Wednesday, October 28, 2009
NCAA College Football: Week Nine Preview
Happy Halloween!! Here are the games that are personally of great interest to me this week:
USC at Oregon: This is it, the game that will decide the Pac-10 Champion for 2009 and go a long way to helping determine the final BCS rankings as the season moves into it's last quarter. Oregon, after a disastrous early-season loss to Boise State that saw their best running back, LeGarrette Blount, suspended for punching a Boise State player in the aftermath of that first game of the year. Since then, the Ducks have put an end to Utah's win streak, the longest in the building, put the cleaners through Jahvid Best and the Cal Golden Bears, and stifled a decent UCLA team at the Rose Bowl. Now the big game of the year comes. USC are heading to Eugene and Autzen Stadium, the toughest place for a road team to play in the Pac-10.
If Oregon wins, they go to the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day (perhaps to play the Hawkeyes of Iowa). Standing in their way is an awfully good USC team, who are flourishing under freshman QB Matt Barkley, who did nothing but engineer scoring drives in the shoot-out vs. Oregon State last week. Despite the loss of 6 starters, the defense is having a good season, despite last week's abboration against the Beavers. They'll need to be good to beat Masoli and a tough Ducks offense. This will be one of the games of the season, during which the Trojans will sneak in a win and escape Autzen Stadium whilst delivering yet more proof that they belong in the chatter surrounding the two berths in the National Championship Game.
Texas at Oklahoma State: The one thing that we all learned as a result of the Red River Rivalry in Dallas two weeks ago is that Texas aren't perhaps as good as we thought they were. Colt McCoy was continually rocked by the Oklahoma defense and there really wasn't much on offense to get excited about. All of that gives Oklahoma State more of a shot than I thought they had this time two weeks ago. Zac Robinson has done a good job directing the OSU offense up and down the field, despite the notable absence of #1 playmaker, Dez Bryant, whose NCAA-mandated suspension stands. It will be tough sledding for the 'Pokes, but they can run with Texas and I think they probably will. Horns by 3.
South Carolina at Tennessee: It's hard to know what Tennessee Volunteers team will turn up to play. They've been impressive against Georgia and (aside from special teams) last week against Alabama, and downright awful in some of their other games. It takes a brave man to take the Vols over the Gamecocks of the HEad Ball Coach Steve Spurrier, but if the Vols that destroyed Georgia and had Alabama dead to rights turn up, then things might get interesting for the 'Cocks. Playing in Tennessee makes it even more interesting. South Carolina are having a pretty good season, but this is a definite trap game. I say they beat the trap and win by 10 in what will be a hard-fought ball game.
Georgia vs. Florida: Normally this game at a neutral stadium in Jacksonville is one of the games of the year, not just amongst the SEC slate, but in all of college football. We all remember the "Gator Stomp" performed by the Bulldogs in 2007 after their 42-30 win...and then, the following year, Tebow and the Gators smacked them down for a revenge win, 49-10, the worst loss in Georgia coach Mark Richt's career.
Unfortunately, won't be the national power vs. national power match-up this year. The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party will be a solid Florida win. Georgia have not had the season that many expected they would. New QB Joe Cox is nowhere near as talented as Matt Stafford was, the running game isn't progressing as it needs to, and the 'Dawgs have been woefully up-and-down all season. They run Georgia close and then get blown out by Laine Kiffin's Volunteers. There's no rhyme or reason to this football team.
Florida, on the other hand, are right in the mix for a third national championship under Urban Meyer. You have to assume now, barring some extraordinary results through the last month of the season, that the Gators will face a red-hot but not invincible Alabama team in the SEC Championship Game, the winner most likely heading to Pasadena in early January for the 2010 Citi BCS National Championship Game. That's a long way off, though. Florida win this one by at least 3 TDs.
Miami (FL) at Wake Forest: Miami lost in an OT thriller to Clemson last Saturday, thanks to a monster game from Clemson RB CJ Spiller. Now they head into Wake Forest, an environment that is never easy. The Demon Deacons have had an up-and-down season this year, but have mostly gotten good output from their QB, Riley Skinner, who continues to impress, year after year. Miami need this win to keep them in touch with Va Tech and Georgia Tech, who are, to my way of thinking, the best two teams in the ACC thus far. Wake needs it to strengthen their post-season bowl destination. Miami by 14.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
NCAA College Football: Week Eight Review
Heisman-Alabama Chatter:
It's hard at the moment to come up with a clear front-runner for the Heisman Trophy. There's been a lot of talk about Mark Ingram, the RB from Alabama who is flat-out steamrolling each and every defense he comes up against week-in-week-out, but did the Tide's poor effort against the Volunteers on the weekend put pay to those chances? 'Bama got nothing out of their offense, and were lucky that their special teams were on the ball (pardon the pun) in blocking three field goal attempts, including an attempt to win the game with just seconds left. By all rights, Alabama should have lost that game. That was a Steve McQueen-style Great Escape. Ingram can't be favourite for the Heisman now. So who is? Houston's Case Keenum? Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen? I for one can hardly wait to see who gets invited to New York for the ceremony. The trophy race hasn't been this wide open in years!
Pac-10 Underestimated?
While everyone seems to want to continue to lavish love and praise on the SEC, which, frankly, has been a sub-par conference this season outside of Alabama and Florida, I would like to draw your attention to the goings on in the Pac-10 Conference. Perhaps because they play on the other side of the country and often in later time slots, the Pac-10 doesn't get anywhere near the same amount of love as the east coast conferences. But don't you sleep on these guys. Last year, people had all but written off the Pac-10 as being a force in college football...and the teams responded to those statements by stepping out during the bowl games to go undefeated, including big wins for Oregon against a Big 12 power in Oklahoma State and for USC against a Big Ten power in Penn State.
Look at the second release of BCS rankings and you find USC at #5, Oregon at #10, Arizona at #20 and even Cal sneak in at #24, despite some bad losses (USC and Oregon) earlier in the season. That's a pretty good effort for a conference that supposedly doesn't have any talent outside that of USC. There have been some brilliant games this season, with more to come, including USC vs. Oregon this weekend and the Oregon-Oregon State Civil War in a few weeks time. I don't know about you, but I'd prefer to watch two Pac-10 teams go at it than a yawner in the SEC.
BCS busted?
I feel dreadfully sorry for Boise State. For the entire season, since their opening win vs. Oregon (which looks to be a pretty sensational win now, given what's transpired since), the nation's pundits have been at them to win and put up style points. They're sitting undefeated now, but there's been a little left to be desired in terms of how close some lesser teams (UC-Davis and Tulsa, to name just two) have played the Broncos. We've all been demanding powerful wins that bring with them "BCS style points". We got exactly that with their blow-out win vs. Hawaii on Saturday night, yet they drop in the BCS rankings and lose their inside running on an at-large BCS bowl bid to TCU. How can you drop positions for losing? I know, it's the strength of schedule business, but it's a situation like this that makes light of just how crappy a system the BCS is. We need a playoff like the Oakland Raiders need to draft a real QB in next year's draft!
The ACC
This conference is insane. It's an all-in now, heading down to the back end of the season. Va Tech and Miami have both lost recently, and, incredibly, it's the Yellow Jackets from Georgia Tech and their insane option offense - QB Josh Nesbitt threw the ball only once vs. Va Tech the other week, doing it all on the ground instead - that finds itself in the box seat for a BCS berth. This time last week, you had to like Miami for the ACC. They were in a good place, despite the loss to Va Tech, with a team certainly capable of beating the Hokies in a rematch situation. I certainly had them as my ACC favourite, but their OT loss to Clemson (thank you, CJ Spiller; what a ball game that was) has thrown things wide open. It's going to be a crazy and great end to the season. The ACC has been a pleasant surprise this year. Things are right in the college football world when Miami FL are up high and in the mix.
Bob Griese
During the Minnesota vs. Ohio State match on Saturday, ESPN annoucer Bob Griese had a brain-fade bigger than any that Terrelle Pryor has come up with this year. During a promo for the upcoming NASCAR Sprint Cup race from Martinsville, VA, play-by-play man Dave Pasch introduced a graphic with the Top 5 in the standings. For the first time since the beginning of the ten-race Chase, Juan Pablo Montoya isnt in the 5. When Chris Spielman asked where JPM was, Griese replied, "He's out getting a taco!" Nice, Griese. Real nice. Nothing like a racially insensitive remark to start your Saturday of college football. After everything that has occurred with ESPN on-air talent this week - read Steve Phillips - you have to, more than ever, think before you say anything. I know he apologised, but still... The nation (and the world) is just looking for gaffes like that.
It's hard at the moment to come up with a clear front-runner for the Heisman Trophy. There's been a lot of talk about Mark Ingram, the RB from Alabama who is flat-out steamrolling each and every defense he comes up against week-in-week-out, but did the Tide's poor effort against the Volunteers on the weekend put pay to those chances? 'Bama got nothing out of their offense, and were lucky that their special teams were on the ball (pardon the pun) in blocking three field goal attempts, including an attempt to win the game with just seconds left. By all rights, Alabama should have lost that game. That was a Steve McQueen-style Great Escape. Ingram can't be favourite for the Heisman now. So who is? Houston's Case Keenum? Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen? I for one can hardly wait to see who gets invited to New York for the ceremony. The trophy race hasn't been this wide open in years!
Pac-10 Underestimated?
While everyone seems to want to continue to lavish love and praise on the SEC, which, frankly, has been a sub-par conference this season outside of Alabama and Florida, I would like to draw your attention to the goings on in the Pac-10 Conference. Perhaps because they play on the other side of the country and often in later time slots, the Pac-10 doesn't get anywhere near the same amount of love as the east coast conferences. But don't you sleep on these guys. Last year, people had all but written off the Pac-10 as being a force in college football...and the teams responded to those statements by stepping out during the bowl games to go undefeated, including big wins for Oregon against a Big 12 power in Oklahoma State and for USC against a Big Ten power in Penn State.
Look at the second release of BCS rankings and you find USC at #5, Oregon at #10, Arizona at #20 and even Cal sneak in at #24, despite some bad losses (USC and Oregon) earlier in the season. That's a pretty good effort for a conference that supposedly doesn't have any talent outside that of USC. There have been some brilliant games this season, with more to come, including USC vs. Oregon this weekend and the Oregon-Oregon State Civil War in a few weeks time. I don't know about you, but I'd prefer to watch two Pac-10 teams go at it than a yawner in the SEC.
BCS busted?
I feel dreadfully sorry for Boise State. For the entire season, since their opening win vs. Oregon (which looks to be a pretty sensational win now, given what's transpired since), the nation's pundits have been at them to win and put up style points. They're sitting undefeated now, but there's been a little left to be desired in terms of how close some lesser teams (UC-Davis and Tulsa, to name just two) have played the Broncos. We've all been demanding powerful wins that bring with them "BCS style points". We got exactly that with their blow-out win vs. Hawaii on Saturday night, yet they drop in the BCS rankings and lose their inside running on an at-large BCS bowl bid to TCU. How can you drop positions for losing? I know, it's the strength of schedule business, but it's a situation like this that makes light of just how crappy a system the BCS is. We need a playoff like the Oakland Raiders need to draft a real QB in next year's draft!
The ACC
This conference is insane. It's an all-in now, heading down to the back end of the season. Va Tech and Miami have both lost recently, and, incredibly, it's the Yellow Jackets from Georgia Tech and their insane option offense - QB Josh Nesbitt threw the ball only once vs. Va Tech the other week, doing it all on the ground instead - that finds itself in the box seat for a BCS berth. This time last week, you had to like Miami for the ACC. They were in a good place, despite the loss to Va Tech, with a team certainly capable of beating the Hokies in a rematch situation. I certainly had them as my ACC favourite, but their OT loss to Clemson (thank you, CJ Spiller; what a ball game that was) has thrown things wide open. It's going to be a crazy and great end to the season. The ACC has been a pleasant surprise this year. Things are right in the college football world when Miami FL are up high and in the mix.
Bob Griese
During the Minnesota vs. Ohio State match on Saturday, ESPN annoucer Bob Griese had a brain-fade bigger than any that Terrelle Pryor has come up with this year. During a promo for the upcoming NASCAR Sprint Cup race from Martinsville, VA, play-by-play man Dave Pasch introduced a graphic with the Top 5 in the standings. For the first time since the beginning of the ten-race Chase, Juan Pablo Montoya isnt in the 5. When Chris Spielman asked where JPM was, Griese replied, "He's out getting a taco!" Nice, Griese. Real nice. Nothing like a racially insensitive remark to start your Saturday of college football. After everything that has occurred with ESPN on-air talent this week - read Steve Phillips - you have to, more than ever, think before you say anything. I know he apologised, but still... The nation (and the world) is just looking for gaffes like that.
Friday, October 23, 2009
NCAA College Football: Week Eight Preview
Some of the games I'll be keeping an eye on this weekend:
Minnesota vs. Ohio State: A very interesting Big Ten game for a lot of reasons. Ohio State were woeful last week in their loss to Purdue, a school that has not exactly set the world on fire this year. Minnesota are an interesting team, transitioning from the spread offense to a pro-style scheme this year. Adam Weber is a capable quarterback, and has the added bonus of having a brilliant receiver in Eric Decker lined up outside. The tight end, Nick Tow-Arnett is also very talented. If their offense gets rolling, they might give OSU some trouble. Their linebacking corps is among the best in all Big Ten conference play. Meanwhile, Terrelle Pyror is under the microscope. I don't see much in the way of improvement from the highly-touted QB. Jim Tressell defends him, but that isn't worth a whole lot from a coach who has his own problems, at least if you read the local press. If Pryor turns the ball over as much as he did vs. Purdue this weekend, Minnesota, whose offense is much better than Purdue's, will make them pay.
USC vs. Oregon State: Everyone knows what happened in this game last year. The Trojans had their once-a-year brain fade and let the Rodgers brothers run all over them. One hopes that Pete Carroll beefed up the run defense this year. Of course, the Trojans will have circled this game as a way to exact revenge. If they can stop the run and force Oregon State to take to the air, they will win comfortably because Matt Barkley is flourishing under centre, and I don't believe that the Beavers can match them. Barkley is becoming a serious superstar early, and showing far more maturation and a broader skill set than the last highly-touted freshman QB, Ohio State's Terrelle Pryor.
Oklahoma vs. Kansas: Oklahoma will be without Sam Bradford, a familiar predicament for the Sooners in Season 2009. It will be interesting to see how they go after the loss to Texas in Dallas last weekend. Landry Jones is obviously capable. He came highly-recruited out of New Mexico, but the question is whether or not he's going in perhaps a season early. Not that there's much that can be done. He'll get better with time. Kansas, on the other hand, will be out to put up a better showing after last week's loss to the lowly Colorado Buffaloes. Todd Reesing continues to put up big numbers. Should be an interesting game, and hopefully a Big 12 shootout.
Iowa vs. Michigan State: The Hawkeyes would have pencilled this game following their undefeated start. It's a big test for them if they hope to make the Rose Bowl in January. Beat the Spartans this weekend and Ohio State in a few weeks and the Big Ten BCS berth is theirs. Michigan State are an interesting team, and certainly capable of derailing the Hawkeye train. Iowa, through their QB Ricky Stanzi, must continue to play mistake-free football. If they protect the ball, they can - and should - win this game.
TCU vs. BYU: After the first weekend of the season, it was assumed that this game would be to decide which team would be this season's BCS busters. Then BYU lost to Florida State a week after shocking Oklahoma at Cowboys Stadium. Still, it should be an entertaining game. If TCU keep winning and impressing, the chances are good that they'll leapfrog Boise State, who currently are in the cat-bird seat as far as getting an at-large invite into the Fiesta Bowl in January.
Texas vs. Missouri: Last year, Texas blew Chase Daniel and Missouri off the park in Austin. If Colt McCoy plays effectively, they should have a strong win again this year. Mizzou's QB Blaine Gabbert is going to be a star of the future. For a so-called rebuilding year, things are going pretty well in Colombia. They won't get past the 'Horns, who're on a collision course with Florida in Pasadena in the second week of January 2010.
Hawaii vs. Boise State: Boise State and Hawaii played a couple of great games back when the Warriors were led around the field by Colt Brennan. Those days are long gone. Boise have copped some flack for only just beating sub-par teams this season. Hawaii are awful. This should be a chance for the Broncos to run up the score and collect some much-needed style points to keep their hat in the BCS ring. Unless they lose, BSU has the inside running on a BCS berth. They won't lose against Hawaii.
NFL: Week Seven Preview
Green Bay vs. Cleveland: Cleveland have been responsible for some ugly moments this season. Aaron Rodgers and the Pack have been responsible for some interesting ones. I really can't see Cleveland winning this game, no matter who they start. I think the Packers are going to string a few wins together and show themselves to be a genuine threat in the NFC North. Packers by 21.
San Fransisco vs. Houston: Michael Crabtree is rumoured to be making an appearance this game. It's like waiting for Santa on Christmas morning. After San Francisco's woeful effort against the Atlanta Falcons two weeks ago, the Bay Area faithful are looking for some sort of bright spark. They'd want to hope that Crabtree brings it in the state where he set so many records as a Red Raider. Houston might be coming together. Matt Schaub has had some big games with his arm of late. I think the Texans win this, but it'll be a close one. Houston by 10.
San Diego vs. Kansas City: KC got their first win last week in a dire effort against an equally terrible Washington Redskins effort, while San Diego succumbed to Denver in an AFC West tilt on Monday night. Phillip Rivers didn't look too bad. Norv Turner's play calling was questionable. I still wonder why they let Schottenheimer go. At least their GM hasn't ripped anyone this week. Maybe he should - he might need to if the Bolts lose this week. Really, they shouldn't. I tip them with little confidence.
Indianapolis vs. St Louis: This game should be another 300-yard opportunity for future 2009 MVP Peyton Manning. I can't see the Rams defense stopping him. Nor can I see their offense keeping up when they have the football. Peyton is too good, and his receivers including dark horse fantasy surprises Pierre Garcon and BYU's Austin Collie, are too fast. They'll shred the Rams. Be nice to get some sort of viable running game going, Indy! Colts by 24.
New England vs. Tampa Bay: If this game wasn't at the venerable Wembley Stadium in London, there's no way CBS would be sending their #1 team for the contest. It shapes up as being just as lopsided as the Patriots' last start against the hapless Tennessee Titans. The question is, can Tom Brady better the record he set last week? You wouldn't bet against the dude, would you? I bet the NFL wishes they could flex-schedule the showcase game in London. All they'll showcase this Sunday is how bad the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are. Pats by plenty!
Minnesota vs. Pittsburgh: This could be the game of the week. The rumour I heard was that the Vikings always have 1.00pm games so Old Man River Brett Favre can make it back to the nursing home in Minneapolis for the 5.00pm dinner that they have in those places. Seriously, though, the Vikings are nowhere near as good as their record suggests. You have to wonder if this is the week that their flaws are put out there for all to see? Welcome back Troy Polamalu. Welcome to another big game, Ben Roethlisberger. Welcome to Minnesota's first loss of the season. Steelers by 10.
Buffalo vs. Carolina: Buffalo won in unconvincing fashion last week against the NY Jets, but they should have one by a mile, based on the takeaways they got off of Mark Sanchez. Carolina can win this. Their defense is looking much better and as long as they can run the ball with Williams and Stewart, which they can and will vs. Buffalo, they'll win against opposition this poor. Carolina by 17.
New York Jets vs. Oakland: Mark Sanchez has had a shocking two weeks. It's always good to have a game against the Raiders to get one's confidence back up. Surely JaMarcus 'I'm worse than Ryan Leaf' Russell can't avoid imploding two weeks in a row? Last week, based on his career thus far, he put up Hall of Fame-like numbers. It was just an epiphany, Raiders fans. JaMarcus still sucks. Sanchez rebounds, the J-E-T-S Jets defense finds their mojo, Rex Ryan smiles again and the Jets win by 21.
Chicago vs. Cincinnati: Chicago are as good as I thought they'd be. Cincy are a surprise packet. This should be a good game of football. The questions will inevitably be asked about whether Denver would have been as good as they currently are with Jay Cutler under centre. The only way Cutler can prove his worth is to keep winning. It'll be tough against a very good run game, spearheaded by Cedric Benson, and Carson Palmer has shown his worth with a handful of clutch performances that give us all flashbacks to his USC days. I think the Bears might eek this one out, by a solitary TD.
Atlanta vs. Dallas: Much has been said of Miles Austin's apparent emergence vs. Kansas City. Hold your horses, NFL fans. If you saw those plays, you know that the Chiefs tacklers were having a coffee break. Or it seemed that way, based on their pitiful attempts. I could have taken it to the house against that sort of defense. Anyway, when the Cowboys need OT to beat a winless and frankly terrible football team, they've got troubles. They needed a soft game this week against someone like Cleveland. Instead they get the Atlanta Falcons who're clicking on both sides of the football and look to be a genuine threat in the NFC. Roddy White and Michael Turner are going nicely now, and Matt Ryan has a wealth of talent out wide, and if he gets bored of that, there's always rumbling Tony Gonzalez over the middle (cue Joe Buck joke here). How nice for Matty Ice. Falcons win.
New Orleans vs. Miami: Some people think Miami's wildcat offense can run with the Saints. I don't. Chad Henne will find it to be tougher sledding against the Saints D than he did against the Jets. This game further underscores the fact that New Orleans are the best team in the NFL right at the moment. I say they win by 28!
Arizona vs. New York Giants: As a famous man once said, rumours of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. The same goes for the Giants. Let's face it, they weren't overly bad on Sunday. It was more that the New Orleans Saints were so on top of their game that no one was going to beat them. The Giants should have had at least another 7, but receivers made some crucial drops in the end zone and red zone. The defense will be back, as will Manning and the offense. It was a smart move to pull him out for the last quarter. David 'The Human Victory Cigar' Carr, got good game experience and Eli got to rest up ahead of picking off the Cards defense. Arizona won't be able to stop them on offense. The Giants D won't have two bad games. Giants win it easy.
Philadelphia vs. Washington: This is a battle to stay out of the NFC East cellar, between two very unconvincing teams. The Eagles made themselves the laughing stock of the league last week with a loss to Oakland. That gave Jim Zorn a chance to not be the laughing stock of the league for seven days. In that time, he's lost the play-calling duties to a guy who was calling bingo a month ago. Yeah, Daniel Snyder, way to fracture your locker room even further and ensure your coach is even more of a non-entity. How long til Zorn goes? How long til Jason Campbell goes? Maybe this week when they lose? Bet ya $20 Dan Snyder wishes Colt Brennan wasn't on IR! Todd Collins is only slightly better than Jason Campbell. It'll be like rearranging the deck chairs on Titanic. I wish Tony Kornheiser was still on the MNF crew, because his sarcastic wit is about the only thing to get anyone through this game with their insanity intact. Eagles by 10.
Monday, October 19, 2009
NFL: Week Six Review
The playoff picture and the overall strengths and weaknesses of front-running teams in the league became a little clearer after the sixth weekend of the year.
Even as a Giants fan, it was impossible not to be a little impressed by the way Drew Brees and the New Orleans offense torched the league's #1 defense for 40+ points. For those who thought that the Saints QB was losing it after two consecutive weeks without a touchdown toss, think again. Brees went 23/30 for 369 yards and 4 TDs. New Orleans have shown that they're the best team in the league, bar none. It'll take a VERY good football team to challenge them for NFC supremacy. As for the Giants, it's not all bad. Their closest NFC East rivals are now two games back, and you figure they'll be stronger for the experience. At least Eli Manning didn't get hurt.
Still on the NFC East, and I'm not quite sure what to make of Philadelphia's clunker against, of all teams, the Oakland Raiders. I must say, the Raider fans are the most fickle in the league. They booed JaMarcus Russell to begin the game and were cheering him to end the game. Compared to his previous efforts, his 17/28 for 224 yards and an 86-yard TD toss to Zach Miller could just about put him in the Hall of Fame. As for the Eagles and speaking of fickle...well, it's going to be a long week for Donovan McNabb in the City of Brotherly Love. You think Mike Vick's suddenly become their favourite Eagle QB?
Welcome back Tom Brady. How we missed ye! This was the Patriots offense we expected to see at the start of the season. Nothing like having the woeful Tennessee Titans coming into your house to use for a nice, handy, practice scrimmage-style tune-up. It wasn't even close. 5 TDs in the second quarter for Brady (29/34 for 380 yards and 6 total TDs), a 45-yard run for a TD by Laurence Maroney, and even Brian Hoyer, an undrafted free agent rookie out of Michigan State, managed to go 9/11 for 52 yards and a rushing TD. On the flip side, Kerry Collins was a terrible 2/12 for -7 yards and an INT. Expect Vince Young to start next week. Brady was 29/34 for 380 yards and a Patriots record 6 TDs.
The Vikings remain undefeated at 6-0 after another hero effort from Brett Favre to top a resurgent Baltimore Ravens outfit who got pipped at the post again this week. At 3-3, I'm not sure quite what to make of Joe Flacco and the Ravens just yet. They've been lucky twice in a row, and maybe three weeks running if you count the roughing-the-passer calls against Tom Brady and the Pats. The fact of the matter is, though, that they're in a tough division. The AFC North might be the toughest in the NFL this year.
Definitely the surprise of the season: the Denver Broncos. They took a lucky break in week one to beat the Bengals, and have played largely mistake-free football since then. When you give up a meagre 10 points in the second half all year, you're going to win football games. Josh McDaniels has done a great job at Mile High. He's revitalised guys like Brian Dawkins (whom many people thought was past it) and also roped in Brandon Marshall, whose output this season has him headed for a career year. As Ron Jaworski said on MNF yesterday: QB Kyle Orton is like the Rodney Dangerfield of the NFL. He gets no respect. You wonder when that will change, given the season he's having!
Honourable mentions:
Matt Schaub: 28/40 for 392 yards and 4 TDs. Always been high on Schaub. Could be a breakout season.
Ben Roethlisberger: 23/35 for 417 yards and 2 TDs. Big Ben just keeps on keeping on. Great selection of receivers.
Matt Ryan: 19/33 for 185 yards and 2 TDs. He keeps doing enough to win the Falcons football games.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
NCAA College Football: Week Seven Review
It's been another crazy weekend. More 'Survival Saturday' than anything else, it's seen the demise and downfall of some national heavies, ahead of tomorrow's initial BCS rankings. Some thoughts and observations after a good Saturday of football.
1. Notre Dame aren't quite there yet, in terms of competing with the national heavyweight teams, such as USC. As I - and a lot of other pundits predicted - their defense let them down. No such letdown problems on offense. If there's a hotter QB in the nation than Jimmy Clausen right now, I want him front and centre. He's doing it without his #1 receiver, and he's constantly having to dig his team out of holes dug by a poor offense. I believe that Clausen is still in the hunt for a Heisman. He has a chance to post some more impressive numbers against Boston College when the Holy War for 2009 goes down on Saturday in South Bend.
2. Speaking of hot QBs, Matt Barkley made a HUGE statement in his win vs. the Irish. It was a game that provided a lot of answers to a lot of questions. People had been asking, can Barkley throw the football? That's an affirmative, my friends. 380 yards, 2 TDs and one late INT made for a career day for the superstar freshman, and there are few better times to have a career day as a USC Trojan than against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. It settled the nerves of a lot of Trojan fans who feared that it was Barkley, not offensive coordinator/play caller Jeremy Bates, who was nervous early in the season.
3. This could be the start of something big and impressive for the Trojans in the back half of the season. In a wild Pac-10, they face Oregon State (a bogey team last year) at the Coliseum in LA next Saturday followed by an away blockbuster against resurgent Oregon at Autzen Stadium. If USC play like they did today for the rest of the year, they'll figure in the National Championship race yet again after their early season loss to Washington. A loss that will be far out of the minds of pollsters after today's effort.
4. Iowa are now, by far and away, the class of the Big Ten. Ohio State had a bad clunker against Purdue on Saturday, just as Penn State had their clunker against Iowa a few weeks back. The Hawkeyes are playing simple, mistake-free football and they look good. A handful of season-defining games are approaching, including against Michigan State and Ohio State. Win both of those, and you'd have to have Iowa as a lock for the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on New Year's Day. The Big Ten has been roundly awful this year.
5. Virginia Tech lost their shot at a National Championship Game berth and threw the ACC into chaos by letting Josh Nesbitt and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets run them ragged in Atlanta on Saturday night. It was Georgia Tech's first home field victory against a ranked team in some 47 years. Though Nesbitt completed only one pass, he ran for 151 yards and had two more rushers behind him who went over 50. Suddenly the ACC looks a whole lot more interesting. You figure Miami is back in the mix now that Tech has lost.
6. The Red River Rivalry, which they used to call the Red River Shootout, was more of a defensive battle than most people expected. Very sad to see Sam Bradford go down again with another shoulder injury. Sadder still to consider that he may not ever play in the colours of the University of Oklahoma again. Regardless of the game, there are few better college football atmospheres than the one we saw at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, with the Dallas State Fair as a backdrop. You can probably call Texas the favourite now for the Big 12 title, which would likely slide them into a BCS National Title game spot against the SEC champion. That said, anything can - and will - happen between here and now!
7. Alabama looked good vs. South Carolina. Florida didn't look so good against Arkansas. Four turnovers by the Gators is a very strange thing to see. Yet it happened on Saturday afternoon and they needed a field-goal on a final drive to win a lacklustre game. Right now, Alabama are the very best football team in the country, bar none. They should be rewarded for being just that. It'll be interesting to see if there'll be a flip-flop in positions when the first BCS rankings are released tomorrow.
8. Speaking of the BCS rankings, on the back of the results this weekend, I expect to see USC jump over a losing Virginia Tech and a Boise State Broncos team who beat Tulsa but didn't look particularly brilliant in doing so. The race is far from over! As I stated previously, Alabama are the best team in the nation and deserve to be rewarded as such.
Kitch's Player of the Week:
Honours are shared here by USC QB Matt Barkley, whose breakout game came at just the right time to stonewall Notre Dame and put the Trojans right in contention for a BCS National Championship berth, and Georgia Tech QB Josh Nesbitt who also had a career night while ending the National Championship hopes of ACC rival Virginia Tech.
1. Notre Dame aren't quite there yet, in terms of competing with the national heavyweight teams, such as USC. As I - and a lot of other pundits predicted - their defense let them down. No such letdown problems on offense. If there's a hotter QB in the nation than Jimmy Clausen right now, I want him front and centre. He's doing it without his #1 receiver, and he's constantly having to dig his team out of holes dug by a poor offense. I believe that Clausen is still in the hunt for a Heisman. He has a chance to post some more impressive numbers against Boston College when the Holy War for 2009 goes down on Saturday in South Bend.
2. Speaking of hot QBs, Matt Barkley made a HUGE statement in his win vs. the Irish. It was a game that provided a lot of answers to a lot of questions. People had been asking, can Barkley throw the football? That's an affirmative, my friends. 380 yards, 2 TDs and one late INT made for a career day for the superstar freshman, and there are few better times to have a career day as a USC Trojan than against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. It settled the nerves of a lot of Trojan fans who feared that it was Barkley, not offensive coordinator/play caller Jeremy Bates, who was nervous early in the season.
3. This could be the start of something big and impressive for the Trojans in the back half of the season. In a wild Pac-10, they face Oregon State (a bogey team last year) at the Coliseum in LA next Saturday followed by an away blockbuster against resurgent Oregon at Autzen Stadium. If USC play like they did today for the rest of the year, they'll figure in the National Championship race yet again after their early season loss to Washington. A loss that will be far out of the minds of pollsters after today's effort.
4. Iowa are now, by far and away, the class of the Big Ten. Ohio State had a bad clunker against Purdue on Saturday, just as Penn State had their clunker against Iowa a few weeks back. The Hawkeyes are playing simple, mistake-free football and they look good. A handful of season-defining games are approaching, including against Michigan State and Ohio State. Win both of those, and you'd have to have Iowa as a lock for the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on New Year's Day. The Big Ten has been roundly awful this year.
5. Virginia Tech lost their shot at a National Championship Game berth and threw the ACC into chaos by letting Josh Nesbitt and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets run them ragged in Atlanta on Saturday night. It was Georgia Tech's first home field victory against a ranked team in some 47 years. Though Nesbitt completed only one pass, he ran for 151 yards and had two more rushers behind him who went over 50. Suddenly the ACC looks a whole lot more interesting. You figure Miami is back in the mix now that Tech has lost.
6. The Red River Rivalry, which they used to call the Red River Shootout, was more of a defensive battle than most people expected. Very sad to see Sam Bradford go down again with another shoulder injury. Sadder still to consider that he may not ever play in the colours of the University of Oklahoma again. Regardless of the game, there are few better college football atmospheres than the one we saw at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, with the Dallas State Fair as a backdrop. You can probably call Texas the favourite now for the Big 12 title, which would likely slide them into a BCS National Title game spot against the SEC champion. That said, anything can - and will - happen between here and now!
7. Alabama looked good vs. South Carolina. Florida didn't look so good against Arkansas. Four turnovers by the Gators is a very strange thing to see. Yet it happened on Saturday afternoon and they needed a field-goal on a final drive to win a lacklustre game. Right now, Alabama are the very best football team in the country, bar none. They should be rewarded for being just that. It'll be interesting to see if there'll be a flip-flop in positions when the first BCS rankings are released tomorrow.
8. Speaking of the BCS rankings, on the back of the results this weekend, I expect to see USC jump over a losing Virginia Tech and a Boise State Broncos team who beat Tulsa but didn't look particularly brilliant in doing so. The race is far from over! As I stated previously, Alabama are the best team in the nation and deserve to be rewarded as such.
Kitch's Player of the Week:
Honours are shared here by USC QB Matt Barkley, whose breakout game came at just the right time to stonewall Notre Dame and put the Trojans right in contention for a BCS National Championship berth, and Georgia Tech QB Josh Nesbitt who also had a career night while ending the National Championship hopes of ACC rival Virginia Tech.
Friday, October 16, 2009
NFL: Week Six Predictions
Hard to believe a quarter of the season is already in the books! Should be a good week of good football.
Philadelphia vs. Oakland: Best to get the bad ones out of the way early, so that we may forget them as we move towards some of the better Week Six match-ups. This game will be an easy Eagles win. The Raiders are terrible. That charge is led by JaMarcus Russell. Look, people have started comparing JaMarcus to Ryan Leaf, another epic draft bust. That isn't right. It's NOT right! Comparing JaMarcus Russell to Ryan Leaf isn't even fair anymore. It's downright insulting to Leaf. Russell's ineptitude is truly in a class of it's own. The Eagles offense will roll here and the defense will have a field day. Birds by 31.
St Louis vs. Jacksonville: Another ho-hum affair between two teams who don't deserve anything more than what they've got this weekend - the commentary team that always gets the crappy games. The Rams have no offensive output. They're worse with Boller than they were with Marc Bulger. Although it's not all that much of a prediction, I believe they'll go through the season winless. They need to draft a good QB with their #1 pick. Sorry, Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy, you can't return to college to avoid a bad team this time around! Jacksonville by a field goal. Wouldn't be surprised if it was 3-0.
Kansas City vs. Washington: The Chiefs did everything they could to try and lose last week, including have a field-goal blocked. Then they gave up two huge plays to the Cowboys, who forced OT and won it. Scary to think that the inept effort of last week was KC's best of the year. Mike Shanahan will be watching this game closely, wondering what on earth he's going to inherit if the rumours are true. Two words, Mike: Colt Brennan. Redskins in a lacklustre game by maybe a TD.
Houston vs. Cincinnati: This could be a letdown game for the Bengals. Matt Schaub has been known to operate on a good week–bad week rotational basis, and he's due to have a corker. The Bengals will want to be careful. It's a trap game possibility. I'll still say the Bengals on the back of Palmer, Benson and an inspired defense, probably by ten.
Baltimore vs. Minnesota: Two weeks ago, Baltimore looked like the class of the AFC and had a pretty good defense, too. Now they're looking decidedly wobbly, and need to stiffen up against Brett Favre and the Vikings. The threat of Favre throwing and Peterson running has given good teams heart murmurs this year. If they can stack the box and stop AP, they'll dare Favre to beat them through the air. It's the only way I can see the Ravens winning. Vikings by 7.
Detroit vs. Green Bay: Aaron Rodgers has a QB rating of over 120, plus more than 500 yards through the air (with 6 TDs and no INTs) in two games against the Lions. But this isn't the same Lions team that we saw last year. They'll put up a fight, but no sane man can expect that they'll beat the Pack in Lambeau. Green Bay by 14.
Pittsburgh vs. Cleveland: Last week's Bills-Browns game was the worst I've ever had to sit through. You don't enjoy games like that. You endure them. The Steelers have their problems, especially finishing off teams on the offensive side of the football. But a game against the woeful Browns usually heals all wrongs. Big Ben to go wild. Steelers by 24.
Carolina vs. Tampa Bay: The Bucs are as bad as St Louis, Cleveland and Oakland. Carolina looked good coming back against Washington last week. They should win this one, because Tampa Bay are worse than the 'Skins. Panthers by 21.
New York Giants vs. New Orleans: Could be the match of the season thus far. Certainly, the Saints defense has been the story of the season thus far. Two undefeated teams who're impressive on both sides of the ball. Something's gotta give. I think it might be the Saints defense if Manning plays a full game. The Giants have the advantage in the running game, too. They win by a field goal. Game on One HD at 8.20am Monday morning.
Arizona vs. Seattle: The FOX Sports game at 7.00am on Monday morning. The Seahawks shut out Jacksonville 41-0 with Matt Hasselbeck back and firing. Apparently he inspired the defense to great things, as well. They match up well with the Cardinals. Their defense can bring pressure and hassle Kurt Warner. They might be the dark horse selection of the weekend. I say they win, by maybe a TD.
Buffalo vs. New York Jets: Buffalo, the other half of the worst NFL game ever, face Mark Sanchez and the Jets in New York. If they couldn't beat Cleveland, they won't beat the J-E-T-S Jets. Not a chance. Sanchez needs a good, easy game to get the mojo back. Or will it be back after he watches USC pound Notre Dame on Saturday? Both of Sanchez's teams win this weekend. Jets by plenty.
Tennessee vs. New England: If the Saints are the surprise of the 2009 season, the Titans are the major disappointment. New England come in after a loss to Denver in the Master vs. Apprentice game last week in the Mile High City. They rebound here and exploit the poor Titans D who're missing Jim Schwartz a heck of a lot! How long til Vince Young gets in the game? Pats by 14. Titans fall to 0-6.
Chicago vs. Atlanta: Another big game. Matty Ice was hugely impressive against the 49ers last week. I thought he'd struggle, but he didn't. Roddy White had 200 yards receiving and Turner got things going nicely on the ground. They meet a good Chicago team, whose offensive output has been pretty good. Jay Cutler looks at home. The big question is whether or not the depleted Bears D can stop Ryan and the Falcons offense.
Denver vs. San Diego: Finally, something we haven't had in years: a good battle for supremacy in the AFC West. It's been the domain of Rivers, LT and the Chargers for a while, but there's a new contender in town. Hopefully the Broncos won't wear their terrible poo-brown uniforms ever again. I'm all for celebrating heritage and all, but not when heritage is as ugly as it was up there in Denver. I think the Broncos will be celebrating a win on Monday. They will be too strong for the Chargers by about 14.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
NCAA College Football: Best Weekend of the Season?
This could be it - the very best weekend of the 2009 NCAA College Football Season. Sure, some people point to the last weekend of the season when Ohio State and Michigan face off, alongside the Kansas/Missouri Border War and the Backyard Brawl between Pitt and West VA, but this is it, folks. With BCS rankings coming out on Sunday and a Heisman Trophy race heating up, life is getting mighty exciting at Division 1 college campuses across the country.
With the annual Red River Rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma pushed back by a week to the third weekend in October (as opposed to the second weekend as is it's customary date), it leads into a few other match-ups that I'm salivating over.
Let's start on Thursday night:
This is it, the Big East Game of the Year down in Tampa, between the South Florida Bulls and the conference-leading Cincinnati Bearcats. Tony Pike and the Bearcats have powered through the early weeks, and look a decent chance to go all the way, win the Big East and face off against an ACC opponent (Va Tech, you'd have to say) in the Orange Bowl. But the Bulls have been good, even with their biggest star, senior QB Matt Grothe, injured and out for the season. Make no mistake, these two teams are the class of the Big East field. Whoever wins this game, wins the conference, barring some crazy capitulation. While I don't want to beat against the Bearcats in this one, the Bulls will have a rabid home crowd in Raymond James Stadium and they may be ripe to pull the upset.
If Thursday was big, Saturday promises to be HUGE:
The Dallas State Fair is on again, and at the Cotton Bowl, two of college football's greatest and bitterest rivals, the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners will face off at Midday in a stadium split down the middle in terms of supporters in the stands. The Longhorns came from 14 back to beat Colorado on Saturday night in Austin and it was clear that they were thinking a week ahead. The Sooners got their senior QB/Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford back just in time, and he tuned up with an easy win over Baylor. Last year's game was an epic. OU took the early lead and had the early ascendancy, but Jordan Shipley's punt return for a TD ignited the crowd and the game in the second quarter and Texas dominated from there. This year, I think the Longhorns are the stronger team, and although Oklahoma's chances of reaching the National Championship Game are shaky at best, they can easily be the spoiler and throw a spanner into the Big 12 works with an upset victory in Big D. It should be an enthralling game. If Colt McCoy has a blinder, he'll vault clearly into the Heisman lead.
America's focus turns from Dallas to South Bend, Indiana for the renewal of what many people believe is college football's greatest inter sectional rivalry. The Trojans of Southern California are in town to face up against the white-hot Notre Dame Fighting Irish. I have some concerns about the Irish defense. They've given up a lot of big scores (including 30+ to the Washington Huskies last game out) while the USC D, despite losing a wealth of NFL talent at the end of last season, are playing good, hard football. They've conceded only 43 points all season, which is on par with what they did last year. USC will win this if Pete Carroll opens the playbook and lets Matt Barkley launch the ball. The prospect of having Ronald Johnson and Damian Williams outside must be tantalising for the freshman QB. I think the Irish can go with the Trojans on offense for a while, but will need a massive lift on defense - a lift I don't think they'll be able to get against a solid USC run game. Throw Barkley and his receivers into that mix, and it's a game-winning combination. Should be an entertaining shootout!
It's all about the Big 12 on Saturday night with a pair of intriguing games. You've gotta love the schedule makers, right? The Oklahoma State Cowboys meet the Missouri Tigers in Stillwater in a game where Missouri will be out to make amends for a fourth quarter meltdown against Nebraska the previous week. The had a 12-0 lead at 3 quarter time and ended up losing 25-12 as Nebraska exploded offensively in the last frame, having done precious little prior. The Cowpokes had a win without their stars Kendall Hunter and Dez Bryant. Hunter, the exciting running back, should return. Dez Bryant, the subject of a NCAA investigation after being ruled ineligible, won't be lining up for QB Zach Robinson. This hurts the Cowboys, but not enough to give Mizzou a legitimate chance at the win. That's not to say that Blaine Gabbert and Danario Alexander won't have a crack.
Meanwhile, the impressive Kansas Jayhawks and their senior QB Todd Reesing travel to take on the University of Colorado Buffaloes. After going up 14-3 last week against Texas, the Buffaloes imploded and had 34 points scored on them. Coach Dan Hawkins benched his son Cody in favour of sophomore Tyler Hansen. It had to happen sooner rather than later. Would Hawkins have survived this long if his papa wasn't head coach? Perhaps not. On the flip side, the Fighting Manginos are on fire. Todd Reesing set all sorts of personal records last game vs. Iowa State and came within 38 yards of the highest yardage total in KU history. Wide out Kerry Meier, who is #2 on the QB depth chart at Kansas, is also setting records, with 16 grabs and two scores. They'll be too good for Colorado and keep chasing the Nebraska Corn Huskers for the lead of the Big 12 North.
In a word:
Cincinnati Bearcats
Texas Longhorns
USC Trojans
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Kansas Jayhawks
Strap in! What a weekend of college ball it's going to be!!
NFL: Week 5 Review
Seattle vs. Jacksonville: Seattle pounded on Jacksonville, 41-0. I thought the Jags would probably win that game. It says a lot for what Matt Hasselbeck can do as a leader of a team, and not just as a QB. We know he is a great quarterback. Three or four Pro Bowl appearances attest to that, but uit seems he has a unifying quality and inspires that defense. A good time for the defense to look good, as I was running them in Fantasy Football and picked up a nice 25 points. If Hasselbeck can stay healthy, I think Seattle can surprise people. They have all the tools on offense.
New York Giants vs. Oakland: This was predictable. Even with a bum ankle, Eli Manning picked apart the Oakland defense - if you can call what the Raiders play defense. The old-style Giants smashmouth running football still works. Bradshaw and Jacobs are a powerful one-two punch out of the back field to supplement what Eli is doing through the air. I bet Derrick Ward wishes he'd stuck around. Their next match-up against another 5-0 team, New Orleans, is perhaps the most intriguing game of the season thus far. Is it time Eli Manning was regarded as one of the premier QBs in the league?
Denver vs. New England: Well, the uniforms weren't much at all to look at, but Denver got it done where they needed to, and came away with what could well be looked back upon as a season-defining victory. They are 5-0, to a lot of people's surprise (including mine) and their match-up with San Diego next Monday night just might signal a shift in supremacy out in the AFC West.
Indianapolis vs. Tennessee: Peyton Manning keeps chugging along. It's just as well he keeps throwing 300-yard games because there's been absolutely nothing coming out of the run game. Addai can't get it going, nor can their rookie Donald Brown out of UConn. They'll need to fix this up if they're going to be serious challengers. You need a balanced offense to win playoff games. That said, Peyton is definitely on MVP pace. As for the Titans...well, when your home crowd starts calling for Vince Young in the 2nd quarter, you know you've got issues. They either miss Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz, who went to Detroit as a head coach, or last year was a fluke. This season will be a long one, but not because they'll make the AFC Championship Game.
Pittsburgh vs. Detroit: Things aren't completely right in the Steel City. By all rights, they should have blown the Lions off the park, based on talent, but it was a close game right to the end - and that was with Daunte Culpepper under centre for the Lions instead of Matt Stafford. Still, the Steelers are winning, and at the end of the day, a W is a W no matter how it comes about.
Cincinnati vs. Baltimore: One of the more intriguing games of the weekend. I keep thinking that Cincy would slip up somewhere soon, but they're playing good football on both sides of the ball and deserved the win. Carson Palmer, when healthy, is an elite QB and he has nice wideout options. The run game has come along well this season, too, and I've not seen the Bengals play D like this in years and years. It's the feel-good story of the NFL in 2009.
NY Jets vs. Miami: The Jets looked good up until two weeks ago. They were average on offense against New Orleans behind Sanchez's stinker of a game and their defense had trouble stopping the Miami offense last night. At least Sanchez rebounded. I tell you, Chad Henne looks good. He played a solid game last night, and did what he had to do. Perhaps Pennington's injury will be a blessing in disguise for the 'Phins.
Dallas vs. Kansas City: This was a close game, but it shouldn't have been that close. Dallas are a bad football team right now. Worse, they are sloppy. You can't be sloppy and hope to have success in the NFL. It shouldn't take three lucky plays - blocked field goal and two long-range TDs after poor tackling - for Dallas to beat Kansas City because KC are woeful. That it went to overtime says something about how good the Cowboys are. Or how good they aren't. Wade Phillips is on the hot seat, along with his NFC East coaching cousin Jim Zorn.
Cleveland vs. Buffalo: Ugh. Derek Anderson was 2/17 for something like 23 yards and a pick. Ugh. The Bills weren't real good, either. Ugh. It was like a train wreck: you didn't want to watch, but you couldn't quite bring yourself to look right away. The less said about this game, the better.
Philly vs. Tampa Bay: Tampa Bay are having the season from hell and are my best bet to go through winless. Playing the Bucs is pretty much like taking candy from a baby for any competent offense and the Eagles are rolling nicely. They'll challenge the Giants for NFC East supremacy. The Bucs will challenge St Louis for NFL mediocrity. Jon Gruden is probably thanking his lucky stars he got fired.
Minnesota vs. St Louis: As I said above, the St Louis Rams will battle with Tampa Bay for the position of top NFL cellar dweller. They were terrible again. Minnesota are going along nicely, but the big test will come against some better teams. St Louis is not in that category. Just a practice scrimmage, really. Favre and AP made it look easy. Coach Spags probably wishes he stayed with the Giants. If he were there, he'd be 5-0 instead of 0-5.
Washington vs. Carolina: Jim Zorn was a strange hire right out of the box. Now the rumour is going around that Mike Shanahan will be the new Washington coach, perhaps before the end of this season. I say remove Jason Campbell from QB as well. He's not good enough, and they have a kid there called Colt Brennan who, granted, is on IR right now, but was a star with Hawaii and has an arm like a cannon. He's your QB of the future. Campbell had the 'Skins up 15-0 and they should have won from there, but didn't. Been one of those seasons down in DC and we're only 5 weeks in. People are switching off and starting to talk more about Ovechkin than they are Portis. AO is ripping it up. Maybe he needs to start as a slot receiver for the Redskins?
Atlanta vs. San Francisco: I mistakenly thought this would be a close game. It wasn't. The Falcons ran all over the 49ers. Roddy White had less than a half dozen grabs and came up with more than 200 yards and a couple of scores. Michael Tuner was good on the ground, going for 97. Matt Ryan has all the skills a top-flight QB needs in this league. He and the Falcons are going to be around for a long time to come! The 49ers were woeful. I don't know where they go from here.
Houston vs. Arizona: The reality is that Houston should never have gotten this back to a one-score game in the 4th quarter. Kurt Warner and the Cards should have finished them right off when they were up 21-7. You can't do that and hope to win football games - at least not against the good teams. The Cards are not the team they were last year. They have a lot of work to do.
Monday, October 12, 2009
NCAA College Football: Seven Thoughts On Week Six
Here we go with seven quickies for Week Six!
1. Anyone who doubted the Florida defense this year should be ashamed of themselves. It was almost painful to watch the way Brandon Spikes and the rest of the Gators chomped and chopped their way through the LSU offensive line. Gary Danielson on CBS said it best: even Sam Bradford had trouble with that defense. Josh Jefferson is not in Sam Bradford's league. He was horribly outmatched and spent a lot of time on his back. Not quite the game I expected, but enjoyable nonetheless.
2. I'm predicting a Florida-Alabama tilt in the SEC Championship. Not much of a prediction, I know, given that they are the two best teams in the nation right now, but still, what a game that'll be!
3. Texas were woeful for half of the game against Colorado in Austin on Saturday night. They fully deserved to drop a position in the rankings. They're a long way behind Alabama and Florida right now, in my estimation.
4. Oregon's resurgence continues. They can win without Jeremiah Masoli, and that can only be a good thing. They had some good plays on defense and special teams, and the run game was about as good as ever. They're right back in the hunt for a PAC-10 title. Their home game against USC in a few weeks looms as being a belter. This entire conference is looking mighty interesting right now!
5. The pressure is right back on Bobby Bowden at FSU. It's going to be a long and interesting week in Tallahassee after losing on Saturday night, following on from the rumours that Bowden's days at the Seminoles are officially numbered. On the up side of things, Christian Ponder played pretty well.
6. Don't sleep on Kansas in the Big 12. It seems like everyone's forgotten them in the Big 12 North with Missouri and Nebraska getting all the press. The Fighting Manginos are looking good. Todd Reesing is as good a QB as there is in the country and his backup turned converted wide reciever Kerry Meier pulled in a lazy 16 catches (a school record) for 142 yards and two TDs for the Jayhawks vs. Iowa State on Saturday. They won a belter, 41-36. Get on board this train. Mildly interesting match vs. Colorado in Boulder ahead of some corkers against Texas, Nebraska and, of course, the oldest rivalry in college football, Missouri in the Border War.
7. Thinking that this might be the best weekend of college football this season. Texas and Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout at Midday, followed by Notre Dame vs. USC at 3.30pm and a host of interesting matches later in the evening.
Week Six Player of the Week:
I could've picked any number of players from the Kansas Jayhawks, but senior QB Todd Reesing gets the nod this week. A mightily impressive kid from a school that isn't necessarily known for football (at least not as much as it's known for basketball greatness), Reesing had a career day (as did receivers Meier and Briscoe outside) going 37/49 for 442 yards, 4 TDs and 1 INT. His QB rating was 174.1. Not a bad outing, and easily enough for Kitch's Player of the Week.
1. Anyone who doubted the Florida defense this year should be ashamed of themselves. It was almost painful to watch the way Brandon Spikes and the rest of the Gators chomped and chopped their way through the LSU offensive line. Gary Danielson on CBS said it best: even Sam Bradford had trouble with that defense. Josh Jefferson is not in Sam Bradford's league. He was horribly outmatched and spent a lot of time on his back. Not quite the game I expected, but enjoyable nonetheless.
2. I'm predicting a Florida-Alabama tilt in the SEC Championship. Not much of a prediction, I know, given that they are the two best teams in the nation right now, but still, what a game that'll be!
3. Texas were woeful for half of the game against Colorado in Austin on Saturday night. They fully deserved to drop a position in the rankings. They're a long way behind Alabama and Florida right now, in my estimation.
4. Oregon's resurgence continues. They can win without Jeremiah Masoli, and that can only be a good thing. They had some good plays on defense and special teams, and the run game was about as good as ever. They're right back in the hunt for a PAC-10 title. Their home game against USC in a few weeks looms as being a belter. This entire conference is looking mighty interesting right now!
5. The pressure is right back on Bobby Bowden at FSU. It's going to be a long and interesting week in Tallahassee after losing on Saturday night, following on from the rumours that Bowden's days at the Seminoles are officially numbered. On the up side of things, Christian Ponder played pretty well.
6. Don't sleep on Kansas in the Big 12. It seems like everyone's forgotten them in the Big 12 North with Missouri and Nebraska getting all the press. The Fighting Manginos are looking good. Todd Reesing is as good a QB as there is in the country and his backup turned converted wide reciever Kerry Meier pulled in a lazy 16 catches (a school record) for 142 yards and two TDs for the Jayhawks vs. Iowa State on Saturday. They won a belter, 41-36. Get on board this train. Mildly interesting match vs. Colorado in Boulder ahead of some corkers against Texas, Nebraska and, of course, the oldest rivalry in college football, Missouri in the Border War.
7. Thinking that this might be the best weekend of college football this season. Texas and Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout at Midday, followed by Notre Dame vs. USC at 3.30pm and a host of interesting matches later in the evening.
Week Six Player of the Week:
I could've picked any number of players from the Kansas Jayhawks, but senior QB Todd Reesing gets the nod this week. A mightily impressive kid from a school that isn't necessarily known for football (at least not as much as it's known for basketball greatness), Reesing had a career day (as did receivers Meier and Briscoe outside) going 37/49 for 442 yards, 4 TDs and 1 INT. His QB rating was 174.1. Not a bad outing, and easily enough for Kitch's Player of the Week.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
NCAA College Football: Eight Thoughts On Week Five
1. Georgia should have won against LSU, or at least had a proper shot at stopping the Tigers in the last minute-and-a-bit of the game after Joe Cox's stunning TD lob. Absolutely bogus celebration penalty after TD which set LSU up with good field position with which to win the game. You wonder what the umpires and referees are sometimes watching. Clearly it isn't what we are seeing at home. CBS's coverage of the call was interesting. When Gary Danielson, an NCAA apologist of the highest order, has a problem with the call, you know something's weird. This was weird!!
2. Stanford. The Stanford Cardinal are leading the PAC-10. Following their 24-16 victory over UCLA, the Cardinal have a 4-1 record and stand ahead of Oregon and USC. Just two seasons ago, these guys were the easy-beats of the conference (except when playing USC...) and now they're leading. Of course, Oregon and USC can leapfrog the Cardinal with a win, but still, impressive effort by the minnows of the conference.
3. Defense? What defense? The Houston/UTEP match-up was one for the ages. Houston QB Case Keenum, fresh off a HUGE game vs. Texas Tech a week earlier, went 51/76 for 536 yards and 5 TDs. The Cougars had 664 yards of offense and still lost by 17, 58-41. For the Miners, running back Donald Buckram went for 262 yards on the ground and 4 TDs. No other UTEP running back rushed for more than 16. Incredible stuff.
4. What to say about the Cal Golden Bears? They looked like world-beaters against Maryland and Minnesota. They looked bad against Oregon. They looked terrible against USC. The wheels have fallen off the Golden Bears bandwagon mighty quick these last two weeks. Jahvid Best has been held well the last two weeks and the offense has seemed ineffectual and unmotivated without them. The pressure falls back on Kevin Riley, and he's not leading his football team down the field. Trouble for Jeff Tedford.
5. Ahh, Boise State. Beat UC-Davis today. National Championship caliber team right there!! Have a big game next week against Tulsa. Aside from that...their strength of schedule, or lack thereof, is going to see them fall in the BCS polls. But they are a pretty good football team. It's just that the computers will hate them for a poor schedule. A lot of human pollsters already do. My girlfriend is back in Boise for a few weeks and went to the game last night. She called afterward to tell me how good the Broncos looked. They didn't look quite good enough. They should have pounded on UC-Davis, but didn't. The missus reckons they'll get to a BCS Bowl. Probably they will, but not the Championship Game.
6. Cincinnati are my dark horses for the BCS National Championship Game. They just keep on keeping on in the Big East. Their QB, Tony Pike, is a star. Watch out for these guys!!
7. Oklahoma. Not sure what to say here, but again, as with the BYU game, Sam Bradford doesn't play defense and he couldn't have stopped Jacory Harris and Javarris James from having huge games even if he was available. Oh yeah, did I mention that the swagger is back in Miami, baby? All they needed there was Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer and it would've been the 80's all over again. You have to think that OU's chances of reaching the National Title game are goneski. Their only saving grace is that their two losses have been out of conference. They can still throw a proverbial spanner in the works by beating Texas in a couple weeks time!
8. USC. Yes! They are back and in contention. They are sitting in 7th and figure to move up. You must assume that at least one of the three SEC teams above them will lose - it's a certainty, with Florida and LSU facing off this Saturday night. Then, Boise State fall a few positions on lack of strength of schedule. Say, also, that Oklahoma beat Texas and suddenly the mighty Men of Troy - who look dangerous again, thanks to solid offense, good special teams and a defense that's hittin' hard - are back in National Title contention. Of course, it all hinges on a HUGE tilt with Notre Dame in two weeks time. And another tilt vs. Oregon. And another against a bogey team, Oregon State. Two of those three games are away from the Coliseum. We'll see. Fingers crossed.
Player of the Week:
Touched on this guy before: Case Keenum. Career night, even in a losing effort for the Houston Cougars. An easy 51 of 76 for 536 yards and 5 TDs. On any other night, that's a huge win. As is 600+ yards of offense. Sadly not this night, but Case still wins Kitch's Player of the Week!
2. Stanford. The Stanford Cardinal are leading the PAC-10. Following their 24-16 victory over UCLA, the Cardinal have a 4-1 record and stand ahead of Oregon and USC. Just two seasons ago, these guys were the easy-beats of the conference (except when playing USC...) and now they're leading. Of course, Oregon and USC can leapfrog the Cardinal with a win, but still, impressive effort by the minnows of the conference.
3. Defense? What defense? The Houston/UTEP match-up was one for the ages. Houston QB Case Keenum, fresh off a HUGE game vs. Texas Tech a week earlier, went 51/76 for 536 yards and 5 TDs. The Cougars had 664 yards of offense and still lost by 17, 58-41. For the Miners, running back Donald Buckram went for 262 yards on the ground and 4 TDs. No other UTEP running back rushed for more than 16. Incredible stuff.
4. What to say about the Cal Golden Bears? They looked like world-beaters against Maryland and Minnesota. They looked bad against Oregon. They looked terrible against USC. The wheels have fallen off the Golden Bears bandwagon mighty quick these last two weeks. Jahvid Best has been held well the last two weeks and the offense has seemed ineffectual and unmotivated without them. The pressure falls back on Kevin Riley, and he's not leading his football team down the field. Trouble for Jeff Tedford.
5. Ahh, Boise State. Beat UC-Davis today. National Championship caliber team right there!! Have a big game next week against Tulsa. Aside from that...their strength of schedule, or lack thereof, is going to see them fall in the BCS polls. But they are a pretty good football team. It's just that the computers will hate them for a poor schedule. A lot of human pollsters already do. My girlfriend is back in Boise for a few weeks and went to the game last night. She called afterward to tell me how good the Broncos looked. They didn't look quite good enough. They should have pounded on UC-Davis, but didn't. The missus reckons they'll get to a BCS Bowl. Probably they will, but not the Championship Game.
6. Cincinnati are my dark horses for the BCS National Championship Game. They just keep on keeping on in the Big East. Their QB, Tony Pike, is a star. Watch out for these guys!!
7. Oklahoma. Not sure what to say here, but again, as with the BYU game, Sam Bradford doesn't play defense and he couldn't have stopped Jacory Harris and Javarris James from having huge games even if he was available. Oh yeah, did I mention that the swagger is back in Miami, baby? All they needed there was Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer and it would've been the 80's all over again. You have to think that OU's chances of reaching the National Title game are goneski. Their only saving grace is that their two losses have been out of conference. They can still throw a proverbial spanner in the works by beating Texas in a couple weeks time!
8. USC. Yes! They are back and in contention. They are sitting in 7th and figure to move up. You must assume that at least one of the three SEC teams above them will lose - it's a certainty, with Florida and LSU facing off this Saturday night. Then, Boise State fall a few positions on lack of strength of schedule. Say, also, that Oklahoma beat Texas and suddenly the mighty Men of Troy - who look dangerous again, thanks to solid offense, good special teams and a defense that's hittin' hard - are back in National Title contention. Of course, it all hinges on a HUGE tilt with Notre Dame in two weeks time. And another tilt vs. Oregon. And another against a bogey team, Oregon State. Two of those three games are away from the Coliseum. We'll see. Fingers crossed.
Player of the Week:
Touched on this guy before: Case Keenum. Career night, even in a losing effort for the Houston Cougars. An easy 51 of 76 for 536 yards and 5 TDs. On any other night, that's a huge win. As is 600+ yards of offense. Sadly not this night, but Case still wins Kitch's Player of the Week!
NFL Week Four Predictions
Chicago vs. Detroit: The good times for the Lions will be on hold for at least a week. Chicago and Jay Cutler are hitting their stride and look to be a good football team. Detroit might turn into a good football team - just not this week. An interesting stat: Cutler is 12-0 heading into a game with a QB rating of 100 or above. Bears by 14.
Cincinnati vs. Cleveland: Eric Mangini seems to have the problem of a disillusioned locker room wherever he goes. It's what drove him out of the Jets and it seems set to do the same thing again in Cleveland. Derek Anderson is in for Brady Quinn. Not that it matters. There is nothing to throw to, aside from Braylon Edwards. It's akin to rearranging the deck chairs on Titanic. The Battle of Ohio will be more of a rout than a battle. Carson Palmer and the Bengals look good - wow, I can't believe I'm actually typing this, but it's the truth. Palmer is becoming the elite QB that he has the potential to be. Should be an interesting season for the black-and-orange. Also for Cleveland, but for different reasons entirely. Bengals by 21.
Oakland vs. Houston: JaMarcus Russell has an awesome arm. He just seems unable to put the ball in the right place. It hasn't been a good start for the Raiders. This match-up with the Texans looms as a must-win if they want to have any credibility. Oops, did I mention the 'C' word about a team run by Al Davis? Oops. Matt Schaub is a better QB than Russell and he has better options wide, including Andre Johnson. Texans by two TDs.
Seattle vs. Indianapolis: Peyton Manning was his usual brilliant self against the Cardinals last week. He might have unearthed a new star in Pierre Garcon. The Seahawks, a team who were the class of the NFC until a few years ago, have been less than their own brilliant selves. They're a different - and not so good - team without Matt Hasslebeck, who is in doubt. The defense isn't good enough. Peyton should pick it apart. A good day for those fantasy owners with Manning, and a bad day for Seattle fans. Although, any day where your team doesn't wear a bright-green uniform should be classed as a pretty good day!! Colts by 28.
Tennessee vs. Jacksonville: In terms of negative effort, the Titans are the early surprise of the season. They only lost three games all last year, and are 0-3 right now heading into a match-up with the Jaguars, who haven't exactly set the world on fire themselves. Both quarterbacks are under pressure. The difference is that the Titans have someone to turn to: Vince Young. The Jags don't. Garrard is their best bet. I'd like to say the Jaguars will win this, but I'm really not sure. Okay, the Titans by a field goal, only because they're a better team - I think - than their record suggests.
NY Giants vs. Kansas City: The Giants should do to the Chiefs what they did to the Bucs last week: hold them to a small amount of total yardage. It was 86 vs. Tampa and won't be much more against Cassell and the Chiefs. Matt Cassell's talent is wasted there. He's behind the worst line in the league and has nothing out wide worth really mentioning (see Cleveland). Their defense is mostly old guys who're no good anymore. It's going to be a long season for the Chiefs. Giants by 24.
Baltimore vs. New England: Arguably the match of the weekend. Should be a very interesting 60 minutes of football. The Ravens defense has been great. Can they shut down Brady? Sure, the Jets did. The Pats offense hasn't quite clicked as yet. Joey Galloway has been a massive disappointment. He's dropped and missed a lot of balls he should have caught. The Pats defense might be made to look silly by Joe Flacco, who is maturing into a really good QB with a gun arm. Ravens by 7.
Tampa Bay vs. Washington: The 2009 Redskins will be forever remembered for being the team against whom the Detroit Lions broke their 21-month losing streak. The 2009 Tampa Bay Bucs might be remembered for being the next team to go winless in a season. They were woeful against the Giants on both sides of the ball. I think the Redskins, despite their poor showing - woeful in the first half - will roll over the Bucs. There isn't much to be excited about down in Florida. Except maybe the Hurricanes!! Redskins by 14.
Buffalo vs. Miami: As I said, not much to excite football fans in Florida. The Bills will probably win here, but the real interest will be focused on whether TO goes catchless this game and who he might trash on Twitter post-game. Bills by 10.
NY Jets vs. New Orleans: Another possible game of the week candidate. I think the Jets defense might shut down Drew Brees and the Saints offense. They've done it to everyone else thus far. The Jets D has been one of the pleasant surprises of the season, not that we should have expected otherwise from Rex Ryan. But the way he's been able to get that unit together and transform them from what we saw last year is impressive. The Saints will be a threat in the NFC, but I think Sanchez and the J-E-T-S Jets might get it this week. If so, by a field goal. Jets by 3 in a low-scorer.
Dallas vs. Denver: The Cowboys didn't look all that impressive last week against equally unimpressive Carolina. They have a lot of work to do. Except for Jason Witten. That guy always seems to be open and it must be a wonderful thing for Tony Romo. He hasn't looked that good. I think he'll get the win with the Cowboys this week. They've got to get the show underway sooner or later. I'm still not sold on the Broncos. A win here and I'm sold, but...Cowboys by 14
San Francisco vs. St Louis: The Rams are another team who might go winless this season. They've been terrible beyond words, and the news doesn't get any better with Marc Bulger out, to be replaced by Kyle Boller. As for thr 49ers, even without Frank Gore, Glen Coffee is going to find plenty of running room against a poor Rams defense. The offense should do it easily. 49ers by 24.
San Diego vs. Pittsburgh: A huge game for the 1-2 Steelers, and a statement win if they can beat Phillip Rivers and the Chargers. It wasn't the usual Steelers team that came out and lost to divisional rival Cincinnati last week. Big Ben didn't look his usual assured self. I think they bounce back with a good win against the Chargers. I also think everyone in that organisation is counting down the hours, days and weeks until Troy Polamalu is back. With him, they're a great defense. Without, just mid-range. Still, the Steelers win at home by 10.
Green Bay vs. Minnesota: I heard someone call the Vikings the best team in the league last week. Come on, wake up and smell the roses! They're not that good - and were a Sage Rosenfels/Tavaris Jackson and a solitary inch away from losing to San Francisco in their last start. Still, the Monday night tilt with the Packers is intriguing, mostly because it'll be the first time that Brett Favre goes up against the team that made him a hero and a Hall of Fame-bound legend. Aside from a brain explosion against the Bengals, the Pack have looked good. Aaron Rodgers runs this team now, and it shows. He's a solid young QB. If they can stop the run, they can win. Pack by 7.
Cincinnati vs. Cleveland: Eric Mangini seems to have the problem of a disillusioned locker room wherever he goes. It's what drove him out of the Jets and it seems set to do the same thing again in Cleveland. Derek Anderson is in for Brady Quinn. Not that it matters. There is nothing to throw to, aside from Braylon Edwards. It's akin to rearranging the deck chairs on Titanic. The Battle of Ohio will be more of a rout than a battle. Carson Palmer and the Bengals look good - wow, I can't believe I'm actually typing this, but it's the truth. Palmer is becoming the elite QB that he has the potential to be. Should be an interesting season for the black-and-orange. Also for Cleveland, but for different reasons entirely. Bengals by 21.
Oakland vs. Houston: JaMarcus Russell has an awesome arm. He just seems unable to put the ball in the right place. It hasn't been a good start for the Raiders. This match-up with the Texans looms as a must-win if they want to have any credibility. Oops, did I mention the 'C' word about a team run by Al Davis? Oops. Matt Schaub is a better QB than Russell and he has better options wide, including Andre Johnson. Texans by two TDs.
Seattle vs. Indianapolis: Peyton Manning was his usual brilliant self against the Cardinals last week. He might have unearthed a new star in Pierre Garcon. The Seahawks, a team who were the class of the NFC until a few years ago, have been less than their own brilliant selves. They're a different - and not so good - team without Matt Hasslebeck, who is in doubt. The defense isn't good enough. Peyton should pick it apart. A good day for those fantasy owners with Manning, and a bad day for Seattle fans. Although, any day where your team doesn't wear a bright-green uniform should be classed as a pretty good day!! Colts by 28.
Tennessee vs. Jacksonville: In terms of negative effort, the Titans are the early surprise of the season. They only lost three games all last year, and are 0-3 right now heading into a match-up with the Jaguars, who haven't exactly set the world on fire themselves. Both quarterbacks are under pressure. The difference is that the Titans have someone to turn to: Vince Young. The Jags don't. Garrard is their best bet. I'd like to say the Jaguars will win this, but I'm really not sure. Okay, the Titans by a field goal, only because they're a better team - I think - than their record suggests.
NY Giants vs. Kansas City: The Giants should do to the Chiefs what they did to the Bucs last week: hold them to a small amount of total yardage. It was 86 vs. Tampa and won't be much more against Cassell and the Chiefs. Matt Cassell's talent is wasted there. He's behind the worst line in the league and has nothing out wide worth really mentioning (see Cleveland). Their defense is mostly old guys who're no good anymore. It's going to be a long season for the Chiefs. Giants by 24.
Baltimore vs. New England: Arguably the match of the weekend. Should be a very interesting 60 minutes of football. The Ravens defense has been great. Can they shut down Brady? Sure, the Jets did. The Pats offense hasn't quite clicked as yet. Joey Galloway has been a massive disappointment. He's dropped and missed a lot of balls he should have caught. The Pats defense might be made to look silly by Joe Flacco, who is maturing into a really good QB with a gun arm. Ravens by 7.
Tampa Bay vs. Washington: The 2009 Redskins will be forever remembered for being the team against whom the Detroit Lions broke their 21-month losing streak. The 2009 Tampa Bay Bucs might be remembered for being the next team to go winless in a season. They were woeful against the Giants on both sides of the ball. I think the Redskins, despite their poor showing - woeful in the first half - will roll over the Bucs. There isn't much to be excited about down in Florida. Except maybe the Hurricanes!! Redskins by 14.
Buffalo vs. Miami: As I said, not much to excite football fans in Florida. The Bills will probably win here, but the real interest will be focused on whether TO goes catchless this game and who he might trash on Twitter post-game. Bills by 10.
NY Jets vs. New Orleans: Another possible game of the week candidate. I think the Jets defense might shut down Drew Brees and the Saints offense. They've done it to everyone else thus far. The Jets D has been one of the pleasant surprises of the season, not that we should have expected otherwise from Rex Ryan. But the way he's been able to get that unit together and transform them from what we saw last year is impressive. The Saints will be a threat in the NFC, but I think Sanchez and the J-E-T-S Jets might get it this week. If so, by a field goal. Jets by 3 in a low-scorer.
Dallas vs. Denver: The Cowboys didn't look all that impressive last week against equally unimpressive Carolina. They have a lot of work to do. Except for Jason Witten. That guy always seems to be open and it must be a wonderful thing for Tony Romo. He hasn't looked that good. I think he'll get the win with the Cowboys this week. They've got to get the show underway sooner or later. I'm still not sold on the Broncos. A win here and I'm sold, but...Cowboys by 14
San Francisco vs. St Louis: The Rams are another team who might go winless this season. They've been terrible beyond words, and the news doesn't get any better with Marc Bulger out, to be replaced by Kyle Boller. As for thr 49ers, even without Frank Gore, Glen Coffee is going to find plenty of running room against a poor Rams defense. The offense should do it easily. 49ers by 24.
San Diego vs. Pittsburgh: A huge game for the 1-2 Steelers, and a statement win if they can beat Phillip Rivers and the Chargers. It wasn't the usual Steelers team that came out and lost to divisional rival Cincinnati last week. Big Ben didn't look his usual assured self. I think they bounce back with a good win against the Chargers. I also think everyone in that organisation is counting down the hours, days and weeks until Troy Polamalu is back. With him, they're a great defense. Without, just mid-range. Still, the Steelers win at home by 10.
Green Bay vs. Minnesota: I heard someone call the Vikings the best team in the league last week. Come on, wake up and smell the roses! They're not that good - and were a Sage Rosenfels/Tavaris Jackson and a solitary inch away from losing to San Francisco in their last start. Still, the Monday night tilt with the Packers is intriguing, mostly because it'll be the first time that Brett Favre goes up against the team that made him a hero and a Hall of Fame-bound legend. Aside from a brain explosion against the Bengals, the Pack have looked good. Aaron Rodgers runs this team now, and it shows. He's a solid young QB. If they can stop the run, they can win. Pack by 7.
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