Whatever Happened To Screech Powers?

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

The Dustin Diamond Threesome Sex Tape
Dustin Diamond mostly known as dork Screech Powers from "Saved by the Bell" is ready for his porn tape moment.

He's apparently featured doing the "Dirty Sanchez" in a 40-minute sex tape with 2 other women.

Roger Paul, Dustin's manager revealed:

"I haven't seen the tape.

"I've heard rumors. Dustin has been trying to escape the Screech typecast. So this may help me get more bookings."

Famous celebrity porn peddler David Hans Schmidt has acquired the rights to the video and is shopping the hot item to Hustler's Larry Flynt and Steven Hirsh at Vivid.

He said:

"Just when you think you have seen everything in this business," he tells us, "mankind has raised the bar another notch. Or lowered it."

Back in August Dustin told a Tampa radio station that a woman attempted to mug him at his hotel room. In addition the former TV geek asked fans to help save his house by purchasing t-shirts.

Rush & Molloy

Link:

http://www.hollywoodrag.com/index.php?/weblog/the_dustin_diamond_threesome_sex_tape/

Week 4 NFL Predictions

Sunday
Indianapolis at NY Jets: Chad Pennington and the Jets should be able to put up some points on the Colts D, but not enough for the victory.
Indianapolis 31 NY Jets 21

San Diego at Baltimore: With the game in Baltimore and coming off a disappointing performance against Cleveland, I'm giving the slight edge to the Ravens. It should be a hard-hitting, low-scoring, tightly contested game all the way through.
Baltimore 17 San Diego 10

Minnesota at Buffalo: Buffalo is much improved from a year ago, but I'm liking how the Vikes are playing. They should be 3-0, but beat themselves at the end of the Chicago game last week. While he doesn't bring with him the spectacular plays and is by no means a dual-threat, Brad Johnson is one of the most consistent quarterbacks in the league and will never lose the game for the Vikings.
Minnesota 20 Buffalo 17

Dallas at Tennessee: All I can say is if Dallas loses this one, the coaches and players may all need to get some intense therapy for the rest of the season. Yeah, even at home, the Titans aren't very good. Hopefully the majority of the state has alzheimer's this year, because they won't want to remember these Titans any.
Dallas 24 Tennessee 3

San Francisco at Kansas City: I have mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, I believe the 49ers to be playing better than the Chiefs, but on the other hand, I'm having an awfully difficult time in picking the Niners at Arrowhead. Even though my gut is telling me to go with the Niners, I have to go with the Chiefs at Arrowhead in this one.
Kansas City 24 San Francisco 17

New Orleans at Carolina: The Saints put more emotion into the game on Monday night than I've ever witnessed in a game. It'll be extremely difficult to even come close to that on the road against the Panthers. With a shortened week, playing on the road, and a definite letdown awaiting, I'll go with Carolina.
Carolina 27 New Orleans 17

Arizona at Atlanta: Even with a shortened week, the Falcons will definitely want to rebound after a disappointing performance on Monday. Following their 558 yard rushing output in their initial two games, they were held to 117 on Monday. John Abraham and Ed Hartwell may return on Sunday for their homegame and I would not want to be the team on the other side in this one.
Atlanta 24 Arizona 10

Miami at Houston: Who to pick? Who to pick? Yeah, the Dolphins won last week, against Tennessee 13-10. Even though Houston is 0-3, I think they're playing better football right now than the Dolphins and with the game at home, I'm going with the Texans.
Houston 17 Miami 13

Detroit at St. Louis: With the game in St. Louis and the opponent being, well, the Lions, I'm going with the Rams here. Mike Martz may want to get back at his old team, but good luck doing that with the Lions.
St. Louis 24 Detroit 13

New England at Cincinnati: With the lack of fire in the eyes and minds of the Pats, it's difficult for me to see them going to Cincinnati and beating the Bengals, who are playing some of the best ball in the league.
Cincinnati 28 New England 17

Jacksonville at Washington: As well as the 'Skins played last week, it was against the Texans. Meanwhile, the Jaguars have beaten the Cowboys, the Steelers, and lost a close one to the Colts. As tempted as I am to go with Washington at home, I can't help but go with the Jaguars. I'll tell you one thing, don't expect much scoring.
Jacksonville 17 Washington 14

Cleveland at Oakland: Wow, two of the worst teams in the AFC (NFL). They're right down there with Houston and Tennessee. The Browns are 0-3, but have played competitively, falling to New Orleans by 5 and Baltimore by 1. The Raiders have played anything but competitively in their losses. I look for Romeo Cornell and the Browns to take this one. Oakland may want to get prepared for the first pick in the draft.
Cleveland 24 Oakland 10

Seattle at Chicago: With Shaun Alexander out of the lineup (Madden curse, anyone?) and the game in Chicago, I'm going with Da Bearz!
Chicago 17 Seattle 14

Monday
Green Bay at Philadelphia: Ick, why'd they pick this Monday night matchup with two teams who finished below .500 a year ago? Brett Favre is the only reason to watch the Packers anymore. He'll be the only reason to watch them in this game, as they should fall in Philly and fall hard.
Philadelphia 31 Green Bay 14

Just Waiting For Certain Guys To Mess Up...

What am I referring to? Sports analysts, writers, and "experts" when it comes to particular athletes.

New England Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady has played anything but spectacularly this year and with a lack of fire that he's shown in the past. Does this get mentioned much? No. New York Giants' quarterback Eli Manning has been more inconsistent than Terrell Owens' demeanor this year and has a way of getting off to very poor starts, but finishing strong. Has that gotten mentioned much? Nope. Carson Palmer has been a bit slow to getting back to his usual self. Has that gotten much air time? No again. What about Rex Grossman and his two picks last week, one that was inside his own 10-yard line that went for an easy six? Nope, commentators have usually focused on the one touchdown pass. What about Matt Hasselbeck's ups and downs in the first three games? No again.

But, they treat other quarterbacks much differently: Daunte Culpepper, Jake Plummer, Ben Roethlisberger, Mark Brunell, Drew Bledsoe, Chris Simms, and Michael Vick, just to name a few. Roethlisberger led his Pittsburgh Steelers to a Super Bowl victory last season, and although he didn't have a great game in the Super Bowl, that does not take away from his management and leadership on the field that allowed for the Steelers to be in that predicament in the first place. This is also a guy who was almost killed in the off-season in a motorcycle accident and who had an emergency appendectomy. Give the guy a break. He's a leader. He's a winner. I'd like to see these commentators play while in perfectly good health, let alone following a near death experience and an emergency appendectomy. I'd take Roethlisberger anyday after his rough off-season than these commentators in tip-top shape (for them). Analysts seemingly wait for a play or a game where a quarterback does not play to his potential and they make the most of that opportunity to criticize them to the fullest. Following week 1's performance, it was Drew Bledsoe, who came back to play well in his second game. Mark Brunell was the next victim and the guy only completed 24 of 27 passes against Houston this past week. Michael Vick played well in the Falcons' first two victories, but after the Monday night loss to New Orleans, he's receiving a lot of heat.

The same is true in other sports, but I notice it more often in football, perhaps because it's only a 16 game season and every game is big. But, it even takes place in baseball. Look at the Chicago Cubs. Every year, Mark Prior and Kerry Wood receive all the hype. Who goes unnoticed? Carlos Zambrano, the Cubs' ace the past few seasons.

For whatever reason, there just seems to be guys the media likes to root for and root against. When a Tom Brady messes up, it doesn't matter. When Ben Roethlisberger does something similar, the Steelers may want to think about starting back-up Charlie Batch. When Carlos Zambrano pitches a shutout, it almost goes unnoticed. When Mark Prior does, then it's the start of a legendary career. Yeah, I should expect bias in whatever I read or listen to, but it gets a little old.

Week 5 College Football Predictions

Tuesday
Southern Mississippi (+3.5) at Central Florida: George O'Leary's Golden Knights are coming off a surprising bowl run a year ago, but have yet to show me any of that spark that they displayed last year. Even with the game at home, I'm going with Southern Miss.
Southern Mississippi 28 Central Florida 21

Thursday
BYU at TCU (+5): With the game being at home, I'm going to go with the Horned Frogs, but BYU will give them a run for it. They've played in close games all year, except for their 38-0 thrashing of Utah State last week.
TCU 24 BYU 21

Auburn (+14) at South Carolina: Star tailback Kenny Irons should be back in the lineup for the Tigers which should be enough to vault them over the two touchdown spread.
Auburn 24 South Carolina 10

Friday
Rutgers (+5.5) at South Florida: The 4-0 Scarlet Knights better not look past the Bulls, who are 3-1 and coming off a 13-7 loss to Kansas. This should make for a solid Friday night ball game, but I'm going with Schiano's squad.
Rutgers 24 South Florida 17

Saturday
Kansas at Nebraska (+19.5): This is a game of payback for the Huskers who were defeated handily by the Jayhawks a year ago. The KU defense will keep it closer than the spread indicates, but with the game in Lincoln, the Huskers should pull this one out.
Nebraska 24 Kansas 10

Kansas State at Baylor (+3): It's odd to say that Baylor and Kansas State are now on a level-playing field. If the game was played in Manhattan, I'd probably go with the Wildcats, but with it being in Waco, I'm going with Baylor in a tightly knit battle from start to finish.
Baylor 17 Kansas State 14

Colorado at Missouri (+14): I hate to ever use the term "letdown week" for an 0-4 club, but after leading Georgia in Athens for 59 minutes and 14 seconds a week ago only to lose it at the very end, I think I can use that term in this odd scenario.
Missouri 24 Colorado 10

Texas Tech at Texas A&M (+1): I'm not too confident in picking either team, with the Red Raiders coming off a 12-3 loss to TCU and then a blowout win over a Middle School team. TAMU had luck and bad coaching on their side two weeks ago in their 28-24 win over Army. With the game at College Station, I'm going to have to go with the Aggies. But, honestly, I wouldn't put any money on either club.
Texas A&M 35 Texas Tech 31

Ohio State (+6.5) at Iowa: Both clubs may have been looking ahead last week in their conference wins over Penn State and Illinois. While I would never put money down on a team that Kirk Ferentz coaches against. The same would hold true when it comes to Jim Tressel. Even though Troy Smith was somewhat average a week ago, he tends to make his presence most known in big games and this qualifies as just that.
Ohio State 28 Iowa 17

Northwestern at Penn State (+16): Northwestern appears to be a team that can be pesky, but may have problems winning many this year. The same trend should continue in Happy Valley.
Penn State 24 Northwestern 10

Wisconsin (+10) at Indiana: Even though I haven't been thoroughly impressed with the BAH-gers this year, I'll have to go with them on the road in Bloomington.
Wisconsin 28 Indiana 14

Illinois at Michigan State (+26.5): The Spartans couldn't have picked a better opponent to rebound from their devastating choke job against Notre Dame.
Michigan State 28 Illinois 7

Houston at Miami (Florida) (+15): If this game was played in Houston, I might contemplate about going with the Cougars, but, with it in the Orange Bowl, I'll have to go with the 'Canes. But, if they lose this one, Coker better start packing his bags.
Miami (Florida) 35 Houston 21

Toledo at Pittsburgh (+14): Toledo could give Pitt a tough time for three quarters, but I can't see them pulling it out in the end.
Pittsburgh 38 Toledo 28

Virginia (+6) at Duke: Call me crazy. I don't believe I've ever done this in college football, but I'm picking Duke to win a game against an ACC opponent!
Duke 17 Virginia 14

Wyoming at Syracuse (+6): Wyoming has found a way to lose close games this year and this should be no exception, as the Orange have surprised a few (including me) with their improvements from a year ago.
Syracuse 21 Wyoming 14

Louisiana Tech at Clemson (+33.5): There isn't a team in the ACC that's playing better than Clemson.
Clemson 49 Louisiana Tech 14

Navy at UConn (+3.5): UConn's solid defense should keep the score low, but Navy's option offense will score just enough for the victory.
Navy 17 UConn 10

Rice at Army (+10): With the somber mood entering the game for Rice following the death of a player on the squad, it'll be very difficult to goto West Point and be very competitive.
Army 28 Rice 10

Bowling Green at Ohio (+6): Bowling Green has not looked like the Bowling Green of the past few years and Ohio has played better than expected (by me, at least). With the game at home, I'm definitely going with Frank Solich's Bobcats.
Ohio 28 Bowling Green 21

New Mexico at Air Force (+11): New Mexico has been up and down so far this season. With the game in Colorado Springs and having more trust in Fisher DeBerry than his opponent, I'm going with the Falcons at home in this one.
Air Force 28 New Mexico 21

Purdue at Notre Dame (+16.5): Expect a lot of scoring in this one. The Irish better be careful. Will they have a letdown after their come-from-behind shocker against Michigan State a week ago? Purdue has played better as the season has progressed, beating Minnesota a week ago. While I don't predict the Boilers will play the part of the spoiler, I wouldn't count them out either.
Notre Dame 35 Purdue 28

Idaho (+3.5) at Utah State: Coach Erickson finally wins a game against a Division I-A team. I can't tell you how many points Utah State has scored this year, but can tell you they've been shut out in at least three of four games and that's not a good recipe for winning no matter who you're playing.
Idaho 17 Utah State 7

Boise State at Utah (+3.5): This will be a tough one, but until I see Ian Johnson, Jarod Zabransky, and the Broncos lose a game, I'm going to stick with them here.
Boise State 28 Utah 24

USC (+16) at Washington State: With receiver Dwayne Jarrett being questionable and the game in Pullman, it may be closer than the "experts" think, but the Trojans should come away with the victory in the end.
USC 28 Washington State 21

Cal (+10.5) at Oregon State: Da Bears (the college version) are rolling along following a 49-21 blowout win over Arizona State. If they can do that to the Sundevils, one can only imagine what they could do to the Beavers.
Cal 42 Oregon State 7

Stanford at UCLA (+22.5): Is UCLA that good? No, but Stanford is that bad. Heck, they lost to San Jose State. Ouch. Walt Harris better watch out, or the sad Spartans of SJSU may take over for the Cardinal as the 10th team in the Pac 10 if he's not careful.
UCLA 35 Stanford 3

Alabama at Florida (+13.5): The Tide will keep the score down a bit, but not enough to overtake the Gator's high-flying offensive attack.
Florida 24 Alabama 10

Miami (Ohio) at Cincinnati (+8): The Bearcats go from Columbus to Blacksburg to Cincinnati to take on Miami (no, not the good one). They played Ohio State tough for a half and Virginia Tech for three quarters. If they play similar ball, they should have their way with Miami.
Cincinnati 28 Miami (Ohio) 10

Central Michigan at Kentucky (+6.5): After battling Boston College and Michigan, the Chippewas have pulled off two straight to even their record at 2-2. If they can compete against Boston College for 60 minutes, I like their chances against Kentucky.
Central Michigan 28 Kentucky 24

San Diego State (+2) at San Jose State: San Diego State hasn't played up to their potential yet, but should have enough to beat the Spartans.
San Diego State 35 San Jose State 28

Northern Illinois (+6.5) at Ball State: Even though I've been less than impressed with the Huskies thus far, I give them the edge in this one.
Northern Illinois 28 Ball State 17

Mississippi State at LSU (+31): Slyvester Croom and the Bulldogs better have enjoyed their win this past weekend against UAB, because that streak is going to come to a big halt at 1 after this game.
LSU 31 Mississippi State 3

Georgia (+17) at Ole Miss: Ole Miss has gotten clobbered by Kentucky and Wake Forest the past two weekends by the score of 58 to 17. Ouch. Now, they run into a determined and ticked off Georgia squad ready to make amends for their sub-par performance a week ago against Colorado.
Georgia 38 Ole Miss 10

Temple at Vanderbilt (+33.5): Playing against Temple? Mark that as a win for their opponent, in this case, Vandy.
Vanderbilt 31 Temple 10

Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech (+9): If this game was played in Atlanta, I'd go with the Jackets, but with it being in Blacksburg, I'm taking the Hokies, not by much, though.
Virginia Tech 24 Georgia Tech 21

Akron (+3) at Kent State: I've been inaccurate in the Golden Flashes' games this year. I may be again, as I'm going with the Zips.
Akron 28 Kent State 24

Michigan (+8.5) at Minnesota: I'd watch out for this one if I was the Wolverines. Minnesota is coming back home after a disappointing conference loss to Purdue. While Michigan looked all but invincible two weeks ago against Notre Dame, they looked beatable last week against Wisconsin. It should be close, but I'm going with Michigan.
Michigan 28 Minnesota 21

Tennessee (+13) at Memphis: The 'Vols struggled early last week against Marshall. Phil Fulmer probably had a few words for the team regarding their non-conference struggles. Don't expect a close score in this one.
Tennessee 35 Memphis 10

SMU (+3) at Tulane: I can't see the Green Wave playing with as much emotion and intensity in New Orleans on Saturday as the Saints did on Monday night. The Mustangs pull it out in a close one.
SMU 28 Tulane 24

New Mexico State at UTEP (+17): UTEP has not played up to expectations thus far. I can see them winning this game, but I doubt they'll cover the spread.
UTEP 35 New Mexico State 28

Colorado State at Fresno State (+10.5): After losing two early ball games to the Pac 10, Fresno State has to rebound and focus on winning the WAC. While Colorado State plays in the Mountain West, it'd be difficult for Fresno to have much confidence going into conference play with three losses.
Fresno State 28 Colorado State 21

Nevada (+5) at UNLV: The battle of Nevada! Seriously, are there any other Division I-A teams from the state of Nevada? I can't think of any. The Pistol Offense started to click last week against Northwestern and that should carry over in this matchup against the Rebels.
Nevada 28 UNLV 21

Washington at Arizona (+3.5): Ty Willingham's crew has improved immensely in year two of his tenure. Stoops' club is improving, but in a more gradual sense. I like the Huskies to continue their winning ways in Tucson.
Washington 21 Arizona 14

Oregon (+2) at Arizona State: After witnessing the ASU defense a week ago (or lack there of), I can't help but go with the Ducks in this one.
Oregon 35 Arizona State 28

Eastern Michigan at Louisiana-Lafayette (+4.5): Do I have to pick one? I'll flip a coin. Okay, Eastern Michigan.
Eastern Michigan 24 Louisiana-Lafayette 21

Arkansas State at Florida International (+7): Florida International has lost all four games this year by a combined 11 points. They should finally win one!
Florida International 21 Arkansas State 14

Troy at UAB (+9): Should be a tough, hard fought, low-scoring game, but I'm going with the Blazers.
UAB 21 Troy 17

Middle Tennessee State at North Texas (+1.5): I should flip a coin on this one, as well. I've been disappointed thus far with North Texas, so I'm going with Middle Tennessee.
Middle Tennessee State 28 North Texas 24

Florida Atlantic at Louisiana-Monroe (+13): Along with Temple, Florida Atlantic has looked to be one of the worst teams in Division I-A.
Louisiana-Monroe 24 Florida Atlantic 10

Saints 23 Falcons 3

For the third week in a row, the Atlanta Falcons played a team out of the NFC South, but for the first time in those three weeks, they were outplayed, outcoached, and outmotivated.

I must admit that I was emotionally and mentally drained even before the game started. Monday Night's game at the Superdome didn't feel like a game to me. It was reminiscent of last year's contest in New York between the Giants and the Saints when all game long, former players and coaches took donations via phone and that's all that was talked about. The really bad part was the fact that the game was played in New York and yet it was a "home" game for New Orleans. Yeah, quite the "home" game indeed. Last night's game had a somewhat similar feel to me, where it was more of a Hollywood picture with a game being shown in the background. It felt like a neverending soap opera and I was exhausted by 7:30 CST. The fans and people of New Orleans have been through enough as it is. Let them escape from reality for three hours and just enjoy their stadium, their team, the music, and the game. While I think it was a good night to hopefully get donations for the city of New Orleans, I just wish ESPN, the reporters, journalists, and announcers would allow the fans their moment to shine. When a mother loses her child one year and on that very same day the next, she wins $62 million dollars in the lottery, let's not keep reminding her and the public of her tragic loss. Trust me, she knows. Allow her a moment to smile and feel good after the tragedy. Hopefully, she'd put the money to good use, by perhaps donating to good causes and attempting to find a cure for what killed her child. If these announcers, reporters, and journalists truly want to do some good instead of appearing to be good people through talk and face time, they should donate money and help out around the community.

But, back to the game. What can I say? It seemed almost too scripted to be real. The Atlanta Falcons went three and out on their first drive and when punter Michael Koenen (boy has he had a rough three weeks) was set to kick the ball away, New Orleans blocked the punt and took it in for the game's first score to go up 7-0 early in the contest. Their only other touchdown came on a double reverse deep in Atlanta territory.

Never in my life have I seen a crowd that into the game and never have I seen the Saints play that emotionally for sixty minutes. Heck, I don't know if I've ever seen any team play with that kind of emotion for an entire football game. It was tough for us Falcons fans to witness, but was really quite something to watch at the same time.

Overall, Atlanta's defense played allright. They were in bend but don't break mode last night. In all honesty, the D only allowed 16 points, as the special teams gave up the 7 on the blocked punt. Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush had more success on the ground against Atlanta than Carolina or Tampa. McAllister was the more effective of the two on the ground. Atlanta's secondary played allright. They gave up a couple of fairly big plays, but overall, they played allright. DeAngelo Hall left the game early with a calf injury, but returned to play in the second half and looked fine. So, overall, with the level of emotion and intensity that the Saints played with all night, I'm not disappointed with the defense. They played well enough to keep the Falcons in the ball game.

Again, Atlanta's special teams were anything but special, the kicking game in particular. Atlanta's kickers this year are now a combined 3 for 10 on field goal attempts, as the newly-acquired Morten Anderson made 1 of 2 last night. Atlanta kickers (place kickers and punters) have also had 5 of their kicks blocked in three games this season, including two last night. Return and coverage wise, the Falcons did pretty well. They gave the Falcon offense some pretty solid starting field position on several drives, but the offense couldn't take advantage of that, which brings us to the offense.

What can I say? It appeared as if at every snap that quarterback Michael Vick dropped back to pass, the offensive line fell down and in rushed 5-6 Saints right at Vick. Last I saw, Vick had been hurried 17 times, hit 9 times, and sacked 5 times. No, I'm not making those numbers up. The line's zone blocking scheme wasn't very effective either, as Warrick Dunn was limited to 44 yards rushing and Michael Vick scampered for 57, those yard coming mainly on set passing downs when he improvised. So, if there was anyone I was most disappointed with last night, it was the offensive line. No, Dunn didn't have great numbers and neither did Vick, but it's hard for anyone to run or throw very effectively when the offensive line is losing the battle up front. The receivers didn't do much either. Outside of one long pass early in the game from Vick to Ashley Lelie, the Atlanta receivers didn't create much (any) space for Vick to throw to. Commentator and former quarterback Joe Theisman even made this statement. Whenever Vick threw the football, the Saints defender was right there when the ball hit the receiver's hands. That's another thing. I think I witnessed 3 passes that weren't catchable by the receiver. So, while Vick's 12-31 passing night looks dreadful on paper, most of those incompletions were catchable. Tight End Alge Crumpler dropped three passes, including one in the end zone for a touchdown. Michael Jenkins dropped two or three, including a deep pass that would've brought Atlanta in scoring range. Roddy White dropped a couple. The only receiver who I didn't witness dropping a pass was Ashley Lelie.

The only individual I may have been more frustrated with than the offensive line was offensive coordinator Greg Knapp. I have no idea what is gameplan was for last night, but the guy just tried to get too cute on offense. On the first play of the game, Warrick Dunn ran for six yards. That's a very positive start for the ground game. What's he call next? A pass, which was incomplete and then a Vick boot on 3rd and 4, which the Saints were expecting. Knapp never tried to establish the ground game and Atlanta rushed for 588 yards in their first two contests. The worst play call in the game came late in the 2nd quarter with the Falcons down 17-3. Atlanta drove down to the New Orleans 2-yard line for a 1st and goal. What does Knapp call for the top rushing team in the league? A play action pass which ended in a sack, setting up a 2nd and goal from the seven. Atlanta then had a field goal attempt which was blocked. That was it right there. That was the game. Instead of Atlanta closing the gap to 17-10 at the half and feeling pretty good about themselves, they were down 20-3.

There's a lot to work on in the upcoming week to prepare for Arizona. First off, they need to protect the quarterback, the punter, the field goal kicker, and open some holes for Dunn. The receivers need to give Vick some space to throw to and show some effort in getting to the football. When the ball hits their hands, the receivers have to hand on to the dang thing. Finally, Knapp needs to learn from his past mistakes, not get cute, establish the ground game, and be more efficient in the red zone.

How good are the Saints? Only time will tell. They were extra juiced up for this one, that's for sure. As I've always said, their offense is good enough now to make them a contender. It's just their defense that's been a question mark. Was last night an aberration, with it being the first game at the Superdome since Hurricane Katrina? Is that performance going to be consistent from here on out? Or, is their D somewhere in between those two extremes? Only time will tell. I don't think it mattered who they played on Monday night. Whether it was the Colts or the Texans, the Saints would've won the football game. Nobody in the league, including the Falcons (as we saw) could've matched the Saints level of emotion and intensity. The Saints have Carolina, Tampa, and Philly up next on the slate, so we may find out just how good and solid that defense is in the near future. For Atlanta, they host the Cardinals before a bye week. While Falcons fans may be disappointed with last night's performance, they still hold a 2-1 divisional record with two of their final three coming at home.

Negroponte Makes Interesting Statements (Contradictory Ones)

Intelligence Chief John Negroponte had this to say on Monday regarding the situation in Iraq, "The Iraq jihad is shaping a new generation of terrorist leaders and operatives." He also made note of this, "We are certainly more vigilant. We are better prepared. We are safer."

Okay then, so how does that exactly work? We are expanding terrorism overseas, making for a new generation of terrorist leaders, and yet, we're safer. Alrighty, so if a category 4 hurricane comes rolling through the gulf of the U.S. tomorrow, will we be safer? If we go on a killing spree in New York, L.A., and Chicago and the friends and family of the victims rise up against the government and their supporters, does that makes us safer? Oh boy, I feel so happy now. I need not be afraid because our war is creating a new generation of terrorists! Woohoo! I'm ecstatic!

Allright John, so, I'm trying to think on the same wavelength as you and believe me, that is a chore in and of itself. So, if our testing results in the areas of math and science dropped significantly, does that mean we're smarter than before? Let me know, because I'm having a difficult time understanding the logic of the two contradictory statements. Give me a call at 1-800-URSTPID and we'll talk about this.

Link:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15004211/

Enough Already!

Condoleeza Rice just recently rebutted Bill Clinton's claims on attempting to prevent 9/11 by saying, "What we did in the eight months was at least as aggressive as what the Clinton administration did in the preceding years." She also stated, "The notion somehow for eight months the Bush administration sat there and didn't do that is just flatly false - and I think the 9/11 commission understood that."

Come on, what is this? A pissing match? Enough already! Yeah, Clinton was a bit irked by the ABC mockumentary special on 9/11, which bashed him profusely, so he has fought back. Okay, both sides got some lovely words in, so can we end it there? No, of course not. Round 2 is now underway with Rice throwing some jabs. So, who's next? Put your gloves on and jump into the ring to talk about the hypothetical, the hindsight, the coulda woulda shoulda.

I'm sorry Condi (not really), but Richard Clarke, who is a registered Republican, seems to put more blame on the Bush Administration than the Clinton Administration and the 9/11 Commission did as well. Even in a recent poll I viewed (today), the public seems to blame the Bush Administration more than the Clinton Administration by a 46-39% margin. You don't have to listen to Billy Boy if you don't want to, but listen to the citizens, the Commission, and Richard (not Cheney) and they'll all tell you the same thing. So, if you want to ignore that, feel free to tune into Fox News and I'm sure 96% of the blame will be placed on the Clinton Administration and why? They're "fair and balanced." Yeah, they're about as fair and balanced as a drunk man during a sobriety test.

Link:

http://articles.news.aol.com/news/_a/rice-challenges-clinton-on-his-anti/20060926074209990003

Week 3 NFL Picks and Results

Sunday
NY Jets at Buffalo: With the game at Buffalo and their defense playing as well as they have been, I'm going with the Bills in a close, fairly low-scoring duel.
NY Jets 21 Buffalo 17
NY Jets 28 Buffalo 20 (1-0)

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh: Following a disappointing performance on Monday Night against Jacksonville, it's hard for me to believe that Bill Cowher won't have his troops fired up and ready to go for the divisional game against the Bengals. Pitt has also owned Cincinnati (not literally) in recent years, which also factors into the equation.
Pittsburgh 24 Cincinnati 21
Cincinnati 28 Pittsburgh 20 (1-1)

Jacksonville at Indianapolis: Jacksonville may be THE team that has impressed me the most through two weeks into the season. With Indy's run game being all but impressive, I'm going to go with the upset in this one. Jacksonville has already beaten Dallas and Pittsburgh. If they pull this one out, it'll be the most impressive 3-0 start in the NFL.
Jacksonville 17 Indianapolis 14
Indianapolis 21 Jacksonville 14 (1-2)

Tennessee at Miami: This is the perfect time for Daunte Culpepper, Ronnie Brown and company to build some chemistry on offense. If not, then some more Joey chants may be ringing during the game on Sunday.
Miami 24 Tennessee 7
Miami 13 Tennessee 10 (2-2)

Washington at Houston: For how poorly Washington has played, I want to take the Texans. But, word has it that star tailback Clinton Portis should be back this week and because of that, I'm going to have to go with the Deadskins. But, I could see an upset here.
Washington 21 Houston 14
Washington 31 Houston 15 (3-2)

Chicago at Minnesota: Minnesota's gotten off to a solid start, but it's hard for me to see their defense outdoing that of the Bears.
Chicago 14 Minnesota 10
Chicago 19 Minnesota 16 (4-2)

Carolina at Tampa Bay: Carolina's defense has played decent in their first two games and Tampa's offense has done anything but click. It's not a certainty yet, but I'm guessing that Steve Smith comes back for this game and makes things a heck of a lot easier on quarterback Jake Delhomme. If Cadillac Williams doesn't run much in this one (which he shouldn't), the Bucs won't put too many points on the scoreboard.
Carolina 17 Tampa Bay 7
Carolina 26 Tampa Bay 24 (5-2)

Green Bay at Detroit: It's tough to pick a winner in this game. Favre had his troubles with the Lions a year ago, but it appears that the Lions players have yet to click with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's gameplan. Brett Favre looked more comfortable in the pocket a week ago against the Saints and should lead the Pack to a win in Detroit.
Green Bay 24 Detroit 17
Green Bay 31 Detroit 24 (6-2)

Baltimore at Cleveland: Will Kellen Winslow's words this week pump the Browns up at home? Maybe, but not enough for a win.
Baltimore 24 Cleveland 10
Baltimore 15 Cleveland 14 (7-2)

St. Louis at Arizona: The Ram offense has not clicked yet and with the game being in Arizona, I'm going to go with Denny's Cards. This is the third divisional game for the Cards in as many games. It'd be huge if they won 2 of their first 3 divisional games.
Arizona 21 St. Louis 17
St. Louis 16 Arizona 14 (7-3)

NY Giants at Seattle: With Shaun Alexander a little banged up and the G-Men coming off a huge come-from-behind victory against the Eagles in Philly, I'm thinking they use that momentum to defeat the banged up Seahawks in Seattle.
NY Giants 24 Seattle 17
Seattle 42 NY Giants 30 (7-4)

Philadelphia at San Francisco: Philly definitely has the better team, but will they be let down from the devastating loss last week and on top of that, the loss of "The Freak"? As tempted as I am to take the 49ers, I am having a difficult time taking Frisco against Philly. McNabb has played great in his two games thus far and he should continue that in the Bay.
Philadelphia 31 San Francisco 17
Philadelphia 38 San Francisco 24 (8-4)

Denver at New England: Neither team is playing the best football right now. Brady seems to be having troubles finding a go-to receiver without Deion Branch around. Jake Plummer has been anything but steady and the Broncos don't have a big time threat at tailback. When there are so many question marks, I'll take Brady over Plummer any day.
New England 21 Denver 17
Denver 17 New England 7 (8-5)

Monday
Atlanta at New Orleans: There will be a very emotional crowd on hand and a very determined team in New Orleans, but it's difficult for me to see the Saints beating the Falcons unless the Falcons simply beat themselves with stupid penalties and turnovers. Look for a big game from Warrick Dunn.
Atlanta 31 New Orleans 17
New Orleans 23 Atlanta 3 (8-6)

Week 3 Record: 8-6 (.571)
Overall Record: 31-15 (.674)

Week 4 College Football Newsletter

While there weren't nearly as many big-time matchups this past weekend as there had been the week before, there were still some pretty solid games, capped by an unbelievable primetime game in East Lansing. With week 4 behind us, we'll begin to see many more conference battles. This is the final week where a Top 25 will not be posted by me. As I mentioned at the outset, I'd post my first Top 25 after the Week 5 games and it's hard to believe, but that'll be at the end of this upcoming weekend's contests.

The Bonehead Call of the Week
This goes to the Michigan State coaching staff. They lead Notre Dame 31-14 at halftime, with no signs of slowing down. The Spartans led 37-21 going into the 4th quarter. Hypothetically, that's a two score game (two touchdowns and two two point conversions), but in all probability, it's a three score game. The Spartans then ensued to turn the ball over three times en route to Notre Dame's improbably 40-37 come-from-behind victory. The coaching staff lost the game against the Buckeyes a year ago which brought Sparty into a downward spiral the rest of the season. Luckily for them, they have Illinois to bounce back against this Saturday.

The Bonehead Play of the Week
This goes to the kicker at Alabama, Mr. Tiffin. The Tide had the game against the Razorbacks. It was their game to lose and lose it they (he) did. Tiffin didn't miss one, not two, but three field goals and an extra point. As I watched the game, I began seeing a Florida State helmet on Tiffin's head with the Razorbacks unis and helmets suddenly transforming into the Miami Hurricanes. Why? All four kicks were missed wide right. Tiffin missed two in regulation, one in the first overtime, and missed the extra point in double overtime.

The Conference Yo of the Week
Do I have to even dish out this award this week? No major conference impressed me. The Big Ten fell victim to the likes of Nevada, UConn, Notre Dame (after having a 37-21 lead starting the 4th quarter), and some rather unimpressive performances by the likes of Ohio State, Iowa, Minnesota, and even Michigan to an extent. The Big XII found a way (as only Colorado and Michigan State know to do) to lose to Georgia, fell to Houston, Army, and beat some cream puffs. Iowa State didn't impress me either. The ACC, as has been the case so far this year, was anything but spectacular. Virginia Tech struggled with Cincinnati for 3 1/2 quarters. Virginia continued to struggle. Maryland just snuck past Florida International. The most impressive performance? Wake Forest's 27-3 over Mississippi. The Pac 10 was anything but outstanding (go figure). Yeah, I'm awarding this to the Big East. West Virgina and Louisville didn't play to their potential, but even with that, looked dominant at times against their opponents. UConn beat Big Ten Indiana. Cincinnati gave Virginia Tech all they could handle at Lane Stadium. South Florida did likewise to Kansas, falling 13-7 to the Jayhawks. Syracuse beat up on Miami (Ohio). Rutgers and Pitt beat up on some cream puffs. Yeah, very impressive? No, not really, but compared to the other conferences, I'll have to award the Big East this week.

The Conference Yo No of the Week
I didn't mention the SEC in the previous category for a reason. They earned this award. It took a Georgia touchdown with 46 seconds left to beat the now 0-4 Colorado Buffaloes. South Carolina beat lovely Florida Atlantic. Florida beat Kentucky, but not by as much as the "experts" thought. Ole Miss got blown out by the banged up Demon Deacons of Wake 27-3. Tennessee struggled early against Marshall, before pulling away in the 4th quarter. Vandy beat a nobody. LSU beat up on Tulane. Auburn struggled with Buffalo, yes, Buffalo, for three quarters. The most impressive performance? Slyvester Croom's Mississippi State Bulldogs defeated UAB 16-10 for their first victory of the season.

Game of the Week
This has to go to the primetime battle between Michigan State and Notre Dame. If it hadn't of been for last year's comeback by the Irish against the Spartans, I probably would've tuned out before halftime. But, I'm glad I went with my instinct and stayed glued to the television set. The Spartans looked unstoppable in the first half, scoring 31 points. They pounded the Irish on the ground, threw the ball all over the Irish secondary, and even had some trick plays up their sleeve that worked very well. Brady Quinn was anything but consistent. The Irish couldn't get their ground game going. The Spartan offense looked twice as fast and focused than the Irish defense. What happened? Bad playcalling in the second half by the Spartans, a team that wasn't as focused, thinking they had already won the football game, and playing sloppy, turning the ball over three times. To give the Irish, their coaching staff, and players some credit, they made the most of their opportunities in the second half. While the Spartans were sleepwalking, the Irish finally decided to step forward and do what they could to make it a football game. The Irish came back to score twice, to pull within a 37-33 score. Then Drew Stanton, did what he did best in that second half and threw an interception and the defender didn't stop until he reached the end zone to put the Irish up for good in their 40-37 victory. While the first half was anything but good in terms of competition, the second half more than made up for it.

Biggest Disappointment of the Week
I'm giving this to the Pac 10 battle (not so much of one) between Cal and Arizona State. ASU came into the game 3-0 with an offense that hadn't been stopped in their first three games. Cal looked dreadful in their opening loss to Tennessee, but then rebounded with a strong performance against Minnesota. While this game was played in Berkeley and most of the "experts" picked Cal, I was expecting a more tightly knit game than what it turned out to be. Cal dominated from start to finish in their 49-21 blowout victory. If Cal is half as good as they displaying on Saturday the rest of the way through, they have a legitimate shot at the Pac 10 crown.

Kudos
Wake Forest. While the Deacs have done anything but beat up on "quality" competition this year, they are now 4-0 thanks to their blow-out win against Mississippi on Saturday. This was without their starting quarterback or starting running back in the lineup, because of injury. Most "experts" and "analysts" claimed that the Deacs winning streak would end on Saturday because of a "tougher" SEC opponent and their injury situation. While Wake may not be a Top 25 caliber team, with the ACC being as mediocre (that's being nice) as it is this year, they have a very good chance at going to a bowl game at season's end.

No Kudos For You
The official in the Boston College/NC State game. Is it just me or does it seem that the home team receives the benefits more times than not when it comes to calls and instant replay? Oklahoma received a big break at home in their opener against UAB. Auburn caught a break at home last week against LSU. Oregon got a couple breaks in Eugene against Oklahoma a week ago. Last year, LSU caught a big time break against Arizona State in Baton Rouge. This past week, the game was played in Raleigh, North Carolina and with NC State down 15-10 late against BC, they threw up a pass into the back right corner of the end zone. The receiver bobbled the ball and never had complete possession of the ball. Heck, when he finally hit the ground, the ball was on the ground as well. Yet, it was called a touchdown. The officials reviewed the play for about 5 seconds before saying that it was a touchdown. I saw the play and if one looks very closely, they could clearly see that the receiver never had possession of the football. It wasn't even discussed by the announcers and I haven't heard any fuss from anyone in the press. When people talk about a team having home field advantage, that's very true it seems when it comes to instant replay and penalties.

Player of the Week
I finally get to dish this out to one of my favorite college football players, Georgia Tech wideout Calvin Johnson. He went into the Thursday night game against Virginia listed as questionable with a deep thigh bruise. What did the guy do? Caught 6 passes for 165 yards (27.5 yard average) and two touchdowns. Those two touchdowns would be all that the Jackets needed against the now Division I-AA Cavaliers. Even when Johnson is at home 60-70%, he lights up defenses. Unbelievable!

Surprise of the Week
Again, I've got to go with Cal's blowout win over Arizona State. Cal allowed 35 in their opening loss to Tennessee and that was with the 'Vols playing ultra-conservatively in the second half. Arizona State came to the game with their offense rolling (as usual) and was held to 21. Meanwhile, Cal couldn't be stopped, racking up 42 points in the first half alone! They played their coaches and cheerleaders in the second half, who came away with a touchdown. After watching this game, I have to say, I'm really looking forward to the USC/Cal matchup this year. Cal has played them tough the past few seasons and this year should be no different.

Nebraska Game (from an unbiased person's viewpoint)
Well, as with the Nicholls State game, this was not televised and I was not going to spend $30 on a game against Troy State. Statistically, the Huskers looked very impressive and they seemed to rebound quite nicely from their loss a week ago to USC. But, I didn't watch the game, so I can't say too much about it.

Solich Update
Ohio played 4-0 Missouri tough through the first half, but the Tigers took control in the second en route to a 31-6 victory. With the loss, Ohio falls to 2-2 overall and are still 1-0 in the MAC. Props to Frankie (first time I've said this), Ohio has played pretty well thus far. They've beaten Northern Illinois, a usual contender for the MAC crown and their only two losses are to Rutgers and Missouri, two teams that are a combined 8-0 this season.

Gill Update
While it was a certainty that Buffalo would fall to SEC powerhouse Auburn, kudos to the Bulls. They hung in their with Auburn for almost three full quarters, until finally falling 38-7 to the Tigers. With the loss, the Bulls fall to 1-3, but have played significantly better this season than they did a year ago.

Rant of the Week: Playing Too Conservative
I cannot stand when a team gets off to a great start, have a good solid lead at halftime, and then decide to play conservative in the second half only to allow the opponent back in the game. Last week in the NFL, the Philadelphia Eagles led the New York Giants in Philly by a 24-7 score starting the 4th quarter. Philly played it ultra-conservative in the 4th quarter and the G-Men came back to tie the game and win in overtime. Did Michigan State learn from seeing that? No. The Spartans were up 31-14 at halftime and 37-21 after three and found a way to let Notre Dame back into the game and eventually win with their extra-conservative play calling. Yesterday, the Seattle Seahawks were up 42-3 on the New York Giants and the G-Men almost came back again, losing by the score of 42-30. When will coaches learn? It does not pay off to do a complete 360 at halftime and go from doing what the team does best to sleepwalking and playing to end the game, as opposed to win the stinking thing. If an offense is in a rhythm, why take them out of that rhythm? Stick with what's working. If the offense keeps driving and scoring, there's no way the opposition can come back. However, if the offense runs the ball three times and goes three and out for the majority of a second half after building a four touchdown lead at the half, they have a chance to lose the football game. Then, when the opposition gets back into the game, the offense has to attempt to get back into the rhythm that they were in early in the contest. That's difficult to do and they'll be more prone to turning the ball over and not being nearly as crisp as before. I'd think that coaches would learn by now. Playing ultra-conservatively on offense is like playing the prevent defense. Both set-ups may take some time off the clock, but more times than not, they allow the opposition to close the gap on the scoreboard, which is why I'm not a proponent of either.

Bin Laden Dead? No Way!

A French document just recently leaked Osama Bin Laden's death. It claimed that he supposedly died from typhoid about a month ago. Now, French media outlets are claiming that he's not dead. The heads in Afghanistan have stated that Bin Laden is not in their country. Pakistani spies have stated that Bin Laden is in between Pakistan and Afghanistan (how long has that been said?). He's not made his face known to the public for two years. Every video that's been sent since December 2001 has been fake, so says the International Committee in Switzerland who reviews them. So, let me think about this. Nobody knows where he is. No one has heard from or about him (in the authentic sense) for nearly three years. What? The guy is dead? No way!

But, expect leaders from countries such as the U.S., France, U.K., amongst others, to claim that Bin Laden is alive and expect a tape, perhaps video, in attempt to prove their claims. Again, the tape will be fake, but as always, the CIA will claim that the tape is authentic.

Why would leaders withhold this information from us for so long? Two reasons: 1) So that they always have their backup card for fear factor handy and 2) To maintain some support for the War on Terror.

When things go awry, when a scandal brews, when approval ratings drop, Bush and others can always seem to rely on Osama Bin Laden to divert the public's attention away from their (politicians) wrongdoings and to become fearful once again of the "alleged" mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks. If they announce that Bin Laden is dead, they will no longer have this bogeyman to hide behind, which will only hurt their approval ratings.

Also, if it's known around the world that Osama Bin Laden is dead, how many countries will continue to feel motivated and obligated to fight the War on Terror? The name Osama Bin Laden is what prompted the Terror War in the first place. If U.S. citizens knew this, war support would decline, protests would increase, and Bush would have a lot tougher time in convincing the public that "staying the course" is the right course of action.

Yeah, Bin Laden's dead. He's been dead for going on five years now. But, will we find this out anytime soon? Not likely, especially with Bush in office. As long as Bush is in office, as he's said, he's going to continue fighting this so-called "War on Terror." So, as long as he's in office, don't expect to hear that Bush's bogeyman has died.

Week 4 College Football Picks and Results

Thursday
Virginia at Georgia Tech (+16.5): UVA has gotten off to a very sluggish start and things won't be improving much in Atlanta against the Jackets.
Georgia Tech 42 Virginia 21
Georgia Tech 24 Virginia 7 (1-0) (1-0)

Friday
Northwestern at Nevada (+7): Northwestern's offense will not be able to keep up with the Wolfpack and their Pistol-set-ups.
Nevada 28 Northwestern 14
Nevada 31 Northwestern 21 (2-0) (2-0)

Saturday
Troy at Nebraska (+21): The Huskers better not sleep on Troy as Florida State did for three quarters and Georgia Tech did for a half. With the game being at home, I'm going with NU.
Nebraska 38 Troy 17
Nebraska 56 Troy 0 (3-0) (3-0)

Iowa (+21) at Illinois: The veteran-led Hawkeyes will have no problem taking care of business in Champagne. Thankfully, unlike the game against Syracuse, senior quarterback Drew Tate will be starting in this game.
Iowa 42 Illinois 3
Iowa 24 Illinois 7 (4-0) (3-1)

Iowa State at Texas (+23.5): While I don't see the 'Horns covering the large spread, I do see them getting the best of the Cyclones in this game.
Texas 28 Iowa State 17
Texas 37 Iowa State 14 (5-0) (4-1)

Army at Baylor (+10): Both teams have been pretty pesky early on, but with the game at home, I'll have to give the edge to Baylor.
Baylor 21 Army 14
Army 27 Baylor 20 OT (5-1) (5-1)

Colorado at Georgia (+27): With a loss in this contest, CU would start the season 0-4. Even though they've played horribly on offense, the defense has done a decent job, allowing only 54 points in three games. While CU has no chance at winning this game, I think they have a chance at beating the spread, just barely.
Georgia 28 Colorado 3
Georgia 14 Colorado 13 (6-1) (6-1)

Oklahoma State at Houston (+1): This is actually a big non-conference games between two unbeatens. One thing is for certain, there should be plenty of points on the scoreboard when the game comes to a close. Flip a coin on this one.
Oklahoma State 42 Houston 35
Houston 34 Oklahoma State 25 (6-2) (6-2)

South Florida at Kansas (+5): KU's coming off a tough double overtime loss to Toledo and USF is coming off an impressive victory against Central Florida. Jim Leavitt's team seems to be improving on a weekly basis and I'm taking them in the upset to improve them to 4-0 on the season.
South Florida 24 Kansas 21
Kansas 13 South Florida 7 (6-3) (6-3)

Louisville (+13.5) at Kansas State: The Cards are without Bush and Brohm, but that's not even going to matter in this game.
Louisville 31 Kansas State 14
Louisville 24 Kansas State 6 (7-3) (7-3)

Ohio at Missouri (+20.5): The Tigers have impressed me more than any other Big XII club in the early going and will improve to 4-0 after this game.
Missouri 35 Ohio 14
Missouri 31 Ohio 6 (8-3) (8-3)

Middle Tennessee at Oklahoma (+29): The Sooners will most likely be distracted coming into this game, so, lucky for them that they're facing off against Middle Tennessee in Norman.
Oklahoma 35 Middle Tennessee 10
Oklahoma 59 Middle Tennessee 0 (9-3) (8-4)

Louisiana Tech at Texas A&M (+23): A&M got lucky last week in their win against Army. I could see that happening again in this game.
Texas A&M 28 Louisiana Tech 21
Texas A&M 45 Louisiana Tech 14 (10-3) (8-5)

UConn at Indiana (+2.5): Even though they lost last week to Wake Forest, it's very difficult for me to pick Indiana in football.
UConn 24 Indiana 21
UConn 14 Indiana 7 (11-3) (9-5)

Wisconsin at Michigan (+14): Even if Michigan has a let-down week, they should get past the Baah-dgers of Wis-CAHN-sin.
Michigan 28 Wisconsin 10
Michigan 27 Wisconsin 13 (12-3) (10-5)

Notre Dame (+3.5) at Michigan State: It's very difficult for me to pick against the Irish and Charlie Weiss, but with how pathetic their defense looked a week ago, the fact that Michigan State has had their number in recent years, and the fact that the game is in East Lansing, I'm going to go with the Spartans.
Michigan State 35 Notre Dame 28
Notre Dame 40 Michigan State 37 (12-4) (10-6)

Minnesota (+3) at Purdue: Purdue finally faces a team better than they are and that's not saying a whole lot, especially when it comes to defense. The GO-phers go on the road and come back with a big conference win.
Minnesota 38 Purdue 28
Purdue 27 Minnesota 21 (12-5) (10-7)

Penn State at Ohio State (+17): Troy Smith and the Buckeyes overcame a sluggish start against Cincinnati last week to blow out the Bearcats in the second half. That good play will continue at home in a huge conference win against JoPa's crew.
Ohio State 35 Penn State 17
Ohio State 28 Penn State 6 (13-5) (11-7)

Miami (Ohio) at Syracuse (+6.5): The 'Cuse haven't played as badly as they were expected to this season. They've beaten Illinois by 10 (it wasn't even that close), lost to unbeaten Wake Forest by 10, and lost to Iowa by a touchdown in double overtime. Miami, on the other hand, hasn't shown me much of anything. They may want to call up Ben Roethlisberger and get him to play football for the University again.
Syracuse 24 Miami (Ohio) 14
Syracuse 34 Miami (Ohio) 14 (14-5) (12-7)

Marshall at Tennessee (+22): Is it just me, or does it seem that the 'Vols are playing every game in Knoxville? Either way, they'd get the best of the Herd in this one.
Tennessee 35 Marshall 7
Tennessee 33 Marshall 7 (15-5) (13-7)

North Carolina at Clemson (+16.5): Carolina might score a bit in this game due to Clemson's health problems on the defensive side of the ball, but they allowed 42 to Division I-AA Furman last week. Yeah, so one can only imagine how many points they'll allow to Clemson.
Clemson 49 North Carolina 21
Clemson 52 North Carolina 7 (16-5) (14-7)

Kentucky at Florida (+24): Kentucky at the swamp? Good luck guys. The only thing playing Kentucky's favor is the fact that Florida may have a let down coming off a big win in Knoxville last week.
Florida 42 Kentucky 14
Florida 26 Kentucky 7 (17-5) (14-8)

Rice at Florida State (+29.5): I would not want to be the Owls this week (or any week, for that matter). They're coming off a beating to Texas and FSU fell asleep on Troy two weeks ago before waking up and winning in the 4th quarter and fell to Clemson a week ago. No contest in this one. FSU dominates.
Florida State 49 Rice 7
Florida State 55 Rice 7 (18-5) (15-8)

Buffalo at Auburn (+43): Whew! That is one big spread! I don't know whether to pick Auburn to cover that large of a spread or not. I think they'll come very close, but due to playing scrubs in the second half, I think Buffalo may beat the spread.
Auburn 42 Buffalo 0
Auburn 38 Buffalo 7 (19-5) (16-8)

Kent State at Bowling Green (+7.5): If there's a team in the MAC that I have troubles picking, it's the Kent State Golden Flashes. With the game at BGU, I'm going with the Falcons, even though they haven't impressed me all too much thus far.
Bowling Green 31 Kent State 17
Kent State 38 Bowling Green 3 (19-6) (16-9)

Tulsa at Navy (+5.5): The Midshipmen finally came alive last week against Stanford. Are the Cardinal that bad? Is Navy that good? As usual, it's probably a bit of both. With the game at home and coming off the impressive performance a week ago, I'm going with Navy, but not by much.
Navy 24 Tulsa 21
Tulsa 24 Navy 23 OT (19-7) (16-10)

Cincinnati at Virginia Tech (+26): Poor Cincy. They face-off against Ohio State and Virginia Tech in back-to-back weeks. I don't know if I'd take the Hokies with the spread, though.
Virginia Tech 28 Cincinnati 3
Virginia Tech 29 Cincinnati 13 (20-7) (17-10)

Utah State at BYU (+31): Utah State got blown out by Utah 48-0 a week ago. If they play similarly this week in Provo, expect similar results.
BYU 38 Utah State 0
BYU 38 Utah State 0 (21-7) (18-10)

Washington State (+10) at Stanford: Is Stanford the new doormat of the Pac 10? They could very well be on their way.
Washington State 24 Stanford 10
Washington State 36 Stanford 10 (22-7) (19-10)

Arizona State at California (+7): Even though the game is in Berkeley, I like the Sundevils' odds in this one.
Arizona State 35 California 28
California 49 Arizona State 21 (22-8) (19-11)

UCLA (+3.5) at Washington: Ty Willingham's Huskies have improved quite a bit this year from last. UCLA is so youthful, it's hard to tell where they'll rank in the Pac 10 this year. I'm going with the upset at home.
Washington 28 UCLA 24
Washington 29 UCLA 19 (23-8) (20-11)

Central Michigan (+4) at Eastern Michigan: CMU played two quality opponents tough in their losses and beat an Akron club who has defeated ACC NC State and played Penn State tough. I'm taking the Chippewas.
Central Michigan 28 Eastern Michigan 10
Central Michigan 24 Eastern Michigan 17 OT (24-8) (21-11)

Air Force (+1) at Wyoming: It's tough for me to pick against Wyoming at home, but with a week off to recover from their near upset win over Tennessee, I'm going with the Falcons in a tightly knit game.
Air Force 21 Wyoming 14
Air Force 31 Wyoming 24 (25-8) (22-11)

UTEP (+9.5) at New Mexico: Mike Price and Jordan Palmer will put enough points on the board to hold off the Lobos.
UTEP 28 New Mexico 17
New Mexico 26 UTEP 13 (25-9) (22-12)

West Virginia (+21) at East Carolina: WVU can't take ECU for granted and will need to stay more consistent offensively throughout the game, but in the end, they should have little to no problems covering the spread in this one. Watch out for Steve Slaton. The scary thing is, the guy is just a sophomore.
West Virginia 42 East Carolina 14
West Virginia 27 East Carolina 10 (26-9) (22-13)

Boston College (+7) at NC State: It's hard for me to give NC State any love after their back-to-back losses to Akron and Southern Miss by the combined score of 57-34. I don't expect any better against BC.
Boston College 28 NC State 10
NC State 17 Boston College 15 (26-10) (22-14)

Alabama at Arkansas (+2): If the game was to be played in Tuscaloosa, I'd take Alabama, but with it being played at Arkansas, I'll have to go with the 'Hogs.
Arkansas 21 Alabama 17
Arkansas 24 Alabama 23 OT (27-10) (22-15)

Temple at Western Michigan (+27): The question isn't whether or not the Owls will lose this game (they will), but whether or not they'll score any points. Temple has put up a total of 3 points in as many games this season.
Western Michigan 35 Temple 3
Western Michigan 41 Temple 7 (28-10) (23-15)

Wake Forest at Ole Miss (+3): After taking Ole Miss against Kentucky a week ago and getting embarrassed by the 'Cats, I'm just going to go out on a limb and take the 3-0 Demon Deacons in this one.
Wake Forest 24 Ole Miss 17
Wake Forest 27 Ole Miss 3 (29-10) (24-15)

Mississippi State at UAB (+10): Poor Slyvester Croom. The 'Dogs scored their first points of the young season a week ago against Tulane. The only problem was the fact that the Green Wave scored more points. Expect similar results in this one.
UAB 17 Mississippi State 10
Mississippi State 16 UAB 10 (29-11) (25-15)

Tulane at LSU (+36): Tulane better have enjoyed their win a week ago, because that win streak is going to come to a halt this weekend.
LSU 49 Tulane 7
LSU 49 Tulane 7 (30-11) (26-15)

Utah (+5.5) at San Diego State: In a big Mountain West game, I think Utah's offense will be too much for San Diego State.
Utah 21 San Diego State 14
Utah 38 San Diego State 7 (31-11) (27-15)

Hawaii at Boise State (+14): Boise had a tough time with Wyoming a week ago, but should have no problems on the blue turf this weekend. Where the blue field goes (only in Boise), victories for the Broncos will travel.
Boise State 42 Hawaii 21
Boise State 41 Hawaii 34 (32-11) (27-16)

USC (+21) at Arizona: It'd be nice to see the 'Cats keep it close, but I won't hold my breath after witnessing the first few minutes of the LSU game a couple weeks back. Two things working in their favor are the fact that the game is in Tucson and the possible let-down by the Trojans following their big win last week against Nebraska.
USC 35 Arizona 14
USC 20 Arizona 3 (33-11) (27-17)

Idaho at Oregon State (+22.5): I know little to nothing about either team, but think Idaho coach Dennis Erickson will get his team extra fired up for this one. They may not win, but will come closer than that spread indicates.
Oregon State 28 Idaho 21
Oregon State 38 Idaho 0 (34-11) (27-18)

Florida International at Maryland (+18): If this game were played in Florida, I may be tempted to take the home team. With it being played at the Turtle House, however, I'm going to have to go with the Terps, but not by a whole lot.
Maryland 24 Florida International 14
Maryland 14 Florida International 10 (35-11) (28-18)

North Texas at Akron (+17.5): The Zips should come out on top in this one coming back home after their disappointing loss to Central Michigan.
Akron 28 North Texas 10
Akron 33 North Texas 13 (36-11) (29-18)

Florida Atlantic at South Carolina (+29.5): It's difficult for me to take Spurrier's crew to cover the spread, but Florida Atlantic is so bad, that I'm going to predict a blow-out. South Carolina only beat Division I-AA Wofford a week ago 27-20, but, Florida Atlantic would probably fall victim to Wofford. Ahh, we'll see what happens.
South Carolina 35 Florida Atlantic 0
South Carolina 45 Florida Atlantic 6 (37-11) (30-18)

Arkansas State at SMU (+7): It should be a fairly tight and low-scoring game, but I'm going with the home team Mustangs in this one.
SMU 21 Arkansas State 14
SMU 55 Arkansas State 9 (38-11) (31-18)

Week 4 Record For the Win: 38-11 (.776)
Overall Record For the Win: 116-33 (.779)
Week 4 Record Vs. the Spread: 31-18 (.633)
Overall Record Vs. the Spread: 73-76 (.490)

"The Brushback Report"

I had never heard of the site or the book before. But, when I saw it lying on a table at Barnes & Noble, I was immediately drawn to it. After skimming through the book, I knew I wanted to give it a read.

"The Brushback Report" is a book written by Dave Savaira, based off his website. It's basically "The Daily Show" about sports. It satirizes sports articles, issues, and topics over the past few years.

One such headline is "Defender Flagged For Hurting Quarterback's Feelings." For sports fans out there, we know exactly what that is about. In the NFL especially, quarterbacks are protected and might as well wear a belt with flags to their sides. There's even a roughing the passer penalty now for "pushing the quarterback to the ground." No, I'm not kidding.

For most every headline, there is an article following. The majority pertains to sports, but there are some that deal with politics. For example, one such headline is "Bush Loses Annual Spelling Bee." In the article, Bush is "quoted" as saying, "Perhaps we'll just leave the spelling to others and the president-ing to me."

Throughout the book, Savaira is not fearful of offending any and everyone. The book is anything but politically correct and that's being nice.
"Black Driver Pulled Over During NASCAR Race"
"White Guy Plays in Pickup Game"

For those that know their sports, can take the political incorrectness, and read it like a satire, then I definitely recommend this book. There are a few headlines and articles that aren't the funniest, but for the most part, I was laughing from start to finish. It's definitely not for everyone, but I thoroughly enjoyed it the first time through and can see myself reading it again.

Week 3 NFL Predictions

Sunday
NY Jets at Buffalo: With the game at Buffalo and their defense playing as well as they have been, I'm going with the Bills in a close, fairly low-scoring duel.
NY Jets 21 Buffalo 17

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh: Following a disappointing performance on Monday Night against Jacksonville, it's hard for me to believe that Bill Cowher won't have his troops fired up and ready to go for the divisional game against the Bengals. Pitt has also owned Cincinnati (not literally) in recent years, which also factors into the equation.
Pittsburgh 24 Cincinnati 21

Jacksonville at Indianapolis: Jacksonville may be THE team that has impressed me the most through two weeks into the season. With Indy's run game being all but impressive, I'm going to go with the upset in this one. Jacksonville has already beaten Dallas and Pittsburgh. If they pull this one out, it'll be the most impressive 3-0 start in the NFL.
Jacksonville 17 Indianapolis 14

Tennessee at Miami: This is the perfect time for Daunte Culpepper, Ronnie Brown and company to build some chemistry on offense. If not, then some more Joey chants may be ringing during the game on Sunday.
Miami 24 Tennessee 7

Washington at Houston: For how poorly Washington has played, I want to take the Texans. But, word has it that star tailback Clinton Portis should be back this week and because of that, I'm going to have to go with the Deadskins. But, I could see an upset here.
Washington 21 Houston 14

Chicago at Minnesota: Minnesota's gotten off to a solid start, but it's hard for me to see their defense outdoing that of the Bears.
Chicago 14 Minnesota 10

Carolina at Tampa Bay: Carolina's defense has played decent in their first two games and Tampa's offense has done anything but click. It's not a certainty yet, but I'm guessing that Steve Smith comes back for this game and makes things a heck of a lot easier on quarterback Jake Delhomme. If Cadillac Williams doesn't run much in this one (which he shouldn't), the Bucs won't put too many points on the scoreboard.
Carolina 17 Tampa Bay 7

Green Bay at Detroit: It's tough to pick a winner in this game. Favre had his troubles with the Lions a year ago, but it appears that the Lions players have yet to click with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's gameplan. Brett Favre looked more comfortable in the pocket a week ago against the Saints and should lead the Pack to a win in Detroit.
Green Bay 24 Detroit 17

Baltimore at Cleveland: Will Kellen Winslow's words this week pump the Browns up at home? Maybe, but not enough for a win.
Baltimore 24 Cleveland 10

St. Louis at Arizona: The Ram offense has not clicked yet and with the game being in Arizona, I'm going to go with Denny's Cards. This is the third divisional game for the Cards in as many games. It'd be huge if they won 2 of their first 3 divisional games.
Arizona 21 St. Louis 17

NY Giants at Seattle: With Shaun Alexander a little banged up and the G-Men coming off a huge come-from-behind victory against the Eagles in Philly, I'm thinking they use that momentum to defeat the banged up Seahawks in Seattle.
NY Giants 24 Seattle 17

Philadelphia at San Francisco: Philly definitely has the better team, but will they be let down from the devastating loss last week and on top of that, the loss of "The Freak"? As tempted as I am to take the 49ers, I am having a difficult time taking Frisco against Philly. McNabb has played great in his two games thus far and he should continue that in the Bay.
Philadelphia 31 San Francisco 17

Denver at New England: Neither team is playing the best football right now. Brady seems to be having troubles finding a go-to receiver without Deion Branch around. Jake Plummer has been anything but steady and the Broncos don't have a big time threat at tailback. When there are so many question marks, I'll take Brady over Plummer any day.
New England 21 Denver 17

Monday
Atlanta at New Orleans: There will be a very emotional crowd on hand and a very determined team in New Orleans, but it's difficult for me to see the Saints beating the Falcons unless the Falcons simply beat themselves with stupid penalties and turnovers. Look for a big game from Warrick Dunn.
Atlanta 31 New Orleans 17

Week 4 College Football Predictions

Thursday
Virginia at Georgia Tech (+16.5): UVA has gotten off to a very sluggish start and things won't be improving much in Atlanta against the Jackets.
Georgia Tech 42 Virginia 21

Friday
Northwestern at Nevada (+7): Northwestern's offense will not be able to keep up with the Wolfpack and their Pistol-set-ups.
Nevada 28 Northwestern 14

Saturday
Troy at Nebraska (+21): The Huskers better not sleep on Troy as Florida State did for three quarters and Georgia Tech did for a half. With the game being at home, I'm going with NU.
Nebraska 38 Troy 17

Iowa (+21) at Illinois: The veteran-led Hawkeyes will have no problem taking care of business in Champagne. Thankfully, unlike the game against Syracuse, senior quarterback Drew Tate will be starting in this game.
Iowa 42 Illinois 3

Iowa State at Texas (+23.5): While I don't see the 'Horns covering the large spread, I do see them getting the best of the Cyclones in this game.
Texas 28 Iowa State 17

Army at Baylor (+10): Both teams have been pretty pesky early on, but with the game at home, I'll have to give the edge to Baylor.
Baylor 21 Army 14

Colorado at Georgia (+27): With a loss in this contest, CU would start the season 0-4. Even though they've played horribly on offense, the defense has done a decent job, allowing only 54 points in three games. While CU has no chance at winning this game, I think they have a chance at beating the spread, just barely.
Georgia 28 Colorado 3

Oklahoma State at Houston (+1): This is actually a big non-conference games between two unbeatens. One thing is for certain, there should be plenty of points on the scoreboard when the game comes to a close. Flip a coin on this one.
Oklahoma State 42 Houston 35

South Florida at Kansas (+5): KU's coming off a tough double overtime loss to Toledo and USF is coming off an impressive victory against Central Florida. Jim Leavitt's team seems to be improving on a weekly basis and I'm taking them in the upset to improve them to 4-0 on the season.
South Florida 24 Kansas 21

Louisville (+13.5) at Kansas State: The Cards are without Bush and Brohm, but that's not even going to matter in this game.
Louisville 31 Kansas State 14

Ohio at Missouri (+20.5): The Tigers have impressed me more than any other Big XII club in the early going and will improve to 4-0 after this game.
Missouri 35 Ohio 14

Middle Tennessee at Oklahoma (+29): The Sooners will most likely be distracted coming into this game, so, lucky for them that they're facing off against Middle Tennessee in Norman.
Oklahoma 35 Middle Tennessee 10

Louisiana Tech at Texas A&M (+23): A&M got lucky last week in their win against Army. I could see that happening again in this game.
Texas A&M 28 Louisiana Tech 21

UConn at Indiana (+2.5): Even though they lost last week to Wake Forest, it's very difficult for me to pick Indiana in football.
UConn 24 Indiana 21

Wisconsin at Michigan (+14): Even if Michigan has a let-down week, they should get past the Baah-dgers of Wis-CAHN-sin.
Michigan 28 Wisconsin 10

Notre Dame (+3.5) at Michigan State: It's very difficult for me to pick against the Irish and Charlie Weiss, but with how pathetic their defense looked a week ago, the fact that Michigan State has had their number in recent years, and the fact that the game is in East Lansing, I'm going to go with the Spartans.
Michigan State 35 Notre Dame 28

Minnesota (+3) at Purdue: Purdue finally faces a team better than they are and that's not saying a whole lot, especially when it comes to defense. The GO-phers go on the road and come back with a big conference win.
Minnesota 38 Purdue 28

Penn State at Ohio State (+17): Troy Smith and the Buckeyes overcame a sluggish start against Cincinnati last week to blow out the Bearcats in the second half. That good play will continue at home in a huge conference win against JoPa's crew.
Ohio State 35 Penn State 17

Miami (Ohio) at Syracuse (+6.5): The 'Cuse haven't played as badly as they were expected to this season. They've beaten Illinois by 10 (it wasn't even that close), lost to unbeaten Wake Forest by 10, and lost to Iowa by a touchdown in double overtime. Miami, on the other hand, hasn't shown me much of anything. They may want to call up Ben Roethlisberger and get him to play football for the University again.
Syracuse 24 Miami (Ohio) 14

Marshall at Tennessee (+22): Is it just me, or does it seem that the 'Vols are playing every game in Knoxville? Either way, they'd get the best of the Herd in this one.
Tennessee 35 Marshall 7

North Carolina at Clemson (+16.5): Carolina might score a bit in this game due to Clemson's health problems on the defensive side of the ball, but they allowed 42 to Division I-AA Furman last week. Yeah, so one can only imagine how many points they'll allow to Clemson.
Clemson 49 North Carolina 21

Kentucky at Florida (+24): Kentucky at the swamp? Good luck guys. The only thing playing Kentucky's favor is the fact that Florida may have a let down coming off a big win in Knoxville last week.
Florida 42 Kentucky 14

Rice at Florida State (+29.5): I would not want to be the Owls this week (or any week, for that matter). They're coming off a beating to Texas and FSU fell asleep on Troy two weeks ago before waking up and winning in the 4th quarter and fell to Clemson a week ago. No contest in this one. FSU dominates.
Florida State 49 Rice 7

Buffalo at Auburn (+43): Whew! That is one big spread! I don't know whether to pick Auburn to cover that large of a spread or not. I think they'll come very close, but due to playing scrubs in the second half, I think Buffalo may beat the spread.
Auburn 42 Buffalo 0

Kent State at Bowling Green (+7.5): If there's a team in the MAC that I have troubles picking, it's the Kent State Golden Flashes. With the game at BGU, I'm going with the Falcons, even though they haven't impressed me all too much thus far.
Bowling Green 31 Kent State 17

Tulsa at Navy (+5.5): The Midshipmen finally came alive last week against Stanford. Are the Cardinal that bad? Is Navy that good? As usual, it's probably a bit of both. With the game at home and coming off the impressive performance a week ago, I'm going with Navy, but not by much.
Navy 24 Tulsa 21

Cincinnati at Virginia Tech (+26): Poor Cincy. They face-off against Ohio State and Virginia Tech in back-to-back weeks. I don't know if I'd take the Hokies with the spread, though.
Virginia Tech 28 Cincinnati 3

Utah State at BYU (+31): Utah State got blown out by Utah 48-0 a week ago. If they play similarly this week in Provo, expect similar results.
BYU 38 Utah State 0

Washington State (+10) at Stanford: Is Stanford the new doormat of the Pac 10? They could very well be on their way.
Washington State 24 Stanford 10

Arizona State at California (+7): Even though the game is in Berkeley, I like the Sundevils' odds in this one.
Arizona State 35 California 28

UCLA (+3.5) at Washington: Ty Willingham's Huskies have improved quite a bit this year from last. UCLA is so youthful, it's hard to tell where they'll rank in the Pac 10 this year. I'm going with the upset at home.
Washington 28 UCLA 24

Central Michigan (+4) at Eastern Michigan: CMU played two quality opponents tough in their losses and beat an Akron club who has defeated ACC NC State and played Penn State tough. I'm taking the Chippewas.
Central Michigan 28 Eastern Michigan 10

Air Force (+1) at Wyoming: It's tough for me to pick against Wyoming at home, but with a week off to recover from their near upset win over Tennessee, I'm going with the Falcons in a tightly knit game.
Air Force 21 Wyoming 14

UTEP (+9.5) at New Mexico: Mike Price and Jordan Palmer will put enough points on the board to hold off the Lobos.
UTEP 28 New Mexico 17

West Virginia (+21) at East Carolina: WVU can't take ECU for granted and will need to stay more consistent offensively throughout the game, but in the end, they should have little to no problems covering the spread in this one. Watch out for Steve Slaton. The scary thing is, the guy is just a sophomore.
West Virginia 42 East Carolina 14

Boston College (+7) at NC State: It's hard for me to give NC State any love after their back-to-back losses to Akron and Southern Miss by the combined score of 57-34. I don't expect any better against BC.
Boston College 28 NC State 10

Alabama at Arkansas (+2): If the game was to be played in Tuscaloosa, I'd take Alabama, but with it being played at Arkansas, I'll have to go with the 'Hogs.
Arkansas 21 Alabama 17

Temple at Western Michigan (+27): The question isn't whether or not the Owls will lose this game (they will), but whether or not they'll score any points. Temple has put up a total of 3 points in as many games this season.
Western Michigan 35 Temple 3

Wake Forest at Ole Miss (+3): After taking Ole Miss against Kentucky a week ago and getting embarrassed by the 'Cats, I'm just going to go out on a limb and take the 3-0 Demon Deacons in this one.
Wake Forest 24 Ole Miss 17

Mississippi State at UAB (+10): Poor Slyvester Croom. The 'Dogs scored their first points of the young season a week ago against Tulane. The only problem was the fact that the Green Wave scored more points. Expect similar results in this one.
UAB 17 Mississippi State 10

Tulane at LSU (+36): Tulane better have enjoyed their win a week ago, because that win streak is going to come to a halt this weekend.
LSU 49 Tulane 7

Utah (+5.5) at San Diego State: In a big Mountain West game, I think Utah's offense will be too much for San Diego State.
Utah 21 San Diego State 14

Hawaii at Boise State (+14): Boise had a tough time with Wyoming a week ago, but should have no problems on the blue turf this weekend. Where the blue field goes (only in Boise), victories for the Broncos will travel.
Boise State 42 Hawaii 21

USC (+21) at Arizona: It'd be nice to see the 'Cats keep it close, but I won't hold my breath after witnessing the first few minutes of the LSU game a couple weeks back. Two things working in their favor are the fact that the game is in Tucson and the possible let-down by the Trojans following their big win last week against Nebraska.
USC 35 Arizona 14

Idaho at Oregon State (+22.5): I know little to nothing about either team, but think Idaho coach Dennis Erickson will get his team extra fired up for this one. They may not win, but will come closer than that spread indicates.
Oregon State 28 Idaho 21

Florida International at Maryland (+18): If this game were played in Florida, I may be tempted to take the home team. With it being played at the Turtle House, however, I'm going to have to go with the Terps, but not by a whole lot.
Maryland 24 Florida International 14

North Texas at Akron (+17.5): The Zips should come out on top in this one coming back home after their disappointing loss to Central Michigan.
Akron 28 North Texas 10

Florida Atlantic at South Carolina (+29.5): It's difficult for me to take Spurrier's crew to cover the spread, but Florida Atlantic is so bad, that I'm going to predict a blow-out. South Carolina only beat Division I-AA Wofford a week ago 27-20, but, Florida Atlantic would probably fall victim to Wofford. Ahh, we'll see what happens.
South Carolina 35 Florida Atlantic 0

Arkansas State at SMU (+7): It should be a fairly tight and low-scoring game, but I'm going with the home team Mustangs in this one.
SMU 21 Arkansas State 14

The Phantom Search For Bin Laden

Over the past few days, I've read articles pertaining to Bin Laden's possible whereabouts. I read about how Pakistani intelligence had a decent lead on Bin Laden. What did they say? Somewhere in between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Gee, they've been saying that for how long now? 100 years from now, they'll probably be saying the same darn thing, "Oh, Bin Laden is in the Middle East somewhere, between Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Syria." Yeah, that's some quality intelligence right there. Well, I suppose it may be tricky attempting to catch a dead man whose whereabouts will never be known. Carry on. Carry on.

Game Is Over! Enough Complaining!

Allright, I was one of the first ones to stand up for Oklahoma this past Saturday after they got shafted by the Pac 10 officials in the Oregon game. Saturday is approaching us and I'm still hearing whining and complaining from Oklahoma, OU fans, and a minority of analysts and columnists (Ex: Skip Bayless and Craig James).

There's nothing that can be done about it. The refs messed up. It's happened before. It'll happen again. Let's not forget that OU was the beneficiary of a bad call in their opening game against UAB. With six and a half minutes left in the game and OU clinging to a 24-17 lead, the refs blew the whistle very early on a punt return where UAB stripped the ball loose from a Sooner and recovered it inside the 25-yard line. UAB could've very well tied that game up at 24 fairly late in the 4th quarter and who knows where it would've gone from there. While the final results of the two contests didn't turn out the way they should've, when all is said and done, perhaps OU deserves to be 1-1. Heck, if I were them, I'd much rather have a loss on my record to Oregon at Autzen than one at home against UAB. UAB got jabbed in game one and Oklahoma got jabbed in game two. Things evened out a bit for OU.

Let's not go on about how OU is out of the championship picture. This is not a great Oklahoma team. They've got a solid running game, but what else do they have? For the next year, they might as well refer to themselves as Adrian Peterson University. They also play in a rather mediocre Big XII. This was a non-conference loss, so they have as good a chance as anyone at this point in time of winning the Big XII, going to the conference title game, and potentially going to a BCS game. This is not the end of the world. It's certainly not a time to threaten a referee's life. It's a game of football. It's not life or death. It's not a matter of war. It's a game, plain and simple.

Also, let's not beat around the bush. Oregon was aided immensely by the refs in this game, but Oklahoma should've won the game regardless. Oregon was down 33-20 and OU gave up the first touchdown to close the gap to 33-27. If OU had stopped them, then they would've won. After Oregon "allegedly" recovered the onsides kick, again, Oklahoma could've stopped them, but they didn't and Oregon went up 34-33. Even after that score, OU had a chance to win and were in field goal range for the last play of the game. The kick was blocked and Oregon stormed out onto the field. Just as UAB had chances to tie and win the game against Oklahoma the week prior, Oklahoma had similar opportunities against Oregon. It's time for head coach Bob Stoops to get his team focused again. If not, then they could very well be out of the Big XII title picture before too long. The game's over. It's time to focus on the next game and a Big XII Championship.

Vick Gets No Love From Jason Whitlock

I don't know what his deal is, but ESPN writer Jason Whitlock can never seem to give Atlanta Falcons' quarterback Michael Vick any props. Just before the season started, Whitlock blasted on how Vick doesn't do anything for the Falcons and that it's pathetic and unfair for the Falcons to be paying him the kind of money they are and for he, in return, to put up the kinds of numbers he has. Now, after Vick has led the Falcons to a 2-0 start with wins over division favorites Carolina and Tampa Bay by a combined score of 34-9, breaking rushing records in the process, Whitlock is now stating, "Well, yeah, they've been impressive thus far, but if they continue to play Vick like this, he's not going to last very long."

He can't give the guy credit when he wins and plays well and can only bash the guy when he and/or the team isn't playing to their potential. If Vick so happens to stay healthy this year and the team does very well, then Whitlock will probably say, "Well, just watch and see what he does in the playoffs." Whitlock has stated that Vick will never lead the Falcons or anyone else to the Super Bowl and has referred to the start quarterback as "a wide receiver trying to play quarterback." He states this even after Vick led the Falcons to the NFC Championship. In other words, they were one game away from playing in the Super Bowl.

If Vick threw for 3,500 yards, Whitlock would complain that he isn't utilizing his speed enough. If he ran for 1,000 yards, he'd rant about how Vick isn't a real quarterback. The only possible way Whitlock may get off Vick's back is if he pulled off the impossible feat of passing for 3,500 yards, running for another 1,000, and winning the Super Bowl. Then and only then would one Jason Whitlock give Michael Vick any props and since that is utterly impossible, one can rest assured that it'll be literally impossible for Whitlock to give Vick any love in the near or distant future.

Whitlock made the argument that running backs have a shelf life of only three years in the NFL because of all the hits they take, so Vick will have a similar shelf life. First off, he's an idiot for thinking that tailbacks have a shelf life of only three years. Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, O.J. Simpson, Walter Payton, Thurman Thomas, Edgerrin James, Curtis Martin, Marcus Allen, Roger Craig, Shaun Alexander, LaDanian Tomlinson, Eddie George, Jerome Bettis, Jamal Lewis, Tiki Barber, Marshall Faulk, Stephen Davis, Warrick Dunn. Need I continue? Also, Vick doesn't take the kinds of hits that these tailbacks did. He usually runs to the outside and either steps out of bounds or goes down before he gets hit. Houston Texans and Oakland Raiders quarterbacks David Carr and Aaron Brooks get hit a lot more than Vick does, and they're not nearly as prone to running as the Falcons' quarterback.

Jason, give it a rest. The Falcons are 2-0. Who knows what they'll do from here, but they're 2-0, with two impressive victories over teams who were favored over them in the NFC South. If they lose the rest of their games and finish 2-14, then hey, bash them all you want to. But, as of now, they're arguably playing the best ball of any team in the NFC and along with Jacksonville and Baltimore, the best ball in the NFL. Give credit where credit is due.

Top Ten Most Exciting NFL Players

I just recently thought about blogging about this and ironically enough, I viewed ESPN.com a bit ago and they had a poll out on who the most exciting NFL player was. So, I figured I might as well stop slacking and get right to it.

10. Dante Hall-WR-Kansas City: Dante may not be the best receiver in the league, as I could probably beat him on a fade route. But, that's not what he's known for. While Dante can catch a few balls here and there, he's most well known for his return skills. Whenever a team punts the ball to Dante, the opposing coaches have to hold their breath if he doesn't wave his hand up in the air for a fair catch. The guy may go against every rule in the book. He may go backwards, lose a few yards and make his own coaches have a heart attack in the process, but usually, he does this for a reason. Once he dances around the defenders, the guy is off and running, making jaws drop in the process. He can also be brought on as a utility player for the offense, especially when a trick play is called. Whenever the ball is in Dante's hands, prepare to be wowed.

9. Warrick Dunn-RB-Atlanta: Perhaps I'm a bit biased with this selection, being an Atlanta Falcons fan and all, but there's something about watching the little guy run. Warrick can't be any more than 5'8'', 180 and the best part about him? The guy runs in between the tackles. Rarely will you see Warrick run to the outside. He is one of the most underrated backs in the league and seems to only be getting better with age, as he ran for over 1,400 yards a year ago, a career high. With two hundred yard efforts in as many games this season, the guy is not showing any signs of slowing down.

8. Brett Favre-QB-Green Bay: Yeah, I know, I'm crazy, right? A guy quarterbacking the Green Bay Packers, who were 4-12 a year ago and have started this season 0-2? Maybe I am a bit on the loony side with this pick, but regardless of the team's record and how little talent the Packers have, Favre usually makes a game of it and the guy gives it his all every time out there. This can get him into trouble sometimes, but that's one reason he's so fun to watch. The guy is unpredictable. While he may go against every rule in the book, throwing the ball into quadruple coverage, he has the cannon to sling the ball in there. There's also no other quarterback in the league (outside of Tom Brady) who is more clutch than Favre. The guy almost showed that again a week ago, being down 34-20 to New Orleans and bringing his team back to 34-27 with a chance to tie it at the end.

7. Peyton Manning-QB-Indianapolis: Yeah, most wouldn't consider Peyton to be "exciting," but he is in my book. Never have I seen a quarterback audible as much as he does at the line of scrimmage. It's like watching a play at the theatre. The guy knows the offense better than anyone in the league, can read defenses better than a scholar, and knows how to play with their minds better than Cleo.

6. Antwaan Randle El-WR-Washington: Randle El is similar to Dante Hall, but is utilized a bit more as a wideout. The guy was a quarterback in college at Indiana, so, as was seen in the Super Bowl a season ago, coaches aren't afraid to use him on trick plays where he throws the football. On returns, he dances around and can even make a 2-yard return exciting, because he makes so many guys miss. While I think his value was hyped up a bit too much in Washington, when the ball is in his hands, he's one of the most exciting players to watch in football.

5. Terrell Owens-WR-Dallas: Love or hate the guy, one has to admit that the guy has talent and is not afraid of any team, coach, or player. He's not afraid to get under someone's skin with his words or actions. The guy even mocked the Ray Lewis dance when he scored a touchdown last year against Baltimore. I was looking for Ray to knock him upside the head. It's always a soap opera with T.O. and even though that may drive his teammates, coaches, and fans crazy, it makes for some fairly entertaining and exciting play.

4. Chad Johnson-WR-Cincinnati: Chad Johnson is the more playful of the two if one is comparing he to T.O. I've always said there are different forms of smart alecks: the mean and the goofy. T.O. would be more under the mean category and Chad Johnson would be under the goofy. Heck, the guy just did the Chicken Dance after a score on Sunday. He's usually very creative when entering the end zone. He's done different kinds of dances, putted the football with the pylon, amongst other amusing shtuff. He may talk some trash, but more in the sense of him challenging himself week in and week out. Unlike T.O., I haven't heard Johnson claim that his team would be better off with Brett Favre as their quarterback over Carson Palmer.

3. Reggie Bush-RB-New Orleans: I may be jumping the gun a bit with this guy, but the fact is that he's utilized in so many different ways by the Saints. While he has not run the ball too much, he usually gets at least five carries a game. He also catches five balls a game. Not only that, but the guy returns punts. A 5-yard punt return of his was selected as one of the top ten plays of the week, sneaking in at #10. The guy is quick, elusive, and defenses must always keep their eyes on him, because he can create tremendous mismatches if he sneaks out as a receiver and is covered man-on-man by a linebacker.

2. LaDanian Tomlinson-RB-San Diego: Bush may one day be more exciting than LT, but let's give LT some props. The guy is currently the best all-around back in the league. In my mind, no one even comes close to the guy. Not only can he rush for 1,500 yards, the guy can garner another 1,000 yards receiving. He's the perfect hybrid back of power and speed. He can run in between the tackles, kick it up a notch to go the distance on a long run, and is very valuable in the passing game.

1. Michael Vick-QB-Atlanta: Vick beats all of these other guys out for the simple fact that he touches the ball on every snap on the offensive side of the ball. Unlike the other two quarterbacks I mentioned in this list, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning, Vick is the most dangerous dual-threat quarterback in the league now and perhaps in NFL history. When he drops back to pass, one can never know if he's going to throw or run with it. Atlanta even prepares approximately 5 set run plays for Vick in every game. Vick will pass the 10,000 yard mark passing this season and should pass the 3,000 yard mark rushing during Monday Night's Game against New Orleans. He holds many all-time records already when it comes to quarterbacks and rushing. He broke his own record this past week by attaining his 6th career 100-yard rushing game. He also threw for the most yards in a game which he ran for 100. He did this against Denver two years ago, when he ran for 100 yards and threw for over 250 in the same contest. The guy has a rocket arm, is one of the fastest players in the league, and creates a nightmare for all opposing defenses.