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.

South Beach Bringing The Heat

LeBron picked the Heat as I predicted (its nice being right), but the fallout from Cleveland is despicable. Tears, burnings and an owner losing his mind is not the way to act when a star leaves. Cleveland fans and citizens should show a little more class about LeBron leaving. He didn't leave for more money, (although by going to Miami he does not have a state income tax and therefore he actually doesn't leave that much on the table) he went to a place where he could win a title. LeBron realized that it takes talent around him to get him to the promise land. Gilbert and the Cavs failed to put comparable players around him that would satisfy Lebron. Do I agree with the special on ESPN, no. I think it was a little over the top but I'm not hating on LeBron like most people. He has grown up in the spotlight and used that to his advantage. ESPN has been covering him since he was 15. All LeBron did was capitalize on the market's fascination with him and where he would go. Don't hate the player, hate the game.

Other Thoughts:

Dan Gilbert is going to have a hard time getting free agents to come Cleveland. His words about LeBron betraying him and the city f Cleveland were completely uncalled for. Don't sound like a bitter, scorned old man because you did not get the big prize. Gilbert and the Cavs should have pitched LeBron professionally instead of their informal approach that they thought would work. Better yet, you should have got him the players he wanted. If the Cavs trade for Amar'e Stoudemire they possibly could have kept both LeBron and Amar'e, but that trade never happened and that ticked LeBron off. From the start of his impending free agency, LeBron wanted to be recruited, not given cartoons with inside jokes on it. The Cavs figured that had him in the bag because of the money, but that isn't what drove James. It is winning championships and he knew Cleveland was not a place where he could win. Dan Gilbert might have endeared himself to the city with his scathing message about LeBron, but he may have alienated that franchise for years to come with his words. Players talk and all of them will remember the words of Gilbert about LeBron and that may cost him the chance of signing any of them in the future.

It wouldn't surprise me if LeBron had an opt in 3 to 5 years so that if they aren't winning, he can go to New Jersey to be with John Wall and Jay-Z.

Charles Barkley said that if he were LeBron he would have tried to win it on his own. If I remember correctly, Charles took the Suns to the Finals with help from Kevin Johnson and Dan Majerle and lost to the Bulls. Then a few years later Charles joined the Rockets with Hakeem and Clyde and nearly got back to Finals if not for a buzzer beater by John Stockton. People are getting onto these guys for partnering up and it doesn't make sense to me. Everyone needs help to win, that's why it is a team game. Stars have partnered together in the past and present to win a ring and that is what it is all about. The King wants a ring, and South Beach is the best place for him right now.

Don't think for a moment that ESPN and LeBron did not have that special planned at least a month or so in advance. The network has given the impression that they threw together "The Decision" in a few days. New commercials are not made in a few days and all the commercials were new. So James and ESPN put together a solid plan and got great ratings.

Carmelo Anthony will be either a Bull or Knick after next summer if he does not sgn that extension. Melo is in the same situation as LeBron was in,the Nuggets haven't really brought in the right type of player besides Chauncey Billups to help them dethrone the Lakers and win a championship. Nugget fans, you might want to brace yourself for heartbreak too.

I'm taking a break from blogging for the rest of the summer. I appreciate all the comments and support.

Could Miami Actually Get A Big Three?

A Transaction Unnoticed

A small transaction took place yesterday in the NBA that a lot of people did not notice. The Miami Heat traded Daquan Cook and their first round pick, (No. 18 respectively) to the Oklahoma City Thunder to clear cap space and OK City gets a shooter. The conventional thought was that Miami could sign two max players with one being Wade, but what this move actually does is give the Heat an opportunity to sign three max players. So the possibility of DWade, Lebron and maybe a Chris Bosh or Amare' Stoudamire. The balance of basketball power could shift dramatically from the west to the east.

I don't think Lebron stays in Cleveland as I have previously written. The have never constructed the right team around him and its not his fault. Its just didn't workout. But if Lebron goes to Miami, then he really means what he says that it is about winning championships. Partnering with Wade and possibly another superstar would definitely give him the opportunity to winning multiple championships. Wade would provide Lebron the edge and leadership he needs to learn how to win, Wade has been there before. He's a former Final MVP. Miami is also perfect because it provides Lebron a place where there is no state income tax on his large paycheck. That's why New York would never make sense, that state tax income is way too high. That is also why I am eliminating the Clippers, even though their roster and the exposure is very appealing. If Lebron sits down with Pat Riley in South Beach on his recruiting trip, its over. Riles and the natives with the beautiful beaches and the exposure that Miami can give will be hard for the King to turn down. Riley knows how to appeal to players and knows how to win championships. If Lebron really wants to win, then Miami is the best option for him, with Chicago being second. The one person I feel sorry for is Eric Spoelstra because if Miami gets Lebron and Bosh or Stoudemire, the Riley will come down from the front office and lead the team to another title.

July 1st is right around the corner and the intrigue is building. Another big three could be coming and that might be the right formula to dethrone the Lakers.

A Dark Cloud Hangs Over The NBA

When will the NBA and mainly David Stern wake up and realize that no one trust his product? That game last night was a complete joke and at the root of the problem is the perceived rigging or at least awful officiating that has plagued the league in the last 10 years or so. What the NBA is doing by solely marketing individuals and not teams is purely hurting them from a casual fan point of view and the hardcore fans are starting not to care as well. Over the last week no has paid attention to the Finals and the ratings have shown it. NCAA realignment, World Cup, hockey and the NFL off season has been the top story while the NBA Finals have been mired in obscurity.


I understand home teams generally will get a little more calls than a road team. However, a 37-17 free throw difference is absolutely insane. Missing over the back calls and random charging calls while the officials hold their whistles. I did not know in basketball you could clothesline a player and that is a good no call. Pau Gasol took Kevin Garnett's head off on a rebound and no call was made. Or Rondo being clobbered by Artest on a rebound while Joey Crawford the referee looked on and he did not any look to call a foul. I love the flopping performance that Derek Fisher puts on and how the so called announcers say that good defense. Fisher looks to fall on every play because he does not have the foot speed to keep up with today's point guards. When the games were called evenly and the right way, the Celtics won. Yahoo! Sports had a story after game 3 that the Celtics owners went up to Stern and cussed him out about the horrible officiating. One of the things he stated to was was have the same officials call the series and stop rotating guys in. Right after that confrontation the Celtics won the next two games. Coincidence, I think not.

I believe Stern has decided to dictate the league's champion not based on the best team but on the single individual who he can market. If you think about when he came into the league Magic and Bird elevated the league to a new plateau. The NBA in the 70's was drug infested with lackluster stars. The Magic and Bird turned the league around not only with their play but their image. Michael Jordan was next in line and made the NBA global. Now Stern is trying to endear Kobe to the public and no one outside of L.A. cares for him and that hasn't changed since his first three championships with Shaq. Stern cannot use his marketing genius to sell a product that people don't want. He is trying to manipulate history by having the Lakers win and thinking that it will create more buzz around his league. Actually have the games officiated correctly and let the players decide on the floor how the game is won and that will create buzz for the league.

Stop The Comparisons



In the instant analysis world we live in today, the questions were asked if Kobe can compare to Magic or Michael. The answer is a resounding NO!!! Magic was a 6'9 PG who could play all five positions on the floor. He could dominate by either scoring or controlling the tempo of the game. Magic prolonged the career of Kareem and made Worthy, Cooper, Thompson and Scott household names with Showtime basketball. Magic was an innovator during the 80's. Michael Jordan did things on the court I have never seen and I am only 32. His moves and body control in the air were never seen before. People marvelled at the hang time at first, but later they saw his will to win and they way he made his teammates better. There was not a more ruthless man on the court. His flair for the dramatics were unmatched. Kobe has not brought anything new to basketball. All he has done is imitated Jordan from his walk, talk and mannerisms on the court. To me, probably why I have not connected with Kobe is because I don't think Kobe knows who he is. Kobe looks and acts like somebody he is not and that disconnects him from the public. Winning the championships does not make him a leader are vault him over the great Lakers before him. Think about this, Kobe went out and got a tattoo so that he could gain some street credibility. Does that sound like a leader? Leaders lead by examples not follow others. Magic and Michael found ways to lead on the court. They let their PLAY get the street cred, not a tattoo. People today need to look at the history of the game before they make such ridiculous statements.

Its tough to watch the NBA. I have been a fan since 1990. Maybe its time I move on like most of my friends. Its just hard to that because when basketball is played the right way, its the most beautiful and exciting sport to watch. Hopefully someone in the league office will recognize that and turn back the clock and give us all back the game of our youth.

Mizzoued Themselves Again

Too Slow To The Show

The Show-Me State has showed up last again to the party. Weeks after everyone thought Missouri would be going to the Big Ten first, but it was Nebraska who surprised everyone and left. Next Colorado went to the PAC-10, with Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Ok St. to follow. How did the University of Missouri screw this up one might ask. They simply Mizzoued themselves again.

As previously stated in a previous post, the Tigers have a history of hosing themselves over. Extra downs in football, unbelievable plays against them in basketball and now the administration has shown how to bungle a slam dunk invite to a major conference. With all the poaching of schools from the Big 12, everyone assumed Mizzou would join the Big Ten and be the twelfth team. It would work geographically with natural built in rival in Illinois. The St. Louis and Kansas city TV market are in the top 30 which would only enhance the Big 10 network. The school's basketball and football programs are nationally recognized as well as the baseball and women's softball program. The academics are there, its in the heart of the Midwest. The stars were aligned to gain some revenue from the TV network that a lot of pundits laughed at. The Governor said go, regents of the university said go, curators said go, but the chancellor and athletic director stood pat. Now Missouri is going from a major conference with the BCS to a school that is on the outside looking in.

Texas made it clear that Missouri did not matter. All of the Big 12 South said that Missouri was replaceable. The national view of the school is that of consistently underachieves in athletics. Add to that, when the school goes to big time events like NCAA tournament or a bowl game, the fans don't travel well. These are a few reasons why the Big 12 conference catered to the South part of the conference.

Second cause of all the poaching was the Big Ten network. The network has generated billions of dollars and has helped all of its schools grow in revenue, which this is what its all about, football revenue. The Big Ten ends its football season before Thanksgiving and their teams for the most part have been ran over in bowl games. People forget about the the conference and their teams for the most part have lackluster showings in bowl games.

Final Thoughts

Nebraska President Harvey Perlman taking shots at Mizzou for listening to overtures from the Big Ten is completely uncalled for. Mizzou has the most beef of anyone from the North because they got hosed two years ago when they beat Kansas head to head and got a Cotton Bowl berth instead of the Orange Bowl. Nebraska feels that they are back on the scene because of Pelini and their football staff. But a word to the wise to Perlman and Tom Osborne, just because you are preseason ranked for the first time in five years does not mean you are relevant. The once dominant Huskers used to own the upper part of Missouri as well as Nebraska. But Gary Pinkel and Mizzou started winning and recruits started flocking to Columbia instead of Omaha. From a basketball standpoint, the Huskers have not made the tournament since 1998 and have been to a championship game since the 60's. To me, the Big Ten has not improve itself with Nebraska. If its about revenue for the network they haven't gained very much because Omaha is barely in the top 100 of TV markets.

Mizzou is still dealing from a position of strength if one of these two things happen. Either they get picked up in the Big East and they can definitely dominant in football and get an automatic BCS bid and have a higher profile conference in basketball. Or if they go to Mountain West and that league becomes BCS eligible. The only drawback with the Mountain West is that the teams out west aren't really known nationally and therefore that will hurt recruiting overall. I also fear that by moving to that conference that coach Anderson and Pinkel would bolt for bigger schools at the first sign of an opening of a major program.

Texas put on the front that they could hold the Big 12 together but they are the ones who were really looking to leave. Here's why I say that. Notre Dame and Texas are the two prized recruits in all of this because overall they generate the most revenue. If Texas really felt secure about its place in the TV market outside of Texas then they would keep the Big 12 together and start their own TV network, they wouldn't need an outside entity to woo them. Being associated with the Pac 10 will cost them a lot of the casual fans that they have because who wants to watch them kickoff at 10:30 at night. They could have easily kept the Big 12 together and let Nebraska and Colorado walk and found suitable replacements. Now they will probably have the Pac-16 championship games played either in New Mexico or Las Vegas.

If you cant tell I'm a little disturb by all this movement for football. As much as I a huge college football fan, this is the sort of thing that just might drive me away. I know in life you have to adjust to change. But when you see grown men acting like babies and chasing dollar signs instead keeping the students in mind, its a little disturbing.