NINTH SEASON: WEEK EIGHT

This is something I never thought I would say:  I am beginning to hate sports.  I never would have believed I was capable of that.  When I was a kid, there were two sections of the newspaper I would read - the sports and the comics.  I read Sports Illustrated every week.  I watched the sports on the local news every night.  (Pat Murphy was my favorite sportscaster, for you West Palm Beach peeps.)  I never was one of those weird kids that was uber-obsessed with sports.  But I certainly loved them.

Now, though, that has all changed.  I have mentioned several times how hard it is to root for a corporation (unless its Apple).  But my discontent today comes from something different - the inability to keep things in perspective.  There were three events that highlighted this.  The first was the release of Randy Moss by Minnesota.  Here is the guy who is widely considered the best receiver of his generation.  He could light up the field like few others.  But he now has been unceremoniously dismissed from FOUR teams in his career.  In the subsequent arguments surrounding his ultimate landing place, many commentators said that Moss was a "clubhouse cancer."  He was a "cancer" to the team and should be avoided by teams with good chemistry.  [This concept also cropped up with the Kevin Garnett vs Charlie Villanueva spat - but that is basketball, so who gives a darn?  Except Mean Green.]

On the flip side, Mississippi State found out what a "clubhouse cancer" actually was.  Twenty year old defensive end Nick Bell died this week.  He was shockingly diagnosed with cancer in September.  Less than two months later, he was dead.  Now, I ask you, which clubhouse had a more traumatic experience?  The Minnesota Vikings had to put up with a petulant, entitled, arrogant, annoying millionaire as they all enjoyed their million dollar contract.  MSU had to deal with watching a young teammate not even in the prime of his life go from SEC athlete to dead man.  It was a horrible and tragic story.  And, two days later, it was buried onto a third level link on ESPN.com.  Randy Moss continued to be the lead story.  Moss was many things - he was a distraction, he was a jerk, he was a weirdo, he was a talented star.  But he wasn't a cancer.  Cancer kills.  It's more than an annoyance.

The last story was the death of Declan Sullivan up at Notre Dame.  Here was a kid who desperately wanted to be a part of the football world.  So he's helping out the team.  They send the guy up onto a big scaffolding during a storm with 50 mph winds.  The thing collapses and now he's dead.  Why is he dead?  Because Notre Dame is coached by Brian Kelly - and he needed to show his team that he had big balls and that he wasn't going to cancel practice for nothing.  They are warriors!  They are superheroes!  Here is a particularly damning article from ESPN about the whole issue.  Kelly is one of the new breed of coaches who treat their players like crap - but aren't so brazen as to choke them like Bobby Knight.  They are sports CEOs - dictating the rules, forcing excellence, and then bailing to take a better job.  Bobby Petrino, Nick Saban, John Callipari, Lane Kiffin.  And although I know I'll catch grief from Gator Greats, I would say Urban Meyer needs put on that list.  And I'm sure that Jimbo Fisher is of the same cloth, since he trained under Saban.  They don't care about players.  They care about winning games, winning titles, getting pay raises, moving to better jobs.  That's why Notre Dame was out in dangerous weather.  And that's why Declan Sullivan was up on a scaffolding.  And that's why he's dead.  I'm not just pointing fingers here.  UCF killed a player a few years ago because George O'Leary and his staff mocked players for being wimps and needing wussy stuff like water in the stifling heat.  So the kid died.  No consequences for O'Leary.  Jim Leavitt and Mike Leach get fired for locking a kid in a closet or hitting a kid - but we now have coaches killing kids and they don't even get a slap.

It is a seriously screwed up industry - which is why I am really starting to hate sports.  People don't matter.  It is all about dollars and power and status.  But, then again, is this really any different than any other industry.  Having worked in the church world for almost fifteen years, I can say that it is just as guilty of those things.  And we all see in politics that the average person doesn't matter at all.  The last election showed that.  It seemed like some candidates campaigned on the fact that they were less humane than their opponents.  Basically, you had to decide if you wanted to be a free spending quasi socialist or a industry loving, human being hating facist.  (At least according to Facebook status updates.)  As we in this league all know, this isn't going to get any better.  We are on a fast track to the last book in the Bible.  To me, sports had always been a way to escape the garbage all around me.  Now it gets me depressed.

NFL NOTES

• What is the deal with the release of Shawne Merriman by the Chargers?  A few years ago, he burst onto the scene as a wrecking ball on defense.  He won Rookie of the Year and was named to the Pro Bowl team in his first season.  He raked in lucrative endorsement deals.  Then he got busted for using steroids and got suspended.  But he still finished third in the vote for Defensive Player of the Year.  He made the Pro Bowl that year, and the next.  Dominant player, tons of talent.  Then he became injury prone, beat the crap out of his girlfriend, and then got cut by the Chargers - in the same year he was their "franchise player."  It was yet another example of wasted talet and someone who just couldn't stay in football for some reason.  Maybe it was that he lost focus.  Maybe the lack of steroids meant he didn't recover as well.  How does a player go from franchise tag to released in just a few months?
• The Jaguars have given up the most points in the NFL.  They have been outscored by 61 points.  But they are 4-4.  Huh?
• Carolina has only scored 85 points this year.  That is 30 points less than any other team (Cleveland).  The next lowest is Chicago with 126.  But John Fox is going to be a sought after coaching commodity?  This could go down as the worst contract year in the history of the NFL.
• Oh wait, I take that back.  Randy Moss is in a contract year.
• One good thing about Favre's complete meltdown is that we shouldn't have to put up with the retirement circus next year.  There's no way he can come back again.  Right?  Please tell me I'm right.
• The whole Donovan McNabb benching is so strange.  I mean, we have known he isn't a clutch performer since he lost his dinner during the Super Bowl.  But to get benched like that?  And Shanahanalama's explanations were amazing.  First is was Rex Grossman knew the offense better from being in it before.  (Huh?  Any time the better option is Rex Grossman, you must suck.)  Then it was that McNabb wasn't a good two minute quarterback.  Then it was that he is fat and out of shape.  Goooo!  Talk about having your player's back.  McNabb is one of the more easily offended and emotionally fragile players in the NFL.  Now he's supposed to come back and play for his coach who just called him fat, out of shape, inable to run and offense, and worse than Grossman?  Wow.
• The Chiefs and Raiders are playing on Sunday Night.  And NBC is glad about it?  What kind of world is this becoming?

COLLEGE NOTES

• As usual, here comes my UCF bit.  Over the years, I have thrown more than my share of punches at George O'Leary.  But I will also give him praise when I need to.  He was able to put two successful seasons together and broke the "on again, off again" curse.  This year, they are very impressive.  They have lost two games by a combined total of 10 points to NC State and Kansas State - who have both been ranked.  They have the best record in the state.  And they are the 2nd highest ranked team in the state.  You really could argue they are more impressive than FSU (the only team ahead of them), since they both lost to NC State.  But FSU's other loss was a blowout to Oklahoma and UCF's was to K-State during a tornado.  I just hope they can keep it up and beat Houston.  It's a Friday night game on ESPN2 - national coverage.  If they do, they will be ranked for the first time ever and on their way to the bowl season with a legitimate shot at a win there.  Good job UCF.
• The Big East expansion has dragged UCF into the discussion all over the country.  They are one of the teams that is an obvious target.  But, as a UCF fan, I don't want them to join the Big East.  I know that is dangerous.  They could hold out and end up being screwed over like Boise State.  But, it would be a premature jump.  Here's why.  The Big East doesn't want UCF for anything but football.  So that means their sports will be split up like they were for years.  That doesn't work because it destroys any chance at rivalries.  Second, the Big East is extremely unstable.  They are going to get poached when the ACC or SEC decides to go to 16 teams.  We know this.  So, does UCF risk getting stuck in the shell of the dying Big East in two years?  Or do they keep on building their programs and hope the ACC makes the right choice in a few years?  Maybe once they are the largest school in the nation that will help.
• BSU/TCU - I'll be honest with you, I am a bit nervous after last week.  I was hoping USC could take out Oregon, but it didn't happen.  And Auburn is freaking scary.  I still think Auburn can lose one of their games - the Alabama one and the SEC title game still loom.  BUT, if Bama does win, they immediately will jump into the title game.  We have seen how the system is all too ready to ignore Boise and TCU - jumping over them weekly.  This week is a big one.  TCU plays Utah, who could screw this whole thing up.  But if TCU beats Utah, it will help their stake.  Alabama plays LSU.  If the Tigers win, that will help get rid of Bama, but will put LSU back into the problem.  Auburn plays an intramural team this week, so they aren't in danger.  Neither is Oregon.  The chances are running out.  Auburn only plays UGA (ha) and Bama.  Oregon has Oregon State and Arizona left.  There's going to have to be an upset.
• Cam Newton is a beast.  How did he end up leaving UF?  Seriously, I have no clue how that all happened.  I know we can't play "what if," but good grief.  I doubt UF would be struggling so much with him back there.  I can't wait until he is holding a clipboard in the NFL.

SFL NOTES

• The Gator Greats/Bloodthirsty Ferrets game was all it was expected to be.  It was high scoring and close.  You hate to see a loser in that kind of game.  Gators made a valiant comeback at the end, but wound up just short.  They would have beaten every other team in the league by 20 points that game.  It just stinks to lose that way.
• Da Bus has quietly snuck up into the playoff race.  The top four teams (Ferret, Odious, Stickboy, Gators) have been the Colts, Patriots, Steelers, and Chargers of the last few years.  But Da Bus is right there.  After their narrow victory over the freefalling Tampa Bay Rams, they are 5-3 and ready to step up if one of the top four lose a game down the stretch.
• Four weeks ago, Mean Green was 3-1 and up near the top of the league.  Four losses later, they are part of the putrid bottom half of the league.  Seriously, the SFL is like the SEC right now.  You have the West at 5-3 or better.  Then the East is 3-5 or worse.  Relatively safe to say that the playoff teams will come from our "West."  
• The Tampa Bay Rams need to fire Wade Phillips right now.  
• The Trade Deadline is November 12!  Don't forget!  

NINTH SEASON: WEEK SEVEN

Illness has struck the Staples' household this week.  The injury report would be full.  "Josiah Staples - OUT - respiratory infection, fever; Natalie Staples - QUESTIONABLE - respiratory infection; Gabriel Staples - PROBABLE - respiratory infection."  It is always rough when the kids are sick.  As a result, I haven't been able to put my usual stupidity into practice for the blog post.  I hope that you were able to survive without it.  At this late date, I'm not going to go into a whole big post.  There are a few things that I'm just going to put into one list.

• Boise State/TCU - Thanks to Missouri, things are going well.  LSU also finally got offed this past week, so the road was made a little easier.  I'm not too nervous about Auburn.  The SEC West is so tough that it is going to be a minor miracle to get out of there undefeated.  Honestly, the team that scares me the most is Oregon.  There doesn't seem to be anyone out there to stop their insane offense.  I'm hoping USC can do that this week.  The Gameday team will be in L.A., so if anything will get them worked up, that would be it.
• I've thought about if it would be better to have BSU play TCU or beat someone like Oregon.  I really am still convinced that we need to have those two nobodies play.  If a non-BCS team wins against a BCS team, the BCS will say, "See?  The system does work."  If the BCS team slaughters TCU then the BCS will say, "See?  The system works.  Non-BCS teams really can't compete."  The only way anything will change is if the BCS gets ticked off.  They don't care about outrage of the masses.  The only thing that will speak to the BCS is ratings and money.  That is why it has to be BSU vs. TCU.  (Not Utah.  It has to be TCU.)
• Recently, there have been several articles that echo what I wrote a couple of weeks back about how modern athletes are actually outgrowing the sport.  There really does seem to be a growing unease with thoughtful sports writers - not the ESPN talking mouthpieces for the league.  The NFL (and football in general) could be in some very real trouble.
• Gator Greats finally lost their perch at the top of the SFL this past week.  But, they can exact their revenge this week by taking out the new top ranked Ferrets.  Of course, with how things are going lately, it seems like everyone is just keeping the seat warm for Odious Repercussions.  They have been playing out of their minds the past few weeks.  

Sorry for the lame post.  Hopefully next week things will calm back down.  Also, I would still appreciate your prayers about the retreat center.  We actually are going up there again November 11-14 to meet with them and evaluate the property.  We should know something after that trip.  

NINTH SEASON: WEEK SIX

Well, the concussion issue finally has hit the boiling point, hasn't it?  There were six or seven vicious hits in the NFL, mostly helmet to helmet.  All of this on the same weekend as a Rutgers player getting paralyzed from a tackle.  So the NFL finally makes a real effort to protect its players.  They plan on starting suspensions for illegal helmet to helmet hits.  So it seems to be a serious effort.  Everyone should be happy, right?  Nope.  In something I didn't see happening at all, the players have revolted against the changes.  Brian Urlacher said the NFL should become a flag football league.  Heath Evans, fullback for the Saints, tweeted that he was worried about what they were doing to the league.  Ray Lewis, Joey Porter, Charles Tillman, Channing Crowder, Scott Fujita were among the list of players that ridiculed or questioned the new league policies.

Honestly, this reminds me of the legislation to force people to wear helmets on motorcycles.  I've seen a poster before that said, "The Helmet Law is to protect a brain to stupid to realize it needs protecting."  It seems the same way with the football players.  There is an overwhelming amount of evidence showing that head injuries lead to major lifelong problems.  Shortened life expectancy.  Memory loss.  Alzheimers.  Depression and suicide.  So now the people in charge are trying to take efforts to protect these players.  And the players are rebelling against it.  Are these the same players who are willing to shut down the league because they want better protection and security in their retirement?  They want medical coverage when they are older.  They want the NFL to pay for their knee replacements and back surgeries.  And, I'm pretty sure they also will want coverage for things like Alzheimers and brain injury - now that those things have been linked to playing football.  But they aren't willing to take protective measures to lessen those long term problems?

I really think that we have kind of hit a tipping point with football.  The players got bigger, faster, stronger.  They have outgrown the equipment and the rules of the game.  The thing is, they are at risk because the game can't support the new style of player.  We are at a point where something really bad is going to happen.  And the changes will be forced onto the whole sport - like when industry had to implement security measures decades ago.  Someone is going to die.  At that point, there is no hiding any more.  Changes will be forced down their throats.

NFL NOTES:

• I know I'm supposed to hate him, since he's on the Patriots and is married to a super model and dumped a really hot actress after knocking her up and he has girl hair.  But I really like Tom Brady.  I think he's a super quarterback.  I also like his willingness to be mouthy to other teams when necessary.  "They talk a lot for a team who has beaten us once in the last nine years."  He's mouthing off at the RAVENS?!?  I mean, this is a team whose captain killed a guy - allegedly.  That's just ballsy.  But it's obvious he has those - knocking up celebs all over the place.  ZING!
• Well, Heather's theory about the Gators/Jags proved wrong this week.  Both of them lost.  But, Tebow scored a touchdown, so maybe that pulled all the joy out of the fan base.
• I love it when "experts" are proven wrong.  Last week, everyone and their mother's hairdressers were saying Atlanta was the top team in the NFC.  Then they played the Eagles.  I heard hospitals in Bristol were overrun with people who broke their ankles and blew out their ACLs jumping off that bandwagon.  
• Going back to my football coach disposal guesses from a few weeks ago, I would like to place Dallas and San Diego on the definite list.  At least they have nice weather there.

COLLEGE NOTES:

• It is nice to see that I can still count on Ohio State to choke.  I got nervous there for a while, when the Buckeyes were making their charge.  I was watching the game with my father in law and two of Heather's uncles.  In the fourth quarter, the Wisconsin defense was running Pryor so ragged, we just kept saying, "An interception is coming.  He's getting hammered."  Sure enough, pick.  Wisconsin's offense looked amazing in that game. 
• I am constantly amazed at the fair weather mindset in Gainesville.  According to my calculations, this is a team that has won two national titles in the last five years.  They are having a bad year this year.  But to hear a lot of Gator fans, they are in the midst of a epic losing streak.  "FIRE THE OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR (who kept the team going when Urban was 'retired')!"  Some extreme people want Meyer fired.  What the what?  A little perspective here, people.  I know you aren't used to losing.  But look at Alabama, Oklahoma, Nebraska, FSU.  They've all gone through lulls.  If possible, UF fans are more annoying when they are losing.
• You have to give UCF some credit.  Two straight Wednesday night games on ESPN.  The amount of exposure they got in those two weeks is amazing.  That doesn't include stuff like the highlights the next day on the two million ESPN shows.  Pretty smart.  And they play on Friday coming up here, too.  Even better.  
• Let's look at the state of Florida teams again, shall we?   FSU 6-1, UCF 4-2, UM 4-2, UF 4-3, USF 3-3. And still no one cares about the rest. (FIU, FAU, FAMU are a combined 6-11.)   Yes, I did put that because UCF is ahead of everyone but FSU.  Hee hee.
• There seems to be a weeee bit of discrepancy between the SEC East and West this year, it seems.  The East is 19-20 combined.  The West is 32-8.  Just a smidgen of difference.
• Boise State/TCU Update:  You all doubt, but it's going to happen.  Get on board.  Ohio State and Nebraska were kind enough to take a dive this week.  So that cleared the road even more.  I know some of you are going to get nervous because the BCS rankings tossed the overrated Oklahoma up top.  But this is a marathon, not a sprint.  Give it time.  I posted a full length article on this (which I'm sure you already read).  The games that could help out this week is when Oklahoma loses to Missouri, when LSU and Auburn eliminate one or the other (I'm hoping Auburn loses because LSU is the worse team), and if UCLA could knock Oregon out.  
• In case you are wondering why I am so adamant about TCU/BSU and not Utah/BSU, here's why.  Utah joins the Pac-10 in a few years.  So, the argument could be, "Well, it wasn't an actual BCS team, but it is going to be one.  That's okay."  It needs to be two teams that have no shot at a BCS conference and who would obviously get run out of town in a bracket championship system.  Broncos & Froggys it is.  

SFL NOTES:

• No close games this past week.  Kind of surprising.  There seems to be a kind of separation going on in the league between the top half and the bottom.  Teams 1-4 (Gators, Ferrets, Odious, and Bus) have been riding pretty high lately.  The 3-3 teams are very inconsistent.  And then the bottom three are dropping like rocks.  
• The biggest game this weekend is Odious Repercussions and Gator Greats.  They are two of the strongest teams and seem destined to a mega-showdown.
• Ferrets are in their typical early season explosion of wins.  If the usual trend continue, they should rattle off another five or six wins and then tank right when the playoffs start.  
• Toss in the Towel.  Most accurate name ever.  

NINTH SEASON: WEEK FIVE

The whole Brett Favre Donger on Display Saga brings up quite a few points.  For those of you who don't know (I don't know how that is possible), Brett Favre is being accused of sending illicit text messages and pictures of his man handle to everyone's favorite FSU Cowgirl, Jenn Sterger, when she worked for the J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets.  This story actually popped up in August over on the journalistic ethics impaired Deadspin.com.  They broke the news - against Sterger's wishes.  And apparently they found these texts and pictures somewhere and paid for them, even though Sterger did not agree.  (My guess is someone hacked her phone and sold the data to Deadspin.  I loathe Deadspin.)

Anywho, in the new NFL, any accusation of this sort will immediately be blown into a media circus and investigated.  It will probably result in a four week recuperation program for Favre right before the playoffs, priming him for another Super Bowl run thanks to the time to heal.  There are so many elements to this story, that it makes my head spin.

First, there is the pathological infatuation athletes have with their units.  How many of these guys will have to have their johnsons broadcast all over the interwebs before they learn?  Greg Oden, Chris Cooley, Santonio Holmes, Grady Sizemore.  The list goes on and on.  And apparently so do their genetic weaponry.  I guess that if I looked like I housed Snuffleupagus in my boxer briefs I would be more willing to flaunt it.  But I also believe in the whole "some things are best left to the imagination" mindset.  I never have understood mankind's immediate desire to get naked in front of technology.  "Oh, look a webcam.  Let me take off my clothes in front of it."  Athletes are usually bigger people in general, so it follows that their wangs would follow suit.  But that is one stat I don't want to know.  I'm good just knowing college, height, weight, game stats.  I don't want their ESPN profile to broadcast the size of their sausage.

Second, the issue of Jenn Sterger.  This is a woman whose entire career has been generated by her sexuality.  She was just another student at FSU until some pervy camerman focused on her heaving bosoms and cowboy hat.  And then Brett Musberger wiped the drool from his mouth and commented about red blooded males applying to FSU.  BAM.  So she showed up at games, created her own website, showed up at USF games (since she was from Tampa), started writing a blog on SI.com, posed half naked for FHM, posed nude for Playboy, got hired by the Jets as a game hostess, removed her implants, got hired by Versus network as eye candy for their sports show.  All of it was because of her boobs.  She would have just been another journalism student.  I will admit she is a good writer and has a good knowledge of sports.  But her breasts got her on the fast track.  Now she has a national sports show - doesn't do anything on it, but is on it.  So, what do we make of this?  She has spent her life exploiting her sexuality, and now she has to go through this inappropriate advances by Favre and subsequent public embarrassment due to that sexuality.  It really shows the double edged sword that is sexuality and media. You sell your body but don't realize your soul was sold in the deal.

Third, athletes are dirtbags.  Big Ben was the latest poster child for this thanks to his indiscretions and suspension.  Every time an athlete does this, we all get outraged about it and talk about how they don't respect anyone.  Favre's actions, to me, are far worse.  He is married.  He has kids are old enough to read all about this.  Shoot, his kids aren't that much younger than Sterger.  His wife went through cancer.  He's a grandfather.  And Favre has always portrayed himself as a family man.  But, call me old fashioned if you must, family men don't send pictures of their genitalia to other women.  It kind of goes against the whole definition of Family Man - unless you are a Mormon and are just out recruiting for a bigger family.  The problem is that these athletes from an early age are told they are the best.  They get whatever they want.  Colleges bend over backwards (sometimes literally) to get these guys there.  Boosters, agents, underlings.  Everyone around them tell them they are special.  They get tons of money thrown at them at an age when they aren't old enough to know how to handle it.  And there are always people willing to do anything to get into their world.  Women throw themselves at them.  And these athletes don't hear no often.  So they get to the point where they think they can do whatever they want - someone else will clean up the mess.  They don't budget their money.  They don't think forward to the future.  They don't value other people.  The rules don't apply to them - because they never have.  It's the same belief that celebrities like Lindsey Lohan, Casey Affleck, Paris Hilton, and old school Robert Downey Jr bought into.  It is a sad society when there is a group of people who are "above the law."  Once you've made that allowance, it is hard to take it back.  That is why the efforts to reign in athletes and celebs seem so futile and pathetic.  We are trying to erase decades of bad choices on OUR PART that has led to bad choices on their part.  We never should have worshipped these people.  It is never pretty when you try to undeify a god.

NFL QUICK HITS:

• I guess that there was more to Brett Favre's nickname "Gunslinger" than we thought.
• Is there a more dangerous position than NFL Quarterback?  I mean that on two fronts.  The first is obviously the injury one - as Aaron Rodgers is the latest high profile casualty.  Everyone targets you.  During plays, you get thrown around by giant freaks of nature like a rag doll.  I'm actually surprised we don't see more ugly QB injuries.  The other way I mean that comment, though, is danger for the team.  It seems like every week we see some team destroyed by their stupid quarterback.  We just seem to be in a cycle where there are more of these guys making dumb mistakes.  Delhomme, Carson Palmer, Todd Collins, Alex Smith.  It's a field day out there.  And, honestly, you have to put Favre in that category most of the time now.  It used to be that he would win you five extra games a year with his gutsy play, but cost you two.  This year it seems reversed.  Last night was the biggest example - he brought the team back due to his brilliance.  But, the reason they were in trouble in the first place was because of him.  And the reason they lost was because of him.  
• If you want to hear some amazing football analysis, watch or listen to Colin Cowherd's radio show (simulcast on ESPNU) on Monday mornings.  It certainly isn't to listen to him, because he is an inflated, entitled, egomaniacal d-bag.  But on Mondays, Trent Dilfer breaks down the Sunday games.  Yesterday I actually had the tv on something I wanted to watch when this segment came on.  I was riveted.  He is a BRILLIANT analyst.  Seems weird, since he was such a shaky QB.  But, he knew how to manage a game - so maybe that's why he's so good.  No clue.
• Dilfer talked about how you can tell how a team is going to end up by looking at them right now.  He said that the Giants are going to be really good this year because they buy into the team concept.  He said players give up highlight generating tackles and sacks to ensure stoppages.  When they go to tackle someone, they approach from a direction that ensures that even if the runner jukes them, he will just run into someone else.  They are more interested in stopping people than helping their own stats.
• He also said that the Packers, Vikings, and Cowboys are not going anywhere.  He said they are great fantasy teams because they put up stats.  But if you track them, you will see that most of their stats come in the first half, when they are ahead, or when there is no pressure on them.  When it gets later in the game, if they are behind, or if it is a tight game, they freeze up.  And you can also track their damaging mistakes - ones that take points off the board or generate points for the other team.  He went through Dallas' game on Sunday and showed that they lost like 21 points due to mistakes and allowed 10 for the other team!  Really awesome analysis.  
• Okay, I'll admit it.  The Saints look shaky.
• How in the world does Mike Singletary still have a job?  At least he has time to get his resume together.  Who else is going to get canned this year?  Mangini in Cleveland, Wade Philips in Dallas, Marvin Lewis in Cincy.  I think that you could see Norv Turner in SD and Kubiak in Houston fired if their teams continue to collapse.  Del Rio in Jax is on the hot seat - but they're so stupid they'll keep him if they finish 8-8.  I hope they clean house in Buffalo, but who knows.  This all may be a ploy to move the team.
• I can't figure out the Jaguars.  My wife came up with the best explanation - they have a deal with the Gators.  Only one of them can do well at a time.  There can't be too much happiness in North Florida.  She's right.  Sept 11/12 - The Gators played an uninspiring game in a victory over USF.  Jags beat Denver and Tebow.  Mutual dissatisfaction.  Sept 18/19 - Gators destroy Tennessee.  Jags get destroyed by Chargers.  Sept 25/26 - Gators annihilate Kentucky.  Jags gets annihilated by the Iggles.  Oct 2/3 - Gators get a giant tail kicking by Alabama.  Jags knock off giant Indy on last minute kicking.  Oct 9/10 - Gators get jacked by LSU & Refs.  Jags jack up Buffalo.  Weird.  We'll see the best test of this theory this weekend.  UF plays Mississippi State at home.  Jax plays Tennessee at home on Monday night.  
• Exactly half of the NFL is either 3-2, 2-2, or 2-3.  Parity.
• The entire AFC South is 3-2.  That is just wild.  They are like the ACC of the NFL.
• The Chargers have scored the most points in the NFL and have a +34 point differential.  Yet they are 2-3.  

COLLEGE QUICK HITS:

• So much happened this past week.  I'm not sure if it was because I was able to watch more games or what.  It just felt like a big week to me.
• That hysterical laughter you heard coming from Tallahassee was me after Alabama and Nick Satan lost.  Couldn't have happened to a jerkier person.  I have never been quiet about my loathing for Steve Spurrier, but he has really been supplanted by the new breed of coaches.  As obnoxious as the Ole Ball Coach is, he at least had loyalty and wasn't a completely self-absorbed megalomaniac.  Guys like Petrino, Saban, Calipari, Huggins, Rodriguez have some serious problems.  It's nice to see one of them get his comeuppance.  
• I hate Florida.  You all know this.  But that got jacked in that LSU game.  It was ridiculous.  First of all, that fake kick was a forward pass.  It was obvious.  The refs were just chicken.  If that had been a measurement for a first down, they would have jammed a business card in between the ball and the chain to make sure.  But on that play, they didn't even notice.  It may have only been a four inch pass, but it was forward.  Look at the replay again.  If you look at the holder, you can see he picks the ball up from the left side of the hashmark.  When the ball lands, it was on the right side of the hashmark.  Forward pass.  Game over.  And on the touchdown pass, he bobbled the ball.  I don't care what the announcers said about him changing hands.  The fact is the ball was not locked in place, it was moving.  And there have been hundreds of plays that were called "lack of possession" for less than that.  That all being said, there is one very important point that needs to be made.  I've heard coaches say it before.  "Don't play the game so the refs can decide it."  UF never should have let it get that far.  So they really don't have anyone to blame but themselves.
• LSU is freaking lucky.  That is two weeks in a row they lost and then ended up with a win.  There's two ways you can look at this.  First, there is the "team of destiny" option.  This is demonstrated by the Saints last year who should have lost several games and lucked into wins.  Sometimes a team just seems to luck into a perfect season.  Second, there is the "LSU is NOT that good" argument.  That would be that some week their luck will run out and they will get punched in the mouth.  I honestly believe it is option two.  The team is not 6-0 good.  They are going to get rocked at some point - my guess would be October 23 (Auburn) or November 6 (Alabama).
• Auburn is also stinking lucky.
• ACC Update - Wake Forest lost to Navy in the only non-conference matchup with a "quality" opponent.  No, I don't count Va Tech's victory over Eastern Michigan quality.  This week the only one close to mattering is East Carolina vs NC State.  Now the ACC is just beating each other up.
• New coach, same USF.  As Stickboy bemoaned on Facebook after Saturday's game. "I came back home tonight and saw the score - disappointed but not surprised.... we could beat 5 of the top 10 teams and still blow it against easy should be wins in the Big East."  Couldn't have said it better.  They have the reverse UCF disease.  
• Speaking of the USF/UCF rivalry - here's a bizarre read about former USF coach Jim Leavitt.  I always thought he was a Knight hater.  Maybe he's just jockeying for a job - I'd be okay with that.
• Another Facebook quote from Queen City Noles regarding the newly potent FSU. "I would like to personally thank the University of Oklahoma for lighting a fire under FSU's blessed assurance four weeks ago. Since that time the Seminoles have looked very, very good."  Yes, they have.
• Let's look at the state of the state of Florida.  FSU 5-1, UF 4-2, UM 3-2, UCF 3-2, USF 3-2.  And no one cares about the rest.  (FIU, FAU, FAMU are a combined 4-11.)  When was the last time FSU was on top of that list?  2005.  I certainly didn't expect that after Oklahoma.  
• BSU/TCU UPDATE:  This was a good week for my dream matchup.  Alabama lost.  Michigan lost.  And for good measure Arizona lost, although I never put too much weight on them.  Just like I am not worried about LSU.  They may jump into the top 10 thanks to the coach's bellyaching.  But they will lose.  So, now the teams standing in the way of awesomeness are Ohio State, Oregon, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Auburn.  This week looks positive for some movement too.  Ohio State/Wisconsin, Nebraska/Texas, Auburn/Arkansas.  I look for at least one of those teams losing.  It's happening people.  Get on board.

SFL QUICK HITS

• I do my best to not spend too much time on my own games.  I try to spread it around.  But this week, the game between Ferrets and Tebow Tosser deserves to be broken down.  After getting called out in this column last week for his many roster moves and lack of results, and then CALLING ME to whine about that assessment (just kidding - he didn't whine too long), Tebow Tosser came out to prove a point.  They had a solid game with some great performances.  The Giants/Texans game helped with huge scores by Eli Manning and Hakeem Nicks.  By the time Sunday's games ended Tebow had a 62 point lead with Ferrets fielding four players on Monday night - Percy Harvin, Adrian Peterson, Dustin Keller, and the Jets D.  The game was still within reach if Peterson went crazy.  But, the problem was that if the Vikings went buck wild on offense, the Jets would lose points on Defense.  What to do?  At halftime, it appeared lost for the Ferrets.  Harvin had 10 points, Peterson had 8, Keller had 1, and the Jets had 14.  Still behind by 29.  Well, the solution was Brett Favre.  He went crazy in the second half.  Two touchdowns to Harvin, plus 195 return yards for Percy.  BUT, Favre also was kind enough to throw interceptions - including one for a TD.  That meant that even though Peterson only got 10 points and Keller got 1, Harvin scored 38 and the Jets D had almost 23.  Ferrets win by 12.  Four straight for the Commish.  Unfortunate turn for Tosser.
• Getting called out in the newsletter does help some people, though.  Queen City Noles has reeled off two straight big wins - this week clipping Mean Green despite crazy performances by Tony Romo and Brandon Lloyd.  Don't look now, but Noles are part of the log jam at 3-2.  This week the square off with top ranked Gator Greats.  Can the surge continue?
• The Buffalo Bills went to four straight Super Bowls in the 1990s.  Sure they lost all four, but they went.  Crazy good organization.  Now, they are run by crazy people and are one of the worst franchises in the NFL.  Monkey is the SFL equivalent.  0-5 after yet another stomping by top ranked Gators.  -86 point differential.  How the mighty have fallen.
• Speaking of fallen, perennial cellar dweller Tampa Bay Rams have plummeted to earth like a meteorite after starting 2-0.  They are now in 8th place and have been outscored by 61 points.  They were no match for the run-n-shoot offense of Odious Repercussions this past week.  Next week they square off with 2nd place Ferret, so things don't look much better.
• Stickboy seems to be pulling a New Orleans Saints style swoon this year.  Their loss to Da Bus dropped them to 2-3.  Losing is never good.  Losing to a guy who started two players on a bye?  That is horrible.  Da Bus had the highest score this week, thanks to 30+ performances by Rivers and Malcolm Floyd.  Stickboy only had three players under 10 points.  Still added up to a loss.
• The trade deadline was placed later this year - not late enough to allow roster dumping, but later.  We've actually had four trades this year!  And there is a fifth awaiting league approval.  If you want to trade, talk to Odious Repercussions.  He loves them.  

QUICK UPDATE ON RETREAT CENTER:  For those of you who don't support the Defender Ministries cause on Facebook (Why don't you?  You a hater?), I just wanted to thank you for your prayers.  The meetings last weekend went very well.  Things are progressing.  We will be going back up November 11 to meet again and bring some building experts to help inspect the facility.  Things are positive.  We just need to see if this is something we can do first.  Thanks again!

NINTH SEASON: WEEK FOUR

The new 18 game schedule really is a strange concept.  I am not one of those people who thinks the NFL is so awesome that I just HAVE TO see more games.  I'm fine with 16.  I think the season is just the right length.  I hate how long the NBA and MLB and NHL seasons are.  The regular season is not that important.  Teams take it easy for weeks and then kick into high gear the last month, get into the playoffs, and then really worry about the playoffs.  We've seen it happen multiple times.  I don't want that to happen to the NFL.  Every game now is important.  The more games you add, the more diluted it gets.  I remember when the NCAA went to 12 (or 13) games.  Instead of one loss eliminating you, it is now that you can lose in the first month or so and still get into the picture.

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...

NINTH SEASON: WEEK THREE

I don't have a whole lot to say up here, so I won't waste your time.  ON TO THE QUICK HITS!!!

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.

NINTH SEASON: WEEK TWO

The Bizarre Case of Mike Vick.

I have read quite a few things this past week about how strange it is that people are not rallying behind Michael Vick.  Normally, we here in America are complete suckers for a comeback story.  We love it when a player hits bottom and then scrapes their way to the top again.  Shoot, we don't just feel that way about athletes - we feel that about all kinds of people.  Robert Downey Jr, Mickey Rourke, and Sandra Bullock are all examples of this.  They were down professionally, and then we embraced them once they finally got their talent to match their opportunities - while not shooting themselves in the foot.  Donald Trump went from an egomaniacal billionaire to a bankrupt egomaniacal former billionaire to a beloved egomaniacal billionaire again.  George Foreman was more loved on his second run at the heavyweight championship, and turned himself into a multi-million dollar industry.

In sports, we have awards like "Comeback Player of the Year."  We celebrate players who can make it back from bad years or injuries.  It is part of the sports culture.  We do the same thing with teams.  Would the Saints have been so supported last year if they had not always stunk and if the city hadn't been underwater?  We love stories like that - overcoming the odds to reclaim success.  So why is Michael Vick still so hated?

His crimes were heinous.  That much is true.  Injuring and killing animals is depraved and shows a major moral deficiency.  He did his time.  He was reinstated.  He worked hard to get back in shape - mentally and physically.  And he was willing to take a second position.  Now, he has had two incredible weeks.  He earned the starting job.  And he still has to deal with booing fans and newspapers running headlines like "Michael Vick: Top Dog."  There are still fans who think he never should have been allowed back into the league.

It is bizarre.  There are other players who have been suspended and brought back.  Few have met the open hostility Vick has.  Bret Favre has battled both painkiller and alcohol addiction issues.  Ray Lewis stabbed a man to death (allegedly).  Donte Stallworth killed a pedestrian.  Jamal Lewis ran a drug ring.  Manny Ramirez and multiple others did steroids.  And that is not to mention the countless drug using arrests, DWI arrests, domestic abuse arrests, holdouts, and halfheartedly played games.  So, why is Michael Vick getting the short end of the stick?

It comes down to the fact that there are two things you can't do in this world - hurt a kid and hurt a dog.  Think about it.  In the movies, that is how you really know a villain is a SUPER villain.  They are willing to hurt a dog.  I remember watching Independence Day in the theater when it came out.  There was a scene after the aliens started to attack.  Fire is boiling down the streets of Manhattan - destroying everything in its path.  A small group of people race into an alleyway.  Their dog is chasing after them.  The whole audience was terrified the dog wasn't going to make it.  Now, mind you, like five million PEOPLE had just been crispified.  The White House was destroyed.  All over the world, complete devastation.  But, dang it, if that dog had died, it would have been too much to take.

I think that is the kicker.  He hurt dogs.  They are cute and innocent.  And, according to Vietnamese people, quite tasty.  That is not to minimize his crimes.  But it is to remember that they were animals.  he was sentenced.  He did his time.  He is allowed to come back.  Good for him if he does well.  Why should he be denied the opportunity to earn a living?  Vick would have been better off running a real life Fight Club or a human trafficking ring than a dog fighting ring.  Then, he would have probably already have earned redemption.

NFL HITS

• Like I said a couple weeks back, the NFL concussion rule is just a big mess.  Reading the excellent as always Gregg Easterbrook, he highlighted the inconsistencies in the rule.  Eagles linebacker Stewart Bradley got his bell run in week one.  A few minutes later he went back into the game.  He was not examined by an independent neurologist.  Rather, the team doctor - an internist - green lighted his return.  The Iggles claim they were exempt from the rule because Bradley "left the game on his own" instead of being taken out.  Now we have an answer - no league officials, no refs.  The teams are left to police the rule themselves.  I'm sure they'll err on the side of caution.  Whatever.
•  The Tampa Bay Bucs are 2-0 and FAVORED over the Steelers this week.  What. The. Heck.  This comes after I wrote the stunning piece on my other blog, ripping the organization.  I guess it just served as bulletin board material.  And it proved, once and for all, that I know absolutely nothing.
• I'm going to say this in the nicest way possible.  I can't stand the obnoxious, press addicted, ugly, stupid Manning family.
• There were many glasses of beer cheese soup raised in celebration of Bret Favre's sterling performance on Sunday, I betcha.  
• I know it makes me a petty person, but I absolutely love it when some big overbloated team with a ridonkulous owner and stadium just sucks.  I don't know where the unhealthy obsession with the Cowboys comes from.  But it sure is funny to see them flounder.  Haha.
• Let's see how I'm doing on my last place picks...  Not so great.  I am on track with Buffalo, Cleveland, St. Louis, and Oakland.  But Washington, Chicago, and Tampa Bay are in first place.  So far, Indianapolis, Dallas, Minnesota, and Carolina are bringing up the rear in the other divisions.  I don't think that will stick, though.
• What the heck is going on with Denver?  Three players dying in four years?  That is bizarre.

COLLEGE HITS

• Continuing our weekly lambasting of the ACC...  Well, they didn't do as bad as in the first two weeks, I guess.  They can add three more "quality opponents" to their victim list.  BYU, East Carolina, and Cincinnati join UCF and Navy on that list of "teams that don't completely suck but are by no means national championship material that got clipped by the ACC."  However, West Virginia, Stanford, Auburn, and Alabama took ACC teams behind the wood shed this past week.   The ACC is now 0-9 against ranked teams.  This next week should be a reprieve for the ACC, since the only "quality teams" they play are UM vs Pitt, UNC vs Rutgers, and Duke vs Army.
• On the flip side, the SEC has six teams in the Top 15.  Yeah, that battle of top conference is pretty tight.  
• I wanted to comment on the UF arrest story.  Gator Greats owner Eddie Gilley wrote a pretty thoughtful (and only mildly defensive) post the other day about this issue.  I agree with several of his points, especially the one about the environment these kids come from.  How many arrests are going on in those areas?  Is the ratio higher?  But, I do differ with Eddie on some points - as would be expected from someone who is not close with athletes.  I think that one arrest on a team is too many.  But thirty over six years is a serious problem.  Sure, some of those were dropped or easily resolved.  However, that is still going to leave a good number.  I think of it this way.  My kids have things called markouts in their classes.  This is the disciplinary action of choice.  For a kid to actually get a markout for behavior, they have to do something multiple times - ignoring all the warnings.  I'm not talking about the "work not in" markout.  People don't get arrested for minor stuff - and chances are campus cops are going to be pretty lenient if at all possible, especially with athletes.  So the action would either be repetitive or bad enough it couldn't be ignored.  We've all done stupid immature stuff.  None of it was arrest-worthy.  There are times these things are going to happen with college kids - especially with ones from bad upbringings.  But, still, thirty arrests is ridiculous.  I like Eddie's comments about the athletic dorms.  Maybe we do need to go back to that kind of environment.  Whatever the solution, I think UF has to seriously address it - and they needed to do so earlier than now.
• Final point on that, remember when tons of FSU players were getting arrested?  People took great glee in using that as examples of how Bowden had "lost control" of the program.  How is this any different?  
• I have a feeling that Mark Richt needs to get his resume together.  UGA is 1-2.  True, both losses came to Top 15 teams, but how bad is this year going to be?  They still play highly losable games to UF, Auburn, Tennessee, Colorado, and Georgia Tech.  I don't think he can survive 6-6 or 5-7.
• I said after last year that UCF had to give George O'Leary this year to see if he could establish some kind of consistency.  Like most UCF fans, I hoped for a strong year.  After losing to NC State and struggling against Buffalo, I really don't know.  If this is the same old UCF, there are plenty of games they could lose on their schedule.  Unfortunately, if UCF pulls off a 6-6 or 7-5 year, they won't have the cojones to can him.  (Even though they fired their basketball coach for the same kind of frustrating inconsistency - it just took 10 years to do it.)

SFL HITS

• STOP THE PRESSES!  We can not go any further in this sham of a recap without shouting from the rooftops that the Tampa Bay Rams are 2-0 and in second place.  Their success is almost as startling as the Tampa Bay Bucs.  The Rams have never started a season 2-0.  But there they are, at the top of the league.  Good for them.  Their close shave victory over Mean Green kept them undefeated.  The future looks good - it is always good when you have Peyton Manning.  Looks like we're in the market for a new whipping boy.  We'll have to see how Reggie Bush's injury hurts them.  Green had some trouble this past week.  Romo was strong, but Dallas is looking shaky and Romo's taking a lot of the blame.  Will that affect his mental state?  The supporting cast, though, is pretty rough - not many #1 guys.
• Tebow Tosser is staking his claim to the post of whipping boy with another losing performance.  Of course, he lost to first place Gator Greats, so the jury is still out.  Tebow's roster is a little shaky - not a lot of big playmakers (aside from the Steelers' D and Frank Gore).  He also has the wrong Manning.  Gator, on the other hand, has an embarrassment of riches.  Vick and Cutler.  A stable of good running backs.  Kind of scary for his opponents.
• While Monkey may also be occupying the cellar, it is hard to be too tough on him.  He lost a heartbreaker to Bloodthirsty Ferrets this week - he didn't relinquish the lead until Monday night with Pierre Thomas' performance.  He also has Matt Schaub, Randy Moss, and Reggie Wayne - and Big "No Means No" Ben on the bench.  It's hard to imagine they'll stay down all year.  Ferrets is up to his usual high scoring ways.  Solid lineup - everyone has high point potential.  (This week he won despite having Dez Bryant on the bench.)  His point total is 2nd highest, by just .32 points.  Although there is that loss....  
• The team that actually appears to be in the best position to be strapped to the whipping post is Queen City Noles.  Even though they are 1-1, their point total is second worst.  They have some strong players, but there is a big fat old question mark at QB.  If Favre looks like he has thus far all season, it is going to be a rough year for QC.  If he can get his act together, then there may be a chance to right the ship.  Da Bus is proving they got over their weak start.  They laid the hammer down on QC this week with a 50+ point win.  There is some real explosive potential on that team - if everyone clicks at the same time.
• The last matchup featured two of the teams that have to be favorites to be virtually playing deep into November.  Odious Repercussions lost, but it was largely due to a smaller performance by Arian Foster and a near no show by Jacksonville and Jones-Drew.  Even still, he may have pulled off the win if it wasn't for Jahvid Best's out-of-your mind performance.  Stickboy really got bailed out with that game.  He had five players under 10 points and three under 4 points.  Rumor has it that thank you cards have already been sent to Detroit and Philadelphia.  
• We know for sure that we will have a sole possessor of first place after this week.  Gator Greats and Tampa Bay Rams go at it head to head.  Yahoo! is predicting a 99.2 to 98.3 victory for Gator Greats.  Stay tuned to see what happens.  The bottom four teams all square off against each other, too.  So we should have some clarity on the cellar dweller as well.

NINTH SEASON: WEEK ONE

Did you see Despicable Me?  I thought it was a great movie - my kids loved it.  They actually liked it better than Toy Story 3.  But, then again, they are kids.  And I think they eat paint.  Or paste.  Or paint and paste sandwiches.  I'm not sure.  I try to ignore them all day when I'm home with them.  They put a seriously crimp into my fantasy football research.  Where was that going?  Oh yeah.  In Despicable Me, one of the girls the main guy, voiced by Steve Carrell, is watching sees this stuffed animal at the amusement park.  She goes, "It's so fluffy I could die!"  Then when she gets her hands on it, she screams, "IT'S SO FLUFFY!!!!!"

That was how the collective male population of the United States felt this past week.  "IT'S SO FOOTBALL!!!!"  I actually found myself watching numerous games.  This was probably due to the fact we were at my in-laws' house with Heather's brother's family.  The kids have other things to do there, so I can actually watch sports without having to switch to Wow Wow Wubbzy whenever a game gets exciting.  Heather's brother was drinking it all in, too.  My in-laws have a huge high def screen down in the living room, which is awesome for watching sports.  So we just kept flipping between all the big college games on Saturday.  Of course, Andy and my father in law ditched us to go to the Jags game.  But they almost got killed by lightning.  Serves them right.  Andy also said that he had been loving watching the stuff all week.  I said, "Because of the big screen?"  He said, "That too.  We don't have ESPN, so I don't get to watch football a whole lot."  I swear I stared at him like he had just told me he actually was a lizard under his skin.  "Who doesn't have ESPN?"  I forget frequently that it is not a network.  I also thought about how he is a better person than me because I wouldn't get rid of cable unless it was the last step between me living in a house or a box.  So, once I got home, I flipped on my much smaller cable infused HD TV and watched some more of the games - including some of the Cowboys and Indians game.  And then I actually watched almost the whole Jets/Ravens game on Monday - on cable.  Let's take a quick look at some of what happened on this glorious first football weekend.

COLLEGE QUICK HITS:

• There were several groups that had a bad day on Saturday.  Let's take a look at a few.  First, the state of Florida.  We have a certain swagger in the Sunshine State.  A couple of weeks back, I mentioned how spoiled we were - always expecting a national title.  Days like Saturday are good reminders that the state is far from invincible.  FSU got beheaded by Oklahoma.  Miami was manhandled by Ohio State.  USF left Gainesville realizing they were not on par with the big guys.  UCF shot themselves in the collective foot about twenty times - including George O'Leary refusing to put in the obviously better quarterback until it was too late.  FIU lost.  FAU lost.  The only two Florida teams that won was UF and FAMU.  Bad day.
• Bad day for the ACC.  There were rumblings after Week One, when the ACC wrecked havoc in the cupcake store, but lost to all the quality teams.  Week Two was even worse.  Miami, FSU, Georgia Tech,  and Virginia lost to big conference teams.  And, just for fun, Virginia Tech lost to a crappy team.  These are the teams ACC teams have beaten thus far:  FAMU, Samford, Presbyterian (twice), South Carolina State, Weber State, North Texas, West Carolina, Richmond, Elon, and Kent State.  The only teams with any remote level of quality the ACC has beaten was UCF and Navy - dubious to say the least.  Oh, yeah, Wake Forest barely beat Duke.  They've lost to LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Kansas, Boise State, USC, and the powerhouse James Madison.  Bad start, ACC.
• Bad day for Boise State.  Every college football expert has already mentioned this.  I don't think Virginia Tech losing to Midvalle School for the Blind SHOULD hurt Boise State, but I think it WILL hurt them.  It is obvious that VaTech's season is a bust.  And losing to Boise really got into their head.  It is hard to know your season is doomed the second it starts - especially when you are hyped.  They were not ready and got picked off.  I think voters are looking for any reason to shaft Boise State, and this is just the ammo they need.
• If you were a college coach and you had two quarterbacks.  Both of them are decent enough cubes.  One of them is older and more experienced.  But he is a little sketchy in his play.  He's made some dumb mistakes.  Very importantly, the fans don't like him. In fact, they boo him.  Then you have another guy - a freshman.  He's crazy good, but inexperienced.  He has nutso athletic skill.  The fans absolutely go crazy for this kid - and he thrives on it.  Let's say the first guy struggles so badly that you have to pull him.  The second guy comes in and immediately registers two touchdowns against a big conference team's defense that - to that point - had completely shuttered your offense.  What would you do?  How long would it take you to make the call on who would start?  Me?  I would have looked at the older guy on the sidelines during the second TD drive and said, "Get used to that clipboard, son."  But, that is why I run a fantasy football league and George O'Leary coaches a team with fantasies of being important.  He gets paid to (not) make the big decisions.
• I'm getting to the point where I am sick of the NCAA.  They suspend a UGA player for selling an old jersey.  But they take FIVE YEARS to hit USC with sanctions from the Reggie Bush era.  Seriously?  You didn't know this guy was on the take then?  I mean, it took that long to put the pieces together?  I'm at the point now with USC where, if a big name guy signs there, I just wonder how many zeroes were on his check.  OJ Mayo, Reggie Bush.  And with Lane Kiffin there now, it is like the perfect storm of cheating.  I wouldn't be surprised at some point if they actually field a semi-pro team.  Just stop pretending.  Go for broke.  Lane can write it off as "I didn't realize it was an infraction."  

NFL QUICK HITS:

• I will always admit when I'm wrong.  Both times it has happened, I quickly published a retraction.  Last week I cracked on the Jaguars inability to sell tickets.  I was wrong.  Jacksonville is NOT one of the twelve NFL teams doomed to blackouts all year.  Tampa is, but Jacksonville is not.  They sold out the Broncos game and, as of last week, were only a small number of tickets away from being on tv all year.  Pretty amazing, actually, that they have pulled it off.
• Remember back when the Oakland Raiders were this bad-butt team.  They got a lot of penalties, ran their mouths a lot, signed questionable characters.  When some nutjob signed with the Raiders, people would just nod their head and say, "Figures."  The 2010 New York Jets are the reincarnation of those Raiders teams.  The big difference?  The Jets haven't won anything to justify that swagger/stupidity.  There complete lack of control in penalties cost them that game.  They should have won, no excuse.  That's what happens when you have a bunch of undisciplined psychos on a team.
• I don't think any teams looked out of this world on Sunday.  But there sure were some teams that looked pretty cruddy.  And, surprisingly, several of them were supposed to be good.  The Jets and Cowboys looked like they hadn't even had a preseason.  Cleveland looks like they would lose to Virginia Tech.  San Fran was ridiculous.  And, honestly, Minnesota was not the same team that went to the conference title game last year.  There was a lot of sub-par football this past weekend.
• Did you know that this past Sunday's Jaguars/Broncos game was the hottest home game ever for the Jags?  It also got delayed due to lightning and storms.  I was driving through those storms, and let me tell you - they were horrible.  
• What did I tell you?  There already had been a "big name player" that fell victim to the new NFL concussion rule.  Kevin Kolb can't even practice until Friday - and it may cost him his job.  Of course, do you really think Mike Vick can actually be the answer for the Iggles?  Don't bet your dog's life on it.  

SFL QUICK HITS:

• It's a new day in the SFL.  Perennial league leaders are on the bottom of the heap.  Teams with a history of dubious performances have risen to the top.  What can we learn from this week?  As David Crowder sang so eloquently, "Things will never be the same.  They will never be the same.  We will never be the same."  Perhaps all this talk of league upheaval is premature.  But, what kind of sports analyst would I be without panicky conclusions from one week of football.
• FERRETS vs CONSEQUENCES:  Ferrets started this season the way they do every season - with a stupid loss.  Seriously, they have lost the first game for like the last five years straight.  They had solid performances from several players (Brady, Welker, Jets D), but they had no clue they were meeting the irresistible force known as  . . . Arian FOSTER!!!  Huh?  There is one thing that Consequences does every single year.  He finds that guy that is going to have a break out year and signs them.  Last year, it was Miles Austin.  This year, Foster.  It seems like every time I go to find a player that came out of nowhere, he's on Consequences' roster.
• NOLES vs TWIGBOY:  How the mouthy have fallen.  Defending champion Twigboy did not follow in the Saints footsteps.  And QC Noles did not follow in the FSU footsteps (off a cliff).  Instead, Noles have shown they are ready to climb out of the cellar hole they have frequented for several years with a solid showing on Sunday - largely thanks to his receivers.  Stickboy didn't play poorly, he just was not good enough.  Uneasy is the head that wears the virtual crown.
• BUS vs GATORS: There was a period before Monday's games where Da Bus was quietly putting together the worst game the SFL had ever seen.  I actually checked to make sure he hadn't started Kurt Warner and Tiki Barber.  He had 32 points with just three players waiting on deck Monday night.  Fortunately for him, those three had a good night - which pulled his numbers up.  Unfortunately for him, it didn't matter as fellow G'Ville resident Gator Greats got off to his usual strong start.  Thanks to Jay Cutler (wha??), Chris Johnson, and everyone's preseason MVP vote Austin Collie, Gator Greats put up the second highest score this week.  (The third highest was Ferrets' loss - grrrrr.)  
• TEBOW vs MEAN GREEN:  Expansion franchise Mean Green looked more like the Carolina Panthers expansion than the Cleveland Browns 2.0 one.  They won their first game ever!  It wasn't a powerhouse performance, but a win is a win - especially in the cutthroat SFL.  Tebow Tosser was the winner of two prestigious awards this week.  First, he won the "Worst Performance" award - which is one of Gabe's diapers.  He won it thanks to his second award - the first "OOOOoooo That looks like it hurt bad.  CRAP!  HE'S ON MY FANTASY TEAM" award of the year.  Kevin Kolb, former starter for the Philly Iggles, was the cause of that piece of hardware. Tebow Tossers also had three players under two points.  Why does the number two sound familiar?  Oh yea, the number of plays and yards for Tim Tebow this week.  Wait a minute.  Two yards, two plays, two points.   Tebow - - Tebow Tossers.  Coincidence?  Hmmmm.
• We would be remiss if we didn't proclaim loudly THE TAMPA BAY RAMS WON THE FIRST GAME OF THE SEASON.  Seriously, I don't know if that has ever happened.  But the Rams came out prepared with a game plan.  The amazing thing is that TB Rams only had two players over 10 points in that game.  The Saints D, with 11 points.  And Peyton Manning with 38.65.  Haven't we seen this game plan before?  Ah, yes.  That was the method for the Queen City Noles about four years ago - ride Manning like he was the only horse on the reservation.  Lost in all of this was Monkey's lame performance.  It just was not very Monkey like.  It seems like this once proud franchise has not handled the move to Rocky Top so well.  
• Well, we're underway.  Let's have fun out there.  Keep it clean.  And try not to sexually harass any female reporters in the locker room.

NINTH SEASON: NFL Preview

I'm sorry that this hasn't gone up earlier.  I forgot there was a Thursday night game this week.  I hope that it didn't negatively affect your roster choices.  I know how much you all value my insight and vast knowledge.  I had started writing an examination of if a fan base was willing to gain a title if it cost them a decade of suckitude.  It was started because I was thinking about the Bucs and how bad they have stunk it up since their title.  But the article became too big for this setting, so I posted on my other award winning blog.  If you want to read it, go over there and read it.  Or read it on Facebook.  Or don't.  I don't care.

I don't pretend to know a great deal about every single NFL team.  As I have gotten older, my affection for the NFL has diminished.  I know I've said this a bunch of times, but I find it hard to root for a corporation (unless it's Apple - Steve Jobs! 1-2-1-2! Making iPods for Me and You!)  But football still is the king of sports - and we all do love it.  So, what would a new season be without a bunch of stupid lazy guys making a ton of off the wall comments about how billionaires and millionaires should run their business better.  And, heeeeeere we go!

NFL STUFF

• There are two rule changes that I think are going to really play a part in this season.  One of them is getting its overabundance of press because it affects one of the royal family of the NFL - the Mannings.  The new placement of the ump is going to hurt the Colts.  That is just a fact.  That team runs like a machine.  And when there is a two second delay put into a machine without the designers of that machine knowing, bad things happen.  My guess is that it will cost the Colts one win.  So, that means they will only go 13-0 before losing to Tennessee on the road on a Thursday night.  (Now, if that happens, I am going to book a flight to Vegas.)
• The other rule change is the harder stance taken on concussions.  Last year I harped the whole season about concussions.  And apparently the NFL listened to my position, since we all know the first place Roger Goodell goes is this website.  Now, players with a head injury must be kept off the field until all symptoms are gone and the player has been examined by an independent neurologist - who is probably going to be the brother-in-law of the Offensive Coordinator.  As a (overly) sensitive human bean, I am glad for this rule.  We have had enough players lose their health and life over a poorly treated head injury.  But, as a fan, this is going to wreck havoc with the season.  We saw it briefly in the preseason when Eli Manning and Ryan Grant both got sidelines by getting whacked in the head.  It is out of the team's hands now.  A player with a head injury is out of the game - since it is impossible to have no symptoms AND be examined by Uncle Jimmy before time expires.  And how does the rule go into effect?  Is there going to be a league official on hand in each game to decide if a player needs to be benched?  What if a team hides the injury?  If a player gets his bell rung on a play and stays down, does that mean he is automatically out?  And if it is decided by refs or league officials, will they have a subjective approach or a clear standard?  It could get awkward if one ref is more strict than another - leading to questions of favoritism.  My guess it that we will see at least a half dozen games decided by a random head shot.  Just imagine if in week 17 you have a game with playoff implications and having the star QB hit hard in the first quarter - not enough to give him a concussion, but enough to put him out for a play or two.  That should be interesting.
• The Tom Brady wreck this morning showed just how random things can be.  We sometimes forget that these players live normal lives too.  We tend to think of them strictly as players.  Their injuries only come on the field.  But we have seen several players involved in vehicle related issues in the last few years - the worst being the death of Chris Henry.  I know from my personal experience, several injuries have been completely random.  Falling down a wet set of stairs.  Spraining an ankle on a broken sidewalk.  Dropping an ice cube on my foot and cutting my toe.  I'm actually amazed we don't see weird random injuries more often.
• As you can probably imagine, I'm pretty hacked off about the whole labor dispute that is coming up.  I think that you have to question the reasoning abilities of a bunch of billionaires and millionaires fighting over the pie.  It is actually disgusting.  The owners are trying to take this opportunity to stick it to the players on several fronts.  One of the biggest sticking points is that the players are asking for lifetime medical coverage for injuries incurred on the field.  The owners are refusing.  I have a guy I went to church with in high school who plays for the New Orleans Saints.  He has been posting about the labor struggle and how it going to be a lockout - NOT a strike.  The owners are the ones causing it.  And he talked about the coverage issue.  He blew his knee out last year and had to have major surgery.  So, later on in life, he is pretty sure he will have to have his knee replaced.  That is not covered by the NFL.  It is an out of pocket expense, even though it happened on the field.  That is a $250,000 surgery.  Like he said, I don't care how much you make, that is hard to plan for.  I wish that the owners would see their players as human beings.  That doesn't happen - I mean look at what it took for anything to be done about the concussion issue.  These guys were sacrificing their brains and then were ridiculed for sitting out after a major head injury.  It took Congress making noise about investigations before the NFL did anything.  Pretty lame.
• I think the golden days of the NFL are definitely in danger of being gone - if they aren't already.  As the MLB learned, the American public is not forgiving about a work stoppage.  That is going to be especially true when the country is in the middle of big economic struggles.  In addition, the days of sellouts and high ticket prices are over.  There are twelve teams in danger of having blackouts this season!  The Giants and Jets just built this huge billion dollar stadium and are having trouble selling the seats.  The average fan was priced out long ago.  Even the somewhat affluent fan is ditching the stadium.  It just isn't economically feasible to go to games - especially if you have a family wanting to go.  The NFL should be thinking about how to re-connect to the people who made it such a success.  Corporate partners may be nice money sources, but they make lousy fans.
• I really wonder how many more Heisman Trophy winners will become NFL stars.  The numbers are getting worse and worse.  Do you honestly think Mark Ingram is going to light it up?  The Heisman rewards something different than the NFL needs.  Heisman voters are impressed by players who use their unbalanced talent to rack up crazy numbers.  But in the NFL everything is more even, so there is not that dominance any more.  That is why there are only eight Heisman trophy winners in the Hall of Fame.  One play demonstrated the difference:  Tim Tebow bulling across the goal line for that touchdown in the first Denver preaseason game.  And then he came away with broken ribs.  He had done that play so many times in college.  This time he got nutted up.  That is the difference between the NFL and College.  He got worked by third stringers.
• The Tebow Question.  I am not a Gator fan.  I hate UF.  But I like Tebow.  And I really WANT him to succeed.  But, honestly, I don't know.  If this is going to be determined by sheer will, power of personality, and dedication - then he is the guy who could do it.  But I don't know.  I read a really interesting thing about Tebow the other day.  Bill Simmons of ESPN wrote the following:  "After watching football for 35 years, I now believe the QB Success Pie Chart is something like 65 percent confidence/leadership/poise/coolness/intelligence, 20 percent accuracy/arm strength, 5 percent athletic ability and 10 percent toughness/balls/heart. That means Tebow is already 80 percent home. Throw in his marquee value and I believe Jacksonville fans and Buffalo fans will be very bitter by December."  Simmons is about the most cynical writer out there - someone who would hate Tebow BECAUSE of his faith.  And he says that Tebow already has 80% of the tools necessary to win.  I guess it comes down to how important that other 20% is, and how fast Tebow can improve that.
• Here's one thing I don't understand.  Kurt Warner retired to spend more time with his family.  Then he agreed to do Dancing With The (Sort of) Stars.  Why can't people just be honest.  "I'm retiring because I don't want to get the crap kicked out of me and have my brain turned into jelly.  I want to parlay this fame into a truckload of caysh while I have the body and brains to enjoy it."  I thought he was going to be an announcer.  Maybe he figured the exposure (heh heh - double meaning) from DWTS would help him land a studio spot.  
• Rather than going the route of all the other prognosticators, I am now going to predict who will come in LAST in each division.  Buffalo, Cleveland, Jacksonville, Oakland, Washington, Chicago, Tampa Bay, St. Louis.  And, chances are, you can use seven of those eight again next year.

COLLEGE STUFF

• It appears as if the ACC is the new Big East.  I forgive Virginia Tech for losing to Boise State - the Broncos are a good team.  But that UNC performance against LSU was horrific.  I don't know if I have ever seen a team fall apart so fast as they did in the second quarter.  Having every skill player suspended didn't help.  But that is inexcusable in and of itself.  I guess we'll find out this week what kind of year the ACC will have.  Ohio State/Miami, FSU/Oklahoma, Virginia/USC, and NC State/UCF.  
• I think the UF/USF game is going to be interesting.  USF has developed a bit of a cockiness, what with their impressive ability to knock off ranked opponents.  That bodes well for them - not being skerred of the UF monster.  But, UF is a team that loves to knock the cockiness out of teams that don't have a reason to be cocky.  And they need to prove something after last week's half-hearted effort.  That combined with the USF coaching change could bode poorly for USF.  But, that game last week showed UF has chinks in its armor.  If it was possible to objectively view this game for any of the SFL, it would be an interesting matchup.  
• Georgia plays South Carolina this week.  Both teams are ranked and the both are in that mid-level SEC group that will probably split all the games leading to a bunch of 8-4 and 9-3 SEC teams.  I have no clue who to pick at this point.  All I remember is back in 1996, when I first had started working at USF, I had made it very clear that I was a Georgia fan and hated UF.  Eddie Gilley (owner of Gator Greats) naturally took offense at this.  I had been working there less than two weeks.  And he said, "Man, Georgia won't even beat South Carolina this weekend."  I didn't know anything about how the teams looked that year.  I just knew that no one defiled UGA.  So I said, "Yea huh."  He bet me that SoCar would win and that I had to buy him lunch if Georgia lost.  (He would buy me lunch if Georgia won.)  Stupidly, I agreed.  23-14 South Carolina.  I, of course, had no money.  I was working for NAMB as a semester missionary and hadn't gotten paid.  In fact, they screwed up my pay so I didn't get paid for a couple months.  Eddie, fortunately, was compassionate and didn't make me pay up.  That is why I still have massive nervousness every year for this game.

SFL STUFF

• Make sure you update your rosters for Thursday night's game.  It looks to be a good one.  My prediction is that New Orleans will win 38-34 and Brett Favre will retire after the second quarter but come back before the second half kickoff so he doesn't have to attend the team meeting at halftime.
• Remember their is live scoring now on Yahoo!  You can't change your lineup mid-game.  But you can watch them destruct and be savaged live.
• Be sure to use the message board to insult each other.  I believe that last volley was by Odious Repercussions about two weeks ago.  At our normal posting rate, that should be answered in October.  
• Have fun out there and keep your chin straps buckled.