Some Sports Analogies Should Not Be Made

It's been a tough year for Tennessee football this season. First their coach bolts on them at the last minute. After searching and searching the university had to hire a coach way down on their list because no one wanted to coach a program in shambles. Their top running back left school without telling anyone then wanted his unconditional release. Derek Dooley took on all these challenges and his team has played hard for him in the first half of all their games. Its been in the second half where the wheels have fallen off for the Vols. But after the Alabama game Dooley used an analogy comparing his team to the Germans in World War II. That is a no, no. I know Dooley doesn't side with the Nazis at all but using it in reference to sports its not good. For the most part people can accept you calling them "soldiers" and saying things like it was a "war out there" but when you say your team is like the Nazis, that's not a good comparison. I understand the context he used it in but it just kind of makes you squirm. You can judge for yourself.

5th Quarter Part 2

Two Types Of Tigers Make A Statement


1.Mizzou Dominates-For years the Missouri Tigers were a mediocre to good team. This program has been apart of some infamous moments from the 5th down Colorado game to the kick by the Nebraska Huskers. In the biggest games, the Tigers and their fans always had a what might had been moment. Especially when it came to Oklahoma, the Sooners have shelled the Tigers in the past 11 games. But on Saturday night that was a different Tiger team and a different outcome. Mizzou physically dominated the Sooners on both sides of the ball to take down the number 1 ranked team in the BCS. The Tigers controlled both lines of scrimmage and that shocked the fans as well as OU. The Tigers used balanced on their offense for the first time this year and that balance kept the Sooners honest on the defensive side. But this win is more about a program that had been the little brother to Texas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. Since the inception of the Big 12, Gary Pinkel and the Tigers were 0-11 against Texas and Oklahoma. Winless, not quite good enough to be taken seriously. Last night the Tigers came out and proved that they belonged with the upper echelon of teams in the Big 12. Of course, they have one more big showdown on the road against Nebraska on Saturday that could potentially give this team a legit shot at a championship. But not to get ahead of myself, the Show Me State showed the nation how football is played in Columbia. No longer A Sports Verb, Oklahoma Mizzoued themselves.

2. The New Tebow-Tim Tebow received all the hype and accolades any college football player has in years. Florida is searching for his replacement but they had him and let him go. Cam Newton is now the answer to the next Tim Tebow. Newton, 6'5 250 lbs, is leading Auburn to unprecedented heights. These Tigers beat LSU 24-17 in what was a slugfest. The thing about Newton is he was a Gator and got into some trouble but was overlooked by the program for John Brantley. Newton is suited to run a zone read running offense because of his size and the long strides he takes. Trying to tackle him on the move is like trying to tackle a moving refrigerator with speed. The strength of Auburn was and is their running game, and LSU had no answer for them or Cam Newton. People in Auburn are saying Cam is the greatest Auburn Tiger ever, greater than Bo Jackson. To me that is absurd because Bo Jackson was a rare talent of size and speed. However, Cam is a different version of Tebow and he just might lead the Tigers to the same place Tebow led the Gators. To a national title.

5th Quarter Part 1

Some Keys To Today's Big Games

1. OU vs. Mizzou-There are some games that can define a program and this is one of them for the Tigers. Win this game at home and you solidify your program as a true national player. For the Tigers to win they need to run the ball effectively or this could get out of hand quickly. Mizzou has said they are tired of getting beat by the likes of Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska. Win this game and they will control their own destiny for a national title, while also telling the rest of the conference that the Tigers will not be trampled over anymore.

2. AFvs.TCU-This will be tougher for TCU than people think. Air Force runs the triple option to perfection and that ball control can keep the explosive Horned Frogs offense off the field. TCU should win but it will not be a cake walk.

3. LSUvs.Auburn-The winner of this in my opinion will win the SEC West. Cam Newton and the Auburn Tigers have ran the ball down people's throat all year. Now they go against the best defense in the SEC against the run. Special teams will play an enormous role in this one. We will see if Auburn will kick to Peterson or Sheppard today, if they do that will make the huge difference in this game. Hopefully, Les Miles does not have any clock management issues again.

4. MSU vs. Northwestern-This has trap game written all over it for Michigan St. Northwestern only has one loss, its homecoming in Evanston and they had an extra week to prepare for the Spartans. Michigan St. could be looking forward to their showdown next Saturday with Iowa. If the Wildcats score first, watch out for the upset.

5. Wisconsin vs. Iowa-After a huge win over Ohio St., the Badgers go to Iowa and take on the once beaten Hawkeyes. Both of these teams are still in the hunt for the Big Ten title. Should be a good one.

6. Nebraska vs. Ok. St.-The Huskers will be angry after getting dominated by Texas but the Cowboys can score. I think Nebraska loses back to back games.

More later....

The End Zone

Another battle in The End Zone!! Let us know who you side with!

1. Who would you start Kevin Kolb or Michael Vick?

kdc: If we're assuming Vick is healthy (& he may not be 100%) then I think I'd still go w/Kolb. He's got the hot hand now. That said, I'd certainly put Vick in for multiple series to scare the defense. Could Philly make it w/a 2 headed QB? I have no idea, but it's certainly an interesting conundrum for coach Andy Reid to noodle over!



Momo: Vick should be the starter and the reason being is the Eagles offensive line is not good. Vick is more mobile than Kolb and now Mike is becoming a very dangerous passer. Teams are starting to respect him as a qb first and a runner second. It’s amazing how studying makes you a better player.


2. Are you buying the new/old LaDanian Tomlinson?

kdc: I'm buying it for now. LT has always been a class guy, so I'm rooting for him. True, he now plays for a team in NY, so that means anything positive is overhyped, but sometimes great players comeback & surprise us all. I'm hoping LT remains that story. If the Jets don't give him too many carries each game, then it looks like he's got a good chance to stay productive. He's certainly young enough.

Momo: I’m cautiously buying for this reason, the Jets o-line is built for a running game. What happen with the Chargers is they went to a pass game first and running the ball was not a priority, plus LT was injured. He looks healthy but if I’m the Jets I would probably watch his workload. This situation is perfect for LT because he has some big bulldozers in front making huge holes for him, I just worry about his body breaking down.

3. The viscious hits on Sunday, think the league acted with a knee jerk response with the fines?

kdc: No, I think they should've suspended all 3 of those guys, apologies or no. Helmet to helmet have been verboten for several years now. I think they've been too weak about it & now have to catch up. It kind of reminds me of the Janet Jackson "wardrobe malfunction." If the NFL hadn't allowed the halftime show to celebrate smut to begin with (Nelly was slithering around singing "it's hot in here" earlier in that sequence), then there never would've been the

Momo: I disagree with you on this. Merriweather should have been the only one suspended because he hit a defense receiver like a missile and launched himself into Heap. The NFL is completely overreacting to the other hits. I think what everyone is missing is what Steve Young said about quarterbacks and defense’s today. The league has a lot of young quarterbacks who put their receivers in harm’s way and the exotic defense schemes make it tough for the quarterbacks to know what is going on. Then the qb throws the ball up for grabs instead of throwing it away and their receivers get punished. When did it become uncool to throw the ball away and fight another down.

4. The AFC South is a surprise division where everyone is within a game of each other. The winner of the AFC South is….

Momo: The Tennessee Titans. With the Colts facing injuries at key spots, I like the continuity that the Titans have. Vince Young is making plays with his feet and arms. Chris Johnson is a home run waiting to happen on any play. The Titans defense is a bunch of nobody’s that play sound tough football, which is just the way Jeff Fisher likes it. They keep games close and find different ways to beat you.

kdc: What kind of question is this? There are only 2 possible choices, as Jacksonville is already out of it & Houston is woefully inconsistent. But you can't choose against the Colts until the Colts tank (which may not be too many years away, but not 2010). Yes, the injuries are many, but just a couple years ago Peyton Manning literally willed his entire team into the playoffs. They promptly lost, but they weren't supposed to be there. Maybe they shouldn't be there again this year, but they will - & it'll be as division leader, not wild card.

Can Former Players Coach?

If you are a Hall of Fame player, most people believe those qualities that you have that made you great as a player would be the same qualities that would make you a great coach. History has shown this is not the case, it is harder for these guys to coach because they paid attention to such detail and have demanded so much from themselves and their teammates that it is difficult for them to translate it to their players and get them to play the game at a high level. This is especially true in football, where playing the game at a high level and coaching it normally don't go hand in hand. I found this article interesting from Sports Illustrated where they ranked the coaches in the league who played the game. As you will see most of the guys on the list where average to below average players but they see the game differently than others, a more cerebral feel to football. Tell us what you think.

http://joeposnanski.si.com/2010/10/16/top-32-nfl-coaches-as-players/?eref=sihp

Amazing Plays, Incredible Announcers

Sports Illustrated ranked the 32 Greatest Calls made during sporting events. Considering they're all at the most dramatic points of each competition, it makes for some heart-pounding moments.

Best of all, every sport is represented - football, baseball, soccer, hockey, and even swimming - so you can enjoy many years of excellence. That said, this is by far my favorite as the passion South American announcers feel toward soccer/futball eludes me:

5th Quarter (College)

Conference Play Separates Contenders From Pretenders

1. Ohio St-Buckeyes fans knew this day was coming. The day when they were ranked number #1 and would lose on the road because of their conservative play calling coach. Tressel philosophy puts his team in a bad spot when they get down big, and Saturday night was no surprise when Wisconsin knocked them from the ranks of the unbeaten. In the end you knew OSU would find a way to disappoint. Now there is a new leader in the driver seat in the Big Ten...

2. Sparty-Beat a rival out of state? Check! Beat big brother rival in the state? Check! Michigan St. has an opportunity to run the table because their toughest game left is at Iowa. The Spartans in the past have always found a way to lose a game they have should win, but this season seems different. There is a new found confidence brewing in East Lansing, and this state needs some good news.

3. Mizzou Played Big Boy Football-Today the Missouri Tigers went down to College Station and smacked around Texas A &M. The Aggies aren't the best team in the Big 12 but the Tigers have routinely struggled when they have gone south. One of the biggest areas of improvement of the Tigers has been their defense. They took it to the Aggies and made a statement to the rest of the conference. What to strap on your helmets and knock around a Texas school!

4.Speaking of Texas-Nebraska spent much of the offseason stewing about last years Big 12 Championship game. One of the reasons why they are leaving the conference is because they felt that Texas got all the calls and the conference catered to them. Nebraska got physically dominated and exposed. It was obvious that the Huskers could run the ball but Taylor Martinez is not a passer and Texas made them one-dimensional. Once Texas pinned their ears back, they dominated the Huskers O-line. That was the rudest going away present that Texas gave them today.

5. SEC-Auburn won in a shootout out and Cam Newton is now the frontrunner for the Heisman trophy. I said last week that no one is talking about Auburn and the reason why is their defense. You can't give up 48 points to a team with their backup quarterback. The battle for SEC supremacy will be Saturday when LSU comes to town. Who knew this would be such a huge game a month ago. By the way, LSU fans the only way you get rid of Les Miles is for someone to find 15 million dollars to pay him out. That was an awful contract that the AD signed him to.

Quick hit-Boise St. schedule in the end will cost them if they go undefeated. Their schedule just took a hit when Nevada who was ranked lost to Hawaii. The Broncos could not afford that one.