NFL HITS
- The Jaguars are atrocious. They have a -43 point differential this year, second only to the 49ers (who, funny enough, have a -49 difference. Maybe they should change their name to the -49ers). Jacksonville needs to do something. This is not a team that can suck long term and survive.
- I remember before the year started, the experts were talking about the Steelers and how they hoped to hand Big "And Not Afraid To Use It" Ben a 2-2 team (best case scenario). Then they lost Dixon and were hoping to hand him a 1-3 team. Now they are 3-0 with the best point differential in the NFL. Their defense is crazy good. This week they play Baltimore and their pathetic offense. Then they have a bye week. So Rothlisnoogieburger could come back to a 4-0 team coming off of a bye week and playing Cleveland in their first game together. Their tough games remaining are at Miami, at New Orleans, home against Patriots, and at Baltimore. Bad news for Steeler haters.
- At what point can we just demote Detroit to the CFL?
- Buffalo too. I mean, they are both already up there and would fit in nicely.
- And Cleveland? Or would that be pushing it?
- Tim Tebow got demoted?!? This is horrible. Now he won't be getting to play while listed as third on the depth chart instead of second. Really, so what? People get worked up over the dumbest stuff.
- I love it when a team like Dallas or Washington starts to struggle. You know, those teams with a really intrusive owner. Who are they going to blame? They fire coaches, ream out players, squawk all over the place. But they forget that THEY BUILT THE TEAM! It blows my mind that they can't see they are part of the problem. It is like when an overbearing pastor blames his staff for all the problems at a church. How can it be their fault? He's fired everyone who could have been a problem. At some point, you have to look at yourself.
- John Fox is supposedly going to break the bank for some team next year as their new head coach. Would this qualify as the worst contract year in the history of sports? That team is pathetic. That has to rub off on him, doesn't it? Maybe he can join Jerry Jones and neither of them can be to blame.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL HITS
- I know I'm guilty of focusing too much on UCF. But I think I'm one of two writers in the country that writes about them, so give me a break. As a UCFan, I get very upset at the Knights. Here they were last week. They are 2-1, their only loss against NC State. The Wolfpack are now 4-0 and appear to be one of the few decent teams in the ACC, so that loss isn't that bad in retrospect. They are playing in horrible weather conditions in Manhattan, Kansas against Kansas State. The playing field is level - home field advantage swept away by a tornado. They lead the whole game. This could be a defining moment for the team. They hold the lead, leave 3-1 with a tough fought victory over a big BCS conference team. Instead, they crumble and give up a touchdown on a long drive with under two minutes left. That is just bush league. UCF may be one of the five biggest universities in the USofA. They may be trying to convince the world they deserve a BCS slot. But, until they learn to stop losing stupid games against BCS teams, they aren't going anywhere. There are enough Vanderbilts, Dukes, and Iowa States to handle that role.
- Eddie Gilley, owner of Gator Greats, enlightened me to more information on my comments regarding UF's arrest record. Apparently only a handful of those arrest actually led to sentencing - most were dropped, plea bargained, whatever. And, he made the point that UF cops are not easy going - rather they get their jollies pulling people over. Fair enough. I still stand by my assertion that they need to buckle down that program. I would say that about any team - even UCF. Of course, UCF players can't even get arrested. They drop the bong with two minutes to play.
- That insane laughter you heard coming from Live Oak, Florida on Saturday around 6pm was me when I saw the final from the Texas/UCLA game. Paving the way for TCU/Boise State in the title game.
- Seriously, though. What would happen if it came down to the end of the season and Boise and TCU were ranked 1-2? It is entirely possible. They are ranked 3-5 right now. Both teams should run the table. The only challenge to that is really TCU playing Utah later this year. Ohio State could lose on any given Saturday. (This is Ohio State, after all.) The SEC could take each other out easily. It will be a miracle if an SEC team finishes undefeated. Oregon and Stanford play this Saturday, so one of those two will be knocked out. The other one still has to play USC and Arizona. If Oklahoma can get past Texas this week, they have a great chance to go undefeated. You want to see some shady voting? Wait until the last three undefeated teams are Boise State, TCU, and Oklahoma. I bet we would see a BCS official run onto the field and shoot a player ala The Last Boy Scout rather than let Boise and TCU play in the title game.
- I repeat: Mark Richt cannot survive this year. When I was counting UGA's losable games, I didn't include Mississippi State. I guess I need to lower the bar. 4-8? Do they have any winnable games left? Idaho State, Vandy, Kentucky? Sad day in Athens. Happy day in Gainesville.
- There's been lots of grief about FSU's empty seats in their win over Wake Forest. I can understand Samford in the opening game. But the ACC opener? It was a beautiful day. There was no excuse. That's the kind of crap UCF has to put up with. Big league teams don't have empty seats on games like that. It shows the hold Bowden had on this city, though. I'm not sure what FSU is going to do about this, but this spells long term trouble.
- Hey! The ACC is . . . still struggling. UM beat a Pitt team that is hardly as good as advertised. But the other ACC teams didn't look dominant against their non-conference foes - including a loss by Duke to Army. This week should give another clue when Notre Dame plays BC and UNC plays East Carolina.
SFL HITS
- The showdown between top ranked Gator Greats and Tampa Bay Rams turned into yet another dominating performance by Gator Greats. They are the last undefeated team. But, more than that, they currently are sporting a +97.52 point differential in his three games. How impressive is that? The next best point differential is +49.69 by Mean Green. This isn't always an indicator of anything. (Second place Ferrets has a -8.84 difference.) But it is a good indicator of how dominant a team is - lots of blow out victories, close losses. Right now, Gator Greats is pretty tough.
- Tampa Bay Rams dropped to fifth with their loss. But, again, losing to Gator Greats isn't a shameful thing. They need to be more worried about their team's lopsided reliance on Peyton Manning.
- On the flip side of the league, you have Monkey and Queen City Noles. Monkey has the cellar to himself this week, the last team without a win. To say they are underperforming is a mild assessment. And this week doesn't look much better, as they square off against their nemesis Stickboy. If anyone is going to steal that cellar, it will be Queen City Noles. I talked this week to the team owner and he summed it up best. "Man, my fantasy team is horrible!" Truer words have never been spoken. Averaging 83 points a week makes you horrible.
- There were two games that went down to the wire this week. Bloodthirsty Ferrets took down Stickboy by 2.08 points, despite Stickboy's pleas to Aaron Rodgers on the message boards. Da Bus clipped Odious Repercussions by only .89 points. Less than a point. That's just ten yards running or receiving, a missed field goal, a dropped interception, an avoided sack. Tough losses for both those teams. Lucky wins for Ferrets and Bus.
- The top four teams all square off against each other this week, so there could be some shake ups in standings next week. Remember bye weeks start this week. So check your rosters.
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