If you'd like to meet the Chiefs new weapon, wide receiver, running back & kick returner Dexter McCluster & Kansas City's veteran wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, get over to Sports Nutz on Saturday. The players will be there signing autographs from 11:30 AM to 1:30. A band will perform & 101 the Fox will be broadcasting live from the store, located at the intersection of 40 Hiway & Blue Ridge Cutoff, about 1/2 mile north of the stadiums. I never miss a chance to visit the ultimate Chiefs' store whenever I'm in Kansas City, don't miss all the excitement this Saturday. Need some new Chiefs-ware for the coming season? Their selection is beyond compare, check it out.
The rumors have run rampant since YahooSports reported the Heisman Trust intends to revoke the award for Reggie Bush. The Heisman Trust is 8 voters. They meet the second Tuesday of every month. They claim they haven't addressed this issue & certainly haven't voted on it. But 2 lawyers on the the Trust quickly pointed to the clause in the award process that might cause Reggie to lose his award.
"The recipient must be in compliance with the bylaws defining an NCAA student athlete."
So if you have been declared ineligible for any reason, you can't possess this award. Personally I think Reggie knew everything he accepted, cash, a home for his parents, car for him, furniture & appliances for the home & airline tickets for his folks to travel to every road game for 3 years, was wrong. There's no excuse for it & to his credit, Bush doesn't claim innocence, he just professes his "undying loyalty to the Trojan program." The program he caused so much harm, he has undying loyalty now that only the program, the university & it's players are the ones to be harmed by Bush's actions. It won't cost Reggie Bush a dime. You think I want the award revoked? Honestly, I don't know, the Trust might be creating a slippery slope, one that could be tough to navigate if they go ahead & vote to revoke the award. Are they going to look into everyone's background that has won the Heisman? It's not fair to invoke the name of O.J. Simpson, he's a double murderer who's walking around golf courses, but his entire career at USC & in the NFL was spotless. In the end, it's their behavior during the time they were considered for the award. As far as Reggie Bush goes, look at the quote above, he wasn't in compliance, not by a long shot. I think a message needs to be sent, don't reward anyone breaking the rules, regardless if it's after the fact. We've already had a number of college players suspended, the NCAA isn't playing around with those who think they're above the rules & I'm totally on board with that. I think the BCS should revoke USC's 2004 national championship, it makes sense to revoke the award based on the same criteria as the Heisman Trust bylaws. But don't make the Heisman award become a witch hunt on all former recipients.
The University of Kansas will be looking for a new athletic director after Lew Perkins abruptly stepped down. He read a prepared statement, refused to answer any questions & then walked off into the sunset. His department has been racked with scandal for over a year now. Football coach mark Mangino was forced into resigning after numerous players described a pattern of abuse. The ticket department stole & sold prime basketball & football tickets totaling over $1 million. Perkins was accused of excessive travel perks for he & his family as well as exercise equipment that was installed in his home at no cost to him. Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little was present with Perkins but didn't speak. I have to believe she had seen enough & Lew was shown the doors. In his prepared statement he talked about the $180 million upgrades in Jayhawk athletic facilities on his watch. He also mentioned the charitable work he & his wife had taken part in Lawrence, but no mention of anything that created the horrible P.R. that sealed his fate.
According to USA Today, there are as many as 11 NFL teams facing blackouts this season. Jacksonville, Detroit, Kansas City, Oakland, St. Louis, Arizona, Cincinnati, San Diego, Carolina, Seattle & Buffalo were mentioned as the candidates facing the blackouts. The NFL has a rule that home teams facing blackouts may buy enough unsold seats for $.34 on the dollar. That figure is the revenue that is split between the visiting team & the league. The visitors aren't at fault for your inability to sell all of your tickets & the league wants their cut on everything. In this economy, one has to wonder just how far ownership will go to avoid a blackout. It's an expense of at least $300,000 per game, plus they lose the remaining $.66 on the dollar. I personally believe the Chiefs will pay to absorb these tickets, the organization is trying to create new fans, loyalty & excitement. Blacking out home games doesn't achieve any of those goals.
Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green an All-SEC performer, will have to serve an additional 3 games of suspension for selling his Independence Bowl jersey for $1,000 to an agent. He has already donated the $1K to charity & will sit out the South Carolina, Mississippi State & Arkansas games.
Denver coach Josh McDaniels said on Wednesday he didn't know if running back Knowshon Moreno would be able to test his hamstring in time to play on Sunday at Jacksonville.
Alabama coach Nick Saban said Heisman Trophy winning running back, Mark Ingram, would most likely sit out this Saturday when the Crimson Tide welcomes JoePa' Penn State Nittany Lions. Best offensive player & best defensive player, DE Marcel Darius who was suspended, will not play in this showdown. Still like the Tide.
To JJR20 & mikemm, thanks for reading, but to your contention that "Boise State couldn't win half their games in the SEC or Big-12" Sorry guys, but I believe they could win way more than half their games in any conference. It's no mirage the Broncos shut down their opponents running games. The TCU, Oregon & Va Tech running games were all held to less than 60 total yards. The Hokies' Ryan Williams ran for over 1,600 yards last season, he was held to 44 yards on 21 carries Monday night. Last season in the Oregon opener, the Ducks didn't have a 1st down until the 4:40 mark of the third quarter. You can't discount this, their scheme & discipline is as good as any team in the nation. They are very well coached & unlike Monday night, they don't normally make many mistakes. My other point is, when all else fails, blame the refs. The game was officiated by a Big-10 crew who really had a bad night, but the questionable calls went both ways, it wasn't just on Va Tech.
And now for some fearless NFL predictions starting with my thoughts on each division, Wildcard & Super Bowl winner. That will be followed with my picks of the week for all you people in office pools looking for help. One thing tho, when you lose by one game, don't send me an email cursing my name, you don't like these picks, do it yourself. If you win, I'll expect you undying gratitude & a restaurant gift card.
NFC EAST
New York Giants--wins the div. with only 10 victories, their defensive dominance returns
Dallas--This team has too many issues with their offensive line, the head coach & the owner
Philadelphia--The Kevin Kolb era begins on a sour note, 7-9 record
Washington--The Shanahan era begins & the Skins play hard to tie Philly at 7-9
NFC SOUTH
Atlanta--Matt Ryan takes a major step forward
New Orleans--Super Bowl hangover & a defense that doesn't get all the turnovers like last season.
Carolina--Hopes for significant improvement in John Fox's last season, maybe 6-10, maybe
Tampa Bay--Team has a long way to go, 4 wins.
NFC NORTH
Green Bay--Elite QB play, havoc-wreaking defense & a boatload of skill position players
Minnesota--Won't recreate the magic of last year, 10 wins.
Chicago--Barely finishes ahead of the Lions with just 6 wins, Cutler/Martz marriage on the rocks
Detroit--Improved but still a ways to go before they can compete for a playoff spot
NFC WEST
San Francisco--No real competition for Niners in this, the worst division in the NFL
Arizona--Will any retired player be more missed than Kurt Warner? I don't think so
Seattle--Pete Carroll has a strange mixture on his roster, they don't make it work in 2010.
St. Louis--Rams fans should pray Sam Bradford & Steven Jackson stay unscathed
Wildcard winners: Dallas & New Orleans
NFC Champion: Green Bay
AFC EAST
New England--The Pats defense is questionable, but in a QB-driven league, I'll take 1 of the greats
New York Jets--Primed to implode, way too much hype & very questionable quarterback play
Miami--There was early excitement, but Henne looked miserable in preseason, 8 wins
Buffalo--Might just be the worst team in the entire league
AFC SOUTH
Indianapolis--Manning plus a stout defense makes me believe they can win 12 games again
Houston--Better, but just not 12 wins good, yet.
Tennessee--Very competitive team in a brutal division
Jacksonville--There's a reason the Jags are facing 8 straight blackouts, it's a 5-win team.
AFC NORTH
Baltimore--The Ravens win a brutal division fight with 11 wins
Cincinnati--More weapons for Carson Palmer & a tough "D" should net 10 wins
Pittsburgh--Going against all the trends, Steelers will survive Big Ben's suspension with 10 wins
Cleveland--They'll be better, but still way back from the rest of the division
AFC WEST
San Diego--Division's best QB by a long ways, won't be as dominant as years past
Kansas City--Sticking my neck out calling for 7 wins
Oakland--You never know what will happen w/Raiders, I'll say 6 wins
Denver--Tied with Oakland with 6 wins, Broncos could go off the rails early & really disappoint
Wildcards winners: Cincinnati & Pittsburgh
AFC Champion: Baltimore
Super Bowl Champion: Green Bay
This weeks NFL predictions:(winner in bold letters)
Minnesota at New Orleans
Miami at Buffalo
Cleveland at Tampa Bay
Cincinnati at New England
Indianapolis at Houston
Carolina at New York Giants
Oakland at Tennessee
Denver at Jacksonville
Atlanta at Pittsburgh
Detroit at Chicago
Arizona at St Louis
Green Bay at Philadelphia
San Francisco at Seattle
Dallas at Washington
Baltimore at New York Jets
San Diego at Kansas City
Wow, I knew last night's post after the Boise State win over Virginia Tech would cause a stir, but not to this degree. So far I have received more than twice as many emails as I've ever gotten following any post. Thank you for your interest, thank you for your comments & opinions, I could have done without the name calling, but I'm used to it by now. TigerDoc asked if I had a fever that was affecting my brain, in fact Doc, I do. I came down with a miserable cold & I have run a fever off & on since yesterday. Since I couldn't sleep until after 7 AM, I watched some of the morning shows & to no surprise, some of the media had already begun their "hate fest" toward Boise State. On MSNBC, Joe Scarborough said "Boise State beat a middle-of-the-pack ACC team, Virginia Tech, who hasn't been good for years & now we're going to have to hear about Boise being good enough to play for the national championship. Play somebody once & a while then maybe we'll pay attention. Until then, be quiet." One of his co-hosts, Mike Barnicle, echoed Joes' sentiments with "they're a joke, play somebody like they do in the SEC." Who would have thought we'd hear an elitist opinion on MSNBC? I watch this show every chance I get as they have lively political discussions. These two should stick to politics, their knowledge of college football wouldn't fill a thimble. Va Tech was ranked #6 in the Coaches Poll, the highest ranking amongst ACC teams, they are hardly "middle-of-the-pack." CNN's banter about the game was brief & clueless, which is fine, at least they didn't make definitive statements that were obviously incorrect. Mike Greenberg of ESPN's "Mike & Mike in the Morning" show asked rhetorically "they win one game, then beat up on a soft schedule & now we're supposed to let them play in the BCS Championship, c'mon." His partner, Mike Golic, got it right tho when he said "It's not their fault the rest of their conference isn't that tough, it's not. Should they be penalized because San Jose State & New Mexico State can't field competitive teams?" That's the heart of my argument, don't dismiss Boise State because they play in the WAC, dismiss them if they're not competitive with the better BCS schools, which isn't the case. Boise coach Chris Petersen is 50-4 since taking the helm, that's competitive by any standard.
ESPN's Kirk Herbstreidt said after his broadcast of the game "this doesn't put Boise State in the National Championship game, but it puts them in the conversation." Honestly that's all they can ask for, to be considered fairly. It isn't going to happen, but they can certainly wish for it. Herbstreidt also said before the Broncos winning drive began "if I had to pick just one college quarterback in this situation to win the game, it would be Kellen Moore." Moore did just what Herbstreidt thought he would, leading his team to victory, throwing the winning score to WR Austin Pettis with 1:09 left.
As to some of your thoughts, they began with "you're a f'ing idiot, are you smoking crack?" There were a number with this basic sentiment but I also received a number of emails agreeing to some of my points, thanks to all who took the time to write, especially Ron, DickH & even KCKrissy. JamesfromIndy, a longtime reader & a pretty smart guy, chimed in with numerous emailers with "they should join a tougher conference." Well it's not that easy, if this springs' Big-10 & PAC-10 expansion taught us anything, it's very difficult to move from conference to conference. Nebraska & Colorado are facing $10 million "exit fees" from the Big-12, which isn't chicken feed. When Boise State got no feelers from BCS conferences, they settled on an invitation from the Mountain West Conference. As I stated last night, Boise State doesn't have a large TV market, have a smallish stadium, making larger schools lukewarm toward the Broncos. Many people complained they "don't play anybody." If you've been here since the spring, you know WAC Commissioner Karl Benson stated how unfair this criticism is since so many larger programs ducked invitations to play Boise State. Sometimes their phone calls weren't even returned. Benson said even when Boise offered a 2 for 1 contract(two games at a prospective opponents home & only 1 game at Boise), they were rebuffed. After Oregon(21-5 the past 2 seasons) lost back to back games with Boise & the memory of the 2007 Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma still fresh in many minds, a lot of schools wanted no part of Boise State. Why do you think the BCS packaged Boise State & TCU, both at-large teams, in the Fiesta Bowl? Matching them against each other protected two other traditional BCS powers from being embarrassed.
To the emailers who said I shouldn't compare Alabama playing WAC member San Jose State to anyone on Boise's schedule because it was like a preseason or tune up game. To that logic, you believe Boise should schedule Va Tech, Oregon State, Notre Dame & Alabama(yeah, like those teams will line up to play Boise) before their conference schedule begins. That means they would play four tough teams right out of the box & then play their tune up games afterwards in the WAC. So that's fair because........? You can't have it both ways. I also bristle at the "neutral field" designation of last night's game. It was played 273 miles from the Virginia Tech campus & 2,386 miles from Boise. The Broncos brought about 7,000 fans while Va Tech had nearly 60,000 in attendance at the "neutral site." The Broncos knew this going in but still signed the deal to play & yet filling their schedule with high quality opponents is still like pulling teeth.
For the emailers who thought I was a "closet Boise State fan" or something akin to that, I'll say this one more time, the Missouri Tigers is my team, that's it. I will root for another team if I have a wager on them. I admit I root a little for Boise State, Utah, TCU & BYU. If they are successful enough versus BCS conference schools, they might force the NCAA to do the right thing & implement a playoff system. Division 1 football is the only NCAA sport without a playoff system.
So what we've come to is because Idaho has a small population, Boise State is a smaller school & they play in a conference that is not an automatic qualifier for a BCS Bowl bid, they should be ignored & criticized. They should be made to play by different rules, penalize Boise State for basically being Boise State. The ACC receives an automatic bid from the BCS & they have compiled an impressive 8-14 bowl record the last three seasons. The Mountain West, the conference Boise State will join in 2011, has an 11-5 bowl record over the same period. Boise State's only real chance to ever play for the national championship is a playoff system & we all know that's a pipe dream, for now anyway. Times change, so do trends, let's not bury our heads in the sand refusing to believe there could be excellent football programs in new places.
In the aftermath of tonight's Boise State-Virginia Tech game at FedEx Field in D.C. I'd like to make a few points before the subject is distorted & maligned by some members of a very bitter media.
1. Boise's lines dominated Va Tech's, there's no way to spin or excuse this fact. Tech had 3 returning starters on the offensive line but they were manhandled.
2. Boise shutdown Tech runners Ryan Mathews & Darren Evans. Both 1,000+ yard rushers, they were held to 56 total yards on 24 carries.
3. Boise's three leading rushers, Doug Martin, D.J. Harper & Jeremy Avery rushed for 189 yards on just 21 carries.
4. Tech QB Tyrod Taylor ran for 73 yards on 12 carries, every carry was after he was flushed from the pocket, not a designed play. Dropping your quarterback into the pocket & then he runs for 73 yards, is not an offensive gameplan. If not for Taylor, Tech would've gotten murdered, he's an impact player to be sure.
5. Tech, long famous for superior special teams play, got a punt blocked on a missed assignment that was shameful. They also missed a field goal & gave up too much yardage in punt & kick coverage.
6. Tech had half as many turnovers, half the penalty yards & nearly nine minutes more in time of possession & yet Boise won the game.
7. Both teams showed a lot of heart in the 4th quarter, but in the end, Kellen Moore & his Bronco teammates made the plays in their final drive & Virginia Tech didn't.
8. The game opened at Boise State -2 & closed at Va Tech -1. You've heard me say this over & over, when a game swings this much, the public is almost always wrong. Once again, that theory holds water.
9. Boise won a big game without a single gadget play, can't remember the Broncos winning a game like this without a trick play or two.
10. Bottom line: Boise State made a lot of mistakes but was able to regroup on the final drive & win, at some point they deserve credit for that..
I can almost promise you we'll hear one or more of the following comments tomorrow:
"Boise had them on the ropes in the 1st half but couldn't put them away. A good team finishes off their opponent when they have the chance." My response: So Virginia Tech is so bad they can be "finished off" in front of 60,000+ of their own fans? Why didn't Oklahoma finish off Utah State Saturday? Why didn't LSU finish off North Carolina? Putting away a quality team is a helluva lot harder than people think. A proud team coached by a legend like Frank Beamer isn't going to just fold & go home. Virginia Tech isn't Utah State, they've been a ranked program for the better part of 2 decades.
"Virginia Tech let them off the hook in the 4th quarter." Once again, it's Tech's fault, Boise State deserves zero credit for the game-winning drive.
"If Boise State played in a BCS conference, they would never go undefeated." O.K. maybe they wouldn't. But if Florida was in the WAC, they wouldn't have won two BCS Titles because their recruiting would fall off dramatically & then there's that lack of respect thing. Boise has to play in a conference that is geographically realistic to their locale. How tough do you think it is to get 4-star recruits from Miami, Dallas or L.A. to attend a small school in Boise freakin' Idaho? It simply doesn't happen. Why didn't the PAC-10 invite Boise State to join their conference last spring? Let's start with the population in Idaho, about 1.5 million, which is way less than half of any of the PAC-10 states. Boise's stadium only holds 33,500, over 20,000 less than the smallest PAC-10 stadium. See the problem they face? But are they a bogus football program because of population or geography? Absolutely not, their 11-4 record against BCS conference teams isn't bogus either.
"Boise plays a schedule of mostly "high school caliber teams." I've already heard this one twice & it's asinine. Who did Alabama play Saturday? Answer: WAC member San Jose State. USC surrendered 588 yards of total offense to WAC member Hawaii. Oklahoma struggled at home to fend off WAC member Utah State. It's O.K. for traditional powerhouses like 'Bama, USC & Oklahoma to play WAC teams, any WAC team except Boise State. The Broncos have had difficulty filling their schedule with quality BCS-caliber teams, teams don't want to play them, a loss to Boise State carries such a negative connotation, but the risk of losing to San Jose State or Utah State is almost non-existent, so teams are given a pass for scheduling them. Boise's win tonight just made it even more difficult for them to schedule higher profile BCS conference teams, more & more of them don't want any part of the Broncos.
"Any decent team could go undefeated in the WAC." Boise State is joining the Mountain West Conference next year, but that won't help much with pollsters, they just don't like any outsiders interfering in the BCS bowls or the title game. The don't like TCU, Utah or BYU either, it has to be Texas, 'Bama, Florida, Ohio State, OU, USC, Nebraska or LSU. many media-types have/will discredit any of the BCS Busters. I listened to ESPN's Rob Parker say Friday "no one wants to watch this team in January, especially the networks." Well now we're getting somewhere. I picked the BCS Title game as Iowa & Boise State, think this would tighten the collective sphincters at the networks?
"They play on that stupid blue field." I've heard that one for years, my wife hates the blue field & bitches about it every time we watch a Boise home game. If someone mentions a blue field, you know exactly what they're talking about, Boise State. But when someone mentions Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, do you know where that is? That's Ole Miss' home field, the one where they were humiliated by a Division 1AA team Saturday. So the blue field works, people associate Boise State with the blue field. Because they play on a blue field just isn't a reason to keep them out of the BCS O.K.?
This assault on Boise State's credibility will continue as long as they stay in the BCS hunt, which could be all season. But honestly, how many more BCS teams will the Broncos have to defeat before they're given their due? Five more, ten? Truthfully, many of the national sports media will never accept a smallish school in Idaho as a legitimate football power, period.
A few NFL notes of interest include Matt Leinart's signing in Houston. He got only a 1-year deal to backup Matt Schaub. Wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh signed a 1-year deal with the Ravens. LeGarrette Blount was claimed by the Buccaneers on Monday. "Mr. Sucker Punch" was released by the Titans on Sunday. The Jets re-signed fullback Tony Richardson after he was released on Sunday. This move might have been one that was more about locker room leadership than play on the field.
The new deal signed by Darrelle Revis this morning got him back into camp. He will start Monday night vs. the Ravens. But Revis wanted to be paid more than Raider all-pro Nnamdi Asomghua. Turns out he got it, making $16.25 million a year in 2010 & '11. Asomghua makes $16.142 million. But what happens after the guaranteed money dries up in 2012? Will Revis hold out again? There's no denying Revis is one of the top 6 or 7 players in the entire league, but the Jets really caved on this one.
Finally, I want to wish my 82-year old mom a Happy Birthday. I spoke with her earlier this afternoon & she expressed her joy with the return of football, she's always loved the game. She said she watched the Sprint Cup race last night along with the U.S. Open & some football. Like her mother, who never missed a Cubs game on TV or a Chiefs' game, sports have always been a big part of her life. She raised four kids, provided one awesome meal after another & never missed a Chiefs game at Municipal Stadium, Arrowhead or on TV. She was a cool mom, still is for that matter. Happy Birthday Mom!
Called by many the best cornerback in the NFL, Darrelle Revis began a holdout for a new contract about 6 weeks ago. He wanted to be paid better than Oakland's Nnamdi Asomghua, the league's highest paid corner. Sunday afternoon Jets coach Rex Ryan & team owner Woody Johnson visited Revis in South Florida & by about midnight, a new deal was done. Revis will sign a new 4-year deal worth $46 million with $31 of it in guaranteed dollars. Revis will arrive at the jets training facility early this morning to begin preparation for their opener with Baltimore on Monday night.
Former New York Giant running back Andre Brown was claimed off waivers by the running back-starved Denver Broncos. Brown had a good camp this summer, but the Giants chose to release him. He was a 4th round draft pick last year but suffered a torn Achilles tendon before training camp opened.
LeGarrette Blount thought he had made the Titans roster after Saturday's cutdown, but after Tennessee made an acquisition on Sunday, "Mr. Sucker Punch was sent packing. The Titans brought safety Myron Rolle back to the practice squad. The former Rhodes Scholar didn't play football in 2009, but a year on the practice squad will give Tennessee a good gauge on his ability to play in the NFL.
To JackieJ, thanks for reading, Yes the Palmers playing quarterback for the Bengals are indeed brothers. Carson, the 2002 Heisman Trophy winner from USC is the Bengal starter & Jordan, a 2007 6th round pick out of UTEP is their backup. They are the first brothers to play quarterback on the same NFL team as far as I know.
To all you Matt Leinart fans, thank you for reading, but he will not become a Chief, end of story. For those of you who want him in a Kansas City uniform, think about this. The two coaches who know Leinart better than anyone else, Pete Carroll(4 years at USC) & Ken Whisenhunt(Arizona coach for 3 years) don't want him, why should the Chiefs be interested? Let's not waste anymore of our time talking about Leinart, O.K.?
The New York Jets cut 15-year veteran Tony Richardson today. In one of the episode's of HBO's "Hard Knocks", coach Rex Ryan said Tony Richardson didn't have to worry about his roster spot, he's make sure of that. Ryan also expressed his fondness for rookie FB John Connor, who fumbled twice in the preseason, Ryan's pet peeve with offensive players. Richardson was a three-time Pro Bowler with Kansas City who spent 2 seasons with the Vikings & Jets. He was lead blocker for Priest Holmes, Adrian Peterson, Thomas Jones & Shonn Greene. This team will implode before they ever make it to the playoffs. Watch & see, the Jets are my 2010 pick to fizzle. My team last year? The USC Trojans, don't believe me? Look it up in the archives, I was trashing team Carroll months before the season began.
The Chiefs set their practice squad, for now anyway, this afternoon. They stashed QB Tyler Palko, DL Dion Gales & Garrett Brown, OL Bobby Greenwood & Darryl Harris, LB Pierre Walters, DB Ricky Price & WR Verran Tucker. They also claimed former Packer nose tackle Anthony Toribio, so a place on the roster will have to be cleared & I have no idea who will be released.
In other practice squad moves, Cincinnati brought TE Chase Coffman back into the fold after he was cut yesterday. New York placed backup QB Rhett Bomar on their practice squad, he saw extensive playing time with the Giants during the preseason. The Rams placed Danario Alexander on their practice squad. He had just signed as an undrafted free agent about two weeks ago, so he really didn't have much of a chance to learn the offense or make much of an impact. A year of practicing should give him a fair opportunity to make the Rams next season.
Former Chicago Bears Hall of Fame defensive tackle, a regular on the "Pro Football Weekly Show" for many years just won the politically incorrect knucklehead of the year. On this weekend's syndicated telecast he was asked about how the Vikings could prevail in the season opener Thursday night against the Saints. Hampton's response was "the Vikings need to hit New Orleans like Katrina." I'm guessing Dan's Mardi Gras invitation has been revoked for life.
You think a few NFL owners don't pull some strings when it suits them, regardless of what their football people want? Take example #1, Al Davis, long known to interfere with G.M.'s & coaches. The Raiders took JaMarcus Russell, Darius Heyward-Bey & Mike Mitchell with 1st or 2nd round draft picks the last three years & all against the wishes of Raider personnel people,scouts & coaches. Yesterday the Raiders cut safety Stevie Brown, a 7th round draft choice & a kid who had "clearly outplayed Mike Mitchell in every phase of camp" according to those who cover the team. When Mitchell was drafted, draftniks were scrambling for information on Mitchell, myself included. But he remains on the roster today & Brown is on the street. Example #2 is Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones. Jones traded a 1st, 3rd & 5th round draft picks to Detroit for wide receiver Roy Williams & then promptly gave Williams a new contract that called for him to make nearly $13 million in 2010. He was a major disappointment last season & the Cowboys drafted WR Dez Bryant with their 1st round pick this year. But Jones just couldn't admit he blew the Williams deal so now he has compounded that mistake with another. He traded WR Patrick Crayton to San Diego. Crayton had been one of Tony Romo's favorites, a receiver he trusted, Williams has never been in Romo's inner circle. So now because of your ego, you've stripped one of your franchise quarterback's favorite receivers & kept one he doesn't care for or trust. Brilliant bit of decision making from both owners.
The Chicago Sun-Times printed a piece today that is anything but flattering to QB Jay Cutler. Writer Neil Hayes asked two NFL scouts their opinion of Cutler & they didn't pull any punches. They hate his footwork, they hate his throwing motion, his decision making, his leadership, body language, attitude etc etc etc. Hayes said the pair was almost unanimous in their criticism. I agree, I've never been a fan & I see nothing but bad things looming this season for the Bears' offense. Their offensive line can't protect him & I could see his attitude worsen resulting in a rocky relationship with offensive coordinator Mike Martz.
If you have more of a life than I do, you were probably outside enjoying a family barbeque or a softball game maybe. I was watching the Tulsa-East Carolina & SMU-Texas Tech games. Let's start with this fact, none of these teams can play a lick of defense. ECU won their game on the last play from scrimmage with a 33-yard "Hail Mary" from quarterback Dominique Davis(his 5th TD pass) to 6' 8" Justin Jones, who simply out jumped defenders for the winning score. Tulsa had just gone ahead on a touchdown pass from G.J. Kinne(his 5th of the day too) with 1:22 left. These two teams scored 47-points in the 4th quarter, it was like a video game. New coach Ruffin McNeil, formerly of Texas Tech, won his first game, 51-49. The other game is still going strong, 3 1/2 hours old, Tech leading 35-27 with 2:11 left. I'm guessing there's been nearly 2,000 yards of total offense in these two games. Entertaining? Yes, but it's not good football, it's like the offensive coordinators have a joystick in their hands.
A few notes left over from yesterday:
Florida put the ball on the ground 8 times, losing 3 fumbles plus they had 11 errant snaps in the shotgun formation. Center Mike Pouncey is generally considered the best at his position in the nation but he was a guard the past two years, his twin brother Markice was the Gator pivotman. He's now the starting center for the Steelers. That's really ugly, especially for an Urban Meyer coached team. At halftime the combined rushing yardage in this game between Miami of Ohio & Florida was minus-one yard.
Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich made his return to the Eagle football team yesterday. He missed the entire season last year battling cancer. He made five tackles & it will be interesting to watch his progress back to his former status of a prospective top-20 draft pick.
Georgia Tech is Kansas' next opponent. The Yellowjackets run the triple option & they are consistently in the top-5 nationally in rushing yards. In their game yesterday with South Carolina State, Tech had more rushing touchdowns than pass completions, 6 TD's to 2 pass completions. After the loss to Division 1AA North Dakota State last night, Turner Gill's Jayhawks didn't need to face a team like Tech this soon, or ever this season. Somewhere down in Florida Mark Mangino is chuckling don't you think?
In my story about Jacksonville State's improbable win in double overtime at Ole Miss I mentioned QB Coty Blanchard threw for over 400 yards, what I failed to mention was Blanchard is a true freshman, making their feat even more impressive.
And I also forgot to tell you the evening stats for North Carolina QB T.J. Yates who threw for 412 yards, 3 touchdowns & no interceptions against LSU. The Tar Heel running game was hardly providing Yates with any support. They had 33 carries for a whopping 24 yards. The fact they had a chance to win the game in the last 10-seconds is a tribute to coach Butch Davis, Yates & the remaining non-suspended Tar Heels.
The Chiefs cuts were nowhere to be found until almost 10 PM & by then I was embroiled in the Lake gin rummy team championships that just ended at 2 AM. Only a couple surprised me, Tyler Palko's release signals to me the Chiefs will sign an another quarterback as there's no way they're going into the season with only Matt Cassel & the always brittle Brody Croyle. That's a recipe for disaster. It's not going to be Matt Leinart & I don't see Chris Simms or Troy Smith landing in Kansas City either. Leinart & Simms have been major disappointments, why take on someone else's mistakes? My best guess would be either Kevin O'Connell(formerly of the Patriots) or possibly Rhett Bomar(formerly of the Giants). WR Jehremy Urban & CB Maurice Leggett landed on I.R. DaJuan Morgan, Derek Lokey & Colin Brown were semi-surprises. So was Dion Gales. They kept 10 linebackers, 5 corners & 5 safeties, which should bolster their kick & punt coverage teams. WR Jeremy Horn made the team & I was glad of it, this kid has some real upside. They retained two fullbacks which may change if they pick up another QB. I'd like to see Kansas City give Chase Coffman a shot, if you've watched Jake O'Connell, you know it wouldn't take much to dislodge him from the roster.
Mizzou was sleep walking thru the first half of their 23-13 victory over Illinois. I'd like to point out what happens when you have starters, people you are depending on, people who get suspended & their understudies can't measure up to the standard set by the suspended player. Example #1, Grant Ressel missed an easy field goal after a bad snap from center threw off all timing on the attempt. Long snapper Beau Brinkley was suspended this past week for DUI charges. Example #2, middle linebacker Luke Lambert, playing for another DUI desperado, Will Ebner, missed tackles & overran in pursuit. Ebner was Mizzou's 2nd leading tackler last year, Lambert isn't in his league. Example #3, the running game was almost non-existent until late in the 3rd quarter when De'Vion Moore began making some yardage. Sophomore Kendial Lawrence, who started for the banished Derrick Washington, struggled to get going & then sustained what appeared to be a shoulder stinger. The drop-off from Washington is enormous right now. The play calling was unimaginative early on plus the DT's & Lambert got gashed with inside runs. Aldon Smith came to play & continues to be a force at DE. Cornerback & kick returner Carl Gettis played well & had the best interception I saw all day, a leaping, one-handed grab on the sideline.Gary Pinkel probably uttered a big sigh of relief after the final gun, his guys didn't play very well, but they're 1-0.
Also dodging a bullet were the Florida Gators, who were awful for the better part of three quarters, compiling an embarrassing 44-yards of total offense in that time frame against designated punching bag, Miami of Ohio. They finished tied in total yardage with the Redhawks at a staggering 212 yards & only 12 1st downs. Gator RB Jeff Demps busted a 72-yard touchdown run. If you take this away, Florida rushed 30 times for 27 yards. That how bad it was.
OU gave a half-hearted performance & was in danger of being tied in the 4th quarter in their game with Utah State. QB Landry Jones didn't complete 50% of his passes & threw 2 interceptions. The defense wasn't a lot better, surrendering 421 total yards to a pretty lame WAC team. The Sooners prevailed 31-24, but were anything but inspiring to their fans & the pollsters.
LSU was facing a North Carolina team decimated by suspensions, 8 starters out, 7 of them on defense. The Tigers raced to a 30-10 halftime lead & deciding that was enough, stood around laughing & giving each other high-fives. Well Butch Davis' Tar Heels came out after the half & stopped the Tigers cold & in the 4th quarter they scored twice to make it 30-24. They had two shots from the LSU 6-yardline with under 10-seconds left in the game. Give Davis & his team big props for never giving up despite losing 8 starters. Les Miles & his underachieving team will get him fired by year's end.
Turner Gill's debut as the new head coach of the Kansas Jayhawks couldn't have gone worse. Playing Division 1AA North Dakota State in Lawrence, KU laid a giant egg losing 6-3. Losing to a team that only gains 168 total yards & is 2 for 13 on 3rd down is almost unimaginable, but it happened. The Jayhawks turned the ball over three times & tried running an interception out of their own endzone, only to be tackled at the one yardline. Punting from there coupled with a good return of 18-yards, allowed the Bison to kick the first of two field goals necessary to beat the Jayhawks.
But even the KU debacle didn't measure up to what went down in Oxford, Mississippi late in the afternoon. Playing Division 1AA Jacksonville State, the Rebels were cruising at the half, 31-10 & 31-13 after 3 quarters. Ole Miss had nearly 500-yards of total offense & didn't commit a penalty all day. But in the 4th quarter, they stood around & watched Jax St. roar back to tie the game with 18-seconds left in regulation. Both teams scored in the first overtime, leaving it 41-all. Ole Miss scored quickly in the 2nd O.T. Jax St. was faced with a 4th & 15 at the 30-yardline & lo & behold, Coty Blanchard, flushed from the pocket, threw a strike into the back of the endzone where Kevyn Cooper made a sensational catch to put them within 1 point of a tie. Jacksonville head coach Jack Crowe told his team they were going for a 2-point conversion to win the game & a Coty Blanchard to Calvin Middleton pass did just that. The Rebel fans looked on in stunned disbelief, "what the hell just happened?" Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt appeared to be in shock in the press conference after the game, duh.
The TCU-Oregon State matchup at Cowboys' Stadium was a terrific game won by #6 TCU. QB Andy Dalton was up & down, he needs to do a better job of protecting the ball. TCU's defense played with the same level of intensity Gary Patterson's Horned Frogs have become known for, even without Darryl Washington & Jerry Hughes, two high NFL draft picks.
A couple of quick answers from emails & comments left today:
To Gary T., thanks for reading, I think Patrick Crayton will be a #3 with the Chargers. I see Malcolm Floyd & Legedu Naanee as the starters, but Crayton will get more snaps with San Diego than he did with Dallas & could push for a starting spot when he becomes more familiar with the offense.
To KCKrissy, thanks for reading, here's my thoughts on your prediction the Chiefs will win the division over San Diego. The Chargers won 12-games last year, Kansas City won 4, I can't see a way the Chiefs can close a gap of 8-games this season, especially when you look at the talent disparity at quarterback. This is a quarterback-driven league & Phillip Rivers stands head & shoulders above Matt Cassel. They could be vulnerable somewhat, but making up eight games is a mighty big hill to climb. If Rivers got injured early on.......well you never know, just no way to handicap things like that.
To IluvTebowuranidiot, thanks for reading, but honestly, after reading your email, I question your ability to read, much less make a valid point. You're right, I suck, but realistically(there's a word you might want to look up in the dictionary), Denver has a lesser shot than the Chiefs to win the AFC West. The Broncos have very good secondary talent, but what else do they have on defense? Not much with Elvis Dumervil on I.R. for the season. I like Ryan Clady, Eric Decker, Eddie Royal & Knowshon Moreno(if they can stay healthy), what else you got? Think Kyle Orton is in Phillip Rivers' league? How about Tebow? You need to get a firm grasp on the talent level of your team, it's not great, it's really not even above average & that won't get it done if you expect to unseat the Chargers in the West.
To Mizzoublows, thanks for reading, but your knock on my pre-kickoff comment about Mizzou pounding on the Illini was a little premature right? Aren't you a Jayhawker? Who else would call themselves "Mizzoublows?" All the 4-letter words you strung together were really impressive, but I've heard them all before & you should really look into expanding your vocabulary so maybe you'll be able to move out of your mom's basement before you're 40. You wrote your email at 4:14 PM, about 3 hours before KU dropped a turd in the punchbowl. I wrote all about Mizzou's lousy performance, it's right above for all to read, when will I get your detailed analysis of what went wrong in Lawrence tonight? You'll probably wait until Mizzou loses a game & come in with another snappy screen name like "webeatyouinhoops" or something like that. This is a football site, one that is pretty damn honest, try to remember that before you piece together another email insulting me & every teacher who ever tried to educate your dumb-ass.
One more thing I forgot to mention yesterday was we saw "The American" with George Clooney Friday night. It was reeeaaallly slooooooooow. When not even the sight of a beautiful naked woman will stop my yawning, it's reeeaaallly slooooooooow. Four of us saw it & four of us agreed it was way too slow. Violente Placido is one beautiful woman tho.
The league wide cut list is running slow, it was over an hour ago, but a few teams(anyone surprised the Chiefs are one of them?) haven't handed in their list, at least the NFL hasn't posted all of them. I'll stay on top of it, hopefully they'll be posted here very soon.
Some notable transactions & cuts from the day so far:
Denver traded CB Alphonso Smith to Detroit for TE Dan Gronkowski. Both were 2009 draft picks, Smith a 2nd rounder that the Broncos traded a 1st round pick during last year's draft so they could select him. Gronkowski was a 7th rounder, so on the surface this appears to be Denver admitting they made a bad trade for a bad selection.
The New York Giants waived QB Rhett Bomar, they will go with just 2 quarterbacks, Eli Manning & the newly acquired Sage Rosenfels. I can see Bomar going to their practice squad.
Matt Leinart was given his walking papers in Arizona as anticipated. Rumors have him possibly going to Houston. If Seattle's Pete Carroll, Leinart's college coach, doesn't make a move to pick him up, that should tell you everything you need to know about Matt Leinat's future in the NFL.
The Titans cut QB Chris "that pot doesn't belong to me" Simms. I would imagine his NFL future is narrowing considerably.
Washington waived RB Willie Parker. He won two Super Bowl rings with Pittsburgh but he's tailed off that past two seasons. The Skins also released RB Ryan Torain, a guy who had a good preseason. If he's not gobbled up by another team, he'll most likely be a member of their practice squad.
Kansas City's wayward safety, Jarrad Page, was traded this afternoon for a conditional draft pick from the New England Patriots. The "conditional" part of the transaction is based on playing time, more snaps will net a higher pick the Pats have to send Kansas City. Page just signed his tender offer as a restricted free agent yesterday.
Former Heisman Trophy quarterback Troy Smith was released by the Baltimore Ravens. They will go with just 2 quarterbacks, Joe Flacco & Mark Bulger.
Seattle offensive line coach Alex Gibbs, the father of the zone-blocking scheme, abruptly resigned this afternoon with no explanation. Word around the team is he was very unhappy with two player transactions this week.
If you watched the UCLA_Kansas State game this afternoon you saw a pretty wild game in the 4th quarter. All-American RB Daniel Thomas had a career day with 28 carries for 234 yards & 2 touchdowns. The second one came on a 3rd & 1 with :58 seconds left in the game & the Wildcats leading 24-22. I happened to have K-State -2, so I was looking at a push until Thomas burst thru the line & went the distance, 35-yards. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Final score:K-State 31 UCLA 22.
Michigan QB Denard Robinson had a game for the ages. In front of a college football record crowd of 113,090, Robinson set the all-time Michigan record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 197. The previous record was 129, so this was even more impressive. The Wolverines won handily, beating UCONN 30-10.
Still nothing anywhere about the Chiefs' cuts & I have to go buy propane to cook dinner. I'll check back soon, you do the same.
It's Saturday & it's college football so that means I've got a wager or two. Here they are:
Kansas State -2 vs. UCLA
Bruins have QB questions, several major injuries & a couple of suspensions. I'll take Wildcat RB Daniel Thomas to cover the 2.
Washington +3 at BYU
If Steve Sarkisian's Huskies are going to relevant in the PAC-10 this season & QB Jake Locker is Heisman-capable, they need to win close road games like this.
Check back this afternoon, I'll have all the NFL cuts as they happen after Mizzou pounds on the Illini.