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.
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