College Football Comments: Week 4

• We learned something about USC on Saturday: the only way they will be beat is if they beat themselves.


• After spanking a good Georgia Tech team Virginia Tech finally got the notoriety it deserved.


• Michigan State just became the second best team in the Big Ten.  Praise to Drew Stanton


• That Tennessee-LSU game was horrible.  Yes it was close but both teams played terribly


• The Big Ten is ridiculously upside-down.  Ohio State looks great but it’s hard to gauge everyone else.


• I’m not really one to point out the obvious, but: Louisville’s title dreams ended in a flash on Saturday.  The next question is should the Big East even have an automatic BCS bid?


• Lawrence Maroney keeps running over, around, and through the competition.  He smoked the number one rushing defense in the country (Purdue) this past week.


• Are there any teams outside the top seven that can win consistently?  I’m almost expecting Michigan State and California losses this next week.


• ‘Bama’s been playing well lately and they’ll have a chance to prove themselves against Florida this upcoming week.


• It’s a shame that UTEP didn’t schedule any non-conference games that were even semi-difficult.  If they did they had a shot at being a BCS buster.


• Next year’s Heisman watch is going to be really fun: Drew Stanton, Brady Quinn, and Sam Keller all have a shot.


• Wisconsin and Minnesota came up with huge wins last week which gave the Big Ten a leap in credibility from top to bottom.


• Arizona State better put up 56 points and capitalize on every Trojan mistake in order to beat USC on Saturday.

My Top 25
1. (1) USC 3-0
2. (2) Texas 3-0
3. (6) Virginia Tech 4-0
4. (3) Florida 4-0
5. (5) Ohio State 3-1
6. (7) Georgia 4-0
7. (9) Florida State 3-0
8. (NR) Michigan State 4-0
9. (11) Tennessee 2-1
10. (13) California 4-0
11. (4) LSU 1-1
12. (NR) Arizona State 3-1
13. (NR) Miami 3-1
14. (14) Notre Dame 3-1
15. (NR) Wisconsin 4-0
16. (--) Texas Tech 3-0
17. (--) Minnesota 4-0
18. (--) UCLA 3-0
19. (--) Alabama 4-0
20. (--) Boston College 3-1
21. (12) Purdue 2-1
22. (8) Louisville 3-1
23. (--) Virginia 3-0
24. (--) Auburn 3-1
25. (--) Iowa State 3-0

Dropped Out:      
Georgia Tech (15)

*Some notes about the rankings…
Since the Harris Poll came out this week I thought it to be fitting that I change my poll from a Top 15 format to the traditional Top 25 format.  One thing I would like to comment on is positions 8 to 11.  After the top 7, and the Tennessee-LSU game on Monday night, it became extremely difficult to rank teams.  Neither Tennessee nor LSU played well enough to gain any type of attention.  But there aren’t too many other teams that I see as “top 10 quality”.   Michigan State has played exceptionally well lately so an 8 ranking isn’t too far fetched.  However, Cal’s 10 ranking is somewhat absurd to me (and might also be to others).  The reason for this high of a ranking for an unproven team is because everyone else who breaks into the top 10 keeps losing whereas Cal keeps winning (albeit against some not so great teams).  Some people could even make the same argument for Texas Tech.  In reality the top 7 teams in the nation I believe are well established and only future games will reveal to us who can be the last three teams in the top 10.  

Heisman Watch
1. Matt Leinart, QB- USC
2. Reggie Bush, RB- USC
3. Vince Young, QB- Texas
4. Chris Leak, QB- Florida
5. Lawrence Marouney, RB- Minnesota

On the Radar:
Drew Stanton, QB- Michigan State
Brian Calhoun, RB- Wisconsin
Reggie McNeal, QB- Texas A&M
Brady Quinn, QB- Notre Dame
Sam Keller, QB- Arizona State

NFL Week 3

Running late again. I need to just get these up and posted Saturday night instead of 5 minutes before game time.

St. Louis (-7) 24, Tennessee 19
Philadelphia (-9) 35, Oakland 31
Cincinatti (-3) 24, Chicago 17
NY Jets (-2) 20, Jacksonville 17
Minnesota (-4) 27, New Orleans 20
Carolina (-3) 23, Miami 17
Indianapolis (-14.5) 34, Cleveland 6
Atlanta (+2.5) 21, Buffalo 20
Tampa Bay (-3.5) 24, Green Bay 10
Seattle (-6) 31, Arizona 16
Pittsburgh (-3) 27, New England 24
Dallas (-6.5) 27, San Francisco 21
San Diego (-6.5) 26 , NY Giants 23
Kansas City (+3) 37, Denver 14

Last Week
Straight Up: 7-9
ATS: 3-13

Total
Straight Up: 15-17
ATS: 11-21

NFL Week 2 Recap

The Good
Cincinnati Bengals- So just how good are these guys anyway?  It’s too early to tell if they’re playoff contenders but they look mighty good, especially Carson Palmer.  He had 337 yards and 3 touchdowns against Minnesota last week and has a passer rating of 107.8 (4th in the league) for the year.  The only problem is that they’ve played a weak Browns and a not-so-good-so-far Vikings team.  Even so, hanging a 38 on any team isn’t so easy to do.  

McNabb, T.O., and Co.- Speaking of hanging 38 on a scoreboard, how about Philly’s 42 against San Fran?  McNabb threw for 342 yards and 5 TDs in the contest while Terrell Owens had 143 yards and 2 TDs in the first 19 minutes!  The Eagles’ offense was not just good, it was superb.  They racked up 583 yards of total offense, had 30 first downs, and controlled the ball for almost 38 minutes of the game.  That’s domination.

Santana Moss- Here is your clutch player of the week.  After watching the Redskin offense stagnate for the whole game Moss and QB Mark Brunell finally started to get things going in the fourth quarter against Dallas.  Two huge touchdown catches my Moss late in the game proved to be the difference in the Washington 14-13 win.  Moss ended up with 5 catches for 159 yards and is tied for second in the league with TO for total receiving yards this season.

Carnell Williams- It’s one rookie running back after another this season.  Last week it was Pittsburgh’s Willie Parker (who was darn good this week as well) and this week it turns out to be Williams.  “Cadillac” shredded Buffalo for 128 yards and a touchdown all the while averaging 5.3 yards per carry in Tampa’s 19-3 win.  He now leads the NFL in rushing with 276 yards.

Indy’s Defense- Can someone tell me where the real Indianapolis Colts went?  This defense is dominating and the offense is stagnant.  That’s a complete 180 from last year’s team.  The latest Colt accomplishment was holding the Jaguars to 3 points while having 3 forced fumbles and 6 sacks.

The Bad
New England Patriots- What happened?  Tom Brady lost his cool, the Pats couldn’t execute, the running game didn’t exist, and the defense was fair at best.  For the first time in a couple of years the two-time defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots looked extremely vulnerable.  The rushing game was hardly existent and the field position they allowed Carolina to have was completely unacceptable.  Twice Carolina started their “drive” inside the Patriot 15.  I don’t care how good your defense is supposed to be.  You will lose if you give your opponent field position like that.

NFC West- It’s possible that the winner of this division could have 7 wins at the end of the regular season.  Seattle is the only team that is somewhat salvaging this pitiful division.  They beat a good Falcons team on Sunday.  But the rest of the division has been horrible.  St. Louis lost to a bad 49ers team the first week, and then barely beat a Cardinals team that was pummeled by the mediocre Giants in the first week.  And let’s not forget the 42-3 clock-cleaning that the Niners got against Philly this week.  It looks like the division will beat itself up for wins and then struggle against everyone else.

JP Losman & Willis McGahee- The Bills offense isn’t supposed to be this bad.  Granted, they’re not supposed to be stellar either but they have tons of potential.  On Sunday, though, they sure didn’t show it.  Losman was 12 for 28 for 113 yards and McGahee had a measly 34 yards on 13 carries.  Yes I realize that the Bills’ offensive line plays a factor in this but McGahee’s raw talent alone should be able to rush for more than 34 yards.  If he can’t establish himself then Losman is going to have a hard time throwing the ball all year.

Peyton Manning- The Patriots and Peyton Manning bad at the same time?  The NFL world is starting to turn upside-down.  Manning was 13 for 28 for 122 yards and one interception.  Hardly the all-pro numbers he put up in his record-setting year last season.  He guided the Colts to only 10 points and didn’t tap the resources that wide receivers Marvin Harrison, Brandon Stokley, and Reggie Wayne have.  I know the Colts defense is vastly improved but sooner or later Manning is going to have to become the QB he was last year if the Colts have any chance at a Super Bowl.

The Ugly
Daunte Culpepper- One of the biggest surprises thus far has been the performance of the exceptionally talented Vikings quarterback.  Only you couldn’t tell he was talented by the numbers he has put up.  Against the Bengals this week Culpepper was 21 for 37 for 236 yards (which isn’t horrible) with 0 TDs (which could be improved upon) and 5 INTs (which is absolutely astonishingly horrid).  Deltha O’Neal picked him off three times alone.  Overall Culpepper has thrown for 0 TDs and 8 INTs this season.  I think the loss of Randy Moss hurt.  

Raven Rushing Game- I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the first Raven win will come when Jamal Lewis finally rushes for 100 yards.  Lewis, and the rest of the running game, was atrocious this week against a weak Titans team.  On 10 carries Lewis gained 9 yards and overall the Ravens rushed 13 times for 14 yards.  Baltimore doesn’t have the passing attack to compete with a lot of football teams right now.  QB Kyle Boller is hurt and QB Anthony Wright is average on his best days.  If the Ravens are going to get back on track this year it has to start with Jamal Lewis.  

Power Rankings
1. (2) Indianapolis Colts 2-0
2. (3) Pittsburgh Steelers 2-0
3. (6) Kansas City Chiefs 2-0
4. (7) Philadelphia Eagles 1-1
5. (12) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2-0
6. (16) Carolina Panthers 1-1
7. (1) New England Patriots 1-1
8. (5) Atlanta Falcons 1-1
9. (19) Cincinnati Bengals 2-0
10. (4) Jacksonville Jaguars 1-1
11. (13) New York Giants 2-0
12. (8) Buffalo Bills 1-1
13. (25) Washington Redskins 2-0
14. (9) New Orleans Saints 1-1
15. (21) Seattle Seahawks 1-1
16. (10) Dallas Cowboys 1-1
17. (22) New York Jets 1-1
18. (30) Chicago Bears 1-1
19. (27) St. Louis Rams 1-1
20. (18) Miami Dolphins 1-1
21. (20) Detroit Lions 1-1
22. (23) Denver Broncos 1-1
23. (14) San Diego Chargers 0-2
24. (17) Minnesota Vikings 0-2
25. (15) Oakland Raiders 0-2
26. (29) Tennessee Titans 1-1
27. (11) Baltimore Ravens 0-2
28. (32) Cleveland Browns 1-1
29. (24) San Francisco 49ers 1-1
30. (26) Arizona Cardinals 0-2
31. (28) Green Bay Packers 0-2
32. (31) Houston Texans 0-2

College Football Comments: Week 3

• In a week that featured SEC powerhouses, west coast USC still made the headlines by hanging a 70 on Arkansas.  Look out world, they’re just getting started.


• So far Florida has proved that they’re a darn good football team.  But Urban Meyer better get QB Chris Leak to be more efficient in that spread offense if Florida is going to win the SEC.


• If Ohio State’s and Tennessee’s losses taught NCAA coaches anything it should be this: stick with one quarterback.  


• The Big Ten’s revenge week: Purdue hangs on, Ohio State wins by 21, Iowa by 24, Michigan by 55, and the biggie, Michigan State topples Notre Dame.


• You think the Irish are a little upset at Drew Stanton and the Spartans?  That’s the 5th straight time Michigan State has won at Notre Dame.


• USC, Texas, Florida, LSU, Ohio State, Georgia, Florida State, Notre Dame, and even Louisville and Purdue have been getting national notoriety, but what about Virginia Tech?  After thumping Ohio 55-0 somebody should give them some kind of spotlight, shouldn’t they… please?


• Either Boston College is a good football team or Florida State is overrated.  Only time will determine which one it is.


• Read the same for Clemson and Miami respectively.  Still not sure what to think about the ACC (except for Virginia Tech).


• Did anyone see Louisville explode for 63 points against a decent Oregon State team?  QB Brian Brohm might not be Steven LeFlors but he’s still exceptional.


• On that same note, what about Texas Tech’s 80?!  Sometimes college basketball scores don’t even hit totals like that.


• It’s about time those voters finally kicked Oklahoma out of the polls.  I still can’t believe a loss to TCU and a bad showing against Tulsa (Tulsa!) didn’t drop them out.


• The Pac-10 has, gasp, five teams ranked in the AP Poll.  Is the west coast getting a little respect from the east coast writers?


• I can’t believe that Vanderbilt is 3-0 and is probably going to be eligible for a bowl game this year.  Talk about a Cinderella team.


• Finally, with the exception of Vanderbilt, it’s good to see college football go through a not-so-chaotic week.  No huge upsets that cause mass hysteria, just a good ol’ competitive Florida-Tennessee football game to concentrate on.  Weeks like this can be nice from time to time.

My Top 15
1. (1) USC 2-0
2. (2) Texas 3-0
3. (5) Florida 3-0
4. (4) LSU 1-0
5. (3) Ohio State 2-1
6. (7) Virginia Tech 3-0
7. (6) Georgia 3-0
8. (12) Louisville 3-0
9. (10) Florida State 3-0
10. (13) Michigan 2-1
11. (9) Tennessee 1-1
12. (11) Purdue 2-0
13. (14) California 3-0
14. (8) Notre Dame 2-1
15. (15) Georgia Tech 3-0

Dropped Out: None

The Heisman Race
1. Matt Leinart, QB- USC
Last Week: 18-24, 381 yds, 4 TDs, 1 rushing TD
Season: 36-48, 731 yds, 7 TDs, 1 INT, 1 rushing TD

2. Reggie Bush, RB- USC
Last Week: 8 carries, 125 yds, 1 TD, 3 rec, 70 yds, 1 TD
Season: 20 carries, 212 yds, 3 TDs, 7 rec, 129 yds, 1 TD

3. Chris Leak, QB- Florida
Last Week: 17-26, 179 yds
Season: 56-82, 718 yds, 5 TDs, 0 INT

4. Vince Young, QB- Texas
Last Week: 8-14, 101 yds, 1 TD, 8 carries, 77 yds
Season: 40-71, 539 yds, 6 TDs, 3 INTs, 35 carries, 207 yds, 1 TD

5. Lawrence Marouney, RB- Minnesota
Last Week: 20 carries, 145 yds, 2 TDs
Season: 67 carries, 483 yds, 6 TDs

On The Radar:
Brian Calhoun, RB- Wisconsin
Omar Jacobs, QB- Bowling Green
DJ Shockley, QB- Georgia
Marcus Vick, QB- Virginia Tech
Sam Keller, QB- Arizona State

NFL Week 2

My time is running short so my picks are just straight up score. No explanation, sorry. Wish I could write more too.

Baltimore 17, Tennessee 6
Tampa Bay 24, Buffalo 20
Detroit 20, Chicago 3
Indianapolis 30, Jacksonville 24
Cincinnati 27, Minnesota 26
New Orleans 24, NY Giants 21
New England 30, Carolina 17
Pittsburgh 35, Houston 7
Philadelphia 30, San Francisco 21
Atlanta 34, Seattle 28
Arizona 20, St. Louis 17
Green Bay 17, Cleveland 10
NY Jets 27, Miami 24
San Diego 23, Denver 14
Kansas City 38, Oakland 31
Dallas 27, Washington 13

Last Week
Straight Up: 8-8
ATS: 8-8

NFL Week 1 Recap

The Good
Willie Parker- Who needs Jerome Bettis or Duce Staley when you’ve got this kid?  He was the clear offensive star of the league last weekend racking up 161 yards and one score on 22 carries.  That’s good enough for AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors thank you very much.

Kansas City Defense- I think they’re going to be OK after all.  The Chiefs shut down what was supposed to be a very good Jets offense.  In fact it would have been a shut out had New York not scored during garbage time (29 seconds to go to be exact).  The Chiefs forced three fumbles, had three sacks, and had an interception.  Time will tell if this type of play holds up but it looks like KC could be a legit Super Bowl contender.

The Patriots & Colts, again- Both teams looked especially sharp in their season debuts.  The Patriots made the explosive Raiders offensive stall at times while the Colts offense had no problems with the rigid Baltimore defense.  Are we going to see these teams in the AFC Championship again?  I sure hope so.

Drew Bledsoe- Who told Drew Bledsoe that his career wasn’t over yet?  He looked sharp for a seemingly aged Cowboys team.  I don’t know if the Bill Parcells-Bledsoe-Terry Glenn reunion was such a bad idea after all.  Bledsoe’s totals: 18 of 24 for 226 yards and 3 TDs.  That’s good enough for a 143.4 passer rating.  Stellar.

The Bad
The St. Louis Rams- To say they were horrible in losing to the 49ers isn’t quite right.  But they were bad.  One costly turnover and not enough execution.  St. Louis was unable to put the ball in the end zone.  They traded field goals for touchdowns which put them in a 28-12 hole early.  Granted QB Marc Bulger threw for 362 yards and WR Torry Holt had 125 yards receiving.  But all those yards don’t mean a thing if you can’t execute.

Baltimore’s Offense- Between QBs Anthony Wright and Kyle Boller Ravens fans had to be screaming for help.  One touchdown and three interceptions will get you fired very quick in this league.  A rundown of the Baltimore O: 4 turnovers, 3 interceptions and 1 fumble, 48 yards on the ground from Jamal Lewis, Matt Stover 0 for 3 on field goals and the Ravens end up with a measly 7 points.

David Carr- If the Texans had a decent offensive line then maybe we could see David Carr for who he really is as a quarterback.  But until then expect more days like the one you saw on Sunday.  The atrocious stats: 9 for 21, 0 touchdowns, 3 interceptions, and 1 fumble lost.  But Carr did rush for 40 yards and the Texans’ only score.  

Eli Manning- Is it wrong that I like to see this guy fail?  Granted the Giants did win but it wasn’t because of Manning.  He was 10 for 23 with 2 interceptions and 2 touchdowns.  The scores to Shockey and Burress were nice but it’s going to take a lot more than a few throws a game to go to and be successful in the playoffs.  

The Ugly
Arizona’s Rushing- Quick, who was Arizona’s leading rusher in week 1?  Answer: Kurt Warner.  How many yards did he rush for?  Answer: 11.  11?  That’s right, an old fogy rushed for more than a highly touted rookie (Arrington) and Arizona’s feature back (Shipp).  In all the Cardinals rushed 21 times for 31 yards.  In order for WRs Larry Fitzgerald and Anquin Boldin to be effective Arizona is going to have to do something with their running game.

Denver Broncos- Another classic case of lack of execution.  If I am a Denver fan I am still pulling out my hair over that loss Sunday.  How do Broncos fans watch QB Jake Plummer?  This is worse than a roller coaster ride.  This is the feeling people get when they’re skydiving and they suddenly learn their ripcord doesn’t work.  Extreme exhilaration straight into widespread panic with zero time to adjust.  I’m serious, my friend who’s a Broncos fan will agree with you.  We witnessed more of the widespread panic version of Plummer on Sunday.  Three turnovers, two interceptions and a fumble, and less than 50 percent pass completion was what Plummer did.  I guess it’s not only Plummer.  The defense needs to get to the quarterback.  If the D-line can’t get to a Miami quarterback then this year is going to be a tough one for Denver fans to endure.

Power Rankings
1. New England Patriots, 1-0
2. Indianapolis Colts, 1-0
3. Pittsburgh Steelers, 1-0
4. Jacksonville Jaguars, 1-0
5. Atlanta Falcons, 1-0
6. Kansas City Chiefs, 1-0
7. Philadelphia Eagles, 0-1
8. Buffalo Bills, 1-0
9. New Orleans Saints, 1-0
10. Dallas Cowboys, 1-0
11. Baltimore Ravens, 0-1
12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1-0
13. New York Giants, 1-0
14. San Diego Chargers, 0-1
15. Oakland Raiders, 0-1
16. Carolina Panthers, 0-1
17. Minnesota Vikings, 0-1
18. Miami Dolphins, 1-0
19. Cincinnati Bengals, 1-0
20. Detroit Lions, 1-0
21. Seattle Seahawks, 0-1
22. New York Jets, 0-1
23. Denver Broncos, 0-1
24. San Francisco 49ers, 1-0
25. Washington Redskins, 1-0
26. Arizona Cardinals, 0-1
27. St. Louis Rams, 0-1
28. Green Bay Packers, 0-1
29. Tennessee Titans, 0-1
30. Chicago Bears, 0-1
31. Houston Texans, 0-1
32. Cleveland Browns, 0-1

College Football Comments: Week 2

• The Texas-Ohio State game was one of the best played college games I have ever seen.  These are at least two of the top four teams in the country.  


• Vince Young is the best poised QB this side of Matt Leinart.  


• Ohio State LB A.J. Hawk is the best defensive player in the nation and was the MVP for the Buckeyes on Saturday.


• The Big Ten is solid through and through but it’s obvious that the top tier of the division isn’t as tough as the top tiers of some of the other major conferences.


• Notre Dame is for real; Charlie Weiss has made QB Brady Quinn look like Tom Brady


• Turns out Cal is going to be ok after watching QB Joe Ayoob pick apart the Washington defense.


• Don’t let the 16-point win fool you; Oklahoma is going to have a lot of trouble in the Big 12 if it lets the likes of Tulsa hang around.


• If LSU could play at home I wonder how good they would be.  That team showed some heart and guts with that win at Arizona State


• Even though Georgia QB D.J. Shockley didn’t have the numbers he still proved he was a Heisman candidate after leading Georgia to a win over South Carolina


• After TCU was downed by SMU I don’t see any mid-major teams crashing the BCS this year.


• Virginia Tech solidified itself as the best team in the ACC after Florida State had trouble with The Citadel in the first half.


• Purdue might be the Big Ten’s only chance of having a national championship representative.


• Another one bites the dust: Iowa QB Drew Tate goes down early with an injury in Iowa’s loss.


• Georgia Tech’s and Boston College’s early success has made the ACC deeper than just Virginia Tech, Florida State, and Miami.

My Top 15
1. (1) USC 1-0
2. (4) Texas 2-0
3. (2) Ohio State 1-1
4. (7) LSU 1-0
5. (3) Florida 2-0
6. (5) Georgia 2-0
7. (8) Virginia Tech 2-0
8. (NR) Notre Dame 2-0
9. (6) Tennessee 1-0
10. (12) Florida State 2-0
11. (15) Purdue 1-0
12. (10) Louisville 1-0
13. (9) Michigan 1-1
14. (NR) California 2-0
15. (NR) Georgia Tech 2-0

Dropped Out: Iowa (11), Arizona State (13), Miami (14)

The Heisman Race
1. Matt Leinart, QB- USC
Last Game: DNP
Season: 18-24, 332, 3 TDs, 1 INT
2. Chris Leak, QB- Florida
Last Game: 13-22, 219, 2 TDs
Season: 39-56, 539, 9 TDs
3. Reggie Bush, RB- USC
Last Game: DNP
Season: 12 car, 86 yds, 2 TDs, 4 rec, 58 yds
4. Vince Young, QB- Texas
Last Game: 18-29, 272, 2 TDs, 2 INTs, 20 car, 76 yds
Season: 32-57, 438, 5 TDs, 3 INTs, 27 car, 130 yds, 1 TD
5. Omar Jacobs, QB- Bowling Green
Last Game: 27-43, 428, 5 TDs, 1 INT
Season: 56-93, 868, 9 TDs, 2 INTs

On the Radar:
D.J. Shockley, QB- Georgia
Lawrence Marouney, RB- Minnesota
Brian Calhoun, RB- Wisconsin
Marcus Vick, QB- Virginia Tech
Adrian Peterson, RB- Oklahoma
Marshawn Lynch, RB- California
Sam Keller, QB- Arizona State

NFL Week 1

Week #1
It’s nice to finally have the NFL back in season.  Can the Patriots three-peat?  Will Randy Moss and Terrell Owens perform to the potential that everyone knows they can?  This first week won’t give us the complete answers to that.  But America’s most watched sport does give us some intriguing first week match-ups.  So without further adieu here are the inaugural predictions.  (The game of the week will be in bold print.)

Oakland at New England
-Oakland’s offense may be lethal but New England has too many weapons on both sides of the ball for Oakland to contain for a whole game: Pats 31, Raiders 21
Chicago at Washington
-Chicago gives its offense over to Kyle Orton while Washington has quarterback problems of its own.  Offensive production will be lacking: Redskins 17, Bears 14
Cincinnati at Cleveland
-The Bengals have steadily improved over the past few years while the Browns are still in a rut.  Cincy has too much talent for Cleveland: Cincy 24, Browns 10
Denver at Miami
Ricky Williams is back but that’s about the only weapon Miami will have.  Denver isn’t superb but they are solid enough to beat Miami easily: Broncos 27, Fish 13
Houston at Buffalo
There’s no way the mediocre Houston defense will stop an explosive Buffalo offense that includes McGahee, Evans, and Moulds: Bills 30, Texans 17
New Orleans at Carolina
The Saints probably have more on their minds than football.  Not to mention it might be hard to move the ball against that Carolina defense: Panthers 20, Saints 14
N.Y. Jets at Kansas City
The passing game will be lethal for both teams especially with mediocre defenses.  With that said KC has more weapons to win in a shoot out: Chiefs 38, Jets 31
Seattle at Jacksonville
Maybe the most evenly matched game this week.  Whoever makes that one extra mistake will lose this one, and I bet it’s Jax: Seahawks 21, Jags 20
Tampa Bay at Minnesota
The Bucs offense has way too many question marks while Minny has Culpepper.   If Michael Bennett can get going then this one’s over: Vikings 31, Bucs 17
Tennessee at Pittsburgh
The perfect game for second year QB Roethlisberger.  The Titans are just plain bad which means Big Ben doesn’t even have to show up to win: Steelers 27, Titans 3
Arizona at N.Y. Giants
If Kurt Warner can use his wide receivers’ talent then Arizona will be a threat. NY is solid, though, and they should contain the Cardinals enough to win: NY 30, Cards 20
Dallas at San Diego
Drew Bees will return to earth someday but the Dallas D won’t be the ones that make him do it, especially since San Diego is home: Bolts 31, Cowboys 12
Green Bay at Detroit
If Detroit is to win then Joey Harrington is going to have to step up and deliver or it’s going to be a long night for the Lions: Packers 24, Lions 20
St. Louis at San Francisco
The Niners still have a very limited supply of weapons and the St. Louis offense is too good for the Niners’ defense to stop: Rams 28, Niners 10
Indianapolis at Baltimore
“Defense wins championships.”  Well we’ll see if that holds true for this game.  Ray Lewis and the Raven defense will have their hands full with Peyton Manning and the Colt offense: Colts 24, Ravens 21
Philadelphia at Atlanta
A great Monday night match-up featuring two of the marquee quarterbacks in the game.  McNabb and T.O. should be able to make amends by Monday, though and I would expect for the Philly defense to clamp down on the inconsistent Falcon offense: Eagles 35, Falcons 24

This week’s parlay:
Denver (-4.5) over Miami
Cincinnati (-3.5) over Cleveland
(Home team in Italics)

College Football Comments: Week 1

• Oklahoma, and that horrendous passing game, just about ruined Adrian Peterson’s Heisman campaign this year as did Memphis with DeAngelo Williams.


• Ohio State and Georgia are for real and so is Georgia QB D.J. Shockley.  He might be the best quarterback in the SEC.


• California is in trouble.  No, not their defense.  Their situation at quarterback.  Ayoob looked horrible after Longshore went down.  Quarterback guru Jeff Tedford needs to work a miracle here.


• USC is still the number one team in the nation.


• Florida QB Chris Leak looked great but Florida needs a running game to really compete in the tough SEC.


• Arizona State solidified itself as the 2nd best team in the Pac-10 and a contender to be a top 10 team in the nation.  Their real test is against LSU this week.


• Miami’s not as strong as everyone thought.  Too many more mistakes like Monday night’s game and their season could be washed way.


• Marcus Vick showed some savvy and may actually live up to expectations.  If he does then Virginia Tech is the best team in the ACC.


• Bowling Green QB Omar Jacobs is no longer a Heisman darkhorse.  He’s a contender.


• The losses of QBs Jason White, Jason Campbell, and Aaron Rodgers for Oklahoma, Auburn, and Cal respectively are going hurt more than expected.


• To answer everyone’s question: Yes, South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier will make South Carolina very competitive this year.


• Ohio State’s quarterback problems seem to be solved with Justin Zwick.  Their defense looks mighty fine too.


• The BCS buster teams are always unpredictable: honestly, who thought it would be TCU?

My Top 15
1. USC
2. Ohio State
3. Florida
4. Texas
5. Georgia
6. Tennessee
7. LSU
8. Virginia Tech
9. Michigan
10. Louisville
11. Iowa
12. Florida State
13. Arizona State
14. Miami
15. Purdue

The Heisman Race
1. Matt Leinart, QB- USC, 18-24, 332, 3 TDs, 1 INT
2. D.J. Shockley, QB- Georgia, 16-24, 289, 5 TDs, 0 INT
3. Chris Leak, QB- Florida, 26-34, 320, 3 TDs, 0 INT
4. Reggie Bush, RB- USC, 12 car, 86 yds, 2 TDs, 4 rec, 58 yds
5. Omar Jacobs, QB- Bowling Green, 30-51, 458, 5 TDs, 1 INT

On the Radar:
Vince Young, QB- Texas
Marshawn Lynch, RB- Cal
Drew Tate, QB- Iowa
Marcus Vick, QB- Virginia Tech
Ted Ginn, WR- Ohio State
Reggie McNeal, QB- Texas A&M
Sam Keller, QB- Arizona State

Paying Homage to Jerry Rice

Like the end of an epic saga the Jerry Rice era has come to an end.  I’ll never forget at the end of “The Return of the King” when the hobbits and Gandalf go their own separate ways.  They accomplished and went through so much together that an end seemed almost inconceivable.  I felt touched by their heroics which is what made it so sad to see them part.  All I wanted was one more task, one more mission, one more goal for them to strive for.  But after their performances what else could they really offer the audience?  

The same story goes with Jerry Rice.  His career has been ultimately a timeless performance that will take, literally, centuries to be paralleled.  He started out an underdog; too slow to be that next great receiver.  That tag caused fifteen foolish teams to pass on him before the 49ers drafted him with the 16th pick.  Every year he proved his critics wrong.  Every year he dominated the opposition.  But not this year.

A poll on ESPN.com asked the question: “Did you want to see Jerry Rice play one more season?”  My answer was yes.  In fact my answer will always be yes.  Every year I waited and longed to see Jerry Rice grace the football field.  It didn’t matter how old he was.  I’d watch the Raiders just to watch him (and I grew up a Niners fan).  Eventually it had to be done though.  There’s only so much one guy can offer.  

It will take awhile for me to get used to the NFL now that Jerry is gone.  We will have to start talking about the Greatest of all Time in the past tense now.  I’ll always remember the Monday night game against the Raiders when he caught the touchdown to break the record for most touchdowns ever.  I’ll always remember him and Steve Young carving up the San Diego defense for a Super Bowl title.  I’ll always remember the beautiful chemistry he had with Joe Montana.  With so many memories that Rice has given football fans maybe it will just feel like he never left.  At least that is what I’m hoping for because I have never been as attached to a player in any sport as I have been to Jerry Rice.  

Whether or not everyone believes he is the greatest player of all time everyone must accept that he was an icon of the game.  A face that symbolized dedication, work ethic, and loyalty right down to the very end.  To the greatest player who ever put on a football uniform: I salute you Jerry Rice, thank you for giving the fans something to cheer about.