Can't believe we are winding down yet another football season. Just a few thoughts to ponder on for this evening:
- I saw the new College Football Playoff rankings and all I can say is this: Regardless of what TCU does this weekend, if Baylor beats K-State (a top 10 team, by the way) then Baylor should be ahead of them in the final playoff rankings, period end of story. In my world, head-to-head victories should still count for something. Bottom line is this: Teams might finish with the same conference record, same overall record, virtually the same rankings wise and TCU's schedule isn't a whole lot greater than Baylor's. And by hook or by crook, Baylor won that game.
- As far as some predictions, here are some to chew on for this week: First off, Oregon won't lose to Arizona again. Oregon is hot, healthy and peaking and Arizona will have their full attention after losing the first time.
On Georgia Tech/FSU, I think the Noles win another close one but they better buckle up. Georgia Tech is another team that's peaking right at the end of the season and with their triple option they have the capability of keeping Jameis on the sidelines. This is as good an opportunity as Paul Johnson's team will have against an elite team like FSU so they will come out flying and confident, or they should anyways after beating UGA.
Wisconsin should take care of Ohio State, not just because of the third string QB deal but because Ohio State has trouble stopping the run and Gordon is the best back in the country. Too tough to ask Ohio State to win that one with all the factors working against them.
- Texans beat Tennessee to get to 6-6 and JJ Watt scores ANOTHER touchdown. Can we get him to play quarterback, by chance? Yeah I know Fitz had a great game but it was against Tennessee for Pete's sake.
Team better not go to sleep in Jacksonville by the way, who just beat the Giants this last week.
- Big game of the NFL this week is obviously Eagles/Seahawks, with both teams playing very well. I do think that Seattle, as I figured they would at some point, is starting to look more and more like the defending champions. That win in San Francisco last Thursday night was enormous.
- Finally, on the Nebraska situation, my thought is that situation is a damned if you do and a damned if you don't deal. Pelini was winning his games at a .700 clip, so it seems ridiculous on the surface and a damned if you do situation. But then again, it's a damned if you don't situation when you consider this was a coach who constantly got humiliated in big games (by 30 to 40 points) and constantly embarrassed himself on the sidelines like he did in that Badger game.
It would be different if he had made changes to his coaching staff, but it's year 7 and he never did.
My final thought on that situation is this: National championships don't grow on trees and it's a tough sell to think Nebraska can be a national championship contender in the future especially with the way the game is now. Not everyone can be Alabama, or FSU, or Oregon, or Ohio State. But it's not too much to ask to win a conference championship once in a while and not get embarrassed in games that matter. I understand the anger and the frustration from players and former players as Pelini was very close with the players. But they need to understand that programs such as this one absolutely cannot get embarrassed constantly in big games. One last parting thought: Eichorst did the right thing in pulling the trigger but the announcement on the next coach needs to come quickly.
Until next time....
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Monday, November 3, 2014
Football + World Series Aftermath
Back with a few thoughts after another week of football + the finish of the World Series, and the start of the offseason for baseball:
Leading off, so to speak with the finish of the World Series. Props to the Giants for finishing things off; the better team did win that series and Bumgarner is an October legend amongst mortals. Two wins, plus a five inning save for the first win by a road team in a World Series game 7 in over three decades. Of course, knowing the Giants, this is an every other year thing so we'll probably see them again in 2016.
As far as the Royals are concerned, it would have been a storybook ending to win that seventh game, but honestly, the better team won the series. I do think there may have been a thing or two that could have been done differently (namely, not having Escobar bunt in the fifth inning plus they could have used Willingham at some point), but bottom line is after the fifth inning, they weren't hitting Bum.
I did see that the Royals declined the 12.5M option on Billy "Country Breakfast" Butler. I would blame them for not picking up the option, but I really can't. I honestly watch Butler and he's a good hitter, but I'm not sure he commands that much money on the market. He is mainly a DH and nothing more than that. The Royals do however need to get James Shields signed, he is arguably the heart and soul of that team.
As far as a super-early prediction for 2015, my gut hunch is that the Cardinals are a good bet to at least make the World Series next year. Much like the Giants go to the World Series or win every other year (they've won every time), the Cards at least go every odd numbered year. Plus they have a lot of salary cap space to spend on signing their players, plus picking up a major free agent.
On to football. First order of business, Auburn/Ole Miss; as far as that game goes, I felt really bad for Ole Miss fans when that Auburn/Ole Miss game ended on Saturday night. If my team lost a 35-31 game to a team on the level of Auburn, at home, and my team lost Ameer Abdullah to that type of injury on the deciding play at the goal line that lost the game, I would be crushed. I have nothing against Auburn, after all, Ameer grew up an Auburn fan in Birmingham and I like Gus Malzahn, but I still felt really bad for Ole Miss Saturday night.
Speaking of #8 on Nebraska, talk about a huge scare on Saturday and a collective fanbase holding its breath, that was Nebraska fans as the team had to deal without Ameer against a scrappy Purdue outfit. 35-14 win, but obviously the bye week could not come at a better time for the Big Red. A good time to get rested up and ready to go for the stretch run because starting when we go to Madison, every game is important.
On the Texans, not a new revelation but Fitzpatrick still sucks. He sucked at the beginning of the season and he sucks now. You can tell that Andre Johnson is frustrated; he spoke with the media Monday and insinuated he wanted to get as far away from here as possible during the bye week. I am glad that Andre has voiced his support for Ryan Mallett, at least according to Ian Rapoport. We need to get Mallett in there and see what he can do.
The worst part about that game is that we made Jets castoff Mark Sanchez look like a really good quarterback. The fact that Clowney isn't playing regularly isn't exactly helping matters on the defensive front.
On Broncos/Patriots, I have said this all along; if Gronk is healthy, they're a Super Bowl team period because you can't stop their offense with him in there. The problem is, he's not always there, but when he is they are near unstoppable offensively. Sorry, Broncos fans, but if Gronkowski is healthy I don't see anything keeping the Patriots out of Phoenix for the Super Bowl.
Watch for the Saints to be 7-4 after the next three weeks with a struggling Niners team, the Bengals and the struggling Ravens in the next three. The big key here is, all of them come to New Orleans. The Saints might well be ready to make a playoff push.
Once 6-1, the Dallas Cowboys are now 6-3 and facing serious issues; namely, that their offensive line that I've been touting all year has been springing leaks and the obvious one, that Tony Romo has back issues and will be out until at least after the bye. Dallas faces a very important game Sunday against Jacksonville to at least get to the bye at 7-3.
Hard to figure out what's going on with the Niners and Chargers; the first one has been to three straight conference championship games and a Super Bowl yet sits 4-4 and going to New Orleans, and the other one has lost three straight and got blasted 37-0 by the Dolphins.
One last NFL note; the only division in the National Football League with every single team above .500 is...
the AFC North.
On the college football playoff poll, one thing I notice is that for the most part, one loss teams are ahead of two loss teams. That is fine, as long as the committee sticks with that. If you're going to establish that precedence, fine, but stick with it.
Until next time....
Leading off, so to speak with the finish of the World Series. Props to the Giants for finishing things off; the better team did win that series and Bumgarner is an October legend amongst mortals. Two wins, plus a five inning save for the first win by a road team in a World Series game 7 in over three decades. Of course, knowing the Giants, this is an every other year thing so we'll probably see them again in 2016.
As far as the Royals are concerned, it would have been a storybook ending to win that seventh game, but honestly, the better team won the series. I do think there may have been a thing or two that could have been done differently (namely, not having Escobar bunt in the fifth inning plus they could have used Willingham at some point), but bottom line is after the fifth inning, they weren't hitting Bum.
I did see that the Royals declined the 12.5M option on Billy "Country Breakfast" Butler. I would blame them for not picking up the option, but I really can't. I honestly watch Butler and he's a good hitter, but I'm not sure he commands that much money on the market. He is mainly a DH and nothing more than that. The Royals do however need to get James Shields signed, he is arguably the heart and soul of that team.
As far as a super-early prediction for 2015, my gut hunch is that the Cardinals are a good bet to at least make the World Series next year. Much like the Giants go to the World Series or win every other year (they've won every time), the Cards at least go every odd numbered year. Plus they have a lot of salary cap space to spend on signing their players, plus picking up a major free agent.
On to football. First order of business, Auburn/Ole Miss; as far as that game goes, I felt really bad for Ole Miss fans when that Auburn/Ole Miss game ended on Saturday night. If my team lost a 35-31 game to a team on the level of Auburn, at home, and my team lost Ameer Abdullah to that type of injury on the deciding play at the goal line that lost the game, I would be crushed. I have nothing against Auburn, after all, Ameer grew up an Auburn fan in Birmingham and I like Gus Malzahn, but I still felt really bad for Ole Miss Saturday night.
Speaking of #8 on Nebraska, talk about a huge scare on Saturday and a collective fanbase holding its breath, that was Nebraska fans as the team had to deal without Ameer against a scrappy Purdue outfit. 35-14 win, but obviously the bye week could not come at a better time for the Big Red. A good time to get rested up and ready to go for the stretch run because starting when we go to Madison, every game is important.
On the Texans, not a new revelation but Fitzpatrick still sucks. He sucked at the beginning of the season and he sucks now. You can tell that Andre Johnson is frustrated; he spoke with the media Monday and insinuated he wanted to get as far away from here as possible during the bye week. I am glad that Andre has voiced his support for Ryan Mallett, at least according to Ian Rapoport. We need to get Mallett in there and see what he can do.
The worst part about that game is that we made Jets castoff Mark Sanchez look like a really good quarterback. The fact that Clowney isn't playing regularly isn't exactly helping matters on the defensive front.
On Broncos/Patriots, I have said this all along; if Gronk is healthy, they're a Super Bowl team period because you can't stop their offense with him in there. The problem is, he's not always there, but when he is they are near unstoppable offensively. Sorry, Broncos fans, but if Gronkowski is healthy I don't see anything keeping the Patriots out of Phoenix for the Super Bowl.
Watch for the Saints to be 7-4 after the next three weeks with a struggling Niners team, the Bengals and the struggling Ravens in the next three. The big key here is, all of them come to New Orleans. The Saints might well be ready to make a playoff push.
Once 6-1, the Dallas Cowboys are now 6-3 and facing serious issues; namely, that their offensive line that I've been touting all year has been springing leaks and the obvious one, that Tony Romo has back issues and will be out until at least after the bye. Dallas faces a very important game Sunday against Jacksonville to at least get to the bye at 7-3.
Hard to figure out what's going on with the Niners and Chargers; the first one has been to three straight conference championship games and a Super Bowl yet sits 4-4 and going to New Orleans, and the other one has lost three straight and got blasted 37-0 by the Dolphins.
One last NFL note; the only division in the National Football League with every single team above .500 is...
the AFC North.
On the college football playoff poll, one thing I notice is that for the most part, one loss teams are ahead of two loss teams. That is fine, as long as the committee sticks with that. If you're going to establish that precedence, fine, but stick with it.
Until next time....
Monday, October 27, 2014
The World Series, NFL and ESPN/SEC Bias
Just a few thoughts while I have them on a Monday night....
Regarding the World Series, I know it's hard to count out the Royals, but I think the Giants are in good shape. Before we go anywhere else with this, let's be real: Bumgarner is absolutely nasty. Kershaw may have been baseball's version of Sandy Koufax during the regular season, but Bumgarner takes it to another level in the playoffs. The Royals had no chance last night.
As far as the last two games, as I said, the Giants are in good shape. However, I think the Giants best chance would be in game 6. If you go to game 7, there may be too much karma at the K for the Giants to handle. Keep in mind also that there have been nine teams to go home down 3-2 in World Series since 85...seven have won the title. And no team has won a seventh game of a World Series on the road since 1979.
Texans game thought: Zach Mettenberger learned a valuable lesson. When you're making your first career start, against the most fearsome defensive player of our time, you don't show off your selfie habit. That's just fuel for JJ Watt's fire. JJ Watt made that quite clear when he clowned Mett during that game. I think Mett has talent, but he learned a very valuable lesson.
As bad as those games in New York and Pittsburgh were, the Texans are in decent shape at 4-4, still with a playoff spot within reach especially since they play Jacksonville twice and Tennessee once, and that Baltimore and Cincinnati still come to Houston. 9-7 at least is a very good possibility. I don't trust Fitz and that is well known but he's got a good team around him. Should never have lost in Pittsburgh though.
Arizona is for real...might be the best team in the NFC. Like I've said all year, that is a physical, nasty, vicious football team. And the once interception-happy Carson Palmer is making plays and not throwing picks...eight TDs and one INT for the season. The only bad thing about the Cards is that ESPN is going to tell us for months on end that no team has hosted a Super Bowl in their home stadium...this year, Arizona has it. Yes, we know.
Oh the Dallas Cowboys...America's biggest sports soap opera takes another turn. Romo gets dinged and they lose to Washington in OT. Cowboys are pretty funny. Every time I think they've turned a corner (Seattle win), then they go lose a game like that to a third string QB. I get that it's the NFL, but that's so very Cowboys. I was reminded of that tonight. Now they get Arizona coming in...very possibly a second loss in a row. Then again, Jerry had eyeballs on his team tonight, so I guess he wins again, right?
Big win for the Saints Sunday night. Take a look at their upcoming schedule...at Carolina Thursday then three straight Dome games where they just refuse to lose. A win in Carolina might put them at 7-4 after the next four games. This isn't as good a Saints team as they've had, but they're still in the mix.
Don't look now, but Tom Brady is probably the best quarterback in the league right now and Gronk is healthy. Chicago can certainly attest to that. And what do you know, it's just in time for another Manning/Brady showdown on Sunday afternoon in New England.
I get that the focus in Kansas City for right is that the Royals are two games from a potential World Championship and rightly so, but Andy Reid is very quietly doing a good job at Arrowhead this year. Derrick Johnson, out for the year. Jamaal Charles...been hurt. Alex Smith, dinged up the last game but will probably go Sunday, not to mention all the other injuries they've had and yet they are still 4-3 and have beaten some of the best in the league.
Hell, if you really think about it, they're the team that won the game against the Pats on Monday night that started Kansas City's giant killer run (and since that point, the Royals and Chiefs have slain Moneyball, the team with the most wins in MLB, a powerful Orioles team, an explosive San Diego Charger team, and are two wins away from denying San Fran a third World Title in five years). They not only beat the Pats in that game, they embarrassed them.
The Raiders might be the second team to go 0-16 for a single season, the first being the 2008 Detroit Lions. Seriously, I see one game on the rest of their slate that they might win...at St. Louis. The rest, chalk em up as losses. I'm no Raider fan, but we've already seen 0-16 before. I've seen that movie once in 2008 and I don't want to see it again. I hope they can find at least enough courage and effort to grab one win.
Last thing, since a lot of my Nebraska peeps are spouting stuff about the SEC these days, I want to comment on this. For my readers that don't necessarily follow Nebraska, Husker coach Bo Pelini was asked in his press conference last Monday about ESPN and its relationship with the SEC. For those who may not be aware, The Four Letter and their Disney cohorts recently unveiled a new network devoted to not just SEC Football, but SEC Athletics in general. Considering what a lot of college football fans outside the southeast think of that conference, you can imagine the feathers that were ruffled when that happened.
Anyways, Pelini was asked about ESPN's relationship with the SEC and he said, and I quote, "I don't think that kind of relationship is good for college football, but that's just my opinion."
But, oh, did that set off a firestorm between Big 10 fans and SEC fans, and even between the Four Letter and Pelini. Chris Fowler, whose work I greatly respect, came out on Twitter and said that nothing would be better for ESPN than Big 10 success. He even got a little defensive on College GameDay when talking about the alleged bias ESPN has towards the SEC.
Keep in mind, you're reading the blog of a guy that wanted Bo Pelini gone after the Iowa/Nebraska game in 2013 and I stand by how I felt at the time, but that's besides the point. If ESPN isn't biased towards the SEC then why does Chris Fowler feel the need to get into this? Why does he feel the need to be so chippy if the Big 10 is such an irrelevant conference and Nebraska lacks relevance themselves (and for the record I think we have a good team this year). If it was nothing, then he would have said nothing or disagreed with Pelini's opinion and kept moving. He should be better than that.
Instead, he and the rest of the folks at the Four Letter like Paul Finebaum have to rip into Pelini themselves during their shows. My message to the folks at the SEC Network, Fowler, Finebaum and the rest of SEC fans who may stumble across this: Mind your own damn business and we'll mind ours. Pelini was just responding to a question, no need to be so defensive about it. Oh and one other thing: Nebraska won the last time they played an SEC team, not even a calendar year ago. We'll see what happens if Nebraska meets an SEC team this January.
Until next time....
Regarding the World Series, I know it's hard to count out the Royals, but I think the Giants are in good shape. Before we go anywhere else with this, let's be real: Bumgarner is absolutely nasty. Kershaw may have been baseball's version of Sandy Koufax during the regular season, but Bumgarner takes it to another level in the playoffs. The Royals had no chance last night.
As far as the last two games, as I said, the Giants are in good shape. However, I think the Giants best chance would be in game 6. If you go to game 7, there may be too much karma at the K for the Giants to handle. Keep in mind also that there have been nine teams to go home down 3-2 in World Series since 85...seven have won the title. And no team has won a seventh game of a World Series on the road since 1979.
Texans game thought: Zach Mettenberger learned a valuable lesson. When you're making your first career start, against the most fearsome defensive player of our time, you don't show off your selfie habit. That's just fuel for JJ Watt's fire. JJ Watt made that quite clear when he clowned Mett during that game. I think Mett has talent, but he learned a very valuable lesson.
As bad as those games in New York and Pittsburgh were, the Texans are in decent shape at 4-4, still with a playoff spot within reach especially since they play Jacksonville twice and Tennessee once, and that Baltimore and Cincinnati still come to Houston. 9-7 at least is a very good possibility. I don't trust Fitz and that is well known but he's got a good team around him. Should never have lost in Pittsburgh though.
Arizona is for real...might be the best team in the NFC. Like I've said all year, that is a physical, nasty, vicious football team. And the once interception-happy Carson Palmer is making plays and not throwing picks...eight TDs and one INT for the season. The only bad thing about the Cards is that ESPN is going to tell us for months on end that no team has hosted a Super Bowl in their home stadium...this year, Arizona has it. Yes, we know.
Oh the Dallas Cowboys...America's biggest sports soap opera takes another turn. Romo gets dinged and they lose to Washington in OT. Cowboys are pretty funny. Every time I think they've turned a corner (Seattle win), then they go lose a game like that to a third string QB. I get that it's the NFL, but that's so very Cowboys. I was reminded of that tonight. Now they get Arizona coming in...very possibly a second loss in a row. Then again, Jerry had eyeballs on his team tonight, so I guess he wins again, right?
Big win for the Saints Sunday night. Take a look at their upcoming schedule...at Carolina Thursday then three straight Dome games where they just refuse to lose. A win in Carolina might put them at 7-4 after the next four games. This isn't as good a Saints team as they've had, but they're still in the mix.
Don't look now, but Tom Brady is probably the best quarterback in the league right now and Gronk is healthy. Chicago can certainly attest to that. And what do you know, it's just in time for another Manning/Brady showdown on Sunday afternoon in New England.
I get that the focus in Kansas City for right is that the Royals are two games from a potential World Championship and rightly so, but Andy Reid is very quietly doing a good job at Arrowhead this year. Derrick Johnson, out for the year. Jamaal Charles...been hurt. Alex Smith, dinged up the last game but will probably go Sunday, not to mention all the other injuries they've had and yet they are still 4-3 and have beaten some of the best in the league.
Hell, if you really think about it, they're the team that won the game against the Pats on Monday night that started Kansas City's giant killer run (and since that point, the Royals and Chiefs have slain Moneyball, the team with the most wins in MLB, a powerful Orioles team, an explosive San Diego Charger team, and are two wins away from denying San Fran a third World Title in five years). They not only beat the Pats in that game, they embarrassed them.
The Raiders might be the second team to go 0-16 for a single season, the first being the 2008 Detroit Lions. Seriously, I see one game on the rest of their slate that they might win...at St. Louis. The rest, chalk em up as losses. I'm no Raider fan, but we've already seen 0-16 before. I've seen that movie once in 2008 and I don't want to see it again. I hope they can find at least enough courage and effort to grab one win.
Last thing, since a lot of my Nebraska peeps are spouting stuff about the SEC these days, I want to comment on this. For my readers that don't necessarily follow Nebraska, Husker coach Bo Pelini was asked in his press conference last Monday about ESPN and its relationship with the SEC. For those who may not be aware, The Four Letter and their Disney cohorts recently unveiled a new network devoted to not just SEC Football, but SEC Athletics in general. Considering what a lot of college football fans outside the southeast think of that conference, you can imagine the feathers that were ruffled when that happened.
Anyways, Pelini was asked about ESPN's relationship with the SEC and he said, and I quote, "I don't think that kind of relationship is good for college football, but that's just my opinion."
But, oh, did that set off a firestorm between Big 10 fans and SEC fans, and even between the Four Letter and Pelini. Chris Fowler, whose work I greatly respect, came out on Twitter and said that nothing would be better for ESPN than Big 10 success. He even got a little defensive on College GameDay when talking about the alleged bias ESPN has towards the SEC.
Keep in mind, you're reading the blog of a guy that wanted Bo Pelini gone after the Iowa/Nebraska game in 2013 and I stand by how I felt at the time, but that's besides the point. If ESPN isn't biased towards the SEC then why does Chris Fowler feel the need to get into this? Why does he feel the need to be so chippy if the Big 10 is such an irrelevant conference and Nebraska lacks relevance themselves (and for the record I think we have a good team this year). If it was nothing, then he would have said nothing or disagreed with Pelini's opinion and kept moving. He should be better than that.
Instead, he and the rest of the folks at the Four Letter like Paul Finebaum have to rip into Pelini themselves during their shows. My message to the folks at the SEC Network, Fowler, Finebaum and the rest of SEC fans who may stumble across this: Mind your own damn business and we'll mind ours. Pelini was just responding to a question, no need to be so defensive about it. Oh and one other thing: Nebraska won the last time they played an SEC team, not even a calendar year ago. We'll see what happens if Nebraska meets an SEC team this January.
Until next time....
Friday, October 10, 2014
15 Predictions - Friday, October 10
Wasn't in last weekend, mainly because I wanted to let last football and baseball weekend simmer down a bit with all the upsets, and with the Royals advancing. But I think today's a good day to offer some predictions for how this weekend is going to go. So...off we go. As per usual, my predictions are for entertainment purposes only.
15. First, baseball. I'm going with the Royals in 6 and the Giants in 7. In the AL, I think the Royals can win tonight with Shields, win two in Kansas City (three and five probably) and then go back to Camden Yards and close things out. The reason they are here is because they are peaking at absolutely the right time and their best players are playing well right now, when it matters. I think they carry the momentum. In the NL, I'm going with Houston's old friend Bruce Bochy and his Giants...even numbered year magic.
14. Captain Obvious, but without Todd Gurley Georgia will not beat Mizzou this weekend. If you haven't heard, Gurley was suspended indefinitely while an investigation takes place into whether Gurley signed autographs for cash. In games like this, you need players like Gurley and without him I don't see Georgia winning on the road. A Mizzou win may well lock up the SEC East although I guess Kentucky is still in the mix.
13. Speaking of Mizzou, I will also predict that with the Tigers, Royals and Cards playing back to back to back tomorrow, there will be some heated discussions in some bars in Columbia when the baseball teams are playing. Could we see an I-70 Series? As I said I'm picking the Royals and Giants (would be the second all-Wild Card World Series, the first also involved the Giants in 2002), but an I-70 rematch of 1985 is very possible.
12. Texas will play Oklahoma closer than the experts think. What is the spread, like 14.5 or something like that? Weird stuff happens in this emotional rivalry (see last year when Texas demolished an OU team that went on to beat Bama). I don't like either team but if I were going to Vegas, I'd pick Texas to cover that point spread. Wouldn't be surprised to see this be a swing point game for Charlie Strong even though they may not win.
11. Boomer Esiason was on Jim Rome a while ago talking about Andrew Luck...and said he'd be just fine even though the Colts got a scare at NRG last night. I predict Boom is right, and furthermore I predict that Andrew Luck will win multiple Super Bowls before his career is over. The guy just has "it," whatever "it" is, and a knack for making big plays when needed. Very generous of him to let JJ Watt score last night, hehe.
10. Ole Miss will not beat Texas A&M this weekend. It's too tough a spot for the Rebels. I'm not sure Ole Miss got out of the clouds by Wednesday after beating Alabama (which I was happy to see, really can't stand Bama), and if they didn't there is no way they will go to Kyle Field and win.
9. Demornay Pierson-El will be playing wideout for Nebraska at some point this season, not sure when but I think he's got to. The guy is just too explosive, too electric to keep him out of being a wide receiver. Especially with Kenny Bell week to week on whether he's going to play or not, it makes sense to put DP-E in as an additional threat. Nebraska needs players who can stretch the field with Bell hobbled every other week.
8. Dallas will play Seattle close in Seattle. Yeah, you heard me right. I think Dallas plays them close because their offensive line is great. Not good, great. Been saying that all year. Seattle will win because they are just too tough at home, but Dallas will push them provided Romo has time to throw and time to hand it off to DeMarco Murray.
7. Arizona loses to USC this weekend. Another upset special from last weekend bites the dust. Much like Ole Miss I'm not sure Arizona got out of the clouds after last weekend. USC goes there and wins.
6. The Nebraska Overreactionists will be eating their words when the Huskers earn their rematch with Michigan State in December. And this is coming from a guy who has been more than critical of Pelini and some of his losses, but that loss was not a bad loss. Team showed character in coming back and nearly pulling out the win. I respect Jason Peter's credentials and the blood, sweat and tears he gave for that program (hell I grew up in that era), but his opinion from Big Red Wrapup earlier this week was completely misguided.
The good thing is, Nebraska can see them again, and in a rematch, on turf, in a domed stadium knowing that MSU has trouble defending the deep pass I'd like their chances...a lot. Nebraska fans who thought this team was a top four playoff team just aren't living on Planet Earth. The goal is the Big 10 Championship and getting rid of that damned conference title drought...always has been.
5. NY Giants over Philly on the road on Sunday night. Philly really hasn't beat anyone aside from Indy and they needed a meltdown by the Colts to win that one.
4. LSU looks terrible right now but it's the middle of the season. Ask me about them at the end of the year. I predict they'll get better and Brandon Harris will get better as he gets more snaps. I wouldn't be surprised to see them only lose to Alabama the rest of the way with Texas A&M being 50/50 as well.
3. If Auburn gets out of Starkville with a W this weekend they will go undefeated. South Carolina is terrible and has to go to Auburn, Bo Wallace at Ole Miss is too inconsistent for me to pick them to beat Auburn, Texas A&M goes to Auburn, Georgia may still be without Gurley when Auburn comes to town which leaves the Iron Bowl...and I've long said that Auburn will win that one because Saban hates playing their offense. And if they get to Atlanta they'll hammer the winner of the East which would put them in the playoffs undefeated. That leaves this Saturday as the biggest game of the season for #2 Auburn.
2. Even if Baylor survives this weekend they will not go undefeated. Playing at Oklahoma, on grass, in November in a game that may well decide the Big 12 title...not a good recipe for the Bears. They're a turf team, and more specifically a Waco team, get them out of that environs and they won't survive. Not to mention they still have to play K-State as well....
1. O'Brien will lace into the Texans after that horrendous start last night, and I'm sure he and the team will be working overtime to get ready for Pittsburgh. Down 24-0 and the boo-birds were out. I'm not even sure it will matter that they almost came back and won, you can't start a football game like that and expect to win at that level. I'm no Fitzpatrick fan, but the team got gashed at the start of the game and didn't come prepared.
So there it is, 15 predictions for you to note....
Until next time....
15. First, baseball. I'm going with the Royals in 6 and the Giants in 7. In the AL, I think the Royals can win tonight with Shields, win two in Kansas City (three and five probably) and then go back to Camden Yards and close things out. The reason they are here is because they are peaking at absolutely the right time and their best players are playing well right now, when it matters. I think they carry the momentum. In the NL, I'm going with Houston's old friend Bruce Bochy and his Giants...even numbered year magic.
14. Captain Obvious, but without Todd Gurley Georgia will not beat Mizzou this weekend. If you haven't heard, Gurley was suspended indefinitely while an investigation takes place into whether Gurley signed autographs for cash. In games like this, you need players like Gurley and without him I don't see Georgia winning on the road. A Mizzou win may well lock up the SEC East although I guess Kentucky is still in the mix.
13. Speaking of Mizzou, I will also predict that with the Tigers, Royals and Cards playing back to back to back tomorrow, there will be some heated discussions in some bars in Columbia when the baseball teams are playing. Could we see an I-70 Series? As I said I'm picking the Royals and Giants (would be the second all-Wild Card World Series, the first also involved the Giants in 2002), but an I-70 rematch of 1985 is very possible.
12. Texas will play Oklahoma closer than the experts think. What is the spread, like 14.5 or something like that? Weird stuff happens in this emotional rivalry (see last year when Texas demolished an OU team that went on to beat Bama). I don't like either team but if I were going to Vegas, I'd pick Texas to cover that point spread. Wouldn't be surprised to see this be a swing point game for Charlie Strong even though they may not win.
11. Boomer Esiason was on Jim Rome a while ago talking about Andrew Luck...and said he'd be just fine even though the Colts got a scare at NRG last night. I predict Boom is right, and furthermore I predict that Andrew Luck will win multiple Super Bowls before his career is over. The guy just has "it," whatever "it" is, and a knack for making big plays when needed. Very generous of him to let JJ Watt score last night, hehe.
10. Ole Miss will not beat Texas A&M this weekend. It's too tough a spot for the Rebels. I'm not sure Ole Miss got out of the clouds by Wednesday after beating Alabama (which I was happy to see, really can't stand Bama), and if they didn't there is no way they will go to Kyle Field and win.
9. Demornay Pierson-El will be playing wideout for Nebraska at some point this season, not sure when but I think he's got to. The guy is just too explosive, too electric to keep him out of being a wide receiver. Especially with Kenny Bell week to week on whether he's going to play or not, it makes sense to put DP-E in as an additional threat. Nebraska needs players who can stretch the field with Bell hobbled every other week.
8. Dallas will play Seattle close in Seattle. Yeah, you heard me right. I think Dallas plays them close because their offensive line is great. Not good, great. Been saying that all year. Seattle will win because they are just too tough at home, but Dallas will push them provided Romo has time to throw and time to hand it off to DeMarco Murray.
7. Arizona loses to USC this weekend. Another upset special from last weekend bites the dust. Much like Ole Miss I'm not sure Arizona got out of the clouds after last weekend. USC goes there and wins.
6. The Nebraska Overreactionists will be eating their words when the Huskers earn their rematch with Michigan State in December. And this is coming from a guy who has been more than critical of Pelini and some of his losses, but that loss was not a bad loss. Team showed character in coming back and nearly pulling out the win. I respect Jason Peter's credentials and the blood, sweat and tears he gave for that program (hell I grew up in that era), but his opinion from Big Red Wrapup earlier this week was completely misguided.
The good thing is, Nebraska can see them again, and in a rematch, on turf, in a domed stadium knowing that MSU has trouble defending the deep pass I'd like their chances...a lot. Nebraska fans who thought this team was a top four playoff team just aren't living on Planet Earth. The goal is the Big 10 Championship and getting rid of that damned conference title drought...always has been.
5. NY Giants over Philly on the road on Sunday night. Philly really hasn't beat anyone aside from Indy and they needed a meltdown by the Colts to win that one.
4. LSU looks terrible right now but it's the middle of the season. Ask me about them at the end of the year. I predict they'll get better and Brandon Harris will get better as he gets more snaps. I wouldn't be surprised to see them only lose to Alabama the rest of the way with Texas A&M being 50/50 as well.
3. If Auburn gets out of Starkville with a W this weekend they will go undefeated. South Carolina is terrible and has to go to Auburn, Bo Wallace at Ole Miss is too inconsistent for me to pick them to beat Auburn, Texas A&M goes to Auburn, Georgia may still be without Gurley when Auburn comes to town which leaves the Iron Bowl...and I've long said that Auburn will win that one because Saban hates playing their offense. And if they get to Atlanta they'll hammer the winner of the East which would put them in the playoffs undefeated. That leaves this Saturday as the biggest game of the season for #2 Auburn.
2. Even if Baylor survives this weekend they will not go undefeated. Playing at Oklahoma, on grass, in November in a game that may well decide the Big 12 title...not a good recipe for the Bears. They're a turf team, and more specifically a Waco team, get them out of that environs and they won't survive. Not to mention they still have to play K-State as well....
1. O'Brien will lace into the Texans after that horrendous start last night, and I'm sure he and the team will be working overtime to get ready for Pittsburgh. Down 24-0 and the boo-birds were out. I'm not even sure it will matter that they almost came back and won, you can't start a football game like that and expect to win at that level. I'm no Fitzpatrick fan, but the team got gashed at the start of the game and didn't come prepared.
So there it is, 15 predictions for you to note....
Until next time....
Monday, September 29, 2014
20 Football Thoughts - Sept. 29
Just like last week, here are 20 football impressions from this weekend and going forward:
20. As proven by the Bills benching EJ Manuel and going and getting Kyle Orton, Manuel is not the answer to Buffalo's problems...and by the way, Kyle Orton is not the answer either. Orton is a journeyman throughout his career and always will be.
Oh and Texans fans, don't be fooled by that win Sunday, Fitzpatrick still sucks. If he's the answer at QB then I don't want to know what the question is.
19. Good Lord the Raiders are bad. The Dolphins aren't all that good and the Raiders still blew them out. Do the Raiders even pretend to try anymore?
18. Steve Smith Sr. torches the Panthers after they cut him and the Ravens send the Panthers limping back home. You know what they say about revenge...a dish best served cold.
17. Bridgewater played a good game on Sunday and Minnesota beat Atlanta, but let's see how he does when he plays a few games and teams get film on him.
16. Speaking of Atlanta...and New Orleans...can EITHER of these teams win outside their domed stadiums? Sure doesn't seem like it.
15. People mouthing off about Aaron Rodgers not having it anymore and the Packers maybe not being the same team that they have been...what does 38-17 over Cutler and a trendy Bears team tell you?
14. Nebraska readers, please cut the crap about how the four letter network hates Nebraska just because they aren't going to MSU for GameDay (they are going to Bama/Ole Miss even though I might have picked LSU/Auburn for the GD spot also). That's a load of bollocks. I like Mike Welch and was listening to Drop the Mike on 93.7 The Ticket out of Lincoln this afternoon...enough with the BS about how ESPN hates Nebraska, Mike. What exactly has Nebraska proven over the first five games to say they are worthy of a GameDay spot?
I will never understand the dislike Nebraska fans have for Herbstreit either. That's still alive and well Sure, he miffed Nebraska fans during that best team ever show years ago to get a reaction. So what? It's been seven years, get over it already. It's not like Nebraska has given him anything positive to talk about.
13. That said, Ed Cunningham is one of the worst football analysts on television. Straight up. This guy said that Minnesota is a favorite to win the Big 10 West on Saturday. That makes me heartily chuckle.
12. Michigan's firing of Brady Hoke I am sure cannot come soon enough for most Michigan fans. I know a couple of Detroit connections and Michigan fans have about had it with him. He gets Michigan better than Rich Rod did, but that said he isn't doing anything with his recruits even though he gets them to Ann Arbor.
11. Pittsburgh is the most schizo team in the National Football League. Beat Cleveland, play terrible against Baltimore. Beat Carolina, then somehow lose to Tampa Bay with Mike Glennon at the controls.
10. A big surprise for the Huskers to me has been the re-emergence of an offensive line that is actually blocking for our running game. Ameer is putting up the huge numbers, but his o-line is doing a lot of the work. They will, however, face a much stiffer test against the Spartans on Saturday. Chances are if Nebraska is even or better in turnover margin they have a good chance to win...only lost three times in the Pelini era in that scenario (Texas 2009 CCG, Northwestern 2011, UCLA 2013).
9. I think for the first time possibly ever, Father Time might be catching up on Brees. That's a team he normally owns, the Cowboys, but he did absolutely nothing except for a five minute stretch in the early part of the fourth quarter.
8. San Francisco 26, Philadelphia 21, but Philly really got dominated for much of that game. They didn't even score an offensive touchdown, gave up 407 total yards and didn't have a single play in the Niners end of the field for much of that game. The Niners began to maybe show flashes of the team they still could be.
7. FSU beat NC State coming from behind, but I'm not all that impressed with them quite yet. This does not look like the same Florida State team as last season. They can be had by somebody before the season ends (Notre Dame possibly in a couple weeks).
6. Arkansas should never have lost that game against A&M. Somehow, Arkansas secondary lets not one but TWO huge plays in the fourth quarter get behind them. That should be the first rule defensively in playing with a lead...NO big plays over the top.
This begins a brutal stretch for A&M...that game begins a stretch of four straight games vs SEC West opponents (at Mississippi State this week, Ole Miss at home the week after and then at Bama).
5. Ole Miss is by far the most overrated team in the top 10...in the top 20 for that matter. A prime example of why polls until the middle of October are beyond stupid. They only were ahead of Memphis 7-3 entering the fourth quarter and 10-3 with 9:34 left. For that matter, they only pulled away from BSU late and BSU isn't very good either. I'm not completely sold on Nebraska's team quite yet, but I know this; I'd take us to beat Ole Miss.
4. Texas beat an awful Kansas team 23-0, has Baylor this week and suddenly John Harris of UT has the nerve to pop off about Baylor who has beat them three of the last four years. Check out this quote, "I mean, they're still Baylor." He then went on to say, we are who we are, we're still Texas, yada yada yada.
Normally I let Longhorn attitude and arrogance roll off my back and it's not even newsworthy to me simply because that's who they are, and they'll never ever change but this makes me laugh. Sure, John...you're still Texas, they're still Baylor, and you've lost three of the last four years to Baylor. In my world, you win on the field before you run your mouth. Considering that Charlie Strong enforces discipline whenever someone doesn't play by his rules, I'm sure he is not amused.
3. Speaking of Kansas, Charlie Weis gets canned. Talk about a revolving door. Turner Gill lasted just two years there (absolute disaster), and now Weis doesn't even make it through season three (disaster #2).
2. Last week, I sort of laughed at how Jerry Jones was popping off about the Cowboys good start. This is no laughing matter now because they absolutely mugged the Saints from the word go last night. I think for those who watched that game last night, what they found is what I've said last week, Dallas has its best offensive line in years. That's what happens when you have three offensive linemen starting who were drafted in the first round.
Now what happens is that Tony Romo has much less of a chance of getting creamed on every play, DeMarco Murray has much less of a chance of getting hurt either and their offense is rolling. Are they really a Super Bowl contender...probably not, but they are definitely overachieving.
1. Logic would say Brady wins tonight, but going back to that whole offensive line thing, his offensive line is terrible. That's not a good recipe in such a hostile environs like Arrowhead, you have to be a cohesive offensive line to be able to function in that building where you can't hear anything. In addition, the Chiefs have Tamba Hali and Dontari Poe who can relentlessly pressure Brady and force him into mistakes. The Chiefs also get a boost tonight because Jamaal Charles is apparently probable. I say Kansas City wins tonight.
Until next time....
20. As proven by the Bills benching EJ Manuel and going and getting Kyle Orton, Manuel is not the answer to Buffalo's problems...and by the way, Kyle Orton is not the answer either. Orton is a journeyman throughout his career and always will be.
Oh and Texans fans, don't be fooled by that win Sunday, Fitzpatrick still sucks. If he's the answer at QB then I don't want to know what the question is.
19. Good Lord the Raiders are bad. The Dolphins aren't all that good and the Raiders still blew them out. Do the Raiders even pretend to try anymore?
18. Steve Smith Sr. torches the Panthers after they cut him and the Ravens send the Panthers limping back home. You know what they say about revenge...a dish best served cold.
17. Bridgewater played a good game on Sunday and Minnesota beat Atlanta, but let's see how he does when he plays a few games and teams get film on him.
16. Speaking of Atlanta...and New Orleans...can EITHER of these teams win outside their domed stadiums? Sure doesn't seem like it.
15. People mouthing off about Aaron Rodgers not having it anymore and the Packers maybe not being the same team that they have been...what does 38-17 over Cutler and a trendy Bears team tell you?
14. Nebraska readers, please cut the crap about how the four letter network hates Nebraska just because they aren't going to MSU for GameDay (they are going to Bama/Ole Miss even though I might have picked LSU/Auburn for the GD spot also). That's a load of bollocks. I like Mike Welch and was listening to Drop the Mike on 93.7 The Ticket out of Lincoln this afternoon...enough with the BS about how ESPN hates Nebraska, Mike. What exactly has Nebraska proven over the first five games to say they are worthy of a GameDay spot?
I will never understand the dislike Nebraska fans have for Herbstreit either. That's still alive and well Sure, he miffed Nebraska fans during that best team ever show years ago to get a reaction. So what? It's been seven years, get over it already. It's not like Nebraska has given him anything positive to talk about.
13. That said, Ed Cunningham is one of the worst football analysts on television. Straight up. This guy said that Minnesota is a favorite to win the Big 10 West on Saturday. That makes me heartily chuckle.
12. Michigan's firing of Brady Hoke I am sure cannot come soon enough for most Michigan fans. I know a couple of Detroit connections and Michigan fans have about had it with him. He gets Michigan better than Rich Rod did, but that said he isn't doing anything with his recruits even though he gets them to Ann Arbor.
11. Pittsburgh is the most schizo team in the National Football League. Beat Cleveland, play terrible against Baltimore. Beat Carolina, then somehow lose to Tampa Bay with Mike Glennon at the controls.
10. A big surprise for the Huskers to me has been the re-emergence of an offensive line that is actually blocking for our running game. Ameer is putting up the huge numbers, but his o-line is doing a lot of the work. They will, however, face a much stiffer test against the Spartans on Saturday. Chances are if Nebraska is even or better in turnover margin they have a good chance to win...only lost three times in the Pelini era in that scenario (Texas 2009 CCG, Northwestern 2011, UCLA 2013).
9. I think for the first time possibly ever, Father Time might be catching up on Brees. That's a team he normally owns, the Cowboys, but he did absolutely nothing except for a five minute stretch in the early part of the fourth quarter.
8. San Francisco 26, Philadelphia 21, but Philly really got dominated for much of that game. They didn't even score an offensive touchdown, gave up 407 total yards and didn't have a single play in the Niners end of the field for much of that game. The Niners began to maybe show flashes of the team they still could be.
7. FSU beat NC State coming from behind, but I'm not all that impressed with them quite yet. This does not look like the same Florida State team as last season. They can be had by somebody before the season ends (Notre Dame possibly in a couple weeks).
6. Arkansas should never have lost that game against A&M. Somehow, Arkansas secondary lets not one but TWO huge plays in the fourth quarter get behind them. That should be the first rule defensively in playing with a lead...NO big plays over the top.
This begins a brutal stretch for A&M...that game begins a stretch of four straight games vs SEC West opponents (at Mississippi State this week, Ole Miss at home the week after and then at Bama).
5. Ole Miss is by far the most overrated team in the top 10...in the top 20 for that matter. A prime example of why polls until the middle of October are beyond stupid. They only were ahead of Memphis 7-3 entering the fourth quarter and 10-3 with 9:34 left. For that matter, they only pulled away from BSU late and BSU isn't very good either. I'm not completely sold on Nebraska's team quite yet, but I know this; I'd take us to beat Ole Miss.
4. Texas beat an awful Kansas team 23-0, has Baylor this week and suddenly John Harris of UT has the nerve to pop off about Baylor who has beat them three of the last four years. Check out this quote, "I mean, they're still Baylor." He then went on to say, we are who we are, we're still Texas, yada yada yada.
Normally I let Longhorn attitude and arrogance roll off my back and it's not even newsworthy to me simply because that's who they are, and they'll never ever change but this makes me laugh. Sure, John...you're still Texas, they're still Baylor, and you've lost three of the last four years to Baylor. In my world, you win on the field before you run your mouth. Considering that Charlie Strong enforces discipline whenever someone doesn't play by his rules, I'm sure he is not amused.
3. Speaking of Kansas, Charlie Weis gets canned. Talk about a revolving door. Turner Gill lasted just two years there (absolute disaster), and now Weis doesn't even make it through season three (disaster #2).
2. Last week, I sort of laughed at how Jerry Jones was popping off about the Cowboys good start. This is no laughing matter now because they absolutely mugged the Saints from the word go last night. I think for those who watched that game last night, what they found is what I've said last week, Dallas has its best offensive line in years. That's what happens when you have three offensive linemen starting who were drafted in the first round.
Now what happens is that Tony Romo has much less of a chance of getting creamed on every play, DeMarco Murray has much less of a chance of getting hurt either and their offense is rolling. Are they really a Super Bowl contender...probably not, but they are definitely overachieving.
1. Logic would say Brady wins tonight, but going back to that whole offensive line thing, his offensive line is terrible. That's not a good recipe in such a hostile environs like Arrowhead, you have to be a cohesive offensive line to be able to function in that building where you can't hear anything. In addition, the Chiefs have Tamba Hali and Dontari Poe who can relentlessly pressure Brady and force him into mistakes. The Chiefs also get a boost tonight because Jamaal Charles is apparently probable. I say Kansas City wins tonight.
Until next time....
Friday, September 26, 2014
10 Things I Want to See This Weekend in Sports
With the weekend ahead of us, good time for me to list 10 things I want to see this weekend with the Ryder Cup in full swing, baseball races going right down to the end and football heating up.
10. More of Jordan Spieth at the Ryder Cup, please, Tom Watson. This kid is a stud already at his young age and while I am not the biggest golf expert, to me it was a mistake by U.S. Captain Watson to sit him out in the afternoon session...predictably the red white and blue only got half a point in the afternoon session.
Oh and even worse was having Phil and Keegan out there and Spieth sitting out...and while I respect what Phil has done, he and Keegan got smacked by Dubuisson and Graeme. We're going to need all the help we can to beat the Europeans so the guys who give us the best chance to win need to play.
9. Texas Tech football to stop committing silly penalties. What did they have, like five million penalties in that game last night? I'm a huge fan of Kliff, but they showed why they lead the Big 12 in penalties.
8. The Astros to win at least two more games at Citi Field this weekend. They've already avoided 100 losses, but I'd like to see them finish strong with two wins against the Mets.
7. For Seattle to grab the last AL Wild Card spot and the A's to miss entirely. Simply because the A's eschewed their moneyball strategy and tried to be something they are not to go after a championship. You can't be something you're not.
6. For Drew Brees to shut Jerry Jones' obnoxious mouth. The Cowboys are 2-1 and he is already popping off two days before New Orleans comes to town. Want proof? I've got your proof right here: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/jerry-jones-on-dallas-cowboys--2-1-start--don-t-discount-us-200525418.html
Hey Jerry, you may not be so cocky after Brees goes for 500 and the Saints win. Then again, as long as the Cowboys get headlines and we're all talking about you, I guess you still win so congrats on that.
5. For Nebraska's defense to have a solid game in their final test before going to Michigan State next weekend. I'd like to see some more turnovers forced, some pressures on the quarterback and if possible hold Illinois to less than 20.
4. For the real San Francisco 49ers to please stand up and decide whether you're still a contender or not. They are 1-2 but have talent out the wazoo...and they better start playing like it because Chip Kelly and the boys are going in there feeling real good about themselves. The Niners do not want to start 1-3. Might as well say the same thing about Green Bay. Big games for both teams.
3. The Arkansas/Texas A&M football game. Like I said earlier this week, I'm intrigued by who controls the tempo in this game...the Hogs ground attack or the Aggies run and gun, NASCAR paced offense. And can anyone keep the other guy under 30 points in this game by chance?
2. For Jameis Winston to take Ameer Abdullah's advice. If you haven't seen it, read this: http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/11570167/ameer-abdullah-nebraska-cornhuskers-says-jameis-winston-florida-state-seminoles-grow-up
I agree with every word said and the best part about it is that Ameer didn't pop off. It seemed like friend to friend advice as Ameer and Jameis both know each other from their Birmingham days. Right now, it seems to me that Jameis is a young man that feels he can get away with everything, so I can only hope as a fan of the sport that he takes Ameer's advice.
1. For the Kansas City Royals to end 29 years of playoff-less frustration. If you're an Astros fan, or any other fan, reading this you are probably asking yourself why am I putting this at #1 instead of football? And why no mention of Jeter?
First of all, Jeter had a great moment. Walking off in your final game with a base hit is an amazing way to go out. But the Kansas City Royals chasing a playoff spot deserves, in my view, just as much respect. And I love football, but this could be history in the making.
Try and walk a day in a Kansas City fan's shoes. Think about an entire region that once saw good baseball (yes, it is hard to imagine but the Kansas City Royals have had championship caliber teams. Many reading this are probably too young to have seen them at their peak but they did have good teams) that is starved for anything to cheer about. And this is a region that has seen some horrendous baseball over this current drought.
This is a franchise that, for now, currently holds the longest playoff-less drought of anyone in the four major North American sports and it isn't even close. The next closest team is the Toronto Blue Jays who haven't been to the playoffs in 20 years (also the last time they won a World Series).
It's a franchise whose fans saw the team trade Carlos Beltran, Jermaine Dye and Johnny Damon (two of which won World Series later). It's a team that, in the 2000s, had four 100 loss seasons in five years. It's a team that lost 19 games in a row one season. They've even had a guy drop a pop fly to lose a game during one of those seasons.
Even during these good times, they have Ned Yost running the show. A guy who got fired during the Brewers pennant race in 2008....also, a guy who doesn't use his pitching staff that well and a guy who could quite frankly manage the Royals out of a critical win down the road.
Yet, the impossible dream may come true tonight. With a win over the White Sox at any time this weekend, Kansas City will see at least one game of playoff baseball next week, against either the A's or Seattle with a chance to go to Anaheim for the divisional round. That is something I would definitely like to see.
Until next time....
10. More of Jordan Spieth at the Ryder Cup, please, Tom Watson. This kid is a stud already at his young age and while I am not the biggest golf expert, to me it was a mistake by U.S. Captain Watson to sit him out in the afternoon session...predictably the red white and blue only got half a point in the afternoon session.
Oh and even worse was having Phil and Keegan out there and Spieth sitting out...and while I respect what Phil has done, he and Keegan got smacked by Dubuisson and Graeme. We're going to need all the help we can to beat the Europeans so the guys who give us the best chance to win need to play.
9. Texas Tech football to stop committing silly penalties. What did they have, like five million penalties in that game last night? I'm a huge fan of Kliff, but they showed why they lead the Big 12 in penalties.
8. The Astros to win at least two more games at Citi Field this weekend. They've already avoided 100 losses, but I'd like to see them finish strong with two wins against the Mets.
7. For Seattle to grab the last AL Wild Card spot and the A's to miss entirely. Simply because the A's eschewed their moneyball strategy and tried to be something they are not to go after a championship. You can't be something you're not.
6. For Drew Brees to shut Jerry Jones' obnoxious mouth. The Cowboys are 2-1 and he is already popping off two days before New Orleans comes to town. Want proof? I've got your proof right here: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/jerry-jones-on-dallas-cowboys--2-1-start--don-t-discount-us-200525418.html
Hey Jerry, you may not be so cocky after Brees goes for 500 and the Saints win. Then again, as long as the Cowboys get headlines and we're all talking about you, I guess you still win so congrats on that.
5. For Nebraska's defense to have a solid game in their final test before going to Michigan State next weekend. I'd like to see some more turnovers forced, some pressures on the quarterback and if possible hold Illinois to less than 20.
4. For the real San Francisco 49ers to please stand up and decide whether you're still a contender or not. They are 1-2 but have talent out the wazoo...and they better start playing like it because Chip Kelly and the boys are going in there feeling real good about themselves. The Niners do not want to start 1-3. Might as well say the same thing about Green Bay. Big games for both teams.
3. The Arkansas/Texas A&M football game. Like I said earlier this week, I'm intrigued by who controls the tempo in this game...the Hogs ground attack or the Aggies run and gun, NASCAR paced offense. And can anyone keep the other guy under 30 points in this game by chance?
2. For Jameis Winston to take Ameer Abdullah's advice. If you haven't seen it, read this: http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/11570167/ameer-abdullah-nebraska-cornhuskers-says-jameis-winston-florida-state-seminoles-grow-up
I agree with every word said and the best part about it is that Ameer didn't pop off. It seemed like friend to friend advice as Ameer and Jameis both know each other from their Birmingham days. Right now, it seems to me that Jameis is a young man that feels he can get away with everything, so I can only hope as a fan of the sport that he takes Ameer's advice.
1. For the Kansas City Royals to end 29 years of playoff-less frustration. If you're an Astros fan, or any other fan, reading this you are probably asking yourself why am I putting this at #1 instead of football? And why no mention of Jeter?
First of all, Jeter had a great moment. Walking off in your final game with a base hit is an amazing way to go out. But the Kansas City Royals chasing a playoff spot deserves, in my view, just as much respect. And I love football, but this could be history in the making.
Try and walk a day in a Kansas City fan's shoes. Think about an entire region that once saw good baseball (yes, it is hard to imagine but the Kansas City Royals have had championship caliber teams. Many reading this are probably too young to have seen them at their peak but they did have good teams) that is starved for anything to cheer about. And this is a region that has seen some horrendous baseball over this current drought.
This is a franchise that, for now, currently holds the longest playoff-less drought of anyone in the four major North American sports and it isn't even close. The next closest team is the Toronto Blue Jays who haven't been to the playoffs in 20 years (also the last time they won a World Series).
It's a franchise whose fans saw the team trade Carlos Beltran, Jermaine Dye and Johnny Damon (two of which won World Series later). It's a team that, in the 2000s, had four 100 loss seasons in five years. It's a team that lost 19 games in a row one season. They've even had a guy drop a pop fly to lose a game during one of those seasons.
Even during these good times, they have Ned Yost running the show. A guy who got fired during the Brewers pennant race in 2008....also, a guy who doesn't use his pitching staff that well and a guy who could quite frankly manage the Royals out of a critical win down the road.
Yet, the impossible dream may come true tonight. With a win over the White Sox at any time this weekend, Kansas City will see at least one game of playoff baseball next week, against either the A's or Seattle with a chance to go to Anaheim for the divisional round. That is something I would definitely like to see.
Until next time....
Monday, September 22, 2014
Four Weeks of Football: Where We're At
Man, it's been some time since I updated this bad boy. But we are now in football season, four weeks in as a matter of fact, so I think it's a good time to reset what's been going on. 20 points for all you football fans to ponder on after four weeks...and keep in mind I'm going to stick mainly to what's going on on the field.
The one thing I will say about the off-field stuff is that the NFL and college football for the most part are fortunate that the leagues and the games sell themselves otherwise there would be an even bigger problem. That said...away we go.
20. Never count out a Steeler football team, ever. People left them for dead after that awful performance against Baltimore but Steeler pride more often than not shines through. They proved that on Sunday night by demolishing a pretty solid Carolina Panther football team.
19. Saints got their first win of the year against a hapless Minnesota squad without Peterson. If there is ever a team that could come from 0-2 to make the playoffs, it's a team led by Drew Brees. Watch for more huge numbers for Drew against Dallas, which he does routinely.
18. The Redskins offense is a different offense when Kirk Cousins is in the game. It's too bad because I really liked RGIII coming out of college, but it's obvious Wash is a better football team with Cousins manning the snaps. They're not great still, but better with Cousins behind center.
17. The Cowboys offensive line is the best offensive line they've had in quite some time. On my way to doing something on Friday morning, I was listening to Mike and Mike and I think they said the Cowboys had three first round offensive line picks in their rotation. That is helping their offense be what it is right now. They can't stop anyone but they can score a lot of points.
16. Buffalo comes back to Earth. Unlike Chicago (sorry, they have Cutler and he'll never sniff that trophy) and Miami, San Diego is a legitimate Super Bowl contender and they smacked around Buffalo pretty good.
15. The Patriots are 2-1 but it's obvious Brady isn't what he used to be. They just barely scratched by Oakland and now they have to go to Kansas City on a Monday night, then play a really good Cincinnati squad six days later. Tough stretch.
14. Speaking of Kansas City, big win at Miami (where they rarely win in the first place) to keep them from 0-3. They play New England at home next Monday, then go to the Niners and San Diego. If they can somehow get to 3-3 after those first six, they have some winnable games after that.
13. Hoke has got to go at Michigan. Did anyone see how empty that stadium was in the fourth quarter with Michigan down 26-10?
12. Auburn beat K-State by six, but barely squeezed by. A win is a win, but K-State is going to be kicking themselves for the rest of the season after losing that one the way they did. Oh and as someone from a Nebraska family I don't want to hear that the flyover states can't compete with the great and mighty SEC. That is complete bollocks.
In the last year, Missouri won the SEC East (yes you read that right), Oklahoma beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and Tennessee about a week ago, Nebraska beat Georgia in its bowl game and K-State took Auburn (for the record, my national title pick) to the wire.
11. Alabama gets 645 yards on Florida. Yaaaaaaaay. Florida is a lame squad this year and Muschamp will likely be gone following the season so excuse me if I'm not impressed yet...Bama hasn't even played a ranked team yet. A&M, Mississippi State, LSU, Auburn have all beat at least one ranked team and three of those four teams won true road games. The best team Bama played was West Virginia who isn't ranked and only lost to them by 10...and Oklahoma by the way scored more points against WVU (on the road too) than Bama did.
10. Ryan Fitzpatrick is still not a very good NFL quarterback and for those Texans fans who say that he's anything more than decent...well, you can have your opinion and I'll disagree with it. They're going to be better than they look this year, but no playoffs.
9. If anyone has a panic button in San Francisco, now might be a really good time to hit it. That Ferrari they are running around with is 1-2 and got lapped in the second half each of the last two weeks. By the way, the Niners are getting outscored by a cumulative 52-3 in the second half of their games this year. Oh, and Arizona's for real. That's a physical, nasty, vicious football team.
8. I guess you can try and clean up a program as much as you can, but you can never really take the chippiness out of the Miami Hurricanes. Nice win for the Huskers, game that looked a little bit like old-school power football. Oh and that roughing the passer call on Nebraska was horrendous in that game. I know about the new roughing the passer rules in college, but if you watched the play the Miami player blocked our guy into the quarterback and the hit wasn't even below the knees.
7. Cal was up 31-13 at Arizona starting the fourth quarter but somehow manages to lose 49-45 on the last play of the game on a Hail Mary. How in the world does that happen?
6. Ravens kicked a game winning field goal to squeak by the Browns, but I like where the Browns are headed. They beat a New Orleans team that's pretty good and have been competitive in all of their first three games.
5. Sad weekend for LSU fans as they got upset by Mississippi State; first win in Baton Rouge for State since 1991. LSU's offense without Mettenberger is in a bad way this year.
4. Arkansas vs A&M is this week's most intriguing matchup. A&M started out as a double digit favorite but that line is now 8.5 points from what I see. Who's going to control the tempo...A&M's high powered, turbo charged attack or the Hogs rushing attack which ground Tech into the dust?
3. Very quickly regarding Winston...I find it as sort of weird that he got suspended, yet he was still on the sidelines. I'm not going to read anything into it more than that, I'm just saying, like Kirk Herbstreit mentioned on twitter, that it's just bizarre.
2. On another note, I think that game Saturday was FSU's best chance to lose. Now that they survived that game without Jameis, they should run the table easily to the four team playoff.
1. Denver may have lost to Seattle, but I think they showed well and it seems to me they are more equipped to beat the Seahawks than they were back in January. I remember saying right here back in January that Seattle was better because they could run the ball and they could play defense much better than Denver could. There is no longer a significant gap in those two areas. Seattle isn't going to be able to push Denver around anymore and I think when the playoffs start this year, Denver will be in much better position to win a title than they were last season. Remember, they're playing all the NFC West this year, so when the playoffs start, they will be mentally tougher than a year ago.
Bonus thoughts: The Kansas City Royals might make the MLB playoffs for the first time in 29 years, but it will be in spite of Ned Yost not because of him. There's a reason Milwaukee fired him in the middle of a pennant race when he was there...I'm looking forward to the Ryder Cup this weekend, but we are probably going to get hammered...Regardless of what happens with the Astros in the last week of the season, this season is significant progress...69 wins with still the possibility of avoiding 90 losses....The Rockets should have fired McHale after they lost to Portland in the playoffs. Keeping him will be a big mistake...And as far as a World Series prediction, Dodgers over Halos in 5.
Until next time...
The one thing I will say about the off-field stuff is that the NFL and college football for the most part are fortunate that the leagues and the games sell themselves otherwise there would be an even bigger problem. That said...away we go.
20. Never count out a Steeler football team, ever. People left them for dead after that awful performance against Baltimore but Steeler pride more often than not shines through. They proved that on Sunday night by demolishing a pretty solid Carolina Panther football team.
19. Saints got their first win of the year against a hapless Minnesota squad without Peterson. If there is ever a team that could come from 0-2 to make the playoffs, it's a team led by Drew Brees. Watch for more huge numbers for Drew against Dallas, which he does routinely.
18. The Redskins offense is a different offense when Kirk Cousins is in the game. It's too bad because I really liked RGIII coming out of college, but it's obvious Wash is a better football team with Cousins manning the snaps. They're not great still, but better with Cousins behind center.
17. The Cowboys offensive line is the best offensive line they've had in quite some time. On my way to doing something on Friday morning, I was listening to Mike and Mike and I think they said the Cowboys had three first round offensive line picks in their rotation. That is helping their offense be what it is right now. They can't stop anyone but they can score a lot of points.
16. Buffalo comes back to Earth. Unlike Chicago (sorry, they have Cutler and he'll never sniff that trophy) and Miami, San Diego is a legitimate Super Bowl contender and they smacked around Buffalo pretty good.
15. The Patriots are 2-1 but it's obvious Brady isn't what he used to be. They just barely scratched by Oakland and now they have to go to Kansas City on a Monday night, then play a really good Cincinnati squad six days later. Tough stretch.
14. Speaking of Kansas City, big win at Miami (where they rarely win in the first place) to keep them from 0-3. They play New England at home next Monday, then go to the Niners and San Diego. If they can somehow get to 3-3 after those first six, they have some winnable games after that.
13. Hoke has got to go at Michigan. Did anyone see how empty that stadium was in the fourth quarter with Michigan down 26-10?
12. Auburn beat K-State by six, but barely squeezed by. A win is a win, but K-State is going to be kicking themselves for the rest of the season after losing that one the way they did. Oh and as someone from a Nebraska family I don't want to hear that the flyover states can't compete with the great and mighty SEC. That is complete bollocks.
In the last year, Missouri won the SEC East (yes you read that right), Oklahoma beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and Tennessee about a week ago, Nebraska beat Georgia in its bowl game and K-State took Auburn (for the record, my national title pick) to the wire.
11. Alabama gets 645 yards on Florida. Yaaaaaaaay. Florida is a lame squad this year and Muschamp will likely be gone following the season so excuse me if I'm not impressed yet...Bama hasn't even played a ranked team yet. A&M, Mississippi State, LSU, Auburn have all beat at least one ranked team and three of those four teams won true road games. The best team Bama played was West Virginia who isn't ranked and only lost to them by 10...and Oklahoma by the way scored more points against WVU (on the road too) than Bama did.
10. Ryan Fitzpatrick is still not a very good NFL quarterback and for those Texans fans who say that he's anything more than decent...well, you can have your opinion and I'll disagree with it. They're going to be better than they look this year, but no playoffs.
9. If anyone has a panic button in San Francisco, now might be a really good time to hit it. That Ferrari they are running around with is 1-2 and got lapped in the second half each of the last two weeks. By the way, the Niners are getting outscored by a cumulative 52-3 in the second half of their games this year. Oh, and Arizona's for real. That's a physical, nasty, vicious football team.
8. I guess you can try and clean up a program as much as you can, but you can never really take the chippiness out of the Miami Hurricanes. Nice win for the Huskers, game that looked a little bit like old-school power football. Oh and that roughing the passer call on Nebraska was horrendous in that game. I know about the new roughing the passer rules in college, but if you watched the play the Miami player blocked our guy into the quarterback and the hit wasn't even below the knees.
7. Cal was up 31-13 at Arizona starting the fourth quarter but somehow manages to lose 49-45 on the last play of the game on a Hail Mary. How in the world does that happen?
6. Ravens kicked a game winning field goal to squeak by the Browns, but I like where the Browns are headed. They beat a New Orleans team that's pretty good and have been competitive in all of their first three games.
5. Sad weekend for LSU fans as they got upset by Mississippi State; first win in Baton Rouge for State since 1991. LSU's offense without Mettenberger is in a bad way this year.
4. Arkansas vs A&M is this week's most intriguing matchup. A&M started out as a double digit favorite but that line is now 8.5 points from what I see. Who's going to control the tempo...A&M's high powered, turbo charged attack or the Hogs rushing attack which ground Tech into the dust?
3. Very quickly regarding Winston...I find it as sort of weird that he got suspended, yet he was still on the sidelines. I'm not going to read anything into it more than that, I'm just saying, like Kirk Herbstreit mentioned on twitter, that it's just bizarre.
2. On another note, I think that game Saturday was FSU's best chance to lose. Now that they survived that game without Jameis, they should run the table easily to the four team playoff.
1. Denver may have lost to Seattle, but I think they showed well and it seems to me they are more equipped to beat the Seahawks than they were back in January. I remember saying right here back in January that Seattle was better because they could run the ball and they could play defense much better than Denver could. There is no longer a significant gap in those two areas. Seattle isn't going to be able to push Denver around anymore and I think when the playoffs start this year, Denver will be in much better position to win a title than they were last season. Remember, they're playing all the NFC West this year, so when the playoffs start, they will be mentally tougher than a year ago.
Bonus thoughts: The Kansas City Royals might make the MLB playoffs for the first time in 29 years, but it will be in spite of Ned Yost not because of him. There's a reason Milwaukee fired him in the middle of a pennant race when he was there...I'm looking forward to the Ryder Cup this weekend, but we are probably going to get hammered...Regardless of what happens with the Astros in the last week of the season, this season is significant progress...69 wins with still the possibility of avoiding 90 losses....The Rockets should have fired McHale after they lost to Portland in the playoffs. Keeping him will be a big mistake...And as far as a World Series prediction, Dodgers over Halos in 5.
Until next time...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)