The sporting world has been set ablaze by the release of the Mitchell Report on steroid use in baseball this afternoon. I have been listening to former Senator Mitchell, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig and the talking heads on ESPN. While all of this is expert analysis from sports journalists, I plan on withholding my opinions here, for now. As I write this, I am printing out the entire 409-page report for my consumption and as I slog through it, I will give my personal analysis here as well as my thoughts on what this means to the future of baseball as well as professional sports in this country. Stay tuned for more in the coming days as this will probably take me at least a week to effectively get through it.
Read this thing for yourself at espn.com.
It's currently on the front page as a .pdf file.
Also, you can download it from The Smoking Gun.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Conflicted Ideas
So, I've spent the last few days arguing with myself over whether or not Ohio State backed into the BCS Title Game. And they did, true story, but only because everyone else above them couldn't handle their business. BTW, join me in spreading this one... from now on, choking and blowing a sure thing will be known as pulling a WV. Just throwing it out there.
But I fear that Ohio State will be run under the SEC buzzsaw again on January 8. Granted, they have an improved defense over last year, but I'm afraid to see LSU's offense just run over the Bucks. Other bowl thoughts: I was happy to see the Illiini get the Rose Bowl bid out of nowhere. I know many people are not with me here, but I am a tradition guy when it comes to the bowls. The BCS pissed me off on that principal, period. But the fact that they kept the PAC-10/Big-10 tradition going, rather than going with an Arizona State or a Florida. When I posed this point of view about the BCS to another sports guy at my station last night, guess what conversation popped up? A playoff. But here's how we agreed it could work. This Saturday is Dec. 8. The first bowl is the Poinsetta Bowl on Dec. 20. So there's two weekends in between the end of the regualr season where there is no college football at all. Ok, well there's no D-IA football. BTW, if you get a chance to catch any of the I-AA Quarters, watch it for the pure enjoyment of football. Anyway, here's how you can keep the current bowl structure, the current payout structure, while keeping purists, like me, as happy as we can be while crowning something much closer to an undisputed champion, as well as keeping the regular season relavant, ney, even more important. And I'll use this year's final BCS standings for an illustration.
Taking into account everything that stands in the way of a playoff, money, and all of the logistics and such, here's what my playoff proposal would look like if implicated this year.
Dec. 8 - Regional Quarterfinals (Sites selected much like the basketball regionals)
East - #4 Kansas vs. #5 West Virginia
West - #4 USC vs. #5 Hawaii
Dec. 15 - Regional Semifinals
East - #4/5 Winner vs. #1 Ohio State
#2. Virginia Tech vs. #3 Missouri
West - #4/5 Winner vs. #1 LSU
#2. Oklahoma vs. #3 Georgia
Jan. 2 - Fiesta Bowl - West Regional Final
#2/3 Winner vs. #1/4/5 Winner
Jan. 3 - Orange Bowl - East Regional Final
#2/3 Winner vs. #1/4/5 Winner
Jan. 14 - BCS National Championship Game
West Region Winner vs. East Region Winner
The regional finals would rotate, the West bouncing from the Fiesta and Rose every other year and the East going back and forth from the Orange and the Sugar. This way tradition can still be a part and we can get an undisputed champion. The non-tournament BCS bowls could then pick up a team that was knocked out of the tournament in the first two weeks or pick early and take a non-title tourney team. The current bowl system remains pretty much untouched, so that all of the secondary bowls get their money, the big schools get paid for being good, there's the mystique of the basketball tournaments because unlike football now, every single team in I-A starts the year with a shot at the National Championship. You can't tell me that right now, North Texas or New Mexico State kick off in the first weekend of September thinking that they have a shot. Realistic or not, all 119 teams have an open path to the title game to start the season. For the majority of them, the door will close within the first month, but it's still there where it's not now. As we speak, all of the Sun Belt, WAC, C-USA, MWC, and MAC, as well as half of the Big East, Vanderbilt out of the SEC, the independents (sans ND), half the Pac-10 and Big-10 and a chunk of the ACC start out the season knowing that the best that they are playing for is a bowl game. I'll tell you right now that the URI, Creighton, San Diego State, UC Santa Barbara, Georgia Southern, Central Arkansas, San Houston State, Butler, Gonzaga, and St. Mary's basketball teams are all small schools who are looking towards March with hope. In stark contrast to North Texas and Middle Tennessee who start every football season looking towards the New Orleans Bowl, the 2nd on the schedule, as the best they can get. Not to mention the upset factor that comes with the inclusion of the mid-majors. What if Boise State's win last year in the Fiesta Bowl was the upset that lead an undefeated team into the National Title Game?
Let's plug last year into the formula and see where the Broncos would have ended up.
Regional Quarterfinals
East - #4 Auburn vs. #5 Wisconsin
West - #4 Boise State vs. #5 Oklahoma
Well, that would have made for quite the opening round game. After seeing that one, wouldn't you have stuck around for the rest of the tournament to see if BSU can pull another one off? Or would you wait for any other upsets?
Regional Semifinals
East - #4/5 Winner vs. #1 Florida
#2. Michigan vs. #3 Louisville
West - #4/5 Winner vs. #1 Ohio State
#2. LSU vs. #3 USC
LSU and USC? How about that one? Ohio State getting shipped out west for the Regionals might have hampered them, but there's the possibility of an OSU/USC matchup in the next round...
Oy, I'm getting verkept. Talk amongst yourselves.
But I fear that Ohio State will be run under the SEC buzzsaw again on January 8. Granted, they have an improved defense over last year, but I'm afraid to see LSU's offense just run over the Bucks. Other bowl thoughts: I was happy to see the Illiini get the Rose Bowl bid out of nowhere. I know many people are not with me here, but I am a tradition guy when it comes to the bowls. The BCS pissed me off on that principal, period. But the fact that they kept the PAC-10/Big-10 tradition going, rather than going with an Arizona State or a Florida. When I posed this point of view about the BCS to another sports guy at my station last night, guess what conversation popped up? A playoff. But here's how we agreed it could work. This Saturday is Dec. 8. The first bowl is the Poinsetta Bowl on Dec. 20. So there's two weekends in between the end of the regualr season where there is no college football at all. Ok, well there's no D-IA football. BTW, if you get a chance to catch any of the I-AA Quarters, watch it for the pure enjoyment of football. Anyway, here's how you can keep the current bowl structure, the current payout structure, while keeping purists, like me, as happy as we can be while crowning something much closer to an undisputed champion, as well as keeping the regular season relavant, ney, even more important. And I'll use this year's final BCS standings for an illustration.
Taking into account everything that stands in the way of a playoff, money, and all of the logistics and such, here's what my playoff proposal would look like if implicated this year.
Dec. 8 - Regional Quarterfinals (Sites selected much like the basketball regionals)
East - #4 Kansas vs. #5 West Virginia
West - #4 USC vs. #5 Hawaii
Dec. 15 - Regional Semifinals
East - #4/5 Winner vs. #1 Ohio State
#2. Virginia Tech vs. #3 Missouri
West - #4/5 Winner vs. #1 LSU
#2. Oklahoma vs. #3 Georgia
Jan. 2 - Fiesta Bowl - West Regional Final
#2/3 Winner vs. #1/4/5 Winner
Jan. 3 - Orange Bowl - East Regional Final
#2/3 Winner vs. #1/4/5 Winner
Jan. 14 - BCS National Championship Game
West Region Winner vs. East Region Winner
The regional finals would rotate, the West bouncing from the Fiesta and Rose every other year and the East going back and forth from the Orange and the Sugar. This way tradition can still be a part and we can get an undisputed champion. The non-tournament BCS bowls could then pick up a team that was knocked out of the tournament in the first two weeks or pick early and take a non-title tourney team. The current bowl system remains pretty much untouched, so that all of the secondary bowls get their money, the big schools get paid for being good, there's the mystique of the basketball tournaments because unlike football now, every single team in I-A starts the year with a shot at the National Championship. You can't tell me that right now, North Texas or New Mexico State kick off in the first weekend of September thinking that they have a shot. Realistic or not, all 119 teams have an open path to the title game to start the season. For the majority of them, the door will close within the first month, but it's still there where it's not now. As we speak, all of the Sun Belt, WAC, C-USA, MWC, and MAC, as well as half of the Big East, Vanderbilt out of the SEC, the independents (sans ND), half the Pac-10 and Big-10 and a chunk of the ACC start out the season knowing that the best that they are playing for is a bowl game. I'll tell you right now that the URI, Creighton, San Diego State, UC Santa Barbara, Georgia Southern, Central Arkansas, San Houston State, Butler, Gonzaga, and St. Mary's basketball teams are all small schools who are looking towards March with hope. In stark contrast to North Texas and Middle Tennessee who start every football season looking towards the New Orleans Bowl, the 2nd on the schedule, as the best they can get. Not to mention the upset factor that comes with the inclusion of the mid-majors. What if Boise State's win last year in the Fiesta Bowl was the upset that lead an undefeated team into the National Title Game?
Let's plug last year into the formula and see where the Broncos would have ended up.
Regional Quarterfinals
East - #4 Auburn vs. #5 Wisconsin
West - #4 Boise State vs. #5 Oklahoma
Well, that would have made for quite the opening round game. After seeing that one, wouldn't you have stuck around for the rest of the tournament to see if BSU can pull another one off? Or would you wait for any other upsets?
Regional Semifinals
East - #4/5 Winner vs. #1 Florida
#2. Michigan vs. #3 Louisville
West - #4/5 Winner vs. #1 Ohio State
#2. LSU vs. #3 USC
LSU and USC? How about that one? Ohio State getting shipped out west for the Regionals might have hampered them, but there's the possibility of an OSU/USC matchup in the next round...
Oy, I'm getting verkept. Talk amongst yourselves.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Bowls... Well I got 2 right so far...
Since last I have looked at this, a few bowls have offered bids. The teams in italics have accepted.
Dec. 20 - Pointsetta Bowl
Utah vs. Navy
Dec. 21 - New Orleans Bowl
Troy vs. Memphis
Dec. 22 - Las Vegas Bowl
BYU vs. UCLA
New Mexico Bowl
Fresno State vs. New Mexico
Papajohns.com Bowl
Cincinatti vs. Southern Mississippi
Dec. 23 - Hawaii Bowl
East Carolina vs. Nevada
Dec. 26 - Motor City Bowl
Central Michigan vs. Indiana
Dec. 27 - Holiday Bowl
Oregon vs. Texas
Dec. 28 - Emerald Bowl
California vs. Maryland
Champs Sports Bowl
Clemson vs. Penn State
Texas Bowl
TCU* vs. Houston
Dec. 29 - Alamo Bowl
Michigan vs. Texas A&M
Liberty Bowl
Central Florida vs. Mississippi State
Dec. 29 - Meineke Car Care Bowl
Connecticut vs. Florida State
Dec. 30 - Independence Bowl
Oklahoma State vs. Alabama
Dec. 31 - Insight Bowl
Colorado vs. Oklahoma State
Chick-a-fil Bowl
Boston College vs. Arkansas
Music City Bowl
Florida State vs. Kentucky
Humanitarian Bowl
Boise State vs. Georgia Tech
Sun Bowl
Oregon State vs. South Florida
Armed Forces Bowl
Purdue* vs. Air Force
Jan. 1 - Capital One Bowl
Illinois vs. Florida
Gator Bowl
Virginia vs. Texas Tech
Cotton Bowl
Oklahoma vs. Auburn
Outback Bowl
Tennessee vs. Wisconsin
Rose Bowl
Ohio State vs. Arizona State
Sugar Bowl
LSU vs. Kansas
Jan. 2 - Fiesta Bowl
USC vs. Hawaii
Jan. 3 - Orange Bowl
Georgia vs. Virginia Tech
Jan. 5 - International Bowl
Bowling Green vs. Rutgers
Jan. 6 - GMAC Bowl
Ball State vs. Tulsa
Jan. 8 - BCS National Championship Game
Missouri vs. West Virginia
* Teams replacing conference tie-ins that don't have enough bowl eligible teams
Look for the complete, real, rundown after Dec. 2 and then come back for my thoughts on every bowl game as they happen. By all means though, disagree with me now...
Dec. 20 - Pointsetta Bowl
Utah vs. Navy
Dec. 21 - New Orleans Bowl
Troy vs. Memphis
Dec. 22 - Las Vegas Bowl
BYU vs. UCLA
New Mexico Bowl
Fresno State vs. New Mexico
Papajohns.com Bowl
Cincinatti vs. Southern Mississippi
Dec. 23 - Hawaii Bowl
East Carolina vs. Nevada
Dec. 26 - Motor City Bowl
Central Michigan vs. Indiana
Dec. 27 - Holiday Bowl
Oregon vs. Texas
Dec. 28 - Emerald Bowl
California vs. Maryland
Champs Sports Bowl
Clemson vs. Penn State
Texas Bowl
TCU* vs. Houston
Dec. 29 - Alamo Bowl
Michigan vs. Texas A&M
Liberty Bowl
Central Florida vs. Mississippi State
Dec. 29 - Meineke Car Care Bowl
Connecticut vs. Florida State
Dec. 30 - Independence Bowl
Oklahoma State vs. Alabama
Dec. 31 - Insight Bowl
Colorado vs. Oklahoma State
Chick-a-fil Bowl
Boston College vs. Arkansas
Music City Bowl
Florida State vs. Kentucky
Humanitarian Bowl
Boise State vs. Georgia Tech
Sun Bowl
Oregon State vs. South Florida
Armed Forces Bowl
Purdue* vs. Air Force
Jan. 1 - Capital One Bowl
Illinois vs. Florida
Gator Bowl
Virginia vs. Texas Tech
Cotton Bowl
Oklahoma vs. Auburn
Outback Bowl
Tennessee vs. Wisconsin
Rose Bowl
Ohio State vs. Arizona State
Sugar Bowl
LSU vs. Kansas
Jan. 2 - Fiesta Bowl
USC vs. Hawaii
Jan. 3 - Orange Bowl
Georgia vs. Virginia Tech
Jan. 5 - International Bowl
Bowling Green vs. Rutgers
Jan. 6 - GMAC Bowl
Ball State vs. Tulsa
Jan. 8 - BCS National Championship Game
Missouri vs. West Virginia
* Teams replacing conference tie-ins that don't have enough bowl eligible teams
Look for the complete, real, rundown after Dec. 2 and then come back for my thoughts on every bowl game as they happen. By all means though, disagree with me now...
Monday, November 26, 2007
Who'da Seen That One Coming?
Arkansas outlasting LSU? Missouri manhandling KU? Well, I called that one. But didn't think the Tigers would fall...
You know, I had a point to this when I started it, but it disappeared.
Just keep Sean Taylor in your prayers.
UPDATE: Taylor passed away early Monday morning after being shot in the leg during a home invasion. He leaves behind an 18-month old daughter and the thoughts and prayers of everyone here are with his family and teammates as they cope with this tragic loss.
R.I.P. 21
You know, I had a point to this when I started it, but it disappeared.
Just keep Sean Taylor in your prayers.
UPDATE: Taylor passed away early Monday morning after being shot in the leg during a home invasion. He leaves behind an 18-month old daughter and the thoughts and prayers of everyone here are with his family and teammates as they cope with this tragic loss.
R.I.P. 21
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Thoughts on The Border Battle, or, We Brought the Damned Noise
A few years ago, when it looked like I was going to be relocating to Cary, North Carolina (right outside of Raleigh) to live with my ex, people would invariably quiz me--politely--on my allegiances to sports teams. When I'd mention that I was an Ohio State Buckeyes fan, I'd get asked, almost without exception, "What's the deal with Michigan?" or "Do you guys really hate Michigan THAT much?"
This brings to mind a conversation that I had when I was on Duke's campus (and proudly wearing one of my scarlet and grey shirts). I had about a half hour to kill, and ended up talking to a guy in a Duke Blue Devils hoops jersey. Not surprisingly, we had a good conversation about college sport rivalries, but I swear, he tried to logically dissect why OSU fans loathe/detest/wish fire on Michigan. Every time someone down there would ask me why I hate Michigan so much, I'd simply ask them why they hate UNC, to the point where I know it drives some of them into damn near a feeding frenzy. There's no rhyme or reason to it--it just simply IS. Browns and Steelers fans know what I'm talking about. Ditto Duke and UNC fans. Same with Yanks and BoSox people. You can't define why the rivalry--and the hatred/animosity that's part of it--drives us to curse at the TV, set Michigan shirts on fire, and constantly invoke the spirit of Woody Hayes. We're products of our environment--and our environment around here is largely delineated, especially in mid-to-late November, by the OSU/U of M game.
Me? I've been an OSU fan all my life. Blame my dad, if you must. But my allegiance fills me with a dark yearning to see my enemies from Michigan crushed like the cockroaches they are, and to hear the sobbing lamentations of their women and children.
I revel in it.
I know you do too.
That's why, last Saturday, nothing pleased me more than seeing over 100,000 Michigan fans weeping into their blue-and-gold clothing like little girls with skinned knees. It was glorious.
The game itself, however, was kind of underwhelming. It was cold, gray, and rainy at the Big House, and with the exception of OSU's Beanie Wells, both teams looked like they were phoning in their performances at best. Mario Manningham decided he wouldn't make any receptions. Todd Boeckmann had a little Slip n' Slide-style fun. Henne and Hart, Michigan's two offensive leaders who were taking their last shots at beating Tressel's boys, made the gutsy decision to play through their respective injuries, but were non-factors. OSU's defense stiffened up nicely after a while, though, and we went home with the win.
Only 360 days till the next one...
PS: it was one of those moments that was small but emblematic, but I thought it was appropriate for the coin toss that they used one that had Woody's face on one side, and Bo's face on the other. They had probably the greatest college sports coaching rivalry in recent memory--we're talking Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader level here--and it was a good way to immortalize the two of them.
This brings to mind a conversation that I had when I was on Duke's campus (and proudly wearing one of my scarlet and grey shirts). I had about a half hour to kill, and ended up talking to a guy in a Duke Blue Devils hoops jersey. Not surprisingly, we had a good conversation about college sport rivalries, but I swear, he tried to logically dissect why OSU fans loathe/detest/wish fire on Michigan. Every time someone down there would ask me why I hate Michigan so much, I'd simply ask them why they hate UNC, to the point where I know it drives some of them into damn near a feeding frenzy. There's no rhyme or reason to it--it just simply IS. Browns and Steelers fans know what I'm talking about. Ditto Duke and UNC fans. Same with Yanks and BoSox people. You can't define why the rivalry--and the hatred/animosity that's part of it--drives us to curse at the TV, set Michigan shirts on fire, and constantly invoke the spirit of Woody Hayes. We're products of our environment--and our environment around here is largely delineated, especially in mid-to-late November, by the OSU/U of M game.
Me? I've been an OSU fan all my life. Blame my dad, if you must. But my allegiance fills me with a dark yearning to see my enemies from Michigan crushed like the cockroaches they are, and to hear the sobbing lamentations of their women and children.
I revel in it.
I know you do too.
That's why, last Saturday, nothing pleased me more than seeing over 100,000 Michigan fans weeping into their blue-and-gold clothing like little girls with skinned knees. It was glorious.
The game itself, however, was kind of underwhelming. It was cold, gray, and rainy at the Big House, and with the exception of OSU's Beanie Wells, both teams looked like they were phoning in their performances at best. Mario Manningham decided he wouldn't make any receptions. Todd Boeckmann had a little Slip n' Slide-style fun. Henne and Hart, Michigan's two offensive leaders who were taking their last shots at beating Tressel's boys, made the gutsy decision to play through their respective injuries, but were non-factors. OSU's defense stiffened up nicely after a while, though, and we went home with the win.
Only 360 days till the next one...
PS: it was one of those moments that was small but emblematic, but I thought it was appropriate for the coin toss that they used one that had Woody's face on one side, and Bo's face on the other. They had probably the greatest college sports coaching rivalry in recent memory--we're talking Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader level here--and it was a good way to immortalize the two of them.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Who You Got?... Bowls, Week 2
I'm gonna do this the easy way this week and go top down. A few of these aren't official but may as well be. There really aren't the shocks that we get around say Tournament Time with selections. Ok, here we go. And to clear some things up, I saw Oregon losing, didn't see Oklahoma and a functioning retard I may be, but as of last week Kansas didn't look to me that they'd be a. winning the Big 12 or b. getting an at-large BCS bid with so many other good teams. Some things have changed since last Wednesday, so I'm gonna claim 50-50 clairvoyance.
BCS National Championship Game (BCS #1 vs. BCS #2)
LSU vs. Missouri
- Am I too high on the Tigers? Possibly. But after Chase Daniels and crew plow past Kansas and a reeling Oklahoma, they'll take over the "coveted" #2 spot.
Orange Bowl (BCS vs. BCS)
Virginia Tech vs. Connecticut
- I love an underdog story and with a victory over WV on Saturday (which I think is possible) UConn takes the Big East automatic bid and becomes part one of this year's cinderella story. VaTech will walk on either BC of Clemson making this the feel-good game of the season.
Fiesta Bowl (BCS vs. BCS)
Oklahoma vs. Hawaii
- Despite losing the Big 12 Title game, OU should be snapped up as the Fiesta Bowl hook-up. Hawaii finishes the cinderella story by going to a BCS game with an unblemished record. Will the Sooners fall to a WAC team in a BCS game for the 2nd straight year? We shall see.
Rose Bowl (BCS vs. BCS)
Ohio State vs. Arizona State
- ASU takes care of business Thrusday night against the Trojans and earns this spot. Ohio State is all but a lock as the Big Ten Champions. No, they won't be jumping anyone to get back up to #2. And by the way, this is coming from a Bucks fan but that's what they get for scheduling Youngstown State and 2 MAC teams. Schmucks.
Sugar Bowl (BCS vs. BCS)
Georgia vs. Oregon
- UGA will get this as the SEC runner-ups, the Ducks get this assuming that they can finish the year by winning out without Dennis Dixon.
Okay, now that I've done most of the stuff for which I'll take flack for, here's the rest.
GMAC Bowl (C-USA #2 vs. MAC)
Central Florida vs. Miami, OH
- UCF loses the C-USA title game to Houston and promptly gets this bid. Same deal for Miami, who will fall to CMU on Dec. 1 and then pick this up. Quite a turnaround from last year. Shane Montgomery doing a tremendous job taking this team from 1-11 last year to a bowl this year.
International Bowl (Big East vs. MAC)
Rutgers vs. Bowling Green
- My Falcons get back to a bowl after thrashing UT for the Peace Pipe on Friday. Problem is that Ray Rice will probably run all over us in his collegiate finale.
Outback Bowl (Big Ten #3 vs. SEC #3)
Michigan vs. Tennessee
- Lloyd Carr gets one more New Year's Day game. Will a victory here, or even just getting here, be enough to save Phil Fulmer?
Cotton Bowl (Big 12 #2 vs. SEC #2)
Kansas vs. Auburn
- KU's cinderella season gets stopped in KC by Missouri, but they'll play on New Year's Day. Still not a bad turnaround for a team from the dismal Big 12 North. Auburn will be playing with some fire down the stretch.
Gator (ACC #3 vs. Big East/Big 12/Notre Dame)
Virginia vs. West Virginia
- Some dominos have to fall into place for this but after a WV collapse and upset, they get to the Big East's #2 bowl.
Capital One Bowl (Big Ten #2 vs. SEC #2)
Illinois vs. Florida
- Ron Zook finally gets to take on his former team. And does this look like a great game in the making, Juice vs. Tebow. Oh yes.
Armed Forces Bowl (Pac-10 #6 vs. MWC)
South Carolina vs. New Mexico
- South Carolina gets here because the Pac-10 won't have enough bowl eligible teams to fill out their ties. New Mexico has been a solid team that no one outside of the Mountain time zone has seen.
Sun Bowl (Pac-10 #3 vs. Big 12/Big East)
California vs. Louisville
- I get stuck here on this one, Louisville gets to a bowl if they upset Rutgers in 2 weeks. So that half is very iffy.
Humanitarian Bowl (WAC vs. ACC #8)
Boise State vs. Maryland
- Another bowl game on the Smurf Turf for the Broncos. That is what teh school has become known for. I swear I saw a recruiting commercial recently where they made everything blue. It's become part of the school's marketing. Helluva thing to be known for, but I'm not here to judge.
Music City Bowl (SEC vs. ACC #5/6/7)
Mississippi State vs. Georgia Tech
- I got nothing here, it's a roulette between FSU, GT, and Wake. Really good to see Sylvester Croom in a bowl game. He's done an excellent job at turning around this program.
Chick-a-fil Bowl (SEC #5 vs. ACC #2)
Arkansas vs. Clemson
- Another roulette pick for me here in the PEACH Bowl, fuck this over-sponsored crap. More on that to come. The SEC secondary bowls here are all between, the Razorbacks, Alabama, and Kentucky.
Insight Bowl (Big Ten #6 vs. Big 12 #6)
Indiana vs. Nebraska
- Forget about Callahan's job in this one. This game is for Hep.
Independence Bowl (Big 12 #7 vs. SEC)
Texas A&M vs. Kentucky
- I got nothing really, I'm down to picking the leftover eligible teams for these games.
Meineke Car Care Bowl (ACC #5/6/7 vs. Big East #3)
Wake Forest vs. Cincinatti
- Cinci moving on up, hopefully to a BCS game in the near future.
Liberty Bowl (C-USA #1 vs. SEC #6)
Houston vs. Alabama
- You pick'em.
Alamo Bowl (Big Ten #4/5 vs. Big 12 #5)
Wisconsin vs. Oklahoma State
- Not where the Badgers hoped to be, but still a bowl and in a down year for the Big 10 this is better than where they were picked to be preseason.
Texas Bowl (Big 12 #8 vs. C-USA #6)
Ball State* vs. Southern Mississippi
- Ball State gets the nod here because the Big 12 won't have enough elegible teams.
Champs Sports Bowl (ACC #4 vs. Big Ten #4/5)
Boston College vs. Penn State
- How the mighty have fallen.
Emerald Bowl (ACC #5/6/7 vs. Pac-10 #4)
NC State vs. Oregon State.
- Meh.
Holiday Bowl (Big 12 #2 vs. Pac-10 #2)
Texas vs. USC
- A Rose Bowl rematch with far less on the line, USC falls out of a Jan.1 bowl for the first time since 2001.
Motor City Bowl (MAC vs. Big Ten #7)
Central Michigan vs. Michigan State
- Mac Champs come back to Ford Field to play the surpising Spartans under 1st year head coach Mark Dantonio.
Hawaii Bowl (WAC vs. C-USA #5)
Fresno State vs. East Carolina
- For the first time in awhile, Hawaii will not be at home for the holidays...
Papajohns.com Bowl (Big East vs. C-USA #3)
South Florida vs. Tulsa
- Hey, another former #2!
New Mexico Bowl (MWC vs. WAC)
Air Force vs. Nevada
- The Falcons build a very good 9-3 season very quietly...
Las Vegas Bowl (MVC#1 vs. Pac-10 #5)
BYU vs. Purdue*
- Pac-10 won't qualify enough teams so Purdue slips in the back door and heads to Sin City.
New Orleans Bowl (Sun Belt #1 vs. C-USA #4)
Troy vs. Memphis
Poinsetta Bowl (MWC vs. at-large)
Utah vs. Navy
- Navy is the only lock here, they've already accepted the bid to start the bowl season.
December 20 starts the most fun a college football fan could ever have.
Let the arguing begin.
So have a Happy Thanksgiving and kick back and watch the Packers and the Lions tomorrow.
BCS National Championship Game (BCS #1 vs. BCS #2)
LSU vs. Missouri
- Am I too high on the Tigers? Possibly. But after Chase Daniels and crew plow past Kansas and a reeling Oklahoma, they'll take over the "coveted" #2 spot.
Orange Bowl (BCS vs. BCS)
Virginia Tech vs. Connecticut
- I love an underdog story and with a victory over WV on Saturday (which I think is possible) UConn takes the Big East automatic bid and becomes part one of this year's cinderella story. VaTech will walk on either BC of Clemson making this the feel-good game of the season.
Fiesta Bowl (BCS vs. BCS)
Oklahoma vs. Hawaii
- Despite losing the Big 12 Title game, OU should be snapped up as the Fiesta Bowl hook-up. Hawaii finishes the cinderella story by going to a BCS game with an unblemished record. Will the Sooners fall to a WAC team in a BCS game for the 2nd straight year? We shall see.
Rose Bowl (BCS vs. BCS)
Ohio State vs. Arizona State
- ASU takes care of business Thrusday night against the Trojans and earns this spot. Ohio State is all but a lock as the Big Ten Champions. No, they won't be jumping anyone to get back up to #2. And by the way, this is coming from a Bucks fan but that's what they get for scheduling Youngstown State and 2 MAC teams. Schmucks.
Sugar Bowl (BCS vs. BCS)
Georgia vs. Oregon
- UGA will get this as the SEC runner-ups, the Ducks get this assuming that they can finish the year by winning out without Dennis Dixon.
Okay, now that I've done most of the stuff for which I'll take flack for, here's the rest.
GMAC Bowl (C-USA #2 vs. MAC)
Central Florida vs. Miami, OH
- UCF loses the C-USA title game to Houston and promptly gets this bid. Same deal for Miami, who will fall to CMU on Dec. 1 and then pick this up. Quite a turnaround from last year. Shane Montgomery doing a tremendous job taking this team from 1-11 last year to a bowl this year.
International Bowl (Big East vs. MAC)
Rutgers vs. Bowling Green
- My Falcons get back to a bowl after thrashing UT for the Peace Pipe on Friday. Problem is that Ray Rice will probably run all over us in his collegiate finale.
Outback Bowl (Big Ten #3 vs. SEC #3)
Michigan vs. Tennessee
- Lloyd Carr gets one more New Year's Day game. Will a victory here, or even just getting here, be enough to save Phil Fulmer?
Cotton Bowl (Big 12 #2 vs. SEC #2)
Kansas vs. Auburn
- KU's cinderella season gets stopped in KC by Missouri, but they'll play on New Year's Day. Still not a bad turnaround for a team from the dismal Big 12 North. Auburn will be playing with some fire down the stretch.
Gator (ACC #3 vs. Big East/Big 12/Notre Dame)
Virginia vs. West Virginia
- Some dominos have to fall into place for this but after a WV collapse and upset, they get to the Big East's #2 bowl.
Capital One Bowl (Big Ten #2 vs. SEC #2)
Illinois vs. Florida
- Ron Zook finally gets to take on his former team. And does this look like a great game in the making, Juice vs. Tebow. Oh yes.
Armed Forces Bowl (Pac-10 #6 vs. MWC)
South Carolina vs. New Mexico
- South Carolina gets here because the Pac-10 won't have enough bowl eligible teams to fill out their ties. New Mexico has been a solid team that no one outside of the Mountain time zone has seen.
Sun Bowl (Pac-10 #3 vs. Big 12/Big East)
California vs. Louisville
- I get stuck here on this one, Louisville gets to a bowl if they upset Rutgers in 2 weeks. So that half is very iffy.
Humanitarian Bowl (WAC vs. ACC #8)
Boise State vs. Maryland
- Another bowl game on the Smurf Turf for the Broncos. That is what teh school has become known for. I swear I saw a recruiting commercial recently where they made everything blue. It's become part of the school's marketing. Helluva thing to be known for, but I'm not here to judge.
Music City Bowl (SEC vs. ACC #5/6/7)
Mississippi State vs. Georgia Tech
- I got nothing here, it's a roulette between FSU, GT, and Wake. Really good to see Sylvester Croom in a bowl game. He's done an excellent job at turning around this program.
Chick-a-fil Bowl (SEC #5 vs. ACC #2)
Arkansas vs. Clemson
- Another roulette pick for me here in the PEACH Bowl, fuck this over-sponsored crap. More on that to come. The SEC secondary bowls here are all between, the Razorbacks, Alabama, and Kentucky.
Insight Bowl (Big Ten #6 vs. Big 12 #6)
Indiana vs. Nebraska
- Forget about Callahan's job in this one. This game is for Hep.
Independence Bowl (Big 12 #7 vs. SEC)
Texas A&M vs. Kentucky
- I got nothing really, I'm down to picking the leftover eligible teams for these games.
Meineke Car Care Bowl (ACC #5/6/7 vs. Big East #3)
Wake Forest vs. Cincinatti
- Cinci moving on up, hopefully to a BCS game in the near future.
Liberty Bowl (C-USA #1 vs. SEC #6)
Houston vs. Alabama
- You pick'em.
Alamo Bowl (Big Ten #4/5 vs. Big 12 #5)
Wisconsin vs. Oklahoma State
- Not where the Badgers hoped to be, but still a bowl and in a down year for the Big 10 this is better than where they were picked to be preseason.
Texas Bowl (Big 12 #8 vs. C-USA #6)
Ball State* vs. Southern Mississippi
- Ball State gets the nod here because the Big 12 won't have enough elegible teams.
Champs Sports Bowl (ACC #4 vs. Big Ten #4/5)
Boston College vs. Penn State
- How the mighty have fallen.
Emerald Bowl (ACC #5/6/7 vs. Pac-10 #4)
NC State vs. Oregon State.
- Meh.
Holiday Bowl (Big 12 #2 vs. Pac-10 #2)
Texas vs. USC
- A Rose Bowl rematch with far less on the line, USC falls out of a Jan.1 bowl for the first time since 2001.
Motor City Bowl (MAC vs. Big Ten #7)
Central Michigan vs. Michigan State
- Mac Champs come back to Ford Field to play the surpising Spartans under 1st year head coach Mark Dantonio.
Hawaii Bowl (WAC vs. C-USA #5)
Fresno State vs. East Carolina
- For the first time in awhile, Hawaii will not be at home for the holidays...
Papajohns.com Bowl (Big East vs. C-USA #3)
South Florida vs. Tulsa
- Hey, another former #2!
New Mexico Bowl (MWC vs. WAC)
Air Force vs. Nevada
- The Falcons build a very good 9-3 season very quietly...
Las Vegas Bowl (MVC#1 vs. Pac-10 #5)
BYU vs. Purdue*
- Pac-10 won't qualify enough teams so Purdue slips in the back door and heads to Sin City.
New Orleans Bowl (Sun Belt #1 vs. C-USA #4)
Troy vs. Memphis
Poinsetta Bowl (MWC vs. at-large)
Utah vs. Navy
- Navy is the only lock here, they've already accepted the bid to start the bowl season.
December 20 starts the most fun a college football fan could ever have.
Let the arguing begin.
So have a Happy Thanksgiving and kick back and watch the Packers and the Lions tomorrow.
Brian Billick, Crybaby
I broke my USB drive so in lieu of getting any real work done today, I post with great furvor. After stopping by ESPN so check the headlines, I saw this: Ravens to express concers over FG call to NFL That's right, Brian Billick is going to bitch about the right call being made. Phil Dawson's 52-yd field goal to send the Browns and Ravens to OT on Sunday hit the left goal post then seemingly bounced off the crossbar and out. One official signaled no good and the other rushed over to him to talk. A pow-wow in the end zone followed and, from what the refs are saying, one got on the headset to confim that they could not review the play, which is correct under NFL rules. The video clearly showed the ball hitting the curved support behind the crossbar and bouncing back, which is a good FG. The Browns went on to win 33-30 on the foot of Phil Dawson, who banished the last week's shame at Pittsburgh where the game-tying FG dropped in front of the crossbar. So now, the Ravens are gonna bitch. And they're only gonna bitch because they lost. The refs are now in a damned if yo do, damned if you don't situation. If they blow a call, legitimatly, a coach jumps all over them and they catch hell. Here they are getting it right, and a coach is jumping all over them because the call didn't go his way. So for unmatched whining in the face of a OT loss that equaled a season sweep by the Cleveland Browns, congrads Brian Billick, you are the proud recipiant of this week's Shut The Fuck Up Award!
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Who You Got?... Bowls
I know we've got a few more weeks in the season, but it's never too soon to start looking forward to the best season of the year... bowl season. Now I know I may be the only one who considers those 3 1/2 weeks a holiday and I'm pretty sure that I am the ONLY guy who tapes all 32 games to help him get though the spring and summer without college football. I'm an addict and I know it. So let's look at the numbers and try to crunch out some projections.
BCS National Championship Game - (BCS #1 vs. BCS #2)
LSU vs. Oklahoma
Sugar - (BCS vs. BCS)
Georgia vs. Hawaii
Orange - (BCS vs. BCS)
Virginia Tech vs. West Virginia
Fiesta - (BCS vs. BCS)
Missouri vs. Clemson
Rose - (BCS vs. BCS)
Oregon vs. Ohio State
GMAC - (C-USA #2 vs. MAC)
Central Florida vs. Miami (Ohio)
International (MAC #3 vs. Big East #4)
Bowling Green vs. South Florida
Capital One - (Big 10 #2 vs. SEC #2)
Illinois vs. Florida
Gator - (ACC #3 vs. Big 12 #4/Notre Dame/Big East #2)
Virginia vs. Texas
Outback - (Big 10 #3 vs. SEC #3/4)
Wisconsin vs. Auburn
Cotton - (Big 12 #2 vs. SEC 3/4)
Kansas vs. Tennessee
Humanitarian - (WAC vs. ACC #8)
Boise State vs. North Carolina State
Chick-a-fil - (ACC #2 vs. SEC #5)
Clemson vs. Alabama
Alamo - (Big Ten #4/5 vs. Big 12 #4/5)
Penn State vs. Kansas State
Meineke Car Care - (Big East #3 vs. ACC #5/6/7)
Connecticut vs. Georgia Tech
Champs Sports - (ACC #4 vs. Big 10 #4/5)
Boston College vs. Michigan
Insight - (Big 12 #6 vs. Big 10 #6)
Nebraska vs. Iowa
Liberty - (C-USA #1 vs. SEC #7)
Tulsa vs. Kentucky
Sun - (Pac-10 #3 vs. Big 12/Notre Dame/Big East)
USC vs. Oklahoma State
Music City - (ACC #5/6/7 vs. SEC #6)
Florida State vs. Arkansas
Texas - (Big 12 #8 vs. C-USA)
South Carolina** vs. Southern Mississippi
Holiday - (Pac-10 #2 vs. Big 12 #3)
Arizona St. vs. Texas
Independence - (SEC #8 vs. Big 12 #7)
Mississippi State vs. Texas A&M
Emerald Bowl - (Pac-10 #4 vs. ACC #5/6/7)
Oregon State vs. Wake Forest
Motor City - (Big Ten #7 vs. MAC #1/2)
Purdue vs. Central Michigan
Hawaii - (WAC vs. C-USA)
Fresno State vs. Houston
Armed Forces - (MWC vs. Pac-10 #6)
Air Force vs. Ball State*
New Mexico - (WAC vs. MWC)
Nevada vs. Utah
PapaJohns.com - (C-USA vs. Big East #5)
East Carolina vs. Rutgers
New Orleans - (Sun Belt #1 vs. C-USA)
Troy vs. Memphis
Las Vegas - (Pac 10 #4/5 vs. MWC #1)
California vs. BYU
Pointsetta - (MWC vs. Navy/at-large)
New Mexico vs. Navy
* Pac-10 not projected to have enough bowl-eligible teams
** Big 12 not projected to have enough bowl-eligible teams
Do I think Kansas can beat Oklahoma? No. And that's why OU will jump both KU and Oregon to face LSU. Of course the Bayou Bengals could screw everything up and lose in SEC title game or in the next two weeks. We'll see. Look for an updated projection next Wednesday and a few conferences bids could be all figured out by then...
BCS National Championship Game - (BCS #1 vs. BCS #2)
LSU vs. Oklahoma
Sugar - (BCS vs. BCS)
Georgia vs. Hawaii
Orange - (BCS vs. BCS)
Virginia Tech vs. West Virginia
Fiesta - (BCS vs. BCS)
Missouri vs. Clemson
Rose - (BCS vs. BCS)
Oregon vs. Ohio State
GMAC - (C-USA #2 vs. MAC)
Central Florida vs. Miami (Ohio)
International (MAC #3 vs. Big East #4)
Bowling Green vs. South Florida
Capital One - (Big 10 #2 vs. SEC #2)
Illinois vs. Florida
Gator - (ACC #3 vs. Big 12 #4/Notre Dame/Big East #2)
Virginia vs. Texas
Outback - (Big 10 #3 vs. SEC #3/4)
Wisconsin vs. Auburn
Cotton - (Big 12 #2 vs. SEC 3/4)
Kansas vs. Tennessee
Humanitarian - (WAC vs. ACC #8)
Boise State vs. North Carolina State
Chick-a-fil - (ACC #2 vs. SEC #5)
Clemson vs. Alabama
Alamo - (Big Ten #4/5 vs. Big 12 #4/5)
Penn State vs. Kansas State
Meineke Car Care - (Big East #3 vs. ACC #5/6/7)
Connecticut vs. Georgia Tech
Champs Sports - (ACC #4 vs. Big 10 #4/5)
Boston College vs. Michigan
Insight - (Big 12 #6 vs. Big 10 #6)
Nebraska vs. Iowa
Liberty - (C-USA #1 vs. SEC #7)
Tulsa vs. Kentucky
Sun - (Pac-10 #3 vs. Big 12/Notre Dame/Big East)
USC vs. Oklahoma State
Music City - (ACC #5/6/7 vs. SEC #6)
Florida State vs. Arkansas
Texas - (Big 12 #8 vs. C-USA)
South Carolina** vs. Southern Mississippi
Holiday - (Pac-10 #2 vs. Big 12 #3)
Arizona St. vs. Texas
Independence - (SEC #8 vs. Big 12 #7)
Mississippi State vs. Texas A&M
Emerald Bowl - (Pac-10 #4 vs. ACC #5/6/7)
Oregon State vs. Wake Forest
Motor City - (Big Ten #7 vs. MAC #1/2)
Purdue vs. Central Michigan
Hawaii - (WAC vs. C-USA)
Fresno State vs. Houston
Armed Forces - (MWC vs. Pac-10 #6)
Air Force vs. Ball State*
New Mexico - (WAC vs. MWC)
Nevada vs. Utah
PapaJohns.com - (C-USA vs. Big East #5)
East Carolina vs. Rutgers
New Orleans - (Sun Belt #1 vs. C-USA)
Troy vs. Memphis
Las Vegas - (Pac 10 #4/5 vs. MWC #1)
California vs. BYU
Pointsetta - (MWC vs. Navy/at-large)
New Mexico vs. Navy
* Pac-10 not projected to have enough bowl-eligible teams
** Big 12 not projected to have enough bowl-eligible teams
Do I think Kansas can beat Oklahoma? No. And that's why OU will jump both KU and Oregon to face LSU. Of course the Bayou Bengals could screw everything up and lose in SEC title game or in the next two weeks. We'll see. Look for an updated projection next Wednesday and a few conferences bids could be all figured out by then...
Monday, November 12, 2007
Latest On BCS
The newest BCS poll has been released and shows a lot of changes at the top. With the 28-21 loss to the Illini, the Buckeyes have dropped to #7. This is justifiable because (and keep in mind that I am an OSU fan whenever they're not playing Notre Dame) I do not truly feel that they could win a game against anyone in the old or new Top 10 (except for maybe VT who probably couldn't beat anyone in the Top 15). Anyway, here's now it looks now:
1) LSU 9-1
2) Oregon 8-1
3) Kansas 10-0
4) Oklahoma 9-1
5) Missouri 9-1
6) West Virginia 8-1
7) Ohio State 10-1
8) Arizona State 9-1
9) Georgia 8-2
10) Virginia Tech 8-2
LSU is a shoe-in if they win out. No one has a better strength of schedule than the Tigers and as long as they are conference champs, they deserve a spot in the championship game. Oregon has only one blemish on their record, a 31-24 loss to then-#2 California. They've earned my respect and are probably the best team in the country when all is said and done. However, #3 Kansas would be my pick for #2 if both they and Oregon win out. I could not justify keeping an undefeated team out of the championship when everyone else at the top has at least one loss (sorry Hawaii, this does not apply to teams who play no one but patsies all season). The Jayhawks have had only two games where it looked like they were mortal, and after the crushing victory over Nebraska it is pretty obvious that they are for real.
None of this should take away from the great seasons of the other teams at the top, but lets face it, the probability of two of those top three teams losing another game is not good (although there are several weeks left and the #2 teams have not been lucky this year). Oklahoma may be better than anyone, but too many close games have cost them in both computer points and voters' polls. Missouri has been spectacular, but unless they can defeat Kansas they won't even finish in the Top 10 (two losses for anyone with their schedule is one loss too many). They need to win out and have three of the four teams ahead of them lose to get in. Overall, I'd say the BCS has it right this year unless they let an undefeated Jayhawks team remain #3 in the final poll. That being said, there are enough quality teams and enough upsets this season to support any argument for a playoff system.
1) LSU 9-1
2) Oregon 8-1
3) Kansas 10-0
4) Oklahoma 9-1
5) Missouri 9-1
6) West Virginia 8-1
7) Ohio State 10-1
8) Arizona State 9-1
9) Georgia 8-2
10) Virginia Tech 8-2
LSU is a shoe-in if they win out. No one has a better strength of schedule than the Tigers and as long as they are conference champs, they deserve a spot in the championship game. Oregon has only one blemish on their record, a 31-24 loss to then-#2 California. They've earned my respect and are probably the best team in the country when all is said and done. However, #3 Kansas would be my pick for #2 if both they and Oregon win out. I could not justify keeping an undefeated team out of the championship when everyone else at the top has at least one loss (sorry Hawaii, this does not apply to teams who play no one but patsies all season). The Jayhawks have had only two games where it looked like they were mortal, and after the crushing victory over Nebraska it is pretty obvious that they are for real.
None of this should take away from the great seasons of the other teams at the top, but lets face it, the probability of two of those top three teams losing another game is not good (although there are several weeks left and the #2 teams have not been lucky this year). Oklahoma may be better than anyone, but too many close games have cost them in both computer points and voters' polls. Missouri has been spectacular, but unless they can defeat Kansas they won't even finish in the Top 10 (two losses for anyone with their schedule is one loss too many). They need to win out and have three of the four teams ahead of them lose to get in. Overall, I'd say the BCS has it right this year unless they let an undefeated Jayhawks team remain #3 in the final poll. That being said, there are enough quality teams and enough upsets this season to support any argument for a playoff system.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Highlight of Sunday Night, or, Don't Try to Stop a 340-Pound Defensive Lineman
That rumbling you may have heard on Sunday afternoon, sometime around 2 or 3ish perhaps, was not attributed to the deeply buried and ancient faultlines that run through our section of the Midwest. Local US Geological Survey crews were baffled by the phenomenon, which only lasted for an approximate 20-second span, until one of them turned on the NFL on Fox. Great panic and confusion was avoided when the cause of the tremors was identified as a 66-yard screen-pass interception return for a TD by Shaun Young, the 340-pound defensive tackle for the Detroit Lions.
Seriously--did you SEE that replay? I missed most of the game, but when I saw the highlight, it was literal poetry in motion. I don't mean that in the graceful sense of the word, mind you--Shaun's a big boy, and no force on Earth or the heavens above could've stopped him. MOSES couldn't have changed his course. And certainly not Selvin Young, Denver's running back (not exactly a lightweight at 210 pounds, either), who made a valiant effort to tackle Shaun, and got a stiff-arm so glorious, I'm amazed that Selvin still has his tonsils. Hell, Selvin's lucky that Shaun didn't EAT him.
Note to the Denver Broncos: whichever high school team you sent to Ford Field last Sunday, I certainly hope you're at least paying for the limo service to the prom. They took a pounding for you guys, and although you tried to disguise things by having Mike Shanahan present, we weren't fooled.
Shaun's return was a pretty good metaphor for being a Lions fan this season...the team isn't always pretty, but they've got some wikkid bad momentum behind them now. I'll admit it; I was one of the people who rolled their eyes and wondered how much ganja had been smoked when Kitna said that he'd be surprised if Detroit didn't win at least 10 this season. We've all heard it before, and even though I rolled my eyes at him, I expected him to say nothing else. QB's are historically the battlefield generals of football, and no matter what, they always have to display confidence for the sake of the team (possible exception for this rule could be made for David Carr or Cleo Lemon).
Detroit's thing has always been that they've had decent tools to get the job done, but always lacked cohesiveness to win games. Yes, Barry Sanders was the best running back the team will probably ever see (no slight to Kevin Jones or Billy Sims, but Barry really was one of the greats), but the QB situation was always unstable, and has been up to the signing of Kitna. Joey Harrington, Jeff Garcia, Scott "What Were They Thinking?" Mitchell, etc. Coaching was always kind of dodgy--Wayne Fontes would get us to the playoffs only when being publicly threatened with getting canned, Dick Jauron was a placeholder, and Marty Mohrninweg was, well, himself. The receiver corps was a work in progress; for every step forward (Roy Williams) that was taken, two were taken backwards (Charles Rogers, Mike Williams). It took time to get THAT particular recipe perfected, but like I've said before, with Shaun McDonald, Calvin "Megatron" Johnson, and Mike Furrey onboard now, things are clicking nicely.
How nicely? Detroit's one game out of first in the NFC North, behind the Packers and Brett "Don't Call Me Old" Favre. We've already swept Chicago for the season, and THAT felt good to do. Kevin Jones seems to be back to his old form. The defense is playing a good mix of aggressive and preventative schemes. The offensive line is actually protecting Kitna. And Kitna's finally reigning in the amount of picks that he was throwing around this time last year.
Credit also has to go to Rod Marinelli, whose tough, no-frills, one-snap-at-a-time approach is paying off; and to Mike Martz, the Offensive Coordinator, who needs to be kept around at any cost. Millen--if you're reading this, I'd choose the child you're least attached to, and offer it as sacrifice for Martz. DON'T let him go, for the love of God.
In all, it's a good time to be a Lions fan. Special shout out to the Browns fans, too...life's grand, ain't it?
Seriously--did you SEE that replay? I missed most of the game, but when I saw the highlight, it was literal poetry in motion. I don't mean that in the graceful sense of the word, mind you--Shaun's a big boy, and no force on Earth or the heavens above could've stopped him. MOSES couldn't have changed his course. And certainly not Selvin Young, Denver's running back (not exactly a lightweight at 210 pounds, either), who made a valiant effort to tackle Shaun, and got a stiff-arm so glorious, I'm amazed that Selvin still has his tonsils. Hell, Selvin's lucky that Shaun didn't EAT him.
Note to the Denver Broncos: whichever high school team you sent to Ford Field last Sunday, I certainly hope you're at least paying for the limo service to the prom. They took a pounding for you guys, and although you tried to disguise things by having Mike Shanahan present, we weren't fooled.
Shaun's return was a pretty good metaphor for being a Lions fan this season...the team isn't always pretty, but they've got some wikkid bad momentum behind them now. I'll admit it; I was one of the people who rolled their eyes and wondered how much ganja had been smoked when Kitna said that he'd be surprised if Detroit didn't win at least 10 this season. We've all heard it before, and even though I rolled my eyes at him, I expected him to say nothing else. QB's are historically the battlefield generals of football, and no matter what, they always have to display confidence for the sake of the team (possible exception for this rule could be made for David Carr or Cleo Lemon).
Detroit's thing has always been that they've had decent tools to get the job done, but always lacked cohesiveness to win games. Yes, Barry Sanders was the best running back the team will probably ever see (no slight to Kevin Jones or Billy Sims, but Barry really was one of the greats), but the QB situation was always unstable, and has been up to the signing of Kitna. Joey Harrington, Jeff Garcia, Scott "What Were They Thinking?" Mitchell, etc. Coaching was always kind of dodgy--Wayne Fontes would get us to the playoffs only when being publicly threatened with getting canned, Dick Jauron was a placeholder, and Marty Mohrninweg was, well, himself. The receiver corps was a work in progress; for every step forward (Roy Williams) that was taken, two were taken backwards (Charles Rogers, Mike Williams). It took time to get THAT particular recipe perfected, but like I've said before, with Shaun McDonald, Calvin "Megatron" Johnson, and Mike Furrey onboard now, things are clicking nicely.
How nicely? Detroit's one game out of first in the NFC North, behind the Packers and Brett "Don't Call Me Old" Favre. We've already swept Chicago for the season, and THAT felt good to do. Kevin Jones seems to be back to his old form. The defense is playing a good mix of aggressive and preventative schemes. The offensive line is actually protecting Kitna. And Kitna's finally reigning in the amount of picks that he was throwing around this time last year.
Credit also has to go to Rod Marinelli, whose tough, no-frills, one-snap-at-a-time approach is paying off; and to Mike Martz, the Offensive Coordinator, who needs to be kept around at any cost. Millen--if you're reading this, I'd choose the child you're least attached to, and offer it as sacrifice for Martz. DON'T let him go, for the love of God.
In all, it's a good time to be a Lions fan. Special shout out to the Browns fans, too...life's grand, ain't it?
Thursday, November 1, 2007
What's the sports world coming to...
...when Martina Hingis is doing coke?!?
Link from ESPN
I mean really, we have doping scandals and steroid busts, asterisks and Congressional hearings. But tennis? And COKE?!?!? Is nothing sacred anymore? At this point, would hearing about something like Pete Weber running a meth lab or Phil Mickelson having an acid trip and going all apeshit at the 17th hole of Augusta surprise you? Well, it shouldn't. It's not just the "big game" athletes anymore, folks. Soon you'll see Scripps National Spelling Bee contestants' names on a list in some pharmacy in Florida. Curlers? Try stoners. And Talladega and Daytona won't be the only tracks that NASCAR's elite worry about. We are in the Drug Age of sports - integrity is non-existent at this point, so the best thing we can do is strap in, shoot up, and go with the flow. Oh yeaaaaaaaaaah. That's the stuff.
Link from ESPN
I mean really, we have doping scandals and steroid busts, asterisks and Congressional hearings. But tennis? And COKE?!?!? Is nothing sacred anymore? At this point, would hearing about something like Pete Weber running a meth lab or Phil Mickelson having an acid trip and going all apeshit at the 17th hole of Augusta surprise you? Well, it shouldn't. It's not just the "big game" athletes anymore, folks. Soon you'll see Scripps National Spelling Bee contestants' names on a list in some pharmacy in Florida. Curlers? Try stoners. And Talladega and Daytona won't be the only tracks that NASCAR's elite worry about. We are in the Drug Age of sports - integrity is non-existent at this point, so the best thing we can do is strap in, shoot up, and go with the flow. Oh yeaaaaaaaaaah. That's the stuff.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
BCS What?
Well, new BCS rankings are out and I've gotta say that I'm actually impressed. Arizona State actually gets some respect, coming in at #4 and it's about time. Sitting at 7-0 they were the quiet undefeated and now they get some props but they are nearly 2 tenths of a point behind LSU. Closing that gap will depend on the next 4 games for the Sun Devils. They've got to host Cal this week, go to Oregon next week, UCLA the week after, and finally host USC. I think they match well with Cal and will be able to control Nate Longshore, but the tougher matchup comes up in Eugene next week. UCLA isn't to be thought of as a gimme game either. The parity in the Pac-10 is really showing and it pisses me off that we can't get many Pac-10 games. I really want to watch this because truth be told, Big Ten games for the most part have kinda been boring this year... BC is facing their first real game this week at #8 Va. Tech. I'm not completely sold on a system that moves you up to #3 for blowing out my BG Falcons and then up to #2 on an idle week, regardless of upsets. But it's hard to argue with Matt Ryan's numbers. Another mystery to me is Kansas up at #9. Yes, they are 7-0 and they're offensive numbers are damn impressive. But if you're first 4 opponents win totals combine to equal yours, I've gotta question your schedule. Kansas State and Colorado were respectable wins and they miss both Texas and Oklahoma out of the B12 South. This week @ Texas A&M will be a real test. Nebraska could jump out of nowhere, but if they make it to 11-0, expect them to get a rude awakening when Chase Daniel and Mizzou come to town to close the season. Am I the only one whose not used to seeing a double-digit ranking next to USC? And here's the dirty little secret that ESPN and the like doesn't want to acknowledge... USC will lose again this year. The rest of the PAC-10 has finally caught up to the Trojans. USF, who our own Armando couldn't stop singing the praises of, are still in the hunt for a BCS bowl and I think that even if they can't pull off the Big East title, they get in on the sympathy at-large bid. Speaking of, does Hawaii's schedule keep them out of the BCS because they can't pick up enough computer points to get in the top 12 or do they get a nod for Colt Brennan's insane passing numbers? More to come later this week and such.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Random Baseball Shtuff...
Following That Sports Guy's posting a couple of days ago, I have to admit that I'm kind of torn about who to root for in the ALCS. If nothing else, the series has produced one hell of a nail-biter, as Boston has battled back from a 3-1 deficit to take the series to the seventh game. At Boston, too. Will the Fenway Fury overcome the faithful of the Tribe Nation? After watching JD Drew do everything but use his bare hands to take the Tribes' pitchers deep, will Dice-K be able to finish them off when facing Jake Westbrook (remember, in his last two post-season starts, he never even made it through the fifth inning)? Will Stephen King be in attendance instead of writing a book better than Lisey's Story? Hey--tune in tonight at 8:07 to find out.
And I'm serious about King. I've read better Sears catalogs than THAT last book of his.
My loyalties on the teams, however, remain divided. Most of my friends are dedicated Tribe fans, and after 20+ years of watching the Tigers come up short, I can more than relate to the general sports frustration of that town. My only stumbling block? They're the ones that pretty much held the Tigers down all season.
The BoSox? My dad's a Tigers fan primarily, but he lived in the Boston area for a while after he emigrated to the US, so he still retains a lingering allegiance to them that he passed on to me, after a fashion. (He also lived in the New York area for a while as well, and claims that he's ALSO likes the Yankees. I really don't know that it's possible to like both teams without some sort of bio-feedback causing catastrophic damage). My stumbling block here? The Sox won it all only a year or two ago.
Once the Tigers were out of it, I have to admit that my remaining objective in baseball--the humiliation and crushing of the Yankees, and watching the Steinbrenners twitch and whine like the little sycophantic money-whores that they are--was delivered to me in grand fashion by the Indians. That, I suppose, means I owe the Tribe my support...I suppose...
In other news, the Yankees offered Joe Torre a one-year salary reduction for him to continue on as manager, which he--wisely--turned down. More details later, perhaps, but I mean, come on, he's the best manager they've had in twenty-odd years, only to be let go because Steinbrenner and Sons forgot to club their domestic servants that day, and instead took out their BS anger on Torre.
Don't get me wrong--I've never been a Yankees fan, and never will be, but I respect Joe Torre the same way I respected Bo Schembechler. They were worthy adversaries, smart team managers, and embodied a sense of professionalism that is, quite frankly, appearing less and less in professional sports today. Torre said that the offer he was given was an insult, and he did absolutely the right thing in walking away with no regrets (he even mentioned, in his press conference, that he's not going to bother going to this office at Yankee Stadium to clear it out). The offer that the Yanks' ownership did make (5 million base, 1 million each in incentives if they made the playoffs, ALCS, and World Series--correct me if I'm wrong) allowed them, through the dependable team president/lickspittle/milker of Hank and Hal, Randy Levine, to say that the team made Torre a generous offer that he walked away from. It was a PR ploy and nothing else.
Okay y'all...I'm out for now. Check back later for more random shiznits from your dedicated sports blogging staff here at The Overpass...
And I'm serious about King. I've read better Sears catalogs than THAT last book of his.
My loyalties on the teams, however, remain divided. Most of my friends are dedicated Tribe fans, and after 20+ years of watching the Tigers come up short, I can more than relate to the general sports frustration of that town. My only stumbling block? They're the ones that pretty much held the Tigers down all season.
The BoSox? My dad's a Tigers fan primarily, but he lived in the Boston area for a while after he emigrated to the US, so he still retains a lingering allegiance to them that he passed on to me, after a fashion. (He also lived in the New York area for a while as well, and claims that he's ALSO likes the Yankees. I really don't know that it's possible to like both teams without some sort of bio-feedback causing catastrophic damage). My stumbling block here? The Sox won it all only a year or two ago.
Once the Tigers were out of it, I have to admit that my remaining objective in baseball--the humiliation and crushing of the Yankees, and watching the Steinbrenners twitch and whine like the little sycophantic money-whores that they are--was delivered to me in grand fashion by the Indians. That, I suppose, means I owe the Tribe my support...I suppose...
In other news, the Yankees offered Joe Torre a one-year salary reduction for him to continue on as manager, which he--wisely--turned down. More details later, perhaps, but I mean, come on, he's the best manager they've had in twenty-odd years, only to be let go because Steinbrenner and Sons forgot to club their domestic servants that day, and instead took out their BS anger on Torre.
Don't get me wrong--I've never been a Yankees fan, and never will be, but I respect Joe Torre the same way I respected Bo Schembechler. They were worthy adversaries, smart team managers, and embodied a sense of professionalism that is, quite frankly, appearing less and less in professional sports today. Torre said that the offer he was given was an insult, and he did absolutely the right thing in walking away with no regrets (he even mentioned, in his press conference, that he's not going to bother going to this office at Yankee Stadium to clear it out). The offer that the Yanks' ownership did make (5 million base, 1 million each in incentives if they made the playoffs, ALCS, and World Series--correct me if I'm wrong) allowed them, through the dependable team president/lickspittle/milker of Hank and Hal, Randy Levine, to say that the team made Torre a generous offer that he walked away from. It was a PR ploy and nothing else.
Okay y'all...I'm out for now. Check back later for more random shiznits from your dedicated sports blogging staff here at The Overpass...
Saturday, October 20, 2007
::Insert Adjective Here:: Saturday
First of a few of these to come today...
At the half, 1-6 Iowa State leads #5 Oklahoma 7-0 and if the D hadn't had stepped up on the Sooner 9 on a 4th and 2 play, it would be a deeper hole. What the hell is going on in Norman? Regardless of how this comes out, why have the Cyclones been able to stick around?
In another upset shocker, Vanderbilt has gone to the half with #6 South Carolina leading 17-6, SC saving some face before the half, scoring another field goal.
#22 Texas trying to stay in teh Big 12 South race, but looking rough at Baylor, leading towards the half 10-7. The parity in the Big 12 is finally panning out but my question is this. Early in the 2nd quarter on a 4th and goal play, Colt McCoy kept it on an option play. Why the hell is a guy whose coming off of a concussion trying to head it in from 2 out? He's asking for a Trent Green.
Plenty more games to check out later today:
#17 Auburn @ #4 LSU
#15 Florida @ #7 Kentucky
#13 Kansas @ Colorado
#12 California @ UCLA
#24 Texas Tech @ #16 Missouri
#14 USC @ Notre Dame
#25 Michigan @ Illinois
Miami @ Florida State
More to come later, I'll attempt to add my thoughts during the tailgate party and again of halftime of the Ohio @ Toledo game.
At the half, 1-6 Iowa State leads #5 Oklahoma 7-0 and if the D hadn't had stepped up on the Sooner 9 on a 4th and 2 play, it would be a deeper hole. What the hell is going on in Norman? Regardless of how this comes out, why have the Cyclones been able to stick around?
In another upset shocker, Vanderbilt has gone to the half with #6 South Carolina leading 17-6, SC saving some face before the half, scoring another field goal.
#22 Texas trying to stay in teh Big 12 South race, but looking rough at Baylor, leading towards the half 10-7. The parity in the Big 12 is finally panning out but my question is this. Early in the 2nd quarter on a 4th and goal play, Colt McCoy kept it on an option play. Why the hell is a guy whose coming off of a concussion trying to head it in from 2 out? He's asking for a Trent Green.
Plenty more games to check out later today:
#17 Auburn @ #4 LSU
#15 Florida @ #7 Kentucky
#13 Kansas @ Colorado
#12 California @ UCLA
#24 Texas Tech @ #16 Missouri
#14 USC @ Notre Dame
#25 Michigan @ Illinois
Miami @ Florida State
More to come later, I'll attempt to add my thoughts during the tailgate party and again of halftime of the Ohio @ Toledo game.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
It's not easy being Red
Cleveland went up 3-1 in the ALCS last night, shelling Tim Wakefield for a 7-run 5th inning and a final of 7-3. I have been taking shit from all sides, seeing as I'm surrounded by Tribe fans at both jobs. I walked into the office this morning to receive a ""KENNY, KENNY" chant from like 4 people. And I was feeling quite down last night, until I talked to a friend of mine. As a fellow Red Sox fan, she was also disappointed, but she lives outside of Cleveland and put it into perspective for me. It's about time for Cleveland to win something, anything. They got so close with the Cavs this summer and then had everything dashed in a very crushing fashion. Plus, it has been like 53 years since they won the big one. And we did break our dry spell in dramatic fashion 3 years ago. So with that being said, I will still be disappointed when we lose but I will root for the Tribe in the WS. Also, I still think this one will go 6 games and that Cleveland will win it Saturday night in Fenway. C'est la vie. The CFB roundup, tomorrow.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Get Out Yer Brooms!
In dramatic fashion, the Colorado Rockies, that's right the Rockies, are headed to the World Series after a 6-2 win over Arizona last night. This team has won 21 of their last 22 and I hate to be the one to bring this one up, but what are they going to do after they get a lay off. The longest stretch they've been off during this tear is three days and they'll get eight between now and the World Series. Will that affect them? Who knows. I know they'll face a tired AL team because I'm pretty sure that the ALCS will go 6 games, even if my Sox bats have gone pretty cold. That and I want ot see a WS game played with snow falling. That'd be funny.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Who dey?
No, I won't be lamenting over the destruction of the Cincinnati Bengals (although they did fall to 1-4 this afternoon). Today's 'who dey?' belongs to the Colorado Rockies who are a game away from their first World Series in franchise history. That leads me to ask the question that most of the country is asking... who the hell are these guys? Who would have figured that one of the top MVP candidates would come from a team that most people forgot even existed? The Rockies have railed off nine straight wins and twenty of their last twenty-one. Now they can sweep the best team in the National League tomorrow night. And the best part to me is they've done it with the 25th highest total salary in the major leagues. Only 6 teams spend less, and curiously enough, Arizona is one of them, coming in a 26th. I guess there's something that New York and Boston can learn from that. But let's not go there right now. I'm still reeling from last night's loss (If I haven't said anything about it before, I'm a member of Red Sox Nation) and I'm just going to flip back and forth from both games tomorrow night. I do loves me October.
Meanwhile, in Bizarro World...
Greetings, sports fan. At the generous request of our maestro of mayhem, Dan Williams, I'm going to be contributing some random thoughts and mental toaster-waffles to this site so that YOU, our Constant Readers, can either be enlightened, disgusted, or even baffled. Ready? Okay; thanks...I'll do my best to at least make it entertaining.
Those of you that know me are more than aware that I'm a dedicated Detroit Lions fan. Hell, I'm notable in that I'm still willing to admit it, throughout these many years--I even remember the days of Eric Hipple and Billy Sims--without the Lombardi trophy (something that, not surprisingly, makes me good comrades-in-arms, after a fashion, with Cleveland fans, who more than know THAT pain). So I was getting into a good, friendly, but spirited discussion with one of my coworkers--who's from Michigan--about the Lions' passing game/attack. He's a dedicated Dallas Cowboys fan, so after the requisite walks down memory lane about who was better between Barry Sanders and Emmitt Smith, we settled into discussing passing games. The long and short of it: I think that the Lions have one of the best passing attacks in the game right now, and he doesn't.
Side note: I'm not going to get into a display of metaphorically pissing all over Matt Millen. His name will probably come up, but, tempting as it is, this post isn't about enacting all of those revenge fantasies that myself and other Detroit fans nurture. Maybe in a later post, though.
Millen's whole philosophy of trying to build the team for the future has focused on receivers, especially in the draft. The past several years have brought us Mike Williams, Charles Rogers, Calvin Johnson, and Roy Williams. Mike Furrey, previously of the St. Louis Rams, came aboard last season to rejoin Mike Martz, Detroit's offensive coordinator. Rounding out this cast of thousands is Shaun McDonald. Although Williams and Rogers have moved on to less-greener pastures, the other four still remain...and honestly, they're working for a quarterback and offensive coordinator who are more than a bit pass-happy.
Several months ago, Millen, when he was explaining why they took Johnson as the pick in the most recent draft (and I wouldn't have minded Joe Thomas, personally, to shore up the line), said that the underlying philosophy and style of play in the NFL has moved to emphasize the passing game. Prior to the advent of the West Coast Offense, the emphasis was on the running game for the bulk of plays, relying on that to test defenses and open up passing lanes for the receivers. Nowadays, though, it's the opposite, so--much as I'm surprised to hear myself say it--but Millen was right. Recognizing that trend, and bringing on Martz as the OC (who loves the passing game so much, I'm STILL convinced that he offers nightly sacrifice to some sort of representation of Bill Walsh), means that Detroit would front-load its offensive firepower. Having Jon Kitna as quarterback isn't necessarily a bad thing, either--he's a veteran with plenty of experience and strength, knows the playbook, and has four good receivers to throw to. The downside? He throws as many picks as he does TD's.
Loading up on receivers means, however, that Detroit's offense has the weapons for good attacks. Williams, while not the tallest receiver, is great for plays-after-the-catch, and is faster than a lot of people give him credit for. Johnson, although still a rookie, has the raw speed, strength, and grip for the style of football that Detroit plays--not to mention that he's tall enough to swipe low-flying airplanes out of the sky (and likens himself to Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons, which leads to an automatic Cool rating in my book. Hell, they actually had a side-by-side stat comparison between the two during a game a few weeks back, which has turned into a treasured NFL memory of mine). Furrey and McDonald, while perhaps not as flashy as Johnson or Williams, are great clutch receivers (good for moving the ball downfield, as opposed to purely Red Zone offense)--and get lots of looks from Kitna because defenses are focusing on the first two. Detroit's passing offense is ranked fifth, and all four of them are getting attention spread between them. Check this link for the '07 stats so far--largely because I'm too lazy after a big dinner to rewrite them right now.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/teams/det/stats;_ylt=AiMFHs2h2ckeweVRgmu03pqF2bYF
Combined with the fact that Kitna's throwing an average of 266 yards per game, has a 93 percent quarterback rating, and has 1333 yards to date this season (okay, so I lied about the stats. Sue me.) means that Detroit's passing game is doing SOMETHING right.
Don't get me wrong, though...Detroit's running game is questionable (to the point now where Tatum Bell is asking to be traded away). Kevin Jones is coming off that foot injury that ended his season early last year, Aveion Cason just got re-hired after being cut, and T.J. Duckett won't win any points for grace or fleet-footedness. As one friend of mine put it, he's the poor man's Ron Dayne. Mike Martz is probably keeping his ear close to the ground for head coaching positions. And the fact remains that, while our defense isn't quite as shaky as it was last year, the O-line is still prone to collapsing at all the wrong moments.
But the passing game of Detroit--I say that it's one of the best out there, and has the potential to keep getting even better.
Those of you that know me are more than aware that I'm a dedicated Detroit Lions fan. Hell, I'm notable in that I'm still willing to admit it, throughout these many years--I even remember the days of Eric Hipple and Billy Sims--without the Lombardi trophy (something that, not surprisingly, makes me good comrades-in-arms, after a fashion, with Cleveland fans, who more than know THAT pain). So I was getting into a good, friendly, but spirited discussion with one of my coworkers--who's from Michigan--about the Lions' passing game/attack. He's a dedicated Dallas Cowboys fan, so after the requisite walks down memory lane about who was better between Barry Sanders and Emmitt Smith, we settled into discussing passing games. The long and short of it: I think that the Lions have one of the best passing attacks in the game right now, and he doesn't.
Side note: I'm not going to get into a display of metaphorically pissing all over Matt Millen. His name will probably come up, but, tempting as it is, this post isn't about enacting all of those revenge fantasies that myself and other Detroit fans nurture. Maybe in a later post, though.
Millen's whole philosophy of trying to build the team for the future has focused on receivers, especially in the draft. The past several years have brought us Mike Williams, Charles Rogers, Calvin Johnson, and Roy Williams. Mike Furrey, previously of the St. Louis Rams, came aboard last season to rejoin Mike Martz, Detroit's offensive coordinator. Rounding out this cast of thousands is Shaun McDonald. Although Williams and Rogers have moved on to less-greener pastures, the other four still remain...and honestly, they're working for a quarterback and offensive coordinator who are more than a bit pass-happy.
Several months ago, Millen, when he was explaining why they took Johnson as the pick in the most recent draft (and I wouldn't have minded Joe Thomas, personally, to shore up the line), said that the underlying philosophy and style of play in the NFL has moved to emphasize the passing game. Prior to the advent of the West Coast Offense, the emphasis was on the running game for the bulk of plays, relying on that to test defenses and open up passing lanes for the receivers. Nowadays, though, it's the opposite, so--much as I'm surprised to hear myself say it--but Millen was right. Recognizing that trend, and bringing on Martz as the OC (who loves the passing game so much, I'm STILL convinced that he offers nightly sacrifice to some sort of representation of Bill Walsh), means that Detroit would front-load its offensive firepower. Having Jon Kitna as quarterback isn't necessarily a bad thing, either--he's a veteran with plenty of experience and strength, knows the playbook, and has four good receivers to throw to. The downside? He throws as many picks as he does TD's.
Loading up on receivers means, however, that Detroit's offense has the weapons for good attacks. Williams, while not the tallest receiver, is great for plays-after-the-catch, and is faster than a lot of people give him credit for. Johnson, although still a rookie, has the raw speed, strength, and grip for the style of football that Detroit plays--not to mention that he's tall enough to swipe low-flying airplanes out of the sky (and likens himself to Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons, which leads to an automatic Cool rating in my book. Hell, they actually had a side-by-side stat comparison between the two during a game a few weeks back, which has turned into a treasured NFL memory of mine). Furrey and McDonald, while perhaps not as flashy as Johnson or Williams, are great clutch receivers (good for moving the ball downfield, as opposed to purely Red Zone offense)--and get lots of looks from Kitna because defenses are focusing on the first two. Detroit's passing offense is ranked fifth, and all four of them are getting attention spread between them. Check this link for the '07 stats so far--largely because I'm too lazy after a big dinner to rewrite them right now.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/teams/det/stats;_ylt=AiMFHs2h2ckeweVRgmu03pqF2bYF
Combined with the fact that Kitna's throwing an average of 266 yards per game, has a 93 percent quarterback rating, and has 1333 yards to date this season (okay, so I lied about the stats. Sue me.) means that Detroit's passing game is doing SOMETHING right.
Don't get me wrong, though...Detroit's running game is questionable (to the point now where Tatum Bell is asking to be traded away). Kevin Jones is coming off that foot injury that ended his season early last year, Aveion Cason just got re-hired after being cut, and T.J. Duckett won't win any points for grace or fleet-footedness. As one friend of mine put it, he's the poor man's Ron Dayne. Mike Martz is probably keeping his ear close to the ground for head coaching positions. And the fact remains that, while our defense isn't quite as shaky as it was last year, the O-line is still prone to collapsing at all the wrong moments.
But the passing game of Detroit--I say that it's one of the best out there, and has the potential to keep getting even better.
Oh no! Not another one!!!
I know what you're thinking: another sports blog written by some espn.com wannabe whose too damn fat/lazy to actually play the sports they write about. Well, you're right....
But the topic of conversation on every college football fan's mind are the BCS rankings, which should come out tomorrow at 6. There have been so many shakeups at the top of the polls that there is no clear cut number one team this year, unlike years past. At this point last year, we pretty much knew that Ohio State and Florida were going to the BCS title game. The year before that with USC and Texas, the hype started even sooner. Everyone pretty much annoined that matchup from week one. But this year is different. If things continue along this path, and that's a very big if, we may see a BCS title game pitting Boston College against South Florida. USF? What the fuck? I hear you yell at the screen. But it's true. It is very possible that the strength of schedule and quality wins would vault USF over OSU or BC and into that title game. Of course if any of these teams lose we get into the realm of having a one-loss team jump into the argument. As far as I'm concerned if there's and undefeated team and then a one-loss team, there is no argument. So all Sooner fans can cram it. If USF runs the table they deserve the title shot, not you. Just because you're fucking Oklahoma doesn't anoint you championship contenders. You have to earn it like everyone else and let's face it, you lost to a team that compiled two wins last year. But to be fair, as a Buckeye fan, the same can be said of Ohio State, Michigan, Miami, USC, Notre Dame, Florida, and LSU. You gotta earn it, period. 6pm tomorrow. Let the arguing begin.
But the topic of conversation on every college football fan's mind are the BCS rankings, which should come out tomorrow at 6. There have been so many shakeups at the top of the polls that there is no clear cut number one team this year, unlike years past. At this point last year, we pretty much knew that Ohio State and Florida were going to the BCS title game. The year before that with USC and Texas, the hype started even sooner. Everyone pretty much annoined that matchup from week one. But this year is different. If things continue along this path, and that's a very big if, we may see a BCS title game pitting Boston College against South Florida. USF? What the fuck? I hear you yell at the screen. But it's true. It is very possible that the strength of schedule and quality wins would vault USF over OSU or BC and into that title game. Of course if any of these teams lose we get into the realm of having a one-loss team jump into the argument. As far as I'm concerned if there's and undefeated team and then a one-loss team, there is no argument. So all Sooner fans can cram it. If USF runs the table they deserve the title shot, not you. Just because you're fucking Oklahoma doesn't anoint you championship contenders. You have to earn it like everyone else and let's face it, you lost to a team that compiled two wins last year. But to be fair, as a Buckeye fan, the same can be said of Ohio State, Michigan, Miami, USC, Notre Dame, Florida, and LSU. You gotta earn it, period. 6pm tomorrow. Let the arguing begin.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)