Showing posts with label Nebraska. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nebraska. Show all posts

Monday, October 10, 2011

Football Wrap Week 5: Pack Attack, Black Mamba Strikes and Big Ups to....Kevin Prince???



When’s the last time you’ve seen a defending Super Bowl champion get this little attention? It seems like with all the trendy storylines this year, the Packers have been lost in the shuffle. And that’s just fine. Let them be the first defending champ since 2007 undefeated this late in the season.

We got excited when Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees had that epic showdown to open the NFL season then I think it got forgotten among Sunday’s first day goodness.  The Packers survived Killa Cam Newton’s 2nd game but knocked out the Bears with little problem.

Then reconsider what they did in their last two games. Aaron Rodgers had 400 yards, 4 TDs and rushed for 2 TDs vs. Denver. Again, one of those unreal performances that didn’t get a lot of run for whatever reason.  Now on Sunday, they scored 25 straight on the road to beat the Falcons while making Matt Ryan look average with 2 INT’s. Oh yeah, Rodgers threw to at least 12 different guys as if he was a socialist bent on sharing the wealth.



Quiet as kept, the Packers are the best team in football right now.  Defensively, they’ve picked it up by stomping a weak Denver squad and shutting down one of the most potent offenses in football at home. Oh yeah, Rodgers is arguably the No. 2 QB in football and if Tom Brady wasn’t putting up loco numbers, he’d be No. 1.

Maybe we’re sleeping on them cause they aren’t steamrolling teams. They aren’t a dominant team by the eyeball test at first but watch a quarter or two and you see that it’s looney how good they are. Every other team that’s one loss or fewer.

Buffalo? New England? = Great offense, shaky defense
Detroit? = Young, hungry and don’t know how to quit. They are scary as well.
San Francisco? =  They’re a Tony Romo comeback from being undefeated.  An easy schedule has favored them.
San Diego? = My No. 2 team has made plays they had to but they’re one brain fart away from being 2-3.
New Orleans? = Quietly they haven’t lost since Green Bay. Another sleeper despite inconsistent D
Baltimore? Washington? = Did we forget who their QBs are? Hahahahahaha.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Green Bay was still undefeated come Halloween with Tampa Bay and Minnesota up next. Maybe then, we’ll start hearing about them getting more respect.



49ers put up 48 on Tampa. Whoa! I haven’t seen an offensive outing like that from them since Jeff Garcia and Terrell Owens were lighting it up during high school.  All that slowdown Stanford offense made me forget how Jim Harbaugh used to light it up at my alma mater.

Rest in Peace Al Davis. Like most people, I think he overstayed his hold the past 6-7 years. But his legacy is set in stone for his vision and foresight. I think it’s a shame the last few years ruined that. He was a leader in making the NFL more diverse on and off the field and a rebel.  No disrespect to Houston, but they weren’t going to win against a ghost and an inspired team.

Seattle’s Doug Baldwin: Peeped him out well for my fantasy team. Good game young man. Rep that Pac-12 proud.



Lord Tebow tried his best but a lightning bolt reminded Denver fans that idol worshippers will ultimately be disappointed. Heathenry won't be tolerated on the Lord's Day. Quiet as kept, my Chargers are 4-1 instead of under .500 this early for the 1st time in ages. We win ugly but we’re winning.

And for the record, Timmy did a good job in relief. But don’t get crazy, he nearly carved the Chargers secondary last year for a comeback. Show me he can do this for 60 minutes and make the basic throws. He has the gifts but I don’t think he’s a NFL starter yet.

(Edit - Announced Tuesday that Tebow will start. Lord Tebow will have his fans in a frenzy as heathens try in vain to make him more than he is. In reality, what better choice do they....oh, hi there Brady Quinn. Remember when you were a big deal 5 years ago?)

Who’s got a bigger case of Bird Flu? Atlanta or Philadelphia. The media might be making glue of a dead horse with the Dream Team BS but it’s obvious Philly is trying too hard. How else do you explain Mike Vick’s 4 INTs and guys fumbling passes.  Same time, Atlanta looks like a frontrunning team with no D to sustain for the long run. Matty Ice is clutch but his defense isn’t.

NCAA Tidbits



LaMichael James had his usual beastly day for Oregon of 200+ yards and thankfully he didn’t break something worse in his arm on his fall. But the big story for me was the emergence of De’Anthony Thomas in his 2nd Pac-10 game.

3 TD’s for the Black Mamba (for those who don’t know – he had that name right before Kobe got it) and he’s officially made his claim as the 4th weapon in the Oregon backfield. Just like Robert Woods, I’ve covered Thomas closely in his high school years and I’m proud of him proving that switching from USC to Oregon was the best decision he made.

He’s playing right away, he’s learning from his mistakes and he’s making a statement for conference Freshman of the Year. It’s reminding me of when I watched his first year of HS football and he found ways to dominate right away.

LSU/Bama are neck and neck to me. Now that both teams destroyed Florida, it’s clear that they are the two best teams in the country.  November 5, that showdown will determine who’s No. 1 I give LSU the edge now for beating a very good Oregon team.

Remember his name. Tyrann Mathieu. The Honey Badger. Maybe the best DB in the country. That SEC swagger is all over this shot staring Chris Rainey down.

Speaking of LSU, that punter deserved a TD. That no taunting rule where touchdowns are taken away? It’s a silly, overreactive rule. If taunting is that much of a problem, you penalize on the kickoff and that’s it. Taking away touchdowns is extreme and it makes a mockery of the game by being policemen of showmanship. I understand when it’s excessive but since refs are poor judges of weighing intent, let’s take it out of their hands.

Shoelace! 300 yards passing, 100 yards rushing. Best performance of the weekend. Maybe he is finally turning into the next Pat White.  It’s a shame Michigan and Wisconsin don’t play this year unless they meet in the conference title game because he and Russell Wilson are heads and shoulders above everyone in the conference.

Big ups to Taylor Martinez and Nebraska for that 21-point comeback. Ohio State’s doomed for a rough year. Karma for that backside.



I think Oklahoma is still out somewhere scoring on Texas. I got out of work looking bug-eyed that they stomped a mudhole in Texas. It doesn’t say Texas sucks, it just says how good Oklahoma is this year.

The words Kevin Prince and 2nd half comeback shouldn’t belong in the second sentence. But they do. So I’ll give the Hurt Prince his props and with Richard Brehaut out with a broken leg, we’re gonna have to get used to him at UCLA. 

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

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.