My Haven of Thought

Dirk Overcomes All Odds

2011-06-15T19:20:00.008-05:00

Michael Jordan remains in the eyes of many the greatest basketball player that ever lived because of his ability to defy gravity all while time after time manipulating games with his pure basketball skill. Sports are an unknown. They do not follow the rules of mathematics or basic science, but rather chaos theory. We can not predict the outcome of a game with absolute certainty because we do not know. With Jordan we knew. We knew he would take the game over and we knew he would win. The reason being was his drive.

Michael Jordan's drive was not nearly as flashy as his free throw lines dunks, or his patented fadeaways. For much of his career Jordan's drive was on the back burner to his physical abilities. One of the more remarkable things about him as a player is when his abilities did start to erode and he could no longer glide, Jordan and the Bulls were still winning. This was most prevalent during the Chicago Bulls' last championship run. In the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals the Chicago Bulls were facing a younger, bigger Indiana Pacers team. Despite Game 7 being in Chicago, some people did think this was the end of the Jordan era.

Chicago won the game in a hard fought defensive slugfest 88-83, but more importantly was the fact that Chicago outrebounded Indiana by a staggering 16 rebounds. Quantifying something as vague as drive is difficult to say the least, but the number 16 gave us a clearer picture on just how much this game meant to Jordan and the Bulls. And how they were not going to fall.

I bring up Jordan and his drive because in some ways Dirk Nowitzki's performance during these 2011 NBA Playoffs (and especially the 2011 NBA Finals) was very similar to Jordan and his Bulls during that 1998 NBA Playoff season. Countless times this postseason Dallas was faced with a dire situation in which a loss seemed imminent and countless times Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks gathered themselves, rallied and won.

How ironic is it that a player like Dirk Nowitzki, who has remain driven to bring Dallas a championship since 1998, beat LeBron James of the Miami Heat, a player who deserted Cleveland after he, himself, could not bring the city a championship?

I have always talked about how the one thing separating a champion from the rest of the pack is the X factor. There is something inside of a handful of players that when the odds are stacked against them, they can still will their team to victory. Bird did it. Jordan did it. Kobe does it and now Dirk does it. Since 1995 I have watched every NBA Finals. This year marks the first time where I have ever witnessed a team with little or no momentum, switch and turn the tide. In the first four games it is safe to say that Miami was outplaying Dallas the majority of the time, but on two separate occasions Dallas still prevailed. Dallas was hanging on to life by a thread. In Game 2 trailing by 15 with a little over six minutes remaining and a 2-0 deficit staring them in the face, Dallas rallied. In Game 4 with Dirk battling a sinus infection, Dallas rallied from nine down in the fourth quarter.

Great players seize that opportunity when it's prime for the taking. They step up when the stakes are the highest. They can take something like a game of basketball where so many variables are occurring on and off the court and manipulate and control the outcome. They can win. It did not matter that from a talent stand point Miami had more star players. Dallas felt they could win having a better team. It did not matter that outside of Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas's only other real reliable scorer was 6th man Jason Terry, who at the time was struggling. All of that was irrelevant because for Nowitzki he HAD to win this series. Losing another NBA Finals series was too painful. 2006 was too painful. This series was not everything to No. 41, it was the only thing. He HAD to overcome the sinus infection, the struggling teammates, the juggernaut opponent because he HAD to be a champion.

The Dallas Mavericks run to an NBA Championship proved so fulfilling on so many fronts because it boldly underlined why a team is more important than a three guys, but it also showcased in the purest form one individual's over-the-top drive and dedication to do whatever it took to stand on top of the mountain with one index raised in great pride.

Why We Should All Be Rooting for the Dallas Mavericks

2011-05-26T23:17:00.010-05:00

Sports are adored by fans because of those magical moments, those moments that grab your attention and freeze time. Movies best emulate this quality. All our childhood movies from Mighty Ducks to Hoosiers display that "Against All Odds" aspect we like about sports.

The 2011 Dallas Mavericks capture everything that captivates us towards sports. And on the contrary the Miami Heat, in my great humble opinion, highlight everything we do not like about sports. On one hand you have a Dallas team that has battled the "too soft" label for about a decade. To top it off they are lead by one of the most highly criticized players in the sports. Period. Dirk Nowitzki's past playoff shortcomings seem to suffocate any accomplishments that he has ever had in his career. Now rightfully so Nowitzki has earned some criticism, but overall I do feel the guy gets a worse bad rap than he deserves.

The 2011 NBA Finals is a prime opportunity for Nowitzki to prove to all doubters the legitimacy of his career and what better way to "slay the dragon" than defeat the very franchise that shattered his dream five years ago.

With a little over six minutes remaining in Game 3 of the 2006 NBA Finals the Dallas Mavericks held a 13 point lead. They were on the verge of going up 3-0; of being a mere one game away from a championship. But they slipped and Dwyane Wade rose up. Dallas lost Game 3. Then Game 4. And Game 5 and finally Game 6. In a week Dallas went up from 2-0, to losing 4-2. Despite the controversy that does exist when looking at the 2006 NBA Finals Dallas did choke and more importantly Nowitzki choked. Since the meltdown of 2006 Dallas and Nowitzki have carried that scar.

Rarely does a franchise and a player like Dirk Nowitzki get a second chance like the Mavericks have. That window of opportunity that opens and closes within a sports minute was thought to have been bolted shut for the Dallas Mavericks. But this postseason changed that. Dallas got by the first round and then bounced the two-defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in six games. And in a single four game sweep people started to believe in Dallas.

One of the things we admire about people in general is hard work. When someone continuously and frivolously works for something and finally gets what they desire, whether it be a co-worker or some athlete on television, it is human nature to feel a sense of happiness for them. Dirk Nowitzki fits this mold as well as 18 year veteran Jason Kidd.

In the Miami Heat you lose that feeling.

By all means I realize LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh work tirelessly at their craft to one day be champions, but for the Heat that lust that is so apparent in the Mavericks is, well, nonexistent. The best example of this is LeBron James. James had every right to leave Cleveland. He had every right to head elsewhere. The Cavs failed to develop enough talent around him among other things. Where LeBron James lost his appeal and solace from the fellow basketball fan is when he decided to air The Decision and when he decided to join the Miami Heat. In The Decision, for the first time I can recall, the public had an aggressive backlash (but warranted) response to a spoiled athlete who despite all the physical talents he possessed in the world, still did not have the brain capacity to understand the simple logic that it's not okay to humiliate the city you grew up with. Add in the fact that LeBron joined a team that already was in supply of someone who played his position (and was his rival) and you get the general outline as to why people like myself do not see the same appeal with LeBron winning a title as they do with Nowitzki.

In short, LeBron, Wade and Bosh all seem to have taken a "shortcut" in their pursuit of a title.

Through LeBron's decision, to Carmelo Anthony's push for New York, heck even through Kobe Bryant's push for a trade in the summer of 2007, Dirk Nowitzki has remained in Dallas loyal to his objective of winning a title as a Maverick. One of the best things about witnessing a player win a championship is seeing that player go from such a low, to such a high.

The Dallas Mavericks success this postseason has been the result of great team defense, an unstoppable Dirk Nowitzki and strong bench play. Despite the significance of these three factors in Dallas's first three rounds, they alone will not be enough to defeat the three-headed monster simply known as LeBrondwyanechrisosaurus. For Dallas to have a shot against Miami, Coach Rick Carlisle must devise a game plan that stops one Miami Heat player and not three. With a team as talented as Miami, Dallas is wasting it's energy, or better yet shooting for the impossible, if they plan on stopping LeBron, Wade and Bosh. The best option for Dallas is to choose one player they will put more focus on stopping.

My thoughts: Run a defensive game plan that constantly has Dwyane Wade or LeBron James being doubled. Create a situation where Miami will only win if Bosh is putting up 25 and LeBron or Wade is putting up 35 each night. Use Miami's weak bench to your advantage.

Easier said then done.

Nowitzki Eyes Chance at Fairy Tale Ending

2011-05-16T19:46:00.019-05:00

Sports are an absolute. Unlike politics, sports have a definite winner and loser. It's the one universal thing about sports that attracts fans. We, the fans, enjoy knowing that at the end of any sporting event there will be one team that's victorious, while another will soak in defeat. We enjoy knowing that with all the stats and variables taking place on the field of play, the only thing that matters is the final score.

The same can be said when looking back at a player's career. Whether right or wrong, we enjoy labeling a player "good" or "great" by whether or not he won a championship. Why is that? Why does a title, a championship, hold so much merit into how a player is viewed for the rest of time?

Simply put, a metal trophy signifies the purest example of someone being the best, of living up to their expectations.

As kids when we imagined ourselves playing in the NFL or NBA, we do not imagine scoring the winning touchdown in the NFC Championship Game or hitting the game winning three pointer in the Eastern Conference Finals. No, we imagined winning the Super Bowl or the NBA Finals.

We imagined being number one.

I mention all of this because of one current player still fighting in the NBA playoffs: Dirk Nowitzki. Nowitzki is a 10x NBA All-Star, a 4x All-NBA First Team member, the 2007 NBA MVP winner and someone who has averaged over 23 points and 8 rebounds for a career. With his 7'0" frame and his patented fadeaway he is as unique of a player as we have ever seen. His style of play has made him unstoppable and when he does hang it up he will probably be in the Top 15 of NBA Career Scoring Leaders.

In short, Nowitzki's career has been expectional. But through it all the one glaring omission is that Nowitzki has never won a title. And if Nowitzki never wins a title the only thing that will remain on his record is the note, "Can't Win the Big One."

This is what I like so much about the playoffs in any sport. I enjoy watching a cherished veteran, a future Hall-of-Famer put up absolutely everything in hopes of getting the one thing missing from his trophy case.

Since the debacle now known as the 2006 NBA Finals, Dallas has gagged in almost every way imaginable way. In 2007 they got bounced in six games in the first round to the 8th seeded Golden State Warriors. In 2008 they got knocked out again in the first round by the New Orleans Hornets and in 2009 Dallas lost in the first round to the San Antonio Spurs.

I like the Oklahoma City Thunder and what they have going on with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. I like the Chicago Bulls and Derek Rose, but neither of those teams have the intrigue or appeal that the Dallas Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki bring to the table.

We see it all the time in sports, but rarely does it happen where the veteran going for his last shot at a championship grabs that elusive ring. We saw guys like Charles Barkley fight valiantly to get another shot in the finals, but fall short in the postseason. We have seen the likes of players like Karl Malone lose three NBA Finals series (1997, 1998, 2001) with 1997 and 1998 ending in the most dramatic fashion.

You know what was one of the bigger things I enjoyed about the Saints winning the 2009 Super Bowl? I enjoyed seeing a 12 year veteran like Darren Sharper, who contemplated retirement, who was let go by the Minnesota Vikings because his playing days were long gone, who was a part of the Green Packers team that lost Super Bowl XXXII, stand up and fight through it all and win a championship. Those moments sell me sports. Those moments bring me back. The glitz and glamour are nice, but seeing that guy who has worked tirelessly his entire career finally get that moment where he can put one index finger in the air is what resonates the most.

On April 23rd the Dallas Mavericks coughed up an 18 point 4th quarter lead against the Portland Trailblazers. With the win the Blazers tied the series at 2-2. We all thought the Dallas Mavericks were on course for another postseason collapse. Fast forward 15 days to May 8th and the Dallas Mavericks were putting the finishing touches on the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers with a 122-86 thrashing.

Nowitzki's situation remains unique because that window we all thought was closed for his moment of glory still seems to be ajar. Here's a guy who has been with the Dallas Mavericks through thick and thin. How fitting would it be for Nowitzki, having been victimized countless times for his team's failures, to overcome it all and take home the title? Better yet how fitting would it be for Dirk Nowitzki, loyal Maverick and all, to take down the evil Miami Heat empire that took away his dream five years ago?

It would be nothing short of a fairy tale.

Uber-Competitive Uncle Ruins Another Family Reunion

2011-03-21T19:08:00.007-05:00

Every family has one. He is either your father, brother, uncle or distant relative, but we all have that uber-competitive family member who plays every sporting activity like his life depends on it.

Uncle Ted Dandridge of Erie, Pennsylvania is no different.

Last week the Dandridge family had their annual family reunion at the nearby state park. The afternoon consisted of burnt hot dogs, lousy potato salad, volleyball and the traditional basketball game. Like so many years in the past Ted played the meaningless game like it was the Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

"Did you see me out there?" Ted proclaimed. "No one can stop the February 1986 Pennsylvania High School Player of the Week! I still got it baby!"

Ted put up a "family reunion record" 57 points in the game, including 0 assists, 24 rebounds and 12 blocked shots of 8-year-old nephew Timothy Dandridge.

"Doesn't matter if you are 35 or 8 the Ted-O-Nator is going to bring it 100 percent all day," Dandridge explained. "The joke is on the other team! They lost again! Ha! What a bunch of losers!"

Some of the highlights of the game included Ted sporting his high school uniform with a head band, 12-year-old Katie Dandridge getting elbowed in the face before Ted hit a fade away jumper, Ted throwing the ball at older brother Joel Dandridge's face during an inbounds play and Ted dropping the F word numerous times when fellow teammates did not understand the play he was calling.

"Did you see that jumper?! All day every, every day. It's what I do," Dandridge said. "During Thanksgiving this year Katie made a snide comment about my apple pie. That will teach her a lesson next time she thinks about ragging on the Ted-O-Nator!"

Despite putting up 57 points and leading his team to another victory, not all was well for the winning team.

"For the past 5 years Ted has gotten progressively worse at this reunion," teammate and cousin Rick Gathers said. "We all talk about not inviting him to the reunion, but then we start thinking that maybe his 41-year-old brain now understands that maybe it's not the best idea to block every shot of your youngest nephew. Or maybe it's not the best idea to drop kick the ball 30 feet in the air simply because you believe you got hacked by a 12 year old girl while you were going for a layup. We all hope this, but it never gets better."

The game ultimately ended when Ted jumped off Joel's back and dunked the ball, thus breaking the rim after hanging for two minutes. Following three minutes of trash talking by Ted to the opposing team, everyone decided it was best to just go eat the lousy potato salad and try to make the best out of yet another pathetic family reunion.

"Am I happy the Ted-O-Nator dropped 57 points and pulled down 24 monster rebounds? You bet," Ted explained. "But the Ted-O-Nator is never satisfied. If this team wants to be the best everyone has to play their best. No more dropped passes like Rick and his slow son did today. I did not beat St. Joseph High School in 1986 with a fade away jumper with two seconds left just to watch my family members dog it in a family reunion bloodbath 25 years later. This is war."

NFL Lockout Talks Cause Grown Man to Go Insane

2011-03-09T22:47:00.004-06:00

James Donaldson was like any other resident of Topeka, Kansas.

“He was a good husband, a good friend and an even better host,” local neighbor John Barkowski said.

At 54 years old Donaldson was a happy man who could light up a room with his winning smile, but with the recent ongoing saga dealing with the ever-boring NFL labor talks, for all intensive purposes, multiple reports say Donaldson simply went insane.

Donaldson has been a season ticket holder of the Kansas City Chiefs for 22 years, but as far as the game of football he has been a fan for life.

“James was a true fan of the Chiefs, but more so he was a fan of football,” his wife Amy Donaldson explained. “Honestly, he loved seeing a grown man get hit so hard that he would suffer for the rest of his life. That is James for you.”

When news of a possible NFL lockout came up Donaldson remained optimistic things could be resolved.

“He knew it was coming, but knowing James he really thought things would get resolved, that the season would come just like any other season. I just don’t think he ever thought the constant boring coverage of an NFL lockout would cause him to lose his mind,” Barkowski explained.

Once Super Bowl XLV concluded every sports station spent countless hours evaluating the possible NFL lockout from what needed to happen to prevent it, what the garbage owners wanted, what the players wanted and what in the living hell a “collective bargaining agreement” actually was. Through it all, Amy says, Donaldson watched every minute of it.

“I think he was just trying to be a good fan,” Amy Donaldson said. “I think he just wanted to show everyone that he could and would understand what exactly was going on. Poor guy just never realized that if you try to acquire too much worthless information in a small amount of time you lose your mind. You go insane.”

Today is March 9, 2011. The sun comes up in the morning and dries the dew on the grass. Laying in a lawn chair in the grazing meadows at the Topeka Institute for the Insane is a man wearing jorts, no shirt, a red bandana and eating a bag of Cheetos. Foam slowly drips from his lips as he yells at the sky some incoherent babble.

This is James Donaldson. I try talking to James. I ask him a question about the NFL. He turns towards me, but is unable to make eye contact. His eyes wander. The only thing he mutters, or I can make out is something about “decertification.”

“What is decertification Roger,” Donaldson yelled. “What is it Roger?!”

This is who James Donaldson has become: lost, incoherent and of course insane. This was a man who only liked football, a man like any other man who just wanted to know what was going on with the possible NFL lockout. Unfortunately for a guy like Donaldson that task turned out to be too burdensome.

Some day when the Chiefs do play again their fans will rejoice from Arrowhead Stadium, but in one section of the stadium there will be an empty seat.

The seat of James Donaldson: a normal guy who went mad because of the constant news coverage of the dull, dreary and tiresome details surrounding the possible NFL lockout.

Only time will tell if James Donaldson is the only victim.

Satire

Wrapping Up the LSU Season and Bowl Thoughts

2010-12-08T18:07:00.010-06:00

It has been quite a while since I last wrote on this blog. To be honest I have be spending the past three weeks doing missionary work in Santiago, Chile.

I am sorry that was a 100 percent lie. Completely and utterly made up, but for a second I had you wondering.

Alright, back to LSU football. Let us recap how the season finished. The last time we saw the LSU Tigers in Tiger Stadium they played a game against Ole Miss that had "LOSS" written all over it. I have watched LSU football since 1995, so despite my young age I still have some years under the belt. With that said, I can say there have been those games where everything has just gone against the Tigers. Every flag, every big play, everything just seemed to be going against LSU that night against Ole Miss. But the thing that was so interesting about that game was how LSU would not bow down. They hung in their and the one guy who has been more criticized than any other Tiger, Jordan Jefferson, managed to truly carry the team to a victory.

Seven times this year LSU has won by a touchdown or less. The thing so many college football analysts fail to point out about this LSU team is they have what I like to call, "four quarter grit." Even if the window is closing and things look bleak for the Tigers, this team has shown the ability to still pull out the 'W' when the odds are stacked against them. LSU has a unique reputation where they are always in a game till the end. Even during their worst games, LSU still finds themselves in line to win.

(Look at the difference between the Ole Miss and Arkansas games. In both you have games where things are not going LSU's way, yet in one LSU managed to pull it together and another they fell apart. Maybe Tiger Stadium's magic is that powerful?)

Here is the thing that needs to be taken away from LSU's 43-36 victory over Ole Miss even after the Arkansas loss. All season long we criticized Miles decision to keep Jordan Jefferson in so much of the time. I, for one, wanted Jarrett Lee to start more often and I started to really think that maybe Jefferson would never understand how to be an effective quarterback. I realize it was only one game and Ole Miss was a struggling team, but just maybe, just maybe Les Miles knew what he was doing all along. For the second half it certainly looked like Jordan Jefferson could be the type of quarterback we had dreamed of.

I am not sold on Jefferson yet, but it is interesting to look at the big picture. Only about 6 quarterbacks in Division I-A football where statistically worse than Jordan Jefferson. Even so, Miles stood by him. Never threw the towel in on the kid. He believed.

I am happy to see this for the guy. I hope it is a sign of things to come. A friend of mine ran into Jordan Jefferson not to long after he had pulled off the big win against Alabama. My friend made a couple jokes to Jefferson about the block he put on an Alabama defender on the famous 4th and 1 reverse. Though the interesting thing is my friend told me was that Jefferson shook his hand and told my friend, "Thanks man, you have no idea the things people have been telling me. It means a lot." Jefferson has a had a tough year to say the least. I hope he continues to grow.

The Ole Miss game was a bright moment for Jefferson and even to a point so was the Arkansas game, but the end of that night in Little Rock ended all too familiarly - with a loss.

Personally, I hate the Arkansas game. It is never easy playing Arkansas, even during a win. (And it does not help that the one game I watch with my family is the Arkansas game during Thanksgiving.) Including this year's 31-23 Arkansas win, the last 6 games in this series have been decided by a TOTAL of 21 points. Prior to this year's game that number was 5 games decided by 13 points. "Close game" is an understatement.

I think the reason I hate the Arkansas game so much is because when the Tigers play the Razorbacks every comprehensible things goes wrong: passes are dropped, bad snaps are abundant, the defense misses tackles and of course golden opportunities to score or get a turnover are washed away. All those things describe the 31-23 Arkansas loss.

Jefferson, though not as well as Ole Miss, did play efficient against Arkansas. He had 184 throwing (0 turnovers) and 34 yards rushing. (218 yards of total offense) But like it has been all too often this year, LSU's offense was stagnant. Down 31-20 late in the 4th quarter, LSU gets the ball at their 38 yard line. On four straight plays LSU throws the football and then for some unknown reason LSU decides (with time being a factor) to run it not once, not twice, but THREE STRAIGHT TIMES. LSU ends up getting a field goal cutting the score to 31-23 with 1:58 left.

Now realize that LSU got the ball back down 31-20 with 5:59 left, yet they still thought it was appropriate to run it three straight times. That final drive was 11 plays for 43 yards and it took 4:11 off the clock. Disgusting to say the least.

I could talk excessively about the defense's inability to tackle in yet another game or the fact that the unit made some boneheaded decisions. (The first half Hail Mary?! I may sometime understand the Law of Relativity, but I will never understand why Karnell Hatcher thought going for the knockout blow in a situation like that was appropriate. YOU DO NOT RISK THAT. And worse Hatcher knocked the daylights out of his own teammate, Morris Claibourne!) The unit has been great this year at times, but I am growing tired of not seeing Defensive Coordinator John Chavis adjust. Chavis, as it seems, likes to stick to his base defense. How the game transpires has no impact on how he plays the rest of the game.

So it seems.

Alright so LSU played in 12 games this year and won 10. Say what you would like, cut it up as much as you please, but 10-2 is pretty damn good. The three big things Les Miles needed to do this year was beat Florida, Alabama and Ole Miss. (The previous two years Miles went 0-6 against those schools.) Miles did that. The thing I was worried about after the Arkansas loss was LSU getting screwed come Bowl Selection Sunday.

I was wrong.

LSU playing Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl on the night of January 7th does not get any better. Playing in the Sugar Bowl would of been terrific, but the way things turned out LSU would of been playing Ohio State. (Sorry, been there done that.) The Cotton Bowl use to be on the same level as the Fiesta, Rose, Sugar and Orange Bowl. Over the years the Cotton Bowl lost sight of this and had far too many noon January 1st games. This year looks to change that. Playing in Jerry Jones's spaceship at night should do the trick. This year's Cotton Bowl has the potential to be a great way to end the 2010 season for the LSU Tigers.

Miles Hushes Critics

2010-11-11T22:02:00.005-06:00

The more I watch him coach and the more I see the public react to his every move, the more I realize that Les Miles is more scrutinized than any coach in the country.

Sure others have lots of pressure on them as well, but no one seems to be ridiculed quite like Les Miles when things do not go according to plan. I understand how some of his press conferences are hard to understand and how his play calling at times can be unconventional to say the least, but that still does not excuse the reality that more so than anyone else in the country Les Miles's every move is watched, studied, analyzed and dissected.

And this is all for a guy who has a career record of 59-16.

I have seen it all year. One week LSU plays sloppy, the media tears Miles apart. The next week LSU prevails, the media kneels before Miles. It remains the same. A couple times this year Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly has made some questionable calls, in particular during the waning moments of the Tulsa game. Down 28-27 late in the game, Kelly opted for his quarterback to throw one in the end zone despite the Irish already being in great position to kick a winning a field goal.

The pass was thrown, the ball was intercepted. Game over. Kelly came under some scrutiny, but I could not help from laughing. Heck, if Miles pulled that same stunt the media would be trying to publicly execute him.

There is not another coach out there like Miles. He is one of a kind. He does not abide by the rules most coaches go by. I guess that's why with all the hate he seems to constantly get, it makes it that much more satisfying to watch his LSU Tigers beat Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide 24-21 in Tiger Stadium.

I have heard it a million times. Saban will always be better than Miles. Miles is dumber than Saban. Saban will always outsmart Miles. Miles only beat Saban in the past because he had Saban's players.

Yet at the conclusion of the game everyone could see that not only did LSU win, Les Miles and his staff had out coached Nick Saban and his staff. The very thing I, as an LSU fan, was told could never happen happened.

Could it be that Les Miles is smarter than we all give him credit for? Could it be that, much like Keyser Soze from Usual Suspects, the greatest trick Les Miles ever pulled was convincing the world that he was an idiot?

This game was bigger than an SEC showdown, it was bigger than LSU vs. Alabama, it was bigger than Alabama trying to continue it's run for a second straight national championship. This game was beyond all that.

For some this was the moment when the wheels really started to come off the Les Miles's wagon, for others this was the moment when Miles showed he was and could always hang with the best of coaches. This game symbolized the moment when the nation and some of the doubting LSU fans finally saw the reality: LSU has a pretty damn good coach.

Did you realize that Les Miles has won nearly 80% of his games at LSU, which plays in the toughest conference in college football? And that against Nick Saban and Urban Meyer (arguably two of the best coaches in college football), Miles has record of 5-5?

I have often wondered how much different the public perception of Les Miles would have been had Terrence Toliver dropped that 4th and 26 pass against Ole Miss last year. If Toliver drops that pass, there is no clock management fiasco that ensued in the closing moments of that game.

Les Miles is an emotional coach, which means he has an emotional team. In recent years his teams have been motivated in big games, but at the same time they have made mental errors because of their high emotions. We, as fans, have grown use to that. The Tigers will be pumped to play, but do not be surprised if they get a few false starts or silly turnovers. On Saturday that notion that LSU could not play four quarters of good football was buried. (Okay, I understand it was really the 3rd and 4th quarter. Just bare with me.)

Overall, the thing that recedes more than anything after LSU's win over Alabama is the uniqueness behind Les Miles and his style of coaching. This element of him was lost in the shuffle the past two seasons. In 2007 Miles's gambling tendencies were at center stage. Prior to this season I had hoped Miles would go back to his gambling ways because it was what made 2007 so special, it was what made Miles, Miles. As this season has shown the Mad Hatter is back.

Some coaches are known for their defense, others are known for their offense, Les Miles is known for his close-game, unconventional play calling. I have come to realize that this is what makes Les Miles so extraordinary and so dangerous. Unlike any coach out there the "normal" call never appeals to him. On 4th and 1 against Alabama (much like the fake field goal against Florida) we were all convinced we knew what Miles was going to do. LSU was going to give it to their running back Stevan Ridley and hopefully number 34 could muster one yard.

But that is the problem. Once you think you have Miles figured out, once you feel like you have his team on the ropes and you know what they are going to run, he pulls a rabbit out of the hat. He does what he does best and runs the unconventional.

Jordan Jefferson hiked the ball and pitched it to Stevan Ridley who then pitched it to DeAngelo Peterson on a reverse. And poof! once again he had done it. Fans were stunned. The Alabama defense was stunned and best of all Nick Saban was stunned. There was still lots of time left in the game (I was not satisfied until the clock read :00), but that play was very symbolic for the game and for Les Miles.

Here was LSU going against Alabama and Nick Saban. It was midway through the 4th quarter and LSU trailed 14-13. On 4th and 1, like he has done countless times before, Les Miles fooled his opposition as DeAngelo Peterson blew by the Alabama defenders and Les Miles's doubters.

Geaux Tigers!

I Hate Alabama

2010-11-02T11:31:00.004-05:00

Losing hurts. Losing to your rival stings. Losing to your most hated rival, at their stadium, surrounded by their fans after a blown interception call does not sting. It burns.

I have experienced many LSU losses. They never feel good, but last year's Alabama loss was only worse to the 2007 loss to Arkansas. To have seen the Tigers battle for four quarters and then to see their best player get robbed of an incredible interception in a 24-15 loss is sickening to say the least.

This is the most important game of the regular season for the LSU Tigers. It was probably the same for Alabama until Auburn started playing football. I am sure I should breakdown this game in a professional manner and I should evaluate all of aspects of both teams personnel in a professional manner.

But I cannot do that, I cannot seat here and act like this is just another game, just another SEC showdown being played in Tiger Stadium. This is more. This is LSU vs. Alabama and with all my heart I truly hate Alabama.

I hate the University of Alabama as much as a fat kid hates a treadmill, your mom hates cussing, your grandma hates rap music and you hate Mondays. I hate how the majority of their fan base seems to think Alabama football was Gods' gift to the world. (Hate to break it you, but I do not think our God is that cruel.)

I hate how Alabama "claims" 13 national championships. Using Alabama's logic, LSU does not have three national championship, rather the Tigers have about seven.

For much of my life the number one team I hated was Auburn. Auburn was always neck and neck with LSU. When LSU football came back in 1995, after six straight losing seasons, it was Auburn who LSU beat to get back on the map.

But things changed. Alabama became the No. 1 hated team in my eyes because of one moment: Nick Saban was hired to be their head coach.

And there lies the newest variable in this hated rivalry between Alabama and LSU.

I hate Nick Saban because he preaches a life of integrity and character, yet at the end of the day the man does not live by those rules himself. Is he a great coach? You bet. Does he know how to build a program? For sure. Just do not try to sell to me that Nick Saban is beyond a football coach garbage.

He is an excellent football coach. Period.

I appreciate everything Nick Saban did for LSU in five years. I appreciate how he brought LSU football to new heights, how he won two SEC championships as well as the ultimate prize - a national championship in 2003. LSU fans always knew Saban's ultimate goal was to win a Super Bowl. His ego would never be satisfied with winning national championships, so on Christmas Morning of 2004 we found out that Nick Saban would indeed be the next coach of the Miami Dolphins.

As fans we were disappointed, but understood this was Saban's goal, his ultimate quest. After only two years Saban darted Miami and signed a mega-million dollar deal with Alabama and in turn he forever tarnished his image to LSU fans.

I have heard it countless times, "If you were offered $4 million you would coach anywhere as well!"

Sorry not me and I stand by that. For $4 million I would not have sold my loyalties to my former team the way Saban did. That was Nick's price and he has to live with the consequences of that decision. I appreciate what he did, but again that was the past. For now he is the coach of LSU's most hated rival. The sooner he leaves Alabama, the better. (In all honesty he could of coached any other program in the country and the consequences would not have been nearly as harsh.)

I like to think of Nick Saban's journey from LSU to Alabama like that of Anakin Skywalker to Darth Vader. There was a time when Saban still had good in his heart, but ultimately he fell to the Dark Side. Is Saban disfigured like Darth Vader? Physically? No. Psychologically? Yes.

Behind the impressive winning streak, the Heisman Trophy winner and the recent national championship is a head coach at Alabama who knows he screwed by leaving Baton Rouge in the first place.

Do I want him back? Never. Quite simply, I want LSU to beat Alabama, I want the media to eat their words (why does Saban always get a mulligan when Alabama loses, but Miles is eaten alive?) and I want to see that trademark head-hanging walk Saban does whenever Alabama is about to lose.

Why?

Because I really hate Alabama.

LSU Got Beat, Plain and Simple

2010-10-25T21:42:00.006-05:00

Do you know what the really interesting thing is about sports? How simple it really is. I love sports and watching LSU and Saints football are two of my greatest passions, but it is interesting to think how simple my admiration is for my teams really is.

All I desire, all I want is for my team to score more points than the opposing team. Whether the media talks about my team or whether my team throws for more yards are all irrelevant. And the end of the day it all comes down to who has more points.

Shockingly at times that one basic principle seems to be covered up. We spend an entire week breaking down the minor things in a certain game. Sometimes its productive other times its counterproductive.

I say this now because after LSU's loss against Auburn the only thing burned in my mind is the final score of 24-17. I know LSU got outplayed and I know Auburn deserved more than LSU to win that game and I know LSU's offense was painful to say the least, but still all that is etched in my mind is the final score. The halfback pass for a touchdown was amazing, but it is now forgotten because LSU lost.

No matter how you cut it losing sucks.

If LSU loses a game I have been accustom to the game either being a blow out or it ending in a controversial manner. Seeing LSU just get beat is foreign to me. And on Saturday LSU got just that: beat.

LSU loses games in football. It happens, but rarely do I see a team physically beat LSU. Rarely do I see a team run the ball down LSU's throat. Auburn did that.

I understood going into the game that LSU had a good chance of losing to Auburn. This is not a knock on the football team, but rather a look at the fact that for three straight years LSU has beaten Auburn and that the game was in Auburn. In short, LSU was due for a slip up against a good Auburn team.

Looking back there are a couple things on the offensive and defensive side of the ball I wanted to focus on when discussing Auburn's 24-17 win.

Offense: LSU's offense remained stagnant again, but for the first time this year Jarrett Lee was unable to help LSU sneak out a win. In the second half LSU had five possessions start near midfield. One lead to LSU points (7). Three resulted in three and out and one resulted in a couple first downs followed by a punt. Sure the defense deserves a lot of criticism, but the unit did give the LSU offense chances. Jordan Jefferson's best trait is his rushing. Even with his passing struggles, Jefferson still poses as a threat because of his scrambling abilities. My issue with is if LSU is going to use Jefferson as a runner, stick to it. In the opening drive of the game Jefferson got down the field by running the ball, yet when LSU got closer they opted to start throwing. I think we can agree that was a bad move. Jefferson makes it harder every week to think he is going to turn the corner and be able to complete a measly ten yard completion. Far too often I find myself, like the Auburn game, optimistic that Jefferson can show some signs of improvement only to be blown away when yet No. 9 shows ZERO presence in the pocket on a passing down.

But with that said Jarrett Lee was not any better. Lee never got the LSU offense past midfield. Maybe Miles sees things in practice that lead him to believe Jefferson is the better start at quarterback? Jefferson was by the no means amazing, but he was able to get a rhythm going (when given the chance) to do what he does best: run the ball. The command Lee had of the LSU offense for most of the year was now where to be seen on Saturday. Lee's struggles gave LSU fans a gut-check reality that despite his successes this year, Lee still will have game where he is not playing well.

Even with Lee's recent struggle at Auburn I still feel Miles needs to address the quarterback situation. Lee had one bad game, Jefferson seems to have a bad game every week. LSU needs to consider running a two-quarterback system where the quarterbacks switch during plays, rather than series. I say this because with Lee at quarterback, defense's are able to sit back and play the pass. With Jefferson at quarterback, opponents can put eight guys in the box and anticipate a run. We thought Lee would always be able to work against a defense when they anticipated the pass. These past two weeks have shown us otherwise.

This predictability in LSU's offense does not seem to be worrisome to the coaching staff. Outside of a few new plays involving Spencer Ware, I rarely saw anything that made me think Les Miles and Gary Crowton are making changes to a disappointing unit. Each week, I see the same boring, stagnant offense. I do not think at the end of the year Gary Crowton will be fired, better yet I think he will leave on his own.

(Also, has Jordan Jefferson made a big throw on a big down this year? This is a serious question. There can not be more than five times this year where on a big third down Jefferson has converted.)

Defense: Losing to Auburn is not that big of a surprise. It stinks, but again this is a rivalry game and Cameron Newton is a pretty special quarterback. With that said, I think the thing that hurts more than anything in LSU's loss is how their defense was shredded against Auburn. Going into the game LSU's run defense gave up only 83 yards per game. Against Auburn the unit gave up 440 yards, including 217 yards to Cameron Newton.

LSU's bread and butter was not their offense, but their defense. The one thing LSU fans could stick their chest out about was the swarming Tiger defense. On Saturday that thought was crushed. I am thankful LSU has a bye before Alabama because after an embarrassing performance like that things can snowball. LSU needs a breather.

All season the defensive unit has been one word: AGGRESSIVE. Whether it was Drake Nevis up the middle or Tyrann Mathieu on a blitz, LSU's defense remained aggressive. But that aggressiveness was lost against Auburn. Obviously John Chavis's game plan was to sit back and let Auburn make their move before LSU made theirs. This hurt LSU because, like I said, it took away LSU's aggressive nature of playing defense. You know what LSU's defense in the Auburn game reminded me of? The 2009 LSU defense: passive and not aggressive.

So the game plan was passive? Okay, fine. And Drake Nevis was pretty much non existent? Okay fine, but that leaves no excuse to the lousy tackling LSU showed on Saturday. Two of Auburn's three touchdowns came off lousy tackling. That is just fundamentals.

Even with the defensive game plan LSU had and the lousy tackling they showed all game, LSU still did give the offense may opportunities to put points on the board. Auburn did miss six third downs meaning LSU's defense did get Cameron Newton off the field. With all that taken into consideration from the porous offensive production to the passive defensive game planning and bad tackling it is no surprise why LSU lost on Saturday.

I rarely admit these sort of things, but Auburn was better than LSU on Saturday. Even so, LSU was tied more than halfway through the fourth quarter.

One of the biggest signs to how good a team really is, is how they respond to a loss. LSU got physically beat by the Auburn War Chickens. The team has a week off before Alabama. Does the team come together and learn from their mistakes or do they sulk in their defeat?

Only time will tell.

Geaux Tigers!

NFL's New Rule Highlights Growing Issue With Professional Leagues

2010-10-21T10:32:00.006-05:00

When I was younger I use to be afraid of what sports would be like in the future. I use to think football would not be played, but instead men in business suits would walk to the center of the field with briefcases. They would sit down and negotiate and eventually come to a resolution. The parties would separate and the game would be over.

Of course that was an extreme thing for me to imagine, but even today I kind of see that sort of thing taking place already. Earlier this week the NFL made a new rule on "dangerous" hits. If one is committed, a player will be suspended.

First and foremost, I understand the severity of these hits. I do not condone, nor do I jump to my feet when a man lays motionless on the ground. The idea of paralysis taking place in a sport you love is painful to say the least, but this is football. Football is an extremely violent sport when you break it down. No sport, not hockey or rugby, deals with so many high-speed collisions. Even though the sport remains violent, players are aware of what they are playing. They realize the risks because again they are playing football. The decision to be harsher on these sort of penalties brings to face an all too real reality in professional sports: new rules are going to constantly be added, but in turn they will only further hurt the sport.

Earlier this season Detroit Lions' wide receiver Calvin Johnson caught what seemed like a touchdown against the Chicago Bears, but according to a ridiculous NFL rule it was not. The public felt, and rightfully so, modifications should be made to this rule. Of course the top people in the NFL blew this off, yet when it came to changing how defensive man could hit players they managed to do that in 3 to 4 days. I find it very elementary that in a matter of 3 to 4 days the NFL decided to implement a new rule. My reason being is whenever I get upset my initial reaction is not always the best solution, yet in the NFL's case they felt there initial reaction was the best solution.

I worry about this new rule because it is another step in the league enforcing more rules in today's game. In the past 5 or so years look at the new rules the NFL has put into place:

-No horse collar tackling after Terrell Owens's injury

-No running into a quarterback's leg after Tom Brady's injury

-A much stricter enforcement of roughing the passer

-No hitting of defenseless wide receivers

-No "dangerous" hits

(By the way have you noticed how all these rules are against the defense?)

In all honesty this is only the tip of the ice berg. There will be more rules. With the growing concerns of concussions, the NFL has made the decision to constantly be changing the game and that's the problem. I look at what the NFL is doing and it reminds a lot of the federal government. Certain laws will be passed now and then that we, as the public, think are extremely necessary, but with these new laws over time you start to lose basic freedoms. This is very similar to the NFL. Lawmen wanted there to be a law against not wearing your seat belt so they made one, even though it was a personal choice. The NFL wanted to stop "dangerous" hits, even though wide receivers made the decision to play that position even with the dangers involved.

This sort of "new rules" attitude prevalent in the NFL, exists in other professional leagues and it continues to cripple the sports.

In the NBA this offseason, NBA Commissioner David Stern announced technical fouls will be given for complaining about a call in any way or punching in the air. Stern said this was a move so more people could enjoy NBA basketball.

Stern's motives are good, but the way he is going about it is 100 percent wrong. Sure complaining after a foul might be a little annoying, but it is not nearly as annoying as watching a basketball game turn into a free throw contest. Instead Stern should of thought to himself, "maybe I should do away with touch fouls or maybe I should do something about there being so many silly fouls called?" But as we know Stern decided to do what every other person high up in a professional league does: make more rules.

We live in a society where the American public runs and loves sports. We breathe it year around and constantly find ourselves engaged in watching some sort of sporting event, yet the most terrifying thing about it is our enjoyment, our luxury of watching a certain sport we love, is all controlled and all manipulated by individuals who only care about acting on impulse and not on reason.

LSU: And You Want to Be My Latex Salesman?

2010-10-19T18:58:00.004-05:00

A show I enjoy watching is Seinfeld. One scene in Seinfeld best sums up how I felt as a fan after LSU's 32-10 lackluster win against McNeese State on Saturday.

In this particular episode George Costanza wants to continue to receive his unemployment check so he tells the unemployment office that he is currently seeking a job with Vandelay Industries. Vandelay Industries is a fictional latex manufacturing business George has made up. The number for Vandelay Industries is Jerry's home number. George tells Jerry every time he answers the phone he needs to say, "Vandelay Industries" all so the unemployment office never finds out Vandelay Industries does not exist. Eventually Kramer reveals to a caller from the unemployment office that there is no Vandelay Industries and George's little plan is ruined. In a little ditch effort to get Kramer to say Vandelay Industries to the caller, George storms out of the bathroom with his pants down to his ankles. George lays on the ground in his boxers with his head in his arms once he realizes the gig is up. At this moment Jerry walks through the door and sees George on the floor where he remarks with a grin,

"And you want to be my latex salesman?"

(Here is a clip from Youtube that shows this scene. I did my best to describe it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T35QhLx_KI)

On Saturday night in Tiger Stadium, I, along with every other LSU fan, was Jerry Seinfeld and George Constanza was the LSU football team. After the game I just wanted to say, "And LSU, I'm supposed to think you are a national championship contender after a performance like that?"

Where do you start? One week removed from an impressive road victory at Florida, the LSU offense once again looked stagnant. As a whole the team look uninspired and flat out lousy, but they did win. Now before we all jump the gun and really start blowing this latest game out of proportion let me touch on a couple things.

Last week I was listening to ESPN Radio 104.5 one day after work when the host predicted LSU would win 56-10 against McNeese State. Someone else had LSU winning 44-6. Despite hearing the scores I always kind of felt LSU would win something along the lines of 30-10. Did I expect LSU to look at sloppy as it did on offense? No. Did I think Jordan Jefferson would regress even more? No. But I did think LSU would play great defense and okay offense.

Look winning 56-10 or 44-6 would of been terrific, but we need to stop acting like this 32-10 performance was all that surprising. LSU has a sort of M.O. where they play to their competition. If the Tigers play a very good football team Les Miles and his crew usually show up. If it's a subpar team LSU has shown in the past that it can play a sloppy game. (Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana Tech 2009)

I am not defending LSU's play on Saturday, I am simply pointing out something Les Miles's teams have a tendency to do: play to their competition. But there really is no need to overstate this game. LSU played sloppy, McNeese State (whatever you say) was motivated to be playing LSU and LSU's offense was pitiful on both execution and play calling. Now onto the quarterback situation that never seems to get old.

I hope Jordan Jefferson turns it around, but at this point Les Miles needs to seriously think what is best for the team. (Keyword: BEST) And right now playing Jarrett Lee for at least 70% of the snaps and Jordan Jefferson 30% is LSU's best option and hope to sustain their current record. Jefferson is not simply playing sub par or average, Jefferson is playing bad football plain and simple. I hate to see him regress so much from last year, but he really has taken a turn for the worst. Various times against McNeese State, Jefferson continued to do the same silly mistakes he can not seem to grow out of. Jefferson struggles on deciding whether to scramble or throw and if there is any defensive line penetration he immediately bails out on the plays instead of standing in the pocket and waiting for a play to develop.

In recent weeks Jarrett Lee has been successful throwing the football. During an interview this week you could tell Jordan Jefferson wanted to be able to throw the ball more. The issue with that is Jefferson was given an opportunity to throw earlier in the season, but he failed. Even now on a crucial third down Jefferson shows an inability to make the throw.

Again, I hope for the best for Jefferson, but there needs to be some sort of accountability. If you play bad at defensive tackle do the coaches keep you in? Maybe, but if you continue to play bad I am sure the coaches would put someone else in. Same goes for every position, but apparently not for the quarterback. Jefferson is not producing, while Lee is.

The answer is not that difficult when you watch both quarterbacks play. Lee is no superstar, but he can move the offense, make plays and during crunch time keep the team in check. I do not see that with Jefferson. I see a nervous quarterback who has zero confidence and continues to have three and out drives. Worse, when the game is on the line he has a sort of "deer in the head lights" look on his face. The quarterback is the leader. When the chips are down he is supposed to be the guy that leads his team to victory. In Jefferson when things are not going well they seem to snowball for him. LSU still needs Jefferson to win games, but more importantly they need to play Jarrett Lee more.

I hope the coaches see that.

I understand Jordan Jefferson is struggling immensely and is frustrating to watch, but the booing towards him when he's playing bad needs to stop. (Keep in mind the play calling did not help at all during certain plays.) I can not tell you how ashamed I am when I am in the stadium and I hear two people in front of wanting Jefferson's blood because of his struggles. Booing a 20 year old does not make things any easier, in fact it makes you look like an idiot.

The majority of LSU's problem on Saturday dealt with the offense, still I think there is one thing the defense needs to improve. Whether or not a team wins most of the time comes down to how that team did on third down. Third down conversions are the difference between winning and losing. Against Florida, LSU had three touchdowns that happened on third down. The thing that always gets to me is for three quarters LSU plays lights out defense on third down, but now and then in the fourth quarter that third down defense plummets. Yes, I know it is late in the game and players are tired and the opponent is more motivate considering the game is almost over, but still LSU needs to step up on third down defense in the fourth quarter.

LSU's defense is based off the principle of, "we'll let you get 5 yards, but can you do that for 80 yards?" An opponent might get short passes on the Tigers, but can they do that for 12 consecutive plays and score points? Most of the time the answer is no, but it does happen.

Last year against Ole Miss, LSU was down 22-17 with 12:08 left in the fourth quarter. Ole Miss got the ball at their 35 yard line. The Rebels went 60 yards in 15 plays. They chewed off 8:26 off the clock and converted a 3rd and 2, a 3rd and 10 and a 3rd and 7. In the Penn State game LSU lead 17-16. The Nittany Lions went on a 12 play, 65 yard drive that chewed up 5:57 and resulted in the winning points. On that drive LSU gave up a 3rd and 3 and 3rd and 4. Even this year that problem has surfaced. Against Florida, LSU gave up a 51 yard pass on 3rd and 8 and this past week against McNeese State,LSU let McNeese convert three third downs before stopping the Cowboys on downs. Great defenses prevent this.

Let me clarify: this is not as big of a problem as say the quarterback play, but this defense has tremendous potential to be special. When you are a special unit you make plays in all quarters, in all games, all the time.

On Saturday LSU's defense will get a real test against Auburn quarterback Cameron Newton. LSU's fourth quarter third down defense is as important to the outcome of this game as their quarterback play.

Geaux Tigers!

Les Miles Does Not Give a Damn, Neither Do I

2010-10-12T21:58:00.017-05:00

In regards to the extremely explicit language please do not tell my mother. If she finds out I am almost certain that I will not be getting any Christmas presents this year.

Now to the game.

Wow. Breathe it in! I do not care if the game was nearly a week ago I am still recovering! Few things are a satisfying as beating Florida and a head coach who makes it a habit to have his Florida Gators stomp on the eye of the Tiger at Tiger Stadium. Yes sir, I hate Mr. Urban Meyer and his classless antics.

For an entire week LSU was the butt of every clock joke out there. The nation watched as Les Miles yet again failed in Clock Management 101 during the Tennessee game. LSU won after it was determined the Volunteers had too many players on the field during the last play of the game. Despite the victory, Les Miles and LSU were still the laughing stock of college football.

One week later LSU found itself in a battle with the Florida Gators. Despite having controlled the entire game, LSU still found itself trailing late in the fourth quarter. After Florida took a 29-26 lead, LSU got the ball with 3:21 when the Mad Hatter came to life again.

The playcalling was questionable up to that point and by no means were my emotions under control during that final drive. Shortly after a pass interference call on Florida that gave LSU the ball on the Florida 43 yard line, Les Miles seemed to again be reverting back to his clock management blunders. On three straight plays LSU ran the ball for a total of seven yards. LSU was faced with a 4th and 3 at the Florida 36 yard line.

I saw it happen and I witnessed it unfold. Miles and his staff were sending the field goal unit out. Instead of going for it on 4th and 3, Les Miles would rather have his kicker attempt a 53 yard field goal. I was numb and dumbfounded that LSU's coach thought this was the best course of action. My language was that of a sailor and my blood pressure was definitely rivaling my grandma's. Seconds before a delay of game LSU called a timeout with 35 seconds left.

I was convinced. LSU fans were convinced. Florida was convinced. The nation was convinced that Les Miles and the LSU Tigers were opting to kick a 53 yard field rather than go for it on 4th and 3. After all the Mad Hatter had just burned 40 seconds off the clock.

The team came out on the field and got in position. From a TV screen 53 yards seems like a mile. I waited and then one moment, one instance before the ball snapped it hit me for one smidgen of a second. For one nanosecond of time a thought popped in my head. I have no idea why this thought came to my head nanoseconds before the ball was snapped, but it did. Somehow this thought came in my head and settled and it somehow made sense.

It hit me. "I think he might fake it." And a moment later the ball was snapped and our world of reason and order was flipped upside down by the Mad Hatter. I was a deer in the headlights as I watched the play. It looked like the ball had no chance after holder Derek Helton lobbed it too soon, but somehow the ball bounced. It seemed the Florida defense was just going to get kicker Josh Jasper right before the first down marker, but somehow he got the first.

Les Miles fooled everyone. He fooled the nation, he fooled Urban Meyer and the Gators, he fooled his own fans and he even fooled his own players. One week after being subject to so much criticism Miles found himself in yet another crucial moment when he decided to yet again roll the dice.

The ensuing chaotic review was even more gut-wrenching than the actual play. When the ruling on the field was officially confirmed the reality of the situation officially set in.

Les Miles may be erratic and have press conferences of incoherent talk, but Les Miles is no idiot. He sold it to everyone. We all thought we knew what was unfolding. The clock was ticking and Miles was yet again struggling to get things taken care of. In a moment of panic he opted for a 53 yard field goal. He was going to put it on the kicker's leg, but as we later found out something happened during that timeout when Miles changed his mind and rolled the dice.

The fake field goal first down was only the beginning. On the next play Jarrett Lee found Terrence Toliver for a 28 yard gain. After a spiked ball and an incomplete pass, Jarrett Lee threw a jump ball to Terrence Toliver in the corner of the end zone. In one last moment of chaos for the Mad Hatter and the LSU Tigers, Toliver made the grab and came down with one foot in bounds. Touchdown. Ball game. LSU wins 33-29.

Halfway through the season LSU stands at 6-0. Even now, I am still uncertain what this team is ultimately capable of, but after their best team effort of the year (and yes I know improvements can be made) and after seeing the Riverboat Gambler resurface for the first time since the 2007 I suddenly feel a sort of, I don't know, confidence that if LSU plays to their best of ability they can beat anyone on their schedule. More importantly, I think LSU can do this.

There is something encapsulating about Les Miles. I am well aware that in a month I might hate his guts and curse his coaching, but for now I can acknowledge and accept that this is a coach who is erratic is his methods but determined in his ultimate goal - to win the game. Period.

Geaux Tigers!

What is Going on With the New Orleans Saints?

2010-10-12T20:47:00.012-05:00

Someone give me an answer. Someone tell me what is going on in New Orleans. Right now through five weeks the Saints are a modest 3-2. After an embarrassing performance in a 30-20 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, I am officially in panic mode. I am officially sounding the alarms, ordering a Code Red and officially starting to question whether this team can even make the playoffs.

In Week 1 the Saints beat the Vikings in a defensive struggle 14-9. We, the fans, were satisfied because the Sean Payton Saints rarely win dragged out defensive games. In Week 2 the Saints managed to pull out a last second victory, 25-22, against an amped up 49ers team. Again, we were happy because despite playing lousy the Saints managed to pull off a victory against what we considered another NFC playoff team. Then in Week 3 the Saints lousy play caught up to them. Despite chances to win in the end, New Orleans lost 27-24 in overtime. The following week the Saints were to play the lowly Panthers. This was the game the Saints would finally wake up in 2010 and quick screwing around on offense. As it has been so characteristic in 2010 the Saints defense played well, but the offense was inept. Saints survived 16-14. And finally in Week 5 the Saints went against the struggling Cardinals who were starting for the first time at quarterback an undrafted rookie. New Orleans lost 30-20.

I know not having Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush on offense hurts and I realize how much more difficult winning is after winning the Super Bowl, but what the Saints are putting out on the field on Sunday is not average, sub par or mediocre. No, it stinks. There is no excuse for the type of football the Saints are currently playing.

Thomas and Bush’s absences are a big hit for New Orleans, but in no way should that be detrimental to the offense breaking, say, 25 points in a game. The defense has not been as turnover-savvy as last year, but still the unit has been effective. The problem lies with the offense and more importantly red zone efficiency. I would love to look up the stats, but I honestly am too lazy to go to NFL.com and search around (pathetic, I know). How many times this year have the Saints been in the opponent’s territory and a) turned it over, b) shanked a field goal or c) kicked a field goal when all the team had to do was convert a 3^rd and short? These mishaps are hindering the offense tremendously.

One of my friends kept joking with me about the Madden Curse. I am honestly starting to believe him. Drew Brees numbers are not bad; it’s just more so than in the past he seems to be making foolish mistakes in crucial moments of the game.

As a complete unit, the offense really just looks bad. Here are some examples of things I am continuously seeing each Sunday.

-A Saints receiver drops the type of throw he rarely misses.

-When the team needs seven points and not three, on third down all too often the team fails to convert the first down. (This was seen in the Cardinals game when it was 13-13 and the Saints had to resort to kicking a field…one in which John Carney so eloquently shanked.)

-On the occasional big throw Drew Brees has been a little off. Most quarterbacks would have made that same throw, but Drew Brees normally makes that difficult throw. All too often this year Brees seems to be somewhat off on the occasional big throw.

The list goes on as there have been far too many foolish penalties and turnovers to name a few.

Nothing can ever tarnish the magic of the 2009 Super Bowl season. Still I, along with other fans, want to see the Saints SUSTAIN EXCELLENCE. Build off of last year. Grow. Develop.

Right now Sean Payton’s team is in real gut-check because with five games down the unit is only a modest 3-2, but with all things considered 3-2 could be much worse. There is no Super Bowl aura around this team; the nation has seen how the Saints are vulnerable. It’s up to them to respond, to get back up and go to work.

I am a Saints fan. I am hopeful things can turn around. Who Dat!

Les Miles is an Agent of Chaos

2010-10-04T11:22:00.004-05:00

Have you ever seen the movie the Dark Knight? Batman is terrorized by the character known as the Joker. In short, all the Joker wants to do is cause chaos. He desires no money, fame or whatever. All he wants is to cause chaos. Despite some obvious differences in appearance among other things I believe Les Miles is an agent of chaos.

He wants the team to win, but how he goes about doing that makes me believe Les Miles wants chaos. I use to think time management was something Miles did not understand. Nope. I just think he does not care. In his mind Miles thinks the clock is just a number. Why should that stop him and his play calling?

Here's the thing we need to start evaluating - is Les Miles smarter than the rest of us, kind of like the Joker was in the Dark Knight? I know this is crazy, but LSU's coach is crazy so I am trying to find an answer to the craziness I constantly see.

Maybe in some messed up way Les Miles's plan for the Tennessee game was to win on an untimed down. Maybe it was on his bucket list. I do not know, but there has to be some explanation for a team being in disarray in the final moments of a game, there has to be some reason a massive substitute was made in the game's final seconds.

To the public this is another one of Les Miles head-scratching games, but I think there is more to the madness.

Albert Einstein once said insanity is doing something over and over and over. Well, against Auburn in 2007 Miles mismanaged the clock. Tigers still won. Against Ole Miss in 2009 he mismanaged the clock again. Tigers lost. Against Tennessee on Saturday he mismanaged the clock yet again. This time Tigers won. So as far as times where Miles has mismanaged the clock LSU has won two of three games. Not bad.

Now comes the hard part - what is Miles next move? Nobody has any idea. Only in the depth's of Les Miles's brain does the answer lie. For the past 24 hours I have been trying to think of what it could be.

Here is my list so far...

On First and Goal at the opponent 3 Les Miles sends out the field goal unit, except the kicker is none other than All-American Patrick Peterson.

On Third and 2 on the opponent's 17 yard line Miles will elect to do a flea flicker...to an offensive line man.

On 3rd and 15 after one of the quarterbacks have driven the team down the field, Miles elects to put the other quarterback in and run a quarterback sneak.

With less than 30 seconds left and LSU having just run a quarterback sneak to the right side of the field and the clock ticking, Miles will elect to make a massive substitute to waste more time. Wait. This one already happened. My bad.

"Some men aren't looking for anything logical. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn."

-Alfred's quote from the Dark Knight describing the Joker (reminds me of Les Miles)

Chaotic Miles Pulls a Rabbit Out of the Hat

2010-10-04T10:21:00.005-05:00

We can speculate later. We can scrutinize the Tigers 16-14 win over the Tennessee Volunteers later in the week. We can rip apart Les Miles time management issues later in the week. We can discuss the mistake-prone offense LSU runs later. That will be addressed, but for now let's bask in the fact LSU won yet another game.

And what an ending.

Having recently graduated LSU I knew getting tickets to LSU home games would be that much more challenging, and the price would be even more steep. My motivation for getting tickets to LSU games was being in the stadium and experiencing those wins when all odds pointed to an LSU loss.

Even if the clock showed zero.

There is something magical about being in a stadium when your team finds a way to win at the very last moment. That moment, that instance when your team pulls out a victory everyone is just happy. There are no mixed emotions. There is no breaking down of the game, highlighting who and what looked good. Nobody downgrades the victory. No, for a short while after your team finds a win there is just a feeling by all of your teams fans of joy. Joy because after the odds were stacked against your team and defeat seemed imminent, they somehow won. How they looked doing it is irrelevant at that moment you are going crazy with 92,000+ of your closest friends. I will go a step farther and see it's even more enjoyable when you are in the student section. You spend four quarters screaming your lungs out for your team hoping that somehow they just find a way to win. At the end of the day a victory is the most essential part of your day of tailgating and rooting for your team. If a loss results, all the trouble you went through was not worth it in the end.

After back up quarterback Jarrett Lee completed a 4th and 14 I thought LSU would score with a little less than a minute remaining. I figured Les Miles and his staff would finish the drive, more importantly prevent any chaos from ensuing. But moments later I saw myself watching LSU pull the same time management garbage they pulled against Ole Miss last year. With 32 seconds left the Tigers ran a short run to the right side with Jordan Jefferson.

The clock ticked. LSU decided it needed to substitute different players into the game. The clock continued to tick. Certain players where confused on what was going on. The clock continued to tick. And then with only a mere two seconds remaining the ball was snapped. Jefferson, unaware of the snap, had to chase down the ball and jump on it. The game was over. The 5:41 drive was for nothing, the tailgating was for nothing. Les Miles, in the most critical moments of the game, managed to gag once again.

Or did he.

As it has been so characteristic during his tenure at LSU, Miles pulled a trick out of his hat. During the substitution chaos Tennessee had too many players run on the field. After the Tennessee team celebrated and Coach Derek Dooley and his players screamed in celebration and Tiger Nation cursed, a flag was seen on the field.

LSU would be granted one more play after the Tennessee penalty. Only moments earlier Tiger Stadium let off a noise we can only hope will never be heard again. Les Miles, LSU's chaotic coach, mismanaged the clock and yet again embarrassed the team and university...or so we thought.

On the untimed last play of the game the stadium lay in dead silence as we all hoped to witness the impossible - watch LSU win a game with no time left. Stevan Ridley was given a toss to the left of the offensive line. He side stepped one defender and met the last one on the goal line. In one last burst of energy Ridley passed the goal line and Tiger Stadium let off a euphoric cry of happiness. Les Miles, the Mad Hatter, had somehow, someway managed to pull a victory out of his hat in one of the most unlikely ways.

When the chips where down and the clock struck zero, Les Miles and his insanity managed to get LSU a victory.

They say cats have nine lives. In that case how many lives does Les Miles have?

LSU vs. West Virginia Recap

2010-09-27T23:32:00.003-05:00

After a 20-14 win against West Virginia the LSU Tigers are 4-0, but even with an untarnished record there is still plenty to talk about.

In Week 1 LSU surrendered 24 points to the North Carolina Tar Heels. Since then the defense had been in lockdown mode. Against Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and West Virginia, LSU has given up a COMBINED 24 points. The offense needs work (we will get there), but for now let's focus on the excellent job Miles has done on getting this defensive unit together. After the nightmare 2008 campaign, Miles hired long time Tennessee Volunteer defensive coordinator John Chavis. In 2009, the unit looked okay. This season Chavis's crew has taken the next step. Against West Virginia, one of the Big East's premier offenses, LSU shut down the Mountaineers to a measly 177 yards of total offense. The one thing about this unit I am liking more and more each game is there tackling. There are no missed tackles. Guys make the tackle on attempt one. I am also starting to see a young Laron Landry in Tyrann Mathieu. Mathieu is a guarantee for at least one big time play a game whether that's a sack, forced fumble or whatever, Mathieu, even as a freshman, has a knack for disturbing an offense's flow.

Equally as impressive as the defense was the special teams. In a game that featured little offense having LSU score off a punt return and block a field goal might of been the difference for the Tigers. As each week passes more and more people across the country are beginning to see the superhuman himself, Mr. Patrick Peterson. Peterson's punt return seemed so effortless; he moves at a different pace. I know it let West Virginia back in the game, but I have to admit Peterson's Heisman pose was worth it. The only thing holding No. 7 back from making even more plays is the cramps he frequently gets in the second half of games.

Now on to the bad news. The offense.

The word "suck" is thrown out a lot these days. Someone may say there team sucks, but truly not understand the meaning of the word. Well, in the case of the LSU offense, their offense did indeed suck. For the third straight week Jordan Jefferson threw for less than 100 yards. This week he threw for 76. On a team with a great secondary, a great defensive line, a solid offensive line, a good running back corps, a good wide receiver corps, the Tigers have an inefficient quarterback. I stood by Jefferson all last year. I believed he would mature from his mistakes in 2009. I believed Miles this summer and I believed Jefferson when he said things would change. But after four games I have say there needs to be some sort of change. There has to be some accountability. Jefferson looks worse than last year. His presence in the pocket has taken a nose dive and his inability to make simple downfield throws seems to have gotten worse. The booing does not help and if you participate in that I am certain you are an idiot. Les Miles needs to give Jarrett Lee a chance this year. Lee needs to be given more snaps.

(Call me crazy but Jarrett Lee in 2008 is better than Jordan Jefferson in 2010. Lee was good for lets say 24 points a game. And every other game he was good for a pick six. Lee had some games where he put up more than 24. With LSU's current defense a couple interceptions would not be the end of the world. I will take that over LSU's current situation. Wow I can't believe I said that, but that is how bad the quarterback situation has gotten.)

I really do hope Jefferson turns it around. I hope the light goes off in his head, but from what I am seeing he is hurting the team by being on the field. Miles needs to realize this and give more snaps to Lee. If Lee does not get on the field anymore, honestly what must happen for it to ever happen?

The quarterback of the 2010 LSU Tigers does not have to throw for 300 yards a game along with two touchdowns. Simply put, the quarterback just needs to be a game manager. Jefferson is not succeeding at this. The LSU defense and the special teams seem more and more like LSU's best chance to score. I am dead serious.

But all the blame can not be placed on Jefferson alone.

The play calling for the LSU offense is abyssal to say the least. Once again the game plan stunk and the creativity we all loved about Miles's offensive play calls was no where to be seen. What frustrates me the most is Miles and Crowton's insistence to continue to run plays that have NEVER worked. For instance, the short side of the field option. If I told you that every Saturday morning Gary Crowton shows up with six pieces of notebooks with six plays written on them in crayon you might believe me, right? That's how bad the offensive game plan is.

And this leads me to my final point. Does Les Miles adapt or is he arrogant? Right now the defense is leading LSU to victories, but with the meat of the schedule coming up the Tigers offense must get better. Will Miles, after weeks of the unit struggling, realize a change must be made, new plays must be put in, Lee needs to be given a chance or will he simply stick to his guns and insist upon the same, ineffective, wasteful offensive game plan?

I hope the offense turns it around. I hope the unit gels and gets the ball rolling, but I am skeptical to believe that Miles will adapt. He is who he is and Les Miles has rarely been one to change his approach.

Regardless of the outcome.

Gutsy Week 2 Win for Saints All Too Unfamiliar

2010-09-23T00:31:00.003-05:00

I remember it very well. It was 1996 and the Saints were about to start the season. To open that year New Orleans was playing the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers were only two years removed from winning the Super Bowl. I was nine and did not care. My team, the Saints, were going to be on TV and I was happy.

Right from the get-go it was San Francisco's game. There was no question the Saints did not belong on the field. By halftime I was so upset I turned the game off as the Saints were already down 24-0. New Orleans would eventually lose 27-11. My whole childhood the 49ers always outclassed the Saints. If the Saints looked like they had the game, San Francisco just found a way to win. For years San Francisco was New Orleans's biggest roadblock. From 1993 to 1999 the two franchises squared off 12 times and only once did the Saints ever win.

Now look back at that Monday night victory. It was a very frustrating game to watch and as the game progressed it really seemed like it was not the Saints day. With a chance to go up 26-14, the Saints had to settle on a field goal. The 49ers then drove down and tied the score. In the past, the Saints would of withered. They would of folded and lost in overtime. But for some reason, and this is why the Saints are unique group of guys, they prevailed.

Much like the 49ers of the 1990s, the Saints found a way to win. It was not pretty, but Drew Brees found a way to get the team a victory, Marques Colston found a way to come up with a huge catch, Garrett Hartley found a way to hit the game-winner.

And this is the biggest aspect of this Saints team I enjoy the most. The 48-27 wins are terrific and more enjoyable, but it's games like these that make me realize how special this crew really is. It's one thing to win a game, it's another to fight an entire game and when the chips are down still find a way to win.

The Saints have no doubt a lot they need to work, but with that said it can not be overlooked how this team, just like the Steelers and the Colts of the NFL, displayed the resiliency to gut out a victory when a loss seemed imminent.

What We Learned About LSU Against Mississippi State

2010-09-22T23:50:00.004-05:00

LSU beats Mississippi State 29-7

For the 2010 season the LSU Tigers have been a box of chocolate team. Each half of football you do not know what you are going to get. After an impressive 29-7 win against the Bulldogs of Starksville I had 4 main points I wanted to address about the Tigers.

1. LSU has a defense

The one thing fans came away from the LSU win smiling about was the LSU defense. For the first time in a few years the LSU defense really looked like it could be a force. On paper a 29-7 victory does not seem like that big of a margin, but if one were to have watched the game it would be realized just how much the LSU defense had the game in control. Outside of only giving up 7 points, the LSU defense also picked off Mississippi State 5 different times. The biggest thing that stands out about this unit is their ability to disguise blitzs and cause havoc for the quarterback. Even with a struggling offense, having a good defense will keep LSU in big games. On paper right now I think LSU has a chance to beat Florida because of their defense. Same goes for Alabama. If you have a good defense you can stay in games.

2. Drake Nevis is a beast

My former Communication and Gender classmate is ripping through offensive lines. In 2009 LSU struggled immensely with the pass rush. This year because of the maturity of players like Drake Nevis the Tigers defense is able to get a consistent pass rush and in turn allow for defensive coordinator John Chavis to send in more blitzs. Last game Nevis had an interception and nine tackles. Defensive tackles do not get nine tackles a game, that just shows you how special of a player Nevis is. He is as important to LSU's defense as Patrick Peterson.

3. Gary Crowton has the creativity of, well, someone not creative.

I will continue to hope he turns things around. I will continue to hope the offense starts, well, being more productive. But I am also a realist. The offensive game plan for LSU is all too simple week in and week out. Crowton, the so-called Wizard, continues to run the same predictable plays. I joke with my friends that Crowton has six pieces of notebook paper. On each paper, written in crayon, he has six plays. Honestly when you watch a game that seems like what's going on. All too often there will be a situation where LSU will line up on a crucial third down and as fan you realize what the play is. So if you the fan know the play, what do you think the opposing defensive coordinator knows? THE PLAY! One moment in Saturday's game sticks out the most. It was 3rd and Goal at the three. LSU had run the ball the previous two plays with Ridley. On this third down, the Tigers come out in a I-Form with ZERO WIDE RECEIVERS. Mississippi State packs everyone in and, gasp, LSU surprisingly decides to run with Ridley to the left. And surprisingly LSU is stopped for a one yard loss. Everyone in the stadium, including Mike the Tiger, knew the play. THAT'S A BIG PROBLEM. I have found no reason to think Gary Crowton will address these issues.

4. Offense progressed as game went on

The offense sputtered in the first half. Despite numerous times where the Tigers had good field position, LSU continued to get field goals. With that said, LSU did show progress in the second half. It was 12-0 when Mississippi State, with their back up quarterback now in the game, just scored. At 12-7 the next drive was crucial for Jordan Jefferson and the offense. Jefferson drove the team down for seven big points. Later on in the third he scored another touchdown to put LSU up 26-7. It might not have been much, but one half removed from 4 field goals I do take it as a positive sign when the offense puts up two touchdowns. Hopefully against West Virginia the team can build on that.

NCAA and NFL Football Predictions: Week of September 10

2010-09-09T23:40:00.006-05:00

NCAA Top 25

I will give my thoughts on the games that are worth thinking about. I do not feel like typing about how West Virginia is going to destroy Marshall. Boring.

So without further ado...

23 Georgia @ South Carolina

Aaron Murray looked impressive in his first start for the Bulldogs, but even more impressive in Week 1 was the South Carolina offense. Since 2001 these teams have squared off nine times. Of those nine games, seven have been decided by an average of 5 points. Bottom line: look for another close one in Columbia this weekend. I will take Georgia in a close one. Stephen Garcia and the Gamecocks should pull out the upset, but I like Aaron Murray and I think he helps the Bulldogs avoid another early season slip. Also, South Carolina struggles at pulling out victories in close games.

Georgia 34-26

20 Florida State @ 7 Oklahoma

This is the first time these two schools have squared off since the 2001 Orange Bowl when Oklahoma defeated Florida State 13-2 to win the title. Oklahoma's defense as well as quarterback Landry Jones looked shaky in the Sooners' opening week 31-24 win against Utah State. I like Florida State in this game because I think for the first time in several years Florida State has a veteran quarterback who can put up points on the board regardless of the opponent.

Florida State 30-24

9 Iowa vs. Iowa State

This game always is tricky. Seems one year when you are settled on Iowa winning, Iowa State pulls out an upset. It's a rivalry so that happens. I like the Hawkeyes because the game is at home, plus Iowa brings back a defense that was suffocating to say the least.

23-10 Iowa

13 Miami-Florida @ 2 Ohio State

Game of the Week! This is the first meeting between the two teams since the 2003 Fiesta Bowl where the Buckeyes prevailed over the Hurricanes in two overtimes. The game is remembered for the controversial pass interference call. Miami keeps yapping that this is the game they will not only payback Ohio State, but put themselves back on the college football map. I am sure it sounds cute Miami-Florida that you guys are upset and are going to travel to Columbus and win a big game and yadda yadda Miami football is back. Sorry ain't buying it. In the words of Lee Corso, "Not so fast my friend!" Ohio State is a national championship contender and there is a reason for that. Terrelle Pryor made the next big step when Ohio State beat Oregon in the Rose Bowl last year. On the big stage expect Pryor to one up Jacory Harris on the ground and air. Miami does not have the horses to win in a hostile environment.

Ohio State 34-24

19 Penn State @ 1 Alabama

I am getting sick and tired of every media source out there hyping up this game. Two years ago the media hyped up the Alabama/Clemson game. Clemson got embarrassed. Last year the media did the same thing with Virginia Tech. VTech fell in the end. This year the media is trying to build up this game. All that matters is this: Penn State has a true freshman quarterback. Period. The Crimson Tide will roll on Saturday. Alabama has too many weapons and their defense will cause nightmares for Penn State all afternoon.

Alabama 41-17

11 Oregon @ Tennessee

Oregon ran for what seemed like 1,000 yards last week in their 72-0 win over New Mexico. Even with that impressive win and a Tennessee football team that will struggle this year, I still look for the Vols to cause some problems for the Ducks. Tennessee will keep it close for the first half, but ultimately Oregon will push the game away with, gasp, it's running game.

Oregon 35-19

21 LSU @ Vanderbilt

LSU plays Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde football. You really do not know what you are going to get. One game the Tigers play 3 lousy quarters and 1 good quarter, the next week they play 3 great quarters and a lousy fourth. It's a coin flip. I will hope LSU gets everything together, but the Tigers are who they are. The defense will be solid and the offense will get it's points. No style points will be present.

30-13 LSU

Michigan @ Notre Dame

So what if it isn't Top 25. This is a rivalry game. Sometimes I think it must be hard to be a Notre Dame fan. The instant your team wins ONE GAME the media circus explodes. The Irish looked good in the opening season 23-12 win over Purdue, but again it was Purdue. Michigan on the other hand beat Connecticut, a BCS sleeper. I think Denard Robinson's ability to both pass and run the ball on opposing defenses will be just enough for the Wolverines to sneak out a win in South Bend. RichRod finally has a QB.

27-23 Michigan

NFL

Raiders at Titans

Raiders have a new look at quarterback as JaWalrus has been replaced with Jason Campbell. I expect Oakland to be better than in recent years, but I can't see there defense having anyone who can stop Chris Johnson. Campbell and Co. will keep it close but Jeff Fisher and the Titans are set on getting back to the playoffs and beyond.

Titans 28-17

Panthers at Giants

The Panthers finished strong last season. The Giants finished awful. I think the good feeling Carolina had at the end of last season will carry over to week one. I am unsure of what to think about this 2010 Giants team. I still see them sneaking in the playoffs, but in week one Matt Moore and Co. get the last laugh.

Panthers 27-24

Colts at Texans

The Texans are 1-15 against the Colts. Reread that if you must. Colts will blow open the gates by going up 14-0. Texans will get a couple scores to make it respectable (14-10), but ultimately Indy will bring the hammer down once again on Houston because Peyton Manning is a machine.

Colts 33-20

Broncos at Jaguars

This is an interesting game because, well, I do not think either team is particularly good. Both teams have QB issues (Tebow isn't ready) and both have suspect defenses at times. David Garrard has not progressed like the Jacksonville organization has hoped. The Jaguar team is Jones-Drew and that's it. Denver will gut out a win in a game that will surprisingly be one of the weekend's most exciting.

Broncos 28-23

Falcons at Steelers

Pittsburgh does not have Big Ben for four weeks. Atlanta is being talked about as the team on the rise. This is a recipe for Atlanta to make a statement. Pitt has a defense, but Dennis Dixon is going to struggle against an improving Atlanta defense. Matt Ryan will make viewers forget about his sophomore slump.

Falcons 31-17

Dolphins at Bills

I feel bad for Buffalo fans. For the past ten years the Bills have stunk. Despite move after move the team does not seem to be getting any better. Even with new head coach Chan Gailey I do not see things changing at all. The opposite can be said about Miami. Chad Henne is maturing fast and Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams are ready to cause opposing defensive coordinators head aches with the Wildcat offense.

Dolphins 27-10

Lions at Bears

The Lions made a lot of adjustments this offseason on the defensive side of the ball. The Bears made adjustments on the offensive side by bringing in offensive guru Mike Martz. I like the Lions in an upset because I think Detroit is optimistic about the future while the Bears are sort of waiting for the house to collapse. Jay Cutler is a coin-flip quarterback. You never know what you are going to get with him. If he starts to play bad it always seems to snowball.

Lions 21-20

Bengals at Patriots

How good is this new Bengals offense going to be? They drafted well, but they did pick up Team Obliterator aka Terrell Owens. Tom Brady just signed a monster contract, but unfortunately this offseason the Pats have been hit hard by the injury bug. I should pick Cincy to upset the Pats. It makes sense, but at the end of the day I have a very difficult time picking against Belichek in Week 1.

31-28 Patriots

Browns at Buccaneers

Both of these teams struggled immensely last year, but Cleveland more so than any other team with a losing record really finished strong in 2009. I know Tampa Bay beat the Saints in Week 16, but for some reason I like Cleveland in this game. I think we see the old Jake Delhomme for most of the game. He will get enough scores for the Browns to move to 1-0.

Browns 21-16

49ers at Seahawks

I have no idea what to expect from the Seahawks. Pete Carroll has always been an average NFL coach, but maybe this time is different. San Fran on the other hand is talking about Alex Smith finally being ready to take the next step and be an efficient, effective QB week in and week out. This game is a crap shoot because no one knows which Matt Hasselback will show up: the recent Matt or the Super Bowl Matt.

49ers 30-21

Packers at Eagles

Both teams have high expectations. First, Green Bay is the popular Super Bowl pick for the 2010 season and Mr. Aaron Rodgers is every one's MVP. On the other end Kevin Kolb is the face of the Philadelphia Eagles. With McNabb gone it is officially his team. Kolb was good in his two games last year, but Rodgers is better. Green Bay is going to have a New Orleans-like offense this year. Philly is not capable of hanging with that.

Packers 42-27

Cardinals at Rams

Hmmm. One part of me says, "Arizona is in disarray at the QB position, plus St. Louis looked alright in the preseason. Pick St. Louis in the upset." The other part of me says, "The St. Louis Rams stink. That was preseason. Sam Bradford is a rookie. Be realistic." What the hell. Arizona runs Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower to a victory.

Cardinals 26-17

Cowboys at Redskins

Cowboys have the weight on the world on their shoulders. Super Bowl or death. The Redskins on the other hand are just looking forward to being a good team again. With McNabb, keep an eye on the 'Skins. If Dallas has a better offensive line they should win this game before the fourth, but Albert Haynesworth is $100 million man so I expect him to make an impact and keep Washington in the game. Ultimately, Dallas prevails behind Romo's arm.

Cowboys 35-24

Ravens at Jets

Game of the Week! This was a good game until Ray Lewis and Darrell Revis started talking. Now it's a great game! How much more pumped are you for this game after all the trash talking!? Maybe I have something wrong with me (I'm sure I do), but trash talking makes me anticipate the game that much more. Ray Lewis loves running his mouth, but the thing about him is he backs it up. This game will come down to quarterback play. I feel Joe Flacco will do much better against the Jets' defense than Marc Sanchez will do against the Ravens' defense. This will be a game till the end.

Ravens 28-27

Chargers at Chiefs

Year Two in the Matt Cassel experiment kicks off on Monday. Unfortunately, the Chiefs go against the Chargers. Kansas City has some good young talent in Jamaal Charles, but Phillip Rivers is one of the league's best quarterbacks. Kansas City will surprise people by keeping it close for a half with defense, but Rivers will push the game away in the late third with some backbreaking drives.

Chargers 37-22

Les Miles is Sitting on a Loaded Pistol

2010-08-09T15:45:00.014-05:00

College football will be upon us in less than a month and like any other year predictions are abundant. We all think we know how our team is going to do because of x, y and z. We feel our opinion is worth listening to because of our involvement in alumni relations, high school football or just because we have been watching football for most our lives. The story is always the same. So without further ado I thought I would give my breakdown on the 2010 LSU Tigers football team. After all why would you not want to listen to my insightful predictions for the upcoming season?

For the first three years at LSU Les Miles was on cloud nine. He won a national championship and compiled an impressive 34-6 record that included going 19-5 in the SEC. But in the past two seasons that record has dipped to a disappointing 17-9, including 8-8 in the SEC. How did it get so bad so fast in Baton Rouge for Les Miles? And why should there be hope for the Tigers this coming year?

Whatever improvements LSU made in 2009 from 2008 (an improved defense), there was equally as many setbacks (lack of an offense). The question is does LSU have the mindset and skills to improve and avoid another season of disappointment? The answer is yes and here are the main reasons.

1. UNDERDOG ROLE

For the past however many months the national media has taken turns either a) ragging on Les Miles b) criticizing Jordan Jefferson's potential or c) highlighting why LSU can not sniff Alabama's jock strap. (Do not get me wrong last year I spent a lot of time yelling at Miles and Jefferson.) These criticisms on the football program have in turn lit a fire under Les Miles and the LSU football team. When your program is nationally dissed (4th in the SEC West at the SEC Media Day) a team comes together. It has happened to LSU teams in the past. Add in the fact that Les Miles has his back against the wall and I have to believe things will turn around. There's a reason he won 34 games in his first three seasons. Sure he had "Saban's players," but he still won 34 games. Look at Miami Florida. Randy Shannon has a heck of a lot of talent, but his teams have really never done much. Bottom line: Miles was a winner in the beginning. That was not a fluke. He needs to find that magic he use to show on the sidelines.

2. QUARTERBACK GROWTH

Since Ryan Perrilloux's debacle LSU has not had a strong quarterback behind center. Far too often inexperience has gotten the best of the LSU quarterback. Despite Jordan Jefferson's shortcomings in 2009 (held on to the ball too long and accuracy issues) he still showed moments of promise. Say what you want about the guy he still finished with a respectable 17 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Add in the fact that he was the 5th most efficient passer in the SEC you can see why I truly believe he will drastically improve this year. Jefferson was one of the youngest quarterbacks to be starting in SEC history. When Russell and Flynn came to LSU they were not thrown onto the field. They had time to slowly understand the offense and better yet go on the field when they were ready. Jefferson did not have this and I feel like this is all too commonly overlooked. With a year under his belt I feel LSU's offense will be much more in sync because of Jefferson's maturity and the emergence of a much better offensive line.

3. REVAMPED OFFENSIVE LINE

In 2009 the LSU offensive line was surprisingly one of the worst in the SEC. Better yet, it cemented an LSU offense that ranked 107th nationally. This is the biggest question mark and the biggest thing I am most concerned with. Last year's offensive line for the majority of the season stunk. It never got into a groove so two things suffered immensely: first, with no offensive line there is no run game. Meaning LSU fans got very familiar with 2nd and 9s instead of 2nd and 4s. That's crucial when you really break that down. With a young quarterback, whether or not it will be a scoring drive starts with progress on first down. And more times than not on first down for LSU in 2009 they ran the ball. And more times than not LSU did a poor job moving the ball. Secondly, with a poor offensive line and an inexperienced quarterback you are probably going to have a) a quarterback on the run a lot and b) an inept offense that struggled the majority of the season. Both of these were true. This aspect can not be overlooked. Even a slightly improved Jefferson and a more in sync offensive line will greatly benefit the LSU offense. I am confident in both.

4. BILLY GONZALES'S IMPACT

Former Florida wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales is one of brightest spots this past offseason for the Tigers. Gonzales is widely known for the successes he had with utilizing Percy Harvin. I think what excites me the most is how LSU has a player of equal mold to Harvin - Russell Shepard. Shepard is a serious threat every time he steps on the field. The spring game for the Tigers was not the greatest showcase of LSU's potential, but the one bright spot for Shepard's ability to consistently get open. Add in the fact LSU has Reuben Randle and Terrence Toliver and you can see why I expect to see great improvement from the wide receivers group. Gonzales is one of the best in the business at getting his players to maximize their potential meaning the three-headed monster of Shepard, Randle and Tolliver should cause havoc for any team in the SEC.

5. PETERSON ISLAND AND MO

Patrick Peterson is not a human. He is not a normal person like you or me. Patrick Peterson is a freak. He origins are as mysterious as Captain America or Superman. Peterson is 6'1" 222 pounds. Take that in for second. LSU has a cornerback that is 222 pounds and he has not lost any speed. Like I said he is a freak. (Just to give you an idea Darrelle Revis is 5'11" 198 pounds.) Some people have suggested moving him to safety. My question - why? With Peterson being the shutdown corner he is that's one less side of the field LSU has to worry about, better yet if gives them options. The other corner is Morris "Mo" Claiborne. Claiborne has been having an impressive camp. With two shutdown corners LSU will be able to blitz that much more and that makes all the difference. One of the issues with LSU's defense last year was the struggles LSU's cornerbacks (other than Peterson) had throughout the season. One of the glaring problems was how LSU gave up big 3rd downs. Having one superb cornerback and another up and coming cornerback gives Chavis options on third downs.

6. BACK TO BASICS DEFENSIVE LINE

The offensive line stunk last year and the defensive line stunk. I would go as far as to say the defensive line was worse. It's like dominoes when you really put together LSU's 2009 problems. Without an effective pass rush the run defense was lousy therefore the rest of the defense had to play that much better. (Now keep in mind LSU's defense was not terrible last year, but they were not spectacular. Still improvements need to be made. These are the hopeful solutions.) Of all the young players getting on the field this season, I am most excited about the defensive line. There's Sam Montgomery, Chris Davenport and Josh Downs to name a few. Add in senior Drake Nevis and there's reason to believe this unit can rebound.
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Playing the underdog role, Jefferson's quarterback growth, a revamped offensive line, Billy Gonzales's impact, Peterson Island and Mo and a back to basics defensive line are the six reasons I am optimistic about LSU's 2010 season. Now believe me I'm well aware of the past struggles and I am well aware of the uneasiness about LSU football this season. I know things could get worse for LSU in a hurry, but I look at Miles and I look at Jefferson and I think had LSU won that game against Ole Miss or Penn State, just one more game, all the talk would of been how Miles got his 4th season of at least 10 wins. Now granted things did get bad last season, but it's interesting to note how drastically things switch. If there is one thing that has the biggest impact on the LSU's season I think, no question, it would have to be Jordan Jefferson's maturity. How that guy changed his game this offseason will be directly correlated with LSU's final record. (By the way I read Jefferson watched highlights of every single play he was involved in last year. He took notes on what he did wrong. And at SEC Media Day one of the most impressive things spectators commented on was the maturity of Jordan Jefferson. Whether or not a good interview translates into a good quarterback remains to be seen.)

I think after seeing Les Miles's most recent press conference where the Mad Hatter was displaying a childish grin I have to agree with my dad. Les Miles is seating on a loaded pistol and no one knows it.

Geaux Tigers!

SEASON PREDICTIONS

Here is my call. I am sick of thinking I will jinx the team. The Saints won the Super Bowl so the word jinx is dead...I think.

North Carolina

This is the first game of the season meaning the team will be rusty. I am willing to bet that 95% of my age group is going to be cursing the TV if LSU does not score within 38 seconds into the game. This will be mostly a defensive game. North Carolina has a good defense, so does LSU. The biggest factor in this game will be LSU's ability to neutralize UNC's amazing defensive line. Look for the Tigers to pull out a close one.

LSU 19-17

@ Vanderbilt

The Tigers will travel to Vanderbilt to take on a Commodore team that just lost their head coach about a month ago. Vandy will be down this year despite returning quarterback Larry Smith. The LSU run game will be pivotal in this game. I think Michael Ford and Richard Murphy propel LSU to blow up this game.

LSU 27-7

Mississippi State

Last year the Bulldogs really thought they had LSU. Unfortunately they could not get six inches. What a shame. 2010's game will not be a blowout. I do not expect LSU to struggle in their home opener. It will be a close game at the half, but the second half the Tigers put on the after burners. Jefferson and Shepard cause havoc while The Freak bulldozes a quarterback.

LSU 31-14

West Virginia

It's been a while since some Tiger Stadium magic has taken place. WV comes ready to play and jumps on LSU. Jefferson plays a terrific game. LSU's defense struggles against Noel Devine. WV has a fourth quarter lead, but Jefferson leads the Tigers back for a thrilling victory.

LSU 34-30

Tennessee

A week after a dramatic win against the Mountaineers, LSU gets jumped on by a struggling Vols team. Tigers defense makes some key second half stops that swings the momentum. Shepard is again a huge factor and a nightmare for defenses.

LSU 27-21

@Florida

The Swamp has not been kind to LSU in recent years, unfortunately I do not see that changing. For the third week in a row LSU finds itself in a hole, but the Tigers are unable to shake a 14-0 deficit. The offensive line struggles in the trenches against the Gators. Also, the run game does not get going and Jefferson has to lead the team to victory on his own. Not the Tigers day.

Florida 34-16

McNeese State

LSU demolishes yet another Louisiana team.

LSU 44-14

@Auburn

LSU travels to Hell to play the Auburn Tigers. Game comes down to the four quarter where Auburn scores a late touchdown to crush LSU's dreams. Tigers play very well in defeat.

Auburn 24-21

Alabama

The entire state of Louisiana eagerly awaits for the Game of the Year. Les Miles and his crew do push ups in broken glass to get pumped for the game. Unlike 2008, Bama's last time in Tiger Stadium, LSU does not have a pick-six quarterback leading the team. Jefferson gets LSU out to a fast start. Russell Shepard and Reuben Randle cause trouble for Alabama all afternoon. Alabama makes a fourth quarter rally only to be denied by Chavis's defense. Score one for the good guys!

LSU 28-23

Louisiana-Monroe

Like I said, another Louisiana blowout. Yawn.

LSU 35-7

Ole Miss

LSU redeems themselves after back-to-back years of falling to the Rebels. The running game allows LSU's play action to get a couple scores. Even Masoli can not rally the Rebels after an impressive third quarter showing by the Tigers.

LSU 31-19

@Arkansas

The Razorbacks get redemption after last year's dramatic overtime loss. LSU defense fails to make a key stop towards the end of the game. Jefferson has a solid performance, Peterson has a great game, but is not enough to rally the Tigers.

Arkansas 28-20

Final call: 9-3

Even with only a one game improvement from 2009 I still think LSU makes great strides in 2010.

Why Do I Follow the NBA?

2010-06-09T00:23:00.004-05:00

There are lot of people a generation older than me that have lost touch with the NBA. They no longer keep up with it. The league they followed as kids is no longer enjoyable to watch. It's not fun anymore. I never imagined I would go down that path as well. I never imagined I would fall into the same category, but after tonight's Game 3 of the 2010 NBA Finals I am there.

This has nothing to do with me rooting for Boston or my loathing of Lakers it has to do with the sport of basketball. It has to do with watching the highest level of a sport and realizing that the game is not decided by the players, or coaches, but by the referees.

You think the NFL, college basketball and football are bad? Please! You have not experienced the NBA. You have not "enjoyed" a basketball game where at the end of the night you really asked yourself, "Did Team A ever have a chance tonight?"

I have always stood by the NBA. People have bashed it and strayed away, but I have stood by it. I am a loyal fan. I believed the league had good intentions and would let the players decide the outcome.

In the summer of 2008 the scandal of former NBA referee Tim Donaghy hit its peak. Donaghy reported that Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals was called in a way that favored the Lakers. Plain and simple: NBA referees cheated. Donaghy took the fall and the NBA swept the mess under a rug. Donaghy was the outcast. The NBA said he was the lone person involved in this operation. We, the fans, were lead to believe that officiating was fine now that Donaghy was brought to justice.

Foolishly I actually believed this.

But after Game 3 tonight I am again faced with the reality that the league has not changed. The ticky-tack fouls are always coming and the referees always control the outcome of the game. And tonight in Boston it was disturbingly evident. The offensive foul on Kevin Garnett in the final thirty seconds of the game was yet again another confusing call by the NBA referees.

David Stern has done a lot for the league from expanding the teams, to globalizing it to the world, but I can not for the life of me understand why he, year after year, keeps the same group of referees on the court. Does a 58 year old man have the same eye sight as a 30 year old? The NBA thinks so. Donaghy has been prosecuted, but still the NBA's games remain heavily influenced by the officials. They really make you think as the viewer, "Now why should I think things are being called fairly again?"

I want to believe the league has integrity and is being fair, but I all too often experience games where the referees play a huge part. Basketball is an aggressive sport. Stern wants to remove that and in turn he has created a league that centers around favoritism towards star athletes all while making the game a free throwing shooting contest.

The officiating in 2010 NBA finals has not been bad, not it has sucked. It has painful to say the least. This continuous presence of a terrible officiating crew night in and night out of the NBA has drained me of my motivation to watch anymore NBA games. I was anxious to watch a Celtics/Lakers series. I was anxious to see a rematch of the Finals from two years ago, but after Game 3 I could care less. I am lost for words as to why I keep coming back and defending this league.

David Stern will continue to ignore the fans and continue to implement a style of basketball that drains the sport of emotion and aggression. I still believe the league fixes games and after tonight's game I have no reason to think otherwise.

Watching the NBA is not fun anymore.

The Lure of Overcoming a 3-0 Deficit

2010-05-27T16:42:00.005-05:00

The idea of the 3-0 deficit is pretty incredible to grasp. A team loses three straight games, then turns it on and wins four straight? It's the most removed thought. Admit it - your team is down 3-0 and the only thing entering your mind is, "We couldn't even win one lousy game?" or "Coach needs to be fired!" In the history of the NBA, MLB, and NHL playoffs only four times has a team ever recovered from a 3-0 deficit. In 1942 the Maple Leafs came back in the Stanley Cup Finals to beat the Red Wings. 33 years later the New York Islanders pulled off the same stunt. In 2003 the Red Sox famously did it against the Yankees and this year the Philadelphia Flyers rallied against the Boston Bruins. Though through it all no team has ever pulled off in the NBA. It remains untouched. Only 3 times out of 93 series that were 3-0 has a team even FORCED a Game 7. (I'm probably one of seven people my age that actually knows these three series.)

(Note: Of those three series that did go to a Game 7 never has the team that trailed 3-0 had Game 7 on their court. Orlando does.)

This is what the Orlando Magic are up against. History. The basic logic that no way can a team in a professional league win three straight, then lose four straight. It's so far removed it's laughable. Yet in the span of only a couple days that thought has slowly transformed into a possibility. The once flawless Boston defense has lost its edge and in turn momentum has shifted to the Sunshine State.

This series and it's current state reminds me a lot of 1996 NBA Finals between the Chicago Bulls and Seattle SuperSonics. Now without looking at the obvious differences (Paul Pierce is not Michael Jordan among other things) there are similarities that I think will hold true to this series as well.

In 1996 the Chicago Bulls had the best record in NBA history (72-10). The Bulls were 11-1 going into the Finals. In Game 1 Chicago won by 17, Game 2 by four, and the critical Game 3 (much like Orlando) Chicago cruised to a 22 point victory. Seattle was assumed dead. (Sound familiar yet?) But in Game 4 Seattle showed up and won by 21, in Game 5 the Sonics again overcame the Bulls and prevailed with an 11 point victory.

In three days the series went from an absolute sweep to "can it really happen?" status. This is exactly what's going in with the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics. The lure of seeing an NBA team come from 3-0 is all too tempting to witness. Despite consecutive wins the Magic (and Sonics) remained two games away from the advancing.

Michael Jordan, the greatest player to play the game, was on a team that flirted with giving up a 3-0 lead. The talks of a championship, surprisingly, were halted because of his team's shocking back to back losses in which they lost by an average of 16 points. The point is the Boston Celtics are the same victim of the same spell. But more so than the 1996 Bulls (which did win Game 6 despite a 5 of 19 shooting day for Michael Jordan) the Celtics do have a real chance of losing four straight.

How Game 6 turns out is directly parallel to how the Boston Celtics look back at their disturbing Game 5 loss. Do they learn from it and rebound or do they foolishly bury their heads in the press clippings and start to listen to the voices of history they are up against?

The Implications of Game 6 Between the Cavaliers and Celtics

2010-05-12T21:39:00.006-05:00

At only 25 years old LeBron James is already at a critical point in his career. After the embarrassing 120-88 loss in Cleveland to the Boston Celtics the fate of LeBron's career remains at center stage. Like never before King James will be bearing the pressure. This is more than a playoff game, this is the fate of a franchise, the league and more importantly a tell-tale sign of LeBron James and who he is as a basketball player.

On one end is the city of Cleveland ready to experience the worst yet again. The last time the city of Cleveland won a sports title was in 1964 and with recent luck that does not seem to be changing. On the other end are the potential suitors for LeBron James. Does LeBron James return to Cleveland after yet another humiliating finish to the season? After seven years why should LeBron think things will ever change?

And finally there is LeBron. All the scoring titles, all the MVPs and all the amazing games LeBron James has played in his career hold little value to the importance of Game 6. This is what LeBron James was brought into the league to do.

First he was the young junior in high school who grazed the cover of Sports Illustrated. Next he was the young rookie in 2003 making a name for himself in Cleveland. Now he is the superstar who, on his best team in his career, is one loss away from elimination.

This was the season for the Cavs. The season it all came together. Not like the past ones, no this season was going to end with LeBron at the top. The Cavaliers had the best regular season records so there was reason to believe this would happen.

For the past 24 hours every media outlet has chastised (rightfully so) the performance of LeBron James and the Cavaliers in Game 5. His work ethic, his style of play and his dedication have all been scrutinized.

It's gut check time for LeBron. Now more than ever his back is against the wall. To his fans and his critics Game 6 is a testament to the player he really is. The voices of being overrated will only get louder if LeBron puts up another lackluster effort.

But if he regains his form and shows his ability on national television in the biggest game of the 2010 NBA playoffs so far than we all will believe again.

On Thursday night we will all be witnesses.

Why Would Dwyane Wade Stay in Miami?

2010-05-05T20:51:00.009-05:00

The Summer of Free Agency is almost upon us. After all this is supposed to be the offseason where everyone switches teams. The most intriguing story is where or not LeBron James resigns with the Cleveland Cavaliers. It's fun to ponder, but honestly I think King James will be staying in the Rock 'n' Roll Capital of the World.

That leads us to the next biggest commodity this offseason: Dwyane Wade.

In recent days I have been thinking constantly about Wade's situation this summer and whether or not he will leave. The more I think about it the more I have to ask: why would Dwyane Wade stay in Miami?

In 2006 the Miami Heat won the NBA title after trailing 2-0. The city of Miami was on center stage and we all had reason to believe things would only get better for Wade and the Heat.

We were only right about one. Wade got better, but the Heat got worse. In 2007 the Heat got swept in the first round by the Chicago Bulls. In 2008 the Miami Heat would finish an embarrassing 15-67. In 2009 the Heat would again lost in the first round losing in seven games to the Atlanta Hawks. And finally in 2010 the Heat lost in the first round in five games to the Boston Celtics.

I know the city of Miami must be a dream to live in. The weather is terrific and the women are gorgeous. But how far does that go when your team is consistently underachieving and you are not? After his seventh year in the NBA Wade is averaging incredible stats. (25.4 ppg, 6.6 apg, 4.9 rpg)

Here are the three biggest issues with the Miami Heat.

First is the supporting cast. All too often in the Boston series Wade was having a good game only to see his team fall because of a lack of a supporting cast. The only way the Heat avoided a sweep was because Dwyane Wade had, up to this point, the best individual performance of the 2010 NBA playoffs in Game 4. (46 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds). Even more troubling for Miami is the lack of development in former No. 2 pick Michael Beasley's game. He career stats do not tell the full story (14.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg). Beasley's offense is sporadic, his defense is not crisp (he struggled greatly with Glen Davis) and his overall rebounding is nothing to write home about. In the series he averaged 10.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.

The second issue has been with Miami's front office and their lack of making a move to get a player to help the Heat in the playoffs. Earlier this year it seemed like Amare Stoudemire was headed for Miami. Unfortunately (and foolishly) the Heat would not give up Michael Beasley. Unless some metamorphosis begins to take place in Beasley's game, I can not see him ever being the threat Stoudemire is on the court.

Okay that's fine. They missed one. Sure it was a big missed opportunity, but hey it's only the third year of the Beasley Project. Maybe he comes around.

Example number two is John Salmons. Salmons was released by the Chicago Bulls earlier this year and later picked up by the Milwaukee Bucks. Why didn't Miami make a run at him? Salmons showed during last year's epic Chicago/Boston first round series he is a playoff warrior. The Heat of could have gotten him rather cheaply and in the process given Miami a proven scorer in the playoffs.

But Miami stood still. They stayed with their team and in turn they completely, 100 percent jeopardized Dwyane's Wade future in Miami. Here's the thing: it's not like the Heat are barely missing out of getting to the NBA finals, no it's more troubling. The Heat can not get past the first round. It's been four years since Wade and company have survived a postseason series. Think about that. One of the game's best players has not been past the first round since 2006.

The final reason Dwyane Wade has to leave is the appeal of his hometown team. The Chicago Bulls are definitely going to be going out shopping for a superstar this offseason. What superstar wouldn't want to walk in to Chicago? You have a young point guard beyond his years in Derrick Rose as well as a rebounding, defense machine, down low, in Joakim Noah. Both of these men will sacrifice minutes, shots and spotlight time to win. Tell me that's not appealing - play in your hometown with a team one player away from being a serious title contender. It's the perfect fit. Unless the Miami Heat manage to pull in a big superstar of their own (Chris Bosh?) I can not see a reason for Wade to stay behind. Also what in the recent past gives Wade reason to think the front office can pull off such a deal?

Wade is already seven years deep into his career. Hate to say, but he is reaching the halfway point. He already got Miami a title. He needs to think what is best for his career. Miami is a great city, but lately the franchise has not shown the ability to put playmakers around one of the NBA's best. Wade needs to see this and not the wheelbarrow of money Pat Riley and Co. will offer him.

Dwyane Wade needs to sign with the Chicago Bulls.

2010 NBA Playoffrs Preview

2010-04-13T11:04:00.016-05:00

I probably would of had this preview out a little earlier had their not been so much chaos involving the seeding for certain teams. The NBA Playoffs - the time period where yet again the American public can witness the impossible. This past year I came to realize that no matter how frustrated I get with the lopsided officiating in NBA games sometimes, or the over-commercialization, I will always follow the NBA. I will always be submerged in the playoffs and I will always think I know what I'm talking about when it comes to who will win what and why.

Eastern Conference Playoffs

1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 8 Chicago Bulls

Back story: The season series between these two teams is 2-2 with LeBron sitting out the last Bull win. Cleveland comes into the playoffs having rested their key players, while Chicago comes after having won six out of their last eight games. Yes, there are the individual performance that will prove valuable. LeBron James has to continue his domination on the court that he showed during the regular season where he averaged just about 30 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists per game.

On the other end is Derek Rose. In Chicago's last six victories Rose has averaged roughly 28 points per game. If Rose can not get going the Bulls will be lying on the mat before the round even begins.

The only way Chicago can stay with Cleveland is if the team has good team defense, gives Cleveland only one shot a possession, and establish a post presence. In Chicago's victory early in the year Cleveland only had a slight advantage in points in the paint. In Cleveland's seven point victory later in the season, again the points in the paint where close. But in Cleveland's 14 point victory the Cavs had a 46-20 points in the paint advantage.

What Will Happen: Chicago had a nice run to make the playoffs, but that's where it stops. Even if the Bulls somehow managed to play terrific defense they're still in trouble when it comes to guarding LeBron James. James has been known to increase all his stats during the playoffs. Also, add in the fact that Shaq is back in the lineup and you have another big problem for Chicago on the front court. (No pun intended). Derek Rose will perform terrifically, but it will not be nearly enough. The Cavs win a relatively close Game 1, blow out Chicago Game 2, and have another easy win Game 3. In Game 4 Chicago loses one right at the end. Right now the Bulls don't have the horses to hang with Cleveland.

Cavs in 4

2 Orlando Magic vs. 7 Charlotte Bobcats

(Side note: This needs to be done. ASAP. The New Orleans Hornets need to give Charlotte their name back so they can once again be the Charlotte Hornets. Then the Bobcats need to send their name to the Utah Jazz. Then the Utah Jazz need to send the Jazz name back home to the New Orleans Hornets. We would have the Charlotte Hornets, the Utah Bobcats, and the New Orleans Jazz. Come on tell me why this would not work.)

Backstory: The Magic's run to the Finals last year put the entire franchise on the spotlight. Sure the team had been doing good, but maybe the Magic were farther along than any of us imagined. After getting dismantled in the Finals by LA, Orlando spent the off season upgrading the roster. To help not only get the Magic back into the Finals, but to win it Orlando added some personnel. Matt Barnes (8.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg) and Vince Carter (16.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg) are the two biggest names to join the Magic.

For the first time in the franchise's history the Charlotte Bobcats will be playing in the postseason. The Bobcats' defense leads the league in least points allowed. Leading the way for the Bobcats are Gerald Wallace (18.2 ppg, 10 rpg) and Stephen Jackson (21.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg). Charlotte thrives a tough half court defense and is led by journeyman head coach Larry Brown. Having an offense with no one single threat gives the Bobcats a chance.

What Will Happen: I am glad to see the Bobcats finally get into the playoffs, but the magical run ends rather quickly. Orlando is a terrific rebounding team, while the Bobcats are in the bottom half of the league. Add in playoff experience and Orlando's deadly three point shooting and you have the reason why the Bobcats will struggle. Larry Brown's team will try and slow it down, but Orlando plays that game as well. The Magic score 102.75 while only giving up 95.26. That 7.48 difference is the largest in the league.

Magic in 5

3 Atlanta Hawks vs. 6 Milwaukee Bucks

Backstory: The Bucks season remaining one of the more surprising this year. Without Michael Redd for much of the season the Bucks managed a 46-36. In the months of February and March the Bucks went a combined 21-8. After a late season acquisition of former Chicago Bull John Salmons, the Bucks started to look like a sleeper in the playoffs. Then it happened. Andrew Bogut, the starting center averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds, got injured and put out for the playoffs. Milwaukee already was an average rebounding team, but now that task will be even more difficult.

The Atlanta Hawks are right on the heels of the Magic and Cavs. A team once happy to be in the postseason looks to make more noise. The growth of Al Hortford has been impressive as well as Joe Johnson and Josh Smith's, but the one thing that impressed me the most was the resurrection of Jamal Crawford. Crawford the University of Michigan after his freshman year. For much of his career he has been on losing teams and has often been marked an NBA bust. But things changed this year for Crawford. He is shooting a career best 44.9%, all while taking fewer shots. Having a sixth man who is averaging 18 points and 4 assists is crucial come playoff time.

What Will Happen: The loss of Bogut is huge because with Hortford (9.9 rpg) and Josh Smith (8.7 rpg) banging on the glass is a big disadvantage. I just do not think Ersan Ilyasova (6.4 rpg) and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (5.5 rpg) will be enough to win the battle on the glass. Plus, Ilyasova and Mbah a Moute are not seen as an offensive threat the way Bogut was meaning more defense will be played on other Buck players like Salmons and Jennings. Milwaukee will sneak out a couple games, but winning the battle on the glass, plus the presence of key playoff veteran players (Mike Bibby especially) will prove to be too much.

Hawks in 6

4 Boston Celtics vs. 5 Miami Heat

Backstory: The Celtics come to the playoffs after a season of ups and downs. Two years removed from a title the Celtics remain a coin-flip team. One night the squad can take down the league's best team (Cavaliers), while another night they can fall to the worst (Nets). Rajan Rondo has emerged as one of the game's best point guards, yet the age of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen is beginning to show. Heck, even through Paul Pierce in there. One of the biggest concerns for the Celtics has been their tendency to lose big leads in games. Against the Cavs the Celtics were playing their best game of the year. The team was up by 22. Toward the end of the fourth the Cavs had reclaimed the lead. The once steady defense of Boston had evaporated again. Rondo has had to carry the team during certain games when he should be getting more help. And do we even have to mention that pathetic effort displayed by the once respected Rasheed Wallace.

The Heat come in after having won 12 of their last 13 games. Dwyane Wade is averaging 26 points, while Michael Beasley is beginning to take form (14.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg). Their defense gives up only 94 points a game as well as allow opponents to only hit 43% of their shots. With Wade being a free agent this summer it's safe to assume he will be giving it all plus one for this series.

What Will Happen: Of Miami's 12 wins towards the end of the season only three were against teams currently in the playoffs. Despite their up and down season, Boston has remained strong on the defensive end. Knowing Wade is Miami's bloodline Doc Rivers will attack him from the get-go. Boston wants to put the ball in a young player like Beasley's hands. Sure he is averaging 14.8 points per game, but can he pick up some slack when Wade is having serious trouble. Wade is an all-star and will keep Miami in the series when they seem out. I like Boston taking a 3-1 lead only to have Miami tie it up. With Game 7 in Boston, the Celtics put the clamp down and Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett play like their old selves.

Celtics in 7

Western Conference

1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. 8 Oklahoma City Thunder

Backstory: The Lakers finished the season on a sour note. They come into the playoffs having lost six of their last nine. Yes, there were times Kobe Bryant was not playing, but still this Laker team has looked out of sorts. The 91-88 loss to the Trailblazers was the most surprising. For the first time all year the Lakers lost a game after going into the fourth quarter with the lead. Even more shocking was Kobe missing shots late in the game.

The Thunder enter the playoffs for the first time since getting to Oklahoma. Kevin Durant, 21, is the youngest player to ever win the NBA scoring title (30.1 ppg). The inexperience of the Thunder remains a factor. The average age is only 23 years old. Behind Durant is Russell Westbrook (16.1) and Jeff Green (15).

What Will Happen: Inexperience may have been irrelevant when the Warriors beat the Mavericks back in 2007, but that's not the case here. It's one thing to get into the playoffs and be matched up against an experienced squad, it's another thing to be matched against the defending champs. The Lakers have been hearing for the past week why they are not going to win the title. Add in the criticisms Kobe has been getting about his play lately and you have the reason not only that LA will win, but that Kobe will put up huge numbers.

Lakers in 5

2 Dallas Mavericks vs. 7 San Antonio Spurs

Back story: Rick Carisle showed his success in Detroit was no fluke. Behind Jason Kidd the Mavs relied off one of the league's best records. Dallas comes in with a roster filled with Kidd, Dirk Nowitzki, Caron Butler, Erick Dampier, Brendan Haywood, and Jason Terry. One of Dallas's biggest weapons lies behind their ability to put so many lineups out on the floor. Small ball? No problem. Need to control the glass? No problem.

Last year marked the first time in Tim Duncan's career that San Antonio got eliminated in the first round. This year the Spurs can get payback. For much of the year the Spurs struggled to move up the standings. Despite having finished as a No. 7 seed the Spurs start to look like their old selves. Manu Ginobili's welcome back party has sent shivers to every opponent.

What Will Happen: The Spurs want to make one more stand. Who else would be better to start their journey the team they have played four times in the playoffs since 2000? In the past Duncan's defense remained critical, but lately we can all see that wear and tear is beginning to take place even for the Big Fundamental. Dallas's ability to put out many line ups gives them an advantage that will prove critical in this series. Dirk knows this might be one of his last chances to make a run at a title. Alos, San Antonio does not have a stopper like Bruce Bowen anymore. Who can stop Dirk?

Mavericks in 7

3 Phoenix Suns vs. 6 Portland Trailblazers

Back story: The Suns finished the season as the league's hottest team. The team won 17 of their last 20 games, including a ten game winning streak. Just when you thought the Phoenix Scoring Machine was dead it had a resurrection.

The Blazers have easily had the worst luck this year. Again Greg Oden goes out with an injury...as well as Joel Przybilla...and now Brandon Roy. Despite all the bad luck the team is still in the playoffs. Portland remains a half court defense that slows the ball down while Phoenix speeds it up. Whoever wins this battle wins the series.

What Will Happen: The Suns have to knock an opponent out five minutes in to the game. During the last day of the regular season the Jazz started to make a rally. After spending 20 seconds getting a good shot Utah scored. Then Phoenix came down and buried a three. Then Phoenix stole the ball and buried another three. Just like that the rally was squashed. When Phoenix is on they can only be stopped when the opponent has a big time scorer. Brandon Roy's absence will hurt.

Suns in 6

4 Denver Nuggets vs. 5 Utah Jazz

Last year's playoff run for the first one for the Nuggets to go back the first round since 1994. We know now that Denver has the potential to run the tables. Carmelo Anthony seems to get even better in the crunch time each game. He shoots an incredible 60% during crunch time. Behind Chauncey's leadership, Nene's emergence, Kenyon Martin's defense this team has all the ingredients to make a run.

After an average start to the season the Jazz have turned it around. Andrei Kirilenko is more valuable than his 11 points and 4 rebounds per game suggests. Him, along with the rest of the Jazz strive to play great defense. Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer look more and more like Stockton and Malone every year.

What Will Happen: The Jazz were embarrassed in their last regular season game at home. The Suns were able to score at will. Sure it's the Suns, but still the defense of Utah remained one of their stronger points. I see issue with going with Utah because their play is simple, add in the fact Carmelo is on a different level compared with anyone else on the court and that's why I go with Denver.

Denver in 7

Hell Has Frozen As Saints Win Super Bowl

2010-02-08T17:00:00.005-06:00

We have all waited for this. Every Saints fan out there has patiently waited for this moment. It is the single most imaginary idea we could ever comprehend. The idea that someday the New Orleans Saints would win the Super Bowl. Someday all the stars would align. Someday Hell would freeze.

The most gratifying thing about this victory is how it rewards those lifetime fans. I always think about my dad. He has been following the Saints since they first came to the NFL in 1967. I think about the stories he would tell me on how as a kid he would passionately watch the team each Sunday...only to be disappointed by another loss. The losses were so common and frequent that as my dad would tell me he just got use to losing and watching the Saints fail in the end. As my dad would tell me he had to put the Saints in a place that they could not hurt him like they had done countless times in the past. He, along with some many other life long Saints fans, had to become accustomed to the team losing a game right at the team, the team giving up the Hail Mary when a win seemed definite, and a team missing an extra point moments after one of the greatest plays in NFL history took place.

But that all changed Sunday. It died. Even before the game my dad told me that his brothers and him officially said the old Saints were dead. Beating the Vikings killed the past. All my dad ever wanted this season was for the Saints to get to the Super Bowl. Winning it? Yes, he wanted it, but it was still so far removed from reality. I think when it finally did hit him it was euphoric. I watched the game down on Bourbon Street while my family watched it up in Ohio so I never got to watch the game with my dad. But from what I heard when the Saints did win my dad was the same little kid that grew up watching the Saints every Sunday. Only this time he was not disappointed.

For much of my childhood I remained confident that one day the Saints would capture the ultimate prize. My friend Jonny, an avid Patriots fan, and I spent our entire childhood living and breathing football (we still do). We would play those Madden video games and win Super Bowls with our teams and hope that one day the Saints and Patriots would win the big one. Heck, I even made fantasy Saints Super Bowl moments in my head. In this fantasy world, the Seattle Seahawks were beating the Saints 15-13 and it was late in the fourth quarter. Seattle was fixing to score a touchdown to put the game away. The Saints would intercept a pass and return it for six points. The Saints would win 20-15 and become Super Bowl champs.

But it was only a dream. (How strange is it to see that last night the Saints clinched the game with an interception late in the game.)

I did find some salvation when Jonny's Patriots finally did win the big one in 2001. I remember being so excited that one of our teams actually won it. All Jonny's dedication paid off.

But I still craved that moment. I will admit I did lose hope when Hurricane Katrina happened. Things were so bleak that I began to leave my fantasy childhood world that they will win the Super Bowl someday and began to start to take a more cynical approach. It must of only been a year ago when Jonny and I had this conversation.

Jonny: "Saints will win the Super Bowl one year. It will happen."

Me: "No man they won't."

Jonny: "One year it will all just come together."

I remember being upset with him and how he was foolishly optimistic. But now as I look at it I can see it for what it is. Jonny was right. It all just happened. For one year it all just came together. All the hopes my dad and I had as a kid finally took place.

Finally, the Saints won the Super Bowl.

Who Dat.

Three Days Until Kickoff

2010-02-03T13:25:00.003-06:00

One year ago the Arizona Cardinals made the improbable trip to the Super Bowl. I wrote an article about how important it was for the Cardinals to have made the trip. I highlighted the importance of every fan of every doormat team to root for Arizona because if the Arizona Cardinals can make it to the Super Bowl anyone can. Every Lion, Brown, and Saint fan saw that Super Bowl and saw optimism. That Super Bowl symbolized more than a team making the improbable run to the Super Bowl, it symbolized hope.

The Cardinals lost a heartbreaker to the Steelers, but still their impact was felt everywhere. I remember writing on my blog a phrase along the lines off, "after the Cardinals recent incredible run to the Super Bowl, I can not help but wonder when will the Saints make their run?"

Who would of thought that it would actually happen. By now insanity is settling in as I grow more and more anxious for the Super Bowl. I do my best to evaluate this game as much as I can. There's the part of me that sees Peyton Manning and how he's nothing short of a computer. How, when given the chance and time, he will pick apart a defense. I look at the fact that in his last two games against the Saints he has played incredible. In the last two games Manning has thrown for 9 touchdowns and his team has won by an average score of 48-16. I look at that, plus how this New Orleans Saints defensive unit lives and dies with the turnover. I take that all in and think Manning rarely turns it over. That thought scares me.

Then there's the other half. The half that sees Drew Brees and how last week was a bad game for him. When those games happen he comes out firing on all cylinders the next week. I see an Indianapolis defense that has some young cornerbacks as well as an All-Pro defensive lineman banged up. Then I hear it from everyone. Every media outlet, every radio station, every man on television (except a few)on why the Saints will not win, on why the New Orleans Saints got to the Super Bowl and that's all that matters. They are not here to win. I take that all in and I think to myself about the only thing that really matters when looking at this game.

They have a chance.

Fully Analyzing the Saints' NFCCG Victory

2010-01-27T15:28:00.007-06:00

With the Super Bowl left then two weeks away I felt like it was appropriate to bombard my readers with articles daily. Earlier this week I touched on the aspect that indeed this Saints' season has been fairy tale-like and that I was curious as to how this team would go down on history. Tuesday I posted a letter from the devil detailing how Hell is freezing. Go figure. But for once let's breakdown the game.

GAME PLAY

Minnesota got New Orleans to play their game. The Vikings succeeded at slowing the game down and giving Drew Brees limited opportunities. Despite this, New Orleans did an excellent job on forcing turnovers. As oppose to most defenses, Gregg William's defense deals uniquely with putting a lot of emphasis on forcing the turnover. There's two sides to the story. One side states, "we gave you the ball," while the other states, "we just made a play."

At the end of the day this game was won by the defense. Drew Brees, honestly, looked like he had jitters most of the game. He was overthrowing wide receivers. I am sure a lot of this had to do with a constant pass rush, but still it was very unBrees. Yet with that said you have to say that the Saints kept the Vikings defensive line in check most of the game. Jared Allen did not have near the impact I thought he would. I was expecting him to have a couple sacks and a forced fumble.

I am sometimes blown away at Reggie Bush's decision making. He wants to score a touchdown so bad that he's willing to make an extremely stupid decision. The fumble before halftime highlighted my biggest issue with Bush. At times he shows a very low football IQ. He has to have more sense than to catch a punt with a guy right in front of him. You are quick Reggie, but not that quick.

One thing that aggravated me more than anything during the game was the Saints' inability to get 3rd and 1s. ABSOLUTELY PATHETIC. It must of happened three times during the course of the game. At times this team seems like it does better on 3rd and 10s than 3rd and 1s.

When the Vikings got the ball with 2:37 and the score tied at 28 I began to dread the worst. Ironically the Vikings let the clock run down for a couple plays, but regardless they still kept moving the ball. (I remember thinking to myself during this drive, "Is Childress hoping for overtime?") To no one's surprise the Saints gave up a huge third down. I hate to say it but the defense on third down reminded me a little too much of John Chavis's LSU defense. The team needs to do a much better job of ceasing the moment and stopping the opponent on critical third downs. That 3rd and 7 was brutal to watch. If the Saints made the stop there they would get the ball back with just under two minutes and the ball around midfield. As the drive continued my worries increased. What surprised the most was the fact that on 1st and 10 at the Saints' 33 yard line Brad Childress ran back to back running plays. When you look back at those plays it makes you think two things a)Childress had no confidence in Favre fearing an interception was coming or b) he felt a field goal around 50 yards was a sure thing. I remember texting my dad on first down, "Saints' need a miracle." On 3rd and 10 Minnesota only needed seven yards to really make the field goal a gimme. After all the kicker, Ryan Longwell, made a 52 yarder last year in the Superdome. The 12 man penalty was a huge blow for the Vikings because it really got the Saints' crowd back into it. Still, with Favre at quarterback everyone was uneasy. I remember watching the play and thinking Favre was going to scramble for several yards and Longwell would then follow up with a 50 yard field goal. The thing that is interesting was what my dad said after the game. My dad told me how throughout the game Favre was threading the needle and becoming extremely close to throwing interceptions. Basically things were going his way if he only had one interception on this night.

As we all know Tracy Porter read Favre's eyes and saved the season for the Saints. The overtime drive was as gut-wrenching as it comes. The 4th and 1 dive by Pierre Thomas was as close as it gets. And the field goal could not have been anymore perfect. Just when it seemed all hope was lost the Saints, yet again, gave us reason to still believe.

ATMOSPHERE

The atmosphere in New Orleans was beyond anything I have ever experienced. LSU has won 2 National Championships in New Orleans, but this was more over the top. Why you ask? The answer is that the entire city was behind the Saints. Everyone. Every culture, every race was behind the New Orleans Saints. Even as I type this I get goosebumps because I have never seen a city 100 percent behind a team. The Superdome was electric the entire game. It reminded me of Tiger Stadium. When the Saints did win the game I will never forget the people around me crying. From an outsider's perspective it might be difficult to understand why some men where inclined to cry. In all, it's a combination of things. The Saints became a franchise on All Saints Day November 1, 1967. (Now you know why they are called the Saints). Despite the city's high hopes, lousy general managing caused years of frustration for the fan base. As I have stated before it took the Saints 13 years before they had a non-losing season, 20 years before they went to the playoffs, and 33 before they won a playoff game. Pretty grim. Now I do remember Jim Mora and how he put together some special teams, but at the end of the day their seasons all ended disappointingly. It was routine. We all became accustomed to losing.

The other key element as to why so many people where crying deals with Hurricane Katrina. Only five years ago 70 percent of that city was underwater. I distinctively remembering the very real possibility of the Saints moving. Even more remarkable is how the Superdome, the home of the Saints, was the epicenter of some of Hurricane Katrina's worst moments. Six people died in that stadium, four from natural causes, one from an overdose, and one from suicide. Things got so bad for one man during Hurricane Katrina, so unbearable, that he took his own life by jumping from the rafters. The city was in so much pain. You put that all together - the years of losing, plus the horror of Hurricane Katrina - and you have the reason why people broke down and cried after the Saints' win.

Prince of Darkness Writes Letter to City of New Orleans

2010-01-26T13:29:00.008-06:00

(photo courtesy of DrTyger of TigerDroppings.com)

Dear City of New Orleans,

Hey it's me, Satan, the Prince of Darkness. Look this is kind of odd for me to be emailing you, but I have to get something off my back. Something is going on down here. Something I've never experienced. To put it boldly it's starting to, well, get cold down here. Just the other day I found myself sneezing. I really have no idea why it's getting chilly down here in Hell. Someone told me you guys are the people I should contact about this. Do you guys have any idea why things are getting cold down here? I mean in all honesty it gets colder every day. If I don't find the answer soon this place is going to freeze.

Hit me back,

Prince of Darkness

P.S. I have a Facebook account too!

How Does This Fairy Tale End?

2010-01-25T23:02:00.003-06:00

Recovery is not always meant for the players on the field, sometimes, like last night's NFC Championship game, it applies to the fans as well. Moments after Garrett Hartley kicked the game winning field goal to put the Saints in the Super Bowl, I had to recover. I, along with 71,000+ fans, had to recover after screaming for four hours. The stress and uneasiness throughout the game was over, wiped away.

I told myself going into the game I would cheer and not submerge myself. I lied. Better yet, I could not stop it. And at the end of the day it was all worth it. The Saints beat the Vikings 31-28 in overtime and the fairy tale continued. But with this latest victory I have to ask the question- how does this fairy tale end?

The Saints have catapulted themselves into the Super Bowl to face the Indianapolis Colts. Countless time in the history of the Super Bowl teams have made the jubilant trip to the Super Bowl. Despite their loss in the Super Bowl the season was still marked a success. Indeed I do agree with that assessment because regardless of what happens on February 7th this Saints team will be remembered for years to come.

With that said, I can not stop thinking about the "ghosts" of Super Bowl past. The unlikely Philadelphia Eagles made an incredible trip to the 1981 Super Bowl. Their story is lost after they lost to the Oakland Raiders. More recently the 1998 Atlanta Falcons who beat the Minnesota Vikings in an epic NFC Championship game. Again, their story, their legacy has been lost somewhat. The Tennessee Titans in 1999 came one yard short of tying the score. Despite their monumental effort what that team accomplished that year is somewhat forgotten. And finally last year when the Pittsburgh Steelers triumphed over the Arizona Cardinals.

The pinnacle moment in one's career is to say that you were number one. That your team was the best. I am thrilled New Orleans won the NFC Championship, but I want more. This fairy tale has been more amazing than anything I could ever have imagined and I do not want it to end.

So what happens next? Does the dream end? Does the team wake up or do the New Orleans Saints live happily ever after?

It's Been A Long Road for the Saints Fan

2010-01-18T15:54:00.005-06:00

It's an abnormal feeling for the month of January to almost be over, yet the New Orleans Saints are still playing football. I, along with countless other fans are in the state of denial.

I have followed this franchise my entire life and the good memories have been very short lived. I can still vividly remember the Saints pulling out a 33-30 victory against the Miami Dolphins in Week 6 of the 1995 season. The victory, which I thought was so incredible at the time, pushed the Saints to an amazing record of 1-5.

For year's this franchise has specialized in finding ways to lose and revolutionizing the art of failure. My dad watched it growing up and I watched it growing up. I will never forget my dad telling me about the first game in Saints' history. Saints' John Gilliam took the opening kickoff back for a touchdown.

"Man, we really thought we had a team," my dad would joke.

We, the fans, just became use to it. Use to having seasons fall apart, use to seeing the Saints disappoint us again, and most importantly use to losing. We all became accustomed to the hearing the phrase "well if anyone could do that the Saints could" uttered for every hapless, mishap the team ever endured.

It took this franchise 13 years before they had their first non-losing season, it took 20 years before they ever made the playoffs, and it took 33 years before they every won a playoff game. Yet despite all that fans never lost hope.

Hope. Nothing describes the Saints fan better. Regardless of how bleak things looked fans have always continued to believe good times will eventually come to the Saints. The purest example of this is Hurricane Katrina. Every sign said the Saints were done in New Orleans and that the ship had sailed.

At the worst moment in the city's history, at the very time so many people lost their lives, people came together. They believed. Sure it did not make sense, but it represented more than rooting for a simple sports team. That team symbolized that the city would rebound and recover.

Now here we are on the brink of the New Orleans Saints' second NFC Championship game in four years. It's beyond incredible. I do not know what tomorrow holds in store for the Saints, all I know is the fans, like they have been doing since 1967 will be there and certainly enjoying it.

Breaking News: Jason Bourne Loses Basketball Game

2010-01-08T00:08:00.004-06:00

It may very well be the story of the decade, better yet the story of the century. Numerous reports indicate that Jason Bourne, the ass-kicking special agent from the Bourne trilogy, lost a pick up basketball game in Miami, Florida Thursday afternoon.

Eye witness Louie Reese stats that Bourne challenged Miami resident Jeff Wittzelberg to a pick up game at the Sapphire Beach Courts.

"Bourne walked on the court and looked discouraged that all the baskets were taken up. To win the court he challenged the worst athlete on the court - Jeff Wittzelberg."

As Reese describes Wittzelberg was a balding man of 40 years old with a prominent gut and an embarrassing display of back hair. He height was a pathetic 5'4".

"For some reason Wittzelberg took up Bourne's challenge. It was silly no doubt, but maybe the chubby, bald, hideous man saw something."

And saw something he did.

In a game to ten by ones Wittzelberg quickly got jumped on 4-0, but the short, stocky bald man made his move.

"The left baseline, that's what Bourne's weakness was and Wittzelberg exploited it."

As Reese details, the game got really heated when the score was tied at eight a piece. After a missed shot Bourne claimed he was fouled, Wittzelberg took the rebound in for a layup to go up 9-8. For the game winning point the Wittomeister hit a leaning one hander by the right baseline to pull off the 10-8 victory.

"It was magical," Reese stated. "I wept a bit."

Despite the remarkable feat, Bourne insisted the Wittomeister stepped out of bounds. When other spectators sided with Wittzelberg all chaos broke loose.

"It was bad. There were about 20 of us watching the game. Once Bourne realized the audience disagreed with his call he attacked everyone."

Even now with a broken collarbone and a shattered wrist, along with a court full of weeping men and women (including Wittzelberg), as well as watching five people get beaten to death, Reese still idolizes the experience.

"To being a Detroit Lions season ticket holder to a passionate Los Angeles Clippers fan, I have seen my fair share of amazing sporting events, but today's game where the ugly man beat the special agent that takes the cake. Jeff showed us all today that it doesn't matter how many bad guys you kill, or how many times you sneak by security, at the end of the day if you can't beat a fat guy in pick up basketball you ain't squat."

Jason Bourne could not be reached for comments.

2010 NFL Wildcard Weekend

2010-01-06T23:15:00.004-06:00

The NFL Playoffs are the best playoffs to experience. The MLB only lets in six teams, the NBA lets everyone in (and runs way too long), and the NHL is not shown in Louisiana. Otherwise I really might watch it. But with the NFL you have twelve teams that are all capable of running the table and forever changing a player's legacy. Look at the 2007 New York Giants. The team wins three grueling playoff games before facing the undefeated New England Patriots. New York pulls off the unlikely upset and for all eternity, regardless of what he does, Eli Manning will always be a Super Bowl champion.

In short, the playoffs are career defining.

With that said here's a look at the wildcard games and who I like to win.

NFC

6 Eagles @ 3 Cowboys

Ever since the Cowboys' dismantling of the Saints the team has gotten better each week and the thing of it is the competition has been no pushover. Look at the Eagles last weekend at Cowboys stadium. Cowboys blanked them 24-0. Talk about a statement game. This weekend will be the third meeting between the two teams this year. Here are the three questions looming in my head - 1) Can Dallas beat a good team three times in the same year? 2) Will DeSean Jackson show up for Philadelphia when they play Dallas for once and 3)Are we going to see the Old Playoff Tony Romo or a new and improved Playoff Tony Romo?

Here's the thing Dallas is as good as anyone in the NFL right now. No reason to think this team can not run the tables, much less defeat a Philly team one weak after they embarrassed them. Philly will be pumped after a disappointing loss last week. Dallas will have a small halftime lead, but the third quarter Romo will blow things open, and in turn make Minnesota fans shiver in their sleep. I will take Dallas winning this game by 17 points.

5 Packers @ 4 Cardinals

Here's another matchup between two teams that played each other in Week 17. Despite Green Bay's 33-7 win in Week 17, Arizona was playing it easy as the game was irrelevant to their playoff standing. Add in the fact that the game is indoors (where the Cardinals thrive) and not outdoors (where the Packers thrive) and you see why I have Arizona winning this one. Arizona has showed that is very capable of stepping up for big games. Sure the team has looked shaky, but rest assured when engine is pumping they can compete with anyone. Green Bay will get jumped out right out of the gates and go down 14-0. Green Bay will rally, but ultimately Aaron Rodgers's and company will lose by 14.

AFC

6 Ravens @ 3 Patriots

Talk about a playoff changer. Wes Welker's season-ending injury in Week 17 was one of the worst displays of bad luck I have ever seen. You have to feel for the Pats. Despite the notion that with Welker gone New England will be significantly weaker, I still have trouble with ever picking against Belichick in New England. The Pats beat the Ravens early in the year 27-21. Look for round two to be a little more open. The Ravens D will keep Baltimore in the game, but ultimately Joe Flacco will not be able to hang with Tom Brady. Patriots win by 12.

5 Jets @ 4 Bengals

And for the third time a team plays it's wildcard game against the same opponent from Week 17. It's no secret Cincinnati did not intend on playing 60 minutes of football when they came to New York during their 37-0 loss. Do not be fooled. One of the most underrated defensive units this year are the Bengals' D. At the end of the day I look at the fact that Marc Sanchez has been playing very quietly. Meaning? The running game is carrying New York. Sanchez is not forced to make big plays. Cincy will slow down that New York run to the point Sanchez will have to make a big 3rd & 8 play. He will not. Carson Palmer, despite going up against a good New York defense, can do this. That will be the difference. Cincinnati wins this game by 6.

Look for the Cowboys to play at the Vikings, the Cardinals to play at the Saints, the Patriots to play at the Chargers, and the Bengals to play at the Colts. Enjoy the games.

McGrady Couldn't Grasp The Secret

2009-12-27T23:35:00.005-06:00

About two months ago I purchased sportswriter Bill Simmons's recent book The Book of Basketball. The book details every issue of NBA basketball that you can imagine. In short, the book is a terrific read.

One part of the book I enjoyed dealt with what Simmons described at "The Secret." Basically, The Secret is that in order for a team to be successful, individual players have to focus more on the team and not on the individual. When a player understands the team is more important than the individual, they understand the secret. The Secret is a vital part of all sports, but all too often it's ignored.

I bring this topic up because of the recent events dealing with the Houston Rockets. The Rockets have been without Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady for much of the season. Despite the team's lack of a real superstar, the unit still continues to play tremendous team basketball each night. Remarkably the team is the West's seventh seed.

Recently Tracy McGrady returned to the lineup. After being upset with his diminished role the Rockets cut him loose. Some people out there might be confused Houston let go of one of the league's best scorers but at the end of the day it comes down to one thing:

Tracy McGrady did not know The Secret.

Look at the Houston Rockets now. They play TEAM basketball. This is an extremely important concept to grasp. Yes, they are not the most talented group of guys out there, but they play as a unit. They have a plethora of guys (Aaron Brooks, Chuck Hayes, Trevor Ariza, Luis Scola, Kyle Lowry, and Shane Battier) who are willing to adjust their playing time to better the TEAM. When McGrady came back into the lineup that important chemistry is lost. Losing team chemistry is detrimental to a team's successes. The instant one man (McGrady) put himself above the team was the instant he lost his job with the Rockets. Houston reminds me in some ways of the Detroit Pistons from a couple teams ago. McGrady's lack of an ability to grasp this concept is what is wrong with the NBA. Far too often the man who puts up 30 points a night is glorified over the guy who sacrifices minutes and shots because he knows it will better the team.

I admire Coach Rick Adelman and how he got rid of McGrady before the problem progressed.

New Orleans Saints: Back to Normal

2009-12-27T15:16:00.004-06:00

There are many things in a person's life that are purely fantasies. There are things out there each person holds as an absolute dream. It varies for each person, but the general guideline is the same - it's a fantasy, and despite the impossible nature of it, you still desire it.

Exhibit A: The New Orleans Saints

For much of the franchise's existence the team has been, well, lousy. For years the team has continuously disappointed the fanbase and has miraculously found ways to lose in the most incredible of scenarios. Sure the franchise had some good years, but they were short lived...and then 2009 came. The year we, the fans, someone started to put Saints with Super Bowl.

For thirteen straight games the New Orleans Saints dazzled fans across the country. In an unbelievable course of events the Saints were 13-0. When victory seemed impossible the Saints won. They found a way every week. It did not matter what the deficit was, the team would rally together and overcome the obstacle.

Last Saturday this fantasy world burst. In the Superdome the Saints lost to the Dallas Cowboys 24-17. The team made a late rally, but at the end of the day the Saints had their first loss of the season. It stung, but we, the fans, convinced ourselves it was good. In fact it was great because now the undefeated talks could be sweep up under the rug. Is that not how the conversation went?

Then it happened. The fantasy world exploded. With a thud the Saints, in classic Saint manner, lost to the 2-12 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-17 in overtime. In every imaginable way the Saints found a way to lose. First, they gave the fans the perception they were going to win easily when they built up a 17-0 lead in the first half. Next, the team installed a lousy style of defense that again let the opposition's running back run for 1.2 miles. Then, in the biggest moment of the game the Saints did not convert a 3rd and 7. Next, they gave up a punt return for a touchdown in a classic Saints manner. (Wait, we are not done yet!) After that the Saints' kicker Garrett Hartley shanked a potential game winning 37 yard field goal. (Thanks Garrett! You managed to lose all credibility with one swing of the leg!) And finally, but most importantly, the defense allowed Tampa Bay to drive right down the field and kick a field goal to win in overtime.

Wow. What a list! At moments like these you have to admire how this team managed to convince a fan base and a country that these Saints were different than past teams. We were lead to believe they would stop working so hard to lose a game. We were wrong.

I am a fool for falling under the spell of the 2009 New Orleans Saints. Please do not think I am rooting against them, rather I know what to expect for future games. I understand they are 13-2, but the thing is they showed their colors today. They showed that classic find-a-way-to-lose Saints attitude that fans have grown to hate over the years. And now it's back at the worst part of the season.

I wrote this article with one thing in mind - warning the masses. The ingredients seem to be coming together for a meltdown in the Big Easy. Again, I have watched this team my entire life. When they find ways to lose like they did today the season melts away.

I am not a negative person, I am a realist.

Week 15 NFL Wrap Up

2009-12-21T00:39:00.007-06:00

How's this for a change? College football, always synonymous with chaos (cough - BCS), was a bit more predictable this year. And even more ironic is the NFL and how recent events has turned everything upside down.

Bottom line - the NFL has been more chaotic this year than college football. (There's a first.)

Without further ado here's a look back at the biggest story lines to come out of Week 15.

Cowboys hand New Orleans their first loss of the season

Someone forgot to tell Dallas they do not win December games and that no one wins in the Superdome other than the Saints. Outside of a late fourth quarter rally, Dallas dominated the vast majority of their 24-17 victory. I was most impressed by Tony Romo's maturity. Romo, who has been subject to his fair share of criticism, did an awfully good job on shutting up the doubters. He went 22 of 34 for 312 yards and a touchdown. Outside of a great game Romo also had ZERO turnovers. In Dallas's first three losses this year, Romo averaged over two turnovers a game.

One week after being carted off the field, DeMarcus Ware made a Willis Reed-like appearance that included two tackles and two huge sacks on Drew Brees.

Honestly, if there any reason to think that Dallas can't beat anyone if that play at that level again? Simply put, no. The Cowboys showcased on Saturday night that when they play their best they can beat anyone.

On other side the New Orleans Saints looked out of sorts for most of the game. Suffering from some key injuries on defense was apparent throughout the game, but even with those injuries I am still shocked how inept the offense was most of the game. Dallas did their homework.

Oakland Beats a Playoff Team...Again

This is getting awfully strange. The Oakland Raiders were swept by the Kansas Chiefs this year, but they still have somehow beaten four playoff teams. Each victory, believe it or not, makes people start to think that maybe Tom Cable is building a team for the future. Oakland has taken down Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and as of yesterday, Denver. The thing that's worth noting is the last two (Pittsburgh, Denver) where away games. And how about some redemption for JaMarcus Russell? A couple weeks after having been benched, the former No. 1 quarterback came into the game to lead the Raiders to a game winning touchdown. Sure it was only a measly 58 yard drive against a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde Broncos team, but rest assured the 20-19 victory by the Raiders speaks volumes about Russell. Basically, do not throw the towel in on him yet. The game was on the line and he delivered. That means something no matter how you cut it.

Carolina's Defense Cripples Minnesota

Everything was falling into place for the Vikings. The Saints lost meaning they could grab a game in the race for home field advantage and the Packers lost meaning the team had won it's second straight division title. But for some reason for the second time in three weeks the Vikings came out flat, and worse they never recovered. Carolina came into the game 5-8 and officially eliminated from playoff contention, yet John Fox's crew still played their best football of the year. In only his third start, Matt Moore outplayed Brett Favre by throwing for 299 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Even with DeAngelo Williams leaving the game with an ankle injury in the first half, the offense was still able to muster points against a stiff Minnesota defense. After three quarters the score stood 7-6 Minnesota, and the end of the fourth it read 26-7.

A couple thing really stood out. First, when Minnesota's running game struggles (only 41 yards)the rest of the offense struggles. Brett Favre is not capable of carrying the team to victory with just his passing. Adrian Peterson feeds off Brett Favre, and Brett Favre feeds off Adrian Peterson. Second, I know it's too early, but Matt Moore is getting better each game. Here's a list of how he has done in his three starts.

Game 1: Tampa Bay (16-6 W) 14/20 161 yards 0 TD 1 INT

Game 2: @ New England (20-10 L) 15/30 197 yards 1 TD 0 INT

Game 3: Minnesota (26-7 W) 21/33 299 yards 3 TD 0 INT

Are we looking at Carolina's QB of the future?

Also worth noting, if Minnesota wants to get home field advantage they will have to go 2-0 (@ CHI, NYG) and New Orleans will have to go 0-2 (TB, @ CAR). It's not entirely out of the question, but it will be difficult.

Rejuvenated Cleveland Browns

It's very difficult to find anything positive about a franchise that is currently 3-11, but I think for the Browns we can make an exception. Since the team's bye week in Week 9 the squad has been playing a lot better to say the least. Sure they are only 2-4 since the bye week, but unlike their first eight games the Browns are in all the games. In their four losses they are only losing by an average score of 25-17. Even better the team has reeled off a two game winning streak after 41-34 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. I really do not care if they beat a lowly Chiefs team, all that matter is the team is still playing with heart.

Lackluster Pats Win

The Patriots' defense was Belichikian in yesterday's 17-10 victory over the Bills, it's the offense that worries me. Yes, I know Buffalo has a solid defense, but still only 17 points? Even crazier is how Buffalo would of gotten the onsides kick back with just over three minutes left had it not been for an atrocious penalty on Buffalo. New England got the victory and that's all that matters. Still, as the playoffs approach I wonder how this team will respond against the likes of the Bengals, Ravens or Broncos. With all that taken into consideration these are the New England Patriots and when they enter the playoffs they always seem to play better.

Last Second Steeler Heroics

It may have only moved their record to 7-7, but regardless it was a much needed 37-36 victory over the Packers. With three seconds left, Big Ben finalized an amazing drive by throwing a laser to Mike Wallace from 19 yards out. Wow. What a play. Even crazier is the fact that Pittsburgh can STILL make the playoffs! Right now in the AFC six teams have the record of 7-7. I understand a lot has to go right for Pitt to get into the playoffs, but crazier things have happened. All that matters is that they are still in the hunt.

A couple things that caught my attention. This is not the first time the Packers have lost because their defense could not make a play in the games final moments. It happened against the Buccaneers earlier in the year and it happened Sunday. My point? This is an area of concern. What's to say Green Bay does not find themselves winning in the playoffs only to lose because their defense is invisible in the game's waning moments? Second, what happened to this Pittsburgh defense?! Big Ben threw for 503 yards and they still only won by one point because of an incredible play. Remember that Steelers' defense? They would shutdown high octane offenses and Big Ben would take care of the rest. That's not the case this year. In the offseason things are going to change.

Evaluating the Saints Loss

2009-12-19T23:18:00.005-06:00

Losing sucks. There's no way around it. And tonight's Saints game was no different, if anything it was more painful. Yet despite the outcome there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Yes, I know I wanted it too. The New Orleans Saints for crying out loud where 13-0 and the thought of going 16-0, even 19-0 was still a possibility. After the miraculous win against Washington, people started to believe that it was, gasp, destiny. Then in one evening it all came crashing down.

It is so simple when you look back on the Saints 24-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. For once the Saints got jumped on in the first quarter and for once Drew Brees was getting knocked around all night. Sure the Saints had close calls this year, but no one got pressure on Drew Brees the way Dallas did. After tonight I would put the Dallas Cowboy defensive line between Batman and Superman. It looked that good.

All night it was the same thing. Dallas played flawless, New Orleans looked flat. So many things went wrong for New Orleans. Where do you start? Is it the poor tackling or the lousy run defense that made Tony Romo look like Barry Saunders? Better yet was it the fact that Devery Henderson dropped a touchdown or how the team scored zero points after Courtney Roby took the kickoff back to the Dallas 30? Doesn't matter who you cut it up they lost and that little magical dream so many had is gone.

So what. Move on.

In all honesty this is the most important thing to take into consideration. After having played lousy for three quarters and going into the fourth quarter down 24-3 the Saints refused to fall over. They kept fighting.

For three quarters I watched the Saints defense (yet again) get embarrassed on third down. When the fourth quarter started hope was nearly gone. It seemed the Saints where going to go down easy and lose pathetically 31-6 on their own turf.

But they didn't. They fought. They regrouped and somehow got things rolling. Brees got back into the zone and helped get one touchdown. 24-10. And then for the first time all game the defense made a huge third down stop. Again Brees brought the team down and again he showed the resolve of the Saints. Lance Moore caught a screen and it was 24-17. And finally when all hope seemed lost, when it seemed the game was over Dallas kicker Nick Folk shanked a 24 yard chip shot. It was epic. The Saints were yet again bailed out by an NFL kicker missing an extra point-esque kick. There was still hope. Slowly, but surely the Saints marched down the field, only this time luck run out.

In a fitting manner the Dallas defensive line put the stamp on an embarrassing humiliation of the Saints' offensive line. The loss stings no doubt, but I take pride in knowing that down by 21 in the fourth quarter was still not enough of a reason for the Saints to throw the towel in.

Think of it this way - the Cowboys played a perfect game and the Saints made every mistake they could make, yet New Orleans still had a shot at winning in the end. Believe it or not, that says something.

Looking Back on My College Football Predictions

2009-12-17T17:26:00.005-06:00

Making predictions has never been my best asset, but still it remains something I hope to get better at. With that said, I would like to look back at the predictions I made at the beginning of this 2009 college football season.

Then: Florida WILL go undefeated and they WILL win the National Championship.
(I keep looking and when I really evaluate this team I do not see them tripping up once.)

Now: It really is strange when you think about how the Tebow Show is over. I was confident the Gators would prevail over the Crimson Tide. All summer and year there was so much certainty that the Gators were going to win the title. I bought into it. Sure the offense was stagnant in some games, but the team kept winning. Tebow would not fall. And then it happened. Alabama hit Florida in the mouth like no one has ever done against Tebow. In 60 minutes of football it was all over.

Then: By the end of October the California Bears WILL no longer be in the dark horse National Championship talk.
(I have been hearing all summer how this Cal team is going to make some noise. I do not see this year being any different from the other years we, the fans, were lead to believe this.)

Now: I could not have been more right about this prediction. I saw this coming from 10 miles away. At 3-0 the Golden Bears traveled to Oregon only to lose 42-3. The next week the team lost their homecoming to USC 30-3. Poof! Two games, two losses, National Title talk dead. After all the hype California finished the season with 4 losses and an invite to the Poinsetta Bowl to play Utah. Ouch.

Then: Ohio State WILL beat USC on September 12th.
(Matt Barkley is 18 years old. He turns 19 on September 8th. He has never started a college game. I do not think in his second game of the year he will be able to pull out a victory in front of 100,000+ screaming fans. I do not care how good he was in high school and I'm sure he will have a fine college career. But at the end of the day I do not think with such little experience he will be able to beat the Buckeyes.)

Now: They had them! Ohio State had USC! The crowd was there, the team was there, but the Buckeyes could not stop freshman Matt Barkley from driving down the field and pulling out an 18-15 victory. Even worse, Terrelle Pryor, the proclaimed savior, turned the ball over on downs with a minute left. Wasn't Pryor brought in to win games like these?

Then: Baylor behind the nation's best kept secret, quarterback Robert Griffin, will pull off a big upset this year, but Baylor will not going bowling this year.

Now: Poor Baylor. Had Griffin not torn his ACL in week three against Northwestern State this team would of gone bowling. Griffin was already putting up some ridiculous numbers. Baylor was 2-1 when Griffin was playing, when he was not they were 1-7. Let's hope Griffin comes back strong in 2010.

Then: Miami Florida's head coach Randy Shannon will be fired at the end of the year as his team will again under perform. The Hurricanes will finish with 5 losses.

Now: What do I really know? Geez I never thought Miami would start the season the way they did. So what if the Hurricanes got screwed out of a quality bowl game, Shannon's crew still finished 9-3. More importantly The U is on the rise behind Jacory Harris.

Then: Michigan will not lose more than 4 games.

Now: Another "great" call by me. I thought I was on track when Michigan started 4-0, including a win over a "good" Notre Dame team. In the team's final 8 games the Wolverines went 1-7. RichRod has one more season to right the ship or he will be unemployed. It's still appalling to think that UM is 8-16 in the past two years! Despite that awful record, freshman QB Tate Forcier does look like the real deal.

Then: Once again Texas will just sneak by Oklahoma State. Much like the Fiesta Bowl, Colt McCoy will lead Texas for a late score at the end of the game to beat the Cowboys.

Now: How am I so bad at predicting? This game was never close. Texas destroyed the Cowboys 41-14. My only salvation is knowing it was only 3-0 Texas after the first quarter. That's not bad, right?

Then: Oklahoma beats Texas. Oklahoma loses two games. Texas goes to the Big 12 Championship and then the National Championship.

Now: This was about a half and half. I was right about Texas winning the Big 12 and heading to the National Championship, but on the other side I was completely wrong. Oklahoma lost five games (not two) and the Sooners did not beat Texas (it was close, but they lost 16-13). Keep in mind there's no telling how this Oklahoma team does if Sam Bradford doesn't get injured the first week.

Then: Notre Dame will be getting a BCS bowl after they finish the season with only 2 losses. And yes they will lose to USC again.

Now: You know when a bad car crash happens you tell yourself not to look, but you still do? That's EXACTLY what these predictions are like. They are so off, but at the same time I can not stop reading them. Short and sweet - I was right about ND falling to USC yet again, but the whole BCS talk is disturbing to think about it. After the USC loss the wheels really started coming off the wagon. The four game losing streak to end the season (Navy, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Stanford) was pathetic. But because of the team's lousy play they were "rewarded" with the hidden gem of the college football world - Brian Kelly.

Then: Alabama will lose at the most 2 games during the regular season. Ole Miss will lose only one when the Bengals come into town. Ole Miss will go to the SEC Championship Game.

Now: FAIL! Alabama never lost a game and the LSU did not beat Ole Miss. Even better Ole Miss never went to the SEC Championship Game. Wow these predictions only get worse. Also I am guilty, I did start to believe Ole Miss was legit.

Then: LSU will have their swagger back this year, but a very hard schedule will keep them out of the SEC Championship Game.

Now: Meh. A tough schedule was a big reason LSU did not qualify for the SEC Championship along with a number of other things such as erratic playcalling, an erroneous missed interception against Alabama, and the ultimate brain fart against Ole Miss. But with all that said LSU could of found itself in a BCS bowl had Les Miles not gone brain dead in the waning seconds against Ole Miss. Okay new subject that still gets me mad.

Then: Rutgers will not win the Big East. Pittsburgh will take the conference and the coveted BCS bowl bid.

Now: I was so close! Rutgers never lived up to expectations so that whole "BCS berth" talk was flushed down the toilet early on. As far as Pittsburgh goes they had a 21 point lead at home on an undefeated Cincinnati team. Even worse they had a six point lead with a minute half left. The one time the defense needed to step up they failed.

Then: West Virginia will have 5 losses this year. Speculation will begin about whether Bill Stewart is the right guy for the job.

Now: This one surprised me. Really thought WV would take a step back with Pat White gone. The team only has three losses going into a Gator Bowl match up with Florida State. If the Mountineers can pull out a victory a 10 win season will silence some critics...for now.

Then: Alabama will beat Virginia Tech 31-14. Tech has a defense, but the offense will not be able to do anything against Alabama's defense.

Now: This game was a lot closer than I expected. It was not until the 4th quarter that the Tide pulled away. Once again Alabama used the first game of the season to send a message.

Then: Texas A&M has another losing season and surprisingly gives Mike Sherman one more year.

Now: A&M finished with a 6-6 record meaning they barely missed out on having another losing season. The Aggies showed great potential against the Longhorns when they nearly pulled off the upset of the year. Having QB Jerrod Johnson back along with freshman running back Christine Michael will give some fans a reason to give A&M a sleeper label for 2010.

Then: Dan LeFevour. He's what some would call the "poor man's Tim Tebow." He will lead Central Michigan to the MAC Title and to go along with that Houston will win the Conference-USA.

Now: Just when I thought I had no hope I pull this one out! LeFevour continued to set records his entire senior year. To cement a great career LeFevour led CMU to a MAC Title over Ohio. On the other hand I was awfully close with Houston, but East Carolina beat them in the CUSA Title game 38-32. So close!

Then: Sorry Archie Griffin, but you no longer have the record by yourself. Tim Tebow will win the Heisman trophy.

Now: At the beginning of the year it seemed destined for the trophy to go to either Sam Bradford or Tim Tebow, instead Alabama's Mark Ingram stole the show. Ingram won the closest race ever by beating Stanford's Toby Gerhart by only 28 points.

Then: Oregon looked pretty impressive in their bowl victory against Oklahoma State so I will have to take the Ducks. Look for Oregon to end Boise State's 49-game regular-season home winning streak. It will be decided by one score.

Now: You know what would of been funny? Had I predicted a fight at the end of the game. Sadly I didn't. Even worse I was dead wrong about this prediction. Boise State dominated Oregon 19-8.

Enjoy the bowl season, and yes, I too am very excited for the San Diego County Credit Union Bowl. And by the way how far away are we from having a very awkward bowl name? For instance, the Viagara Bowl, the Good Housekeeping Magazine Bowl, the Playtex Bowl, or (drum roll)the Beggin' Strips Bowl.

Trust me we are not that far away!

The Aftermath of a Disgusting Display of LSU Football

2009-11-23T12:45:00.007-06:00

It’s been two days since LSU fell to Ole Miss 25-23 in one of the most disgusting games I have seen in recent LSU history. I had to wait two days before I wrote anything about that game, after all no one wants to read a blog written entirely in CAPS lock.

But now I have to do the inevitable. I have to sort through the mess on the table that is called LSU football. The one thing that needs to be noted is my disgust in Saturday’s game does not entirely have to do with losing a game, or it being LSU’s third loss, or that it was against an arch rival, no it has to do with the manner in which LSU lost.

If LSU lost 25-23 in a hard fought game where the team lost on a 44 yard field goal to win the game I would be disappointed, but nowhere near what I, along with so many LSU fans, feel right now. In short, LSU’s team in, all facets, looked incompetent Saturday. The offense, defense, coaching and game plan where hideous to say the least. The funny thing is my dad pointed out an interesting thing during the game. This LSU team found a way to lose in the same manner the old Saints did. How many times can you remember in the past the Saints having a game wrapped up only to cough it up in the end? It was so painful to watch and by the looks of it is seems to be the new game plan LSU is now adopting.

First let’s evaluate the offense. For much of the game (especially the second half) the unit was about as efficient as Shaq at the free throw line. Quarterback Jordan Jefferson looked out of sorts. The delay of game penalties where nauseating as well as No. 9’s inability to understand that as a quarterback, eventually you have to throw the ball away. Jefferson will make three great plays in a row, followed by getting sacked after holding on the ball for three minutes, which will be proceeded by getting a delay of game penalty. I am getting used to seeing a 2nd and 5 explode into a 3rd and 14. Then again Jefferson is still a freshman quarterback and is still learning. Sure we expected him to be past these problems, but nonetheless his youth has to be taken into account. The same cannot be said for Brandon Lafell.

One of the most important aspects of a team is a quality, senior wide receiver that is, among other things, reliable. A senior wide receiver is supposed to fall into this sentence – “Geez that was a rough throw, but good thing (his name) was there or else it would have been incomplete. I’m glad he’s on our team that guy knows how to make a big play at a big moment.” In the past LSU has had numerous receivers fit this roll – Josh Reed, Dwayne Bowe, Craig Davis and Early Doucet. Now I understand not all those guys where seniors but they understood the concept that they are the No. 1 wide receiver. It is there job to make the catch regardless of the circumstances or how it was thrown. Lafells missed this. His entire career he has shown great moments of concentration, yet at the same moment his entire career he has continuously dropped big passes in key moments. Saturday’s game against Ole Miss was the most troubling. There was a stat shown during the game that said Lafell had the ball thrown to him 8 times, but only had 3 catches. Granted you can say some where Jefferson’s fault, but I know of two that hit Lafell right in his hands, only to be dropped. A potential first round draft pick, I have to scratch my head and wonder why this senior, this No.1 wide receiver is still gagging on television during a big plays. Unacceptable.

With a stagnant offense, comes a lousy game plan. Despite having Jefferson back (only 70%) the LSU offense struggled for much of night. Blame can be put on Jefferson for only so much. At the end of the day the finger has to be pointed at Gary Crowton. Formally known as The Wizard I can only help but think that nickname has washed away. Even though the running game was doing a modest job, Crowton felt inclined to pass the ball every play. At the end of the game Jefferson threw the ball 37 times! Since when has Jefferson been a gunslinger to the point he will throw the ball 37 times in a game? The answer – he’s not. I have stood by Crowton for much of the year. After the Louisiana Tech game I gave him the benefit of the doubt that it was only because Jarrett Lee was quarterback. Yet after the collapse in Oxford I can only help but really question Crowton’s scheme. If LSU’s offense is doing as poorly as it is with the talent it has then in all honesty a new offensive coordinator needs to come in. Period.

Also why, oh why, Mr. Crowton would you think it would be appropriate to call the same two-point conversion play twice? Here is my problem a) Terrence Tolliver, despite his size, has never done one of those end zone leaps. It looks good on paper, but to try something like that at that moment was not a good decision. And b) so you did the play once, why the same one after the pass interference call? This is not backyard football. You cannot run the same play on a key moment in the game. LSU was two yards away from tying the score. It just baffles me.

And yes I do realize Crowton was not the only one calling plays. We will get to the head coach sooner or later.

As much as the offense as struggled this season, the defense has always remained solid for LSU. After some early games where the unit looked out of sorts, defensive coordinator John Chavis really got things under control as the team began giving up less than 20 points a game. For the majority of Ole Miss game the unit kept the Rebels in check. They did this until the biggest drive of the game.

Ole Miss got the ball at their own 35 yard line with 12:08 left in the game. Once the Rebels kicked a field goal to go up 25-17 the drive had lasted 15 plays and 60 yards and took over 8:26! On that drive Ole Miss completed a 3rd and 2, a 3rd and 1, and a 3rd and 7. The only consolation for the drive is that LSU did stop them on 3rd and Goal to give up only a field goal.

Even after the dreadful offensive play calling, the porous offense, and the inconsistent offense, LSU still had a chance to win the game at the end. They had the ball at the Ole Miss 32 with 1:04 left. Jefferson, again, got sacked, which followed by him throwing a silly screen pass to Stevan Ridley. The play ended with 26 seconds left in the game and counting. LSU would be facing a 4th and 26 and any person with a brain bigger than a peanut would realize, "Hmm why don't I call a timeout now? I mean I don't want to get a first down and have the clock run out on me." Well, apparently the Mad Hatter did not think this. In fact the Mad Hatter let 17 seconds run off the clock before a timeout was called with 9 seconds left. And of course the 4th and 26 was converted for 42 yards. LSU ran down the field to hike the ball once more, but with only 1 second remaining the Tigers were unable to hike the ball before the game ended. As long as I live I will never be able to remotely comprehend this. You are the head coach and you somehow, someway forget to call a timeout for 17 seconds? What is going on? In all honestly if the timeout was called with 12 seconds LSU would of had a chance, but the fact that it was called at 9 is absurd.

And this is why the Tiger Nation is in an uproar. In the biggest moment of the game Les Miles pulled one of the dumbest stunts in recent football history. He basically opted for a hail mary instead of getting into field goal position. A 10 year old kid would have enough sense to call timeout. This is inexcusable. Even more startling is the fact that after Jefferson completed that pass and one second remained, Jefferson was going to spike the ball. Jefferson you can not spike the ball under one second. This is not the NBA.

After you evaluate the game as a whole and after you see how the offense, defense, game plan, and coaching all underperformed you have to ask yourself, "What does this mean for LSU football?" Honestly, I do not know. I want to say Miles will get things back on track, but all too common LSU comes out on the field, plays like garbage for 3.5 quarters and then at the end makes a run to win the game. With the talent they have that is not acceptable. For the first time in his reign at LSU I have lost faith in Miles. I have lost this because I did not see a head coach leading his team, I saw a team who's head coach was confused in the game's biggest moment. Here is an article I wrote one year ago. I stated that Miles needed to turn things around our his seat would really start to get warm. One year later LSU is better, but not by much. Put it this way - if LSU falls to Arkansas and their bowl game they will finish with the exact same record as 2008. Trust me, that is not out of the question.

Things seem to be slipping for Miles to the point an inevitable landslide might soon be taking place. How will he and his team respond? It will be interesting. One thing is for sure - if Miles has another sloppy finish to his season in 2010 there is no reason to think he will not be let go.

Talks of Minnesota to LA Highlights the Biggest Issue in Sports

2009-11-20T15:29:00.005-06:00

One of the biggest things I enjoy is when we justify another person's actions because they are older, or they have a lot of money, or better yet they have a prestigious position.

This is always apparent when discussing professional teams moving in sports. Always at the core of a certain team moving is an owner who's dubious actions are justified because he's a seasoned veteran who knows how things work. Or better yet we justify them because, 'hey he's just trying to make some money!"

See that's the problem. Leagues are made when we, the fans, admire our favorite teams. (Why do you think the MLS is struggling so much to make it in the US? The fan support is not there.) We cheer for them for countless years and we always stay true to them. Sure bad times come, but at the end of the day we still hang close.

Given the right circumstances all that devotion and dedication is forgotten in the eyes of an professional sports team owner. Take for instance the Minnesota Vikings and owner Zygi Wilf. The team wants a new stadium and because they are not getting what they want the franchise is starting to consider moving to Los Angeles. This sort of Vikings-to-LA talk has been going on for the last decade.

This situation has nothing to do with whether or not you are a Minnesota Vikings fan. This has to do with what's right and wrong. Why should some owner with lots of money be given the choice to move a franchise and years of history because he or she feels inclined to? How can one position have so much power? And better yet the thing that always intrigues me about these owners is the fact they tend to be people who never played football. There's of course the foreign owner (Wilf)- he's the prototypical man who steps in the NFL spotlight with tons of money, yet such little expertise or understanding about football. To put it bluntly, he's all about the Benjamins. Then there's the old relic whose rein as an owner has been pathetic, but he is bailed out of humiliation by some fortunate events. Tom Benson of the New Orleans Saints and Bill Bidwill of the Arizona Cardinals fall into this category.(Because of the recent success of head coach Sean Payton and Drew Brees, for once, Sith Benson does not have to hang his head. And as for Bidwill his son has taken over a lot of duties, which is a huge reason for the Cardinals' rise.)

There are many of them, but they are all the same. When times are good, things are fine, but at the end of the day nothing will stop an owner from making more money. Not even the loyalty of fans. Take for instance Art Modell. He lied to the city of Cleveland and stabbed them in the back. Always a classy move, yet wipe it under the rug because, well, it's business.

(Think owner Robert Kraft of the New England Patriots is the best one out there? He's been terrific lately, but in 1999 the Pats were awfully close to moving to Hartford, Connecticut. Can you imagine that? The Hartford Patriots - eek!)

I guess the reason I am so upset about this Minnesota-to-LA story is because I know how this feels. I remember in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina smashed into New Orleans. The city was devastated to say the least. I remember my dad telling me that he thought the Saints would never play in New Orleans again. I remained hopeful as did so many fans. It was a nightmare, but it only grew thanks to the efforts of Tom Benson. While New Orleans was recovering and dealing with the aftermath of the worst hurricane to hit the US, talks began to emerge that Benson wanted to move the team to San Antonio. There were fridges on the side of the road in New Orleans that said "Tom Benson's head inside." Imagine if you are walking on the sidewalk, tripped and fell on your face. This is what Katrina did to New Orleans. Now imagine while laying down on the sidewalk a man kicks you in the face. That's what Tom Benson did to New Orleans.

It's crippling to say the least. Your team, the one you root for every chance you get, could be gone because of one man's motives. All the memories and good times would be sweep under a rug when your team donned a new logo, name, and city. I felt helpless when this all took place and most of all infuriated at Tom Benson. I see the same thing with the Vikings. The history with that franchise is a lot more vast than the Saints, but again that is irrelevant. It means nothing to an owner.

I think for once everyone can agree (even Viking fans) that the best way to have a team is how the Green Bay Packers do it. No one person owns the Packers. In short stockholders own the Packers - 111,921 of them. Never will a hot-shot foreigner step in and make the statement the Packers should think about moving.

There needs to be a better way of handling this sort of issue. There needs to be a better solution.

College Football Analysis After Week 11

2009-11-16T10:35:00.013-06:00

With the season coming to a close the season is really taking shape as to who is really legit and who was nothing more than overhype.

24 LSU 16 Louisiana Tech

I have seen a lot of games at Tiger Stadium, but this one takes the cake as the worst game I have ever seen in person. One week after a devastating loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide, LSU came out of the gates flat. The team overlooked a pumped up Louisiana Tech team and in turn LSU was fighting for four quarters to win. Two main things stuck out about this game - Jarrett Lee and LSU's game plan.

Jarrett Lee: Last year Lee threw 16 interceptions as a freshman at quarterback. Of those 16 interceptions, 7 were returned for touchdowns. It was a horrific experience for Lee, the team, and the LSU fan base. But we were told that was water under the bridge. We were told that Lee had matured and that last year was no reason to cast him in the fire. He was a 19 year old freshman for crying out loud. If anything this Louisiana Tech game was the biggest game of his career. When the clock struck zero Lee's stats was appalling. He finished 7 of 22 for 105 yards against a 3-7 Louisiana Tech team! I never expected Lee to play lights out (he is the backup after all), but I did expect to see improvement from last year and I did expect him to show LSU that he indeed does have lots of potential for the future.

I saw neither. I saw a deer in the headlights quarterback who, outside the first couple of drives, really struggled. I really must say I was blown away on the lack of progress Lee showed on the field Saturday. He has no confidence in himself and when a play breaks down he panics. Before you know it the ball is sailing out of bounds again. Sure that's better than a pick six but there comes a certain point when you have to say, 'What are you doing?' And worse his teammates do not have confidence in him. After what seemed like the 100th overthrown ball to Brandon Lafell, Lafell ripped off his chin strap in frustration. When he does get a throw off Lee's pass seems to hang in the air for an unbelievable amount of time.

I hope Jarrett Lee has a great life and turns out to be a great father with a successful career, but I do not think (or want) him to be LSU's quarterback. He does not have it. If he truly wants to continue pursuing a career as a quarterback he needs to transfer because I honestly do not see any reason to think things will change for the better.

The second thing I wanted to talk about deals LSU's offensive game plan. In short the game plan sucked. Period. I am still baffled as to why offensive coordinator Gary Crowton called some of the plays he called. At quarterback is Jarrett Lee, a man who has no confidence in himself. After a nightmarish freshman year Lee is now terrified to throw the ball. With all that taken into account why would Crowton think the best way to beat Louisiana Tech was to throw the ball? LSU was running the ball on Tech. Senior running back Keiland Williams was having his way with the Tech defense, yet for some reason Crowton would always resort back to throwing the ball. Why? Why? Why? At the end of the day what helped LSU avoid an upset? RUNNING THE BALL. I can only hope Crowton gets things together for Ole Miss, otherwise confidence will be lost in him as well.

With all that considered I do have to give credit to the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. Head coach Derek Dooley (former LSU special teams coach) made his players believe they could beat LSU in Tiger Stadium on Saturday night. For much of the game that dream seemed like it could really become a reality. Using a wildcat offense and a series of trick plays, Tech was able to keep the game close. I know this has been a difficult year for the Bulldogs as they are now 3-7, but rest assured Dooley is a special coach who continue to improve Tech each and every year.

55 Stanford 21 USC

Two weeks ago the USC Trojans got destroyed in Autzen Stadium to the Oregon Ducks 47-20. The game was the biggest blowout in Pete Carroll's career at USC. No way a loss could get any worse than what USC experienced that Saturday, right? Wrong. Someone forgot to tell the Stanford Cardinals they are not supposed to be fighting for the Pac-10 title. Someone forgot to tell Jim Harbaugh's crew this is a game they are supposed to lose.

Two years Stanford beat USC 24-23 in the Coliseum in arguably the biggest upset in college football history. (Stanford was a 41 point underdog.) For their homecoming game and only two weeks removed from the Oregon embarrassment it was expected that USC would rebound in a big way. Going into the fourth quarter Stanford held a narrow 28-21 lead.

But then it all collapsed. By the time the clocked ticked zero Stanford had cruised to an unheard of 55-21 victory over USC. There are several things that stick out about this game. First, where is USC's defense? Consistently, year in and year out Carroll has a team with defense, but this year the unit has looked atrocious at times. The second thing that stuck out ties in with the first. I was blown away by the success Toby Gerhart. All season Gerhart has been torturing opponents, yet in the back of my mind I felt USC would still neutralize him come Saturday.

At day's end Gerhart had 29 carries for 178 yards and 3 touchdowns. I think it's fair to say that Gerhart did whatever, whenever, against the Trojans.

Now the big question is, is this a sign for things to come for a Harbaugh-led Stanford squad or are they just this year's Ole Miss? It will be interesting to see.

45 Wisconsin 24 Michigan

Four weeks into the season and the Wolverines were 4-0. Now Rich Rod's crew stands at 5-6 with the final game in the Big House against Ohio State. So yes you read that right, in order to avoid a second consecutive losing season UM has to beat the 10th ranked team in the country. The minor defensive holes for the Wolverines have blown up as the season has progressed and in turn the Wolverine fan base has begun to show frustration with Rich Rod's job so far. Keep in mind this is only his second year, he is installing a completely new system, the defense is weak, and lastly, but most importantly there's a true freshman playing quarterback. Also keep in mind that three of the Wolverines' losses have been by an average of 3 points. This is a team that will improve in the future. Give it time.

On the other side the Wisconsin Badgers have slowly gone through this season under the radar with an impressive 8-2 record. Coming into the season Coach Bret Bielema was definitely starting to get on the hot seat, but I doubt that's the case anymore. The Badgers only two losses have been to Ohio State and Iowa. The best news they have is their top quarterback (Scott Tolzien), running back (John Clay), and wide receiver (Nick Toon) will all be back next year. Look for Wisconsin to be a dark horse sleeper for next year's Big 10 title.

24 Cincinnati 21 West Virginia

Cincy has had a pretty easy time with it's opponents this year, but things this week things changed. With 2 minutes left Cincy kicked a field goal to go up 24-14 so the final was closer than the actual outcome, but rest assured WV put up a fight. With all that said, unless Cincinnati falls flat on it's face against Illinois on November 27th, you can assume that Cincinnati will be playing at Pittsburgh December 5th in easily one of the biggest games of the year. Winner of that game will get a BCS bowl.

Currently West Virginia is 7-3, but the team still has a home match up with Pittsburgh (a team who's season they would love to ruin after what happened in 2007)and a road game against Rutgers. If the Mountaineers dropped those final two the team will finish 7-5 and things will start to get a little uneasy in Morgantown with how Bill Stewart's tenure has gone. Yes, going 9-4 last year and 7-5 this year is not bad, but keep in mind this program was flying high when Rich Rod was in town. Fans expect more.

27 Pittsburgh 22 Notre Dame

Charlie Weis you are going to be fired. With 12:44 left in the game ND was down 27-9. The team was able to rally, but again Weis's team fell to a ranked squad. And to top it off ND (already with 4 losses) still has to play Connecticut and Stanford. On paper and from what we have seen I can not see Notre Dame beating Stanford so you are looking at another 7-5 season. That's not Notre Dame. Maybe at Temple or Baylor, but not Notre Dame. Weis has been given enough time and still his teams are, well, average.

Also, I have to say I'm awfully impressed with how well Pittsburgh is doing. In particular Coach Dave Wannstedt who has this Panther team two wins away from a BCS bowl. During his first season Wannstedt went 5-6, the following year he went 6-6, and then the next year in 2007 his team went 5-7. Looking at his first 3 years at Pitt (16-19) it makes you think why Wannstedt was not let go. I honestly think the thing that really factored into him coming back last year was the monumental upset Pittsburgh pulled over West Virginia in 2007. The Mountaineers were one win away from going to the BCS National Championship. All they had to do was beat a 4-7 Pitt team that was a 24 point underdog. Pitt won 13-9 and since that game both programs have been going in opposite directions. That win has catapulted Pitt into believing that they can compete with the nation's best.

24 Florida 14 South Carolina

Florida continued its winning streak to 20 games, but at the same time the team was not over the top impressive. A lot of that has to do with great South Carolina defense. A couple things stood out to me. First, with this loss Spurrier is 34-27 at South Carolina. The Ole Ball Coach really is not much of a coach anymore as his teams rarely finish the season strong. The Gamecocks do consistently play tough, but in the end they lose. Their biggest win in Spurrier's tenure was a six point win over a then top 5 ranked Ole Miss team. Would South Carolina ever think about firing Spurrier? Each year it's the same story. Start strong, finish awful.

Florida has the regular season wrapped up. They play Florida International followed by Florida State, so you can pretty much start talking about the SEC Championship Game. That is a tough game to say the least on who I think will prevail. On one hand I say, 'This is Florida and Tim Tebow. The quarterback advantage for Florida is the clear reason the Gators will win again.' But on the other side I have to think, 'Alabama lost last year and has spent an entire year anxiously awaiting a rematch. Rarely do teams beat Nick Saban twice with the same game plan. If Florida wants any shot of beating Alabama they have to change their game plan.' Because of the events that happened late in the fourth quarter in the LSU/Alabama game I will not be watching the SEC Championship Game, but I can pretty much guarantee it will be a defensive struggle. I will take Florida 24-16.

42 Ole Miss 17 Tennessee

Just when you thought Ole Miss's season was going to completely unravel the team came out and beat up a good Tennessee defense. Dexter McCluster ran for 282 yards and 4 touchdowns! REREAD THAT THREE MORE TIMES! This is not Madden, this is real life! Wow! Despite a season that has had some major disappointments, the Rebels still have a very good chance of finishing the season strong. Their ability to score points against a good defense shows that this team can take down LSU this Saturday. Put it this way - if Ole Miss beats LSU and Mississippi State, and wins their bowl game then you have yourself a 10-3 season. Not bad at all.

With that loss the Vols slip to 5-5. Their two remaining games are against Vandy and Kentucky. If Kiffin's crew finishes strong they will get a bowl. Kiffin has this program going in the right direction. Think of it like this - the Vols do not have the top notch athletes they use too, yet they hung with Florida and almost beat Alabama. Once they get the athletes things will really change. The future is bright.

Tim Tebow's Latest Jaw-Dropping Act of Greatness

2009-11-09T12:41:00.001-06:00

With his senior season coming to close more and more great things continue to pop up about Tim Tebow. The latest report is one that will surely leave the public amazed. In a sit down interview on November 5, 2009 Gainesville resident Gus T. Henneshaw gives a real time account of what took place between Tim Tebow and him. As Henneshaw explains he was waiting in a long line to get a sip of water at a public drinking fountain. “I was hot outside. Too hot if you ask me,” Henneshaw exclaimed.

That’s when the magic of Tim Tebow happened.

“I was waiting behind eight or nine people and man I was thirsty. Then I could see at the front of the line that Tim Tebow was next in line and then he did it. He looked right at me and said, ‘Mr. Henneshaw would you like to cut in line and quench your thirst prior to mine?’ It was surreal.”

Multiple reports indicate that indeed Tebow did give out this offer and that indeed Henneshaw took it.

“It was remarkable. Absolutely remarkable,” Gainesville resident Heidi Thames explained. “Tim Tebow had yet again raised the bar of greatness to new heights!”
According to the bylaws of Heisman Trophy protocol the NCAA declares that “a great act of kindness outside of football can be implemented into a person’s Heisman standing only if the person’s last name rhymes in some crazy way with the word ‘elbow’.”

With this hidden clause it is clearly evident that indeed the front runner for the Heisman Trophy is yet again Tim Tebow.

“He plays with more heart than any human being that has ever touched the earth,” University of Florida Beta Iota Phi President James Douglas stated. “Stand back Genghis Khan, there’s a new king in town!”

Since the announcement of Tebow’s latest great act of bravery numerous cities have been said to have had ceremonies to honor No. 15.

“Today we spill ‘happiness’ T-E-B-O-W!” Detroit Mayor John Ritzberg yelled in front of a crowd of 30,000 residents.

Indeed we do Ritzberg, indeed we do…

(This article was done in good fun. Do not take it too seriously.)

College Football Analysis After Week 9

2009-11-02T11:09:00.005-06:00

Not sure anyone can do a more lousy job than me on getting my thoughts up. It is already Friday afternoon for crying out loud!

41 Florida 17 Georgia

Honestly, I really thought UGA was going to come out pumped to play. After all UF hasn't looked that great the last two games. I expected UGA to come out motivated to punish UF for last year's 49-10 slaughter, but that never happened. UF looked like it's old self and Joe Cox was self-destructing all afternoon. His turnovers are about as appalling as Terrelle Pryor's. First play of the second half is an interception? Just like that it was 31-10. It was funny to see Tebow plowing through the line. I guess that whole concussion safety thing was thrown out the window. Right now UF looks bound for the Rose Bowl. I do not see any potential trip ups whatsoever. One of the more interesting things to note is the growing angst towards Georgia coach Mark Richt. It's amazing how quickly someones successes can be thrown under the table the instant someone says, "Hey he doesn't have a National Championship yet!" Now granted he doesn't have a title and I'm sure he wants one, but for crying out loud keep in mind he has been very successful. Give it time UGA fans.

47 Oregon 20 USC

Wow. The USC Trojans do lose games, but no one beats them by 4 touchdowns. That was until Saturday. The Ducks flat out embarrassed USC in a way no one has done since Carroll took control of the program. Oregon clearly showed they are a team worthy of playing in the BCS National Championship. The offense is explosive and the defense is suffocating. Now granted I realize they are far back in the BCS, but there is still a lot of season left. Biggest thing is that Duck offense. It is so unique and dangerous that the defenses are constantly having to gamble on whether or not it's a pass or rush. I have to give Coach Chip Kelly a lot of credit for turning things around after getting pounded 19-8 at Boise State.

42 LSU 0 Tulane

In the last two weeks LSU's offense has looked the way the fans have desired all season. The biggest thing I noticed was LSU's ability to get seven points and not the mere three they were getting earlier in the year. Another thing was the LSU defense. In the game Kelvin Sheppard had 13 tackles. That is 39 tackles in three games! LSU's defense has slowly snuck up in the stats. Not only is the secondary shut down quality but the linebackers are everywhere. Yes, the defensive line is a work in progress, but Chavis combats that with blitzes from all-hitman Harry Coleman.

33 Auburn 20 Ole Miss

I do not know what to think of Ole Miss and I do not know what to think of Auburn. Auburn was on a three game losing streak that would surely extend to four. Well for some reason the War Eagles weren't having that. QB Chris Todd looked like his old self and the Auburn running game got moving as well. On the other side Jevan Snead again disappointed the nation. It amazes how much this big time pro prospect has struggled this year. Ole Miss already has three losses and the season is not over. They still have the Egg Bowl versus Mississippi State who by all means has not been a pushover. Is opposition against Coach Houston Nutt forming in Oxford? Hmm.

I am well aware this post stinks, but keep in mind I did this in twenty minutes. I will do a better job in the future with a) making my posts longer and b) getting them out in a reasonable amount of time. Lots of big games this weekend. Seasons will be made or lost come Saturday...

College Football Analysis After Week 8

2009-10-28T00:12:00.005-05:00

Sorry for taking so long to get another post out. I was actually kidnapped by a wild pack of bandits who desperately wanted me to turn over my 2001 Camry to them.

I would not give in to their threats...

12 Alabama 10 Tennessee

For much of year the Crimson Tide were looked at by all as the most complete team. The defense was one of the best and the offense had a running game close to unstoppable. The best luck anyone had was South Carolina who fell 20-6. No one had ever hung with Alabama. No one had ever really made the Tide fight to the end.

That was until Tennessee.

Prior to this game not much of a chance was given to the Vols, but after the 12-10 score stood Kiffin and crew got respect. Yet I'm positive his team is still very unhappy with the outcome. It always seems the importance of special teams is pushed behind offense and defense, yet as the UT/Bama game shows you the special teams is just as important as any of those three. 3 missed field goals, including a potentially game winning 44 yarder with 4 seconds left. Unfortunately for the Vols Terrence "Train" Cody broke through the line and destroyed the Orange Crew's dreams of ruining Bama's season. It was interesting to note that once in field goal range Kiffin thought it was a gimme. Gary Anderson is the NFL's all-time leading scorer. If he was kicking a 44 yarder in his prime I would still be nervous. This was a college kicker! Point is UT needed to get closer. The fact that Kiffin did not have the urge to move further ahead only highlights even more the little confidence he has in QB Jonathan Crompton.

In two big games this year (Florida and Alabama) Kiffin has managed to put together a very impressive game plan. His teams were very heavy underdogs yet they still had a chance to win in the end. Once Kiffin starts really getting some athletes Tennessee will be a force.

So what did we learn about Alabama? First, they are vulnerable. They, like every other team this year, do have flaws. Biggest thing is QB Greg McElroy still has some maturing to do. Tennessee knew Mark Ingram was Bama's biggest weapon and they neutralized him much of the game. McElroy has to be able to pick up the slack. Second, despite not playing the best game Alabama found a way to win. That is something that needs to be noted. Sooner or later there will be a game that Alabama finds themselves in where they are not playing there best, yet they have to fight to the end. This was that. Even when the odds where against them the team hung in there and blocked a field goal to, as Cody says, "save the season."

15 Iowa 13 Michigan State

I love when the claims come out that a one loss USC team would go over an undefeated Iowa team. Wow. Can someone please give the Hawkeyes some love? I can only help but think the only reason USC would go over Iowa is because I don't know maybe the fact that USC is in Los Angeles and Iowa is, well, in the middle of Iowa. Anyway onto the game.

In yet another Big 10 slug fest the Hawkeyes found themselves behind (13-9) late in the fourth quarter at Spartan Stadium. With a mere two seconds the Iowa Hawkeyes managed to convert a 4th and Goal that yet again resulted in a heart attacks across Iowa. Iowa is not the most glamorous team, but in all honesty few teams have a better knack at finding a way to win than the Hawkeyes. Look at there schedule right now. In week 1 they blocked two field goals by Northern Iowa in the final seconds to preserve a 17-16 victory. Okay so it was only Northern Iowa. September 26 Iowa triumphs over Penn State 21-10...in Happy Valley. And there's the home win over Michigan 30-28 and the road victory at Wisconsin where the team came from behind to win 20-10. And finally there's this victory at Michigan State on the last play. How is that not an impressive resume?! The Big 10 is a lot stronger than it was two years ago. I can only hope the voters see this.

There are four games remaining for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Sure they could trip up against Indiana, Northwestern, or a solid Minnesota but let's me honest the biggest remaining test is a November 17th showdown in Columbus against Ohio State. It will be tough, but again hasn't the season been like that the whole time?

31 LSU 10 Auburn

LSU fans have waited an awful long time to finally see some offense. After a dreadful showing in a 13-3 loss to Florida, LSU came out firing on all cylinders against the War Eagles. Unlike every other game this year, LSU punched the ball in for touchdowns (not field goals) right from the get-go. Had it not been for Jefferson's fumble in the first quarter it would of 21-0 after one quarter. And finally Russell Shepard got to see pay dirt. On a 69 yard scamper Shepard burst through the War Eagle defense and put the score at 31-3. Also worth noting is the LSU defense. Each game Defensive Coordinator John Chavis's crew looks better and better. LSU fans can only hope the Tigers can keep this complete game effort as LSU gets ready for a November 7th showdown against the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Jordan Jefferson played the best game of his career Saturday. His ability to get better every week is what makes this LSU team so potentially dangerous. If he can really get a handle on this LSU offense like he did against Auburn then watch out.

On the other side are the Auburn "Tigers". Through five games the War Eagles were 5-0 and hype began to form that maybe Auburn is better than we thought they were. After all there offense was running through everyone. Now fast forward to the present. First the War Eagles got dominated by Arkansas, then they lost at home to Kentucky who just lost their starting quarterback and finally they got dominated much worse than the score at Tiger Stadium against LSU. Auburn is currently 5-3 and you can not help but think that it might get worse. Auburn still has to play Ole Miss (this weekend), Georgia, and Alabama. Gene Chizik needs to get things under control before things really get chaotic.

29 Florida 19 Mississippi State

Something is not right in Gainesville. Prior to the season the Gators were touted as potentially the greatest team ever. Now granted most likely the team will go undefeated and win the national championship, but still it has to be noted how much the team is, well, struggling. It was a one score game going into the fourth quarter. Sure you can say that Bulldog coach Dan Mullen use to be Florida's offensive coordinator, but again this is supposed to be the greatest college football team ever. Tebow does not look like Tebow. He threw two pick sixes! Florida was fortunate to not have their interception in the fourth quarter overturned (the referees once again went brain dead), otherwise it would of be a one score game deep in the fourth quarter. Now I have to ask how does LSU's struggles against the Bulldogs look now? Maybe not so bad. If the Bulldogs took Florida to the brink you can not help but think that maybe, like Kiffin, once Mullen gets the athletes the wins will start happening.

Historic Photos of LSU Football: Best Holiday Gift

2009-10-15T23:23:00.014-05:00

One of my greatest passions is LSU football. My admiration for LSU football is the combination of the culture, the atmosphere, the sport, and lastly, but most importantly, the history.

Even though I love watching LSU football in the present time I still very much enjoy seeing how LSU football has progressed over the years. How Tiger Stadium has grown, how the uniforms have changed, and also how the passion for LSU football has always remained the same. The best way to visually capture an era of LSU football is through historic photos from that time period. If you are looking to add another book to your collection of LSU memorabilia than I have the perfect LSU book.

Historic Photos of LSU Football by Mark E. Martin and Barry Cowan is the culmination of over 100 years of never-before-seen LSU football photos. To top off an array of priceless photographs the book also highlights significant moments in LSU's football history since it started in 1893.

Here are some of the photos you can expect to see in this 150+ page book.

This is a picture of one of LSU's teams in the early 1900s. I am sure these guys did not have to worry about being scrutinized on message boards 24/7.

ROTC use to be a requirement for students at LSU. It was later stopped in the 1960s. Here is a picture of some of the cadets in 1923 boarding a train for an away game at Vanderbilt. Here is an interesting little tidbit. During this time Louisiana Governor Huey Long wanted the train company to charge less for each train ride so LSU's fans could afford to go to the game. When the train company refused to lower prices Long jacked up a Louisiana tax he could inflict on the train company. Not wanting to pay this new fee the train company eventually lowered their prices as Long initially insisted.

Also in the picture you can see a paper mache tiger. Before LSU got their first live tiger in 1936 this paper mache tiger was brought to every game, home or away.

You have to love the leather helmet. Players use to pack newspaper in them to make them fit tighter. I admire photos like these because in each shot you see guys just playing football. No whining, no complaining, just hard nosed American football.

This is another great photo. If you had not already noticed on the far left of the screen is the 1959 Heisman Trophy winner Billy Cannon. You have to like the fact that the coach has a hat and a whistle - that's it. No headset or enormous playbook. Just a whistle and a hat.

And outside of these pictures there are some very interesting stories. In 1908 over 33 college football players were killed playing football. The reason was because the sport was over-the-top physical. President Roosevelt even talked about stopping the sport forever if rule changes were not made! Well rule changes were made and the sport only continued to grow.

Or how about the story behind Tiger Stadium? The state of Louisiana was not going to directly fund a stadium that was just for football. No need to worry as former Louisiana Governor Huey Long found another way. Long was going to put dormitories in Tiger Stadium. Because dormitories were seen as educational, Long got the funding he desired.

There are a lot more interesting facts and historic photos that I would like to talk about, but I could go all day. Overall, if you really want to experience LSU football from it's start to present buy this book. You might even learn about how Mike III was let out of his cage by Tulane students...

Gators Triumph Tigers in Defensive Slugfest

2009-10-12T16:03:00.003-05:00

It was a little past 10 o'clock Saturday night when the dream was officially dead. The No. 1 Florida Gators defeated the No. 4 ranked LSU Tigers 13-3 in what will easily go down as the most anti-climatic game of my life.

Myself, along with countless other LSU fans spent months anxiously awaiting Saturday's game. Even fans outside of Florida and LSU waited for this game. It was supposed to be the game of the year, but at the end of the day the game was nothing to write home about.

Let me clarify that I am not calling this an ugly game simply because LSU lost. It's more complex. I was well aware that LSU might lose to Florida, it's just the manner that it happened in.

The thing that is troubling to me is that LSU's defense did it's part to give the Tigers a shot to take down Florida, but as everyone saw the offense for LSU did nothing. The Gators showed why they have the No. 1 defense, but at the same time let's be frank - the Florida Gators have a great defense but not a 3 points per game defense. My point? LSU hurt themselves a lot. And as good as the Gators' defense was the offense was nothing too thrilling.

On one end I think to myself about how well the LSU defense did. They shut down a powerful Florida attack to a mere 13 points. The defense went above and beyond what, we, the fans, thought they could do. But on the other end is the cold reality of the situation. LSU's offense was beyond inept. It looked disturbing like something out of the 1940s. HB dive, two yard pass, HB dive, and a lousy punt. I do not know where to point the finger.

Yes, it was apparent that Jefferson was having lots of trouble as he once again got sacked numerous. And there were the numerous missed throws. But still it has to be acknowledged how much the offensive line is still struggling. Okay so Jefferson struggled and the offensive line really struggled. That is not even the worst part.

The worst part about LSU's 13-3 loss was the absolute abysmal play calling by LSU. I will give LSU's defense a solid B. As for the offense and in particular play calling there's no question Crowton and Miles earned an F. For the life of me I will never understand why Miles and Crowton stuck to the same bleak, bland offense that has been haunting this team the entire year. The one thing that shocks me is there were no changes to the offense against a much better defense. It was a stubborn approach. There were no trick plays. And by all means the running back up the middle on first down 95% of the time is getting old. There was no attempt by the coaching staff to add a spark to the offense. Case and point can be seen in Russell Shepard. In the biggest game of the year the highly touted recruit played ZERO snaps. Not one. And this my friends is the most confusing part of LSU's 13-3 loss.

Through the grapevine I heard the two biggest things the Florida defensive line was worried about where Charles Scott and Russell Shepard. Miles gift wrapped the defensive line's job by not putting Shepard in the game.

Have you ever heard of the story where the amateur chess player plays the professional chess player? The amateur takes whatever move he can get, while the professional keeps looking for a move that he thinks the amateur is playing. So the game continues and the professional keeps looking for a strategy that the amateur is playing to, and the amateur is taking whatever opportunities are given to him. In the end the amateur wins. This is what is going on with the LSU offense. Miles and Crowton are looking for something bigger. They are thinking too much. They are not taking the opportunity which is you have a true freshman who is getting 6 yards every time he touches the ball. That is all that matters. Put him in the game!

And that's the answer to your trivia question! How do you kill a crowd of 93,000 fans? You run a dreadful offense, and as Saturday showed us it worked like a charm.

As painful as it was to see the LSU game I anxiously awaited I must say there are positives. Keep in mind Jefferson is young and that the defense did play great. Also, through six games LSU has only one loss.

Florida Comes to Death Valley

2009-10-09T14:56:00.003-05:00

This is it. The one game that has kept me up at night. The one game that motivates me when on the treadmill. It was about 83 days ago when I sent my dad the text, "84 days until Judgment Day!" It was the one game I could not stop dreaming of because of that smidgen of hope that the impossible could happen.

For months I proclaimed Saturday as Judgment Day. The day Superman fell. Superman is invincible? Nope. Turns out the Man of Steel loses to a fellow by the name of Doomsday. I have hoped for months that LSU would someone find a "Doomsday" by October 10th. Possibly, Chad "Dreadlocks of Doom" Jones? I could only ponder.

Tomorrow night Judgment Day will take place. The No. 1 ranked Florida Gators will come into Tiger Stadium to take on the LSU Tigers. The Gators are riding a 14 game winning streak and they are the over-the-top favorite to win the BCS National Championship.

Leading the way for the Gators is senior Tim Tebow. Behind Tebow there's an amazing defense, a stellar running game, and plethora of talent all over the field. Even with Tebow's current state the Gators are seen as an anonymous favorite to beat LSU.

No Tebow? Psh. Who cares! John Brantley will be an excellent quarterback. He will do fine against an average LSU defense!

A lot of those arguments do make sense. LSU does have a suspect offense and defense. How are they going to muster enough points to beat Florida? And really is Brantley that big of a downgrade from Tebow? For a whole week I have read them all, but in the end regardless of what I hear or read or how much I hear about how "upset" Florida is about their last trip to Tiger Stadium I still see an opportunity for LSU.

There's a reason it's called Death Valley. There's reason the stadium has a reputation as daunting as the Roman Coliseum. There's a reason it registered an earthquake back in 1988. There's a reason Bear Bryant referred to the stadium as "being inside a drum." The reason is because that place is the most over-the-top, intimidating place for a football team to play. There is something about. It is something you can not describe or define, but when that football team comes out onto the field and they see 93,000 screaming fans it is an instant shot of adrenaline. They feed off the crowd.

I look at that stadium I say LSU has a chance against Florida because of it. I honestly do not know what will happen Saturday. Most likely Florida will win because there's that notion that Florida's defense is far too good to let LSU beat them. Regardless of who is at quarterback the biggest battle is the LSU offense versus the Florida defense. You also look at the fact there's a young quarterback in Jordan Jefferson who is going against an experienced defense.

All that does not bode well for LSU...or so they say.

But then there's the other side. The X-factor. This game is in Tiger Stadium and like I described earlier the stadium is one of a kind. Take into account that last year LSU got embarrassed at The Swamp 51-21 and you have yourself the possibility of a fired up LSU coming out of the gate Saturday night.

If LSU wants to even think about beating Florida they have to punch the Gators in the mouth right out of the box. They have to make Florida fear. Florid has no fears. During this 14 game winning streak most teams have been blown out by the Gators. Sure there was the close game against Alabama in the SEC Championship, but that was in Atlanta.

And the intense National Championship game? That was in a neutral site as well.

My point is LSU has got to take advantage of the what should be the largest crowd in Tiger Stadium history. Les Miles's team has to grasp this advantage. I understand Brantley's great potential, but this is his first start. Take advantage of that LSU. Make them question Brantley early on. Make them panic. Make the Florida defense second guess each other. Plant in their minds LSU is outplaying them. Make them think they are not invincible.

In the words of King Leonidas in 300 during his talk with the tyrant Xerxes, "The world will know that free men stood against a tyrant, that few stood against many, and before this battle was over, even a god-king can bleed."

Show the world LSU that Florida can bleed. Show the world that Florida can fall.

College Football Week 5 Analysis

2009-10-08T21:15:00.012-05:00

With the college football season a third of the way done things were only expected to get more intense in the coming weeks. This past weekend was only the tip of the ice berg.

21 Miami 20 Oklahoma

There a couple things I noticed in this game. First, Miami has a defense. Yes, I understand Sam Bradford is out, but regardless Landry Jones was doing a solid job...up until he played Miami. Jacory Harris threw two costly interceptions in the first half which cost Miami big points. It was 10-0 Oklahoma and the game was one score away from getting out of hand. Because of an underrated Miami defense the Hurricanes were able to get back in the game. Good teams do this: they find themselves in ugly games, down early, and are able to pull themselves together and pull out a win.

Up 21-10 Oklahoma punted and the Hurricanes looked in control of the game. Then it happened. I see it all the time. The silly defensive player runs into the punter. In this case that call was probably justified, but in so many other cases it AMAZES me how easily referees throw the flag on that play. You are one inch away from blocking a punt and poof! it's a 15 yard penalty? Do they really think players can move their bodies in that moment? With all that said Oklahoma got that first down off that penalty and scored a touchdown. Despite all this Miami was still able to hold on and pull out their GUTSIEST victory of the season.

Miami's Drive of the Season: Oklahoma opts for a field goal to cut the score to 21-20. Miami got the ball back with 4:18 and the Sooners still had two timeouts. The Hurricanes milked the clock and then the offense pulled off the biggest conversion of the season. It was 3rd and 6 with 2:35 at the Sooner 36. Miami had two options they could run it up the middle and kill tons of time off the clock. The team would then either kick a field goal or punt. Long story short - Oklahoma would get the ball back with around 1:50 still left. Then there's option b) get the first down and end the game.

Miami did just that with an eight yard pass to Dedrick Epps. That takes a lot of guts to do that. If Harris does not make the place Oklahoma gets the ball back with 2:20 left in the game and down by only one point.

37 Notre Dame 30 Washington

Similar to LSU, Notre Dame finds ways to win. It might not always be pretty, but the team WINS. Against Washington the Irish were on the ropes. It was 24-19 and the Huskies (8 point losers to LSU and defeaters of USC) were looking to go up 31-19 and put the game out of hand. But Weis's team hung tough and gave up zero points on that drive. It says a lot about a team that gives up only 3 points when there opponent gets inside their 10 twice. For once I have to agree with Lou Holtz - Jimmy Clausen is looking like a Heisman trophy candidate. 23 of 31 422 yards and 2 touchdowns! You can not overlook stats like that.

Here's the thing I know there is a lot of ND hate out there, but you have to look at what this team has accomplished. They have one loss (Michigan) where the team lost right at the end. They beat Purdue at Purdue on a fourth conversion, and they also beat an always tough Michigan State that is notorious for playing spoiler. Am I saying they are top 5 material? No. But they are sure as heck a top 15 team Mr. Andy Staples of Sports Illustrated!

This is there best chance in years to beat USC.

26 Michigan State 20 Michigan

You never know what to think about the Spartans. One week they look like a 5 loss team, the next they are playing to their potential and taking down undefeated teams like the Michigan Wolverines. It will be interesting to see if this win will catapult Michigan State into playing to their potential the rest of the season. The Spartans are still not a top tier Big 10 team.

On the other side I want to point out how impressed I am with Tate Forcier so far. I understand he threw a critical interception in overtime, but rest assured overtime never happens if Forcier does not drive Michigan down the field late in the game. It is amazing to think how good Forcier can be in a year. I mean at this young of an age he is already making veteran-like plays. There was 2:53 left in the game. Michigan was down by 7 and they had the ball on their 8 yard line. And to top it off they were on the road in an underrated hostile crowd, yet Forcier still manages to bring his team down for the tying touchdown. That speaks volumes. team down for the tying touchdown. Biggest concern is the Wolverine defense. If Michigan can get a defense in the coming years no reason to think they can not be in the national championship talks again.

20 LSU 13 Georgia

There's a number of things I want to talk about as far as LSU's game goes. First, LSU was ticked off. A week of hearing how "overrated" they were got the team motivated...and it showed in the first half. Despite the all around amazing defensive performance in the first half LSU's offense failed in punching the ball in the end zone. With only a 6-0 lead at the half I was afraid LSU was going to suffer from what I call the Kiss of Death. The Kiss of Death is when a team goes up only 6-0 after having dominated the game. It was a given that the third quarter would start with UGA fired up. To go up 7-6 after being dominated in the first half was nothing short of a huge confidence boost for Georgia. Still making your opponent use 18 plays to go 60 yards to get a touchdown is nothing to be ashamed of LSU. Later in the game Joe Cox threw what I thought was a blatant intentional grounding in his own end zone. LSU would get the ball back and in time Jordan Jefferson would put together the drive of the season.

There was 6:47 left in the game and LSU trailed 7-6. The Tigers had the ball on their 12 yard line. Jefferson showed his potential and beyond. The drive was nothing short of heart stopping. Twice Brandon LaFell, our big time first round pick, dropped big passes. And then Richard Dickson, the old reliable tight end, dropped a pass as well. But where others fail, someone new steps up. Big time recruit Reuben Randle caught only two catches for 28 yards...and they could not have come at a bigger time in the game. The sky is the limit for a true freshman who catches a huge third down on good coverage, in a hostile environment.

After LSU's touchdown to go up 12-7 I thought LSU could hold on. I felt the final score would be 12-7. The Bulldogs faced a 3rd and 6 deep in their territory and in one play a simple screen turned in a nauseating 46 yard gain. One play later AJ Green made an incredible play and the Bulldogs were up 13-12.

There's a lot to say about a team that takes the lead after a long drive, loses it, and has the drive to again go down the field and score once more. For 57 minutes LSU could not score a touchdown, yet for some reason when the fourth quarter was coming to a close LSU's urgency kicked in. They executed. After an incredible 40 yard kickoff by Trindon Holliday LSU was back in UGA territory. A couple plays later and the Charles Scott of last year showed up. 33 yards later LSU grabbed the lead for the final time. The defense closed the deal and LSU won again 20-13.

Let me clarify that excessive celebration penalty was an AWFUL call, but if you honestly think that's why LSU won I have to question whether you watched the game. (Cough! College Football News staff!) After LSU scored to go up 20-13 Scott was flagged for excessive celebration as well. Yet on that kickoff LSU stopped UGA at their 33. What am I saying? UGA needs to be pointing the finger at their special teams. And keep in mind if Scott does not make that touchdown run LSU is looking at a 45 yard field goal to win the game. By no means is that a gimme.

I guess that's all I have to say this week....

Wait, what's that? LSU plays who this weekend? Fla-or-da? Is that how you say it?

Do not worry I will breakdown that game...

College Football Week 4 Analysis

2009-09-29T14:01:00.004-05:00

For once I am going to get my analysis out before Friday! All year I have started my college football analysis on Monday to only have it posted Friday. What can I say I have the joy of being smothered by school.

On to Week 4...

16 South Carolina 10 Ole Miss

All summer long message boards were flaring up about Ole Miss being overrated. Personally, I thought No. 4 was high for the Rebels, but we would not see that for a couple weeks. I mean really lose their first big game? Please! I never imagined the Rebels to play so lousy against South Carolina. But as lousy as the Rebels played you have to get a lot of that credit to the Gamecock defense. South Carolina missed countless opportunities to put the game away, but still managed to halt a late Ole Miss charge. Jevan Snead has looked nothing more than average this year. It's one thing to lose on the road 33-30 in a tough game, but to lose 16-10 when your offense played so lousy is just sickening for the people of Oxford. Greg Hardy and Co. showed that the defense will not be able to get Ole Miss out of all their offensive woes.

30 LSU 26 Mississippi State

I really do not know what to think about LSU's game. There's a part of me that is aggravated because for much of the game LSU failed to close the door on the Bulldogs. They failed to capitalize. They missed PATs, field goals, mishandled punts, and blew assignments in the defensive secondary. It was a lackluster performance that had me on the verge of a heart attack.

But then there's another part of me. A part of me that says finally the offense let Jefferson air it out. And heck it might not have been pretty but the Tigers did win. It's far too common of a thing where moronic people go on the Internet and undermine a huge defensive stand for LSU. I, for one, will not. LSU was up 30-24 and failed to move the ball on offense. The Tigers punted it back to Mississippi State with plenty of time. Then it happened a couple passes and more bruising runs right up the middle and poof! the Bulldogs were on the 2 yard line with a 1:29 left and a 1st and Goal. This was it. It was over. I was seeing everything. Bulldogs score and make the PAT and it's 31-30. LSU gets the ball back and Jefferson throws an interception. Starkville newspapers explode at the fact that the Bulldogs beat the Tigers for the first time since 1999. I, foolishly, thought it was over. On 1st and Goal from the 2 Anthony Dixon plowed to the 1 yard line. It was insane how close he was. Must of been the width of a cockroach's antenna. No more. Then, LSU called a timeout in anticipation of the touchdown. On 2nd and Goal Mississippi State again gave it to Dixon, but this time he got nothing. Zero. Zip. Nadda. 3rd and Goal and my pulse is up to 240. The Bulldogs try a trick play, they fake the hand off and go for a pass to a wide open tight end. It went flawless and then Chad Jones swatted the ball down. Pulse is now at 260. Here it was 4th and Goal at the 4 inch line. Quarterback Tyson Lee took the snap and went right up the middle. Nothing. Not a yard.

LSU would get the ball back and purposely get a safety and win 30-26, but it was all so odd. We, the fans, thought it was over. This is what amazed me. Mississippi State cut through LSU's defense all afternoon. The running game was going down our throats, yet at the end of the day the defense thought to themselves, "hey we haven't lost it yet." I do not know how this LSU team will do this year. Each week is a different team, but what I do know this: I will not forget the day LSU stopped Mississippi State from getting 4 inches. The day the defense did not quit. The day LSU thought to themselves it is not over yet.

31 Virginia Tech 7 Miami-Florida

At the end of the day when you add all the numbers up, Lane Stadium is one of the most underrated hostile environments out there. LSU went there in 2002 and got demolished 26-8. It happens countless times a team walks into that stadium thinking not much of it only to get jumped on. In the rain the Hokies jumped on the Hurricanes and beat up on Randy Shannon's crew like no one has done all year. At halftime it was 21-0. After two stellar games, Jacory Harris had an uncharacteristic nightmare of an afternoon against the Hokie D. It is not so much that VTech won it's how they did it. Right out of the gates they jump on visiting opponents and before you can blink an eye it's 14-0. Sure Jacory Harris rallied his troops at Doak Walker Stadium, but this was different. This was Lane Stadium, home of public humiliations and embarrassments since 1965.

42 Oregon 3 California

When I posted my predictions for the 2009 season I said, "By the end of October the California Bears WILL no longer be in the dark horse National Championship talk." It is not the end of October but a tremendous blow was taken to the Cal National Championship talk. The Bears were manhandled by the Ducks in every facet of the game. The funny thing is Cal actually went up 3-0, but at the end of the day they got out gained 524 yards to 207 yards. Certain teams in this country have class. On any given Saturday they are going to come to play. Sure they might not win, but they will fight till the end. California does not have that yet. You are the 6th ranked team and you lose by 39 on the road to an unranked Oregon Squad? And let's not forget USC plays at Oregon later in the year. Talk about a game to look forward to! Heck, if Oregon plays like that the rest of the season we might be seeing the Ducks in the Rose Bowl.

Tebow injury: Unlike anything we have ever seen in his four years at Florida, quarterback Tim Tebow got his lights absolutely knocked out. There's a lot of talk on whether Tebow will play LSU in two weeks October 10 (aka Judgment Day). Let me answer that question right now. TEBOW WILL BE PLAYING. I would be very, very surprised if he did not start. Tebow wants to play this game bad and LSU wants to play him just as much. Two years ago we beat UF in Tiger Stadium 28-24, but last year the Gators took it to LSU in the Swamp 51-21. Everyone is anticipation of this match up. It is Judgment Day after all.

College Football Week 3 Analysis

2009-09-20T17:51:00.011-05:00

College football will always amaze. No matter the circumstances, no matter how certain I am a team will do, in some way or another college football will amaze me. This week was no different by a long shot.

23 Florida 13 Tennessee:

This game has more people scratching there heads despite the favored team still winning. Florida was supposed to win 60-10. Florida was going to mop up the Vols on Saturday because after all new UT coach Lane Kiffin talked trash about Urban Meyer. This game was about as big a lock as there was. FLORIDA WAS GOING TO DESTROY TENNESSEE. But at the end of the game the mighty Gators had only beaten the Volunteers by a mere ten points. Confusion has sent into the minds of nearly half the college football fan base. I, for one, am still scratching my head.

I have heard the statement, "if Tebow didn't fumble it would of been 30-6." Well I can shoot one back at you, "if Crompton would of scored at the end of the game when UT had the ball at midfield it would of been 23-20." With all excuses aside this is what we learned...

One of three things happened: a) Florida is not as good as we thought they were [doubtful] b) Tennessee is a lot better than we expected or c) Lane Kiffin knows how to put together a game plan.

Honestly, I think the answer is C. Kiffin, from what I have heard, put together a game plan that took away Tebow's options. I do not think anyone expected it to work as well as it did. Here's the thing: Tim Tebow will not be the QB he was last year if he forced to carry the ball 25 times a game. That is too much. Even Superman will get worn down. Remember 2007 when Tebow was really fighting through some pain? You better believe Florida wants to avoid that again.

So if you limit Tebow's options are you saying a team has a chance against Florida? Yes, but again let's keep in mind that you can always say, "well Florida was off Saturday." Maybe that same game plan does not work in the future.

And finally, most likely the Gators will go undefeated and they will win the BCS Championship, but that easy path to the top looks more jagged than we imagined.

16 Washington 13 USC

Each year, despite the loads of talent at Southern Cal, the Trojans trip up against at least one team. One week after beating Ohio State in Columbus the Trojans fell to the Washington Huskies in Husky Stadium 16-13. Couple things: Jake Locker is legit. Against LSU he tore us up and caused hell all night. When he did the same thing to the Trojans, LSU's defensive struggles did not look as disappointing. We learned a lot about Aaron Corp as well. From the looks of the game Saturday he is nothing spectacular. One of the more interesting things about this game is the fact USC scored only 13 points. Sure the Trojans trip up, but it always manages to be a 20+ score. The fact that UW shut down USC to a mere 13 points raises my eyebrows. Okay, so Corp does not have a lot of experience, but you still have Joe McKnight. Maybe Coach Sark has this team farther along than we imagined.

31 LSU 3 Louisiana-Lafayette

After Saturday's victory LSU is 23-0 against ULL. 16 of those games have been shutouts. The Ragin' Cajuns really thought they had a chance tonight and for a great majority of the game they did indeed hang with the Tigers. LSU still displayed an inability to make things happen on offense. The defense, for the second straight game, was stellar, but how good is one's defense if your offense is not doing much? Jordan Jefferson is still very much a work in progress, but I have to ask why oh why do they not at least open up the playbook? Another tailback dive on first down? It's far too predictable and frankly boring. I have confidence LSU will get things going on offense in the coming weeks.

College Football: Concerns, Issues After Week 2

2009-09-15T20:20:00.008-05:00

Two weeks into the season and we already have back to back weeks were a top 5 team have fallen. I can only imagine what the rest of the season holds. Here's what I learned from week 2.

Florida 56 Troy 6: The Gators' D has given up a total of 9 points in two games, but we have yet to see them go against a quality opponent. Florida's second warm up game gave us nothing new about the Gators. UF will take on Tennessee who is not what I would call "a quality opponent" yet.

Houston 45 Oklahoma State 35: One week after defeating the Georgia Bulldogs, Oklahoma State gets beaten at home by the Houston Cougars. This upset is not all that incredible. Houston likes to throw the ball a lot with quarterback Casey Keenum, the 2008 Conference USA offensive player of the year. I am sure Oklahoma State has a better defense than last year, but at the end of the day this game shows us that their pass defense is still lacking. What happens when Oklahoma State goes up against other Big 12 gunslingers like Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, and Taylor Potts? The remarkable thing is Oklahoma State went down 24-7 rallied to take the lead 28-24 then again at 35-31.

Michigan 38 Notre Dame 34: This was a game that has been marked for months. The losing team was sure to have a head coach who's job security would be damaged. Coming into this game I did not look at Michigan with the same underdog status as most of the country labeled them as. (Mainly because RichRod's offense came into being against Western Michigan in week 1.) Did I honestly think UM would win? No. Overall, very good game and even though ND lost they still have no reason to think this season is over. In the fourth quarter UM held a 31-20 lead that was quickly turned into a 34-31 ND lead with 5:13 left. NOW HERE IS WHERE THINGS GOT INTERESTING. Michigan can not get the ball moving and punts the ball to Notre Dame. The ball is downed with 3:25 left in the game. On first down ND runs for 13 yards for a first down. Now it's first down and ND runs a another play up the middle and is stopped for one yard. UM then uses it's first time out. There are 2:29 left in the game and it is 2nd and 9. On the next two plays ND throws the ball and both are incomplete. UM gets the ball back on a punt on there 43 yard line with 2:19 left and 2 timeouts. And it is right here where you have to ask Coach Weis what was he thinking. If you are going to make that gamble where you throw it instead of opting to run the ball and burn there timeouts you better execute the play otherwise you are going to get ripped apart. Here's the thing, let's say Weis runs the ball on 2nd and 3rd down and both times UM calls a timeout. Well at least when they would get the ball back Michigan would have no timeouts. Weis gambled and lost and now he must pay.

And by the way I was very impressed with Tate Forcier. In his first start he threw for 240 and ran for 70. 310 total yards in one start? Not bad at all.

USC 18 Ohio State 15: This was the game of the week. USC was supposed to run over OSU, but for much of the game OSU was in control. Even after Terrelle Pryor's first play interception, OSU was still able to take control of the game. OSU had the largest crowd in The Shoe's history, they neutralized Joe McKnight, they made Matt Barkley look average, and they had a 5 point lead, 15-10, with 7 minutes to go in the fourth. Yet in the end Ohio State lost a heartbreaker. Behind Matt Barkley, USC had a 6:10 minute drive that was oh so similar to Juice Williams of Illinois's 8 minute drive back in 2007. Even though USC broke OSU's back with that 6:10 drive, the Bucks still had a shot with 1:05 left. After a return to the OSU 36 yard line the offense sputtered and OSU fell again. I can only help but think when is Pryor going to have his moment? Sure it was a difficult situation, down by 3 with 1 minute left, but these are things Pryor is supposed to do. He was brought in as the next Vince Young. This was a situation in which he was supposed to excel. A guy like Pryor is supposed to fall in this sort of sentence. "The game was lost and any normal quarterback would of lost, but we had Pryor so we won." Bottom line when is Pryor going to have his moment?

LSU 23 Vanderbilt 9: There's a lot to be said about the LSU game. There's good and bad news. First the bad, or I should say UNSATISFYING news. LSU's offense is not at the place we all thought they would be. Many times on Saturday LSU went three and out. This was frustrating by all means because our playcalling seemed to be so bland. All summer there was talk about how Gary Crowton was going to really pump up the LSU offense. I, as well as all LSU fans, was excited to see The Wizard (Crowton) do his magic, but we have not seen that yet. I understand QB Jordan Jefferson is young, what I do not understand is why we ran the same old running back dive up the middle on three or four consecutive possessions. Each time LSU was getting no yardage whatsoever. What needed to take place for it to be realized that a running back dive on first down was not working? Also, LSU had 5 wide receivers many times, but very rarely threw the ball deep.

Here are some things to keep in mind if you are one of the people upset by LSU leading Vandy by the mere score of 16-9 in the fourth quarter. Imagine if one of LSU's three field goals resulted in a touchdown. Instead of 16-9, we are looking at 20-9 and a final score of 27-9. The main thing is the offense is still a work in progress but at the same time if they could just punch it in the endzone a little more than LSU would not be in the situation they were Saturday - up by only 7 in the fourth.

Now for the good news. In week 1 LSU's defense gave up an appalling 471 yards of offense to the Washington Huskies. A lot of skepticism came out as to whether or not new defensive coordinator John Chavis was the man for the job. The performance against UW was nothing to be proud of, but I was convinced Chavis would get it under control. After all he is not a first year coach, he has been doing this for years, and he's been good at it.

That all changed this past Saturday against Vanderbilt. The LSU defense gave up a mere 210 yards. Period. Vandy had one scoring drive that would of ended had LB Kelvin Sheppard not dropped an interception that would of surely been six points. Chad Jones, as well as the rest of the team, was tackling a lot better. Also, the defensive line started to really get into it. How about the play by Drake Nevis and Al Woods? And what about cornerback Patrick Peterson? He literally shuts down his side of the field. I am excited to see this unit continue to grow throughout the season.

As of now LSU can compete with Alabama, Ole Miss, and Georgia mainly because of our defense's play Saturday. Again I might be jumping the gun on that at this moment.

Florida? Lots of improvement needs to be shown on offense if we want the sky to fall October 10th, but never say never.

Things I was WRONG about...

Unless UCLA has one heck of a defense, UT's offense is not that good. I guess in the end it was just the fact they were playing Western Kentucky. In there home stadium the Vols lost 19-15 to a young, inexperienced UCLA team. Vol QB Jonathon Crompton's performance was dreadful to say the least. He was 13 of 26 for 93 yards and 3 interceptions. Touchdowns? Zero. And oh yeah he lost a fumble as well.

Auburn. I was kept thinking dark times where upon the War Eagles. They did a lousy job of hiring a coach and the SEC West was far too loaded for them to make any noise. I know it's only been 2 games, but rest assured a 49-24 over Mississippi State is something to raise your eyebrow on. Look I know it's early on, but I am ust saying do not be surprised if Auburn starts making some noise.

College Football: Issues, Concerns After Week 1

2009-09-11T13:21:00.011-05:00

You really have to question my intelligence when I decide that I would like to put my thoughts on the first week of college football the day before the second week begins. I will do my best to avoid this happening again.

Anyway here's what I picked up from week 1...

Florida: The Gators romped Charleston Southern 62-3. We did not learn anything about the UF because a) they went against Charleston Southern and b) look at A. Saturday they play, gasp, Troy. But come September 19th the Gators will have there first challenge when they play Tennessee (an unknown team) in the Swamp.

Alabama: Saban's defense is definitely legit and a formidable opponent, but at the end of the day are they are good as they came across against Virginia Tech? Yes, they did beat a top 5 opponent 34-24, but that VTech offensive play calling is so horrid! It has to be frustrating being a VTech fan watching that offense. Also, Greg McElroy did get into a groove in the second half, but he was shaky for sure in the first. Still the young quarterback helped put up 34 points against a top 5 defense and that can not go unnoticed.

USC: The Trojans behind playboy Matt Barkley beat San Jose State 56-3. This week they go into Columbus and the general thought is Ohio State struggled against Navy so USC will win, right? In the words of Lee Corso, "not so fast my friends!" I originally said USC would lose to Ohio State and I can not change my opinion because week 1 did not go as flawless as I had hoped for Ohio State. Ohio State needs this game more than USC. USC does not run the triple option so Ohio State will have a better chance preparing for their opponent. Overall I just do not see a 19 year old freshman quarterback going into the Shoe in front of 100,000+ fans and pulling out a victory.

Oklahoma: Andre Ware was the only guy who said the offensive line for Oklahoma would cause huge problems for Sam Bradford. He said OU would lose 3 to 4 games this year because of it. He was laughed at, but after week 1 his proclamation holds true. BYU was causing havoc for Bradford all day before he left the game injured. Keep in mind OU was only up 13-7 when he went out! Major kudos to BYU for right out of the gates setting the tone for a season that could be nothing short of spectacular.

Oklahoma State: All I keep hearing is, "well I guess Georgia is not as good as we thought they were." Wait! What if it's just the fact that Oklahoma State is finally for real? In a game of epic proportions (highest preseason ranking ever for OSU) the Cowboys beat the Bulldogs in Stillwater 24-10. Despite the stingy UGA defense, Dez Bryant was still able to have his touchdown that would break open the game. Main thing is do not blow off Georgia for the rest of the season because after all, this could be a very special Cowboy squad.

Boise State: I am telling you in 10 years the Boise State Broncos are going to have a national championship. That school is not only winning against bigger schools they are doing it with the athletes. High school athletes are going there because the offense is fun and you get to get on the field right away. Why wait 2 years on the bench to play when you can start right from the get-go at Boise State? In the season opener the Broncos dismantled a Oregon team in the oddest final score I have ever seen, 19-8. I was very surprised to see Oregon not have any fight in them. Lackluster effort for a team in trouble.

Notre Dame: No lie, I was pretty impressed by the 35-0 win by ND against Nevada. First a shutout is a shutout. Second, Nevada has one the nation's best quarterback in Colin Kaepernick. College footbal guru, Phil Steele, named Kaepernick the 7th best quarterback in college football! And this guy could not muster any points? I honestly think that this Notre Dame has a chance to be a very special team. National championship caliber? No not quite, but BCS bowl bound for sure.

LSU: The first half was not what the LSU faithful where hoping for. The defense looked out of sync and Jake Locker was having his way. But in the second half things changed. Let's put it this way: if LSU were to have stopped Washington from that last scoring drive than Washington would of had only 150 yards in the second half! But as we know Washington drove down the field and scored with no time left to lose 31-23. The general negativity surrounding LSU already from LSU fans is sickening to even comprehend. I can understand questioning a defensive coordinator who is young and inexperienced, but John Chavis is neither of those. Chavis has experience and he has been successful many times in the past. Will LSU be holding opponents to 14 points a game? No, but I do know they will improve as the season goes on. I am hopeful the defense will come around.

Cincinnati: Maybe we were all wrong to think Cincy's 2008 season was an anomaly. Sure it was only one game, but it's hard to look back the lashing the Bearcats put on Rutgers this past Saturday. On Rutgers's home turf Cincinnati rolled to a 47-15 win! Rutgers, by many, seemed like the logical choice to be the team that represents the Big East in a BCS Bowl.

California: The jury is still out for this Golden Bears squad that I am convinced will falter midseason. Winning 52-13 is always reason to smile, but lets not get past the fact it is Maryland. We need more weeks to see California play before we make a better call on this team.

Miami-Florida: What a game. How Miami managed to stop Florida State that many times inside their four yard line is beyond me. Jacory Harris definitely showed he has the potential to be the next great Miami quarterback. Though one has to wonder is Harris that good, or just a product of a lousy Seminole defense? On the other side I have to say I was impressed with Christian Ponder of Florida State. No reason the Seminoles (or Hurricanes, whom I predicted would have 5 losses a week ago) can not go 9-3.

Penn State: Joe Pa's crew has got a defense. Period. So what if it's Akron the fact that a college team only got 8 yards in one half of football is amazing. The game was over at halftime. If Daryll Clark can stay hot than look for the Penn State game against Ohio State to decide whether or not Joe Pa returns to the national championship.

Illinois: I almost forgot to talk about this game. Missouri came into this game as a team the nation was expecting to have a major drop off. After being blessed with Brad Smith and Chase Daniel, Mizzo came into this year with no real quarterback threat. Yet somehow the Tigers managed to completely manhandle the Fightin' Illini 37-9? Hate to be bold, but Ron Zook's job is in trouble if he can not turn this around. Losing by 4 touchdowns to Mizzo when you have a senior quarterback in Juice Williams does not bode well at all. Should you be nervous about this season if you root for Zook's crew? Yes, gulp, oh yes.

Tennessee: I know it's only Western Kentucky. I know that WKU is about as bad as Division 1 football team as there can be, but still you have to acknowledge that Jonathon Crompton going 21 of 28 for 5 touchdowns is signs of improvement. Yes, I know Lane Kiffin left Crompton in the game well into the fourth quarter, yet I still can not help but think to myself that maybe Tennessee is a lot farther along offensively than we expected. And did I mention in his first game as a college back Bryce Brown went over the century mark? Yes it was Western Kentucky...but still.

Michigan: Western Michigan is no power house, but the school is a respectable MAC power team. When I take that into account and then I see that UM won 31-7 I have to say I think RichRod's offense is more in sync than we all thought. This weekend against Notre Dame will go a long way to tell us how good this UM offense is. ND will be favored, but to blow off Michigan would be silly.

2009 College Football Bold Predictions

2009-09-01T10:42:00.007-05:00

This is it. After what has seemed like 10,000 days of waiting college football is back. Thursday night meaningful games will finally kick off, but before that day comes let me lay out my predictions for the season.

Florida WILL go undefeated and they WILL win the National Championship.
(I keep looking and when I really evaluate this team I do not see them tripping up once.)

By the end of October the California Bears WILL no longer be in the dark horse National Championship talk.
(I have been hearing all summer how this Cal team is going to make some noise. I do not see this year being any different from the other years we, the fans, were lead to believe this.)

Ohio State WILL beat USC on September 12th.
(Matt Barkley is 18 years old. He turns 19 on September 8th. He has never started a college game. I do not think in his second game of the year he will be able to pull out a victory in front of 100,000+ screaming fans. I do not care how good he was in high school and I'm sure he will have a fine college career. But at the end of the day I do not think with such little experience he will be able to beat the Buckeyes.)

Baylor behind the nation's best kept secret, quarterback Robert Griffin, will pull off a big upset this year, but Baylor will not going bowling this year.

Miami Florida's head coach Randy Shannon will be fired at the end of the year as his team will again under perform. The Hurricanes will finish with 5 losses.

Michigan will not lose more than 4 games.

Once again Texas will just sneak by Oklahoma State. Much like the Fiesta Bowl, Colt McCoy will lead Texas for a late score at the end of the game to beat the Cowboys.

Oklahoma beats Texas. Oklahoma loses two games. Texas goes to the Big 12 Championship and then the National Championship.

Notre Dame will be getting a BCS bowl after they finish the season with only 2 losses. And yes they will lose to USC again.

Alabama will lose at the most 2 games during the regular season. Ole Miss will lose only one when the Bengals come into town. Ole Miss will go to the SEC Championship Game.

LSU will have their swagger back this year, but a very hard schedule will keep them out of the SEC Championship Game.

Rutgers will not win the Big East. Pittsburgh will take the conference and the coveted BCS bowl bid.

West Virginia will have 5 losses this year. Speculation will begin about whether Bill Stewart is the right guy for the job.

Alabama will beat Virginia Tech 31-14. Tech has a defense, but the offense will not be able to do anything against Alabama's defense.

Texas A&M has another losing season and surprisingly gives Mike Sherman one more year.

Dan LeFevour. He's what some would call the "poor man's Tim Tebow." He will lead Central Michigan to the MAC Title and to go along with that Houston will win the Conference-USA.

Sorry Archie Griffin, but you no longer have the record by yourself. Tim Tebow will win the Heisman trophy.

Oregon looked pretty impressive in their bowl victory against Oklahoma State so I will have to take the Ducks. Look for Oregon to end Boise State's 49-game regular-season home winning streak. It will be decided by one score.

Well that's all I have. In all honesty I'm the "Jeff George" of making predictions. Average, but nothing more.

Geaux Tigers!

Email me MM

Dissecting the Man Known as Brett Favre

2009-08-18T12:04:00.009-05:00

This needs to be analyzed. There needs to be a team of MIT grads studying Brett Favre daily. 24 hours a day men and women in the top of their field need to watch Favre and his everyday movements. He needs to be examined because honestly what is going on in the sports world with No. 4 does not make any logical sense.

It's beyond obnoxious and annoying. It's sick. It's disturbing.

For the past 5 years after the Super Bowl has ended the headline story revolves around Favre and the possibility of him retiring. It went on to the point that we all knew he would be hanging it up soon. The Great Green Bay Packer would cry his eyes out and go off into the Mississippi sunset only to be sparely seen as an analyst on ESPN.

This is how retirement goes. You push it off for years and then boom! it happens. You need to stop playing. Your body can not take it anymore. You thank all who have helped you along the way and you hang it up. It's what everyone has done. Emmitt Smith, Steve Young and Steve McNair are some recent retirees who followed this path.

But Favre was different. Something psychological took place in him. First in the winter of 2008 he retired. He officially hung his cleats up. He cried his eyes out and he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated with an article that glorified his terrific career.

But then he came back. Said he still wanted to play. After months of chaos between Favre and the Packers (Favre did not want to have to compete for the starting job with Aaron Rodger), Favre signed with the New York Jets. And No. 4 was again back in the league.

The Jets season went well and they looked like they were heading to the postseason. Whether it was a lack of focus or Favre's sporadic play, New York gagged and missed the postseason. Criticisms about the quarterback came out of the Jets locker room and shortly after the season Brett Favre again, for the second straight year, officially retired.

Then it happened again. Almost like a joke. The Man Who Can't Retire resurfaced as being interested in coming back to the NFL, specifically the Minnesota Vikings. Rumors begin to float around that one of Favre's reasons for going to Minnesota was to stick it to current Green Bay Packers' general manager Ted Thompson twice a year. So we the general public were lead to believe that Favre was going to come back to the Vikings soon. The months dragged on and the speculation only intensified. Message boards exploded with daily topics about the subject.

Then in late July, Favre announced he was done. He was really done this time. No more games. He made quotes that his body could not take the toll of a full NFL season. The issue was over. Favre was not coming back.

Then like clockwork it happened again, Favre was still interested in coming back to the NFL. Reports came out that Favre was going to sign with the Vikings. A couple of Minnesota players were positive Favre was going to sign very soon. And he did. A two year contract worth 25 million dollars.

I feel like I just survived a nuclear bomb blast. I am walking around the city seeing the debris and not knowing what is up and what is down. Favre's antics are inconceivable. It's more than a man still wanting to play the game. It's a guy who can not make up his mind. Period. I want to understand this. I want to understand why Favre thinks their should be no hard feelings because he now going to be playing for the Minnesota Vikings. I want to understand how a man can play this retirement game for so long. Again this is not normal. This is completely new breed we are all unfamiliar with. Maybe Favre was always this psychological, disturbing, indecisive guy.

But through it all is there anything that can could happen next with Favre that would surprise you? Would you be surprised if Favre said, "I don't want to play anymore for Minnesota?" No. Would you be surprised if Favre got a serious injury mid season, said he was done and then in the summer of 2010 reports came out that the Buffalo Bills where talking with him? No.

As confused as I am, I can not imagine what is going on in the hearts of the Green Bay Packer faithful. Here is a man who was the face of their franchise for 16 years and in the end he goes to the Minnesota Vikings to some degree to "stick it to Ted Thompson."

Don't deny it Favre. It's a motive.

The Ultimate 2009 SEC West Breakdown

2009-08-12T20:36:00.014-05:00

Earlier this summer I posted my thoughts on the SEC East. I stated I would give my analysis for the SEC West. Well, finally I have an SEC West prediction for the 2009 season, but this time things are a bit different. Instead of me breaking down the SEC West I let my dad spread his thoughts.

Enjoy.

________________________________________

I need a fix. It has been seven months since I’ve watched a live LSU football game and my patience is waning. National recruiting day anticipation and the post signing euphoria carried me through February and into early March. March Madness was good until LSU drew North Carolina in the second round. College baseball season was great – hey, we won a National Championship, but that was over in late June. The final blow was discovering that someone (hopefully inadvertently) erased the Georgia Tech Game on the DVR. I am left with my imagination.

Lately, my only relief comes from listening to Bill King of Rivals Radio analyze who has the best three deep roster. Beside that bit of fascinating analysis, we get an hourly call from an Auburn or Tennessee hopeful asking Bill to confirm that they could really be better than all of the prognosticators are saying. “We had a great spring, our conditioning is going well and our coaches have great discipline – can we win 8 or 9 games?” Nope, sorry boys, you are in the darkness. Just about every fan base in the NCAA has experienced it at some point, certainly we have at LSU. You are going to be thrown into the pits, forced to grind and gnash your teeth.

Twenty-four days and a wake up and it will be over for me. LSU kicks off on the West Coast with Washington, Ty Willingham’s latest debacle. Meanwhile, I have decided to do a bit of prognosticating myself. Here is my shot at handicapping the SEC West. Being an engineer, I decided to take an analytical approach. Not that it will make my projections any more accurate as the one thing I have learned over the years is that predicting sporting outcomes is a crapshoot. You throw it down and walk away. Here it goes.

I have broken my analysis into five categories, each weighted relatively evenly. This includes the

1. athletic quality of the roster using historical recruiting as the benchmark,

2. quality of the coaching staff,

3. returning players in leadership positions,

4. key difference makers or star quality athletes,

5. and finally -non-measureables (things I just have a feel for).

Strength of Recruiting

There are always exceptions, but you can get a pretty good feel for the quality of school’s roster by simply analyzing their historical recruiting success. If you look at the top schools in the country, determined by ranking services such as ESPN/USA Today, you will find a fairly close correlation with the school’s success; and the recent recruiting success as determined by ranking services. It is that simple. Sure, the recruiting rankings often miss on perspective athletes and they often under or over estimate a team’s overall position, but they are generally very closely aligned to how a team performs and finishes. For purposes of this evaluation, I just picked one service and looked at the rankings over the past five years. This is what I found utilizing the Rivals website rankings from 2004 until 2009:

Rivals Recruiting Ranking by Year

2004: Alabama (15), LSU (2), Auburn (21), Ole Miss (30), Arkansas (22), Miss. State (62)

2005: Alabama (18), LSU (22), Auburn (13), Ole Miss (30), Arkansas (24), Miss. State (33)

2006: Alabama (11), LSU (7), Auburn (10), Ole Miss (16), Arkansas (26), Miss. State (44)

2007: Alabama (10), LSU (4), Auburn (7), Ole Miss (27), Arkansas (31), Miss. State (39)

2008: Alabama (1), LSU (11), Auburn (20), Ole Miss (29), Arkansas (36), Miss. State (44)

2009: Alabama (1), LSU (2), Auburn (19), Ole Miss (18), Arkansas (16), Miss. State (25)

Based upon this analysis, you would have to say that Alabama and LSU likely have the most athletic rosters. Auburn should be third followed by Ole Miss and Arkansas in a coin toss and Mississippi State bringing up the rear. I think this is fairly accurate, but I believe Ole Miss is understated in their positional rankings. Either last year was a total anomaly or they have recruited far better than Rivals predicted because they appeared to be as athletic as any team they faced in 2008, and then some.

Quality of Coaching Staff

From my standpoint, ranking the coaching staffs is really subjective. I don’t have access to anything other than my TV Set and the Internet. I don’t get to attend practices, talk to people who are in and around these campuses, so I am really going by what I read and personal observation. There are many that feel Saban is the best coach in the SEC West, and perhaps the country. Bobby Petrino is looked upon as an offensive guru. Neither one of them did too well when they ventured into the NFL so perhaps they are not what they are made up to be. Houston Nutt has a great reputation for doing more with less. Les Miles is not viewed positively by the press and the other two guys are not even on the radar yet.

So I am left with my own book of thoughts. In my opinion, I think Saban is a great program manager and perhaps excels above everyone else when it comes to transformational leadership. He is a Lee Iacocca type when it comes to building and changing culture, but he is prone to error like all humans. He pulled a few stinkers in Baton Rouge in his previous gig and I am guessing those same mishaps are in store for the Bama Nation. Houston Nutt has never been to the mountain. It seems to me he has not proven anything yet other than he is a smart guy that can motivate a team through stretches. Miles did a great job in his first three years in Baton Rouge, but last year was not his best effort, for whatever reason.

From my limited view, I just don’t see any differentiation here. Any one of these four coaches can do it given the right set of circumstances and players. I am calling this a wash.

Returning Players in Leadership Roles

Senior leadership is always a huge factor in success. No one wins without chemistry and chemistry usually starts with your seniors. No senior leadership inevitably leads to under performance and high quality leadership results in the opposite.
Last year’s LSU team, from the outside at least, seemed to be lacking in this area. We had some great players and good guys, but I don’t think they established the culture and mindset that was needed for success. This year’s seniors may be exceptional. Getting Ciron Black, Charles Scott and Brandon Lafell to postpone the NFL was obviously a boost. These are the guys that are going to keep the team together. Alabama lost a few great leaders, guys that made a difference last year. Who knows if they can be replaced? Ole Miss has most of their roster back, so I would have to assume they will be okay in that category.

My call here goes with LSU. I know I am a homer, but I think that guys like Ciron Black just don’t come along very often.

Difference Makers in Key Roles

As was reinforced to the LSU faithful last year – no quarterback, no team. It is that simple. You don’t have to be an all American, but you have to show up and make the plays when it counts. John Parker Wilson was seemingly nothing special athletically, but that guy made all of the plays throughout the year. Javon Snead is just flat out good. He made a couple of throws in the LSU game that were world class, and he showed up when the bell rang.

How important was Alabama’s nose tackle. Nobody could move that guy off his line and hence, nobody could consistently run on the Tide. Take away Cody and Alabama is a different team.

Both Cody and Snead are back, but new play makers will emerge in the SEC. Whatever team has the most playmakers will have an advantage. Based upon what I saw last year, I give this edge to Ole Miss and Snead (along with Hardy and the rest of that roster). Alabama and LSU should be okay and Arkansas is somewhat unknown. Ole Miss gets the edge mainly based on Snead’s success last year.

Non-Measurables (gut feel)

Now this is where I normally get into trouble. Non-measurables include emotions. Emotions lead to collective brain farts, like the Auburn guy on Rivals Radio that is trying to convince himself that by working hard and having better team discipline the Tigers/War Chickens/Plainsmen will just be good enough to win. Sorry – stay in your hole.

Here is the thumb nail summary:

Everything seemed to fall in place for Alabama last year. That doesn’t normally happen two years in a row. They will have to earn it this year.

LSU had the opposite type of year. Nothing seemed to go right, so you would think that we are due for a few breaks. Personally, I think we used them all up in 2007; we can’t count on the football Gods this year. Also, our schedule is brutal. If we didn’t have to play Bama, Ole Miss and Georgia on the road and host a Florida team that Alabama and Ole Miss dodge, we might have a chance. Alas, that is too much to overcome.

Arkansas is the team that might just sneak up and steal the whole thing. Mallet can throw the ball and they have a bunch of players coming back. But there is an old saying; everything back from nothing is still nothing.

So that leaves Ole Miss. Everyone, including myself, expects them to get caught reading their clippings and gag on themselves. But I got a feeling (emotions) that this is going to be Nutts year to show the world just how good of coach he is.

My call:

1. Ole Miss
2. LSU
3. Alabama
4. Arkansas
5. Auburn
6. Miss State

2009 SEC East Football Preview

2009-07-02T11:38:00.001-05:00

College football is roughly two months away. Even so, us, the obsessive fans, are already beginning our predictions and speculations on every possible thing.

Come on don't lie. You already know how each player will do on every team and how many yards so-and-so will rush for and how awful so-and-so will be, right?

Today I am going to touch on each team in the SEC. This is short and sweet and basically I want to get out the single biggest question the nation of college football will have about this team.

I will continue my college football preview as the summer progresses.

SEC East

1. Florida: Fresh off the 2008 BCS National Championship (second in three years) the Gators are the clear front runner for the 2009 title. All 11 starters will be returning to the defense and on offense a guy by the name of Tim Tebow will be back as well. The underlining question for the Gator unit is can they keep the same intensity and repeat? The nation knows Florida is for real and it's that bulls eye on their head that will cause Urban Meyer's crew to never take an opponent softly. Without Percy Harvin, now a Minnesota Viking, how will this Florida offense do? Will it plug someone else in and continue to pound their opponents or will the loss of Harvin be bigger than anyone imagined? Only time will tell.

The Florida Gators have a lighter schedule compared to past years meaning a repeat is a strong possibility. With that said there still are some games that Florida has circled. October 10th Florida travels to Baton Rouge to play LSU (this game shall be known as Judgment Day) and October 31st Florida will play the Georgia Bulldogs.

Can Florida trip up in these games? You betcha. Going into Tiger Stadium on Saturday night is by no means easy, and a deep rivalry, like the one with Georgia, can always swing either way. Any chance for a hiccup game against an opponent you would never think would give Florida trouble? Can't see any, but look for Troy, September 12, to score some points. Sure they'll lose 50-26, but Troy scores.

2. Georgia: Going into the 2008 season the Bulldogs were a National Title contender. There was a lot of talk that 2008 would be the year that Coach Mark Richt finally put it all together and wins a title. Well, things went bad before you knew it. They lost to Alabama 41-30. (It was 31-0 at halftime.) Then, November 1st Florida flat out embarrassed UGA by winning 49-10. Finally, Georgia Tech mounted a second half comeback to beat the Bulldogs 45-42. After the season Matt Stafford and Knowshon Moreno leaft for the NFL and Athens, Ga. is left in the dust....

...or so we were led to believe.

The three losses last year for Georgia were painful and this 2009 squad wants to prove to the nation Richt's team is back. Georgia will make noise, but the main question is how will new quarterback senior Joe Cox do? If Cox can grab the reins of the season early on Georgia could be a sleeper in the SEC. Whatever you do watch the Florida/Georgia game this year. Georgia fans are still pretty angry about Florida running up the score in last year's 49-10 slaughter. Don't think the Georgia players will not be pumped for that game?

3. Tennessee: If you like football and do not know who Lane Kiffin is than I can pretty much assume you live under a rock. New Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin has already made his impact on the SEC...and he is yet to coach a game. First it was the snagging of coaches from other SEC teams, then it was the accusations against Florida coach Urban Meyer, then it was the building up of an under-the-radar recruiting class by grabbing studs like Janzen Jackson and Bryce Brown at the last minute, and finally it was the recruiting violations. Kiffin has a big task in rebuilding the UT football program, but it will need time. The main thing is how successful will the Vols be in year one? Let's put it this way, if the Tennessee Volunteers finish with 8 or 9 wins you can sure that Vol Nation will be foaming at the mouth on the potential this coach has. How will this team do once it really starts recruiting?

Do not get your hopes up because Tennessee will be annihilated September 19 at The Swamp against Florida. But, look for Tennessee to pull off at least one upset in these three games.

October 10 Georgia
October 24 @ Alabama
November 14 @ Ole Miss

4. South Carolina: Steve Spurrier did not arrive in Columbia, SC last night. In fact this will be the Old Ball Coach's 5th year with the Gamecocks. With a 28-22 record critics begin to wonder will Spurrier ever build a team for South Carolina that will be stronger than one or two games over .500. Coming back this year for the Gamecocks will be Stephen Garcia who has the poetential to be the best QB Spurrier has ever had at South Carolina. The biggest issue for this team will be replacing the top three playmakers on both sides of the ball, including cornerback Captain Munnerlyn, safety Emanuel Cook and linebacker Jasper Brinkley on defense. After a spring practice where Spurrier left in frustration due a poor performance by the team one has to think if this South Carolina team will ever leave the land of mediocrity. With a schedule that includes games at Georgia, Alabama, and Tennesse, and home against Ole Miss and Florida don't look for that to change.

5. Vanderbilt: The Commodores 2008 season was one of the most incredible of the year. Not only did Vandy finish with a 7-6 record (4-4 SEC), the Commodores also won their Music City Bowl game against Boston College 17-16. Coach Bobby Johnson continously gets applauded for turning around a football program that has always struggled in the SEC. Main question is can Bobby Johnson and his crew keep this going into another year? The team returns 19 starters, not including former QB Mackenzi Adams. In steps Larry Smith who started the last two games of the year. Even with games at LSU and Florida, and home against Georgia and Ole Miss, the Commodores should still be able to enter bowl season for the second consecutive year. But keep in mind that in the history of Vanderbilt football (119 years) never have the Commodores gone to bowl games in consecutive seasons.

6. Kentucky: Last year's Kentucky team surprised a lot of people, myself included. One year after losing lightining-in-a-bottle Andre Woodson the Wildcats were still able to get into the bowl season. QB Mike Hartline came into the position last year with a lot of pressure, but remarkablely was able to guide Kentucky to a 7-6 record. Even better the team beat East Carolina (an early season sleeper) 25-19 in the Liberty Bowl. Much like Coach Bobby Johnson of Vanderbilt, Coach Rich Brooks of Kentucky is faced with the pressure of keeping the momentum going. The best thing happening to the Wildcats is the team will go back to running a similar offense to when Woodson was still in town. Last year the team strayed away from it because a new QB was in town. As Brooks says passing works best for the Wildcats. Despite a promising outlook for the offense the biggest issue for Kentucky will be the defense and its consistency. Cornerback Trevard Lindley is an All-American prospect, but will he be enough to get a fourth straight bowl game? Doubt it.

Up next SEC West...

Eerie Thoughts: How a Coin Flip Altered the Career of Kareem and Hakeem

2009-05-01T18:41:00.002-05:00

My job, when aimlessly wondering the internet through sports statistic site after sports statistic site, is to find that story that history overlooked. That story we as modern basketball fans never considered. And, every now and then, I find something.

The coin flip: the simplest way to make a decision on the most equal of matters. And more importantly, up until 1985, or before the NBA lottery, it was the one factor that separated two teams with identical records at season's end.

The more I looked into coin flips being used prior to the draft, the more I realized how much of an impact it had on the history of the NBA. In particular two coin flips stand out the most.

More importantly, two careers stand out as impacted by the coin-flip: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Hakeem Olujawon's.

Can you imagine for a moment Jabbar never having been a Buck with Oscar Roberstson, or Olujawon never having been a Rocket?

In 1969 the biggest player coming out of college was Lew Alcindor (later to be known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). Whoever had the number one pick the choice was obvious: Alcindor. The race for the top spot consisted of a coin flip between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns. Obviously, Milwaukee had won, but I began to think to myself what if Phoenix had won?

During the 1969-70 season the Suns roster consisted of legends Connie Hawkins (24.6 points per game) and Gail Goodrich (20.0), as well as Dick Van Arsdale (21.3), Paul Silas (12.8), and Jim Fox (12.9). Now, can you imagine how the Suns would of been with Jabbar? The lineup would of consisted of Gail Goodrich, Dick Van Arsdale, Connie Hawkins, Jabbar, and Fox and Silas rotating. Pretty interesting to consider. More importantly, maybe Jabbar (unlike Milwaukee) would of liked Phoenix. Also, what's to say if that coin flip does not side with Milwaukee that Jabbar never ends up going to the Los Angeles Lakers and Showtime never happens? Better yet would Oscar Robertson ever have gotten that 1971 NBA title?

Eerie things to think about...

And this is not even considering the fact the fact that both the Harlem Globetrotters and ABA tried persuading Jabbar to join them and not the NBA. Granted, I still think the coin flip had more of an impact.

Only 15 years later a similar incident took place. Going into the 1984 draft Hakeem Olajuwon remained the biggest commodity every team desired. And as history shows us a coin flip was thrown between Portland and Houston, where the Rockets prevailed the winners. The Dream went on to have an amazing career with two titles in the 1994, 1995 seasons.

But let's imagine for the sake of me talking what happens if Portland wins that top pick and The Dream goes to play alongside Drexler and Company? How's that turn out? How dominate do they remain over the next decade? And what about Michael Jordan? Would Houston have Jordan at No. 2 or Sam Bowie?

Who knows.

It's just an incredible thing to think about. Despite the blatantly amazing talents of many athletes a lot times, a least in the case of something like Jabbar and Olujawon, great teams first start building up by non other than pure, simple luck.

But for the Phoenix Suns and Portland Trailblazers I'm sure the term "bad luck" also applies.

Lack of Effort + Ability to Quit = 58 point loss

2009-04-27T22:40:00.006-05:00

I was going to sit on this. Let it rest for a couple days, but I couldn't. No, you see losing by 58 points in a basketball game is horrendous. But, for an NBA team to lose by 58 points, oh well that's a crime.

Let me put it this way what the Hornets put on tonight is worse than what your dog leaves in the grass in the morning.

Much worse.

Tonight the New Orleans Hornets at home, against the Denver Nuggets, trailing only 2-1 in the series, lost 121-63. The game is epic in all proportions, specifically on the quit-scale.

I'm sure there are some choice words from the Hornet fans for George Karl running up the score. That is understandable in some aspects, but I really do not think Karl is the one at fault.

See if a team loses by 25 and the other team is still working to increase that lead, being angry at the opposing coach can be more understandable, but not for 58 points. The main thing is in order to get to the land of being down by 50+ points that team has to do something remarkable, absolutely unprecedented, they have to quit.

And folks the New Orleans Hornets quit. No team loses by 58 without quitting and there is nothing more disheartening, more gut-wrenching than to see the team you root for throw in the towel. I can't point fingers at specific people, but I'm sure those guys know who they are, and frankly I think I'll be mentally disturbed for the rest of my life.

You never forget the day your team quits. No, quitting is not when your team lets up when down by seven with 15 seconds left. That's just facing the reality that you lost.

This is different. Far different.

The last time I can think of a team quitting on me was the New Orleans Saints, and I am not talking about the 52-3 loss they had at Lambeau Field in 2005. (Frankly, I think the events of Hurricane Katrina played a role in that, but that's another story.)

The day the Saints quit on me was January 6, 2002. The Saints were 7-8 going into the final game of the season against the 12-3 San Francisco 49ers. Sure, the previous two weeks the Saints had lost by a combined score of 88-31, but that was nothing compared to this.

In a lackluster effort the Saints got shutout 38-0. The pinnacle of loneliness with your team is when you see them quit. I saw that with the Saints in 2002 and I saw it with the Hornets tonight.

It might be one loss, but it speaks volumes about the character of some of the guys on this team. And frankly, I don't like it.

3 Strong Reasons Why Lane Kiffin Being Successful is Good for the SEC and LSU

2009-04-16T22:31:00.011-05:00

No coach has had more of a splash in the Southern Eastern Conference recently than Lane Kiffin. He has done nothing short of stir up drama, but rest assured I do think his success will ultimately prove good for the SEC and LSU. Even as an LSU fan who's team lost out on recruits Bryce Brown and Janzen Jackson to Tennessee, I still stay strong to this thinking.

Tennessee v. Florida

In the past this game was an SEC favorite. Remember in 2004 when Tennessee beat Florida 30-28? The game then was a early season fan-favorite fist fight. It was early in the year, but the implications of the game where huge. But in recent years the game has featured nothing more than lopsided Florida victories. Last year Florida pounded Tennessee 30-6 in Neyland Stadium, the year before Florida pounded Tennessee 59-20 in the Swamp. Since 1993, Florida is 12-4 against the Volunteers. If Kiffin can get a good team together than this rivalry can be resurrected. It's unlikely that this year Kiffin's club will beat Florida considering the talent Florida has compared to Tennessee, but I do expect the Vols to hang with the Gators for three quarters.

Overall, Kiffin does well, this rivalry is watchable again.

More recruits to Tennessee

If Tennessee gets good again than more recruits will head to Vol Nation from Alabama. Now granted I know the negative aspect of UT getting good is LSU losing some recruits. That is frustrating, but that's part of the game. With that said, I still think LSU's recruiting class turned out, hmm alright this year. Wouldn't you agree?

But back to the subject, right now Nick Saban runs Alabama. He gets the best recruits there and frankly I have always been a fan of sharing so Kiffin hopefully you can get Alabama to share. Same can be said about Florida. Urban Meyer runs that state, wouldn't be too terrible if some sharing took place in the Sunshine State as well.

LSU rarely plays Tennessee

This is the one some many LSU fans fail to grasp. Yes, I am well aware LSU plays Tennesee in Baton Rouge in 2010 and then in Knoxville in 2011, but after that LSU will play Tennessee about once every four years. Since 1993 LSU has squared off with Tennessee only seven times, but keep in mind two of those games where in the SEC Championship. Overall, five matchups in 13 years. If anything Tennessee becoming good again is a thorn in the side of Florida and Alabama because those two schools have to play the Vols every year no questions asked.

Be Green: Double Wipe Campaign

2009-04-14T17:48:00.006-05:00

In the US the Be Green campaign has spilled over into all facets of American life, but the latest campaign looks to make a bigger impact than anything the world has ever seen.

Dr. Wesley G. Billings of the Energy Institute of the World has just manifested the lasted campaign to capture the spirit of being green.

In a recent interview with Dr. Billings, he reviled his reasoning behind his Be Green campaign.

"Everyone seems to wanting to save paper and be smarter," Billings stated. "That's great and I think it is honestly working. With that said, I really do think what I bring to the table is innovative and nothing short of exciting."

Billings eyes light up like a hobo who spots an unoccupied hot dog. He speaks vividly on his plan and how it asks citizens to use a piece of toilet paper twice before deposing of it.

"Think of the paper we would save if little Billy was able to use the same piece of toilet paper more than once. Heck, what if he could use it six times!"

Through Billings research he has estimated that if one uses toilet paper at least more than one time, than paper usage would go down in the US by 27.4% alone.

To spread the word of Billings's message shirts are being sold at colleges and malls across the US.

"Starting in the big cities such as Portland, Maine; Topeka, Kansas; and Lubbock, Texas we are spreading the word of the campaign. We are thankfully hitting the big markets right from the beginning. In the future we hope to get Milwaukee! But I have to say I think the public will love the shirts we have made. On the front it will 'DW,' on the back they will say 'Just Fold It Over Once More. Please.' I think it's a real gold mine."

Going up against Billings and his campaign is the organization, the People's Right of the Bathroom. PRB, as they refer to themselves, insist that Billings's proposal eats away at the very foundation of our society.

"How dare he tell me what to do in the bathroom!" shouted PRB president William Blaring. "This campaign is only the beginning. First, they want to suggest something, next they slam down a law saying how long you can be in the John. Well, I'll tell you what, never will I ever bow down to anyone when we talk about my bathroom rights!"

Blaring's disapproval only continues to highlight how sour a subject toilet discussions are. As Billings states, he knows getting people on his side will be difficult because "one's time in a bathroom is sacred."

"I realize I am infiltrating the hardest lair to invade, the bathroom, but I do believe that if we wipe once more with that same piece of ply, than the world can be greener, and that we can make a difference."

Note: This article was done in humor. Do not think of it anymore than that.

MM: Email Ballay05@yahoo.com

Energy Conservation: Black Out Week

2009-04-14T17:10:00.005-05:00

With the worldwide energy crisis hitting an all time high. (Recent reports indicate on the energy-o-meter the world is at a 9.8 out of 10) Drastic measures are being put together to make the situation better.

The latest plan was brought up by Dr. Blake D. Manning of the Scientific Institute of Thought in Denver, Colorado.

Manning and his team of extraordinary gentlemen are composing a proposal that will be sent out to the US Government as well as the governments of over 80 nations worldwide.

"We are proposing a black out week."

Manning states that no one wants to cut back on driving, mowing, riding there go-karts, using there wave runners, drying there hair with the latest hairdryer, so the most reasonable goal is to cram changing some one's lifestyle into one week.

"For one week, a mere 168 hours, no electricity! Just one freakin' week! Shouldn't be too tough."

With the help of his trusty sidekick, Dr. Wilford J. Crawford, the plan been worked on for weeks.

"Originally Crawdad [Dr. Crawford] and I wanted to convince the world to not have power for a month, but we figured everyone would whine and moan. Especially the Brits, so we trimmed it down to one week."

By Manning and Crawford's calculations, one week without power for the world would be the same as 50 years under the current global energy conservation plan.

"My paps use to always tell me, 'Son the only thing you are good for is opening beer bottles,' but he also use to tell me 'if you want people to do something they won't like cram it into a small time frame.' Well, one week is a small time frame world."

The proposal, 76 words in all, calls for the week of June 1 to June 7 to not have any activities going on that require electricity or gasoline.

Opposition for the proposal has grown in recent weeks. Some state that without power millions would die in the hospital. To this statement Manning simply replied, "One word: Advil."

But, the biggest issue with the black out week deals with the set date taking place during the National Basketball Association's postseason.

"The NBA Playoffs will be going on," yelped an angry Gary Belvins of Barrow, Alaska. "How you suppose I gonna be able to watch Shawn Kemp dunk on dem folk?"

When notified that Shawn Kemp no longer played in the NBA, Belvins could not be reached for comment. All that could be heard was a low-wailing, girl-ish crying sound.

Manning assures people such as Belvins that electricity is irrelevant to a success NBA postseason.

"Look no one needs to worry about this affecting Kobe, LeBron or T.O. Just play the games outside, or better yet bring a candle to the game. Simple as that Jack."

Note: This article was done in humor. Do not look into any farther than that.

Times New Roman: Font Fury!

2009-04-05T14:51:00.003-05:00

To Whom It May Concern:

To many of you out there you know who I am. I am the very thing that makes you look good in school, the very thing that makes you start off well in a job interview. Heck, I am the essence of your professional lives. Ladies and gentleman I am Times New Roman. Now for much of my existence I have been fine with you guys and all your different fonts. Sure there are Wingdings and Journal and all those other ridiculous fonts, but still I was No. 1.

But that feeling of comfort was swept away when the latest version of Microsoft Word 2007 had Calibri as the default font.

Calibri, really Calibri? Do I need to even start about this two-time hack? He's a joke! And even worse is you humans seem to be switching to Calibri more often. I'll tell you what, I'm not having it. I'm not dealing with this nonsense any longer!

I'm the loyal Times New Roman, yet people are swaying over to the young rookie? Let us not forgot the day when I was constructed by the great Stanley Morison and Victor Lardent in 1931. Please let us not forget! For it seems you all are so caught up in this Generation Y garbage.

Who makes your dissertations look good? ME! Who makes that thesis looking appealing? ME! When you want to write something worthwhile and meanwhile you stuck with me.

Look, like I said, Calibri can't handle being No. 1. Sure the font is happy to be the default on Microsoft Word now, but you'll see. Sooner or later someone is going to complain about the font’s appearance and only God knows if Calibri can take the heat.

And believe me he can't.

He's weak, he's nimble. Like a deer. A weak, nimble deer.

I hope this letter to you users of font has proven my complete, utter disgust with your recent decisions to substitute the polished veteran, me, in exchange for the unproven rookie, Calibri.

I am sorry but I ask to be released from all font duties as I need to take a year off to think about this. In my eyes I am either No. 1 or nothing.

God speed,

Times New Roman

P.S. And this stupid blog post does not even have Times New Roman! What's this world coming to...

Kayne Overstepping His Boundaries

2009-03-05T13:03:00.005-06:00

Sometimes people in our world get confused on who they really are. They get confused that they are more than their career. They think they are some philantropist, some revolutionary martyr who's opinions on subject matters outside their career remain important.

Look at Kayne West. West is a successful musician who has made an impact on the hip-hop world, but certainly for West he has to overstep his boundaries and look foolish. He has to go into uncharted waters and insist he open his mouth.

Remember in 2005 when Kayne West made the assinying comment George W. Bush did not like black people, despite his second-hand man being Colin Powell, who by the way is black.

No, for Kayne he needed to continue his endeavour into the world of making idiotic public statements.

Recently during the shooting of VH1's Storytellers Kayne asked the crowd, "Can't we give Chris [Brown] a break? ... I know I make mistakes in life." West would go on to talk about various other individuals who have missed up an deserved "a break." "Michael Jackson, amazing. Michael Phelps, amazing ... He's a real ****** person; he makes mistakes. O.J. Simpson, amazing. Is he not? What he did, when he did, what he did. Was he not amazing though?"

After reading this quote I nearly passed out from the sheer horror of the quote. But, I did regain mobility and strength. And then later I was able to put together an analysis on why, again, Kayne West needs to prevent himself from giving anymore public statements.

I am sorry but Mr. Chris Brown you are not forgiven. It will take more than a month for people to forget the physical abuse you instilled upon Rihanna. People who beat woman are about as low on the food chain as prostitutes and drug dealers. To simply imply this lashing at Chris Brown is unnecessary is incredibly ridiculous. Personally, I would like to see Chris Brown actually give a public apology that has some validity. In other words no more PR hoopla. And when that does happen, if it does, maybe I can start to forgive Brown. But until then he deserves the criticism he's getting because, well, he hits woman.

Kayne West, please use the remaing brain cells you might have and try and understand this concept as well as the fact that Michael Phelps taking a bong hit is not the same as someone who hits his wife.

You honestly have a better chance of convincing me that 2+2=5 than Brown's situation is the same as Phelp's. Yes, I know you were only comparing, but please do not put Phelps in the same sentence as Brown.

With all that said, the great Kayne had to pull out one more stunning comment. We are all aware that OJ Simpson was a great football player, but I, along with the rest of the world, have difficulty focusing on his football feats. Rather for some odd reason I can not help but think about this little thing Simpson did that overshadows anything in did on the field.

Oh, that's right! He murdered two people. Hmm, slipped my mind.

Mr. West I understand you want to be more than a musician, but please refrain from it. Stick ot your music. That's it.

The world no longer wants to have to experience your uneducated comments on world events and people like me no longer want to have to comprehend the stupidity behind each thing you say.

I eagerly await when Kayne releases his opinion on what needs to be done to fix the current economic crisis.

"Print more money," the charming man might utter.

Alex Rodriguez, Reality's Harvey Dent

2009-02-13T13:49:00.007-06:00

Last summer's blockbuster hit Dark Knight remains one of my favorite films for many reasons, but oddly enough I actually found a connection with the movie and modern day society.

No, I am not talking about the odd similarities I see between my Communication Studies professor and the Joker, rather I am talking about Alex Rodriguez's fall from grace to Harvey Dent's fall from grace.

Let me explain before the harsh comments begin. And yes, I am probably a dork for writing this article.

The steroid witch hunt in baseball has been going on for several years. From Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, to Barry Bonds, we have seen the best of the the best come under fire. We have seen the most admired players be exposed for what they are: cheaters.

But through it all there was one bright light, one white knight: Alex Rodriguez. As great player after great player was found to be cheating, fans said to themselves, "Well at least Rodriguez is doing it right. At least he is not cheating."

He was the glimmer of hope in baseball. The poster boy for all.

That all changed this past week. That all changed when Rodriguez, reality's Harvey Dent, admitted to having used anabolic steroids from 2001 to 2003. The one guy you could have faith in turns out to be just as corrupt as the rest.

Let's look at the symbolism. First there's the corruption of Gotham City. That is represented by the players who were using steroids. Then there's Batman who is...

Okay, haven't thought about that one.

But the transformation of Dent is the same as Rodriguez giving into the temptations (the Joker) of trying anabolic steroids.

Though in the end, unlike the movie, the world will get to see Rodriguez for who he is. Someone who cheated, someone who gave into temptations, someone with two faces, someone who was just taking a chance...

Arizona Cardinals' Run: Revolutionary for All Doormat Teams

2009-01-19T22:05:00.006-06:00

Sometimes you have to sit back and take a second to realize what is going on and truly admire what the run by the Arizona Cardinals. In the NFL there are a handful of teams that for much of their existence have struggled. Teams that season after season find a way to live down to expectations.

Some of those teams include the Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, and of course the Arizona Cardinals. Yes, Cincy has been to two Super Bowls, and yes on a regular basis the Saints are a solid .500 team, but, overall they have been franchises that have always been at the bottom of the standings.

I have been a Saints' fan my entire life. Lately, good fortune has been abundant for a franchise that at times has looked hapless. I can recall so many heartbreaking losses where despite the lead the Saints' held they would somehow some way find a way to lose. This thinking, this negativity surrounds all struggling franchises.

I will never forget the night the Cardinals lost to the Bears 24-23. In my lifetime I have never been so upset to see a team choke away an NFL game not involving the Saints. I guess in a way I saw with the Cardinals the same hapless demeanor inside the Saints for many years.

I am sure Lion fans and Bengals fans can agree.

But through all these tough times, through all the years of unfilled expectations, through all blown games, the Cardinals defied all logic. 1947 the St. Louis Cardinals won the NFL Championship and since then only one playoff victory has come to the franchise. Coming into the season, Arizona again had high expectations and for once looked to be living up to the billing, but losing four out of their final five towards the end of the season pretty much drowned out those thoughts.

Arizona was supposed to lose to Atlanta, but they didn't. They were supposed to lose to Carolina, but they didn't. They were supposed to lose to Philadelphia, but they didn't.

I have nothing against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but I have to root for the ultimate underdog. I have to root for the franchise that has spent 61 years with little happiness.

When the Cardinals take the field to play the Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII they will be cheered on by more than the Cardinal faithful. They will be cheered on by every fan out their of every struggling franchise because deep down inside these fans are thinking, "Hey, if the Cardinals can do it why not us?"

Why not?

Florida Wins Another Title and NFL Playoff Hoopla

2009-01-12T11:28:00.004-06:00

From January 8 to January 11 football was at it's peak. First and foremost the Florida Gators won their second BCS title in three years. What Urban Meyer's crew has been able to do is nothing short of extraordinary. With that said here are some general thoughts on the 24-14 victory over Oklahoma.

In a game of that magnitude teams can not waste golden opportunities. Let's look at the Utah Utes win over Alabama. Utah seized every opportunity they had right from the get-go. When deep in Bama's territory, Utah did not turn it over, but rather they scored points. That's why it was 21-0 and that's why Utah would win the game.

Flip ove to the Oklahoma Sooners in the BCS National Championship Game. In the first half it happened twice where the Sooner got inside the Gators' 10-yard line and both times Sam Bradford and Co. could not muster any points. The halftime score was 7-7, but anyone could tell you that scored favored the Gators.

With all that said I must give credit where do. No question the Florida defense played one of the greatest games a defense has ever played. Coming into the game the Oklahoma Sooner averaged 54 points per game. In the title game the Sooners scored a mere 14. Kudos to Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong and the performance his unit pulled off on the field.

Now onto the NFL playoffs...

This week I did a bit better, but still going 2-2 is nothing to brag about. (Overall 3-4 record)

Cardinals 33-13

The Arizona Cardinals are in the same league as the Detroit Lions and New Orleans Saints. For much of their existence the franchise has struggled. You have to tip your hat to what is being done. I expected the Carolina Panthers to win a close one, but never did I remotely consider the Cardinals winning by 20. More so than we the viewers can imagine, Arizona is playing with a huge chip on their shoulder. This is a team that is hungry and loves to be doubted week in a week out.

Ravens 13-10

The Ravens' defense was getting beat early on by Tennessee, but somehow the group pulled itself together and clawed its way to victory. Joe Flacco is a smart quarterback who, when needed, can make the big throw. The official missing the delay of game call is unfathomable, but for Titan fans to rest the loss on the is ludacrious. I believe the Ravens' have the best defense and will continue to win every game they win the turnover battle.

Eagles 23-11

Like so many teams in the playoffs, Philly has one heck of a defense, though the single biggest reason Philly moved on was McNabb's uncanning ability to make numerous third down conversions. For a defense, giving up third downs is devastating, but to give up third and 20s...now that is crippling. Eli Manning was rattled all day and was about as ineffective as I have seen him in a while. In short, I can honestly say the Eagles dominated this game on every side of the ball. New York got beat in a way they are very unfamiliar with. And by the way, never in the history of the NFL has a game ended with the score of 23-11.

Steelers 35-24

The underdog story of the San Diego Chargers came to a screeching halt. In the freezing cold of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Big Ben and Co. jumped all over a SD team that looked out of sorts in the snow. With such an impressive showing the Steelers look like the Super Bowl favorite. The defense is one of the best, the offense is clicking, and the special teams with Santanio Holmes is good for seven points about every other game.

NFC Championship

The Arizona Cardinals are one game from the Super Bowl. That sentence alone is leaving so many people across the US unsure on when this week the apocalypse will be occurring. As great as this run is I think it comes to a close Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. Arizona has beaten up two good teams so far, but keep in mind they have not gone against a defense like Philly. Philly's defense will have it's way with QB Kurt Warner. Look for another big, game-changing interception by the Eagle secondary. McNabb will shine in the spotlight and continue to defy the odds.

Eagles 28-20

AFC Championship

Beating a team once in the NFL is difficult. Beating them twice is very difficult. Beating that same team three times is immeasurable. In Pittsburgh, the Steelers will hope to defeat their bitter rivals the Baltimore Ravens for the final time this season. In two meetings this year, Pittsburgh has won by an average of 3.5 points. Look for this one to be a bigger margin. Joe Flacco has been consistent, but not much on the big playmaking chart. Sure a touchdown pass here and there, but not a whole lot else. Big Ben has not been overly glamourous either, but he does have two advantages: the game is in Pittsburgh and he has won a Super Bowl. Big Ben has more experience in games like this. This won will be close...right till the end.

Steelers 23-14