brees, who plays for the New Orleans Saints, gave 2 million dollars to Purdue to help aid the building of The Brees Center. The Brees Center is a student-athlete academic center that is being built by Mackey Arena. It is now only 6,000 square feet but after construction ends in 2011, it will be around 11,000 square feet.
I personally think it was amazing for Drew to give back to Purdue, because if it wasn't for Purdue, he would have never been given the opportunity to earn that money. Also, it is a great way to spend the money because he will be furthering the education of college students for many many years.

Ass Whooping in Order

2007-09-28T10:58:00.000-07:00

First lets start with the Boilermakers in their soon to be one-sided victory over the Fighting Irish. As we know, Notre Dame is not doing very good with a record of 0-4, and on the flip side Purdue is doing great with a record of 4-0. ND has a weak offensive with a rookie QB, but I'm sure Jimmy Clausen well be really good come some years. Their defense is better than their offense, but still lacking in so many ways. They need a miracle to win this one (slight overstatement).

The Boilermakers are doing great so far this year with an almost perfect offensive. Our defense has a some holes, but we are working on it. I'm not a defensive cordinator, but I'm always good for a good blitz package 4-3 or 4-4 formation to totally stop the rush and put pressure on the QB in hopes for a sack, fumble, or bad pass. Thats where the corner backs and safety have to really alert up in case the QB gets the pass off early and thats where they must at least swap the ball down. But they also need to be heads up for the bad pass because thats their pick. I am predicting an ass whooping on a minor level for Purdue vs. ND, 33-7.

Another game is Michigan versus some school called Northwertern. N'Western is just a small road block for Michigan. They are just about outdone on every level of the game. Michigan is looking to light up the score board on many trips to the red zone. I don't know much about N'Western, but their stats show that they are outclassed on passing and rushing. And if their QB is not mobile with his feet, look for him getting sacked a number of times with a good chance of a fumble or bad pass into a Michigan pick.

In this game look for my man Mike Hart rushing about 200-230 yards, 3TDs, and something around a 40 to 50 long. Ryan Mallett in this game can complete around 65% of his passes and maybe a another TD to his name. Arrington and Manningham should be the main recievers in this one. I am predicting a serious ass whooping on a major level, 61-3.

The 2007 'Quarterback Shuffle'

2007-09-27T10:39:00.000-07:00

The 1985 Chicago Bears were doing the 'Super Bowl Shuffle.' As for this years Chicago Bears' team, they aren't doing a good one. Three games into the season and they are cutting the man who they continually thought would improve but didn't.

Rex Grossman lost his starting spot this week due to terrible play thus far in the season. His totals on the season include a 52.8 completion percentage, a measly one touchdown to six interceptions. Lovie Smith finally gave into what many in the public thought is way overdue, a 'quarterback shuffle.'

Replacing Grossman is Brian Griese who hasn't started a game since 2005. He remarked on this saying it was a good thing because his body "feels great" as he chuckled a bit. A renowned backup around the league and with the Bears the past two seasons, Griese looks to get the Bears on the right track.

I believe that this move should have been done long before this. Rex has been given numerous chances to prove himself. All he has proved to be is inconsistent and bad at calling a game. Griese comes into this next game, against the Lions, with a chance to prove that he indeed should be the signal caller of this team. The Bears are by no means out of the playoff race. So, the fact that this change was made relatively early in the season gives Griese a chance to get his bearings, no pun intended, and right the ship.

This weekend is a good one for Griese to start off with. The Lions have a terrible defense and gave up 56 points last week to a downtrodden Donovan McNabb and Co. So as long as Griese doesn't try to do it all himself, hand the ball off a bit, and give the team a chance both him and the Bears should do all right.

I see the game as whoever wins between the Lions Defense and the Bears Offense will win the game. Those two units are the inconsistent ones thus determining the outcome. The Bears D versus the Lions O will also be entertaining, both being very skilled and talented. As for my prediction, with the Lions coming out on top 28-27. Also, look for the Lions homefield crowd coming into effect with the quarterback change.

Better Bring It

2007-09-27T07:18:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I’m so pumped for the Boilermakers game this Saturday. They are going to be hosting the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. This game is always one of the biggest rivals that Purdue faces. The game seems to always be sold out and the fans go crazy.

The Irish have not won a game this year and that's what scares me. To most that wouldn't be a scary thing but a team that hasn't won a game is very, very hungry for a win. So Notre Dame coming into Ross Ade this Saturday is going to be an interesting game. Now, I really hope that Purdue blows out Notre Dame like the other four teams did, but the thing that scares me is that Purdue will go into this game thinking that Notre Dame will just roll over and Painter will go for another 300 yard passing game.
I just hope that the Irish's season does not make a change for the better this weekend. It would be an embarrassment to the Purdue Football organization for the rest of the season. Purdue would be known as the team that got Notre Dame back on track. Now given that the next three games that Notre Dame plays after Purdue aren't the easiest, UCLA, Boston College and then number one USC, but a win against a big rival will give them the confidence they need going into these games.

So this Saturday I’ll be decked out in my Purdue gear and cheer till my voice goes dead. I'll wake up early and send up a prayer up to Touchdown Jesus and pray that the Boilermakers come to play, because if they don't, Notre Dame will come in starved for a win and might just upset the Boilers.

OJ

2007-09-26T16:05:00.000-07:00

As I posted earlier about O.J. first getting away with murder, and then committing armed robbery, viewers suggested that if a player were to be inducted into the hall-of-fame, off the field actions could change their inductance into the HOF(hall-of-fame). The thought of the comment was stated almost as a punishment if the player did not hold up to living a "perfect" life.
The idea isn't necessarily a bad thought, although I think a players performance on the field versus what they do off the field shouldn't matter. As an example: say a player came and just demolished all records, like a Michael Jordan of the NFL. Every little kid wants to be the athlete. He has every endorsement deal, he has everything he would ever want. He is the stud on the field and everyone looks at him as a god. Then all the sudden he decides to go on a rampage and do something against the law. Those actions should not be looked at after he has been inducted. The player had to work hard for his spot in the HOF, so that player should be awarded for his work ethic and his ability to perform under pressure. The player through his time in the NFL was successful in many ways because of the role model he was to the younger children wanting to be like him. My opinion of success is not how much money you have, or how many materialistic items you have, but how many lives you can change while doing what you do best.
People are not perfect although when your a star in a popular sport, or when everyone is critiquing your life, the expectations of you are raised higher because everyone wants you to fail. So when the athlete does fail, everyone can drop the hammer on him and say ya, he wasn't as good as everyone thought. He made a mistake, therefore he doesn't deserve any of the awards he worked his ass off for. That is not fair to the athlete because whether he did or did not break the law, he did something great for the league, and overall, he changed many young peoples lives because he proved no matter what the odds were against him, he pursued his dream and didn't let anyone stop him. O.J. had a dream to be in the NFL and set many records, and that is what he did. Just because he broke the law doesn't give anyone the right to take something away from him that he earned and deserves.

Reporter Crossing The Line?

2007-09-24T21:51:00.000-07:00

I always love a good coach blow up, who doesn't. They are hilarious. Who can forget Dennis Green's famous line "They are who we thought they were" or his "And we let 'em off the hook." How can you not remember John L. Smith Slapping himself mimicking Charlie Weis, enroute to Smith's firing last season. I mean they make commercials out of 'em, see Dennis Green. Well, it happened again this week, another coach blow up. That's right Oklahoma State Head Coach Mike Gundy blew up in a press conference this past weekend after a win over Texas Tech. The most ironic thing about it is the game had nothing to do with it. The enraged coach was shouting because of a reporter that may have crossed 'the line.'

Jenni Carlson is a sports reporter for The Oklahoman who recently wrote a column about Oklahoma State Quarterback Bobby Reid. The article's main basis was the Quarterback change in OK State's depth chart. But what she said in the article may have crossed the personal line. In the article she noted happenings off the field that she cited as reasons for the change. Included in the off field activities noted:

Reid's mom feeding him chicken
Reid being nervous before every game
Calling Reid out about pouting to coaches
Using unproven rumors of Reid's transfer
Making accusations that he has "sat it out instead of gutting it out" (referring to the numerous injuries throughout Reid's career)

Then Carlson goes on to degrate him even more saying, "A 21-year-old letting his mother feed him in public? Most college kids, much less college football players, would just as soon be seen running naked across campus." All these add up to the perfect storm.

Thats when Coach Mike Gundy took over...

Gundy struck back, defending his player. Gundy told the reporter that she had crossed the line and that if she wants to attack someone, attack him. He was also angry about the fact that she was noting off field activities about a player who has worked hard, dealt with the media very well, and is a very good person. Gundy would later say, or yell, that she does not know how it feels to be Reid because she has never had kids. If she were to experience a son, or daughter, coming home crying because he/she was personally attacked that she'd know. It was clear that he was most furious about her attacking an amatuer athlete and his off-field behavior.

So was this one of those once in a blue moon times where a press conference blow up was actually the right thing to do? Was Gundy right?

I say absolutely. That shows tremendous support if a coach stands up for a player that may have not been doing so hot of late. It will bring together a team, bring up the player, and show an obvious crossing of the line by a reporter. It's one thing to comment on a players on field activities, whether good or bad, but don't dig up personal dirt on an athlete, let alone an amateur one.

They're at it again!

2007-09-24T16:55:00.000-07:00

So the Indianapolis Colts are at it again. They start yet another three and 0 season. This is now the third straight season that they have acomplished this task. The last game against the titans really showed how tough the colts are this season. It started out with the titans running back the opening kick off. When they did this i was thinking to myself, "ok boys, its time to see if you got what its made of." The Colts then got the ball back and made an impressive drive and scored with ease. The Texans then kicked a field goal and the Colts scored again and never looked back.

The Colts have now won games in many different ways. They have blown out the Saints with a score of 41-10. They have also Won the close one. Both against the Titans and Texas. So they can play both the nail bitter and the ass whoopin.

The next couple weeks for the Colts doesn't look to challenging but are still goin to play teams that are 2 and 1. Another great advantage to the next two weeks is that they will be playing at home, which is one of the loudest buildings to play in. Then after those two weeks they get their bye week.

The colts are playing some very tough football. They are fourth in both points scored and total offense and ranked fifth in total defense. If the colts keep this up they are in good contintion of making another appearance in the Super Bowl.

When Will USC Slip?

2007-09-22T20:07:00.000-07:00

USC is the definition of a college football powerhouse of the current era. They recruit, play, and win like champions. When are they going to slip this year though? A vastly improved PAC-10 suggests that they are most likely to on a trip to Berkley and a match up with California.

Thus far this season USC has dominated the likes of Idaho, Washington State, and Nebraska with only the latter being somewhat of competition. The combined points for all three games is a lot to a little, with the points scored being 133 to a meager 55 points.

This year is a little different then years past, however. The pacific ten is so much improved then years past that USC has little room for error. You may remember in years past USC would maybe get down in the first quarter, then finally awake in the proceeding quarters and dominate the game. That's not going to fly this year. If USC doesn't come awake to the game, they aren't going to win. Hopefully they will come with a Midwest like work mentality then a Californian surfer dude to every game, for their sake.

Ranked opponents among the PAC ten include: Oregon and California. Let's not forget however that UCLA was in the top 15 and Arizona is an extremely improved team. Arizona State also seems to bring their pass offense while playing PAC-10 games.

So look out USC and don't flinch. Because if you do, you'll slip.

Michigan State Spanks ND

2007-09-22T16:19:00.000-07:00

Notre Dame once again loses this weekend against Michigan State. This makes the Irish 0-4, the worst ever in the schools history. I mean really, how bad do you have to be to come from being a powerhouse last year, into a horrible team. Is it the coaching? Is it the players? Is it just bad luck? Well, I think its a combination of all three, mostly being inexperience and lack of confidence with the players.
In the first quarter, the game was thought of as a turn around for the Irish, coming out and drawing blood first with the touchdown of Travis Thomas. I thought that the Irish were finally going to get a win on the board. If a team that is normally a top 25 in the nation caliber starts out 0-3, you know the players are going to be at eachothers' throats trying to figure out why they are losing. And if the team happens to be a collegiate team, you know those players are going to turn that negative atmosphere around and break their backs to get a win on the board. Anyway, about the first quarter, Michigan State has a drive and with 7:05 in the first quarter left, they put 7 points on the board. Then with only :22 seconds left in the first quarter, the Spartans score again.
In the second quarter, Michigan State kicks a field goal making the score 17-7. Then Notre Dame decides to put their game face on and move the ball down field to score putting them within striking distance. Going into half time with the score being 17-14, everyone is thinking will Notre Dame come out and be the powerhouse they are known through the years of being, or will they come out and choke?
Well come to find out, the Irish come out after half time and choke letting the Spartans score twice in the third quarter. The final score of the game was 31-14, although the scoreboard doesn't say the truth. The truth is, Notre Dame's performance really wasn't that bad one offense with Jimmy Clausen throwing 7/13 and James Aldridge rushing for 104 yards. The problem with the Irish today was the defense.
The defense could not stop the Spartans from scoring, especially when the offense worked so hard before halftime to cut the lead to three points. Michigan State only were stopped 5 times the entire game while the Irish were stopped 9. For a team to convert all but 5 times in an entire game is ridiculous. There is a slim chance of winning if a team can put points on the board all but 5 times they have the ball, especially when they hold the other team to punting the ball 9 times.
Overall the game had potential although Notre Dame doesn't have a defense. Notre Dame's defense may possibly be compared to high school defenses around the state. Next week Purdue faces Notre Dame which for Purdue is a lose lose situation because if Purdue wins then the talk is big deal, you beat an 0-4 team. Although, if they lose, then the hype about Purdue is they had three weak teams, and they could not even beat an 0-4 Notre Dame.

STOP the hatred against Texas

2007-09-22T13:59:00.000-07:00

Now recently i been hearing from the big guys at ESPN that the Texas Longhorns does not belong in the top 10 college football rankings. As of now Texas is 3-0 Colt McCoy is throwing for about 240 yards a game and Jamaal Charles is rushing for about 130 yards a game. And if McCoy is throwing like he is his recievers like Nate Jones must be catching good too. Their defense is doing ok but they are a work in progress (they're still owning their own). The big guys at ESPN feel teams behind them in ranking must be much better and that close game against UCF made them look bad. To me a win is a win and yes sometimes you can have bad performance even in winning, but that doesnt mean at team should go down in ranking just because that didn't destroy a unranked team. Just today 3rd ranked Florida only beat Ole Miss. by six points. Florida should have destroyed them remember Ole Miss is unranked. ESPN better get on Florida about that preformance.
I believe Texas can go far this year and get to that championship bowl game or at least the next biggest one. The only team in their way is Oklahoma and if they can beat them the rest should be no problem. What Texas needs to do is out score them on the offense. That means scoring everytime they have the ball either TD or Field Goal. Then put a good blitz package on the Oklahoma's QB Sam Bradford. Hopefully causing a early interception and not letting Oklahoma get their great offense rolling, and as long as Texas does give up a premature turnovers on the offense they should score on most of their drives.

Old Man Flynt

2007-09-22T12:41:00.000-07:00

So this article caught my eye the other day.http://www.ncaafootball.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=37&url_subchannel_id=&url_article_id=10011&change_well_id=2. The article is about a man named Mike Flynt. He is a 59 year old man with a 19 year old heart. He used to play on the Sul Rose State footbal team, but was kicked out of the school before the 1971 season because of fighting. He now, some 36 years later is playing on the team that he was once kicked off of. He has not just been getting old, he has been keeping in shape, due to the fact that he has been a weight lifting coach. Plus, has also invented his own weight lifting equiptment. The equipment is called the PowerBase.http://www.powerbasefitness.com/index.htm. He has not played in the last couple of games due to his shoulder and leg problems. He did suited up last week but again did not play. The fans even pulled out the whole "Rudy" thing and started to chant, "we want Flynt." Even after the chants the coach still didn't put in Flynt. He is scheduled to play this weekend.

This story i find expecially interesting. Me playing football in High School, i already miss football and would almost give anything to play again. I'm sure that anyone that plays a sport for period of time feels this way about that sport. I just think it is so cool that this guy got to put on those pads one more time. It really does show hope to everyone who wants to do what they love, that its never to late to pursue what makes you happy. So i say let the old man play. He knows what he's getting into and i'm sure he is loving every moment of it.

Respect in Time

2007-09-21T08:20:00.000-07:00

The Purdue University football team has the perfect formula for an explosive offense. They have a veteran quarterback, they claim a receiving corps that might be best in the nation, a running back that is fast and strong, and the one who brings it all together: a highly athletic tight end. This all equals an offense that has put up 50 points a game, if you are rounding up.

The quarterback is the leader of the offense. He must to be tough and relentless. Curtis Painter has these attributes. Putting up numbers that are among the leaders in the nation, including touchdowns with 13 and passing yards with 952. What sets Curtis apart from others is how he has improved from this year to last. He went from barely throwing more touchdowns than interceptions last year to a season that has yet to have an interception. This shows the final attribute that is needed for a QB that is to lead an explosive offense: hard work.

But you need a running game to open up opportunities for the passing game, that's when Kory Sheets gets involved. What he has is a great mix of speed and strength. This deadly combination makes him hard to bring down, yet quick enough to burst away from defenders.

It doesn't get much better then Dorien Bryant, Selwyn Lymon, and Greg Orton. You put these three out on the field and you have instant match up problems. Dorien is the all purpose guy, he'll get whatever you need done. Selwyn is the deep threat; just throw it up and he will go get it. Orton is the wild card; he may not get all of the publicity but he gets those intermediate first down receptions.

The man who brings this all together is Dustin Keller. I mentioned match up problems with the receivers, but when compared to what this guy creates, they aren't even comparable. This is a guy who can run the forty as fast as some NFL receivers and can do the Heisman like Desmond Howard.

With this offense and an improving defense look for the Boilermakers to make some noise. If they keep on winning they will start climbing the polls and gaining some respect, with time.

HART Following up on his WORDS

2007-09-20T22:28:00.000-07:00

Now to start didn't i say he would lead Michigan to victory and practicly by heself. Mike Hart followed up on his words with a impressive victory with i know with not so impressive Notre Dame. It was a blow out and its has been a longtime since someone has done that to Norte Dame, even Georga Tech and Penn State couldn't do that. And i don't care that it was just a field goal they scored against GT. As you can see Michigan was dominate enough to not even let them score that poor amount of points. But still on ESPN they are saying Michigan will lose to Penn State. Those are the same people that let Notre Dame score ten points on them, am i right yes i am. Michigan is coming back and coming back strong and since their champion dreams have been shakered they have the ability to beat everybody else on their schedule and ruin their dreams too.

I truth that Mike Hart will not let his team lose to Penn State. Mike Hart is leading in the NCAA in rushed yards this season so far. He alone has 83 carries, 5 TDs, and 502 total got damn yards and remind you that is the stats for one 5'9" 202lb running back from Michigan. Those stats are ridiculous for a man thats on a team with a 1-2 record right now. Only place i see Michigan maybe losing again and its not against Penn State its just maybe against Wisconsin or Ohio State.

WOW, OJ back at it again

2007-09-20T10:24:00.000-07:00

A NFL legend, O.J. Simpson is in trouble again with the law after his trials in 1994 for killing Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman. He is now in trouble in Florida after he was accused for 11 felony counts including kidnapping and breaking and entering. He posted a $125,000 bond although he still faces court to see if he is guilty or not. The argument whether or not he should be in the hall-of-fame is what people are disputing about. My personal feelings about that is, yes, he should definitely be in the hall-of-fame whether or not he is guilty for the actions he is claimed to have done. He was the first running back to ever rush for more than 2,000 yards with the bills. He was an incredible running back while in the NFL and that is what got him into the hall-of-fame in Canton, Ohio. To decide whether or not an athlete should be in the NFL is not what he does off the field, but rather, what he does while in uniform. If an NFL athlete can perform day in and day out better than most people that have played the game then that athlete should be inducted into the hall-of-fame. If that same person has already been inducted, then his personal performance while playing should be what people think about while visiting his memorabilia, and not how that person broke the law. Overall OJ was one of the best backs in the league ever, and people should not try to take away his achievement of being in the hall-of-fame just because of some weak accusations.

Disapointed in Ocho Cinco

2007-09-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

Alright so I’m not the biggest fan of the over the top celebration, but when Chad Johnson said that he has a year of celebrations that will make us laugh every game, I got kind of excited. So of course the first game that the Bengals play I watched, just for the fact that Johnson was going to do an amazing Touch Down celebration.

So I’m watching the game and Johnson scores, I'm thinking to myself. O' here we go, this is going to be good. The crowd is cheering and you can just tell that they are waiting to see what Chad does. He goes off to the sideline, takes out a huge coat out of a black trash bag and puts it on. It is a "replica" of the Hall of Fame jackets. It says, “future H. O. F. 20??.” Now to me that just doesn't seem like that great of a celebration. I mean I’ll give the guy some credit for the creativity, but a celebration that made me laugh and say, "wow that was a good one." Not so much.

I'll give the guy a chance to redeem himself some time this year; there are still a lot of games to come. I just wasn’t impressed with his first celebration of the season, especially when this was going to be a year of amazing and stupendous celebrations from Mr. Ocho Cinco.

Lymon is an IDIOT

2007-09-18T15:38:00.000-07:00

Purdue's wide receiver Selwyn Lymon is facing six misdemeanor counts against him for a bar fight last March where he ended up getting stabbed by some women. He used a fake ID to get into the bars, where he had 7 or 8 shots of vodka before the incident happened. Coach Tiller said he would handle the punishment that Selwyn should receives for underage drinking. Lymons BAC was .179 which is more than twice the legal limit of a 21 year old.
I mean how stupid can you really be? You have worked hard to earn a full ride scholarship to a major D1 school and piss it away all in one night by underage drinking and end up getting stabbed in the chest. I think that is selfish, and more or less, stupid. To not think of the team while you were at the bar illegally and then causing a women to stab you is ridiculous. He deserves everything he receives for this because that is almost as bad as the stuff you see happening in the NFL.