Jim Mora Jr. Seems Happy for Vick

How salty would you be if you coached Mike Vick for 7 years, but could never get him to completely buy in? No matter what you tried, you couldn’t get him to reach his potential and everyone knew this. In all likelihood, this directly resulted in you being fired from your dream job. Then, as you get fired from another job and are relegated to being a color analyst, you watch Mike Vick become publicly vilified, go to jail for two years, ride the bench for another, and come out of everything playing exponentially better than he ever did under your watch. How salty would you be?




Pretty damn salty.

College Football Week 5 The first weekend of October features some highly anticipated games as the Big 10, Big 12, and Pac 10 finally join the SEC in playing meaningful conference games. These games along with the Ryder Cup, the last weekend of regular season MLB, and Saturday morning English League Premier games featuring Manchester United and their new acquisition Mexican striker Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez make this one of the best sports weekends of the year. This weekend along with Real World marathons, Arrested Development and Freaks and Geeks re-runs remind us why "DVR" is so valuable and makes us question how we lived without them for so long. Texas vs. Oklahoma (-3.5) @ The Cotton Bowl: The Red River Rivalry has lost some luster the past couple of years as Oklahoma came into last year's game 1-2 and Texas enters this game after being physically dominated by a .500 UCLA team and coach Rick "It isn't gambling unless you lose" Neuheisel. This game determines who controls the Big 12 South and Oklahoma stills holds faint hopes of contending for more than a conference title this year. Oklahoma's offense has been up and down depending on the week this year and I expect them to turn to RB DeMarco Murray early especially after watching game tape of Texas last week. The question in this game will be can Texas score? The Oklahoma defense under Bob Stoops plays 8 in the box vs. Texas and will force QB Garrett Gilbert to make plays down the field to have success; Gilbert's average yards per completion (6.9) makes this a sound strategy and the key factor in the game. Stoops dominated this rivalry when he came to Oklahoma in the first half of the decade, but has lost 4 of the last five. I think Stoops can smell a wounded Texas team and this game this year means more to him and that will show in Oklahoma's play Saturday making OK (-3.5) the play. Florida @ Alabama (-8.5): Probably the first of two meetings this year with the second one to come in the SEC title game and an early season look at what was the most anticipated game of the college season the last two years. Alabama showed their defensive youth early last week and their overall team determination late to get a big road win at Arkansas and the Florida offense has shown recent signs of competency with the QB tandem of Brantley and Burton. Florida will need QB Trey Burton and his "Tebow like" power running to complement RB Will Demps' speed and both will need decent games to keep the pressure off Brantley who should have opportunities to make plays through the air vs. the young Tide secondary. Alabama is no mystery on offense, Florida will see a heavy dose of Ingram and Richardson and McIlroy will manage the game based on how the defense plays the run. Much hyped Florida safeties Ahmad Black and Will Hill need to improve upon their play two weeks ago at Tennessee and how much of a factor they are will be a barometer of this game. Last week proved the SEC East is the red headed step child of this conference and I expect Alabama to win this game, but with Bama's style and Florida's talent the 8.5 points make Florida the play. Wisconsin @ Michigan State (-2): Both teams enter conference play 4-0, but both teams needed late luck to win home games against their only decent opponents. Wiscy needed a blocked extra point to hold off Arizona State by a point and their national ranking seems aided by preseason hype. Michigan State beat ND at home on coach Mark Dantonio's OT fake field goal that was successful due to ND defenders falling over each other. Dantonio returns this week after being hospitalized for a heart attack and will be an emotional boast to his team even as he coaches from the press box. More importantly Michigan State and LB Greg Jones have been very good against the run and that will be the key to this game as they need to slow down Wisconsin RB John Clay. Michigan State QB Kirk Cousins should be able to put up points at home and the Spartan offense has showed an impressive balance up to this point in the year. I think the Michigan State defense will hold Clay in check and I don't think Wiscy QB Scott Tolzien can make enough plays to win on the road. Michigan State -2 and the Dantonio feel good story are the plays. Penn State @ Iowa (-7): Another second tier battle in the Big 10, with both teams coming off early season out of conference losses albeit to much better competition in Alabama and Arizona. Special teams buried Iowa at Arizona where they dominated the stats, but lost on a blocked punt and kick return. I am sure Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz has been reinforcing special teams for the last two weeks and only time will tell if that was a fluke. Penn State has struggled since their loss at Alabama and while it was not a surprise to see Bama RB Trent Richardson run wild vs. their defense, it is a major red flag when Temple does the same thing a few weeks later. Iowa City has always been a tough venue for PSU and the combination of a struggling run defense and a young quarterback make Iowa -7 the play. VTech (-4) @ NC State: NC State enters this game as contenders for the ACC title after dismantling GTech on the road last week. Wins @ Central Florida and at home vs. Cincy are looking better and better each week for the Wolfpack and QB Russell Wilson has been the best QB in the ACC averaging 278 yds and 3 TD's/game. NC State is starting to resemble a Tom O'Brien type team and that doesn't bode well for the rest of the ACC. VTech got a nice road shutout last week at BC, but they kicked too many field goals and the offense looked out of sync. Fields goals this week on the road for the second straight conference game will put VTech in too much of a hole to overcome making NC State at home plus 4 the play. ND (-2.5) @ Boston College: Looks like BC will start freshmen QB Chase Retting and that might be the only way to make the ND defense look average. Brian Kelly's offense should bounce back this week after an off week vs. Stanford and is a capable unit, but just like under Charlie Weiss the ND defense does not have the size, speed, or strength to compete against good offenses. Lucky for ND BC is not a capable offense as shown in their home shutout loss to VTech last week. A change at QB was necessary, but scoring enough points to keep up with ND is asking too much making ND -2.5 the play. Stanford @ Oregon (-7): It is hard to believe that in a weekend with Texas/OK and Bama/Fla that the PAC 10 would provide the most compelling game of the day, but this matchup should be a great one. These two teams play different styles and watching these matchups on both sides of the ball will be extremely telling. Stanford is going to pound the ball at the undersized Oregon front seven and try to control the clock , while Oregon wants to make this game a track meet. I think Stanford's defense is improved and will slow Oregon QB Darron Thomas and RB LaMichael James enough to keep Stanford close. Andrew Luck will have a chance to win this game late for coach Jim Harbaugh making Stanford plus 7 the play.

A letter to US Captain Corey Pavin

Dear Corey As you prepare to lead the US Ryder Cup team against the European team in Wales, I thought you could use a few words of encouragement and strategy. Your team is the underdog, and rightfully so, since you are playing a good team on the road, and the last time an American team won in Europe was the 93' team at the Belfrey, where you were one of the standout American players. The challenge you and your team face this week, provides you with great opportunity, a win in Wales would make you the most successful Ryder Cup captain in twenty years, and cement your legacy in the game. I hope you can use the next couple of paragraphs as a road map to keeping the cup. Share your Ryder Cup experiences with your team, you went 2-1 overall while playing in the 91, 93, and 95 cups and have a career 8-5 record. Show this team why you got the nickname "Bulldog" and remember that this competition will only be meaningful for the players if they can see what it means to their captain. Maybe, most importantly, during your cups you played in every format with multiple partners, everyone from Steve Pate to Phil Mickelson, and that type of versatility should be a point of emphasis for this year's team. A team that doesn't have any go-to teams prior to the competition. Stay above the fray, that incident with Jim Gray was concerning, and seemed totally out of character for you. Don't let the pressure or the media get to you. Allow European captain Colin Montgomerie, with his outspoken nature and Ashton Kutcher like marriage problems, to dominate the press and media attention. Be yourself and your team will follow your example, this should allow your team's fate to be determined on the course. On the course, allow Phil Mickelson to be the leader of your team; he is capable of carrying the team with his play and is the guy on the team that the other players respect and genuinely like. You have the best player in the world right now, in Dustin Johnson, he has to be a guy who plays in every session and use him like a number 1 starting pitcher in the postseason. Matt Kuchar has played consistent high-level golf on tour this year and he should be a mainstay, along with Hunter Mahan, who has top flight talent and good vibes from his play during the 08' cup win. I bet you are going to feel like you are staring in the mirror the more time you spend around Zack Johnson. His improved play the last couple of months bode well for a guy who looks like a team leader. Leave the ball in Tiger's court, if he embraces being a veteran leader and a team player then this could be the first Ryder Cup he plays well in, and might be the spark he needs to turn his career around. If Tiger is his usual moody and arrogant self, then you need to bench him, and go with the guys who want to be there. This team can't revolve around him as previous Ryder Cups have proven. Tiger's face and body language on course are easier to read than a David Nicholls novel. You will know where his head is and you know from experience that nothing is worse in team golf than a partner who is worried about where his left arm is at impact, and if his head is moving on the downswing. Stricker and Furyk are your veteran presences and are the natural pairings for Tiger. They should also be great insights to where the team is during the competition, almost like assistant captains. Remember this is a long format and 36 holes a day is tough enough for the young guys, so make sure Furyk and Stricker are fresh for Sunday, when they will be needed the most. See what you have in Watson, Overton, and Fowler, all are capable of getting hot and dominating stretches. Play them early and ride each or all of them depending on their play. Expect at least one of these guys to break out and be a star of this cup, with the early money on Fowler, then Watson. Cink was a defensible captain's pick at the time due to the lack of other options, and you would have needed a crystal ball to predict Charlie Hoffman's breakout Fed Ex cup. You have enough veterans and Cink needs to be a one session player; now that you banned twittering during the competition he should have plenty of time to work on his game at the range in anticipation of Sunday singles. This is a great opportunity and though you and your team are underdogs, you don't need a Buster Douglas type upset. European captain Monty will be under enormous pressure and a loss as a captain does a lot to tarnish a successful record as a player, as Monty found out two years ago when Faldo lost as Euro captain. Monty also did you a huge favor with two of his three captain's picks. Paddy Harrington and Eddie Molinari had to be music to your ears, considering that Paul Casey and Justin Rose were available. It also helps that Europe's best player, Lee Westwood, has been injured, and Friday will be his first competitive action in almost two months. Europe will also be counting heavily on rookies and though talented, none of your players should be worried about matching up with Martin Kaymer, Ross Fisher, or Rory McIlroy. Nothing would put more pressure on the Europeans than a couple early Friday victories, especially if the losing teams have some combination of Westwood/Poulter/Donald/McDowell. You are the right man, for the right job, at the right time, now all you have to do is put it together, and come back from rain soaked Wales coast with the cup, Good Luck!

First and Goal (from the 2...but it's a long two)

This week, I’m introducing a new concept to my posts: Research.



1)
We’re three weeks into the NFL season and the Colts seem to have a dominant passing game, the Jets are controversial, and it’s nearly impossible to score an offensive touchdown on the Steelers. None of these are all that surprising. If I had said this would be the case before the first game, no one would have dubbed me the next Nostradamus. What is surprising is the play of the Chiefs. And the Bears. And Tony Romo (in a bad way). And especially Kyle Orton. Three weeks ago, no one in their right mind would have elevated Kyle Orton to the status at which he’s been playing. He was supposed to be the weak link on the Broncos, but he has averaged 359 yards per game. Yet, possibly the best part about Kyle Orton, is the public perception still has yet to change. People still think he’s a game manager at best. And this is where money can be made. You try to spot the trends early, hope they continue, and, most importantly, hope the general public doesn’t figure them out any time soon.

In the 2000’s, the AFC outplayed the NFC. Really, it wasn’t even close. The Patriots, Steelers, and Colts all had mini dynasties. (By dynasty, I don’t mean in the historical sense, like the 1970’s Steelers, 1980’s 49ers, or the 1990’s Cowboys, although the Patriots in the earlier part of the decade could fall into that category. In the parity that we see in the NFL, it is going to be difficult to see Super Bowl after Super Bowl after Super Bowl from any team. A present dynasty should be classified as a team that is dominant for an extended period of time. A period that far surpasses the probability that parity brings. The Colts, Pats, and Steelers were all well above average for the majority of the decade.) The NFC, by contrast, hasn’t seen anything close to a dynasty since Troy Aikman retired. Since the NFL realignment in 2002, every team in the NFC, except the Lions and Redskins, has won a division title and no team has won more than four. That’s parity. The AFC was the cast of the Ocean’s movies, with a handful of Hollywood Icons (Pitt, Clooney, Roberts, Garcia) surrounded by a bunch of above average supporting actors who could hold their own (Cheadle, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan) and a few people who are there for comic relief (Bernie Mac, Elliot Gould, and the tiny Asian guy). While the NFC of the 2000’s was like the cast of Crash. A nice ensemble of second level actors who mostly played off each other, but if asked to, could carry a scene. (Except for Terrence Howard, who carries almost every scene in which he’s involved. For the sake of the analogy, try to forget that Terrence Howard was in Crash. It’s tough, I know, but just try.)

However, the AFC’s superiority was supposed to be leveling off as the decade came to a close. The Giants pulled off arguably the biggest upset in football by beating the previously undefeated Patriot three years ago. If it weren’t for a last minute drive, the Cardinals would have done the same to the Steelers a year later. And last year, Drew Brees outplayed Peyton Manning to earn the Saints their first title. The three best teams of the decade, all from the AFC, pushed around (although the Steelers pushed back) in consecutive Super Bowls by the NFC. Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Tony Romo and Adrian Peterson all lead teams that could make it a fourth year.

So, everything has evened out, right? Kind of. But not nearly as much as the public thinks it has. To measure the public’s perception, I use Vegas. The odds are set each week to try to get even money on each side of the line. So if Vegas sets the line for a game at -3 for the home team, that means they think that the mean of the public (meaning the middle of the public, not the angry people within it) thinks the home team will win by 3. Half of the money goes on the away team, half goes on the home team and, barring a push, Vegas takes the juice. If you look at the divisions by their record against the spread, things haven’t changed as much as the NFC wants you to think. There isn’t one division in the AFC below .500 in non-divisional games. (Divisional games don’t matter because the division as a whole will always come out .500 in those games. Unless if something crazy happens, of course.) As far as the NFC, if it weren’t for the North carrying a 4-1-1 non-divisional record, no division would be over .500. The defending champ boasting NFC South is an abysmal 1-5-2 against the spread. While the widely regarded worst division in years, NFC West has posted an even 4-4 mark. Now, in no way do I think the NFC West is even in the same class as the NFC South. In fact, the one win by the South was the Falcons undressing of the Cardinals in week 2. All I’m saying is the perceived gap between the two divisions isn’t nearly as large as originally thought.

To no one’s surprise, the oft over-hyped NFC East has only won a third of it’s games against the spread (3-6-1). The betting public (and, really, everyone this year) is always too high on America’s Team. Luckily for them, the Eagles have been able to surpass expectations to make the division respectable.

In the AFC, the North fueled by Pittsburgh’s surprise start and the continual under-valuation of the Bengals, is off to a 5-2-1 start. Even the Jaguars have only managed to pull the South down to one game over .500 (5-4-1) and the East (2-2) and West (5-5) are breaking even.

For strictly the inter conference matchups, the AFC is 9-7 against the NFC straight up (with no spread). Nine wins in sixteen games certainly isn’t dominant. One play here or there and the NFC wins one more of those games and we’re even. But if you factor in the spread, the AFC jumps to 10-5-1. That’s statistically relevant. Again, it’s not that the AFC is as dominant as they were in the past decade, it’s just that the conferences aren’t as even as people think they are. Not yet, at least.





2)
Within the world of fantasy football, Jamaal Charles owners hate Thomas Jones. Charles has looked like a potential top 5 running back over the past 11 games, dating back to last year. The reason I’ve thrown the word potential in there is because of Thomas Jones. The Chiefs signed Jones to a two-year contract after he was released by the Jets because they didn’t want to pay him a roster bonus. Now, despite the obvious flashes of greatness shown by Charles, the Chiefs have employed the two backs in a 60-40 timeshare that leans in Jones’ favor. And they’re 3-0. Which is the main reason that this timeshare won’t change, but it’s not the only reason. The other reason is that Thomas Jones is good. And when he gets a lot of carries, his teams win.

The first year Jones received 300 touches was 2005. Since then, he has played for three teams (Chicago, New York Jets, and Kansas City) which have boasted a combined 49-34 (.590) record during his tenure with the clubs. Over the same stretch, those three teams are a combined 71-95 (.427) in years Jones wasn’t on their team. He has gone to a Super Bowl and two Championship Games with Rex Grossman, Kellen Clemens, an injured Brett Favre, rookie Mark Sanchez, and now, Matt Cassel as his quarterbacks.

Charlie Weis, no matter how bad of a college coach he may have been, isn’t dumb. And, contrary to early reports, it seems that Todd Haley isn’t either. They know that Jones is the sturdy back that can depend on, so they won’t overuse burners, Charles and Dexter McCluster.

Basically, what I’m saying is that my Chiefs Super Bowl pick I made last week isn’t looking too bad as long as Thomas Jones is getting carries.

YouTube clip of the week

By now you have all realized my infatuation with YouTube clips. They are funny, add relevance to any situation, and make time go by when you are living in the mundane.

From now on, I will post my favorite clip of the week.

For the first clip it is a two-parter.

Watch these videos in the order that they appear.

Remember this is footage from an actual newscast.

Week 3 Rewind

What have we learned about the NFL after Week 3:

Dallas 21 Houston 13

Well as I'm sure you heard on ESPN, Dallas NEEDED to win this game. Wade Phillips needed to win this game to have a job today. Are you trying to tell me that Jerry Jones wasn't ready to axe Phillips if they lost. Of course he was. Phillips is a patsy and has always been Jones' pawn. There are three guys that I could think of that are currently announcing games that Jones was ready to offer the reins of his team. Cowher and his awful chin-strap beard, the Survivor Jimmy Johnson, and ol' Chucky Gruden. You know Jones can't wait til one of those guys are ready to join him in Big D. I would even go as far as to say that if Dallas won the Super Bowl, and god help us all if they do it in their own stadium, that if Bill Cowher wanted the job, Jones would fire Phillips on the spot.

In honor of Johnson's island vacation, here is the best clip from Survivor history.



Baltimore 24 Cleveland 17

Suffice it to say, Baltimore's D is getting pretty old. They let a white running back, running for the Cleveland Browns get over 140 yards on the ground. Who even knew that white people were allowed to be running backs anymore. I assumed that once they reached college, they automatically became full backs or linebackers.

This always happens to me when I bet, I always run into someone who I can't beat. This year in college it has been UCLA. That reminds me, I'd like to thank Texas for their performance on Saturday. But for the last few seasons I have constantly bet against Seneca Wallace, but I constantly get burned like I was at a flea market full of gypsys.

One word that can be used to describe Joe Flacco: Consistant.

Cincinnati 20 Carolina 7

Who goes over the deep end first: TO, Chad, or Steve Smith?

Pittsburgh 38 Tampa Bay 13

3-0. Ok I'll be the first one to admit that I never in a million years thought that the Steelers would start 3-0 without Ben. As I stated on this site before I would have been completely happy with a 2-2 start, but with the way the Ravens have been playing 4-0 is not out of the realm of possibilities. What can you say about Chuck Batch? After 3 years of preparation he comes out and immediately shits the bed. Interception on the first drive. The hopes of all of Steeler Nation immediately depleted, with all eyes scanning the sidelines for glimpses of Byron Leftwich. Speaking of Leftwich, has any man ever looked so much like a teddy bear. Just saying.

To keep it short, Batch impressed beyond imagination. The running game was tough, Mendenhall even performed a spin move that benefitted the play. With all of Chuck's aerial exploits, I have to say the most impressive thing he did all day was that 23-yard scramble. I was nervous the whole time. I kept picturing the tin man from the Wizard of Oz rusting up and just collapsing, but he kept running and didn't even slide. Congrats Chuck.

Tennessee 29 Giants 10

The Giants stink, Coughlan is done for. Maybe Eli will throw his helmet in the stands so he won't have to play for this franchise anymore.

Chris Johnson found his groove again, I appreciate it after him tanking Week 2 for me in fantasy.

Atlanta 27 New Orleans 24

If the scores were switched around, there wouldn't be anything to talk about. The Saints are notorious for winning these close games. This time, Garrett Hartley, who has been terrible this season, missed the game winner. He pretty much has been awarded the Max Talbot year-of-immunity award. After playoff heroics, it would be hard to dump a player that has become heroic lore.

New England 38 Buffalo 30

Let's start by saying that if Buffalo can score 30 points on a team, then their defense is a liability. I don't care how nice Brady's hair ripples in the wind, or how many one-handed grabs Moss can make, their defense is brutal. The Bills scored 30 points. Their QB is Ryan Fitzpatrick. That sounds like some guy who should only be in Boston to perform an acoustic set at a St. Patty's day celebration.

Aaron Hernandez looks to be the tattooed version of a young Dallas Clark.

Do you think BenJarvis Green-Ellis' mom just bought those refrigerator magnets with all the words on them, shuffled them up, grabbed 4, and made a name? Possible I guess.

Minnesota 24 Detroit 10

Favre would be better suited throwing to those "country boy" models he throws to in those Wrangler commercials. Seriously if there is any setback in Sidney Rice's return, we could see a Ziggy Palffey mid season retirement for Favre.

Peterson is a beast.

If Jahvid Best is out, and Stafford is out, then defenses will put 5 guys on Calvin Johnson and my fantasy team will suck again.

Kansas City 31 San Francisco 10

Too much hype for a team with Alex Smith as the QB and Vernon Davis as the mature leader.

KC, I guess, is kinda good. I still don't think they will be a playoff team. Cassell is bad, and for some reason Thomas Jones is getting extremely too many carries, but in a year or two, they can be pretty good.

With Eric Berry on D and McCluster, Arenas, and Charles zipping around on offense, they will be an exciting young team all season long.

I wonder what the after-game spread looks like with Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis getting cracks at the buffet.

Philadelphia 28 Jacksonville 3

For all the reasons I hate Philadelphia fans, they do have something to actually cheer about. Who would have thought that getting rid of McNabb would have actually opened the door for Vick to become a relevant QB again. The guy still has the legs, and while in prison he must have met up with Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, and Burt Reynolds and actually developed a throwing touch.

The guy can throw it a mile. Don't believe me. Here's some footage.



With a cannon like that and arguably the fastest receiver and biggest deep play threat in the league, Ron Mexico and DeSean Jackson will be filling highlight reels all season long.

Next up: McNabb's return to Philly. Wonder how classy Eagles' fans are going to be?

St. Louis 30 Washington 16

Sam Bradford is going to be a legit QB in this league. In the 3 weeks he has been started, the Rams have actually competed for 60 minutes. They have 0 wide receivers, their star back left with another injury, and their D reveals more holes than a weekend with Britney Spears, Lindsey Lohan and Paris Hilton in Vegas, but they still beat a team with a good coach, $100 million defensive tackle, and Donovan McNabb at QB. All-in-all pretty impressive.

Seattle 27 San Diego 20

See ya later Norv.

Arizona 24 Oakland 23

Well atleast Larry Fitz found the endzone. I guess that is a positive.

Indianapolis 27 Denver 13

Keeping with the white guy in the NFL theme. I'm stunned by Indy's stable of white receivers: Austin Collie, Anthony Gonzalez, Blair Witch, and Dallas Clark. I guess they are trying to challege the Pacers for white supremacy (that's a pun) in the city.

Kyle Orton isn't too bad. Other than him having the antithesis of Brady's hair, he isn't all that bad of a QB. With little weapons to work with, he still threw for 476 yards. That is 99 yards more than Derek Anderson and Bruce Gradkowski threw combined.

Chicago 20 Green Bay 17

So Chitown is the only undefeated team in the NFC. Who would have thought that. I guess the Mike Martz/Jay Cutler marriage is working out so far. Chicago does rely on the big play too much, but it is nice to see that Forte is becoming useful again as a pass catcher out of the backfield. The D looks solid again, and Devin Hester was able to return his first kick in 2 years. I still thing Green Bay will win this division, but does anyone really want to go to Soldier Field in January?

As for the Pack, they totally shot themselves in the foot today. 17 penalties. That is ridiculous, that is something expected out of the Raiders or Ravens. A big James Jones fumble was the demise of the team.

The Packers need to find a running back, Jackson and Kuhn aren't going to do enough to take the pressure off of Aaron Rodgers. The guy gets sacked enough as it is, but if defenses know he will be throwing every down, they can pin their ears back and smack him around. He is one guy that they can't afford to get hurt.

Think if San Fran would have taken Rodgers #1 instead of Smith.

JerMichael Finley is out of this world.

How is it possible that the Pack have only had 2 starting QBs in 18 years. That is completely mind blowing. In a league where injury is so common place having only 2 QBs in that length of time is insane. It's like trying to believe that Charlie Weis only does 1 rotation through the after game buffet.

Jets 31 Miami 23

Brandon Marshall finally had his breakout week. Granted Revis was hurt, and Cromartie just found out he had fathered another child in 2007, but he did have a breakout week.

I love how everyone was applauding the 3 stooges of New York for their disiplinary action of Braylon Edwards. They sat him out 1 quarter. Let's recap: he got a DUI this past week. He was in the car driven by Donte Stallworth when it struck and killed a man. He was arrested in Cleveland for punching a man in his face. Yep, 1 quarter seems sufficient.

So I guess in the NFL all it takes it to get a crime forgiven is to shave off a grotesque beard, or in the case of Ben cut off your long pervert hair. Basically if you have to clean up your image you have to get rid of excess hair. Hopefully that isn't the policy in the NBA or Charlie Villanueva could really be in trouble if he ever gets asked to clean up his image.

NFL

NFL Week 3 Tennessee @ NYG (-3): Both teams are looking to rebound from week 2 JWOW like losses in the Wizard of Oz game. Vince Young looks for some heart this week and Brandon Jacobs looks for his head. Antrel Rolle's interview this week questioning Giant coach Tom Coughlin sounded like a "ship be sinking" moment and has me leaning towards the longest tenured coach in the NFL and the Titans. Cleveland @ Baltimore (-10.5): Ray Lewis blamed the officials after Sunday's loss to the Bengals and no reporter seemed to ask him the most relevant question of the entire rant; "have you met Joe Flacco and do you realize he was once beaten out by Tyler Palco?". I can't lay over 10 to a team that is barely averaging double digits even against a coach who looks to be pulling a Joaquin Phoenix like ruse. Would it really surprise anyone to hear that Casey Affleck is filming Browns coach Eric Mangini for a documentary? Pittsburgh (-2.5) @ Tampa Bay: Pittsburgh should be allowed to play Tampa backup QB Josh Johnson as their starter. With the way the Steeler D is playing who plays QB is like a wedding DJ, it doesn't matter how good they are you are still going to dance and have fun. That theory will be put to test this Sunday with Charlie Batch who I am convinced had to be woken up and given pads after Dennis Dixon was injured. Buffalo @ NE (-14): Take heart Buffalo fans; Sabres training camp is under way. Cincy (-5) @ Carolina: We asked for it after week 1 and it only took until week 3 for the Jimmy Clausen era to begin. Matt Moore looked as familiar with playing QB in the NFL as Bristol Palin is with birth control and in turn the Panthers were made one dimensional. I don't see Clausen being able to duplicate Tom Brady's performance in week 1 vs. the Bengals, but he will do enough to give the Panthers hope. After two games and Palmer throwing 5 INT's that were dropped it is time to turn over the offense to Ced Benson. Atlanta @ NO (-4): This game should be an opening for Atlanta with NO coming off a late Monday night win across the country, but Atlanta seems harder to gauge than a drunk Ronnie from Jersey Shore pick up line. I can't shake the thought Matt Ryan is Tony Romo without a celebrity girlfriend. The only thing I am sure of is US Weekly breaking the news of Reggie Bush and Kim Kardashian getting back together now that he like her has nothing to do for the next month. I see a second straight Garrett Hartley kick to win it. SF (-2.5) @ KC: Through two weeks KC has found the winning ugly formula while San Fran's play has just been ugly. Any NFC West team laying points on the road makes the underdog as automatic as Real World/Road Rules challenge first night hookups or splitting Aces. Detroit @ Minny (-10.5): Minny has gotten older faster than Brittany Spears or the '10 Red Sox's, while Detroit has been game in two straight covers. Brett Favre's struggles have been well documented and the over/under is Week 10 on when he will be taking his talents back to high school fields in Mississippi. More concerning for Minny has to be AP getting stopped repeatedly at the goal line with the game on the line last week. The best back in the NFL finds a way to get in the end zone in that situation. Dallas @ Houston (-3): Will this be a line we look back on in five weeks and laugh at how wrong it was, like Ben Affleck once being thought of as an actor as opposed to a director? This game always means more to Houston and now they have more talent and the better team. A Cowboy loss followed by the by the bye week could lead to Bill Cowher patrolling the sidelines October 10th vs. Tennessee. Washington (-3.5) @ St. Louis: It will take all of Mike Shanahan's coaching prowess to not let last week's brutal home loss to affect the Skins play this week. McNabb showed last week that he can still be productive and Skins defensive coordinator Jim Haslett should have an easy time in his return to St. Louis defending Ram WR's who are as fleet footed as Margaret Cho's dancing. Games and weeks like this are why Shanahan was brought to Washington and I like the Skins laying the points. Philly (-3.5) @ Jax: Philly's offense is even more explosive with Vick as top dog. Most interesting question in this game is can enough Philly fans make the trip to prevent a TV blackout. Tough summer for Atlanta fans as the Hawks made Joe Johnson the richest NBA free agent, the Braves are collapsing and Vick is about to emerge as the better QB than Matt Ryan. Indy (-5.5) @ Denver: Last week Kyle Orton to rookie WR Demaryius Thomas emerged as a viable offensive threat and Indy showed that talk of their demise was premature. Without CB Champ Bailey this week we should learn how many points it takes to see backup QB Curtis Painter. Diego (-5.5) @ Seattle: "Norv and Diego look for redemption on the road", sounds like a line in a trailer for a Christopher Nolan movie. If you were Charger LT Marcus McNeil would you want to block for a QB that treats his O line like they are live in help? I just don't see the NFC West getting their first out of division road against a team on the fringe of super bowl contender status. Oakland @ Arizona (-4): I have already spent too much time on this game. NYJ @ Miami (-1.5): South Beach isn't the best place to send the Deltas and playing against the Phins will be no Toga party. Miami has had this game circled on the schedule and the Phins D will make Mark Sanchez look more disoriented than Braylon Edwards behind the wheel after a couple of cocktails. Green Bay (-3.5) @ Chicago: Mike Martz and Jay Cutler seem to make a great match as Martz is looking like the Ram genius he once was and Cutler like an MVP, I wonder if Martz has met Kristen Cavaleri yet? Chicago at home seems game for a Monday night rival and I wouldn't be stunned by an outright win, that last sentence was extremely hard to type coming from a guy firmly entrenched on team LC.

Week 4

College Football Week 4 First day of fall and conference season is beginning in earnest this weekend with some much anticipated SEC matchups. Every week is a battle in a conference that has won the past five BCS national titles and this week features a much anticipated top ten battle with the defending champs taking on a Heisman front-runner in a matchup of top ten teams. Before we get to that game there is a couple of intriguing undercards. Georgia @ Miss St (-1): Georgia QB Aaron Murray looked his best last week in the fourth quarter at home vs. Arkansas and only a Heisman like drive by Ryan Mallett kept the Bulldogs from forcing overtime. Still without suspended AJ Green, Georgia will continue to try to establish the run and take the pressure off Murray. Miss. St. has improved under coach Dan Mullin, but is still looking for a breakthrough win in SEC play. A last minute home loss to Auburn earlier this year showed that the Bulldogs are close and playing in Starkville at night should be enough for freshman QB Tyler Russell to get Dan Mullin a big SEC win and push Georgia coach Mark Richt closer to the exit in Athens. South Carolina @ Auburn (-3): Auburn needed an OT penalty a missed OT kick to hold off a very physical and un-ACC like Clemson team last week. South Carolina will bring a physical run game and one of the best RB's in the county in freshmen Marcus Lattimore. Auburn defense will be better after last week and Auburn QB Cam Newton showed he can play in some pressure. The SEC West is the stronger overall especially on defense and Auburn will prove that this Saturday. Alabama (-7) @ Arkansas: The best game of the weekend, featuring a Heisman QB against a defense that is better than about five NFL Ds. Arkansas' offense will be the talk of the week, but the Arkansas defense will have to play its best game of the year to slow down the Ingram/Richardson run game. I think Ryan Mallett will have some success against the Saban D and can keep this game interesting, I will take the points at home but the Tide will stay unbeaten. Oregon State @ Boise St (-17): Mike Riley has made a habit of playing good teams tough during his tenure in at OSU, as well as developing good college quarterbacks. Ryan Katz is playing at a high level and showed very well at Texas stadium vs. TCU and the best D he will play all year. Boise knows what is at stake in this game and will try to make an impression for the rest of the year. Kellen Moore is too tough to beat at home, but the 17 points make the Beavers the play. VTech (-4) @ Boston College: Boise State will be pulling for VTech big time as they open their ACC schedule in Boston. VTech got their first win of the year last week vs. ECU, but in the process lost RB Ryan Williams to a hamstring injury. VTech is one of the few teams that can replace a runner like Williams and Darren Evans and David Wilson will fill in this week. BC QB David Shinskie was 1-12 for 4 yds and 2 INTS last year @ VTech. The Chestnut Hill setting should be better for Shinskie this year, but the VTech defense will continue to present problems. Tyrod Taylor should be the better QB making VTech the play. Stanford (-4.5) @ Notre Dame: Andrew Luck has been the best QB in the nation this season and a national TV audience vs. ND is the perfect chance for him to make a national statement. ND has been bludgeoned on the ground two straight weeks and Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh will game plan enough to keep the ND defense on their heels and allow Luck to have a big day. The Irish offense under Brian Kelly has been a pleasant surprise and will put up points on Saturday, just not enough to stay close to Luck and a better Stanford team. Central Florida @ Kansas State (-7): KSU RB Daniel Thomas leads the country in rushing and has a favorable matchup vs. Central Florida's defense. Central Florida freshmen QB Jeff Godfrey has been a spark, but turnover issues are a problem and solving those problems in Manhattan will not be easy. Thomas should wear down the Knights defense and the second half making KSU the play.

First and Goal (from the 4)

1) As the final seconds of the Colts-Giants game were ticking away, I switched over to ESPN to catch the 8pm Sportscenter. Just thinking about watching Boomer and Tom Jackson run down the day’s action in the Blitz made me embarrassingly excited. To my dismay, apparently, the baseball season hasn’t officially ended yet and they were still showing an intense battle between Leyland’s Tigers and the ChiSox. The Tigers are up 4 with one out in the bottom of the ninth. Alright, this should be over soon, right? Then I remembered it was baseball and it’s never over soon. Sure enough, the White Sox rallied and forced extras. Luckily, Fox Sports West always shows episodes of NBA’s Greatest Games: Lakers Edition. It turns out the White Sox inept bullpen was a blessing in disguise, as FSN was playing the Lakers-Blazers Game 7 from 2000. One of my favorite personal challenges is to try to identify as many players as I can before the announcers say their names. Obviously, I got the easy ones. Kobe, Shaq, Sheed, Arvydas Sabonis, Scottie Pippen, Detlef Schrempf, Robert Horry, Damon Stoudemire, Rick Fox (who I recognized more from Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns). Next, I tried to pick out the more obscure role players: Bonzi Wells, Glen Rice, Brian Shaw, Steve Smith (who had an amazing third quarter). But I squinted on my non-HD TV to try to ID the fifth Laker player. AC Green?!? That’s right. AC Green was still on the 2000 Lakers. I just wanted to pass that on and hope someone else was as shocked as I was. (Highlight of the game: During a big Blazer run, Ahmad Rashad interviewing a furious Magic Johnson, who was wearing a stylish powder blue zip-up polo. Magic concluded the interview with “I’m mad, I’m just really mad.”)

2) Back to football, let’s overreact about everyone’s record after week 2 for awhile. Bucs and Chiefs in the Super Bowl. I’m calling it right now.

Undefeated Teams through week 2:

New Orleans (Point Differential +8)

The Saints haven’t looked dominant, but winning on the road on Monday night against a talented team isn’t easy. The Reggie Bush injury will hurt. He’s the best decoy in the NFL.

Pittsburgh (+14)

I’m completely biased, but the Steelers could make an argument for the best team through two games. This has got to be the earliest in the season any team has been forced to play with their 4th string quarterback. Batch wasn’t even supposed to be on the team at the start of training camp. A game in a half in and he’s the only QB the Steelers had left. Despite of that, they are 2-0 after two difficult games. Think about when they get their Pro Bowl quarterback back in week 6. The defense might not give up more than 21 points all year.




Green Bay (+34)

Clay Matthews struggled to start in college at USC, now he’s the early-early-early season favorite for defensive player of the year. He’s on pace for 48 sacks this year which would break the record of 22.5 held by Michael Strahan. And, reportedly, 17 Wisconsin newborns have been named Clay in the past 2 weeks.

Houston (+13)

Arian “Brotherhood” Foster went off for 231 yards and 3 touchdowns in week 1. Matt Schaub threw for almost 500 yards in week 2. However, the most important stat as the year progresses may be that they’ve given up an average of 430 yards passing per game. That’s ridiculous.

Tampa Bay (+16)

Tampa Bay being undefeated is like the guy who continually goes after the ugliest, most desperate girl in the room and then brags because he got laid. Yeah, you’re undefeated, but come on, you played the Browns and Panthers.

Bears (+12)

Devin Hester’s one handed catch would have been the best of the weekend, if it weren’t for Randy Moss. Moss’ catch was just showing off. It reminded me a little of my college intramural football days. Back to the Bears: I’m about 95% sure I’m going to regret this statement but the Bears are starting to look like a poor man’s Saints. A ton of weapons, a pass catching running back, and a QB that spreads it around. Again, in three weeks, I’m going to try to forget that I said that.

Miami (+9)

They were lucky to get the Vikings early, before Favre gets back into form. Despite their 2-0 record, I still think they have looked like the 3rd best team in that division. It’s good that they are winning early though. They are going to be invisible in that city once the NBA gets underway.

Kansas City (+9)

One way they could win the division: Play Jamaal Charles 80% of the snaps instead of 40%. He could be the third best running back in the league and we may never know.

3) When I first moved to San Diego, one of the most shocking culture changes was a commercial they played for the Chargers. They have to actually advertise for their games. This is one of the biggest cities in America, there is no team in nearby Los Angeles to compete with, and, for the past 7 or 8 seasons, the Chargers have been one of the best teams in the league. Yet they still have to advertise to get people to go to the games. In the first 20 years of my life, I had never seen an ad to buy tickets to a professional football game. Hell, aside from a few Giant Eagle spots trying to sell Jerome Bettis sticky buns or Hines Ward black and gold cookies (or Big Ben rape whistles), I can’t remember commercials for anything about the Steelers. They didn’t have to advertise. The Steelers are the biggest thing in Pittsburgh, you don’t have to go on television to say that.

But in San Diego, it’s different. People still love the Chargers, but not enough that they are actually willing to go to the game. With traffic, a 3 hour game turns into a 6 hour experience. That’s an hour and a half before and after the game that they could be surfing if they just watched it at home. Going to the game is a sacrifice. That’s why the Chargers were blacked out in local markets this past weekend.

Yet, still, Chargers fans are upset because the team won’t shell out the money to sign Vincent Jackson and Marcus McNiel. The radio shows and the papers are up in arms that the owners are too cheap to strike a deal with the two potential All-Pros like the Jets did with Darelle Revis. They won’t spend the money on a team that doesn’t even come close enough to selling out it’s home opener to avoid a black out. The fans are just as much to blame for this as the Jackson, McNiel, and the ownership.




4) Finally, in an effort to steal as many gimmicks as I can from Peter King, here’s my favorite quote of the week:

Minnesota Vikings Defensive End, Jared Allen, on whether he still follows the mullet way of life now that he’s cut his hair:

“Well I still do three of the four things. I still cut the sleeves off my shirts. I still love America; that’s a big one. And I still respect others that rock the mullet. I just don’t do the fourth one: rock the mullet myself.”

I feel like he’d get along well with Mac from It’s Always Sunny.

Steelers vs Titans

Before we get to the Steelers, here is some news out of Pens camp:

Ray Shero was signed to a 5-year extension as GM. Can't argue with this move. Aside from Ponikorovsky, the man has hardly made a mistake.

He had the balls to trade the farm for Hossa; that led to a trip to the finals.

Was fooled by Hossa into thinking a long term deal was coming, and when Hossa left for the Wings, Shero didn't panic. He solidfied the "core": Crosby, Malkin, Fleury, Orpik and Staal.

He brought in guys like Billy G., Chris Kunitz and Craig Adams; those guys helped bring Lord Stanley back to Pittsburgh. Not to mention being able to not only get Kunitz, but also Eric Tangradi, for human-road-cone Ryan Whitney.

His only mistake, in hindsight, was the Ponikorovsky trade. At the time it was heralded. We needed a winger, Poni was out there, and Shero made the deal. Poni sucked, we lost Caputi, but neither one would have been able to make up for our defensive deficiences.

Ray realized we needed to strengthen up our D. After letting Scuds and Hal Gill go, last offseason, our defense was nowhere nearly as formiddable in front of own net. He knew we couldn't resign Gonch, so he did the next best thing, traded for Hamhuis' rights, when signing the former Predator wasn't going to happen, Shero dove in head first into the defensive free agent pool and pulled out two champions in Martin and Michalek. Giddie up.

Other news out of camp. Derek Engelland is supposively hitting everything that moves. He got some quality time with the Pens early in the season last year, and played some good hockey. A little long in the tooth for a minor leaguer, but a strong camp could garner the coveted 7th defender spot on the roster.

Tangradi is skating with Mr. Duff and Geno. All is supposively going well for the Pens' top prospect. Mr. Duff had this to say,

“He [Tangradi] is a big kid,” Comrie said. “He’s young and he’s a guy who goes hard to the net. He is going to open up space for us. We only scrimmaged for 40 minutes, but we did a great job of cycling. Sometimes we get caught watching Geno stickhandling because he does that so well, but if Eric can go to the net and create space that will make our line successful.”

17 days til the puck officially drops at Consol.

Don't really have much to say about the Steelers so I'll keep it short and in a list.

Who would have thought Chuck Batch would be the actual QB? 3 weeks ago he was being fitted for a headset and clipboard.

The D is good. I mean, without Hampton, they held the best runner in the league to 34 yards. 34 yards. The guy ran for 100 yards in 12-straight games. Pretty impressive.

Troy Polamalu. The new father had a pick in the endzone and then this ridiculousness.



Dennis Dixon vs. Vince Young - Has there ever been a lower combined IQ for starting QBs in NFL history?

I think Omar Epps was finally out-fashioned by Jeff Fisher's gold plated sunglasses. Speaking of Tomlin, he's looking a little chubby these days. Just saying.





















Less spins by Mendenhall, that was nice.

Tony Hills? Really? Batch and Leftwich aren't very mobile, this can only mean good things to come.

Oh yeah, Leftwich was resigned today, and may start on Sunday.

Actually have a chance to go 3-0 with a win in Tampa. Tampa is also a surprising 2-0, but Josh Freeman hasn't faced a D like this.

I guess after seeing kickoff returners torch their coverage teams enough times something positive rubbed off. I'm not going to lie, I was bitching out loud as to why Mewelde Moore was the deep man.

Anyone else miss getting first downs?

2 games til Ben

Week 3

College Football Week 3 This week's slate of college games is like the Real Housewives of D.C.; yes it is still the Real Housewives, but a step down from Orange County and an even bigger step down from New Jersey. This would be a perfect Saturday of games for Ryder Cup weekend or the first weekend of MLB playoffs. While ESPN/ABC tries in vain to stir up interest in #1 Alabama vs. a Duke team that gave up 54 to Wake last weekend here are the Saturday plays. Arkansas @ Georgia (-2.5): Georgia and QB Aaron Murray looked lost last weekend without A.J. Green and the defense got steamrolled by South Carolina's Freshman RB Marcus Lattimore. A return to Athens should help, but a week is not enough time to get ready for Heisman candidate Ryan Mallett and an explosive Arkansas offense. In this gunfight Arkansas has a machine gun while Georgia has a water pistol making ARK + 2.5 and +140 on the money line as the play. Clemson @ Auburn (-6): Miami and FSU were both killers last week and the next time I take an ACC team to win a big non-conference game on the road Coach K will be on the sideline. Clemson is (2-0) after beating two JV teams, but (3-0) is too much to ask going into an SEC stadium to play a team that won a gutty road conference game last week. Clemson will have the best baseball player in the stadium in QB Kyle Parker, but Auburn finally has a QB who can run the spread in Cameron Newton, with their speed and physical play on D Auburn -6 is the play. Florida (-16.5) @ Tennessee: Getting 16 points at home really shows how much this rivalry has turned one sided. Florida has looked shaky the first two games of the year as QB John Brantley has struggled to find his rhythm as all Gator fans try to get over the Tebow hangover. Florida might struggle to dominate the SEC East like in past years, but Tennessee is a great place to try to find their rhythm. Losing to Oregon by 35 last week at home shows how far UT has fallen and John Brantley will use this game as a confidence builder for the rest of the season making Florida -16.5 the play. Maryland @ WVU (-9.5): This line has dropped four points since opening, but even at this reduced price Maryland looks to be a solid play. Maryland played surprisingly good defense in beating Navy and their option attack on Labor Day and that bodes well for them in this game vs. the WVU run game. WVU has looked very beatable in two wins this year vs. Coastal Carolina and in a late comeback OT victory @ Marshall. I think Maryland has the defense to contain Devine and force Geno Smith to make plays in the passing game to score points. I wouldn't be surprised if WVU squeaked out a win at home, but like every sharp in Vegas who took this game on Monday, Maryland +9 and the hook is the play. Iowa (-2) @ Arizona: Most teams would be a little intimidated going into a night road game in Tucson and would need a quarter to get up to speed, but a veteran physical team like Iowa should be sharp from the opening kickoff. The three headed RB machine led by Sophomore Adam Robinson should allow Iowa to pound the ball straight at the Arizona D and QB Rick Stanzi has the experience to handle this situation. Arizona will try to match Iowa's physical play, but I can't forget about how they played vs. Nebraska in last year's Holiday Bowl. Nebraska pushed them around the field with a strong defense and on the line of scrimmage and I see Iowa using that same formula in this game making Iowa -2 the play. UNLV @ Idaho (-7): Idaho has been strong at home vs. the number and the Vandals need a home game after the beating they endured @ Nebraska last week. In Nebraska, Idaho saw one of the best defenses in the country and turned the ball over more often than Allen Iverson playing the point. This week they should have a chance to establish a run game against a defense on the other end of the spectrum from Nebraska. Any win vs. a Mountain West school, even if it against one of the bottom feeders of that conference is important to Idaho, that along with the trend at home makes Idaho (-7) the play. Nebraska (-5) @ Washington: Very intriguing game after the emergence of Nebraska dual threat QB Tyler Martinez. Martinez has showed the ability to make plays with his arm and legs and even a pts/game in the teens allows Nebraska to win with the way their defense. The one downside to Martinez's game is has tendency to force things and make mistakes. Washington will need Martinez to make some of those mistakes so they don't have to work the length of the field vs. the blackshirts. This has been a game circled on the Washington calendar since last year and a loss would leave them a disappointing 1-2 out of the conference in the early season. If Washington has improved and is going to contend for the Pac-10 title they have to show well in this game, which I think they will at home. I won't be on the money line, but points at home make Wash +5 the play.

Week 1

A few takes on Week 1 of the NFL season, sort of the anti blitz with Boomer and TJ on Sportscenter. N.O.(14) Minny (9): The quality of this game is what the NFL deserves for starting the season on "Jersey Shore" night and this rock fight set a precedent for the rest of week 1. Minnesota has great sports fans, but this game confirmed the feeling that this is a year of karma for selling their souls for the sports mercenary, Brett Favre. Favre continues his Roger Clemens like tour of teams and it says a lot about a player when most of your former and current teammates can't stand you. How many weeks before Favre starts spending the majority of the week in Mississippi staring into a mirror and listening to his Wrangler commercial and John Madden fawning over his glory days a decade ago? Miami (15) Buffalo (10): Both teams showed who they were, Miami ran the ball and played solid D, while Buffalo made everyone who took them to go under the win total happier than a character on "Hellcats". The score was too close and Miami needs to put games like this out of reach if they are going to make the playoffs and make my Miami winning the division bet cash out. Tennessee (38) Oakland (13): Oakland under the win total continues to be a bigger lock every year than Bachelor relationships breaking up before the show airs. The only thing we learned about the Titans is that Johnson might go over 2,500 yards if and only if they played Oakland every week. Best thing about Sean Payton's new book; Al Davis bringing McDonald's burgers and KFC mashed potatoes and slaw to the meeting when Payton interviewed. Classic over 80 move that my Grandfather employs, he sticks to the Wendy's burgers and McDonalds fries. I bet Al Davis also tries to get a box at a buffet and gets a to go cup for his beverage at a sit down restaurant, all classic over 80 moves, if you don't believe me go to Hoss' on a Friday night. NYG (38) Carolina (18): Best thing about this game; the Jimmy Clausen era will begin shortly in Carolina. Pittsburgh (15) Atlanta (9): Terror suspects should be forced to watch this football game, after two quarters they would be scratching their eyes out and yelling for the pain to stop. At least the USA basketball gold medal game was on at the same time, what a game and a tournament for Durant, Westbrook and OK City fans. Pittsburgh played offensive games exactly like this last year (@Clev, vs. Cincy , Oak) with Ben and his rapists wit, the difference this year is they can win this type of game with a healthy Smith and Polamalu on defense even if John Moxon played QB. Tampa Bay (17) Cleveland (14): Eric Mangini must be trying to get fired like Constanza in the episode when the Met's want him to head their scouting department. Taking the ball out of the hands of Jerome Harrison who was averaging over 5 yds/carry and letting Delhomme throw game changing interceptions is a more fire-able offense than body suit man streaking during a Yankee game. The only chance Tampa had was Delhomme and Mangini allowed it, paging Coach Mike Holmgren. Jax (24) Denver (17): Denver might have lost the game, but should win in the long run when both teams go 4-12 and Denver will hold the tiebreaker for the higher pick next year. Just like more cowbell you can always use more Tebow. Chicago (19) Detroit (14): What is it with Johnsons and rules that defy common sense? First Dustin in the bunker with the gallery and now Calvin and a game winning TD that would have validated a sharp money play line. Stafford's injury is a killer and maybe Martz should make Forte a WR and Hester a RB. This game showed the four reasons why Minny and GB should both threaten 10 wins. NE (38) Cincy (24): Perfect game for TO and Ocho Cinco as they were able to get a ton of touches in a no pressure atmosphere while being blown out early. Brady looks serious as he tries to play Ortiz to Moss' Manny and out score opponents all year. Houston (34) Indy (24): Has Indy lost the smoke to this smoke and mirrors defense? They have always been as soft as Angel Cabrera, but turning Arian Foster into Jim Brown is an accomplishment even for this team. Looks like Manning will have to go back to throwing 50 passes/game and the early total on the NE/Indy game has to be close to triple digits. Arizona (17) St. Louis (13): Derrick Anderson targets the best receiver in the league 15 times and can only complete 3, what does this say about how bad Matt Leinart was thought of in the desert? I bet Leinart gets moved to WR in pick up games at family reunions. Did I mention what a stirring weekend of games this was? GB (27) Philly (20): Best game of the weekend; Rodgers was shaky but the Pack D looks to be improved and Philly with Vick at QB is a scary squad. Kolb was as wide-eyed as a 15 year old boy at Hooters and played like that same kid trying to order at Hooters. Andy Reid has survived a lot, but can't survive sitting his best QB on the roster after booting McNabb to Washington in the offseason. Seattle (31) San Fran (6): Biggest stunner of the week, which team was predicted to win this division again? Very disappointed that we didn't get another Coors Light commercial from Singletary at the post game press conference after his team suffered this Vinny Chase like beating. Is it possible that the NFC West is even worse than we thought? Great example of why the NFL needs an EPL like relegation system. Wash (13) Dallas (7): Wade Phillips officially takes over for former Cavs coach Mike Brown as the head coach who looks the most confused and runs the most disorganized team. This game had more twists and turns than a WWE storyline capped off by the game reversing penalty to nullify a TD. It is hard to believe Jason Garrett was once a sought after coach, this is like trying to explain how Nelly was once popular. Balt (10) NYJ (9): Two teams still trying to figure out a way to win a game 0 to -2, this game played out as surprisingly as a Katherine Heigl movie plot. Only in the world of the Three Stooges (Johnson, Tannenbaum, and Ryan) can Sanchez be considered a QB for a super bowl contender. Wouldn't Mark Brunell be an upgrade or for that matter a 70 year old Joe Namath. As Rex Ryan would say; Let's go eat a snack. KC (21) SD (14): I thought I enjoyed sports but hearing that a contingent of KC fans went to the afternoon Royals/A's game and then went straight to this game in a torrential downpour made me re-evaluate this thought. At least they were treated to a winner in the opener of the Weis/Crennel era as coordinators. Thomas Jones getting as many carries as lighting quick Jamal Charles is criminal, as every ND fan is shaking their head mumbling Charlie. Really have to hand it to Norv for getting this team ready to play, Diego looked like they expected the grounds crew to tarp the field as they waited out the rain in the clubhouse. The Chiefs draft three players in the first two rounds all from SEC schools (Berry, Arenas, and McCluster) and all three make an immediate impact in their first games, Hmmm this is as stunning a coincidence as Paris Hilton always being around drugs.

Steelers vs Falcons

Some real quick points I will make following the field goal fest at Heinz field.

Jim Mora will:

A. Get fired really soon
or
B. Get beat up by Charles Davis

There are some bad announcers, but Mora is terrible. He doesn't shut up. He's not the play-by-play guy, yet he talked more than Dick Stockton. He got fired in Atlanta, got fired after 1 season in Seattle, a Seattle team, that under Pete Carroll stomped NFC West favorite San Fran, so this all adds up that he is not an expert and should keep this mouth shut. Albeit, that might be a problem with someone with the Mora genes.





Also 3 men booths don't work. Too many opinions, not enough air time. Maybe in baseball where there are lags in between action, but not in football where there is relatively constant action. Mora and Charles were continuously contradicting each other. If they remain in the confines of that small booth all season, fists will be thrown.

Ok now too the game.

Is Matt Ryan elite or going to be elite? Nope. He will be a servicable quarterback, but as he showed in this game, he can only make throws that Roddy White can catch.

Speaking of Roddy White, he is a beast. Wish I had him on my fantasy team.

Tough day for Turner, but going up against Tampa and Carolina's run D's twice a year should help the stats.

Steelers' run D was awesome. Larry Timmons really showed up to play.

Glad to see Bryant McFadden have a good game, after a rough preseason. 12 tackles.

Pay Lamar Woodley his money. Do it now. How can you let this monster walk?

I am an expert on hamstring injuries, so Casey Hampton, you need to ice for 48 hours then heat for 72.

Great run by Mendenhall to end the game. But come on, enough with all the spin moves. He attempts one on every play, sometimes twice on a single play; seriously watch for it, he will spin any time he gets past the line of scrimmage. It's a matter of time before he spins and runs into a wall in the form of Ray Lewis and gets totally destroyed and fumbles the ball at a crucial juncture of the game.

Great blocking by Trai Essex and Flozell the Hotel on the right side. David Johnson made it all happen with his seal block.

Who would have thought that Max Starks would turn into a really good professional left tackle. That ankle situation doesn't look too good.

The Steelers win with Troy Polamalu in the lineup. The defense is 10x better with him. Is it safe to say, with the difference his being in the lineup has on the team, that he is a Top-5 player in the league. What other safety is making that pick. Bob Sanders? Nope would probably have broken his hand. Ed Reed? Nope only picks off balls that hit him in the chest.

Really can't imagine watching football without the first down line. It's like cell phones, how did people actually do things 15 years ago.

Didn't hear Pouncey's name mentioned once. A great thing for a lineman making his first pro start.

Do you trust Jeff Reed to make a field goal with the game on the line. I don't. That miss late in the 4th yesterday reminded me of Week 2 last year in Chicago. And he's pissed about the money he's making. Hey buddy, you are a douche. Make kicks that matter, and lay off of innocent towel dispensers in Sheetz.




3 more games until Ben.