2 PT Conversion (Week 2)

1. Boise State won on the road against a good team. Are you buying or selling them?
Momo: I’m buying big time. Here’s the deal, Boise is the only team that doesn’t require a home and home. Most of the big schools are afraid to play these guys and they are good. What is amazing is that the knock on them beating Georgia is most people see the Dawgs as a middle level SEC team. There’s always an excuse made win Boise wins. No one says that they would go undefeated in a major conference. I think they would be an 8 or 9 win team. What matters to me is how they play when they do play the so-called big boys. Boise rises to the challenges and gets the job done most of the time. Do I think they will play for the National Title, I’m not sure. The next big test on the schedule is not TCU but San Diego St. If they beat the Aztecs in November then they have a legitimate shot at a title. Of course, the cartel will keep them out.

Droddy:I’ve been buying Boise St well before I saw them beat a middle of the road Georgia (6-7 last year). They are a well coached team that can show up for the huge game once or twice a year – unless it is at Nevada. Now lets get real here – teams are not “afraid” to play Boise St…it’s a risk/reward thing – you gain NOTHING from beating a team like this. If you lose to Boise St you lose respect and the season is just about over in terms of a national title – if you beat Boise St…you will get, “well yea, you SHOULD beat Boise St” and its forgotten. When you are a team in the SEC for example you play about half the season again ranked opponents – what sense does it make to play a another one…especially when that is their super bowl and its just another tough team you have to play? As far as a national title for BSU…give me a break! As I mentioned, they play 1 or 2 tough games a year – is that what college football is about? Of course, they can “get up” for these games – good teams should win those games. As Momo said himself “No one says that they would go undefeated in a major conference. I think they would be an 8 or 9 win team” – ok, then why in the world are people claiming they should be in the title game? The best thing that can come from this conference expansion concept (besides kicking NCAA to the curb) is to put them in a real conference and we can stop hearing about a team that wins 1 or 2 decent games a year to play for the crystal.


2. Big deal Brian Kelly using profanity on the sidelines when talking to his players?
Momo: It’s not that big of a deal BUT it shows that he is under a lot of pressure at ND. Kelly is no longer at Cincinnati and has to realize that he is on-camera a lot and that all not some of his games are televised. Some kids respond well to profanity where others don’t. If you see a mass exodus from ND then there may be a problem.

Droddy:Brian Kelly was a hot head well before he went to South Bend. Ive seen him turn the color of Cincy’s uniforms during a game, always fun to watch. I suppose that since this is a Catholic school he is at now this has been brought up or the fact they lost – complete non issue if you ask me. During the national title game against West Virginia I saw Lou Holtz nearly break a kid’s neck by yanking on his face mask…not a word said, they did win the game of course.

3. Speaking of Notre Dame, why where they ranked at the beginning this season?
Momo: The delusional media that is older and still reliving the old time clips of Holtz and Davie. This team is not good and although Kelly probably is the right guy for the job, Notre Dame is not attractive as it used to be. The rest of the nation has caught and surpassed the Golden Domers and their base has yet to realize it. Top recruits are not lining up to come South Bend. They haven’t produced top draft picks in the NFL and that is hurting their stock as well. I doubt that they can survive as an Independent much longer in football.

Droddy: Just the way it is - Notre Dame will always be ranked going into the season….it’s not like they can rank them at the end! On another note – my bold prediction is ND will be forced to join a conference relatively soon. The BSC made special conditions for them, I don’t think there will be these arrangements going forward. I do think they beat Michigan this week to get back on track.

4. Upset pick between: Alabama v. Penn St., BYU v. Texas, Auburn v. Miss St., Mizzou v. Ariz St.
Momo: Having to pick between these games I would take BYU over Texas. I think the Cougars have a pretty good defense and might be able to take advantage of the Longhorns. Wouldn’t be surprised if Penn St. beat Bama. The Tide does have issues at quarterback which incidentally, Penn St. had those issues when they played last year.
Auburn is going down to the Bulldogs this year. Last year, Dan Mullen and his squad had Auburn dead to rights. The Tigers win streak ends this weekend.

The way Mizzou struggled with Miami of Ohio tells me this is going to be really bad in the desert. The Sun Devils have a pro prospect at linebacker that should make life difficult for James Franklin and the Tigers.

Droddy:Upsets: Alabama v. Penn St. – close through 3 or so, but bama pulls away late. Bama will have some issues scoring, but will dominate the lines and wear them down as the game goes on. BYU v. Texas – I do want to pick BYU, but seems too obvious. BYU has to be more worn down than the Longhorns after their dog fight in Oxford last week. Auburn v. Miss St – If I had to pick one, I think this will be the upset of the week. MS St is looking forward to LSU on Thursday the following week and who could blame them after the way Auburn looked? The perfect spot for Auburn to pull this off…at home while being severely disrespected all week long. Mizzou v. Ariz St – had to look up to see where the upset would be: Azst is a TD favorite. After seeing a little Mizzou’s QB play, ill go with the Sun Devils at home – love those new uniforms.

End Zone (Week 1)

With kickoff of the NFL season starting tonight, it’s time to get for us to get reacquainted in the End zone. This is where we talk about some of the burning questions in the National Football League:

1.I feel like we had this question last year but here it is anyway, who’s seat is hotter this season, Norv Turner or Gary Kubiak?
Momo: Both seats are really warm, but I feel like if the Chargers don’t make at least the AFC Championship game then Norv is done. What’s really going to hurt them is the loss of Darren Sproles. That is going to damage their special teams as well as hurt rivers on third down. If the Texans make the playoffs, which they should, Kubiak will be fine.

kdc: Full disclosure: I’ve never been a Turner fan, but the mediocre job he’s done w/the Chargers has only cemented that dislike. These Chargers have been extremely talented with nothing to show for it. Maybe this year will be different, but San Diego’s decision-makers don’t seem eager for change, so he could be around next year even if they just make the playoffs. Kubiak has only continued the Texans losing ways, so . . .does it matter?

2.Troy Aikman recently said that if this group of Cowboys don’t win a championship, then the team should rebuild. Agree?
Momo: I agree completely. The Cowboys are the most over hyped team in the NFL and this year they have to contend with the Eagles stealing all of their press. The key to their season will be Tony Romo. I don’t think he can lead this team to the Super Bowl. Their defense will be better but it won’t be enough

kdc: No heart. No locker room leaders. No playoffs.

3.From last year’s playoff teams, who’s more likely not to reach the playoffs?
Momo: One is real easy and that’s the Seahawks. Signing Tavaris Jackson was an awful move for this year. He wasn’t a good qb for the Vikings and won’t be for the Seahawks. I think Pete Carroll is waiting for the Bengals to dump Carson Palmer. Not sold on the Bears or Chiefs at all. I know the Chiefs will take a huge step back.

kdc: The post-Steel Curtain Steelers have never returned to the playoffs the year after they went to the Super Bowl. They’re the oldest starting team in the NFL. The Packers exposed their weaknesses & I see other teams trying to do likewise. I also don’t think the Falcons helped themselves much in the offseason & maybe not quite making it this year. It’s like no one wants to talk about it, but they needed help on the defensive side & then only helped their offense. I also think the Patriots are probably in more serious decline than most people realize, but they’ll probably make it in as a wild-card.

4.There are at least two teams to make the playoffs who didn’t make it in last year. Who you got?
Momo: The Rams and Lions. Look for Sam Bradford to take the next step. Also my sleeper rookie of the year pick is Rams TE Lance Kendricks. I love hybrid TE and WR and this kid has size and speed. Hopefully Matthew Stafford stays healthy because if he does the Lions with their defense will be really good. Love Suh and when Nick Fairley gets back their front four will be virtually unblockable.

kdc: You took 2 good ones. I’ll go with the young, hungry (& now seasoned) Buccaneers, who should’ve made it last year, & the Chargers will as well, but I don’t know how far.

5.Go out on a limb and make your Super Bowl Picks.
Momo: Normally I don’t do this but to have this on record I will say the Ravens and the Packers. I think for the first time since the Patriots have repeated as champions, the Packers will do the same. I think the lockout helped the Packers a lot. They didn’t have coaches leaving, get a lot of their injured players back and they didn’t have a lot of the distractions this offseason. Teams who didn’t make a lot of changes will benefit and the Packers are one of them.

kdc: I’ve been a Packer-backer my entire life, so there’s no way I can go against a team that took on unsustainable injuries all the way through the Super Bowl game (Woodson & Driver, their vets & leaders) & still won. On the AFC side I’m gonna go against good taste & my own proclivities & pick the Jets to lose to the Packers in the Super Bowl.

2 Point Conversion

With the college football season already upon I am offering up a new weekly posting called the "2 Point Conversion". This segment will feature me going head to head with a former college football player and roommate of mine. I hope you will enjoy it!!

1.The SEC has won the last 5 BCS championships, what other conference will you watch this year?

Droddy: I think we all can agree you are watching a different football world when you tune into a top SEC showdown – I'm not sure how anyone can really debate this at the moment. With that said, I think there is intrigue in every conference out there on any given Saturday – here are some items I will keep an eye on and my bold prediction:

B10-Droddy: How will NE look this year with a new schedule in front of them? I think the winner of NE and WI takes the conference this year. Is Ohio St going to finish as a top 2 team? Nope.

Momo: I think this is Wisconsin's year to compete for a National Title. We can both agree that Ohio St. is in a lot of trouble this year. I don't even think their starting quarterback will stay the same.

ACC-Droddy: Is FSU really “back”? I think they will play for the conference championship this year again, but they will not at the top of the college football world…just yet.

Momo: Another topic we are agreeing on. Florida St. is probably a yer away from being a true national power again. The sleeper to watch is Va Tech.

PAC10/12 – Droddy:Is Oregon really going to run through the PAC12 again? After Saturday (men vs boys) I have some doubts. How is Utah going to do in the conference? I think they hold their own (3 to 5 losses), but days of winning them all and only showing up to compete at a high level about twice a year are OVER.

Momo: Oregon dismal performance on Saturday notwithstanding, I think the conference is in good position to send another representative to play for the title and that is Stanford. This is the year that Stanford was shooting for, a Heisman contender at quarterback, and a deep roster. This is the year of the Cardinal.

Big East –Droddy: Ill never have too many questions or interest for this league, but will be interested to see a new coach at West Virginia. They have a good experienced QB who could make them great ….at times.
Momo: I still can't believe this league gets an automatic BCS game. This is a basketball league. Football in this conference is not that great. West Virginia will be all right. There qb Geno Smith is a dark horse for the Heisman.

Big12 – Droddy:Most of the interest there is off the field, obviously – love to see someone challenge Oklahoma…they will have a couple of close games, but I’m not sure who just yet – Baylor could match them in scoring. Can TX be that bad again..surely not, right?

Momo: The wonderful conference that is crumbling right before our eyes. OU is the class and the pundits have Mizzou as the sleeper. The Tigers are befuddling, now they have a solid team at all positions except a quarterback who can't throw. Oklahoma St could be the team that stuns everyone and wins the conference..

2. Which university recovers faster from the scandal, USC, Ohio St, or Miami?
Droddy:Recovery is inevitable at all these schools so I’m going to go with the one that knows their penalties and have already started the punishment – USC.

Momo:I think the "U" is in some serious trouble. Ohio St. recovery will be a lot faster than USC because I don't believe the NCAA will come down that hard on them. Plus OSU only has to contend with Michigan in the recruiting battle in the conference.
3. Good idea for Texas A&M to move to the SEC?

Droddy:Great idea for TX A&M. Obviously this assumes they are fine with being the 4th to 6th best program in the conference for any given year. This is very similar to where they are now, but will make more money and will not be annually behind their most bitter rival – TX. You don’t get better by jumping up in competition in the short term – in the long term, I will assume they will improve their: recruiting, facilities and coaching to be able to compete in the SEC year in and out.

Momo: This is a terrible move for A&M. First of all, they have forgotten that it was Texas that stood up for them when the Southwestern Conference folded to get them into the Big 12. I understand that you are upset that the conference has catered to Texas but to move to the SEC, where you will not be able to compete on a national level will be disastrous. A&M will regret running to the SEC and not going to the Pac-12 first.
4. Your surprise team this year is…

Droddy:I know this may not strike anyone as a surprise team, but I think Stanford will be right there for the conference championship. They have Luck obviously, but I think more importantly…everyone playing this year was coached by Harbaugh.
Momo: I hinted at this earlier but I think Oklahoma St. will surprise people and sneak into a BCS bowl. I love their quarterback and wide receiver Justin Blackmon, who may be the second best player in college football.
5. Your Heisman favorite…

Droddy:First of all…I have come to hate the Heisman. Its probably ESPN’s fault for handing it to someone new every week of the season, but I will play along – Andew Luck

Momo: I agree with the ESPN statement. Its like they just don't want to be wrong. But I think Luck is the clubhouse leader and my dark horse is Baylor's Robert Griffith III. If he gets Baylor i the top 10 its his award to lose.

Football Is Back

Mini Munchies
Its great to have the preseason of the NFL up and going. And now we are a little over a week away from the college football season kicking off. Its nice to actually have something to blog and talk about again. Just to update everyone, I will be bringing back the "End Zone" with kdc as well as adding two new features. One will be called "Momo's Munchies" which will be a mixture of cfb and pro talk on Tuesdays. Also, I will be bringing a similar version of the "End Zone" for college with a former college football player and roommate of mine. I hope everyone enjoys it.

With that said here is a smaller version of my Munchies:

1.In my Football Frenzy post, I stated that i don't understand what all the fuss is about Kevin Kolb and the Arizona Cardinals. Apparently Kurt Warner feels the same way. Here's an interview that Warner did with Dan Patrick yesterday. Kurt knows he is the best quarterback in the state.

2.Is anyone really surprised that the University of Miami players got money from a booster? How can a guy be a booster and not even attend the school. Nevin Shapiro is serving time for his Ponzi scheme and decided to take a whole university's athletic program down with him. I find it kind of funny that the school claims they don't know who the guy is but there are tons of photos and video with him on the sidelines and handing checks to coaches and the president. Tough to say you don't know a person BUT you took his money.

3. I'd be surprised if the Hurricanes get the "Death Penalty". I know the allegations are harsh, and the evidence is substantially stacked against them, but to kill that program would do damage not only to the university but also to a top TV market. The NCAA will not want to destroy a program like they did to SMU in the 1980's. The one thing that could hurt the Canes is that they have a history of violations. I think the penalties will be harsher than what USC got but I would be shocked if they destroyed their athletic program.

As always thanks for reading....

Free Agent Frenzy

Here are some thoughts about what I think has transpired since the NFL and the Players Union have reached an agreement on collective bargaining for 10 years:

1.The Patriots went all in with the trades for Albert Haynesworth and Chad Ochocinco. These are great moves in the short term. The problem is in the long term Haynesworth and Chad will revert to their old ways. Think about this, when the Patriots signed Corey Dillon and Randy Moss, both of these guys drank the Belichick Kool-aid for two seasons then reverted back to their selfish ways. Also I doubt Haynesworth will be in shape which is sure to irk Coach Bill.

2. The Eagles have also put all their chips in the pot. Getting Nnamdi Asomugha away from the Jets and from the rival Cowboys is a huge coup. The Eagles now have superior corners with Rodgers-Cromartie and Asante Samuels. Will they keep Samuels is the question still lingering but with Vick and the offense looking explosive and their defense shored up on paper, the city of Brotherly Love has a lot to look forward to. Asomugha is the best corner in football. He can cover his guy as well as tackle really well. The Eagles will be dangerous for years to come.

3. I really don't know what all the fuss is about Kevin Kolb going to the Cardinals. Has anyone looked at the fact he has only played in 11 career games? He has the same amount of playoff wins as Carson Palmer, zero!! I don't know if he will be a savior for the Cardinals but let's not get carried away with all the hype around him.

4. Speaking of Carson Palmer, the Browns are doing him a disservice by not trading him. Palmer has been a good solider and not complained about the circus that has been around him for the last six years. However, last year he did ask the team to bring in T.O. and they did and the team was really bad. If the Bengals are smart they will wait until next offseason to deal Palmer for a higher draft pick. It is the Bengals and Mike brown did say they will not deal him. And that's why the Bengals are perennial losers.

5. The Colts philosophy of staying the course and not being aggressive in free agency is going to hurt them in the long run. Asomugha would have fit great in their scheme or making a run at another or big time linebacker. With Peyton Manning stating that he will take less money for them to go after players is a big statement. Manning just wants to win and I don't blame him. He sees his window of opportunity closing to win a championship and his competitors are getting better. The Colts need a more physical offensive line and a big time running back to give Manning some help. Otherwise they will just win 10 or so games and will continue to have early exits from the playoffs.

6. Reggie Bush to the Dolphins will make the Saints weaker. Brees will miss Bush's versatility.

7. I've mentioned before how three of the top ten players drafted in the 06 draft have had star-crossed careers. Vince Young and Matt Leinhart are now back ups and Bush has been traded. At least everyone will remember that National Championship game.

8. The Broncos and Dolphins have really made life on themselves difficult. Just complete the trade for Orton so that the Dolphins will have a quarterback and the Broncos can find out if Tebow is the answer. (Of course the trade could send the Broncos into an even longer and darker hole by losing Orton)

9. Can you name the only three rookie quarterbacks to throw for 3,000 yards in their first season? Answer below

10. The Packers and Steelers have been real quiet at the beginning of the off-season. Maybe their philosophy will be to wait until they have some injuries. With the glut of free agents on the market, maybe the smart play is to wait until you have a need a fill it at that time.

Answer to #9 is Peyton Manning, Matt Ryan and Sam Bradford. If Ryan and Bradford have half the career of Manning then these two franchises are in terrific shape for the future.

Thanks for reading....

Random Sports Thoughts

1. Ron Artest has changed his name to Metta World Peace. Watch this video from PTI to find out why. See if you are more confused as I was. PTI Video
2. Ron or Metta actually made sense when he disucussed how the Mavericks were a team and not a collection of individuals. It must be late if Ron is starting to make sense.
3. I know this is old but I wonder will Drew Brees regret his comments he made about the owners in the labor dispute? Brees comments could comeback to haunt him with owners as well as fans.
4. I wonder why it took so long for DeMaurice Smith and Roger Gooddell to realize that they should try and be friends rather than enemies.
5.Terrell Pryor got two coaches fired in less than 8 months. Jim Tressel and Rich Rodriguez. People tend to forget Pryor choices when he was a higly touted recruit was Michigan and Ohio St. Wonder was the risk worth the talent?
6. The NBA has some real money issues where the NFL doesn't. The NBA owners actually have a real beef and I expect them to dig in with their heels. 15 t0 22 teams are losing money is huge.
7. Why are we so quick to find the next best thing and not appreciate our current stars? Rory McIlror is not the next Tiger Woods. Tiger is a special talent and Rory has won just 1 major. Its funny how the media forgets just how dominant Woods was.
8. DeShawn Stevenson makes my life so easy by not acting like a champion. Read here.

Thank you for reading as always and I do appreciate the feedback. Taking a summer break until the NFL and College football kickoffs. Have a great summer.

Why The Heat Lost And The Mavs Won

I stated over a week ago that I believed the Dallas Mavericks would win the NBA title and they did. Here are some of my observations of what took place and how the Miami Heat could have won but ultimately they didn't make some adjustments and went down in flames. It all started with the Game 2 comeback and went downhill from there:

1. Rick Carlisle's adjustments made Erik Spoelstra look bad. Carlisle switch to starting Barea and Kidd is paying huge dividends. Its forced the Heat to stay at home more on Dirk and not double team him. Also having two guards that are playmakers, put a lot on pressure on the Heat's defense.

2. Carlisle is also used the zone defense and Heat looked like the defense was something foreign. Its a simple play to force James into a jump shooter and it worked to perfection.

3. As great as a player as LeBron is, his post game is awful. He has no clue on how to use his size and quickness in that area on the floor. When Carlisle inserted Barea into the lineup, he dared James to rake him or Kidd into the post because everyone in the league knows that LeBron is awkward and unsure of himself when his back is to the basket. That's definitely area he needs to work on.

4. I've said it before and I'll say it again, James lacks a killer instinct. The kind of instinct that dare I say Michael, Kobe and Dirk has. James does not have the eye of the tiger and in the long run that will hurt his image and his brand. The legend of Michael, Kobe, Magic and Larry starts and ends with how they finished off opponents. The reason why D-Wade is apart of the Jordan brand is he is a great closer. James, not so much. He is 2-8 in the Finals and that is not being a closer.

5. DeShawn Stevenson you won a title now stop talking!! Stevenson has a strong dislike for LeBron and that is OK but for an average role player, he sure does talk a lot. Saying James checked out in Game 4 and calling the Heat players classless because of the on the court talking is really stupid. Stevenson is lucky to be a Maverick and should thank the Wizards for overpaying for him and be content he happened to be on a team that won. DeShawn should take a lesson from his teammates and celebrate silently.

6. How immature is the national media for overscruntizing James and the Heat. Sure the decision was stupid but the national media had a vendetta for this team since last July. I have never seen so many members openly root against a team before in my life. Some media members left LeBron off their MVP ballots because he went to South Beach. How about just cover the story objectively and describe the actions on the floor. Stop with the teasing columns and pure venom for a player and or team. The only people that have the right to celebrate is the city of Dallas and Cleveland. Everyone else should turn down their mics and put away their pens.

7. Dirk is clutch and I knew they would win because he was playing at a high level. Its cool to see a world class athlete make the game look so easy.

8.Spoelstra better fix the Heat offense. They never ran any set plays and looked confused after timeouts. If Spoelstra doesn't fix it and doesn't win next year he is out.

9. If the Suns deal Steve Nash to the Timberwolves, don't be surprised to see him ask for a buyout and his next destination could be South Beach. A point guard who can shoot with his caliber could be just what the Heat needs to get over the top.

10. If I'm Chris Bosh, I'm worried that I might get dealt if the new CBA has a hard salary cap. I think everyone knows he is the one who becomes expendable.

11. Surprised Cuban kept quiet this postseason. At least he has all summer to brag.

12. I wonder does LeBron have second thoughts about becoming a Mav? Cuban asked him last summer to come to the Mavs and join Dirk. That would have been an interesting combo.....

13. Congrats to Jason Kidd, Jason Terry and Shawn Marion. All three are a couple of good guys in the league who finally got their coveted prize. This was and is a complete team and in the end a unit will always beat individuals. The Larry O'Brien Trophy will reside in Dallas for a good while because who knows when the NBA will start again.