Tennessee Dragons Kick-Off the 2011-12 Season With High Expectations

The journey is set to begin for the Tennessee Dragons and the entire UBA Basketball league as the season gets underway. This is expected to be the most completive year in an organization that has sent multiple players overseas to professional leagues all over the world. The Universal Basketball Association for those who don’t know is the 3rd ranked basketball association in the country behind only the NBA and the NBDL and is known for bringing talent in and developing them for international professional. Head Coach and General Manger of the Tennessee Steven Dolan, is one of the most respected men in basketball as he helped various players enhance their career. Those players include Brian Moultire who now plays for Oulun NMKY in Finland, Raymond Canady Jr. playing in Guangzhou FM in China, and Calvin O’Neal in Fjonir Iceland. This season Coach Dolan and the Tennessee Dragons look to take the UBA championship, as their current roster is loaded with talent. They look to build off of last year’s success that saw them finish 25-11 that included a 10-game winning streak and a runner-up finish in the Western Conference. The Dragons lost to eventual league champions the Southern Generals in the quarter finals.

The Dragons has arguably the best draft from the entire league as they picked up the uber athletic 6’4 guard Justin Tubbs from ETSU, sharp shooting Jimmy Drew of Depaul and versatile 6”11 big man Timir Patel of Houston College. When you add that to the players they have in guard Kenny Johnson, F/C Josh Jones and guard Brandon Wright then it has all the makings to challenge for the championship this year.

As quoted from Coach Dolan: The First day of Practice kicks off for the Dragons Friday October 4, 2011 for the 2011-2012 Season. The first day of our journey to the ring but the most important day of the journey as well. ITS GREAT TO BE PART OF THE NUMBER 1 MINOR LEAGUE IN THE UNITED STATES (UBA)

The Dragons season begins on Nov.20th in Atlanta, GA against the Gerogia Lions, so make sure you go out and support the best professional basketball team in the mid-state. For more info contact Steven Dolan at www.tenndragons.com or drop an e-mail to Sportaholic84@gmail.com. And make sure to keep it locked on the Sportaholic for the latest and greatest in the UBA.

SEC Game of the Week: LSU Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide

Ladies and Gentlemen in the Main Event the blog I’ve been waiting to write all year, on my left the home team in the crimson white coming in at 2 in the nation boasting Heisman Trophy candidate Trent Williams and a stout rushing attack coached by Nick ‘ Satan aka Benedict Arnold aka backstabber Saban the ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE. And on my right coming in at 1 from Death Valley led by Jarrett ‘Call him what you want but don’t call him a comeback story” Lee and coached by Les “The Mad Hatter” Miles the LSU FIGHTING TIGERS. Brace yourself college football fans this is the game of the year 1 vs. 2 and its LSU vs. Alabama tickets to this matchup are at $10,500. This game has gotten so big CBS has moved from its original 2:30 pm to PRIMETIME 7 PM These two teams have faced each other over the years from 1993 when top ranked, undefeated, and riding a 31 game winning streak Alabama faced a hapless LSU team. A Mobile (Ala) newspaper writer predicted the LSU would win “WHEN PIGS FLY”, well even though pigs weren’t seen flying over Alabama LSU pulled the stunner with a 17-13 victory. To the 1996 game where I was in attendance watched as Bama blanked LSU 26-0 in the debut of Shaun Alexander “The Great”. To a string of wins Bama had at Tiger Stadium from 1971 to 1999 which LSU was 0-14-1. The rivalry increased since Saban came back to coach college football with the Tide after he couldn’t cut it the pros in 2007. So without further ado let’s get this preview started.

Offense vs. Offense: If LSU offense was a gun it would be an AK- 47 this offense can hit you from so many different places. Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson have been working together to make one of college football’s best dual quarterback tandems in the country while both can pass Jefferson can be used in short yardage and 4th and situatations (which there may be a lot of them) and LSU has not one, not two, not three, but four capable running backs (Spencer Ware, Alfred Blue, Michael Ford, and Kenny Hilliard) and with an improving wr’s in Odell Beckham, Reuben Randall and Russell Shepard, plus it’s also its best defense even though its offense doesn’t score a lot of points it can produce long scoring drives that can make a simple 14-0 game to a 28-0, which can wear out a defense and make an offense on the sideline get cold.. While Bama will counter with QB AJ McCarron’s, RB Trent Richardson, and Marquis Maze this is going to be a test of defensives, but sure McCarron’s has the home field advantage but he has not played in a game of this magnitude, and can he respond to a long LSU scoring drive or keep calm from a pressure playing LSU D- Edge: LSU

Defense vs. Defense: For Alabama they have Courtney Upshaw at linebacker has 4.5 sacks &11.5 tackles for a loss, which ranks 8th in the nation and one of the best cornerback duo’s in the nation with Robert Lester and Dre Kirkpatrick and LSU will counter with its 3rd ranked scoring and total defense they bring back cornerback Tyrann “Da Honey badger” Mathieu and Tharold Simon which will help out Morris Claiborne and defensive ends Sam Montgomery and Barkevious Mingo look to pressure McCarron and clamp down on Richardson. Also LSUs defense has been shutting down young or inexperienced Qbs out of the SEC. Edge: EVEN

Intangibles: The past 6 matchups have been decided by 42 pts or an average of 7 points a game. Well Bama has the home field advantage for Saturday night’s showdown, but surprising all of LSUs key games have been on the road (Dallas, Starkville, Morgantown, and Knoxville) with some being against ranked opponents. LSU has played a much tougher schedule (5 ranked or ranked teams at the time LSU played them) than Bama to date, goes deep, and has played mistake free football (on the field off the field not so much). With the added edge of the Saban bowl and with strong BCS championship implications this look like a game which my need a big play to open the game up or seal it, which if it does it falls into Mathieu making a key strip, pick, or key punt or kick return and a key Les Miles coaching strategy ( hmm I wonder how Bryant-Denney Stadium grass taste). Edge LSU

Winner and why: LSU has gotten better every game offensively and defensively, but the main thing LSU hasn’t made dumb mistakes, hasn’t “given up the big play”, stayed healthy, and remained focused. No team has come close to matching LSUs intensity, but Alabama may be the closest team to come close to it .LSU has to keep playing its game both sides has to be perfect, play hard and keep the pressure on and the Bama fans out of the game. If there is ever a game more important to the LSU football program it’s THIS ONE!!! LSU has to win to eliminate the past that Saban and Bama has haunted them with. To Bama fans this just another game on their way to a 14 national championship all year commentators have been saying LSU is good but,.., this or that, LSU in my eyes has to be the most DISRESPECTED 1 team in the nation, but come Saturday Night the nation will understand how good and talented this LSU squad is and Bama’s national title journey will end, so will Trent Richardson Heisman Trophy hopes.

LSU 38 Bama 27 ( ROLL TIDE ROLL -DOWN THE HOLE DOWN THE BOWL JUST LIKE YOUR TITLE HOPES MR. SABAN AND HEISMAN HOPES MR. RICHARDSON)

Sportaholic Week 9 NFL Power Rankings

At the start of the NFL season it appeared as if the storyline of the year would become the anecdote of the underdog. The seemingly cursed franchises of Detroit, Cleveland, and Buffalo have finally risen from their cold frosty graves to give us reason to believe. Despite the fact that the combined records of these forgotten franchises in 2010 was a dismal 16-33, the trio put together a nice 14-8 record through week 9. The Browns have tailed off after starting the season 2-1 but their three wins are just one away from matching last year’s total. Detroit and Buffalo are now legit playoff contenders with each near the top of their division. The Lions have taken on role of the villain as they have made their marks on opponents with their nasty defensive style and trash talk (Just ask Matt Ryan and Tim Tebow). Head Coach Jim Schwartz has gotten in on the act as he and 49ers coach got testy after the game. Buffalo has did it with their multi faceted offensive attack. Ryan Fitzpatrick was awarded for his play and received a new 6 year $59 million dollar contract. He has led the Bills back into relevancy with a head coach everyone thought was over the hill and over his head in Chan Gailey. These two teams have every reason to believe they can make a run this year.

This may be the season of the upstarts but it appears that the perennial powers have finally raised their level of play. The Pittsburgh Steelers have settled in well after 2-2 and after whispers of the team being old. The Packers are undefeated at 7-0 and haven’t even played as complete a game as they can. Baltimore has fell victim to two let down games against divisional rivals Tennessee and Jacksonville and almost another one this past weekend against Arizona before waking up and stealing that one. You know they will focused and ready when they take on the Steelers this weekend. The Ravens-Steelers rivalry is always fun to watch as they two teams are known as the most physical teams in football.

So as we enter week 9, we have the upstarts in Buffalo, Detroit, and a few teams I didn’t mention but are also near top in San Francisco Cincinnati, and Oakland, the perennial powers of Green Bay, Pittsburgh, New England, and Baltimore. In addition to those teams you have the middle of the pack jam logged with teams that are Dr.Jeykll-Mr.Hyde in Dallas, Washington, and the New York Jets. Teams that have failed to live up to expectations but appear to but getting there in Philadelphia, Chicago, Kansas City, Tampa Bay and Atlanta. And last but not least the teams in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes for various reason with the likes of Indianapolis, Miami, and Arizona. As the season continues all those teams will muddle together and provide us unlimited entertainment as they battle for eight playoff spots in each conference.

1. Green Bay Packers (7-0) Bye Week. The Packers in my opinion are not even close to being a finished product. Granted they are undefeated, they have even tapped into the level of potential they can become. Their top 5 ranked defense from a year ago is currently ranked 25th and has lost key piece from last years run in Nick Collins at safety. Of course this is a team that lost numerous pieces last year on both sides of the ball and all they did was win a Super Bowl. The Packers will get even better as scary as that sounds as they become more consistent of defense. Clay Matthews are bit down from last years monsters stats but he will get his eventually. Charles Woodson remains one of the elite corners and Tramon Williams on the other side isn’t too shabby either. The Pack have to be considered the favorite to win the Super Bowl until further notice.

2. San Francisco 49ers (6-1) – The 49ers are the most interesting team in the league to me. Here you have a first year head coach in Jim Harbargh comes in and totally changes the face of the franchise in less than 8 months. He has brought a swagger back the bay an has this team doing what they had been predicted to do in the last few seasons, winning the division. They will have a good metric test in a couple weeks against the physical but sometimes underachieving New York Football Giants. I think that’s when we will see what we really have in San Fran.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) – In the surprise entry slot this week, we have none other then those pesky Steelers. It seems every season at one point or another everyone will count these guys out and they promptly go out and prove us wrong. Just when it seemed the league had caught up and passed Pittsburgh, Big Ben and Mike Tomlin decided that had enough of that talk. They went and dominated New England by giving them nothing on the ground and making Tom Brady even more than what he is capable of doing. The defense is always solid and with James Harrison and Hines coming back this week you know that they will be throwing everything they have at the hated Ravens. Can’t wait to watch that heavyweight tussle.

4. New England Patriots (5-2) – If they don’t come up with: A. Defensive secondary stops and B. a consistent run game, then how can we just throw all our faith in Tom Brady to carry them to a Super Bowl? Brady is great of course but anyone with football knowledge could tell against the Steelers he did everything he could and its wasn’t even close enough to get the Pats the victory in that one. The running back by committee thing needs to be revitalized in Boston as BenJarvas Green-Ellis has been the only consistent one of the bunch. Speaking of RBs in New England, where in the hell is Danny Woodhead? Last I checked he wasn’t injured but he still isn’t hurt and the Pats could definitely use in speed in space as so brilliantly did last season. Just a thought.

5. Baltimore Ravens (6-2) – The Ravens have been “King of the Letdown” this year as they lost a couple of lackluster effort games to divisional opponents. And yet there they were again dead in the water against a 1-5 Arizona Cardinals team. Joe Flacco finally woke up and Ray Rice cleaned up nicely as they came from 24-6 down to beat Arizona. Flacco has been rather flaccid this season after making his bold statements of being an elite QB. His off and on play has to be mind boggling for his team as rather they like it or not their season rides on Flacco’s right arm. Ray Lewis and the defense will always be there and always seems that they could get Ray Rice more involved. As I mentioned above, the heavyweight show down between the Ravens and the Steelers is one you will not want to miss this weekend.

So there you have it this weeks Top 5. Make sure to tune in to “The Sportaholic Radio Show” this Saturday as I interview Gerald McGrath of the Tennessee Titans. He will answer the questions most Titan fans are wondering: What wrong with Chris Johnson? Check us out on Beatknockin.com from 10 A.M to 12 P.M. and if you want to chat with us, call in at 615-260-7177.

Sportaholic Tennessee Titans vs. Indianapolis Colts Preview

The Tennessee Titans and the Indianapolis Colts come into this weekend’s game losing by a combined 87 points to their opponents last week. Both teams took one on the chin as they were just pummeled and were only able to produce 14 points between the two. Tennessee’s 41-7 loss marked their worst lost of the season and to top things off it was at home. The Titans look to rebound against Indianapolis who is still winless and getting desperate just to get a W on the board at this point after one of the worst losses in their franchise history. The Colts season continues to tank without their all everything QB Peyton Manning. I think most people expected them to be bad but lord have mercy not this awful. The joke I can keep hearing in Nashville is “Yeah we lost but at least we didn’t get beat as bad as the Colts did” I guess you have to just roll with it here in Tennessee.

This marks the 2nd straight home game for the Titans and a chance for them to get back on track after losing their last two in unceremonious fashion. The Colts come into the game ranked 27th in the league in passing yards per game and 29th in points scored per game. And that’s just their offense. Those numbers would be unheard of it number 18 was still leading them. If you go just by the numbers the Titans should dominate this game but of course games are not played on paper. Tennessee has enough problems of their own after being exposed by Texans. Houston ran their offense to near perfection on the Titans who put up little to no resistance. Coming into that game its was suppose to be an AFC South showcase between the two prohibitive favorites but Tennessee failed to get the memo. I saw several red flags in that game that puzzles me still to this moment. If your going to talk about Titans ineptitude, then you have to start off with the enigmatic RB Chris Johnson. Sports talk radio in Nashville has been going crazy with reports that Johnson has been seen out partying this week even as the Titans are in turmoil. I could care less about the partying and even more about those reporting it. Johnson has been doing the same things he always did but when you sign a $53.5 multi million dollar deal then everyone feels they should have an opinion on your lifestyle. Johnson does have to start producing on the field because a lot of people are starting to lose faith in the former All-pro back. He doesn’t seem to have that spunk that has carried him to greatness in his NFL career, I will agree to that much.

Another puzzling aspect from the Houston loss was the Titans defense. Arian Foster did everything he wanted and more in gaining 234 yards of total offense and 3 TDs. Foster’s 234 outdid the entire Titans offensive unit who were only able to muster up 148 yards of offense. That’s just pathetic and when you add what Ben Tate did with his 104 yards on 15 carries then you get the picture that I’m painting here. The Titans defense could never get the key stop that they needed and showed poor tackling as both backs continued to burst through the front 7 of the defense. Now with all due respect, the Texans do have one of the best offenses in the league as they are ranked 7th in the overall in total offense even without stud WR Andre Johnson but the Titans usually have a good showing against them. This was one of the first times I can remember saying without a doubt that the Texans were most definitely better than the Titans.

For the Titans to get back on track they have to get back to the things that made them successful and get off to that 3-1 start. Matt Hasselbeck in those 3 wins was able to spread the ball around and the receivers were able to get open to provide him with passing lanes. The defense was playing with a bend but don’t break mentality and were getting considerable more pressure on the QB. Neither of those things are happening right now and as a result they are on this two game losing skid. The Colts should provide sweet relief for the Titans as they had even a worse loss than Tennessee did. Curtis Painter, the man anointed with the misery of taking over for Peyton, was only 9-17 for 67 yards and one touchdown. The Saints passed for 321 yards and ran for another 236. the 62 points they scored was the highest allowed in the Colts team history. Indianapolis’s defense has been a joke ranking near the bottom in most defensive categories. I hate it to say but Chris Johnson and the offense really has a chance to do some damage if they are focused but that remains to be seen.

Now lets take a look at the 3 key factors of the game:

1. Which team comes out and strikes first? Before you could blink your eye in both games featuring the Titans and the Colts last week it was over. The Texans went up 20-0 by halftime on Tennessee and New Orleans was up 21-0 after the first and 34-7 at halftime. One of these teams will put up points early and gain confidence. The Titans have every reason to get off to a hot start as they are at home and after taking all those boos from last week they should be motivated from the first snap of the game. Curtis Painter and the Colts offense have been getting better each week but they no where close to what the Titans should be able to bring to the table. Even with that being said, if the Colts can find a way to accumulate points early and gain some traction then they could make this one a game. Watch out for who draws first blood and see how the momentum goes from there.

2. Which Titans offense will show up? The Titans have every reason to be successful on offense this Sunday. As I mentioned above, the Colts statistically are ranked near the bottom of every major defensive category. Matt Hasselbeck and his receivers should be able to find open lanes and even Chris Johnson should get loose as Indianapolis hasn’t’ stopped anyone on the ground this season. Now if Tennessee gets back into their bad habits of poor blocking, Hasselbeck trying too do to much and buy too much time, and Johnson running east-west instead of north-south then they could become their own worst enemies. Football is a cruel sport and can teach you a cruel lesson if you don’t play up to your potential. If the Titans play the way that they can on offense then they should have no problem disposing of the Colts.

3. Home field disadvantage? This game marks the 100th game in LP field for the Titans. Their record is 62-37 all time here in Nashville. You couldn’t tell that by the way the fans voiced their displeasure at last Sunday’s game. How will the fans in this one if the Titans come out flat like they did against Houston? That remains to be seen but in most games the LP faithful are some of the best fans in the league. If they come and cheer as they usually do, they can make this an even harder game for the lowly Colts. Curtis Painter will be baptized by fire with his first start in Nashville and I’m curious to see how he performs. Also, how will they react if Chris Johnson has another no show game like he did last week.



Final Prediction: This is a game the Titans can’t lose after being manhandled at home by Houston. The Colts are dangerous in a sense because they are desperate for a win in any conceivable way, so they will pull out all the stops. As long as the Titans play their game and don’t get into their bad habits they should win this will with ease. No Peyton Manning equals no wins so far for the Colts and I’m sure the Titans would like to keep it that way.



The Pick: Titans 31 Colts 17



NOTES

COLTS: Seek 6th consecutive win against Titans…Since realignment in ’02, Colts have 42-13 (.764) record vs. AFC South…In 4 career starts, QB CURTIS PAINTER has completed 60 of 108 passes (55.6 pct.) for 813 yards with 5 TDs vs. 2 INTs & 87.5 passer rating…RB JOSEPH ADDAI has 3 rush TDs in past 3 vs. Ten. Rookie RB DELONE CARTER (4th round, No. 119) had career-high 89 rush yards last week. Carter has rush TD in 2 of past 3 games…WR REGGIE WAYNE (817) needs 3 receptions to surpass Pro Football HOFer STEVE LARGENT (819) for 20th-most catches all-time. WR PIERRE GARCON is averaging 102.3 rec. yards per game in past 3 games vs. Titans (307 total). Has 3 TD catches in past 2 against Ten…WR AUSTIN COLLIE has 3 TD catches in 2 career games vs. Ten…DE DWIGHT FREENEY (98.5) needs 1.5 sacks to become 26th player with 100 career since stat became official in ’82. Freeney has 13 sacks in 16 career games vs. Titans. DE JAMAAL ANDERSON registered 1st sack as Colt last week…LB PAT ANGERER leads team with 79 tackles…TITANS: Dating back to 12/19/10, club has won 3 of past 4 at LP Field…QB MATT HASSELBECK has 90+ passer rating in 4 of 6 games this season. In only start vs. Colts (w/ Seahawks on 12/24/05) Hasselbeck completed 17 of 21 passes (81 pct.) for 168 yards with 2 TDs vs. 0 INTs & 131.7 passer rating…RB CHRIS JOHNSON has 100+ rush yards in 2 of past 3 vs. Colts (113, 111). Johnson (35) needs 2 rush TDs to surpass STEVE MC NAIR for 3rd-most rush TDs in franchise history (EARL CAMPBELL, 73; EDDIE GEORGE, 64). Johnson (4,866) needs 134 rush yards to reach 5,000 career. Tied season-best with 6 rec. last week…WR NATE WASHINGTON has 90+ rec. yards in 2 of 3 home games this season…TE JARED COOK is averaging 17.7 yards per catch this season (13 rec., 230 yards). Cook has TD catch in 2 of past 3…CB JASON MC COURTY leads team in tackles (51) & INTs (2) in 2011

Sportaholic College Football Weekend Setup 10/27/11

College football’s Armageddon is on hold until next week (LSU vs. Alabama) so all eyes will be on a few intriguing games on the slate this weekend. USC vs. Stanford pits two projected 1st round grade QBs against each other with the Trojans Matt Barkley and Stanford’s Heisman front-runner and assumed # 1 pick Andrew Luck. Michigan State follows up their big upset by traveling to Nebraska to play the Cornhuskers. Hopefully they won’t have a let down after last weeks thrilling upset of Wisconsin. The world’s largest outdoor cocktail party (Wish I was there) is going down in Jacksonville with Florida vs. Georgia. Many are saying this is the game that will make or break Georgia Head Coach Mark Richt future in Athens. Oklahoma takes an undefeated Kansas State team that really hasn’t been tested but certainly will as the Sooners should come to town angry after being upset by Texas Tech. And last but not least Wisconsin takes on a revitalized Ohio State team that is capable of springing the surprise if the Badgers are still sulking from last weeks noble lost to Sparty.

So as you can see even with the two SEC goliaths taking a break, there are still plenty of good games on the docket. The national championship picture is clearing up every week as top teams are being upset more than Lindsay Lohan’s dwindling fan base. It’s usually this time of the year where the best teams separate themselves from the rest. Can Andrew Luck have his Heisman moment in Los Angeles Coliseum this weekend? Can the agitated teams that were upset last week (Oklahoma and Wisconsin) pull it together and get back on schedule? Or will teams with nothing to lose like K-State and The Ohio State topple the favorites? Makes for an interesting weekend so let’s look at the prime time match ups and break them down.

# 6 Stanford vs. USC – Well USC here is your chance to take down the conference favorite on your home turf. The Cardinal just haven’t t been the Andrew Luck show. They have a huge offensive line that help them put up a school record 446 rushing yards against the Washington Huskies last week. They also have probably the best set of tight ends in the country as well. If you worry too much about Luck then you will end up getting bulldozed by the Cardinal run game. And just when you try and stop it, Luck hits you over the top with a deep play action pass. From everything that you read and hear about Luck then you know he is as good as advertised. The Cardinal are also the third ranked team in the country in the red-zone so you know they will be efficient inside the 20. The Trojans led by Matt Barkley are having an up and down year but are 6-1 and nothing would be better than to take down Luck and Cardinal. Barkley can make all the throws and has dangerous weapons at his disposal especially with the electrifying Robert Woods at WR. Check out Woods numbers this year: 17 catches (a school record) for 177 yards and three touchdowns in the season opener against Minnesota,14 catches for 255 yards (five shy of the school record) and two TDs against Arizona and he topped that off 12 catches for 119 yards and two TDs in a 31-17 win over Notre Dame. I see this one predicated by the dynamic QBs of both teams and turning into a high scoring affair, but the Stanford defense will make the necessary stops against Barkley and Woods and that should win them the game.

The Pick: Stanford

Florida vs. Georgia - The world largest outdoor cocktail party is always a grand event here in the south. I personally have never made one but from some of the Georgia and Florida alums I know they say it everything you think it is. In other words a lot of drunken people before the game even starts and there will be no shrotage of characters in attendance. These two teams come into battle with a small chance of still taking the SEC East title. Someone has to win rather it be one of these two or South Carolina. I know what your saying because I’m thinking it at this moment. Who ever wins the East will just be the LSU vs. Bama winners’ punching bag in the SEC championship. Yeah I know but like I said someone has to fill that role. The Gators welcome back Senior QB and leader Jeff Brantley back into the fold. He has been out the last couple weeks after being twisted up pretzel style by that ferocious Bama defense. The offense has been one dimensional since his departure as Charlie Weis has been reluctant to trust his two freshman QBs. As a result the Gators have dropped their last two games. The Bulldogs on the other hand have been on a roll since losing their first two of the season to Boise St. and S.Carolina. Andy Murray isn’t having as big of a statistical year as he did last year but he still is effective and one of the better QBs in the SEC. You can tell he misses stud wide out A.J. Green but the emergence of freshman Isaiah Crowell has given him a nice security blanket iso he doesn’t’ have to wing it every play. Florida’s defense has gone flat after dominating in their first four games. Provided they played LSU and Bama in consecutive weeks but their front seven was suppose to be one the best in the country, they just haven’t lived up to that billing this year. Georgia’s defense is stout up front and will provide a stiff test for the Florida speed demons Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps. I see this one shaking out to a battle of field position and the QBs needing to make some plays to help their team out. If that is the case then I have to go with the Bulldogs. And plus this is the game that defines Mark Richt’s season and I think everyone in Athens knows that so luck for the “Dawgs to come out with extra motivation.

The Pick: Georgia

#9 Oklahoma vs. #8 Kansas State: So I like everyone else just thought the Sooners would roll through the Big 12 and eventually meet and winner of the SEC for the national championship. So much for that as the Sooners allowed Seth Doege, Alex Torres and the Red Raiders to roll up 41 points and shock everyone in Norman. I could tell from the beginning of that game that Texas Tech wasn’t going for any of that Boomer Sooner mess. What can you say about the job that Bill Snyder has done once again in Manhattan? He has the Wildcats undefeated and a chance at doing something special this year if they can pull an upset or two. QB Jordan Webb has proved that he can make plays with his arm as well as his feet and leads this current version of the Wildcats. Even with all that is being said about K-State this one isn’t hard to predict. Bob Stoops and the Sooners should be fired up after last week. Landry Jones Ryan Broyles, and Kenny Stills will attack a so-so Wildcat defense and should have a lot of success with their no huddle attack. K-State will have to play ball control to stay in this one but I don’t even know if that will be enough. The odds makers aren’t buying the K-State Kool-aid either as they have them at -13.5 in the books. Ouch.

The Pick: Oklahoma

Game of the Week: Stanford vs. USC – Call this one the battle of the Pac-12 super QBs as Luck and Barkley do battle in Los Angeles. This game could define the college career for Barkley if he can topple the heavily favored Cardinal. Luck has received more pub then the Occupy Wall Street movement but Barkley could still his joy with a win in this one. I can’t wait to see those two guys do battle in the NFL.

Most Intriguing Game: Wisconsin vs. Ohio State – This one has all the makings of a major let down game for the Badgers. They were seconds away from remaining undefeated and in the thick of the NC picture all to have it taken away by Kirk Cousins arm and the Hail Mary pass that beat them. Ohio State get an added benefit of OT Mike Adams and RB Dan “Boom” Herron in addition to having the bye week to prepare for this one. And to top it off this one is in the “Shoe. Watch out Wisconsin.

Under the Radar Game: Michigan State vs. Nebraska – I’m not 100% sure I can call this one under the radar but I couldn’t fit it into the breakdowns. I haven’t’ been sold on the Huskers every since they were handed that beat down from Wisconsin. And the Huskers are missing their best defensive player in T Jared Crick. The Spartans just beat the very team that whooped on the Huskers so there is no way they beat Michigan State right?

Coach better get it right game: Florida vs. Georgia – Dear Mark Richt, this is the game that you need your team to go above and beyond for you as this should determine if your still employed by the University of Georgia in the future. So to your players like Andy Murray, Isaish Crowell and Richard Samuel please go out and represent for your coach. Sincerely,



The Sportaholic.

Sportaholic NFL Power Rankings Week 7

Another week in the books for the NFL and a few things are starting to be clear about this season. QBs rule the NFL universe as this week saw multiple QB changes, some good (Tebow’s last 5 minutes, Christian Ponder) and some not so good (Tebow’s first 3 ½ quarters, John Beck, Carson Palmer’s debut with the Raiders). This is a QB driven league so we all know that you only can go as far as your QB can lead you. Speaking of QBs, Ndaumkong Suh continues his assault on QBs The way he and Cliff Avril of the Lions twisted up Matt Ryan should have put him out the game. The Lions are fast becoming the nastiest team in the league.

Tough day for Palmer and Boller

How about that 2 minute drill by San Diego against the Jets? I will never understand what was going on in Norv Turner’s mind with that one. Plaxico finally annoucned that he out of the pen and ready for some football with his 3 TD standout game on the Chargers. I will Carson Palmer a pass on that terrible display of football we seen against the Chiefs. He was thrown out way to early but the Raiders with Kyle Boller playing so bad. What did Tim Tebow have to wait until the last minutes of the game before he found his rhythm? I mean he had everything he needed and more that game with the Dolphins holding a Florida Gator tribute. That has to be the stupidest scheduling of an event in recent memory but that’s Miami for you. I have never heard Reggie Bush get mad except for that time he found out Kim Kardishian was dating Miles Austin, but he was plenty angry with his team after that fiasco against the Broncos and Tebow.

Murray just shed the St.Louis D to pieces

How bad are things in Indianapolis right now? Peyton Manning should win MVP for NOT PLAYING at this point. Get shell-shocked 62-7 on a primetime Sunday night against the Saints. I know the offense should suffer but when Drew Brees throws more TDs then incompletions than something is terribly amiss here. I remember watching this weekend and saying to myself what wrong with Chris Johnson? The newly minted $53.5 million dollar man just can’t kick it into high gear and for intensive purposes looks like he is stuck in a rut. He picked a bad time for his game to go down as the Titans got it handed it to them by the Texans. While CJ was laying an egg in Nashville, Demarco Murray was running like his hair was on fire in Dallas. 253 is 253 yards I don't care if the Rams have the worst run defense in the league. And to think that the Dallas coaching staff is still saying that its Felix Jones job when he gets back from injury, my question is why? He is explosive when healthy but thats the thing with him, he is never healthy. If Murray follows up his record breaking game with at least half of those yards agaisnt Philly, I say he has earned a starting role.

This guy is not human.

 I am fully convinced now that Cam Newton just isn’t human. That amazing run he had against the Redskins confirmed it for me. Christian Ponder looked way better in his first start then Donovan McNabb did in his previous 6 starts so that means the writing is on the wall for McNabb. It’s sad to see his career fade out the way is. Aaron Rodgers as always was money in that game and I just can’t see him not winning the MVP this year with the way he is playing.

Now time for the rankings:

1. Green Bay Packers (7-0) – Consistency is one of the greatest attributes a QB can have and right now Aaron Rodgers in the most consistent QB in the league. Each week he seems to out do himself from the last and he is the main reason there is talk of an undefeated season in Green Bay. Now I don’t believe it will happen but that doesn’t stop the chatter. Minnesota showed some fight in this game with Ponder starting instead of McNabb but they let Rodgers and that deadly offense have the ball last in hope of stopping them and that’s just something you don’t want to count in against the Pack. Green Bay will continue to roll but someone will eventually beat them. We shall see who that team is but until further notice they remain at the top spot.

2. New Orleans Saints (5-2) – As I stated above, I understand that the absence of Peyton to Indy puts the offense at a disadvantage, everyone knows that but what is the defenses excuse? New Orleans made this a laugher early and NBC probably wouldn’t have cared if they called a mercy rule on this one. Drew Brees just keeps rolling although he wasn’t able to get over the 350 yards passing for the first time in awhile. The Saints are playing defense again with crazy man Gregg Williams mixing and matching his blitz schemes. Sean Payton didn’t even high to be in the booth for this one. I have to put the Saints at # 2 for their thrashing of the Colts.

3. New England (5-1) – The team that everyone loves to hate had a bye week so we don’t get to talk about some super human type of performance from Tom Brady and Wes Welker. Don’t you Pats haters worry to much they take on Pittsburgh this weekend which is sure to be one of the weekends top match ups

4. San Francisco (5-1) – It stills feels funny writing about the Alex Smith led 49ers. They are 5-1 and they have a chance to win their next three games against Cleveland, Washington, and the New York Giants. This team has luxury of playing in the worst division in the NFC West so they have every reason to run away with this thing. Alex Smith leading a team to a division title, that’s just a funny sentence.

5. Baltimore Ravens (5-2) – That had to be one of the worst MNF games in recent memory. The Ravens not getting a first down until the 3rd quarter was get atrocious. There is no way you can defend yourself for that kind of offensive performance. Joe Flacco has looked great in some games this year and flat out horrible in others. Ray Rice couldn’t find any running lanes and none of the Baltimore receivers could get open. Just an ugly display of football but the Ravens are known to have a let down game or two in them a year. So I will keep them in the top for now but if we get anymore performances like Monday, then there out.

Music City Meltdown for Titans

You can call this one the Music City Meltdown. This was suppose to be a game that would shape the race for the AFC South crown as the Titans and the Texans had rose to the top of division without Indianapolis and Peyton Manning in the way this year. Instead it turned into an epic blowout that announced that Houston is the top the team in the division until further notice. Tennessee was so thoroughly dominated in their 41-7 loss to the Texans that its hopeless at this point to put any argument to who is the best team in the AFC South. This one got ugly before you could really sit back and relax as Houston jumped out to a 20-0 lead at halftime on the overwhelmed Titans.

Tennessee seemed helpless to stop the Houston offense as they marched up and down the field to the tune of 518 yards of total offense (3rd most in Houston history). Arian Foster was a force as he racked up 115 yards on the ground and added another 119 yards receiving and 3 TDs in all. He had his way all game as he just bull rushed the Titans defensive line and linebackers. In my preview article of this game (http://sportaholic2112.blogspot.com/2011/10/sportaholic-tennessee-titans-vs-houston.html ) I stated that it would be a long game if the Titanse couldn’t contain the former University of Tennessee product and I was right on the money with that prediction. He became the first player in Houston history to rush for over 100 yards and receive for over 100 yards in the same game. Foster’s 234 total yards was actually more than what the Titans finished with as a team at 148 yards. Matt Schaub had a relative easy day as he could just sit back and rely on Foster and Ben Tate in the run game and then pick apart the Titans secondary with play action fakes. It was just a clinic as Schaub was efficiently (18/23 296 yards 2 TD passes 147.7 QB rating) able to find numerous holes in the back end of the Titans D. The tight ends of Owen Daniels and Joel Dressen just undressed the middle field openings and the two combined for 6 catches 102 yards and 1 TD. Foster’s 78-yard TD catch seemed to open the flood gates as the crowd was taken out the game from that point. The Titans defense was annihilated on the ground as they gave up two 100 yards games to Foster and the aforementioned Ben Tate who finished with 104 yards on 15 carries good for 6.9 yards per carry.

Another shocking development from this game was the play of the Titans offense, which had looked so potent before the bye. Matt Hasselbeck completed less than 50 percent of his passes going 14/30 for a lowly 104 yards and 2 Ints. He seemed flustered and could never get into a rhythm as the Texans sacked him twice and seemed to mix coverage enough to confuse the vet. He had one of his Ints returned for a 38-yard TD by Bruce McCain of the Texans. Chris Johnson looked dismal yet again as he only finished with 18 yards on 10 carries for 1.8 yards per carry average. Counter that effort with Javon Ringer’s as he finished with 31 yards on just 3 carries. It’s getting harder each week to defend Johnson as most have figured he would eventually turn it around. As I watched the game unfold there were a couple of plays where it seemed that CJ just didn’t want to kick it into high gear as we are so accustomed to. One play in particular was at the beginning of the game when Hasselbeck found an open Johnson sneaking out of the backfield. Johnson caught the ball in open space and seemed to skip for a second and then try and to put the after burners on only to be caught for a 17-yard gain. That one really puzzled me as in years past no one would even lay a hand on Johnson in the open field. He either doesn’t have the burst he used to or he is just flat out not giving the effort he use to. The fans must have noticed as well as he was showered with boos throughout the game. “It’s just a situation I got to continue to say I can’t do nothing but keep working hard, running hard and doing what I can do for this team,” Johnson said.

The Titans coaching staff deserves some of the blame as well. I didn’t see any halftime adjustments from the team. Houston came out and executed its same game plan and the Titans just let them do it. Coach Munchak and DC Jerry Gray have to do a better job at adjusting to what team are doing or at least try something different to see what works.. The fact that Houston was able to roll up 222 yards on the ground is just astonishing. “Obviously, we’re not happy with the product we put on the field (Sunday),” Munchak said. “It’s on all of us, coaches, players, that’s not us. That can’t be us and we’ve got to improve The Titans coming into this game were ranked in the top 10 of rushing defenses. The fact that Houston out gained the Titans 518 to 148 in total yards is also jaw dropping. This was a very disheartening loss anyway you look at it for the Titans They gave up their chance to take the division by the throat and allowed Houston to flex their muscles on their home field. You could tell by all of the boos that the LP faithful were in an uproar over the lackluster performance. Even Houston's kicker was able to lay a big hit on Marc Mariaini on a kick return for goodness sakes.

Tennessee may get a breather next week as they welcome the winless Indianapolis Colts to LP field next week. The Colts also had a day to forget as the New Orleans Saints dropped 62 points on them. The Titans have to find a way to get back into rhythm after this disappointing performance and hopefully the Colts are just the remedy they need. The Titans fall to 3-3 and into 2nd place in the division. The season is still early so they all the reason to turn it around. Hopefully this doesn’t become a repeat of last year’s 1-7 effort after the bye when they were 5-3. To prevent that meltdown from happening again they have to start with a W next week against the Colts.