The Nasti Natti Bungles, apparently are in some need at running back after cutting Rudi Johnson (avg. 5.5 ypc in Detroit, missing some luggage) and sending DeDe Dorsey to the IR. So where to turn? You always hear about teams worrying about picking up players that will affect the "Team Chemistry" so the Bungles didn't want to pick up any running back that would alter their team's dynamic and be too different than anyone else on the team. So.....
The Bungles signed former Bear Running Back/Draft Day Bust Cedric Benson to their roster. Good job Cincy, the perfect place for a should be in jail waste of space bust is in Cincy. After all in Chicago all eyes were on him after his arrests. With the Bungles, there are plenty of people to take the spotlight off of him with their own arrests.
More after the jump...
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
How Perfect
Monday, September 29, 2008
RIP Reggie
I got a bit of unsettling news when I landed in Tucson Saturday night. Apparently, while I was in Dallas, Paul Newman passed away. I found this sadly fitting and ironic as Friday night (the 27th) I was sitting in my hotel room watching the YouTube Clip of Paul Newman Singing Plastic Jesus and holding back emotions in Cool Hand Luke. This is one of my favorite scenes in one of my favorite movies.
I don't really know what compelled me to watch this other than the fact that it had been in my head almost constantly for about 6 hours, it continued to be in my head through today, and probably will be for awhile as it is a very catchy tune. I spent the last few days, as I wandered the Dallas Convention Center and Dallas' West End humming to myself about "colors pink and pleasant" and a "pedestal of Abalone Shells" as well as Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and a "Sweet Madonna dressed in Rhinestones". I'm not a religious person so it is not often that I sing old Church Folksongs to myself.
Again, it was very sad to hear of the passing of Paul Newman from Cancer. I could at this point go on, at length, about the many things that this man has done in the fields of acting and activism from racing to fund-raising but the bottom line is anyone who has seen any of his movies, loves Paul Newman. I made the wife watch Cool Hand Luke less than 2 weeks ago (which could very easily be why the song was stuck in my head this past weekend). If you haven't seen it, I highly suggest buying or renting it and while you're there scan for any other Paul Newman movie, you will most likely not be disappointed.
So I scanned the internet for some clips of Paul Newman. If you are not familiar with the man, please watch them and become familiar with him. If you are familiar I'm sure you remember the man who played real-life legends Rocky Grazino (Boxer), Billy the Kid (American Outlaw), Butch Cassidy (Bank Robber), Judge Roy Bean (Saloon Judge - The Law West of the Pecos), Buffalo Bill Cody (Wild West Showman/Namesake for the AFC East Leaders), Leslie Groves (Head of the Atomic Bomb developing Manahattan Prject), Gov. Earl Long (Lousianna Eccentric Governer). Beyond those historically famous (and infamous) characters he gave us Brick Politt, Hud Bannon, Luke Jackson, Henry Gondorff, Frank Galvin, Sidney Mussburger, Doug Roberts, "Sully". He also gave to the world of sports with the portrayals of the aforementioned Graziano, "Fast" Eddie Felson (twice and 45 years before 'Fast' Willie Parker was so named), Frank Capua, and of course Reggie Dunlop (Player/Coach for the Charlestown Chiefs).
During his career he replaced James Dean in a leading role as a virtual unkown (due to Dean's untimely death) and starred alongside Steve McQueen, Orson Welles, James Best, Elizabeth Taylor, Burl Ives, Joan Collins, Jackie Gleason, Sidney Poitier, Ed Begley, Rip Torn, Eva Gabor, William Shatner, Robert Wagner, Shelley Winters, Julie Andrews, Alfred Hitchcock, George Kennedy, Robert Redford, Sam Elliott, Cloris Leachman, Anthony Perkins, Henry Fonda, Lee Marvin, Strother Martin, Ned Beatty, Fred Astaire, O.J. Simpson, Harvey Keitel, The Hanson Brothers, Bruce Willis, Jack Warden, Morgan Freeman, Tom Cruise, Forest Whitaker, John Cusack, John C. McGinley, John Wayne, Dustin Hoffman, Tim Robbins, Bruce Campbell (yes, The Bruce Campbell), Jessica Tandy, Gene Hackman, Susan Surandon, Kevin Costner, Tom Hanks, a pre-Bond Daniel Craig, Ed Harris, Phillip Seymor Hoffman, Dennis Farina, and of course shared the road with many stars in his voice acting during the movie Cars.
He headlined most of his movies and was in movies with Taglines such as:
"M.G.M presents a most important motion picture" - Somebody Up There Likes Me
"Paul Newman, a wonderful new star!" - The Rack
"They called him "Fast Eddie"... He was a winner... He was a loser... He was a hustler" - The Hustler
"The man with the barbed wire soul!" - Hud
"Paul Newman is 'Harper' and Harper does it better" - Harper
"Hombre means MAN... Paul Newman is HOMBRE!" - Hombre
"On the chain gang, they'd seen every kind of man...but Luke became a legend" - Cool Hand Luke
"Winning is... everything" - Winning
"You never met a pair like Butch and The Kid" - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
"you'll see Paul Newman doing things you'd never expect him to do... saying things you'd never expect him to say!" - Slap Shot
"One man against the world." - Quintet
"Another con. Another sting. Another day." - Where the Money Is
He drove indycars on and off film and rode horses, he escaped from prisons (plural as in more than one), and robbed banks, he scored goals, grifted, conned, and hustled. He got in fights (both with fists and with guns), Cut down trees, Boxed many men, shot many men, and loved many women (starring often alongside his wife Joanne in many films).
Rest In Peace Mr. Newman, you're free from the Chain Gang Now:
More after the jump...
Lance Armstrong Returns to Cycling
In case you haven't heard, Lance Armstrong is returning to the world of professional cycling. The coverage hasn't been as big as I would have thought, and the reaction is pretty much just the opposite of what I would have hoped. I know that the only sport more tarnished by performance enhancing practices than baseball is cycling and that Flyod Landis didn't really do anything to help America's image. I understand the doubt, but I think we have a case of, the rest of the cycling world, who actually care about the sport outside the Tour de France, refusing to believe that arguably the greatest cyclist of all time is American.
Armstrong retired from cycling in 2005 after his 7th Tour de France Victory, a feat that is even more amazing due to the fact that he had fought cancer and returned to the world stage. He raised countless of millions through the Lance Armstrong Foundation, or better recognized as the LiveStrong campaign. Armstrong was also a key player in passing Proposition 15 in Texas which would allow for $3 billion to be allocated for Cancer Research.
Do you think he is doping, that he really isn't strong enough to come back and win again? Did you not think he was the first time?
Well he is about to try and prove a lot of people wrong, and we will be joining the 2009 Astana Cycling team. At this point he is planning to race in the Tour Down Under and the Tour de France, but is discussing other possibilities as well.
While others aren’t, I am excited. There is a lot of skepticism from the Cycling community and the public. Armstrong, just wants to race and just wants to show strength for other Cancer survivors. I think it is admirable, but the media and public opinion has a huge impact, not only on this quest but on his career and marketing as a whole. Luckily,Lance was ready for that. He had made comments that he would be "completely transparent" with the media or in otherwords would not hold anything back. To further feed the media's appetite and to show just how confident he is was reported saying that they could test him for "everything". Astana will be paying for the now famous anti-doping scientist Don Catlin to test Armstrong's blood and urine. Not only that, but Catlin will be allowed to freeze some of the samples for testing in the future.
If that isn't one of the most confident things I have ever heard, than I don't know what is. For everyone's sake, including the cycling world, his foundation, and everyone who has supported or benefited from him over the years I hope he is clean. We will find out when the test results come back which both parties said they would post online.
More after the jump...
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
News and Notes
A few different news and notes for this week.
I had a fun little mold problem at my apartment and moved a couple time (hotel, temp apartment) which means no cable or TV whatsoever. I've also been swamped at work fitting 7 days worth of work into less than 3 so needless to say, I've been a little busy. So there hasn't been an updated Top 25 or Heisman Hopefuls countdown. We will see what develops tomorrow but worst case, hopefully I'll have something for you by Thursday, only 3 days late.
First off last week I decided that a Cubs/White Sox World Series would be crowned the Red Line Series.
Well, apparently Scott Merkin is an avid Beardown reader and decided to write a piece about the possible Chicago Series. This series has never, to my knowledge been called the Red Line Series, until I wrote about it last week. I said you would see it everywhere.
Next on my list of things to discuss an old DMX song. People constantly suggest that 2Pac was predicting his death, others deaths, and of course faked his own death to live on a beach with Elvis. Going as far as to call him this generations Nostradamus at times. Well I never knew that DMX was going to predict the Pacman Jones fiasco:
http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=tra.2389795
and to hear the unedited ending with gunshots:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VWS248/ref=dm_mu_dp_trk3
More Music and More Cubs: Thank you Eddie Vedder
And for those of you wondering where I stand on the whole Notre Dame thing, I am a huge ND fan and have been for as long as I can remember (Thanks Dad!) so needless to say it pains me to have to agree with certain sections of Randle's argument against Notre Dame. But then again, I only agree to a select few sections and I totally disregard his SDSU/Cal Poly argument as I have always disregarded the if/then arguments thrown about in Sports. If a team beats one team it is no measure of how good they really are. So I totally disagree with his statement of, "San Diego State who lost to Cal-Poly before losing to Notre Dame...Notre Dame dominated the mighty Aztecs and pulled out the convincing win 21-13". I guarantee that SDSU probably brought their "A" game against Notre Dame and put up a better fight than they did in their loss to Cal-Poly. As I wrote in another earlier article,
'I hate the 'in turn' argument. As a Comment to the
original Heisman post back in December I received a plea for Appy St. QB Amanti
Edwards:
'Armanti Edwards is the Truth. He should win the Heisman, he's
the best all around football player in the country. He handled Michigan, who in
turn, handled Tib [ed. note: I assume he meant Tim here but I can't be positive]
Tebow's Florida, what other proof do you need...'
So then by that thought process Arizona should have won the National Championship last year right? After all, Arizona beat Oregon, who beat Michigan, who beat Florida, who beat Kentucky, who beat LSU. Just send the trophy back to Tucson."
Again, sorry Randle but I wanted to make it clear to our readers that not all of us (Me), though most of us (Garnes, 4Real, Randle), dislike Notre Dame. With that said, it's almost painful being a ND fan and having to watch your team get beat at home 6 or 7 times a year on National TV. But I do love having Notre Dame most weeks even just to watch Notre Dame football, deserving the TV Coverage or not it's a matter of making money and Notre Dame has one of the largest audiences and it makes sense for NBC.
Did anyone else see all of the pictures of Roger Clemens and Joe Torre in the Yankees goodbye ceremony....Wait they weren't in it? Real Classy New York. I might not agree with everything that Roidger has done, but he is still a rather large portion of Yankee history, and success. And don't get me started on leaving out Joe Torre. I may hate the Yankees, but I'm pretty sure that Joe Torre was the last New York Manager to lead the Yankees to the Postseason. In fact the last time the Yankees weren't in the postseason it was the Strike shortened year when they were in 1st place in the AL East. And of course the year before under Buck Showalter. In fact they won 4 World Series Titles with Torre. Wait isn't Torre's LA team going to the playoffs after not making it last year? Hmmmmmm.
Again I am Cable-less for the next couple weeks so I will be watching every Cubs playoff game at the Trident Bar and Grill in Tucson, AZ. If you are in the area come watch the Cubs with me and possibly 4Real, Randle, and maybe some other guest appearances. For those of you in the greater Dallas region I'll be in the West End area on Thursday and Friday night so keep an eye out.
I said it before, I'll say it again. Favre still sucks and is still overrated.
I'm not a Uni-obsessed guy like many out there but the Cats came out against UCLA Saturday sporting Red Pants. I don't like the Red Pants. 1 singular reason why. Blue Helmet, White Jerseys, Red Pants. I'm ok as long as 2/3 match or else it looks like it was pieced together at the Clearance rack at Sports Authority. Red Helmet, Red Pants, White or Blue Jersey. Fine. Blue Helmet, Red Jersey, Red Pants, I'm all for it. But that multi-colored combo just looks thrown together and sloppy. They look like a HS team that left their gear on the bus, or the Freshman wearing the hand-me-downs. And of course it reminds me of an old Optimal Stubble Cartoon:
Who else is ready for a Tiger-less Ryder Cup team in 2010. It's funny just how absolutely AMAZING Tiger is that the team actually wins without him. In my theory when Tiger is there the rest of the USA guys choke and shudder in his aura of greatness and there is no sarcasm implied here at all. They can't play, meanwhile the European players play tourneys on the European Tour and don't have to play against Tiger each week. Also, Tiger is notoriously guarded and the youth and fun that the Cup team had this year would not have been there. The guys all develop the yips around the guy and it's like playing golf with your dad when you're 11 years old, you don't want to embarrass him in front of his friends and you begin to grip and play worse than if he wasn't there. Would we have ever seen Boo Weakley go Happy Gilmore on Sunday, before the Tournament was even close to being over?
And of course Sheffield charging the mound against the Indians...From First Base:
As I'm sure you're familiar these videos won't last long so enjoy them while they're there. If you can't find them, google them.
More after the jump...
Wildcat Injury Report: Blake Kerley Out for Season
Offensive lineman Blake Kerley is out for the season. This is a huge loss for Arizona, as the junior has done a tremendous job at center all year.
The Tucson Citizen quoted Stoops as saying, "We are 99 percent sure it (involves the) ACL. That will take the rest of the year away from him."
Stoops talked with an air of confidence about the depth of their squad and has rotated the line a bit to compensate. Colin Baxter (6’4”, 295-lb. SO) will move from left guard to center, while Mike Diaz (6’5”, 340-lb. SR) will move into the left guard position.
The silver lining on this one is that we are coming up on a bye week and then face a subpar Washington Huskies squad on Oct. 4.
More after the jump...
The Day it All Changed in the NFL
With the recent loss of Tom Brady, many are speculating that this could be the end to their season. But is it Momentum or maybe is it Karma as I mentioned in my Week 1 News and Notes column. Maybe the lone loss in 
the Super Bowl was Karmic retribution for all of the "eff you" TDs, running up the score, and maybe it can all be traced back to one moment before the loss of Brady. Maybe the Patriots recent problems all started at a different time.
These thoughts have been going through my head so I've decided to create a list for all 32 teams of the precise moment that set them on the path to where they are right now. THE moment it all started going downhill (or uphill if applicable) and the reasons that they are now where they are.
AFC West:
Denver Broncos - May 2, 1999
One of the few teams that haven't really had a whole lotta bad. The Pinnacle of their Success was in 1999 at Super Bowl XXXIII in Miami. A couple months later, John Elways, rightfully so, stepped away from the game. The Broncos have struggled at times to find a QB to fill the shoes left by the Hall of Famer. They have not had the postseason success that one might wish for since winning back to back Big Games. The following season the Broncos went 6-10 and missed the playoffs but rebounded the following season and returned in 2000. They've spent the better part of the last 9+ seasons over .500 but are 1-4 in the playoffs and have missed the past 2 seasons.
Since Elway's retirement the Broncos have had their head above water and more 2,000 yard rushers than any other team, it seems like anyway. They've compiled a regular season record of 84-62 but have gone 1-4 in the postseason.
Kansas City Chiefs - February 2, 1983
Having previous fired the (12-2 in 1982) Head Coach Marv Levy the Chiefs decided to sign inexperienced 39 year old John Mackovic as their new head coach. 25 years is
a long time, with a few bright spots but before this KC had had a few decent seasons and had won Super Bowl IV. But for whatever reason they fired Levy and signed Mackovic. In the draft that following April the Chiefs, in need of a QB, drafted Todd Blackledge and passed on Hall of Famers Jim Kelly and Dan Marino as well as two time Pro Bowler Ken O'Brien. The Chiefs finished 6-10 and have been a perennial disappointment.
Since Hiring Mackovic the Chiefs are 212-190-2 with a 2-10 postseason record and have not been to the Super Bowl. I've said it before, I'll say it again...Mackovic sucks.
Oakland Raiders - February 17, 2002
The Raiders coming off of a successful season in which they very easily could have been in the Super Bowl (see Tuck Rule) were primed to come back for another season with Rich Gannon leading the charge. Things looked good for Gruden and Co. But the Tampa Bay Buccaneers needed a new coach and offered a small fortune to take Gruden away from the Raiders. One month after that fateful loss to the Patriots the Raiders "traded" their Head Coach to the Bucs. In the end the Raiders made it to the Super Bowl in the 2002 season, but only out of Football God Spite, as the Bucs humiliated the Raiders 48-21.
Since that game the Raiders are 20-63 and their coach is rumored to be out. What did the Raiders get with the draft picks acquired in the Gruden Trade? Sam Williams, Kirk Morrison, and Arman Shields.
San Diego Chargers - January 20, 2008
It might be too early to tell for sure but on that day the Chargers were visiting Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. looking to take down the undefeated Pats and take vengeance after watching the Pats, unceremoniously dance on their helmet logo at midfield 1 year earlier. During that game SD QB Philip Rivers played on an injured ankle, but MVP candidate, former MVP, and team leader LdT sat out the last 3 quarters of the game with a sprained MCL as the cameras continued to show him pouting on the sideline with his black visor on his head, emotionless. The Pats won the Chargers went home. While I actually agree with LdT sitting (if the injury was as bad as it sounded at the time) his lack of emotion left his team flat. They lost the game by 9 and were never really in it.
Since that game the Chargers are 1-2 with last night's win and two last second losses. While they can claim lucky play in week 1 (Panthers TD catch with 00:00 on the clock) or bad call (recent fumble/inadvertent whistle screw up) the point is they still let the Panthers drive the field 68 yards on 11 plays over 2 minutes and 21 seconds while the Chargers sat back and let Delhomme go 8 for 11 for all 68 yards. Again, despite the bad call, they still let the Broncos go 80 yards over 12 plays in under 4 minutes allowing a TD and 2 Pt. Conversion.
AFC South:
Houston Texans - April 29, 2006
After losing the "Bush Bowl" at the end of the 2005 season most people thought that the Houston Texans, on the heels of their 4th straight losing season (out of 4 seasons) Houston needed a big play guy to take over their team. After an amazing Rose Bowl it really came down to 2 players. Would the Texans take Heisman winner and Highlight Film Freak Reggie Bush, or go with the Hometown boy from Texas, Vince Young, who single handedly beat Bush's USC team in the Rose Bowl for the National Championship. Tension mounted as the weeks passed and with the first pick in the 2006 NFL Draft the Texans committed to...Mario Williams Defensive End from North Carolina State. What? How could they pass on two amazing offensive weapons for a Defensive End. A Highly touted Defensive End, but a Defensive End nonetheless. Well they signed Williams to a lucrative 6 year $54 Million Dollar contract, rather than the ridiculous first round money they would have had to pay Bush or Young.
Since then the Texans, in no small part to Williams and the extra money available by not signing Bush or Young, are 14-20 but in Williams' 2nd year they managed their first season at or above .500 in franchise history. Meanwhile Reggie Bush is taunting and upsetting players all over the league and is only used sparingly and Vince Young is having his own off the field, and on the field problems. Williams has accumulated 117 tackles, 20.5 sacks, and 4 forced fumbles in his first 2+ seasons.
Indianapolis Colts - January 13, 2008
It's hard to find anything negative about the Colts over the last 9+ seasons. They've only missed the playoffs once and have the 2007 Defensive Player of the Year, a dangerous TE, a good Running back, good receivers, and the NFL's most marketable player who also happens to be a 3 time MVP (Peyton Manning). How can there really be a downside. Well on the 13th of January the Colts not once, but twice failed to convert on 4th downs and lost to the Billy Volek led Chargers to end their bid for back to back Super Bowls. That was the last game played at the RCA Dome where the Colts had the friendly crowd noise on their side.
Since that game Marvin Harrison has been allegedly involved, though not charged, in a shooting, Peyton Manning had a Bursa Sack infection, and hasn't been too impressive in his return. The Colts are 1-2 overall but 0-3 in Lucas Oil Stadium a.k.a. "The Luke" including a preseason loss to the Bills in Week 3.
Jacksonville Jaguars - August 31, 2007
They really haven't been around long enough to have a altering moment of negative proportions, yet. So, in one of the rare examples of a team who doesn't have a "moment it all went downhill" for the time being Jags fans can look back at that Labor Day weekend when the Jaguars announced David Garrard as their starter. In his first season as a starter replacing the oft ineffective Byron Leftwich the Jags went 11-5, a 3 game improvement on their 2006 8-8 campaign.
Since then the Jags are 12-7, but unfortunately the Jags haven't had the best start to a season and are 1-2 right now with Garrard's unimpressive numbers (547 yds, 1 TD/4 INTs) making this seem a bit too early, but the Jags also have an almost entirely new offensive line due to a few different issues including a life threatening shooting. We'll have to see how this season pans out but perhaps the Jags are just another downhill team which will lead us to look for new answers and reasons.
Tennessee Titans - January 30, 2000 00:06
1999 was a fun year for the Titans and their fans and their playoff run was exciting for everyone. The Magic that was the Music City Miracle had the entire state of Tennessee gleeful (and probably more than a few in Houston missing their old Oilers). The Super Bowl that year was one of, if not the most exciting of my entire life, and perhaps even the history of the Super Bowl. It was the Greatest Show on Turf facing off against the unlikely opponents fresh 
off of the Miracle. Coupled with the Kurt Warner story, the resurgence of the Rams and the success of the Transplanted Tennessee Titans it was a Super Bowl for the ages. With 6 seconds left and no time-outs the Titans were down 7 and Ten Yards from the End Zone. Dyson caught the ball on a cross route, rolled and stretched, but wound up less than a yard from crossing for the score.
Since then the Titans are 70-61 but have only made the playoffs once in the last 4 years. They flirted with playoff runs but never made it back to the Conference Championship. They're 3-0 this year but have had their share of issues relating to Vince Young.
AFC North:
Baltimore Ravens - February 28, 2007
The Ravens were coming off of a 13-3 season after 2 losing seasons and everything seemed promising. Until the Offseason. On the 28th and last day of February the Ravens cut Running Back Jamal Lewis with every intention of re-signing him at a fraction of the cost, but on March 7 he signed with rival Cleveland. They failed to Franchise star Linebacker Adalius Thomas who went to the Patriots. There were plenty of boneheaded bad moves by Ozzie Newsome and things went from bad to worse as the season progressed.
Since then the Ravens are 7-11 but 2-0 this year over subpar Cleveland and Nasti Natti. The Ravens have a shot at 8 wins and possibly a playoff in the very weak AFC North.
Cincinnati Bengals - January 8, 2006
In 2005 the Bungles became the Bengals and surprised everyone winning the division and 11 games, making the playoffs for the first time since Boomer Esiason led them there in 1990. USC Heisman winner Carson Palmer finally had his breakout season, Chris Henry was running the ball well, and they had Chad Ocho Cinco (formerly Johnson) and TJ Houshamadaddy catching the ball. On the second play of the game for their offense Palmer lobbed a beautiful 66 yard pass to Henry and was immediately cracked on the knee by Kimo von...a Steeler Defensive Lineman, and tore his ACL and MCL. The Bengals lost but vowed to return in 2006. Palmer made a quick (as ACL and MCL's are concerned) rehab and was back on the field in 2006, but not at the same level as 2005. Also, following the 2005 season and into the 2006 season the Bungles had 9 players arrested.
Since that game the Bungles have returned and are 15-20, have dealt with a different Palmer, a media focused receiver, player suspensions, jail time, and have had who knows how many arrests in the last 3+ years.
Cleveland Browns - January 7, 1995
You could go back to so many moments for Cleveland if you want to go back to Elway and "The Drive" or when Art Modell sent the team to Baltimore in the middle of the night. You could even go to the drafting of Tim "Ouch" or the countless other front office mistakes and errors, but they did have a fun 2007. So I decided on 1995. The Browns came into the game after a solid win over the Patriots including 3 INTs off of Drew Bledsoe. This looked to be a good year for the Browns but they faced off against the division winning Pittsburgh Steelers at Three Rivers in the Divisional Playoffs. The Browns defense never got off the bus and they were down 17-0 after the first 3 Pitt Possessions. They never looked back and a couple years later Bill Belichick and Art Modell trucked the team to Baltimore to win a Super Bowl.
Since that game against the Steelers the Browns are 55-185 with 2 AFC Central/North 2nd place finishes and a whole lot of 4th place finishes. 2007 gave the Browns fans false hope as they have come into 2008 with 3 straight losses. Is Brady Quinn on the horizon?
Pittsburgh Steelers - June 12, 2006
The Steelers were riding high on the Hog (pun intended) coming off of a Super Bowl win on the shoulders of Big Ben. Then Big Ben and that same Hog they were riding high 
on wrecked in the middle of the offseason. Ben came back only to need an emergency appendectomy and miss a start. He also managed to get injured in what seemed like every game in his roughest season. The Steelers also lost Star LB Joey Porter in the offseason.
Since the crash the Steelers have still been moderately successful going 20-15 with a playoff appearance (2007 lost to the Jags). But they don't look too much like a Super Bowl team, though they should win the AFC North pretty easily.
AFC East:
Buffalo Bills - January 27, 1991
One of the longest suffering teams in the NFL the Bills turmoils can be traced to a high note, Super Bowl XXV, a High Note until Scott Norwood's "No Good, Wide Right" Field Goal at the end of the game clinched it for the Giants 20-19. The Bills went on to lose Super Bowl XXVI 37-24 to the Redskins, Super Bowl XXVII 52-17 to the Cowboys and a much closer XXVIII to the Cowboys 30-13. The Bills have not been back to the Super Bowl since going 0 for 4 and have been to the playoffs 4 Times ('95, '96, '98, '99) going 1-4 in those 4 trips. They have not been back since and might be moving to Canada. They've gone through numerous coaches, quarterbacks, running backs, and missed field goals over the last 17 years.
Since losing that 1st Super Bowl the Bills were 36 - 12 (6-3 Postseason) over the ensuing 3 seasons (each with another Super Bowl Loss) and a total 17 season combined span (1992-2008) their record is 159-132 with a 7-7 postseason record, but a 3-0 record this year.
Miami Dolphins - September 4, 2006
Nick Saban's 2nd year, the Return of Ricky Williams, Daunte Culpepper at the helm. 2006 is the year of the Fins. Sports Illustrated released their season picks and had the Fins winning the AFC East and representing the AFC in the Super Bowl in a close match-up against the Panthers. In the same issue, different article Culpepper was called the best Dolphins QB since Dan Marino and would serve as a "springboard to undreamed of success". Instead the Fins flailed and lost 3 of their first 4 and after 2 TDs/3 INTs, 3 Fumbles and being sacked nearly 10 times in the first 4 games Daunte was shown the bench and didn't attempt another pass the rest of the campaign.
Since that time the Dolphins are 8-27, have a new coach, a pair of oft-injured running backs, they've started 5 different quarterbacks, and Daunte has retired from football. The lone bright spot of that 2006 season? WR Wes Welker had 67 catches for 687 yds spent the next season pulling in 8 TDs and 112 catches for division rival New England in 2007. Of course Ronnie Browns 5 TD performance and the thrashing of the Pats has Miami fans thinking maybe there's a chance 2 years later.
New England Patriots - September 10, 2007
The New York Jets outed the Patriots for Cheating via the Spygate scandal. The Patriots, out of their Eff You mentality spent the rest of the season running up the score, Bill Belichick became even more hated, Tom Brady was shoved down our throat, and we all just sat and stared as the Patriots went 18-0 and went on to the Super Bowl against the Giants. The Giants beat the Pats, that Pats had a rough offseason and Tom Brady went down for the season and have Matt Cassel taking over at QB. It might be too early to tell but will the Pats begin spiraling downward? Not being able to stop the Dolphins looks like it. Take a look at Carson Palmer since he went out on an almost identical play with an almost identical injury.
Since that game against the Jets the Pats are 20-2. The lone loss being the Super Bowl. But they've also lost Tom Brady and who knows for how long? Who knows what percent Brady will be at upon his return. This Patriots team was built for the now and doesn't have much longer. Their getting older and this could be the thing that moves them down to the likes of the Vikes (sorry it rhymed and I can't help it). Keep an eye out.
New York Jets - September 23, 2001
In twisted terms of fate the Jets were partially responsible for the downfall of the Pats, and it seems the opposite could also be said. The 2001 Jets were coming off of a 9-7 season in which they were primed for a Postseason spot until dropping the last 3 games of the season. They had talent, and they had the edge and anger that comes with a disappointing season. They had a new Head Coach (Herm Edwards) but they came out in week 1 and lost but they rebounded in week 2 and defeated the Patriots. But in that game Jets LB Mo Lewis took out Patriots All-Pro QB Drew Bledsoe who wound up suffering internal injuries and sat out much of the 2001 season. His replacement Tom Brady came in and led the Pats to the history we've seen for them.
Since then the Jets have lost to the Pats 14 (of 17) games including on in the playoffs. They've also gone 54-60 in the regular season and are 2-4 in the playoffs. They've gone through 2 coaches since that time (Herm and Mangenius) and 6 starting QBs.
NFC West:
Arizona Cardinals - March 13, 1960
The Cardinals had been floundering for years in the shadow of the Chicago Bears and hadn't won a league championship since 1947. The upstart AFL was moving into the Midwest and the NFL wanted to counter with a team in St. Louis. Owner Violet Bidwell decided this would be a win for everyone. I could go into the vast depths of the Cardinals past but we'll just skip to the end.
Since moving from Chicago the Cardinals have gone through God knows how many coaches, quarterbacks, busts, stadiums, players, curses, etc. The only two things that remain constant, losing and the Bidwells. Since leaving Chicago they've amassed 0 Super Bowl Championships, 0 NFL Championships, 4 Hall of Famers (0 from their time in Phoenix), 4 trips to the playoffs (1-4 record) and 0 in the last decade. Their overall record could be described as a lot and a little or more specifically 309-500-9. Congrats to the Cardinals for their 500th loss since moving from Chicago.
St. Louis Rams - January 15, 2004
The first 4 years since moving over from LA the Rams were one of the Worst Shows on Turf. In 2000 that all changed and they became the Greatest Show on Turf going to 2 of 3 Super Bowls and going 1-1 in the Big Game (Spygate's origin?) Everyone credits Mike Martz and the explosive offense, with good reason, for the Rams rise to the top but not enough credit went to Defensive Coordinator Lovie Smith who took the Rams from a league worst 29.4 PPG allowed in 2000 to a 17.1 PPG Allowed in 2001. Which took at 10-6 team and made them into a 14-2 team primed to win another Super Bowl (if not for Spygate). On January 15th the Chicago Bears hired away Lovie Smith and the Rams haven't been the same since.
Since then the Rams are 25-42 and have gotten rid of the aforementioned Mike Martz who has been an assistant in Detroit and San Francisco. The Rams went from 17th (20.5 PPG) in Lovie's last season there to 31st (27.4) in 2007. They went to the Playoffs once in the weakest division in the league.
San Francisco 49ers - January 15, 2003
The 49ers had been one of the most dominant teams for much of the 80s and 90s. They followed up a Hall of Fame Quarterback (Montana) with a Hall of Fame Quarterback (Young) and had a couple guys named Rice and Owens during parts of those stretches. In 2002 they went 10-6 and won the NFC West but lost in the Divisional Round of the Playoffs. Ten days after the season the Niners fired Head Coach Steve Mariucci and hired Dennis Erickson. Their next 5 seasons ended with them in 3rd or 4th place all 5 times and Erickson's tenure, as per usual was short.
Since firing Mooch because of some front office power struggle the Niners are 27-46 and have gone through 2 coaches. And that front office? They drafted Alex Smith 1st overall. They haven't been back to the playoffs since and have 5 losing seasons in the worst division in football.
Seattle Seahawks - January 4, 2004
The Seahawks have won 4 straight division titles. How could a low point be at the end of the first year they won the division? Well it's a weak division (have I mentioned that already somewhere above) so winning it isn't the hardest thing to do. So the Moment of decline came with Matt Hasselbeck proclamation, "We're taking the ball and we're gonna score" in Overtime against the Packers. He proceeded to throw a pick 6 for the Packers game winning TD.
Since then they've compiled a winning record and have even been to the Super Bowl, but since that moment they are 42-26 in the regular season, but are 4-5 in the playoffs and are 1-2 this year.
NFC North:
Chicago Bears - April 26, 2003
"And with the 22nd pick in the 2003 NFL Draft acquired from the New York Jets, the Chicago Bears select...Rex Grossman Quarterback, Florida". Of course it can't all be stuck 
on the shoulders of Rex Grossman, but due to the fact that he spent 3 seasons on the bench constantly injured and let the Bears without the "need" for a new QB. They thought they had one waiting in the wings and never bothered to go after other QBs in Free Agency and the Draft. The Bears could have gone after Big Ben, Philip Rivers, Aaron Rodgers, and Jason Campbell. Also, perhaps they would have drafted Rodgers or Campbell instead of Cedric Benson, yet another bad draft choice in Chicago Bears History.
Since that Pick the Bears are a deceiving 44-38 in the regular season (2-2 postseason). The numbers are deceiving as the Bears special teams and defense have pulled Grossman out of a few games and made up for his mistakes. Enter Kyle Orton.
Detroit Lions - January 9, 2001
The Detroit Lions, coming off of a 9-7 season, hire former player and Radio/TV Commentator Matt Millen to run the team. In his first 4 seasons as Team President the Lions went 11-48, at which point many figured Millen's contract was due to be terminated. And they were right, as he was signed to a 5 year extension and made him the 2nd highest paid GM in the NFL.
Since originally signing Millen the Lions are 26-84 and have finished last 4 times and 2nd to last 3 times. They have also made about "A Millen" bad draft and free agency choices (get it). Also, reports say that the Lions are trying out Former Bear and future inmate #45918235 Cedric Benson.
Green Bay Packers - August 7, 2008
Not often is getting rid of your Hall of Fame QB a good decision, but as I said in the past the Packers needed to go in a different direction. Now as a Bears fan I constantly said that I wanted them to keep Favre. Chicago is 7 of the last 8 against the Pack averaging over 2 Takeaways per game, off of Favre alone. So when the Packers finally got rid of their Hall of Fame QB, they finally got the "will he won't he" monkey off of their back. Instead of having to waver and wonder whether or not he would be back for another year and leaving the team to actually make plans and not have to change them.
Since getting rid of the Favre monkey they Packers are 2-1 and Aaron Rodgers has thrown for 796 yds 4 TDs/0 INTs and a rushing TD meanwhile Favre and the Jets are 1-2 and Favre has thrown for 646 yds 6 TDs and a glaring 3 INTs and a fumble in typical Favre fashion.
Minnesota Vikings - October 31, 2004
The 5-1 Minnesota Vikings came into that Halloween game against the Giants leading the NFC North. The Giants defense picked apart the Vikings and at halftime Moss (with 0 receptions in the game) came out for the game and wound up sitting the next 3. The Vikings went 1-2 during that stretch narrowly defeating the Lions 22-19. They finished the rest of that season with a 3-7 record and lost to the Eagles in the 2nd round of the Playoffs.
Since that game the Vikings are 27-34 in the regular season and 1-1 in the post season. Randy Moss was gone after the '04 campaign and Culpepper had one of his worst statistical seasons in '05. Hopefully for Nordic fans, Adrian Peterson will remain healthy and Gus Frerotte is the prodigal son.
NFC South:
Atlanta Falcons - May 22, 2001
The NFL Decided to realign their divisions and everyone was thrilled (except Cardinals fans since they were going to lose their Dallas Cowboys gate). The Teams were where they were supposed to be. The Cardinals left the NFC East for the NFC West. And the Falcons left the NFC West for the NFC South. The realignment went into effect in the 2002 season and over the ensuing 5 years, each team that finished last in the NFC South finished first the next year...which means that they aren't going to finish first the year after. Also going into the 2002 season the Atlanta Falcons lost the original Dirty Bird in Jamal Anderson to retirement due to injury.
Since the 2002 season the Falcons are 46-52-1 in the regular season and 2-2 in the playoffs, but they are 2-1 right now and they did finish last in 2007. Are they destined to continue the 5 year long worst to first division streak? Or will they blow it?
Carolina Panthers - Exempt
The only exempt team on the list. The Panthers have only been around a short time and for the most part are just under .500 with a couple of deep playoff runs. They're 632 in the playoffs and have been to the NFC Championship 3 times, and the Super Bowl once. They haven't won but they are 2-1 this season. Other than a few meager years in the late 90s/00s where they went 20-44 they have been largely successful in their short Tenure. The Panthers are safe. If they go one and win the Super Bowl or have moderate success this year perhaps we can look back on Delhomme's return.
New Orleans Saints - September 16, 1967
Who can forget the 'Aints and their paper bag covered fans. The Saints spent so
many years below mediocrity it's hard to narrow it down to a specific date, time, person, or game. They have 14 seasons at .500 or better and 6 of those 14 were at .500. Meanwhile they also have 14 seasons with double digit losses. So where do we put the blame. They've only won 2 (out of only 8) playoff games in their history. Oh and that stretches back to 1967. I guess then we could place the blame for the Saints futility on the secret backroom politics of Pete Rozelle, who wanted his brainchild NFL-AFL Merger to happen. So he awarded a team to New Orleans. But it actually doesn't date that far back instead it is Game 1 of the New Orleans Saints storied Franchise history. In their Inaugural Game Rookie John Gilliam returned the Saints Opening Kickoff, the first in the Franchise history, for a Touchdown. And as we all know and preach, never return the opening kick for a Touchdown. Ask Devin Hester and Ted Gin Jr. how that worked out for them.
Since Gilliam returned that kick for a TD the Saints are 255-368-5 and 2-6 in the postseason. They've never been to the Super Bowl.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - March 13, 2003
Coming off of a Super Bowl win, the first in Franchise history the Bucs decided to cut their Super Bowl MVP Dexter Jackson. As far as I could find twice before a team lost/cut their MVP. Larry Brown in Dallas and Desmond Howard in Green Bay. What happened to those teams? Dallas lost in the 2nd round after going 10-6 and beginning their decline. Green Bay cut Desmond Howard and went on to lose the Super Bowl and fade into mediocrity. What did the Bucs think was going to happen?
Since releasing MVP Dexter Jackson the Bucs are 38-45 and 0-2 in the playoffs.
NFC East:
Dallas Cowboys - January 5, 1997
Sure the Cowboys have won the NFC East twice and have taken 2nd 3 times in that 11 year span. But that's not why this day was so bad for the Boys. The Cowboys were still celebrating their 1995 Super Bowl win over the Pittsburgh Steelers and thought there was no chance they wouldn't win it again. Especially going up against the Sophomore Carolina Panthers who were playing in their second ever season and first playoff run. Well the Panthers closed out the Cowboys which led to the disastrous 1997 Cowboy season and enter Chan Gailey.
Since that playoff loss to the Panthers the Cowboys are 89-90 and more importantly they are 0-5 in the playoffs. They are 3-0 this year but I guess it doesn't matter if they go 16-0 since chances are they'll drop the 1st game of the playoffs, again.
New York Giants - December 2, 2007
If the Giants had lost the Super Bowl (or not made it that far) last year than many people would be keying on the Rivers Manning Trade in the 2004 NFL Draft as the downhill moment. But Manning went Manning and went crazy, like he forgot he was Eli Manning and won the Super Bowl orchestrating a great drive to win the game against the undefeated Patriots. Instead the Giants are looking like the Real Deal and Peyton and Eli seemed to have switched jerseys and teams. In that game against the Bears Eli was having one of, if not the worst game of his career. A loss and he might have seen the bench for good. Eli had 2 INTs and a Fumble and the G-Men were getting beat by the Bears. Going into the 4th Quarter the Giants were down 16-7 and looking Bad. Then the Giants went 77 and 75 yards for a pair of TDs and the Win on the Road in frosty Soldier Field.
Since that game the Giants are 10-2 (8-0 on the road) and oh yeah, they beat the unbeatable Patriots, and Packers, and Cowboys to win the Super Bowl last year with Eli playing out of his mind.
Philadelphia Eagles - February 6, 2005
3 words. Super Bowl Hangover. The Eagles went to not one, not two, but THREE straight Conference champions losing each time just a game shy of the Super Bowl. Then in 2004 They finally went for the first time since 1980. They had McNabb and TO coming off of a broken leg. They lost to the Pats (video taping?) and suffered the Super Bowl Hangover that most Super Bowl losers have.
Since then they are 26-25 and 1-1 in their lone playoff appearance. They've had to deal with plenty of injuries and issues but have looked good so far in '08.
Washington Redskins - February 3, 1994
Ah the Skins, a soft spot in my heart (Craig Hughes and of course THE Trident Bar and Grill in Tucson/Uncle Nelly's Old Bay Cafe). How to pick a date when it all went downhill. How about following the terrible 4-12 Richie Petitbon season. Something had to be done and Norv Turner was the guy for the Skins. So they hired away the Cowboy Offensive Coordinator. All things looked grand for the Skins and they would return to the glory brought by retired Head Coach Joe Gibbs.
Since then Turner went Norv Turner and compiled a 46-59-1 record going to the playoffs only once. The Redskins since that day have recovered slightly but haven't returned to glory just yet. They are 99-124-1 overall since hiring Norv and his ensuing coaches and are 2-3 overall in three trips to the playoffs.
More after the jump...
Heisman Busters: Week 4
Named after the now common phrase BCS Buster, lets take a look at Week 4 performances that might prove to be Heisman Busters.
Note: I have decided that I will use the ESPN Heisman watch as the radar for players, and strive to bring you guys that are not on the list but should be. Once they have made ESPN’s list I will take them off my reports and let the “real” media keep you informed.
Recap:
In Week One I listed Mark Sanchez, Max Hall, and Jahvid Best as the players to watch for.
Sanchez was an easy pick as it was only a matter of time before USC picked up some momentum and the main behind the helm was acknowledge, and he was.
Max Hall was my sleeper pick, but I have been hyping his chance at the bronze stiff arm as well as BYU’s BCS Busting hopes. Finally, ESPN has recognized him and he is legitimately in the running . To quote myself from Week One’s article “Hall has a chance to be this years Colt Brennan. That is to say that a Non-BCS QB could break into the hunt if they can finish out their season undefeated.” Those dreams are still alive.
Jahvid Best: I talked about Best and his upstart Cal squad who was looking to break into the Top 25. They did, Best spent a week on ESPN’s Heisman watch and then both dropped out after week three. No surprises here, he is off the Buster’s list as well.
Week Two saw a number of players on watch, but none of them are in the running besides Penn State’s Evan Royster.
Royster’s Stats
Week 4: 9 Car 73 YDs 1 TD 1 Rec 12 YD
Season: 47 Car 379 YDs 7 TD
Why and Why Not?: With the continuing disappoint of The Ohio State University, Penn State continues to beat teams big. Their schedule hasn’t been anything to write home about, but I believe they may be the best team in the Big 10. Royster is splitting carries with freshman back Stephfon Green, but still continues to put up numbers averaging around 8 YDs per carry. Penn State’s first real test will be this Saturday when they host Illinois, which will be interesting to see how Royster performs against their toughest competition thus far.
Week 4:
There are a couple of surprising players that haven’t made the national spotlight early in this 2008 season, and I think we all need to be aware of what they are doing on the field.
RB Donald Brown: UConn
Week 4: 34 Car 150 Yds 2 TD
Season: 113 Car 716 Yds 10 TD
Why and Why Not?: The Huskies are 4-0 and are playing in a Big East conference that appears to be South Florida’s to lose. Brown is averaging 179 yards a game, and really making a statement both for himself and his team. Unfortunately, UConn has a tough schedule from here on out. They will face Louisville, North Carolina, Rutgers, Syracuse , and South Florida all of which are on the road. If he can still post these numbers down the stretch against these teams on the road, there should be Heisman talks.
RB Javon Ringer: Michigan State
Week 4: 39 Car 201 YDs 2 TD
Season: 143 Car 699 YDs 11 TD
Why and Why Not?: The Spartans are better than everyone thinks, and they proved it against Notre Dame. Granted that shouldn’t be the crowning achievement on your resume, but beating the Irish 23-7 does make a statement. Michigan State is sitting at 3-1 with their only loss coming from their road opener against Cal (38-31). Their remaining schedule isn’t as bad as it could be, hosting Ohio State and Wisconsin, while going on the road to match up against Penn State and Michigan. Ringer has proven that he is the heart of this team. If they keep playing above expectations they will take a lot of teams by surprise and open some doors for themselves.
QB David Johnson: Tulsa
Week 4: 24/39 469 YDs 3 TD 2 Int
Season: 69/96 1219 YDs 15 TD 2 Int 225.93 Rating
Why and Why Not?: Conference USA. It really is that simple. We already have one QB from a Non-BCS conference that has solidified his spot in the running, and there really isn’t room for two.
Special Recognition:
CB Glover Quinn: New Mexico
Quinn had both interceptions against Johnson, giving him three on the season. He is also the biggest reason why the Lobos were able to beat Arizona in Week 3. I had not seen a Corner control a game the way he did in a long time. Quinn made key plays when they needed them, and proved that games are not always just a matter of statistics. I was disappointed we lost that game, but I have to give it up to the man he is a great athlete.
More after the jump...
To You Weisgipper...
O.K. Weisgipper lets take our little disagreement out of the ally and into the arena.....
You maintain that we unfairly criticize your team The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame and that we are "homer's" for our "mild-cats" as you so eloquently put it. I will freely admit that I am a nutcase, over the top, biased as hell WILDCAT fan, but I am also a realist. I have criticized much about our proud program and even agreed with you that we are a mid level D-1 team at best in past posts...But you sir, the bastion of honest and balanced analysis take exception to what we have said or done to soil the honor that belongs to touchdown Jesus and the golden dome.
I feel like maybe I can help you find your sanity and regain some of the respect and friends you must surely have lost in your life over these delusions of grandeur...with out further adieu I present the evidence(duh-duh duuhhhhhhhh)
Exhibit A: The stats of the so called Mild-cats as of the completion of week 4
| per game | NCAA | PAC10 | |
Total Offense | 423.5 yds | 36th | 5th |
Total Defense | 221.8 yds | 7th | 2nd |
Points Scored | 42.5 pts | 14th | 4th |
Points Allowed | 15.5 pts | 29th | 2nd |
36th nationally on total offense, 14th in scoring offense...wow
7th in total defense....that's just preposterous, surely something is wrong here
Lets see exhibit B the stats of the proud, tradition filled, TV time deserving IRISH
| per game | NCAA | IA | |
Total Offense | 286.7 yds | 106th | 3rd |
Total Defense | 359.7 yds | 69th | 2nd |
Points Scored | 21 pts | 89th | 3rd |
Points Allowed | 17.7 pts | 36th | 1st |
Uh-oh one of us appears to be better....I won't rub your nose in it man...clearly it's because you guys are playing so many quality opponents while we are playing cupcakes.
We beat Idaho 70-0...they suck I'd compare them to, Oh I dunno...San Diego State who lost to Cal-Poly before losing to Notre Dame...Notre Dame dominated the mighty Aztecs and pulled out the convincing win 21-13...Clearly a case of homer-ism
How about your dominating performance against the storied program in Ann Arbor, big time college football folks...How was that not on two networks at once to handle the public clamoring for more coverage...We'll compare your victory over Michigan to ours over...Toledo who gave #25 Fresno St all it could handle this weekend....We beat Toledo 41-16, you beat the mighty might Wolverines 35-17....Wow that also seems close...again let's not let the facts speak lets just assume that I made all this up.
Bottom line is this - Notre Dame is a FARCE...they do not deserve to be on TV every week and you Mr.Weisgipper are exactly the reason that 99% of the world hates Notre Dame...Your sense of false entitlement and inflated worth are scary...I hope you find a quiet little corner to spend your happy time, because yours is with out question a lonely existence...Your arguments all resemble your coach at the moment....Lame
P.S. - Our ESPN analyst's son was a 1st round draft pick, yours is in some trouble.
Originally posted by Matt Randle "El". I, Dom, deleted and edited the piece and have nothing to say negative about the Irish.
More after the jump...
Monday, September 22, 2008
More things to hang on the fridge door
After an outstanding performance this weekend at the Rose Bowl some of our boys in Red and Blue have been recognized by the PAC-10 as the outstanding players of the week in their respective areas of play.
First off Corey Hall, Jr. DB from DeSoto, TX has received the PAC-10 Defensive 
Player of the Week award for his outstanding performance against UCLA this past weekend. Hall posted "six tackles, four solo, including one quarterback sack and broke up two passes, leading Arizona's defensive effort. The Wildcat defense did not allow a touchdown and limited UCLA to 11 first downs and 196 yards of total offense (115 rushing, 81 passing)."
On the Special Teams side of things Money Mike Thomas receives t
he Special Teams Player of the Week award. "Thomas, a senior also from DeSoto, Texas, had 257 all-purpose yards against UCLA, including 107 yards on six punt returns (17.8), with three of the returns setting up Arizona touchdowns. Hall and Thomas were teammates at DeSoto (Texas) High School."
It should be noted that Rob Gronkowski was a runner up for the Offensive Player of the Week award after his two touchdown performance.
More after the jump...
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
World Series Possiblities
We all remember the Subway Series back in 2000, and those of you old enough to remember there have been more than a few other Subway Series when New York had 3 or 4 teams to choose from. But out in the Midwest and West there haven't been as many match-ups. Los Angeles has had 2 MLB teams since 1961 and only once have both teams been in the same playoffs (2004) and they have never met in the World Series. As for Chicago the two teams have been in existence in the same league for over 100 years and have actually met in the World Series in 1906 and the Southsiders took home the title over the Cubs.
Well this year could be an historic year for the MLB as both of these options look like they could happen. All four teams lead their respective divisions. The Angles clinched their division last week. With a Cubs win over 2nd place Milwaukee last night their magic number dropped to 4 with 2 more against the Brewers, and have all but locked up the Wild Card. White Sox are much closer as their lead is down to 2.5 with 12 to play and the Wild Card out of reach. Lastly, the Dodgers have a 4.5 game cushion over the slumping DBacks in the NL West with 11 to play and the Wild Card is out of reach.
Potentially this year we could see either an Freeway Series on the I-5 between Stadium Way and Orangewood or an El Series on the Red Line between 35th and Addison, so you will most likely see these everywhere:
More after the jump...
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Heisman Hopefuls: Week 3
Week 3 has come and gone and most of my Heisman Hopefuls (same list since March) have at least 2 games under their belt so it is time to start eliminating names off of the list of Bronze Stiff Arm Candidates. As always you can refer to the Bronze Stiff Arm Link at the bottom of the article for the past few lists.Todd Boeckman, QB - Ohio State
14/27 - 87 yds - 2 TDs/0 INTs - 81.22 QB Rating
Through 3 Games:
44/66 - 381 yds - 2 TDs/2 INTs - 119.1 QB Rating
With the loss against USC on Saturday Todd Boeckman looked a lot more like the Boeckman we saw against Ohio which started to worry Buckeye Faithful. There are clamors for Freshman Phenom Terrelle Pryor to step in, can't remember the last time a Heisman Candidate was being pressured by a True Freshman backup.
Sam Bradford, QB - Oklahoma
18/28 - 304 yds - 5 TDs/0 INTs - 285.88 QB Rating - 1 Rush - 1 yd - 1 TDJimmy Clausen, QB - Notre Dame
10/21 - 147 yds - 2 TDs/2 INTs - 118.8 QB Rating
Through 2 Games:
31/55 - 384 yds - 5 TDs/4 INTs - 130.47 QB Rating
Despite the win over Michigan Jimmy is out of the running. Though 2-0 with a weak schedule, Notre Dame will not be in the National Spotlight, beyond their typical overexposure, and his numbers aren't enough to garner National Award Recognition.
Michael Crabtree, WR - Texas Tech
8 Receptions - 164 yds - 3 TDs
Chase Daniel, QB - Missouri
23/28 - 405 yds - 4 TDs/0 INTs - 250.78 QB Rating - 1 Rush - 12 yds - 0 TDs
Noel Devine, RB - West Virginia
-OFF-
Graham Harrell, QB - Texas Tech
31/48 - 418 yds - 5 TDs/0 INTs - 172.11 QB Rating
P.J. Hill, RB - Wisconsin
26 Rushes - 112 yds - 0 TDs
Ian Johnson, RB - Boise State
13 Rushes - 97 yds - 2 TDs - 1 Reception - 10 yds - 0 TDs - 1 KR - 25 yds
Kellen Lewis, QB - Indiana
-OFF-
Jeremy Maclin, WR - Missouri
6 Receptions - 172 yds - 3 TDs - 4 PR - 23 yds - 2 KR - 39 ydsRyan Mallet, QB - Michigan
NO LONGER AT MICHIGAN, AT ARKANSAS SITTING OUT 2008, NO LONGER 2008 BSA CANDIDATE
Colt McCoy, QB - Texas
-OFF-
LeSean "Shady" McCoy, RB - Pittsburgh
-OFF-
Joe McKnight, RB - Southern California
12 Rushes - 105 yds - 0 TDs
Knowshon Moreno, RB - Georgia
20 Rushes - 79 yds - 1 TD - 2 Receptions - 13 yds - 0 TDs - 1 PR - 32 ydsRyan Perrilloux, QB - Lousiana State
NO LONGER AT LSU, AT D-1 FCS JACKSONVILLE STATE, NO LONGER IN BSA CONTENTION
Mark Sanchez, QB - Southern California
17/28 - 172 yds - 4 TDs/1 INT - 152.31 QB Rating
Matthew Stafford, QB - Georgia
15/25 - 146 yds - 0 TDs/0 INTs - 109.6 QB Rating - 8 Rushes - 15 yds - 0 TDs
Tim Tebow, QB - Florida
-OFF-
Mike Thomas, WR - Arizona
12 Receptions - 136 yds - 1 TD - 2 KR - 40 yds
Willie Tuitama, QB - Arizona
27/50 - 321 yds - 3 TDs/2 INTs - 119.73 QB Rating
Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB - Ohio State
-DNP (FOOT)-
Pat White, QB - West Virginia
-OFF-
Isiah "Juice" Williams, QB - Illinois
13/25 - 147 yds - 1 TD/1 INT - 106.59 QB Rating - 11 Rushes - 35 yds
If I were to give the Award today, based on 3 weeks, my recipients would be:
Week 3 Winner:
Sam Bradford, QB - Oklahoma
18/28 - 304 yds - 5 TDs/0 INTs - 285.88 QB Rating - 1 Rush - 1 yd - 1 TD
Winner after 3 weeks:
Sam Bradford, QB - Oklahoma
64/81 - 882 yds - 12 TDs/2 INTs - 214.43 QB Rating - 4 Rushes - 4 yds - 1 TD
As I mentioned before I am sticking with my original list of names so Jahvid Best, Javon Ringer, Max Hall, and the others who deserve to be on this list aren't. Look for 4 Real's Heisman Busters column where those fellas will be mentioned in detail.
More after the jump...
Monday, September 15, 2008
Abdul Gaddy Committs to Arizona Again
Well it is official, again. The 6’3 170 pound point guard out of Bellarmine Prep in Tacoma Washington has committed to the University of Arizona for next season. Scout.com has him ranked as a 5 star caliber player, and the 2nd ranked point guard in the recruiting class. It came down to point guard U and UCLA, and Lute won out.
Gaddy who had decommitted to Arizona in May because of the coaching changes, has apparently been shown that Lute is here to stay and that Arizona is the place from him. There is no doubt that he will make an immediate impact on our Cats, and were glad to have him back on board, again.
So yes Randle, according to my sources they did do a good enough job of reassuring Gaddy that spending a couple years in Tucson is the right decision.
4Real Out...
More after the jump...
Lute Olson under NCAA investigation
In keeping with the over all theme of bad luck and bull $h!t surrounding the storied Wildcat coach and program the Tucson Citizen broke this story today.
Any other program, any other coach and this goes away as if nothing ever happened. This is at face value an honest mistake that has already been handled, but Coach Olson has been so nasty to the media and will probably been answering about this for a while. I know he has every right to dislike the beat writers and the national pundits that keep telling him he is to old and has lost his edge, but you should avoid picking fights with people who buy ink by the barrel and paper by the ton. I hope this blows over, my gut tells me it won't.
All the while we are still waiting to hear if Lute and his new staff did a good enough job reassuring Abdul Gaddy that the controversy and turmoil surrounding the program and coaching staff is over...OOPS, do you think Ben Howland hasn't all ready called this kid and let him know that no matter what Lute said to him it is still a mess at Arizona.
More after the jump...
College Football Top 25 Poll: Week 3....
...Now with 25% less Pac-10.
Week 3 is going to give us our first major shakeups of the season in The Beardown College Football Top 25 Poll. Work has been hectic today so not much analysis, just know that I should have waited until week 3 to make my Top 25 predictions since a good portion of the teams I have had in here didn't play too well yesterday. It could be worse, I could have had Michigan in my Top 25 (USA Today Coaches Poll).
1(1). USC Trojans
Number one again and not only furthering themselves from the Pac-10 but the rest of the nation as well. They have, by far, played the toughest non-conference schedule of the rest of the Top 25 (other than ECU). USC is the real deal...until they blow an easy Pac-10 game sometime later in the year (2003 - California, 2006 - Oregon State, 2007 - Stanford, 2008 - Arizona?)
2(2). Oklahoma Sooners
It may have been a lowly Pac-10 school but 55-14 is convincing in anyone's book.
3(3). Florida Gators
-Off-
4(6). Missouri Tigers
They leapfrogged AN Ohio State University and Georgia to take the up for grabs 3 spot. I don't care if it was Nevada Jeremy Maclin and Chase Daniel are just too good. Big XII play will be exciting this year.
5(5). Georgia Bulldogs
I considered moving them up with AN Ohio State University's loss, but bottom line was 14-7 over SoCar wasn't as impressive as Mizzou's Saturday performance. Unluckily for them, a Win over ASU next week won't do as much to launch their season as they may have hoped. They need the teams ahead of them to fall and spotless SEC play to make it to the Big Game.
6(7). Texas Tech Red Raiders
Maintaining, although they have put up 127 points, I expected more out of their offense against Eastern Michigan, Nevada, and Southern Methodist.
7(9). LSU Tigers
They move up due to AN Ohio State University loss and an unimpressive Auburn performance. Oh and they beat North Texas, but who cares, Play someone already.
8(10). Texas Longhorns
-Off-
9(11). Wisconsin Badgers
The new Top Big Eleven team. A nice road win at Fresno State and they make it into the Top Ten.
10(16). Brigham Young Cougars
59-0 over UCLA. Outplayed them in ever single facet of the game. That meeting with Utah at the end of the season could be the biggest game in MWC history.
11(8). Auburn Tigers
3-2 over Mississippi State. 15 of the 18 Baseball games played on Saturday had a combined higher score, the remaining three each combined for 5 points as well: 3-2 (Reds v. Backs) 3-2 (Braves v. Mets) and 5-0 (Braves v. Mets). Not impressive.
12(14). Alabama Crimson Tide
It came down to ECU and Bama right here and despite ECU's resume I gave the edge to Bama due to the most recent performance.
13(13). East Carolina Pirates
Had they played a little bit stronger against 0-2 Tulane they would have jumped to 11, but a 28-24 victory didn't impress. I think that their slipper has a short shelf life especially with the recent injury to Star Linebacker Quentin Cotton.
14(4). AN Ohio State University
10 spot slip after getting blown out by #1 team sans Heisman RB. Would Beanie have made a difference. Absolutely. Would Ohio State have won with Beanie? Absolutely Not. The Big Eleven is starting to look like the Little Eleven. When do you start Pryor if you're the vest?
15(17). Oregon Ducks
Eeking out a game against Purdue (32-26) and losing a QB sohuld be a scary sight for Oregon fans, unless 4Real is right by thinking that Masoli should be in there anyway.
16(18). Penn State Nittany Lions
They're doing what they've gotta do, we'll see how real they are come Little Eleven conference play. I'm still not sold on them just yet.
17(21). South Florida Bulls
Great game against Kansas on Friday. A solid home "upset" over an outmatched Reesing and Co. Maybe they aren't just a one-year wonder.
18(12). Kansas Jayhawks
They lost to a better South Florida team. With Conference play aroud the corner don't expect Kansas to get much higher than this without a couple of really well played games.
19(19). Clemson Tigers
Pretty run of the mill 27-9 victory over NC State.
20(20) Wake Forest Demon Deacons
-Off-
21(25). Utah Utes
Moving up a few spots, doesn't matter if it was Utah State (a bottom feeder) they looked clean and crisp. Like I said, the match-up with BYU should be the difference between a BCS bid.
22(UR). Illinois Fighting Illini
Survived a tough one against what should have been an outmanned opponent (LaLaf). That Illinois defense needs to get a fire under their Ass to have a chance at the Little Eleven title.
23(15). Arizona State Sun Devils
USC has clearly made a case for the National Championship, or at the very worst, the Rose Bowl, and Oregon having a step up on ASU, the Devils are going to need something big to happen to get back into the national spotlight. A Home game against a Georgia team that hasn't played a lot of top competition could be their only hope. Unless the same team that lost to UNLV steps on the field.
24(24). Tennessee Volunteers
-Off-
25(23). Fresno State Bulldogs
Hung in there with (now) #9 Wisconsin, lost by 3 at Home in a tough game. The Bulldogs stick in there one more week.
Outside looking in:
Florida State Seminoles, Kentucky Wildcats, Boise State Broncos, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oklahoma State Cowboys, West Virginia Mountaineers.
As Always:
January
July
August
Week 1
Week 2
More after the jump...
Searching for Roses: Pac-10 Woes
The weekend was bad. The kind of bad where six of the loudest, most obnoxious guys are watching in silence. The kind of weekend that makes you remember the reason why being a fan is so hard, where your perfect season is taken away from you and replaced by the backhand of reality. It can’t really be that bad though can it? The Pac-10 went 0-4 against the Mountain West this weekend, while USC put on a clinic against two time defending runner up Ohio State.
To Recap:
UCLA’s ego takes a huge hit when they fall 59-0 to BYU in their worst loss since 1929.
Arizona State proves talent isn’t everything when they lose in OT to UNLV at home 23-20.
CAL, one team I have been talking up as a rising stock in the Pac got manhandled by
Maryland in a score that was way closer than the actual game looked live: 35-27
Washington State 45 Baylor 17: There is really nothing to say here, WASU who may be one of the most underrated teams in the last 10 years doesn’t look like it now.
Washington not to be outdone by their State School counterparts takes a 55-14 beating from Oklahoma.
Stanford traveled to TCU to come home with a 31-14 loss.
Finally, our own University of Arizona went into Albuquerque and left with a 36-28 loss, their second consecutive loss to the Lobos.
How do you pick contenders for the Rose Bowl? Oregon looks like a legit contender for the honors, but a close game against Purdue doesn’t exactly bode well for their longevity. The main cause for concern for the Ducks is the fact the Roper left the game with an injury, again. Masoli has looked solid, and I’m not sure that he isn’t the better option regardless of Roper’s health.
If Oregon is at the top, then the entire state of Washington is at the bottom. The Huskies and the Cougars have no chance at contention at this point.
Then we have the middle of the pack: Cal, Arizona, Arizona State.
How the Schedules look:
Cal only has three road games remaining, having to travel to USC and Arizona.
Arizona State has to go on the road to face Cal, Arizona, and USC.
Arizona has four road Pac-10 games this season: UCLA, Stanford, Oregon, and WASU.
At this point it is almost impossible to differentiate, but it looks like Arizona State has the toughest road ahead of them especially after how they looked this weekend. Cal has a lot of home matches this year, but their two road games will be no easy task. Arizona has a difficult road ahead of them as well, but I think those games are more manageable than the other two programs.
Pac-10 play really kicks in this weekend and it will be interesting to see what kind of damage the programs can do to each other’s records. This season is looking rough.
4Real Out....
More after the jump...
Friday, September 12, 2008
Wildcat News and Notes
First things first; FOOTBALL: We haven't been 3-0 in Mike Stoops
entire tenure, nor certainly in John Maco-sukcs either...it has been since Dick Tomey was the head coach that we have been 3-0. That's huge by itself, but the fact of the matter is New Mexico is a lower middle tier team in D-1 football, which is where we have been stuck the last 2 seasons. Those teams do not get Bowl Bids very often if at all as we know all to well. New Mexico beat us last year and not only do we want revenge we need to prove we are moving up and are capable of beating a mid level team that is having a bad year so far. This game is a statement game, make no mistake about it, don't let UCLA distract you from two weeks out. Win this as we are EXPECTED to and feel good about handling 3 teams that you are supposed to beat if you are a bowl caliber team. Lose this and suddenly Mike Stoops will feel his seat start to heat back up in a hurry. Remember, New Mexico isn't a push over, they are not as talented as we are but the will execute because they are well coached by Rocky Long, just like they were last year when they took us out behind the wood shed and whipped our butts.Football side notes:
Terrel Resse got suspended for last weeks game over academic issues and decided to use his free Friday evening to get hammered drunk and back his car into a wall and then run over the air/water machine at the Circle K on 6th across from the stadium. He is now out indefinitely as far as I have heard.
Mike Turner is suspended for the season and while mums the word on why officially I have it on good word he got caught indulging in the hippy lettuce and sure enough the NCAA guidelines on these matters calls for a season long suspension.
Lolomana Mikaele has been suspended for both games so far and I have not heard how long he will continue to be in the ol' doghouse at this point. Word is he is in some academic trouble as well.
These shouldn't be to big of deals though, Turner was a 3rd string corner at this point after switching back from WR last year. Mikaele could be used at DT but he isn't a proven commodity just a warm body in the rotation. Resse was the starter at the outside receiver position but true Freshman Juron Criner has been the surprise of the season so far and made everyone forget anyone was missing.2nd Issue of the Weekend:
Abdul Gaddy is here on his official visit. He is "THE" PG in the class of 2009, the only 5 star recruit we are recruiting at the moment, a prior commit to us and our competition for his services is UCLA. If we lose this kid we have no one to blame but ourselves(Insert coaching staff) as he has said all along that the U of A is his dream school and he just isn't sure if we are the same school he dreamed of with all the scandal and question marks surrounding our Coaches. Meanwhile enter Ben Howland with 3 other 4 or 5 star guards in the 2009 class all ready signed working against him, yet we still haven't sealed the deal with this kid. If we can not get Gaddy to re-commit to us, it may be time to talk seriously about the decline of this program. I have defended every move papa Lute has made so far but his handling of this entire situation is confusing at best. We have now signed four 3 star recruits in the last two months. We have lost a 5 star and two 4 star recruits in that same span. I have made excuses so far and put my faith behind the Silver Foxes wisdom and track record. I can only hope I will be rewarded for my faith. This is a kid that we have pursued hard for 3 years...make no mistakes about it...if we don't land Abdul Gaddy we got beat by a program with less to offer on account of the doubts surrounding Lute. Fingers crossed, Mid-Night Lute will strike again and my cup of faith will be replenished and over flowing.
Basket Ball side notes:
Pick up ball has been going on for a few weeks now and from what I have heard and read it is your normal no defense stuff with very little to be taken from away in terms of evaluation. However I have heard that that the team seems more relaxed and seems to be actually having fun out there which is a real change from last season.
More after the jump...
Calling All Fans
We will post the best pics and videos in the future so send us your submissions. Obviously if you've got baseball, basketball, or any other College Sport under the sun go ahead and send them in.
More after the jump...
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Brady's Injury: Bookmark and Send to Your Favorite Patriots Fan
If you hate Tom Brady, and we know you do, then you will definitely enjoy this video. This was sent to us by the guys over at Rotohog who are probably loving the fact that fantasy football owners (hopefully from New England) are in absolute panic mode. It makes me smile just thinking about it.
More after the jump...
WANTED: Christopher Mintz-Plasse a.k.a McLovin
I have yet to been able to get a definitive answer to whether or not these rumors are substantiated and implore the Wildcat general public to be my eyes around campus. Above is an artist's rendering of what the rumored UA Student's official ID card (CatCard) would look like. To any and all UA students please be on the lookout for CMP a.k.a McLovin. Whether it be in class, on the mall, in the Union, or the 4 AM ventures to the open all night grease-trap on campus formerly known as "The Cellar", please get whatever photographic evidence you can find on the subject. If you can send me proof whether it is through Facebook, the bookstore, or Arizona Stadium of the aforementioned McLovin it would be greatly appreciated. Especially if you can grab him in UA gear. Again, any and all information would be appreciated. And to any of the bouncers around town, be very weary of potential Hawaii IDs with a name that sounds like a sexy hamburger. Whatever happened to Trident's doorman of the century?
Is McLovin following in the footsteps of celebs before him?
More after the jump...
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Urlacher's Post Game Interview (2 Videos)
This is by far one of the funniest moments I have ever seen recorded on TV. Below is the post game interview from Sunday Night's "Upset" of the Indianapolis Colts. Fast forward to about the 53 second mark and watch Urlacher's face at Kremer's Question:
(Analysis and another video to follow after the Jump)
Immediately following Andrea Kremer's statment of, "This is an upset", Urlacher's face contorts and he looks like he is about to spear the poor lady in the middle of "The Luke". He spends about 6 full seconds digesting the statement and blinking trying to hold in the rage. If the face wasn't good enough the simple, "We thought we'd win". His face while saying that is second only to the original facial contortions.
In related news I officially vote for Rookie Matt Forte's nickname to be Meat based on his straight from Crash Davis response of, "First, I gotta Thank my Lord, Savior Jesus Christ" and he proceeds to ramble off catch phrases from Bull Durham.
I'm just glad that Urlacher had both of the funniest moments of Sunday Night's broadcast. Between the face he makes as he maintains his Bruce Banner status quo and the attempted chuckle in the Old Spice Swagger Commercial, I think we may have found this year's Peyton Manning.
More after the jump...
2008 NFL Draft Comparisons
So the Season is officially under way and I thought why not look at some of this past spring's draft picks (sans Offensive Lineman without comparable stats) and see what (if any) affect they had in their team's games this past weekend.
St. Louis Rams 2(2) - Chris Long, DE:
2 Tackles, 2 Solo
Atlanta Falcons 3(3) - Matt Ryan, QB:
9/13, 161 yds, 1 TD, 137 QB Rating
Oakland Raiders 4(4) - Darren McFadden, RB:
9 Rushes, 46 yds, 1 Reception, 11 yds
Kansas City Chiefs 5(5) - Glenn Dorsey, DT:
2 Tackles
New York Jets 6(6) - Vernon Gholston, DE:
Did Not Play or No Stats Accumulated
New Orleans Saints 7(7) - Sedrick Ellis, DT:
2 Tackles, 1 Solo, 1 Pass Defended
Jacksonville Jaguars 8(8) - Derrick Harvey, DE:
1 Pass Defended, 1 INT
Cincinnati Bengals 9(9) - Keith Rivers, LB:
10 Tackles, 9 Solo
New England Patriots 10(10) - Jerod Mayo, LB:
6 Tackles, 6 Solo
Buffalo Bills 11(11) - Leodis McKelvin, DB:
DNP/NSA
Carolina Panthers 13(13) - Jonathan Stewart, RB:
10 Rushes, 53 yds, 4 KR, 84 yds
Arizona Cardinals 16(16) - Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, DB:
1 Tackle, 1 Solo
Baltimore Ravens 18(18) - Joe Flacco, QB:
15/29, 129 yds, 63.7 QB Rating, 4 Rushes, 37 yds, 1 TD
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20(20) - Aqib Talib, DB:
1 Tackle, 1 Solo
Dallas Cowboys 22(22) - Felix Jones, RB:
9 Rushes, 62 yds, 1 TD, 1 KR, 20 yds
Pittsburgh Steelers 23(23) - Rashard Mendenhall, RB:
10 Rushes, 28 yds, 2 KR, 46 yds
Tennesse Titans 24(24) - Chris Johnson, RB:
15 Rushes, 93 yds, 3 Receptions, 34 yds, 1 TD
Dallas Cowboys 25(25) - Mike Jenkins, DB:
DNP/NSA
San Diego Chargers 27(27) - Antoine Cason, DB:
6 Tackles, 5 Solo, 1 Pass Defended, 1 Forced Fumble
Seattle Seahawks 28(28) - Lawrence Jackson, DE:
2 Tackles, 1 Solo
San Francisco 49ers 29(29) - Kentwan Balmer, DT:
DNP/NSA
New York Jets 30(30) - Dustin Keller, TE:
DNP/NSA
New York Giants 31(31) - Kenny Phillips, DB:
4 Tackles, 4 Solo
Miami Dolphins 1(32) - Phillip Merling, DE:
2 Tackles, 2 Solo
St. Louis Rams 2(33) - Donnie Avery, WR:
DNP/NSA
Washington Redskins 3(34) - Devin Thomas, WR:
1 Reception, 5 yds
Kansas City Chiefs 4(35) - Brandon Flowers, DB:
6 Tackles, 5 Solo
Green Bay Packers 5(36) - Jordy Nelson, WR:
DNP/NSA
Atlanta Falcons 6(37) - Curtis Lofton, LB:
4 Tackles, 2 Solo
Seattle Seahwaks 7(38) - John Carlson, TE:
4 Receptions, 52 yds
New Orleans Saints 9(40) - Tracy Porter, DE:
3 Tackles, 2 Solo, 2 Passes Defended
Buffalo Bills 10(41) - James Hardy, WR:
DNP/NSA
Denver Broncos 11(42) - Eddie Royal, WR:
9 Receptions, 146 yds, 1 TD, 2 Rushes, 9 yds, 2 PR, 19 yds, 1 KR, 11 yds
Minnesota Vikings 12(43) - Tyrell Johnson, DB:
2 Tackles, 2 Solo
Chicago Bears 13(44) - Matt Forte, RB:
23 Rushes, 123 yds, 1 TD, 3 Receptions, 18 yds
Detroit Lions 14(45) - Jordon Dizon, LB:
6 Tackles, 4 Solo
Cincinnati Bengals 15(46) - Jerome Simpson, WR:
DNP/NSA
Philadelphia Eagles 16(47) - Trevor Laws, DT:
DNP/NSA
Washington Redskins 17(48) - Fred Davis, TE:
DNP/NSA
Philadelphia Eagles 18(49) - DeSean Jackson, WR:
6 Receptions, 106 yds, 8 PR, 97 yds
Arizona Cardinals 19(50) - Calais Campbell, DE:
1 Tackle
Washington Redskins 20(51) - Malcolm Kelly, WR:
DNP/NSA
Jacksonville Jaguars 21(52) - Quentin Groves, DB:
1 Tackle, 1 Solo
Pittsburgh Steelers 22(53) - Limas Sweed, WR:
DNP/NSA
Tennessee Titans 23(54) - Jason Jones, DE:
2 Tackles, 1 Solo, .5 Sack
Baltimore Ravens 24(55) - Ray Rice, RB:
22 Rushes, 64 yds, 3 Receptions, 19 yds, 1 Fumble, 1 Lost
Green Bay Packers 25(56) - Brian Brohm, QB:
DNP/NSA
Miami Dolphins 26(57) - Chad Henne, QB:
DNP/NSA
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27(58) - Dexter Jackson, WR:
3 KR, 84 yds, 5 PR, 29 yds
Green Bay Packers 29(60) - Patrick Lee, DB:
DNP/NSA
Dallas Cowboys 30(61) - Martellus Bennett, TE:
DNP/NSA
New England Patriots 31(62) - Terrence Wheatley, DB:
DNP/NSA
New York Giants 32(63) - Terrell Thomas, DB:
DNP/NSA
More after the jump...
Monday, September 8, 2008
Wildcats already getting some hardware
True Freshman RB Keola Antolin is starting his Wildcat Career off with a bang. In only his 2nd collegiate football game he was named the PAC-10 Special Teams Player of the Week. Keola's lightning quick feet have elevated the Wildcats return game to another level. The field position advantage you get from averaging 32.7 yards per return is huge.
In other news it seems as though the coaches around the league agree with Mr. 4Real and named Cal's RB Jahvid Best the Offensive Player of the Week award. I should point out the Wildcat Sophomore RB Nic Grigsby was a finalist for this week's award.
Wildcat Junior LB Sterling Lewis who filled in for Xavier Kelly when he tweaked his ankle was a runner up for the Defensive Player of the Week award.
It's exciting times in Wildcat country as we are starting our journey to the florist......
More after the jump...
Week 2 Heisman Hopefuls
If you haven't figured it out by now, we love college football here we've done loads of Top 25, Game Analysis, Heisman Talk, Predictions, Pick 'Ems, etc. Face it we are YOUR College Football Home, and if we're not we damn well should be. So last week I gave you a follow up to my Heisman Hopefuls looking for the Bronze Stiff Arm. I've been working on it since January so as always you can Refer to Part 1 Part 2 and Week 1 for the past rankings and guesses. We're going to start knocking some names off of the list each week. We started with 25 in January, were at 23 by last time and after Saturday that list has remained the same. But only because 1 mediocre/subpar game isn't enough to get taken out of contention. Next week we should see at least 3 names come off the board.
Todd Boeckman, QB - Ohio State
16/26 - 110 yds - 0 TDs/0 INTs - 71 QB Rating - 8 Rushes - 26 yds
On the verge of being done in the race with more weeks sub 80 QB Ratings and no TDs.
Sam Bradford, QB - Oklahoma
29/38 - 395 yds - 5 TDs/2 INTs - 126.6 QB Rating
Staying true to the Sam Bradford we've watched almost every time he has taken a snap since he started as a True Freshman.
Jimmy Clausen, QB - Notre Dame
21/34 - 237 yds - 3 TDs/2 INTs - 87.5 QB Rating
San Diego State? Jimmy was almost taken off this week, I actually deleted the Strike Tags that were there eliminating him. 1 game isn't enough to make a judgment. But 1 more performance like Saturday and he won't be in contention any longer.
Michael Crabtree, WR - Texas Tech
7 Receptions - 158 yds - 1 TD
Slightly better performance than last week's, especially considering Harrell's struggles.
Chase Daniel, QB - Missouri
16/17 - 245 yds - 3 TDs/0 INTs - 158.3 QB Rating
Chase Daniel being Chase Daniel.
Noel Devine, RB - West Virginia
12 Rushes - 94 yds - 3 Receptions - 9 yds
He could be gone next week too. 2 games 0 TDs. Those aren't Heisman Numbers.
Graham Harrell, QB - Texas Tech
19/46 - 297 yds - 1 TD/2 INTs - 52.5 Rating
A sub 60 Rating in a Hi-Octane Spread? No more weeks like this if he wants any kind of chance at striking the pose.
P.J. Hill, RB - Wisconsin
18 Rushes - 57 yds - 2 TDs
Looking a lot like a Jerome Bettis line. Bettis was a great player but not a Heisman Winner.
Ian Johnson, RB - Boise State
-Off-
Kellen Lewis, QB - Indiana
15/21 - 170 yds - 0 TDs/0 INTs - 95.3 QB Rating
Slightly different than last week's performance, still good, but not the same QB.
Jeremy Maclin, WR - Missouri
2 Receptions - 20 yds - 1 TD - 1 Rush - 11 yds - 3 PR - 34 yds
Someone's got Maclin's Number he might not belong here too much longer. It's hard enough for a receiver not named Tim Brown.Ryan Mallet, QB - Michigan
NO LONGER AT MICHIGAN, AT ARKANSAS SITTING OUT 2008, NO LONGER 2008 BSA CANDIDATE
Colt McCoy, QB - Texas
20/29 - 282 yds - 4 TDs/1 INT - 125.3 QB Rating
Last week's Week 1 Heisman Winner in my College Football Awards Column, McCoy is looking sharp.
LeSean "Shady" McCoy, RB - Pittsburgh
20 Rushes - 93 yds - 3 TDs - 1 Reception - 24 yds
3 TDs will keep you in contention, but I need to see a 100 yd game out of him. Especially against the Bowling Greens and Buffalos of the world.
Joe McKnight, RB - Southern California
-Off-
Knowshon Moreno, RB - Georgia
18 Rushes - 168 yds - 3 TDs - 3 Receptions
Nearly Tripling his yardage Knowshon is back in the picture.Ryan Perrilloux, QB - Lousiana State
NO LONGER AT LSU, AT D-1 FCS JACKSONVILLE STATE, NO LONGER IN BSA CONTENTION
Mark Sanchez, QB - Southern California
-Off-
Matthew Stafford, QB - Georgia
18/28 - 213 yds - 2 TDs/0 INTs - 111.2 QB Rating - 2 Rushes - 25 yds
Inflated numbers, we'll have to see if he can perform as well facing a little bit more pressure come SEC play.
Tim Tebow, QB - Florida
21/35 - 256 yds - 2 TDs/0 INT - 101.6 QB Rating - 13 Rushes - 55 yds
2nd straight week sans Rushing TD...Archie Griffin safe?
Mike Thomas, WR - Arizona
9 Receptions - 138 yds - 1 TD - 3 PR - 21 yds
After spending the entire 2nd half of Week 1's blowout on the bench, Thomas put up some serious numbers in Week 2.
Willie Tuitama, QB - Arizona
25/33 - 292 yds - 2 TDs/0 INTs - 170.08 QB Rating
Same as Thomas, he got more PT in the slightly closer game this week, but still stepped aside in the 4th Quarter to give Freshman Matt Scott some reps.
Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB - Ohio State
-DNP (FOOT)-
Pat White, QB - West Virginia
11/18 - 72 yds - 0 TDs/0 INTs - 69.7 QB Rating - 20 Rushes - 97 yds
A little different from the Week 1 (Bear Down College Football) Davey O'Brien Award Winning Quarterback White. The Mountaineers need their QB to have less than 20 rushes in a game and more than 0 TDs for him to stay in contention.
Isiah "Juice" Williams, QB - Illinois
16/25 - 124 yds - 1 TD/2 INTs - 56.1 QB Rating - 16 Rushes - 174 yds - 2 TDs
Juice saved his BSA Status with his feet Saturday rushing for 174 yds in the Illini win.
I would like to point out that I am fighting not adding more players to this list who have impressed thusfar. 4Real has posted some names that I badly want to add, but I'm staying true to my way too early predictions. I had no idea Nic Grigsby was going to rush for 304 yds in 2 games, especially when he rushed for 704 in 10 games last year. I also had no idea who Shun White was or his 476 yards through 2 games would be featured on this list right now.
If I were to give the Award today, based on 2 games, my recipient would be Texas QB Colt McCoy - 2 Games - 44/58 - 504 yds - 7 TDs/1 INT - 185.24 QB Rating - 17 Rushes - 111 yds - 1 TD
More after the jump...
Heisman Busters: Week 2
NCAA Football: Hesiman Busters: Week 2
Last week I started a new weekly segment about those who will be breaking into the Heisman Race with big performances. After this week’s action lets take a look at the performances that made week one’s list and see if their stock continues to rise:
QB Mark Sanchez: USC
Week 2: Idle
Stock: Even
Next Game: The Ohio State University September 13th
QB Max Hall: BYU:
Week 2: 30/41 338 YDs 73.9% Completion 3 TDs 1 INT 111.6 Rating
Stock: Even: Posted good numbers once again in a win against Pac-10 opponent Washington. The numbers are there, but BYU will have to win against UCLA in order to solidify BYU’s presence and subsequently Hall’s Heisman legitimacy. Here is hoping for no more controversial endings.
Next Game: UCLA September 13th
RB: Jahvid Best: CAL
Week 2: 14 Car 200 YDs 3 TD
Stock: Rising: Another huge game for Cal’s running back and another convincing win. The Golden Bears go on the road and beat up on Pac-10 opponent Washington State for a 66-3 romping. Jahvid’s squad finds themselves in the Top 25 for the first time this season while making a statement about the strength of the conference. Jahvid needs to keep up his game and the media attention will surely follow.
Next Game: @ Maryland Septmeber 13th
Week 2 Performances:
RB Evan Royster: Penn State
Week 2: 17 Car 141 YDs 3 TD
Why?: Penn State appears to be a power in the Big Ten this year. They have won convincingly in their last two games; 66-10 over Coastal Carolina and 45-14 over Oregon State. If Penn State stays hot and Royster is still in the mix then there could be some shake ups in the Big Ten and the Heisman.
Next Game: @ Syracuse September 13th
QB Rudy Carpenter: Arizona State:
Week 2: 27/36 75% 345 YDs 3 TD 1INT 120.7 Rating
Why?: Carpenter has been able to put up huge numbers. I wasn’t big on him after a 30-13 win over Northern Arizona, but putting up big numbers against Stanford is a different story. The problem for Carpenter remains his protection. If he gets the time he has an outstanding WR core that can get the job done. I’ll be looking ahead to Georgia, but for now his squad’s national ranking as well as his numbers put him on the Heisman bubble.
Next Game: UNLV September 13th
QB: Juice Williams: Illinois
Week 2: 16/25 124 YDs 64% 1 TD 2 INT 16 Car 174 YDs 2 TD
Why?: Despite playing down to Eastern Illinois’ level this Saturday, Juice still got the job done. With Pat White falling and Tebow not grabbing a lot of attention, it is quickly becoming evident that Juice is the most electrifying duel threat in the nation. Stayed tuned to see if last week was a fluke and that he will put up numbers like he did against Missouri all season.
Next Game: Louisiana-Lafayette September 13th
These two are admittedly homer picks, but stick with me. What these two are doing maybe doesn’t deserve Heisman attention, but at least warrants some national attention.
QB Willie Tuitama: Arizona:
Week 2: 25/32 75.8% 292 Yds 2 TD
RB Nic Grigsby: Arizona:
Week 2: 20 Car 135 YDs 3 TD
Why?: Tuitama is probably one of the most underrated QBs not only in Pac-10 but the Nation. In Dykes offense he is going to shatter Arizona as well Pac-10 passing records. Arizona beat Idaho 70-0 and then followed it up with a 41-16 thrashing of Toledo. One of these guys needs to get attention, and admittedly it probably won’t be for the Heisman, but if they keep winning and climbing the ladder once conference play starts they deserve national exposure.
Next Game: @ New Mexico September 13th
Those the Media might try to get on my list:
QB Patrick Pinkney: East Carolina:
Why?: Put East Carolina on the map with a win over VTech, then launched the Pirates to #14 in the nation by embarrassing an 8th ranked West Viriginia Squad.
Why Not?: The numbers are not overwhelmingly impressive, not as far as a Non-BCS quarterback making a run for the Heisman are concerned. With the rest of the Pirate’s schedule looking manageable he will need to put up some huge numbers to get any kind of attention.
Next Game: @ Tulane September 13th
More after the jump...
The Boys are Back
Sorry Tony Dungy but the first win in Lucas Oil Stadium goes to Lovie Smith, thanks to a rookie out of Tulane who on his first opening game in the NFL scored a touchdown, sacked a Superbowl MVP and got compared to Walter Payton, not a bad night for Matt Forte. Forte was amazing last night, he proved himself in training camp and last night showed why he deserved to start. I'm calling it early that he is the breakout star of the Chicago Bears.
It seems as though everyone had the Colts favored to win last night, ......except Brian Urlacher ( see his post game interview- his facial features are priceless). Who seemed to be in quite the mood last night ( no doubt that it had nothing to do with his glorious Old Spice commercial). 
Two minutes in Urlacher and Manning are going at it, apparently Urlacher doesn't like to be accused of hitting too hard. Urlacher not one to shy away from blunt honesty had said in recent weeks that the defense of the Bears was shaky at best. Well you wouldn't have known it last night. Last night the Bears accomplished what they failed to do in the Super Bowl, they got physical. They controlled the clock and they played smart.
It also worked to the Bears advantage that Peyton Manning was completely off his game. Granted his knee and lack of training camp preparation didn't help, but I'm not sure that even at his best he could have held off the Bears last night, they were on a mission to prove something whether it was redemption for two years ago or just an opening statement to the league I'm not sure.
Kyle Orton was the wild card of the game, he was either going to make it work or give Bears fans an ulcer. While he did nothing impressive last night, only had 130 passing yards and no touchdowns he also had no interceptions and made no major mistakes. He played safe but safe play is better than Rex play. It was also painful to see NBC pan to the sidelines and show Rex Grossman standing up like he was getting ready to go in, sit down Rex, it's over.
Overall, the Bears had a great opening first game. As a fan, I was no longer nervous or angry- I've left that in my Rex era. If the defense can sustain all season and Kyle Orton gain more confidence in his play..... I'm calling that the Monster's of the Midway have returned.
More after the jump...
NFL Week 1 Thoughts
Congrats to Antoine Cason, making some noise in his first NFL game. The Arizona Thorpe Award winner filled up his stat cart
with 5 Solo Tackles, 6 Total, a Pass Defended, and a Forced Fumble. The 4 DBs drafted before him totaled 2 Tackles and 2 solo. Whoops. Another Kitty Kat alum, Syndric Steptoe hauled in a 12 yard first down pass as well as 84 yards on 5 returns for the Browns in his first regular season PT. Other former Cats in action this past weekend, Antonio Pierce made a few tackles in Thursday Night's opener, Dennis Northcutt, in his 8th year, hauled in a couple passes for the Jags, Chris McAlister had 4 Tackles (3 solo) and an INT for the Black Birds in Baltimore. San Diego Bolt TE Brandon Manumaleuna had a couple catches, and might be looking at a breakout year with the recent injury bug that Antonio Gates has had. 2nd year G-Men DB Michael Johnson added a couple more solo 
tackles, and 4 Total Tackles and DE Copeland Bryan put up 2 more Solo Tackles to the Kitty Kat Alum totals, Place Kicker and former UA Heart Breaker Nick Folk did what was needed and connected on all 4 Extra Points, the Cowboys offense didn't feel the need for any FGs in Sundays contest. And of course the All-Pro Wildcat Linebackers Bruschi tacked on 12 Tackles, 2 Solo and the MVP of former UA Studs, LB Lance Briggs accounted for 8 Tackles, 5 Solo, and a Fumble Return for a TD that put the Bears up big.Speaking of The Bears, they aren't going to the Super Bowl this year but they did EXACTLY what they did in '05 with Orton running things. Controlled the
game, controlled the clock, controlled the ball, ran a lot, stopped the Colts on D, scored on D (8 points, TD and Safety) and Orton kept the ball in the hands of the Bears and managed 150 yards in the air using quick outs to get first downs. He finished with a QB Rating of 83.4. Matt Forte was the first Bears Rookie Running Back to start the game since Walter Payton. Payton finished with 8 carries and 0 yards. Forte finished with 18 yards receiving and 123 yards on 23 carries, including a break through, up the middle 50 yard TD with Defensive MVP, Bob Sanders, in his wake. Like I said, Bears aren't going to the Super Bowl, but 8-8 isn't out of the question. The Defense looked really good last night. Then again they have the '06 Defense back, plus have Dusty DvoracekMatt Cassel is running the Patriots, my quick thoughts about this subject.
Karma. If the Cassel led Patriots wind up out of the playoffs people will question just how much of a genius Belichick really is. With Tom Brady as the starter, Belichick is 101-27. When Belichick has started anyone but Brady he is 42-68 as a Head Coach. This is Karmic, and I laugh at the fact that the hits just keep on coming for Belichick ever since this time last year when he was busted for video-taping.
That hit was clean, I'm sick of Randy Moss and others saying it was dirty. Watch the play Bernard Pollard was blocked into Brady. Brady sat out the preseason. I've gotta think if he had been in the preseason he would have seen the mass of bodies at his knees and been able to move. He wasn't light enough on his feet and he paid dearly.
Irony. Matt Cassel sat behind Matt Leinart for 3 years at USC as Leinart went on to be famous and win the Heisman. Next week Matt Cassel will start his first Professional Football game at Quarterback. His first regular season start since he was in High School. Matt Leinart, in his 3rd season in the NFL, will be on the bench...yet again.
Irony - Part II. I will say that I hate the Patriots and want nothing less than to watch them falter and fail this season. With that said I was not excited to see Brady get injured. The point is, a sick part of me wants the Pats to go 19-0 and win the Super Bowl this year and have Matt Cassel replace Tom Brady. Just so Tom Brady can get Tom Brady'd by his back up. I have nothing against Tom Brady but I know somewhere Drew Bledsoe will laugh heartily, wherever he is.
Irony - Part III. For the first time since the 2005 Super Bowl, Tom Brady was not listed on the Injury Report for the Patriots. Tom Brady will be on the Injury Report for the rest of this season.
Am I the only one wondering, were the Cowboys really that good yesterday or is the Browns offense one and done under Franchise QB Derek Anderson. The Boys shut down the Browns big time yesterday. The only TD coming as the result of a Pacman penalty.
In all the Brady madness, did anyone else notice that Vince Young will be outlined with a knee injury for 2-4 weeks. What does this mean for the Titans who looked to have a good shot at it this year.
Where was Chad Ocho Cinco on Sunday, the only 85 I saw for the Bengals was C. Johnson who had 1 22 yd reception. He can't throw the 85 on the jersey because he missed the deadline and Reebok already produced hundreds and thousands of C. Johnson jerseys. Whoops.Speaking of patches, I'm all for memorial patches, but did they really need the GU patches to be that big. Why not a helmet sticker or a minor sleeve patch. Gene Upshaw made the NFL what it is for players today, like it or not when you buy your tickets. Memorializing is great and nice but that patch is just an eyesore. Even the most minor of helmet stickers or smaller patches or black arm bands would have been showed and discussed many times in each game. There was no need for a 6 inch diameter circle on the players chests.
McNabb looked great, I'm still upset the Bears weren't able to make any kind of run at him.
Michael Turner, wow, way to step out of LdT's Shadow. 220 yards on 22 carries and 2 TDs. Also, Matt Ryan, 1st pass for a TD, that'll shut up some of the doubters...for the time being.
Is Buffalo really that good? Maybe the Brady injury didn't matter, Buffalo looks like they're the class of the AFC East.
Good Weekend for Football.
More after the jump...
College Football Top 25: Week 2
Another week of Football came and went and if it was a sign for this coming season, don't make plans on Saturdays. We had a lot of great games. We had another ECU upset and 3 Top 25 teams sneaking away with wins of 7 points or less. The Ohio State game was a upsetting for Buckeye fans but for College Football fans it screamed upset, and the folks at ABC were praying Ohio State could pull it out leading up to next weeks match-up with USC, which I'm sure 4Real will give you an ample preview of. There wasn't as much movement as you may have thought this week due to 6 of my Top 25 taking a week off. Just think, if Texas Tech would have lost we would have had 3 Tigers in a Row this week.
1(1). USC Trojans
Off
2(2). Oklahoma Sooners
Convincing win over Cincinnati 52-26, covering the spread handily. A lot of people thought this could be one of those surprise wins for a Big East team. Didn't happen.
3(6). Florida Gators
Up a few spots to 3 Florida looked good against Miami. A lot of people thought Miami would surprise, winning 5 in a row against the Gators but Florida held onto their athletic supremacy and who knows, maybe that whole "The U" Thing is valid.
4(3). Ohio State Buckeyes
Originally dropped them to 5th but based on the fact they were sans Beanie I couldn't drop them that far. Yeah they only beat Ohio by 12 and the game wasn't assured until the clock hit four zeros but Beanie means a lot to that team.
5(4). Georgia Bulldogs
Slipping again, after another win. Reason, my cousin went to Central Michigan and didn't know they had a football team. Georgia was at one time my number 1, they haven't played anyone yet. When they play a team in the top half of the D-1, I'll start respecting them.
6(5). Missouri Tigers
I gave Missouri a lot of credit for playing the Illini in week 1, and winning but with Florida jumping up people had to slip and much like Georgia SE Missouri State doesn't impress me. I still think Mizzou has a shot at the Big XII this year.
7(8). Texas Tech Red Raiders
Up a spot thanks to the Pirates at ECU Texas Tech is hanging out in the Top Ten though I have to say, I'm not as sure about them anymore. Their offense hasn't been as explosive and their Defense is living up to what I expected, not much. I don't see them above Texas too much longer.
8(9). Auburn Tigers
Auburn needs to tighten things up to make a serious SEC run. I like Auburn, I always think a little too highly of them though. I think it's emotional based on the shaft they got in the BCS picture a few years ago.
9(10). LSU Tigers
Postponed
10(11). Texas Longhorns
Back in the Top Ten, pretty solid win for the Horns on Saturday, then again they played UTEP so I guess there wasn't a whole lot of trouble.
11(12). Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin's offense is starting to impress me putting up 51 points. The Big Eleven is not known for such high scores and Wisconsin, though they have played subpar opponents, they have put up some scores.
12(13). Kansas Jayhawks
The Hawks shut out La Tech and put up 29 points. I still don't think Kansas has the same slippers on they did last year, but for now, they're hanging out in the Top 15.
13(UR). Eastern Carolina Pirates
I wanted to bring them into the Top 10, almost put them at 11 and 12 and when all was said and done they landed at 13. 2 wins over ranked opponents, ZERO other teams have done that thusfar. ECU could be this year's south Florida, and I know BC is happy about his Pirates. He's gotta be on the NCAA '10 wait list so he can play with his beloved Pirates.
14(15). Alabama Crimson Tide
Beat up on Tulane in a convincing way, Bama and the Sabans don't want people to give up on them. I'm still pissed at the way they screwed me week after week last year.
15(16). Arizona State Sun Devils
Up a spot. Carpenter threw for 345 yds, not too shabby, more importantly only 1 sack Saturday. It looks like that O-Line might be out to prove some people wrong.
16(14). Brigham Young Cougars
Needed a blocked PAT on a questionable celebration call to eke one out against Washington. The UCLA game next season looks to be one of the only things standing between BYU and a top Bowl Game. The other being new to the poll #25 Utah.
17(17). Oregon Ducks
It might have only been Utah State, but don't sleep on Oregon this year. No Dixon, No Stewart, I don't think the folks in Eugene are as worried as the rest of the country about those losses.
18(19). Penn State Nittany Lions
Despite off-field issues, media coverage, questions about talent and ability Penn State didn't blink at the seemingly low 15.5 spread against Oregon State and beat them, soundly 45-14.
19(18). Clemson Tigers
The 4th Tiger Team on the list, but a little farther from the brethren. Clemson was off, I don't know how long their going to be here. Their saving grace is the weak, and getting weaker ACC.
20(20). Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Speaking of the ACC, it's weak, it's unimpressive, and it's going to be a mess when Clemson, Wake, and FSU beat up on one another and they all wind up in the bottom of the Top 25, if they're lucky. Struggled against a lower SEC player
21(21). South Florida Bulls
Getting a solid scare from UCF the Bulls held on by a score and keep their spot in our Top 25
22(22). UCLA Bruins
Off
23(23). Fresno State Bulldogs
Off
24(25). Tennessee Volunteers
Off
25(UR). Utah Utes
Doubled up on UNLV and found their way from the outside looking in to the Top 25. Much like fellow MWC-er BYU the road looks pretty low key until the de-facto MWC Championship between the two teams on Nov. 22nd.
Outside looking in:
Illinois Fighting Illini, Arizona Wildcats, Kentucky Wildcats, Florida State Seminoles, California Golden Bears, Boise State Broncos
Past Top 25 Rankings;
January
July
August
Week 1
More after the jump...
Friday, September 5, 2008
College Football....Where would you go?
I have been rolling this premise around with 4real for a little while now and since I am way tardy on posting I thought this would be an interesting piece to quench the thirst of my clamoring fans...all 3 of them
So here is the question, If you were a High School Senior and had your pick of any college coach to play for with the end goal of making the NFL, where would you go? Simply what coaches are the NFL development guru's for each major position group? Which system's are the factories for each position? The criteria is not NFL stardom, simply putting kids into the league.
With out further adieu.....
QB's - This is the easiest for me by far...Pete Carroll...Every starting QB in the Pete Carroll era is in the league. It is as close to an automatic as there is in this discussion. Even career back up Matt Cassel is quasi famous and in the league. Mark Sanchez seems well on his way as well.
Runner up - Norm Chow - You have to give a man credit when it is due, clearly Pete Carroll benefited from Norm being the OC and developing all those guys. Also it was evident that Vince Young was learning from Norm and as of last week UCLA can beat an SEC power with a 3rd string QB and Norm's 2nd half adjustments.
RB's - Tommy Tuberville - his Auburn programs are responsible for 5 starting running backs in the NFL right now...Considering he has only going into his 10th year as Head Coach I would say that is an amazing feat.
Runner up - Mack Brown has pumped running backs into the NFL with astonishing regularity. Set your clock to it, every 3 years he will produce a top tier RB for the draft.
WR's - John Cooper/Jim Tressel(Ohio St) - Seriously the number of receivers that has come out of this program is scary. You can't separate them because several players spanned the coaching change and the consistent pace at which good WR's comes out of OSU is impressive.
Runner-up - Steve Spurrier/Urban Myer(Florida) - Same as above, just not in quite as large amounts and a little less regularly.
OL - Bobby Bowden - This guy seems to have two or three O-Lineman drafted every year. You have to respect the fact that his track record is as consistent as it is for as long as it is.
Runner-up - Pete Carroll - All that offense starts up front...He has had a 1st round AND a 2nd round O-Lineman drafted in each of the last 3 years...wow
D-Line - Bobby Bowden - Hands down the easiest pick in all of this article. His FSU teams produce DL prospects like fat kids eat cake...in large amounts....Look up the list of current players in the NFL and count the D-lineman.
Runner-up - Honestly, there isn't another coach that comes close...schools do but they tend to have had several coaches over a period of time i.e. Miami
LB's - Miami(pick a coach) - To many LB's have come from the U to not bend the rules a bit...Randy Shannon needs to keep the tradition alive, but for the time being it speaks for itself.
Runner up- John Cooper/Jim Tressel - The list is long and impressive and doesn't look like it will stop anytime soon.
DB's - Bob, Mike and Mark Stoops - When you think DB's in the last 15 years you must think of Miami, Oklahoma and Arizona...These three men where the Architects of all of those Defensive Backfields.
Runner-up - See any of the programs above, OU-Miami-Arizona - Pick 'em
K/P - Seriously...I could care less...Best guess is Arizona - not trying to be a homer - 2 kickers in the league as we speak
More after the jump...
Hasselhoff at the Arizona vs. Idaho Game (Home Videos)
I don't know why we didn't post this earlier. Apparently the Hoff's daughter is now a freshman here at the University of Arizona and decided to take her Papa Hoff along to her first Arizona football game.
There are two videos, one of the Hoff with daughter and friends driving to the game, and one of the Hoff going into the student section (Zona Zoo). Watch the videos, enough said. Hopefully, we will have more Hoff sightings as the year goes on.
More after the jump...
Heisman Busters: Week 1
After week one there were a lot of names that people hadn't recognized on top of statistical leader boards. Dom is doing a great job of updating his picks for Heisman as the season progresses, but there are a few players that may break onto the Heisman scene. Everyone knows a BCS buster, but here come some Heisman busters:
My original Heisman hopefuls breakdown can be found: Here
Here is a look at three performances from week one that may find themselves on the radar:
QB: Mark Sanchez: USC: 26/35 74.3% 338 YDS 3 TD 1 INT 178.0 Rating
Why?: If it wasn’t already obvious and I know this isn’t much of a stress but USC jumps two spots to #1 after going on the road to play a BCS school. More than that though they one convincingly and have quickly jumped to the favorite again this season. Secondly, think about USC’s last 4 quarterbacks. In the last 8 years they have had four starters, all were drafted and two were adorned in bronze.
Next Game: The Ohio State University Sept 13th
QB: Max Hall: BYU: 34/41 486 YDs 2 TDs 198.6 rating.
Why?: If BYU beats a couple of Pac-10 teams in a row with games against Washington and UCLA coming up, Hall has a chance to be this years Colt Brennan. That is to way that a Non-BCS QB could break into the hunt if they can finish out their season undefeated.
Next Game: @ Washington Sept 6th
RB: Jahvid Best: CAL: 24 Car 111 YDS 1 TD 5 Rec 63 YDs 4 KR 103 YDS
Why? Beanie’s injury is like a soap opera and have no idea if he will be able to live to his hype. Noel Devine had only 9 attempts for 47 yards against Villanova. Knowshon Moreno had only 8 attempts for 59 yards although he did have 3 TDs against Georgia Southern. LeSean McCoy rushed 23 times for 71 and one score in a loss to Bowling Green. Jahvid put up his numbers against a good Michigan State team, in a win, and is looking to get Cal into the Top 25.
Next Game: @ Washington State Sept 6th
More after the jump...
Week 1 College Football Awards
Everyone loves the award season at the end of the year, but you never hear any mention of any awards outside of The Heisman as the season progresses, or at least not until the finalists are released. I thought, well why not issue Week by Week winners of all the Awards. Plenty of sites award Helmet Stickers and POW nominations but I'm going the extra step. Each week I will issue not watchlists or finalists but the winners of the Week by Week Awards for all 18 Major D-1 Awards.
Heisman Memorial Trophy:
Colt McCoy, QB - Texas
24/29 - 222 yards - 3 TDs/0 INTs - 181.2 QB Rating - 12 Rushes - 103 yards - 1 TD
Maxwell Award:
Pat White, QB - West Virginia
25/33 - 208 yards - 5 TDs/1 INT - 172.65 QB Rating - 9 Rushes - 63 yards
Walter Camp Award:
Colt McCoy, QB - Texas
24/29 - 222 yards - 3 TDs/0 INTs - 181.2 QB Rating - 12 Rushes - 103 yards - 1 TD
Dick Butkus Award:
Obi Ezeh, LB - Michigan
8 Solo Tackles - 15 Total Tackles - 1.5 Tackles for Loss - 1 INT
Outland Trophy:
Jake Ebner, DT - Houston
2 Solo Tackles - 2 Total Tackles - 1 Sack - 1 Tackle for Loss - 2 Forced Fumbles
Chuck Bednarik Award:
Stryker Sulak, DL - Missouri
6 Solo Tackles - 8 Total Tackles - 5 Tackles for Loss - 3 Sacks - 1 Forced Fumble - 1 PAT Block
Davey O'Brien Award:
Colt McCoy, QB - Texas
24/29 - 222 yards - 3 TDs/0 INTs - 181.2 QB Rating - 12 Rushes - 103 yards - 1 TD
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award:
Pat White, QB - West Virginia
25/33 - 208 yards - 5 TDs/1 INT - 172.65 QB Rating - 9 Rushes - 63 yards
Doak Walker Award:
Shun White, RB - Navy
19 Rushes - 348 yards - 3 TDs - 18.32 Yds/Carry
Fred Biletnikoff Award:
Will Judson, WR - Illinois
5 Receptions - 177 yards - 2 TDs - 35.4 Yds/Catch
Jim Thorpe Award:
Otis Wiley, S - Michigan State
2 INT - 1 Pass Defended - 4 Solo Tackles - 6 Total Tackles - 1 TD
John Mackey Award:
Dennis Pitta, TE - BYU
11 Receptions - 213 yards - 19.36 Yds/Catch
Lou Groza Award:
Louie Skida, PK - Utah
4/4 FG - 2/2 : 40-49 yds - 1/1 : 50+ yards
Bronko Nagurski Award:
Stryker Sulak, DL - Missouri
6 Solo Tackles - 8 Total Tackles - 5 Tackles for Loss - 3 Sacks - 1 Forced Fumble - 1 PAT Block
Ray Guy Award:
T.J. Conley - Idaho
7 Punts - 340 yards - 48.57 Yds/Punt - 2 Tackles
Vince Lombardi Award:
Eben Britton, T - Arizona
0 Sacks Allowed - 0 Tackles for Loss Allowed - 0 Penalties - 265 Rushing Yards - 5 Rushing TDs
Ted Hendricks Award:
Stryker Sulak, DL - Missouri
6 Solo Tackles - 8 Total Tackles - 5 Tackles for Loss - 3 Sacks - 1 Forced Fumble - 1 PAT Block
Rimington Trophy:
Ricky Moore, C - Navy
More after the jump...
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
College Pick Em': The BearDown vs. The "Experts"
After week one of College Football I was looking back over my Pick em’ and decided to see how I stacked up against the so called “experts” in the field. Everyone here at the BearDown (Garnes excluded, sorry) participate in a little pool over at Yahoo Sports. After taking a gander at how their experts did I decided that I would make my claim to be an expert as well. I will break down how the four of us did against the four exclusive experts at Yahoo, as well as four of the experts over at Fox Sports who seem to give so many people such great insight. I will log this over the course of the season, and expect to win and be asked to make picks professionally in the future.
Yahoo Experts: Their week one picks: Note: Someone please let me know how Regis Philbin qualifies as an expert.
Fox Experts: Their week one picks: Note: I adjusted their scores to fit with the rules of yahoo leagues.
Now for the BearDown's Expert Pannel:
I have also include a screen shot of my pics as hard evidence.
So far so good, I will have a more in depth look at the picks and credentials after week two when the packs begins to separate a little....
More after the jump...
Bronze Stiff Arm Candidates: Week 1
As with my Top 25 I'm also going to keep you updated on my list of BSA (Heisman) Candidates as the season goes on. The basis for these 23 candidates are from my Heisman Hopefulls column back in January (Refer to Part 1 and Part 2 for further breakdown and information on each player). Originally there were 25 but we've already dropped two going into the season and will likely drop more as the season goes on. Remember a good portion of these stats are inflated due to inferior opponents, also many of these numbers aren't as high as others because some coaches (Mike Stoops - Arizona, Bob Stoops - Oklahoma) were smart enough to take their starters out once the game was in hand, thus stats not inflated as others. So here they are, in alphabetical order your Top 23 Bronze Stiff Arm Watchlist members:
Todd Boeckman, QB - Ohio State
14/19 - 187 yards - 2 TDs/0 INTs - 191.09 QB Rating
Sam Bradford, QB - Oklahoma
17/22 - 183 yards - 2 TDs/0 INTs - 177.14 QB Rating
Jimmy Clausen, QB - Notre Dame
-OFF-
Michael Crabtree, WR - Texas Tech
9 Rec. - 47 yards - 1 TD
Chase Daniel, QB - Missouri
26/45 - 323 yards - 3 TDs/1 INT - 135.63 QB Rating - 9 Rush - 46 yards
Noel Devine, RB - West Virginia
9 Rush - 47 yards - 6 Rec. - 37 yards
Graham Harrell, QB - Texas Tech
43/58 - 536 yards - 2 TDs/1 INT - 159.69 QB Rating
P.J. Hill, RB - Wisconsin
26 Rush - 210 yards - 2 TDs
Ian Johnson, RB - Boise State
14 Rush - 87 yards - 1 TD
Kellen Lewis, QB - Indiana
17/27 - 144 yards - 2 TDs/1 INT - 124.8 QB Rating - 9 Rush - 185 yards - 2 TDs
Jeremy Maclin, WR - Missouri
4 Rec. - 31 yards - 3 K Ret. - 145 yards - 1 TD - 4 P Ret. - 56 yardsRyan Mallet, QB - Michigan
NO LONGER AT MICHIGAN, AT ARKANSAS SITTING OUT 2008, NO LONGER 2008 BSA CANDIDATE
Colt McCoy, QB - Texas
24/29 - 222 yards - 3 TDs/0 INTs - 181.2 QB Rating - 12 Rush - 103 yards - 1 TD
LeSean "Shady" McCoy, RB - Pittsburgh
23 Rush - 71 yards - 1 TD - 5 Rec. - 45 yards
Joe McKnight, RB - Southern California
6 Rush - 60 yards - 4 Rec. - 24 yards - 1 TD
Knowshon Moreno, RB - Georgia
8 Rush - 59 yards - 3 TDs - 2 Rec. - 53 yardsRyan Perrilloux, QB - Lousiana State
NO LONGER AT LSU, AT D-1 FCS JACKSONVILLE STATE, NO LONGER IN BSA CONTENTION
Mark Sanchez, QB - Southern California
26/35 - 338 yards - 3 TDs/1 INT - 177.98 QB Rating
Matthew Stafford, QB - Georgia
13/21 - 275 yards - 2 TDs/0 INTs - 203.33 QB Rating
Tim Tebow, QB - Florida
9/14 - 137 yards - 1 TD/0 INTs - 170.06 QB Rating - 9 Rush - 37 yards
Mike Thomas, WR - Arizona
5 Rec. - 28 yards - 1 TD
Willie Tuitama, QB - Arizona
17/21 - 179 yards - 3 TDs/0 INTs - 199.7 QB Rating
Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB - Ohio State
13 Rush - 111 yards - 1 TD - 3 Rec. - 10 yards
Pat White, QB - West Virginia
25/33 - 208 yards - 5 TDs/1 INT - 172.64 QB Rating - 9 Rush - 63 yards
Isiah "Juice" Williams, QB - Illinois
26/42 - 451 yards - 5 TDs/2 INTs - 181.87 QB Rating
As the weeks go on I will begin eliminating players from this list when I think they are no longer in contention to strike the Reverse Desmond with the Hesiman Trophy at the New York Athletic Club.
More after the jump...
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Top Ten: SI Swimsuit Covers in History
With Labor Day in the rear view mirror it means that the fall is officially here and summer is gone. Of course that's not really the case in Arizona (over 100 again) but as we gear up for the Fall I suppose it's time for us to look back on one of our favorite things of the summer. Swimsuits. Yes that's right, who doesn't love being poolside and seeing the girls in swimsuits. Now while the annual SI Swimsuit Issue doesn't come out until February I feel that with summer behind us, we should look back on the Top Ten Swimsuit Issue Covers in SI history. I originally was going for a countdown of some sort but I had a hard enough time narrowing it to Ten. Ranking them would have been damn near impossible so here it is in chronological order:
10. February 4, 1980 - Vol. 52 Issue 5 - Christie Brinkley
The one time Most Downloaded Woman on the Internet, and we can see why. 
9. February 10, 1986 - Vol. 64 Issue 6 - Elle MacPherson
Next we have the all-time leader in SI covers. 
8. February 20, 1995 - Vol. 82 Issue 7 - Daniela
The one-named wonder shows us that less isn't always more. Sometimes leaving a little something to the imagination is a good thing. Though not much is left to the imagination.
7. February 21, 1997 - Vol. 86 Issue 7 - Tyra Banks
Before she annoyed us with her day-time talk show, and thus gave Joel McHale plenty of ammo on The Soup. Appearing in her second most talked about swimsuit.
6. February 12, 1999 - Vol. 90 Issue 6 - Rebecca Romijn
Who can forget the 99 issue, the First Body Paint issue. While Rebecca is sporting cloth, we didn't mind one bit.
5. February 1, 2002 - Vol. 96 Issue 4 - Yamila Diaz-Rahi
Red Hot is definitely the proper title for this Cover as Yamila dazzles in a deep red bikini.
4. February 10, 2004 - Vol. 100 Issue 6 - Veronica Varekova
The first Completely Topless, though covered, SI Swimsuit Cover. Notice, 10 pages of Body painting, how things have changed in 5 years.
3. February 15, 2005 - Vol. 102 Issue 7 - Carolyn Murphy
2. February 17, 2006 - Vol. 103 Issue 7 - Veronica, Elle, Rebecca, Rachel Hunter, Daniela, Elsa Benitez, Carolyn, and Yamila.
2006 brings us 8 of the hottest SI Cover Girls of the past including 6 of the 8 mentioned in spots 9-3.
1. February 01, 2000 - Vol. 91 Issue 4/February 15, 2008 Vol. 107 Issue 7 - Daniela Pestova/Marissa MillerFor some reason the editors at SI decided that 2000's cover with Daniela (left) needed to be done again 8 years later with Marissa Miller (Right)....I have no complaints.
Like I said, there were many others that just missed out on this list, but all I know is every February there will be at least one good magazine on the Rack.
More after the jump...
Pac-10 Power Rankings: Week 1
Week one is in the books and it didn’t disappoint. Taking off from where “The Year of the Upset” left off we saw one top 10 team fall to a ranked opponent, and three other top 25 squads get upset to unranked foes. The Pac-10 is especially interesting, and after this weekends games a lot of questions that were up in the air were finally answered. That is why I give you the Pac-10 Power Rankings:
1. USC: After what was a relatively close first half against Virginia (24-7), the Trojans pulled away for a big 52-7 win. Sanchez looked great, and didn’t appear to have any problems with the leg. He ended the game completing 26/35 passes for 338 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT. We also got to see the depth of the backfield with six different backs getting touches. The Trojans look really tough, they are not only the frontrunner in the Pac but a legitimate national contender as well.
Next Game: The Ohio State University, Sept 13th
2. Oregon: There was a lot of concern surrounding the Duck’s QB situation with Costa out another season and Roper taking over a spread style offense. After handling Washington 44-10, Oregon’s defense might have put some of those concerns to rest. Roper who was named the starter ended up suffering a concussion early in the game, leaving Jeremiah Masoli behind the helm. Masoli took over in the second quarter to complete 7/11 attempts for 126 yards and 2 TD. The Duck’s D is helped the cause tremendously by pitching a second half shut out, and will have to continue to play tough to stay on pace with the best in the Pac-10. For now they are #2, but I don’t foresee that lasting very long.
Next Game: Utah State, Sept 6th
3. CAL: The Golden Bears debut at number three because they played a tougher opponent than most everyone else in the conference. Cal took on Michigan State and took home the win 38-31. The game was close and took an 81 yard run with a little over 4 minutes left in the game by Shane Vereen to secure the victory. Cal still hasn’t broken into the Top 25 yet, but are on the bubble. A couple more W’s and I think we can pencil them in for the time being.
Next Game: @ Washington State, Sept 6th
4. Arizona: Granted the Wildcats were going up against a bad Idaho team, but they did what any good team should do against a much more inferior squad. Tuitama’s Cats pitched a shut out en route to a 70 point romping of the Vandals. Willie completed 17 of his 21 passes for 179 yards and 3 touchdowns. Willie now has 47 career touch downs which sets a school record previously held by Tom Tunniclife. Big congratulations to our star. In the backfield Nic Grigsby also had a big game rushing for 169 yards on 19 carries and putting the ball in the end zone twice. On the defensive side of the ball the Wildcats looked solid all the way around allowing only 112 yards. It is hard to argue with a near perfect performance by our Cats, and so for now they sit at #4.
Next Game: Toledo, Sept 6th
5. Arizona State: Despite their position at 15 in the AP Top 25, the Sun Devils didn’t exactly look like a top tier team. A warm up game against 1-AA Northern Arizona should have been a walk in the park. The real score of the game was closer to 30-0, but the B squad allowed the Lumberjacks to put up 13 points late. Carpenter looked impressive completing 22/28 passes for 388 yards and 1 TD. The biggest problem that we can see is with the running game. Dimitri Nance had only 11 attempts for 30 yards despite his two TDs. If the Sun Devils hope to crack the top 10, or even compete in the Pac-10 they are going to need a substantial running game that as of right now doesn’t appear to be very effective.
6. UCLA: The bruins took down 18th ranked Tennessee in their opener. First and foremost I understand the following: It was an emotional win for Rick Neuheisel. The Volunteers were tanked 18th. An ugly win is still a win. That being said, I may be alone in thinking this was a completely unimpressive win and that Bruins fans have a lot to be worried about. For starters, Craft looked terrible in the first half. You can probably count on one hand how many times your starting QB threw 4 picks in the first half and you were still only down by 7 points. It is a big win for a Bruins team that is rebuilding, but I think the real story here is how bad Tennessee’s offense is/was. Can’t capitalize, can’t win. Don’t get ahead of yourself and think that UCLA is about to start a Cinderella run. The Bruins won’t get off so easy next weekend.
Next Game: @ BYU, Sept 13h
7. Stanford: The Cardinal got away with one and stole a W from Oregon State 36-28. A win is a win and that is the only reason they are ahead of the Beavers at this point. Stanford somehow found a way to win a game in which they had 18 first down to OStates 29 and 301 (91 passing, 210 rusing) yards to 491 allowed. Their passing game is going to need a tune up in order to make that running game all the more effective. It will be interesting to see how their season progresses, especially with a big match up next week.
Next Game: @ Arizona State, Sept 6th
8. Oregon State: The Fumble. It was almost a miracle of a comeback for the beavers, but it ended just a couple yards shy. The story of this game for Oregon State was turnovers. Moevao might have thrown the ball 54 times for 404 yards, but he also threw two key interceptions. The beavers were on the flip side of Stanford’s offensive problems; they need a more effective running game. Next week doesn’t get any easier either.
Next Game: @ Penn State, Sept 6th
9. Washington: I had high hopes for the Huskies this year, and debated taking them in an upset over Oregon. Luckily, I had a moment of clarity. Oregon’s defense completely shut them down, holding Locker to only 103 yards passing and 57 yards rushing. If this was any indication of what is to come, then it will be a long season for the Washington faithful.
Next Game: BYU, Sept 6th
10. Washington State: The cougars looked terrible against Oklahoma State in their 39-12 loss. Their 196 total yards (82 passing, 114 rushing) is cause for concern. They will need to find a rhythm on offense in order compete the rest of the season. I worry for WASU. If they work out some kinks against Cal next week, which should be an easy win for the Bears, they may have a chance at evening up at 2-2 after they play Baylor and host Portland State.
Next Game: Cal, Sept 6th.
More after the jump...
College Football Top 25 Polls: Week 1
Yes that's right, the College Football season is off to a great start. A lot of close games on Thursday-Monday. And the UCLA over Tennesse win last night capped off a fun Week One. So as promised, each week we'll see the updated Top 25 after the dust has settled, let's take a look at the big board.
1(1). USC Trojans
Played extremely well against Virginia on the road in Week 1. Sanchez looked good, the USC ground game looked good, Joe McKnight had those flashes I talked about in the past. No reason to move them down from the Top Spot going into Week 2.
2(2). Oklahoma Sooners
As is typically the case in week one of the college football season, Oklahoma faced a nobody and put up over 50. You can pretty much set your watch by this one. Chattanooga was the victim this year and they allowed 57. Their defense threw up a big 0 on the scoreboard, their offense gave up 2 points on a safety and all is well in OK.
3(3). Ohio State Buckeyes
We'll wait to see what the prognosis is on Hesiman Hopeful Beanie's foot, hopefully he'll be in there when they head to USC. Other than that Boeckman played very well and the future looks bright for Buckeye fans behind Highly Touted recruit Terrelle Pryor. The defense, which was not a question mark for anyone, played up to their 10 returning starter potential leaving a whopping 0 on the board for Youngstown State. Another annual tradition like the Masters.
4(4). Georgia Bulldogs
The Dawgs almost slipped this week, yeah they won by 24, but they allowed Georgia Southern 21 points, luckily they were in the 2nd half so I guess up 24-0 at the half lets the defensive players get some rest. Heisman Hopefuls Stafford and Moreno surprised nobody and played very well.
5(5). Missouri Tigers
The first of the top teams to play an actual opponent this week Mizzou faced off against the Illini. One of the top games of the weekend, Illinois never gave up and looked like they were going to take strides at upsetting Mizzou tiem just ran out on Juice and crew. Missouri's offense looked good again and the special teams looked great. Led by Heisman Hopeful Jeremy Maclin and his 145 Kick return yards in 3 returns, including the 99 yard TD. He also put up a 46 yard Punt Return. I think you can give Mizzou the Big XII North Title right now.
6(6). Florida Gators
Tebow did what Tebow does (1 Passing TD, 1 Rushing TD). Best yet he was only 3rd on the team in rushing, instead of the team leader. With Percy Harvin out, Florida showed it's got some depth at athletes.
7(8). West Virginia Mountaineers
Up a spot with Clemson's loss, the Mountaineers showed that they were serious when they said Rich Who? Seeing as how Michigan dropped to Utah and the 'Neers took down 'Nova. Pat White showed that he's got an arm throwing 5 TDs in the air and making a strong push for his Heisman Case. The question mark here, and possibly for the season, will be with the Mountaineer Defense. They allowed 399 yards and 28 first downs, luckily they also grabbed two picks and were able to keep the Wildcats out of the End Zone.
8(9). Texas Tech Red Raiders
536 passing yards, 7 Total TDs. The Red Raiders outscored Eastern Washington. I still think they will win a lot of games this year to deserve this #8 ranking. I know their game plan is strictly to outscore the opponent, but allowing Eastern Washington 24 points (17 in the second Quarter) has to scare some Raiderfans.
9(10). Auburn Tigers
Ben Tate (?) ran for 115 on 13 carries and showed up to let more people know who he is. Some Auburn fans may wonder where their Tiger offense will come from this season. The Tigers accounted for 2 of their 4 TDs on offense with 1 on Special Teams and 1 on Defense. Getting TDs on D and Special Teams is great, but the Tigers need their offense to perform a bit better in the SEC to be notable too much longer.
10(11). LSU Tigers
The Tigers shut up all of the Appy State fans out there who kept saying that Armanti Edwards and the Mountaineers were worthy of notability. No fans have had bigger egos over the last year than Appalachain State. They are living on that lone victory over a down Michigan team last year. I don't typically root for LSU but I am glad they put the screws to Appy St. with a 31-0 first half score. The Tigers QB situation was THE question for the Tigers in the offseason and both inexperienced guys jumped in Saturday. All they had to do was give the ball to Scott and step away. Junior Charles Scott put up 160 yards, almost half his total from last year.
11(12). Texas Longhorns
The Horns did what they do, no surprise here. The only surprise was Texas' leading rusher...Heisman Candidate Colt McCoy. Look out Timmy.
12(14). Wisconsin Badgers
If PJ Hill can keep up as he did Saturday, there are no worries in Wisconsin. Hell if Beanie stays out awhile the Badgers can very easily slide to the top of the Big Eleven this year on the back of Hill.
13(13). Kansas Jayhawks
Picking up where they left off Reesing and the Starting O looked good putting up 30 in the first half. The defense held up great against a lesser opponent and the Hawks want us to know they're still here.
14(15). BYU Cougars
The Class of their conference BYU should remain in the perennial mid-major with 0-2 losses position all year hovering between the 10-16 spots depending on the teams surrounding them. Oh and their Quarterback, (hailing from Mesa, AZ) Max Hall, threw for 486 yards and a 198.6 QB Rating.
15(UR). Alabama Crimson Tide
I said on Friday that Bama could, and potentially would upset Clemson. I knew Saban was capable of putting up that one big upset. Now let's see if Bama can hold on unlike their collapse last year.
16(16). ASU Sun Devils
They beat NAU. Not A University. (Sorry Denny, Randle, and Craig).
17(18). Oregon Ducks
Oregon's Defense was able to put the stop on Washington's Jake Locker, hailed by many to be the top QB in the Pac-10 Locker managed 0 TDs on the ground, and 0 in the Air. The Ducks managed to gather behind their 3rd QB and still managed 44 points.
18(7) Clemson Tigers
They lost, they slipped 11 spots, they still have talent. I said on Friday that I didn't like the chances of Clemson against Bama. I knew that Clemson would drop a game they were supposed to win and Bama would have a big upset this year. This looked like the game that was going to happen in.
19(20). Penn State Nittany Lions
Paterno got career win 373 to tie Florida State's Bowden for most career wins. Good day for him and the 66-10 victory over Coastal Carolina was fun for Penn State I'm sure.
20(22). Wake Forest
Wake Forest looked crisp and clean and didn't allow Baylor to do much, as their D came up with 2 picks. Riley Skinner threw for 220 and 3 TDs. The only ranked ACC team with a win this past weekend.
21(23). South Florida
Top team in the Big East this year and their offense put up 56 points. 2 of their 3 QBs combined for 10/12 and 182 yards with 2 TDs but the amazing thing was the 13 players who were credited with a carry in Saturday's game. I guess that accounts for the 300 yards the Bulls got on the ground.
22(UR). UCLA Bruins
Upset the Volunteers last night in a great game and shot up the Rankings. They were on the outside looking in last week, but were on my teams to watch list. After last night they are on the inside. The Pac-10 looks strong this year.
23(25). Fresno State
The Bulldogs and the Scarlett Knights were scoreless through the first half but the second half was all Fresno State and specifically Ryan Matthews who ran for 3 TDs and 188 yds in the 2nd Half.
24(UR) South Carolina Gamecocks
Back in my Top 25 for the first time since July. Tommy Beecher started the game, and was promptly removed after 4 INTs. With this morning's news that Chris Smelley takes over South Carolina comes into the Top 25 and could stay awhile.
25(17) Tennessee Volunteers
They lost last night, but it was a great game and they're still a good team, just not as good as we thought before.
On the Edge Boise State Broncos, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Arizona Wildcats, Kentucky Wildcats, Florida State Seminoles, Utah Utes, and California Golden Bears.
Past Top 25 Rankings;
January
July
August
More after the jump...
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