Dolphins trade for Thigpen after placing Pennington on the IR...

A couple of days after Chad Pennington left the Dolphins game do to a shoulder injury it was announced he will be placed on the injured reserve list and will be done for the rest of the season. The shoulder injury is the third for Pennington since 2005 and at the age of 33 and another surgery on his throwing shoulder looming his career maybe in jeopardy.

The move to put Pennington on the IR was made so the Dolphins could trade for Tyler Thigpen from the Kansas City Chiefs. Thigpen last year went 1-10 as a starter but he put up impressive numbers throwing for 2,608 yards 18 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions in his first taste as starting quarterback. Thigpen is the only quarterback in Chiefs history to score a touchdown three ways: running, throwing, and catching. Thigpen became dispensable when the Chiefs hired a new head coach and they traded for Matt Cassel from the New England Patriots.

The Dolphins picked up a pretty good versatile quarterback that should be able to compliment Chad Henne who is now being thrust into the starting position for an 0-3 team. Thigpen was the best thing last year on a terrible team in K.C. and with him going to a talented team in Miami his potential is only going to sky rocket. Plus when Bill Parcells trades for you that means you are probably a pretty good player. The rumor is that with his size(225 pounds) and versatility they plan to use him as their wildcat quarterback but if Henne doesn't look good in the first few games Thigpen maybe called upon to save their season. Hopefully it won't be too late for the Dolphins with their ultra competitive division because he could provide a Pennington like spark for this team.

The NBA to use replacement referees...

Days after the NBA thought they had reached an agreement on a new contract with the National Basketball Referees Association they have announced that they will be going with replacement referees for the upcoming season after the NBRA turned down the offer.

I'm torn on this because it can go either way, the previous set of officials were substandard but at the same time don't you want the best product put on the floor every night? What makes the NBA think that the replacements can do a better job then the guys who have been officiating in NBA Finals and playoffs for the last five years? Where will the replacements come from, the college level? Those guys do just as bad of a job as the pros do and they are dealing with a different style of game. Are they going to bring in international refs but again you are dealing with a different style of basketball where the players are bigger, faster, stronger. So the big question is where are these guys going to come from.

On the other hand the replacement refs may have a fresh take on how the games should be called and maybe they will let the players play more then the league has allowed in the past. Maybe marquee players won't get their usual calls that they have in the past which would make for interesting basketball because it will change how players approach the game? The current refs won't have any bias towards certain players or teams so that's a good thing. Plus the NBA can start fresh with the refs and they will be able to build a new rep after the who cheating scandal involving Tim Donaghy.

I'm really on the fence with this because it's not like the new guys can do a worse job than their predecessors or maybe they will and the fouls will be called at an all time high and games will be long drawn out boring affairs. The one thing I do know is that in the short term the credibility of the NBA has been ruined but this could work out in the end, so I guess we will just have to wait and see.

NFL Power Rankings week 3...

1. Baltimore Ravens (3-0) (lw #1)- The offense is averaging 30 points a game which is unheard of in Baltimore, but they have faced the Browns and Chiefs
2. Indianapolis Colts (3-0) (lw #2)- Peyton once again proves it doesn't matter who is on the field the offense will score
3. New York Giants (3-0) (lw #3)- Dominating run game and a couple of easy games before a real test at New Orleans
4. New Orleans Saints (3-0) (lw #5)- The defense looks like they are the real deal but it's still early
5. Minnesota Vikings (3-0) (lw #6)- Favre showed he still has some gas left in the tank and the team is winning tough close games
6. Philadelphia Eagles (2-1) (lw #7)- Kolb has filled in nicely for McNabb but with the bye week Kolb will probably go back to the bench
7. New York Jets (3-0) (lw #11)- Sanchez and Ryan's defense keep finding ways to win which is the mark of a champion
8. Atlanta Falcons (2-1) (lw #4)- Tough road loss but the team held tough but they couldn't make enough plays to win
9. San Diego Chargers (2-1) (lw #8)- Rebounded from a tough loss with a big home win but they have a road game at Pittsburgh and then a huge divisional matchup with the Broncos
10. San Francisco 49ers (2-1) (lw #10)- Coach Singletary has a mediocre team ready to play every week and puts them in positions to win but they lost on last second play on the road
11. Denver Broncos (3-0) (lw #12)- Yes they are undefeated but they haven't played anyone yet
12. New England Patriots (2-1) (lw #13)- The offense is still off key but they are finding ways to win which is scary because once Brady finds his rhythm this team will be dangerous
13. Dallas Cowboys (2-1) (lw #15)- Finally got the elusive first win in the new stadium, we will see how good they are after a road game at Denver this weekend
14. Cincinnati Bengals (2-1) (lw #23)- The Bengals are one play away from a 3-0 start but they were manhandled by the Steelers until the fourth quarter
15. Green Bay Packers (2-1) (lw #17)- The offense has found it's stride but the defense needs to pick it up if they want to knock off the Minnesota Favres on MNF
16. Chicago Bears (2-1) (lw #18)- They picked up a big road win at Seattle and they go to Detroit for a big early season matchup
17. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-2) (lw #7)- 2 games losing streak and they had the lead in the fourth quarter of both games, they need to learn to close games out
18. Houston Texans (1-2) (lw #19)- Texans need to find consistency which has been the case every year in the league
19. Detroit Lions (1-2) (lw #29)- first win in 20 tries but they still have room to improve, if Stafford doesn't turn the ball over they will be in every game
20. Buffalo Bills (1-2) (lw #20)- When you can't get your best player the ball your offense has problems, Lynch returns from suspension but they can't expect him to solve their woes right away
21. Tennessee Titans (0-3) (lw # 21)- Yes they are 0-3 but they have been in every game they just can't seem to find a way to win
22. Arizona Cardinals (1-2) (lw #14)- Just when you think they have found how to win they lay a huge egg at home for the second time this year, they should use the bye week to figure their offense out
23. Seattle Seahawks (1-2) (lw #16)- Hasselbeck was out with broken ribs and coach Mora lost his cool during the post game press conference, unless Hasselbeck is healthy this team won't win
24. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2) (lw #26)- Finally found a win and the MJD showed up for the first time but it was probably an anomaly
25.Miami Dolphins (0-3) (lw #22)- Pennington is done for the year which does not bode well for them since he was the spark for their playoff run last year
26. Washington Redskins (1-2) (lw #24)- The offense is terrible and they gave the Lions their first win, Jim Zorn is on the hot seat
27. Carolina Panthers (0-3) (lw #25)- The offense is inconsistent and the defense is put in bad situations so they look bad as well, the bye week could not have come at a better time plus the Skins are on the horizon
28. Oakland Raiders (1-2) (lw #27)- Jamarcus Russell is terrible and they don't have anyone backing him up, hello long season for Oakland
29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-3) (lw #28)- Fired the OC before the season and now 3 games in they have made the switch at QB to go with a rookie not named Josh Freeman
30. Cleveland Browns (0-3) (lw #30)- Terrible offense and the defense can't stop anyone, before the end of the season they will compete for something: the #1 pick
31. Kansas City Chiefs (0-3) (lw #31)- Thinks haven't worked out yet in K.C. and it doesn't look like it will anytime soon
32. St. Louis Rams (0-3) (lw #32) - Marc Bulger is hurt and the team isn't getting much better

USC RB Johnson nearly crushes throat in weight lifting accident, Tebow released from hospital...

USC running back Stafon Johnson may be done for the season after a weight lifting accident injured his neck and larynx. Johnson was bench pressing on Monday when the bar slipped from his right hand and fell on his throat resulting in severe injuries to his neck and required surgery, he is in critical but stable condition. Johnson is USC's second leading rusher and he leads the touchdowns with 5.

Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow was released from the hospital yesterday after being treated for a concussion that he sustained in Saturday's win at Kentucky. Superman Tebow was injured on a sack by the Wildcat defense where he was rocked pretty hard but as he was going down his head also hit the leg of one of his lineman snapping his forward after it was just rocked backwards (I'm not sure how the Wildcats smuggled kryptonite into their home stadium but it looks like they need to tighten security there if they want to be taken seriously as a football school.) The Gators are idle this week but Tebow should be back for their biggest game of the year on October 10 at LSU.

Steelers blow another 4th quarter lead and lose to the Bengals 23-20....

So once again the Pittsburgh Steelers had the lead going into the fourth quarter and plenty of chances to put the game away but they let the Cincinnati Bengals back into it and they ended the Steelers dominance in the Queen City with a thrilling 23-20 victory.

The Steelers got things started right away shutting the Bengals down on offense and the Pittsburgh O took the ball down the field and came away with the first points of the game on a field goal by Jeff Reed. The Steelers got on the board again when Ben Roethlisberger connected with Willie Parker for a 27 yard scoring pass to put the Steelers up 10-0. Jeff Reed put Pittsburgh up 13-0 with 24 yard field goal in the second quarter.

The Bengals found a flow to their offense just before the half as they drove down the field to the Steelers 17 yard line. The Bengals had some confusion on a couple of plays and only came away with 3 to narrow the gap to 13-3 at halftime.

The second half started terrible for the Steelers when Ben connected with Santonio Holmes for a first down but the play was nullified by a penalty on Hines Ward, then on the very next play Ben and Holmes had some miscommunication and Jonathan Joseph intercepted the ball and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown making the score 13-9 Pittsburgh(Cincinnati botched the extra point). Then on the ensuing drive on third down Ben found Limas Sweed wide open in the end zone and Sweed made the catch but dropped the ball when he hit the ground. After the incomplete pass Jeff Reed missed a 52 yard field goal.

The Steelers eventually found the end zone for the last time as Roethlisberger kept the ball and snuck in from one yard out to put the Steelers up 20-9 heading into the fourth quarter. The Bengals would close the margin to 5 on a 23 yard Cedric Benson touchdown run. And with just over 5 minutes left the Bengals took the field and drove down the field to score the game winning touchdown. Carson Palmer found Andre Caldwell open in the end zone for a four yard scoring strike to put the Bengals up 21-20. They were successful on their two-point conversion and the Steelers tried a last second hail mary but came up short.

This was another game where the Steelers had an inferior opponent on the ropes on the road and they came away empty handed. As Coach Tomlin has put it this team is not winning situational football, they have in all their games given up scoring drives inside two minutes before halftime and at the end of the game and they cannot get off the field on third downs when they need to. I realize you can't win them all but when you miss opportunities to put teams away in the NFL you are going to lose. I also think the Steelers are missing Troy Polamalu more than they are letting on because in a lot of situations on the defensive side of the ball players have been out position and have been getting burnt in crucial situations. Limas Sweed is the biggest waste of roster space that I have ever seen, he has dropped 2 HUGE touchdowns in his short NFL career, the Steelers should have kept Nate Washington or they should put Mike Wallace as the third wide receiver permanently. It's no time to panic yet but it is getting close, the Steelers have home contests with the Chargers, Vikings, and Browns with a road trip to Detroit, who doesn't appear to be an easy win anymore, in between the San Diego and Minnesota games so they need to right the ship before their bye week.

GO STEELERS!

Week 3 Pick ems...

I did terrible last week going 7-9, I tried picking upsets but picked the wrong ones, oh well....


Cleveland Browns @ Baltimore Ravens
Washington Redskins @ Detroit Lions
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Houston Texans
Atlanta Falcons @ New England Patriots
Green Bay Packers @ St. Louis Rams
New York Giants @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans @ New York Jets
Kansas City Chiefs @ Philadelphia Eagles
San Francisco 49ers @ Minnesota Vikings
New Orleans Saints @ Buffalo Bills
Chicago Bears @ Seattle Seahawks
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cincinnati Bengals
Denver Broncos @ Oakland Raiders
Miami Dolphins @ San Diego Chargers
Indianapolis Colts @ Arizona Cardinals
Carolina Panthers @ Dallas Cowboys

Oregon coach reimburses fan for Boise State game...

Oregon Ducks head coach Chip Kelly received an email from an alumni who attended the season opening loss at Boise State asking for a refund for his expenses from the game. So what did Kelly do?... He reimbursed the guy the entire $439 dollars.

This is amazing that the head coach of a major D-1 college would have the integrity to actually do that, its freaking awesome. Most coaches would take it as a personal slight and they would probably rip the fan a new hole, but not Chip Kelly, he had the integrity to actually do the right thing. Well I don't know if it's the right thing for him to do but it shows how much he cares about how the University is represented and that he can listen to the fans, to an extent.

Was it a knee jerk reaction by the fan to send the email, sure but most fans were upset with how the running back from Oregon handled himself after the loss and it does start with the head coach, so he should take the blame. But to actually have the stones to email the coach and ask for your money back is pretty weird. I guess if you are an alumni you should be upset with how the university was represented on that night on national t.v. The fan was taken aback by the gesture of the coach so he mailed a thank you note with the check back to coach Kelly.

Hats off to the people of Oregon for displaying class and using their heads in this situation. They have earned points in my book and Chip Kelly has picked up another fan.

NFL Power rankings Week 2...

1. Baltimore Ravens (2-0) (lw #3)- Joe Flacco has the offense on par with the defense and they and he looks more confident in the pocket
2. Indianapolis Colts (2-0) (lw # 4)- They won by only running 34 total plays so that tells you how dangerous this team can be, the defense bent but did not break which is a good sign for Manning
3. New York Giants (2-0) (lw #8)- Won consecutive close games and they continue to find ways to win games and with their next 3 games against Tampa Bay, KC, and Oakland they could 5-0 before they get into the real meat of their schedule
4. Atlanta Falcons (2-0) (lw #9)- Ryan is avoiding a sophomore slump but their schedule is about to pick up with no "pancake" on their schedule until week 12
5. New Orleans Saints (2-0) (lw #11)- No one can stop the offense and if the defense can continue to make stops this may be the teams year
6. Minnesota Vikings (2-0) (lw #7)- An easy start to the season and have looked good but 6 of their next 7 games will test their true mettle
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) (lw #1)- Blew a road win and they have to travel to Cincinnati for an early divisional game, they cannot afford to beat themselves again
8. San Diego Chargers (1-1) (lw #6)- Lost a home contest that they could have won and found out that the rest of their schedule will not be as easy as when they play their division: up next is a home game against the Dolphins then they travel to Pittsburgh
9. Philadelphia Eagles (1-1) (lw #5)- The offense looked just as stellar without McNabb but the defense could not stop Brees, a home game against the Chiefs should help them this week plus Michael Vick is allowed to return to the field for the first time in 2 years
10. San Francisco 49ers (2-0) (lw #14)- They have taken on the personality of their coach and they are winning with a tough style of gritty football
11. New York Jets (2-0) (lw #19)- Have found ways to win and Rex Ryan looks like he has the defense prepared to stop any offense
12. Denver Broncos (2-0) (lw #17)- They are not pretty when they win but in the NFL its not about style points
13. New England Patriots (1-1) (lw #2)- Tom Brady is not back to what he once was and it looks like the defensive departures are hurting more than everyone thought
14. Arizona Cardinals (1-1) (lw # 18)- Kurt Warner and the offense appear to be on the same page again but a home contest with Colts could derail their momentum
15. Dallas Cowboys (1-1) (lw #13)- Once again the Cowboys lose a big game with Tony Romo as their quarterback
16. Seattle Seahawks (1-1) (lw #12)- Hasselbeck is out with some broken ribs which severely limits this teams potential
17. Green Bay Packers (1-1) (lw #10)- Blew what should have been a big win for them but they sould rebound this week since facing the Rams should be a cure all for any team
18. Chicago Bears (1-1) (lw #20)- The Bears were handed the game but a win is a win and Cutler has confidence again which is a bad sight for the NFC North
19. Houston Texans (1-1) (lw #26)- Rebounded from a bad home loss by winning a divisional road game and the offense found it's stride
20. Buffalo Bills (1-1) (lw # 24)- One play away from a 2-0 start, we'll see if the Bills are serious or not after a home game this week against the Saints
21. Tennessee Titans (0-2) (lw #15)- Being 0-2 for this team is very disappointing since they had serious Super Bowl aspirations
22. Miami Dolphins (0-2) (lw # 16)- 2 straight loses to playoff teams are tough to swallow for them but being in an 0-2 hole certainly hurts their chances of returning to the playoffs
23. Cincinnati Bengals (1-1) (lw #31)- They won on the road but the Packers lost it more than the Bengals won it
24. Washington Redskins (1-1) (lw #21)- Yes they won but it was against the Rams and they only scored 9 points
25. Carolina Panthers (0-2) (lw #23)- Looked better than in Week 1 but they still aren't up to snuff with the talent on this team
26. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2) (lw #22)- Lost at home, the offense couldn't score and the defense couldn't stop anyone
27. Oakland Raiders (1-1) (lw # 27)- Sure they won but when your "franchise" QB throws 7-24 for 104 yards and you rush for less than 70 yards, you're a bad team
28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-2) (lw # 25)- Were out manned by the Bills who were still without Marshawn Lynch
29. Detroit Lions (0-2) (lw # 28)- Had the lead at halftime and they contained AP most of the game but Stafford is still going through his learning pains
30. Cleveland Browns (0-2) (lw #29)- The offense is terrible and the defense found another way to lose the game in the fourth quarter
31. Kansas City Chiefs (0-2) (lw #30)- Had the lead at home and blew it against a bad Oakland team even though they dominated statistically
32. St. Louis Rams (0-2) (lw #32)- Put up a good fight but it still wasn't enough and the offense is offensive

Colts knock off the Dolphins 27-23 on MNF....

The Indianapolis Colts scored first in the exciting Monday Night Football and they scored last to pull out a victory over the Miami Dolphins 27-23 improving to 2-0 on the season.

Peyton Manning and the offense took little time to score as he found a wide open Dallas Clark on the first play from scrimmage and they connected on an 80 yard touchdown to give the Colts a 7-0 lead.

The Dolphins responded with an 9 play 75 yard drive that chewed up 6:06 off the clock and Ronnie Brown tied the game up taking a snap out the wildcat formation and running into the endzone from 14 yards out. The teams would exchange field goals 3 field goals apiece in the second quarter and neither team could find the endzone during the third quarter and were tied at 13.

In the fourth quarter Ronnie Brown broke the tie running the ball in from 3 yards out to put the Dolphins ahead 20-13. The Colts would answer that score with a 15 yard touchdown run by rookie Donald Brown to tie it up for the fourth time during the game. The Dolphins would once again take the lead but this time it was on field goal with less than 4 minutes left to go up 23-20.

You never leave Manning and the Colts with any time to tie or win the game because he will win it which was evident last night when he hooked up with Pierre Garcon for a 48 yard pitch and catch to give the Colts the lead for good at 27-23.

The Dolphins drove down the field and had a chance for the win when Chad Pennington threw a perfect pass to Tedd Ginn, Jr. in the back of the endzone but Ginn could not come down with it and Pennington then threw a pick to end the game.

The Colts only had the ball for 14:53 minutes during the entire game and they ran only 35 plays to Miami's 84. But Manning took advantage of every opportunity completing 14 of 23 passes for 303 yards and 3 touchdowns. Dallas Clark had 7 catches for 183 yards and the games first score.

The Dolphins ran the ball a whole heck of alot with Ronnie Brown finishing with 24 carries for 136 yards and 2 tds. Ricky Williams touted the ball 19 times for 69 yards. Ginn had a hell of a ball game catching 11 passes for 108 yards but he did drop the game winning touchdown.

Top-25 College Football Polls...

Look I think it's dumb that there is more than one poll to determine who is the top-25 of college football, coaches should not be allowed to vote because they spend so much time being focused on their teams that they don't get a chance to follow the rest of the college football world. You can't tell me that these coaches are able to watch all 119 college football teams to determine who is better than the rest.

The other thing that is really dumb is that the AP poll has to be the biggest joke in all of college football, right after the BCS National Championship game. Notre Dame finished last year 7-6 beating a 6-6 Hawaii team and they start out ranked in the top-25. Michigan finishes 3-9 and got destroyed in a lot of games last year and they start this year off beating a team that they should have beaten in Western Michigan and then they get lucky against an overrated ND team and all of a sudden they are in the top-25. And the biggest head scratcher of the early polling season is Washington, a team that lost 15 straight games including their home opener against LSU, beats Idaho(who, are they even a D-1 school?) and they get lucky against the #3 team in the nation USC and all of a sudden they are a top-25 team? Come on you have got to be kidding me, they look like a better then years past but come on USC loses on the road to unranked PAC-10 teams almost every year it doesn't mean anything other than on that day the Huskies were a better team then the Trojans, that's it, it doesn't mean that Washington could hang with Florida, Texas, or Alabama, heck I don't even think they can beat Notre Dame(we will find out in a couple of weeks).

The polls should not come out until after week 5 you can't really gauge how good a team is until at least after their third or fourth game because players and coaches are still getting used to each other during live situations and there are players who have yet to emerge or make a name for themselves. They should have a formula that goes into determining who the top teams are in the nation, my suggestion is that it should include strength of schedule, margin of victory over teams(but not teams that are favored to win by 20+ points), how many road games against home games, where you beat an opponent, and the eye test.* But college football will always continue with their hypocrisy of polling and handing out championships instead of letting the teams determine it out on the field.

The eye test is: sure a team won against someone but how did they look doing it, did they struggle and pull it out at the end or were they dominate in every game they played?

Steelers blow 4th quarter lead lose to Bears 17-14...

The Pittsburgh Steelers had two leads and opportunities to increase those leads but dropped passes, errant throws, penalties, and missed field goals caused the Steelers to blow a 7 point lead in the fourth quarter on the road and they lost to the Chicago Bears 17-14.

Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers got off to a fast start as he completed 10 straight passes en route to leading the offense to a score on their first drive of the game for a 7-0 lead. Then the wheels came off a bit and Big Ben missed on a throw to Mike Wallace that was intercepted and ending the drive. Dropped passes and bad throws resulted in Ben throwing 6 straight incompletions ruining any flow the offense might have had hampering their chances to increase the lead. Big Ben connected with tight end Matt Spaeth from one yard out on the Steelers first scoring drive and then Ben took ball in himself for a rushing touchdown in the third quarter to give Pittsburgh a 14-7 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The offensive line held up pretty well only giving up 2 sacks and they helped the rushing game opening up holes for the team to pick up their first 100 yard rushing game of the season on 22 carries.

Jay Cutler rebounded from his abysmal week 1 performance and took advantage of the Steelers misfortunes in guiding his Bears to their first victory of the season completing 27 of 38 passes for 236 yards and 2 touchdowns. Just before halftime the Bears got some help from the refs on a BS roughing the passer call on James Harrison on an incomplete pass on third down. With the penalty the Bears found new life and Cutler connected with Kellen Davis for the game tying touchdown just before the end of the half. Cutler found rookie Johnny Knox in the fourth quarter open in the endzone for the tying score for the Bears.

The Steelers drove twice into Chicago territory in the fourth quarter and came away empty handed with the usually reliable Jeff Reed missing two field goals(38,44). After the second missed field goal the Bears drove down the field and Robbie Gould kicked the game winning field goal 17-14.

It's not time to panic but the Steelers beat themselves in this game and it was a shame that they gave it away. Pittsburgh had multiple opportunities to take big leads, not just off of the missed field goals, but they dropped a lot of passes and the rain appeared to effect Big Ben when he would throw the ball in the second and third quarters. They need to rebound this week with a big divisional match-up on the road against the Bengals because they can not afford to go down 2 games in the division.

GO STEELERS!

Week 2 pick ems...

Last week I went 12-4 in my weekly NFL pick ems with the Panthers laying an enormous egg, the Bungals being the Bungals losing to a less talented team, the Texans forgot how to play football, and the 49ers continued their resurgence under Mike Singletary. So here are my picks for this week....


Carolina Panthers @ Atlanta Falcons
Minnesota Vikings @ Detroit Lions
St. Louis Rams @ Washington Redskins
Houston Texans @ Tennessee Titans
New Orleans Saints @ Philadelphia Eagles
New England Patriots @ New York Jets
Oakland Raiders @ Kansas City Chiefs
Arizona Cardinals @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Cincinnati Bengals @ Green Bay Packers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Buffalo Bills
Seattle Seahawks @ San Francisco 49ers
Baltimore Ravens @ San Diego Chargers
Cleveland Browns @ Denver Broncos
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Chicago Bears
New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys
Indianapolis Colts @ Miami Dolphins

Notre Dame finally beats the Michigan State Spartans 33-30...

Notre Dame could not afford to start the season 1-2 and they definitely could not afford to let Michigan State win a seventh straight game in South Bend. The Irish got all they could handle from the Spartans before Kyle McCarthy came away with the game sealing interception to preserve the victory 33-30 for their first victory at home over the Sparties since 1993. Michigan State had the ball at the ND 4 yard line with 57 seconds left and only needed a field goal to tie but the Irish defense applied pressure on quarterback Kirk Cousins forcing him to throw an errant pass which was intercepted allowing them to escape with a much needed victory.

Jimmy Clausen finished the game with his fourth straight 300 yard passing game going 22 of 31 for 300 yards and 2 touchdowns. Notre Dame's big play wide receiver Michael Floyd who caught a 22 yard touch down pass from Jimmy Clausen before injuring his shoulder, he is expected to be out indefinitely which is a huge blow to the Irish offense. Armando Allen picked up his third career 100 yard rushing game ending his day with 23 carries for 115 yards and a touchdown, he also threw a touchdown pass to Robbie Parris. Golden Tate stepped up big time in the absence of Floyd recording 7 receptions for 127 yards and he scored the go ahead touchdown with 5:18 remaining in the game.

College football wrap up...

#1 Florida shut up the Volunteers from Tennessee by knocking them off 23-13. Tim Tebow did not have a good game turning the ball over twice(one interception, one fumble) but he continually provided the leadership that only he could provide. Tebow ripped off plenty of big runs and he extended plays with legs and he rallied the players to another victory.

#2 Texas got revenge from last year's loss to the Texas Tech Red Raiders 34-24. Colt McCoy had a bad game(24/34 for 205 yards 1td 1 int) but the level of talent around him was able to overcome his shortcomings to remain undefeated.

#3 USC was upset once again by an unranked PAC-10 on the road and Washington was the culprit this time upending the Trojans on a last second field goal 16-13. Washington was 0-12 last year and hired their head coach was hired after being the Trojans offensive coordinator last year. Freshman Matt Barkley was not able to play and the offense suffered not finding any rhythm and unable to put points on the board.

#4 Alabama routed North Texas 53-7. #5 Penn State dominated in state rival Temple 31-6. #6 Ole Mississippi had no troubles destroying SE Louisiana 52-6.

#7 BYU was upset by Florida State ruining any chance that they had of getting a shot at the BCS National title game 54-28. What really hurts the Cougars is that the big loss was at home.

#8 California went on the road and gave the Minnesota Golden Gophers their first loss of the season 35-21. The win coupled with USC's loss makes Cal the favorite to win the PAC-10.

#9 LSU routed LA-Lafayette 31-3. #11 Ohio State shut out the Toledo Rockets 38-0 at Cleveland Browns Stadium. #12 Oklahoma wasted little energy in shutting down Tulsa 45-0.

#13 Virginia Tech needed a last minute touchdown to knock off #19 Nebraska 16-15. Tyrod Taylor shook off would be defenders extending the play with his legs and eventually found an open Hokie receiver in the back of the endzone for the game winning score.

#15 TCU easily handled Texas State 56-21. #16 Oklahoma State kept Rice defeated beating them 41-24.

#17 Cincinnati picked up a big road win by traveling to the state of Oregon to knock off the Beavers 28-18 to remain undefeated.

#18 Utah was upset on the road losing to the Oregon Ducks 31-24 ending the nations longest winning streak at 16 games.

#22 Kansas shook off Duke 44-16 at home. #23 Georgia got all they could handle from the Arkansas Razorbacks in a shootout but they came out on top 52-41. #24 North Carolina powered past East Carolina 31-17. And to round out the top-25 Michigan matched last years win total by eventually taking control of the Eastern Michigan Eagles 45-17 and setting themselves up to exceed the 3 wins from 2008 with another home game next week against Indiana.

No. 20 Miami knocks off No. 14 Georgia Tech 33-17...

The Miami Hurricanes continue their resurgence to a national powerhouse by knocking off their second straight top-25 opponent, the 14th ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 33-17. The win ended a four year losing streak for the Canes against the Jackets. Sophomore Jacory Harris lead the Canes by completing 20 of 25 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns and the defense shut down Tech's triple option holding them under one hundred yards rushing. The victory marked the first time Miami has knocked off back-to-back top-25 teams since the end of the 2003 season and they matched their best conference start since joining the ACC with a 2-0 record.

I find it pretty weird that Miami opened up with two straight conference opponents to begin the season but it can work out for them because they are better prepared to compete having faced consecutive conference rivals and not the powder puff teams like other major schools. It's amazing what second year head coach Randy Shannon has done with the program because not only are they winning again but they seem to be taking in more quality people over the thugs and gangsters that have plagued the "U" in the past. I know Miami didn't finish well last year and it's still early in the season but you can see the confidence building within these guys each week and they are better prepared and not just relying on scaring teams because of who they are.

Miles Brand passes away at age 67....

NCAA President Miles Brand passed away yesterday after losing his battle to pancreatic cancer at the age of 67. Brand was most known for being the University of Indiana's President and firing the legendary Bob Knight after multiple reports of abuse against players. The move sparked a movement for Brand who took a tougher position against the traditional powerhouses who sacrificed winning over academics. Brand announced in January that he was diagnosed with cancer at an NCAA convention and he also announced that he would continue to run the day-to-day operations. Its impressive when people face adversity and certain death and they still remain strong and do what is required of them with no questions asked. Brand is someone that should be looked up to and he knew how to run an organization the right way and with integrity. When he was announced as the new president of the NCAA in 2002 many thought that he was in over his head and wasn't qualified for the job but he quickly put those doubters to rest by passing big pieces of legislation within his first year. He tightened eligibility standards for incoming freshman which eventually lead to new academic standards that provide real-time statistics for athletes and their performance in the classroom.

R.I.P Miles Brand

Is this a touchdown?...

Was this a touchdown catch by Oakland's rookie wide receiver Louis Murphy against the San Diego Chargers on Monday Night Football? My initial reaction was that it was a touchdown but after further review by the officials it was not a TD. I don't agree with the rule but it is what it is and according to NFL rules the referees got it right on the review. The one thing I don't agree with is that I don't think there was enough "irrefutable" evidence to over turn the call on the field, which was a TD, so the original call should have been upheld. If the catch would have been aloud the Raiders would have taken the lead from the Chargers late in the fourth quarter.

At the end of the video it compares the Murphy TD with New England Patriots tight end Ben Watson's TD catch that won the game for the Pats over the Bills in the first game of the MNF double header. I don't think the two are really comparable because with Watson you can't tell if it definitively came out like it did with Murphy. His arm is under the ball the entire time, now it does move a little bit but he still maintained control of the ball. The officials reviewed the play and upheld the ruling on the field which was the right call and thats how it should have been ruled in the Raiders game but I guess it doesn't hurt to be the Pats who always get questionable calls in their favor. The officials have started off on a bad note so far this year so this should only be a preview of things to come.

Week 1 NFL Power Rankings....

1. Pittsburgh Steelers(1-0)(lw #1)- The Steelers knocked off the Titans in similar fashion to many of their games from last season, but they lost Polamalu for 3-6 weeks so they may see a decline over those few weeks.
2. New England Patriots (1-0)(lw #2)- The Patriots had to rally from two scores down at home but when your star quarterback is playing for the first time in a year what can you expect.
3. Baltimore Ravens (1-0)(lw #3)- Granted it was against the Chiefs but the Ravens still scored 38 points and Joe Flacco looked impressive
4. Indianapolis Colts (1-0) (lw #4)- Faced a tough Jaguars defense but they pulled out a tough win plus Manning looked good like usual
5. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) (lw #6)- Dominated the Panthers on the road and the offense looked unstoppable
6. San Diego Chargers (1-0) (lw #7)- Needed late game heroics but the offense put up points when needed, the defense needs to step up though
7. Minnesota Vikings (1-0) (lw #8)- Dominated a lowly Browns team but the defense shut them down and AP looked like an MVP
8. New York Giants (1-0) (lw #9)- Found a way to win a tough game at home and the offense did enough to win
9. Atlanta Falcons (1-0) (lw #11)- Continued their resurgence from last year looking impressive against the Dolphins
10. Green Bay Packers (1-0) (lw #12)- The offense wasn't as impressive as it was in the preseason but the defense looks to be the real deal
11. New Orleans Saints (1-0) (lw #16)- Offense looks unstoppable and the defense looks a little better but they need to play a better opponent
12. Seattle Seahawks (1-0) (lw #19)- They dominated at home and the offense was clicking on all cylinders
13. Dallas Cowboys (1-0) (lw #22)- They won on the road over a bad Tampa team but once the offense got rolling they looked impressive
14. San Fransisco 49ers (1-0) (lw #24)- Pulled off the upset of the weekend and they will be around come December
15. Tennessee Titans (0-1) (lw #10)- Took the Super Bowl champions to overtime and the defense doesn't look like it will suffer without Haynesworth
16. Miami Dolphins (0-1) (lw #13)- Lost a tough game on the road
17. Denver Broncos (1-0) (lw #26)- Needed a miracle touchdown to beat the Bungals and they shut down a high powered offense
18. Arizona Cardinals (0-1) (lw #14)- They lost at home and Kurt Warner looked lost
19. New York Jets (1-0) (lw #30)- Jets won on the arm on rookie qb Mark Sanchez and they dominated on the road shutting down the Texans high powered offense
20. Chicago Bears (0-1) (lw #15)- Cutler had a rough debut and they lost Urlacher for the season to a wrist injury
21. Washington Redskins (0-1) (lw #17)- The offense couldn't find their rhythm and the defense didn't do enough to win
22. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1) (lw #23)- The defense looks tough again this year limiting the Colts and Peyton Manning to only 14 points but the offense is anemic
23. Carolina Panthers (0-1) (lw #5)- Delhomme has continued his terrible stretch throwing 4 more interceptions and the defense couldn't stop a snail
24. Buffalo Bills (0-1) (lw #18)- Blew a fourth quarter lead against the Pats but the offense had more continuity than in the preseason
25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers(0-1) (lw #27)- Not much was expected with a rookie head coach and a lot of turnover but they were competitive
26. Houston Texans (0-1) (lw #20)- Lost at home to a rookie coach and quarterback
27.Oakland Raiders (0-1) (lw #32)- Showed a lot of grit and look like they may be competitive this year
28. Detroit Lions (0-1) (lw #29)- They showed fight in a losing battle and they never gave up
29. Cleveland Browns (0-1) (lw # 28)- The offense looked lost until the fourth quarter but that was against the second stringers and the run defense was terrible once again
30. Kansas City Chiefs (0-1) (lw # 25)- They lost to the Ravens which was expected but they were not fluid on offense and the D gave up a lot of points
31. Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) (lw #21)- The Bengals had high expectations and they laid an egg at home with an anemic offense
32. St. Louis Rams (0-1) (lw #31)- When you get shut out in the season opener and the entire team looks lost... it's bad

Monday night recap...

In Tom Brady's return to the field the New England Patriots had to rally from two scores down in the fourth to knock off the Buffalo Bills 25-24. The Pats were down 24-13 in the fourth quarter of the game which is when Brady looked the Terrific Tom from 2007 leading the Patriots on a scoring drive by connecting with tight end Ben Watson to make the score 24-19 with 2:06 to play. Then New England got some help from the Bills when Leodis McKelvin fumbled the ensuing kickoff and kicker Stephen Gostkowski recovered to set the Pats up for a chance to take the lead. Brady orchestrated another scoring drive once again finding Watson on a similar play to their last scoring drive and gave New England the lead for good with only 50 seconds remaining. Brady finished his 2009 debut with a less than stellar performance completing 39 of 53 passing attempts for 378 yards two touchdowns and interception. In Terrell Owens regular season debut for the Bills he was held in check finishing the game with only 2 catches for 46 yards.

The second half of the Monday night double header featured another come from behind victory but this time the road team won with the San Diego Chargers defeating the Oakland Raiders 24-20. The Chargers were down 20-17 before Darren Sproles ripped through the Raiders defense for the go ahead score with only 18 seconds remaining in the game. Philip Rivers showed why he is worth a $93 million contract extension by completing 24 of 36 passes for 252 yards a touchdown and an interception while leading the Chargers from two scores down in the fourth quarter to a 12th straight victory over division rival Oakland.

Week 1 NFL picks....

Teams I predict to win are in bold...

Miami Dolphins @ Atlanta Falcons
Kansas City Chiefs @ Baltimore Ravens
Philadelphia Eagles @ Carolina Panthers
Denver Broncos @ Cincinnati Bengals
Minnesota Vikings @ Cleveland Browns
New York Jets @ Houston Texans
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Indianapolis Colts
Detroit Lions @ New Orleans Saints
Dallas Cowboys @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
San Fransisco 49ers @ Arizona Cardinals
Washington Redskins @ New York Giants
St. Louis Rams @ Seattle Seahawks
Chicago Bears @ Green Bay Packers
Buffalo Bills @ New England Patriots
San Diego Chargers @ Oakland Raiders

Steelers out last the Titans 13-10 in overtime...

The NFL season got off to an extended start at Heinz Field last night between two evenly matched teams and a coin toss was ultimately the deciding factor as the Pittsburgh Steelers out slugged the Tennessee Titans 13-10 in overtime.
Both teams got off to slow starts and could not find their rhythm until late in the second quarter when the Steelers struck first. Ben Roethlisberger connected with Santonio Holmes from 34 yards out for the first touchdown of the new NFL season with only 1:22 left before the half, Holmes finished the game with 9 receptions for 131 yards and the touchdown.
The Titans counter punched the Steelers though(who were without Troy Polamalu and Lamar Woodley) and it only took them three plays before Kerry Collins found pay dirt hooking up with Justin Gage to tie things up heading into halftime.
Both teams traded three and outs and unfinished drives all third quarter before Rob Bironas broke the tie for the Titans in the fourth nailing a 45 yard field goal(Bironas missed a 37 yarder in the first and had a 31 yard FG blocked in the second) to put Tennessee ahead 10-7.
The Steelers got the ball back and proceeded to eat up over 8 minutes off the clock before tying the game up with on a 32 yard field goal by Jeff Reed. The Steelers looked like they were going to wrap up the game in regulation when Big Ben found a wide open Hines Ward for a 30 yard completion to the Tennessee 4 yard line but Ward was fighting for extra yardage and was stripped from behind by Michael Griffith and the Titans defense recovered the loose ball.
The Steelers won the coin toss in overtime and Ben repeatedly found the gaps in the Titans defense while driving the Pittsburgh offense into field goal range. Roethlisberger hooked up with rookie wideout Mike Wallace for a 22 yard connection and set the Steelers up in field goal range. Pittsburgh wasn't willing to have another turnover so they brought out Reed to kick the game winner and he calmly knocked it in from 33 yards out for the Steelers first victory of the 2009-2010 season(like he has so many times over the last few years). Roethlisberger finished the game completing 33 of 43 passes for 363 yards a touchdown and two interceptions.

First of all the Steelers won and that is the most important thing but the defense did not look the same without Polamalu who may be out for a few weeks after he was making every play during the first half, he made a spectacular interception on a play where the offense should have been called for pass interference plus he had 6 tackles before the injury. The defense will miss him because he is the cog that makes everything work, the way he disguises his blitzes and coverages are amazing and nonone in the NFL can replicate him. Secondly the offensive line looked horrible when it came to the run and the Tennessee defensive lineman were routinely in the back field before Willie Parker, Rashard Mendenhall, or Mewelde Moore even got started. Ben was sacked 4 times but I put three of those on him because he was doing his usual thing trying to create opportunities and he held on to the ball too long. But the o-line was routinely beaten off the snap and they looked lost a lot of the times.

I expected this game to be physical and for both teams to grind it out but I did not think they would need overtime to settle the score, but the NFL has to be excited about how the first game turned out since so many in the past have turned out to be blow outs. The Steelers travel to Chicago next week to face Jay Cutler and the Bears. The Titans look to rebound next week at home against division rival Houston.

GO STEELERS!

NFL season kicks off tonight: Tennessee Titans vs. Pittsburgh Steelers...

Tonight marks the official beginning to the NFL season with the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers hosting the Tennessee Titans. This should be a great way to start the season off with two of the most physical teams setting the tone to start the season, plus there is no love loss between these former divisional foes.

Last season the Titans and Steelers squared off in Tennessee in week 16 of the NFL season with the number one seed overall in the AFC playoffs on the line and the Titans took it to the Steelers by beating them 31-14. Tennessee was without star defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth who was replaced by rookie Jason Jones. Jones dominated the Steelers front line finishing the game with 3.5 sacks and 7 tackles en route to helping the Titans secure the top seed in the AFC. The Titans finished the season 13-3 but they lost in their home playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens 13-10. The Titans return the majority of their starters from last season minus Albert Haynesworth who left via free agency. They went out and bolstered their wide receiving group signing Nate Washington away from the Steelers and drafting a big tall wide out in Kenny Britt. The Titans will probably experience a bit of a drop off this season without Haynesworth and with a tougher schedule.

The Pittsburgh Steelers rebounded after the Tennessee loss by shutting out the Cleveland Browns 31-0. Pittsburgh locked up the number two seed overall in the AFC playoffs and hosted the San Diego Chargers in the Divisional round and won 35-24. The Steelers then knocked off the Baltimore Ravens for the third time in the season in the AFC Championship game 23-14. The Steelers won their 6th Super Bowl title in exciting fashion knocking off the Arizona Cardinals 27-23. The Steelers return 19 of 22 starters and they bolstered their depth on the defensive front by drafting Ziggy Hood who has shown promise in the preseason recording three sacks in two games. The running backs are healthy for Pittsburgh which will be crucial if they want to have a chance to repeat this year.

I'm looking for this game to go the distance and be close the entire game with the Steelers defense making a stop to preserve the win. Both teams will be pumped up and ready to play, it will come down to who will keep their emotions in check and who will make the less mistakes. With all the hoopla surrounding the Steelers home opener and the Super Bowl banner being unveiled I think the Steelers will come out and put on a tremendous show for their fans and the world.
Prediction: Steelers will win a close one

GO STEELERS!

A tour of the new Lucas County Arena....

Fred Lefebvre of NewsTalk 1370 WSPD and his producer Meghan W. Ragle( awesome camera work by her by the way) went on a tour of the new Lucas County Arena located in downtown Toledo, Oh with General Manager of the Toledo Mud Hens/Walleye/Bullfrogs Joe Napoli. The Arena will be home to the AHL minor hockey league team the Toledo Walleye, who are affiliates with the Detroit Redwings and Chicago Blackhawks and Arena Football 2 franchise the Toledo Bullfrogs. The new Arena looks awesome and there will not be a bad seat in the house, I can't wait to attend the WWE event that is coming here in October.

Accuser will drop rape charges against Roethlisberger if he does two things....

The woman who has accused Ben Roethlisberger of rape says she will drop the lawsuit if he agrees to two conditions. The first being the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard, he must admit he raped her and then apologize to her. Wait what? The man has vehemently denied that he raped her and that she is doing this just to get money so why would he admit that he raped her? It doesn't make sense and the only reason why she is doing this is because she wants to appear as if she is not about the money but they know that Ben is not going to bite on this, if he is innocent like he has said from the beginning then he is not going to admit it and apologize. There have been so many stories coming out from her co-workers and friends saying that she was excited and happy about her encounter with Roethlisberger plus her story is full of holes, this lady has no case and she is just trying to save some face and not appear to a money grubbing groupie.
The second condition is that he must donate $100,000 to the Committee to Aid Abused Women, which is a nonprofit organization in the Reno, Nevada area. I have no problem with this, I think Ben should do it anyway just to show that he has respect for women and takes the situation seriously. This is a serious allegation and when women do things like this, make up allegations of rape to get money, it ruins it for the woman who have really been raped.
I don't think this is going to effect Ben during the season unless the woman keeps throwing out allegations or if the facts of what really happened comes out and it turns out she is telling the truth, which shes not. Roethlisberger is known for shaking off the off field problems when it comes to game day and he will lead the Steelers like he has in the past and he will perform at a pro bowl level. If anything he will be more determined and focused to go out and keep his name above the mud and out of the headlines for anything not related to football. The Steelers open the season tomorrow against the Tennessee Titans.

GO STEELERS!

Steelers re-sign Hartwig for four more years...

The Pittsburgh Steelers made their last move of the offseason regarding new contracts for current players by re-signing starting center Justin Hartwig to an extension that will keep him the team through the 2012 season.

I like this move for a couple of reasons the first of which being that the signing brings stability to the offensive line and especially the center position where the Steelers have had three starters over the last three years. By no means is Hartwig one of the best centers in the NFL but he held his own againts some of the best nose tackles last year and helped the team win a Super Bowl, plus he is a definite upgrade over Sean Mahan who was the starter in 2007. The other reason why this is a smart move is that the Steelers don't really have a legitimate backup waiting to take over so this gives them another year or two to figure who will replace him, unlike when Jeff Hartings abruptly retired leaving the team with noone behind him. The Steelers have A.Q. Shipley who they drafted this year but he did not step up during the preseason and was moved to their practice squad so this will give him time to sink or swim and allow Pittsburgh to make decisions based on his talent level and knowledge of the play book. The Steelers are a class organization and they know how to treat players who are deserving and this is just another example.

GO STEELERS!

B.Y.U. cracks top-10 in A.P. poll after upset over Oklahoma....

The B.Y.U. Cougars made the biggest jump from the preseason poll to this weeks A.P. poll moving 11 spots to number nine after pulling off the biggest upset of the college football weekend knocking off then #3 Oklahoma 14-13. The Sooners dropped 10 spots to #13. Florida remained the top team with Texas and USC staying in the same spots. Oklahoma State moved up four spots to #5 after easily knocking off the Georgia Bulldogs. Alabama moved up one spot into the #4 spot after defeating Virginia Tech. Ohio State dropped two spots to #8 after squeaking by Navy. Rounding out the top-10 are Ole Miss at #6, Penn State at #7, and California at #10.

Notre Dame jumped five spots to #18 after soundly defeating Nevada 35-0 and they look to prove their ranking is no fluke this weekend against the Michigan Wolverines.

The Miami Hurricanes knocked Florida State out of the top-25 and in doing so moved themselves into the the top-25 after being unranked they sit at #20 in the nation. Missouri and Cincinnati also played there way into the top-25 with wins over the weekend placing #25 and #23 respectively.

College football starts off with a bang....

Wow what an exciting weekend of college football starting with #14 Boise State knocking off the #16 Oregon Ducks 19-8 and improving their chances of, getting shut out of the National Title game, sorry I mean improving their chances to get into the BS National Title game. That game was marred by Oregon's running back LeGarrette Blount punching BSU's Byron Hout in the face after Hout taunted him when the teams were shaking hands.

#6 Ohio State had to rally the troops so to speak against the Navy Midshipmen to hold them off to win 31-27. OSU pulled off a rarity in college football as the Midshipmen were going for a two-point play to tie the game but the Buckeye's defense rose up and intercepted the pass attempt and returned it for their own two-point play to seal the victory.

#22 Iowa needed to block two field goals including what would have been the game winner to preserve a 17-16 win over interstate rival Northern Iowa.

#9 Oklahoma State Cowboys came out with guns blazing and ruined Georgia's national title hopes by defeating them 24-10. Oklahoma State's Dez Bryant had 3 catches with 2 resulting in Tds.

#20 BYU Cougars ruined Sam Bradford's Heisman hopes and they also crushed Oklahoma's shot a another BCS title game by holding off the Sooners 14-13. Bradford dropped back to pass and as soon as he released the ball a Cougar defender drilled him into the ground and knocking him out of the game. Bradford did not return with his sprained throwing shoulder and he is expected to miss 2-3 weeks with the injury.

#5 Alabama routed #7 Virginia Tech 34-24 and set themselves up for another run at a BCS bowl game and essentially ending the Hokies hopes of making the BCS title game.

#23 Notre Dame kept up the momentum they had from routing Hawaii in the Hawaii bowl by putting together a complete game shutting out the Nevada Wolfpack 35-0. Jimmy Clausen played only three quarters but he finished 15 of 18 for 315 yards and 4 tds. Clausen connected with sophomore wide receiver Michael Floyd on 4 occasions with 3 of them resulting in touchdowns, Floyd finished with 189 yards receiving.

And finally #18 Florida State lost a tough battle against in state rival the Miami Hurricanes 38-34. The Seminoles had first and ten from Miami's 2 yard line with 14 seconds left but they were unable to complete the comeback throwing three straight incomplete passes. Hurricanes sophomore Jacory Harris put up huge numbers going 21 of 34 for 386 yards and 2 tds.

Bengals rookie Smith fractures foot out at least a month...

In a case of the ultimate irony Cincinnati Bengals first round draft pick Andre Smith fractured his foot during a non-contact drill in only his third practice since ending his nearly four month holdout. Smith is expected be out for at least a month.
I'm sorry but this is pretty funny because the Bengals were putting so much stock into this head case who has been nothing but trouble for them and he is quickly falling into Bengals lore for first round busts. I know it's too early to call him a bust and he very well may have a tremendous career but holding out and missing all of training camp and then breaking your foot during a non-contact drill is pretty laughable right now. In his short career in the national spotlight Smith has shown a lack of integrity and character, let's start with him being suspended for the 2009 Sugar Bowl for dealing with an agent, he showed up to the combine out of shape and he tested terribly(even running the forty yard dash without his shirt on), and let's not forget about the incident when he was supposed to go to a football camp in Illinois and he ended up in Indiana because he didn't ask for directions on where to go(it's not a major gaff on his part but it shows he lacks attention to detail).
When you draft players purely on talent this is the result you usually get and it's sad the Bungals haven't learned their lesson yet. Lewis and the Bengals have routinely during his reign as head coach drafted players with low character and loads of talent but they usually self implode and cause all sorts of troubles for the team, the Bengals have had only one winning record during Lewis' tenure so it's not like the can justify it by saying at least we are winning. If the Bengals do not make the playoffs Lewis and the GM should be fired.

RichRod denies allegations of wrong doing...

The Detroit Free Press broke a story on Sunday that current and former University of Michigan players are alleging that head coach Rich Rodriguez and his staff violated NCAA offseason practice requirements. RichRod of course is denying the allegations but its hard to believe him with everything that has gone on over the last 18 months or so.(This probably went on while he was at West Virginia but who is going to say anything when he turned that school into a perennial top-10 team with All-American talent?)
When he made the move to leave West Virginia for Michigan the people back there were very infuriated and a long legal battle ensued that was eventually resolved but it instantly tarnished his legacy at WVU and he got off to a rocky start at UM. As soon as he got to Ann Arbor a huge chunk of his players transferred with the majority of them saying that "family values had eroded at Michigan." Then of course the Wolverines went on to have their worst season in team history including their first lost to a MAC team at home losing to Toledo 13-10. And just when things were quiet in Michigan and everybody was looking to put last year in the past and start a new era of Michigan football, this happens.
Now I'm not saying if he is guilty or not of having the players practice longer than the maximum 4 hours per day/ 20 hours per week under NCAA regulations, but something has been going on their since so many players have spoken out and/or transferred elsewhere. RichRod is under a lot of pressure to win now and he was implementing a new offense so he probably felt like they needed extra practice and that ticked off a lot of players so they left. But that doesn't excuse Rodriguez because this is really bad for Michigan and it reflects poorly on them for a number of reasons, the first was that they were so quick to get rid of Llyod Carr, who ran a spotless and competitive program his entire time there, for having a down season and not being able to beat Ohio State that they didn't realize what they were doing. Then they did not hire someone who had a history with the University who would have understood the values and traditions at UM.
Now Michigan football, which has never faced sanctions from the NCAA, has become just another team in the fabric of college football breaking the rules to try to get a slight advantage over their opponents. It is a sad day for Wolverine fans and it looks things will probably get worse before they get better.

Teddy Bruschi is calling it a career...

New England Patriots linebacker Teddy Bruschi decided yesterday that 13 years in the NFL was enough by announcing his retirement. Bruschi was the leader of the Patriots defense that helped win the franchise three Super Bowls. He was the consummate professional who showed up to work everyday and did what was asked of him with no questions asked. Bruschi suffered a mild stroke in February 2005 and he made his return to the NFL eight months later but his football health has been declining the last few years and he missed most of this year's training camp. Patriots coach Bill Belichick referred to the linebacker as the "perfect player."

Bruschi is the epitome of a Belichick player, he was versatile, smart, displayed leadership, and was willing to do whatever it took to win. As important as Tom Brady is to the Patriots and their offense Bruschi was just as crucial to the defense putting the other linebackers and lineman in the correct positions to make plays. As a fan you have to respect Bruschi and the way he played the game, with little flash and all substance. He did played the game the right way and in the era of free agency he began and ended his career as a Patriot, which is very rare and speaks volumes about what the organization thought of him. I don't think Bruschi is a hall of famer but he definitely deserves to be discussed that way and he should have his number retired by Patriots.