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First I wanted to start with the product I just stuck at the top of my list of things newbies should bust. SP Authentic is a favorite of many collectors, including myself, and Gregg had some awesome stuff to go over. First off, the coveted RC patches are no longer going to be seeded at 6 per case, but rather now at 8 per case. There will be a guaranteed amount of A listers and top RCs in every case again - something I think is beyond awesome - and he promised the cards look better than they ever have. He also clued me in to some new innovations that I think could be the best thing about this product. In those 4 boxes you dont get the RC Patch auto you have a chance at a signed By The Letter like last year, but also a few new things. The first is retro RC Patch autos of people like Favre, Tomlinson, and others who didnt have the chance to get a SP Authentic Patch auto. These will be ALL on card and should be ridiculously awesome. You will also have the chance at RC Leatherheads which include cards of the 2008 class that include pieces of old school leather helmets they wore during the RC premiere - again ALL on card sigs(or maybe on helmet?). The product should be about the same price point, so that is all really cool. Gregg said he would send some pics, so I am praying he does.
Secondly, I wanted to correct a mistake I made with Ultimate 2008, where I said they were re-inserting the 1997 Legends series that everyone loved. Its basically the "A Piece Of History" 500 HR club set from baseball, in that it is the most popularly collected set among Footballers, and just like the extension of the APOH set, they are actually extending this set to include players from recent years. They will be in the same format, all ON CARD, and should be awesome. I can still hope for buybacks of the old set, but this is good too.
He also talked about how Ultimate is changing to a new format with a focus on getting collectors more cards that rock, and I think it is awesome. The whole set features hard signed cards and is one of the 6-7 sets that UD will put out this year featuring on card stuff. He said its actually better to get on card sigs because they dont have to pay someone to affix the stickers, they dont look as bad, and they dont end up with a backlog of 2004 stickers in the warehouse like I believe Topps has. Bravo to UD for that.
With Exquisite this year, they are not holding back, which is great. They are including 6 cards with all new designs for each subset - THANK YOU!! - and have even added a bonus for collectors who buy it. In each box, there will be a separate one card pack, similar to UD Black that will contain an "Exquisite Gold" card autograph. It will be either an auto or auto memorabilia, and should be ridiculously cool. It will have exclusive 1/1 content, and I think this could be huge. He also mentioned they have had Tiger Woods exclusively sign 5 patch cards, and as you can imagine they may be some of the most expensive cards ever produced.
He also mentioned revamps of SP Rookie Threads and SP Rookie Edition to include some new stuff that seemed really cool, hopefully he wont disappoint. At least we wont get weird gold and gray letters of McFadden and Ryan like we did last year, as this year they are all college team themed. He said it was tough to anticipate letters to build for the rookies because you dont know what team they are on when you build them. They went with college because it ties the card to the player, and I think that is a good thing.
Moving on from the new releases, we talked about shifts in the industry, and him being a former shop owner, he showed a lot in his expansive knowledge of what is going on at our level. We discussed at length that the costs of getting sigs on the cards going up because a lot of players are realizing that in the only sport with 3 competing brands, they can play each company against the other. He even mentioned that Ahmad Rashad wanted 50 bucks a card, which I had to laugh at. He talked about catering more products to the shop people because with the state of the economy, its tougher to get a new high-end release out without hurting the people who sell it. I think this will mean more affordability for the collector in a trickle down fashion, and I was happy to hear that they consider each part of the equation. If stores have to dump a product because it is too expensive to sell, we lose in the long run. I guess thats why Icons is so popular.
As Upper Deck collectors, we had a long string of years where the release calendar was ever changing. He mentioned that is why DLP has such success and failure at the same time, mainly because everyone knew what to expect. He said that now they have a better idea of success rate, they can head in that direction while still maintaining a lot of creativity. He said that one of the possible new products for next year will be Philidelphia edition, which takes a page from the Goudey sets in baseball. He didnt have much, other than the product would have buybacks from the original sets.
I brought up a lot of how I felt about certain things, like non-autoed manufactured letters, and he had an interesting perspective. He said that rather than throwing more crap jerseys in a box, they thought they would include the letters as a way to add a little more value - which they did in Icons. He also said they were handcuffed by a lot of the celebrities backing out at the last minute, which is understandable.
We discussed a lot of the bad things like Chirography and Ultimate of last year, and he was definitely not afraid to admit his mistakes. That was more than refreshing, and he promised to make sure the quality of the products would be much more thought out. He said it was tough to imagine a street reception, and thats why they are trying to stay away from needlessly high end products like Chirography was last year. Mucho bueno on that front.
The last thing we talked about was the Peterson patch I posted on a week or so ago. He said he wanted to create an exquisite database of the patches, but the cards and the people who would do that are in different parts of the country. They fly down to Texas to pack every card by hand, and he expressed they might start taking pictures of the patches they think might be questioned. He said that as far as he is concerned, the patch RCs will be much more likely to impress, and that they will do their best to protect the collector. He would put a design over the patches to prevent faking, but he said there would be more complaints about that than the actual douchebags who take advantage, so he decided against it. I agree.
I wish I could have you guys listen to the whole conversation, because it was so fucking awesome to have the kind of talk from a higher up I got from Gregg, and I must say I was thoroughly impressed with the stuff they were coming out with. If you guys have questions about some of the things I mentioned, feel free to email me as you like.
Ill say this, after speaking with Gregg, I am MUCH more likely to buy a UD product now that he has explained the blood sweat and tears that goes into every product they put out. I know he is connected to the hobby base level more than I expected, and he is beyond a nice guy. Thanks again for the time.
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John Bazemore, AP
Ole Miss 31, Florida 30: Ole Miss blocks the game-tying extra point late in the fourth quarter and the Rebels' Jevan Snead outplays Tim Tebow as Houston Nutt's team shocks Florida in the Swamp. Who did he call to celebrate? Wait for Arkansas fans' FOIA requests to come back.
Sam Greenwood, Getty Images
Maryland 20, Clemson 17: The Terps give up 193 yards to Clemson's star rushing duo in the first half, but keep them in check in the second to rally for their fourth win against a lone loss to Middle Tennessee State. But as with all ACC games, the real drama came afterward when deciding which parent would pay for the pizza party.
Mary Ann Chastain, AP
Oregon State 27, USC 21: Five-foot-six Jacquizz Rodgers runs through -- and under -- the Trojan defense for 186 yards, the biggest failing by a Trojan since Travis Henry's entire adulthood.
Jonathan Ferrey, Getty Images
Ohio State 34, Minnesota 21: Terrelle Pryor throws for two touchdowns and rushes for another in his first start, and Beanie Wells picks up 106 in his first game back, as the Buckeyes' backfield becomes the best 1-2 punch in college football this side of Ryan Perrilloux in a bar fight.
Jamie Sabau, Getty Images
Navy 24, Wake Forest 17: The Demon Deacons turn the ball over six times, including four interceptions, as the ACC's highest-ranked team goes down. After Navy's first win over a ranked team in 23 years, the entire league will consider relegation to the Big East or the Lingerie Football League.
Chuck Burton, AP
Auburn 14, Tennessee 12: No quarterback throws for more than 100 yards and the ground games get stuck in neutral as the Tigers hold off the Vols in a game so ugly on Tommy Tuberville's mother could love it, assuming she's never, ever seen football before.
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This post is dedicated to my favorite Pink Pussy.cause we both love the football!
“Who are you kidding?” the loud ESPN announcer violated my verbal space with his obnoxious self righteousness.
“No one on the planet could have predicted the shake up in the top 10,” another announcer interrupted, his hands waving in the air.
Now, I will have to give ESPN its props. Over the past 5 years, they have consistently hired and deployed an army of intelligent, sport educated women with the uncanny ability to talk about sports in an interesting and informative way. Most of the female ESPN announcers, IMHO, have more than just the basic knowledge of sports spoon fed from cue cards and teleprompters. When these women hit the sidelines of a football game or shove a microphone in the face of a coach, they ask questions that insightful.
And…I want to take a moment here to note that I was greatly disappointed in Mark Richt, Head Coach of the Georgia Bulldogs, when interviewed by Holly Rowe (I believe it was Holly Rowe—I was so shocked by his response) about his player’s body language. I thought that Mark Richt had more class than his disappointed “I was not studying their body language. Where you dedicating yourself to studying their body language?” [paraphrase] I was proud of her for a quick redirection that did not take account of his sexual innuendo in his moment of male chauvinism.
But, as I sat there watching the ESPN highlights of the different games, I knew the truth. You see…I predicted the fall of all three football teams starting last Thursday night with USC. I know. I know. You are doubtful, but really…I did predict the downfall of the empire. However sports fans, here is where the game gets complicated.
The race for first place! Perhaps Oklahoma retains first place…maybe they do not deserve first place because they have only placed small games. The really big problem comes in with the football love of my life: LSU! They should be second. In some polls they will be second which makes perfect sense because they were in 5th place and three teams in front of them were beaten.
Five minus three equals two right? Not in the polls!
It appears that Alabama might jump LSU in the rankings to become second. Why does this have fans of the gold and purple seeing red? Well you may ask. Two words: Nick Saban, the ex-Head Coach of LSU is the present Head Coach of Alabama. Now, don’t get me wrong. He is a phenomenal Head Coach, but this explains a lot of what is wrong with the ranking system. ESPN has dubbed Nick Saban the “most powerful coach in college football today” to jeers and laughter from the crowds and, like the Heisman Trophy, has little to do with the actual game of football. My personal opinion: Les Miles is 10 times the Head Coach that Nick Saban is because of his electrifying football plays laced with bravo and balls.
What did football fans do before there were coaches with expertise, announcers to tell us their picks, bowl bids, trophies and records? I believe that we just enjoyed the football game, tailgating, and good friends to cheer our favorite football teams.
Go LSU! Momma needs a new pair of shoes. My deal with The Marine: every time LSU wins…I get new shoes. I might need a new closet soon.
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Sunday - I get all Mike Martz in my post and decide its time to play genius and on three seperate 3rd and ones I call these plays, reverse, double reverse, double reverse flee flicker fumblerooski with an option to buy, out of the wing T (what, it could work - losing my mind and yelling - YOU DONT UNDERSTAND THE WING T sobbing no, YOU dont understand). Those plays represent my Arizona, Houston and Chicago picks. The second I made those picks, I knew what I was doing. I was saying look at me and how smart I am. I sleep with Heidi Klum and Carmen Electra on top of each other. Safe to say, 12-3 went straight to my head. I sleep alone. I am stupid. I am Mike Martzs Madula Ablongada (by the way is it possible that he is turning the niners offense around? I submit no, not yet)
Monday - I wake up with a raging cold and I am staring at my arm pit hair flapping in the breeze, a bizarre sight and a bad omen, I think.
Tuesday - I wake up again, a good thing, and then something happens that is almost indescribable. But I am supposed to be a writer, so here goes. Immediately upon waking up I notice my bottom row of teeth are in front of my top row (not too weird) so I pull them back. Remember, I have just woken up, so I may have done this a bit too quickly. Then, in what can only be described as a cannibalistic act, my bottom fang tooth (its a technical term) attacks my top fang (incisor) as though it were in a gang war over turf, thus leaving my top fang a shell of its former self, literally. My bottom tooth seems quite smug over its dismembering and just sits there doing nothing, but I am rather perturbed at the sudden realization that I have an audition for a Crest commercial that day (no joke - yes I do commercials, what? Lay off me Im having a bad week). After the audition my agent calls and leaves this message Um David, your teethummm get them fixed..LIKE NOW! Awesome.
Wednesday - After writing my Instilling Fear post, I get quite a few hits and some nice comments (that makes me happy if anyone cares, thats right I am a comment whore). The Mets at this point have turned me into Dr Jekyll and Mr. I will break every inanimate object in my apartmet Hyde. My cold rages on.
Thursday - Did Rick Resh, another great writer on Giantsfootballblog.com, just write the same article as myself, only two days later? I may be delirious from all the cold medicine, but it looks eerily similar, and now I think I may have started a war between writers. I love you Rick, in fact I took your advice from your latest post, Five Keys to Beating the Bye Week, and just invented a new game called This is where you choke out another person every time the Mets choke, its so much fun! I have now racked up 6 kills, and my dog, who was choked out after the Brewers win. Kind of like a bonus level, like 3-2 on Mario brothers, but instead of turtles you get a big dead dog - yay - awww suddenly I miss my dog now. The bye week still sucks Rick.
Friday - Unfathomably, my cold is still raging on, like this Palin woman. It just wont go away. Mets lose. Brewers win. But some good news on the Plaxico front. Plaxico reached an agreement with the Giants. That sounds like a positive? The agreement allows him to retain some money (ok, good news for Plax, and now onto the fans), but he still wont play against the Seahawks (sorry, how is this good news for me or the Giants?). I just choked out my already dead dogagain, love ya Norm.
Ok, that was fun, now lets get to the picks. Last week I went 8-7 and for the year I am 20-10. I did not pick week one, becuase thats what you do. You leave out week one. Stop asking so many questions!
Cleveland at Cincinnati
I dub thee The Battle of Danielson. Think about it, everyone has seen Karate Kid. The only reason to watch it from the outset, is to see Daniel get humiliated again and again by Cobra Kai. If you didnt watch the early embarrassments you wouldnt have the same appreciation when Danielson beats Johnny (William Zabka - evil villian in every 80s movie ever made) with the Crain Kick to overcome all odds. One of these teams (Browns or Bengals) is Danielson, the other is the second to last fighter on Cobra Kai, who almost looked as good as William Zabka but clearly was beat out for the role and got stuck being the second to last fighter on Cobra Kai. For the record I can still see that guys face, but he was no Zabka. Cleveland is Danielson, I think. Cleveland 30 Bengals 24
Minnesota at Tennessee- I keep picking against Tennesse and why stop now? Ill tell you why, they have allowed negative 78 points in their first three games. Cortland Finnegan is the greatest racially confusing name ever and Keith JIM J Bullock tried to eat a punter last week. Gus Frerrote, or as I call him Dick Slinker, is still a used car salesman, and although he has a beamer in the shop, ol Dickies best sales pitch is a flash of his yellow teeth and an awkward rub up against your maneuver. Tennesse 20 Vikings 14
Denver at Kansas City -My offense is so potent that in the next segment Ill make all of the ladies in the first three rows pregnant. Ladies and Gentleman I give you the Denver Broncos offensive unit. Herm Edwards decided that bringing in Bobby Thigpen from the bullpen wasnt a great idea, despite having 57 saves in one year. If you listen to ESPN carefully they will let you know that Kansas City has drafted well and there is talent on this team. However none of that talent is at the quarterback position. This does not bode well for Chiefs fans, but in another way it does. If they finish poorly, which they will, they should be able to get a top flight QB in the draft and have a solid unit already built around him or her (what it could happen ?- be PC people). Kansas City tops my list of teams that will turn a corner quickly in 2009/10, but for now Denver 101 Kansas City 28 Denver ties Wilt Chamberlain for points scored in one game.
San Francisco at New Orleans- In the last 2 weeks the 49ers have scored a combined 64 points. New Orleans has scored 56. Thats good for me. Niners 64 New Orleans 56. Nope thatss not fair, the niners have not played against a solid defense yet, and this is just the point when Mike Martzunveils plan I am smarter then you, I have three sets of genitalia. That never works out, then again New Orleans is without Colston and Jeremy Shockey (an injury which delighted many on the Shmiants Shmessage Shmoards - again not sure If I can mention the site by its real name). After a week in which I turned into Mike Martzs patella tendon I refuse to pick his team. No more flip flopping, said the husband to the wife: New Orleans 28 San Francisco 24
Arizona at New York - This is the obligatory early season must win for the Jets. No matter how talented Arizona gets, no one ever trusts this team. Occasionally they upset a team, and everyone starts raving about Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. But then they realize they cant name 3 other players. Adrian Wilson and Carlos Dansby should get more recognition, but eh, who cares? They havent been in the playoffs in about 96 years, playoffs? Did you say Playoffs? Go back to sleep Coach Mora.
Chansi Stuckey and Dwight Lowery are making that draft look better and better despite Vernon Gholston and his Ultimate Warrior like muscles averaging .3 tackles a game. Quick update on Gholstonfroma Jet lover my friend Faz:
Faz - I like arms, yep, a defensive end should have guns.
Me - But Faz hes looked awful. I think in the preseason game the Giants blocked him one on one with Jeff Feagles
Faz - What? Feagles? Oh ha ha ha, very funny. Whatever Lowery looks good.
Me - So youve given up on Gholston?
Faz - No, he has guns!
Me - So he is a workout warrior, with no actual football skill?
Faz- How about the Mets chooo.aaaaaaaaaa ( my hands around his neck as I play yet another glorious round of metchoke)
Jets 24 Cardinals 23
Green Bay at Tampa Bay - Ok, so perhaps going up to a woman with your genitalia attached to your forehead, upside down, is not the equivalent of starting Brian Griese. Thats said, Grieses 400 yard performance was listed as the all time worst 400 yard performance. So, basically, I pick up a hot woman with my genitalia on my forehead. I pass out mid hook up, wake up, finish the deed, only to roll over in the morning and find myself face to face with my cleaning lady and her arm pit hair is flapping in the breeze. Either way, the deed was done, and Greise eeked out a win. Now lets see Mr. Genitalia head do it twice. No cleaning lady this time. Wait, I like what I wrote, but I think Tampa will win, so lets just say that this particular cleaning lady has very loose morals. Tampa Bay 24 Green Bay 21
Atlanta at Carolina - Tonight we dine in Hell. Coach Foxs defensive preparation for Matt Ryan with Julius Peppers playing the role of King Leonidas. Sorry Matt, but it is going to be a long day. I write that as though he is actually reading this. I can just see him at one am reading this blog, a tear running down his cheek as he turns off the light and heads for bed. Well, Matt, one good thing is that you have Michael Turner on your team. Michaels thighs should have their own lifetime original movie. Michael Turner gets beaten to death by his own thighs, on a new lifetime original, starring Meridith Baxter Burney as Micheal Turner, and Micheal Duncan Clarke as his thighs. Carolina 24 Atlanta 14
Houston at Jacksonville - I am still unsure how a team loses 3/5ths of their starting offensive line and still finds a way to beat the Colts (I know the Colts have their own issues, but still its a mighty feat). Houston reminds me too much of Arizona. You hear the names of Mario Williams and Andre Johnson and you are immediately transported into a dreamy fantasy world of flat screen tvs and women named Misty. Then someone asks you who their running back is and you are pimp slapped back to reality with drool hanging off the edge of your face, completely bewildered! By the way its rookie Steve Slaton and he is over 5 yards per carry. So you really should know him by now. Still there is no team in Houston, just a bunch of individuals. I can say that because I dont watch them every week and thats the type of generalizations you get from NFL analysts who dont watch the team week to week. That said, I have tried to watch every games extended highlight package on the NFL network to be better informed. The key word being Still I think that is better then most. I am looking directly at every analyst in football, except for Jon Clayton who considers football pornography. He may have something there. Jacksonville 24 Houston 17
San Diego at Oakland - What is the difference between Al Davis and George Steinbrenner? No, seriously this isnt a joke, I am curious? Have two owners ever been more annoyingly meddlesome and yet respected at the same time. They are both considered jokes, and then praised for caring about their respective teams all in the same breath. Im confused. Which is it? Antonio Comrartie and Nnamdi Asomugha are not only the two best corners in the NFL, their names are entirely impossible to pronounce. After trying to say their names for the last ten minutes, I turned on the lifetime channel in frustration and caught the end of the Michael Turner story, and his Thighs just choked him out.sad. San Diego 30 Oakland 14
Buffalo at St Louis - Buffalo got a huge scare from Oakland last week. That should set them up nicely for the we cant get trapped after almost getting trapped game. Trent Green is not the answer. And whats even worse is that Steven Jackson agrees, publicly. Not a good sign for Scott lInnehan. Indoors the Rams may be able to put up an early fight, but the addition of Marcus Stroud has been amazing for that Buffalo defense. The Bills have had trouble with the ground game. The Rams should be able to help out with that. Careful fantasy owners, Marshawn Lynch is about to run over someone, and I dont mean in a car and then drive off (what? what did I say?) Buffalo 24 Rams 17
Washington at Dallas - I said it last week and I will say it again, I will not pick against Dallas until they lose. They are ginormous. That offensive line is like a stampede of Rhinoceros, otherwise known as a STOMPROCIS (its science). Dallas 28 Redskins 20
Philadelphia at ChIcago - The Eagles defense was spectacular against Pittsburgh, although I wasnt so sure Pittsburgh wasnt equally as inept. Philly pounded Big Ben, so I can only imagine what will happen to Kyle Orton. What if they hit him so many times his beard falls off? Thatll show him, for being the phony he is. I have no idea what that means. Donovan Mcnabband Michael Westbrook are hurting, but will play and that should be the difference. Oh no, dont do this.yep I am becoming Mike Martzs knee pit (yep, that part under someones knee, the knee pit) Chicago 24 Philadelphia 20 (I will regret this one, but there is to much talk of the NFC Beast, things have to change, right?)
Baltimore at Pittsburgh- Last week I mentioned all the defenses that were reliving their glory days. I forgot to mention the Baltimore Ravens who are allowing 3 yards a game. Alright, not 3 yards, but the numbers are staggering. Still, the Steelers play fine defense as well, and Joe Flacco has never seen a Linebacker try to eat him whole. Joe Flaccomeet Lamar Woodley, he is the guy gnawing on your ACl, or is that your MCL, its so hard to tell these days. Pittsburgh 20 Ravens 10
No game this week, so that should make for good viewing. Thats all I got. Everyone have a great week, its bound to be better then last, right.
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Formerly known as the Lukuang football team or Taiwan Army football team, the NTSC football team belonged to the Republic of China Army and competed in the Chinese Taipei National Football League.
Since the Republic of China has the policy of conscription for all male citizens, qualified footballers could choose to join the Lukuang football team instead of the regular militia service after passing the tryouts. It helped the players to keep their form and provided additional selection and management to the Chinese Taipei national football team. As a result, most national team members have played for Lukuang.
In 2000, Lukuang quit the league due to military reform, but returned in 2003 under the new name of Taiwan National Sports Training Center football team and are affiliated with Taiwan's .
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- Mood:Very good
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As we head into the meat of our schedule our practice plans vary just a bit. Like you all, we are losing daylight and it’s getting dark here by 7:45, so our practices have been shortened to 1:45. While our competition nearly always practice more than we do, the practice methodology, priorities and pace we utilize more than make up for the differences in practice time.
While we continue to hone the basics, this is the time of the year we start adding a few techniques to those groups that have a strong grasp on the fundamentals we have taught to date. As mentioned previously we are also doing a lot of cross training now.
Monday we worked both offense and defense but the emphasis was on defense. The defensive backs again worked a bunch on reading their receivers then responding with their correct responsibility and technique. We worked extensively at beating the stalk block and open field tackling. The defensive tackles and bearcrawlers went though their normal progressions and the linebackers worked shedding and open field tackling technique. We did about 10 minutes of very intense 3 level Oklahoma drills (search the blog here for that term the drill is in there) for each team. We also did 10 minutes of “Compete”, again those drills are here in the blog.
We added in a new series of football plays, one that our oldest players have been running, but that now seem to make sense for where our age 7-9 and age 10-11 kids are at. I used my kids as a template to demo these football plays to the younger coaches and players. Since we use the very same blocking rules and tags, the linemen had to learn nothing, while the backs had to get down a very simple backfield action to make this series of football plays work.
Defensively we worked just 15 minutes of team defensive recognition on air and finished up with about 20 minutes of offensive team on air with no helmets on.
Thursday again we worked both sides of the ball and special teams as well. Individuals for the line was back to the basics, wedge, crab blocking and pass blocking mirror drills.
For the backs we worked stalk blocking with lots of mirror drills and about 10 minutes of live, working in our defensive backs into pass recognition. We have also had a problem especially at the youngest age levels of players getting caught from behind. While we realize we don’t have the fastest kids and are going to often get caught from behind, we have kids with 15 yard leads that are getting walked down from beind like they are standing still. To improve their concentration and acceleration I designed a drill we call “Pylon” which I will detail in a later post.
We did 10 minutes of “Compete” on offense. On defense we are now putting all the remaining players on defense to defend against the first team offense. To make it even more interesting we are telling everyone the play, both the offense and defense. First of all this allows us to run many more plays, about 1 play every 15 seconds and secondly it makes the offense work that much harder and gives the scouts a chance to make plays. I got this approach from a High School coach and it has made this period much more competitive.
We did about 15 minutes of team defense on air and added a few stunts and alignment adjustments to take advantage of our strengths and hide our weaknesses a bit. We closed with about 30 minutes of special teams work. Our special teams have been outstanding so far. While my age 12-13 team has only punted 1 time in 5 games due to the fact we have been moving the ball very well, we may have the best punting team in the league. My age 10-11 team PAT kicker is 8-10 on PAT kicks ( we let other kids kick when we are way up) and our youngest team has been lights out as well.
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Another thing that this game has proved to me, is just how difficult it is to win on the road in college football. The home field advantage for these schools is tremendous and the main reason is the Fans! The student body alone gets home teams pumped and with the band and supportive alumni, it is really hard to not get excited for an upset of a ranked school. As for away teams, if your alumni dont travel it is hard for you to get excited to play an underdog. Most schools give visiting teams less than 3% of their tickets. So if you have 100,000 seats, that means less than 3000 away fans can get tickets through their school. Away teams need the secondary ticket market to buy into stadiums to show their support and some use it quite well. My belief is if you can get a good road following to come and cheer on your team, the odds of an upset like last night go down significantly. Lets be honest most people in LA probably didnt want to head up to Corvallis, Oregon to watch a blowout. I guess in hindsight it was a good thing they didnt make the trip, because it would be a long trip home after blowing an Undefeated National Championship season.
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If you stayed up past midnight on the east coast last night to watch USC-Oregon State right now you're blearily wiping your eyes and cursing the decision as lunch nears and all you want to do is crawl under your desk and sleep. If you're like me you might also be questioning why you let Birmingham, Alabama's finest talk radio show host, Ian Fitzsimmons of JOX radio, convince you to do shots in celebration of Matt Sanchez's fourth quarter interception. Shots only a few minutes before you have to stumble across the street to your hotel and lay in bed realizing that the most shocking game of the college football season is already complete. And it's still September. Which means that suddenly, amazingly, the national title game has no one's name written in. Hell, we don't even know who deserves to be number one.
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Success against weak Big Ten teams has not only been a means to a bad end in title games, but it might have created something of a mirage of football power. Rankings or no rankings, these failures now raise the question of whether OSU has ever truly been a top-five team the past three seasons. — Bob Hunter of the Columbus Dispatch after Ohio States 35-3 loss at Southern California
First downs
1. No. 1 and Only: When Southern California thrashed Iowa, 38-17, in the Orange Bowl six seasons ago, it was just the tip of the iceberg for what Pete Carrolls program would do to future opponents in big games. The Trojans 35-3 savaging of Ohio State was a full-blown Titanic for the Buckeyes.
We expected to dominate, and thats what happened, USC defensive tackle Fili Moala said. If we come to play like this every week and stay humble, no ones going to touch us.
Way to stay humble, Fili.
2. Two Blowouts: First Notre Dame Coach Charlie Weis had his knee blown out when he inadvertently got rolled up by Irish defensive tackle John Ryan. Then his team finished off a 35-17 rout of Michigan.
Weis tore the ACL and MCL in his left knee on the fluke collision.
I feel like an athlete, the rather rotund Weis said after the game. First time in my life.I feel terrible, Ryan said after the game. I apologized to him three or four times during the game. I feel awful. I wont sleep at all tonight.
Asked if he were still on scholarship, Ryan said, I hope.
3. Viva Nevada-Las Vegas: Iowa State may be fighting the odds in Las Vegas come Saturday night.
UNLV is on a roll. It went to 15th-ranked Arizona State as a 23-point underdog and came home with a 23-20 overtime win.
Sometimes, it comes down to heart and desire over talent, Rebels running back Frank Summers said. Mike Sanfords first three UNLV teams won two games each. If the Rebels beat ISU in Vegas, theyll be 3-1.
The victory is great, Sanford said. re thankful and grateful for it. But if we go get blown out by Iowa State, nobody will remember it. This next game is as important or more than the one we just played.
4. Mountain Do: Most weekends, Vegas upset would rank as a highlight, wrote Dave Curtis of Sportingnews.com. Saturday, it was just decoration.
See, the Mountain West Conference had its best football weekend in its 10-year existence. It went 7-1 against nonconference foes and 4-0 against the big, bad Pacific-10. Besides UNLVs great win, TCU mauled Stanford, 41-17. New Mexico downed Arizona, 36-28. And Brigham Young brutalized UCLA, 59-0.
That was probably one of the most fun games Ive ever been a part of, said BYU quarterback Max Hall after he threw seven touchdown passes against the Bruins. It almost seemed at some points like my job was easy.
Fumbles
1. Buckeye Black Eye: Ohio State is the Big Tens football ruler. Thus, Big Ten football is held in low national esteem today.
That 35-3 loss at USC was the latest of OSUs flops in huge games. The Buckeyes bombed in the last two national title games. Dont look for them to get a third straight chance.
I cant believe that we screwed up so badly, OSU left tackle Alex Boone said. I thought this team made it clear after the national championship game — all the gassers we ran, and all the running we did that we werent going to mess up anymore. Apparently, that wasnt evident.
Running is one thing. Keeping up with superior talent is another. Mark Whicker of the Orange County Register wrote this:
It was supposed to be the Collision at the Coliseum, but it wasnt. To have a collision, both objects must be moving.
2. Black and Blue: Dont bother yelling Go Blue! to Michigans football team this week. The Wolverines are blue enough after their debacle at Notre Dame.
Michigan, once a football program of note, fumbled seven times in South Bend, losing four. Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press summarized it neatly:
The 35-17 loss to Notre Dame was a morass of missed opportunities, poor decisions and atrocious fundamentals.We dont have our heads down because we know who the better team was, Michigan defensive back Steve Brown said. They beat us today. It happens, but in our hearts we know were the better team.
No, the better team would have scored 35 points, not 17.
The Hlist doesnt believe in ghosts, but will stay out of Ann Arbor this week all the same. The spirit of Bo Schembechler, rest his soul, could be out and about with a fury.
3. Rat Pac: The Pac-10 has USC. Oregons pretty good, too.
Thats about it.
The league went 3-7 last weekend. UCLA, Washington and Lehman Brothers Holdings all had their worst week since 1929. UCLAs 59-0 loss to BYU was its worst defeat since 29, and Washingtons 55-14 loss to Oklahoma was its worst home loss since the year of the Great Depression.
Arizona offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes said Wildcats senior quarterback Willie Tuitama played as bad as Ive seen him play in their loss at New Mexico.
Arizona State Coach Dennis Ericksons reaction to losing at home to UNLV: s sickening.
4. No Offense, But : Auburn 3, Mississippi State 2
I am an old defensive coach so I was liking it a little bit but I wish we had scored a few more points, Auburn Coach Tommy Tuberville said.
wrote Steve Hofstetter of Doghouseboxing.com, 3-2 are the odds that both teams will never score again.
Final gun
s the big problem, having to sort through those five big guys to find where he is. When they all come off at one time, they look like a herd of water buffalo stampeding at you and theres a gazelle somewhere in behind them. — Florida Atlantic Coach Howard Schnellenberger on Michigan States offensive line and running back Javon Ringer. Ringer carried 43 times for 282 yards in MSUs 17-0 win over Schnellenbergers Owls.
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Ever since Maryland Basketball and I split up, I had been looking for someone who really understood my dreams, my ambitions for Maryland. I dont want to go into details (it just wouldnt be right or fair to Basketball), but I guess we had just drifted apart. I felt like Basketball had lost its exuberance, its drive to be the best in the country. It was settling for NIT and not going for that big promotion. The team I fell in love with was gone, and I just couldnt sit around waiting for Basketball to get its act together.
Then in walked Maryland Football. I always knew it was there, my eyes had sort of glanced over it as I kind of fallen into Basketballs friends while we were together. Football, however, had that ambition to be the best, and didnt have a past of success to burden it or worries about living up to legendary performances. Overall there was so much less pressure on football, yet its dreams seemed so much grander. Football was just so charming- so many thrilling players with so much potential, an offensive genius for a coach- I remember sometimes we would sit and talk about offensive schemes for hours together, just chattering away. By the summer before 2007 we were getting very close, even talking about getting an ACC Championship! I was not sure that Football was ready for that step or even whether I thought we could make that kind of commitment, but when you looked at Football you just couldnt tell it no.
Thats when things started to go south. Everything about Maryland Football started to change. First Josh Portis gets suspended for the year for cheating- Football never had a problem with the law before, this just confused me. Over time it seemed like Footballs whole personality was different. Jordan Steffy was nervous and afraid to throw down the field, the defense seemed slow and bulky, unable to stop anyone on the West Virginia offense. West Virginia I could understand, but then choking against Wake Forest the following week? Football promised me everything would be okay. Football gave me a win over Rutgers- the #10 team in the nation! I have no idea how it afforded it after all it had spent in its losses, but I wasnt complaining. But it was like this for the rest of the year- three straight losses and right when I was about to leave Football shows up with a win over Boston College.
Sure they had a losing season, but even after all that I wasnt going to go back to Basketball. Not just yet anyway. Football still had that promise that this year, this year-- would be the year. I was nervous, however. Football had changed somehow, as if I could never count on it being the one I thought I knew from week to week. It seemed like the only way to get Football motivated would be to threaten to walk out. Then it would be okay for one, maybe two weeks, and then revert to before. I told Football I couldnt do it like that this year, and so it brought in a new offensive coordinator to show me what a great coaching staff they had, and promised me that everything would be better. The defense would be faster, the offense would use a running quarterback, and perhaps- perhaps- an ACC title was possible.
Jordan Steffy was named the starter. I was confused, even somewhat hurt, but Football assured me everything would be okay. When the team barely beat Delaware, I raised questions, but Football pointed out about how good 1-AA teams can be now-a-days. I took its word for it. Then came Middle Tennessee State. That was the final straw. My days with Maryland Football were over- I was going back to Basketball, regardless what they did or how bad they were. I would even go to Lacrosse or Field Hockey if I had to
Last Saturday Football came to my door with a win over #23 Cal. The Cal Bears! I guess.. I guess I can give Football just one more chance.
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N.C. State will rue the day the Pack passed on Johnson
Okay, its not a terrible headline, but why create the Pack-passed alliteration? Alliterations are not required in all headlnes. Rue the day seems a little overdramatic too. Oh well, at least there arent any puns.
Some mistakes, you get away with. Not because youre good, but because youre lucky.
Alright, Im with you so far. Though Im unclear on how goodness can compensate for mistakes.
Switch lanes on the interstate without looking first: Thats a mistake. If theres not a car next to you, congratulations. You just got away with it.
Particularly a mistake like this, but sure, weve all done this at one time or another. Though Im fairly certain my goodness rating got me out of it the times I did so.
Some mistakes, you dont get away with. And not because youre bad. But because youre unlucky.
Au contraire. Badness is the driving force behind traffic accidents.
Dont hire Navys Paul Johnson, when you had the chance, as your football coach. Thats a mistake.
Well, it might be. Depending on who you hire in his place. Passing on him for, say, Bobby Bowden in his prime would be a good decision.
That was North Carolina States mistake 21 months ago, and for 21 months, the Wolfpack have gotten away with it.
Wha-huh? You have confused me Gregg Doyel. If it was a mistake to pass on Johnson, how did they get away with it for 21 months and why is it now going to all come crashing down? I think you may have chosen poorly with this whole mistake/consequences angle.
They hired Tom OBrien from Boston College in December 2006, and theres nothing wrong with hiring Tom OBrien. His first year was a 5-7 struggle, but in the long run hell win more than he loses, and hell do it the right way. Nothing about him foretells a BCS bowl bid, but this is North Carolina State, not Florida State. And for North Carolina State, hiring Tom OBrien wasnt a mistake.
All true, which begs the question: Why are you writing this?
As long as Paul Johnson is still stuck at Navy.
Oh. thats right. Youre saying that passing on Johnson wasnt a mistake if he were coaching at Navy forever, but that it becomes a mistake when he leaves, because..[head explodes]
But some mistakes, you dont get away with. Not because youre bad. But because youre unlucky.
Reiterate much?
And North Carolina State was unlucky that Paul Johnson, just one year after being passed over by the Wolfpack in December 2006, left Navy for a new coaching job. And not just any job, but a job in a BCS league.
And not just any BCS league, but in the ACC. At Georgia Tech.
And not just any Georgia Tech, but the one in Atlanta. And not just any Atlanta, but the one in Georgia. And not just any Georgia, but the one not being overrun by Russian troops. And not just any Russian troops, butDear God, I beat this and beat this! Why wont it die?!
He really is padding this mother fucker. Im guessing he gets paid by the letter.
Paul Johnson just moved in down the street.
North Carolina State couldnt be more unlucky.
Pad. Ding.
Games start later this month, and Paul Johnson is going to win at Georgia Tech.
This year? Thats not very likely, unless you mean, like, Gaileyan levels of mediocrity.
Eventually hes going to win big, because thats what he does.
Big is a relative term I suppose, but its not as if hes going to create a perrenial national title contender at Georgia Tech.
Lots of people will have their doubts about Johnson in the ACC, just as they had their doubts about him at Navy in 2002 when he inherited the worst program in Division I.
And he took them to a respectable 45-29 record over six years. Another gentleman spent nine years at Navy from 73 to 81, and led them to a 55-46-1 record. That mans name was Bear Bryant. Just kidding. It was George Welsh, best known for spending nineteen years coaching good, but not great Virginia teams.
Also, I have yet to read a single column doubting Johnson. Where is this cacophony of nay-sayers?
See, Johnson comes from the Division I-AA ranks,
Like the perenially maligned Jim Tressel.
and he runs a form of the triple-option.
Like the oft-mocked Tom Osborne.
Lots of fullback dives up the middle. Quarterback keepers around the outside. Pitches to a trailing halfback. Check out the terminology. Dives. Keepers. Halfback.
Dives, keepers and halfback? Welcome back to theum, 2000s if your team runs a variation of a pro-style offense?
Thats old school,
Those terms are not old school. The option kind of is, but lets remember that the second winningest program of the 90s ran the option and didnt scrap it until they unfairly (okay, it was arguably fair) fired their coach in 2003.
and most people are skeptical of old school.
Some people are. Many, many more people are/were skeptical of new school, like the spread option.
They want their coaches to have a BCS or an NFL pedigree, and they want newfangled offenses with no fullbacks and four receivers and lots of vertical, vertical, vertical.
Im sure he conducted a very scientific survey to determine that most people feel this way.
The only thing vertical about Paul Johnson is his winning percentage.
Ugh.
In that way, hes a lot like Jim Grobe at Wake Forest.
Hes like the guy with the 78-72-1 career record? Really? Johnsons career winning percentage is .729 by the way.
People think Johnson wont be able to recruit NFL athletes to operate his small-college system?
Well, probably not at receiver or QB probably (at least no someone who will play QB in the NFL). Does anyone think hell have any trouble finding a fast guy to run the option? That hell not attract top-notch running backs? Linemen? I mean, hell have the normal issues of recruiting at Georgia Tech, but his system isnt going to be the problem. And who the fuck thinks that it will? Show me that man, so I can pummel him (metaphorically).
That hasnt stopped Grobe from dominating in the ACC and it wont stop Johnson, either.
Look, I like Grobe. He has turned a doormat into a competitive program and even managed to win the conference title one year when the ACC was down. But: He has dominated to the tune of a 24-32 ACC record. I predict that Johnson will have won more than 24 conference games by the end of his fifth season.
North Carolina State didnt see it that way, though to pin the Paul Johnson oversight on North Carolina State is unfair to the school at large.
You mean there wasnt a referendum to decide who would be the new coach? What kind of fascists run that University.
Passing over Paul Johnson after he had interviewed for the position in late 2006 wasnt a North Carolina State decision.
Youre getting confusing again.
This one is completely on athletic director Lee Fowler.
Oh, but it was the decision of the guy who was given the responsibility for making these kinds of decisions by the people who run North Carolina State. Jesus Christ, Gregg. Youre fucking killing me.
Sources high up the Wolfpack food chain tell me the headhunter hired by the school, and the board of trustees who oversee the school, wanted Johnson.
Good for him?
Wolfpack fans wanted Johnson, too.
Evidence please? I didnt follow the hiring of OBrien, because I find nothing so boring in college football as middling ACC teams, but does he have any reason to just throw out this statement as if it is fact? Im going to assume no, because this is column is way too long to bother with more research.
Fowler wanted OBrien.
For claritys sake, I broke down the paragraph preceding this one sentence paragraph in the sections above. So, you had all of those people who wanted Johnson, then dramatic pause. And BOOM! that one sentence piece of dramatic tripe follows. Its downright Plaschkean.
Fowler also wanted Sidney Lowe. We know how thats working out.
BUUURRRN!!!!11!!!1!1!!!
OK, thats not fair.
At least youre self-aware enough to recognize that, if also enough of a dickhead to write it in the first place.
OBrien wont be the colossal failure that Lowe has become.
Probably not.
And since were already meshing Wolfpack basketball and football, lets mesh some more and acknowledge that OBrien has much in common with former Wolfpack basketball coach Herb Sendek.
Yeah, lets mesh this shit all up. Lay these similarities on me.
Sendek won more than he lost, won the right way, graduated players and declined to reveal too much of himself to the media. OBrien is a lot like that.
Cool. Sounds like my kinda guy.
Which is ominous for OBrien, when you think about it.
Hows that?
Sendek won 105 games and went to five NCAA tournaments in his final five seasons at North Carolina State, and fans made his life so miserable that he left for Arizona State, one of the hardest jobs in the Pac-10.
Again, didnt follow the whole Sendek thing at NC State, but is this actually so? Also, they tend to take their basketball a little more seriously at NC State than their football. As you said, its not like its FSU. But wait, its about to get huggy up in this bitch.
But I understand Wolfpack fans. I really do.
I tend to not believe you.
They want to win, but they want to be able to embrace their coach like they could embrace former basketball coach Jim Valvano and, until his 3-9 season in 2006, former football coach Chuck Amato.
Im just guessing here, but I think would embrace anyone who took them to a national title in basketball. And are you really holding up the fact that they liked Amato until he started losing as some sort of sign that they really liked his personality or something?
Im just not sure they can embrace Tom OBrien. Hes a good man, but hes not embraceable.
Its true. He scored a mere 56!!! on the Holtzman Embracability Profile.
Paul Johnson, though, would have been perfect.
Seriously, he scored a remarkable 231 on Holtzman.
Hes a winner, and hes a good ol boy from North Carolina. To make the perfect hire in college sports, you have to know who you are.
Jim Valvano: Good ol boy.
Kentucky basketball, for example, knew itself when it hired a drawling workaholic named Billy Gillispie to run its basketball program.
Rick Pitino: Drawling workaholic.
Southern California knew itself when it hired a laid-back dude named Pete Carroll to run its football program.
I cant really argue with the fact that Pete Carroll personifies the whole LA thing pretty well, but John Robinson enjoyed both success and failure at USC. Was he a laid-back dude the first go round and a hardassed shitkicker when he came back? (Answer: No)
North Carolina State didnt know who it was when it hired a former U.S. Marine from the Midwest named Tom OBrien. Hell win more than he loses, and hell do it the right way, but Tom OBrien isnt North Carolina State.
A campus-wide identity crisis is truly tragic.
Paul Johnson is. Or was. But now hes at Georgia Tech, and while the fit there isnt perfect a physical education major from Western Carolina at an academically elite institution Johnson will win enough to make it work.
Fucking Fuckabees, the logic is all over the Allah cursed place in this column. OBrien is fucked because he isnt NC State (whatever the fuck that means) and Johnson will be fine despite not being Georgia Tech (however one might define that nebulous trait). Fuck!
Because thats what he does. At Georgia Southern he inherited a program coming off a 4-7 season, and within four years had won two national championships. At Navy he inherited a program that had been 1-20 over the previous two seasons and within three years was 10-2.
Impressive, though he wasnt going up against the toughest competition on the planet at either location. (And the ACC will provide that?) Shut up voice in my head.
Imagine what hell do now that he can recruit Division I athletes to a BCS school. For 21 months, North Carolina State has only been able to imagine. For North Carolina State, it was probably better that way.
Probably pretty well, but hell also consistently be playing BCS competition, so it will balance out to some degree. I cant comment any more. This column has sapped my brain-power.
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(Thanks to Claire Martin, who notes this is not how MY mother-in-law greeted me.
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No, today's list is (mostly) confined to people who made money from our misery, and haunt our highlight films along with our dreams. It's also mostly limited to the 80s and beyond, because while I am old, I'm not ancient. Anyway, let's go to the slime...
10 - Bill Belichick. Is this an overstatement for the coach of a team that has only one meaningful win over the hometown Eagles? No. Or, well, it would be if not for Spygate, and the lingering, never going to go away suspicion that the game was a fraud. (And yes, we all know this sounds like and probably is sour grapes, but when you look at the tape -- and yes, we do -- it staggers the imagination of just how often the Patriots had the exact perfect play call on offense in the second half... after not being able to a damn thing in the first half. Yes, we are still bitter.)
9 - Joe Morris/Tiki Barber. If it's a small blue football playing smurf that's making some large green person whiff in a game that, even if the Eagles win, Eagle Fan will still regret watching... well then, who really cares what the name on the back of the jersey is? On some level, Eagles Fan is a big fan of Brandon Jacobs, just because he looks different. (Ward and Bradshaw, not so much.)
8 - Tommy Lasorda. There's really no reason to explain the hate here, other than the fact that all right-thinking Americans hate Tommy Lasorda. Sure, he managed the Dodgers when they won a few playoffs against the Phils, but everyone's mostly forgotten about those; we just hate him because he's so damned hateable. Bonus points to the Philly Phanatic for getting especially under the old pussbag's skin.
7 - Joe Carter. Some might have him ranked higher, but I contend that his World Series-ending home run, that we will all get to see on replays for the rest of our natural lives, had something of the feel to a mercy killing. Fifteen years later, Philly Fan has yet to see anything as maddening as Mitch Williams again, although Jose "Joe Table" Mesa tried very, very hard.
6 - Norman Braman. Could I have put Harold Katz, Bill Giles, Joe Kuharich, Ed Snider, Leonard Tose and Bob (not Bobby) Clarke in this slot? Of course. But only Braman had the ability to make a coach who never won a playoff game (Buddy Ryan) into a martyr, then inflict Rich Kotite on the masses. For his next property, Eagles Fan hopes Braman acquires a crippling case of the clap.
5 - Kobe Bryant. Would they love him if changed laundry? Probably. Has the animosity towards him faded as the memories fade on the 2000 Allen Iverson year? Sure, a little. But to Philly Fan, whose ability to hold a grudge is damn near pathological, Kobe is still the ender of dreams and the rapist who walked. Such is the distaste that most people in town were rooting for the Celtics in the Finals. That, or a plane crash. Multiple plane crashes.
4 - Michael Irvin. The prototype of today's Lookit Me! Wideout, and a man who, according to Eagles Fan, pushed off on every single play of his life. It wasn't Tim Hauck and the vaunted Vet Stadium turf that ended his career; it was the sheer and extraordinarily focused rays of our collective hate. Irvin gets some small amount of cred for cheerfully embracing the role and excusing the fans who cheered his demise, but he could still make huge bank as a wrestling heel at any Philadelphia-area house show.
3 - Larry Bird. One town's Basketball Jesus is another town's dirty cheap-shot artist, and Bird's cocksure attitude and undeniable productivity made him the star that Sixers Fan loved to hate. The fact that the national media could never stop polishing his knob (and haven't to this day - consider, if you will, how little heat he's received for his disastrous stewardship of the Pacers) made the hate even more fervent, and you can start a bar fight to this day between Sixer and Celtic Fan over who started the Bird-Erving brouhaha. (I won't get into the dirt of that here, but consider, if you will, how many people expressed their happiness over Erving finally getting a ring in 1983, and that Doc never seemed to get into any ugliness with anyone but the Prick from French Lick.)
2 - Jimmy Johnson. As a big city on the Eastern Seaboard, Philly Fan has never much cottoned to rednecks. Nor have they gone for guys who seem to have been born to preen and bray when a camera fires. Finally, we're always obliged to hate the Cowboys coach if he shows any kind of ability at his job.
JJ managed to check off every box, and continues to plague Eagles Fan every Sunday on Fox. (Along with, of course, Troy Aikman and Darryl Johnston. Is it any wonder so many Eagles Fans refuse to listen to the television feed of any game, opting instead for the lovable propaganda of Merrill Reese on the team's radio broadcast?)
If and when you want to play the roll of Philly Fan Sports Infamy - booing a drunk Santa, cheering Irvin's injury, throwing batteries, etc. -- some might feel shame about various incidents. But no one, to a man, feels bad about hitting Jimmy Johnson with snowballs. As a matter of fact, the only thing we might feel bad about is not joining in.
1 - Terrell Owens. What, you were expecting Drew Rosenhaus.
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2. LTs back up goes to the dirty south and smacks 220 on the detroit kittens.
3. Brett Favre went Brett Favre all over the Miami Tuna even though he was in a New Jersey Jets uniform. Favre just may turn New Jerseys guido youth onto shirts with sleeves.
4. Frank Freaking Gore made Al Gore weep with his jet fueled runs all over AZ. Even crazies was the fact that AZ started a quarterback who played with Bart Starr.
5. Again, why does Joe Flaco run like my dad? Shouldnt he be a little more athletic than that?
6. The Bears beat the Colts led by a first ballot hall of fame quarterback. The Bears started some dude named Kyle Orton. Sounds like a World Warcraft Champions name, not an NFL quarterbacks name. Elvis Grbac thinks you are a douche.
7. Brady goes down because hes from a swing state. Yep thats right - the Vast Rightwing Conspiracy took his Obama loving ass out before he went 6-0 going into November and swayed the Michigan independents. Dont believe me? Ask Bunchen.
8. Vince Young not only out, but on suicide watch?!?!?
9. Mr. Rodgers looked classy in Greenbay.
10. The Raiders should have made use of the baseball diamond on their field - theyd probably be better at that than football.
11. And yes, Tony Romo and the Cowboys looked quite good. Of course, this is the R-E-G-U-L-A-R S-E-A-S-O-N.
12. Fantasy losers like myself will not be available for the election. Forget about us voting. There is way too much shit to rethink fantasy wise this year. When Ocho Cinco catches Uno passes in a game, theres a problem.
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The Lancers easily dispatched Bonney Lake 49-0 last week, showing that talent still abounds even after losing a dozen players who went on to play college football. Peninsula is expected to be one of the better teams in the SPSL 3A, but so is Bonney Lake. Tonight's game will tell us quite a bit about where Lakes and Peninsula are headed this season.
Just a reminder, if you want scores from around the area sent to your cell phone, sign up at Twitter and "follow" tntsports.
Here's a sneak peek at Friday night's top matchups.
SPSL NORTH
No. 9 Kentwood (1-0) at No. 8 Auburn (1-0)
7 p.m. Friday at Auburn Memorial Field
The lowdown: Both teams are coming off big wins. Kentwood rallied from a 14-point first-quarter deficit to beat a talented Kennedy squad 28-14 at Qwest Field. Auburn held off defending SPSL North champion Federal Way on the road. If the Trojans win this game, they are clearly in the drivers seat in the SPSL North.
Why the Conquerors will win: Kentwood has one of the better offensive lines in the league and a great backfield, too. Running backs Darius Coleman and Joseph Banks can grind between the tackles and sprint around the end.
Why the Trojans will win: Auburns linemen played well last week, creating holes on offense and plugging them on defense at critical moments. RB/LB Jeff Gouveia is a rock and capable of carrying the team at times. QB Carlo Lavoie returns this week.
The News Tribune pick: In a nearly even matchup, the Trojans get the edge.
Auburn 14, Kentwood 13
SPSL SOUTH
Spanaway Lake (1-0) at No. 7 Rogers (1-0)
7 p.m. Friday at Sparks Stadium
The lowdown: The Sentinels get a chance to knock off reigning SPSL South champion Rogers, but they might be at less than full-strength. RB Shay Patton, who ran for 270 yards and three touchdowns last week, hasnt practiced all week because of an infection on his heel.
Why the Sentinels will win: RB Devin McKinney and Marquise Miller, a flanker-turned-running back, will get the bulk of the carries if Patton cant play. McKinney showed he can have success, rushing for 94 yards on seven carries last week.
Why the Rams will win: Rogers simply has too much firepower. The Rams have an effective running attack in QB TylerVan Sligtenhorst, RB Bennett Bontemps and RB Keith Arnold. The defense, is pretty stout, too.
The News Tribune pick: Rogers has too many weapons for a Sentinels team heavy on sophomores and juniors.
Rogers 28, Spanaway Lake 14
NON-LEAGUE
No. 5 Olympia (1-0) at No. 9 Capital (0-1)
7 p.m. Friday at Ingersoll Stadium
The lowdown: Outside of gubernatorial elections, the Spaghetti Bowl is as big as it gets in Thurston County. The Olympia School District rivals are each ranked in their respective classes.
Why the Bears will win: Known as a running team under coach Bill Beattie, Olympia will try to be more balanced this season, passing more. Bears QB Willie Willard is effective throwing the ball and his mobility will keep defenses honest.
Why the Cougars will win: A preseason favorite to win the Olympic Western League, Capital has to be seething over letting last weeks game against No. 2 ODea slip away, losing 14-13. Expect the Cougars to be looking to exact some revenge in Week 2.
The News Tribune pick: Olympias 38 seniors dont want to lose their final Spaghetti Bowl. Beattie will get his 100th victory with the Bears.
Olympia 26, Capital 20
NARROWS LEAGUE
Bellarmine Prep (0-1) at Gig Harbor (0-1)
7 p.m. Friday at Roy Anderson Field
The lowdown: Both of these teams began the season with dreams of a league title and postseason berth. One of these teams will find itself starting at a 0-2 record tonight.
Why the Lions will win: QB Luke Schindele makes game-planning difficult for defensive coordinators. Hes one of the best runners in the area and that will keep defenses honest. Bellarmine Preps line will hold its own against any opponent.
Why the Tides will win: The Tides postseason path will become awfully rocky if they start 0-2 in the Narrows League, so theres no way they lose this game, right? The youthful Tides worked out the kinks of the new spread offense on the season-opener and will come back much smoother and more confident.
The News Tribune pick: With another week to work on the spread offense, Gig Harbor has smoothed out the bumps.
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Oklahoma (-20.5) at Washington - 7:45pm - Man! for Ty Willingham, its going to get worse before it gets better!
Wisconsin (-1.5) at Fresno State - 10:30pm - What a game this should be - But who are the ad wizards who came up with this start time?? 10:30 in the east? Could this be any more anti-climactic? During the 4th quarter of the game-of-the-millennium? Do they really think that the game in L.A. will be such a blowout that college football degenerates like you and me will be flipping channels at 10:30 and happen upon this game and watch it?
Ohio State at USC (-10.5) - 8pm - This game is so big that I broke from my traditional chronological-order previews, and saved this one for last (I mean, seriously... 10:30?? I still can't get over that.) This game breaks down very simply: If Chris Wells can't play, and play well, the Buckeyes don't have a chance. If QB Todd Boeckman has to take the game in his hands, the Buckeyes don't have a chance. As good as the USC offense is, the strength of this team is actually its defense. If the OSU offensive line plays like they have the first two games, the Buckeyes don't have a chance. Rey Maualuga and Brian Cushing weren't playing for either Youngstown State or Ohio, and those defensive units look pretty good against the Buckeyes. By that same token, Ohio State is a lot better than Virginia - last week notwithstanding - but they will have to reach a level of play that they haven't hit yet this year to beat the best team in the nation in their own house.
* * * * *
Allow me to use this matchup as a backdrop to get one more thing off my chest: The last two years, USC fans have used Rose Bowl romps over Big Ten teams as evidence to the greatness of their program, while OSU's BCS title game failures have proved to "expose" the Buckeyes as frauds. Each year, USC has had at least one unforgivable loss (UCLA in '06, Stanford in '07) and one other, more legitimate loss (Oregon State in '06, Oregon in '07) to end up 10-2. After those inexplicable losses end up costing them a trip to the BCS title game, they end as the #1 team in the Pac-10, and taking on one of the also-rans of the Big Ten (because OSU has won the conference and bypassed the Rose Bowl). As a result, USC ends up taking on the Big Ten's second-best (Michigan in '06) or third-best (Illinois in '07. Tied with Michigan but lost at home head-to-head) team.
What if, instead of ending the year with 2 losses, USC ended the last two years with 1 loss? In other words, what if they didn't have those huge embarrassing losses? And instead of ending the year with zero or 1 loss, OSU mixed in a loss or two to a huge underdog to end up 10-2? What if OSU had gone to the '06 and '07 Rose Bowls and destroyed some middling Pac-10 team, and USC had gone on to the BCS game and gotten blown out by a pissed-off Florida in '06 and beaten by 2 TDs by a basically-at-home LSU? Would we look at these two programs differently? Something to think about...
Ok, end of soapbox rant.
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It almost goes without saying that the current MNF broadcast is a big joke. Remember when Monday nights used to be the premiere game of the week? Luckily I have DVR and I can just sync up the Cowboys' radio broadcast with the television feed.
And I don't like waiting. I have to sit through an entire week of talk and conjecture leading up to the game only to get to the weekend and the game still doesn't happen. I have to watch two days worth of football with no Cowboys, only to have to get up and go back to work before the game gets played. I'm sure you guys know what I'm talking about, those Monday's just seem to drag by a bit slower than normal. I sit there at my desk and all I can think about is the game that still won't start for 4 hours after I get home. Gah, I hate the East coast. So all I do is wait, wait and wait some more for a game that lately has turned into a game the Cowboys just don't play that well in.
I went back and looked at games the Cowboys played on Mondays. I only went back to 2005, because frankly this team is vastly different than it was just 3 years ago. Peerless Price was the Cowboys' leading receiver in a game against Philadelphia on MNF in 2005; need I say more? Since 2005, the Cowboys are 2-3 on Mondays (I'm including the Christmas Day game against the Eagles in 2006). Not as bad as I thought it would be, but not as good as it looks either.
In 2005, the Cowboys lost 14-13 against Washington at home thanks to a 4th quarter meltdown.They then pulled the opposite move against Philadelphia, winning 21-20 when Roy Williams returned an interception for a touchdown with three minutes left in the game. The Cowboys were anemic on offense in both games, but thankfully Williams was able to make a play on a horrible pass by McNabb to win against the Eagles.
In 2006, the Cowboys played one game on MNF and one game on a Monday afternoon, on Christmas Day. The first, against the Giants, is a game that pretty much changed the direction of the Cowboys' franchise. The Cowboys were 3-2 heading into the game, yet had been on an up and down ride so far. Drew Bledsoe was inconsistent and it seemed the team was missing a spark. Bill Parcells puts inTony Romo after halftime, and the rest is history. Granted the Cowboys lost 36-22 and Romo threw three interceptions, but Romo became the man after that. Romo would lead the Cowboys to a record of 6-2 in their next eight games keeping division title hopes alive. Then that debacle on Christmas day happened (23-7), where Jeff Garcia did whatever he wanted all game long.
Last year, the Cowboys had just one game on Monday Night, and you could quite easily say it was Romo's worst and best game all rolled into one. We all know they story: five interceptions, a last minute touchdown and onside kick, the 106 yard field goal. A great game yes, but the Cowboys (Tony Romo) should have played much better than that.
That leads us to this Monday's matchup against the Eagles. Just one week into the 2008 season, the Cowboys and Eagles are the hottest teams in the league. If ever there was a more hyped, higher pressure week two game than this, I can't remember it. While Eagles/Cowboys games always get a lot of attention and have a lot smack talked leading up to the game, I can't help but wonder if the game wouldn't be as big if it weren't on Monday Night Football. ESPN is pretty good at sly self promotion, "The biggest game this week is between two NFC East powerhouses, the Eagles and the Cowboys. Which by the way, will be on ESPN Monday Night."
So looking back on the Cowboys' recent Monday Night experiences I am a bit wary, especially considering we are playing the Eagles. You can break things down however you want to but in the end it doesn't matter; no one can tell what the outcome of a Cowboys and Eagles game will be. Everytime these teams play the records are thrown out the window. Last year the Cowboys were walking into a hostile environment against an Eagles team that was improving each week. The Cowboys destroyed them 38-17. Then the Cowboys get embarrassed at home a few weeks later. So who knows what will happen Monday Night?
This much I do know: If the Cowboys play to their maximum potential they should handle the Eagles easily. The Cowboys just have too many offensive weapons for the Eagles to overcome. At the same time the defense has got to contain McNabb and lately they've done a pretty darn good job of it. Last year the Cowboys held him to a QB rating of just 71.1. If they can continue the trend Dallas should be able to pull out a win.
I just wish we didn't have to play on Monday Night.
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Week 1 of the NFL season is in the books anyone else wish we had Thursday night all year long?!? I hear ya. I dont think anyone would gripe if we had ONE game a week that is currently held on Sunday at noon would you? Maybe our wives. Our pocketbooks. Our hangovers. ;) With Saturdays college schedule, and two Monday night games one hell of a week for football.
My Heart Goes Out To Brady Owners.
Let us get it out of the way quickly. Tom Brady owners, you got some work to do. I want to say he will pull it off like Brady did when Bledsoe went down but Im not sure yet. What if they call Daunte in and he is ressurected with Randy Moss like old times. Tim Rattay? Nah. Im leanin towards Castle I think. For now.
m a Redskin fan. Times are hard. I thought we had a plan. We knew Gibbs wouldnt be around forever. Didnt we? We have a QB or I thought. Clinton Portis works harder than 95% of RBs in the NFL. At least to get his yards and usually his success translates into wins. The Skins DEF is solid and they made aquisitions in the off-season. Still - only a week into the season wonder if this is going to be another one of those years. You know what I mean? Hows your team doing.
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