29 September 2011
NFL Week 4
Detroit +1 1/2 at Dallas. The Mighty Detroit Lions Football Machine rolls into Dallas to play the Cowboys--the so-called *AmerICKa's Team.* Dallas is headed by Tony Romo, another in their long line of homosexual quarterbacks (Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman). Romo, say the sportswriters, is battling rib injuries supposedly sustained in the 49ers game a couple weeks ago. But it's more likely Romo damaged his own ribs before the game started as he engaged in his favorite pregame ritual: autofellatio. The Lions catch a break with Miles Austin out for this game, and have to deal with only Dez Bryant. The biggest problem for The Mighty Detroit Lions Football Machine will be keeping DeMarcus Ware off Mathilda Stafford. . .it would be nice if the Lions could run the ball for a change, and ease Stafford's load, but the Cowboys are only giving up 60 yds a game on the ground, and the longest run against them this year is just 12 yards. The game may come down to which team has its starting QB on the field in the 4th quarter. Detroit.
Minnesota at Kansas City +3. Battle of winless teams. Vikings are better, because they have #28. If negro head coach Leslie Frazier chokes this one away, things could get ugly in Minny. #28 is already griping, and McNabb will soon follow, as there will be no reason for an 0 - 4 Vikings team not to sit his washed-up ass on the bench and get Chrisitan Ponder ready for next season. The Chiefs were the biggest doormats in the NFL the first two weeks, but somehow managed to play the Chargers tough last week. This week they revert to their prior form, as #28 runs all over them. Minnesota.
New England at Oakland +4 1/2. Probably the most interesting game of the week. Both teams 2 - 1, but one wonders if the Patriots, with a horrible defense, are a team on the decline, and if the Raiders, who just came up short in Buffalo or they'd be 3 - 0 and co-darlings with the Lions instead of the Bills, are really a team on the rise. I don't think the Patriots, who give up 4.3 yds per carry, can handle the Raiders old school power run game. The Raiders rush defense is even worse than the Patriots, but New England is pretty much set-up to live-and-die by Tom Brady's right arm. . .and they died last week as Brady had 4 INTs. Should be a helluva game. I'll go with the home team getting the points. Oakland.
Atlanta at Seattle +4 1/2. I figured before the season started the Falcons were headed for a dip. I didn't think they were really a 13 win team, mainly because of the limitations in Matt Ryan's game. But I still figured them for 10 or 11 wins. They're sitting at 1 - 2, and they should be 2 - 1. Atlanta's problem is Michael Turner only has 42 carries in 3 games. It seems to me they drafted Julio Jones to go along with Roddy White, and they want to become some kind of New England South, with an all-out aerial attack. . .but Matt Ryan ain't Tom Brady. Go back to pounding the ball with Turner, and the wins should come. Seattle is a crap team with no offense, but they do have a fairly tough run defense. But the Falcons should still pound Turner, and be content to win 20 - 10, instead of trying to score 35 points with Air Ryan and open themselves up to INTs. Atlanta.
New York Jets +3 1/2 at Baltimore. The Jets defense hasn't been quite up to par this season, while the Ravens have two slaughters surrounding a mystifying loss to Tennessee. Blowhard Rex Ryan returns to Baltimore, and I think he leaves a loser. Baltimore.
28 September 2011
NCAA Week 5
Minnesota +20 at Michigan. As I'm typing this, it's still not known whether the Golden Gophers (what a cute nickname, eh?) will have their head coach, Jerry *She's Lost Control* Kill, on the sidelines this Saturday. Kill's had more shakes than a skidrow wino since taking over the downtrodden Gopher program. After playing USC surprisingly tough in Week 1, Minnesota has sucked--losing to terrible New Mexico State and FCS North Dakota State, while barely holding off the MAC Miami. The moribund state of Minnesota football has seemed to exacerbate Kill's seizures. I have the feeling he'd be better off skipping this one against Michigan. Michigan's defense is still shaky (ouch), and they have no passing game, but if North Dakota State can beat Minnesota by 13, Michigan should easily cover the 20 against the Gophers. Watching Denard Robinson streak past all Saturday afternoon would not be good for Kill's equilibrium. Do the needful, Coach Kill, and skip this one. Michigan.
Texas A&M at Ar-Kansas +3. Both teams proved they were not elite last week. A&M crapped themselves at home against Okie State, blowing a huge lead, and Ar-Kansas was brutalized by Alabama. Ar-Kansas is at home, and Ar-Kansas is from a superior conference. Ar-Kansas.
Mississippi State +7 at Georgia. Mississippi State has taken a giant step back from where they were at the end of last season (I guess that's what happens when you can't line up against RichRod's defense). They had to go into overtime to beat Louisiana Tech at home. Not good. Not good for a team that was supposed to be a tough out in the SEC. Georgia lost to two good teams to start the year, and the seat got hot for Coach Richt. . .but now they are in the middle of a very easy schedule for the rest of the year. They don't have to play the SEC's two thugs, LSU and Alabama, so they could easily finish with a 10 game win streak, and save Coach's job. The absolute worst Georgia could do is finish 8 - 4, and that's only if they lost at Florida and at Georgia Tech. Richt will be back next year. Georgia.
Michigan State +3 at Ohio State. Ohio State has a passing game that's about as bad as Michigan's. All Michigan State has to worry about is stopping the run. If Dantonio can't beat OSU this year, he never will. Unlike the Notre Dame game, in which MSU was rightly the underdog, the Spartans should be favored in this one. Michigan State should win the game outright, and win it fairly easily.
Clemson +7 at Virginia Tech. Clemson's coming off two big wins at home over ranked teams, and ol' boy Dabo Swinney has the Tigers primed for a dream season if they can get past Va Tech on the road. Clemson only has two other tough games left, at Georgia Tech in Week 9, and a season-ender at South Carolina. A 10 win or better season is in the bag if they get past the Hokies (yet another dumb nickname). Somehow, Virginia Tech is ranked #11 in the country--how the Hell anybody can tell anything about Va Tech is beyond me. Look who they've played in their first four games: Appalachian State, East Carolina, Arkansas State and Marshall. You shouldn't be ranked, no matter what kind of talent you may have, if you play that kind of schedule. Clemson's battle-tested, and I figure Dabo Magick will continue with a big win over pussy schedule Virginia Tech. Clemson.
Alabama at Florida +4. Florida's played almost as weak a schedule as Va Tech, and they find themselves right behind the Hokies, rated #12. Only getting 4 against Alabama?!?! Really?!?! Alabama will CRUSH Florida. Florida is ranked #12 based on a reputation earned from the Urban Meyer glory years, which ended when Alabama crushed them in the SEC title game in 2009. This Florida team has a couple speeds backs, Demps and Rainey, and that's it. Alabama will crush Florida for the third straight time.
Nebraska +9 at Wisconsin. Nebraska's first Big 10 game since defecting from the over-rated Big Whatever It Was. Nebraska was a tough team in that league the last couple years. . .but everyone will see they are really soft when they get steamrolled by Wisconsin. Two undefeated teams ranked in the Top 10, and one of them gets 9 points, so it's obvious the so-called experts know one of them is a football transvestite. But even 9 isn't enough for Nebraska. Wisconsin still has their power run game, and now they've added a fancy negro QB into the mix--this is the best Wisconsin team in modern history. No way Nebraska comes within 20 points of Wisconsin. Don't be surprised if Wisconsin wins by more than 30.
26 September 2011
"Hey, Learn The Fucking Rules!"
Ha ha ha. . .love the scorn and contempt Schwartz had for the zebras after the Lions memorable comeback win over the Vkings. Ha ha ha. . .learn the fucking rules, you idiots, don't try to rain on the Lions parade with some moronic zebra huddle-up trying to figure out if this is the fucking playoffs or not. . .Schwartz is really starting to grow on me. . .now that the Lions are winning, I like his edgy attitude.
The Lions started out terrible. Mathilda Stafford took a helluva beating in the first half. . .but she got up everytime and lasted the whole game, and I as figured she would if she could hold up, she put up enough points for the Lions to sneak past #28 and end their long drought in Minny. I kept waiting for Mathilda to stay down, or mince off the field holding her shoulder, but she kept getting up and kept firing, and in the second half, the (passing) yards and points rained down on the Vikings inside their dumbly named *Mall of America Field.* There's a long way to go, plenty more hits to absorb, but Mathilda passed her first endurance test today with flying colors.
Not to be overlooked is Lions defense shutting out #28 in the second half--that kept the game salvageable while Mathilda and Johnson and even old Pettigrew were getting warmed up.
Great win for the Detroit Lions. . .great audio from Schwartz.
The lack of a running game is still troubling, though. . .
Other games:
I get the feeling the window has now closed on the Patriots and Brady. . .no more Super Bowls. . .Brady isn't the *winner* he once was. . .still a great QB, but he is now beatable. . .and the Patriots defense isn't what it was, either.
I don't know how Tampa beats Atlanta. The better team lost that one. . .
I was not surprised to see the Raiders run over the Jets. . .the Raiders have a real old school running game, and they can punish most of the modern NFL's new school faggy defenses, even the so-called hard defense of blowhard Rex Ryan.
Michael Vick whining about getting hit. . .he don't get it. . .you keep your mouth shut after you've been given the breaks he's been given. I blame Tony Dungy. . .all his pampering of Vick has made Vick believe he is *redeemed.*
The other preseason hype team, St. Louis, is the biggest flop of the season. Jim Harbaugh could win that crappy division in his rookie year. But man, that 49ers - Bengals game must have been painful to watch.
Best box score stat of the day: Matt Forte, 9 carries for 2 yards. Ha ha ha. . .a real Mike Martz System special.
24 September 2011
Michigan 28, SDSU 7
The first sign of a difference between Hoke and RichRod: Michigan's defense finally showed some improvement. . .not a lot, but at least some progress is being made. Michigan is still too soft against the run, though Hillman did not hurt them as bad as I thought he would. The pass defense was decent, though some of that has to be attributed to the SDSU QB not being as good as advertised (happy feet, and some drops didn't help him either.) How much better the defense will perform in the Big 10 remains to be seen, but RichRod's defenses got worse week-by-week, even against the cupcake non-conference teams--so we do have some slight improvement.
The offense still remains Denard Robinson running the ball, which is troubling. As we saw last year, that won't be enough against the better teams in the Big 10. The passing game mirrors RichRod's defense--no improvement. The passing game is terrible. Michigan gets their punter back next week--they'll need him after the Minnesota game, because they are going to have a lot of 3-and-outs in the Big 10 unless they give up on trying to have Robinson be a pocket passer.
Michigan should beat Minnesota next week to get to 5 - 0, but I can see them losing the last 7 games with their Robinson-run-only offense and mediocre defense.
The offense still remains Denard Robinson running the ball, which is troubling. As we saw last year, that won't be enough against the better teams in the Big 10. The passing game mirrors RichRod's defense--no improvement. The passing game is terrible. Michigan gets their punter back next week--they'll need him after the Minnesota game, because they are going to have a lot of 3-and-outs in the Big 10 unless they give up on trying to have Robinson be a pocket passer.
Michigan should beat Minnesota next week to get to 5 - 0, but I can see them losing the last 7 games with their Robinson-run-only offense and mediocre defense.
23 September 2011
NFL Week 3
Detroit at Minnesota + 3 1/2. The last time the Lions won in Minnesota was 1997. . .Scott Mitchell was the QB and he hit Herman Moore for the winning TD. . .Barry Sanders had 138 yds. The last time the Lions went into a game in Minnesota as the favorite was 30 YEARS AGO! Ridiculous. The Lions are getting a lot of hype this year, and have lived up to it for the first two weeks. BUT, they looked a little spotty early last week against the Chiefs run game, and now they face #28. #28 can beat the Lions singlehanded, and he'll probably have to, because I would be shocked if Donovan McNabb causes much damage. For the first time in ages, the Lions actually look like the better team ON PAPER. They have a history of finding a way to lose to the Vikings. . .but I don't see it happening this time. Even if #28 busts a couple big ones, Mathilda Stafford should be able to put enough points on the board for the Lions to cover. Detroit.
Houston +4 at New Orleans. Ha ha ha. . .Houston's already got the AFC South clinched. They could start resting players for the playoffs. The Saints still have a lot to play for. New Orleans.
New England at Buffalo + 9. Both teams putting up a ton of points, though the Patriots have played a little better competition. Buffalo's probably the biggest surprise right now, though their Week One beat-down of the Chiefs is a little tarnished, since it is obvious now the Chiefs STINK and were a fluke last year. Still, they're getting 9 at home, and the Pats are giving up about 400 yds a game in the air. Buffalo.
Baltimore at St. Louis +4. St. Louis was getting almost as much preseason hype as the Lions, but they have sucked the first two weeks. I've never been impressed with Sam Bradford, and so far he has lived down to my expectations. The Ravens, after beating the shit out of the Steelers, were dominated by a mediocre-at-best Tennessee team. They were torched by Matt *Lazarus* Hasselbeck. No excuse for that. If they should somehow lose to St. Louis, then in two weeks they will have gone from Super Bowl contender to patsy. Baltimore.
New York Jets at Oakland +3 1/2. Oakland lost a tough one to the Bills last week. The Jets are 2 - 0, but I think they are a soft 2 - 0. Dallas gave them the first win, and they played a terrible Jacksonville team in Week 2. Oakland has a strong run game that can challenge loudmouth Rex Ryan's defense. The Jets run game has disappeared the first two weeks of the season, but the Raiders rush defense is not very good. Tough game to call, but I'll take Oakland.
Atlanta +1 at Tampa Bay. Man, I'd bet the house on this one. Tampa got manhandled by the Lions, and were getting their ass beat by Minnesota, before the Vikings collapsed and choked away the game. Atlanta should win this one EASY.
Green Bay at Chicago +3 1/2. Green Bay really struggled against Carolina, and their pass defense has been AWFUL. The Bears had a surprisingly easy Week One win over Atlanta, then got chewed up by the Saints. Jay Cutler is publicly fretting over his safety, as he's now having to endure the weekly Mike Martz System beating. This one rests on the question of whether or not the Bears defense can hold down Aaron Rodgers. I don't think so. Green Bay.
Pittsburgh at Indianapolis +11. Only 11?!?! So maybe Peyton Manning was a little more valuable to the Colts than I was willing to admit. . .Pittsburgh.
Houston +4 at New Orleans. Ha ha ha. . .Houston's already got the AFC South clinched. They could start resting players for the playoffs. The Saints still have a lot to play for. New Orleans.
New England at Buffalo + 9. Both teams putting up a ton of points, though the Patriots have played a little better competition. Buffalo's probably the biggest surprise right now, though their Week One beat-down of the Chiefs is a little tarnished, since it is obvious now the Chiefs STINK and were a fluke last year. Still, they're getting 9 at home, and the Pats are giving up about 400 yds a game in the air. Buffalo.
Baltimore at St. Louis +4. St. Louis was getting almost as much preseason hype as the Lions, but they have sucked the first two weeks. I've never been impressed with Sam Bradford, and so far he has lived down to my expectations. The Ravens, after beating the shit out of the Steelers, were dominated by a mediocre-at-best Tennessee team. They were torched by Matt *Lazarus* Hasselbeck. No excuse for that. If they should somehow lose to St. Louis, then in two weeks they will have gone from Super Bowl contender to patsy. Baltimore.
New York Jets at Oakland +3 1/2. Oakland lost a tough one to the Bills last week. The Jets are 2 - 0, but I think they are a soft 2 - 0. Dallas gave them the first win, and they played a terrible Jacksonville team in Week 2. Oakland has a strong run game that can challenge loudmouth Rex Ryan's defense. The Jets run game has disappeared the first two weeks of the season, but the Raiders rush defense is not very good. Tough game to call, but I'll take Oakland.
Atlanta +1 at Tampa Bay. Man, I'd bet the house on this one. Tampa got manhandled by the Lions, and were getting their ass beat by Minnesota, before the Vikings collapsed and choked away the game. Atlanta should win this one EASY.
Green Bay at Chicago +3 1/2. Green Bay really struggled against Carolina, and their pass defense has been AWFUL. The Bears had a surprisingly easy Week One win over Atlanta, then got chewed up by the Saints. Jay Cutler is publicly fretting over his safety, as he's now having to endure the weekly Mike Martz System beating. This one rests on the question of whether or not the Bears defense can hold down Aaron Rodgers. I don't think so. Green Bay.
Pittsburgh at Indianapolis +11. Only 11?!?! So maybe Peyton Manning was a little more valuable to the Colts than I was willing to admit. . .Pittsburgh.
22 September 2011
NCAA Week 4
North Carolina +7 at Georgia Tech. Both teams are 3 - 0. Ga Tech piling up yards and points at a record pace. . .their QB is averaging an unbelievable 37.5 yds per completion, and they get 7.9 yds per carry on the ground. As for North Carolina, they only beat Rutgers (Hauer) by 2. . .they'll be the latest team to buried by Paul Johnson's option offense. Georgia Tech.
San Diego State +10 1/2 at Michigan. Brady Hoke's old San Diego State team beat a weak Pac 12 team fairly easily at home last week. Now they play a weak Big 10 team on the road. SD State has an NFL running back in Ronnie Hillman (6.5 ypc) and a decent QB. Michigan still has an awful defense, and this week U-M will definitely need to put points on the board to win. . .and I think they'll need a passing game from Denard Robinson to do it. . .so this is the week the square peg/round hole offense finally costs Michigan. San Diego State.
Eastern Michigan +29 at Penn State. Eastern gave Michigan a much tougher time than the final 31 - 3 score indicated. Penn State struggled to beat Temple. Their offense has been horrible, and they'll have to shut out Eastern to have any chance of covering the 29. Eastern Michigan.
Georgia at Ole Miss +10. Coach Richt going up against a coach even more likely than himself to be fired. Houston Nutt is a Dead Coach Walking. Mississippi is terrible, and has no chance of staying anywhere near 10 against Georgia. Georgia.
Arkansas +12 at Alabama. Arkansas had Alabama beat last year until Ryan Mallet choked the game away in the 4th quarter with a couple dumb Favre-like INTs. I don't think Arkansas is as good as last year, and they aren't at home, but Alabama's offense isn't good enough to spot 12. Ar-Kansas.
Oklahoma State +4 at Texas A&M. Both of these teams, from the over-rated Big Whatever It Was, are ranked in the Top 10. Really?? Uh, sorry, neither one of them is that good. . .particularly A&M. Oklahoma State.
Florida State +2 at Clemson. Clemson's one of those teams that every year seem like they can beat anybody in the country, and also lose to anybody in the country. You never know what you will get. Florida State's offense was inept against Oklahoma last week, yet they hung in for most of the game. Clemson's coach is named Dabo Swinney, a fine name for a coach for a hillbilly school, and looky here, now. this good ol' boy was fired up a fer piece last week after taking down Auburn:
I'll take Clemson this week, just for that.
Colorado +15 at Ohio State. The Buckeyes looked awful last week against Miami. 45 yr old 10th yr senior Joe Bauserman looked like the second coming of Nick Sheridan, as he completed only 2 of 13 passes. The Buckeyes have Michigan State, Nebraska, Illinois and Wisconsin coming up in the next 4 weeks. If they don't win this one, they are looking at a 2 - 6 start. It would be an amazingly fast tumble into the toilet after Tressel's Magnificent Ten Year Run. Colorado.
Vanderbilt +16 at South Carolina. South Carolina's been playing with fire the first three weeks of the season, sloppy football, relying on Lattimore to bail them out late in each game. Vanderbilt's been SOUND, and should be able to cover. Vanderbilt.
LSU at West Virginia +6 1/2. After seeing LSU's defense play up to their hype last week, I'm ready to jump on the bandwagon. I think Geno Smith's gonna get knocked around like Paul Newman did against George Kennedy in Cool Hand Luke. LSU.
San Diego State +10 1/2 at Michigan. Brady Hoke's old San Diego State team beat a weak Pac 12 team fairly easily at home last week. Now they play a weak Big 10 team on the road. SD State has an NFL running back in Ronnie Hillman (6.5 ypc) and a decent QB. Michigan still has an awful defense, and this week U-M will definitely need to put points on the board to win. . .and I think they'll need a passing game from Denard Robinson to do it. . .so this is the week the square peg/round hole offense finally costs Michigan. San Diego State.
Eastern Michigan +29 at Penn State. Eastern gave Michigan a much tougher time than the final 31 - 3 score indicated. Penn State struggled to beat Temple. Their offense has been horrible, and they'll have to shut out Eastern to have any chance of covering the 29. Eastern Michigan.
Georgia at Ole Miss +10. Coach Richt going up against a coach even more likely than himself to be fired. Houston Nutt is a Dead Coach Walking. Mississippi is terrible, and has no chance of staying anywhere near 10 against Georgia. Georgia.
Arkansas +12 at Alabama. Arkansas had Alabama beat last year until Ryan Mallet choked the game away in the 4th quarter with a couple dumb Favre-like INTs. I don't think Arkansas is as good as last year, and they aren't at home, but Alabama's offense isn't good enough to spot 12. Ar-Kansas.
Oklahoma State +4 at Texas A&M. Both of these teams, from the over-rated Big Whatever It Was, are ranked in the Top 10. Really?? Uh, sorry, neither one of them is that good. . .particularly A&M. Oklahoma State.
Florida State +2 at Clemson. Clemson's one of those teams that every year seem like they can beat anybody in the country, and also lose to anybody in the country. You never know what you will get. Florida State's offense was inept against Oklahoma last week, yet they hung in for most of the game. Clemson's coach is named Dabo Swinney, a fine name for a coach for a hillbilly school, and looky here, now. this good ol' boy was fired up a fer piece last week after taking down Auburn:
I'll take Clemson this week, just for that.
Colorado +15 at Ohio State. The Buckeyes looked awful last week against Miami. 45 yr old 10th yr senior Joe Bauserman looked like the second coming of Nick Sheridan, as he completed only 2 of 13 passes. The Buckeyes have Michigan State, Nebraska, Illinois and Wisconsin coming up in the next 4 weeks. If they don't win this one, they are looking at a 2 - 6 start. It would be an amazingly fast tumble into the toilet after Tressel's Magnificent Ten Year Run. Colorado.
Vanderbilt +16 at South Carolina. South Carolina's been playing with fire the first three weeks of the season, sloppy football, relying on Lattimore to bail them out late in each game. Vanderbilt's been SOUND, and should be able to cover. Vanderbilt.
LSU at West Virginia +6 1/2. After seeing LSU's defense play up to their hype last week, I'm ready to jump on the bandwagon. I think Geno Smith's gonna get knocked around like Paul Newman did against George Kennedy in Cool Hand Luke. LSU.
18 September 2011
Today's Games
The Lions are up on KC. So far, Stafford has 273 yards, 3 TD's, and 1 INT.
How long until he gets hit and goes down for a year. He had the body for college, has the arm and head for the NFL, but can his body hold up? Or does he need better pass protection? Does Detroit invest heavily in pass blocking?
Indy is down to the Browns. I like Collins, but he's no Manning. And I'm not a fan of Manning, but there is a huge difference between the passing from Manning vs. the passing of Collins.
Hillis, the Great White Hope, is averaging a scant 2.7 yards a carry. He's a hoss, for sure, but he may be more fullback material a la Rathman. He catches and runs well. Can he match last year?
McCoy is turning into a nice workaday QB. 198 yards, 1 TD, 11 rushing. He needs that run-game. Is Hillis that guy?
The other Great White Hope in MN, Toby "I'm not black even though I'm named Toby" Gehrhart is under-used. Two rushes for 36 yards and one reception for 42. Yes, three plays don't mean the world, but he's under-used. As is Percy Harvin. Peterson has nice yards but coughed one up.
Saints are rolling. Brees looks excellent. The D has been harassing Cutler all day. It's a rare qb to be okay with the hits and hurries. Cutler is not one of them.
Big Ben is showing up (good for me; he's my fantasy football qb). Blowout in Seattle. Suck on that, Pete Carroll.
Rodgers is tame in GB. He's probably the best qb in football right now (good for you; he's YOUR qb).
How long until he gets hit and goes down for a year. He had the body for college, has the arm and head for the NFL, but can his body hold up? Or does he need better pass protection? Does Detroit invest heavily in pass blocking?
Indy is down to the Browns. I like Collins, but he's no Manning. And I'm not a fan of Manning, but there is a huge difference between the passing from Manning vs. the passing of Collins.
Hillis, the Great White Hope, is averaging a scant 2.7 yards a carry. He's a hoss, for sure, but he may be more fullback material a la Rathman. He catches and runs well. Can he match last year?
McCoy is turning into a nice workaday QB. 198 yards, 1 TD, 11 rushing. He needs that run-game. Is Hillis that guy?
The other Great White Hope in MN, Toby "I'm not black even though I'm named Toby" Gehrhart is under-used. Two rushes for 36 yards and one reception for 42. Yes, three plays don't mean the world, but he's under-used. As is Percy Harvin. Peterson has nice yards but coughed one up.
Saints are rolling. Brees looks excellent. The D has been harassing Cutler all day. It's a rare qb to be okay with the hits and hurries. Cutler is not one of them.
Big Ben is showing up (good for me; he's my fantasy football qb). Blowout in Seattle. Suck on that, Pete Carroll.
Rodgers is tame in GB. He's probably the best qb in football right now (good for you; he's YOUR qb).
17 September 2011
Michigan 31, Eastern 3
Score-wise, the game went about the way I thought it would. Eastern just covered the spread. The most troubling part of the game is that Eastern only attempted 6 passes. . .they ran on almost every down, and still averaged 4.5 yds per rush. One of the weaker MAC teams runs down after down, and the defense struggles. NOT A GOOD SIGN. In fact, Eastern had a chance to jump out to a big lead in the 1st Quarter, but stumbled, fumbled and bumbled its way out of at least 14 points. Again, we must conclude NO IMPROVEMENT on defense.
On offense, Robinson struggled badly passing the ball in the first half, and Michigan had to rely on him to run the ball. In second half Vince Smith picked up a few yards. Troubling: Hoke and Borges said they wanted to reduce Robinson's carries, yet today, against a MAC team, Robinson had 26 carries, and the tailbacks had 23 carries. NOT A GOOD SIGN. Again, Michigan is too reliant on Robinson in the running game. Against a MAC team, Michigan's tailbacks should do better. Vince Smith looked good in the second half, and maybe it's time for Hoke and Borges to admit this slow midget is their best tailback.
With Eastern refusing to throw the ball when the game got out of hand in the second half, you could conclude they gave up trying to win. BOTTOM LINE: Nothing to indicate Michigan will be any better in the Big 10 than they were under RichRod. Nothing to indicate they can beat anybody other than Minnesota, and maybe Purdue.
On offense, Robinson struggled badly passing the ball in the first half, and Michigan had to rely on him to run the ball. In second half Vince Smith picked up a few yards. Troubling: Hoke and Borges said they wanted to reduce Robinson's carries, yet today, against a MAC team, Robinson had 26 carries, and the tailbacks had 23 carries. NOT A GOOD SIGN. Again, Michigan is too reliant on Robinson in the running game. Against a MAC team, Michigan's tailbacks should do better. Vince Smith looked good in the second half, and maybe it's time for Hoke and Borges to admit this slow midget is their best tailback.
With Eastern refusing to throw the ball when the game got out of hand in the second half, you could conclude they gave up trying to win. BOTTOM LINE: Nothing to indicate Michigan will be any better in the Big 10 than they were under RichRod. Nothing to indicate they can beat anybody other than Minnesota, and maybe Purdue.
14 September 2011
Ha ha ha. . .Love The Notre Dame Agony
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| A Notre Dame Player Kisses His Master's Feet |
This link is hilarious. . .it's the end of the Michigan - Notre Dame game on the Notre Dame radio network. The agony and disgust in the Notre Dame announcer's voice is priceless. And, strangely, after Notre Dame scored to take the lead with 30 seconds left, he almost seemed to expect the meltdown that was about to hit the ND defense. . .
13 September 2011
NFL Week 2
Not many interesting games this week. . .
Chicago +7 at New Orleans. Chicago rolled Atlanta last week. . .but I refuse to believe Rod Marinelli is a good defensive coordinator. New Orleans.
Kansas City +8 1/2 at Detroit. Man, I can't remember the last time the Lions were this big of a favorite. Kansas City is a division champ, and they opened at home against a 4 win team, Buffalo, and got their ass beat something terrible. The Lions still have a little of the Marinelli Lions in them, though. Even though they beat Tampa last week, a few of the old Marinelli Lions fuck-ups cropped up, enough to keep Tampa in the game, even though the Lions whipped them convincingly on both lines. I want to see how the Lions handle Jamaal Charles' speed. They handled the plowhorse Blount with no problems last week, but Charles is a whole other breed. And don't forget McCluster, too. And I hate to take any bet giving 8 1/2. . .but. . .Detroit.
San Diego +6 at New England. Brady throws for 500 against Miami. But Henne tossed for 400 against the Pats. Rivers should be able to match Brady yard-for-yard. Six is a nice cushion for the Chargers. San Diego.
Philadelphia at Atlanta +2 1/2. Vick returns to Atlanta. This ought to be something to see. I think he puts on a show, and Matty Ice looks like yesterday's leftovers in comparison. Philadelphia.
Chicago +7 at New Orleans. Chicago rolled Atlanta last week. . .but I refuse to believe Rod Marinelli is a good defensive coordinator. New Orleans.
Kansas City +8 1/2 at Detroit. Man, I can't remember the last time the Lions were this big of a favorite. Kansas City is a division champ, and they opened at home against a 4 win team, Buffalo, and got their ass beat something terrible. The Lions still have a little of the Marinelli Lions in them, though. Even though they beat Tampa last week, a few of the old Marinelli Lions fuck-ups cropped up, enough to keep Tampa in the game, even though the Lions whipped them convincingly on both lines. I want to see how the Lions handle Jamaal Charles' speed. They handled the plowhorse Blount with no problems last week, but Charles is a whole other breed. And don't forget McCluster, too. And I hate to take any bet giving 8 1/2. . .but. . .Detroit.
San Diego +6 at New England. Brady throws for 500 against Miami. But Henne tossed for 400 against the Pats. Rivers should be able to match Brady yard-for-yard. Six is a nice cushion for the Chargers. San Diego.
Philadelphia at Atlanta +2 1/2. Vick returns to Atlanta. This ought to be something to see. I think he puts on a show, and Matty Ice looks like yesterday's leftovers in comparison. Philadelphia.
NCAA Week 3
LSU at Mississippi State +3 1/2. LSU is getting a lot of credit for Oregon fumbling the game to them. LSU’s defense, we are told, is awesome. Uh, OK--but Oregon actually outgained LSU. I guess in this era of flag football offense, *holding* a team to 27 points and 350 yards is *awesome.* Mississippi State.
Boise State at Toledo +20 1/2. I knew Toledo could play Ohio State tough, and they did. But they aren’t going to be able handle Kellen Moore. Kellen Moore is just a little bit better of a QB than Ohio State’s 45 year old 10th year Senior Joe Bauserman. Boise State.
Eastern Michigan +30 1/2 at Michigan. After RichRod beat ND in his *instant classic,* his horsehit defense played awful and let Eastern hang in for the first half. Will Hoke’s team continue to mirror RichRod’s? Or will the defense actually, finally show some improvement? I’m betting the defense will still suck, and allow Eastern to cover.
Wisconsin at Northern Illinois +16 1/2. Northern Illinois, probably the best team in the MAC, lost 45 - 42 last week at Kansas. If they can’t stop Kansas, there’s no way they can stop Wisconsin and their fancy negro QB from piling on the points. Wisconsin.
Tennessee +10 at Florida. Florida has beat up on two garbage teams, and Tennesse has played only slightly better competition. I’m tempted to take Tennessee, but Demps will probably burn them with a couple big gainers. Florida.
Michigan State +5 at Notre Dame. Wow. The Spartans are ranked 15th, held last week’s opponent to one first down, are playing an 0 - 2 team. . .and are the underdog. Ha ha. No respect for MSU for pounding two horseshit teams. The experts know Notre Dame gave away their first two games. Can Notre Dame give away 3 in a row? I’ll be shocked if MSU’s defense holds ND to less than 400 yards. Notre Dame.
Texas at UCLA +4. UCLA sucks, and Rick Neuheisel has been a complete flop. Still, UCLA beat the shit out of Texas last year. Texas barely beat BYU at home. Texas is soft, and play in the most over-rated conference. Wimpy UCLA will probably spank them again.
Arizona State at Illinois +1 1/2. Two teams in the second tier of their conferences, every few years they have a 9 or 10 win season, then promptly fall back. My pick for the team most likely to win 9 this year is Illinois.
Oklahoma at Florida State +3. Ooooh, big bad Oklahoma from the Big Whatever It Was conference!! Stoops hasn’t won a big game outside the conference in ages. He plays in a soft league, and he has a soft team. Florida State is not a top five team, but they should have little trouble whipping the dumbly nicknamed Sooners.
Ohio State +2 1/2 at Miami. The Death Penalty Bowl. Ohio State interim coach Fickell, in a bid he thinks will win him as many games as possible this season and allow him to keep his job, has played it safe by going with 45 year old 10th year Senior Joe Bauserman, instead of the more talented true freshman Braxton Miller. Dumb mistake. Sooner or later Fickell will have to stop playing MAC teams, and he will see how mediocre Bauserman really is, and then he will turn to Miller in desperation. Oh, sooner is this week, OSU plays at Miami, not really a very good team, but slightly better than Toledo. . .Miami.
Boise State at Toledo +20 1/2. I knew Toledo could play Ohio State tough, and they did. But they aren’t going to be able handle Kellen Moore. Kellen Moore is just a little bit better of a QB than Ohio State’s 45 year old 10th year Senior Joe Bauserman. Boise State.
Eastern Michigan +30 1/2 at Michigan. After RichRod beat ND in his *instant classic,* his horsehit defense played awful and let Eastern hang in for the first half. Will Hoke’s team continue to mirror RichRod’s? Or will the defense actually, finally show some improvement? I’m betting the defense will still suck, and allow Eastern to cover.
Wisconsin at Northern Illinois +16 1/2. Northern Illinois, probably the best team in the MAC, lost 45 - 42 last week at Kansas. If they can’t stop Kansas, there’s no way they can stop Wisconsin and their fancy negro QB from piling on the points. Wisconsin.
Tennessee +10 at Florida. Florida has beat up on two garbage teams, and Tennesse has played only slightly better competition. I’m tempted to take Tennessee, but Demps will probably burn them with a couple big gainers. Florida.
Michigan State +5 at Notre Dame. Wow. The Spartans are ranked 15th, held last week’s opponent to one first down, are playing an 0 - 2 team. . .and are the underdog. Ha ha. No respect for MSU for pounding two horseshit teams. The experts know Notre Dame gave away their first two games. Can Notre Dame give away 3 in a row? I’ll be shocked if MSU’s defense holds ND to less than 400 yards. Notre Dame.
Texas at UCLA +4. UCLA sucks, and Rick Neuheisel has been a complete flop. Still, UCLA beat the shit out of Texas last year. Texas barely beat BYU at home. Texas is soft, and play in the most over-rated conference. Wimpy UCLA will probably spank them again.
Arizona State at Illinois +1 1/2. Two teams in the second tier of their conferences, every few years they have a 9 or 10 win season, then promptly fall back. My pick for the team most likely to win 9 this year is Illinois.
Oklahoma at Florida State +3. Ooooh, big bad Oklahoma from the Big Whatever It Was conference!! Stoops hasn’t won a big game outside the conference in ages. He plays in a soft league, and he has a soft team. Florida State is not a top five team, but they should have little trouble whipping the dumbly nicknamed Sooners.
Ohio State +2 1/2 at Miami. The Death Penalty Bowl. Ohio State interim coach Fickell, in a bid he thinks will win him as many games as possible this season and allow him to keep his job, has played it safe by going with 45 year old 10th year Senior Joe Bauserman, instead of the more talented true freshman Braxton Miller. Dumb mistake. Sooner or later Fickell will have to stop playing MAC teams, and he will see how mediocre Bauserman really is, and then he will turn to Miller in desperation. Oh, sooner is this week, OSU plays at Miami, not really a very good team, but slightly better than Toledo. . .Miami.
10 September 2011
You Got To Be Kidding Me
I left the house to come work at the jail and the score was 24 - 7 ND. Michigan looked awful, and it would have been worse had Rees not thrown a couple sorry INTs. In fact, the first quarter was the worst quarter of Michigan football I had ever seen. . .
Every fear about the Hoke era seemed to be validated. . .
The defense was (is) still SHIT.
And Hoke/Borges had seemed to wreck an offense that was capable of piling up points and yards against mediocre teams like ND, and had turned it into a mirror image of RichRod's first offense. Robinson running this offense looked like fucking Nick Sheridan in the spread. . .
It was painful watching Robinson trying to be a pocket passer. . .a square peg trying to fit into a round hole.
I was resigned to another 2 or 3 win season. . .
BUT, I get to the jail and check the score on the internet to see how bad Michigan got beat, and What The Hell??
Michigan 35 - 31???
Somebody please tell me what happened. . .
Hoke is obviously the second coming of Fielding Yost.. .
Every fear about the Hoke era seemed to be validated. . .
The defense was (is) still SHIT.
And Hoke/Borges had seemed to wreck an offense that was capable of piling up points and yards against mediocre teams like ND, and had turned it into a mirror image of RichRod's first offense. Robinson running this offense looked like fucking Nick Sheridan in the spread. . .
It was painful watching Robinson trying to be a pocket passer. . .a square peg trying to fit into a round hole.
I was resigned to another 2 or 3 win season. . .
BUT, I get to the jail and check the score on the internet to see how bad Michigan got beat, and What The Hell??
Michigan 35 - 31???
Somebody please tell me what happened. . .
Hoke is obviously the second coming of Fielding Yost.. .
08 September 2011
NCAA Week 2
The Good (versus the Good):
Alabama at Penn State +10. I’m not sold on Alabama having an offense capable of a BCS title game trip. They struggled running the ball against a MAC team, and they’re still somewhat unsettled at QB. Still Penn State is only getting 10 points in the latest line, and PSU is also unsettled at QB. I’m very tempted to take the Embarrassing Spectacle(s) (Paterno) in this one. But 10 is not quite enough. Alabama.
Mississippi State at Auburn +7. Mississippi State was the best team I saw play against Michigan last year. They could have easily whipped Ohio State. . .but then again, I saw them in RichRod’s last game, when the team had already given up on him--so was Mississippi State really that good? Auburn at home getting 7? Auburn was lucky to win last week against a 4 win Utah State team. But still. . .at home, getting 7 in a conference game. Tough call. I’ll go with Auburn to cover.
South Carolina at Georgia +3. South Carolina only giving 3 against a Georgia team that was beaten fairly easily at home by Boise. That tells me nobody really thinks South Carolina is truly an elite team. This is probably the key game for Coach Richt. . .lose, and the noise will be LOUD, the season will become nothing more than speculation on who the next coach at GA will be. . .win, and he has a couple easy games coming up in which to start a job-saving win streak. But when a coach goes stale, it’s tough for his team to suddenly start playing crisp. South Carolina.
BYU + 7 at Texas. BYU managed to beat a poor SEC team on the road last week, and now plays one of the kingpins of the most-overrated conference, the Big Whatever It Currently Is, Texas. Texas is soft. But still, BYU should be getting a little more than 7. But Texas is soft. I’ll take BYU.
Utah +8 1/2 at USC. USC barely beat Big 10 doormat Minnesota last week. Utah is always tougher than people think. And besides, Utah State almost beat Auburn on the road last week, and Auburn is better than USC, and Utah is better than Utah State. How’s that for expert analysis? Utah.
Notre Dame at Michigan +3 1/2. These aren’t two good teams, but they have played very entertaining games the last two years, and the first night game in Ann Arbor should be worth a watch. Notre Dame would have been a bigger favorite had they beat South Florida last week. Actually, they did beat South Florida, but gave the game away with five turnovers. So now Michigan only gets 3 1/2. Notre Dame should be an easy cover.
The Bad (versus the Good):
Toledo +19 at Ohio State. Toledo’s actually not a bad team. . .they’re probably second to Northern Illinois in the MAC. But they are stepping up in class here, playing the Buckeyes. Toledo has a very good offense, and IF they could somehow score a few points early in the game, and put some pressure on the Buckeye QBs to produce, they could hang in long enough to cover. I’m not convinced the Buckeyes will not miss Tressel, though it might not be evident until League play. Toledo.
Oregon State +21 at Wisconsin. The Beavers lost at home to an FCS team last week. Wisconsin is always a little over-rated, in my opinion. And even though they got themselves a fancy negro QB this year, I think they are once again a little over-rated. Enough for Oregon State to cover.
The Ugly (versus the Good)
There are some really ugly games set for week 2. South Dakota St at Illinois. . .New Mexico at Ar-Kansas. . .Northwestern State at LSU. . .Woffod at Clemson. . .but this may be the UGLY Game of the Year:
Charleston Southern +53 1/2 at Florida State. Charleston Southern lost 62 - 0 last week to Central Florida, and Central is not exactly a powerhouse, and now Charleston has to play at Florida State. This may be like Coach Taylor’s first game at East Dillon, where he had to forfeit at half-time just to get his players home in one piece. Last week I said Alabama should be ashamed of itself if it had to throw on Kent St, and it turned out they had to. . .but really, now, there is no reason for Florida St to throw a single pass in this game, unless they want to score 100 points. This may be the biggest joke game of the season. Florida St could cover by half-time.
Alabama at Penn State +10. I’m not sold on Alabama having an offense capable of a BCS title game trip. They struggled running the ball against a MAC team, and they’re still somewhat unsettled at QB. Still Penn State is only getting 10 points in the latest line, and PSU is also unsettled at QB. I’m very tempted to take the Embarrassing Spectacle(s) (Paterno) in this one. But 10 is not quite enough. Alabama.
Mississippi State at Auburn +7. Mississippi State was the best team I saw play against Michigan last year. They could have easily whipped Ohio State. . .but then again, I saw them in RichRod’s last game, when the team had already given up on him--so was Mississippi State really that good? Auburn at home getting 7? Auburn was lucky to win last week against a 4 win Utah State team. But still. . .at home, getting 7 in a conference game. Tough call. I’ll go with Auburn to cover.
South Carolina at Georgia +3. South Carolina only giving 3 against a Georgia team that was beaten fairly easily at home by Boise. That tells me nobody really thinks South Carolina is truly an elite team. This is probably the key game for Coach Richt. . .lose, and the noise will be LOUD, the season will become nothing more than speculation on who the next coach at GA will be. . .win, and he has a couple easy games coming up in which to start a job-saving win streak. But when a coach goes stale, it’s tough for his team to suddenly start playing crisp. South Carolina.
BYU + 7 at Texas. BYU managed to beat a poor SEC team on the road last week, and now plays one of the kingpins of the most-overrated conference, the Big Whatever It Currently Is, Texas. Texas is soft. But still, BYU should be getting a little more than 7. But Texas is soft. I’ll take BYU.
Utah +8 1/2 at USC. USC barely beat Big 10 doormat Minnesota last week. Utah is always tougher than people think. And besides, Utah State almost beat Auburn on the road last week, and Auburn is better than USC, and Utah is better than Utah State. How’s that for expert analysis? Utah.
Notre Dame at Michigan +3 1/2. These aren’t two good teams, but they have played very entertaining games the last two years, and the first night game in Ann Arbor should be worth a watch. Notre Dame would have been a bigger favorite had they beat South Florida last week. Actually, they did beat South Florida, but gave the game away with five turnovers. So now Michigan only gets 3 1/2. Notre Dame should be an easy cover.
The Bad (versus the Good):
Toledo +19 at Ohio State. Toledo’s actually not a bad team. . .they’re probably second to Northern Illinois in the MAC. But they are stepping up in class here, playing the Buckeyes. Toledo has a very good offense, and IF they could somehow score a few points early in the game, and put some pressure on the Buckeye QBs to produce, they could hang in long enough to cover. I’m not convinced the Buckeyes will not miss Tressel, though it might not be evident until League play. Toledo.
Oregon State +21 at Wisconsin. The Beavers lost at home to an FCS team last week. Wisconsin is always a little over-rated, in my opinion. And even though they got themselves a fancy negro QB this year, I think they are once again a little over-rated. Enough for Oregon State to cover.
The Ugly (versus the Good)
There are some really ugly games set for week 2. South Dakota St at Illinois. . .New Mexico at Ar-Kansas. . .Northwestern State at LSU. . .Woffod at Clemson. . .but this may be the UGLY Game of the Year:
Charleston Southern +53 1/2 at Florida State. Charleston Southern lost 62 - 0 last week to Central Florida, and Central is not exactly a powerhouse, and now Charleston has to play at Florida State. This may be like Coach Taylor’s first game at East Dillon, where he had to forfeit at half-time just to get his players home in one piece. Last week I said Alabama should be ashamed of itself if it had to throw on Kent St, and it turned out they had to. . .but really, now, there is no reason for Florida St to throw a single pass in this game, unless they want to score 100 points. This may be the biggest joke game of the season. Florida St could cover by half-time.
NFL Week One
Nothing has grated my football nerves more than the endless hand-wringing over the status of Peyton Manning--as if he is somehow bigger than the League itself. Nonsense. Now that Lady Brett is finally gone, Manning inherits his throne as the most over-rated player in the game. Manning is a great regular season QB, full of stirring-but-meaningless comebacks against the Patriots, but, just like he was at Tennessee, he is not a great big game QB. Manning has an almost Favre-like tendency to throw the dumb game-ending INT. Like Favre, he has one Super Bowl to his credit, but even in that post season, Manning's play declined from his regular season levels. In fact, in his Super Bowl year, Manning had his WORST post-season, with a mediocre QB rating of 70.5 and an awful 3/7 TD/INT ration. Journeyman running back Dominic Rhodes was a bigger factor in the Colts Super Bowl win, and had the Colts faced a team with a QB other than Rex Grossman, Manning would still be looking for his first championship on either the collegiate or pro level. The NFL will get along fine without Manning. . .
In fact, I'll be pulling for the Colts to win every game with the quintessential mediocre NFL QB Kerry Collins replacing the *Face of the NFL*--let's see just how valuable Manning really was.
Games of the Week:
New Orleans +4 1/2 at Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers is everything that Manning supposedly was. Manning never even came close to having a post-season like Rodgers did last year, and was INCAPABLE of ever having a single game as nearly perfect as Rodgers' game against the Falcons. Rodgers is easily the most valuable player in the NFL. Without him, as the Packers showed in their dull 7 - 3 loss to the Lions last year, they are a very average team. With him, they are as close as the NFL now comes to unbeatable. And he's the reason I pick the Packers over the Saints, not only in this game, but for the Super Bowl as well.
Atlanta at Chicago +3. Features two teams I think will both suffer a drop from their 2010 records, though I think the Bears will suffer a bigger drop-off. . .mainly due to my bias against former Lions coaches Mike Martz and Rod Marinelli, the demented architect of the Perfekt Season. I'll take Atlanta in this game, as workhorse Michael Turner starts off the season still relatively fresh.
Philadelphia at St. Louis +4 1/2. The Rams are getting nearly as much hype as the Lions as a shitty team that might move up this year. They start off against the high-priced Eagles, and have the kind of pressure defense that supposedly is the undoing of Michael Vick. I'll believe it when I see it. Eagles.
Indianapolis +8 1/2 at Houston. The Texans will supposedly take over for the Manning-less Colts. But they're still just a .500 team. . .in fact, they are the NFL's Kolonopin team. . .no team is more prone to panic attacks than the Texans, who always crumble when the going gets tough, or when, as now, much is expected of them. I may be the only person in AmerICKa living outside the state of Indiana picking the Colts.
Detroit Lions +1 at Tampa. Wow. The hype on the Lions really is something else. Going on the road against a 10 win team, and only getting one measly point?!?! I'm not entirely convinced the Lions are ready to take it to playoff level. . .and why, just because they pushed around New England in a scrimmage? The Lions still can't run the ball, their secondary is still a little thin, their offensive line is hanging together by a thread, and, most important of all, we still don't know if the Golden Armed Mathilda Stafford can take a hit. Until I see it on tape, as Rod used to say, I'll have to go with Tampa.
In fact, I'll be pulling for the Colts to win every game with the quintessential mediocre NFL QB Kerry Collins replacing the *Face of the NFL*--let's see just how valuable Manning really was.
Games of the Week:
New Orleans +4 1/2 at Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers is everything that Manning supposedly was. Manning never even came close to having a post-season like Rodgers did last year, and was INCAPABLE of ever having a single game as nearly perfect as Rodgers' game against the Falcons. Rodgers is easily the most valuable player in the NFL. Without him, as the Packers showed in their dull 7 - 3 loss to the Lions last year, they are a very average team. With him, they are as close as the NFL now comes to unbeatable. And he's the reason I pick the Packers over the Saints, not only in this game, but for the Super Bowl as well.
Atlanta at Chicago +3. Features two teams I think will both suffer a drop from their 2010 records, though I think the Bears will suffer a bigger drop-off. . .mainly due to my bias against former Lions coaches Mike Martz and Rod Marinelli, the demented architect of the Perfekt Season. I'll take Atlanta in this game, as workhorse Michael Turner starts off the season still relatively fresh.
Philadelphia at St. Louis +4 1/2. The Rams are getting nearly as much hype as the Lions as a shitty team that might move up this year. They start off against the high-priced Eagles, and have the kind of pressure defense that supposedly is the undoing of Michael Vick. I'll believe it when I see it. Eagles.
Indianapolis +8 1/2 at Houston. The Texans will supposedly take over for the Manning-less Colts. But they're still just a .500 team. . .in fact, they are the NFL's Kolonopin team. . .no team is more prone to panic attacks than the Texans, who always crumble when the going gets tough, or when, as now, much is expected of them. I may be the only person in AmerICKa living outside the state of Indiana picking the Colts.
Detroit Lions +1 at Tampa. Wow. The hype on the Lions really is something else. Going on the road against a 10 win team, and only getting one measly point?!?! I'm not entirely convinced the Lions are ready to take it to playoff level. . .and why, just because they pushed around New England in a scrimmage? The Lions still can't run the ball, their secondary is still a little thin, their offensive line is hanging together by a thread, and, most important of all, we still don't know if the Golden Armed Mathilda Stafford can take a hit. Until I see it on tape, as Rod used to say, I'll have to go with Tampa.
06 September 2011
Oh, Yeah, The Tigers
I'm ready to believe the Tigers won't fold this time. . .the division title is in the bag.
That means Dombrowski should get Executive of the Year, because he landed Young and Fister, enough of a boost that not even the King Choker, Leyland, can blow this fucking season. Dombrowski tried to save Leyland a couple years ago with Jarri Washburn and Audrey Huff, but they were about as useful as a bra on a double mastectomy survivor.
Verlander, Scherzer and Fister give the Tigers a fair shot in the playoffs. . .as long as the opponents don't bunt.
That means Dombrowski should get Executive of the Year, because he landed Young and Fister, enough of a boost that not even the King Choker, Leyland, can blow this fucking season. Dombrowski tried to save Leyland a couple years ago with Jarri Washburn and Audrey Huff, but they were about as useful as a bra on a double mastectomy survivor.
Verlander, Scherzer and Fister give the Tigers a fair shot in the playoffs. . .as long as the opponents don't bunt.
04 September 2011
Underwhelmed
I watched the first half of the Michigan game yesterday. . .and was underwhelmed. Anybody hoping Mattison could come in and work a miracle with the defense--sorry. A mediocre MAC team came in and moved up and down the field, no problem. Only a missed field goal and a fluke INT kept Michigan ahead.
The special teams were also shit, once again. Big kickoff returns allowed. A missed extra point.
Except for the bland offense, Michigan looked remarkably similar to the old RichRod edition. The only hope for this year is that the team actually improves as the season goes along. Under RichRod, Michigan made ZERO improvements during the year, and the defense actually got worse week-by-week, until at season's end nobody even had to bring a punter against Michigan.
Notre Dame laid the biggest egg yesterday, 5 turnovers, giving away a game in which they out-gained South Florida 508 - 254. Kelly had to be disgusted over the sloppy play.
Uh, disgusted?? Disgusted might not quite be the word to describe Kelly's, uh, discontent:
Anyways, Michigan will need another 3 or 4 turnovers from Notre Dame next week to have any chance to win. . .which I doubt will happen. Michael Floyd is back, and Michigan has no one to cover him.
The special teams were also shit, once again. Big kickoff returns allowed. A missed extra point.
Except for the bland offense, Michigan looked remarkably similar to the old RichRod edition. The only hope for this year is that the team actually improves as the season goes along. Under RichRod, Michigan made ZERO improvements during the year, and the defense actually got worse week-by-week, until at season's end nobody even had to bring a punter against Michigan.
Notre Dame laid the biggest egg yesterday, 5 turnovers, giving away a game in which they out-gained South Florida 508 - 254. Kelly had to be disgusted over the sloppy play.
Uh, disgusted?? Disgusted might not quite be the word to describe Kelly's, uh, discontent:
02 September 2011
SEC About To Become A Monster
You knew when the SEC decided to take Texas A&M, they brought them in to lure the big fish, Oklahoma. Now Oklahoma is admitting they are thinking of dumping the dead-in-water Big Whatever It Was. . .if the SEC lands Oklahoma, what a fucking monster conference. No way Texas joins the SEC--I don't think A&M would have bolted for the SEC unless they got some assurance they wouldn't have to once again play second fiddle to the Longhorns in a new conference. Where does that leave Texas? Big 10? The Big 10 could poach Texas and Missouri, or finally force Notre Dame to join up. Either way, you got The Monster Conference SEC, and the Almost Monster Big 10 (if ND joins), leaving everybody else to fight for table scraps like Kansas and Oklahoma State.
Fantasy Football
I used to laugh at all the geeks who wasted so much time on this sports version of Dungeons and Dragons, but I have played the last two years, and I have to admit it's a useful tool in killing time, especially when the cold weather hits and the midnight shift at the jail slows down.
I've been stuck with Joe Flacco the last two years. . .he's useful enough, but that name. . .
I'd like to get Rodgers, Vick or Peterson with my first pick. . .nobody else stands out.
I'd like to avoid at all costs Jones-Drew and McFadden. . .both of them will probably go down before Mathilda Stafford.
Whatever defense plays against Carolina or Cincinnati will be my weekly pick. . .
I've been stuck with Joe Flacco the last two years. . .he's useful enough, but that name. . .
I'd like to get Rodgers, Vick or Peterson with my first pick. . .nobody else stands out.
I'd like to avoid at all costs Jones-Drew and McFadden. . .both of them will probably go down before Mathilda Stafford.
Whatever defense plays against Carolina or Cincinnati will be my weekly pick. . .
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