The NFL season got off to a great start last week. There were some surprisingly close games as some teams looked better than we thought and some teams looked worse than we thought. The injury bug also bit particularly hard in week 1. Bears LB Brian Urlacher was lost for the season, Steelers S Troy Polamalu will be out 3-6 weeks with an MCL sprain, and Patriots LB Jerod Mayo will be out 6-8 weeks with the same injury. Will other star players go down to injury and will some of the trends we saw in week 1 continue into week 2? Let’s take a preview of all the NFL action and see:
Ravens (1-0) vs. Chargers (1-0) – This game has the potential to be extremely good and it will be a tough test for both teams. The Ravens looked pretty good in their opening week win over the Chiefs, but it was not a perfect performance. The Ravens did allow 24 points on defense to a 2nd string quarterback, but 14 of those points did come off of a punt block and a very short drive after a long interception return. I think it was a better performance than the scoreboard indicated, but there is room for improvement. QB Joe Flacco looked tremendous on Sunday as he had his first ever 300-yard passing game and 3 TD performance. Without question, Flacco looked more mature and in much greater control of the offense. Baltimore has now shown the ability to score through the air, not just on the ground.
To be successful against San Diego though, they will need good balance. The Chargers’ defense is very solid and the Ravens will have to mix it up. RB Ray Rice will need to have a good game and Flacco will have to continue to make good decisions and get all of his receivers involved. This becomes critical considering that the Ravens are on the road and making a cross country trip. For the Chargers, they will need to have a better performance than they did against Oakland. The Chargers are lucky to have escaped with a win and they were not playing their best. They allowed the Raiders to dominate the line of scrimmage and Oakland was able to move the ball on the ground. The Ravens will try to do the same with Rice in this game and he needs to be effective. The Chargers are dealing with injuries along the offensive line after week 1 and RB LaDainian Tomlinson is also fighting an ankle injury that could limit him in this game.
This should be a great game and based on the week 1 performances, I think I give the edge to the Ravens. The game against the Chiefs was closer than it should have been, but Baltimore looked in control for the most part. In the Chargers’ case, Oakland seemed to have more control of the game. The injuries on the offensive line could allow the Ravens to have a better chance at stopping LT and RB Darren Sproles and also allow them to get more pressure on QB Philip Rivers. If the Ravens can bring a similar offensive performance from last week to San Diego, I think they should be able to sneak out with a close win. I might have a little bit of a “homer” bias in this one, but what the hell.
*Note: Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson has officially been scratched for the game with a sprained ankle. While I do not think that this will devastate San Diego, it obviously does not help them and it gives another small edge to the Ravens.
Prediction: Ravens
Falcons (1-0) vs. Panthers (0-1) – This will be a huge matchup this week for both teams and the Falcons have a chance to get a quick 2 game lead over Carolina right off the bat. It would seem Atlanta is on pace to do that after the horrible start to the season for QB Jake Delhomme. Including last year’s playoff loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Delhomme has turned the ball over 11 times in his past 2 games. He looks extremely shaky and lacking in confidence. Coach John Fox has said that Delhomme’s role with the team is “unchanged” and he will remain the starter. The only way Carolina stands a chance is if Delhomme brings better play to the field on Sunday. The Carolina defense was shredded by the Eagles and it will not get much easier as they go on the road to Atlanta. The Falcons will have the advantage in the dome and QB Matt Ryan continues to improve. He already looks like he has great chemistry with TE Tony Gonzalez and is in better control of the offense in his 2nd year, just like Joe Flacco with the Ravens. RB Michael Turner had a subpar game against Miami, so he will be looking to bounce back in this one. Atlanta played a good defensive game against the Dolphins at home last week, and if they bring a similar effort this week, I don’t see how they lose. The turmoil in Carolina just does not lead me to think an upset will happen in this game. I’m taking the Falcons at home.
Prediction: Falcons
Vikings (1-0) vs. Lions (0-1) – I’m not sure that much analysis is needed on this one. Detroit lost their 18th straight game last week and it looks like it will move to 19 after this one. The Vikings are coming off of a solid week 1 performance, beating the Browns in Cleveland 34-20. Minnesota followed a winning formula that will most likely take them far this year. QB Brett Favre effectively managed the game and did not turn the ball over and he just let RB Adrian Peterson run wild. Peterson ran for 180 yards and 3 TDs in the win. The Vikings’ defense also did its job and pretty much shut down the Browns. If Minnesota continues to do this, they will rack up a lot of wins. The Lions had their moments last week, but once again they were soundly beaten. Saints QB Drew Brees lit up the Detroit defense for 6 TD passes in the Saints’ 45-27 win. Things will not get much easier for the Lions with Favre and Peterson coming to town. Lions QB Matthew Stafford did not look that good as he completed less than 50% of his passes and threw 3 interceptions. As I have been saying all along, I believe QB Daunte Culpepper gives the Lions a better chance to get a win in the first half of the season. Detroit will continue to suffer through Stafford’s growing pains and even at home, I see another loss for the Lions.
Prediction: Vikings
Packers (1-0) vs. Bengals (0-1) – This game should not be that much of a contest based on the performances we saw on Sunday. The Bengals looked horrible against the Broncos, even though it took a last-minute freak play for Cincy to lose. With QB Carson Palmer coming back healthy from injury, the Bengals were only able to find the end zone one time and it took them the entire game to get there. The Broncos’ defense is not as good as it used to be, so it is safe to say that the Bengals just flat out struggled. Their defense played well, but you have to consider that Broncos QB Kyle Orton was fighting a dislocated finger and could not throw the ball that effectively. The talk of Cincinnati possibly making a run at the playoffs seems very premature. The Packers on the other hand had a pretty impressive performance against the Bears on Sunday night. It wasn’t pretty, but NFC North rivalry games really aren’t supposed to be. QB Aaron Rodgers did what he had to do and looked good in leading the Packers to a game winning TD drive. The Packers’ defense was very good and they shut down Jay Cutler and forced him into 4 interceptions. The Pack always have a great home field advantage at Lambeau Field and I see nothing that tells me the Bengals will come close to pulling off an upset.
Prediction: Packers
Titans (0-1) vs. Texans (0-1) – Both of these teams are coming off of disappointing opening games, but for different reasons. The Texans were flat out embarrassed at home in losing to the New York Jets and rookie QB Mark Sanchez. Once again, the defense was not that strong and Sanchez did not come close to looking like a rookie last week, which is not a good thing if you are Houston. The Texans’ offense also did not show up on Sunday as they were dominated by the Jets and they had trouble even crossing midfield. The offense is supposed to be explosive and help carry Houston this season, but that was not the case in week 1. Now Houston has to travel to Tennessee to play an even better defensive unit. The Titans came close, but disappointingly lost at Pittsburgh in overtime. They did put in a strong effort, especially on the defensive side of the ball, and they deserved to win the game. They have had extra time to rest and prepare for this game, and I would expect them to win handily. Houston did beat Tennessee 13-12 late last year in Houston, but the Titans spanked them 31-12 last year in Tennessee. The Titans just look so much better and I would expect a score closer to what happened in Tennessee last season.
Prediction: Titans
Chiefs (0-1) vs. Raiders (0-1) – Before last Sunday, you would have thought this game would be a total stinker. But after the surprisingly strong efforts from both Kansas City and Oakland, this game could actually not be so bad. The Chiefs hung tough against the Ravens and amazingly had a chance to win the game. Their defense was not great though as the Ravens and QB Joe Flacco ripped them up pretty good. Backup QB Brodie Croyle was able to find some success against Baltimore’s defense, but it was not that good of a performance. The Raiders gave the Chargers all they could handle and actually outplayed San Diego for much of the game. They could not seal the deal however as QB Philip Rivers drove the Chargers to a game-winning TD late in the game. The Raiders did show an ability to run the ball and the offensive line looked good. QB JaMarcus Russell is still slowly developing, but is not at an elite level yet. This game has the look of a back and forth contest that will go down to the wire. Overall, I thought that the Raiders looked a little better than the Chiefs. Richard Seymour came in and had an immediate impact on defense for the Raiders and they look like they could have greater success in shutting down the Chiefs. If QB Matt Cassel is able to play though, that could swing things in Kansas City’s favor. Oakland did actually win at Kansas City last year, so they know what it takes. I will give the slight edge to Oakland in this game even on the road. They looked better in week 1 and Cassel could be a little rusty even if he plays.
Prediction: Raiders
Patriots (1-0) vs. Jets (1-0) – The AFC East schedule gets underway with a very intriguing game between the Patriots and Jets. You would think that the Patriots would have an easy advantage in this one, but New England’s less than impressive performance on Monday night has thrown some doubt into this game. The Patriots’ defense showed some holes against the Bills and suddenly it looked like the Richard Seymour trade might not have been the smartest move. The Patriots also lost LB Jerod Mayo to injury, so the task of rookie QB Mark Sanchez to put up points might not be as hard as it seems. I would have to think though that Bill Belichick would be able to come up with some schemes to make things hard on Sanchez. QB Tom Brady and the Patriots’ offense looked sluggish on Monday night, but they eventually got things going late in the 4th quarter when it mattered. Rex Ryan will give New England hell on defense, but I would think that Brady, Moss and company will be motivated to put in a better performance this week. I think they will also be driven by all the trash talking New York has been trying to do this week. Jets free safety Kerry Rhodes claims they want to “embarrass” the Patriots this week. That is easier said than done my friend. With the Patriots being on the road, this could be a very close game and I do think the Jets have a shot at an upset. But I do not feel inclined to take a gamble on a rookie quarterback in this one and I think the Patriots find a way to win again.
Prediction: Patriots
Eagles (1-0) vs. Saints (1-0) – Due to the murky situation with QB Donovan McNabb and his injured ribs, this game could turn out to be the most intriguing of the entire week. McNabb did not practice on Wednesday, but coach Andy Reid said that he was “progressing” and has also said that McNabb will do everything that he can to play. But if McNabb does play, how effective will he be? If he makes one or two bad throws because of his ribs, it could be the difference between a win and a loss. Having McNabb in the lineup certainly gives Philadelphia a better shot at winning. Backup QB Kevin Kolb has not looked that great in limited action and he has shown an inability to get the ball to the Eagles’ playmakers. If Kolb is the starter on Sunday, then the advantage will swing to the Saints. New Orleans will lean on the hot arm of QB Drew Brees, who threw 6 TDs last week in a blowout victory over the Lions. The Eagles’ defense will have to step up and play huge to contain Brees or this game will turn into a shootout and that will not favor Philadelphia with an injured McNabb or ineffective Kolb in the lineup. This game truly hinges on if McNabb plays and how good he looks if he does. If McNabb is out, I would have to go with the Saints to win, even on the road. If Donovan is actually able to come in and effectively run the offense, then the Eagles can pull out a close win at home. This one should be good and should be a true toss up.
*Note: On Friday afternoon, the Eagles officially listed McNabb as doubtful. So it looks like he will not play and that strengthens my thought that you have to favor the Saints.
Prediction: Saints
Redskins (0-1) vs. Rams (0-1) – The Redskins will get a chance to get back on track as the lowly St. Louis Rams come to town. Washington will be looking for revenge in this game after the Rams beat them 19-17 last season. I don’t expect a similar result this time around. St. Louis continues to struggle mightily on both sides of the ball. The Rams were shutout last week by the Seahawks and they might flirt with that again against a tough Washington D. I expect Albert Haynesworth to get after QB Marc Bulger in this one. The Redskins did not look that bad against the Giants last Sunday, but they certainly did not look that good in defeat. They will have to get RB Clinton Portis going and QB Jason Campbell will need to make smart decisions and get WR Santana Moss involved in the passing game. If they do that, they should be able to put up points against a bad Rams defense. There is talk that the Redskins could make a playoff run since they get games like this against St. Louis and also against the lesser teams in the AFC West. They can not afford to lose this game at home against St. Louis and I suspect they won’t.
Prediction: Redskins
Cardinals (0-1) vs. Jaguars (0-1) – The Cardinals got off to a bad start in defense of their NFC Championship by losing to the 49ers 20-16 at home. Things do not get that much easier because they have to travel east to Jacksonville. Historically, the Cardinals have performed very badly when they make east coast trips. It does not help that the offense continues to look out of sync and WR Anquan Boldin continues to battle injuries. The Cardinals will probably be desperate to try and get a win against a Jaguars team that does not look that much better. Jacksonville did go to Indianapolis and put in a hard fought effort in a 14-12 loss to the Colts. The Jaguars do not have an explosive offense by any means and if they hope to win this game, they will need RB Maurice Jones-Drew to be dominant on the ground and control the game. The Jaguars’ defense did hold Peyton Manning in check, so they stand a chance to pull this one out. I see this game as a total toss up. Arizona did get the east coast monkey of their back last year when they went to Carolina and dominated the Panthers. But even though this seems like a new Cardinals team, old habits could reform. I just think that Jacksonville will use the home field advantage and they will have just enough defense to win an ugly game.
Prediction: Jaguars
Seahawks (1-0) vs. 49ers (1-0) – Surprisingly, this game will determine who will grab the early 1st place lead in the NFC West. The 49ers are coming off a big upset win at Arizona to start the year. Their defense looked very good in shutting down QB Kurt Warner and the rest of Arizona’s potent attack. QB Shaun Hill will not really impress you with his stats, but he does enough to manage the offense and he gives San Francisco a chance to win games. To win this game though, the 49ers will need some help from RB Frank Gore on the ground. It remains to be seen how good Seattle will be this year. They turned the ball over on 3 of their first 4 possessions last week, but since it was against the Rams, it did not hurt them. QB Matt Hasselbeck calmed down and guided the Seahawks to a 28-0 win. Seattle has won their past 2 trips to San Francisco and both victories were lopsided contests. But the 49ers are improving under coach Mike Singletary and they are starting to believe that they can have success. Seattle is fighting some injuries and that could make the difference. This should be a very close game and I will give the edge to the home team and take the 49ers.
Prediction: 49ers
Bills (0-1) vs. Buccaneers (0-1) – Buffalo almost shocked the NFL on Monday night by upsetting the Patriots. However, defensive breakdowns and a costly fumble allowed New England to come back and steal a victory. The Bills did show signs of life though and their offense played better than it did in the preseason. QB Trent Edwards still needs to get on the same page with WR Terrell Owens and they need to come up with some more big plays down the field. They will have their chance against a Tampa Bay team that gave up three long touchdown passes to the Cowboys last week. The Buccaneers’ defense is a shell of its former self and they are no longer a dominant unit. That does not bode well for their prospects of winning because the offense is not getting the job done either. QB Byron Leftwich is just not an explosive passer and Tampa Bay has to hope that RB Cadillac Williams can get going for them to have any shot to win. Considering that Buffalo’s defense looked surprisingly good against New England and the fact that the Bills are at home, the definite edge goes to Buffalo.
Prediction: Bills
Steelers (1-0) vs. Bears (0-1) – Pittsburgh opened up defense of their Super Bowl title with a less than impressive victory over the Titans. They did what good teams do though. They found a way to win even when they weren’t playing their best. The Titans are no pushover, so it was a good win. The Steelers lost Troy Polamalu to a sprained knee for 3-6 weeks, but the Bears unfortunately did that one better by losing LB Brian Urlacher for the season with a dislocated wrist. This game figures to be a defensive slugfest, but the loss of Urlacher should have a bigger effect on the Bears. QB Ben Roethlisberger and the rest of the offense have had extra time to prepare for this game and I would expect a better effort. I am not sure how the Bears will be able to put up points against Pittsburgh’s defense, even without Polamalu. Chicago was horrible on offense against the Packers and QB Jay Cutler looked particularly bad as he threw 4 interceptions. Cutler has vowed that he will be better, but I don’t think it happens this week. It should be another ugly game, but the experience and championship quality of the Steelers will be enough for them to go to Chicago and pull out a victory.
Prediction: Steelers
Broncos (1-0) vs. Browns (0-1) – This is another game that could turn out to be downright ugly. Both the Broncos and the Browns looked pretty bad in their opening games and Denver pulled off a miracle play to pull out a victory. QB Kyle Orton’s dislocated finger really hampered his ability to throw the ball effectively and the Broncos did next to nothing on offense. If they hope to pull out a win this week, they will need more from rookie RB Knowshon Moreno and the running game. The Broncos actually have a good shot at going to 2-0 because the Browns were just as bad last week. They allowed Vikings RB Adrian Peterson to run all over them and I am sure Denver will be trying to do the same. QB Brady Quinn really struggled and if the Browns have any hope of winning, he is going to have to get some things going with WR Braylon Edwards. This game could be another toss up, but I think the home field advantage will tip the scales in Denver’s favor. Cleveland could easily rise up, play better, and steal a win, but I think the Broncos will do enough on both offense and defense to amazingly get to 2-0.
Prediction: Broncos
Cowboys (1-0) vs. Giants (1-0) – The Cowboys officially open up Cowboys Stadium in the regular season on Sunday night. This looks to be another really tough game to call. You would think that Dallas would have the advantage with all the emotion of the 1st regular season game in their new stadium and having 100,000+ people there rooting them on. However, I can remember back to last year when everyone thought they would win their final game in the old Cowboys Stadium. The Ravens went in there and beat the Cowboys, so it is not a given that Dallas will ride the emotion to a win. The Cowboys did look good in their win against Tampa Bay. QB Tony Romo looked like he had very good chemistry with his wide receivers and he had a career day in terms of passing the ball. He will have to duplicate that performance and get good protection from his offensive line against a good pass rush of the Giants. Some help from Marion Barber would be welcomed as well. The Giants will need to bring the good defensive effort that they had against Washington to Dallas in order to win. QB Eli Manning made some plays in the passing game last week, but he is still lacking a big play threat. RB Brandon Jacobs and RB Ahmad Bradshaw will have to try and control things on the ground for New York. This game is very tough to call, but I think I will have to give the edge to the Cowboys. Jerry Jones and the whole organization have been looking forward to this game and I think Dallas will rise to the occasion to get the job done.
Prediction: Cowboys
Monday Night: Colts (1-0) vs. Dolphins (0-1) – The Monday night game features the Colts traveling down to Miami to play the Dolphins. The Colts were not that impressive in week 1 as they barely beat the Jaguars 14-12 at home. QB Peyton Manning did his part with a 300-yard passing game, but the team lost WR Anthony Gonzalez to a knee injury and they did not run the ball well. RB Joseph Addai will have to give Manning some more support against a tough Dolphins defense that plays well at home. Miami’s problems continue to be on the offensive side of the ball though. They were horrible against the Falcons last week and only put up 7 points. QB Chad Pennington’s dink and dunk throws does not get the job done and Miami can not get into a shootout with Peyton Manning. Both teams seem to be not as good as last year and again, this is a tough one to call. Even on the road though, I will have to stick with the brilliance of Manning and go with him to find a way to lead his team to a victory.
Prediction: Colts
The Game’s Quick Hits
Friday Night Smackdown: I have to say that Smackdown was a fairly uninspiring show this week. The action just felt pretty flat and nothing of real excitement happened. I find it funny that this happens with the reappearance of Batista on Friday nights. The Animal opened the show and claimed that he was excited because his contract with Raw was up and he finally got to make his own choice about his career and he decided to go to Smackdown. Thankfully, Chris Jericho interrupted and delivered his usual solid promo, telling Batista that he is pathetic for pandering to the fans and that he better recognize that Chris Jericho is the face of Smackdown. Batista told him that he has heard “to be the man, you have to beat the man”. He gave Jericho a spinebuster and this set up a main event match between the two. Unfortunately, they gave the main event about 5 minutes and as you would expect, Batista got the victory. At the end of the show, the Big Show was asked for his thoughts backstage and he challenged Batista to a match next week…wonderful. I really hope the WWE is not going to do something stupid like having Batista win the Unified Tag Team Championship by himself. I am already irritated at seeing Jericho being jobbed out in such a short match to Batista and I would be insulted if “creative” pulled a stunt like that.
The other main thing I wanted to see tonight was how they would explain the screwjob that CM Punk and Teddy Long pulled on the Undertaker that occurred at Breaking Point. Sadly, there were no answers to this and it looks like we will get a drawn out drama. The referee in the match, Scott Armstrong, was interviewed and all he said was that he answers to people higher than himself and even though it made him sick, he did what he was told for his family and to keep his job. Teddy Long then came out to the ring and he admitted it was a conspiracy. But again, all he said was that he did what he did because he did not want to end up on the unemployment line. So it looks like we will have a rehash of the “higher power” angle. It soon got absurd as Long went to his limo and we got a cheesy sequence where the Undertaker was the driver and he locked Teddy in the limo. We even got lightning and smoke in the backseat of the limo…yeah, exciting. CM Punk did come out to address the crowd and he cut another great heel promo about how he is better than all of us, but he offered no explanation for what happened at Breaking Point.
The other action that occurred was nothing of note. John Morrison beat Mike Knox in a decent match which featured Dolph Ziggler on commentary. Ziggler put himself over and was then called “Mr. Ziggles” again after the match by Morrison. The Hart Dynasty got a win over Cryme Tyme, so I can only hope that they will start to get a better push and will be allowed to shine. Melina got a non-title win over Michelle McCool, who continued to act like she had an injured knee. And Drew McIntyre apparently took out R Truth backstage again and that prevented him from making his match against Charlie Haas. McIntyre delivered his under hook DDT to Haas to make his point. McIntyre has a decent look and I am interested in seeing him in an extended match.
#10 Boise State 51, Fresno State 34: If Boise State wants a shot to be a BCS buster, they need to run the table in the WAC. The Broncos got a severe test as they visited Fresno State. This game looked like it would be a blowout early. Boise got an interception return by Winston Venable and a 60-yard TD run by D.J. Harper to help them build a 24-3 lead. They were dominating on the defensive side of the ball early and Fresno State looked totally overmatched. However, Fresno State RB Ryan Mathews exploded in the latter stages of the 2nd quarter. He scored on runs of 69 and 60 yards to pull Fresno State back into the game and make the score 24-17 at halftime. The huge runs from Mathews seemed to totally energize Fresno State as the game turned into a slugfest in the 3rd quarter. Both teams went up and down the field and moved the ball on each other. The teams traded field goals and touchdowns as the game went into the 4th quarter with Boise State barely hanging onto a 34-27 lead. The Broncos were on the move to start the 4th though and punched in another TD for a 41-27 lead, but then Ryan Mathews stuck again. He went 68 yards to the house once again and brought it back to a 7 point game. But once again, Boise State punched back with a 67-yard TD pass from QB Kellen Moore to RB Jeremy Avery. The back and forth action and big plays were just unbelievable. Finally though, the Boise State defense rose up and forced a turnover on downs deep in their own territory. Jeremy Avery then struck again with another 60+ yard play as he rushed it deep into Fresno State territory and the Broncos kicked a field goal to seal the game away and Boise held on for a 51-34 victory. This was an absolutely crazy game and Boise did show some cracks on defense. But many people said that Fresno could give them a challenge and annually, the Bulldogs usually do give Boise State a game. This win is just another hurdle that Boise has now cleared as they will try to march forward to a BCS Bowl game. They showed a great deal of heart and determination to continue to punch back and pull out this win on the road.
- The Boston Bruins traded winger Phil Kessel to the Toronto Maple Leafs for two first-round draft picks and a second-round draft pick and Kessel subsequently signed a 5-year, $27 million contract with the Leafs. This trade has been rumored for a while now as it was clear Kessel did not see eye-to-eye with Bruins coach Claude Julien and he had already rejected a new contract from Boston. I think losing a 21-year old player who has great upside is not a great thing for Boston. Toronto continues to try and rebuild their team and Kessel will now be a centerpiece. I think Toronto could challenge for a playoff spot this season and Kessel should be leading the charge. The Bruins will survive this trade just fine and will still be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. It is certainly not a trade that will shift any major power in the East, but it will make waves.
- The Philadelphia Eagles officially listed QB Donovan McNabb as doubtful for this Sunday, so it appears he will not be able to play. This means that QB Kevin Kolb will get the start against the Saints. This obviously will hurt the Eagles and now I believe the Saints have to be favored for the game. Kolb has not shown us much of anything and until he does, you would have to bet against him. Unless the Eagles’ defense has a huge game and can totally shut down Saints QB Drew Brees, I don’t think Philly will be able to put up enough points to win.
- Sources indicate that USC will go with QB Aaron Corp as their starter today against Washington after QB Matt Barkley has been unable to practice all week. Barkley is still battling a shoulder bruise and has not been able to throw. The reports say that Barkley will resume the starting role when he is back to being healthy. This probably will not hurt the Trojans that much. Corp was supposed to be the starter and had the job in the spring, but then he got hurt and Barkley was extremely impressive and grabbed the role away from him. The only concern for USC will be if Corp tries to press and do too much against Washington. He might want to try and impress the coaches in an attempt to get more playing time and that could lead to mistakes. The Trojans will have to be careful and work hard in this game against the Huskies, but they should still have too much for Washington to deal with and USC will pull out a victory.
- Cleveland Cavaliers guard Delonte West was arrested Thursday after an officer pulled him over for speeding on a motorcycle while carrying two loaded handguns and a loaded shotgun in a guitar case. West was riding a Can-Am Spyder motorcycle and he cut off an officer who then pulled him over and found the loaded weapons on him. Well this is just another boneheaded move by another athlete. West’s first mistake was speeding and cutting off a police officer. Why he ever decided to do that is beyond me. I have no idea why he was packing that much heat and it seems pretty foolish. If you are going to take risks like that, at least take the proper precautions. I am not sure if West will be disciplined or not, but this is the type of thing that can distract a good team like the Cavaliers and take the focus off the goal of winning a championship. These actions from West are just one step away from him pulling a “Plaxico Burress”, so I hope he will use better judgment in the future.
Showing posts with label Smackdown. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Smackdown. Show all posts
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Jeff Hardy and WWE Breaking Point
Well I had planned to only offer my thoughts on the upcoming WWE Breaking Point PPV this Sunday, but then a small piece of news hit late in the afternoon: “Jeff Hardy Arrested for Drug Trafficking, Multiple Felonies”. All I can say is wow. Hardy was arrested on charges of trafficking controlled prescription pills and possession of anabolic steroids. A search of his home yielded 262 Vicodin prescription pills, 180 Soma prescription pills, 555 milliliters of anabolic steroids, powder cocaine and drug paraphernalia. The charges against Hardy include:
- Felony trafficking in opium
- Two counts of felony possession with intent to sell or deliver a Schedule III controlled substance
- Felony maintaining a dwelling to keep controlled substance
- Felony possession of cocaine
- Misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia
Again, wow. I honestly could not believe it when I heard this news and it is pretty sad. I was not shocked to hear about Jeff Hardy being in a situation with drugs due to what he has done in the past, but all this? Obviously the worst of this is the intent to sell and distribute. He can be a druggie and take all he wants, but when you try to sell the stuff, then that is going down a bad road.
Reports are saying that his brother and current WWE superstar, Matt Hardy, bailed him out and Jeff was quick to jump on Twitter. He said to not believe everything that you read and expressed his wish that the media would try and portray stories accurately. I am not sure exactly what he is talking about, but what else would you expect him to say at this point? My only speculation is that he will claim he never sold anything or intended to sell anything. The fact that he has so much of it could turn out to be a bad assumption by the cops, but I doubt it. The news stories make it seem like this was an ongoing investigation on Jeff and they finally busted him. They must think they have a solid case to bring those charges on him.
I think it is a safe assumption that Jeff Hardy’s WWE career is now over. I can’t see how they can bring him back at this point. Vince McMahon is trying to make the WWE more family friendly, so bringing back a wrestler who had drug charges thrown on him seems highly unlikely. I am sure at this point that McMahon and the WWE have to be fuming. They caught a lucky break that Jeff dropped the title to CM Punk at Summerslam, but this will still reflect poorly on the company. Hardy was getting a major push on TV and was portrayed as such an inspiration and positive influence. Of course if you have been following things, CM Punk portrayed Hardy as a fraud and said he probably was still high on prescription drugs and everything else. My, my, my…how life imitates art sometimes. Here’s a wild thought on all this too. I wonder if the WWE would dare touch this on their programming. The chances would be slim I’m sure, but CM Punk could get MASSIVE heat if he came out and told everyone that he was telling the truth about Jeff the whole time. A feud with Matt Hardy could be big around this, but I am sure McMahon does not even want to touch it.
Granted, I am not that much of a Jeff Hardy fan, but I did respect his in-ring work and I respected what he did to help put CM Punk over. He did not complain about losing the title or anything like that and he even worked an extra month after his contract expired to help the company and go out the right way. Because of all that, this whole situation now saddens me. Jeff Hardy was portrayed as a guy who made some mistakes, but he took responsibility for them and had turned his life around. Now, it seems like he really hasn’t changed at all. Even if he was to somehow beat these charges, and on the possession ones I don’t see any way in hell how he does that, his legacy is now ruined.
Jeff was supposed to take some time off and come back refreshed and continue on with a great career. But that is not going to happen. I can’t believe the stupidity that it takes for him to put himself in this situation. There are a whole other set of issues now as well. Has Jeff been popping pain pills this entire time? Did the WWE ever let him slide on a drug test? There are many questions now that can’t be answered and who knows if they ever will be. I understand how tough and painful it must be for wrestlers, so I could find a way to give Jeff a pass if he is addicted to pain pills. Addiction can be a bitch and millions of people struggle with it. But I have to draw a line with the cocaine and these allegations that he was trying to distribute. Those are bad choices that fall directly onto Jeff Hardy’s shoulders and he has no one to blame but himself.
So in the final analysis of my initial thoughts on this, I have to say I am just disappointed in Hardy and I hope he gets some help. Obviously he still had some demons in his life that he needs to deal with. I will not crucify the man totally until more facts are known, but this looks bad for him. He had such a good thing going with this last WWE run and now he has flushed it all down the toilet. On a more positive note, let’s get to my Breaking Point PPV preview that I had ready to go for today.
It is time once again for a WWE PPV and the company continues on the trend of trying to make each one have a certain theme. This Sunday will be called Breaking Point and the idea is that all main event matches will have a submission stipulation. I will give credit to the WWE for trying this tactic to increase PPV buys. The different themes give fans something to look forward to and it does break them away from the endless monotony of placeholder type PPVs until each of the “Big 4” roll around. So let’s take a look at the card and I will offer up my thoughts and predictions.
“I Quit” Match for the WWE Championship
Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena
Once again we are “treated” to another match between Orton and Cena. The feud between these two just seems so old at this point and it feels like we have seen everything there is to see. In actuality, the two had not squared off one on one for a long while until Summerslam last month, but the fact remains that this confrontation has been recycled from years ago. I predicted that John Cena would walk out of Summerslam with the title and I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong. Many thought that the Summerslam match was an overbooked mess, but the WWE had not had a crazy atomsophere like that in a while and I thought it was fun to see. The swerve of letting Orton walk out with the title was a good thing, but knowing that we had Breaking Point coming up, I immediately thought Orton’s reign would only last a few more weeks. John Cena’s whole character and career is built on a never give up, never say die attitude. Cena is a “soldier” and he never quits. There is no way in hell that Cena will say “I quit” at Breaking Point. Unless the WWE recycles the Rock’s trick of knocking the guy out and then playing a recording of his opponent saying “I quit” from a promo like he did with Mick Foley, Cena is walking out with the belt. The only way that doesn’t happen is if something occurs to make the match a no contest.
Prediction: John Cena (new WWE Champion)
Submission Match for the World Heavyweight Title
CM Punk (c) vs. The Undertaker
As expected, Jeff Hardy dropped the title to CM Punk at Summerslam and then lost a “loser leaves WWE” title rematch on Smackdown. I give Hardy a ton of credit for going out the right way and helping to make Punk into a mega-heel before taking his sabbatical. I will definitely miss the Hardy-Punk feud, but the WWE did a good thing by transitioning directly into a Punk-Undertaker feud. At the end of Summerslam, the lights went out and Punk quickly found himself standing over The Undertaker instead of Jeff Hardy and then he ate a chokeslam for his troubles. The Deadman had returned and had his sights set on Punk and the World Title. Teddy Long quickly booked a Submission Match for Breaking Point and I expect a good match between the two. Punk is insanely hot right now as a heel and The Undertaker will always have the crowd behind him. The money in this feud will be in the chase and I don’t see how they can have Punk drop the title so soon. Obviously, The Undertaker, like John Cena, is not someone who is going to give up and submit. Because of that, I see no other call to make but to say that this match will somehow be a no contest or a DQ. I really don’t know how they will do it, but Punk will escape with the title and this feud will continue.
Prediction: No contest or DQ ending, Punk retains
ECW Championship
Christian (c) vs. William Regal
With the formation of William Regal’s “Ruthless Roundtable” which features Ezekiel Jackson and Vladimir Kozlov, this feud for the ECW Championship has been fairly intriguing. I love William Regal’s snobby, arrogant character and he is a perfect challenger for Christian, especially with the muscle behind him. Considering that the match at Summerslam lasted only 8 seconds and was only designed to put over the “Roundtable”, I really have no idea how this match will go. If Christian beats Regal, it seems like the feud would be over and Regal would be out of chances. But then does Christian go on to try and keep Jackson and Kozlov off his back? I ultimately think that Jackson or Kozlov would benefit from a title run, but I am not sure they are ready for it or even if they are worth it at all. I might be going out on a limb here, but it makes the most sense if Regal wins the title with the help of Jackson and Kozlov and then uses them to try and keep Christian from regaining it. The major story arc on ECW seems to be Regal trying to take over things with his henchman, so having the title makes that seem more plausible.
Prediction: William Regal (new ECW Champion)
Submissions Count Anywhere
D-Generation X vs. Legacy
Well this is certainly a different spin on a match stipulation and it really just means this match will be a brawl that should go all over the ringside area and beyond. Legacy put in a really solid performance against DX at Summerslam. I thought Legacy should have won the match to really establish themselves as legitimate threats. Triple H and Shawn Michaels did put in a good effort to make Rhodes and Dibiase look good, but in the end, it is wins and losses that count. I am actually glad that the feud is continuing and I hope Legacy is able to get a big win. The WWE has two great young talents and they need to start letting them shine and get some bigger victories under their belt. Legacy was able to get some heat back by laying out John Cena and DX during Dusty Rhodes’ GM night and hopefully they carry the momentum to this match. Again, with a submission stipulation, it is tough to envision Triple H or Michaels tapping out. However, I can see a scenario where Legacy viciously attacks a knee/leg and is able to get a submission out of it. Against my better judgment, I am going to predict that Legacy gets their big win in this match. If not, the WWE is seriously making them look like chumps and I feel that is just plain stupid. But don’t say I didn’t mention that DX might just destroy them and bury them.
Prediction: Legacy
Unified Tag Team Championship
Chris Jericho and Big Show (c) vs. MVP and Mark Henry
So it looks like Cryme Tyme got their chance in the sun at Summerslam and they quickly will be forgotten when it comes to the Tag Team Title chase. Now the thrown together tag team of Mark Henry and MVP will challenge for the gold. This outcome seems pretty predictable to me and I do not see how Jericho and Big Show can lose here. I will say this though…I could see WWE shocking everyone and putting the titles on Henry and MVP as a sort of “reward” for MVP and Henry actually getting over a little bit with the crowd and especially to Henry for not getting hurt and pulling off a face turn. JeriShow needs to drop the belts to a team who could use the rub though. I think Legacy or the Hart Dynasty are perfect candidates and could benefit immediately, but all three teams are heels, so the WWE would most likely not set up those matchups. I have to wonder if DX will get a shot at JeriShow like I have speculated before. It would be a good little feud and the match(es) would be pretty good as well, but DX does not need the tag titles. Unless they win them and promptly lose to Legacy or the Hart Dynasty, it is a waste. I really do not know what WWE has planned for Jericho and Show, but I don’t think they should be losing to Henry and MVP.
Prediction: Jericho and Big Show (retain titles)
Singapore Cane Match
The Great Khali vs. Kane
I was really hoping that we would not get “treated” to another PPV match between these two but it seems as though we are. I suppose it is better for a solid talent like Kane to make a PPV payday instead of being left out. This match could turn into a real spectacle if they allow it, but it will likely be the same slow and plodding match like they had at Summerslam, except this time they will be hitting each other with canes. If the WWE is determined to drag this feud on, then I have to think Khali will pick up the victory. He introduced the Singapore cane into the equation, so I have to go with him for the win.
Prediction: The Great Khali
The Game’s Quick Hits
Friday Night Smackdown: Once again, Smackdown was a pretty good watch this week and the show got off to another great start. The Undertaker came out to start the show and cut a promo on CM Punk, stating that he would collect his “soul” at Breaking Point and make Punk submit to his Hell’s Gate submission hold. Punk answered and cut another brilliant promo. He is just locked in on his character and manipulating the audience like a puppet master. The way he is bagging on the fans about being seduced by The Undertaker’s “magical” powers because their minds are in a doped up haze is just gold. Punk let The Undertaker know that he will make him tap out to the Anaconda Vice at Breaking Point and this set up the main event, a submission match between Punk and Matt Hardy. The two put on another good performance in the ring and did a nice enough job focusing on attacking different body parts since it was a submission match. The finish was pretty obvious as CM Punk quickly and suddenly slapped on the Anaconda Vice and made Hardy tap out. The very end of the show featured a nice touch of having the lights go out and the bell toll and when they came back on, Punk no longer was grasping his title. The Undertaker was at the top of the ramp holding Punk’s gold up high. I thought the show did a pretty good job at hyping Breaking Point and that’s all you can ask.
There wasn’t anything else earth shattering on this episode, just some good in-ring action. Finlay and Mike Knox battled it out in a pretty good “Belfast Brawl”, which saw Finlay come out on top after a shot with the shillelagh. I do like to see a good garbage match every now and then, and these two put on a solid match with copious amounts of chair and trash can shots. The Unified Tag Team Champions, Chris Jericho and The Big Show, had a decent match with Cryme Tyme. Show knocked out JTG with a huge punch which allowed the champs to get a win and gain some momentum heading into their title defense against Mark Henry and MVP at Breaking Point. Finally, John Morrison and Dolph Ziggler had a nice little back and forth on the mic. Ziggler demanded his title shot that he earned, but only on “his terms”, and Morrison responded by calling him “Mr. Ziggles”. The WWE is now trying to build up more of a feud between these two after plans changed because of Rey Mysterio’s suspension. The Morrison/Ziggler Intercontinental Title match has been pulled from Breaking Point and the rumor is because the WWE wants them to have some matches together first on the house show circuit. I really do not agree with this because I believe both Morrison and Ziggler are talented enough to put on a good match and they should be given the chance on PPV.
- NHL sources have told ESPN that the Ottawa Senators have finally reached a 3 team deal to trade Dany Heatley. The proposed trade would send Heatley to the San Jose Sharks, the Sharks’ Patrick Marleau to the Los Angeles Kings, and the Kings’ Alexander Frolov and Jarret Stoll to the Senators. There is only one catch though. As of right now, the GMs of all three teams have denied the report and say the speculation is complete bull. I hope that the story is not bull because this Dany Heatley saga has gone on way too long. The guy wants out of town in Ottawa, so get him out of town! I’m not sure San Jose is a good destination for him though. The Sharks are kings of the regular season, but always find a way to choke in the playoffs. Imagine the scrutiny on Heatley if he goes there and the Sharks continue to fall short in the postseason. Heatley seemingly doesn’t like the spotlight and pressure on him, but he will feel it full force in San Jose if he contributes to their playoff woes. I’m not sure if getting rid of Marleau is a smart move for San Jose, but something has to change there and shipping away players is one way to try it. Maybe a new lease on life in LA will be good for Marleau. Frolov’s production has dropped the past two seasons, so a change of scenery could serve him well. Stoll can help the Senators on the power play, so all in all, this seems to be a beneficial trade all around…if the rumor is true of course. Stay tuned…
- Usually when you take on the NFL, or any sports league or company for that matter, it is tough to win. But defensive tackles Kevin and Pat Williams of the Minnesota Vikings received a win in appeals court on Friday when the court ruled that the NFL can not suspend the players for violating the league’s anti-doping policy. The Williamses both tested positive for a banned diuretic during training camp in 2008 after they took the over-the-counter supplement StarCaps. It did not state on the label that it contained the diuretic -- which can mask the presence of steroids. I have to applaud the court on this decision, especially considering that neither Williams has tested positive for steroids. Companies should not get away with failing to disclose each and every ingredient that is contained in a supplement. Since there is no other evidence showing Kevin and Pat Williams taking steroids, I feel the suspension is bogus. They might be guilty of bad judgment by taking the supplement in the first place, but if the diuretic was not listed, then they should not be punished, clear and simple.
- Well it looks like I have to man up and say I was wrong on my speculation about Shawne Merriman. San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis has dismissed Tila Tequila’s accusations against Merriman and the case is now closed. She said there was insufficient evidence to prove that Merriman committed a crime. So it looks like Tequila did get herself drunk and was probably acting stupid. I will give credit to Merriman now because it seems like his story about trying to stop her from driving is the truth. That actually shows some responsibility on his part, something that Tequila obviously did not have that night. Now Tequila deserves to get bagged on because she tried to ruin Merriman’s reputation and hell, she might have been trying to go after some of his money. Maybe she can hook up with that woman trying to extort some money from Ben Roethlisberger. Next time though Shawne, cool it with the 4 am parties and don’t even put yourself in that situation.
-Other NFL News and Notes: Well as if the world didn’t already know, Cleveland Browns QB Brady Quinn was taking the snaps with Cleveland’s first-team offense on Friday, a clear indication he will be the starting QB on Sunday. Like I have said before, Eric Mangini looks like a fool with his little “let’s keep this a big secret” garbage. He is not giving the Browns any sort of advantage and I think it is disrespectful to the Cleveland fans. He should be more open about what is going on with the team, especially when it comes to who is starting at QB. Hey, maybe that is why they didn’t list Brett Favre on the Jets’ injury reports last year…Mangini wanted to keep it a big secret…
Kansas City Chiefs QB Matt Cassel continues to practice and his knee continues to improve. He is now expected to be a game-time decision for Sunday’s game against the Ravens. He says that if he is able to walk and go out there, he is ready to play. Matt, I’ll say this one more time…just sit this one out so the Ravens’ D doesn’t hurt you any more…thank you, drive through…
The TV ratings for last night’s NFL opener between the Steelers and Titans shows that the NFL is still king when it comes to sports. The game scored a 13.8 overnight rating, which is equivalent to over 10 million homes watching. This is the highest rating for an opener in 7 years. The game certainly was fun to watch and a great way to open up the 2009 season.
Denver Broncos WR Brandon Marshall declined to comment on Friday about his recent suspension from the team. He politely, but firmly, told a reporter that he was not talking about anything. Marshall could face a fine for not making himself available to the media at least one day during the week of practice leading up to Sunday’s game, but the NFL usually sends a warning first. Hey, I have bashed the guy on here before, but today I will give him some credit. This is exactly what he should do…shut up and play some football and do what you are supposed to do like an adult.
- Philadelphia Phillies P Brad Lidge and manager Charlie Manuel had a talk on Wednesday to discuss Lidge’s role with the team. Lidge claims they had a good talk and are “on the same page”. But Manuel refuses to say whether the struggling Lidge will get his job back as closer. So could this situation spell doom for the Phillies? I think it is possible that they can overcome it, but I believe Lidge needs to find another role for the rest of the season. The numbers do not lie. Lidge is 0-7 this season with a 7.11 ERA and he has blown 10 saves. Manuel says that he still sees Lidge as a closer, but how can he be trusted with numbers like those? Confidence is a huge deal for a pitcher and even though Lidge and Manuel are saying the right things, I have to believe that Lidge is not in the best state of mind. One bad outing in the playoffs can make the difference between a World Series Championship and coming up short. I can only think of the possible horror for the Phillies if the Yankees’ bats get a hold of Lidge in the World Series. My solution to this would be to consider using P Jaime Moyer or P Pedro Martinez as the closer. Pedro has proven he still has gas left in the tank, and maybe it would be the best move to stick Moyer back in the rotation for the playoffs and let Martinez close. Or, they could just move Moyer to role. I have to think he could be good for one strong inning. Whatever the Phillies decide, they need to address this and take care of it by October.
- BMW Championship Update: Tiger Woods played a solid round yesterday and was within striking distance of the lead on Friday. He took advantage of it, shooting a 4-under par 67 to grab a share of the lead after 2 rounds with Mark Wilson at 7-under par. Both Woods and Wilson have a one shot lead over a group of 4 players at 6-under, which includes Padraig Harrington and 1st round leader Rory Sabbatini. As I stated yesterday, Tiger seems to be finding a groove and that is not good news for everyone else. He has won 4 times at Cog Hill and he plays well in the Chicago area. Due to his recent disappointments, I am expecting a really good weekend from Tiger and I think he will close the deal this time and win the tournament. If he doesn’t, then the talk will only grow and he will have to find some way to get his air of invincibility back. FedEx Cup point leader Steve Stricker continues to struggle and is at 3-over par. It now looks like he will lose the points lead to Woods heading into the Tour Championship.
- U.S. Open Update: Rain forced the postponement of both women’s semifinals and the conclusion of the Rafael Nadal/Fernando Gonzalez match. The schedule is now in disarray and for the second straight year, the men’s final will happen on Monday at the earliest. Rain is in the forecast tomorrow, so everyone might still be playing the waiting game.
- Felony trafficking in opium
- Two counts of felony possession with intent to sell or deliver a Schedule III controlled substance
- Felony maintaining a dwelling to keep controlled substance
- Felony possession of cocaine
- Misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia
Again, wow. I honestly could not believe it when I heard this news and it is pretty sad. I was not shocked to hear about Jeff Hardy being in a situation with drugs due to what he has done in the past, but all this? Obviously the worst of this is the intent to sell and distribute. He can be a druggie and take all he wants, but when you try to sell the stuff, then that is going down a bad road.
Reports are saying that his brother and current WWE superstar, Matt Hardy, bailed him out and Jeff was quick to jump on Twitter. He said to not believe everything that you read and expressed his wish that the media would try and portray stories accurately. I am not sure exactly what he is talking about, but what else would you expect him to say at this point? My only speculation is that he will claim he never sold anything or intended to sell anything. The fact that he has so much of it could turn out to be a bad assumption by the cops, but I doubt it. The news stories make it seem like this was an ongoing investigation on Jeff and they finally busted him. They must think they have a solid case to bring those charges on him.
I think it is a safe assumption that Jeff Hardy’s WWE career is now over. I can’t see how they can bring him back at this point. Vince McMahon is trying to make the WWE more family friendly, so bringing back a wrestler who had drug charges thrown on him seems highly unlikely. I am sure at this point that McMahon and the WWE have to be fuming. They caught a lucky break that Jeff dropped the title to CM Punk at Summerslam, but this will still reflect poorly on the company. Hardy was getting a major push on TV and was portrayed as such an inspiration and positive influence. Of course if you have been following things, CM Punk portrayed Hardy as a fraud and said he probably was still high on prescription drugs and everything else. My, my, my…how life imitates art sometimes. Here’s a wild thought on all this too. I wonder if the WWE would dare touch this on their programming. The chances would be slim I’m sure, but CM Punk could get MASSIVE heat if he came out and told everyone that he was telling the truth about Jeff the whole time. A feud with Matt Hardy could be big around this, but I am sure McMahon does not even want to touch it.
Granted, I am not that much of a Jeff Hardy fan, but I did respect his in-ring work and I respected what he did to help put CM Punk over. He did not complain about losing the title or anything like that and he even worked an extra month after his contract expired to help the company and go out the right way. Because of all that, this whole situation now saddens me. Jeff Hardy was portrayed as a guy who made some mistakes, but he took responsibility for them and had turned his life around. Now, it seems like he really hasn’t changed at all. Even if he was to somehow beat these charges, and on the possession ones I don’t see any way in hell how he does that, his legacy is now ruined.
Jeff was supposed to take some time off and come back refreshed and continue on with a great career. But that is not going to happen. I can’t believe the stupidity that it takes for him to put himself in this situation. There are a whole other set of issues now as well. Has Jeff been popping pain pills this entire time? Did the WWE ever let him slide on a drug test? There are many questions now that can’t be answered and who knows if they ever will be. I understand how tough and painful it must be for wrestlers, so I could find a way to give Jeff a pass if he is addicted to pain pills. Addiction can be a bitch and millions of people struggle with it. But I have to draw a line with the cocaine and these allegations that he was trying to distribute. Those are bad choices that fall directly onto Jeff Hardy’s shoulders and he has no one to blame but himself.
So in the final analysis of my initial thoughts on this, I have to say I am just disappointed in Hardy and I hope he gets some help. Obviously he still had some demons in his life that he needs to deal with. I will not crucify the man totally until more facts are known, but this looks bad for him. He had such a good thing going with this last WWE run and now he has flushed it all down the toilet. On a more positive note, let’s get to my Breaking Point PPV preview that I had ready to go for today.
It is time once again for a WWE PPV and the company continues on the trend of trying to make each one have a certain theme. This Sunday will be called Breaking Point and the idea is that all main event matches will have a submission stipulation. I will give credit to the WWE for trying this tactic to increase PPV buys. The different themes give fans something to look forward to and it does break them away from the endless monotony of placeholder type PPVs until each of the “Big 4” roll around. So let’s take a look at the card and I will offer up my thoughts and predictions.
“I Quit” Match for the WWE Championship
Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena
Once again we are “treated” to another match between Orton and Cena. The feud between these two just seems so old at this point and it feels like we have seen everything there is to see. In actuality, the two had not squared off one on one for a long while until Summerslam last month, but the fact remains that this confrontation has been recycled from years ago. I predicted that John Cena would walk out of Summerslam with the title and I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong. Many thought that the Summerslam match was an overbooked mess, but the WWE had not had a crazy atomsophere like that in a while and I thought it was fun to see. The swerve of letting Orton walk out with the title was a good thing, but knowing that we had Breaking Point coming up, I immediately thought Orton’s reign would only last a few more weeks. John Cena’s whole character and career is built on a never give up, never say die attitude. Cena is a “soldier” and he never quits. There is no way in hell that Cena will say “I quit” at Breaking Point. Unless the WWE recycles the Rock’s trick of knocking the guy out and then playing a recording of his opponent saying “I quit” from a promo like he did with Mick Foley, Cena is walking out with the belt. The only way that doesn’t happen is if something occurs to make the match a no contest.
Prediction: John Cena (new WWE Champion)
Submission Match for the World Heavyweight Title
CM Punk (c) vs. The Undertaker
As expected, Jeff Hardy dropped the title to CM Punk at Summerslam and then lost a “loser leaves WWE” title rematch on Smackdown. I give Hardy a ton of credit for going out the right way and helping to make Punk into a mega-heel before taking his sabbatical. I will definitely miss the Hardy-Punk feud, but the WWE did a good thing by transitioning directly into a Punk-Undertaker feud. At the end of Summerslam, the lights went out and Punk quickly found himself standing over The Undertaker instead of Jeff Hardy and then he ate a chokeslam for his troubles. The Deadman had returned and had his sights set on Punk and the World Title. Teddy Long quickly booked a Submission Match for Breaking Point and I expect a good match between the two. Punk is insanely hot right now as a heel and The Undertaker will always have the crowd behind him. The money in this feud will be in the chase and I don’t see how they can have Punk drop the title so soon. Obviously, The Undertaker, like John Cena, is not someone who is going to give up and submit. Because of that, I see no other call to make but to say that this match will somehow be a no contest or a DQ. I really don’t know how they will do it, but Punk will escape with the title and this feud will continue.
Prediction: No contest or DQ ending, Punk retains
ECW Championship
Christian (c) vs. William Regal
With the formation of William Regal’s “Ruthless Roundtable” which features Ezekiel Jackson and Vladimir Kozlov, this feud for the ECW Championship has been fairly intriguing. I love William Regal’s snobby, arrogant character and he is a perfect challenger for Christian, especially with the muscle behind him. Considering that the match at Summerslam lasted only 8 seconds and was only designed to put over the “Roundtable”, I really have no idea how this match will go. If Christian beats Regal, it seems like the feud would be over and Regal would be out of chances. But then does Christian go on to try and keep Jackson and Kozlov off his back? I ultimately think that Jackson or Kozlov would benefit from a title run, but I am not sure they are ready for it or even if they are worth it at all. I might be going out on a limb here, but it makes the most sense if Regal wins the title with the help of Jackson and Kozlov and then uses them to try and keep Christian from regaining it. The major story arc on ECW seems to be Regal trying to take over things with his henchman, so having the title makes that seem more plausible.
Prediction: William Regal (new ECW Champion)
Submissions Count Anywhere
D-Generation X vs. Legacy
Well this is certainly a different spin on a match stipulation and it really just means this match will be a brawl that should go all over the ringside area and beyond. Legacy put in a really solid performance against DX at Summerslam. I thought Legacy should have won the match to really establish themselves as legitimate threats. Triple H and Shawn Michaels did put in a good effort to make Rhodes and Dibiase look good, but in the end, it is wins and losses that count. I am actually glad that the feud is continuing and I hope Legacy is able to get a big win. The WWE has two great young talents and they need to start letting them shine and get some bigger victories under their belt. Legacy was able to get some heat back by laying out John Cena and DX during Dusty Rhodes’ GM night and hopefully they carry the momentum to this match. Again, with a submission stipulation, it is tough to envision Triple H or Michaels tapping out. However, I can see a scenario where Legacy viciously attacks a knee/leg and is able to get a submission out of it. Against my better judgment, I am going to predict that Legacy gets their big win in this match. If not, the WWE is seriously making them look like chumps and I feel that is just plain stupid. But don’t say I didn’t mention that DX might just destroy them and bury them.
Prediction: Legacy
Unified Tag Team Championship
Chris Jericho and Big Show (c) vs. MVP and Mark Henry
So it looks like Cryme Tyme got their chance in the sun at Summerslam and they quickly will be forgotten when it comes to the Tag Team Title chase. Now the thrown together tag team of Mark Henry and MVP will challenge for the gold. This outcome seems pretty predictable to me and I do not see how Jericho and Big Show can lose here. I will say this though…I could see WWE shocking everyone and putting the titles on Henry and MVP as a sort of “reward” for MVP and Henry actually getting over a little bit with the crowd and especially to Henry for not getting hurt and pulling off a face turn. JeriShow needs to drop the belts to a team who could use the rub though. I think Legacy or the Hart Dynasty are perfect candidates and could benefit immediately, but all three teams are heels, so the WWE would most likely not set up those matchups. I have to wonder if DX will get a shot at JeriShow like I have speculated before. It would be a good little feud and the match(es) would be pretty good as well, but DX does not need the tag titles. Unless they win them and promptly lose to Legacy or the Hart Dynasty, it is a waste. I really do not know what WWE has planned for Jericho and Show, but I don’t think they should be losing to Henry and MVP.
Prediction: Jericho and Big Show (retain titles)
Singapore Cane Match
The Great Khali vs. Kane
I was really hoping that we would not get “treated” to another PPV match between these two but it seems as though we are. I suppose it is better for a solid talent like Kane to make a PPV payday instead of being left out. This match could turn into a real spectacle if they allow it, but it will likely be the same slow and plodding match like they had at Summerslam, except this time they will be hitting each other with canes. If the WWE is determined to drag this feud on, then I have to think Khali will pick up the victory. He introduced the Singapore cane into the equation, so I have to go with him for the win.
Prediction: The Great Khali
The Game’s Quick Hits
Friday Night Smackdown: Once again, Smackdown was a pretty good watch this week and the show got off to another great start. The Undertaker came out to start the show and cut a promo on CM Punk, stating that he would collect his “soul” at Breaking Point and make Punk submit to his Hell’s Gate submission hold. Punk answered and cut another brilliant promo. He is just locked in on his character and manipulating the audience like a puppet master. The way he is bagging on the fans about being seduced by The Undertaker’s “magical” powers because their minds are in a doped up haze is just gold. Punk let The Undertaker know that he will make him tap out to the Anaconda Vice at Breaking Point and this set up the main event, a submission match between Punk and Matt Hardy. The two put on another good performance in the ring and did a nice enough job focusing on attacking different body parts since it was a submission match. The finish was pretty obvious as CM Punk quickly and suddenly slapped on the Anaconda Vice and made Hardy tap out. The very end of the show featured a nice touch of having the lights go out and the bell toll and when they came back on, Punk no longer was grasping his title. The Undertaker was at the top of the ramp holding Punk’s gold up high. I thought the show did a pretty good job at hyping Breaking Point and that’s all you can ask.
There wasn’t anything else earth shattering on this episode, just some good in-ring action. Finlay and Mike Knox battled it out in a pretty good “Belfast Brawl”, which saw Finlay come out on top after a shot with the shillelagh. I do like to see a good garbage match every now and then, and these two put on a solid match with copious amounts of chair and trash can shots. The Unified Tag Team Champions, Chris Jericho and The Big Show, had a decent match with Cryme Tyme. Show knocked out JTG with a huge punch which allowed the champs to get a win and gain some momentum heading into their title defense against Mark Henry and MVP at Breaking Point. Finally, John Morrison and Dolph Ziggler had a nice little back and forth on the mic. Ziggler demanded his title shot that he earned, but only on “his terms”, and Morrison responded by calling him “Mr. Ziggles”. The WWE is now trying to build up more of a feud between these two after plans changed because of Rey Mysterio’s suspension. The Morrison/Ziggler Intercontinental Title match has been pulled from Breaking Point and the rumor is because the WWE wants them to have some matches together first on the house show circuit. I really do not agree with this because I believe both Morrison and Ziggler are talented enough to put on a good match and they should be given the chance on PPV.
- NHL sources have told ESPN that the Ottawa Senators have finally reached a 3 team deal to trade Dany Heatley. The proposed trade would send Heatley to the San Jose Sharks, the Sharks’ Patrick Marleau to the Los Angeles Kings, and the Kings’ Alexander Frolov and Jarret Stoll to the Senators. There is only one catch though. As of right now, the GMs of all three teams have denied the report and say the speculation is complete bull. I hope that the story is not bull because this Dany Heatley saga has gone on way too long. The guy wants out of town in Ottawa, so get him out of town! I’m not sure San Jose is a good destination for him though. The Sharks are kings of the regular season, but always find a way to choke in the playoffs. Imagine the scrutiny on Heatley if he goes there and the Sharks continue to fall short in the postseason. Heatley seemingly doesn’t like the spotlight and pressure on him, but he will feel it full force in San Jose if he contributes to their playoff woes. I’m not sure if getting rid of Marleau is a smart move for San Jose, but something has to change there and shipping away players is one way to try it. Maybe a new lease on life in LA will be good for Marleau. Frolov’s production has dropped the past two seasons, so a change of scenery could serve him well. Stoll can help the Senators on the power play, so all in all, this seems to be a beneficial trade all around…if the rumor is true of course. Stay tuned…
- Usually when you take on the NFL, or any sports league or company for that matter, it is tough to win. But defensive tackles Kevin and Pat Williams of the Minnesota Vikings received a win in appeals court on Friday when the court ruled that the NFL can not suspend the players for violating the league’s anti-doping policy. The Williamses both tested positive for a banned diuretic during training camp in 2008 after they took the over-the-counter supplement StarCaps. It did not state on the label that it contained the diuretic -- which can mask the presence of steroids. I have to applaud the court on this decision, especially considering that neither Williams has tested positive for steroids. Companies should not get away with failing to disclose each and every ingredient that is contained in a supplement. Since there is no other evidence showing Kevin and Pat Williams taking steroids, I feel the suspension is bogus. They might be guilty of bad judgment by taking the supplement in the first place, but if the diuretic was not listed, then they should not be punished, clear and simple.
- Well it looks like I have to man up and say I was wrong on my speculation about Shawne Merriman. San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis has dismissed Tila Tequila’s accusations against Merriman and the case is now closed. She said there was insufficient evidence to prove that Merriman committed a crime. So it looks like Tequila did get herself drunk and was probably acting stupid. I will give credit to Merriman now because it seems like his story about trying to stop her from driving is the truth. That actually shows some responsibility on his part, something that Tequila obviously did not have that night. Now Tequila deserves to get bagged on because she tried to ruin Merriman’s reputation and hell, she might have been trying to go after some of his money. Maybe she can hook up with that woman trying to extort some money from Ben Roethlisberger. Next time though Shawne, cool it with the 4 am parties and don’t even put yourself in that situation.
-Other NFL News and Notes: Well as if the world didn’t already know, Cleveland Browns QB Brady Quinn was taking the snaps with Cleveland’s first-team offense on Friday, a clear indication he will be the starting QB on Sunday. Like I have said before, Eric Mangini looks like a fool with his little “let’s keep this a big secret” garbage. He is not giving the Browns any sort of advantage and I think it is disrespectful to the Cleveland fans. He should be more open about what is going on with the team, especially when it comes to who is starting at QB. Hey, maybe that is why they didn’t list Brett Favre on the Jets’ injury reports last year…Mangini wanted to keep it a big secret…
Kansas City Chiefs QB Matt Cassel continues to practice and his knee continues to improve. He is now expected to be a game-time decision for Sunday’s game against the Ravens. He says that if he is able to walk and go out there, he is ready to play. Matt, I’ll say this one more time…just sit this one out so the Ravens’ D doesn’t hurt you any more…thank you, drive through…
The TV ratings for last night’s NFL opener between the Steelers and Titans shows that the NFL is still king when it comes to sports. The game scored a 13.8 overnight rating, which is equivalent to over 10 million homes watching. This is the highest rating for an opener in 7 years. The game certainly was fun to watch and a great way to open up the 2009 season.
Denver Broncos WR Brandon Marshall declined to comment on Friday about his recent suspension from the team. He politely, but firmly, told a reporter that he was not talking about anything. Marshall could face a fine for not making himself available to the media at least one day during the week of practice leading up to Sunday’s game, but the NFL usually sends a warning first. Hey, I have bashed the guy on here before, but today I will give him some credit. This is exactly what he should do…shut up and play some football and do what you are supposed to do like an adult.
- Philadelphia Phillies P Brad Lidge and manager Charlie Manuel had a talk on Wednesday to discuss Lidge’s role with the team. Lidge claims they had a good talk and are “on the same page”. But Manuel refuses to say whether the struggling Lidge will get his job back as closer. So could this situation spell doom for the Phillies? I think it is possible that they can overcome it, but I believe Lidge needs to find another role for the rest of the season. The numbers do not lie. Lidge is 0-7 this season with a 7.11 ERA and he has blown 10 saves. Manuel says that he still sees Lidge as a closer, but how can he be trusted with numbers like those? Confidence is a huge deal for a pitcher and even though Lidge and Manuel are saying the right things, I have to believe that Lidge is not in the best state of mind. One bad outing in the playoffs can make the difference between a World Series Championship and coming up short. I can only think of the possible horror for the Phillies if the Yankees’ bats get a hold of Lidge in the World Series. My solution to this would be to consider using P Jaime Moyer or P Pedro Martinez as the closer. Pedro has proven he still has gas left in the tank, and maybe it would be the best move to stick Moyer back in the rotation for the playoffs and let Martinez close. Or, they could just move Moyer to role. I have to think he could be good for one strong inning. Whatever the Phillies decide, they need to address this and take care of it by October.
- BMW Championship Update: Tiger Woods played a solid round yesterday and was within striking distance of the lead on Friday. He took advantage of it, shooting a 4-under par 67 to grab a share of the lead after 2 rounds with Mark Wilson at 7-under par. Both Woods and Wilson have a one shot lead over a group of 4 players at 6-under, which includes Padraig Harrington and 1st round leader Rory Sabbatini. As I stated yesterday, Tiger seems to be finding a groove and that is not good news for everyone else. He has won 4 times at Cog Hill and he plays well in the Chicago area. Due to his recent disappointments, I am expecting a really good weekend from Tiger and I think he will close the deal this time and win the tournament. If he doesn’t, then the talk will only grow and he will have to find some way to get his air of invincibility back. FedEx Cup point leader Steve Stricker continues to struggle and is at 3-over par. It now looks like he will lose the points lead to Woods heading into the Tour Championship.
- U.S. Open Update: Rain forced the postponement of both women’s semifinals and the conclusion of the Rafael Nadal/Fernando Gonzalez match. The schedule is now in disarray and for the second straight year, the men’s final will happen on Monday at the earliest. Rain is in the forecast tomorrow, so everyone might still be playing the waiting game.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Week 1 College Football Preview
The first full Saturday of college football action is upon us, so let’s take a look around the top 25 and see what’s going on.
#1 Florida vs. Charleston Southern – As if you have to wonder what is going to happen here. The only real question is whether or not Florida will get close to covering the 73-point spread. This one will be ugly but Charleston Southern is getting $450K for the game, so they will be happy to take the massacre.
#2 Texas vs. Louisiana-Monroe – Oh boy, another epic opener…Texas is following recent tradition of playing a team from a non-BCS conference in the opener and they have won those games by an average of 40+ points. Expect no difference here…
#3 Oklahoma vs. #20 BYU – Now this is more like it. I give much respect to both schools for scheduling a tough game for the opener. This will happen on a neutral field at Cowboys Stadium and it should be fun to watch. Obviously, BYU is trying to beef up their schedule in an attempt to improve their chances of making a BCS bowl game this year. The two teams are pretty similar, but there is no doubt that Oklahoma has the better talent across the board. BYU has lost 12 straight games to ranked non-conference opponents dating back to 1998. I don’t expect that streak to end here. Oklahoma should win, but being the opener, it could be closer than some people think. That could help BYU down the road if they get on a winning streak. OU’s All-American caliber TE Jermaine Gresham is out for this game with a knee injury, so that could hamper Oklahoma’s offense a little bit and make things even closer.
#4 USC vs. San Jose State – At least this game is not a cupcake for USC, but I would expect a pretty sizeable win. Freshman QB Matt Barkley will make his highly anticipated debut and there is always a slight chance that he could make some mistakes that will cost the Trojans. The talent gap between these two teams will be too great however to be thinking an upset could happen. USC is 28-1 against WAC opponents and San Jose State has not beaten a ranked opponent since 2000. Expect those trends to hold.
#5 Alabama vs. #7 Virginia Tech – This is one of the two big marquee games this weekend and I am really looking forward to it. Alabama beat ACC member Clemson in the opener last year and will be looking to do the same to Virginia Tech. The loss of Virginia Tech RB Darren Evans (torn ACL) is a big loss for the Hokies. Alabama will be going with first-year starter Greg McElroy at QB, so this could turn into more of a defensive battle. I have to give the edge to Alabama in that department and they have the edge in the game overall. The level of competition in the SEC is higher than the ACC and I would expect Alabama to pull out the win here.
#6 Ohio State vs. Navy – Ohio State has not lost a home opener since 1978 and Navy is trying to replace their leading rushers from last season. It doesn’t take a genius to predict a comfortable win for the Buckeyes in this one. If they have any hopes of sneaking into the BCS title game, they can not afford to look bad against teams they should beat handily.
#8 Mississippi vs. Memphis – Expectations are running extremely high at Mississippi for the first time in a long while. The return of QB Jevan Snead has a great deal to do with that. Mississippi is expected to make a big run to win the SEC West and get a shot at Florida in the SEC Championship game this year. Remember, Mississippi was the only team to beat the Gators last year, so they have the talent and should have the inside track to win the West Division this year. Memphis last beat Ole Miss in 2004 but has lost four straight and it should be five straight after Sunday.
#9 Penn State vs. Akron –A home opener for Penn State against a MAC opponent, who Joe Paterno is 39-1 against in his career at Penn State…you do the math on that one.
#9 Oklahoma State vs. #13 Georgia – This is the other big marquee game of the weekend and it will be taking place in Stillwater, OK. Oklahoma State was blown out two years ago when they went to Georgia, so you can expect some payback coming here. The Cowboys return most of their offensive starters and will be looking to light up the scoreboard and try to join Texas and Oklahoma at the top of the Big 12 South. Georgia is trying to replace QB Matthew Stafford and RB Knowshon Moreno, so they will have to put a premium on defense. In this case, I believe the offense will win out. The crowd should be electric and be able to carry Oklahoma State to a victory here. Expect QB Zac Robinson and WR Dez Bryant to hook up early and often in this one. Georgia might be able to keep things close, but I just don’t think they will be able to score enough points.
#11 LSU vs. Washington – LSU opens up on the road and is actually making the furthest trip away from home to play a game in the history of the school. Washington has lost 14 straight games and I expect that streak to continue. Even with a home game, Washington does not have enough talent to handle an SEC powerhouse like LSU. The Tigers will be competing with Mississippi this season to win the SEC West and that should be a fun race to witness. I expect LSU to start their quest with a comfortable win here.
#12 California vs. Maryland – This does not look to be a good opener for my home state Terps. California lost at Maryland last year, but the game started at 9 am PT, so there was plenty of talk that Cal “sleepwalked” through that game and that proved to be the difference. This year though, the game is at Cal and Cal is returning a better team than Maryland. The Golden Bears feature RB Jahvid Best, who might be the best player in nation not named Tebow, Bradford, or McCoy. There is talk that Cal could also challenge USC for the Pac 10 Title this year, so all signs are pointing to a sizeable Cal victory. I expect the Terps to maybe hang close for a half, but then lose by 2-3 touchdowns. I just don’t see Maryland having anything better than a mediocre season. They do sport a 6-2 record against top 25 teams the past two years, but Cal is 27-4 at home since 2004. Something has to give and it will be the Terps in this one.
#15 Georgia Tech vs. Jacksonville State – Georgia Tech brutalized Jacksonville State to open the 2008 season so it looks like they want to come back for more! Expect a blowout once again…thank you, drive through…
#18 Florida State vs. Miami, FL – This used to be the biggest game of opening weekend, but in recent years the game has lacked luster. Going into 2009 though, both Florida State and Miami are finally on the rise again. This is the first matchup since 2006 where either team has been ranked in the top 25. Both teams are returning solid QBs, but the Seminoles need to replace their top 2 receivers from last year. Obviously, Florida State is further along in the rebuilding process and should win this game. But Miami is slowly getting better and I think the potential exists for an upset. Do not be surprised if Miami keeps the game close or even ends up shocking FSU with a win.
#21 North Carolina vs. The Citadel – Butch Davis has come into UNC and turned things around for the Tar Heels. After doubling their win total last season, expectations are running high for continued success. They return 9 starters on defense and they have the potential to make some noise in the ACC this year if things come together. Look for UNC to get off to an easy start by beating up on The Citadel.
#22 Iowa vs. Northern Iowa – Iowa will look to get off to a good start and see what they have in the running game. RB Shonn Greene went to the NFL and RB Jewel Hampton is out for the season, so Iowa will have to turn to two untested backs for success. Northern Iowa is actually ranked #4 in the FCS (formerly Div. 1-AA), so they could hang around in this game. But Iowa has won 13 straight against UNI and their only loss came the first time these teams played…in 1898! Expect Iowa to take care of business…
#23 Notre Dame vs. Nevada – Notre Dame will get a stiff test in this one and we will get to see if all this BCS Bowl game talk is overblown or not. If Notre Dame is not prepared and careful, they could get upset in this game. Nevada is a solid team and they are coached well. Their QB, Colin Kaepernick, is a potential star in the making and the team has 2 RBs who have hit 1000 yards in a season before. I would not be surprised if Notre Dame loses this game. However, being at home and with high expectations and lots of returning talent, I expect the Fighting Irish to do enough to win.
#24 Nebraska vs. Florida Atlantic – Nebraska has slowly built their program back up and for the first time in a long while, they are favorites to win the Big 12 North. They are lucky all the firepower in the Big 12 is in the South Division, but they will get their shot in due time to see how good they are. I expect an easy victory at home over Florida Atlantic, who is probably just happy for the exposure and the payday like Charleston Southern.
#25 Kansas vs. Northern Colorado – Kansas is another program that has slowly built some success and they will try to continue it in 2009. This game should be a fairly easy cupcake win for them at home.
Special Note: Michigan vs. Western Michigan – With all the turmoil and rumors running rampant around the Michigan program this week, don’t be surprised if Western Michigan hangs around and gives the Wolverines trouble in this game.
The Game’s Quick Hits
Friday Night Smackdown: I have to say that I really enjoyed Smackdown this week and thought it was a great show. Smackdown continues to be better than Raw most every week and the difference is obvious and simple: Smackdown focuses more on in-ring action while Raw tries to mix in way too many pointless segments. I am really loving CM Punk’s character right now. He opened the show coming out dressed as Jeff Hardy and got some really intense heat as he trashed Hardy and his lifestyle and reminded us all he got rid of the “Charismatic Enabler” and is the only straight edge World Champion in history. It was a great segment and the interruption of it by Matt Hardy was pretty obvious, but it worked well to set up the main event between the two. I thought the match Punk and Hardy had was really solid. Punk continually attacked Hardy’s abdomen, which is what kept him out for a period due to surgery, and he stayed on it with every chance he got. I love when you see consistency in a match like that. Matt put up a really good fight and I was fine with the no contest ending. The match was a personal affair and not about wins and losses. The Undertaker coming out and preventing Punk from slamming that chair around Hardy’s neck into the ring post was perfect and the huge chokeslam on Punk through the announce table was a good punctuation to the evening.
The other major development of the evening was John Morrison defeating Rey Mysterio for the Intercontinental Championship. The WWE pulled a fast one on me here as I expected Dolph Ziggler to somehow get his title shot early and win the match. But it seems as if the WWE was determined to keep Ziggler’s title shot for Breaking Point and Morrison stepped in to keep the belt on a face. The match between Mysterio and Morrison was excellent though and one of the best on free TV this year. The action was at a fast pace for most of the match and there was a great deal of excitement and back and forth action. I was glad to see that Mysterio put in an excellent match and did not sandbag it because of his suspension. Morrison looked like a star in the ring and his victory was well deserved. Between this match and the Punk/Hardy main event, Smackdown really delivered a great show last night.
And on a last WWE note, it was reported that the WWE signed Ring of Honor’s Nigel McGuinness to a contract. I don’t really know anything about Nigel, but I have read he is about on the same level as Bryan Danielson. So it seems as if the rumor of WWE raiding ROH’s talent is indeed true. Hopefully both of them will get a fair chance to showcase their skills and will not be wasted.
- On Friday afternoon, University of Oregon football suspended RB LeGarrette Blount for the rest of the season after he punched Boise State player Byron Hout last night after Oregon’s 19-8 loss. The incident marred a great marquee matchup on college football’s opening night and Blount had to be dragged off the field and stopped from trying to get into the stands. In my opinion, this guy is a total idiot and there is no excuse for what he did. The suspension is justified and I am glad that Oregon acted swiftly and did not wait for the Pac 10 to render a decision. Hout should not have smacked Blount’s shoulder pads and taunted him after the game, but punching the man in return is absolutely uncalled for. There is no place for those types of actions and I think the University is sending a good message and they are sincere when they say that Blount’s actions are not what Oregon football is all about. Blount has had problems in the past and he seems like the type of young kid who just doesn’t get it. I sincerely hope that no NFL team decides to draft Blount. He looked terrible last night and has been lazy and out of shape for most of the offseason according to reports. I don’t see him as any sort of impact player and I hope he regrets his actions and can learn from them in time.
- Don’t pick up your phone if you are an offensive coordinator these days. The Buffalo Bills fired OC Turk Schonert on Friday and replaced him with quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt. Schonert is now the 3rd OC to be fired before the season following Kansas City’s Chan Gailey and Tampa Bay’s Jeff Jagodzinski. This probably was another smart move though because Buffalo’s offense has been downright horrible in the preseason. You can blame Terrell Owens’ toe injury, but that can only go so far. People are wondering how teams can get rid of their OCs so close to the season starting. I actually think it is a great move because why would you suffer through bad play calling and coaching if you already have seen it developing and your offense is not progressing? At least these teams can now try a different direction that may produce results when the games start to count.
- NFL News and Notes: Vikings QB Brett Favre was fined $10,000 for the illegal crackback block he threw against Eugene Wilson of the Texans. There is nothing much to see here as this was expected. It was a dumb play all around and the Vikings should not be running that type of play unless they want Favre getting hurt…The Patriots are expected to cut backup QB Andrew Walter, which would leave rookie QB Brian Hoyer as the only one left on the roster to be Tom Brady’s backup. This is quite the bold move by the Patriots. Having Matt Cassel as a backup with at least some time in the system is one thing, but going with a rookie? They had better hope Brady stays healthy this year…
- Steve Stricker and Jim Furyk took advantage of optimal scoring conditions at the Deutsche Bank Championship, the 2nd leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Sixty-four players broke par in round 1, but Stricker and Furyk led the way with 8-under par rounds of 63 to share the lead by 2 shots over a pack of five players. Both Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson struggled to make anything happen on day 1, shooting rounds of 1-under and even par, respectively. News came out later in that day that both have committed to playing in the BMW Championship next week as well. Again, Tiger looked uneasy out there and could not get into any sort of rhythm. He was fighting the putter again and he is really buried down the leaderboard. It seems like another one of those weeks where he will just be off his game enough not to contend. But I also said that last week and he almost won the tournament. It seems like the course this week will be playing a little easier though, and unless Tiger goes really low tomorrow, he will probably not come close to winning this week. Stricker seems to raise the level of his game and throwing that huge round out there playing in the same group with Tiger had to send a message. Tiger really needs to get on top of his game or he will wind up losing the FedEx Cup to Stricker.
- MLB News and Notes: Phillies P Pedro Martinez pitched seven strong innings Thursday night, giving up only 1 run and striking out 9 to outshine Tim Lincecum and beat the Giants 2-1. The win moved Martinez to 3-0 after 5 starts with the Phillies. I have to say I am pretty impressed with Pedro and he is proving the doubters wrong. In fact, it seems like a cure for many pitchers is moving from the AL to the NL. Brad Penny had a great outing recently and John Smoltz continues to pitch well for the Cardinals. Clearly, the AL is the dominant league offensively and can just beat teams into submission. Great pitching and small ball can be highly effective though, so it should be a great postseason this year to see who wins out. The Phillies look like they are rounding into form and becoming more formidable as they look to defend their championship…MLB fined Red Sox P Jonathan Papelbon $5,000 for slow play and taking too long to deliver his first pitch Tuesday night. Papelbon says that he has been fined more than $10,000 for slow play this year so far. Well, if you want to send a message and speed up play, hitting player’s wallets is the way to do it. I applaud the efforts because there is nothing worse than a baseball game that just drags on and on. Speeding up play and getting to the action can only help build MLB’s fan base and keep things exciting…
- NBA News and Notes: The Knicks are expected to sign restricted free agent David Lee to a 1-year deal worth between $6 and $8 million after Labor Day. There is also talk that Nate Robinson will be brought back on a 1-year deal as well. The Knicks like Lee, but president Donnie Walsh is saying he wants to maintain payroll flexibility for next season and will not do longer term contracts. The Knicks will be gunning for LeBron James, Chris Bosh and others next summer. I have no idea why LeBron would want to go to the Knicks. He has already rebuilt the Cavs and there would be better situations out there besides the Knicks, who can’t seem to do anything right in recent years. If I were James, I would stay away, but maybe he will be lured by the aura of New York and trying to make the Knicks great again…Restricted free agent Ramon Sessions agreed to a 4-year, $16 million contract with the Timberwolves and will be joining them as the Bucks are not expected to match the deal. The Timberwolves needed another PG to compete with Jonny Flynn after failing to bring Ricky Rubio over from Spain. Sessions also spurned the Knicks, who as stated previously are not doing any long term deals. This will increase speculation that the Timberwolves may try to move Rubio in a trade, but they still remain adamant that they will wait for Rubio. Well kudos to the Wolves for actually signing a player and getting him on your team…
- U.S. Open Update: Day 5 at the U.S. Open was very quiet with no notable upsets occurring on either the men’s and women’s sides of the draw. Both #2 seeds, Serena Williams on the women’s side and Andy Murray on the men’s side, advanced as did #3 seeds Venus Williams and Rafael Nadal.
#1 Florida vs. Charleston Southern – As if you have to wonder what is going to happen here. The only real question is whether or not Florida will get close to covering the 73-point spread. This one will be ugly but Charleston Southern is getting $450K for the game, so they will be happy to take the massacre.
#2 Texas vs. Louisiana-Monroe – Oh boy, another epic opener…Texas is following recent tradition of playing a team from a non-BCS conference in the opener and they have won those games by an average of 40+ points. Expect no difference here…
#3 Oklahoma vs. #20 BYU – Now this is more like it. I give much respect to both schools for scheduling a tough game for the opener. This will happen on a neutral field at Cowboys Stadium and it should be fun to watch. Obviously, BYU is trying to beef up their schedule in an attempt to improve their chances of making a BCS bowl game this year. The two teams are pretty similar, but there is no doubt that Oklahoma has the better talent across the board. BYU has lost 12 straight games to ranked non-conference opponents dating back to 1998. I don’t expect that streak to end here. Oklahoma should win, but being the opener, it could be closer than some people think. That could help BYU down the road if they get on a winning streak. OU’s All-American caliber TE Jermaine Gresham is out for this game with a knee injury, so that could hamper Oklahoma’s offense a little bit and make things even closer.
#4 USC vs. San Jose State – At least this game is not a cupcake for USC, but I would expect a pretty sizeable win. Freshman QB Matt Barkley will make his highly anticipated debut and there is always a slight chance that he could make some mistakes that will cost the Trojans. The talent gap between these two teams will be too great however to be thinking an upset could happen. USC is 28-1 against WAC opponents and San Jose State has not beaten a ranked opponent since 2000. Expect those trends to hold.
#5 Alabama vs. #7 Virginia Tech – This is one of the two big marquee games this weekend and I am really looking forward to it. Alabama beat ACC member Clemson in the opener last year and will be looking to do the same to Virginia Tech. The loss of Virginia Tech RB Darren Evans (torn ACL) is a big loss for the Hokies. Alabama will be going with first-year starter Greg McElroy at QB, so this could turn into more of a defensive battle. I have to give the edge to Alabama in that department and they have the edge in the game overall. The level of competition in the SEC is higher than the ACC and I would expect Alabama to pull out the win here.
#6 Ohio State vs. Navy – Ohio State has not lost a home opener since 1978 and Navy is trying to replace their leading rushers from last season. It doesn’t take a genius to predict a comfortable win for the Buckeyes in this one. If they have any hopes of sneaking into the BCS title game, they can not afford to look bad against teams they should beat handily.
#8 Mississippi vs. Memphis – Expectations are running extremely high at Mississippi for the first time in a long while. The return of QB Jevan Snead has a great deal to do with that. Mississippi is expected to make a big run to win the SEC West and get a shot at Florida in the SEC Championship game this year. Remember, Mississippi was the only team to beat the Gators last year, so they have the talent and should have the inside track to win the West Division this year. Memphis last beat Ole Miss in 2004 but has lost four straight and it should be five straight after Sunday.
#9 Penn State vs. Akron –A home opener for Penn State against a MAC opponent, who Joe Paterno is 39-1 against in his career at Penn State…you do the math on that one.
#9 Oklahoma State vs. #13 Georgia – This is the other big marquee game of the weekend and it will be taking place in Stillwater, OK. Oklahoma State was blown out two years ago when they went to Georgia, so you can expect some payback coming here. The Cowboys return most of their offensive starters and will be looking to light up the scoreboard and try to join Texas and Oklahoma at the top of the Big 12 South. Georgia is trying to replace QB Matthew Stafford and RB Knowshon Moreno, so they will have to put a premium on defense. In this case, I believe the offense will win out. The crowd should be electric and be able to carry Oklahoma State to a victory here. Expect QB Zac Robinson and WR Dez Bryant to hook up early and often in this one. Georgia might be able to keep things close, but I just don’t think they will be able to score enough points.
#11 LSU vs. Washington – LSU opens up on the road and is actually making the furthest trip away from home to play a game in the history of the school. Washington has lost 14 straight games and I expect that streak to continue. Even with a home game, Washington does not have enough talent to handle an SEC powerhouse like LSU. The Tigers will be competing with Mississippi this season to win the SEC West and that should be a fun race to witness. I expect LSU to start their quest with a comfortable win here.
#12 California vs. Maryland – This does not look to be a good opener for my home state Terps. California lost at Maryland last year, but the game started at 9 am PT, so there was plenty of talk that Cal “sleepwalked” through that game and that proved to be the difference. This year though, the game is at Cal and Cal is returning a better team than Maryland. The Golden Bears feature RB Jahvid Best, who might be the best player in nation not named Tebow, Bradford, or McCoy. There is talk that Cal could also challenge USC for the Pac 10 Title this year, so all signs are pointing to a sizeable Cal victory. I expect the Terps to maybe hang close for a half, but then lose by 2-3 touchdowns. I just don’t see Maryland having anything better than a mediocre season. They do sport a 6-2 record against top 25 teams the past two years, but Cal is 27-4 at home since 2004. Something has to give and it will be the Terps in this one.
#15 Georgia Tech vs. Jacksonville State – Georgia Tech brutalized Jacksonville State to open the 2008 season so it looks like they want to come back for more! Expect a blowout once again…thank you, drive through…
#18 Florida State vs. Miami, FL – This used to be the biggest game of opening weekend, but in recent years the game has lacked luster. Going into 2009 though, both Florida State and Miami are finally on the rise again. This is the first matchup since 2006 where either team has been ranked in the top 25. Both teams are returning solid QBs, but the Seminoles need to replace their top 2 receivers from last year. Obviously, Florida State is further along in the rebuilding process and should win this game. But Miami is slowly getting better and I think the potential exists for an upset. Do not be surprised if Miami keeps the game close or even ends up shocking FSU with a win.
#21 North Carolina vs. The Citadel – Butch Davis has come into UNC and turned things around for the Tar Heels. After doubling their win total last season, expectations are running high for continued success. They return 9 starters on defense and they have the potential to make some noise in the ACC this year if things come together. Look for UNC to get off to an easy start by beating up on The Citadel.
#22 Iowa vs. Northern Iowa – Iowa will look to get off to a good start and see what they have in the running game. RB Shonn Greene went to the NFL and RB Jewel Hampton is out for the season, so Iowa will have to turn to two untested backs for success. Northern Iowa is actually ranked #4 in the FCS (formerly Div. 1-AA), so they could hang around in this game. But Iowa has won 13 straight against UNI and their only loss came the first time these teams played…in 1898! Expect Iowa to take care of business…
#23 Notre Dame vs. Nevada – Notre Dame will get a stiff test in this one and we will get to see if all this BCS Bowl game talk is overblown or not. If Notre Dame is not prepared and careful, they could get upset in this game. Nevada is a solid team and they are coached well. Their QB, Colin Kaepernick, is a potential star in the making and the team has 2 RBs who have hit 1000 yards in a season before. I would not be surprised if Notre Dame loses this game. However, being at home and with high expectations and lots of returning talent, I expect the Fighting Irish to do enough to win.
#24 Nebraska vs. Florida Atlantic – Nebraska has slowly built their program back up and for the first time in a long while, they are favorites to win the Big 12 North. They are lucky all the firepower in the Big 12 is in the South Division, but they will get their shot in due time to see how good they are. I expect an easy victory at home over Florida Atlantic, who is probably just happy for the exposure and the payday like Charleston Southern.
#25 Kansas vs. Northern Colorado – Kansas is another program that has slowly built some success and they will try to continue it in 2009. This game should be a fairly easy cupcake win for them at home.
Special Note: Michigan vs. Western Michigan – With all the turmoil and rumors running rampant around the Michigan program this week, don’t be surprised if Western Michigan hangs around and gives the Wolverines trouble in this game.
The Game’s Quick Hits
Friday Night Smackdown: I have to say that I really enjoyed Smackdown this week and thought it was a great show. Smackdown continues to be better than Raw most every week and the difference is obvious and simple: Smackdown focuses more on in-ring action while Raw tries to mix in way too many pointless segments. I am really loving CM Punk’s character right now. He opened the show coming out dressed as Jeff Hardy and got some really intense heat as he trashed Hardy and his lifestyle and reminded us all he got rid of the “Charismatic Enabler” and is the only straight edge World Champion in history. It was a great segment and the interruption of it by Matt Hardy was pretty obvious, but it worked well to set up the main event between the two. I thought the match Punk and Hardy had was really solid. Punk continually attacked Hardy’s abdomen, which is what kept him out for a period due to surgery, and he stayed on it with every chance he got. I love when you see consistency in a match like that. Matt put up a really good fight and I was fine with the no contest ending. The match was a personal affair and not about wins and losses. The Undertaker coming out and preventing Punk from slamming that chair around Hardy’s neck into the ring post was perfect and the huge chokeslam on Punk through the announce table was a good punctuation to the evening.
The other major development of the evening was John Morrison defeating Rey Mysterio for the Intercontinental Championship. The WWE pulled a fast one on me here as I expected Dolph Ziggler to somehow get his title shot early and win the match. But it seems as if the WWE was determined to keep Ziggler’s title shot for Breaking Point and Morrison stepped in to keep the belt on a face. The match between Mysterio and Morrison was excellent though and one of the best on free TV this year. The action was at a fast pace for most of the match and there was a great deal of excitement and back and forth action. I was glad to see that Mysterio put in an excellent match and did not sandbag it because of his suspension. Morrison looked like a star in the ring and his victory was well deserved. Between this match and the Punk/Hardy main event, Smackdown really delivered a great show last night.
And on a last WWE note, it was reported that the WWE signed Ring of Honor’s Nigel McGuinness to a contract. I don’t really know anything about Nigel, but I have read he is about on the same level as Bryan Danielson. So it seems as if the rumor of WWE raiding ROH’s talent is indeed true. Hopefully both of them will get a fair chance to showcase their skills and will not be wasted.
- On Friday afternoon, University of Oregon football suspended RB LeGarrette Blount for the rest of the season after he punched Boise State player Byron Hout last night after Oregon’s 19-8 loss. The incident marred a great marquee matchup on college football’s opening night and Blount had to be dragged off the field and stopped from trying to get into the stands. In my opinion, this guy is a total idiot and there is no excuse for what he did. The suspension is justified and I am glad that Oregon acted swiftly and did not wait for the Pac 10 to render a decision. Hout should not have smacked Blount’s shoulder pads and taunted him after the game, but punching the man in return is absolutely uncalled for. There is no place for those types of actions and I think the University is sending a good message and they are sincere when they say that Blount’s actions are not what Oregon football is all about. Blount has had problems in the past and he seems like the type of young kid who just doesn’t get it. I sincerely hope that no NFL team decides to draft Blount. He looked terrible last night and has been lazy and out of shape for most of the offseason according to reports. I don’t see him as any sort of impact player and I hope he regrets his actions and can learn from them in time.
- Don’t pick up your phone if you are an offensive coordinator these days. The Buffalo Bills fired OC Turk Schonert on Friday and replaced him with quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt. Schonert is now the 3rd OC to be fired before the season following Kansas City’s Chan Gailey and Tampa Bay’s Jeff Jagodzinski. This probably was another smart move though because Buffalo’s offense has been downright horrible in the preseason. You can blame Terrell Owens’ toe injury, but that can only go so far. People are wondering how teams can get rid of their OCs so close to the season starting. I actually think it is a great move because why would you suffer through bad play calling and coaching if you already have seen it developing and your offense is not progressing? At least these teams can now try a different direction that may produce results when the games start to count.
- NFL News and Notes: Vikings QB Brett Favre was fined $10,000 for the illegal crackback block he threw against Eugene Wilson of the Texans. There is nothing much to see here as this was expected. It was a dumb play all around and the Vikings should not be running that type of play unless they want Favre getting hurt…The Patriots are expected to cut backup QB Andrew Walter, which would leave rookie QB Brian Hoyer as the only one left on the roster to be Tom Brady’s backup. This is quite the bold move by the Patriots. Having Matt Cassel as a backup with at least some time in the system is one thing, but going with a rookie? They had better hope Brady stays healthy this year…
- Steve Stricker and Jim Furyk took advantage of optimal scoring conditions at the Deutsche Bank Championship, the 2nd leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Sixty-four players broke par in round 1, but Stricker and Furyk led the way with 8-under par rounds of 63 to share the lead by 2 shots over a pack of five players. Both Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson struggled to make anything happen on day 1, shooting rounds of 1-under and even par, respectively. News came out later in that day that both have committed to playing in the BMW Championship next week as well. Again, Tiger looked uneasy out there and could not get into any sort of rhythm. He was fighting the putter again and he is really buried down the leaderboard. It seems like another one of those weeks where he will just be off his game enough not to contend. But I also said that last week and he almost won the tournament. It seems like the course this week will be playing a little easier though, and unless Tiger goes really low tomorrow, he will probably not come close to winning this week. Stricker seems to raise the level of his game and throwing that huge round out there playing in the same group with Tiger had to send a message. Tiger really needs to get on top of his game or he will wind up losing the FedEx Cup to Stricker.
- MLB News and Notes: Phillies P Pedro Martinez pitched seven strong innings Thursday night, giving up only 1 run and striking out 9 to outshine Tim Lincecum and beat the Giants 2-1. The win moved Martinez to 3-0 after 5 starts with the Phillies. I have to say I am pretty impressed with Pedro and he is proving the doubters wrong. In fact, it seems like a cure for many pitchers is moving from the AL to the NL. Brad Penny had a great outing recently and John Smoltz continues to pitch well for the Cardinals. Clearly, the AL is the dominant league offensively and can just beat teams into submission. Great pitching and small ball can be highly effective though, so it should be a great postseason this year to see who wins out. The Phillies look like they are rounding into form and becoming more formidable as they look to defend their championship…MLB fined Red Sox P Jonathan Papelbon $5,000 for slow play and taking too long to deliver his first pitch Tuesday night. Papelbon says that he has been fined more than $10,000 for slow play this year so far. Well, if you want to send a message and speed up play, hitting player’s wallets is the way to do it. I applaud the efforts because there is nothing worse than a baseball game that just drags on and on. Speeding up play and getting to the action can only help build MLB’s fan base and keep things exciting…
- NBA News and Notes: The Knicks are expected to sign restricted free agent David Lee to a 1-year deal worth between $6 and $8 million after Labor Day. There is also talk that Nate Robinson will be brought back on a 1-year deal as well. The Knicks like Lee, but president Donnie Walsh is saying he wants to maintain payroll flexibility for next season and will not do longer term contracts. The Knicks will be gunning for LeBron James, Chris Bosh and others next summer. I have no idea why LeBron would want to go to the Knicks. He has already rebuilt the Cavs and there would be better situations out there besides the Knicks, who can’t seem to do anything right in recent years. If I were James, I would stay away, but maybe he will be lured by the aura of New York and trying to make the Knicks great again…Restricted free agent Ramon Sessions agreed to a 4-year, $16 million contract with the Timberwolves and will be joining them as the Bucks are not expected to match the deal. The Timberwolves needed another PG to compete with Jonny Flynn after failing to bring Ricky Rubio over from Spain. Sessions also spurned the Knicks, who as stated previously are not doing any long term deals. This will increase speculation that the Timberwolves may try to move Rubio in a trade, but they still remain adamant that they will wait for Rubio. Well kudos to the Wolves for actually signing a player and getting him on your team…
- U.S. Open Update: Day 5 at the U.S. Open was very quiet with no notable upsets occurring on either the men’s and women’s sides of the draw. Both #2 seeds, Serena Williams on the women’s side and Andy Murray on the men’s side, advanced as did #3 seeds Venus Williams and Rafael Nadal.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
The "Diva" Wide Receiver
There seems to be a nagging problem that stalks around some of the teams in the NFL. And no, I am not talking about the gigantic scoreboard (which I will now dub “JerryTRON”) at the new Cowboys Stadium. I am talking about the “diva” wide receiver in the NFL. This topic has sprung to mind because of all the drama I am hearing about in Denver. On Friday morning it was announced that the Denver Broncos suspended WR Brandon Marshall for the remainder of the preseason for conduct detrimental to the team. The situation will be reassessed when the preseason ends. Now this seemingly has been a long time coming. To get you up to speed on this guy, take a look at what has gone on with him:
* He had charges against him and was accused of beating his girlfriend. He did get acquitted, but he still put himself in a bad situation that caused a distraction to the team and made him miss the first preseason game.
* He asked for a trade during the summer after the Broncos declined to rework his contract which will pay him $2.2 million this season.
* He claims the team misdiagnosed a hip injury which required offseason surgery
* He comes back and pulls a hamstring so he misses more time, but then when he returns to practice, he admits that he does not know the team’s playbook and therefore has to be relegated to the scout team and miss another preseason game.
Now all of this led up to the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back, which occurred on Wednesday. Video cameras caught Marshall being insubordinate during practice. His actions included walking around while the rest of the team was running during warmups, swatting away a ball that was thrown to him when he should have been catching it, and punting a ball away that should have been handed to one of the team’s ball boys. Marshall claims that this was just frustration boiled over and not an attempt to force a trade due to insubordination. I have to ask, what the hell is wrong with this guy?
Displeasure over your contract is absolutely no excuse for acting like a petulant 10 year old child at your job. How Marshall thinks that his actions will get him anywhere is beyond me. He is proving himself not to be very professional and he is only poisoning the waters when he would try to go to another team as a free agent. If he wants big money, this is not the way to get it. The Broncos are in a tough spot though because if they just sit the guy, then they will be paying him for nothing. Marshall is extremely talented, and his presence on the field would be needed if the Broncos have any hope of trying to be competitive this year. Not only is Marshall hurting himself, he is hurting the whole team and it stinks in my opinion.
It seems like Brandon Marshall is trying to take the malcontented “diva” WR to a whole new level. The King of that position in recent years has been Bills WR Terrell Owens. I am sure most of you reading this know about Owens’ antics. He ruined his relationship with Jeff Garcia and the 49ers. Then he moved onto the Philadelphia Eagles and found a way to poison things with Donovan McNabb. Then it was good times with the Cowboys for a while, but it once again fell apart with Tony Romo. Now T.O. is up in Buffalo with Trent Edwards. How long do you think that will last before something happens? The sad part about Owens is that the guy is amazingly talented. He ranks 2nd in NFL history behind Jerry Rice in receiving TDs and yet he always complains about not getting the ball enough or not being featured enough in the offensive. That seems very odd considering his stats. Well here is a news flash for you T.O., you are not Superman and you can’t beat double teams with regularity. The defenses focus on you and your QB trying to force the ball to you all the time is no way to win games. I’m sure Owens would tell you that all this drama is just overblown and he is misunderstood, but you can’t ignore the pattern of what goes on. It has to be all about him because he is one of the “divas” out there.
There are plenty of other examples out there of this trend concerning wide receivers. Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco seems to continually run his mouth and be mad or upset about something. He is another guy who has a great deal of talent and finds a way to try and put the focus more on himself than the team. He claims he is more focused this season and is embarrassed by his performance last year, so I guess we will see if he can shut his mouth and produce. Patriots WR Randy Moss has had his issues in the past as well. He regularly had drama occurring in Minnesota and even had some dust ups with John Law. He was a total malcontent in Oakland and found his way out of there to New England. Since he has been with the Patriots though, Moss has been a model citizen. So I can give him credit on that and say maybe he just wanted to win so badly that his frustrations just couldn’t help but come out until he got into a situation like he has in New England.
Need more examples? How about WR Anquan Boldin in Arizona? He continues to complain about wanting out of Arizona and wanting more money. I can understand that he feels he should get more, but he keeps talking about wanting Larry Fitzgerald money. Sorry Anquan, you are good, but Fitzgerald is one of the elite WRs out there and you are a notch below. When Keyshawn Johnson played in the NFL, he was another good example of a “diva” and a guy who seemingly wanted more focus on himself than the team. If you remember, things got so bad in Tampa Bay that they paid him just to go and sit home. Let’s not even get into what has happened with former Giants WR Plaxico Burress. That is a whole other story, but he is another guy who showed flashes of “diva”. And the next crop of “divas” might be starting with 49ers rookie WR Michael Crabtree. I have already shared some thoughts on this guy, who is pissed that he is only due #10 pick money and thinks he should be getting more. Tough crap Crabtree, get your ass to the team and stop making it all about you.
So basically, I am wondering why the WR position in the NFL seems to be so chock full of these types of guys. Don’t get me wrong here either. I am not saying that WRs are the only ones who act out or try to portray themselves as bigger than the team as a whole. But does a WR, more so than any other position, really need to believe that they are THAT good to be a dominant force? Maybe…but why should that be different than any other position? A pro athlete needs to have the mentality that they are the best and that they can get the job done at the highest level, but that doesn’t mean they need to act like children. These players are making damn good money playing a kid’s game, but they need to act like a professional. Jerry Rice did it the right way and that’s why he will always be considered the greatest of all-time (at least at this point and for the foreseeable future). As I stated above, I also believe that Larry Fitzgerald is cut from the same mold and he is doing things the right way. More young players need to pattern themselves after Rice and Fitzgerald and not try to be the next “superstar” like Terrell Owens.
I am not sure how this Brandon Marshall situation is going to play out, but it will most likely be full of drama. Marshall is making his choice to act out and it seems to be what he wants. If I were him, I would be very careful though. You are not truly great yet Mr. Marshall and you may never get the opportunity to be with your actions. Grow up and act like a man, not a child.
The Game’s Quick Hits
Friday Night Smackdown Thoughts: Well if you wanted proof that Smackdown is much better than Raw these days, then all you have to do is compare the first half hour of both shows this week. Raw wasted the time with a DX birthday “celebration” for Vince McMahon that dragged on too long and generally fell flat. Smackdown on the other hand featured another great promo from CM Punk, who rubbed his victory over Jeff Hardy in everyone’s face and continued his crusade of “straight edge means I’m better than you.” Jeff Hardy joined him in the ring and this led to a “loser leaves WWE” stipulation being added to their Steel Cage Championship match later in the evening. Hardy may not be that great on the mic, but his connection with the fans and energy he creates with them makes up for it. All of this was followed by a tag team match between Matt Hardy and John Morrison and the Hart Dynasty. Even though this match was short, it filled out the first half hour nicely and had some good action. I would like to see the Hart Dynasty make a run at the Unified Tag Titles to really cement them as players in the WWE. Maybe DX could beat JeriShow and then the Hart Dynasty comes along and beats DX...would love to see that but I am not optimistic WWE creative would make that happen.
I saw some other really good things on the show as well. Drew McIntyre debuted and beat up R Truth before the match even started. He was only on screen for about 60 seconds, but the guy has a good look and possibly a good gimmick as a mean British bastard. If he can perform in the ring, he could be a good one. Kane and Rey Mysterio had a decent match, but sadly The Great Khali made an appearance and it looks like his feud with Kane will continue. Chris Jericho and The Big Show also mixed it up with Cryme Tyme again and had a good match. Finally, the main event Steel Cage match for the World Heavyweight Championship was a great match. It had a great deal of drama throughout it and Hardy put in a great performance even though most people knew it was going to be his last match. I will miss the feud that Punk and Hardy had and we can only hope we get a good feud between Punk and The Undertaker.
- A ruling from the NFL came in on Friday about the JerryTRON in Cowboys Stadium. If a punt hits the video boards, the down will be replayed and the officials, along with the coaches, have the ability to initiate a booth review. This ruling is only good for this season and it can be reviewed in the future. Well score one for Jerry Jones, but I suspect that the NFL will make them raise the JerryTRON in the future. I still wonder who will pay for it and my vote is for Jerry himself since you know he is rolling in dough.
- In a mini update from a few days ago, the Lions have announced that QB Daunte Culpepper, not rookie QB Matthew Stafford, will start the team’s 3rd preseason game against the Colts. The QB competition is ongoing and a decision has not been made. It seems like Peyton Manning thinks Stafford should start week 1, while some former NFL coaches like Mike Martz and Steve Mariucci think he should be on the bench for a bit. As I stated earlier, I believe that Culpepper needs to start and get the Lions a win to take the pressure off the team. Stafford can come in sometime during the middle of the year and start gaining his experience.
- Tiger Woods continued to “struggle” at The Barclays, the first FedEx Cup Playoff event, shooting a 1-over par 72 on Friday to leave him at even par for the tournament and 8 strokes behind “Spider” Webb Simpson. Tiger has never really liked this course and has not played great golf on it and that looks to be continuing. The conditions were much tougher on Friday than they were on Thursday and Tiger was actually able to move up a few positions on the leaderboard, but not in relation to the amount of strokes behind the leader. Over the years I have usually been able to tell when Tiger is not “on” and it seems like this is one of those weeks. Going to take a miracle for him to win this weekend and I am not expecting it.
- The NBA has suspended Denver's J.R. Smith for 7 games without pay and Phoenix's Jason Richardson for 2 games without pay after both were recently convicted of driving offenses (Smith for reckless driving and past poor driving record and Richardson for drunken driving). Props to the NBA on this for penalizing bad behavior and poor decisions. I think the NFL should be the model for how to deal with these situations. These athletes live a good and privileged life, so they should strive to be role models and good citizens and they need to suffer the consequences for mistakes.
- NASCAR announced that qualifying for the 2010 Daytona 500 will be moved to Saturday, February 6 to avoid being on the same day as Super Bowl XLIV. Traditionally, Daytona 500 qualifying starts on the first Sunday of “Speedweeks”, but the whole NFL season was pushed back a week this season, creating the overlap. I have to say very smart move on NASCAR’s part. You need to bow to the King that is the NFL and the crown jewel of the Super Bowl.
- And on a final note…I watched the first half of the Redskins/Patriots preseason game and Tom Brady and Randy Moss looked like they were in midseason form. Barring more injuries, it looks like the Patriots could be back to reclaim their spot on the top of the AFC and maybe the whole league. And speaking of possible injuries…it was reported after the game that Brady had a sore throwing shoulder after being hit by Albert Haynesworth late in the first half of the game. Stay tuned…
* He had charges against him and was accused of beating his girlfriend. He did get acquitted, but he still put himself in a bad situation that caused a distraction to the team and made him miss the first preseason game.
* He asked for a trade during the summer after the Broncos declined to rework his contract which will pay him $2.2 million this season.
* He claims the team misdiagnosed a hip injury which required offseason surgery
* He comes back and pulls a hamstring so he misses more time, but then when he returns to practice, he admits that he does not know the team’s playbook and therefore has to be relegated to the scout team and miss another preseason game.
Now all of this led up to the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back, which occurred on Wednesday. Video cameras caught Marshall being insubordinate during practice. His actions included walking around while the rest of the team was running during warmups, swatting away a ball that was thrown to him when he should have been catching it, and punting a ball away that should have been handed to one of the team’s ball boys. Marshall claims that this was just frustration boiled over and not an attempt to force a trade due to insubordination. I have to ask, what the hell is wrong with this guy?
Displeasure over your contract is absolutely no excuse for acting like a petulant 10 year old child at your job. How Marshall thinks that his actions will get him anywhere is beyond me. He is proving himself not to be very professional and he is only poisoning the waters when he would try to go to another team as a free agent. If he wants big money, this is not the way to get it. The Broncos are in a tough spot though because if they just sit the guy, then they will be paying him for nothing. Marshall is extremely talented, and his presence on the field would be needed if the Broncos have any hope of trying to be competitive this year. Not only is Marshall hurting himself, he is hurting the whole team and it stinks in my opinion.
It seems like Brandon Marshall is trying to take the malcontented “diva” WR to a whole new level. The King of that position in recent years has been Bills WR Terrell Owens. I am sure most of you reading this know about Owens’ antics. He ruined his relationship with Jeff Garcia and the 49ers. Then he moved onto the Philadelphia Eagles and found a way to poison things with Donovan McNabb. Then it was good times with the Cowboys for a while, but it once again fell apart with Tony Romo. Now T.O. is up in Buffalo with Trent Edwards. How long do you think that will last before something happens? The sad part about Owens is that the guy is amazingly talented. He ranks 2nd in NFL history behind Jerry Rice in receiving TDs and yet he always complains about not getting the ball enough or not being featured enough in the offensive. That seems very odd considering his stats. Well here is a news flash for you T.O., you are not Superman and you can’t beat double teams with regularity. The defenses focus on you and your QB trying to force the ball to you all the time is no way to win games. I’m sure Owens would tell you that all this drama is just overblown and he is misunderstood, but you can’t ignore the pattern of what goes on. It has to be all about him because he is one of the “divas” out there.
There are plenty of other examples out there of this trend concerning wide receivers. Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco seems to continually run his mouth and be mad or upset about something. He is another guy who has a great deal of talent and finds a way to try and put the focus more on himself than the team. He claims he is more focused this season and is embarrassed by his performance last year, so I guess we will see if he can shut his mouth and produce. Patriots WR Randy Moss has had his issues in the past as well. He regularly had drama occurring in Minnesota and even had some dust ups with John Law. He was a total malcontent in Oakland and found his way out of there to New England. Since he has been with the Patriots though, Moss has been a model citizen. So I can give him credit on that and say maybe he just wanted to win so badly that his frustrations just couldn’t help but come out until he got into a situation like he has in New England.
Need more examples? How about WR Anquan Boldin in Arizona? He continues to complain about wanting out of Arizona and wanting more money. I can understand that he feels he should get more, but he keeps talking about wanting Larry Fitzgerald money. Sorry Anquan, you are good, but Fitzgerald is one of the elite WRs out there and you are a notch below. When Keyshawn Johnson played in the NFL, he was another good example of a “diva” and a guy who seemingly wanted more focus on himself than the team. If you remember, things got so bad in Tampa Bay that they paid him just to go and sit home. Let’s not even get into what has happened with former Giants WR Plaxico Burress. That is a whole other story, but he is another guy who showed flashes of “diva”. And the next crop of “divas” might be starting with 49ers rookie WR Michael Crabtree. I have already shared some thoughts on this guy, who is pissed that he is only due #10 pick money and thinks he should be getting more. Tough crap Crabtree, get your ass to the team and stop making it all about you.
So basically, I am wondering why the WR position in the NFL seems to be so chock full of these types of guys. Don’t get me wrong here either. I am not saying that WRs are the only ones who act out or try to portray themselves as bigger than the team as a whole. But does a WR, more so than any other position, really need to believe that they are THAT good to be a dominant force? Maybe…but why should that be different than any other position? A pro athlete needs to have the mentality that they are the best and that they can get the job done at the highest level, but that doesn’t mean they need to act like children. These players are making damn good money playing a kid’s game, but they need to act like a professional. Jerry Rice did it the right way and that’s why he will always be considered the greatest of all-time (at least at this point and for the foreseeable future). As I stated above, I also believe that Larry Fitzgerald is cut from the same mold and he is doing things the right way. More young players need to pattern themselves after Rice and Fitzgerald and not try to be the next “superstar” like Terrell Owens.
I am not sure how this Brandon Marshall situation is going to play out, but it will most likely be full of drama. Marshall is making his choice to act out and it seems to be what he wants. If I were him, I would be very careful though. You are not truly great yet Mr. Marshall and you may never get the opportunity to be with your actions. Grow up and act like a man, not a child.
The Game’s Quick Hits
Friday Night Smackdown Thoughts: Well if you wanted proof that Smackdown is much better than Raw these days, then all you have to do is compare the first half hour of both shows this week. Raw wasted the time with a DX birthday “celebration” for Vince McMahon that dragged on too long and generally fell flat. Smackdown on the other hand featured another great promo from CM Punk, who rubbed his victory over Jeff Hardy in everyone’s face and continued his crusade of “straight edge means I’m better than you.” Jeff Hardy joined him in the ring and this led to a “loser leaves WWE” stipulation being added to their Steel Cage Championship match later in the evening. Hardy may not be that great on the mic, but his connection with the fans and energy he creates with them makes up for it. All of this was followed by a tag team match between Matt Hardy and John Morrison and the Hart Dynasty. Even though this match was short, it filled out the first half hour nicely and had some good action. I would like to see the Hart Dynasty make a run at the Unified Tag Titles to really cement them as players in the WWE. Maybe DX could beat JeriShow and then the Hart Dynasty comes along and beats DX...would love to see that but I am not optimistic WWE creative would make that happen.
I saw some other really good things on the show as well. Drew McIntyre debuted and beat up R Truth before the match even started. He was only on screen for about 60 seconds, but the guy has a good look and possibly a good gimmick as a mean British bastard. If he can perform in the ring, he could be a good one. Kane and Rey Mysterio had a decent match, but sadly The Great Khali made an appearance and it looks like his feud with Kane will continue. Chris Jericho and The Big Show also mixed it up with Cryme Tyme again and had a good match. Finally, the main event Steel Cage match for the World Heavyweight Championship was a great match. It had a great deal of drama throughout it and Hardy put in a great performance even though most people knew it was going to be his last match. I will miss the feud that Punk and Hardy had and we can only hope we get a good feud between Punk and The Undertaker.
- A ruling from the NFL came in on Friday about the JerryTRON in Cowboys Stadium. If a punt hits the video boards, the down will be replayed and the officials, along with the coaches, have the ability to initiate a booth review. This ruling is only good for this season and it can be reviewed in the future. Well score one for Jerry Jones, but I suspect that the NFL will make them raise the JerryTRON in the future. I still wonder who will pay for it and my vote is for Jerry himself since you know he is rolling in dough.
- In a mini update from a few days ago, the Lions have announced that QB Daunte Culpepper, not rookie QB Matthew Stafford, will start the team’s 3rd preseason game against the Colts. The QB competition is ongoing and a decision has not been made. It seems like Peyton Manning thinks Stafford should start week 1, while some former NFL coaches like Mike Martz and Steve Mariucci think he should be on the bench for a bit. As I stated earlier, I believe that Culpepper needs to start and get the Lions a win to take the pressure off the team. Stafford can come in sometime during the middle of the year and start gaining his experience.
- Tiger Woods continued to “struggle” at The Barclays, the first FedEx Cup Playoff event, shooting a 1-over par 72 on Friday to leave him at even par for the tournament and 8 strokes behind “Spider” Webb Simpson. Tiger has never really liked this course and has not played great golf on it and that looks to be continuing. The conditions were much tougher on Friday than they were on Thursday and Tiger was actually able to move up a few positions on the leaderboard, but not in relation to the amount of strokes behind the leader. Over the years I have usually been able to tell when Tiger is not “on” and it seems like this is one of those weeks. Going to take a miracle for him to win this weekend and I am not expecting it.
- The NBA has suspended Denver's J.R. Smith for 7 games without pay and Phoenix's Jason Richardson for 2 games without pay after both were recently convicted of driving offenses (Smith for reckless driving and past poor driving record and Richardson for drunken driving). Props to the NBA on this for penalizing bad behavior and poor decisions. I think the NFL should be the model for how to deal with these situations. These athletes live a good and privileged life, so they should strive to be role models and good citizens and they need to suffer the consequences for mistakes.
- NASCAR announced that qualifying for the 2010 Daytona 500 will be moved to Saturday, February 6 to avoid being on the same day as Super Bowl XLIV. Traditionally, Daytona 500 qualifying starts on the first Sunday of “Speedweeks”, but the whole NFL season was pushed back a week this season, creating the overlap. I have to say very smart move on NASCAR’s part. You need to bow to the King that is the NFL and the crown jewel of the Super Bowl.
- And on a final note…I watched the first half of the Redskins/Patriots preseason game and Tom Brady and Randy Moss looked like they were in midseason form. Barring more injuries, it looks like the Patriots could be back to reclaim their spot on the top of the AFC and maybe the whole league. And speaking of possible injuries…it was reported after the game that Brady had a sore throwing shoulder after being hit by Albert Haynesworth late in the first half of the game. Stay tuned…
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