Overvalued/Undervalued NFL (week 1)

Overvalued


1. San Francisco 49ers. Mike Singletary fired the OC Jimmy Raye but the Niners problems are more than a coordinator. Singletary is a great coach for college players. 18-22 year olds would rally around his fiery style and run through a wall for the Hall of Fame linebacker but that style is not going to work in the pros. Pros will tune you out when you continue to act that way. The other issue as duly noted is the quarterback. When you can't throw for more than 5 yards down the field, teams can defense you easily. Looks like its going to be another long season for football fans in the Bay area.

2. Detroit Lions. If the Lions didn't have any bad luck they wouldn't have any luck at all. Even with all the hype of their defensive line with Suh and Vanden Bosch, the Lions still can't buy a win. The team had a win stolen from them by the officials. Their top overall pick from last year is hurt in Matthew Stafford. And has anyone seen Calvin Johnson? The preseason can really be deceiving.


3. The Demise of the Steelers without Big Ben. Starting qb violates the personal conduct policy, no way the Steelers can beat the Falcons, Titans and then the Bucs to go 3-0, and yes they did. Not only with Ben's backup but with his backup backup playing at qb. Not saying it will happen but wouldn't it be something if the Steelers keep winning with Ben on the bench after the suspension. The way they do it is the Steeler way. Pound you on defense, run the ball and pound you some more. That's the way football was meant to be played.


4. Brett Favre could walk onto the field and the Vikes would win. For all the drama that Favre has given everyone each summer, Vikings fans figured this was their year. But Favre for the first time in three years looks old and the game does not look fun to him anymore. The boyish exuberance that we are used to seeing from him seems to have faded. Now football looks like a job to him and that's not good for the Vikings and their fans. Unless he finds that energy again, the Vikings will continue to struggle.



Undervalued


1. Philadelphia Eagles. With the Cowboys not showing up week to week, and the Giants and Redskins imploding, the Eagles really think they can win the division. In all honesty this team was not built to really built to contend this year but now the division is there for the taking. No one saw the rebirth of Michael Vick coming. He is now a pocket passer with incredible running skills. By the way, is there a db in the league that can cover Desean Foster in the open field?


2. Kansas City Chiefs. I made a joke three weeks ago if KC still had a football team. Yes they do and they are fast. The coordinators of Crennel and Weis are putting the speedsters in the right position and the kids are starting to believe. Don't think it will last long but you can tell that Scott Pioli is a great evaluator of talent. Drafting McCluster, Arenas and Moeaki shows, Belichek wasn't the only one in the Patriots making the smart picks.

3. Chicago Bears. Now the Bears looked awful in the preseason and Jay Cutler said their offense was using a "Cloak and Dagger". Like they were really fooling people. This we know, Mike Martz can coach offense, he is not a good head coach, but the man can coach offense. Now with that said, the Packers are the class of the NFC but for now Lovie, Cutler and the Bears are in first place.


5th Quarter in two days.

Overvalued/Undervalued (CFB wk 1)

Value

Preseason rankings don't really tell how good a team will be. You need at least four games to see who the team really is. Real action against real competition really shows if the players and coaching are working as one to achieve that ultimate goal. So every week I am going to find ten teams that are overvalued and undervalued for college and the pros. The rankings will be not be in order, just based on what i saw on the field and the media hype. Tell me if you agree or disagree and hopefully everyone likes it. And here we go:


Overvalued:

1. Florida Gators. There is no way this team should be ranked in the top team. Granted they have played better of late but they have struggled in all of their wins. Yes they blasted Kentucky but they have owned them in the swamp the last two decades. This team is struggling to find their offensive identity. There will have a chance to prove everyone wrong when they roll into Alabama on Saturday night.

2.Oklahoma. There my championship pick but they aren't acting like a team that wants to play in the championship game. The Sooners have been playing to the level of their competition (with FSU being the lone exception). They have put teams away like Air Force or Cincinnati when they have them beaten. When you constantly play down to the level of lesser opponents at some point its going to catch up with you.

3.LSU. There is no way that LSU should be 4-0 but they are. But if a team could be the worse 4-0 team you have ever seen then the Bayou Bengals fit the bill. Their offense under Les Miles and Gary Crowton is nearly the worse in all of college football. For instance, their are 120 college football teams and LSU offense ranks 118. Jordan Jefferson just looks confused at the quarterback position. The Tigers have play makers with speed but they can barely get out of their own way. On the flip side the reason why they are undefeated is their defense. That side of the ball is playing lights out and is covering up for the offense's mistakes. LSU will get exposed in the SEC, just a matter of time. Or Maybe Patrick Patterson can continue to save the day and season for the Tigers.

4.Texas. Its easier to say Texas after they just got ran over by UCLA. But the Longhorns started the season highly ranked and have struggled with the tougher opponents they faced. Just getting by Texas Tech and then UCLA coming into Austin and just shutting down the Horns. For as great as they were with McCoy under center, they always had a balance with the run game, and that seems to be lacking this year. Mack Brown needs one of those young backs to step and take some of the pressure off Gilbert if the Longhorns have a chance to beat Oklahoma on Saturday.

5.Michigan. I know Robinson is tearing it up on the football field. I know Rich Rod will probably be back next year. I know they are playing better but in all reality the Wolverines have not played a soul. They will get to a bowl game this year and most likely give Ohio State a better game than in years past. Uconn, Notre Dame, Umass and Bowling Green are not real quality opponents. They actually struggled in three of those games. Their tough Big Ten schedule will truly show if this team is a contender.

Undervalued

1. TCU. No one pays attention to TCU and yet they are in better position than Boise St. to crash the championship game. Horned Frogs have the schedule and a tough conference but yet they dropped to 5th in the polls. The Horned Frogs will be fine overall. They play their best under the radar.

2.Nebraska. Nebraska is the best team in the Big 12 conference. They are dominating opponents with their offense and the defense. They had a minor hiccup over the weekend but they will be fine. Most of the Big 12 talk has been about the Sooners and Horns, Nebraska gets their shot at Texas for the final time at home in two weeks. Maybe after that game the rest of the country will know that the Blackshirts are back.

3.Stanford. Luck is the best quarterback in the country and Stanford is a team that no one seems to pay attention to. Not only are they undefeated but they have simply crushed the people they have played. The Cardinal have their biggest test this weekend taking on offensive juggernaut Oregon. Winning that game would put the Cardinal in prime position to win the Pac-10. I think Luck should be the first qb taken in the draft. Some trivia for you: Name the last Stanford quarterback taking first overall in the NFL draft.

4. Arkansas. They should have beaten Alabama. That's all I have to say. Mallet has to play better in big games.

5. South Carolina. The old ball coach can have redemption by knocking off Alabama in a couple of weeks. Who knew Steve Spurrier knew what a running game was. He has gone away from the Fun N' Gun and went to running an offense that compliments his players.

The NFL rankings will be coming tomorrow.

5th Quarter (College)

SEC and More

SEC, Not As Dominant

The only team in the SEC that is worthy of their hype is Alabama. The rest of the conference is not that great and in some cases overrated. Auburn escaped at home against Clemson in a game where they were almost clearly overplayed by the Tigers from South Carolina. Florida beat Tennessee in the battle of a team with no offense versus a team of bad players. As a Florida alum said to me, he could not tell the two teams apart. I hope Vol fans understand its going to be a long time before they are respectable.

The praise that Bama has received is right on point. They are a great team with a lot of weapons, except for in one area. Their secondary has not been tested and it will this weekend. This is the perfect formula for an upset. Underdog school that has not received any praise. A Heisman candidate looking for a signature moment. A coach that was a failure in the pros but went to a mid-level BCS school and has restored some history. Bobby Petrino and Ryan Mallet are in a perfect position to upset the Tide and prove to everyone that Arkansas is for real.

And Poof....He Was Gone

One of my favorite movies is The Usual Suspects. At the end Verbal Kent describing Keyser Soze disappearing from the ship of destruction. "And poof..he was gone" and the same can be said for this players Heisman chances and also in my opinion his chances of being the first pick in the draft. First his line 4 of 20, 71 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT,passer rating of 46.3%, and a stellar 1-12 record against ranked opponents. Jake Locker was every one's Heisman choice and consensus top pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. The draft pundits will stay praise Locker for all the physical tools but a warning to the Bills or Jaguars who might think about drafting him. Remember Akili Smith, Ryan Leaf or any other first round QB bust. Just because he has the physical tools, the most important tool Locker needs to have is winning big games against top flight competition.

By the way, his coach Steve Sarkisian promised Locker the world and did not deliver. Sarkisian did this to try and keep his program relevant. Of course he touts as he can prepare his quarterback for the next level. If you look at the USC quarterback's in the NFL, the only one who has produced close to his potential is Carson Palmer. Matt Cassel, Mark Sanchez and Matt Lienart are all below average. Also Sarkisian called Reggie Bush an "idiot" for giving the Heisman back and saying it wasn't an admission of guilt. I just don't get why his former coach would take that route and bash his former player. All the parties involved from Reggie to the coaches, USC and the NCAA did something wrong in this mess. The one people who have not been talked about is Bush's parents. They should have acted like parents and spared their child from the chopping block. For goodness sake, Reggie's mom is a deputy sheriff so her first response should always be to follow the rules and do the right thing.

New post coming tomorrow: Overvalue/Undervalue

NFL Opener

Week One

Football is back in full force. The pros kicked off this weekend and ratings were off the chart. America's pasttime is back and we cant get enough of it.

Stop With The Drama

The Colts got run over. The train that hit you was Arian Foster and he was wearing a Texans jersey. But let's nt crown the texans champs after one game. They played really well are have constructed their team to but the Colts and dethrone the AFC champs. Their scheme was perfect and executed it to a "T". However if we have not learned anything about the Colts in the last five years is when its all said and done Peyton and Dwight Freeney will have their team in the playoffs.

Speaking of drama, the 49ers got waxed by the Seahawks. Here were the Niners with their gaudy indefeated preason record and they are everyone's trendy pick to win the NFC West. Why would anyone pick a team that doesn't have a quarterback? The difference between the Colts and the Niners is that the Colts have a great trigger man and the Niners for some strange reason still let small hands Alex Smith run their team. the rest of the team is shaped in the image of Mike Singletary but Alex Smith must amaze them or work some voodoo because he should not be in this league. It was a mistake to pass on him and not take Aaron Rodgers. Its been a mistake for the Niners to have kept him the last three years and not bring in a Michael Vick so that this team could be a Super Bowl contender.

Vick

He gets his own column. Let me state that I am probably one of the few people who actually missed watching Vick play football. I do not agree with what he did to animals but his play on the field was nothing short of spectactular. On Sunday when Kolb went down in Philly, the crowd was electrified again. To me it looked as if Mike had his explosiveness back and the he almost brought the Eagles back. Who would you rather have as a starting quarterback, a third year guy or a former pro-bowler? Andy Reid doesn't like to run so he will stick with Kolb.

Quick Hits

After four years the St. Louis Rams have a quarterback. Even though the Rams loss their optimism is St. Louis with Bradford at the helm. I'll be the first to admit I was about them drafting him. Sam I am is the real deal. You could tell he had command of the huddle and the team is responsive to him. Hopefully they draft him a big receiver or tight end. With another solid draft and a weak division, the Rams could be a playoff contender next year. You heard it hear first.

Glad the Tebow experiment is going well. 2 rushes, 2 yards.

Does Kansas City have a team and if so why are they on Monday Night?

Mark Sanchez is not going to lead the Jets to the Super Bowl. He has to learn how to be a leader and how to play the game.

Cowboy fans enjoy Alex Barron, the worse offensive tackle in all of football. The Rams and their fans lived through his awful years and now he has cost you a game.

The Redskins and their fans should thank Wade Phillips for that win. Take a knee at the end of a half Wade. Seriously.

Lessons From The First Weekend

So Far Not As Good

The SEC gets a lot of publicity with the talent they routinely put into the NFL and how tough their conference is, but so far the opening weekend saw some cracks in the conference. LSU decided to take a whole half of football off against UNC. I don't know if Les Myles or the OC Gay Crowton that decided to take the teams foot off the accelerator but to let an undermanned Tar Heel team basically beat you in the second half is unacceptable. Myles is under a lot of pressure in Baton Rouge and know the performance by his team last night will not win him any points.

Florida looked uncomfortable in the Post Tebow era. Their offense was not in rhythm against Miami, Oh but it was not John Brantley's fault. The Gators looked sluggish and disorganized. Urban Meyer will get the ship righted but the Gators are going to take some losses this season. The reason Meyer briefly retired is because he saw the future of Florida football and it works in cycles. His dominance in the Sunshine State is coming to an end with the resurgence of Miami and and arch-rival Florida State. In a few years he will wish he took the Notre Dame job when he had the chance.

Ole Miss losing to Jacksonville St is just incredible. 1. Never let a lesser opponent hang in the 4th quarter. For most of those team just playing the big boys is a dream come true but if you let them hang around, their confidence starts to build. 2. Houston Nutt should have gone for two by Jacksonville St did and ended the game. I know the rule if you are at home you play for the win, but when you are up 21-3 and let a team back into the game, you end it as soon as possible. The smart play is in OT go for the two points on your next possession and force the underdog to match you. Jacksonville St. showed a lot of guts by hanging in there and then pulling off the 2pt. conversion, they had nothing to lose and everything to gain. 3. Losses like this cost coaches their job, just ask Lloyd Carr.

Tennessee that sound you hear is a flock of Ducks coming into Rocky Top. That game this on Saturday will not be pretty.

Can We Stop Crowning Champs After One Week

After the first week of action, Alabama is unbeatable, Florida struggled, Oklahoma and Texas are so so. We are so quick to judge teams after the first couple of weeks instead of letting the season play out. The Crimson Tide played San Jose St, when have they been a football power. Let me think....NEVER!!! Yet the Tide will be tough to beat is all the analysis. They played a team that probably should be in Football Bowl Subdivision or D-1AA for all of you old school people. But everyone is saying how great Bama looks and they are going to win it all after one game. Its just one game people. The reason why Florida, Texas and Oklahoma struggled is because it was the first live game action in months. Here is another statement I heard that Denard Robinson of Michigan is the greatest Michigan qb ever. Didn't we hear the same thing about Tate Forcier last year? Have we not learned that Rich Rodriguez likes to use two quarterbacks? Instant analysis is clouding the way we watch games. Can we just let the teams play the games and at least get into conference play before we start crowning champs and declaring who's back and who's not.

The Boise State-Va Tech game lived up to the hype. The trouble for the Broncos now is after the play Oregon St., they have to run up the score against everyone in their conference for them to end up in the BCS championship game. The coaches are going to look at their scores and not their actual games and make judgements on this team. On Monday night, another mid-major served noticed to the BCS. If you don't include us we will still crash the party.

With all that said I am happy that college football is back. The opening weekend did not have a lot of great match ups but week two is going to be great. OSU-Miami, Florida St.-Oklahoma, Penn State-Alabama, Michigan-Notre Dame just to name a few. These games officially kickoff the season.

The Season Begins

Happy College Football Kickoff

Get the grills fired up. Have the wings and ribs ready. Make sure the batteries are in the remote are new. Put the kids to bed and welcome back football where the games count (Still love the NFL but preseason is a bore). Its College Football time!!!!


No Love For The Smurfs

It was cute when they knocked off Oklahoma in one of the greatest bowl games EVER but now The Boise St. Broncos are drawing a lot of hate from a lot of people. This is what happens when a mid-major stops being a mid-major and they become a major player in college football. The Broncos have their toughest two games at the beginning of the year by facing Va Tech in Landover Md., A home game for the Hokies and then Oregon St. If they run the table then they could possibly be in the BCS championship game. I really don't see it happening because the Cartel, I mean NCAA and networks do not want a team from Idaho on TV and winning a championship. A fluke play or a bad officiating call will cause a loss and the season will be over for the Broncos. As I told a buddy, watch the game Monday night and I believe you will see those shenanigans early and often. I really do want the Broncos to prove all their naysayers wrong because they stopped using a lot of gadget plays and started playing fantastic football.

The Non-Experts

I hate doing picks at the beginning of the season. But a friend of mine sent me this message a month ago: Iowa vs Oklahoma Take it to the bank. I told him no way Iowa wins the Big Ten, its just not possible. He wanted me to take credit for it but I said I would post it and would make regret his picks.

Max M. Iowa versus Oklahoma Reason: They get tough conference games at home. Two solid qb's (Stansi is 18-4 as a starter)dominant line play, many returning starters from their Orange Bowl winning team. Max has his Buckeyes getting thrashed by Iowa in a stunner, at least to me.

Chris M.-Ohio St over Florida. I take this one with a grain of salt because Chris is a Buckeye fan and is completely blinded by the scarlet and gray, but I digress. They return a Heisman candidate in Pryor (although I don't see him having fantastic numbers with old sweater vest conservative offensive calls). I see OSU getting beat by the Canes and losing another so I doubt they will make it. Florida is a possibility.

Sam O. Ohio St. over Nebraska. Nebraska back in the top ten for the first time in a long time. The defense got their Black Shirt's back and they feel like its their year. Unless they get lots and lots of points from their offense, I don't see them making it out of the Big 12. Their defense is good but you still gotta score.

Now mine TCU and Oklahome with TCU winning it all. TCU has always had a stellar defense but now their offense is scoring routinely on their first team defense. Its going to be a Southwest conference reunion with the Horned Frogs shocking the world.