The other thing I don't like is the concept that the owners can just tell players that they have to play more games and that's that. They aren't planning on increasing pay or benefits. That is one of the big sticking points now - how does the increase in games affect things like pension and retirement benefits? I think of it this way - regardless of how much money these players make. If you were to negotiate a contract to be a minister or teacher or whatever, you would expect those terms to be honored. If things changed, they would need to be reflected. I have never appreciated it at churches when they added duties and didn't change my income. But imagine being told you had to work an extra 5 hours a week and not get paid for it. That is basically what is happening to NFL players. They have to work 12.5% longer each year under the same salary. That reduces their contract values. I would be hacked too. The owners are going to see a huge bump in income when the extra two games start. But the players won't see that until the cycle of contracts after that. It doesn't seem right.
The injuries are inevitable, too. We know it. Longer seasons mean more injuries. I would hate to see the end of the season become a war of attrition - which team has enough players to actually field a team. I think that the change would have to change up a lot of things. If they are going to change this, go ahead and reshuffle the divisions and playoff structure. Just introduce the NFL 2.0 I guess I'm just a traditionalist.
NFL QUICK HITS
- I am an idiot. Most of you already knew this. But when you go back and re-read my post from last week in light of this past weekend, it becomes startlingly clear. Big stupid idjit. I said Jacksonville sucked, then they beat the Colts. I praised the Steelers and they lost. I dogged the Browns and they won. And Washington won. I'm a moron.
- The Michael Vick Coronation Party has been indefinitely postponed.
- How does Mike Singletary survive the season in San Fran? That team is completely out of control. They were winning that game and making Atlanta look bad doing it. And then they disappeared. Reading stuff about the 49ers, the most common description I see is "poorly coached." That can't be good.
- Randy Moss. The Patriots traded a 4th Round pick to get him from Oakland in 2007. Now they traded him to Minny for a 3rd Round pick. Isn't that like paying $1500 for a car, putting 60,000 miles on it, and then selling it for $2000? I don't question the move. Moss becomes a problem after too long in one place. It has happened everywhere. The Pats are just smart enough to pull the trigger early. Now they have two picks in each of the first four rounds this year - including Oakland's first round pick. Colin Cowherd this week said, "Bellichick collects draft picks like old ladies collect cats." Haha. Who is anyone to question the Patriots, though? They just win.
- Just for giggles, let's see how my last place predictions are going. Good on Buffalo, Cleveland, Oakland. Technically, I'm right on Jax, but they are in a three way tie for last. I'm dead wrong on all the NFC divisions. In fact, all of my last place picks are in first, tied for first, or a half game out of first. Year's still young, though.
- Everyone is talking about how the Saints don't have it this year. But they are 3-1. Sure, they are winning ugly. But didn't that happen last year, too? I remember they eked out a bunch of close games last season. Plus they still have games against Cleveland, Cincy, Carolina, St Louis, Arizona, and Seattle. That's nine wins right there. Not ready to give up them yet.
- Did you ever think that Chicago would be sad with the news that Jay Cutler is out for a game?
- Bill Parcells apparently is back to his quest to work for every team in the NFL. I think he'll end up on some team that desperately needs some direction - Cleveland, San Fran, Buffalo. It would be interesting to see what he could do with Jacksonville. My worry is that the Jags will be just successful enough to keep things they way they are. Yay to Mediocrity!!!
COLLEGE QUICK HITS
- Continuing proof I'm an idiot. A couple of ACC teams started to look really good (Miami, FSU). I trumpeted the potential Boise State/TCU title game and didn't even think about them getting jumped by Oklahoma or Oregon. And then I ripped into UCF and they promptly went out and deee-stroyed UAB on national TV Wednesday night. And, even though you guys didn't see this, I picked UGA and UF to win on Saturday. Again, I'm a moron.
- Thank God there still is Boston College to lose to Notre Dame. The ACC sucks again!!!
- Ordinarily a thrashing like what happened to UF would make me laugh. But it happened to that snot faced weasel Nick Saban. Florida looked outmatched from start to finish. I was stunned. UF doesn't get beat down like that very often. I don't know if Alabama has been laying low for a few weeks or what. But that was a world class butt kicking. Makes me wonder where UF is going to end up this year. They will probably go out and annihilate LSU this week to make up for it.
- We had a weird misstep watching football on Saturday. We turned off the Tennessee/LSU game as soon as LSU wasted all the time and got sacked. I had no idea that LSU won or anything weird happened until I read it on Facebook three hours later. That was the most bizarre thing I had seen (or not seen). The refs should have overlooked the penalty just because LSU was so stupid. How in the world do you let that much time disappear? I'm pretty sure that not even two blind pee wee league teams would let that happen. And Tennessee? THIRTEEN PLAYERS?!? Maybe the coaching staff will realize it wasn't so smart to let tutors take all their players' math tests after all.
- How quickly things change. I laughed my butt off when Texas lost to UCLA. But I was furious they blew it against Oklahoma. The Sooners don't have another ranked team on their schedule! How is Boise State going to play for the title? Stupid Mack Brown. It didn't even seem like he was playing to win. Some of his calls just looked like he was trying not to get beat too badly.
- I have certain goals each year. Rarely do I want a team to lose every game. I usually just want them to lose enough to get knocked out of the bowl picture. This year, though, I have a different goal. I want USC to go undefeated. And then not be able to go to a bowl. HAHAHAHA.
- Auburn is a scary team. I expect to get thank you notes from Kentucky this week after their unexpected victory.
- That Oregon/Stanford game was super weird. In the first half, Stanford looked out of their mind good. Oregon couldn't stop them with a concrete barricade. But then they completely collapsed. How do they come back from that? They have to play USC this week. Oregon was crazy good once they got their heads screwed on straight. Makes me wonder which team was the real one - and if that first half version is going to show up at the wrong time. (Or right time, if you are TCU and Boise State.)
- If Kansas State knocks off Nebraska, then I guess I really have to rethink UCF. They almost beat NC State. And they almost beat KState. Both of those teams are better than expected this year. So where does that put the Knights? Probably the Liberty Bowl.
- TCU/BOISE STATE: For this thing to happen - and we all know it MUST - I figure that every other reasonable option must lose. That means that the following teams must lose at some point: Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Auburn, and Michigan. Yeah, Michigan. You know voters are just waiting to stick them up there. Now in a weekly feature, I will update the odds of awesomeness as these teams lose. This week? Definite possibilities. Alabama/South Carolina, Michigan/Michigan State, Nebraska/KState. We shall see.
SFL QUICK HITS
- Oh, we're not done. Idiocy Part 3. I failed on ALL THREE arenas. I spent a whole item praising Gator Greats, who went out and lost . . . badly. I trashed Queen City Noles and they won. And my adulation of Tampa Bay Rams two weeks ago seems very misplaced. The Defense rests - I'm a moron.
- Odious Repercussions had a monster game this past week. Four players over 20 points. Wrong week to be Tebow Tossers. The crazy thing is that Odor Boys have 50 points more than any other team. But they are 2-2 and in 4th place. The reason? They've given up the most points of any team in the league. They are the New England Patriots!!! Tebow Tossers can't be happy with their performance thus far. They tinker with their lineup a lot, but they don't seem to hit on a successful option. And they play the Ferrets this week.
- Speaking of the Ferrets, let's all say it together. LUCKY!!! Their performance would have lost them just about every game last week. Fortunately they played Da Bus, whose game would have lost EVERY game. The bye weeks made Ferret Boy change his lineup a lot, but the players he started instead didn't even play. Da Bus, though, had six players with 5 points or less. Pathetic game. Too bad both teams couldn't lose.
- Gator Greats was out the minute Vick went out. They probably still would have lost, because they caught Mean Green on freaky good week. Well, that and the New England Defense. 38 points?!? That is just ridiculous.
- Poor Monkey. He just can't seem to get off the goose egg. Not feeling good about this week either.
- This week, there is one of the weirder schedule things you will see. Its like tournament pairings. 1 plays 10, 2 plays 9, 3 plays 8, 4 plays 7, and 5 plays 6. I don't know if I've seen that happen league wide before.
One other thing. I know we are all competitors. But we also are all brothers in Christ. Can you please be praying this weekend for Defender Ministries? We have a very important meeting up in Tennessee on Friday night. There is a pastor retreat center up there that is looking for a new ministry to take over their facility. Like, they are seriously looking to just hand it over to someone. It fits some of what we are doing with pastoral ministry now. Just be praying. It isn't every day that someone talks about giving you 140 acres of land and five buildings...
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