The End Zone

Your humble blogger and another contributor (kdc) will discuss topics about the NFL weekly:

1. Bigger game for the Cowboys or Vikings with both being at 1-3?

kdc: Definitely the Cowboys. Not only because they ended strong last year, but because they made such a stink about being the first team to host a Super Bowl & play in it, because they believed their own hype, because they still think they’re “America’s Team.” Gentlemen, Wade Phillips is not going to take you anywhere.

Momo: Definitely the Vikings. The Vikings went all in this year because of the way last year ended. They sent the "Three Wise Men" down to get Favre because they felt they couldn't win
without him. They also made a big move to acquire Randy Moss to give some energy to a team that is flat. The Vikings

2. More likely to make the playoffs Cowboys or Vikings?

kdc: Vikings only because their divisional opponents are so weak – the Lions are the Lions, my Packers are injury-ridden & strapped with a GM who doesn’t understand how a mid-season trade can fill gaps, & the inconsistent Bears.

Momo: As crazy as it might sound its probably the Cowboys. The NFC west is so bad that only one winner will come out and the same could be said for the South. Three teams can possibly come out of the East, with the Cowboys squeaking in at 9-7.

3. Of the surprise teams, who has the staying power, Chiefs, Bucs or Texans?

kdc: Definitely the Bucs. They’ve got a determined group of youngsters who have nothing to lose & believe in themselves. Plus this is the type of team that gets extra-focused against big opponents - & then beating them. I see them winning 3-5 more (which is about 5-7 more than most people picked for them). Usually these types of teams fade down the stretch (lack of experience, unsure leadership, etc), but that doesn’t mean they won’t still make Tampa Bay proud.

Momo: As much as I have blasted KC and Matt Cassel, its the Chiefs and here's why. The Chargers are collapsing and the AFC West is very winnable. Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis are not head coaches, but can you name to coordinators who are excellent on game day. Weis actually uses the running backs to hide the lack of explosiveness that they have at the quarterback position. Their offensive plays keep away and shortens the opposing teams offensive possessions. Crennel is coaching up a young defense that is flying around and making plays. Kansas City, welcome back to the league.

5th Quarter (Pro)

1. Mike Singletary-Will lose his job because of the play of Alex Smith. The Niners franchise is being held hostage by this guy and its really sad to see. He is not a good quarterback and Singletary's loyalty to him will cost him in the end. The Niners could have Vick as a quarterback or even the recently released Trent Edwards, who was a star at Stanford. But the Niners forge forward with all the talent on offense and defense but at the most critical position they lack a game manager. If he managed the game instead of costing them the game it would be differently. With the amount of good starters out there, the Niners have choose not to ct their losses but spend money on the one of the worse quarterbacks in the league.

2. Speaking of Bad Quarterbacks-Is Matt Cassel the worst qb in the league? He's completing just under 55% of his passes and has thrown 4 touchdowns in 4 games. Cassel looks like a quarterback who hasn't played since high school. Why the Chiefs think this guy will take them to the promise land is beyond me. Its amazing how the Patriots line can earn guys millions, just ask Drew Bledsoe and Tom Brady. The thing is those guys at least started on the college teams and led teams to winning seasons unlike Cassel, who fell into his one winning season when Brady got hurt.

3. Don't Call Reggie Bush A Bust-The Saints are struggling without Reggie in the lineup. Their point per game drops 12 points without him. What you notice is how teams actually game plan for Reggie and how he helps the passing game and field position for the Saints. Although Bush is not a punishing runner, lining him up all over the field helps Drew Brees find other people. So far without Reggie, Drew looks average. Reggie may not do all the flashy runs that he did at USC, but he is very important to what the Saints do. People undervalue him because he doesn't put up pro-bowl numbers, but I still see him as a game changer.

4. Dallas and San Diego, Not A Super Bowl Matchup-Jerry Jones you can rent out your box for the Super Bowl because your team will not be there. Dallas is bad, real bad. I just don't see a team leader with them and that has been missing for a while. The Chargers are in the same position as the Cowboys except they have a leader but the coaching and GM harpoon this team. The Chargers start slow and now have lost three games to lesser opponents, and that shows lack of focus, which is the coach.

5. Baltimore-Is the best team in the league right now and Pittsburgh is a close second. The scary thing is the Ravens will get better with the addition of Ed Reed. These two teams matching up in the AFC championship game would be a treat.

5th Quarter (College)

Big Shake-Ups

1. Bama Loses-It was no way that Bama was going to go undefeated, the SEC is way too tough. What was shocking was how the Gamecocks dominated them on both sides of the ball. I said it last year,stop the run and make McElroy beat. It's no disrespect to him but if you make a team one-dimensional it makes the game easier. Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson were invisible. Spurrier outsmarted the Bama defense and got his playmakers the ball. Lattimore and Alshon Jefferson and Stephen Garcia have now made South Carolina a national player and no longer the step-child of the SEC.

2. LSU Does It Again-Les Miles may not want to talk about his clock management skills last week but you can tell what was practiced this week. How to run your offense with your passing qb with the clock running down. He even called a fake field goal on 4th and 1 and with the kicker catching the flip on the bounce he got the yardage and LSU survived. Tiger fans may not like him personally for his hat or how he routinely screws things up but one thing Miles does do is win. As for Urban Meyer, rebuilding is tough, especially in the SEC.



3. Zona How Could You-Bragging about teams and they let you down. In actually a well played game Arizona got upset by Oregon St. Oregon St. has played a tough schedule and is pretty battled tested going into this game. Missed opportunity by the Wildcats.



4.Does Anyone Even Notice Auburn Is Unbeaten?-Nope



5. Does Mizzou Have Any Running Plays In Their Playbook?-Ask Mack Brown how well the spread works without a running game. Not good at all, but the Tigers are undefeated without even a threat of the run. Their top back was suspended before the season but the Tigers have but the entire offense of Blaine Gabbert and the receivers. Until the Tigers learn how to balance the run and the pass they will NEVER compete with the major schools.

I know it not basketball season but this video is hilarious. As if Cleveland needs more anguish...
Old school wrestling fans remember this moment.

Overvalued/Undervalued

Overvalued

1. Randy Moss to the Patriots-He was the Pats deep threat and Tom Brady went to bat for him a lot. If you go back over the Pats history they have won with lesser-known receivers. Brady likes to spread the ball around and use the short pass game as a running game. The difference Moss mad was a deep threat for the Patriots. Even though the video tape opponents and other things that are viewed as illegal, the one thing the Pats know how to tell vets goodbye.


2.Revis and The Jets Mouth-Just stop talking about other people and concentrate on your team. Revis talking about Randy Moss that he shut him down and Moss doesn't give a 100% on every play. Guess what Revis, we already knew that. I guess Darrelle forgot the highlight reel one-handed touchdown catch that Moss had in the first half against him, which caused him to go out with a hamstring injury. What makes the New York Jets fun is when they brag on themselves, but when you start talking about other people its dumb. Show some sportsmanship for a change.

3. The ACC-This conference had its preseason hype with Virginia Tech, Miami and Florida St. Va Tech lost to James Madison, Miami got shelled by Ohio St. and the Noles didn't even show up against the Sooners. This conference is hurting and none of the top teams are stepping up to take control of it. Is this conference deserving of a BCS bid?



4.The Big East-Do they really get a BCS bowl bid? How many people are lining up to see UConn or Pitt in the Orange or Fiesta Bowl? No one and this is a problem with the BCS. It rewards mediocrity in a sense because of conference affiliation gets you a major bowl. There is no opt clause if a conference is bad. Big East football is really bad.



Undervalued

1.Arizona-The Pac-10 is making a lot of noise this year and Zona is leading the way. This is the highest ranked Wildcat team since they were ranked 4th in 1999. Mark Stoops has his team playing at an extremely high level especially his defense. They are third in college football in scoring giving up just 11 points per game. All year they have given up just three td's, all to Iowa. Wildcat football is back.



2. Utah-No one is talking about them because of course they are in the Mountain West, but the Utes are ranked 10th in the nation and have a shot at a BCS game. After escaping against Pitt, their schedule has not been as tough. One Saturday they get a chance to improve their BCS standing by taking on Iowa State. No Iowa State isn't that good but it is a BCS conference which will help their computer rankings. The Utes are in top ten in the nation in scoring offense and defense.



3.South Carolina-Spurrier needs this win. Winning this would solidify the Gamecocks as a legit SEC program. South Carolina runs the ball effectively and has the big play quarterback and receivers to make a game of it, plus the game is at home. If Spurrier doesn't do it now, he never will.



More next week..

5th Quarter (College)

This was Showdown Saturday



1. Tenn-LSU. What happened at the end of this game? Les Miles what are you thinking bringing in a quarterback who was 3-10 in passing to run the option with less than 40 seconds less to play? Everyone knew the option was coming on the short side of the field. Jordan Jefferson, why are you laying on the ground as precious seconds tick off the clock? This is the kind of game that signifies Miles and Crowton tenure at LSU. Chaotic on offense. They needed to recruit a quarterback and didn't. Miles has had trouble at the end of the game with clock management. If he lost this game it was possible he could have been relieved of his duties before next week. Of course, he won so he still survives, but I for see a lot of offseason changes with the Tigers. This is the worse offensive team in college football. No way this is a top ten team.



You have to feel bad for Derek Dooley and the Vols but there is no excuse to have 13 to 14 guys on the field at the end of the game. Dooley is a likable guy with a team that plays hard for him. Volunteer nation should be proud of, but as stated before, the cupboard is bare and its going to be hard for them to rebound and compete in the SEC. A loss likes this sometimes makes the rest of the season meaningless. Its going to be a long, long season for the Vols.

2. If I see Another Jump Pass... Urban Meyer better tear that play out of his playbook. Burton is not Tebow, there will never be another Tebow so live with it. I hated the pass when Tebow did it because it was a fluke. Coaches can defense that dumb play. Its no way you run that against Alabama in the first quarter only down by three. Meyer looks panicked and uneasy when coaching against Saban. Its almost as if he is intimidated by Slick Nick.

3. The Ducks Are Scary. I know they gave up 31 points in the first half. Their defense though shuts people out in the second half of games. The Oregon Ducks have only allowed 7 points in all their games combined in the second half of games. They make adjustments defensively and pound you to death with speed all over the place offensively. A special season is shaping up in Eugene. Their mascot is going to be ripped after having to push ups for the amount of touchdown this team scores.

4. I think I finally Understand Tressell Football. Normally I call out "Sweater Vest" and disagree with his philosophy, but I understand it now. Tressell wants to wear teams down with the running game until they wear the other team down and you still run it some more. The problem with it though is teams like Illinois on Saturday can hang around, and around and this is where OSU gets into trouble. You do that to the really good teams and they will stop the run and force you into something that you aren't comfortable doing. That is another reason Terelle Pryor will not win the Heisman. The stats won't be there.

Thanks for reading...

5 games to Watch on Saturday

5 Games To Watch Saturday ( Mostly At Night)


1. Florida-Alabama. Urban Meyer takes his young Gator team to Alabama to face off with the Tide. Brantley will have to play out of his mind in order the Gators to pull of the upset. Alabama's front seven will take advantage of the young Gators inexperience. This game will be close for a half but in the end The Tide will roll with a pivotal showdown next Saturday.


2. Stanford-Oregon. This has all the makings of a great shootout. The number 1 and 4 ranked offense in the country. Stanford has a chance to make some real noise with an upset in Eugene.. Their schedule shapes up nicely after this with all their tougher game at home. Harbaugh knows how to coach guys up and slow the game down. The only thing is strange things happen in Eugene Oregon, especially at night. If the Ducks get ahead early, Stanford will find themselves out of the national championship picture real quick.

3. Wisconsin-Mich St. Think of Wisconsin as the pretty girl in school that flirts with everyone but just won't commit. They always break your heart, especially when think she is the only one flirting with you. I'm just not sold on the Badgers because they always flirt like they are good but in the end they are going to cause you heartbreak. They will probably win this game and lose to Iowa but the with the Spartans getting their coach back after a heart attack, maybe they will play early spoiler.

4. Penn St.-Iowa. These two always play a tight game whenever they play, and I don't expect anything different. Iowa's thin hope for a BCS game hinges on this one.

5. Michigan-Indiana. No I am not crazy, this game will be better than you expect. It's IU's home opener and don't be surprised to see the Hoosier's upset the Wolverines. Also, the score operator will be really busy because these teams can score. This will be Michigan's toughest test this season.

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.