I'm Back!!

After a much needed hiatus, I am proud to say Sportaholic is back!! I needed to take some time off to clear my head and in doing so missed out on a lot of happenings in the sports world. There was the Melo mega deal that never went down, big time college football and NFL games, and even some division clinching victories in baseball. So without further interruption and not concentrating on what I missed, let's jump back into this thing.

NFL Quick Hits - The best match up of this weekend has to be Philly vs. Washington. The way Vick is going got me thinking that maybe jail is just what he needed to obtain the focus that it takes to perfect the Quarterback position. His pocket presence is now evident and you can tell he is the leader of the team. Kevin Kolb looks as if he is supporting Vick, but I know deep down inside this has to be killing him. As for Washington, they have to be disappointed with last weeks performance against the lowly Rams. Add the spice of Donovan McNabb returning to the city that hated him in the nicest way and you have all the makings of a great game.



Pittsburgh vs. Baltimore - Pittsburgh's defense has been looking like the steel curtain of the 70's here lately. Its crazy how everyone one of the experts had them going at best 2-2 without Big Ben at the helm. As you can tell now, Troy Polamalu is the most valuable player on this team. With him they are a Super Bowl caliber defense and without him the don't even make the playoffs as proven last year. Charlie Batch has more lives than new born cat but he delivers just what the Steelers need. The Ravens finally got off the schenid offensively with a good showing last week. Anquan Boldin and Joe Flacco looked to have chemistry. Now if they could just get that run game with Ray Rice going, then you would be talking. The Ravens defense is not what it use to be which is understandable with the rash of injuries and age starting to catch up with them. At the same token, don't get it twisted they will hit you in the mouth. As long as Ray Lewis is patrolling that side of the ball for them, this will be the case. This should a hard-hitting affair.



New England vs. New York Jets - I wish Tom Brady would cut that damn Justin Bieber looking hair of his (Just had to get that out) but this will be a fun one too. You know there is no love lost between these two teams, and remember Brady was quoted as saying the reason he didn't watch the hard knocks series this year was because he hates the Jets. I would hate them to if they about to take the division for the second straight year. And I just don't trust the D in Pats land. Mark Sanchez all of a sudden looks comfortable in the pocket and is delivering the ball in stride with his receivers. I like what ever he and OC Schottenheimer have come up with. As long as Sexy Rexy can keep the D playing at a high level they should win this game.



NBA news

Miami Heat report to camp - Why do I get the feeling that coverage on this team is going to just get out of control ? I know they have Lebron, D-wade and Bosh (or Bosh Spice as he likes to be called) but the Lakers are the two time defending champs and they never had ESPN covering them like this. If this is what the power team of Lebron marketing wanted, then they got it. What is also funny is the way D-wade is already taking up for his new teammate (Makes me think of the moment T.O had about his Cowboys quarterback) and attacking of all people Charles Barkley. That is going to make for some weird moments on the set of those T-mobile commercials. The point that needs to be made here is that all the hype and publicity aside, this team has not won a game yet. They can talk and defend each other all they want but I'm ready to see how this is going to work. At some point ego's will be hurt and emotions will flair. Its just a matter of time before D-wade goes off for 45 and Lebron only scores 15 or vice versa and one of the two has objection about the others shot selection, mark my words. One thing I can say is that it is going to make for great T.V watching this pan out.

Carmelo, where is your heart? - This is going to end ugly. You get the sense that Melo is going to say all the right things until he does get traded. I mean this guy basically forces the Nuggets hand and doesn't seem to care what the city thinks of him. The New Jersey deal seems like it didn't sit well with him. I never thought it would be a good fit for him. He needs a team with a good point guard to get him the ball and in the process of trading for Melo the Nets would have lost Devin Harris. I just get this feeling that somehow or some way, Donnie Walsh is going to pull a rabbit out his hat and land him for the Knicks. We will have to see how this ends up but don't count on style points from Melo as he exits Denver stage left.

So who is your QB?

Usually this time of the year most of the QB controversies are settled, but not so much this year. A number of teams are making decisions based on a number of different factors. Let’s take a look at the most interesting of the bunch




Philadelphia Eagles - Michael Vick looks to start a new regime under Andy Reid. This is probably the most contradictory situation of them all. Andy Reid stated emphatically that Kevin Kolb was his guy. It makes sense because of all the cards Philly had stacked in him (you know the whole Donovan McNabb trade thing and signing Kolb to a one year 12.25 million dollar contract), but after two pre dog incident performances by Vick has made Reid re-evaluate his position. This is shocking coming from a coach and organization that usually sticks to it guns. I most definitely agree with the move. The Eagles offensive line has been putrid and adding the speed and athleticism with Vick provides them with a relief policy. He looks much more comfortable in the pocket and throwing passes. His numbers are to good to not start: 105.5 rating, 7.9 YPA, 63.8 percent completions. He's thrown three touchdown passes without a pick and he's scrambled for 140 yards. From the looks of it, the team has faith in Vick. Jason Avant, was quoted as saying that "He moves the offense." The Kevin Kolb era could be over before it ever got off the ground. When you have a former superstar playing like his former self, how can you not start him? If the move pays off, you have a top 10 QB in terms of production, if it doesn't you can always go back to Kolb. So much for that dog fighting thing huh



Tennessee Titans- Ok, with me being from Nashville, I have a deeper understanding of  this one in a number of ways. For starters, Vince Young will start next week which is no surprise. What most people are saying in Nashville is that, does Jeff Fisher have faith in him? In last weeks lost to the Steelers, VY was benched in favor of Kerry Collins after a first half performance where none of Young's passes touched the ground. He went 6 of 8, with the other two passes being intercepted by Pittsburgh. The thought here is that I don't care if Joe Montana, Peyton Manning or Dan Marino was the quarterback; Pittsburgh D was going to hit them. It just didn't matter; the defense just had the offense's number that game. To me personally, I am starting to think Coach Fisher has doubt in Vince's abilities. The other argument on this is that Fisher was trying to protect his quarterback. Everyone knows what happened last time Young got booed at LP field, and let’s just say it wasn't pretty (the whole suicide thing). And maybe Fisher was trying not to let Vince's confidence get to low against one of the best defenses he will see all year. This very well may be the case, but it would be nice to see if Fisher just let Young be a man and play that one out. It’s just like if you have a son. It comes a point where you have to let your child grow up and be a man. We all have to take our stripes and make the best out of it sometimes. This is how you grow as a person and player. I will say that Collins came off the bench and provided a touchdown pass but he also threw an interception. I will also say I remember the great Steve McNair and the amount of faith that coach Fisher had in him. McNair could be on one leg and practice not once all week but come Sunday he was in the game. Fisher never waned on his support of him, even when questions were raised about his durability and his back ups Neil O’Donnell and Billy Volek putting up good numbers in his absence. Vince Young also has to show improvement in his play or we will continue to play musical chairs in music city.



Buffalo Bills- Ryan Fitzpatrick in, Trent Edwards out and to sum this up quickly, it won't matter this team has number pick in next years draft written all over it.



Pittsburgh Steelers- Charlie Batch will get the start and as long as that fearsome defense performs the way it has been, you could throw Dick Vitale back there and they could win. Think about how scary this team will be when they get Big Ben back.



Oakland Raiders- see Buffalo



Top Ten Teams



1. New Orleans Saints- Until someone beats the champs, they will stay here

2. Houston Texans- One win by the ground and one by the air. Great offense

3. Pittsburgh Steelers - If you don't like their defense, you don't like football

4. Chicago Bears - Who said the Cutler-Martz offense wouldn't work?

5. Green Bay Packers - They can throw it but can they run it with Grant out?

6. Miami - A hard nosed surprise team. They make it a three team race in AFC East.

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - This will be as high as they ever get this year. Look for the downward spiral to begin.

8. Kansas City Chiefs - See above

9. New York Jets - Yes I have them here, they deserve it, after two tough opponents

10. Indianapolis Colts - As long as they have Peyton Manning, they will be in the top ten.

NFL Three ups and Three downs

Three up and Three down



1.Jets – In what can be called a hectic week to say the least, The Jets came out and finally backed up some of the talking they have been doing all off season. The Jets were investigated by the NFL for the treatment of a female reporter at practice last weekend. Commissioner Roger Goodell ruled that the Jets’ conduct was unprofessional but there was no sexual harassment, and owner Woody Johnson apologized to TV Azteca reporter Ines Sainz. Even with all of those things going on, something has to be said about the resolve of Mark Sanchez. He and offensive coordinator Brian Schottemheimer were just crucified by the unrelenting New York media this week, but both showed what they can do this week. Sanchez had career best game going 21-30 220 yards and 3 TDs. The defense just shut down the Pats and Tom Brady in the second half and ran the ball effectively sealing the victory. J-e-t-s Jets, Jets, Jets at least for this weekend.



2.Colts- How much can one week change your perception of a team? A week after getting physically handled on both sides of the ball, big brother Peyton turned this one into a laugher. This was over by the third quarter. The biggest difference was the discipline that both the offensive and defensive line showed in this game versus last week. Indianapolis even showed a run game, something that has been missing of late. Sometimes you need an early wake up call and that’s what the Texans gave the Colts in the first week.



3.Pittsburgh- Now this was Pittsburgh defense. They were aggressive, tough and just flat out mean. Troy Polamalu will be the unanimous defensive MVP this year if he keeps this pace up. I will give you two examples that show his versatility: 1. Vince Young drops back for a pass in the redzone and in what appeared to be an open pass over the middle, Polamalu jumps in and intercepts the pass killing the drive and momentum for the Titans. 2. On a Titans run on the goal line, Polamalu anticipated the snap and jumped over the line to make a tackle on Chris Johnson killing yet another opportunity the Titans had inside the 20. If the defense continues to play like this, they won’t miss Big Ben. They look like the best team in AFC north no matter who the QB is back there. It was Just a dominant performance to say the least.





1.Dallas- Being a fan of this team has to be so hard. Every year they are predicted to make some noise and especially this season with the Super Bowl being held in Jerry’s World better known Cowboys stadium. This just doesn’t look like a playoff team much less a Super Bowl contender. Wade Phillips seems to always have that “Aww Shucks” look on his face, Jason Garrett micro manages the offense, Tony Romo can’t make three good plays without making a mistake and the offensive line is still not right. And to top it off next week they face high flying Houston for the battle of Texas. If they lose that game and are 0-3 entering the bye week, look for big, big changes in Big D.



2.Giants- One New York team gets an up and another gets a down. The Giants turned in a dismal performance against the Colts. Forget about the Manning bowl as the media tried to hype this one, it more of the humiliating bowl with how the Colts just performed surgery on the Giants secondary. Peyton just shredded them to a tune of 20-26 255 yards and 3 TDs. The addition of Antrel Rolle and a healthy Kenny Phillips was thought to address this very issue. Eli wasn’t very good either with his three fumbles. To be honest with you I stopped watching this midway in the 3rd quarter, no point in wasting my time watching this.



3.Vikings- Point blank on this: Brett Favre looks old. There, I said it. Now with that said, all of the blame for there 0-2 start should not be blamed on him. The offense doesn’t look in sync. Favre’s favorite target from last year, Sidney Rice will be sidelined for at least another month and Percy Harvin continues to struggle with migraines. Adrian Peterson had a nice game running for 145 yards but besides him the offensive had no rhythm. Favre had 4 turnovers including some ugly passes that he should have never thrown. This is what you get with a 40 year old QB. As good as everything went last season, it doesn’t mean a damn thing the next year. It seems as if the Viks thought that they just recapture the glory and magic they had from 2009 and so far its not working. Will someone get Vicent Jackson agent on line 1 please.

Weekend Dunkface: D-wade goes all in

D-wade makes a poster out of  Anderson Varejao.

Here is a better angle.

You can get 5 to 10 in most states for this kind of assault. Check out Andy's face, at this point he looks a Mike Tyson opponent. Congrats Anderson Varejao, complements of D-wade you are this weekends dunkface.

Finally Friday Edition 4

The New York Jets have been catching a lot of heat in the press for the treatment of reporter Ines Sainz, and probably for good reason. I have reason to believe this knowing how the Jets operate (If you seen hard knocks, you know what I mean) with their brash and bravado style all stemming from coach Rex Ryan. That was until I saw a picture of this woman. Just look at her:

She is freakin hot. Now seeing the picture of this beautiful woman, does it skew your view of way the players handled being interviewed by her? In no way am I saying that she should not be taken seriously, she is a credential holder of the New York Jets, but at the same time this is like putting a piece of meat in front of dogs. In some cases and most cases I should say, Men will be men. If they see an attractive woman, they are going to say things to her. She may not like some of the things they say, but she signed up for this profession. Now I am all about equal rights and all that stuff but this is different. The reason this has really never been issue before is that there are not many hot women reporters. I can think of a few (Hello, Erin Andrews call me) but can think of more average looking woman working the sidelines. Its the gift and the curse of being attractive, people are more into your looks than your brain. I know a few women reporters and from what I understand they feel they have to dress down in some cases to be taken seriously. Sainz dresses like she going to a club in south beach. So to wrap this up, If you act professional and dress in a business manner, it forces people to respect you and value your opinion. If you dress like Snooki from Jersey Shore you will get treated in that manner.

Mayweather slapped with 8 counts

Floyd Mayweather Jr has officially been charged with felony counts of coercion, robbery and grand larceny and as four misdemeanors, this according to TMZ.com. All for the alleged flap he had with his baby mother, Josie Harris. It was intially reported that the reason of the incident was because of a relationship Ms. Harris had with NBA player C.J Watson of the Golden State Warriors. I don't want to jump to conclusions on this one until more details come forward , but man is it really worth this Floyd? You are a walking brand, promoting boxing ( or what is left of it) all over the world. He more than likely won't serve any real time over this but his image will take a hit. When I think about, does Money Mayweather even care about any of that? Probably not. In the words of Biggie Smalls: More Money, More Problems.

College Football Picks and Quick Hits

Looks like another good weekend of games but mostly a letdown from last week. Here is the weekend slate including games today and Friday:

Cincinnati vs. NC State - Intriguing match up of teams. Both have strong QB play in the Bearcats Zach Collaros and the Wolfpacks Russell Wilson. This should be one of the more interesting Thursday night games of the year. The pick: Cincinnati

Kansas vs. Southern Miss - Kansas is hard team to predict. One week they go out and lose to a FBS school in North Dakota State and the next week beat a ranked Georgia Tech squad. I predict we will see the good Kansas team. The Pick: Kansas

Games of the week:

Arkansas vs Georgia- Another intersting matchup in SEC country. Both teams are darkhorses in the respective divisions but only one has a proven quarterback and that is Ryan Mallet of the Razorbacks. Mallet put it on the Dawgs last year to the tune of 408 passing yards and 5 TDs. If A.J Green could ever get eligible to play than Georgia would have a chance. Freshman QB Aaron Murray needs all the help he can get but with or without Green, I see Arkansas taking it in a high scoring game. The Pick: Arkansas

Florida vs. Tennessee - I remember a time when this always was the game of the week but with Florida not looking so hot and Tenn falling on hard times, not so much anymore. Still should make for a good match up between rivals. Florida has to prove it can sustain offense for four quarters of play. The offense did look better against USF last week but it is no where close what we expected it to be this year. Jeff Brantley has to take charge with RB Chris Rainey being suspended from the team. Tennessee has to prove it can at least be competitive against an SEC rival. UT came out strong vs Oregon last week before being blown away in the second half. The Pick: Florida but not the blowout everyone is expecting

Clemson vs. Auburn - Cam Newton will be the biggest factor in this game. The Auburn QB is a load to tackle at 6'6 and 250 pounds. He will control the game with his feet and arm. He puts me in the mind of Jarmarcus Russell but with better decision making skills. Kyle Parker of Clemson is no slouch either. The 1st round MLB draft pick can make all the passes you look for in a QB but Auburn's young defense looks solid enough to keep him grounded. The Pick: Auburn in a close one.

Iowa vs. Arizona - Arizona is a captivating team to me in that they have a good QB in Nick Fowles, decent running back in Nic Grigsby, and a very solid receiving core led by Juron Criner. The question will be can they duplicate what they have been doing in lesser opponents to Iowa. Ricky Stanzi may not always be the prettiest at his job but his results speak for themselves. Iowa has a good secondary that should be able to test Fowles. The Pick: Iowa but not by much

Under the radar game: Houston vs. UCLA. Houston can score on anybody but anybody can score on them.
Most Intriguing Game- Texas vs Texas Tech. Interested in how young Garrett Gilbert responds on a tough road game. Tommy Tuberville gets his first crack at Texas
Rivalry Game of the week - Notre Dame vs Michigan State. Could have went Florida vs. Tenn here but as much as it hurts me to say, Florida should win that game so I will go with the Irish vs. Sparty.
Coach better get it right game - LSU vs Mississippi State. Is it me or is it that Les Miles is one the worst game calling and time management coaches in football. LSU talent at every position but why do they always seem to play down to there opponent? Yep its Les.

Quick Hits: Heisman winner Mark Ingram makes his return this week from arthroscopic knee surgery. I want to see how he responds and even more so how he and Trent Richardson are able to split carries.

Tennessee linebacker Nick Reveiz was quoted saying "Quite honestly, I felt like we quit,". It should be curious to see how UT responds to its rival after being pounded by Oregon.

South Carolina dismissed TE Wesyle Saunders from the team Wednesday ending the speculation about his playing status.

NFL Quick Hits

• Reports are surfacing in Indianapolis that Bob Sanders may have played his last game as a Colt. Sanders is a fan favorite for the Colts known for his demoralizing hits and style of play, but at his size that type of play makes him prone to injury. Sanders never played a full season, even in his defensive player of the year campaign. Such a sad moment for a great talent.
• Jets say Haynesworth not great fit
  Albert Haynesworth in green and white? Don't expect the New York Jets' brass to panic over Tuesday's loss of Kris Jenkins, speed-dial the 703 area code, and inquire about the price of doing business with the Redskins in a potential deal for Albert Haynesworth. That's not to say the Jets won't explore some veteran options at nose tackle -- although 3-4 nose tackles are hard to find at any time of the year, much less a week into the season -- but the likelihood they'll look into Haynesworth is remote. So said a Jets official on Tuesday afternoon. "Anything is possible," the respected New York management official told The Sports Xchange. "But I wouldn't hold my breath [on Haynesworth]. It's not a great fit."
• You think Calvin Johnson is over the touchdown that wasn't a touchdown? Not even close, check out his twitter page.
• Two big name injuries that will effect contending teams: Ryan Grant of the Packers and Kris Jenkins of the Jets. Both will be out for the year. Ouch
• Clinton Portis why would you create more attention on a subject no one in the league wants to talk about? He may have said what the players are thinking, but that was just to soon. View the story at http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/football/nfl/09/14/portis.reporters.ap/index.html
• Laurence Maroney traded to Broncos. He never seemed to get a fair shake in New England. He now reunites with Josh McDaniels, hopefully he can resurrect his career.
• Can you believe someone really thought this cheerleader was hurt in this video: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Video-Tennessee-Titans-mascot-eats-cheerleade;_ylt=AgtETGxaVQ9qdjZ_wEV.m6dDubYF?urn=nfl-269355

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Reggie Bush to forfeit the Heisman trophy

Reggie Bush, college football's best player of 2005, conceded the award today. USC has already taken the hardware from its record books and now looks like it will be erased indefinitely. This is a sad and landmark day for college football. This will be the first time that college's most prestigious trophy will be forfeited. After all the allegations that came out of the NCAA investigation, it looks like Bush did the right thing here. I don't think we should judge him in this case because he is now doing the right thing now. The question that remains to be seen is now how they will handle the situation this creates. If you are Vince Young (2nd in the Heisman voting that year) would you accept the trophy under these circumstances. I can guarantee you much more will be coming out on this story and I will post updates as soon as I get credible information on this case.

Editor's Note: In interview with The Tennessean this week Vince Young stated that he would like the trophy if it was presented to him

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Monday night recap

Ravens 10 Jets 9 - So all that talking for this Jets? I mean all off season all we here coming out of the coach and the players mouth is how they are going to the Super bowl. They had propped themselves up as the the second coming of the Broadway Joe's team. So when the lights were on and the cameras focused on them, they go out and lay a dude with the national spotlight on them Monday night. Mark Sanchez looks like a man on a mission to prevent the Jets from doing anything special this year. Sanchez completed less than half of his passes, totaling only 74 yards passing. Its not his entire fault, the play calling from Brian Schottenheimer looked anything but innovative. And To be fair as well credit must be given to the Ravens. The defense still is one of the hardest hitting in the league. They were harassing Sanchez all night and seemed to be in the backfield at will. I see why Ray Lewis landed that old spice swagger commercial. The hit he put receiver coming over the middle made me hurt. Joe Flacco had a decent night going 20/38 238 yards and an interception. At least he tried to pass the ball downfield. The Jets seemed content on running and taking field goals. If your goal is to reach the Super Bowl, than your offense better score points. The jury is still out those J-e-t-s ( I can't stand that stupid cheer), they face their arch rival in New England on a short week. Good win for the Ravens.

Chiefs 21 Chargers 14- Why do we have to go threw this every year with the Chargers? Its like a script from a bad reality show. Their motto has to be its not the way you start but the way you finish. Once again, just like the past few seasons the Chargers look anything but ready for the 1st game of the season. San Diego came out flat and let the young Chiefs gain their confidence. Jamal Charles made defenders look silly with his burst of speed for a touchdown run. Dexter McCluster broke a punt return for a 94 yard return and touchdown. The Chiefs have looked to upgrade at something that can't be taught, and that is speed. Between McCluster and Arenas the return game looks to be solid. Phillip Rivers was able to move the ball and finished 22/39 298 yards 2 TDs and a rating of 98.0. I thought the absence of Vincent Jackson was going to be evident but not so much. Rivers seems to have trust in WR Legedu Nannee who finished with 5 catches for 110 yards and a TD. The Chiefs pretty much dared anyone else to beat them in the pass game not named Antonio Gates, throwing double and sometimes triple coverage at him. Matt Cassel numbers wasn't impressive going 10/22 for 68 yards and a TD. Kansas City (or New England west as I call them, is it me or do they have like the entire Pats staff of a few years back on that team) looks like a young team on the rise.

What's your favorite loser team

Everyone has that one team that despite their losing you still root for them. In my case, that team has become the Tennessee Volunteers football team. It seem like forever ago, but once a point of time the Vols were crushing the likes of Florida, Alabama and LSU on a regular. It was a given that Tennessee was the team to beat in the SEC. Phil Fulmer was looked at like a God in orange. Peyton Manning was throwing passes to Peerless Price and handing off to Jamal Lewis (Peyton was also robbed for the Heisman that year but thats another conversation). Tee Martin led the Vols to the national championship in 1999 and all was good in Vol ball land. Those were the good ol days in my memory of Tennessee football from the mid to late 90's. In the 2000's, Fulmer went from God to canned after a few lackluster seasons and some recruiting classes not panning out for him. That was all the ammunition new athletic director Mike Hamilton needed to pull the trigger and bring in of all coaches Lane Kiffin (His name in TN is like a curse word now). After all of one season filled with petty arguments with Urban Meyer, a few recruiting violations and ill conceived last minute press conference telling the big orange faithful that his dream job came calling, Lane and his dad went back to the west coast when USC couldn't find anybody else to take the job( See Reggie Bush and recruting violations)  and left the program in shambles. I could go on all day speaking on how Lane Kiffin did this and that to the program but its not all his fault. Lane Kiffin did not hire Lane Kiffin even though I'm sure he is the type of egotistical person who would if he had the chance. Mike Hamilton went for the home run hire and ended up striking out. Now, after numerous shots at high profile coaches only to be turned down by numerous coaches, Derek Dooley from Louisiana Tech steps in to try to lead the Vols back to the glory days. He seems like a good fit but has a ways to go to fill out the roster to be able to compete in the SEC. That means a lot of losing and bad football in a state that is use to seeing their team win. As evidenced in the Oregon demolishing of UT 48-13, this is going to be a long season for us UT fans.




However with all that being said, I still love my Vols. We might get blown out by 40 but I bet you want go to Neyland Stadium and brag about it. I know one day we will rise up and beat the crap out of Florida again (God I hate that stupid Gator chomp hand thing they do) and Alabama. Hell it might be a long time but as the saying goes every dog has its day and going threw the bad times with your team makes you a better fan. Real fans stick with their team in the bad and good times, not jumping onto the hot team of the moment. I actually know a few guys who rooted for the Vols until Florida started taking off and now these same guys are wearing Florida jerseys. Those are not real fans just team groupies as I call them.



So what do you guys think? I know there are some Cub, Clippers (ok maybe not), Lions, Vandy fans out there that know what I mean. I love real fans, not the fair weather guys. If you are a real fan, share a story of your favorite loser team and tell me why you still root for that team.

Weekend Observations

At this time of the year, Autumn is settling in and football is king again. There are Plenty of things to catch up to so we will just get to it.



College Football- Three up and Three down

Three up



1. South Carolina- I continue to be impressed with this team. Marcus Lattimore tore Georgia racking up 182 yards in his first conference game. He is a load to contain in between the tackles and gives the Gamecocks a reliable offensive weapon. Steven Garcia was good enough going 12-17 for 155 yards but he doesn't have to put up spectacular numbers with the addition of Lattimore. Georgia couldn't do anything with the kid and the Gamecocks offensive line looks very good. They are my darkhorse pick for the SEC east division.



2. Oklahoma- I was one of the critics going into their game with FSU and boy was I wrong about this team. In what looked to be a shootout int the beginning of the game, Oklahoma turned into a blowout. They came out and put a beat down on what is suppose to be a decent Seminole squad (I guess we can say Utah State must be pretty good or the Sooners were looking to next week). Landry Jones made Florida State's secondary look like Swiss cheese. It was amazing to see the separation his receivers had before catches. Ryan Broles had a field day with 12 catches for 124 yards. This had to be dishearten for Jimbo Fisher and his staff. Bob Stoops may have taught little brother Mark a thing or two but not everything.



3. Kansas- How many people thought they would go beat ranked Georgia Tech after losing to FBS North Dakota State. If you said you did than your lying. Turner Gill's bunch came out looking like a totally different team. Gill changed quarterbacks and that seemed to rejuvenate his team. Jordan Webb sparked the offense with 3 touchdown passes ,the same offense that was so dismal and scored just 3 points last weeks vs. North Dakota State. After the week of turmoil Kansas had to deal with, this was a much deserved win.



Three down



1. The ACC- What a crappy weekend for the conference. It seems like everybody lost this weekend: Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Florida State, and Miami (FL). The Virginia Tech lost hurt the entire conference as far as credibility and the losses by FSU and Miami (FL) to other nationally ranked schools shows where the ACC is as far is the pecking order in College Football. The only two teams to win was Maryland, who played Morgan State ( They better had won) and Wake Forrest who beat conference rival Duke (does that really count?). Bottom line is that the conference had a chance to make a statement this weekend playing some quality teams and guess you can say statement made although in a very bad way.



2. Virginia Tech- Sorry ACC fans but I have to pile on even more here. Virginia Tech, which is suppose to be the cream of the crop in the ACC lost to freaking James Madison. Maybe they should have taken this weekend off, they still looked uninspired and uninterested after playing Boise State this Monday. The offense couldn't score more than 16 points vs a FBS opponent, really? Tyrod Taylor, really? Frank Beamer really? The craziest part about this is that this deals a blow to Boise's national title hopes with such a bad loss.



3. Florida State- I had a hard time picking between Miami (FL) and FSU but after watching some footage of the horrendous defensive performance, State gets the nod here. Look at Landry Jones stats: 30-40 380 yards and 4 touchdowns. He had 300 yards passing in the first half alone. If Bob didn't call off the doesn’t call off the dogs, he could have easily threw for 500 yards. You just don't expect this from a Seminole defense and yeah I know they are in transition on defense but God I know they still have some athletes back there that can compete. In what was suppose to be the momentum for his Heisman campaign, Christian Ponder finished 11-28 for 113 yards. He had back to back INTs on consecutive plays. It was just an ugly performance after a lot of fanfare from the Seminole fan base.



NFL three up and three down

Three Up



1. Houston Texans- It has to feel good to beat the Colts the way that they did. Facing Peyton Manning and the dark cloud that hangs over the franchise, Houston came out and just pounded Indianapolis on both sides of the ball. Arian Foster (from the University of Tennessee I have to add) rushed for 231 yards and made the Colts D look very suspicious. The Colts are not use to playing from behind and Houston jumped out to a 13 point lead. From there they just gave it to Foster who ran wild yesterday. If I had told you that Matt Schuab would go 9-17 for 107 yard and the Texans would beat the Colts by ten you would call me a liar.



2.Seattle Seahawks- Way to break in the new regime by handing it to the Niners. Pete Carroll is one cool guy. If you just look at him on the sidelines, it looks likes at any moment he could be leaving to go surfing but this guy can coach and motivate as well. The 49ers were supposed to be the class of the division but Seattle was the one who took San Fran to Class. Matt Hasselbeck looked liked Matt circa 2004 making some great throws and displaying his keen pocket awareness running for a touchdown. Mike Williams showed why they let go of Housh. I am very impressed and excited to see how they build off this win.



3. New England Patriots- The demise of the Pats have been greatly exaggerated. The Bengals were a popular pick to take down New England but Brady and the boys came out and whooped Cincinnati. Wes Welker came back and caught 8 passes for 64 yards and a touchdown. Brady finishes a week where he was in a car wreck signed a new contract making him the highest paid player in football and then beating up on the Bengals. Not a bad week in my book.



Three down



1.Oakland Raiders- I was pretty high on this team. I thought that Jason Campbell would finally give them the stability of a legitimate starter coupled in with the facts that Darren Mcfadden would have a breakout year and the defense would provide enough to at least make for a 8 or 9 win season for this team. Wrong, wrong and wrong. They came out and got man handled on both sides of the ball. Campbell was sacked 4 times and pressured and hurried many other times. Chris Johnson couldn't have asked for a better team to go against starting his 2,500 yard campaign.



2. San Francisco 49ers- This is suppose to be their year to win the division and this is how come out and play. Mike Singletary has to be disappointed and I feel one those great speeches of his will be needed after this one. Alex Smith looked decent but every once in a while he reverts back to the old Alex Smith as when he had a perfect play action called and had his man in the end zone wide opened and over threw him. Frank Gore couldn't find any running room in what was suppose to be a revamped offensive line. They tried on the goal line, going for 4th down multiple times but couldn't punch it in. San Fran is a good team but its time to start performing week in and week out and they are going to take the division crown this year.



3.Cincinatti Bengals- So after all the hooting and hollering about this team has a Super Bowl or bust mentality, they come out and lay an egg in the first game. The Score was 31-3 at one point for crying out loud. When you have the weapons the Bengals have there is no excuse not to put up points on anybody. This New England team got lit up by Sam Bradford in their last preseason game and Carson Palmer, Terrell Owens, and Ocho whatever he is calling himself these days have to right this ship before the media jumps in and hijacks their season. If they have another bad performance next week, watch out because the light will be burning hot on them.



Other things I noticed:


How many people thought that was touchdown by Calvin Johnson? I have my hand raised at this moment. I understand the interpretation of the rule but the guy clearly had his leg, butt, hand and everything else touched the ground but because when he got up he used the ball as leverage they called it an incomplete pass? Dumb rule in my book



Michael Vick looked like the old Michael Vick in clean up duty for Kevin Kolb. Do I smell a QB controversy in Cheese steak city? I don't think so, Kolb makes to much money to make that debatable but if he does not perform well again or is out for an amount of time, Vick looks to have control of the offense and flashed some of the brilliance that made us fall in love with him in the first place.

Floyd Mayweather and Matt Barnes accused of domestic abuse

Floyd "Money" Mayweather is a very interesting guy. Recently he made a racially infused rant about Manny Pacquiao and days later he apologized if he offended any one in the process. Now he is being accused of domestic violence against his baby mother Josie Harris. According to TMZ.com, Multiple police cars showed up at Mayweather’s home early this morning after receiving a call at 5:03 AM from Harris who said she had been attacked by the boxing superstar.









For what reason is not known to me why would this guy jeopardize himself by giving his baby mama a left jab and right hook combo? Now to be fair, I don't have any kids so I don't know the strain of a relationship with kids, but I do have friends who give me a bleak description of their relationships. Hope Harris was bobbing and weaving.

As for newly signed Laker Matt Barnes his case is different. According to NBC sports: An incomplete 911 call prompted a police visit to Barnes' residence and deputies determined Barnes and the woman he lives with had been in a physical confrontation, during which Barnes prevented her from talking to 911 operators. Barnes was determined to be the primary aggressor and will be in court on Monday.







Come on Matt, You was just on Shaq's ex-wife T.V show Basketball wives and now you do this? What is it with these guys? You can have all the money in the world and still beat up on your girlfriend. I guess money doesn't change that. To be fair, all the details from both of these cases have not come forward. When its a domestic case it usually mean some juicy details are just around the corner. These incidents remind me of the movie Next Friday. " Hey Dada, That crazy bitch outside." Sorry but its the true.

Finally Friday Edition 3

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The Minnesota Vikings season started as it ended last year, with a defeat at the hand of the New Orleans Saints. In what was a sloppy game to say the least, The Saints found just enough offense to keep times rolling in a 14-9 victory. Compared too the last time these two met, this game didn't live up to the billing. I remember thinking to myself "God this is not the game I expected" but in all fairness it was impossible to live up to that epic playoff performance they had.

Brett Favre showed some life in that soon to be arthritic arm in the first half hooking up with Visanthe Shiancoe for some beautiful throws, but he looked more his age in the second half. His number don't indicate the story (15/27 171 yards 1 TD). He made some bad throws and got away with some interceptions throughout the game. Adrian Peterson had a solid performance, but I was surprised he didn't get more carries as he was by far the most effective player Minnesota had going for them. New Orleans was able to get away with rushing the ball only 3 times in the first half. Sean Payton stated that he was trying to spread out the defense. In the second half they did go back to the run game establishing Pierre Thomas with 19 carries 71 yards and a touchdown ( Bush 2 carries for 14 yards big numbers for the former 2nd overall pick). Garrett Hartley could have made the game a lot easier for the Saints missing two makeable field goals.

The one thing I will take from this game is how formidable the Saints D was. They don't get the credit always but the defense is what won the game for them. I did predict a Saints Victory and they did come away with the win although in an unconventional manner. As the season picks up their offense will again be one of the best in the league. Drew Brees was 27/36 237 yard and a touchdown. He doesn't get the respect of Manning and Brady, but the guy gets it done. I just wish this game could have been played later in the season when both teams were a little more settled in, but overall not the worse start to the season.

Floyd Mayweather and Matt Barnes accused of domestic abuse

Floyd "Money" Mayweather is a very interesting guy. Recently he made a racially infused rant about Manny Pacquiao and days later he apologized if he offended any one in the process. Now he is being accused of domestic violence against his baby mother Josie Harris. According to TMZ.com, Multiple police cars showed up at Mayweather’s home early this morning after receiving a call at 5:03 AM from Harris who said she had been attacked by the boxing superstar.




For what reason is not known to me why would this guy jeopardize himself by giving his baby mama a left jab and right hook combo? Now to be fair, I don't have any kids so I don't know the strain of a relationship with kids, but I do have friends who give me a bleak description of their relationships. Hope Harris was bobbing and weaving.

As for newly signed Laker Matt Barnes his case is different. According to NBC sports: An incomplete 911 call prompted a police visit to Barnes' residence and deputies determined Barnes and the woman he lives with had been in a physical confrontation, during which Barnes prevented her from talking to 911 operators. Barnes was determined to be the primary aggressor and will be in court on Monday.



Come on Matt, You was just on Shaq's ex-wife T.V show Basketball wives and now you do this? What is it with these guys? You can have all the money in the world and still beat up on your girlfriend. I guess money doesn't change that. To be fair, all the details from both of these cases have not come forward. When its a domestic case it usually mean some juicy details are just around the corner. These incidents remind me of the movie Next Friday. " Hey Dada, That crazy bitch outside." Sorry but its the true.

Carmelo Anthony the Chicago Bull?

The rumor mill is circulating and now reports are coming out saying that the Chicago Bulls are trying to acquire the Nuggets all-star forward. According to multiple sources, the Bulls are said to be trying to send Luol Deng, James Johnson and Taj Gibson. Another possibility is Joakim Noah. To be fair it sounds like a good trade for Denver. New York doesn't have enough to offer them and neither does New Jersey so this might get done. If Carmelo is indeed moved to the Bulls than that immediately are thrust into championship level talk. We will have to see how this one shakes out.

Are you ready for some Football?

vs .

In the instant classic that it was, last years NFC championship game had so many thought provoking twists and turns in it. Between all of the turnovers (Vikings had 5 ouch), the big hits (Brett aged another 3 years after that game) and the intensity of the fans in the Superdome this game had it all.




When you look at the stats, other than the turnovers, it is hard to fathom how the Vikes lost this game. Minnesota won all the measurables that you look for in a contest: Time of posseion Vikes 36:49 to Saints 27:46, Rushing yards Vikes 168 Saints 65, First downs Vikes 31 Saints 15, Total yards Vikes 475 Saints 257, Total plays Vikes 82 Saints 55, Turnovers Vikings 5 Saints 1. What this breakdown demonstrates is that the Vikings controlled the ball, had the offense running effectively, and for the most part held the Saints offense in check.



It can not be understated the effect that turnovers has on games. If you can create opportunities for your offense to have the ball more than the other team by logic you give your team a shot to win. The Saints defense was a perfect example of this. The Saints were 20th in points allowed and 25th in total yards but were 2nd in turnovers. Turnovers dictate big plays. Darren Sharper revived his career with a league leading 9 interceptions and 3 returned for a touchdown. As for Minnesota, Adrian Peterson for the most part punished the Saints defense with 25 carries and 122 yards 3 TDs. The only knack for Peterson is those careless fumbles. No one doubts this man is a beast and every team would love to have him but those turnovers just kill the offense. As well as Brett Favre throwing into coverage, when he could have ran for the first down on the Vikings final drive. Brett will be Brett and the same for Peterson. I give the coaching staff of the Saints all the credit, especially Gregg Williams for designing just a brutal defensive scheme that left Favre leaning toward retirement after the game. Drew Brees will always bring it and as long as he and Sean Payton are together look for a good offensive strategy with this team.



As for tonight's game, you have a lot of different factors going into it. 1. How is the ankle Brett? Favre has reportedly been receiving pain killer shots in his ankle. If he is getting this in week 1, that should worry Minnesota fans. 2. Are the Saints still hungover from partying? I have never really cared about championship celebrations. They are usually filled with dumb speeches (who can forget Shaq with "Can you dig it?"), terrible dancing (Mark Madsen, Robert Kraft, the entire Chicago White Sox team) and crazy fans in attendance. The Saint's celebration was different because it just felt like that region needed to be uplifted. That was until that BP spill thing anyway. I actually wanted to be there and take that one in. Can you imagine a partying for a Super Bowl victory on top of Mardi Gras, are you freaking kidding me? The Saints have good leadership and should be back to speed by now.



In a match up of NFC contenders once again, I have to go with the Saints. They have so many weapons on offense, even more than last year when you add Lance Moore who was injured last year. The run game is sound and the defense is opportunistic. The Vikings are a solid team as well. Brett will show some rust in his first game but once the arm is greased, he will again be the old Favre. The real key to the Vikings will be Adrian Peterson. He has to carry this team until Favre gets hot. I can see getting 25 to 30 carries in the range of 125 to 150 yards. Jared Allen (minus the mullet) will lead the defense and will wreck some havoc but the Saints proved last year they can stand up after being knocked down on offense.



Final prediction: Saints 28 Vikings 24.