Reaching into the Grab Brag

There is plenty of great stuff happening this time of year, so let’s look at some quick hits today and see what’s going on:

The Game’s Quick Hits

Preview: #14 Georgia Tech (2-0) vs. #20 Miami, FL (1-0) – For the second consecutive week, Georgia Tech gets featured in the Thursday night primetime game. They are taking a trip down to visit Miami, who are coming off a bye week after their impressive opening week win over Florida State. In that game, QB Jacory Harris seemed to grow up and turn into a star right before everyone’s eyes. He looked extremely poised and much better than at any point last season. The Hurricanes are slowly rebuilding and looking more like the dominant teams from the ‘90s. The whole team is built on speed and they look like a dangerous threat. Georgia Tech did not look as good last week as they blew a 24-0 lead against Clemson, but did find a way to pull out a 30-27 victory. The key for Tech is establishing the running game and consistently moving the ball with it all game. When Clemson forced Georgia Tech to pass last week, the Yellow Jackets were miserable. QB Josh Nesbitt was horrible as he only could complete 3 of 14 passes. I am thinking that Miami’s defense is good enough and fast enough to hold Georgia Tech’s running game in check. They also looked explosive on offense against Florida State and I would expect Harris and the rest of the offensive unit to exploit the holes that Clemson found in Georgia Tech’s defense. This is a huge game in the ACC Coastal Division and the winner will get a leg up in the division. The division features 4 ranked teams, so this game is a critical one. I expect Miami to rise to the occasion at home and pull off a win. I think they have slightly better talent than Georgia Tech and they also have had longer to prepare for this game. From what I have seen on the field so far this year, the Hurricanes just look like a better team.

- On Tuesday it was reported that TNA wrestling’s Kurt Angle was found not guilty of violating an ex-girlfriend's order of protection, and charges of possessing human growth hormone and driving with a suspended license were dropped. He still faces an assault charge, however. Angle’s attorney was able to prove in court that he had a legal prescription for the drug Hygetropin and apparently his claim that he was driving around looking for a hotel as opposed to stalking his ex-girlfriend was believed by the judge. Well I am glad to see Angle beat these charges if he did indeed not do anything wrong. We have all read the stories about Angle potentially being addicted to pain pills and how he works himself to the bone and has put himself in danger because of the physical demands of professional wrestling. Some of these stories could be overblown and I would like to think that Angle is taking care of himself and not heading down a dangerous path. Way too many wrestlers have passed away at a young age and many have speculated that Kurt Angle could eventually fall into that category. I sincerely hope that will not be the case. TNA caught a huge break here as it would not look very good on them if their World Champion was found guilty of these charges. I will hold out judgment on the assault charges, but I could find that as being believable. Angle is an extremely intense individual from most accounts, so I think he might be capable of losing his cool out of the ring. But he will have his day in court on those charges and we’ll just have to see what happens.

- The NFL handed down a fairly hefty fine to the New York Jets, general manager Mike Tannenbaum, and former head coach Eric Mangini for failing to report QB Brett Favre’s biceps injury last season. The league hit the Jets organization with a $75,000 fine and Tannenbaum and Mangini with a $25,000 fine each. By doing this, the NFL is sending a clear message that failing to report injuries will not be tolerated. It seems to me that Mangini’s “secrets” are not paying off too well. I have to agree with these fines because you need to keep the competitive balance of the league in order and it is a requirement of every team to report injuries, pure and simple. Favre is walking away unscathed in all this, but I have to say that if he had any hand in trying to tell the Jets not to report his injury, then I think he should reimburse Mangini and Tannenbaum for the fine. That seems like the fair thing to do if he had any part of all this.

- Reports indicate that the rising star linebacker of the New England Patriots, Jerod Mayo, will be out about 6-8 weeks after spraining the MCL in his right knee. There was fear that Mayo’s injury was season ending, but that does not appear to be the case. This is another big injury blow to be added to the list after the 1st week of season. New England’s defense was already struggling to improve and the injury to Mayo does not help. After the departures of Mike Vrabel and Tedy Bruschi, Mayo has been calling more defensive signals and his significance to the defense has only increased. His injury will hurt the team and now it might be that much easier for opponents to put points on the board against the Patriots. New England faces a stiff test this week as they travel to New York to play the Jets. They might catch a break facing a rookie quarterback in Mark Sanchez, but the Patriots could be ripe for an upset if they do not play better than they did against Buffalo.

- In other injury news, Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid said that QB Donovan McNabb is making progress in regards to his injured ribs, but his status for this Sunday against the Saints is still “iffy”. McNabb did not practice yesterday and QB Kevin Kolb worked with the first team. Reid made it clear that Kolb will start and newly acquired QB Jeff Garcia will back him up. If McNabb starts, Kolb will be the backup and Garcia will be the emergency #3 QB. I am not sure how much “progress” McNabb is making, but if he is able to play, the Eagles might need him to win a shootout with the Saints…It was also reported that Kansas City Chiefs QB Matt Cassel was looking better in practice and running more briskly. There is still hope that he will play on Sunday against the Raiders, but there has been no official word from the team…

- This just in: Bears QB Jay Cutler was disappointed with his performance against the Packers on Sunday and he vows to do better this week against the Steelers. Wow, really? Well gee Jay, you couldn’t do much worse. Even without Troy Polamalu in the lineup, things will not be any easier for Cutler when the Steelers come to town. Good luck…

- Ohio State coach Jim Tressel is catching flack from all sides for his conservative play calling in the wake of the Buckeyes’ 18-15 loss to USC. It was another failure for Tressel and Ohio State in a high profile game and fans are starting to get irritated and are suggesting that Tressel give up on calling the plays. Tressel’s philosophy is basically built on playing for field position, avoiding turnovers at all cost and relying on defense and special teams to win the game. This was evident in the USC game as he elected to kick a field goal on 4th and goal from the USC 1-yard line early in the 2nd quarter, punted on a 4th and 1 from the USC 45 in the 3rd quarter, and punted again in the 4th quarter instead of trying a long field goal attempt. Immediately, I am having images of Herman Edwards in my head and he’s yelling “HELLO! You play to win the game!” I think that the criticism is warranted because Ohio State definitely was too conservation against USC. Tressel has a dynamic quarterback in Terrell Pryor, yet he doesn’t let Pryor run around as much as he should to try and create plays. Pryor is not a pure pocket passer and he is better when he’s able to scramble and create. Just trying to run, run, run and then punt to protect a slim lead is not that great of a strategy. Without question, Tressel has a long track record of success and should not be in danger of being fired or anything. But at some point, he is going to have to find a way to win these big games because the fans, media, and the school itself will only be able to put up with the disappointments for so long.

- Floyd “Money” Mayweather made some waves yesterday by claiming his race is a factor in how he is viewed. He lashed out at his perceived unfair treatment from the public and the media by saying, "If you're rich, you're a rich n-----. If you're poor, you're a poor n----. If you're smart, you're a smart n-----. At the end of the day, they still look at me as a n-----." Mayweather also went on to say that if he was white, he would be the biggest athlete in America. Sorry Floyd, but you got this one wrong. It is not your race that is holding you back, it is your attitude and the way you carry yourself. I will simply offer up Tiger Woods as an example. Tiger is one of the biggest sports figures in America and the world and he is black. So does everyone view Tiger Woods as a n-----? No, they don’t. And that is because Tiger Woods carries himself with dignity and respect and he’s not out acting like a fool. Now I know a part of boxing is being a showman to try and sell fights and Pay Per Views. But Mayweather goes beyond that with an arrogance and cockiness that turns people off. He claims that anything negative a guy like Oscar De La Hoya does gets swept under the rug and no one criticizes him. Well maybe that is because De La Hoya is respectful, gracious and doesn’t run his mouth all the time. And maybe that is because people like De La Hoya and Woods don’t have police investigating a shooting outside a skating rink and seizing handguns, ammunition and bulletproof vests from their home and cars, unlike Mr. Mayweather. People perceive you as a “n-----“ Floyd because you tend to act that way. You are free to live your life how you please and have whatever lifestyle you want. But everyone else is also entitled to their opinions about you and they don’t like what they see. If you want respect, you earn respect from your actions and how you carry yourself, it’s that simple.

- As of right now, the long time manager of the Atlanta Braves, Bobby Cox, is not committing to return to the team in 2010 for his 25th season. Cox was supposed to retire at the end of the 2008 season, but that did not happen. The criticism of Cox has increased in recent years as Atlanta stares at not making the playoffs for the 4th consecutive season. This is a far cry from the glory years of the team which included 14 straight National League East titles, five pennants and a World Series title. He says that he still loves the game and the competition and that it would be tough to walk away. Cox is currently 4th on the all-time wins list for managers with 2,403 entering Wednesday’s games. I have to say that at this point, Bobby Cox has earned the right to walk away from the game whenever he chooses. He is one of the greatest managers of all-time and will most likely get into the Hall of Fame. I used to love watching the Atlanta Braves teams of the 1990’s. They were an exciting group to watch and their standard of excellence was only matched by the Yankees during that period. Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz were just beasts on their pitching staff and they had stars in Dave Justice and the “Crime Dog” Fred McGriff who could put runs up on the board. It is amazing they did not win more World Series titles with those teams, but I am glad they got the one. Without that title, history would most likely paint those teams as a failure and the players as choke artists. It is a cruel fate that the early 1990’s Buffalo Bills could not escape. If Atlanta did not win a World Series, the Bills would have company as the greatest “losers” of all-time. I wish Cox well on whatever he decides. He is one of the greatest managers in MLB history and he will have a lasting legacy when he finally calls it quits.

- And finally, Linda McMahon has stepped down as the CEO of the WWE and has announced that she will be running for a U.S. Senate seat. Really? Does anyone really think she has a snowball’s chance in hell of winning? I am sure that Linda is a smart woman and a highly capable person, but as we all know, politics and political campaigning is all about mudslinging and tearing the other person down. What is going to happen when her opponents try to dig into Vince McMahon’s closet and paint Linda as just part of some sideshow with wrestlers? Fair or not, I don’t see he standing much of a chance in all this and I don’t think it is a smart move.

College Football Week 2 Review

On paper it looked as though this was going to be a pretty uneventful and unexciting weekend of college football action (outside of the huge USC-Ohio State game of course). But there was some great drama to be found after all, so let’s take a review of the important results:

#3 USC 18, #8 Ohio State 15 – It looked as though Ohio State was finally going to get the monkey off their back and get a huge win on a national TV stage, but they once again fell short. This was a very hard fought game and it heavily favored Ohio State’s style of play. It was a defensive battle that focused more on special teams and field position instead of sheer offensive firepower. For the most part, USC’s offense did not look that good. Freshman QB Matt Barkley looked like a freshman and the whole team did not do much until the final drive of the game. Barkley was finally able to step up and drove the Trojans 96 yards for the game winning touchdown. Ohio State looked a little better than USC on offense, but QB Terrelle Pryor did not have as much of an opportunity to create with his legs as he should have had. I will give credit to USC’s defense for keeping them in the game and giving the offense a chance to win it. At this point, I may have to concede that USC could be a real threat for the National Championship. However, I still think that Barkley’s inexperience will catch up to him one week and the Trojans will lose a game this year. Ohio State should not be ashamed of their performance, but this is not any sort of confidence booster and now they will have to try and fight back into BCS position. At this point, they will face a must win against Penn State to have a chance.

Michigan 38, #18 Notre Dame 34 – Once again, Notre Dame came up short in a big game that could have provided Coach Charlie Weis some breathing room from his critics and could have propelled Notre Dame towards a potential BCS Bowl game. This was a great college football game and will probably go down as one of the best in the storied Michigan-Notre Dame rivalry. Both teams traded shots at each other back and forth and neither defense played particularly well. Notre Dame’s defense certainly did not play the type of game that they did last week against Nevada. The star of the game turned out to be Michigan freshman QB Tate Forcier. He was cool and calm all day and made the big plays that Michigan needed. QB Jimmy Clausen and the Irish were just as good, but they made a mistake at the end of the game by throwing the ball and not trying to force Michigan to use their timeouts when they had a 3 point lead. That allowed Forcier to drive Michigan down the field and he won the game by throwing a 5-yard TD pass to WR Greg Matthews with 11 seconds left. This win now proves that Michigan is for real this season and I would expect them now to easily make a bowl game and they will most likely make the Top 25. I don’t think they will turn into a dominant team by any means, but they are going to overachieve this year. Notre Dame’s dream of a major BCS run is probably shot and they will settle down into a solid, but not spectacular year. Hopefully Lou Holtz is ready to eat some crow.

Houston 45, #5 Oklahoma State 35 – The biggest upset of the day came courtesy of the Houston Cougars, who went into Oklahoma State and came out with a 10 point victory. I did speculate in my preview that this would be a great test for Oklahoma State’s defense and it could be closer than some people thought. Chalk up a great prediction from me and mark it down as a miserable failure for Oklahoma State’s defense. They looked terrible out there and nothing like the team that shut down Georgia last week. The Cowboys let Houston totally dictate the pace of the game and it turned it into a shootout. Normally, the Cowboys are happy to play that type of game, but they were not as efficient as Houston on offense and they could not keep up. Houston QB Case Keenum looked great and he sliced up Oklahoma State’s defense. I have to say that the Cougars are definitely impressive and they have a ton of weapons on offense. They should be able to make a Bowl game this year and they could surprise more people along the way. Oklahoma State now needs to seriously regroup because I think they can kiss any BCS Bowl game dreams goodbye. You can not win on a consistent basis by winning shootouts. I thought their defense might be up to the challenge based on last week’s game, but it seems like it is not. It seems like the logical conclusion is that Georgia’s offense just came out flat and out of sync and that made the Cowboys look good.

#17 Utah 24, San Jose State 14 – Utah was able to extend the nation’s longest winning streak to 16 games, but it was not without a major fight. The game was tied 7-7 heading into the 4th quarter and Utah was finally able to shake San Jose State late in the game. Since USC killed San Jose State last week, this obviously proves that Utah might not be on a level with the likes of the Trojans. But a win is a win and Utah will try to march up the polls and see if they can be a BCS buster.

#19 North Carolina 12, Connecticut 10 – North Carolina needed a holding call in the end zone that resulted in a safety to narrowly avoid being upset by Connecticut. I also stated in my weekly preview that this could be a pretty good football game and was worth paying attention to. Obviously, it was pretty ugly and a defensive struggle, but it did almost produce an upset. Both defenses showed up in this game and neither team could do a damn thing on offense. I thought if North Carolina’s D showed up like it did last week, they would have little trouble winning. The only problem is their offense, especially the running game, stayed home. It seems like Connecticut will give every team they play a tough game and they could end up being a spoiler in the Big East. North Carolina could also be a factor in the ACC if their defense stays this strong, but will need more offense in those games to contend for a conference championship.

#21 Georgia 41, South Carolina 37 – Wow, was this a crazy game…so much for that old stat about these teams not being able to score more than 18 points against each other. This game was a back and forth slugfest that featured a kickoff return TD, an interception return TD, a safety, a blocked PAT, and tons of penalties. It came right down to the wire as well. South Carolina drove the ball all the way down to Georgia’s 7-yard line with 22 seconds left in the game, but QB Stephen Garcia’s 4th down pass was broken up on the goal line. You can never count out a Steve Spurrier coached team, so expect South Carolina to pull an upset at some point during the season. I don’t know exactly what to make of Georgia. They got the offense cranked up this week, but the defense fell apart after putting in a solid effort last week against Oklahoma State. It spells out inconsistency to me, and I believe Georgia will most likely not challenge LSU or Mississippi for the SEC West division title.

#25 Missouri 27, Bowling Green 20 – Missouri played an extremely bad first half and had to rally from 13-0 and 20-6 to beat Bowling Green. As good as Missouri QB Blaine Gabbert looked last week, he looked equally bad in the first half this week. He did recover to throw 2 TD passes in the second half to get a win for the Tigers. Missouri is still a young team and I do not really expect them to hang around the Top 25 all season. They seem likely to lose at least a game or two, but they should easily be able to make a Bowl game.

#1 Florida 56, Troy 6
#2 Texas 41, Wyoming 10
#4 Alabama 40, Florida International 14
#7 Penn State 28, Syracuse 7
#9 BYU 54, Tulane 3
#10 California 59, Eastern Washington 7
#11 LSU 23, Vanderbilt 9
#12 Boise State 48, Miami (OH) 0
#13 Oklahoma 64, Idaho State 0
#14 Virginia Tech 52, Marshall 10
#16 TCU 30, Virginia 14
#22 Nebraska 38, Arkansas State 9
#23 Cincinnati 70, Southeast Missouri State 3
#24 Kansas 34, UTEP 7

The above results are what you call taking care of business. As expected, there were a great deal of cupcake games out there and about half of the Top 25 feasted on them. Florida, Texas, and Alabama all got off to slow starts on Saturday. But by the time the 4th quarter rolled around, they had it in cruise control and were on the easy road to victory.

Penn State did look choppy again in their win over Syracuse, but they were never in danger and they had control of the game the entire time. Penn State will need to get better though because Ohio State, even with their loss to USC, looks strong and will really give the Nittany Lions a game.

Even though rain played havoc on them, LSU still looked shaky for the second week in a row and they let another underdog hang around. Vanderbilt was only down by one touchdown midway through the 4th quarter until LSU scored late to put the game away. It seems like LSU, Georgia, and Mississippi all look a little questionable to start the year and who knows what team will win the SEC West and get a shot at Florida in the SEC Championship game. But at this point, I am not sure any one of the three will be able to give Florida any sort of challenge.

Oklahoma, their defense, and QB Landry Jones tried to make a statement that they will keep fighting. They destroyed Idaho State and gave up only 6 first downs. TCU got off to a great start as well, as their defense only gave up 7 first downs the entire game.

The Game’s Quick Hits

- The Dany Heatley trade speculation is finally over as the Ottawa Senators traded Heatley and a fifth-round draft pick to the San Jose Sharks for Milan Michalek, Jonathan Cheechoo and a second-round draft pick. So it turns out that the rumored 3 team trade that I mentioned yesterday was indeed just a bad rumor. However, the Sharks were still involved in this deal. San Jose needed to do something to shake up their team after continued failures in the playoffs. Heatley is a dangerous scorer when he is focused and playing well, but it will remain to be seen whether he delivers in crunch time during the postseason. He should be able to help San Jose remain a top level team, but as it always is with the Sharks, things change in the playoffs. The Senators got some good value back in return, but I am not sure if it matches the value of a motivated Dany Heatley. Michalek is only 24-years old and had 23 goals and 24 assists last season. He is a good player with the potential to get better, but I doubt he will become a consistent 40-50 goal scorer. Cheechoo had a brilliant 2005-06 season when he scored 56 goals, but he has dropped off ever since. He had only 12 goals and 17 assists last year. Unless a change of scenery really sparks his career, he seems destined to just become a role player. So in my estimation, the Sharks got a good deal in this. But, we will have to wait until playoff time to see just how good of a deal it is.

- In other NHL news, the Calgary Flames have invited former All-star and Stanley Cup winner Theo Fleury to training camp for a tryout. The 41-year old Fleury has been away from the game for 6 years as he battled to get himself sober after alcohol addiction. Fleury had 455 goals and 633 assists in more than 1,000 career games with Calgary, the Colorado Avalanche, the New York Rangers and the Chicago Blackhawks between 1988 and 2003. Although I am not sure how much Fleury has left, this could be a really good story and I hope that he makes the team and gets to play in a game. I always appreciate a good comeback story and it is a big thing to overcome a substance abuse problem. Addiction can destroy your life, so I hope Fleury is able to stay on a good path and I wish him luck on his comeback attempt.

- Well it looks like the Richard Seymour saga is finally over. Late on Friday it was reported that Seymour was planning a trip out to California and would in fact report to the Oakland Raiders and be ready to play in Monday night’s game against the Chargers. It looks like the “5 day letter” did its job because Seymour did not get a new contract and did not get a promise that the Raiders would not slap the franchise tag on him next year. He will not lose any money this year, which he was in danger of doing by not reporting to Oakland. So now the story starts to come out. Seymour probably had a sense of what New England might have done with his contract status before the trade and he wanted the same from Oakland. Looks like it did not work at this point. The NFL is a business and it sucks for Seymour that he got shipped to the Raiders, but he is under contract so he has no right to start making demands. Again, I would think a player that has grown up in the Patriots organization would be a professional. Seymour was pushing it and I am glad to see that he blinked. His goal should be to have the best season that he can and then the money will take care of itself. It does him no good to bitch and moan and sandbag this season. He finally did break his silence on Saturday and says that the trade “blindsided” him and he claims he made no demands. He had personal issues to take care of and is excited to join the Raiders. Well that is nice to hear, but I am willing to bet there was some sort of talk about money and his contract.

- Brett Favre has been named a captain for the Minnesota Vikings this season after being with the team for only less than a month. So I guess this blows up the whole “schism” story right? There is no question that Favre is a tremendous leader and has a burning desire to play the game and to win. While he might not have gone about joining the Vikings in the “right” way, he is going to go in there and do the best he can. I still believe that Favre will be able to steady the offense for the Vikings, manage the game, make some big plays, and most importantly, lead them to victories. I still believe that the Vikings are the slight favorites to win the NFC North due to Favre’s presence.

- The Memphis basketball program got some bad news as it was revealed that sophomore forward Angel Garcia had torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and will miss the 2009-10 season. This is a big blow considering that Garcia, who is 6-foot-11 and missed last season due to NCAA eligibility issues, was expected to step up and help a team that is now down to 8 scholarship players. The loss of Coach John Calipari is going to hit Memphis hard I believe. I can see them slowly slipping away from being a national powerhouse. Calipari was the draw to the school and frankly, I have never even heard of their current coach, Josh Pastner. My prediction is that Memphis will go downhill until they hire another big name coach who has a proven track record of success.

- Major League Baseball will not take any actions against New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez for past performance-enhancing drug use. MLB was investigating Rodriguez to determine if he lied about the exact period of time he admitted to using PEDs. Apparently, the investigation did not turn up anything new and he will not be punished. I’m at least pleased to hear that they didn’t find out about any past use from Rodriguez. Even though he was using steroids for a few seasons, I still contend that Rodriguez is one of the best players in Major League history. The guy had his greatest year in 2007 when he was clean and even with a bad hip this season, he is still hitting home runs and being productive. Take away his “steroid years” and Rodriguez would still be a Hall of Famer. And in other Yankees’ news, SS Derek Jeter had 2 hits Friday night to pass Lou Gehrig on the Yankees’ all-time hit list with 2723. That is an amazing accomplishment to have, but unless Jeter goes on a tear and wins multiple World Series titles again, he will not be able to reach the great pantheon of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, and Mickey Mantle.

- BMW Championship: Tiger Woods entered the weekend and the 3rd round of the BMW tied for lead and had a chance to take control of the tournament. Mission accomplished. Tiger was on absolute fire as he shot a course record 9-under par 62 to finish at 16-under par for the tournament. This gave him a 7 shot lead over Brandt Snedeker and Marc Leishman. I said yesterday that I expected Tiger to take care of business this weekend and win, but I didn’t expect this good of a performance today. When Woods plays like this, he is impossible to beat and everyone is fighting for second. Not much else to say on this. Tiger will cruise home to victory tomorrow and grab the FedEx Cup points lead heading into the Tour Championship, the final event of the Playoffs. It seems like it will be a tall task for anyone to beat him.

- U.S. Open Update: Rain held off enough to allow for play to continue at the U.S. Open and #3 seed Rafael Nadal wasted no time finishing up his quarterfinal match against #11 seed Fernando Gonzalez. Nadal dusted him off quickly, winning 7-6, 7-6, 6-0, and he will now face #6 seed Juan Martin del Potro tomorrow in one semifinal. The women had their semifinals next after another lengthy rain delay and the match between unseeded Kim Clijsters and #2 seed Serena Williams ended in bizarre fashion. Williams was down 1 set and 5-6, 15-30 when she faulted on her first serve and then was called for a foot fault on her second serve. Serena then proceeded to yell at the lines official who made the call and told her “I will stuff this ball down your f**king throat”, among other things. Williams had already received a code violation earlier in the match for slamming her racquet, so this second offense cost her a point at 15-40 and the match was over. This was totally crazy and certainly something that I have never witnessed before. Clijsters had dominated the action and obviously, Williams was frustrated. The foot fault call by the official was a bad judgment call at that point in the match, but the way Williams lost her cool and what she said was uncalled for and she paid the price. Clijsters now moves onto the final to face #9 seed Caroline Wozniacki, who beat unseeded Yanina Wickmayer in straight sets.

College Football Week 2 Preview

The opening weekend of the college football season was definitely exciting. We had Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford’s injury leading to BYU’s upset over the Sooners…Oregon RB LeGarrette Blount losing his mind after Boise State scored a huge win over the Ducks…Alabama and Oklahoma State looking strong in their huge wins…and a great end to the weekend with a classic between Miami and Florida State. Will week 2 be just as exciting? On paper, it doesn’t seem that way. You would think it was a bakery with all the cupcake games out there. But nevertheless, it should be a good weekend of action and there is one huge game everyone will be watching. Let’s take a look at a preview of the action:

#1 Florida (1-0) vs. Troy (0-1) – Seems as though the Gators will be in another charitable mood on Saturday to dish out a beat down to an overmatched opponent. Florida cruised in their opener, crushing Charleston Southern 62-3. The competition gets a little tougher this week, but not that tough. Troy did go to the New Orleans Bowl last season and could hang around for a quarter, but they do not have anywhere near the personnel necessary to stop Florida on defense or match them on the scoreboard with their own offense. Troy lost 31-14 to Bowling Green last week and has lost 8 straight games to ranked teams, so expect another massacre for Florida by the final gun. We will not get a true measure of how good Florida is this year until they get into SEC play.

#2 Texas (1-0) vs. Wyoming (1-0) – Texas easily started their quest toward a National Championship with a 59-20 win over Louisiana-Monroe. Things should not really get much tougher this week as the Longhorns travel to Wyoming to face an overmatched Cowboys team. Texas now looks in prime position to win the Big 12 with Oklahoma’s early season struggles and they look motivated to get better this week. They were not happy that they gave up 20 points to Louisiana-Monroe, even though 10 of those points came in the 4th quarter when the starters were out of the game. Wyoming was last among FBS teams in scoring last season, but they have installed a no-huddle, spread offense this season and it got them a 29-22 win last week over Weber State. Unfortunately, Texas is not Weber State and the Longhorns should easily beat the Cowboys, who haven’t beaten a ranked team since 2002 and have never beaten a team ranked higher than #11. I would expect a win by at least 4-5 touchdowns.

#3 USC (1-0) vs. #8 Ohio State (1-0) – Without question, this is the marquee matchup of the week and the game everyone will be watching. USC had no trouble last week as they routed San Jose State 56-3. Ohio State struggled at home to beat Navy 31-27. So does that make this game a foregone conclusion? I don’t think you can say that, but there is no doubt that USC looks to have the edge and Ohio State needs to deal with recent demons. Over the past 3 seasons, the Buckeyes have struggled in high profile games and they can’t seem to get a huge win on national TV. This includes an embarrassing 35-3 loss to USC last year. Last week’s struggle will not help their confidence, but they do have home field advantage in this game. USC freshman QB Matt Barkley will get his first real test of his young career and he might be overwhelmed. He does have a powerful running game to back him up though, and Ohio State’s defense did look shaky against Navy. All in all, I do think the edge lies with USC and I would expect them to pull out a victory in this one. Ohio State is more than capable of winning, but I will stick with recent history.

#4 Alabama (1-0) vs. Florida International (0-0) – This is another baker’s special here as Alabama should have no trouble in this game. They are coming off of a huge 34-24 win over Virginia Tech and the talk about another run at the National Championship is well underway. The Crimson Tide defense was stifling against Virginia Tech and they only let up a few big plays in an otherwise dominating performance. The Tide did have a let down last year in their 2nd game, an uninspiring 20-6 win against Tulane, after a big opening week win over Clemson. That should serve as a learning lesson though for this team and Florida International, who are only 6-37 on the road since they started the football program in 2002, will be totally overmatched in this game.

#5 Oklahoma State (1-0) vs. Houston (1-0) – Oklahoma State got off to a huge start last week by beating Georgia 24-10 and vaulting up to #5 in the country. They will now have the challenge of trying to stay motivated and not play down to their competition as they enter a stretch of games against weaker opponents before opening Big 12 play. Houston will provide a decent challenge to the Cowboys. They feature an explosive offense and play a wide open style that can score points. These two teams played last September and Oklahoma State won a 56-37 shootout. This game will be a great test to see if Oklahoma State’s defense is really improved this year. The Cowboys could suffer a letdown and this game could be closer than some people think. Houston has won 2 straight games against ranked opponents and the all-time series between these two is tied at 9-9-1. I expect the Cowboys to prevail in this one, but it could be interesting for a while.

#7 Penn State (1-0) vs. Syracuse (0-1) – This figures to be another lackluster game as Syracuse visits Penn State in a rematch of last year’s 55-13 blowout win for the Nittany Lions. Penn State has won 22 straight games at home against unranked opponents and that streak should continue. Penn State had no trouble beating Akron last week 31-7, although they did play poorly in the 2nd half and will look to correct that this week. Syracuse will be totally overmatched and it does not help that former Duke point guard Greg Paulus is still adjusting back to being on the football field in live games after not playing since high school. This one could be ugly and be over early.

#9 BYU (1-0) vs. Tulane (0-1) – BYU is coming off one of the biggest wins in school history and the challenge against Tulane will be not to have a letdown. Florida State visits BYU next week, so this could be labeled as the classic “trap” game. BYU can afford no letdowns if they want a shot at a BCS Bowl game this year. However, Tulane struggled at home last week in a 37-13 loss against Tulsa, so they probably will not offer much resistance against the Cougars. BYU’s defense looked extremely solid against Oklahoma and Tulane’s offense was pretty bad last season, only scoring 16.7 points per game. BYU should score early and often and have no trouble putting this one away as they prepare for a huge game next week against the Seminoles.

#10 California (1-0) vs. Eastern Washington (1-0) – After beating up on Maryland last week, Cal should have no trouble at all doing the same to Eastern Washington. Heisman Trophy candidate RB Jahvid Best ran wild over the Terps and did the same to unranked competition last year. The Golden Bears should have no trouble blowing out an overmatched Eastern Washington team. Things will get much tougher when they hit Pac 10 conference play, so they had better enjoy the cupcakes now.

#11 LSU (1-0) vs. Vanderbilt (1-0) – SEC play begins for both these teams as Vanderbilt travels to LSU. LSU is trying to bounce back from last year’s disappointing 3-5 record in SEC games, the first season below .500 for the Tigers since 1999. LSU has won the past 5 meetings with Vanderbilt, but the teams have not played since 2005. LSU got off to a good start last week, surviving the longest road trip in program history and beating Washington 31-23. Coming back home should be welcomed for the Tigers and they should be able to win this game fairly easily. Vanderbilt was ranked as high as #13 last year, but they have slowly slipped off and are in the middle of the pack as far as SEC teams go. LSU can not afford a slip up, especially at home against an unranked opponent, if they have hopes of a big time Bowl game this year. So I would expect them to be focused and take care of business in this one.

#12 Boise State (1-0) vs. Miami, OH (0-1) – Boise State is coming off of a huge win against Oregon, which now gives them an inside track at going undefeated and getting a BCS Bowl game berth. Even though some may say Boise State could suffer a letdown this week, it seems highly unlikely. Miami (OH) has not beaten a ranked team since 2003 and they finished 2-10 last season. They also suffered the second worst season-opening loss in school history last week, a 42-0 drubbing at the hands of Kentucky. Expect Boise State to roll in this one.

#13 Oklahoma (0-1) vs. Idaho State (0-1) – Oklahoma will try to move forward after the 14-13 loss to BYU and the loss of QB Sam Bradford for up to a month and TE Jermaine Gresham for the entire year. It will be a struggle for Oklahoma to hang in there now, but they should not struggle this week. Even without Bradford, Oklahoma should beat up on Idaho State. Oklahoma has won 24 straight games at home and Idaho State has lost 16 straight on the road and has not beaten an FBS school since 2000. Idaho State also managed a MASSIVE 37 yards of offense last week against Arizona State. You do the math on this one…

#14 Virginia Tech (0-1) vs. Marshall (1-0) – Virginia Tech will try to rebound from a disappointing loss to Alabama in their opener last week. Tech had hopes of potentially making a run at the BCS Title game, but now they have to try and work back for a shot at any BCS Bowl game. The defense was pretty shaky and needs to improve and Tech’s offense needs to get more consistency. They only hung in against Alabama because of a few big plays. Virginia Tech should have an easy time with Marshall, who has not beaten a ranked team since 2003 and have lost their last eight attempts at it. Tech has also not lost a home opener since 1995, so the odds are on their side. I would expect a better defensive effort and Marshall’s defense will not be strong enough to hold Tech off the scoreboard.

#16 TCU (0-0) vs. Virginia (0-1) – TCU begins their season this week as they visit Virginia, who was embarrassed last week in losing to William & Mary at home 26-14. William & Mary is not even an FBS school and Virginia struggled mightily on offense. That does not bode well for the Cavaliers as they go up against one of the best defenses in the county. TCU only gave up 18 touchdowns last year and led the nation in yards from scrimmage allowed per game. There is always a chance TCU could be flat in their first game, but this game should not be that close. The Horned Frogs have high expectations and are coming off their highest final poll finish since 1959. Expect a big win for the Mountain West favorites in this one.

#17 Utah (1-0) vs. San Jose State (0-1) – Utah will look to extend the nation’s longest winning streak to 16 games as they take on a San Jose State team that was spanked by USC 56-3 last week. Utah has won 10 straight non-conference games, as well as their last 8 road games, and they should be able to continue the streak this week. San Jose State looked totally overmatched against USC, giving up 620 yards and only gaining 121. Utah is no USC, but they are certainly way too much for San Jose State to handle.

#18 Notre Dame (1-0) vs. Michigan (1-0) – This game has now turned into a big one and will be the 2nd marquee matchup in the Top 25 of the week. Notre Dame and Michigan are trying to build their programs back up and recapture past glory. It seems as though Notre Dame has the better prospects of the two and they enter this game favored to win. QB Jimmy Clausen was nearly flawless last week against Nevada in Notre Dame’s 35-0 victory. If he can duplicate that performance and the offensive line and defense continue to improve, Notre Dame will be tough to beat. Michigan rallied around Coach Rich Rodriguez and beat back allegations of NCAA rules violations to beat Western Michigan 31-7. They have shutout Notre Dame in two of the past three games at home and lead the series 11-7 at Ann Arbor. It will take a big effort though for Michigan to win because Notre Dame looks like they might meet some of the hype this year. I don’t think Michigan is that far along as a team and Notre Dame should win this game.

#19 North Carolina (1-0) vs. Connecticut (1-0) – This has the potential to be a pretty good football game in my estimation. It might not turn out that way however, if North Carolina repeats the defensive performance they had last week against The Citadel. The Tar Heels forced 4 turnovers and only allowed 30 yards rushing. Connecticut lost star RB Donald Brown to the NFL, so they will not be as dynamic this year. They put in a good rushing performance last week against Ohio and they need even more if they hope to pull the upset. It will also require better QB play from Zach Frazer. North Carolina pulled an upset of Connecticut last year 38-12 at home. Can the reverse happen this time around? I think it is possible, but the loss of Donald Brown might be too much to overcome and I expect a Tar Heels victory.

#21 Georgia (0-1) vs. South Carolina (1-0) – This game could turn out to be downright ugly and a real defensive struggle. Since Steve Spurrier became South Carolina’s coach, neither team has scored more than 18 points in a game. You also have two teams that struggled mightily on the offensive side of the ball last week and it is the SEC opener for both squads, which tend to be played close to the vest. Georgia obviously has to be deflated after losing to Oklahoma State and Spurrier has had 2 extra days to prepare for this one, so it could be good. I have to believe that Georgia will be desperate to avoid a 0-2 start and they will find a way to win this one. A loss would be an absolute disaster for them and the dreams of a BCS Bowl game will be a distant memory.

#22 Nebraska (1-0) vs. Arkansas State (1-0) – Nebraska got off to a good start last week by beating Florida Atlantic 49-3, but the defense was described as “soft” by head coach Bo Pelini. The Cornhuskers gave up 358 yards to Florida Atlantic and were not as physical as they could have been. They can probably get away with that again this week, since Arkansas State is only a slight step up in competition. Nebraska needs to be careful though because Arkansas State does have some talented athletes and the Cornhuskers have a huge game against Virginia Tech next week, so this could be another so-called “trap” game. However, I would still expect a pretty big victory for Nebraska here.

#23 Cincinnati (1-0) vs. Southeast Missouri State (1-0) – All the talk about Rutgers winning the Big East this year has gone away after Cincinnati pounded the Scarlet Knights 47-15. The win set the Bearcats up as the favorite to win the Big East once again and propelled Cincinnati into the Top 25. They look to be a more dangerous team than people expected and they should destroy Southeast Missouri State, who has been outscored 174-13 in their last three games against FBS schools.

#24 Kansas (1-0) vs. UTEP (0-1) – Kansas will be looking to win a non-conference road game for the first time since 2003 and the return of star WR Dezmon Briscoe could help that. Briscoe was suspended for the first game of the season for a violation of team rules during the spring. His return could strength an already talented team, who should be able to handle UTEP. The Miners lost to Buffalo last week 23-17 and Kansas is certainly much more talented. UTEP has lost 9 straight times to ranked opponents dating back to 1997 and they are 3-44 all-time against ranked teams. Even with the odds in their favor, Kansas is not planning to overlook UTEP and that should lead to a big win.

#25 Missouri (1-0) vs. Bowling Green (1-0) – Missouri had an impressive opening win last week against Illinois and the performance has sparked hope that the team can have a good year even after graduating one of the most successful classes in school history and losing Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin. If they can get solid play from sophomore QB Blaine Gabbert, it could be a better than expected year for the young Tigers. Bowling Green will provide a good test, but they are a notch below Illinois. Bowling Green did defeat Missouri back in 2001 and 2002, teams that were also coached by Gary Pinkel. They also sport an 11-8 record against major conference teams since those seasons, so Missouri will have to come prepared to get a victory.

The Game’s Quick Hits

Recap: Steelers 13, Titans 10 OT – The NFL season got off to a great start last night, even if it wasn’t very pretty. Pittsburgh was able to make enough clutch plays to escape with a 13-10 overtime win over the Titans. The first half of the game was a total defensive struggle and neither team looked particularly good on offense. The Steelers looked worse though as they could not run the ball and only got going in the final two minutes of the half. The defense held them in the game, even though All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu left the game due to injury. A Titans player fell on his left knee after a blocked FG and it was reported after the game that Polamalu sprained his MCL and could be out 3-6 weeks. They are fortunate that the injury is not any worse and their defense is strong enough to survive for a few weeks without him. The Steelers finally were able to move the ball in the second half by relying on the arm of QB Ben Roethlisberger. After Tennessee grabbed a 10-7 lead late in the game, Roethlisberger got the Steelers going for a tying field goal and then was driving the Steelers down for the winning score in regulation, but WR Hines Ward fumbled on the Titans’ 5-yard line. However, Pittsburgh won the coin toss and Roethlisberger drove them right down the field for a game winning 33-yard field goal by K Jeff Reed. Once again, the Steelers used the formula of strong defense and clutch play from Roethlisberger, who was 33-for-43 for 363 yards with 1 TD and 2 INTs, to win. They really need to get the running game in order though, considering Tennessee held them to only 36 yards rushing. Pittsburgh also needs to improve on converting short yardage plays. They stunk it up in that area last night and that could cost them sometime this year if they are not careful. This loss will by no means hurt the Titans in the long run. They played a tough game and the defense looks fierce. I think they will be fine and can be a force when it comes to playoff time. Both teams made a statement that they will be contenders this year.

Recap: #15 Georgia Tech 30, Clemson 27 – In what was a game of back and forth momentum, Georgia Tech barely escaped with a 3 point win after squandering a 24-0 lead. Early on it seemed like this game would be a blowout. Clemson came out extremely flat and blew great field position by making costly mistakes and turning the ball over. This allowed Georgia Tech to build a 24-0 lead on the strength of a long TD run, a punt return TD, and a fake FG which resulted in a TD pass from kicker Scott Blair. From that point on however, Clemson’s defense stepped up and Georgia Tech could do absolutely nothing offensively. The Tigers stuffed the running game and Georgia Tech’s passing game was dreadful. Clemson scored 27 straight points to take the lead, but then they fell apart. Georgia Tech finally put together two late drives for field goals and escaped with a 3 point win. From what I saw, if a team is able to contain the Yellow Jackets’ spread option run game, they can be beat. QB Josh Nesbitt looked extremely shaky throwing the ball and he only completed 3 of 14 passes and threw 2 interceptions. That is not the way to get it done. I think Virginia Tech’s defense could easily stuff Georgia Tech and I am not sure if Georgia Tech will be able to hang in there for a major Bowl game this year. Clemson has enough offensive weapons to stay in games and they will always be a tough opponent for anyone in the ACC this year.

- Well it seems as though Minnesota Vikings QB Brett Favre just can not stay out of the news these days. Favre told the media on Wednesday that the New York Jets knew about his torn biceps tendon last season, but they did not list him on any injury reports. Favre also said that he was receptive to sitting out and would have done so, but he was encouraged to keep playing even though he felt he was starting to hurt the team. Teams in the past have been fined anywhere from $10,000 to $25,000 (no draft picks have ever been taken though) for not being forthright on injury reports and the NFL is now looking into Favre’s statements. New York Jets’ GM Mike Tannenbaum stated that he will take responsibility and cooperate in a league investigation for not listing Favre, and said that he should have been listed as “probable” during the final 5 games last year. If you ask me, this comes as absolutely no surprise. The Jets were trying to fight for a division title last year, so surely they did not want to let teams know that Favre had an injury. They probably did not want the media circus and distraction that would have come along with reporting it either. Like it or not, an injury is a target, so everyone kept quiet about it. I don’t agree with the practice of doing this because the rules about reporting injuries should be followed for competitive fairness. Who knows if the NFL will end up fining the Jets, but at least it seems Favre will be levelheaded this year and sit down if he is hurt and not jeopardize team success.

- No doubt that it is a new world out there as the Shawne Merriman/Tila Tequila saga is playing out on Twitter. The two are exchanging charges and countercharges on their feeds. Tequila is planning to meet with the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office on Friday as the investigation will continue to determine whether or not Merriman will be charged. Merriman is sticking to his position that he was only trying to help Tequila because she was drunk and he intends to clear his name and get to focusing on football. Tequila counters by saying Merriman is lying and she will not be a victim in all this, especially when someone lays their hands on her. This seems like it will just turn into a bizarre situation, but as I stated before, I don’t think Tequila is on a witch hunt here. She most likely is well off financially and Merriman has more to lose here, so of course he will deny any wrongdoing. I guess we will have to see what charges, if any, get levied against Merriman to determine how serious this could have been.

- Other NFL News and Notes: Recently traded defensive lineman Richard Seymour continues to not report to the Oakland Raiders and the Raiders have responded by sending him the dreaded “5 day letter”, which means he has 5 days to report to the team or be suspended. He is listed on the Raiders’ 53 man roster, so if nothing were to happen before Monday night’s game against the Chargers, he would still collect a paycheck for the game. Now I understand Seymour’s displeasure with the sudden trade and having to leave a championship caliber team, but I do not condone highly paid athletes getting money for nothing. I am pleased to see Oakland giving him an ultimatum because he does not deserve any money or special treatment here. Seymour is starting to now look childish and unprofessional in all this. At this point, I say suck it up and go play.

The Vikings have released WR Bobby Wade just days before the season opener. This seems to be a puzzling move considering that Wade has led the Vikings in receptions the past 2 seasons. The addition of Percy Harvin obviously means fewer balls to go around, but you never know when injuries will pop up and I would think Minnesota would want to have as many weapons as possible. Harvin battled some injuries at Florida and WR Bernard Berrian has been slowed by a hamstring injury already. I don’t think this is that smart of a move and Minnesota better hope they stay healthy.

It was announced Thursday that NFL fans’ whose local teams’ games are blacked out will be able to watch them for free online, though not until after midnight. Commissioner Goodell said that the league understands that the economy is making it harder to buy tickets, so I suppose this is a compromise and better than nothing. Many have said the league should be sensitive to the economic times and waive the blackouts for this season so fans can watch their local teams’ games. On the other hand, giving away the product for free would not encourage people to try and go buy tickets. The NFL has a product it is trying to protect and I understand the business part of it. I certainly do not want things to get to a point where I would have to buy games on Pay Per View or something of that sort. But due to how bad things are in this economy, I think it is a unique time and they should allow the blackouts to be waived for this season only. They can revert back to the usual rules next season when things will hopefully be better in economic terms.

John Madden is back in the NFL and will be an unpaid “special adviser” to Commissioner Roger Goodell and mostly have influence on the NFL competition committee. This is a really cool move in my opinion. Without question, Madden is one of the most knowledgeable people out there when it comes to the game of football and I am glad that he will be offering his opinions and advice to try and improve the game. Madden has a love and passion for the NFL and I am sure he will be able to help in some capacity.

- BMW Championship Update: The second to last FedEx Cup Playoff event got underway yesterday and Rory Sabbatini and Steve Marino were able to jump out to a 1-stroke lead after firing 5-under rounds of 66. Bo Van Pelt and Marc Leishman each shot 4-under rounds of 67 and Tiger Woods is in a pack of players who shot 3-under rounds of 68. This is pretty much an all-star tournament with the top players in the world, so getting off to a good start is desirable. Without question, this is the best round that Tiger has shot to open a tournament in the past few weeks and he seems to have figured some things out. These last two events will determine the FedEx Cup Champion, so it is the perfect time for Tiger to rise to the occasion. I give him a great shot to win this week. FedEx Cup point leader Steve Stricker did not get off to such a great start. He suffered a three putt bogey on his last hole as he shot a 1-over par 72 for the day. Now he will be in the position to have to chase Woods, unlike last week when Stricker was hunting Tiger.

- Miami Heat all-star guard Dwayne Wade says that the contract extension talks are now over and he will be focusing on the upcoming season. As expected, Wade is not signing any extension with the Heat right now and is looking at testing free agency next summer. Obviously, this is not surprising and I do not blame the guy. That is how it works in sports with free agency and players have every right to go out and try to get as much money as they can. I certainly would do the same if I had the opportunity. Next summer might be crazy as LeBron James, Wade, Chris Bosh, and Amare Stoudemire could all hit free agency. Teams are trying to clear cap room now and we could see a huge power shift in the NBA. It will be fun to see what goes down and I bet Wade will probably have a monster season again this year, carrying the Heat on his back to the playoffs.

-U.S. Open Update: Things are starting to wind down at the U.S. Open and the only single’s action today was the last two men’s quarterfinals. In the first one, #6 seed Juan Martin del Potro rallied after losing the first set to beat #16 seed Marin Cilic 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1. We still do not know who his opponent will be because the night match between #3 seed Rafael Nadal and #11 seed Fernando Gonzalez was postponed due to rain with Nadal leading 7-6, 6-6.

Monday Night FavreBall

* Note: I had planned to offer some thoughts on the documentary portion of WWE’s new DVD release, “The Rise and Fall of WCW”. However, today was so packed full of sports tidbits that my intended post grew to be very long. Therefore, I am deciding to delay posting the review until tomorrow. I will also offer up my thoughts on Monday Night Raw and ECW at that time. Stay tuned!

Monday Night Football Thoughts: Well tonight was really the big “debut” and test of new Vikings QB Brett Favre, but there was news even before Monday Night Football. Favre told ESPN that he believes he may have a cracked rib. Wow, that would be just a great omen already for the Vikings huh? The team had not officially examined Favre though and head coach Brad Childress stated right before kickoff that Favre was fine and ready to go. With all that swirling around, Favre was expected to play the entire 1st half of the game against the Houston Texans, so how did he look?

In my estimation, it was a solid performance for Favre, but it was not spectacular. But that is the whole point with this Vikings team. They have the pieces in place to be a great football team and they do not need spectacular QB play. All they require is solid and reliable efforts, which they have not had in years, and it looks like Favre will finally give it to them. He went 13-of-18 for 142 yards and 1 TD and did an effective job of moving the ball, not turning it over, and already showcased his ability to move the team and score points in the 2 minute drill. Not bad for a guy who has been with the team for 12 days.

I thought that Favre looked very good. He showed great mobility for a guy almost 40 years old and he actually was able to create a few plays moving his feet and escaping the pocket. The arm strength is still there and his accuracy was fairly decent last night as well. I would suggest that the Vikings try to work on their blocking however, because I thought Favre had to scramble a little too much and a few throws were rushed. To have a great season, the Vikings will need to keep Favre off his back and give him the time he needs to pick apart defenses. The only mistake Favre made last night was throwing a pretty bad crackback block, which he got flagged for. I don’t believe it was a dirty play at all, but it certainly was a bad decision for him to be trying that.

From what I saw, the Vikings could actually be real contenders after all if they play to this level. Adrian Peterson is an absolute beast and he will take a great deal of pressure off of Favre. If he improves in the passing game and players like rookie WR Percy Harvin develop as the season goes along, then the sky could be the limit. I saw Favre make some really nice decisions last night as well. That is another key to success. Favre does not have to be a reckless gunslinger on this team. If he manages the game and does not turn the ball over, the Vikings will be rolling. Throw in a stout defense and you have the makings of a dangerous team. The only big question out there now: can Favre stay healthy and not wear down like he did last season? I really did not notice any ill effects of a potentially cracked rib. Favre took 2 sacks and got hit numerous times and I did not see him wincing in pain at all. So I guess we will just have to wait and see if he can survive and if any new reports surface about the ribs.

On a final note, the Houston Texans still look like they will be a .500 team at best this year. QB Matt Schaub has had his own injury issues and questions and he goes out there and sprains his ankle just running out of bounds. The Texans do have weapons on offense but an injury to Schaub will not help, especially when the defense still looks like it has a ways to go. The Texans have a good pass rush with DE Mario Williams, but if they can not get pressure on the opposing QB, it looks like they will get picked apart in the secondary. I hear some people talking playoffs for the Texans this year, and I am not sure that I buy that yet.

The Game’s Quick Hits

- Word has finally come in that Kansas City Chiefs QB Matt Cassel has a sprained MCL in his knee and could miss 2-4 weeks. This puts him in jeopardy of missing the Chiefs’ season opener against the Ravens on September 13. While I don’t like seeing players getting hurt, this is certainly good news for Ravens fans. Baltimore didn’t really need any extra help to beat the Chiefs come opening day, but if QB Tyler Thigpen is behind center for Kansas City, it could be an ugly day out there for them and a dominating performance for the Ravens to start the year. The Chiefs also fired offensive coordinator Chan Gailey on Monday, seemingly in response to the team’s poor offensive efforts in the preseason and dating back to last year. Truly, it seems as if the Chiefs are in a bit of turmoil here.

- In more injury news, Baltimore Ravens CB Samari Rolle was placed on the physically unable to perform list and will miss at least the first 6 weeks of the season. Rolle continues to have problems with his neck that plagued him last year and he intends to have more surgery to stabilize it and allow him to continue his career and not retire. Obviously, this is not news that Ravens fans wanted to hear, but hopefully Rolle will be able to recover and rejoin the team for the stretch run. I have to say, the Ravens look like they do not miss Rolle with the way the defense has looked this preseason. He has not practiced with the team and did not even make it to training camp, so this news does not come as any type of blow to the team. However, Rolle would be able to provide more depth and tons of experience, so I hope that the Ravens don’t suffer a rash of injuries in the secondary. I would like to wish Rolle well on his recovery. He has always been an effective player and good citizen of the NFL, so here’s to hoping he makes it back this year.

- New England Patriots QB Tom Brady finally broke his silence and told Boston radio station WEEI that he expects to play in the regular season opener and is ready to play this week in the team’s final preseason game if he is allowed. Don’t expect that however since the Patriots usually sit their starters in the final preseason game. So slowly this story and injury seem to be much ado about nothing. Have to wonder if some of those defensive ends and linebackers try to target Brady’s shoulder though.

-And in other Patriots news, LB Tedy Bruschi retired today as expected. Bruschi told everyone that his work was finished in the game and he achieved everything that he wanted to achieve. Sources are also saying that Chiefs LB Zach Thomas will also retire. Being a Ravens fan and being able to watch the excellence of LB Ray Lewis for years has allowed me to have a great deal of appreciation for the linebacker position. Bruschi and Thomas are two class acts and were highly effective players, so they will be missed. Hearty congratulations to them both for excellent careers.

- It also seems like the injury story on Buffalo Bills WR Terrell Owens is coming to an end. Owens returned to the practice field on Monday and the Bills could start hoping he would revive an offensive that has looked dead in the preseason since he went down with a sprained toe. I still believe it is only a matter of time before Owens runs his mouth or blows up totally after the team struggles or QB Trent Edwards starts to not get him the ball.

- In an update to the story on possible NCAA rules violations by University of Michigan football, former Michigan WR Toney Clemons, who has since transferred to Colorado, went on record and told ESPN that the allegation about Michigan violating NCAA rules on limiting how much time players can spend on training and practice are true. In fact, upwards of 10 players have spoken out and none dispute the report. Clemons told ESPN that he spent upwards of 12 hours on Sundays doing team activity and regularly went over the limits of 20 hours per week and 4 hours per day. As I speculated yesterday, these players have no reason to throw their team and University under the bus unless this story is true and it seems like it is. I am not surprised at all because Michigan football has been on a downward trend recently and Coach Rich Rodriguez has to be feeling the pressure. At a press conference on Monday, Rodriguez got teary several times and became emotional and flatly stated that he cares about the players, the coaches and the University know the rules and abide by them, and all this speculation is just an attempt to “tear up” the rebuilding efforts of the team. The University will have to try and argue that much of this time being put in by the players does not count against the “organized” time allotted because it is voluntary and they can claim that strength and conditioning personnel are only monitoring the workouts for safety purposes, which is allowed. To me, this is obviously an excuse to skirt the rules, so it will be interesting to see what ultimately goes down here. I hate to be cynical and all and maybe Rodriguez had nothing to do with any of this, but it seems obvious that the players got some kind of message to put in longer hours than they should have been. Or maybe it was just confusion and the time these players are putting in really is voluntary. My guess is that Michigan may “self-report” themselves for “minor” violations down the road and probably end up losing a scholarship or two.

- Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey has stated that C Yao Ming is progressing well from foot surgery and there is a slight chance he could actually return during the 2009-2010 season. Doctors have also stated that the injury does not appear to be career threatening any longer. Not much else to say on this except I am pleased to hear that Yao’s career is not in danger. He definitely is a dynamic player when healthy and one of the top centers in the league. Houston has seemingly had trouble, along with bad luck, finding a way to build a championship team around Yao, so they can only hope that he comes back healthy and they can begin to make progress.

- The Minnesota Timberwolves failed to reach an agreement to buyout PG Ricky Rubio’s contract and his rights were traded to FC Barcelona in Spain and he will not be able to join the Timberwolves until the summer of 2011. I have no desire to get into the specifics of the money and dealings and only wish to reiterate that the Timberwolves look like fools in this, in my opinion. This now becomes a wasted draft pick for 2 years and for a team that needs immediate help, I believe they should have traded this headache to another team because they had to have knowledge that this scenario could go down. I suppose the only consolation is that Rubio can still work on his game and will only be 20 years old in the summer of 2011. If this guy develops into a star, then I guess the whole thing will be worth it.

- Recently released P Brad Penny has cleared waivers and intends to sign with the San Francisco Giants. He is expected to immediately go into the starting rotation and replace Joe Martinez. Considering that I have never heard of Martinez and he is sporting a 7.52 ERA this year, this seems like an upgrade. If Penny can pitch 5 innings per outing and keep the Giants in games, then it is probably a good move. The Giants are now tied for the Wild Card with the Rockies, so maybe this move will put them over the top. Only time will tell…

- And staying in the NL West, the Dodgers tried to keep pace with the wheeling and dealing and last minute acquisitions of their rivals by trading for Jim Thome and P John Garland. They completed these transactions before the midnight deadline so that Thome and Garland are eligible to be on the Dodgers’ postseason roster. Thome has been strictly a DH the past two years with the White Sox, so who knows how they will be using him. Without question, it seems like LA is determined to try and win it with offense though. Garland could be an effective pickup and any added help when it comes to the rotation is welcomed. Only one more month to go until the postseason and things are certainly heating up.

- U.S. Open Update: #1 seed Roger Federer extended his U.S. Open winning streak to 35 matches by beating wild-card entry Devin Britton 6-1, 6-3, 7-5. A little surprising to see Federer get pushed to 7-5 in the 3rd against a wild-card, but obviously it is nothing of concern. No other big upsets occurred in today’s action, with only a few lower 20’s seeded players losing on the men’s and women’s side. The biggest surprise was probably the fact that #3 seed Venus Williams needed 3 sets and 2 hours, 43 minutes to win her first round match against 47th-ranked Vera Dushevina 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-3.

Start or Sit: The Rookie QB Dilemma

The excitement of a new NFL season is starting to build and I have an interesting topic today that I wanted to talk a little bit about. It centers around one of the classic football debates out there: rookie QBs…should they start right away or should they ride the pine for a while? This sprang to mind for me after learning that the Jets named Mark Sanchez their starting QB (more on that later). There are some who will say that there is no better way to learn the position, or any other way for that matter, than to be thrown right into the fire and start right away. Others will tell you that it is best for a QB to sit back and learn what it takes to be successful in the NFL. The answer probably lies somewhere in the middle and in my opinion, each situation is unique and there is no truly correct answer.

First and foremost, the talent needs to be there before you throw a rookie QB into the starting lineup week 1. The QB in question needs to be able to make all the throws, understand the offense, and effectively be able to execute the offense. Now of course there will be struggles and setbacks, but effectively managing the offense means that you generally make good decisions and do not look lost out there. Not every QB who is drafted in the first round, even in the top 10, deserves to be slotted into the starter’s role. Just ask Bengals fans about Akili Smith for example.

I think the most important determining factor is maturity. A rookie QB needs to be able to step onto an NFL field and take charge of the team. They need to take control and earn the respect of the players around them. This can be a daunting task for a 22 year old kid, but those who can do it will have taken the first step toward success. A successful rookie QB will also have a short term memory and be able to handle adversity and bounce back from mistakes. Mistakes are a 100% guarantee for a rookie QB…how they handle those errors and adjust their play will determine first year success.

Last season, Baltimore Ravens QB Joe Flacco and Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan seemed to break the mold for rookie QBs. Both stepped right into action week 1 and they lasted all season, guiding their teams to success and the playoffs. But make no mistake, these two are the exception, not the rule. Joe Flacco was ready for the job due to his physical tools and also his calm demeanor. As I talked about above, he was able to combine a rocket arm with good decision making to achieve success. Flacco managed the game well and while he did not produce eye popping stats, he did not kill the Ravens with costly turnovers. The same can be said for Matt Ryan. The consensus was that Ryan was one of the most polished QBs to come out of college in a long while and he was ready to start right away. Those predictions rang true as Ryan showed a great deal of talent and did the same thing that Flacco did. He managed the game well, made some plays, and recovered from the few mistakes that he did make. That is how a rookie QB can be successful.

Before Flacco and Ryan, the last rookie QB to make that big of an impact was Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning. But as we all know, Manning is a once in a lifetime type of QB and a sure fire Hall of Famer. He had a great rookie season, but again, he was ready and almost no other rookie would have his pedigree and skills coming out of college. For every Peyton Manning, there are numerous Ryan Leaf’s who will be a bust. For those who end up not cutting it in the NFL, it would not make a different whether they started right away or were held back. Truly, these things need to be decided on a case by case basis.

If you draft a rookie QB very high in the draft and pay him tons of money, then I would suspect you consider him a franchise player and want to get him into the starting lineup right away. This is the situation with the Jets and Mark Sanchez. The Jets traded up to get Sanchez at #5 this year and are paying the guy $50 million dollars. That is a huge investment and you don’t want him just sitting on the bench. However, all reports indicate that Sanchez has the physical skills PLUS the maturity to handle the role. Now as I mentioned a few days ago, the Ravens defense made Sanchez look like a rookie in the first quarter of their preseason game. However, Sanchez was able to bounce back and he threw a touchdown pass to end the final series that he played. This shows a good short term memory and the ability to shake off mistakes. When you throw in the fact that QB Kellen Clemens will not set the world on fire and that the Jets have a decent amount of talent spread throughout the whole team, it is easy to see why the Jets went with Sanchez as their starter. Based on what I have talked about, I agree with the move and think it was the right choice.

On the other hand, it is a different story in Detroit. The Lions took QB Matthew Stafford with the first pick in the draft, so you would think he would be anointed the started right away. Not so fast. I have been hearing reports that Stafford does look good in practice and has earned the respect of the team, but he really struggled in the last preseason game when he got the start. Let’s face it; the Lions still have a long way to go to even be respectable. They are not loaded with talent and the team is desperate to just win a game. Veteran QB Daunte Culpepper has come into this season motivated and in the best shape of his career. He is still not that old, has some good skills, and has tasted success before in the NFL. I believe that the Lions should start Culpepper week 1 and let Stafford wait a little while. Culpepper gives the Lions the best chance to win a game or two and then when that monkey is off their backs, they can put in Stafford.

So while it might seem like a cop out in this debate to say that there is no right answer, I believe it really rings true. Teams need to be smart with young players because there is always the chance of ruining a good thing. I think QB David Carr is a prime example. The expansion Houston Texans took him at #1 and threw him to the wolves. The result: he was pounded into the ground behind a porous offensive line and he struggled badly. Now I am not saying that David Carr would have become an elite level QB. In retrospect however, the Texans may have been better served to try and develop him more slowly and put in a veteran QB. Carr has shown flashes of skill and ability, but the beating he took may have ruined his confidence and chance to develop into something more.

Every NFL team is looking for that franchise QB who can lead the team to glory. When you think you have one, you will always be faced with the start or sit dilemma. Without question, the teams who make the right choices and do the right things will be on a quicker path to success and the ones who don’t will just have to keep searching.

The Game’s Quick Hits

- Sources are saying that Minnesota Vikings QB Brett Favre is now threatening to ruin team chemistry and that a “schism” is forming in the locker room. People with knowledge of the Vikings locker room are saying Favre has “little support” and there are groups who believe either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels gives the team a better chance to win. Is this really a surprise to anyone? Of course people will be resentful because Favre just breezed in the door and did not suffer through training camp with the rest of the players. There is only one solution to this and that is Favre winning games for Minnesota. As I have speculated though, there might be too much pressure on the team and I think the Vikings will not make it all the way to the Super Bowl. I think they need to give Favre some more slack, but he better produce or it will get ugly in Minnesota, especially for Brad Childress.

- Louisville head basketball coach Rick Pitino lashed out at the media yesterday and said the ordeal he has been going through has been “pure hell” for his family. His angry comments came out after police released a video interview of the woman who claimed Pitino raped her and who also is accused of trying to extort him. You know…this kind of thing makes me angry. What the hell does Pitino expect? He had sex with a woman in a restaurant while his assistant coach looked out and then he gave her $3000 for “health insurance” when he most likely knew she would be getting an abortion…and this is a religious and married man here folks. Sorry Rick, but you are the one who did this to your family and now you have to suffer the consequences based on your celebrity and juiciness of the story. You have no one to blame but yourself and I can’t have much sympathy for you.

- Reports are out saying that Ricky Rubio’s intent to play in Spain next season is not a done deal yet. It seems like deep pocketed European clubs are going after him and the Minnesota Timberwolves would need to buyout his contract and they can only contribute $500,000, which seems like it would not nearly be enough. You know, I could care less about this drama they are trying to make. I think the Timberwolves are destined to be closer to the cellar than a championship after they could not get the job done with Kevin Garnett and traded him away. I am not sure why they drafted the guy and took on this mess, but at least they were smart enough to draft Jonny Flynn as well, so maybe they expected it.

- I thought that I could possibly get away from no Michael Vick news, but nope, not going to happen LOL. Today’s news is something I agree with though. Local civil rights groups, including the NAACP, are planning a demonstration and march around Lincoln Financial Field prior to tomorrow night’s preseason game. "We believe Michael Vick has served his time, paid his debt to society and deserves a second chance and the animal rights groups want to hold him hostage for the rest of his life," J. Whyatt Mondesire, president of the Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP, said Wednesday. "We think that's patently unfair. It denies Michael Vick's basic civil rights, denies him his ability to make a living." Kudos to this man for saying that. I have stated in this blog before that Vick deserves a shot to resume his life and make amends and he should only be criticized and protested on if he drops the ball on what he has said he will do.

- A federal appeals court has ruled that investigators were wrong to seize a list of 104 Major League Baseball players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs during the 2003 season. The court stated that they only had the right to seize information on the 10 people listed in their search warrant. Well, it is nice to see a ruling like that which makes sense, but the damage is already done. That list got into the wrong hands and people will continue to leak names every so often so they can get their hands on some money. The entire list needs to come out because every time a name is leaked, it distracts from the play on the field.

Random Thoughts

Just some quick hits today on the top stories to start the weekend:

- The defending National Champion Florida Gators made history by receiving the highest percentage of 1st place votes (96.7%) in the history of the AP Poll. This obviously was expected and some people speculated that Florida would be the first unanimous preseason #1 in history but they fell 2 votes short. Without question, I think Florida is the favorite to win the National Championship this year with all the starters they have returning and Tim Tebow coming back. Now I will admit, I really do not like Tebow all that much. I respect his toughness and all, but I see him as the prototypical college QB phenom who will have very little chance at making it big in the NFL. And the guy is just seemingly too perfect...at least that is how the media portrays him. But make no mistake, the guy is a hell of a college player and he has a burning desire to try and win it all again. I only see Texas or Oklahoma being able to make a run at them in the National Championship game. I think everyone else, including USC, will fall short. Getting pretty excited for the start of the season in two weeks. The AP Top 25 breaks down like this:

1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Oklahoma
4. USC
5. Alabama
6. Ohio St.
7. Virginia Tech
8. Mississippi
T9. Oklahoma St.
T9. Penn St.
11. LSU
12. California
13. Georgia
14. Boise St.
15. Georgia Tech
16. Oregon
17. TCU
18. Florida St.
19. Utah
20. BYU
21. North Carolina
22. Iowa
23. Notre Dame
24. Nebraska
25. Kansas

- Brett Favre made his debut with the Vikings last night in a 17-13 Minnesota win. He only played 2 series and was 1-4 for 4 yards. It was definitely weird seeing Favre in Vikings purple, but I am a bit annoyed reading about how he looked rusty and a little shaky...what the hell do you expect?!? He only joined the team on Tuesday and it was his first action! This leads me to believe that the expectations might be too high for him and the Vikings and they could just be destined to fail. Regardless, people should be saving this "rusty" talk until after week 1 of the regular season and see how he looks then. But whatever happens, it should be fun to watch and the Minnesota fans are damn excited judging by the reaction they gave Favre last night.

- There is a report out that Michael Vick has not yet partnered with any animal rights groups in the Philadelphia area to help with anti-dogfighting efforts. Honestly, it seems like we are searching for a juicy story now because it has only been a little over a week since Vick signed with the Eagles. This quote raised an eyebrow for me though: In talking about a Monday meeting between leaders of Philadelphia-area groups and senior Eagles officials, one of the co-directors of one group stated, "There is no guarantee that anybody who goes into that room will be a partner in this." HUH? So all these groups want Vick to be sincere and show remorse and try to make change, but no one wants to give him an opportunity and partner with him? Does that make real sense to anyone?

- Former Indiana Men's Basketball coach Bob Knight will be inducted into the University of Indiana athletics Hall of Fame. Nothing big to talk about here, just wondering if he will throw a chair across the room at the ceremony...hehehe...

- An update to the Ben Roethlisberger injury story from yesterday...it seems that he injured his achilles tendon but there is no major structural damage reported. Damn again LOL...sorry, can't help it! But seriously, the Steelers could be dodging a major bullet because a torn achilles would have finished Big Ben and Pittsburgh's Super Bowl chances for the year. I would hold the guy out until they are 100% sure it is healed because that could be a painfully nagging injury all year if they aren't careful.

- And finally, anyone watch the Cowboys/Titans preseason game last night? It was the debut of Jerry Jones' new $1.2 BILLION Cowboys Stadium and also his gigantic HD screen that hangs over the field. Now there is a debate going on as to whether it will need to be lifted after Titans reserve punter A.J. Trapasso booted a ball into the screen during last night's game. Of course Jerry says it is a non-issue and that a person would have to deliberately kick the ball "straight up and hard" (hehehe) to hit the screen. But talk to someone else...I don't know...say maybe a punter who actually PLAYS the game and they are saying that it could be a major issue with some punters in the league and they are amazed that the screen is not higher. Jerry Jones...always trying to provide shenanigans to the NFL...HOW BOUT DEM COWBOYS! LOL

The Cheese Has Gone Bad!

So the drama is finally over and Brett Favre is back once again and he has signed with the Vikings. I can't say that I am surprised. In fact, I was surprised when he said no to Minnesota 3 weeks ago. I sensed that when he had the surgery to repair his biceps tendon that it was a lock he was coming back and going to the Vikings. Love him or hate him, I still think the guy deserves respect. Obviously this "drama queen" stuff is not that fun to follow, but the guy has a burning passion to play the game still and he is still better than half the QBs in the NFL even at 40 years old. Let's face it, Tavarus Jackson and Sage Rosenfels are NOT an answer at QB...even when the question becomes are they better than Favre in the last twilight of his career. Favre knows Minnesota's system and if his arm can remain healthy, then the Vikings are headed toward a good season.

For those people who want to criticize Favre and are sick of him, then just don't watch a Vikings game or tune into the coverage. So the guy just can't pull himself away from something that he loves and still feels he can do at a high level. We should all be so lucky. I will still enjoy seeing one of the greatest QBs of all time play for one more season (at least) and I am pretty thrilled that the Vikings are on the schedule this year for my hometown Ravens. That should be a really fun game to watch and we know the Vikings/Packers games this year will be crazy.

So bottom line the question becomes: how good will the Vikings be this year with Favre? To say that they are Super Bowl bound is a little too much I think. I would say at this point, a healthy and productive Favre should deliver Minnesota an NFC North title and a top 4 seed in the playoffs. I do think the NFC is more wide open than the AFC and the Vikings do have a shot at making the Super Bowl if Favre holds up. My gut feeling though is that a "story book ending" will not happen and the Vikings will fall short to someone in the Divisional or Conference Championship round of the playoffs. But whatever happens, it should be fun to watch.

The Game's Quick Hits:

- Still shocked that Tiger Woods blew the PGA Championship and his 15th major this weekend. Just goes to show you that nothing in life is a guarantee

- John Smoltz has signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. Unlike Favre, I think Smoltz should have hung them up and waited for that Hall of Fame call. I suppose if they only ask him to pitch an inning of relief at a time though, he could still hang in there.

- What in the hell is up with Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks? He was indicted on misdemeanors today, so I guess that means he did at least rough up that cabbie. A multi-millionaire beefing over 20 cents...damn LOL

- Looking forward to WWE Summerslam this weekend. Hopefully the matches will deliver and it will be a good show. I am not looking forward to Superman Cena beating Randy Orton for the WWE Championship though. Please WWE Creative, can you give us something different for a change?

- Usain Bolt is a damn freak of nature...9.58 in the 100? That is beastly...but this talk of him making an impact in the NFL potentially is a little absurd.

- I need a good smack upside the head...looks like I am losing a 9 game winning streak on ESPN's Streak for the Cash on a soccer game. When will I learn? LOL