College Football Weekend Finale

This weekend we saw the SEC championship game tickets get punched as South Carolina dominated Florida as they never have before and Auburn with the sensational Cam Newton overwhelm Georgia. It should be an competitive and exciting game in Atlanta with those two teams. Virginia Tech's blowout of North Carolina further cemented them as the best team in the ACC. As the season winds down, the good team have separated themselves from the bad. Now for the breakdown of those highlighted games and other observations from this weekend.

South Carolina 36 vs. Florida 14 - The Marcus Lattimore show was on full display in this game. The fab Freshman toted the ball 40 times and produced 212 yards and 3 touchdowns. He just pummeled the Gators for and set the tone early and often for the Gamecocks. Lattimore had 21 carries for 83 yards in the first half but its was 21-yard scamper for a TD that really broke the Gators spirits. Stephen Garcia did his part as well going 15/22 for 156 with no turnovers and he also added 28 yards on the ground. This is only the second time in 19 tries that the Gamecocks have beat Florida.  South Carolina also beat Florida for the first time at home since joining the SEC in 1992, and now advance to their first ever SEC championship game. As for Florida, their offensive attack reverted back to what we saw mostly this year. "Threebow" in reference to the three QBs they use to match Tim Tebow production could not get the offense going. John Brantley finished with a pedestrian stat line of 16/31 for 130 yards. Jordan Reed and Trey Burton didn't even play much.The same Gator team that looked so crisp and speedy on offense the last two games, looked pathetic this game.  Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps were bottled up and that was all she wrote for Florida. South Carolina moves on to  face Auburn in the SEC championship game.

Auburn 41 vs. Georgia 31 - If Cam Newton isn't the best player in college football, you tell me who is? The Auburn QB was just a one man wrecking crew once again in the Tigers win over the Bulldogs.  Newton busted the Bulldogs defense up for 150 yards on the ground and went 12/15 for 148 yards and a touchdown in the air. The Tigers marched down the field on their opening drive and took a 7-0 lead but Georgia would go on to score the next 21 points as receiver as A.J Green and QB Aaron Murray began to get hot. Green had a spectacular day as well with 9 catches for 164 yards and two touchdowns. But Newton and the Auburn's offense could not be stopped. RB Onterrio McCalebb 4-yard run capped off a 9 play, 73 yard drive that made the game 21-14 Georgia. Georgia would be forced to punt on their next series and The Tigers again scored on the next possession with Newton using a beautiful play-action fake to find a wide open Philip Lutzenkirchen down the middle of the field for another TD that made it 21-21 going into halftime. Georgia and QB Aaron Murray would add 10 more points in the 3rd quarter but it wouldn't be enough as the Tigers offense kept rolling and eventually would tally 49 points. I also have to commend Nick Fairley who seemed to be in the Bulldogs backfield all game long. Cam Newton may have a lot of problems off the field but on it, he is simply the most electrifying player in college. He is Tebow 2.0 with ability to run in space and he throws better than Tebow ever did. He became the first player in SEC history to throw for 2,000 yards run for 1,000 in this game. If he doesn't get the Heisman due to those allegations he is facing than something is really wrong and flawed with the system of voting. I just haven't saw a better player this year and maybe the last two years than the Tigers QB. Auburn will face South Carolina for the SEC crown now but not before the annual Iron bowl with Alabama. That one should be a doozy and be careful Auburn fans, they still have to win out to play in the National championship game.

Va Tech 26 vs. North Carolina 10 - The Hokies dominated the Tar Heels on both sides of the ball and are now just one game away from winning the ACC coastal division. Tyrod Taylor finished with 249 yards passing and the Hokies defense had their way with the Tar Heels. Virginia Tech actually trailed 10-9 going into halftime but they were a different team in the second half. Taylor would find an open Marcus Davis for a 43-yard strike to open the half and from their the Hokies would only add to their separation. Taylor found Davis again for an 11-yard TD pass and the game was never in much doubt from their. “I think we’re playing at a high level right now, and as long as we continue to play it, I think people will eventually respect us,” Taylor said. The Hokies now travel to Miami to visit the Hurricanes next weekend and need to win either of its final two games to reach the league title game in Charlotte on Dec. 4. Its been a long winding road for Frank Beamer's team but they have just about wrapped up their side of division.

Other News and Notables:

BCS frontrunner's survive: Cal almost pulled off the epic upset of Oregon, using different defensive fronts and switching their number of down linemen on every defensive play. As the score indicated, the Bears were able to slow down Oregon's seemingly unstoppable offense. It did however look as if Cal was able to stop the clock with a few "questionable" injuries. All great teams have a game where they don't look great and this happens to be Oregon's. They still have a few tough games ahead of them in Arizona and the Civil War game versus Oregon State. Cal may have shown those teams how to beat the Ducks so stay tuned for their final two games. TCU almost had a major letdown after defeating Utah last week. The Horned Frogs were able to narrowly defeat San Diego St. 40-35. As stated above, every team has inevitable trap game but luckily for the Horned Frogs they were able to keep their national title hopes alive. Utah didn't help out their cause though, after they were demolished by Notre Dame ( In a word, Wow) 28-3.

Wisconsin - Did anyone see the Badgers literally just run over Indiana? The Badgers rolled up 598 total yards with 338 yards of it on the ground. Their starter and 2009 Big Ten offensive player of the year John Clay didn't even play this game and they still had to rushers over 100 yards with Montee Ball going for 167 and James White adding 144 yards. That's the definition of smash mouth football.

The Big East - Now this is just getting ridiculous. How does a BCS conference not have a team ranked in the top 25? Pittsburg's loss to Uconn now means that going into their BCS game, the team that wins the conference probably won't be ranked. This has just been an awful year for the conference as a whole this year. I know they can't wait for the basketball season to get under way.

Tennessee Titans vs. Miami Dolphins Preview

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The Titans now have their bye week behind them now and a new toy on offense in Randy Moss. Tennessee (5-3) now takes on a tough Miami Dolphins (4-4) team. Miami, as their record indicates has had an up and down year. They have won all their games on the road and loss all at home, which bolds well for the Titans. Miami's losses have come against solid teams including three division leaders in New England, Pittsburgh, and the New York Jets. Miami also benched starter Chad Henne in favor of veteran and former Moss teammate Chad Pennington. 

Vince Young is expected to be able to start and will have his chances against the Dolphins. Miami has given up nine plays of 25 yards or more through the air in the past four weeks, something Moss could help exploit. The Titans' Young is the AFC's highest-rated passer at 103.1 and doesn't have a turnover in his last five games.The Dolphins on the other hand have a minus-eight turnover ratio in losses and are plus-one in wins. That is one of the reasons Miami is turning back to Pennington as Henne has already thrown 10 interceptions. Henne's last game versus the Titans, he threw 3 interceptions in a 27-24 Titans win back on Dec 20 of last year. Miami also addressed their secondary releasing former first round pick Jason Allen and adding veteran cornerback Al Harris to bolster that unit.

Now lets breakdown the keys to the game for the Titans:

1. The Moss effect -  Former Minnesota coach Mike Tice had a formula for getting Moss the ball. 40% of all passes were to go to Moss. I doubt that will be the case here in Tennessee but its all but certain that offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger will call special plays for the former all-pro. Moss has 10 touchdowns in 10 meetings with the Dolphins.The Titans can utilize Moss in a variety of ways including in motion, on the outside, play-actions and as a decoy. His mere presence will mean no more eight in the box defensive formations because teams respect Moss's abilities. It will take time for the Titans to work Moss into the system but once he gets the playbook down, you will see his explosive capabilities. Even without Moss knowing the system yet, he still will have an impact for Tennessee this game.

2. Pressure Pennington and Protect Vince- The Titans look to get pressure on Chad Pennington. The Titans lead the league with 3.3 sacks a game. Miami has a good offensive line only allowing 15 sacks this year. They have all-pro Jake Long anchoring the line. If they Titans can find a way to apply heat to Pennington it should set up some turnovers. Pennington has never been mistaken as a mobile QB and he has sat out this entire year so I look for the Titans to be able to get to him a few times in the game. At that same token the Titans have to protect Vince Young. Young has been in and out of the lineup because of various injuries to his ankle, knee and Achilles. To be fair the two most recent injuries Young suffered was not at the hands of the offensive line as Young was out of the pocket on one and was at the bottom of a scrum for the ball on the other. Cam Wake has been a revelation this year for the Dolphins and has already racked 8.5 sacks in eight games this year.The Dolphins are ranked 10th in the league with 21 sacks and the Titans are 4th with 26. Bottom line, these are two teams who get to the QB. Who ever protects the QB the best this game will have the advantage.

3.Can CJ get finally break loose - Chris Johnson comes into this game as the 5th leading rusher in the NFL with his 721 yards. His stats are not bad this year but compared to his NFL offensive player of the year campaign of last year, they are off. It won't be easy breaking the big one on the Dolphins either. They've allowed two runs of 20 yards or more - third fewest in the league. The Moss effect will lead to fewer men in the box as I stated earlier. I find it very intriguing to see how teams will play the Titans now with Moss. It could be a pick you poison team with Johnson and Moss. I look for Johnson to break for one his signature runs this game. He will have his opportunities as teams will have to focus on who they want to stop. Moss and the passing game will also get favorable circumstances as well after Johnson loosens up the Dolphins D.

Game summary: The Titans have the edge in most departments in this game. They will look to get Moss going early and often. The defense should be able to apply pressure to Pennington and force turnovers. Chris Johnson will get opportunities he didn't have in the past as Moss opens the field and running lanes for him. Watch out for Dolphins offensive weapons Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams and Brandon Marshall as they account for most of the Dolphins offense.

Game notes and streaks: Tennessee ranks second in league with 19 takeaways,The Titans have the NFL’s stingiest red-zone defense with opponents only being successful 29 percent,  In three games against Tennessee, Chad Pennington has thrown for 814 yards with a QB rating of 105.0, The Dolphins are 0-3 at home and have lost five consecutive home games since last year, Even with their .500 record, Miami has been outscored by 32 points, The Dolphins offense has scored only 11 touchdowns, which ties for second-worst in league, Ronnie Brown has played 13 consecutive games since his most recent 100-yard game, and Miami’s wildcat offense hasn't had much success this year only gaining 30 yards in 20 snaps this season.

College Football Weekend Setup

Last weekend was one of the better slate of games this year, with two sexy top ten BCS match-ups (Alabama vs. LSU and TCU vs. Utah).This week doesn't have the great games of last week, but there are a few top 25 teams facing off. The most important game of the weekend comes out of the SEC (No surprise there right?). No. 23 South Carolina travels to the swamp to face No.22 Florida, in a battle that will determine the SEC east champion. Auburn, amid all the controversy surrounding Cam Newton, can clinch the SEC west with a win over Georgia and Virginia Tech continues their assault on the ACC (after losing to everyone else) taking on North Carolina. Now for the break down of those games.

South Carolina (6-3) vs. Florida (6-3) - When the season started, the first game I watched was South Carolina vs. Southern Miss. I could tell then that this Gamecock team was going to be a force. Marcus Lattimore gives them a different dimension they haven't had, with his physical style of running. I knew they would be the chief challenger to Florida's strangle hold on the SEC east division. Florida wasn't what we expected to be this year, but low and behold they still can stay can make their way to Atlanta if they win this game. I look for coach Urban Meyer to pull out all the tricks for this one. The one Achilles heel for South Carolina this year has been their pass defense. The Gamecocks rank 109th in the nation in that department giving up 264.7 yards per game. If the Gators are going to exploit that area of the Gamecocks, they will need more out of QB John Brantley. He has been average this year and Meyer has been forced to use multiple QBs in his last few games. Florida offense has waken up a bit over the past two games with the wrinkles Meyer installed in their bye week. They have utilized QB Jordan Reed more and also Trey Burton. South Carolina may not have a 100 percent Marcus Lattimore and that would put the pressure on QB Stephen Garcia and his favorite receiver Alshon Jeffrey to step up. Florida has one of the best secondaries in college football with 17 interceptions, so that won't be easy. I really think this is the year the Gamecocks get it done. They have never won the SEC east or at Florida ( Which is amazing when you realize they have been a member of the SEC since 1992). This is one of those the nerd has to beat the bully to get respect games. This is the way it should be for the Gamecocks and coach Steve Spurrier. Its comes full circle for them. I think the motivation of all these events will propel South Carolina to the victory in this game. The Pick: South Carolina

Auburn (10-0) vs. Georgia (5-5) - Auburn has a chance to clinch the SEC west title, for their first outright title since 2004. The game known as the deep south's oldest rivalry (the two teams have been playing one another since 1892) is actually being overshadowed by the controversy that is Cam Newton (or Scam Newton as some like to call him). I could go all into the swirling allegations but I won't. The game itself will be a chance for Newton to release some of his frustrations out on the field. If Auburn wins out, they know they will be playing for all the marbles in January. Georgia on the other hand needs one more victory to become bowl eligible and would like none other but to beat their rival. Georgia's LB Justin Houston has 16.5 tackles for lost this season and will be key in stopping Newton on the ground. The Bulldogs lead the SEC in per yard rushing defense, allowing a measly 3.1 yards a carry. The Tigers counter with the nation top running yards per carry average at 6.65, and have rushed for more than 300 yards in their previous five SEC games. Auburn's defense will allow a few scores by Aaron Murray and the Bulldogs offense as they have with everyone else but in the end Scam Newton I mean Cam Newton and Auburn's rushing attack will be too much. The Pick: Auburn

Virginia Tech (7-2) vs. North Carolina (6-3) - Virginia Tech infamously started the season off by losing it's first two games. One was a respectable loss to Boise State and the other not so much losing to FBS school James Madison. Since the two losses however, the Hokies have beat all comers. They are now the only undefeated team in the ACC coastal division,  and control their own destiny for the division title. If the get a win over North Carolina coupled with a Hurricanes loss to reigning conference champion Georgia Tech, than they could take the title this Saturday. Tyrod Taylor leads the Hokie offense that ranks 1st in scoring in the ACC at 36.0 points a game. The Hokies get it done on the ground as well, averaging 212.9 yards a game. This game also features the top two rated passers per efficiency in the ACC, with Taylor leading the league with a 163.3 rating and North Carolina's T.J Yates coming in with 153.4 rating. North Carolina has dealt with everything you can imagine this year and still actually has a shot at the division crown. Yates is coming off his best performance and in North Carolina history going 24/35 for 439 yards and 3 touchdowns. The biggest clash in this game will be the North Carolina run game vs. Tech's defense. The Hokies gave up 346 yards last week. But North Carolina's running back situation is a mess. James White has been have an impact year running for 720 yards and averaging 5.5 yards per carry but will be out for the rest year with a broken clavicle. Shaun Draughn was next line but he suffered a sprained ankle last week versus Florida State and his status for this game is unknown. With the cloud surrounding there running backs and Tech getting stronger each week, I have to with the Hokies. The Pick: Virginia Tech

Game of the week - South Carolina vs. Georgia. The winner gets the SEC east title and a trip to Atlanta for the SEC championship game. It doesn't get any better than this.

Most intriguing game - Kansas St. vs. Missouri. KSU will try to run over the Tigers as they have been doing everyone else but Missou comes in ranked 2nd in total defense in the Big 12 and 4th against the run.

Rivalry Game - Auburn vs. Georgia. When a game is known as "The deep south oldest rivalry" that's all that needs to be said.

Under the radar game - Mississippi State vs. Alabama - Bama's loss to LSU took away their chance to repeat as SEC west and national champs and it also too the luster off this game but it still should a good one.

Wake me when it's over game - Wyoming vs. UNLV - This one will go with both teams combined record 3-16.

Coach better get it right game - Oklahoma State vs. Texas - Now that Dan Hawkins has been fired, who can I pick on? This week its Mack Brown. His team has to much talent to be 4-5 and he needs to pull off an upset or two to keep the fan base in line.

Sportaholic Mid-Week Speed Drills

Predators Update - The Nashville Predators got off to a hot start this year, but now are just as cold. The Preds are in the midst of a five-game losing streak. Their last loss may have been the toughest defeat yet. Nashville lost to Anaheim 4-3 on a last second goal by the Ducks defensemen Paul Mara. The game winner came in with 1.7 seconds remaining in the final period. The Preds haven’t won since Oct. 24, a 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Nashville has went from first to last in the division in a matter of weeks. One reason of the slide has been the rash of injuries multiple players are facing.The Preds did get some good news. Top defensemen Ryan Suter was able to skate individually Tuesday morning for the first time in three weeks. Coach Barry Trotz would not give a date for his return but team doctors are saying the earliest he could possibly play would be Saturday versus the Chicago Blackhawks. Said Suter "I wish that it was something that I could just take a shot and jump in and it would be fine." Also forward Martin Erat practiced after missing three games with an undisclosed injury. No timetable has been set for Erat's return. The Preds return to the ice Thursday facing the St. Louis Blues. Hopefully they can get one in the win column and start a new winning streak.

Randy Moss update - There has been a Randy Moss sighting in Nashville. The seven-time pro bowler arrived in Nashville on Sunday afternoon. He was accompanied by head coach Jeff Fisher. On Monday, the receiver passed a physical, worked out and met with coaches to start learning the offense. He was introduced to the team and was seen working out on the Titans outdoor practice facility. That is good news for Titan fans. Sounds like Moss and willing and will be ready to go this Sunday when the Titans face the Miami Dolphins.  Coach Jeff Fisher had the best line of the day when he put into perspective what he and Moss have in common. I don't have a ring. He doesn't have a ring, so we're going to try," Fisher said.

UT Men's Basketball - UT men's basketball team suffered a stunning defeat at the hands of a division II opponent. Indianapolis beat the 23rd ranked Vols 79-64 on the strength of a 15-0 run to open up the second half. Tennessee's embattled head coach Bruce Pearl responded by giving the team a morning film session at 5:30 am. The Vols have little time to recover from the lost. They play again versus Chattanooga this Friday. I look for the Vols to come out aggressive to prove the loss was a fluke.

Another Tribute for Don Meyer - College Basketball's all-time wins leader will be inducted into the Tennessee sports hall of fame class of 2011. Meyer was courtside for the inaugural Don Meyer classic, which featured his former team Northern State took on Belmont. The announcement came at halftime of the game. It is a great honor for Meyer and he deserves it. He coached Lipscomb for 24 years compiling 665 wins for the Bison. He is a great man who faced even greater adversity in his life. He is an inspiration to all that he has touched in his life  The state of Tennessee and basketball as whole is better because of him. Congratulations to you coach Meyer, one of Tennessee finest.

Tyler Bray claims freshman honors - Tennessee freshman Tyler Bray was honored as SEC freshman of the week after his thrilling performance against the Memphis Tigers. Bray was 19/33 for 325 yards and 5 touchdowns passes. He set the UT record for most passing yards in a half with 308 and touchdown passes with 3. Congrats Tyler, we needed something to cheer about this year as Vols fans. UT faces Ole Miss this weekend in Knoxville. Be sure to Tune in to see how Bray follows up his record setting day from last week.

Editors note: Remember to follow me on Twitter and also on Thenashvillewire.com

Sportaholic NFL Power Rankings Week 9

 Another week and another shuffle in the rankings. The NFL has been so weird this year. You usually can count on one or two dominant teams but not this year. This has become the year of the unknown. We never know from week to week which teams will show up. There are a few consistent teams ( Pittsburgh, Baltimore, New York Jets) as far as winning, but they are not ripping teams apart. A few teams are playing as well as can in the situation their in ( Indianapolis and Green Bay) and then you have the upstarts, who are no longer the push overs they use to be (Kansas City, Oakland, and even Detroit). Now with that being said, I present to you the week 9 rankings.

1.Baltimore Ravens (6-2) - Its looks like that Bills game was a fluke. I had been reluctant to put them in the top spot without seeing a dominant performance from them and I finally got what I was looking for out of them against Miami. Ray Rice is an underrated back and I always come away impressed with his play when I get a chance to see him. Joe Flacco had a great game going 20/27 for 266 yards 2 TDs no Ints.The addition of Ed Reed has put playmaking back into their secondary as well. They added another playmaker on the offense in Donte Stallworth as too. The Ravens and Pittsburgh will battle the whole season for the AFC north crown.

2.Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) - The Steelers came out dominant at first against the Bengals but had a hard time putting them away. Ben Roethlisberger was less than spectacular but got the job done. They got more than enought breaks from the lowly Bengals (How can this team be so bad at the simple things?) Hopefully James Harrison won't be hearing from the league for his hit on Jordan Shipley, it looked perfectly legal to me. Pittsburg just keeps chugging along beating the teams that they are suppose to. Thats what champions do.

3. New York Jets (6-2) - This is the hardest team in the league to predict on a week to week basis. They almost lost to Detroit, if it wasn't for the last moment heroics. They have a young offense and that leads to inconsistency. Speaking of consistency, Mark Sanchez has to learn to stop thinking so much and just go play some football. The Jets did have the run game working as Tomlison and Shonne Greene combined for 101 yards rushing and 114 yards receving. And the one thing they can always count on is Sexy Rexy's defense.

4. New York Giants (6-2) - Welcome to the rankings Giants (and NFC). The New York football Giants defensive line have become the most domineering and destructive force in the league. They now have taken out Matt Hasselback, Tony Romo (for the season), Jay Cutler, and Matt Moore. This was their recipe for the Super Bowl last time they won in 2008. I know somewhere in Dallas, Jon Kitna is paranoid and he should be.

5.New England Patriots (6-2) - Previously number one ranked New England makes a mighty stumble. I know by the look on Bill Belicheck's face that he hates losing to his former protege Eric Mangini. The Browns actually showed the blueprint for beating the Pats. They ran the ball effectively racking up 230 yards, 184 of those coming from Peyton Hillis (Boy does that trade for Brady Quinn is looking awfully good now). They flustered Tom Brady with with a variety of fronts and coverages, which is the only way to stop him. It's hard to imagine the Browns soundly beating New England at every phase of the game like they did. You have to love the trick play they ran on the goal line with Chansi Stuckey and Josh Cribbs as well. New England will bounce back but that sure was an ugly loss.

Other News and Notes from the league:

The Channing Crowder and Le'ron McClain incident has grown legs. Now Miami Dolphins coach Tony Sparano is confirming that the Ravens fullback spit in the face of Crowder. I saw the replay of the incident but never saw anything come out of McClain's mouth. Even though I didn't see it, it's hard to say that Crowder would have got that upset if he didn't. The league will review it and if McClain did, he will be fined .

If you saw the Austin Collie hit when it happend, what was your initial reaction to it? I personally don't think it was a dirty hit. It's just football and the nature of the game itself. Collie tried to get down after making the catch but was in between two defenders with another one trying to get out of the way. Its unfortunate the way it turned out. If Quiton Mikell and Kurt Coleman get fined for that, then the rule is officially ridiculous. Even two of Collie's teammates (Aaron Francisco and Jacob Lacey) stated that it was a clean hit. Everyone should hope Collie is ok and makes a full recovery.

Phillip Rivers just won't let the Chargers give up. He is single handely keeping the Chargers season alive. Rivers has had to deal with various reasons for his top four receivers being out. Vincent Jackson had the whole holdout thing and Antonio Gates, Legedu Nanee and Malcolm Floyd all being out with various injuries. He has had to make due with practice squad receivers with rookie Seyi Ajirotutu catching two touchdowns passes last game. The guy just has a will to win and has thrown for 2,944 yards through nine games, 357 more than any other quarterback. He is on pace to break Dan Marino's all -time season mark. I wouldn't be surprised if he breaks it or if San Diego comes back to win the division with Rivers at the helm.

Wade Phillips almost wasn't the first coach to get fired this season. Brad Childress almost got that distinction after he made the impromptu decision to cut Randy Moss, without consulting owner Zygi Wilf. You know that is kind of important Brad. If you going to cut a future hall of famer, you might just want to tell the guy who owns the team not to mention you cost your team 3rd round draft pick. Wilf reportedly so upset he responded by almost firing the embattled Childress rather than cutting Moss. The Vikings owner surveyed his players to see what the atmosphere was like. Fortunate for Childress, Wilf backed off. But now the coach will be based on a week to week performance. The victory they pulled out against Arizona was unbelievable. Favre rescued the Vikings season and his coach's job.

And Finally, what is your over/under on Jason Garrett remaining the coach in Dallas after this season? I say its about 50/50 at best. Jones will let Garrett audition but it really is unfair to Garrett. He has the same players who cost Wade Phillips his job. I will say their is no motivation like knowing your job is on the line. Everyone will be on the hook if they continue to play the way they have been. If Garrett doesn't get the job done, Jones will be relentless in finding a big name coach to fill the vacancy.

I don't necessarily think that you have to go after the big name coach in order for the team to be successful but I'm sure Jerry will chase the big names first. Just look at Mike Tomlin, Jim Harbaugh and Mike Smith.They all have had success and were not big name at the time of their hiring. If Jerry does chase, Bill Cowher or Jon Gruden seem like good hires. Cowher has a track record as a disciplinarian and would add some needed direction in that department but a lot of sources are saying he won't be interested in the position because of the authority Jerry Jones would want to exert on him. As for Gruden, he would come into a similar situation as the one he had in Tampa Bay. There are players in place but the culture of the team needs to be changed. He is a football man in every pore of his body. I think he could turn around the team. Hopefully they can get someone, even if it's not the big name to turn the fortunes of the franchise around for America's team.

Wade Phillips finally gets the axe in Dallas.

We all seen this coming right? After the teams dismal performance on Sunday night football, Jerry Jones finally decided to pull the plug on Phillips in in Big D. It was time and a lot will say it was long overdue. Jerry Jones had said that he was committed to Phillips but this season has just turned out to be a disaster for the Cowboys.

Dallas was supposed to be a trendy Super Bowl pick heading into this year but got off to an ugly 1-4 start before starting QB Tony Romo was laid out for the year against the Giants. Since the lost of Romo, the team has looked dazed and confused. They didn't put up a fight in their two games since losing Romo. The debacle that was the Sunday night game last night versus Green Bay showed that the players had given up on Phillips. Their is no way Jerry Jones, being the type of owner he is, will put up with that just pathetic brand of football they played and Wade Phillips became the scapegoat.This is their worst season since 1989 and among the worst in franchise history by record alone. Phillips leaves Dallas with a 34-22 record over 4 1/2 seasons guiding the Cowboys. He also was 1-2 in the postseason. Dallas won the NFC East twice on his watch.

Dallas now will turn the controls over to offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, who was suppose to be the Head Coach in waiting anyway. He will now get his chance to prove if he is able to handle being a head coach. Even if he does a good job there will be a lot of speculation about his job security. Dallas has been rumored with Bill Cowher, Jon Gruden, Minnesota DC Leslie Frazier and current Carolina head coach John Fox.

Nothing will fix this season for the Cowboys, they will just have to play it out and hope for the best next year, because this season is over. The entire team and coaching staff are just auditioning for Jerry's world next season.

Tennessee Titans Mid-season Awards

The Titans are at the mid-point of their 2010-2011 season and are enjoying their bye week. This gave me the perfect opportunity to reflect on the season thus far and hand out some awards for the season so far. Sorry guys, I don't have any actual hardware but hey you still being rewarded. Without further interruption, I present to you the inaugural Sportaholic mid-season awards

MVP - Chris Johnson. Who else could it be other than Johnson? I am more impressed with him this year than last year, although his numbers are down from his NFL offensive player of the year standards of last year. Its because of more teams focusing on him defensively but he still shows toughness and leads the team with 721 yards rushing on 178 attempts. He also has 22 receptions for 90 yards.That puts Johnson at 5th in the league in rushing and on pace for 1,646 yards. It may not the 2,500 he wanted at the beginning of the season but as long as the Titans are winning, I think he is fine with that.  He is the straw that stirs the offense in Tennessee as the offense centers around his abilities. He should be able to rush for even more in the second half with the addition of Randy Moss.

Defensive Player of the half - The Defensive Line. I tried to narrow it down as much as I could but after researching the stats, the Titans entire defensive line have delivered the goods so far this year. By the numbers they have 25 as a unit which led the NFL going into their bye week. As you break down player by player number of sacks, you see that everyone is in on the action: Jason Babin 7.0, Dave Ball 6.0, Tony Brown 2.5, and Derrick Morgan 1.5 sacks. You have to give a lot of credit to defensive coordinator Chuck Cecil. No team gets after the quarterback like the Titans do. Cecil coaches the players to go after the QB each play but to also stop the run if the play turns out that way. And while we are on the subject of Cecil, you just have to love the bird flip he gave the refs in the game. Players love playing for guys like that and the defensive line is showing it.

Rookie of the half- Alterraun Verner. The Titans are getting some solid contributions out of their rookie class. Marc Mariani has a been pleasant surprise in the return game averaging 26.8 yards a return and who can forget the one he returned for a 98-yard touchdwon against the Cowboys. Damien Williams has also been moving up the depth chart and has contributed nicely. But this honor has to go Alterraun Verner. The cornerback out of UCLA has earned the starting spot in his rookie season and has 2 interceptions and 8 passes defended to date. He plays the physical brand of football that Jeff Fisher loves. He was just what the Titans needed to go along with Cortland Finnegan in the other cornerback position.

Breakout player of the half - Kenny Britt. Britt has served the league notice that he will be a force in years to  come. His performance against the Philadelphia Eagles was awe-inspiring. 7 catches for 225 yards and 3 touchdowns and he didn't even play in the first quarter! He was on pace to have a monster year before he went down with the hamstring injury but when he does get back to field. I look for more of the same for him when he gets back especially now that he has Randy Moss on the other side.

Most Improved - Vince Young.  Its hard to put a guy in slot who has been injured a lot this year but if you look at Vince's numbers, you will see he is having his best year as a Titan. He has a QB rating of 103.1 which ranks him number two in the league behind only Micheal Vick. His previous high was 82.6 from last year. Now with the addition with Moss his numbers should only go up. Tom Brady and Brett Favre's rating actually went down after Moss left their respective teams. The one good thing Vince does on a consistent level is throw the deep ball well, so this could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship with Moss. As long as Young can stay out of harm way, which isn't a given the way this year is going for him, he has the chance to have his best year in Titan blue.

The Titans have a lot to be happy with at this point of the season. They have a share for first place in the division and a a 5-3 record. The Randy Moss trade has made them the talk of the league. The second half of the season is a going to be a tough slate. The Titans haven't even played Houston or Indianapolis yet and those are always tough games. If they can 3 of 4 of those games they should be able to take the division. I also look for the Moss effect to take place in Nashville. The offense should be able to take it to another level with the addition of the former all-pro. The defense should continue to be solid as well. Titans fans, we have a lot to look forward to so stay tuned and keep rooting for your Tennessee Titans.