Tuesday, November 28, 2006
The Vault
Opening up the vault and here is what is inside:
1. Cowboys are looking good. I keep waiting for Tony Romo to have a bad day, figuring that the opponents would have enough film on him to exploit his weaknesses. It has not happened yet. Most experts are saying for a guy who has not taken a snap in regular season play until his fourth season, he is very smart with the ball. I have to agree with that assessment. Remember when the offensive line was considered the worst in the league? What happened? It is still the same players yet seems to be doing better. Romo is no stick figure. I just hope this keeps happening.
2. The Giants worry me. I do not know how to explain it but I have a gut feeling that the Cowboys may lost this game. The Giants are coming off three straight losses and especially a very bad loss to the Titans. Eli Manning is playing dumb football, the injuries are piling, notably Amani Toomer and Michael Strahan, the troops are revolting, notably Tiki Barber and the team is playing with no heart, notably Plaxico Buress. The Cowboys are on the other hand have won 3 straight, the QB is playing smart football, there is a limited number of injuries, and all seems to be fine as far as morale. Why do I think the Giants are primed for an upset? It seems too easy to pick the Cowboys. Romo is bound to have a bad day sooner or later. Upsets happen often in the NFL. I also always worry about winning teams getting too complacent and overlook bad teams. The Giants pride is hurt right now and what would be better than a victory over the Cowboys? The Giants with a win are easily still in the race. It is not a longshot. A victory would put them at 4-0 in the division and and 6-2 in the conference. And they would own a tie-breaker with the Cowboys with a sweep. I never know what to wish for a team that is about to play the Cowboys the week before. A win for them against the Titans might have calmed the flames a bit and would not carry that extra fire they will have against the Cowboys. If the Cowboys win it will be 13-10 and I will be happy, if not, watch out, it could get ugly.
3. Mike Vanderjagt was released from the Cowboys on Monday. Some say that this is a bonehead move because he only missed 5 field goals this season. As far as his attitude and the way he carried himself around the locker room, he will not be missed. We all saw the self-pity show he gave himself for missing two field goals vs. the Colts. Adn the Boys won that game. Did you see all the players congratulating him for a touchback on the opening kickoff on Thanksgiving? Since when do players do that? Kickers are not exactly looked upon as athletes by other football players, so why were they all getting excited for a touchback. Plus there was his show on the field goal he made by showing an unidentified Cowboy on the sideline he was upset because it barely got in. Vanderjagt was the player that needed to be told he was a good kicker and player. Always needing reassurance. That of course puts his mental toughness in question. I don't think he ever got over his missed kick in the playoffs vs. the Steelers. All I know is that if you get excited over a touchback, then there is a problem.
4. Vanderjagt needed to be released because his attitude and tougness made him a liability in Bill Parcells' eyes. But still was he not better than Martin Gramatica? The guy has not kicked in the longest time and has not kicked full-time since 2004. I just hope the game does not come down to a field goal. At least he does not carry the baggage Vanderjagt brought.
5. The Giants meltdown was probably a crushing loss that most teams normally cannot recover but I just have a feeling that no team could lose that many consecutive games in a row which is why I feel they will make the Cowboys play on Sunday. If the Giants do lose, than I will officially bury them. The Cowboys need to get Eli Manning rattled early and force him to make throws in a hurry. If it goes according to plan, Manning will become the Manning we have seen the last few weeks, confused and mistake-prone. He does not seem to have the "it" factor most coaches and players use to describe quarterbacks. Most feel Romo has it. MAnning does not have that Ican see but he has never been a really fired up, ra-ra kind of guy. But they don't need to bench him and head coach Tom Coughlin should only be fired if the meltdown continues. If a rebound happens, then no, keep him.
6. I at first called Giants defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka play of letting Vince Young go a stupid play. But then I watch MNF and saw the bogus roughing the passer penalty called on Packers defensive lineman Cullen Jenkins on Matt Haselback. Clean play. That is why Kiwanuka stopped tackling him. HE thought he heard the whistle and did not want to risk a roughing the passer penalty. The refs and league are so overprotective of the QBS that defenders are afraid to do anything to them. So people need to lay off Kiwanuka and Tom Coughlin should not have chewed him out. I'll excuse that for heat of the moment and probably hoping he had time to reflect on his thought process. But the league has to get the competition committee together and decide how to approach this roughing the passer penalty because the calls are ridiculous. They should only be called if the play outcome was affected by the tackle, or the QBs' health was in jeoprady.
7. Michael Vicks' actions are inexcusable. I don't care how bad the fans are getting on you, do not flip them off. I now it was again probably heat of the moment but showing discipline is alsp showing how you control your emotions. People need to lay off Vick though. He needs receivers who can hold on t the ball. Plus coaches need to use his talents and work and adapt to them instead of the other way around and try to change them. I don't think the Titans are changing much about Vince Young and I don't think anyone can name any of his receivers. Let Vick be Vick.
8. What the Lions did to Joey Harrington was classless. Calling his name out only after introducing the defense so the fans can boo? Also playing the Billy Joel classic "Piano Man", a reference to Harringtons' piano skills? All Harrington did was work his butt off for the last four season which is more than what I believe MAtt Millen has done along with Charlie Rodgers and Mike Williams. At least Harrington got the last laugh.
9. The Bears I feel look vulnerable. The defense is still the league's best but the play of Rex Grossman makes them vulnerable. It is possible to beat them but it will be a 13-10 victory. Grossmans' play has sparked rumors of his benching in favor of Brian Griese. Since when did Griese become the second coming of Sid Luckman? Was this not the same guy who could not do the job in Denver, Miami, and Tampa Bay? Yes he carried Michigan to a national title but still I have questions if he can lead the team to the Super Bowl and if the Bears are truly better off.
10. The Broncos bench Jake Plummer for rookie Jay Cutler out of Vanderbilt. I don't know how to feel about this move. Plummers play is not very comparable to the likes of other QBs that were in questions such as Drew Bledsoe, Rex Grossman, and Mark Brunell. But if Cutler is the future, play him.
11. The BCS rankings are out. Ohio State-USC looks like a real possibility and as a fan, I would love to see it. If USC loses to UCLA, which I doubt, Michigan should get the rematch with Ohio State. I am not impressed with Florida because of the narrow margin of victories. I know the SEC is probably the toughest of the conferences and that teams like USC, Texas, would probably lose 3-4 games annualy if playing in this conference and Florida should be giving credit by having only 1 loss in the conference. But you need to destroy an opponent that matters more than a few times to convince the voters that you are worthy. But until there is a playoff, we will always have this discussion.
12. Colt McCoy did not look healthy in the game against Texas A&M and probably contributed to their last two defeats. But look up Texas fans, the future is bright with this guy at QB. I smell a BCS championship in the future soon.
13. Dennis Franchione saved his job with that win against Texas. He had been winless against Texas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska the four seasons he has been here until that win.
14. That was not an illegal forward pass in the Chargers-Raiders game when Chargers receiver Vincent Jackson spiked the ball after catching a pass and not being touched by an opponent, a common rookie mistake, and instead of ruling it a fumble, the Chargers are penalized for an illegal forward pass and eventually convert and score to get the win.
15. The Rangers need to get in the free agent hunt. Alfonso Soraino and MArk Derose to the Cubs, Carolos Lee to the Astors. Adam Eaton to the Phillies. Gary Matthews Jr. to the Angels. David Delluchi to the Indians. And what do the Rangers have to show from the free agent market? Frank Catalanotto. No disrespect, he is a solid player, but that is not going to get butts in the seats in Arlington. I still will go but a lot of people are going to turn away.
16. Manny Ramirez rumors are swirling. The Rangers are reportedly in the hunt. Don't give up the farm for this guy. If he costs us one minor league pitcher, than go for him, buit other than that, don't. The Red Sox should want to keep the guy. He never has been a problem with his teammates, just the media, front office, and fans can't stand some of the stuff he does. I tell you one teammate that will be mad if he leaves, David Ortiz. Watch his numbers drop if Ramirez is gone, not protecting him in the order.
17. $136 million for Soriano, $100 million for Lee, $ 50 million for Matthews, and $33 million for Eaton. I thought the spending was going to die down. Thes contracts are ridiculous.
18. Mark McGwire is up for the Hall of Fame Ballot. The only evidence we have against McGwire on him possibly taking steroids is his refusal to talk at the Congressional hearings two years ago. Other than that, there is nothing but a bottle of Andro in his locker room to hold anything against him. I am glad I am not a voter in this situation. I do not know what to do. To single him out would also mean to single out at leasts hundreds of others in the same era who probably doped up as well. Personally, I think I would not vote him in. I just could not live with myself if I voted him in.
19. Bret Saberhagen said he would not go into the Hall of Fame until Pete Rose goes in. That is noce but wait, he is Bret Saberhagen. HAll of Fame and Bret Saberhagen do not go together. Tell me when a true Hall of Famer says this.
20. Usually too early to talk about the NBA but I want to talk about Ben Wallace situation in Chicago. Wallace is being benched because he wears a headband and one of head coaches Scott Skiles rules is no headbands. Reportedly this was told to Wallace when he was about to sign with the Bulls in the offseason. If that is true than Wallace has no arguement, he should just stop and not wear it if he knew about it from the start. But the rule is stupid. What is the big deal about the band? Drop the rule Skiles. It is not like skipping or being late to practice or team meetings.
21. Who caught the Broncos-Chiefs games on NFL Network?
22. John Fogerty did a great job at halftime on the Lions game. They need him to be the halftime show at the Super Bowl. If Billy Joel is doing the national anthem, this would be a great tribute to classic rock.
23. The flex schedule looks to be working for the likes of CBS, Fox and NBC but it is really hurting the fans. If I had a game for the Saints-Cowboys game in two weeks originally scheduled for noon and now has been moved to 7:15, I would be ticked off. People buy these tickets because of the date and time. I know NBC wants more quality games to show but I switched to Desparate Housewives and Boston Legal during the Eagles-Colts game on Sunday. The game has to be good suits.
24. Saw the ebay prices on the Playstation 3 going into the 7-figure range. Ridiculous.
25. AJ Feely needs to start for the Eagles.
26. Brady Quinn in Lions silver or Raiders silver? Either way I would pull an Eli MAnning and bolt for greener pastures, of course look at what good it has done for Manning.
27. Troy Smith for Heisman.
28. Charlie Weis is not a football genius but he is a good coach.
The vault is empty and I am gone. See ya.
1. Cowboys are looking good. I keep waiting for Tony Romo to have a bad day, figuring that the opponents would have enough film on him to exploit his weaknesses. It has not happened yet. Most experts are saying for a guy who has not taken a snap in regular season play until his fourth season, he is very smart with the ball. I have to agree with that assessment. Remember when the offensive line was considered the worst in the league? What happened? It is still the same players yet seems to be doing better. Romo is no stick figure. I just hope this keeps happening.
2. The Giants worry me. I do not know how to explain it but I have a gut feeling that the Cowboys may lost this game. The Giants are coming off three straight losses and especially a very bad loss to the Titans. Eli Manning is playing dumb football, the injuries are piling, notably Amani Toomer and Michael Strahan, the troops are revolting, notably Tiki Barber and the team is playing with no heart, notably Plaxico Buress. The Cowboys are on the other hand have won 3 straight, the QB is playing smart football, there is a limited number of injuries, and all seems to be fine as far as morale. Why do I think the Giants are primed for an upset? It seems too easy to pick the Cowboys. Romo is bound to have a bad day sooner or later. Upsets happen often in the NFL. I also always worry about winning teams getting too complacent and overlook bad teams. The Giants pride is hurt right now and what would be better than a victory over the Cowboys? The Giants with a win are easily still in the race. It is not a longshot. A victory would put them at 4-0 in the division and and 6-2 in the conference. And they would own a tie-breaker with the Cowboys with a sweep. I never know what to wish for a team that is about to play the Cowboys the week before. A win for them against the Titans might have calmed the flames a bit and would not carry that extra fire they will have against the Cowboys. If the Cowboys win it will be 13-10 and I will be happy, if not, watch out, it could get ugly.
3. Mike Vanderjagt was released from the Cowboys on Monday. Some say that this is a bonehead move because he only missed 5 field goals this season. As far as his attitude and the way he carried himself around the locker room, he will not be missed. We all saw the self-pity show he gave himself for missing two field goals vs. the Colts. Adn the Boys won that game. Did you see all the players congratulating him for a touchback on the opening kickoff on Thanksgiving? Since when do players do that? Kickers are not exactly looked upon as athletes by other football players, so why were they all getting excited for a touchback. Plus there was his show on the field goal he made by showing an unidentified Cowboy on the sideline he was upset because it barely got in. Vanderjagt was the player that needed to be told he was a good kicker and player. Always needing reassurance. That of course puts his mental toughness in question. I don't think he ever got over his missed kick in the playoffs vs. the Steelers. All I know is that if you get excited over a touchback, then there is a problem.
4. Vanderjagt needed to be released because his attitude and tougness made him a liability in Bill Parcells' eyes. But still was he not better than Martin Gramatica? The guy has not kicked in the longest time and has not kicked full-time since 2004. I just hope the game does not come down to a field goal. At least he does not carry the baggage Vanderjagt brought.
5. The Giants meltdown was probably a crushing loss that most teams normally cannot recover but I just have a feeling that no team could lose that many consecutive games in a row which is why I feel they will make the Cowboys play on Sunday. If the Giants do lose, than I will officially bury them. The Cowboys need to get Eli Manning rattled early and force him to make throws in a hurry. If it goes according to plan, Manning will become the Manning we have seen the last few weeks, confused and mistake-prone. He does not seem to have the "it" factor most coaches and players use to describe quarterbacks. Most feel Romo has it. MAnning does not have that Ican see but he has never been a really fired up, ra-ra kind of guy. But they don't need to bench him and head coach Tom Coughlin should only be fired if the meltdown continues. If a rebound happens, then no, keep him.
6. I at first called Giants defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka play of letting Vince Young go a stupid play. But then I watch MNF and saw the bogus roughing the passer penalty called on Packers defensive lineman Cullen Jenkins on Matt Haselback. Clean play. That is why Kiwanuka stopped tackling him. HE thought he heard the whistle and did not want to risk a roughing the passer penalty. The refs and league are so overprotective of the QBS that defenders are afraid to do anything to them. So people need to lay off Kiwanuka and Tom Coughlin should not have chewed him out. I'll excuse that for heat of the moment and probably hoping he had time to reflect on his thought process. But the league has to get the competition committee together and decide how to approach this roughing the passer penalty because the calls are ridiculous. They should only be called if the play outcome was affected by the tackle, or the QBs' health was in jeoprady.
7. Michael Vicks' actions are inexcusable. I don't care how bad the fans are getting on you, do not flip them off. I now it was again probably heat of the moment but showing discipline is alsp showing how you control your emotions. People need to lay off Vick though. He needs receivers who can hold on t the ball. Plus coaches need to use his talents and work and adapt to them instead of the other way around and try to change them. I don't think the Titans are changing much about Vince Young and I don't think anyone can name any of his receivers. Let Vick be Vick.
8. What the Lions did to Joey Harrington was classless. Calling his name out only after introducing the defense so the fans can boo? Also playing the Billy Joel classic "Piano Man", a reference to Harringtons' piano skills? All Harrington did was work his butt off for the last four season which is more than what I believe MAtt Millen has done along with Charlie Rodgers and Mike Williams. At least Harrington got the last laugh.
9. The Bears I feel look vulnerable. The defense is still the league's best but the play of Rex Grossman makes them vulnerable. It is possible to beat them but it will be a 13-10 victory. Grossmans' play has sparked rumors of his benching in favor of Brian Griese. Since when did Griese become the second coming of Sid Luckman? Was this not the same guy who could not do the job in Denver, Miami, and Tampa Bay? Yes he carried Michigan to a national title but still I have questions if he can lead the team to the Super Bowl and if the Bears are truly better off.
10. The Broncos bench Jake Plummer for rookie Jay Cutler out of Vanderbilt. I don't know how to feel about this move. Plummers play is not very comparable to the likes of other QBs that were in questions such as Drew Bledsoe, Rex Grossman, and Mark Brunell. But if Cutler is the future, play him.
11. The BCS rankings are out. Ohio State-USC looks like a real possibility and as a fan, I would love to see it. If USC loses to UCLA, which I doubt, Michigan should get the rematch with Ohio State. I am not impressed with Florida because of the narrow margin of victories. I know the SEC is probably the toughest of the conferences and that teams like USC, Texas, would probably lose 3-4 games annualy if playing in this conference and Florida should be giving credit by having only 1 loss in the conference. But you need to destroy an opponent that matters more than a few times to convince the voters that you are worthy. But until there is a playoff, we will always have this discussion.
12. Colt McCoy did not look healthy in the game against Texas A&M and probably contributed to their last two defeats. But look up Texas fans, the future is bright with this guy at QB. I smell a BCS championship in the future soon.
13. Dennis Franchione saved his job with that win against Texas. He had been winless against Texas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska the four seasons he has been here until that win.
14. That was not an illegal forward pass in the Chargers-Raiders game when Chargers receiver Vincent Jackson spiked the ball after catching a pass and not being touched by an opponent, a common rookie mistake, and instead of ruling it a fumble, the Chargers are penalized for an illegal forward pass and eventually convert and score to get the win.
15. The Rangers need to get in the free agent hunt. Alfonso Soraino and MArk Derose to the Cubs, Carolos Lee to the Astors. Adam Eaton to the Phillies. Gary Matthews Jr. to the Angels. David Delluchi to the Indians. And what do the Rangers have to show from the free agent market? Frank Catalanotto. No disrespect, he is a solid player, but that is not going to get butts in the seats in Arlington. I still will go but a lot of people are going to turn away.
16. Manny Ramirez rumors are swirling. The Rangers are reportedly in the hunt. Don't give up the farm for this guy. If he costs us one minor league pitcher, than go for him, buit other than that, don't. The Red Sox should want to keep the guy. He never has been a problem with his teammates, just the media, front office, and fans can't stand some of the stuff he does. I tell you one teammate that will be mad if he leaves, David Ortiz. Watch his numbers drop if Ramirez is gone, not protecting him in the order.
17. $136 million for Soriano, $100 million for Lee, $ 50 million for Matthews, and $33 million for Eaton. I thought the spending was going to die down. Thes contracts are ridiculous.
18. Mark McGwire is up for the Hall of Fame Ballot. The only evidence we have against McGwire on him possibly taking steroids is his refusal to talk at the Congressional hearings two years ago. Other than that, there is nothing but a bottle of Andro in his locker room to hold anything against him. I am glad I am not a voter in this situation. I do not know what to do. To single him out would also mean to single out at leasts hundreds of others in the same era who probably doped up as well. Personally, I think I would not vote him in. I just could not live with myself if I voted him in.
19. Bret Saberhagen said he would not go into the Hall of Fame until Pete Rose goes in. That is noce but wait, he is Bret Saberhagen. HAll of Fame and Bret Saberhagen do not go together. Tell me when a true Hall of Famer says this.
20. Usually too early to talk about the NBA but I want to talk about Ben Wallace situation in Chicago. Wallace is being benched because he wears a headband and one of head coaches Scott Skiles rules is no headbands. Reportedly this was told to Wallace when he was about to sign with the Bulls in the offseason. If that is true than Wallace has no arguement, he should just stop and not wear it if he knew about it from the start. But the rule is stupid. What is the big deal about the band? Drop the rule Skiles. It is not like skipping or being late to practice or team meetings.
21. Who caught the Broncos-Chiefs games on NFL Network?
22. John Fogerty did a great job at halftime on the Lions game. They need him to be the halftime show at the Super Bowl. If Billy Joel is doing the national anthem, this would be a great tribute to classic rock.
23. The flex schedule looks to be working for the likes of CBS, Fox and NBC but it is really hurting the fans. If I had a game for the Saints-Cowboys game in two weeks originally scheduled for noon and now has been moved to 7:15, I would be ticked off. People buy these tickets because of the date and time. I know NBC wants more quality games to show but I switched to Desparate Housewives and Boston Legal during the Eagles-Colts game on Sunday. The game has to be good suits.
24. Saw the ebay prices on the Playstation 3 going into the 7-figure range. Ridiculous.
25. AJ Feely needs to start for the Eagles.
26. Brady Quinn in Lions silver or Raiders silver? Either way I would pull an Eli MAnning and bolt for greener pastures, of course look at what good it has done for Manning.
27. Troy Smith for Heisman.
28. Charlie Weis is not a football genius but he is a good coach.
The vault is empty and I am gone. See ya.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Picks
Here are my picks for the weekend:
Miami over Detroit
Dallas over Tampa Bay
Denver over Kansas City
Minnesota over Arizona
Carolina over Washington
Cincinnati over Cleveland
NY Jets over Houston
Jacksonville over Buffalo
New Orleans over Atlanta
Baltimore over Pittsburgh
San Francisco over St Louis
San Diego over Oakland
Chicago over New England
Tennessee over NY Giants
Indianapolis over Philadelphia
Seattle over Green Bay
Miami over Detroit
Dallas over Tampa Bay
Denver over Kansas City
Minnesota over Arizona
Carolina over Washington
Cincinnati over Cleveland
NY Jets over Houston
Jacksonville over Buffalo
New Orleans over Atlanta
Baltimore over Pittsburgh
San Francisco over St Louis
San Diego over Oakland
Chicago over New England
Tennessee over NY Giants
Indianapolis over Philadelphia
Seattle over Green Bay
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
The Vault
I am opening up the vault and here are the goods.
1. The win for the Cowboys was important for the Cowboys because it pulls the Cowboys tied with the Giants after their loss last night with the Jaguars. The Colts were bound to lose a game sooner or later. Their best chance to go undefeated was last year when they were blowing out opponents and averaging 16 points margin of victory as opposed to 6 points this year. The Colts still have the division in hand because it would take a big collapse for them to lose the division to Jacksonville.
2. Tony Romo is looking more and more comfortable as the Cowboys QB. I wondered how he would do in his first start at Texas Stadium and he proved he could do well.
3. Mike Vanderjagt better get his leg and head straightened out because if a game comes down to a field goal down the stretch. Field goal range for him right now is an extra point. It seems to me that when it is an important game or a situation when the game is on the line, he freezes and I assume facing his old team made him more nervous but I hope he can get over it.
4. The Colts loss could be a good thing. Last year, I felt what doomed the Colts was they clinched everything too early and did not really play a meaningful game until the playoff loss to the Steelers. With the Chargers and Ravens both at 8-2 and the Colts at 9-1, the Colts can keep their focus for a few extra weeks and not get so complacent.
5. The Chargers I feel are the best team in the AFC. The Colts have the better record, but the Chargers are playing better and it would not surprise me if they went to the Super Bowl. Ladainian Tomlinson is playing on a whole new level and Philip Rivers is playing better than expected (much better than Eli Manning, without the experience) and they are without two or their best defenders in Luis Castillo and Shawn Merriman.
6. The Eagles season is in huge jeoprady but I am not willing to count them out just yet. Donovan McNabb's injury is a big blow but I recall four years ago when McNabb broke his leg and then his backup injured himself that the Eagles went on a winning streak and won home-field in the playoffs without McNabb. WHo was the QB? AJ Feely, who happens to be third on the depth chart in Philadelphis. The Eagles are 5-5 but don't count them out yet.
7. I know someone who was not too upset about McNabbs' injury, TO.
8. The Bengals are trying to make a comeback and it looks like they are. They can still make the wild card but the defense needs to play better. If someone tells me a defense gave up 500 yards in passing, I assume the team lost but not in this case. The Saints are fading and have lsot 3 of 4 but agian, it seems to be defensive woes.
9. The Ravens are the most boring 8-2 team around and no one even knows it.
10. Eli Manning was terrible yesterday and a lot has been made about he does not have that fire instinct the great quarterbacks have had. Tony Romo seems to have more life in him than Manning. It is the "it" factor. Most people know what I am talking about. The gift that a player has that shows he knows he is in charge, a swagger, an arrogance, an in-your-face attitude. The supposedly two best teams in the NFC, Bears and Giants, both have quarterbacks that are good, but I don't feel have the "it" factor. I know if you see Tony Romo, you can tell he has the "it" factor. The Cowboys, if they continue to play the way they do could position themselves to be the beat team in the NFC. What does not sell me right now on the BEars is the play of Rex Grossman. The defense will be playing at an all-world level all year, but the Cowboys could win, probably like the Bears win at the Jets, 10-0.
11. No NFL Network still in my area. I don't get it. The NFL wants ratings so bad, I mean that is why the Monday Night games were moved to ESPN and the Sunday night package got the flex schedule as well as the some of the CBS and FOX games. So what kind of ratings victory will it be if only 30% of the nation is watching Chiefs-Broncos on THanksgiving night? And don't tell me NFL to get a dish or call my cable company. You better ease up on your dealings because now you will lose out.
12. The BCS is heading toward a big mess and I love it. So far we know that Ohio State will be in the BCS title game but who they will face? Michigan, USC, Arkansas, Florida, Notre Dame are the candidates. Two of these will be eliminated ao that only three are left standing. Notre Dame-USC play each other and Florida and Arkansas should meet for the SEC title game. That will leave Michigan and the winnesr of these two games. I have no problem with a Ohio State-Michigan rematch but as a fan, I would like just to see another game. Ohio-State-USC would look intriguing as well as Notre Dame. I have a feeling if Notre Dame wins, they will surpass Michigan in the rankings. Michigan beat Notre Dame. The BCS folks.
13. I know people say that if there was a playoff, the Michigan-Ohio State game would not have meant anything. In college basketball though, I don't see the players and fans with Duke-North Carolina not getting into it and it usually is the last game. I know basketball is not as physcially demanding as football, but an eight team playoff would work. You take the winners of the BCS conferences (Big Ten, Pac-10, Big 12, SEC, Big East, ACC) and two at large bids to be determind by the BCS rankings. You think Michigan-Ohio State would have still not have had the same feeling? There would have been no guarantee that the loser would get the at-large bid.
14. I love the call ERic Mangini made for the Jets on the onside kick. Was it a risk, yes but sometimes you have to do that. I love coaches that play to win.
15. Ryan Howard and Justin Morneau are the MVPs of baseball. No arguement from me. THe AL race was too wide open to have a clear-cut winner and Ryan Howard had a better statistical year than Albert Pujols and the Phillies were in contention all the way until the final weeks.
16. Fox has chosen to cancel the OJ Simpson TV interview where he was supposedly confesses. For OJ to do it is just horrendous but I think people should cut FOX some slack. If any other major media outlet was to get OJ Simpson and get him to confess to a murder, or to sort of explain if he did do it, they would jump at it.
17. Steve Spurrier to the Miami Hurricanes? I always felt he would want a major program and was kind of surprised he went to South Carolina when he probably could have had a more serious contender to build. But he loves the challenge of coaching the Gamecocks and would not leave but this means Larry Coker is done in Miami.
18. I have been critical of Michael Irvin for the past few years from his work on ESPN NFL Countdown. But he did a good job on Sunday. First he actually came down on a receiver! He criticized Oakland receiver Randy Moss for his bad mood results in bad play attitude and he did a good piece on discgraced Titans DE Albert Haynesworth. Don't say I don't say anything nice Michael, but good job.
19. Alfonso Soriano reportedly signed an eight year $136 million dollar deal with the Chicago Cubs. That is supposed to be the 5th highest contract in history. No player is ever worth the money, but Soriano is really not worth it. I wanted the Rangers to sign Soriano to play left field but not at a price that would set the Rangers back like the A-Rod contract did. But Soriano is very mediocre at left field and is very mistake-prone at second. It is not that he can't play defense, but he lacks focus and concentration and will have these mental lapses that are costly. Heaven knows how many times a ground went to him and I prayed "please get it please get it". Also he is a free swinger at the plate. Sure he can hit for average and power and has dangerous speed being the only member of the 40-40-40 club. But he will strikeout a lot and will not run out ground balls or pop-ups. $136 million for that? It does show one thing, the Cubs are planning on trying to field a winner this year.
20. A report out of the Boston Globe says that the Red Sox are shopping Manny Ramirez again and one of the teams that are interested is the Rangers. The Red Sox reportedly want Michael Young in return, and the Rangers should not do it. Young is the Derek Jeter, JAson Varitek of the Rangers. And you would trade him for a guy who has more mental lapses than Alfonso Soriano? Don't do it.
21. I loved Mike Nolan and Jack Del Rio wearing suits instead of league apporved sports wear. What is the NFL so afraid of. Tom Landry, Vince Lombardi and other greats wore suits. The NBA does not reuire the coaches to wear a standard attire or the NHL as well. I cannot remember when Joe Paterno ever wore something other than a tie. Let it go NFL. I doubt you are proud of Bill Belichecks' wardrobe.
22. Got a Nintendo Wii!! Great controls. Great games. Loving it. The reason why I made no picks.
23. Went to the Oklahoma State-Texas Tech game. There were still tickets available. Come on Lubbock! Support your team! It should not take Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M to make you sell out.
24. Bo Schembechler passed away the eve of the Ohio State-Michigan game. I have wondered where his legacy is as far as coaching greats go. I use the famous PTI comparison if there were a Mount Rushmore of college football coaches, where would he be? Or would he be on there? I know Bear Bryant, Knute Rockne, Joe Paterno would be on there. Other candidates include Bobby Bowden, Tom Osborne, Darrel Royal, Barry Switzer and Woody Hayes. It is tough.
25. Andre "Dirty" Waters died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the ehad yesterday. As a Cowboy fan, I remember this guy was one of the dirtiest players to play in the NFL when he played with the Eagles. HE was often late on tackles, fined and flagged for it several times and once told reporters that Emmitt SMith was going to have to be taken off on a stretcher after he was finished with him. Some say he was not the mean guy he is portrayed to be, but I can't get that image out of my mind of his late hits, the helmet in the back of Emmitt Smith.
26. Ladainian Tomlinson will be the number 1 pick next year on everybody's fantasy draft.
27. New Enlgand should probably not try to win the home-field advantage this year. 2-3 at home, 5-0 on the road.
28. Did you see that facial Nate Robertson did on Yao Ming?! Taht will be replayed for years to come. Yao knew it to, by his reaction.
29. Emmitt Smith wins Dancing with the Stars. Mario Lopez needs to learn how to win with grace, instead of the facial expressions made by him and his partner during the announcement.
30. Have a friend who is a disgruntled Detroit Lions fan. He claims he is going through a divorce with them, tired of the losing ways. After this weekend, don't blame him. They lost to Arizona. Arizona. Arizona. And now old bust quarterback Joey Harrington is coming to town on Thanksgiving to put a beat down on the team that gave up on him. Divorce is probably needed but, if you are a true fan, you are there through the bad times and the good times.
31. Nick Saban should be told to do his best coaching during the first half of the season and not just the second half.
32. Tom Izzo to coach the Michigan State Football team? I hope this is a joke because the guy who suggested this should be fired or removed from his position for even thinking about this. So let me get this straight, Steve MAriucci is not qualified enough to interview but Izzo is? No knock against Izzo, but he coaches basketball not football. So is Bob Knight going to coach the Red Raider football team or MAck Brown the Longhorn basketball team next?
Closing the vault now. My time is up, Happy Thanksgiving!
1. The win for the Cowboys was important for the Cowboys because it pulls the Cowboys tied with the Giants after their loss last night with the Jaguars. The Colts were bound to lose a game sooner or later. Their best chance to go undefeated was last year when they were blowing out opponents and averaging 16 points margin of victory as opposed to 6 points this year. The Colts still have the division in hand because it would take a big collapse for them to lose the division to Jacksonville.
2. Tony Romo is looking more and more comfortable as the Cowboys QB. I wondered how he would do in his first start at Texas Stadium and he proved he could do well.
3. Mike Vanderjagt better get his leg and head straightened out because if a game comes down to a field goal down the stretch. Field goal range for him right now is an extra point. It seems to me that when it is an important game or a situation when the game is on the line, he freezes and I assume facing his old team made him more nervous but I hope he can get over it.
4. The Colts loss could be a good thing. Last year, I felt what doomed the Colts was they clinched everything too early and did not really play a meaningful game until the playoff loss to the Steelers. With the Chargers and Ravens both at 8-2 and the Colts at 9-1, the Colts can keep their focus for a few extra weeks and not get so complacent.
5. The Chargers I feel are the best team in the AFC. The Colts have the better record, but the Chargers are playing better and it would not surprise me if they went to the Super Bowl. Ladainian Tomlinson is playing on a whole new level and Philip Rivers is playing better than expected (much better than Eli Manning, without the experience) and they are without two or their best defenders in Luis Castillo and Shawn Merriman.
6. The Eagles season is in huge jeoprady but I am not willing to count them out just yet. Donovan McNabb's injury is a big blow but I recall four years ago when McNabb broke his leg and then his backup injured himself that the Eagles went on a winning streak and won home-field in the playoffs without McNabb. WHo was the QB? AJ Feely, who happens to be third on the depth chart in Philadelphis. The Eagles are 5-5 but don't count them out yet.
7. I know someone who was not too upset about McNabbs' injury, TO.
8. The Bengals are trying to make a comeback and it looks like they are. They can still make the wild card but the defense needs to play better. If someone tells me a defense gave up 500 yards in passing, I assume the team lost but not in this case. The Saints are fading and have lsot 3 of 4 but agian, it seems to be defensive woes.
9. The Ravens are the most boring 8-2 team around and no one even knows it.
10. Eli Manning was terrible yesterday and a lot has been made about he does not have that fire instinct the great quarterbacks have had. Tony Romo seems to have more life in him than Manning. It is the "it" factor. Most people know what I am talking about. The gift that a player has that shows he knows he is in charge, a swagger, an arrogance, an in-your-face attitude. The supposedly two best teams in the NFC, Bears and Giants, both have quarterbacks that are good, but I don't feel have the "it" factor. I know if you see Tony Romo, you can tell he has the "it" factor. The Cowboys, if they continue to play the way they do could position themselves to be the beat team in the NFC. What does not sell me right now on the BEars is the play of Rex Grossman. The defense will be playing at an all-world level all year, but the Cowboys could win, probably like the Bears win at the Jets, 10-0.
11. No NFL Network still in my area. I don't get it. The NFL wants ratings so bad, I mean that is why the Monday Night games were moved to ESPN and the Sunday night package got the flex schedule as well as the some of the CBS and FOX games. So what kind of ratings victory will it be if only 30% of the nation is watching Chiefs-Broncos on THanksgiving night? And don't tell me NFL to get a dish or call my cable company. You better ease up on your dealings because now you will lose out.
12. The BCS is heading toward a big mess and I love it. So far we know that Ohio State will be in the BCS title game but who they will face? Michigan, USC, Arkansas, Florida, Notre Dame are the candidates. Two of these will be eliminated ao that only three are left standing. Notre Dame-USC play each other and Florida and Arkansas should meet for the SEC title game. That will leave Michigan and the winnesr of these two games. I have no problem with a Ohio State-Michigan rematch but as a fan, I would like just to see another game. Ohio-State-USC would look intriguing as well as Notre Dame. I have a feeling if Notre Dame wins, they will surpass Michigan in the rankings. Michigan beat Notre Dame. The BCS folks.
13. I know people say that if there was a playoff, the Michigan-Ohio State game would not have meant anything. In college basketball though, I don't see the players and fans with Duke-North Carolina not getting into it and it usually is the last game. I know basketball is not as physcially demanding as football, but an eight team playoff would work. You take the winners of the BCS conferences (Big Ten, Pac-10, Big 12, SEC, Big East, ACC) and two at large bids to be determind by the BCS rankings. You think Michigan-Ohio State would have still not have had the same feeling? There would have been no guarantee that the loser would get the at-large bid.
14. I love the call ERic Mangini made for the Jets on the onside kick. Was it a risk, yes but sometimes you have to do that. I love coaches that play to win.
15. Ryan Howard and Justin Morneau are the MVPs of baseball. No arguement from me. THe AL race was too wide open to have a clear-cut winner and Ryan Howard had a better statistical year than Albert Pujols and the Phillies were in contention all the way until the final weeks.
16. Fox has chosen to cancel the OJ Simpson TV interview where he was supposedly confesses. For OJ to do it is just horrendous but I think people should cut FOX some slack. If any other major media outlet was to get OJ Simpson and get him to confess to a murder, or to sort of explain if he did do it, they would jump at it.
17. Steve Spurrier to the Miami Hurricanes? I always felt he would want a major program and was kind of surprised he went to South Carolina when he probably could have had a more serious contender to build. But he loves the challenge of coaching the Gamecocks and would not leave but this means Larry Coker is done in Miami.
18. I have been critical of Michael Irvin for the past few years from his work on ESPN NFL Countdown. But he did a good job on Sunday. First he actually came down on a receiver! He criticized Oakland receiver Randy Moss for his bad mood results in bad play attitude and he did a good piece on discgraced Titans DE Albert Haynesworth. Don't say I don't say anything nice Michael, but good job.
19. Alfonso Soriano reportedly signed an eight year $136 million dollar deal with the Chicago Cubs. That is supposed to be the 5th highest contract in history. No player is ever worth the money, but Soriano is really not worth it. I wanted the Rangers to sign Soriano to play left field but not at a price that would set the Rangers back like the A-Rod contract did. But Soriano is very mediocre at left field and is very mistake-prone at second. It is not that he can't play defense, but he lacks focus and concentration and will have these mental lapses that are costly. Heaven knows how many times a ground went to him and I prayed "please get it please get it". Also he is a free swinger at the plate. Sure he can hit for average and power and has dangerous speed being the only member of the 40-40-40 club. But he will strikeout a lot and will not run out ground balls or pop-ups. $136 million for that? It does show one thing, the Cubs are planning on trying to field a winner this year.
20. A report out of the Boston Globe says that the Red Sox are shopping Manny Ramirez again and one of the teams that are interested is the Rangers. The Red Sox reportedly want Michael Young in return, and the Rangers should not do it. Young is the Derek Jeter, JAson Varitek of the Rangers. And you would trade him for a guy who has more mental lapses than Alfonso Soriano? Don't do it.
21. I loved Mike Nolan and Jack Del Rio wearing suits instead of league apporved sports wear. What is the NFL so afraid of. Tom Landry, Vince Lombardi and other greats wore suits. The NBA does not reuire the coaches to wear a standard attire or the NHL as well. I cannot remember when Joe Paterno ever wore something other than a tie. Let it go NFL. I doubt you are proud of Bill Belichecks' wardrobe.
22. Got a Nintendo Wii!! Great controls. Great games. Loving it. The reason why I made no picks.
23. Went to the Oklahoma State-Texas Tech game. There were still tickets available. Come on Lubbock! Support your team! It should not take Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M to make you sell out.
24. Bo Schembechler passed away the eve of the Ohio State-Michigan game. I have wondered where his legacy is as far as coaching greats go. I use the famous PTI comparison if there were a Mount Rushmore of college football coaches, where would he be? Or would he be on there? I know Bear Bryant, Knute Rockne, Joe Paterno would be on there. Other candidates include Bobby Bowden, Tom Osborne, Darrel Royal, Barry Switzer and Woody Hayes. It is tough.
25. Andre "Dirty" Waters died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the ehad yesterday. As a Cowboy fan, I remember this guy was one of the dirtiest players to play in the NFL when he played with the Eagles. HE was often late on tackles, fined and flagged for it several times and once told reporters that Emmitt SMith was going to have to be taken off on a stretcher after he was finished with him. Some say he was not the mean guy he is portrayed to be, but I can't get that image out of my mind of his late hits, the helmet in the back of Emmitt Smith.
26. Ladainian Tomlinson will be the number 1 pick next year on everybody's fantasy draft.
27. New Enlgand should probably not try to win the home-field advantage this year. 2-3 at home, 5-0 on the road.
28. Did you see that facial Nate Robertson did on Yao Ming?! Taht will be replayed for years to come. Yao knew it to, by his reaction.
29. Emmitt Smith wins Dancing with the Stars. Mario Lopez needs to learn how to win with grace, instead of the facial expressions made by him and his partner during the announcement.
30. Have a friend who is a disgruntled Detroit Lions fan. He claims he is going through a divorce with them, tired of the losing ways. After this weekend, don't blame him. They lost to Arizona. Arizona. Arizona. And now old bust quarterback Joey Harrington is coming to town on Thanksgiving to put a beat down on the team that gave up on him. Divorce is probably needed but, if you are a true fan, you are there through the bad times and the good times.
31. Nick Saban should be told to do his best coaching during the first half of the season and not just the second half.
32. Tom Izzo to coach the Michigan State Football team? I hope this is a joke because the guy who suggested this should be fired or removed from his position for even thinking about this. So let me get this straight, Steve MAriucci is not qualified enough to interview but Izzo is? No knock against Izzo, but he coaches basketball not football. So is Bob Knight going to coach the Red Raider football team or MAck Brown the Longhorn basketball team next?
Closing the vault now. My time is up, Happy Thanksgiving!
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
The Vault
I am opening up the vault and here are the valuables:
1. Tony Romo is looking more and more like the real thing every week. Ifigured by now that most teams would have film on him and be able to exploit his weaknesses but he has thrown a third straight 250-yard game and that has not been done since the days of Troy Aikman. The offensive line did not have a sack which is amazing because this is the same offensive line that was protecting Drew Bledsoe. Did you see when Romo broke away from that safety blitz? Iwas so sure he was going down and he escapes and completes a pass for a huge first down. I don't see Bledsoe doing that.
2. The Colts are coming and this is a huge test. Obviously the Colts will be favored and Peyton MAnning is probably just counting the ways he can expose the Cowboys weakness, safety coverage. I think most people know that our safeties cannot cover well and are prone to the deep ball. The only way to beat the Colts is to keep Manning and that offense on the bench which means that Parcells will have to run the ball with Marion Barber and Julius Jones carrying the workload.
3. Michael Vick is what he is. He is an average but exciting quarterback. He is average because he does not do anything spectacular with the ball when he becomes a pocket passer. He is exxciting because when he is under pressure, you wonder if he will break away with a game winning touchdown or fumble on a huge gain, like he did against the Browns. He is not a Hall of Famer and the Chargers are looking better and better for trading the number 1 pick back in 2001.
4. Bengals-Chargers game was the game of the year. The Bengals are out of it unless they can get their players heads sttraight. WR Chris Henry dropped another key pass that would have potentially affected the game. Head Coach Marvin Lewis needs to weed out the bad seeds and reinstall some discipline in this team.
5. The Raiders must be totally reorganized in order to restablish their so called committment to excellence. This team is so bad that I believe Brady Quinn will pull an Eli MAnning and not sign with them if they draft him in April. The Cardinals or the Raiders are going to have the number 1 pick and the Cardinals are already committed to a quarterback and the Raiders need one badly.
6. I like to see how all those Cowboys fans are saying now about how the Cowboys should have drafted Randy Moss in 1998 instead of DE Greg Ellis. Moss went off on another tirade saying taht his bad moods affect the way he plays, meaning we will see lack of willingness to play. Meanwhile Greg Ellis has had a great year for the Cowboys and has put in time to learn his new position which is essentially OLB in a 3-4 defense as opposed to a defensive end in a 4-3. He was not crazy about this but did it anyway and excelled so much that the Cowboys did not put in their #1 draft pick, Ohio State LB Bobby Carpenter. Now Ellis' season and probably career is over because of an Achilles tendon injury. He will be missed big time this year.
7. Joe Gibbs legacy should not be tarnished because things are going so badly. When Gibbs took the Redskins to the playoffs last year nad won a playoff game, he was halied for reviing the franchise and now, people say he does not know what he is talking about. The situation mirros Bill Parcells' situation in Dallas because Parcells was hailed as a genius for his first year for taking the Cowboys to the playoffs and ever since then, people say the game has passed. The game has not passed these guys, we are getting bonus time for seeing them coach even longer than before.
8. The Chiefs are switching back to Trent Green. Big mistake. The team has rhythm with Damon Huard and are playing well. You cannot disrupt that rhythm. They say you cannot lose your job to injury, bullcrap. You can and Huard has earned the right to play the rest of the season. I feel sorry for Green but the best chance to win is with Huard.
9. The Bears reestablish themselves as the NFC favorites with a beating of the NY Giants. Another case of the media flip-flopping. A week ago many had said they are overrated, Grossman should be benched and that they would go to 7-4. Now these same people have waffled on the story and now have the Bears winning all out. I think the Bears can because I look at the rest of the NFC and I say, who scares me? Nobody, but the Bears.
10. Rutgers deserves to play the winner of the Ohio-State-Michigan winner if they beat West Virginia. In college baskebtball, we always root for the underdog, who did not root for George MAson last year? Why can't we have that for college football? If Rutgers wins, Ohio State blows out Michigan, USC loses to Cal or UCLA, and beats Notre Dame, and Arkansas beats Florida in the SEC chamiponship, Rutgers should move ahead. But they probably won't and we will always have this problem if there is no playoff.
11. Bob knight "slapped" a player the other day when the player would not look him in the eye. I look at it and thought it was not much. The parents of the athlete said they had no problem with it, the AD had no problem with it, the player had no problem with it. Most media had no problem with it and I asked a few parents, and they said they had no problem with it. It really is not a major deal compared to the other stuff Knight has done, but Knight should know that anything he does physically on a player will be magnified because of who he is and his history. If Roy Williams or Coach K had done this, no one talks, because there have been no problems with these guys and with Knight there have been. Knight needs to stop this kind of stuff because if not, he will always answer questions about his behavior.
12. The Red Sox have bid over $50 million to just talk to Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka. That is only to talk to the guy! Now they will have 30 days to negotiate a contract with him and they will and that puts the Red Sox past the Yankees as far as the favorites for the 2007 season.
This guy is supposed to be a phenom with a Gyro Pitch which I am still trying to find out what it is.
13. The NBA has got to tone it down on this technical foul crap they are dishing out. If a player is cussing, or being a pain, yeas throw a technical, but for throwing his hands in the air, or giving a facial expression? Please. The teams would not be able to suit up the minimum if this happened. I know they are trying just to show players they mean business but ask me that when Carmel Anthony is ejected early in a playoff game.
14. The Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Wii come out this weekend. It will be hard to get one but I am going to try my hardest to at least get the Wii. I have been a Nintendo freak my whole life and just love the games that come out. Speaking of which, does anyone know why these companies do only a limited release of the systems? People are going to buy it so why only release a few?
15. I am goint to Lubbock on Saturday and watch the Texas Tech-Oklahoma State Game. You are probably wondering, what? You are going to miss Ohio State-Michigan, the game of the year so far? Yep I am but I will Tivo it and watch it later and like magic it will be good.
Time is up, not much in The Vault today, maybe next week though. See ya!
1. Tony Romo is looking more and more like the real thing every week. Ifigured by now that most teams would have film on him and be able to exploit his weaknesses but he has thrown a third straight 250-yard game and that has not been done since the days of Troy Aikman. The offensive line did not have a sack which is amazing because this is the same offensive line that was protecting Drew Bledsoe. Did you see when Romo broke away from that safety blitz? Iwas so sure he was going down and he escapes and completes a pass for a huge first down. I don't see Bledsoe doing that.
2. The Colts are coming and this is a huge test. Obviously the Colts will be favored and Peyton MAnning is probably just counting the ways he can expose the Cowboys weakness, safety coverage. I think most people know that our safeties cannot cover well and are prone to the deep ball. The only way to beat the Colts is to keep Manning and that offense on the bench which means that Parcells will have to run the ball with Marion Barber and Julius Jones carrying the workload.
3. Michael Vick is what he is. He is an average but exciting quarterback. He is average because he does not do anything spectacular with the ball when he becomes a pocket passer. He is exxciting because when he is under pressure, you wonder if he will break away with a game winning touchdown or fumble on a huge gain, like he did against the Browns. He is not a Hall of Famer and the Chargers are looking better and better for trading the number 1 pick back in 2001.
4. Bengals-Chargers game was the game of the year. The Bengals are out of it unless they can get their players heads sttraight. WR Chris Henry dropped another key pass that would have potentially affected the game. Head Coach Marvin Lewis needs to weed out the bad seeds and reinstall some discipline in this team.
5. The Raiders must be totally reorganized in order to restablish their so called committment to excellence. This team is so bad that I believe Brady Quinn will pull an Eli MAnning and not sign with them if they draft him in April. The Cardinals or the Raiders are going to have the number 1 pick and the Cardinals are already committed to a quarterback and the Raiders need one badly.
6. I like to see how all those Cowboys fans are saying now about how the Cowboys should have drafted Randy Moss in 1998 instead of DE Greg Ellis. Moss went off on another tirade saying taht his bad moods affect the way he plays, meaning we will see lack of willingness to play. Meanwhile Greg Ellis has had a great year for the Cowboys and has put in time to learn his new position which is essentially OLB in a 3-4 defense as opposed to a defensive end in a 4-3. He was not crazy about this but did it anyway and excelled so much that the Cowboys did not put in their #1 draft pick, Ohio State LB Bobby Carpenter. Now Ellis' season and probably career is over because of an Achilles tendon injury. He will be missed big time this year.
7. Joe Gibbs legacy should not be tarnished because things are going so badly. When Gibbs took the Redskins to the playoffs last year nad won a playoff game, he was halied for reviing the franchise and now, people say he does not know what he is talking about. The situation mirros Bill Parcells' situation in Dallas because Parcells was hailed as a genius for his first year for taking the Cowboys to the playoffs and ever since then, people say the game has passed. The game has not passed these guys, we are getting bonus time for seeing them coach even longer than before.
8. The Chiefs are switching back to Trent Green. Big mistake. The team has rhythm with Damon Huard and are playing well. You cannot disrupt that rhythm. They say you cannot lose your job to injury, bullcrap. You can and Huard has earned the right to play the rest of the season. I feel sorry for Green but the best chance to win is with Huard.
9. The Bears reestablish themselves as the NFC favorites with a beating of the NY Giants. Another case of the media flip-flopping. A week ago many had said they are overrated, Grossman should be benched and that they would go to 7-4. Now these same people have waffled on the story and now have the Bears winning all out. I think the Bears can because I look at the rest of the NFC and I say, who scares me? Nobody, but the Bears.
10. Rutgers deserves to play the winner of the Ohio-State-Michigan winner if they beat West Virginia. In college baskebtball, we always root for the underdog, who did not root for George MAson last year? Why can't we have that for college football? If Rutgers wins, Ohio State blows out Michigan, USC loses to Cal or UCLA, and beats Notre Dame, and Arkansas beats Florida in the SEC chamiponship, Rutgers should move ahead. But they probably won't and we will always have this problem if there is no playoff.
11. Bob knight "slapped" a player the other day when the player would not look him in the eye. I look at it and thought it was not much. The parents of the athlete said they had no problem with it, the AD had no problem with it, the player had no problem with it. Most media had no problem with it and I asked a few parents, and they said they had no problem with it. It really is not a major deal compared to the other stuff Knight has done, but Knight should know that anything he does physically on a player will be magnified because of who he is and his history. If Roy Williams or Coach K had done this, no one talks, because there have been no problems with these guys and with Knight there have been. Knight needs to stop this kind of stuff because if not, he will always answer questions about his behavior.
12. The Red Sox have bid over $50 million to just talk to Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka. That is only to talk to the guy! Now they will have 30 days to negotiate a contract with him and they will and that puts the Red Sox past the Yankees as far as the favorites for the 2007 season.
This guy is supposed to be a phenom with a Gyro Pitch which I am still trying to find out what it is.
13. The NBA has got to tone it down on this technical foul crap they are dishing out. If a player is cussing, or being a pain, yeas throw a technical, but for throwing his hands in the air, or giving a facial expression? Please. The teams would not be able to suit up the minimum if this happened. I know they are trying just to show players they mean business but ask me that when Carmel Anthony is ejected early in a playoff game.
14. The Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Wii come out this weekend. It will be hard to get one but I am going to try my hardest to at least get the Wii. I have been a Nintendo freak my whole life and just love the games that come out. Speaking of which, does anyone know why these companies do only a limited release of the systems? People are going to buy it so why only release a few?
15. I am goint to Lubbock on Saturday and watch the Texas Tech-Oklahoma State Game. You are probably wondering, what? You are going to miss Ohio State-Michigan, the game of the year so far? Yep I am but I will Tivo it and watch it later and like magic it will be good.
Time is up, not much in The Vault today, maybe next week though. See ya!
The Vault
I am opening up the vault and here are the valuables:
1. Tony Romo is looking more and more like the real thing every week. Ifigured by now that most teams would have film on him and be able to exploit his weaknesses but he has thrown a third straight 250-yard game and that has not been done since the days of Troy Aikman. The offensive line did not have a sack which is amazing because this is the same offensive line that was protecting Drew Bledsoe. Did you see when Romo broke away from that safety blitz? Iwas so sure he was going down and he escapes and completes a pass for a huge first down. I don't see Bledsoe doing that.
2. The Colts are coming and this is a huge test. Obviously the Colts will be favored and Peyton MAnning is probably just counting the ways he can expose the Cowboys weakness, safety coverage. I think most people know that our safeties cannot cover well and are prone to the deep ball. The only way to beat the Colts is to keep Manning and that offense on the bench which means that Parcells will have to run the ball with Marion Barber and Julius Jones carrying the workload.
3. Michael Vick is what he is. He is an average but exciting quarterback. He is average because he does not do anything spectacular with the ball when he becomes a pocket passer. He is exxciting because when he is under pressure, you wonder if he will break away with a game winning touchdown or fumble on a huge gain, like he did against the Browns. He is not a Hall of Famer and the Chargers are looking better and better for trading the number 1 pick back in 2001.
4. Bengals-Chargers game was the game of the year. The Bengals are out of it unless they can get their players heads sttraight. WR Chris Henry dropped another key pass that would have potentially affected the game. Head Coach Marvin Lewis needs to weed out the bad seeds and reinstall some discipline in this team.
5. The Raiders must be totally reorganized in order to restablish their so called committment to excellence. This team is so bad that I believe Brady Quinn will pull an Eli MAnning and not sign with them if they draft him in April. The Cardinals or the Raiders are going to have the number 1 pick and the Cardinals are already committed to a quarterback and the Raiders need one badly.
6. I like to see how all those Cowboys fans are saying now about how the Cowboys should have drafted Randy Moss in 1998 instead of DE Greg Ellis. Moss went off on another tirade saying taht his bad moods affect the way he plays, meaning we will see lack of willingness to play. Meanwhile Greg Ellis has had a great year for the Cowboys and has put in time to learn his new position which is essentially OLB in a 3-4 defense as opposed to a defensive end in a 4-3. He was not crazy about this but did it anyway and excelled so much that the Cowboys did not put in their #1 draft pick, Ohio State LB Bobby Carpenter. Now Ellis' season and probably career is over because of an Achilles tendon injury. He will be missed big time this year.
7. Joe Gibbs legacy should not be tarnished because things are going so badly. When Gibbs took the Redskins to the playoffs last year nad won a playoff game, he was halied for reviing the franchise and now, people say he does not know what he is talking about. The situation mirros Bill Parcells' situation in Dallas because Parcells was hailed as a genius for his first year for taking the Cowboys to the playoffs and ever since then, people say the game has passed. The game has not passed these guys, we are getting bonus time for seeing them coach even longer than before.
8. The Chiefs are switching back to Trent Green. Big mistake. The team has rhythm with Damon Huard and are playing well. You cannot disrupt that rhythm. They say you cannot lose your job to injury, bullcrap. You can and Huard has earned the right to play the rest of the season. I feel sorry for Green but the best chance to win is with Huard.
9. The Bears reestablish themselves as the NFC favorites with a beating of the NY Giants. Another case of the media flip-flopping. A week ago many had said they are overrated, Grossman should be benched and that they would go to 7-4. Now these same people have waffled on the story and now have the Bears winning all out. I think the Bears can because I look at the rest of the NFC and I say, who scares me? Nobody, but the Bears.
10. Rutgers deserves to play the winner of the Ohio-State-Michigan winner if they beat West Virginia. In college baskebtball, we always root for the underdog, who did not root for George MAson last year? Why can't we have that for college football? If Rutgers wins, Ohio State blows out Michigan, USC loses to Cal or UCLA, and beats Notre Dame, and Arkansas beats Florida in the SEC chamiponship, Rutgers should move ahead. But they probably won't and we will always have this problem if there is no playoff.
11. Bob knight "slapped" a player the other day when the player would not look him in the eye. I look at it and thought it was not much. The parents of the athlete said they had no problem with it, the AD had no problem with it, the player had no problem with it. Most media had no problem with it and I asked a few parents, and they said they had no problem with it. It really is not a major deal compared to the other stuff Knight has done, but Knight should know that anything he does physically on a player will be magnified because of who he is and his history. If Roy Williams or Coach K had done this, no one talks, because there have been no problems with these guys and with Knight there have been. Knight needs to stop this kind of stuff because if not, he will always answer questions about his behavior.
12. The Red Sox have bid over $50 million to just talk to Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka. That is only to talk to the guy! Now they will have 30 days to negotiate a contract with him and they will and that puts the Red Sox past the Yankees as far as the favorites for the 2007 season.
This guy is supposed to be a phenom with a Gyro Pitch which I am still trying to find out what it is.
13. The NBA has got to tone it down on this technical foul crap they are dishing out. If a player is cussing, or being a pain, yeas throw a technical, but for throwing his hands in the air, or giving a facial expression? Please. The teams would not be able to suit up the minimum if this happened. I know they are trying just to show players they mean business but ask me that when Carmel Anthony is ejected early in a playoff game.
14. The Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Wii come out this weekend. It will be hard to get one but I am going to try my hardest to at least get the Wii. I have been a Nintendo freak my whole life and just love the games that come out. Speaking of which, does anyone know why these companies do only a limited release of the systems? People are going to buy it so why only release a few?
15. I am goint to Lubbock on Saturday and watch the Texas Tech-Oklahoma State Game. You are probably wondering, what? You are going to miss Ohio State-Michigan, the game of the year so far? Yep I am but I will Tivo it and watch it later and like magic it will be good.
Time is up, not much in The Vault today, maybe next week though. See ya!
1. Tony Romo is looking more and more like the real thing every week. Ifigured by now that most teams would have film on him and be able to exploit his weaknesses but he has thrown a third straight 250-yard game and that has not been done since the days of Troy Aikman. The offensive line did not have a sack which is amazing because this is the same offensive line that was protecting Drew Bledsoe. Did you see when Romo broke away from that safety blitz? Iwas so sure he was going down and he escapes and completes a pass for a huge first down. I don't see Bledsoe doing that.
2. The Colts are coming and this is a huge test. Obviously the Colts will be favored and Peyton MAnning is probably just counting the ways he can expose the Cowboys weakness, safety coverage. I think most people know that our safeties cannot cover well and are prone to the deep ball. The only way to beat the Colts is to keep Manning and that offense on the bench which means that Parcells will have to run the ball with Marion Barber and Julius Jones carrying the workload.
3. Michael Vick is what he is. He is an average but exciting quarterback. He is average because he does not do anything spectacular with the ball when he becomes a pocket passer. He is exxciting because when he is under pressure, you wonder if he will break away with a game winning touchdown or fumble on a huge gain, like he did against the Browns. He is not a Hall of Famer and the Chargers are looking better and better for trading the number 1 pick back in 2001.
4. Bengals-Chargers game was the game of the year. The Bengals are out of it unless they can get their players heads sttraight. WR Chris Henry dropped another key pass that would have potentially affected the game. Head Coach Marvin Lewis needs to weed out the bad seeds and reinstall some discipline in this team.
5. The Raiders must be totally reorganized in order to restablish their so called committment to excellence. This team is so bad that I believe Brady Quinn will pull an Eli MAnning and not sign with them if they draft him in April. The Cardinals or the Raiders are going to have the number 1 pick and the Cardinals are already committed to a quarterback and the Raiders need one badly.
6. I like to see how all those Cowboys fans are saying now about how the Cowboys should have drafted Randy Moss in 1998 instead of DE Greg Ellis. Moss went off on another tirade saying taht his bad moods affect the way he plays, meaning we will see lack of willingness to play. Meanwhile Greg Ellis has had a great year for the Cowboys and has put in time to learn his new position which is essentially OLB in a 3-4 defense as opposed to a defensive end in a 4-3. He was not crazy about this but did it anyway and excelled so much that the Cowboys did not put in their #1 draft pick, Ohio State LB Bobby Carpenter. Now Ellis' season and probably career is over because of an Achilles tendon injury. He will be missed big time this year.
7. Joe Gibbs legacy should not be tarnished because things are going so badly. When Gibbs took the Redskins to the playoffs last year nad won a playoff game, he was halied for reviing the franchise and now, people say he does not know what he is talking about. The situation mirros Bill Parcells' situation in Dallas because Parcells was hailed as a genius for his first year for taking the Cowboys to the playoffs and ever since then, people say the game has passed. The game has not passed these guys, we are getting bonus time for seeing them coach even longer than before.
8. The Chiefs are switching back to Trent Green. Big mistake. The team has rhythm with Damon Huard and are playing well. You cannot disrupt that rhythm. They say you cannot lose your job to injury, bullcrap. You can and Huard has earned the right to play the rest of the season. I feel sorry for Green but the best chance to win is with Huard.
9. The Bears reestablish themselves as the NFC favorites with a beating of the NY Giants. Another case of the media flip-flopping. A week ago many had said they are overrated, Grossman should be benched and that they would go to 7-4. Now these same people have waffled on the story and now have the Bears winning all out. I think the Bears can because I look at the rest of the NFC and I say, who scares me? Nobody, but the Bears.
10. Rutgers deserves to play the winner of the Ohio-State-Michigan winner if they beat West Virginia. In college baskebtball, we always root for the underdog, who did not root for George MAson last year? Why can't we have that for college football? If Rutgers wins, Ohio State blows out Michigan, USC loses to Cal or UCLA, and beats Notre Dame, and Arkansas beats Florida in the SEC chamiponship, Rutgers should move ahead. But they probably won't and we will always have this problem if there is no playoff.
11. Bob knight "slapped" a player the other day when the player would not look him in the eye. I look at it and thought it was not much. The parents of the athlete said they had no problem with it, the AD had no problem with it, the player had no problem with it. Most media had no problem with it and I asked a few parents, and they said they had no problem with it. It really is not a major deal compared to the other stuff Knight has done, but Knight should know that anything he does physically on a player will be magnified because of who he is and his history. If Roy Williams or Coach K had done this, no one talks, because there have been no problems with these guys and with Knight there have been. Knight needs to stop this kind of stuff because if not, he will always answer questions about his behavior.
12. The Red Sox have bid over $50 million to just talk to Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka. That is only to talk to the guy! Now they will have 30 days to negotiate a contract with him and they will and that puts the Red Sox past the Yankees as far as the favorites for the 2007 season.
This guy is supposed to be a phenom with a Gyro Pitch which I am still trying to find out what it is.
13. The NBA has got to tone it down on this technical foul crap they are dishing out. If a player is cussing, or being a pain, yeas throw a technical, but for throwing his hands in the air, or giving a facial expression? Please. The teams would not be able to suit up the minimum if this happened. I know they are trying just to show players they mean business but ask me that when Carmel Anthony is ejected early in a playoff game.
14. The Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Wii come out this weekend. It will be hard to get one but I am going to try my hardest to at least get the Wii. I have been a Nintendo freak my whole life and just love the games that come out. Speaking of which, does anyone know why these companies do only a limited release of the systems? People are going to buy it so why only release a few?
15. I am goint to Lubbock on Saturday and watch the Texas Tech-Oklahoma State Game. You are probably wondering, what? You are going to miss Ohio State-Michigan, the game of the year so far? Yep I am but I will Tivo it and watch it later and like magic it will be good.
Time is up, not much in The Vault today, maybe next week though. See ya!
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Picks
Here are my picks:
Baltimore over Tennessee
Indianapolis over Buffalo
Atlanta over Cleveland
Green Bay over Minnesota
Jacksonville over Houston
Kansas City over Miami
New England over NY Jets
San Diego over Cincinnati
Detroit over San Frrancisco
Philadelphia over Washington
Denver over Oakland
Dallas over Arizona
New Orleans over Pittsburgh
St Louis over Seattle
NY Giants over Chicago
Carolina over Tampa Bay
Baltimore over Tennessee
Indianapolis over Buffalo
Atlanta over Cleveland
Green Bay over Minnesota
Jacksonville over Houston
Kansas City over Miami
New England over NY Jets
San Diego over Cincinnati
Detroit over San Frrancisco
Philadelphia over Washington
Denver over Oakland
Dallas over Arizona
New Orleans over Pittsburgh
St Louis over Seattle
NY Giants over Chicago
Carolina over Tampa Bay
Monday, November 06, 2006
The Vault
OK, here are the jewels.
1. Who to blame for the Cowboys game yesterday? Too many to list but I will try. TO is one to blame. You whine and cry about not getting the ball enough or the coaches and players not using you correctly but you just laugh it off when you drop critical passes? I know he apologized but man, he needs to be held accountable, quit sleeping at team meetings, and quit yelling at other players and coaches. This is not San Francisco or Philadelphia. When you play for the Cowboys, your mistakes are magnified 5 times over. TO has had a reputation for dropping passes but it never got the attention it gets but now here it will be blown up. Just like the sleeping at meetings. I here that players fall asleep at team meetings all the time, but again it it TO and the Cowboys. These sre the Yankees of the NFL. A-Rod gets intense scrutiny by the New York media, TO will get hammered just as bad by the Dallas media for his antics. Can he handle it? Well let us see how the season plays out and quit with your celebraions TO! 15 yard penalties might not seem like much to you but maybe we need to stick you on defense or special teams so you can feel the wrath of the penalty.
2. What was Bill Parcells thinking going for two early in the game. I know the coaches have this chart that dictates when to go for two based on the score in the game, but that was too early. The chart should be taken out only during the second half of games and then used with discretion, not as an absolute. Had Parcells gone for 1, the Cowboys would have been up by 1 after the missed Redskin field goal.
3. Why was no one blocking Troy Vincent on that field goal attempt? MArc Columbo cannot even shove him down or even a hold, hey players get away with it all the time. I know some will try to blame kicker Mike Vanderjagt for this but it was not his fault, the line did not do its job and needs to be held accountable.
4. Too many penalties. Parcells says he does not coach penalties, saying in his recent press conference that it is a lack of judgment on the players. To some degree it is but something needs to be done. Coaches need to have some if not a lot of accountability for the penalties taking place. Some were questionable though. The face mask at the end should have been a 5-yard incidental face mask and not the personal foul. That was a big difference in the game. Roy Williams is starting to make himself out to be overrated. He is terrible at pass coverage, and the pass interference penalty that would have stalled a Redskin drive was not necessary because the receiver would never have caught the ball. Williams should have played the ball instead of going to the receiver.
5. One good thing did come out of this was that Tony Romo looks for real. I know the more he plays the more he exposes himself and the opposing teams have film on him and will try to find flaws and weaknessess in his delivery but what a talent. I just thought that if Drew Bledsoe had started this game, the result would have been similar to the Redskin game last year at Washington where it was a blowout. No way Bledsoe would have broken free from those blitzes Gregg Williams unleashed on Romo yesterday.
6. Indianapolis is now the only undefeated team in the league. The Colts win over the Patriots is big because it is a huge psychological boost knowing the Colts can win at Foxboro back to back times. But lets see if they can actually make it to the big game in the postseason.
7. The Cowboys problems are bad but I would rather have these problems than the 2-6 Steelers. How bad a fall from grace when Denver beats you at home. I never felt this feeling that the Steelers were going to come back as I watched the game.
8. Rex Grossman is finally starting to remember he is Rex Grossman and not Brett Favre of old. Too many turnovers in three games. The Bears are not as good as they looked earlier but I still feel they will be a challenge in the NFC. We will find out Sunday night whenthey face the Giants.
9. Why was a big deal made because Mario Williams of the Texans mocked the Giants basketball shot celebration after he sacked Eli Manning. I did not know the Giants owned the publishing rights to that move and it was not much of a mock either. Lighten up.
10. The Falcons looked normal against the Lions. Two gret games and people want to say that Michael Vick is now a complete quarterback. I don't feel he will ever be truly complete until they give him a stronger supporting cast similar to when Randall Cunningham received when he quarterbacked the Vikings in 1998.
11. Roy Williams of the Lions is still yapping. He calls the Lions the best 2-6 team in the league. I don't know about that. If you are 2-6, that is nothing to brag about.
12. The Broncos cannot bench Jake Plummer while the team is playing great football. It would distrurb the rhythm of the team. Unless he has back to back stretches of 3 interception games and bad series of plays similar to Drew Bledsoe, plus the record gets worse, than go with Jay Cutler, but not now.
13. The Chiefs have a QB controversy on the other hand. Like I said above, you cannot break ther rhythm of a team and the Chiefs cannot bench Damon Huard for Trent Green. Yes it is unfair for gReen to lose his job due to injury but that is the nature of the business. To go back to him after missing half the season would disrupt the way the team is heading.
14. The Jaguars benching Byron Leftwitch is understandable. The Jaguars do not look and move like the same team when David Garrard is in. To all the Cowboys fans who have criticized Parcells for drafting Terence Newman instead of Leftwitch, now who is laughing?
15. If Louisville remains unbeaten, they deserve to be in the BCS championship. I don't care if Ohio State or Michigan lose, Louisville should face the winner of that game for the title. I don;t think a rematch of Ohio STate and Michigan is just unless you are talking to the televison brass at Fox who want ratings for the game.
16. My solution to the whole BCS system? I know some purist want to sensation of every game to seem like a playoff because if you go undefeated, youu have a shot at the title, lose 1, maybe, lose 2, forget it. And I love that feeling to, and the BCS is probably better than what we had before, but there are still flaws in the system. To keep the current atmosphere, create an 8-team playoff. Use the current bowls (Fiesta, Rose, Sugar, Orange, maybe Cotton if necessary to add one) for the sites of these playoffs. Use the BCS ranking to determine the top 8. The rest of the teams will go into the other bowl games. Is is better than the current system? Yes. Does it still fill the need for the same playoff like atmosphere at the regular college games? It think so. Teams will have to fight to improve therir rating in the BCs to make the top 8. And there still will be controversy. The teams ranked 9 and 10 will attest, but I feel this would be better.
17. How about Joe Paterno going to coach next week against Temple after breaking his leg on the sideline last week? Hey it is Joe Paterno. Leave him alone.
18. Texas A&M had poor coaching and playcalling in the 4th quarter of their game against the Sooners. Too conservative.
19. I have had it with replay in college and the NFL. There is no point in doing this . The guys calling the game have better perspective and common sense when looking at the replays. Hey, why not let them decide? Come on. The replay judges in the booth are not exactly full-time top notch officials. The media guys could not be worse.
20. Ron Washington is now the new Rangers manager. From what I can see, he is the opposite of Buck Showalter, that is he is a players manager. HE is also the second African-American managing in the league now in a sport that does not have enough African AMericans in it. So far it looks to be a good hire. He has several issues to face. One is the players trust. Showalter lost his players becasue he seemed evasive and not willing to tell the truth and was seen as a [art of the owner's side than the players. Second, the pitching in Texas. I know, the same story but he needs to convince GM Jon Daniels to resign Vicente Padilla, Adam Eaton and to sign another starter, even if it means overpaying, such as A's pitcher Barry Zito? The Ballpark in Arlington (I know that is not the name) is more favorable to left-handed pitchers and Washington does have that A's background. Hopefully he can convince him to come. And another is to get the Rangers over the hump. The heat is always a factor, he needs to instill a more positive attitude in the clubhouse and atmospherer that will make the players want to come to work instead of dreading it.
21. Rumor has it that if Met starting pitcher and future Hall-of-Famer Pedro Martinez does not feel he can come back at full strength, he will retire. Waht a career. I know because of his height and size that he pushed his body to a lot of limits that made him the pitcher he was, but it also was probably his undoing as a player as well. All that wear and tear on a pitcher can really take its toll. I still do not know how pitchers do it.
22. Lance Armstrong says running the NY Marathon was the hardest thing he ever did. Should have used the performance enhancers man. Oops. Did I say that?
23. Desparate Housewives update. I had a feeling no one "major" was going to be killed last night. Housewives has done this numerous times. They hype up an upcoming death, implying that the death will be one of the 5 leads, and then when you watch, it is only a character that has been around for maybe half a season. Was surprised it was Nora though. I thought they had a good storyline with Nora, Tom, Lynette and their whole child fiasco. But hey, lets see where this goes.
My time is up. Be sure to vote tomorrow and see ya!
1. Who to blame for the Cowboys game yesterday? Too many to list but I will try. TO is one to blame. You whine and cry about not getting the ball enough or the coaches and players not using you correctly but you just laugh it off when you drop critical passes? I know he apologized but man, he needs to be held accountable, quit sleeping at team meetings, and quit yelling at other players and coaches. This is not San Francisco or Philadelphia. When you play for the Cowboys, your mistakes are magnified 5 times over. TO has had a reputation for dropping passes but it never got the attention it gets but now here it will be blown up. Just like the sleeping at meetings. I here that players fall asleep at team meetings all the time, but again it it TO and the Cowboys. These sre the Yankees of the NFL. A-Rod gets intense scrutiny by the New York media, TO will get hammered just as bad by the Dallas media for his antics. Can he handle it? Well let us see how the season plays out and quit with your celebraions TO! 15 yard penalties might not seem like much to you but maybe we need to stick you on defense or special teams so you can feel the wrath of the penalty.
2. What was Bill Parcells thinking going for two early in the game. I know the coaches have this chart that dictates when to go for two based on the score in the game, but that was too early. The chart should be taken out only during the second half of games and then used with discretion, not as an absolute. Had Parcells gone for 1, the Cowboys would have been up by 1 after the missed Redskin field goal.
3. Why was no one blocking Troy Vincent on that field goal attempt? MArc Columbo cannot even shove him down or even a hold, hey players get away with it all the time. I know some will try to blame kicker Mike Vanderjagt for this but it was not his fault, the line did not do its job and needs to be held accountable.
4. Too many penalties. Parcells says he does not coach penalties, saying in his recent press conference that it is a lack of judgment on the players. To some degree it is but something needs to be done. Coaches need to have some if not a lot of accountability for the penalties taking place. Some were questionable though. The face mask at the end should have been a 5-yard incidental face mask and not the personal foul. That was a big difference in the game. Roy Williams is starting to make himself out to be overrated. He is terrible at pass coverage, and the pass interference penalty that would have stalled a Redskin drive was not necessary because the receiver would never have caught the ball. Williams should have played the ball instead of going to the receiver.
5. One good thing did come out of this was that Tony Romo looks for real. I know the more he plays the more he exposes himself and the opposing teams have film on him and will try to find flaws and weaknessess in his delivery but what a talent. I just thought that if Drew Bledsoe had started this game, the result would have been similar to the Redskin game last year at Washington where it was a blowout. No way Bledsoe would have broken free from those blitzes Gregg Williams unleashed on Romo yesterday.
6. Indianapolis is now the only undefeated team in the league. The Colts win over the Patriots is big because it is a huge psychological boost knowing the Colts can win at Foxboro back to back times. But lets see if they can actually make it to the big game in the postseason.
7. The Cowboys problems are bad but I would rather have these problems than the 2-6 Steelers. How bad a fall from grace when Denver beats you at home. I never felt this feeling that the Steelers were going to come back as I watched the game.
8. Rex Grossman is finally starting to remember he is Rex Grossman and not Brett Favre of old. Too many turnovers in three games. The Bears are not as good as they looked earlier but I still feel they will be a challenge in the NFC. We will find out Sunday night whenthey face the Giants.
9. Why was a big deal made because Mario Williams of the Texans mocked the Giants basketball shot celebration after he sacked Eli Manning. I did not know the Giants owned the publishing rights to that move and it was not much of a mock either. Lighten up.
10. The Falcons looked normal against the Lions. Two gret games and people want to say that Michael Vick is now a complete quarterback. I don't feel he will ever be truly complete until they give him a stronger supporting cast similar to when Randall Cunningham received when he quarterbacked the Vikings in 1998.
11. Roy Williams of the Lions is still yapping. He calls the Lions the best 2-6 team in the league. I don't know about that. If you are 2-6, that is nothing to brag about.
12. The Broncos cannot bench Jake Plummer while the team is playing great football. It would distrurb the rhythm of the team. Unless he has back to back stretches of 3 interception games and bad series of plays similar to Drew Bledsoe, plus the record gets worse, than go with Jay Cutler, but not now.
13. The Chiefs have a QB controversy on the other hand. Like I said above, you cannot break ther rhythm of a team and the Chiefs cannot bench Damon Huard for Trent Green. Yes it is unfair for gReen to lose his job due to injury but that is the nature of the business. To go back to him after missing half the season would disrupt the way the team is heading.
14. The Jaguars benching Byron Leftwitch is understandable. The Jaguars do not look and move like the same team when David Garrard is in. To all the Cowboys fans who have criticized Parcells for drafting Terence Newman instead of Leftwitch, now who is laughing?
15. If Louisville remains unbeaten, they deserve to be in the BCS championship. I don't care if Ohio State or Michigan lose, Louisville should face the winner of that game for the title. I don;t think a rematch of Ohio STate and Michigan is just unless you are talking to the televison brass at Fox who want ratings for the game.
16. My solution to the whole BCS system? I know some purist want to sensation of every game to seem like a playoff because if you go undefeated, youu have a shot at the title, lose 1, maybe, lose 2, forget it. And I love that feeling to, and the BCS is probably better than what we had before, but there are still flaws in the system. To keep the current atmosphere, create an 8-team playoff. Use the current bowls (Fiesta, Rose, Sugar, Orange, maybe Cotton if necessary to add one) for the sites of these playoffs. Use the BCS ranking to determine the top 8. The rest of the teams will go into the other bowl games. Is is better than the current system? Yes. Does it still fill the need for the same playoff like atmosphere at the regular college games? It think so. Teams will have to fight to improve therir rating in the BCs to make the top 8. And there still will be controversy. The teams ranked 9 and 10 will attest, but I feel this would be better.
17. How about Joe Paterno going to coach next week against Temple after breaking his leg on the sideline last week? Hey it is Joe Paterno. Leave him alone.
18. Texas A&M had poor coaching and playcalling in the 4th quarter of their game against the Sooners. Too conservative.
19. I have had it with replay in college and the NFL. There is no point in doing this . The guys calling the game have better perspective and common sense when looking at the replays. Hey, why not let them decide? Come on. The replay judges in the booth are not exactly full-time top notch officials. The media guys could not be worse.
20. Ron Washington is now the new Rangers manager. From what I can see, he is the opposite of Buck Showalter, that is he is a players manager. HE is also the second African-American managing in the league now in a sport that does not have enough African AMericans in it. So far it looks to be a good hire. He has several issues to face. One is the players trust. Showalter lost his players becasue he seemed evasive and not willing to tell the truth and was seen as a [art of the owner's side than the players. Second, the pitching in Texas. I know, the same story but he needs to convince GM Jon Daniels to resign Vicente Padilla, Adam Eaton and to sign another starter, even if it means overpaying, such as A's pitcher Barry Zito? The Ballpark in Arlington (I know that is not the name) is more favorable to left-handed pitchers and Washington does have that A's background. Hopefully he can convince him to come. And another is to get the Rangers over the hump. The heat is always a factor, he needs to instill a more positive attitude in the clubhouse and atmospherer that will make the players want to come to work instead of dreading it.
21. Rumor has it that if Met starting pitcher and future Hall-of-Famer Pedro Martinez does not feel he can come back at full strength, he will retire. Waht a career. I know because of his height and size that he pushed his body to a lot of limits that made him the pitcher he was, but it also was probably his undoing as a player as well. All that wear and tear on a pitcher can really take its toll. I still do not know how pitchers do it.
22. Lance Armstrong says running the NY Marathon was the hardest thing he ever did. Should have used the performance enhancers man. Oops. Did I say that?
23. Desparate Housewives update. I had a feeling no one "major" was going to be killed last night. Housewives has done this numerous times. They hype up an upcoming death, implying that the death will be one of the 5 leads, and then when you watch, it is only a character that has been around for maybe half a season. Was surprised it was Nora though. I thought they had a good storyline with Nora, Tom, Lynette and their whole child fiasco. But hey, lets see where this goes.
My time is up. Be sure to vote tomorrow and see ya!
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Picks
Here are my picks. I went 8-6 last week and am 68-32 for the year.
Atlanta over Detroit
Baltimore over Cincinnati
Dallas over Washington
Buffalo over Green Bay
NY Giants over Houston
St Louis over Kansas City
Chicago over Miami
New Orleans over Tampa Bay
Jacksonville over Tennessee
Minnesota over San Francisco
San Diego over Cleveland
Denver over Pittsburgh
Indianapolis over New England
Seattle over Oakland
Atlanta over Detroit
Baltimore over Cincinnati
Dallas over Washington
Buffalo over Green Bay
NY Giants over Houston
St Louis over Kansas City
Chicago over Miami
New Orleans over Tampa Bay
Jacksonville over Tennessee
Minnesota over San Francisco
San Diego over Cleveland
Denver over Pittsburgh
Indianapolis over New England
Seattle over Oakland
