Rambling Like a School Girl part 2

Yesterday was the NFL, today is my favorite sport, college football, and don't worry Ben, it won't be nearly as long. On to the ramblings...

- I can't believe the USC/ Oregon game was not broadcast here on ABC. This absolutely baffles me. The network broadcast the game only on the west coast. They had a double-header of games here and instead of showing (what turned out to be a rout, but was a great game for the first quarter) a game which many thought USC could lose, they showed Catch me if you can. I have nothing against this movie and in fact enjoy watching it thoroughly, but how can you not have a triple header broadcast when the number one team in the country is playing a game at another ranked opponent and conference foe? I am angry with ABC for doing this to me. I just hope that on October 8, there isn't a local game being broadcast, so I can actually watch the Red River Shootout, I'll tell you that much right now. Yup, I just checked the college football television schedule, I'll have to watch the Minnesota/Michigan game instead of Oklahoma/Texas. Great. If anyone has college gameplan, can I come over?

- The Wisconsin/ Michigan game this past weekend was just awesome. Everything about it was great, except for the play of John Stocco for 59 minutes of the game. I did get a little nervous there in the closing seconds when the Badgers were just going about their business, not showing the sense of urgency to get in the end zone which I thought they would be. They were calm and cool down the stretch during the winning drive. You could see how focused the team was during this time, they knew they were going to score, weren't panicing, and most importantly, weren't trying to do anything they knew they couldn't do. I think I was showing more nervousness and confusion trying to get some hotdogs made in the final minutes than the Badgers were as they drove for the winning score. That all goes back on the coaches. Obviously they did a great job preparing the kids for this game and keeping them focused and positive the entire time. The Badgers defeated a quality team and the quarterback didn't even get choked, it was outstanding.

- If there was one aspect of the game which I thought could have been better, it would have been the play of John Stocco. I know I write a lot that all quarterbacks need to do is whatever is necessary to win the game, but until the quarterback draw, Stocco did not look like he could (or even should) even quarterback a high school team. He was 15-32 for 147 yards, no touchdowns and 1 interception. Not good numbers. The team as a whole looked good and did enough to win, but to go through the rest of the conference season, Stocco has to play better.

- The Big Ten had 4 teams in the top 16 in both pre season polls:
(16, 15) Purdue (10,11) Iowa (9,6) Ohio State and (4,4) Michigan. They still have 4 teams in the top 25 of both polls, but only two of the original four remain, (20,22) Purdue and (8,8) Ohio State. The others are: (19,18) Minnesota and (17,17) Wisconsin. Here's the question, was the league overrated (as it seems to often be), or were certain teams just overrated and certain teams underrated?

- A great article here on how well Brian Calhoun has been playing and how big a part of Wisconsin's success has been because of Calhoun and how much they lean on him for production.

- LSU is definitely not going to contend for the national title this season. The first half of their 30-27 OT loss to Tennessee looked like the Tigers were on their way to a rout and making their game against Florida even bigger. 2+ quarters later and they lose their home opener and proved to me they are not ready to win the title in the first year under coach Les Miles. The team is playing for the first time at home this season, the kids are pumped to be back home, the students are pumped to have something to cheer for again, everyone in the area is pumped to have some semblance of normality to their lives, Tennessee is coming in off of a loss, and people are talking LSU/USC for the title. The team jumps out to a 21-0 lead at the half, carries a 24-7 lead into the fourth quarter, watches Tennessee and LSU transfer Rick Clausen come back to tie the game and force overtime, then lets the Volunteers run right through and over them for the winning touchdown after the Tigers settled for a field goal in overtime. National Championship teams don't allow any of the following things to happen; allowing a team to come back from 17 points down in the fourth quarter on their home field, have to settle for a field goal on their first overtime possession, and then let the opponent run the ball for the winning score. LSU looked like it used all of its energy in the first half and had nothing left in the second half, that's it. They looked flat and drained in the second half and overtime, and it was only their 2nd game of the season. Imagine what this team is going to look like in week 12. Granted, Tennessee started the season ranked 3 in the country and was ranked 10th coming into the game, but LSU didn't look like a champion to me.

- Here is a quick sampling of some of the great games you won't want to miss this weekend:

Michigan @ Michigan State- 11:00am ABC. Can the Wolverines get back on track against their in-state rivals after being knocked out of the polls by Wisconsin?

Texas @ Missouri- 11:00am ABC. The Longhorns defense will be tested by a good quarterback (Brad Smith) and are in a hostile environment. The run for Pasadena picks up speed here.

Virgina Tech @ West Virginia- 11:00am ESPN. The Mountaineers are always tough at home and will be a challenge for Marcus Vick and the Hokies.

Minnesota @ Penn State- 2:30 ABC. Both teams are looking to surprise people in the Big Ten. A win here for either team will go a long way to help them this season.

Florida @ Alabama- 2:30 CBS. Ooh baby. The favorite team of my brother and my cousin against my favorite team. Plus, these teams could meet each other again in the SEC Championship game, so a tune-up is always nice. This will be a great test for Urban Meyer and Chris Leak after the home victory against Tennessee.

Notre Dame @ Purdue- 6:45 ESPN. Always a great game, and what else are you going to do before 10:00pm on Saturday night anyway?

-Until next time...

Rambling Like a School Girl part 1

Wow, a lot has happened since the last time I posted. This is quite an exciting time of the year. We have the baseball races in the last week and then playoff baseball, college football conference play beginning, the NFL is in full swing now 3 weeks into the season, the NBA is not too far away, the leaves are starting to change colors, and there is the crispness in the air which reminds us we are alive and allows us to settle in for a winter of sports magic once more. Since so much has happened, I figure that I'll split this rambling into a few sections, instead of doing one 5,000 word post, you'll get shorter posts. Plus, you'll have something to look forward to tomorrow now. Today will focus solely on the NFL, on to the ramblings;

- So we all knew the Packers were not going to be a very good team this year, but did anyone expect they would be this bad? An 0-3 start and Brett Favre sounding more and more in his press conferences like he is going to retire and this is turning into the season Packer fans will want to forget quicker than Washington's comeback against Dallas last Monday night.

- Favre is not just flat out saying, "This is my last year", but he has always said that he wants to play this game as long as he feels he can still be effective and play at a high level. After listening to his latest press conference in which he stated (about his late interception, which basically sealed victory for Tampa) something to the effect of, that's a play I should make, it's a Brett Favre play. I take responsibility for the loss, I should've made that play. Now, that sounds to me like a guy who doesn't think he is playing at the level he wants to be playing anymore.

- The remaining undefeated teams are the Colts (3-0), Buccaneers (3-0), Washington (2-0), and Cincinnati (3-0). Here's my take. The Colts are for real. Not just because the team is winning while averaging only 15.6 points per game because the defense seems to be much improved, but because we haven't seen the Peyton Manning face yet this season, and their schedule doesn't have a "yeah, they could lose that game" game unitl November 7th in Foxboro against New England, and that game is after a bye week for the Colts. Their four games before that; @ Tennessee, @ San Fransisco, St. Louis, and @ Houston. Does anyone think they aren't going into New England undefeated?

The Redskins will lose at least 2 or their next three games; Seattle, @ Denver, @ Kansas City, and won't recover. This team just isn't that good. An improbable come from behind victory in Dallas and everyone starts thinking this could be the year they turn things around. It's not happening. Save for 2 hail mary passes, this offense can't move the ball and they have only outscored their opponents by 3 points this season. Granted, only 2 games, but I watched both of them and am not impressed. Granted they are ranked 12th in the league right now in offense (averaging 334.5 yards per game) but take away the two hail mary's which combined for 109 yards, and they would only be averaging 280 per game, good enough for 25th in the league. Lack of consistency will hurt this team.

The Buccaneers have the leading rusher in the league and a number one defense which is as solid as ever. There are two major problems I see with this team. First, the leading rusher in the league is a rookie. That's right, a rookie. Rookie running backs generally can't keep up averaging 144 yards per game and just don't hold up running the ball 30 times per game. Williams is a good running back and seemed to get stronger as the game went on, but he is a rookie and I don't think he can keep this up all season. Second, Brian Griese is their quarterback and that's all I'm going to say about him. If there is another redflag with this Tampa Bay team, it is that their games have been against Minnesota (1-2), Buffalo (1-2), and Green Bay (0-3), not exactly the cream of the crop in the league. Granted, 2 of the games have been on the road, but after seeing them in person on Sunday, this team does not look like a team which is going to do much damage this season. The offense just seemed too focused on Williams, and I don't think Galloway will be able to run as freely against a good defense.

The final undefeated team of the season is Cincinnati. Yes, you read that correctly, now read the teams they've played; Cleveland, Minnesota, Chicago. Those teams all have identical 1-2 records, and although I believe enough in Chicago to have money wagered on how their season will end, they are very talented, but have a very young quarterback who will struggle. They will go into Jacksonville in two weeks undefeated after beating Houston this weekend, but will not make it to 5-0.

- Does anyone else find it ironic that 2 of the 4 undefeated teams left have each played 2 teams from the worst division in the NFL of the past 10 years?

- I'll stay on the NFL for a while and mention a few things about NFL Ticket on Directv. My cousin made this purchase for week one of the season and I love it. Simply having the option to watch any game you want (except for the national broadcast games) is enough. Now, they have added the 8-in-1 channel on which you can watch all of the early or late games simultaneously, and the "redzone" channel on which you will be switched to a game in which a team is threatening to score. Sounds great, right? Well, there are a few problems with the new features which were noticed immediately and haven't quite been fixed.

The 8-in-1 channel is great, especially if you have two tvs on which to watch games and both are hooked up to the dish. Why? So you don't have to listen to the music being played as background on the 8-in-1 channel. Some of the music is the classic stuff you would hear frm NFL Films, but most of it is horrible songs which are about specific teams and are truely unbearable. Plus, if I remember correctly, you can't cycle through the games on the 8-in-1 channel with your remote to select one game to watch.

The redzone channel isn't quite what it's name suggests. First of all, you aren't automatically directed to whatever game has a team threatening to score, it is only games broadcast of FOX for some reason. The other thing is that they don't (at least they didn't in week one) switch from a game which had a team on its own 40 to a game which had a team on the opponents' 35. Granted, the 35 isn't the redzone, but which team has the more realistic chance of scoring? Exactly.

If Directv can polish up these few things next year, I would buy a satilitte dish just for this package. I hope my cousin is still around in March so he can order the March Madness package as well.



- I will bet anyone any amount of money right now that an AFC team will win the Super Bowl again. I have seen each of the teams which people thought could get to the Super Bowl from the NFC play this season.

Carolina- 1-2 and too much inconsistency from Jake Delhomme. If they indeed want to make a run at the Super Bowl, they need to rely more on the run to open things up for Delhomme and allow him to find Steve Smith as often as possible. The loss of Chris Jenkins hurts the defense as well, but me pointing that out is like saying that there is a better chance of rain when there are clouds in the sky. If it wasn't for the Panthers' schedule the next 4 games; Green Bay, @ Arizona, @ Detroit, bye week, Minnesota, I wouldn't give them a chance. However, with that cake schedule, they should be looking to go to Tampa on November 6 with a 5-2 record. If they don't win at least 3 of those games, they are done.

Minnesota- 1-2 and they are done. I have seen nothing from this team to make me believe they are going to come anywhere near the Super Bowl. They may make the playoffs as winners of the "well we have to allow division winners play in the playoffs even though you only won 7 games, so I guess you can be in the playoffs and have a HOME game" award.

Atlanta- 2-1, let's see. Your first week, you win by 4, but the other team's best run stopper is ejected before the game starts and their quarterback gets hurt in the first quarter so much that he can't run at all and doesn't have much touch on the ball... hmm, let's all start singing your praises and think you are the team to beat in the NFC. Oh yeah, and it was a HOME game, not to mention this is the game all of your fans have been waiting for since the season ended last year, so they were loud for 85 minutes. The defense hasn't been too bad this season, but they are going to need more out of the passing game to win on a regular basis this season.

Philadelphia- 2-1. This is not going to have any credibility at all, but I don't think they will win the Super Bowl because I just don't like the team. That's it. When I watch them again, I will analyze more critically.

Now some quick ones:

- Does anyone else want to engulf themselves in flames when the Tim McGraw halftime highlights come on Monday Night Football, or is it just me?

- Which will happen first, the Packers win or the Colts lose?

- Aaron Rodgers is my new favorite Packer. First last week he says that it looks like some of the guys on the team have already cashed it in. Then during the game on Sunday, he was the guy who was standing on the bench, above everyone else waving a towel around getting the crowd rowdy trying to emplore the defense to make a stop. This kid seems to have the fire and heart needed to succeed in this league. I just hope we don't really find out for about 2 more seasons.

- What happened to Kansas City's new and improved defense which was taking the league by storm last night in Denver?

- The Colts defense is not as good as everyone thinks. Sure they've only allowed 16 points in three games, allowing 7, 3, and 6, I'm just not buying it. Baltimore has only scored 17 points this season total, Jacksonville was held to 3 and averages 18 points per game so that was pretty solid, and Cleveland who has scored 45 points on the season (26 against GB) scored 6.

- What's that big pile in the middle of the road up there? Oh yeah, it's the 6 people who fell off of the Bears bandwagon this weekend after hitting that Bengal sized hole in the road. Still plenty of room though, come jump on.

- Back to the Colts, I am chairing the committee for and accepting new members into the "the NFL is just dying to have Peyton Manning win a Super Bowl Title no matter what it takes" conspiracy theory group. Just take a look at their schedule, and tell me which game poses a threat to them getting home field advantage and a ticket to the Super Bowl?

- It's pretty scary when you look at the Packers schedule and see; 12/9- Balitmore Ravens, with the way the offense has been playing. It's even more scary when you look at that schedule and realize there is a chance both teams will be looking for their first win at this point.

- Chad Pennington goes down with a torn rotator cuff and is out for the season? Not to worry Jets fans, Jay Fiedler should step right in and... wait, what? He's hurt too? Who is the third string quarterback? Brooks Bollinger? I believe the sound you all just heard was 70,000 tickets going up for sale simultaneously and scalpers dying.

Should Pennington just retire? He has nothing left, has been injured every year he's been in the league and thinks he is God's gift to reporters. Just quit already, you'll never lead a team to the Super Bowl and you can't throw anymore, just quit!

- The amount of players getting injured, and star players getting injured, is staggering. Walker, Jenkins, Harrison, Spikes, Pennington, Bellamy, it's incredible. I guess this is what happens when people push their bodies to the brink to be successful in a sport. Sometimes, the body breaks, and it seems like this year more than in years past the rash of injuries is happening early in the season and to star players. Is there a rational explanation for this, or is it just that football is a dangerous sport and you can be seriously injured?

- Well, that's over 2,000 words, so I'll let everyone have a break. More to come tomorrow, don't worry about that. Especially since I now have an opinion on LSU. Believe me, they are no where near the "next level" plateau of teams who could win the national title after the debacle last night.

-Until next time...