Football Wrap Week 14 - Bizarro Sunday

When I got out of church Sunday, I did my usual thing and checked the NFL scores since I always miss the early morning games. My eyes couldn’t believe what happened and it felt like the 14^th games of the season were a trip through the Twilight Zone. A recap.

Packers lose to…the Chiefs?? New coach, new QB in Kyle Orton. They didn’t just beat the Packers, they made them look average. The Packers looked completely uptight while losing for the 1st time in a year. No reason to worry though.

Colts…win?? This shocked me more than the Packers losing but to happen on the same day? Donald Brown’s 80-yard run to clinch the win was a thing of beauty. But dang Tennessee, ya’ll had to be the patsies to spoil a winless season.

Chad Ochocinco scored?? How many mothballs were both of them boys under before they finally emerged to score. I tripped out seeing #85 actually catch a ball and actually get tin the end zone.

The Panthers ran a play…inspired by “The Annexation of Puerto Rico???" (Blast Youtube for no embedding).  Little Giants was one of my favorites growing up so props to Ron Rivera and the Panthers' offensive coordinator for pulling this off.

The Pride of Compton Dominguez HS, Richard Sherman had an interception for Seattle Sunday.

Seattle put up 35….on the Bears??? I know Caleb Hanie is their quarterback but this is still the Bears defense right?

San Francisco saw the lights go out TWICE! And then turned out Pittsburgh’s lights.

Reggie Bush had 200+ yards??? I hadn’t seen him run that happy in ages and it looked like the USC Bush. Quiet as kept, dude is close to 1,000 yards on the ground for the first time ever and Miami looks like the fountain of youth for running backs. Ask Ricky Williams.

5 players scored for the Pats and not one of them was Rob Gronkowski, the league leader in TD’s. Outside of a big catch, Gronk was MIA.

The Eagles scored 45 points…on the Jets??  And Brent Celek /(above) had 153 yards after being forgotten this year? Read that again, 45 Points on the JETS!!! You need to convince me that happened.

My Chargers blasted the Ravens….by 20?? I nearly lost my mind walking out of church tonight cause I expected Baltimore to put up a fight and for Joe Flacco not to look shook. Antuan Barnes repped the name right with 4 sacks.

Yet somehow, there was some normalcy in all of this wackiness....

Calvin Johnson had 200 yards and 2 TD’s. And he was facing his usual double/triple teams vs. Oakland. And he faces my Chargers next week. YIKES!!!

Men At Work (c) Kool G Rap - Brady and Belichick did what they do best. Make inferior talent look silly.

Tom Brady beats Tebow. Big ups to the Patriots D forcing turnovers and Brady showing why making mistakes against him will cost you. All is right in the NFL universe thanks to New England and Tebow looking lost on a few scrambles showed why he’s not all the way there.

My teams shined in big wins. Dallas beating Tampa Bay with ease to move closer to clinching the NFC East. Phillip Rivers extended his December record to 23-2 and keep the Chargers in the hunt. But Calvin Johnson boy.....

The Bills guaranteed another losing season. Remember how cool it was that they were 5-2? They haven’t won since. I'm gonna keep paraphrasing Chris Berman: “Nobody….circles the drain…..like the Buffalo Bills”

Drew Brees destroyed the Vikings (304 yards away from Dan Marino’s 5,000 yard record) – Every time I look up, it seems like the Saints always beat the Vikings. And a record that I always thought Kurt Warner, Peyton Manning or Tom Brady will pass will be done by a guy the Chargers gave up on too soon.

The Giants continuing their downward spiral after the Cowboys helped get them out of it. The flip side of Eli Manning’s comebacks is that the Giants have been inconsistent all year. Can’t Truss Em Like Public Enemy said.

To add to all the madness, I started Doug Baldwin (Seattle) and Percy Harvin (Minnesota) on my fantasy team in the playoffs. They combined for a grand total of 5 points. Meanwhile I sat Brandon Marshall and Donald Brown, who combined for 47 points. I ended up losing my matchup by TWO points.

Bizarro Sunday, ladies and gents. I had no words for it.

The Virgo Speaketh!!! (Finally)

Time to finally put my face and voice out for you all to see. One of my goals this year was to do more video blogs and I explain in the intro why I resisted it for a while. I loved being an anonymous thinker but at some point, you need to let people see you and relate to you. I'm still going to write blogs as usual but I'm going to mix in videos as well.

Here I discuss the state of L.A. sports and why it looks as bleak as ever with no NBA, terrible NFL teams, disappointing college basketball and inconsistent college football. Looks like our hope is with Long Beach State to carry the torch after their huge upset at Pittsburgh!

Sidenote, it's disturbing that UCLA lacks great guard play and watching Casper Ware (LB State) and Cezar Guerrero (Oklahoma State) do work last night. They have let too many great LA players slip out of their backyard to shine somewhere else. On the same note, it's beautiful to see one of LA's best football players - De'Anthony Thomas - get the chance to not just shine at Oregon, but grow up as a man in a different environment from home.

Football Wrap Week 1 (Killa Cam! Tony Romo!!! Shoelace!!!! oh, and Tom Brady too.)

I think I speak for all football fans by saying thank you to the NFL owners and NFLPA. After a lockout summer, football isn’t just back. It’s come out with a bang. Bang with a opening game shootout, bang with impressive performances and bang with a Monday Night Finale of record setting crazy.

Green Bay and New Orleans. WOW!  Aaron Rodgers still has the swagger of a champion and the hunger of something to prove. Drew Brees left his arm on the field but his O-Line forgot their poker face as Mark Ingram was stuffed on the goal line for the tie.

Not a bad call but they didn’t sell it well. I wouldn’t trust Ingram only because he’s a rookie and this isn’t Tuscaloosa, Alabama, but if you got a big man rumbling – you gotta sell it better. That Packers D is tough and remember, they won minus several key folks.

Oh yeah Randall Cobb, welcome to the NFL with a great return for TD and a long TD catch.  Speaking of which…

Killa Cam!!!  422 passing yards in his debut, 77-yard bomb on his 2nd throw, contributed to all 3 Panthers TD, and nearly led them on a game-tying drive. Raise your hands if you saw this – and I mean his poise, accuracy and pocket presence. Great way to show you can play QB.

No Peyton Manning, No Arian Foster, no problem for Houston. Ben Tate did his best Foster impression from a season ago and it was déjà vu for the Colts. The march to 4-5 wins starts now.

When the Steelers lose, it’s all good. Thank you Baltimore Ravens for getting some revenge for last year’s playoff loss. 7 Turnovers! Matching Big Ben’s jersey is even better. Ed Reed – we’re appreciating greatness at work.

Quiet as kept, though. That Ravens offense could be sneaky good. Keep an eye on Pretty Flacco, Sugar Ray Rice and those wideouts.

Tom Brady:  “This is still my league. Remember that.” The irony of me missing the game yet I remember when Brett Favre had a 99-yd TD pass on MNF. Even if he’s selling Ugg Boots, he’s still a G. Heck, he could sell man purses and perfume and he’d still show you why you respect his G.

All these hamstring/ACL injuries – underrated storyline. Nate Kaeding/Eric Berry/Jon Beason are done for the year and Stephen Jackson hurt his quad. The NFL lockout shortened the preseason and offseason workouts so keep an eye on leg injuries early on.

Now on to my teams. San Diego scared me giving up that long return to Percy Harvin, who literally shook Kaeding into next season. But in the 2^nd half, all credit to our defense keeping McNabb, Peterson and Co. in check. It was an ugly win but it was gritty and resilient.

I may hate Mike Tolbert at times because he’s a big lug getting too many carries but he got that win and the game ball. Big ups to Rivers too fooling Minny on those hard counts down the stretch.

(Oh yeah, McNabb is sadly done. I’m getting that feeling I got when I saw Torii Hunter miss a routine pop fly and Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan look old this summer. You hate seeing great players of your youth go out like suckers but it’s not lookin good. 37 yards…….

As for Dallas…..ummm. As for Dallas. How can I put this lightly? It was a great 3 quarters? Ummm Dez Bryant looked good in the 1^st Q…..aww screw it. TONY ROMO ISNT FIT TO WEAR THE COWBOYS UNIFORM.

I’ve defended Romo for years. I defended him in 2009 when I said he quietly had a great 2^nd half of the season and proved it winning a playoff game. I defended losing to Brett Favre in the playoffs because his O-line was shoddy. I defended him saying that I wouldn’t take Eli Manning and his SB ring over him.

But I also said this year was make or break for him. He had to show some growth and he had to win a big game when it counts. I’m standing by him but I also know he’s on the hot seat. Sure enough, the chair got too hot and he went brain dead.

Yeah Tony, watch that replay again. You know you done messed up again, right?

Fumbling near the goal line. STUPID! But throwing to a hurt Dez Bryant covered by Revis Island? BRAIN DEAD!! This dummy right here threw in the direction of Darrelle Revis. OF ALL PEOPLE!!!!

Throw salt in the wound that former Cowboys kicker Nick Folk won the game (and former Trojans RB Joe McKnight blocked the punt that led to a score) and that No. 9 on Romo’s jersey might as well stand for 9 millmeter.

He’s done. No heart in the 4^th Quarter, all slushie and fear. Suddenly, 2^nd place in the NFC East isn’t a guarantee. And I’m looking at Tony like you’re playing for your career right now. You may still have the gifts to be great but your mind is still stuck on the Div. 1-AA level.

SHOELACE!!! I won’t laugh at Notre Dame as much because that was a phenomenal ending. But Shoelace!!! I was mad they tamed him in the pocket because it was foolish yet it paid off. A great throw for the win and just like that, we remember how great he is. 28 4th-quarter points and brought Michigan back from the dead.

UCLA barely beat San Jose State. Are we that desperate that we can’t beat a team by more when we are 21-point favorites. Big ups to Derrick Coleman in the 2^nd half with over 100 rushing yards. I’m worried slightly about Texas but if I know anything, the Bruins are good for birthday presents. My birthday’s on Saturday and I expect them to do what USC couldn’t do 5 years ago. Beat Texas in the Rose Bowl, especially with their mini QB controversy.

As for USC, they still have trouble executing.  They have the offensive weapons and playmakers on defense to make a stand but they still aren’t great. Maybe we’ve been spoiled seeing high level of execution and precision on both sides but something says this team is winning the Pac-12 South not because they’re great, but because their comp is average.

Except for Arizona State that is. What a big win for them!! Pac-12 needed that badly.

Paul Richardson – 286 yards, 2 TD’s for Colorado. They may have lost to Cal in OT but the former No. 3 WR at Gardena Serra HS is about make his name felt in the Pac-12 after being kicked out of UCLA.

*sidenote – I’m gonna start feeling lucky that I covered that 09 Serra team that won state. Robert Woods (USC), Paul Richardson, George Farmer will soon get his chance to shine at USC. Heck, Marqise Lee was just a great defensive back and now he’s getting plays as a true frosh WR at SC.*

News flash. Auburn still is lucky and magical. Toomer’s Corner must have some miracle dust in those oak trees a la Ferngully cause they keep finding ways to win.

Big ups to Alabama. They have a scary D and great running led by future NFL’er Trent Richardson. It could be 09 all over because that QB McCarron looks green and they’re going to win power style.

One more SEC note. Isaiah Crowell for Georgia. Marcus Lattimore for South Carolina. The future of the conference was on display in that classic game and those backs are amazing runners. Even the Freshman FREAK, Jadeveon Clowdey, got him some love with a grown man sack and forced fumble that iced the game for South Carolina.

Still scratching my head that Spurrier had a D-lineman run a fake punt and he actually scored. Ah, the OBC and his trickery.

Football Wrap Week 14 Extras

- Jets assistant Sal Alosi, meet Alabama's Tommy Lewis. He was worse than you tripping that Dolphins player when he tackled Rice's Dicky Maegle in the 1954 Cotton Bowl although you could've caused a far worse injury. I read that when I was in 7th grade and never thought I'd see that again.

He deserved his suspension for the rest of the season. That was a punk move and had he been fired, I would've had no problem with that. Another sign the Jets are reeling from the Patriots punking them.

- Speaking of New England, anybody doubt they're the best team in the league? They destroyed Chicago like they were still mad about Super Bowl XX. 

- Revenge was on the menu in San Diego and my Bolts dished out colder than the Bride in Kill Bill. Kansas City shocked us in the season opener, we curbstomped them into reality Sunday. Damage Report: 67 total yards, 5 first downs for KC. BEAT EM DOWN! (c) Bomani Jones.

- Darren McFadden ran like a grown man out against J-Ville. That's what I've been expecting to see since he was drafted.

- Carson Palmer needs to be benched. The heck is wrong with him throwing to his old roommate (and eventual Defensive POY) Troy Polamalu? Nobody's calling for his head but I swear his job should be in jeopardy. He still looks shook from his ACL injury a few postseasons ago. 

- DeSean Jax is a fool but I don't have beef with it. My beef is with Dallas not policing the field by not catching him with a hard shot. Cali's Finest and Black Neo put on a good show against my Boys. 

- Nothing like putting the fear of God in a team and then losing on a Pick-6. Houston, thanks for the show, especially your grand finale involving BMore DB Josh Wilson.

- Heard some guy didn't start this weekend. His stats were terrible so there's no need to mention him. Some scrub, old QB named Favre or something. Yawwwwn. Call me when they stop worshiping him like he died instead of sit his old butt down.

Football Wrap Week 5: Sponsored by the Letter L

Not a good week for my football teams. I took more L's than Yung Berg and his famous chain and none of them were pretty.

UCLA fell back to Earth after a 3-game winning streak by getting blown out by Cal and their running game. The pistol doesn't need a Golden Prince, we need a QB that can throw as well as run. San Diego lost by 1 to Dayton, further reminding me the good old days with Jim Harbaugh are long gone. And my old team Miami lost their annual matchup to Florida State in a BIG way. The U almost never gets blasted by the Noles and that hurt by default.

Didn't get better on Sunday as I finally got to see the Cowboys in an afternoon game but had to bear them losing to Tennessee on a roller coaster. Down 17-3, Tied 17-17, and then watch the game slip away due to mistakes and stupid penalties. Romo passed for 400 but had 3 picks. Dudes can't even get a TD celebration right. And now we're a miserable 1-3

What more can I say about the Chargers. Bad enough special teams cost us again with nine points on blocked punts. Bad enough we lost on the road again. Bad enough Phil Rivers passed for 400 yards again in a loss. But how do you lose to the Raiders???? How do you lose where Rivers gets hit, fumbles the ball and Oakland runs the other way to score and add extra salt to a nasty wound!!! I'm ready to drink that trouble away.

Wade Phillips and Steve Crosby (Chargers special teams coach) get the gas faces and I'll sign up for any petition against them. Chargers are 2-3 again but im more worried about Dallas and their psyche. UCLA is about to head into the teeth of their schedule and suddenly, beating an overrated Texas team is gonna feel like a life ago. Jacory Harris is watching his Heisman campaign disappear almost as fast as his pro prospects.

And I'm left shaking my head. Let's do some pro and college quick hits 

- Ohio State and Oregon deserve to be 1-2. I'm glad Boise State stayed at No. 3 but I'm shocked Alabama fell to No. 8 and why South Carolina didn't get more than just entry into the Top 10. I thought Bama would stay in the Top 5 but they got bushwhacked so down they fall. 

And oh the BCS comes out next week. Won't that be interesting. 

- Welcome back to relevancy Nebraska, it's been a decade since you had it but that was when Eric Crouch made y'all look good.. They found a new one in Taylor Martinez, who might be one of the most underrated HS stars California has produced in a while. Led Corona Centennial to a state title over De La Salle but got almost no love in state with recruiting.

- At Stanford, Jim Harbaugh is 3-1 against USC, including 2-0 at the Coliseum. Think USC will be happy if he decides to jump to the NFL? Oh yeah, Robert Woods - 224 yards and 3 TD's. Is it too early to say he's among the top freshmen in the country?

- Feel bad for Alex Smith, dude's getting closer to learning how to win and yet his leash is shorter by the week. He's not a bad QB but a victim of inconsistency just like Kordell Stewart was.

- To paraphrase Lewis Carroll, you are old, Father Brett. That arm may be golden but your mind is rusty and frail.

- Saints lost to Arizona despite not giving up a TD on defense. Craziest stat of the year and a sign this season is topsy turvy.

- Your Division Leaders: Chicago, Atlanta, Arizona, Jets, Baltimore, Kansas City, a 4-way tie in the AFC South, and a three way tie in the NFC East. A screwy year or what? Jets quietly have a 4-game win streak but the Bears, Cardinals, Chiefs??

Fantasy Wrap (HAPPY, HAPPY, JOY JOY!!!!!)

We're on a roll over here. Maurice Jones Drew is back to his productive self. The smart free agency picks are paying dividends. Last week was all about setting up for the rest of the way.

ESPN: California Crushers (2-3) - Hakeem Nicks: 40 PTS. Vernon Davis 24 - Beasts!
ESPN: Inglewood Stars (2-3) - Two week winning streak despite falsely starting Brady/Ellis from NE
Yahoo: EvBeez's Army (3-2) - Ray Rice/Willis McGahee combo + Miles Austin and Jets Defense = WIN
Yahoo: Boltin Cowboys (2-3) - Lost this week going against Austin, Matt Forte, Antonio Gates, T.O. and more despite them getting nothing from Arian Foster and Matt Ryan.

It's all good baby baby. Nicks is my Fantasy Win while low twos to Dez Bryant and to Steve Smith/Donald Driver scoring with me on the bench.  Til next week.

Football Wrap Week 3: Hot N More HOT!

Pardon me as I'm still trying to get comfortable in this heat. It's close to 2 AM and I'm still dreading how I'm gonna sleep after the hottest day in LA history leads into a hot night. Let's recap the football weekend shall we?

Friday Night, I covered a HS game here that most people will probably never know about. Two schools (Lawndale and St. Bernard's - the latter you'll remember from "The Wood") who played one of the best games I've seen.

79 combined points. 27 in a wild 4th quarter of back and forth action. A sack to end the game. One St. Bernard WR had 341 yards and 3 TD's (on 9 receptions) while two Lawndale players had 115+ rushing yards. The St. Bernard QB had 412 yards and 5 TD's

It was a battle of Lawndale's power running offense and St. Bernard's pass happy, spread offense. And the MVP of the game might have been a St. Bernard's defender who not only made the game-ending sack but also had a 63-yd TD on a fumble recovery in the 2nd quarter.

You can read my recap here but it's the classic nobody saw.

Saturday, I expected to see my UCLA Bruins put up a good fight in Austin. I never expected them to run all over Texas and keep them out of the end zone until the game was well in hand.

To put it simply, we owned Texas like it was 1997 all over again. The classic 66-3 butt whuppin that sparked the last glimmer of hope the UCLA program had. What a game by Jet Ski Franklin, Derrick Coleman, Akeem Ayers, Patrick Larrimore and Sean Westgate!

Almost makes me glad me and my godbro left Chili's in the first half because the Texas fan at the bar would've left mighty sad and angry. But remember this, UCLA owns TX and suddenly our season got optimistic.

Of course, there's that small matter of Kevin Prince only throwing 8 passes. No faith. No confidence and best of all, you're just Mark Sanchez without his gifts. Manage the game, don't screw up and pray you give the defense some rest. But at least we have some hope

Other college notes

- Alabama may not be as good as last year but they're still the best team in the country. Arkansas just got sent back to the woodshed after blowing that game.

- That said, Boise State keeps on proving why they need to play in the title game. Locked up the Rogers Bros. of Oregon State in their victory and they're doing what they have to.

-  Don't know what's more impressive. Terrelle Pryor's 6 total TD's for Ohio State or that cupcake teams still want to play the Buckeyes (minus 1 big game of course). No respect for them or SEC teams not playing tougher non-conference games.

- USC's the worst 4-0 team in the country. Wish I could say Washington gets them Saturday but they're an even bigger mess.

- My alma mater University of San Diego. finally won a game! 1st shutout since I graduated. Bravo to the Toreros! (Butler may be good in basketball but they're always good in football for an easy win)

- Florida-Bama is gonna be close this weekend but I still like Bama because one speedy dude in Jeff Demps isn't gonna outscore Mark Ingram, Trent Richardson, Julio Jones. Florida's defense is gonna get exposed something fierce.

- Every time Stanford beats Notre Dame, a part of me jumps for joy. More karma for shortchanging Ty Willingham five years ago.

Sunday, my phone died and couldn't charge so I missed tweeting my glee for the Cowboys finally getting a win and shutting up my fam on Twitter talking bout their Houston Texans.

1-2 teams don't flex though. We got work to do to get back to .500. And Roy Williams? Thanks for showing up big!

Speaking of freaking 1-2, somebody needs to light a fire under the Chargers special teams. Dexter McCluster scoring in Week 1 in KC was bad enough, but Leon Washington twice Sunday? IN THE SECOND HALF!

The ST coaches oughta pay Phil Rivers their salary cause our QB threw his arm off to try to win that game. 455 passing yards and he needed a few more. Another slow September and like it or not, Vincent Jackson's dumb, moronic behind will be missed.

Malcom Floyd is still feeling his way as a #1 WR. Legadu Naanee is showing promise but he's still getting game experience. I like Antonio Gates but lining him up as a wideout only shows not just how athletically gifted, it shows how much the Chargers lack a proven WR right now.

Other NFL notes

- Michael Vick. MVP? Not yet but man, is he looking good each week.

- Raise your hands if you thought the Bears, Chiefs and Steelers would be 3-0 right now.

(looks like Rashied Davis is the only one)

- Speaking of the Bears, was that another Devin Hester sighting Monday? Returning a kick for a TD? Yeah he had a big TD against Dallas last week but the old Hester came back last night.

- Oakland's scaring me. And not in a good way - could they finally be getting it together?

- Did I say NO kicker Garrett Hartley had ice water in his vein last week? Turns out that was just frozen vomit cause he choked THAT badly Sunday and his job is in jeopardy (kicks off fantasy team)

- Repeat after me. Mark Sanchez is NOT a Top-10 QB. He wins games by his management not his skills. That last drive was all about LT running like it was 2006 and penalties. I like Sanchez but don't slobber him up just yet. He's just Trent Dilfer.

- Braylon Edwards. You're one lucky dude. Learn from this latest mistake. Hittin the dougie after that nice TD was cool but it's time to grow up and be a man.

No fantasy talk this time. I need to regroup and get my teams back on track. Toodles and Oodles of O's while I wrestle with the Devil's fumes in this house.

Football Wrap Week 2: UCLA aint dead yet

As I said in my last post, I was hoping for some bday mojo after last week's disappointment. Boy did I get it from UCLA, who destroyed Houston in Westwood while ending the season of Houston QB Case Keenum.

Even better, sophomore tailback Johnathan Franklin, above, had a career day (158 yards, 3 TD's), junior DB Rahim Moore had an INT and the defense was flying all over the field. Franklin's taken a lot of heat for his fumbleitis but along with Moore, you won't find too many kids finer than him. I found this out when I interviewed him 3 years ago when he was a senior at Dorsey HS here.

You don't meet 17-18 y.o. kids talking about wanting his peers to not say the N-word and writing a book to teenagers giving them advice how to live. You don't meet kids talking about the pride of having a UCLA education, not just playing football. It's still one of my favorite interviews and that's why I root for him. Great win for UCLA, but it gets a lil harder visiting Texas down in Austin. Far cry from the days when we used to run up 66 on Ricky Williams.

Even better mojo came from San Diego where the Chargers lit up Jacksonville. Home cooking does a body good and I'm proud of our defense stepping it up and regaining their form. The offense will do what it does but when the D can shut down Maurice Jones Drew, who famously took apart Shawne Merriman, that's a good sign.

Too bad my Cowboys didn't get the memo. Miles Austin and Jason Witten turning completions into interceptions. David Buehler missing the game-tying kick. And watching Devin Hester score on a pass made me sick.

(Sidenote: You notice how short a shelf life return guys have nowadays. Devin Hester's been almost MIA and anybody seen Dante Hall lately?)

We have some problems and it's time to sort them out NOW! 0-2 isn't how a playoff contender is supposed to be. Dez Bryant had a great punt return for a TD but i'm seeing some panic in Big D and it's not good. The only downside of the weekend is wondering what needs to happen.

Other NFL notes

- Randy Moss did something I've never seen. Make a one-handed catch and send your man to the DL after burning him. That's called "stylin" folks. Get well soon, Revis.

- Michael Vick still has it. A playmaker but finally a quarterback who can pass 1st, run 2nd. Best backup in the NFL? At least, the most valuable.

- Call him unclutch, call him a January Jane. Just keep calling Peyton Manning the best QB in the game.

- Saints are 2-0 but they aren't playing like champs yet. And Reggie Bush possibly being out with a knee injury doesnt help. But the 49ers showed why they have plenty of potential and why they haven't fulfilled it...yet.

- That said, Alex Smith on that last drive looked as good as I've seen him since he was running with Utah and Urban Meyer.

- Houston Texans 2-0. Repeat that sentence. I like it.

NCAA hits

- Robert Woods had a 97 yd kick off return for USC. It'll be the first of many for him.

- Mark Ingram is still an NFL caliber running back. Yes it was against Duke but he ran with the same force and energy he showed last year.

- The Pac-10's still impressive. Arizona shocked Iowa on a blocked punt. Oregon's still rolling. Save for Cal getting blasted by Navy, I think it's gonna be a deep year. Ducks still are the favorites.

Fantasy Watch (AKA, Glad this isn't reality)

ESPN: U Mad League (won my matchup thanks to Frank Gore). Record 1-1

ESPN: South Beach NWO (MoJo Drew's bad night didn't help and I got killed). Record 0-2

Yahoo: Sports Gurus League (Steve Breaston/Pierre Garcon? FAIL!). Record 1-1

Yahoo: Fantaball! (Lost 72-65 if we round up, low scoring and FAILS!). Record 0-2

Fantasy Wins: Far and Few between. Phillip Rivers and Antonio Gates besides Gore.

Fantasy FAILS: MJD got me good on a bad night. Pierre Garcon burned me another week. Why I have faith in that guy I'l never know.

I need do some serious revamping next week. My guys arent scoring and I gotta look for some trades or good finds to jump start my yahoo teams.

Football Wrap Week 1 - Fails Fails and Fantasy

(I'll be doing this every Monday night, Tuesday morning - reporting on my squads, the big moments and my fantasy wrapup)

One word describes this football weekend. Gut-wrenching. Bad enough I had to hear about UCLA play one of the worst games in recent memory (thank goodness I didn't see it) but to watch the Chargers and Cowboys come down to the final play of the game only to let it go away was brutal. Just Brutal!

I came home to watch the end of the Cowboys game after hearing it on radio. We couldn't make any moves in the 1st half except that bungled final play that led to a TD (Jason Garrett still a genius? In whose mind?). The 2nd half was better offensively but it shouldn't have taken that long to warm up. And Alex Barron. Oh, that poor excuse of a lineman Alex Barron!

How can I put this. If he isn't out of a job by the time you read this, he's one lucky man. You don't end the game on a holding penalty! Peter King flat said he was a joke starting. Michael Smith lit into him something fierce on Around the Horn. A lineman getting that much attention ain't good.

All in all, offense looked good in the 2nd half. Dez Bryant showed potential, Miles Austin is ready to be consistent and once again, Tony Romo didn't make any mistakes. But a L's an L and we need that offense to make something happen next week against the Bears.

As for the Chargers on Monday, great reminder of why September is the cruelest month to be a Chargers fan (5-7 in the Norv Turner era). It all started so well with Rivers to Gates then it turned into the coming out party for the Chiefs young guns. Jamaal Charles - long TD run that ended with juking that DB twice. Rookie Dexter McCluster - 94 yard punt return for 6.

That rain shorted our fuses cause we couldn't do anything right. Tackling, making simple plays, hiking the ball. It was like watching our JV team against an improving Chiefs team trying to make a name. When we finally did get going, it was back to basics. Short passes and then watch things open up. Made sense to me, made sense when we scored to make 21-14.

Here's a question. If you have four chances to score inside the 5-yard line, how do you NOT do it? It's plays like that which show why Cowboys fans hate Norv Turner and his playcalling. New crop of WR's aside, that was ineptitude.

Likes: Ryan Matthews' debut, Legadu Naanee ready to step up, Antonio Gates making plays, Phil Rivers' fire and decision making (minus the Trent Dilfer lovefest). Week 2 brings Jacksonville and Maurice Jones Drew - I'm cringing in my pants.

Who said Ray Lewis was over the hill? Ask Dustin Keller if he is. That hurt me all the way over here. DANG!

Pete Carroll - new team, same old enthusiasm. Let's what happens when Seattle loses a game. But it looks like I was watching USC all over when they played a patsy in Week 1.

Michael Vick still has it. He shouldn't be starting just yet but Sunday was a great reminder why he can be a great quarterback. It makes no sense that he lost nearly 2 years but can still make people miss and make plays. That said, if Kevin Kolb's healthy, he starts.

Who predicted Arian Foster would have the best Opening Day since OJ? And Sam Bradford throwing 55 times in his debut? Ridiculous.

The NFL needs to change their rulebook. Common sense, replay and watching it live say that Calvin Johnson caught that ball under control.

Quick college note: Trent Richardson from Alabama proved in the first two games he can play in the NFL. He and Mark Ingram, when he gets healthy, are the best backfield I've seen since Felix Jones and Darren McFadden.

Denard Robinson - Beast! 502 yards and the game-winning score against Notre Dame. The biggest buzz Michigan has had in years.

USC is 2-0 and shaky as anybody in the Top 25. They'll be the worst 4-0 team in the nation at month's end.

Virginia Tech's loss to James Madison is the worst of the season because it's repercussions will be felt 3 months from now when Boise State gets left out of the BCS.

Oh yeah, Miami lost bad too. Adding to my bad weekend was Jacory Harris throwing 4 picks to the Buckeyes and their mascot. If I was on the field, dude would've thrown it to me too.

FANTASY WRAP-UP

Went 2-2 in my first week, ironically winning my matchups in my new leagues but losing in my returning ones.

ESPN: U Mad League 0-1

ESPN: South Beach NWO 1-0

Yahoo: Fantaball 0-1

Yahoo: Sports Gurus 1-0

Fantasy WIN: Hakeem Nicks (3 TD's). Not even close. Helped me win both matchups and was the difference in me losing on Yahoo.

Fantasy FAIL: Not starting Steve Breaston in my ESPN league but praying for Lee Evans to fill in for Beanie Wells. Yeeeeah, I could've known that was tragedy waiting to happen. And shout out to Ryan Longwell missing some easy kicks.

So a bad week personally, let's hope my birthday weekend goes better for my teams.