Football Wrap Week 4: No More Blackouts

I’m still in a daze from my 5 year college reunion Saturday. The lack of sleep I got this weekend kept me from watching a lot of football but it was all worth it. Worth it to be back with my USD people and catch up in the city that gave us so many memories.

I’m starting off by saying that NFL blackouts suck. They suck and serve no purpose other than the NFL saving face of empty seats on TV. Maybe I’m still bitter watching the NBA potentially lose a season after a great 2010-11 campaign due to owner mismanagement but I couldn’t watch the Chargers Sunday because of the blackout.

The NFL has had a blackout policy in place since 1973. If a game is not sold out 72 hours in advance, the game is not available on local television.

It forces teams to do everything in their power to sell tickets. Yet it doesn’t address why fans aren’t coming to games. Fans aren’t coming because it costs too much. Fans who are there probably have to sell an arm, leg, rib and a kidney to afford tickets and are on waiting lists to sell livers to afford concessions.

Nobody wins with a blackout – teams lose money, fans lose the chance to see their teams. So I ask why it has existed for so long. Especially in a tough economic climate, we need to re-evaluate what can be done to lift it. Why punish teams and fans any longer.

I know I might be alone in thinking owners should care about the fans more. Sorry, I grew up in an era where owners tried to do right by the fans as well as their pockets. One day I hope the NFL sees the light and ends this process.

Let’s get to the tidbits.

Devin Hester, I remember watching you at the U shake folks silly. Now you have the most TD off punt returns in NFL history. I watched Deion do his thing for years. I watched Dante Hall. You are by far one of the best return threats in league history. Gale Sayers should be proud watching you carry on his legacy with the Bears.

Tampa Bay is a scary good combination. That last drive was brilliance. Josh Freeman making clutch throws, LeGarrette Blount making hard, powerful runs, that mix of youth and experience on defense and even a cameo by my fellow Torero Josh Johnson.  Young core that could do some serious damage.

Detroit is legit in every sense. Calvin Johnson is a grown man on another level. I have no other words for that Cowboys choke job. I’ll let my boy Primetime speak for me on this.

Aaron Rodgers. Wow. What a day. 6 total TD's And I’m still trying to figure out how he slid so low in the draft.

Pete Carroll really had his kicker out there trying a 61-yarder to win huh? That might be the most foolishly arrogant thing I’ve seen an NFL coach do in years and I’ve seen Carroll take gambles at USC before.

Mark Sanchez and Joe Flacco – bad quarterbacking at its worst. Joe Flacco surprised me with his crappy numbers but Sanchez man. Dare I say he’s a product of great support instead of making success on his own?

College Tidbits

Stanford – The Best Team Nobody is Talking About. They destroyed my Bruins and I can’t wait to see them face Oregon again. And is there anything Andrew Luck can’t do after that 1-handed grab? Not just a pure passer but a great athlete too.

Clemson looks legit at 5-0. I want to see them in the ACC though. I never trust their basketball team and I can’t trust them yet. Tajh Boyd looks dope.

What’d I say about South Carolina? Could barely score against Auburn and lost ugly. Overrated.

Alabama and Trent Richardson deserves praise for knocking out Florida literally. Next up, LSU gets their go around with Florida Saturday. With a freshman QB starting, Gators are gonna end up looking like Dunn Persley from Sunday’s episode of Boardwalk Empire (maybe one of the best scenes that shows why Chalky White is such a magnetic character).

Wisconsin is No. 4 in the country and Russell Wilson looks like the next Cam Newton in terms of impact transfer changing a team’s identity. Unreal.

USC – University of Serra (HS) Cavaliers. Two WR’s from the same school having big days while the Trojan defense stays getting exposed. I know I’m a UCLA fan and it sucks knowing the best HS talent doesn’t always make it there but I’m a fan of kids I’ve covered first and I’m happy for Marqise Lee and Robert Woods.

Football Wrap Week 15: DeSean Jax = SoCal's Finest

As freaky as Michael Vick gets in continuing to be as the NFL's version of Neo, DeSean Jackson is showing why he's the NFL's best big play threat outside of Devin Hester. Three seasons, enough highlights to fulfill the promise he showed here nearly half a decade ago.

He was one of the fastest players to come out of Long Beach Poly HS and never set foot on the track field. His final game saw him shine as a DB helping Poly win a sectional championship with two interceptions en route to being named Mr. Football. His flair for the dramatic showed up at the Army All-American Game but that play aside, he won MVP easily.

Outside of Steve Smith (NY Giants), there may not have been a more talented player to come out of SoCal in the last decade. Peep the resume.

- 11 TD's of 60 yards or more in 3 years.
- 101 yards and 2 TD's at his 1st Pro Bowl.
- 100+ yards in his first 2 games. Only the 2nd to do it in 60 years.
- A 91-yard TD styling on my Cowboys with 210 receiving yards total last week.
- The walk-off Punt Return on Sunday that was unbelievable. What's better than winning at the buzzer than stylin on the Midgets at the same time? hahahahaha!


I have to rack my brain to think of a wide receiver that fast who's stepped into the league making an impact like that. Randy Moss is the only that comes to mind. Larry Fitzgerald put up numbers but he was nowhere as explosive as Moss or Jax.

His swagger is straight out of Poly, where athletes are used to winning and act like it. 18 section championships in football, 20 state track titles (11 - girls, 9 - boys), 4 state titles in girls' basketball and that's just the major ones. It's a factory where the players are faster, smarter and way more confident than yours and they know it.

It drives me nuts but in the pros, the motto is simple. If you don't like it, keep them out of the end zone or lay a hit on them. Plus he's reppin SoCal at its finest so while I hate him along with the Eagles, I root for him like I do Steve Smith.

My only question is how in the heck did he fall to the second round in the 2008 Draft? He was smart to ditch USC for Cal because he ended up being a big star there but how could teams pass up a speedy two-time All-American who was gonna make QB's that much better from Day 1.

Other NFL tidbits

- Neo's comeback Sunday should clinch his spot as the runner-up in the MVP. I always thought his 43-yard TD run against the Vikings was his greatest big-time moment. This comeback will be #1.

- The heavens opened, Gus Johnson spoke and Tim Tebow run through a hole 40 yards easily to the end zone. I was waiting for the dove of the Holy Spirit to come on him after that TD pass. Maybe next week when he starts again.

- Great job to Packers' Matt Flynn in your first start, going toe-to-toe with Tom Brady til the final minute. But how in the heck did GB let that lineman run 71 yards on them?

(And now, Virgo Kent goes after the Shanahans...cues "Hit Em Up" and "Bomb 1st")

Mike Shanahan is a fool of a head coach. You already embarrass Donovan McNabb by pulling him for overrated Rex Grossman in the 2-minute drill and then insinuating he's out of shape (the latter might be true, DMac's a lil heavy in the middle). But now you bench him for the season? Demote him to 3rd string? This has gone far enough.

John Elway's not walking through that door. Terrell Davis is too busy enjoying a relatively pain-free anonymous retirement to walk on that field. You're walking around DC like you're the man but you haven't done anything in a decade to earn that.

Whatever happened to standing behind your QB? And no, that knife you shoved in his back doesn't count. If you really believe that Lucky Grossman is better than McNabb and apparently your son Kyle Shanahan still has a man-crush on him, you're stupid.

If McNabb is hurt, you protect him by saying you're sitting him down due to injury. Meanwhile Brett Favre and Carson Palmer still started games this week and I'd take McNabb over both of them easily. So to you, Mike Shanahan, get off your high horse cause that beast died the minute Terrell Davis gave his final Mile High salute in street clothes.

Props to my Cowboys winning despite nearly giving that game away. That was for you, McNabb. Please for the good of men everywhere, stop taking the high road for once and let Mike Shanahan have it as the last man to disrespect your resume and career.

(cuts off Tupac - we resume our regularly scheduled blog)

- So glad Pitt didn't clinch a playoff spot, the less love for Big Ben the better. Props to Jason Taylor's safety.

- Carson Palmer won a game? Barely? I'm shocked. And have we seen the last game of Terrell Owens' career?

- Devin Hester's quietly reclaimed his career this year. Congrats on his 14th TD on a return, a new NFL record in only his 5th season. Here's hoping he can get to 20. Always been a fave since he wore my favorite number at The U.

Fantasy Report

Got a semifinal matchup in my Yahoo League (No. 6 seed with the upset) and a two-week final showdown in my 2nd ESPN league (No. 2 seed). I've never been this close to a fantasy championship and I'm psyched to get the chance. Time to go get fitted for a championship belt.