I was saddened to hear of Jack Concannon's death the other day. In fact, there were two great columns about him that, if you haven't read, you should. One is by Bob Ryan, who discusses Concannon's BC career, and the other is from Frank Fitzpatrick of the Inquirer, who discusses Concannon's Eagles stint.
Here are the links.
http://www.boston.com/sports/articles/2005/11/30/concannons_career_was_a_highlight_reel/
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/sports/football/nfl/philadelphia_eagles/13297071.htm
Anyway, he is on my list of quarterbacks for the Bears that conjure up a team that would run the ball and run the ball and run the ball. Hit you hard. Make you pay. And lose.
The Bears sort of had a rep for years as a team that you could beat, but who would beat you up physically. And part of the reason was that the Chicago QBs were, to put it politely, not as good as the average NFL quarterback.
So here is my list of Bear QBs from the Sixties and Seventies that make me chuckle.
1. Bob Avellini
2. Kent Nix
3. Bobby Douglass
4. Mike Phipps
5. Gary Huff
6. Rudy Bukich
7. John Huarte
8. Jack Concannon
9. Virgil Carter (LOVED him as a Bengal, however. Actually met him once or twice. Nice guy.)
10. Vince Evans
thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
The Right Digital Camera for the Holidays
The Right Digital Camera for the Holidays
Which is the right digital camera for the holidays? This is the question. And I went looking for the answer. And for me, it seems that the answer is the Canon PowerShot A520.
The first question that I asked was, do I want a digital camera? I asked my wife if we were ready to go digital, and she said, "No." So, of course, I am getting a digital camera. All the cool kids have one.
As I was going along the buying a digital camera path, I had to answer the No. 1 question, which was: What do I want my digital camera to do? The answer for me is that I want it to replace my film point-and-shoot that I bought for $80 about three years ago.
Really, what I want is point-and-shoot capability. I want to be able to dump photos, which would be nice because my youngest, who is 5 years old, loves to take pictures but is not very good at it. Stinks, really.
So, how many megapixels do I want? You would think this would be an easy question to answer, but it's not. The bottom line is, you want at least 3.2 megapixels, but 4.0 is probably a lot better. But, any more than that (and that means 5.0 and more), and you start getting a diminishing return that hurts you in the fact that it takes more space to store all of your pixels. Most of the photos I am going to take will have a minimum of editing and cropping. So, bottom line, it seems, is that 4.0 is the best bet for me.
Wow. That really narrows down the whole digital camera game. Now, question No. 2: How much do I want to spend?
Here the answer is sort of tricky as well. I want to spend the least amount of money to get a pretty dang good 4.0 megapixel digital camera that I'll be happy with. OK. That really doesn't narrow it down all that much.
So, we do a little more research.
On Shopping.com, I am able to limit my list results to digitals cameras with at least 4.0 megapixels. Then I sort by price. I get 600 results starting at $99. So I know that I am probably going to spend at least, say, $120 or so. So, 600 results.
Let's get cracking on that research.
One of the best starting points for a free consumer-research website is http://www.consumersearch.com/ This site compiles the results of other websites that do research, and presents it into one neat package. The quick and easy
answer is that the top two sites like the PowerShot A520.
http://www.dcresource.com/buyersguide/index.shtml
http://www.imaging-resource.com/WB/WB.HTM?view=4#davecams
The PCWorld.com list of the best point-and-shoot doesn't include the A520, but does have it's A510 3.2-megapixel little brother. The other cameras on the list cost more than I want to spend.
So, that's it. I am going with the A520. And there we are.
Which is the right digital camera for the holidays? This is the question. And I went looking for the answer. And for me, it seems that the answer is the Canon PowerShot A520.
The first question that I asked was, do I want a digital camera? I asked my wife if we were ready to go digital, and she said, "No." So, of course, I am getting a digital camera. All the cool kids have one.
As I was going along the buying a digital camera path, I had to answer the No. 1 question, which was: What do I want my digital camera to do? The answer for me is that I want it to replace my film point-and-shoot that I bought for $80 about three years ago.
Really, what I want is point-and-shoot capability. I want to be able to dump photos, which would be nice because my youngest, who is 5 years old, loves to take pictures but is not very good at it. Stinks, really.
So, how many megapixels do I want? You would think this would be an easy question to answer, but it's not. The bottom line is, you want at least 3.2 megapixels, but 4.0 is probably a lot better. But, any more than that (and that means 5.0 and more), and you start getting a diminishing return that hurts you in the fact that it takes more space to store all of your pixels. Most of the photos I am going to take will have a minimum of editing and cropping. So, bottom line, it seems, is that 4.0 is the best bet for me.
Wow. That really narrows down the whole digital camera game. Now, question No. 2: How much do I want to spend?
Here the answer is sort of tricky as well. I want to spend the least amount of money to get a pretty dang good 4.0 megapixel digital camera that I'll be happy with. OK. That really doesn't narrow it down all that much.
So, we do a little more research.
On Shopping.com, I am able to limit my list results to digitals cameras with at least 4.0 megapixels. Then I sort by price. I get 600 results starting at $99. So I know that I am probably going to spend at least, say, $120 or so. So, 600 results.
Let's get cracking on that research.
One of the best starting points for a free consumer-research website is http://www.consumersearch.com/ This site compiles the results of other websites that do research, and presents it into one neat package. The quick and easy
answer is that the top two sites like the PowerShot A520.
http://www.dcresource.com/buyersguide/index.shtml
http://www.imaging-resource.com/WB/WB.HTM?view=4#davecams
The PCWorld.com list of the best point-and-shoot doesn't include the A520, but does have it's A510 3.2-megapixel little brother. The other cameras on the list cost more than I want to spend.
So, that's it. I am going with the A520. And there we are.
Friday, November 18, 2005
Gridiron Grit: Picks with Spread and Confidence Points for Week Eleven
Here are my picks for Week Eleven. If you are gambling with these, good luck to you.
16 at Baltimore +4 (Pittsburgh)
15 at Cincinnati +6 (Indianapolis)
14 at San Francisco +12.5 (Seattle)
13 NY Jets +13 (at Denver)
12 New Orleans +9.5 (at New England)
11 Philadelphia +7 (at NY Giants)
10 Jacksonville -4 (at Tennessee)
9 at Atlanta -6 (Tampa Bay)
8 Arizona +9.5 (at St. Louis)
7 Miami +2.5 (at Cleveland)
6 at Chicago +3 (Carolina)
5 at Green Bay -4.5 (Minnesota)
4 at Houston +7 (Kansas City)
3 at Washington -6 (Oakland)
2 Buffalo +11 (at San Diego)
1 Detroit +8 (at Dallas)
16 at Baltimore +4 (Pittsburgh) NOTE: In my newspaper, this line was off, but I looked for the line online and found Pittsburgh -4. That's what I'm going with. I am confident that the Ravens will cover this, win this game outright, and then have their problems. This has all the makings of a big upset. I'm putting all my points on the Ravens.
15 at Cincinnati +6 (Indianapolis) The Bengals are six point home dogs. Indy won their last really big regular-season game of the year last week, beating the Pats at New England. I think that the Bengals at least cover, if not win outright.
14 at San Francisco +12.5 (Seattle) Am I alone in liking Ken Dorsey? Maybe. Anyway, San Francisco is not that bad, at least I don't think. And I don't know if Seattle is that good, yet, or not. But this has the appearances of a forget-it game to the 'Hawks, and I think that the Niners cover.
13 NY Jets +13 (at Denver) OK, so here's the thing. I continue to not believe in the Broncos, and I continue to believe in Herm Edwards. Am I nuts? Well. Am I? ANSWER ME!
12 New Orleans +9.5 (at New England) The Saints never do anything they are supposed to do. They are supposed to get crushed this Sunday at Foxboro. They of course
will make it a close game. They have the receivers to do it.
11 Philadelphia +7 (at NY Giants) I hate to say this, but here it goes: I think Donovan McNabb's injury will help the Eagles for one week. I think it'll force the Eagles to do some different things on offense, which will be beneficial.
10 Jacksonville -4 (at Tennessee) The Jags have found an answer for Fred Taylor's injury-prone ways: Greg Jones. They had been dependant on Taylor to be healthy. But now, they can still run the ball without him. Tennessee comes up short in trying to win this one.
9 at Atlanta -6 (Tampa Bay) Chris Simms had a good game last week, so I'm betting on him struggling on the road at Atlanta. And I think Atlanta will be able to run against the Tampa D.
8 Arizona +9.5 (at St. Louis) Can Arizona cover? That's the question here. With this many points, all the Cards need to do is load up against the run. And the Arizona wideouts should have some open space against the Rams secondary.
7 Miami +2.5 (at Cleveland) I like the Dolphins running game more than the Browns'. It is a close call, so I'm going with the points.
6 at Chicago +3 (Carolina) The only reason I'm picking the Bears is that they are home dogs. It'll be cold in Chicago, and the Bears will be used to the weather. If they can stop Steve Smith, and I think they can, the Bears win.
5 at Green Bay -4.5 (Minnesota) Boy, the Pack is beat up. But with the addition of Samdon Gado, GB has a running game. That should be enough to cover against the Vikes, unless Green Bay has a complete special teams meltdown against Minnesota, ala the Gints.
4 at Houston +7 (Kansas City) Houston is coming around. They are a touchdown home dog, and KC isn't that great on the road. Texans win outright.
3 at Washington -6 (Oakland) I think that this could be a close low-scoring game, but Oakland has had some troubles against the run.
2 Buffalo +11 (at San Diego) Buffalo should be able to contain LT and keep it within eleven, unless JP Losman has a terrible game.
1 Detroit +8 (at Dallas) I am putting all of my point on Joey Harrington being able to keep it close against Dallas. The Cow Pokes didn't really look all that good against a struggling Iggles club.
16 at Baltimore +4 (Pittsburgh)
15 at Cincinnati +6 (Indianapolis)
14 at San Francisco +12.5 (Seattle)
13 NY Jets +13 (at Denver)
12 New Orleans +9.5 (at New England)
11 Philadelphia +7 (at NY Giants)
10 Jacksonville -4 (at Tennessee)
9 at Atlanta -6 (Tampa Bay)
8 Arizona +9.5 (at St. Louis)
7 Miami +2.5 (at Cleveland)
6 at Chicago +3 (Carolina)
5 at Green Bay -4.5 (Minnesota)
4 at Houston +7 (Kansas City)
3 at Washington -6 (Oakland)
2 Buffalo +11 (at San Diego)
1 Detroit +8 (at Dallas)
16 at Baltimore +4 (Pittsburgh) NOTE: In my newspaper, this line was off, but I looked for the line online and found Pittsburgh -4. That's what I'm going with. I am confident that the Ravens will cover this, win this game outright, and then have their problems. This has all the makings of a big upset. I'm putting all my points on the Ravens.
15 at Cincinnati +6 (Indianapolis) The Bengals are six point home dogs. Indy won their last really big regular-season game of the year last week, beating the Pats at New England. I think that the Bengals at least cover, if not win outright.
14 at San Francisco +12.5 (Seattle) Am I alone in liking Ken Dorsey? Maybe. Anyway, San Francisco is not that bad, at least I don't think. And I don't know if Seattle is that good, yet, or not. But this has the appearances of a forget-it game to the 'Hawks, and I think that the Niners cover.
13 NY Jets +13 (at Denver) OK, so here's the thing. I continue to not believe in the Broncos, and I continue to believe in Herm Edwards. Am I nuts? Well. Am I? ANSWER ME!
12 New Orleans +9.5 (at New England) The Saints never do anything they are supposed to do. They are supposed to get crushed this Sunday at Foxboro. They of course
will make it a close game. They have the receivers to do it.
11 Philadelphia +7 (at NY Giants) I hate to say this, but here it goes: I think Donovan McNabb's injury will help the Eagles for one week. I think it'll force the Eagles to do some different things on offense, which will be beneficial.
10 Jacksonville -4 (at Tennessee) The Jags have found an answer for Fred Taylor's injury-prone ways: Greg Jones. They had been dependant on Taylor to be healthy. But now, they can still run the ball without him. Tennessee comes up short in trying to win this one.
9 at Atlanta -6 (Tampa Bay) Chris Simms had a good game last week, so I'm betting on him struggling on the road at Atlanta. And I think Atlanta will be able to run against the Tampa D.
8 Arizona +9.5 (at St. Louis) Can Arizona cover? That's the question here. With this many points, all the Cards need to do is load up against the run. And the Arizona wideouts should have some open space against the Rams secondary.
7 Miami +2.5 (at Cleveland) I like the Dolphins running game more than the Browns'. It is a close call, so I'm going with the points.
6 at Chicago +3 (Carolina) The only reason I'm picking the Bears is that they are home dogs. It'll be cold in Chicago, and the Bears will be used to the weather. If they can stop Steve Smith, and I think they can, the Bears win.
5 at Green Bay -4.5 (Minnesota) Boy, the Pack is beat up. But with the addition of Samdon Gado, GB has a running game. That should be enough to cover against the Vikes, unless Green Bay has a complete special teams meltdown against Minnesota, ala the Gints.
4 at Houston +7 (Kansas City) Houston is coming around. They are a touchdown home dog, and KC isn't that great on the road. Texans win outright.
3 at Washington -6 (Oakland) I think that this could be a close low-scoring game, but Oakland has had some troubles against the run.
2 Buffalo +11 (at San Diego) Buffalo should be able to contain LT and keep it within eleven, unless JP Losman has a terrible game.
1 Detroit +8 (at Dallas) I am putting all of my point on Joey Harrington being able to keep it close against Dallas. The Cow Pokes didn't really look all that good against a struggling Iggles club.
Friday, November 11, 2005
Disappointing Bengals; So Many, So Little Time
There is an interesting list of disappointing Bengals at this website:
http://unabatedsports.blogspot.com/
I added my two cents:
Travis Dorsch, neither a kicker nor a punter, drafted in the fourth round in 2002. Drafted after him was ave Zastudil, who is a fine punter for Baltimore.
Matt Schobel, a tight end who cost the Bengals two picks in 2002, the third and the fifth, which they used to trade up to the top of the third to get him. He is an OK player, but the best blocking TE in that draft, Randy McMichael (out of Georgia, no less) turned out the be the best pass-catching TE in the draft. Drafted in the fourth round. Schobel is not bad, but I guess they don't think he is good enough in blocking to be a starting tight end. Of course, they felt they need to trade up because they screwed up so much the year before, drafting ...
Sean Brewer. Third round TE out of San Jose State in 2001, who was not on anyone's draft list. No one's. He surprised everyone. There were some better TEs available. Shad Meier. Brandon Manumaleuna. Our own lovable Tony Stewart.
Curtis Keaton, RB. Now, he was only a fourth-round pick in 2000. But Na'il Diggs out of Ohio State was still on the board, and that would have been a great pick.
Craig Yeast, WR, fourth rounder in 1999, out of Kentucky. I think he might have been the all-time leader in receptions in the SEC at one point. Yeast played and/or plays in Canada. Brandon Stokely was taken in the same round the same year.
Artrell Hawkins, CB, second round pick in 1998. This was a terrible pick. Hawkins was projected lower, maybe fifth. He was too small, and not a terribly fast smallish CB. The next three picks were Patrick Surtain, Brian Kelly, and Samari Rolle.
Jevon Langford, DE, fourth round 1996. Very next pick, Jon Runyan. Next DEs taken, Chris Sullivan and Sean Moran.
Jeff Cothran, FB, first pick, third round, 1994. He couldn't block very well. And that's about all FBs do anymore. He was a better pick than ...
Steve Shine, LB, third round, 1994, out of Northwestern. Next linebacker taken, Jason Gilden, by the Stillers, no less. Drives me nuts.
Ty Parten, DT, third round, 1993. Next DT taken, Gilbert Brown.
Bob Dahl, G, Notre Dame, third round, 1991, who started for the Browns for several years. Kevin Donnalley was just a few picks later.
Bernard Clark, MLB, out of "The U". DeMond Winston and Jeroy Robinson were still available.
Kerry Owens, 1989, LB, fourth round. Pittsburgh selects Jerrol Williams, LB, the very next LB picked that draft. Drives me nuts.
Rob Woods, 1989, T, fourth round. Jeff Uhlenhake was the next OL picked.
Rickey Dixon, 1988, fifth player taken overall in the first round. Next two players picked: Tim Brown and Sterling Sharpe. Next DBs were Terry McDaniel and EricAllen.
http://unabatedsports.blogspot.com/
I added my two cents:
Travis Dorsch, neither a kicker nor a punter, drafted in the fourth round in 2002. Drafted after him was ave Zastudil, who is a fine punter for Baltimore.
Matt Schobel, a tight end who cost the Bengals two picks in 2002, the third and the fifth, which they used to trade up to the top of the third to get him. He is an OK player, but the best blocking TE in that draft, Randy McMichael (out of Georgia, no less) turned out the be the best pass-catching TE in the draft. Drafted in the fourth round. Schobel is not bad, but I guess they don't think he is good enough in blocking to be a starting tight end. Of course, they felt they need to trade up because they screwed up so much the year before, drafting ...
Sean Brewer. Third round TE out of San Jose State in 2001, who was not on anyone's draft list. No one's. He surprised everyone. There were some better TEs available. Shad Meier. Brandon Manumaleuna. Our own lovable Tony Stewart.
Curtis Keaton, RB. Now, he was only a fourth-round pick in 2000. But Na'il Diggs out of Ohio State was still on the board, and that would have been a great pick.
Craig Yeast, WR, fourth rounder in 1999, out of Kentucky. I think he might have been the all-time leader in receptions in the SEC at one point. Yeast played and/or plays in Canada. Brandon Stokely was taken in the same round the same year.
Artrell Hawkins, CB, second round pick in 1998. This was a terrible pick. Hawkins was projected lower, maybe fifth. He was too small, and not a terribly fast smallish CB. The next three picks were Patrick Surtain, Brian Kelly, and Samari Rolle.
Jevon Langford, DE, fourth round 1996. Very next pick, Jon Runyan. Next DEs taken, Chris Sullivan and Sean Moran.
Jeff Cothran, FB, first pick, third round, 1994. He couldn't block very well. And that's about all FBs do anymore. He was a better pick than ...
Steve Shine, LB, third round, 1994, out of Northwestern. Next linebacker taken, Jason Gilden, by the Stillers, no less. Drives me nuts.
Ty Parten, DT, third round, 1993. Next DT taken, Gilbert Brown.
Bob Dahl, G, Notre Dame, third round, 1991, who started for the Browns for several years. Kevin Donnalley was just a few picks later.
Bernard Clark, MLB, out of "The U". DeMond Winston and Jeroy Robinson were still available.
Kerry Owens, 1989, LB, fourth round. Pittsburgh selects Jerrol Williams, LB, the very next LB picked that draft. Drives me nuts.
Rob Woods, 1989, T, fourth round. Jeff Uhlenhake was the next OL picked.
Rickey Dixon, 1988, fifth player taken overall in the first round. Next two players picked: Tim Brown and Sterling Sharpe. Next DBs were Terry McDaniel and EricAllen.
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Gridiron Grit: Picks with Spread and Confidence Points for Week Ten
Where the heck have I been? Anyway, I'm back, and with my picks.
14 Houston +18 (at Indianapolis)
13 NY Jets +9 (at Carolina)
12 Green Bay +9.5 (at Atlanta)
11 San Francisco +13 (at Chicago)
10 Baltimore +7 (at Jacksonville)
9 at Tampa Bay -1.5 (Washington)
8 at Buffalo -2.5 (Kansas City)
7 at Philadelphia -3 (Dallas)
6 St. Louis +7 (at Seattle)
5 New England -3 (at Miami)
4 at Oakland +3 (Denver)
3 at Pittsburgh -8 (Cleveland)
2 Minnesota +9.5 (at NY Giants)
1 Arizona +4 (at Detroit)
14 Houston +18 (at Indianapolis) Houston has had about as bad a first half as you can have. And Indy has dominated in the first half. But ... 18 points? Damn. That's a lot of points. Take the points. Give the Texans 14 of your confidence points.
13 NY Jets +9 (at Carolina) Again with the points. The Jets aren't that bad, especially on defense, are they? I think they stay closer in this one than that.
12 Green Bay +9.5 (at Atlanta) Points points points. At least the Pack has No. 4, and goes a long way in my book. And they have been playing better on defense. Take the points.
11 San Francisco +13 (at Chicago) This has been one of the most generous points weeks in my memory. Can Chicago score 20? That means that San Fran gets a fluke TD and covers. Take the points.
10 Baltimore +7 (at Jacksonville) Hell, I know Baltimore is playing poorly, and that the two best defensive players in the NFL are in civvies, but, hell, they can stay within seven at Jacksonville, I would think. Take the points.
9 at Tampa Bay -1.5 (Washington) OK. I'm done with the points. Tampa Bay has looked like poop on a stick, but they will bounce back at home agin the down and up and down Skins. The D will stuff the Skins.
8 at Buffalo -2.5 (Kansas City) I think the Bills are poised for a good second half, and it will start at home against the Chiefs, who will have a tough time getting up for this week after last week's game.
7 at Philadelphia -3 (Dallas) Iggles out to prove that they are better off without B.O. than with him.
6 St. Louis +7 (at Seattle) I think that the Rams still consider themselves a contender in the NFC West and will need this game to continue to contend. Even if they don't win, they will cover.
5 New England -3 (at Miami) New England is not happy. They smoke Dolphin.
4 at Oakland +3 (Denver) Oakland is a home dawg agin the Broncos. I see them winning outright. Jake Plummer throws seven INTs to prove that he's not as mistake-free as the boys at ESPN and CBS say he is.
3 at Pittsburgh -8 (Cleveland) I had a hard time picking this game. I think the Stillers are the best team in football, but without Ben Roethlisberger, they are less good. Giving up eight points was tough. And Romeo is doing a heckuva job there in the Mistake. A three pointer for me, and I give it to the Stillers.
2 Minnesota +9.5 (at NY Giants) I still don't believe in the Gints. I know they are better than the Vikes, but by nine and a half at home? Maybe. I don't know. So I am taking the points, but for only two confidence points.
1 Arizona +4 (at Detroit) Imagine being the production assistant for this one, making 16 a year and having to travel to work 18 hours on this. One point. Take the points. What's the point?
thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat
14 Houston +18 (at Indianapolis)
13 NY Jets +9 (at Carolina)
12 Green Bay +9.5 (at Atlanta)
11 San Francisco +13 (at Chicago)
10 Baltimore +7 (at Jacksonville)
9 at Tampa Bay -1.5 (Washington)
8 at Buffalo -2.5 (Kansas City)
7 at Philadelphia -3 (Dallas)
6 St. Louis +7 (at Seattle)
5 New England -3 (at Miami)
4 at Oakland +3 (Denver)
3 at Pittsburgh -8 (Cleveland)
2 Minnesota +9.5 (at NY Giants)
1 Arizona +4 (at Detroit)
14 Houston +18 (at Indianapolis) Houston has had about as bad a first half as you can have. And Indy has dominated in the first half. But ... 18 points? Damn. That's a lot of points. Take the points. Give the Texans 14 of your confidence points.
13 NY Jets +9 (at Carolina) Again with the points. The Jets aren't that bad, especially on defense, are they? I think they stay closer in this one than that.
12 Green Bay +9.5 (at Atlanta) Points points points. At least the Pack has No. 4, and goes a long way in my book. And they have been playing better on defense. Take the points.
11 San Francisco +13 (at Chicago) This has been one of the most generous points weeks in my memory. Can Chicago score 20? That means that San Fran gets a fluke TD and covers. Take the points.
10 Baltimore +7 (at Jacksonville) Hell, I know Baltimore is playing poorly, and that the two best defensive players in the NFL are in civvies, but, hell, they can stay within seven at Jacksonville, I would think. Take the points.
9 at Tampa Bay -1.5 (Washington) OK. I'm done with the points. Tampa Bay has looked like poop on a stick, but they will bounce back at home agin the down and up and down Skins. The D will stuff the Skins.
8 at Buffalo -2.5 (Kansas City) I think the Bills are poised for a good second half, and it will start at home against the Chiefs, who will have a tough time getting up for this week after last week's game.
7 at Philadelphia -3 (Dallas) Iggles out to prove that they are better off without B.O. than with him.
6 St. Louis +7 (at Seattle) I think that the Rams still consider themselves a contender in the NFC West and will need this game to continue to contend. Even if they don't win, they will cover.
5 New England -3 (at Miami) New England is not happy. They smoke Dolphin.
4 at Oakland +3 (Denver) Oakland is a home dawg agin the Broncos. I see them winning outright. Jake Plummer throws seven INTs to prove that he's not as mistake-free as the boys at ESPN and CBS say he is.
3 at Pittsburgh -8 (Cleveland) I had a hard time picking this game. I think the Stillers are the best team in football, but without Ben Roethlisberger, they are less good. Giving up eight points was tough. And Romeo is doing a heckuva job there in the Mistake. A three pointer for me, and I give it to the Stillers.
2 Minnesota +9.5 (at NY Giants) I still don't believe in the Gints. I know they are better than the Vikes, but by nine and a half at home? Maybe. I don't know. So I am taking the points, but for only two confidence points.
1 Arizona +4 (at Detroit) Imagine being the production assistant for this one, making 16 a year and having to travel to work 18 hours on this. One point. Take the points. What's the point?
thankyouverymuch,
OldCleat
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Gridiron Grit: The 110th Victory Bell Game
Looking for information for tonight's big Miami-UC matchup (on ESPN2, 7:00 Eastern), I Google the Victory Bell, and after the initial nonsense, I found the wiki definition for it: The UCLA-USC game!
No, no, no.
The Miami RedHawks play the Cincinnati Bearcats for the 110th time, and this is the true Victory Bell game. Miami and Cincy first played this game with an oblate spheroid in 1888. Miami holds the lead 58-44-7.
Many of the Cincinnati fans stole the Harrison Hall bell in the 1890s, thus starting the playing for the bell. The bell went to the victor for the next 30 or so years, until it disappeared in the 1930s. The original bell reappeared in 1946 and is in Miami's Alumni Center.
The current bell is a replica and is given to the winner for the year. It is half white, with the Miami victory years painted in red, and half black, with the Bearcats victory years painted in red.
So I went in and made a few changes to the Victory Bell entry in Wiki. I wonder if they'll live on.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
No, no, no.
The Miami RedHawks play the Cincinnati Bearcats for the 110th time, and this is the true Victory Bell game. Miami and Cincy first played this game with an oblate spheroid in 1888. Miami holds the lead 58-44-7.
Many of the Cincinnati fans stole the Harrison Hall bell in the 1890s, thus starting the playing for the bell. The bell went to the victor for the next 30 or so years, until it disappeared in the 1930s. The original bell reappeared in 1946 and is in Miami's Alumni Center.
The current bell is a replica and is given to the winner for the year. It is half white, with the Miami victory years painted in red, and half black, with the Bearcats victory years painted in red.
So I went in and made a few changes to the Victory Bell entry in Wiki. I wonder if they'll live on.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
Friday, September 16, 2005
Gridiron Grit: Old Cleat Will Start Donovan McNabb
Prolate Spheroid Notes: Sounds like McNabb is going to start.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=ArRvSmacTcyFUMFWLYA8gHo5nYcB?slug=ap-eagles-mcnabb&prov=ap&type=lgns
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=ArRvSmacTcyFUMFWLYA8gHo5nYcB?slug=ap-eagles-mcnabb&prov=ap&type=lgns
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Gridiron Grit: Suds Game Two Preview; Underdawgs against WeBad
Coming off a tough loss last week to the Rrrrs, the Suds are facing another tough game this weekend against WeBad. WeBad is leading the South Division of the BenFL along with the Rrrs, each with a record of 1-0. The Suds and Wimpy are tagging along at 0-1. WeBad is second in the league in scoring, garnering an impressive 157 points last week. The Suds were able to put up only 100 points. Go Suds!
Below is the starting lineup for the Suds (note: the second team mentioned is the team that individual is playing against):
McNabb, Donovan QB PHI SF
Brown, Ronnie RB MIA @NYJ
Taylor, Fred RB JAC @IND
Evans, Lee WR BUF @TB
Moss, Randy WR OAK KC
Muhammad, Muhsin WR CHI DET
Gates, Antonio TE SD @DEN
Vinatieri, Adam K NE @CAR
Ravens, DST DST BAL @TEN
And the starting lineup for WeBad is:
Plummer, Jake QB DEN SD
Jones, Kevin RB DET @CHI
McAllister, Deuce RB NO NYG
Branch, Deion WR NE @CAR
Jackson, Darrell WR SEA ATL
Smith, Steve WR CAR NE
Heap, Todd TE BAL @TEN
Lindell, Rian K BUF @TB
Lions, DST DST DET @CHI
The backups for the Suds are:
Boller, Kyle QB BAL @TEN
Warner, Kurt QB ARI STL
Jacobs, Brandon RB NYG @NO
Jones, Greg RB JAC @IND
Shipp, Marcel RB ARI STL
Edwards, Braylon WR CLE @GB
Jenkins, Michael WR ATL @SEA
Troupe, Ben TE TEN BAL
Nugent, Mike K NYJ MIA
Seahawks, DST DST SEA ATL
While the backups for WeBad are:
Brees, Drew QB SD @DEN
Losman, J.P. QB BUF @TB
Chatman, Jesse RB MIA @NYJ
Davis, Stephen RB CAR NE
Taylor, Chester RB BAL @TEN
Coles, Laveranues WR NYJ MIA
Stallworth, Donte' WR NO NYG
Miller, Heath TE PIT @HOU
Rackers, Neil K ARI STL
Falcons, DST DST ATL @SEA
Prolate Spheroid Notes: Suds GM and head coach Old Cleat had a difficult time deciding whether to start Donovan McNabb or Kurt Warner, since Donovan is listed as questionable with a bruised chest, in the sternum area. McNabb insists that he'll play. Kurt Warner may be the choice later on in the week. Kyle Boller is out with, I think, an ability problem, so he is not even available. The preview gives a slight edge to WeBad 159-143 (actually, that isn't really "slight"). Old Cleat is looking for a breakout game from Ronnie Brown or Lee Evans. Dang, anybody would be nice. And, as always, Go SUDS!
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
Gridiron Grit: Picks with Spread and Confidence Points for Week Two
Exactly one-half of the NFL teams are out of the playoff race. These teams now need to scratch their ways back in.
That's the mentality of the NFL. I love it.
At least that's what the menality of all of the teams that are 0-1 should be.
Here are my picks with the spread with confidence points for week two.
16 PHI -13.5 (sf)
15 CHI +1.5 (det)
14 mia +6 (NYJ)
13 SEA -1 (atl)
12 min +3 (CIN)
11 OAK +1.5 (kc)
10 HOU +6 (pit)
9 bal -3.5 (TEN)
8 AZ -1 (stl)
7 IND -9 (jax)
6 ne -3 (CAR)
5 GB -6.5 (cle)
4 DEN -3 (sd)
3 DAL -6 (was)
2 TB -2.5 (buf)
1 no +3 (NYG)
16 PHI -13.5 (sf) I think that the Philly 11 will charge back and crush the 49ers, without or (and it seems likely) with McNabb. The Eagles will bounce back from their performance on Monday night and look like a Super Bowl team again.
15 CHI +1.5 (det) The Bears. Or, as they say around here, Da Bearss. Kyle Orton looked comfortable. The Bears running game stunk up the joint. And, apparantly, they can't line up properly. But, this week the Bears will unleash Cedric the Entertainer Benson and Thomas Me and Mrs. Jones and run over the Lions.
14 mia +6 (NYJ) The Fish are for real. And Chad Pennington is not playing well. Welcome to the NFL. It is a thin line or a season between a 2-14 record and a playoff run.
13 SEA -1 (atl) Falcons played well on Monday night, but they fly to SeaTac and lay an egg. The Seahawks will not try to force the ball to TO seven times in a row in the fourth quarter, mostly because he will be in Philly.
12 min +3 (CIN) Carson Palmer looked good when he got warmed up. But the Vikings will look at that run defense and their own lackluster performance last Sunday, and they will run run, Rudolph, and beat the Bengals on the road.
11 OAK +1.5 (kc) Oakland looked OK against the Pats, and they seem to have found a running back, and they are a home dog against their hated rivals, and they've had 10 days to prepare for this game. The Raiders win outright.
10 HOU +6 (pit) Willie Parker. I love stories like Willie Parker. Not really a starter in college, but a 100-yard rusher in the NFL. The edge Houston has in this game is that Dom Capers knows the Pittsburgh defense a little bit and can attack it, and he knows that he has to shut down the Steeler running attack. Of course, everybody knows that but nobody DOES that. Still the Texans cover.
9 bal -3.5 (TEN) Baltimore's defense rebounds in a big way. I also like Anthony Wright better than Kyle Boller. I think the Ravens will start to roll.
8 AZ -1 (stl) I thought that these teams would play well last week. Wrong. So I need to pick one. I am going with Denny Green's Cards. They just seem to have the potential to be a very good team. The Rams. You know, I just don't really know.
7 IND -9 (jax) Nine points to the Colts offense at home shouldn't be a problem. And the Indy D looks to be improved over last year.
6 ne -3 (CAR) I like Carolina, and I wanted to take them as home dogs. Plus, New England has a few issues on defense that they haven't had in the past. But, the Pats do win games. And Bill Belichick has 10 days to prepare his club for this game.
5 GB -6.5 (cle) Losing Javon Walker hurts, but I think Brett Favre will rebound in a big way from last week's Detroit game. Cleveland was up and down last week at home, but they are on the road for this one.
4 DEN -3 (sd) Both teams were disappointed by last week's performances. I think Denver will bounce back at home, though. And San Diego has some issues, if you
ask me. I'm not a big believer.
3 DAL -6 (was) 1992 Apple Cup. The Washington Huskies were 9-1 and headed to the Rose Bowl. Washington State, led by Drew Bledsoe, pulls the upset in the blizzard 42-23. Two quarterbacks in that game, Bledsoe for the Cougars and Mark Brunell for the Huskies, are starting this game. I'm going for Bledsoe again. If only Phillip Bobo was a Cowboy.
2. TB -2.5 (buf) I think the Buccs are in for a good season. I like them to cover at home against the Bills. I would also like to state for the record that JP Losman, regularly criticized here at Old Cleat, had a great first game. Not sold, but he looked pretty good. Still going with the Buccos.
1. no +3 (NYG) I am picking the Saints until they lose. They are playing with a sense of purpose.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
That's the mentality of the NFL. I love it.
At least that's what the menality of all of the teams that are 0-1 should be.
Here are my picks with the spread with confidence points for week two.
16 PHI -13.5 (sf)
15 CHI +1.5 (det)
14 mia +6 (NYJ)
13 SEA -1 (atl)
12 min +3 (CIN)
11 OAK +1.5 (kc)
10 HOU +6 (pit)
9 bal -3.5 (TEN)
8 AZ -1 (stl)
7 IND -9 (jax)
6 ne -3 (CAR)
5 GB -6.5 (cle)
4 DEN -3 (sd)
3 DAL -6 (was)
2 TB -2.5 (buf)
1 no +3 (NYG)
16 PHI -13.5 (sf) I think that the Philly 11 will charge back and crush the 49ers, without or (and it seems likely) with McNabb. The Eagles will bounce back from their performance on Monday night and look like a Super Bowl team again.
15 CHI +1.5 (det) The Bears. Or, as they say around here, Da Bearss. Kyle Orton looked comfortable. The Bears running game stunk up the joint. And, apparantly, they can't line up properly. But, this week the Bears will unleash Cedric the Entertainer Benson and Thomas Me and Mrs. Jones and run over the Lions.
14 mia +6 (NYJ) The Fish are for real. And Chad Pennington is not playing well. Welcome to the NFL. It is a thin line or a season between a 2-14 record and a playoff run.
13 SEA -1 (atl) Falcons played well on Monday night, but they fly to SeaTac and lay an egg. The Seahawks will not try to force the ball to TO seven times in a row in the fourth quarter, mostly because he will be in Philly.
12 min +3 (CIN) Carson Palmer looked good when he got warmed up. But the Vikings will look at that run defense and their own lackluster performance last Sunday, and they will run run, Rudolph, and beat the Bengals on the road.
11 OAK +1.5 (kc) Oakland looked OK against the Pats, and they seem to have found a running back, and they are a home dog against their hated rivals, and they've had 10 days to prepare for this game. The Raiders win outright.
10 HOU +6 (pit) Willie Parker. I love stories like Willie Parker. Not really a starter in college, but a 100-yard rusher in the NFL. The edge Houston has in this game is that Dom Capers knows the Pittsburgh defense a little bit and can attack it, and he knows that he has to shut down the Steeler running attack. Of course, everybody knows that but nobody DOES that. Still the Texans cover.
9 bal -3.5 (TEN) Baltimore's defense rebounds in a big way. I also like Anthony Wright better than Kyle Boller. I think the Ravens will start to roll.
8 AZ -1 (stl) I thought that these teams would play well last week. Wrong. So I need to pick one. I am going with Denny Green's Cards. They just seem to have the potential to be a very good team. The Rams. You know, I just don't really know.
7 IND -9 (jax) Nine points to the Colts offense at home shouldn't be a problem. And the Indy D looks to be improved over last year.
6 ne -3 (CAR) I like Carolina, and I wanted to take them as home dogs. Plus, New England has a few issues on defense that they haven't had in the past. But, the Pats do win games. And Bill Belichick has 10 days to prepare his club for this game.
5 GB -6.5 (cle) Losing Javon Walker hurts, but I think Brett Favre will rebound in a big way from last week's Detroit game. Cleveland was up and down last week at home, but they are on the road for this one.
4 DEN -3 (sd) Both teams were disappointed by last week's performances. I think Denver will bounce back at home, though. And San Diego has some issues, if you
ask me. I'm not a big believer.
3 DAL -6 (was) 1992 Apple Cup. The Washington Huskies were 9-1 and headed to the Rose Bowl. Washington State, led by Drew Bledsoe, pulls the upset in the blizzard 42-23. Two quarterbacks in that game, Bledsoe for the Cougars and Mark Brunell for the Huskies, are starting this game. I'm going for Bledsoe again. If only Phillip Bobo was a Cowboy.
2. TB -2.5 (buf) I think the Buccs are in for a good season. I like them to cover at home against the Bills. I would also like to state for the record that JP Losman, regularly criticized here at Old Cleat, had a great first game. Not sold, but he looked pretty good. Still going with the Buccos.
1. no +3 (NYG) I am picking the Saints until they lose. They are playing with a sense of purpose.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Gate
One of my best memories is, for my 40th birthday, my lovely and talented (and did I mention "lovely?") wife took me to New Orleans for three days, pretty much at the beginning of the week.
The beginning of this week was before the start of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Fest. In the middle of this adventure, I saw in the paper that Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown was playing a free little gig at the Louisiana Music Factory, a record shop in the quarter. Thrilled, I grabbed her and went down to the show.
He was awesome. He was a virtuoso. He played an acoustic guitar and was there with a piano player. Gate had it going.
In the middle of the gig, he decided to play fiddle, but he didn't bring one. So he told one of the record shop employees to go next door to the music instrument shop and borrow one. "Tell 'em it's for me," he said, because he was Gate and that was good enough.
The employee came back with a junior model, because it was all they had on hand that was strung. Well, Gate tuned it up, and let fly on some Cajun tune. Just great.
I always swore that I was going to see Gate every time he came to Chicago, and he came back several times. But, you know, the job and the kids and I'm tired and there's a game on.
I messed up. I'll miss ya, Gate.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
The beginning of this week was before the start of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Fest. In the middle of this adventure, I saw in the paper that Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown was playing a free little gig at the Louisiana Music Factory, a record shop in the quarter. Thrilled, I grabbed her and went down to the show.
He was awesome. He was a virtuoso. He played an acoustic guitar and was there with a piano player. Gate had it going.
In the middle of the gig, he decided to play fiddle, but he didn't bring one. So he told one of the record shop employees to go next door to the music instrument shop and borrow one. "Tell 'em it's for me," he said, because he was Gate and that was good enough.
The employee came back with a junior model, because it was all they had on hand that was strung. Well, Gate tuned it up, and let fly on some Cajun tune. Just great.
I always swore that I was going to see Gate every time he came to Chicago, and he came back several times. But, you know, the job and the kids and I'm tired and there's a game on.
I messed up. I'll miss ya, Gate.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
That's So Raven: Suds Drop Game One to Rrrs, 110-100
Raven defense played nevermore, nevermore.
The Suds lost to the Rrrrs in Game One of the season, 110-100. There were several disappointing performances in the opener, but none were worse than the Ravens defense and special teams getting shut out by the Colts offense and special teams.
"This is not what I expected from the Ravens," said Old Cleat, head coach and general manager of the Suds. "We selected them as the first defense taken, and we expected consistent scoring with a few brilliant games thrown in."
Going into the game, the Suds knew they would have their hands full trying to match up with LaDainian Tomlinson, and that didn't happen. But the Suds had enough balanced scoring to off-set LT. And, in fact, LaMont Jordan of the Raiders garnered 16 points to LT's 14, really helping the Rrrrs and hurting the Suds.
"We felt good about Randy Moss's 34 points on Thursday night," Old Cleat said, "but Torry Holt just about matched that with 29. So we didn't get an advantage there. And we were proud of Ben Troupe, who stepped in for a suspended Antonio Gates and picked up 15 points.
"But the Rrrrs had the Bills defense get them 16 points, and the Ravens defense got us zippo, and that was the difference in the game."
Below is the box score:
Rrrrs
B. Favre QB 201 PaYd, -1 RuYd, 2 PaInt, -1 RuReYd, 200 PaRuYd 4
L. Tomlinson RB 72 RuYd, 72 RuReYd, 72 PaRuYd, RuTD (2) 14
L. Jordan RB 70 RuYd, 110 RuReYd, 70 PaRuYd, 40 ReYd, 5 Recpt 16
T. Holt WR 125 RuReYd, 125 ReYd, 10 Recpt 29
A. Bryant WR 65 RuReYd, 65 ReYd, 5 Recpt 11
R. Williams WR 13 RuReYd, 13 ReYd, 2 Recpt 3
A. Crumpler TE 54 RuReYd, 54 ReYd, 4 Recpt 11
M. Vanderjagt K 3 XP, FG (20) 6
D. Bills DST 7 PA, 5 SACK, 120 YDS, 2 DFR, 3 Int, 38 TK 16
Total 110
Suds
D. McNabb QB 257 PaYd, PaInt, 257 PaRuYd, PaTD (9) 15
F. Taylor RB 76 RuYd, 90 RuReYd, 76 PaRuYd, 14 ReYd, 2 Recpt 10
R. Brown RB 57 RuYd, 61 RuReYd, 57 PaRuYd, 4 ReYd, Recpt 6
M. Muhammad WR 59 RuReYd, 59 ReYd, 6 Recpt 11
R. Moss WR ReTD (73), 130 RuReYd, 130 ReYd, 5 Recpt 34
B. Edwards WR 16 RuReYd, 16 ReYd, 2 Recpt 3
B. Troupe TE ReTD (1), 28 RuReYd, 28 ReYd, 4 Recpt 15
A. Vinatieri K 3 XP, FG (26) 6
D. Ravens DST 24 PA, 340 YDS, 50 TK 0
Total 100
And here are the reserves for the teams:
Rrrrs
A. Smith QB 0
D. Carr QB 70 PaYd, 40 RuYd, 3 PaInt, 40 RuReYd, 110 PaRuYd, RuTD (1) 7
J. Bettis RB 0
L. Toefield RB 4 RuYd, 4 RuReYd, 4 PaRuYd 0
L. Suggs RB 0
T. Calico WR 2 RuReYd, 2 ReYd, 2 Recpt 2
K. Colbert WR 11 RuReYd, 11 ReYd, 2 Recpt 3
D. Jolley TE 18 RuReYd, 18 ReYd, 2 Recpt 4
J. Wilkins K XP, 4 FG (30,41,33,41) 15
D. Buccaneers DST 13 PA, 3 SACK, 248 YDS, 2 DFR, 3 Int, 50 TK 11
Total 42
Suds
K. Warner QB 264 PaYd, 11 RuYd, PaInt, 11 RuReYd, 275 PaRuYd, PaTD (1) 16
K. Boller QB 141 PaYd, 2 RuYd, PaInt, 2 RuReYd, 143 PaRuYd 3
M. Shipp RB 10 RuYd, 15 RuReYd, 10 PaRuYd, 5 ReYd, 2 Recpt 3
G. Jones RB 10 RuReYd, 10 ReYd, Recpt 2
B. Jacobs RB 39 RuYd, 39 RuReYd, 39 PaRuYd, RuTD (5) 10
L. Evans WR -10 RuYd, 58 RuReYd, -10 PaRuYd, 68 ReYd, 3 Recpt 9
M. Jenkins WR 80 RuReYd, 80 ReYd, 3 Recpt 11
A. Gates TE 0
M. Nugent K XP 1
D. Seahawks DST 26 PA, 3 SACK, 362 YDS, 61 TK 3
Total 58
Prolate Spheroid Notes: The Suds have already announced two lineup changes. Tight end Antonio Gates is starting for Ben Troupe, who had a nice game in game one but who is a team player and understands that the object is to win the Erin Bowl. Also, Braylon Edwards will not start for the Suds until he starts for the Browns, and, apparently, he doesn't start for the Browns. So, Old Cleat has put Lee Evans of the Bills in as the third wideout for next week's game against We Bad. We Bad scored 157 points in week one, led by Steve Smith's 35 points, Deion Branch's 25 points, and Deuce McAllister's 22 points. The Suds will need to buckle the old chinstraps a little tighter this week. And, as always, Go SUDS!
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
The Suds lost to the Rrrrs in Game One of the season, 110-100. There were several disappointing performances in the opener, but none were worse than the Ravens defense and special teams getting shut out by the Colts offense and special teams.
"This is not what I expected from the Ravens," said Old Cleat, head coach and general manager of the Suds. "We selected them as the first defense taken, and we expected consistent scoring with a few brilliant games thrown in."
Going into the game, the Suds knew they would have their hands full trying to match up with LaDainian Tomlinson, and that didn't happen. But the Suds had enough balanced scoring to off-set LT. And, in fact, LaMont Jordan of the Raiders garnered 16 points to LT's 14, really helping the Rrrrs and hurting the Suds.
"We felt good about Randy Moss's 34 points on Thursday night," Old Cleat said, "but Torry Holt just about matched that with 29. So we didn't get an advantage there. And we were proud of Ben Troupe, who stepped in for a suspended Antonio Gates and picked up 15 points.
"But the Rrrrs had the Bills defense get them 16 points, and the Ravens defense got us zippo, and that was the difference in the game."
Below is the box score:
Rrrrs
B. Favre QB 201 PaYd, -1 RuYd, 2 PaInt, -1 RuReYd, 200 PaRuYd 4
L. Tomlinson RB 72 RuYd, 72 RuReYd, 72 PaRuYd, RuTD (2) 14
L. Jordan RB 70 RuYd, 110 RuReYd, 70 PaRuYd, 40 ReYd, 5 Recpt 16
T. Holt WR 125 RuReYd, 125 ReYd, 10 Recpt 29
A. Bryant WR 65 RuReYd, 65 ReYd, 5 Recpt 11
R. Williams WR 13 RuReYd, 13 ReYd, 2 Recpt 3
A. Crumpler TE 54 RuReYd, 54 ReYd, 4 Recpt 11
M. Vanderjagt K 3 XP, FG (20) 6
D. Bills DST 7 PA, 5 SACK, 120 YDS, 2 DFR, 3 Int, 38 TK 16
Total 110
Suds
D. McNabb QB 257 PaYd, PaInt, 257 PaRuYd, PaTD (9) 15
F. Taylor RB 76 RuYd, 90 RuReYd, 76 PaRuYd, 14 ReYd, 2 Recpt 10
R. Brown RB 57 RuYd, 61 RuReYd, 57 PaRuYd, 4 ReYd, Recpt 6
M. Muhammad WR 59 RuReYd, 59 ReYd, 6 Recpt 11
R. Moss WR ReTD (73), 130 RuReYd, 130 ReYd, 5 Recpt 34
B. Edwards WR 16 RuReYd, 16 ReYd, 2 Recpt 3
B. Troupe TE ReTD (1), 28 RuReYd, 28 ReYd, 4 Recpt 15
A. Vinatieri K 3 XP, FG (26) 6
D. Ravens DST 24 PA, 340 YDS, 50 TK 0
Total 100
And here are the reserves for the teams:
Rrrrs
A. Smith QB 0
D. Carr QB 70 PaYd, 40 RuYd, 3 PaInt, 40 RuReYd, 110 PaRuYd, RuTD (1) 7
J. Bettis RB 0
L. Toefield RB 4 RuYd, 4 RuReYd, 4 PaRuYd 0
L. Suggs RB 0
T. Calico WR 2 RuReYd, 2 ReYd, 2 Recpt 2
K. Colbert WR 11 RuReYd, 11 ReYd, 2 Recpt 3
D. Jolley TE 18 RuReYd, 18 ReYd, 2 Recpt 4
J. Wilkins K XP, 4 FG (30,41,33,41) 15
D. Buccaneers DST 13 PA, 3 SACK, 248 YDS, 2 DFR, 3 Int, 50 TK 11
Total 42
Suds
K. Warner QB 264 PaYd, 11 RuYd, PaInt, 11 RuReYd, 275 PaRuYd, PaTD (1) 16
K. Boller QB 141 PaYd, 2 RuYd, PaInt, 2 RuReYd, 143 PaRuYd 3
M. Shipp RB 10 RuYd, 15 RuReYd, 10 PaRuYd, 5 ReYd, 2 Recpt 3
G. Jones RB 10 RuReYd, 10 ReYd, Recpt 2
B. Jacobs RB 39 RuYd, 39 RuReYd, 39 PaRuYd, RuTD (5) 10
L. Evans WR -10 RuYd, 58 RuReYd, -10 PaRuYd, 68 ReYd, 3 Recpt 9
M. Jenkins WR 80 RuReYd, 80 ReYd, 3 Recpt 11
A. Gates TE 0
M. Nugent K XP 1
D. Seahawks DST 26 PA, 3 SACK, 362 YDS, 61 TK 3
Total 58
Prolate Spheroid Notes: The Suds have already announced two lineup changes. Tight end Antonio Gates is starting for Ben Troupe, who had a nice game in game one but who is a team player and understands that the object is to win the Erin Bowl. Also, Braylon Edwards will not start for the Suds until he starts for the Browns, and, apparently, he doesn't start for the Browns. So, Old Cleat has put Lee Evans of the Bills in as the third wideout for next week's game against We Bad. We Bad scored 157 points in week one, led by Steve Smith's 35 points, Deion Branch's 25 points, and Deuce McAllister's 22 points. The Suds will need to buckle the old chinstraps a little tighter this week. And, as always, Go SUDS!
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Gridiron Grit: Picks with the spread and confidence points for week one
Below are my picks with confidence points, 16 to 1, for week one of the NFL season, with the point spread I found Thursday morning.
16 PIT -7 (ten)
15 MIA +5 (den)
14 hou +4.5 (BUF)
13 BAL +3 (ind)
12 NE - 7.5 (oak)
11 gb +3 (DET)
10 stl -5.5 (SF)
9 CAR -7 (no)
8 CLE +3.5 (cin)
7 dal +4.5 (SD)
6 ATL +1.5 (phi)
5 KC -3 (nyg)
4 tb +6 (MIN)
3 chi +6 (WAS)
2 AZ +2.5 (nyj)
1 JAX -3 (sea)
16 PIT -7 (ten) When it's all said and done, I think Pittsburgh is ready for another playoff run. And I think that the Titans are too young to handle this week one pressure of going into Pittsburgh and winning. I think Pittsburgh, even without their top two running backs, takes it to the Titans by at least 10 points.
15 MIA +5 (den) The Nick Saban era begins. The Dolphins have a quarterback, they have a running back, and the Fish are pretty close back to where they were a couple of years ago. Denver has been an up and down team for the past few seasons, and I expect that trend to continue. Giving five points on the road for week one is too much to ask. Fish cover if not win outright in a close one.
14 hou +4.5 (BUF) The Texans got younger and faster on defense this year. Buffalo got younger and faster on offense (at least I think JP Losman can outrun Drew Bledsoe). The Texans slowly (I mean SLOWLY) get better and better, and I think they could have a good year. The Bills may have done what they needed to do for the franchise by starting Losman, but in the early part of the season, they will have to pay. Low-scoring game.
13 BAL +3 (ind) Baltimore won't be a home dawg many times this season. There are few defenses that can slow the Indy attack, but the Ravens D is one of them. The Raven huge offensive line can wear down a big, bad defense. The Colts are a little little and will wilt in the fourth quarter. The Ravens will win outright.
12 NE -7.5 (oak) New England has lost both inside linebackers and its two top coordinators. The Pats may have some problems adjusting early on, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Oakland gained Randy Moss, who will tilt the field toward him, opening things up for Jerry Porter. Also, the Raiders got a tough running back in LaMont Jordon to boost their running game. So, I see the Pats just blowing out the Raiders in the Thursday night game.
11 gb +3 (DET) I am not convinced that the Lions are ready. By the second half of the year, Detroit may be a team to reckon with. But early one, Green Bay is the better team. The Pack go to Motown and stop the Lions.
10 stl -5.5 (SF) It is fun time in old St. Looey again. The Rams have the old stuff back. They will be puttin' up some points. And I don't think that the Niners will be able to keep up with the scoring. But we may get to see Alex Smith mop up.
9 CAR -7 (no) This would have been my call without the catastrophe. The Saints are just dealing with too much stuff right now, and Carolina looks to be a pretty tough team. Of course, there COULD be a monumental effort by the New Orleans Eleven for the old home town, which would make me stand up and cheer.
8 CLE +3.5 (cin) Cincy has had early-season struggles the last 64 years, and I don't see this year being different. The Browns can play Cincinnati, and they will be able to keep it close. I just don't see taking Cincy as a road favorite for a game one of the season.
7 dal +4.5 (SD) I will say this now: I believe San Diego was a bit of a fluke last year, and the Chargers are really a 7-9 or an 8-8 team. The Cowboys and the Chargers are about equal, if you ask me. Dallas gets the points, and gets my pick as the upset winner in this game.
6 ATL +1.5 (phi) The Eagles will win a lot of games this year. But I think the Falcons at home on Monday Night will rise up and upset the discordant Iggles. It's a long season, but for some reason, I think I like the Falcons in this one.
5 KC -3 (nyg) Kansas City at home is a better team than the Giants on the road. I think the Chiefs added enough to the defense to make them a pretty good team. The Giants may have some good road wins this year, but this ain't one of them.
4 tb +6 (MIN) I think this will be a close game and that the Bucs will cover. It'll be interesting if the Vikes offense can succeed without Moss and their top 17 tailbacks. Is that? . . . I think Dave Osbourne is lining up behind Culpepper.
3 chi +6 (WAS) The Bears will either win this game or lose this game 2-0. Either way, they will cover.
2 AZ +2.5 (nyj) Kurt Warner running Denny Green's offense with those wideouts should be fun to watch. Cardinals win home opener, or at least lose it by one or two points.
1 JAX -3 (sea) I like Seattle. I hate Seattle. They are a young contending team. They are a soft bassackwards team lucky to be in a weak division. The offense is explosive. The offense is sloppy. Whatever. I'm taking the Leftwiches.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
16 PIT -7 (ten)
15 MIA +5 (den)
14 hou +4.5 (BUF)
13 BAL +3 (ind)
12 NE - 7.5 (oak)
11 gb +3 (DET)
10 stl -5.5 (SF)
9 CAR -7 (no)
8 CLE +3.5 (cin)
7 dal +4.5 (SD)
6 ATL +1.5 (phi)
5 KC -3 (nyg)
4 tb +6 (MIN)
3 chi +6 (WAS)
2 AZ +2.5 (nyj)
1 JAX -3 (sea)
16 PIT -7 (ten) When it's all said and done, I think Pittsburgh is ready for another playoff run. And I think that the Titans are too young to handle this week one pressure of going into Pittsburgh and winning. I think Pittsburgh, even without their top two running backs, takes it to the Titans by at least 10 points.
15 MIA +5 (den) The Nick Saban era begins. The Dolphins have a quarterback, they have a running back, and the Fish are pretty close back to where they were a couple of years ago. Denver has been an up and down team for the past few seasons, and I expect that trend to continue. Giving five points on the road for week one is too much to ask. Fish cover if not win outright in a close one.
14 hou +4.5 (BUF) The Texans got younger and faster on defense this year. Buffalo got younger and faster on offense (at least I think JP Losman can outrun Drew Bledsoe). The Texans slowly (I mean SLOWLY) get better and better, and I think they could have a good year. The Bills may have done what they needed to do for the franchise by starting Losman, but in the early part of the season, they will have to pay. Low-scoring game.
13 BAL +3 (ind) Baltimore won't be a home dawg many times this season. There are few defenses that can slow the Indy attack, but the Ravens D is one of them. The Raven huge offensive line can wear down a big, bad defense. The Colts are a little little and will wilt in the fourth quarter. The Ravens will win outright.
12 NE -7.5 (oak) New England has lost both inside linebackers and its two top coordinators. The Pats may have some problems adjusting early on, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Oakland gained Randy Moss, who will tilt the field toward him, opening things up for Jerry Porter. Also, the Raiders got a tough running back in LaMont Jordon to boost their running game. So, I see the Pats just blowing out the Raiders in the Thursday night game.
11 gb +3 (DET) I am not convinced that the Lions are ready. By the second half of the year, Detroit may be a team to reckon with. But early one, Green Bay is the better team. The Pack go to Motown and stop the Lions.
10 stl -5.5 (SF) It is fun time in old St. Looey again. The Rams have the old stuff back. They will be puttin' up some points. And I don't think that the Niners will be able to keep up with the scoring. But we may get to see Alex Smith mop up.
9 CAR -7 (no) This would have been my call without the catastrophe. The Saints are just dealing with too much stuff right now, and Carolina looks to be a pretty tough team. Of course, there COULD be a monumental effort by the New Orleans Eleven for the old home town, which would make me stand up and cheer.
8 CLE +3.5 (cin) Cincy has had early-season struggles the last 64 years, and I don't see this year being different. The Browns can play Cincinnati, and they will be able to keep it close. I just don't see taking Cincy as a road favorite for a game one of the season.
7 dal +4.5 (SD) I will say this now: I believe San Diego was a bit of a fluke last year, and the Chargers are really a 7-9 or an 8-8 team. The Cowboys and the Chargers are about equal, if you ask me. Dallas gets the points, and gets my pick as the upset winner in this game.
6 ATL +1.5 (phi) The Eagles will win a lot of games this year. But I think the Falcons at home on Monday Night will rise up and upset the discordant Iggles. It's a long season, but for some reason, I think I like the Falcons in this one.
5 KC -3 (nyg) Kansas City at home is a better team than the Giants on the road. I think the Chiefs added enough to the defense to make them a pretty good team. The Giants may have some good road wins this year, but this ain't one of them.
4 tb +6 (MIN) I think this will be a close game and that the Bucs will cover. It'll be interesting if the Vikes offense can succeed without Moss and their top 17 tailbacks. Is that? . . . I think Dave Osbourne is lining up behind Culpepper.
3 chi +6 (WAS) The Bears will either win this game or lose this game 2-0. Either way, they will cover.
2 AZ +2.5 (nyj) Kurt Warner running Denny Green's offense with those wideouts should be fun to watch. Cardinals win home opener, or at least lose it by one or two points.
1 JAX -3 (sea) I like Seattle. I hate Seattle. They are a young contending team. They are a soft bassackwards team lucky to be in a weak division. The offense is explosive. The offense is sloppy. Whatever. I'm taking the Leftwiches.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Gridiron Grit: Suds Game One Preview; Tough Contest against the Rrrrs
The Opening Game of the BenFL's season starts Thursday night, with the Suds taking on RickB's "Rrrrs". The Rrrrs have a solid lineup top to bottom, and it looks like it'll be a close game.
As of now, here is what the Suds' starting lineup looks like:
McNabb, Donovan QB PHI
Brown, Ronnie RB MIA
Taylor, Fred RB JAC
Moss, Randy WR OAK
Muhammad, Muhsin WR CHI
Edwards, Braylon WR CLE
Troupe, Ben TE TEN
Vinatieri, Adam K NE
Ravens, DST DST BAL
And here is the Rrrrs starting lineup:
Favre, Brett QB GB
Jordan, LaMont RB OAK
Tomlinson, LaDainian RB SD
Holt, Torry WR STL
Williams, Roy WR DET
Bryant, Antonio WR CLE
Crumpler, Alge TE ATL
Vanderjagt, Mike K IND
Bills, DST DST BUF
The Rrrrs drafted LaDainian Tomlinson with the first overall pick in the draft, so he's the guy that has to come through for them.
Below are the players on the Suds bench:
Warner, Kurt QB ARI
Boller, Kyle QB BAL
Jones, Greg RB JAC
Jacobs, Brandon RB NYG
Shipp, Marcel RB
Evans, Lee WR BUF
Jenkins, Michael WR ATL
Gates, Antonio TE SD
Nugent, Mike K NYJ
Seahawks, DST DST SEA
While the pine-riders for the Rrrrs include:
Carr, David QB HOU
Smith, Alex D. QB SF
Bettis, Jerome RB PIT
Suggs, Lee RB CLE
Toefield, LaBrandon RB JAC
Calico, Tyrone WR TEN
Colbert, Keary WR CAR
Jolley, Doug TE NYJ
Wilkins, Jeff K STL
Buccaneers, DST DST TB
Prolate Spheroid Notes: The Rrrrs had the first pick in the first round, while the Suds had the last pick, the 12th in the first round. The Rrrrs picked LaBrandon Toefield from Jacksonville after the Suds picked Greg Jones. If Fred Taylor gets hurt, and some say he's prone to injury, one or the other will become the primary back in Jacksonville. The Suds are without the services of tight end Antonio Gates, who has to sit for a game because of a one-game penalty imposed by the league for holding out during the preseason. Go SUDS.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
As of now, here is what the Suds' starting lineup looks like:
McNabb, Donovan QB PHI
Brown, Ronnie RB MIA
Taylor, Fred RB JAC
Moss, Randy WR OAK
Muhammad, Muhsin WR CHI
Edwards, Braylon WR CLE
Troupe, Ben TE TEN
Vinatieri, Adam K NE
Ravens, DST DST BAL
And here is the Rrrrs starting lineup:
Favre, Brett QB GB
Jordan, LaMont RB OAK
Tomlinson, LaDainian RB SD
Holt, Torry WR STL
Williams, Roy WR DET
Bryant, Antonio WR CLE
Crumpler, Alge TE ATL
Vanderjagt, Mike K IND
Bills, DST DST BUF
The Rrrrs drafted LaDainian Tomlinson with the first overall pick in the draft, so he's the guy that has to come through for them.
Below are the players on the Suds bench:
Warner, Kurt QB ARI
Boller, Kyle QB BAL
Jones, Greg RB JAC
Jacobs, Brandon RB NYG
Shipp, Marcel RB
Evans, Lee WR BUF
Jenkins, Michael WR ATL
Gates, Antonio TE SD
Nugent, Mike K NYJ
Seahawks, DST DST SEA
While the pine-riders for the Rrrrs include:
Carr, David QB HOU
Smith, Alex D. QB SF
Bettis, Jerome RB PIT
Suggs, Lee RB CLE
Toefield, LaBrandon RB JAC
Calico, Tyrone WR TEN
Colbert, Keary WR CAR
Jolley, Doug TE NYJ
Wilkins, Jeff K STL
Buccaneers, DST DST TB
Prolate Spheroid Notes: The Rrrrs had the first pick in the first round, while the Suds had the last pick, the 12th in the first round. The Rrrrs picked LaBrandon Toefield from Jacksonville after the Suds picked Greg Jones. If Fred Taylor gets hurt, and some say he's prone to injury, one or the other will become the primary back in Jacksonville. The Suds are without the services of tight end Antonio Gates, who has to sit for a game because of a one-game penalty imposed by the league for holding out during the preseason. Go SUDS.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
Suds Nab McNabb 12th Overall; Like TO, I Love Donovan
The BenFL has had their draft. Ben11 on SportsLine is a football league that we've had for about 12 years now. I am the general manager and head coach of the Suds (named after the professional slow pitch softball team in Cincinnati in the 1970s). We've never won the stupid thing, though that happens (ask the Bengals).
My draft strategy has always been to get great running backs and get a top tight end. Then I looked to getting better defenses and kickers. Lastly, I wanted to fill out the roster with well-picked quarterbacks and wide receivers. That has never worked.
This year, I decided to make a change. There are 12 teams in the BenFL, and I had the 12th pick in the draft. I chose Donovan McNabb first overall, because I've been disappointed with my quarterback play over the past dozen years. He has a chance to score the Suds some serious points. With the 13th pick, I took the first wide receiver in the draft, Randy Moss. He isn't much of a team player, but he can certainly help us relax after the game.
By the time the draft got back around to me, pick 36, many of the good backs were gone. I took Ronnie Brown, the rookie for Miami. I hope he's as good as they say he is. Pick 37 went to Antonio Gates from San Diego. Tony Gonzalez, my tight end for the last several years, was already gone.
Pick 59 garnered the Suds Fred Taylor. All things considered, we should be thrilled that we got Fred Taylor with pick 59. If he can stay healthy, he could be the steal of the draft. Pick 60 got me Mushin Muhammad from Da Bearss. The Suds were the first team to pick a defense, going with Baltimore, and a kicker, going with Adam Vinatieri.
All of the picks by the Suds are below. And, as always, Go SUDS.
McNabb, Donovan QB PHI
Moss, Randy WR OAK
Brown, Ronnie RB MIA
Gates, Antonio TE SD
Taylor, Fred RB JAC
Muhammad, Muhsin WR CHI
Edwards, Braylon WR CLE
Evans, Lee WR BUF
Warner, Kurt QB ARI
Jones, Greg RB JAC
Ravens, DST DST BAL
Troupe, Ben TE TEN
Jacobs, Brandon RB NYG
Vinatieri, Adam K NE
Jenkins, Michael WR ATL
Boller, Kyle QB BAL
Shipp, Marcel RB
Nugent, Mike K NYJ
Seahawks, DST DST SEA
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
My draft strategy has always been to get great running backs and get a top tight end. Then I looked to getting better defenses and kickers. Lastly, I wanted to fill out the roster with well-picked quarterbacks and wide receivers. That has never worked.
This year, I decided to make a change. There are 12 teams in the BenFL, and I had the 12th pick in the draft. I chose Donovan McNabb first overall, because I've been disappointed with my quarterback play over the past dozen years. He has a chance to score the Suds some serious points. With the 13th pick, I took the first wide receiver in the draft, Randy Moss. He isn't much of a team player, but he can certainly help us relax after the game.
By the time the draft got back around to me, pick 36, many of the good backs were gone. I took Ronnie Brown, the rookie for Miami. I hope he's as good as they say he is. Pick 37 went to Antonio Gates from San Diego. Tony Gonzalez, my tight end for the last several years, was already gone.
Pick 59 garnered the Suds Fred Taylor. All things considered, we should be thrilled that we got Fred Taylor with pick 59. If he can stay healthy, he could be the steal of the draft. Pick 60 got me Mushin Muhammad from Da Bearss. The Suds were the first team to pick a defense, going with Baltimore, and a kicker, going with Adam Vinatieri.
All of the picks by the Suds are below. And, as always, Go SUDS.
McNabb, Donovan QB PHI
Moss, Randy WR OAK
Brown, Ronnie RB MIA
Gates, Antonio TE SD
Taylor, Fred RB JAC
Muhammad, Muhsin WR CHI
Edwards, Braylon WR CLE
Evans, Lee WR BUF
Warner, Kurt QB ARI
Jones, Greg RB JAC
Ravens, DST DST BAL
Troupe, Ben TE TEN
Jacobs, Brandon RB NYG
Vinatieri, Adam K NE
Jenkins, Michael WR ATL
Boller, Kyle QB BAL
Shipp, Marcel RB
Nugent, Mike K NYJ
Seahawks, DST DST SEA
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Gridiron Post: Miami RedHawks On Upset Trail Over OSU Buckeyes
Can a doughnut game be the first game of the year?
A doughnut game is the hole in the middle, the weak sister opponent between two of a team's bigger games of the year. When many folks in Columbus look at the Ohio State Buckeye schedule in 2005, they pointed to the dougnut game being the San Diego State game in week three. No. 6 OSU hosts No. 2 Texas at Columbus in week two, and then look to revenge a 33-7 loss against No. 11 Iowa at home in week four. San Diego State is sitting in the middle of those two games in week three.
No game is more anticipated in college football than the Texas at Ohio State game in week two. It has been hyped during the off-season, and it will be big. It is a game that Ohio State has been talking about. But the Buckeyes have a potential stumbling block to their season in week one against a team that more than matches strength against strength: the upset-minded Miami RedHawks. Miami is experienced, tough, and really looking forward to its big game of the year, at Ohio State.
The RedHawks and the Buckeyes each have questions marks at running back. OSU lost Lydell Ross and Maurice Hall, while Miami lost Luke Clemens and Mike Smith. Ohio State will pin its running hopes on Antonio Pittman, a slasher who had 381 yards and 5.3 yards per carry last year. The RedHawks counter with Brandon Murphy, a scatback who had 248 yards with a 5.2 yards per carry average. This looks to be about a draw.
Each program has four starting offensive linemen back. Nick Mangold for OSU and Todd Londot for Miami are both outstanding centers who may win national recognition at the end of the year. Ohio State's line was playing very well at the end of the season last year, while Miami's offensive line is certainly one of the tops in its conference. There is probably a slight edge to Ohio State.
The defenses of each program are outstanding, with Ohio State's being recognized in the preseason as perhaps the best in the land. Safeties Nate Salley and Donte Whitner and corner Ashton Youbouty return in the Buckeye secondary. Miami matches Youbouty with Darrell Hunter returning at corner, and Frank Wiwo and Steve Burke have starting experience at safety. Miami can't match Salley in ability, however. The edge here goes to Ohio State.
OSU has Marcus Greene and Quinn Pintock inside and Mike Kudla outside on a tough defensive line. Miami counters with a talented defensive end in Marcus Johnson, with experience in John Glavin and Jarrod Rich. Because of Johnson's pass-rushing ability, the slightest of edges goes to Miami.
Where the Buckeyes get the buzz, however, is at linebacker. Outside LB A.J. Hawk is an All-American candidate and has been a great player for a couple of years. Bobby Carpenter is big and tough on the other side, while Anthony Schlegel returns in the middle.
But as good as Hawk is, the most athletically gifted linebacker on the field will probably be Terne Nande, Miami's LB. John Busing is a two-year starter on the other side and is one of the nation's best ballhawks at linebacker, while Derek Rehage started last season at the Mike. So while OSU gets the national pub as a great linebacking crew, Miami matches them fairly closely as a unit. This is probably a draw (as the jeers from Columbus grow very loud).
If you've been following college football this offseason, you've seen pictures of Buckeye wideout and kick returner Ted Ginn, Jr. He is electric and a game-changer who had four kick returns for TDs last year. He will be the difference-maker that Ohio State counts on this season. Remarkably for a mid-major, however, Miami has someone who counters him. Ryne Robinson is already the MAC's all-time leading punt returner who befuddled Michigan in the game's opener. And Robinson had 64 catches for 934 yards last season as a wideout.
The most-talked about Buckeye going into last season was Santonio Holmes, the other wideout who is also a great player. Holmes had 55 catches for 769 yards last year and is almost as explosive as is Ginn. Miami's answer is Martin Nance, a speedy 6-5 senior who was hurt with a knee injury for most of 2004, but who 90 catches for 1,498 yards and 11 TDs in 2003 and is reportedly back at 100 percent. The other Buckeye receivers and Miami pass-catchers also match up. Remarkably, Miami and Ohio State rate a draw on this area as well (as the jeers turn to howls).
Ohio State lost kicker Mike Nugent to the NFL. Nugent was quite simply the best kicker in college football for the past couple of years. OSU replaces him with the erratic (at least in 2001) Josh Huston. Miami's kicker, Todd Soderquist, is pretty good. Edge to Miami. OSU's punter, A.J. Trapasso, and Miami's punter, Jacob Richardson, are both untested. This is a wash.
While Miami matches up pretty well with Ohio State in these areas, OSU is the better team. So it falls to quarterback. This is where Miami has a clear edge.
Ohio State's best quarterback, its starter, its leader, is Troy Smith. Smith will be counted on to make OSU a tough out on offense. He as a good arm and great feet, and he makes great decisions. . . .
Except for the decision to take $500 from a booster. So Ohio State has suspended Smith for the Miami game, leaving the job to Justin Zwick. Zwick was a ballyhooed schoolboy quarterback at Massillon who played poorly in 2004 and played himself out of a job. He did have a good bowl game against Oklahoma State at the end of the year. Not being the starter can work for Zwick, easing the pressure, or against him. Which Zwick comes out of the gate will be interesting to see.
Miami has Josh Betts, who took over for Ben Roethlisberger and threw for 3,495 yards, 23 TDS, and 14 interceptions (four of which came in the opener against Michigan). He has a strong arm, is confident, and is clearly, at least for this one game, the better-looking quarterback.
Can Betts carry the RedHawks to an upset at Ohio State? He can, and it looks to this Miami U alum that he will. The RedHawks will upset the Ohio State Buckeyes 27-21 at the Horseshoe.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
A doughnut game is the hole in the middle, the weak sister opponent between two of a team's bigger games of the year. When many folks in Columbus look at the Ohio State Buckeye schedule in 2005, they pointed to the dougnut game being the San Diego State game in week three. No. 6 OSU hosts No. 2 Texas at Columbus in week two, and then look to revenge a 33-7 loss against No. 11 Iowa at home in week four. San Diego State is sitting in the middle of those two games in week three.
No game is more anticipated in college football than the Texas at Ohio State game in week two. It has been hyped during the off-season, and it will be big. It is a game that Ohio State has been talking about. But the Buckeyes have a potential stumbling block to their season in week one against a team that more than matches strength against strength: the upset-minded Miami RedHawks. Miami is experienced, tough, and really looking forward to its big game of the year, at Ohio State.
The RedHawks and the Buckeyes each have questions marks at running back. OSU lost Lydell Ross and Maurice Hall, while Miami lost Luke Clemens and Mike Smith. Ohio State will pin its running hopes on Antonio Pittman, a slasher who had 381 yards and 5.3 yards per carry last year. The RedHawks counter with Brandon Murphy, a scatback who had 248 yards with a 5.2 yards per carry average. This looks to be about a draw.
Each program has four starting offensive linemen back. Nick Mangold for OSU and Todd Londot for Miami are both outstanding centers who may win national recognition at the end of the year. Ohio State's line was playing very well at the end of the season last year, while Miami's offensive line is certainly one of the tops in its conference. There is probably a slight edge to Ohio State.
The defenses of each program are outstanding, with Ohio State's being recognized in the preseason as perhaps the best in the land. Safeties Nate Salley and Donte Whitner and corner Ashton Youbouty return in the Buckeye secondary. Miami matches Youbouty with Darrell Hunter returning at corner, and Frank Wiwo and Steve Burke have starting experience at safety. Miami can't match Salley in ability, however. The edge here goes to Ohio State.
OSU has Marcus Greene and Quinn Pintock inside and Mike Kudla outside on a tough defensive line. Miami counters with a talented defensive end in Marcus Johnson, with experience in John Glavin and Jarrod Rich. Because of Johnson's pass-rushing ability, the slightest of edges goes to Miami.
Where the Buckeyes get the buzz, however, is at linebacker. Outside LB A.J. Hawk is an All-American candidate and has been a great player for a couple of years. Bobby Carpenter is big and tough on the other side, while Anthony Schlegel returns in the middle.
But as good as Hawk is, the most athletically gifted linebacker on the field will probably be Terne Nande, Miami's LB. John Busing is a two-year starter on the other side and is one of the nation's best ballhawks at linebacker, while Derek Rehage started last season at the Mike. So while OSU gets the national pub as a great linebacking crew, Miami matches them fairly closely as a unit. This is probably a draw (as the jeers from Columbus grow very loud).
If you've been following college football this offseason, you've seen pictures of Buckeye wideout and kick returner Ted Ginn, Jr. He is electric and a game-changer who had four kick returns for TDs last year. He will be the difference-maker that Ohio State counts on this season. Remarkably for a mid-major, however, Miami has someone who counters him. Ryne Robinson is already the MAC's all-time leading punt returner who befuddled Michigan in the game's opener. And Robinson had 64 catches for 934 yards last season as a wideout.
The most-talked about Buckeye going into last season was Santonio Holmes, the other wideout who is also a great player. Holmes had 55 catches for 769 yards last year and is almost as explosive as is Ginn. Miami's answer is Martin Nance, a speedy 6-5 senior who was hurt with a knee injury for most of 2004, but who 90 catches for 1,498 yards and 11 TDs in 2003 and is reportedly back at 100 percent. The other Buckeye receivers and Miami pass-catchers also match up. Remarkably, Miami and Ohio State rate a draw on this area as well (as the jeers turn to howls).
Ohio State lost kicker Mike Nugent to the NFL. Nugent was quite simply the best kicker in college football for the past couple of years. OSU replaces him with the erratic (at least in 2001) Josh Huston. Miami's kicker, Todd Soderquist, is pretty good. Edge to Miami. OSU's punter, A.J. Trapasso, and Miami's punter, Jacob Richardson, are both untested. This is a wash.
While Miami matches up pretty well with Ohio State in these areas, OSU is the better team. So it falls to quarterback. This is where Miami has a clear edge.
Ohio State's best quarterback, its starter, its leader, is Troy Smith. Smith will be counted on to make OSU a tough out on offense. He as a good arm and great feet, and he makes great decisions. . . .
Except for the decision to take $500 from a booster. So Ohio State has suspended Smith for the Miami game, leaving the job to Justin Zwick. Zwick was a ballyhooed schoolboy quarterback at Massillon who played poorly in 2004 and played himself out of a job. He did have a good bowl game against Oklahoma State at the end of the year. Not being the starter can work for Zwick, easing the pressure, or against him. Which Zwick comes out of the gate will be interesting to see.
Miami has Josh Betts, who took over for Ben Roethlisberger and threw for 3,495 yards, 23 TDS, and 14 interceptions (four of which came in the opener against Michigan). He has a strong arm, is confident, and is clearly, at least for this one game, the better-looking quarterback.
Can Betts carry the RedHawks to an upset at Ohio State? He can, and it looks to this Miami U alum that he will. The RedHawks will upset the Ohio State Buckeyes 27-21 at the Horseshoe.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
Gridiron Post: Hutchinson Should Be Bears QB
If it makes you happy, it can't be that bad.
The Bears announced yesterday that Kyle Orton is going to be their starting quarterback. Chad Hutchinson is all but gone (update: he IS gone). Jeff Blake is the backup. And Kurt Kittner lives to fight another day as the third teamer.
Everybody in ChiTown is saying it's good good good, but I can't help but feeling it's not so good. A lot.
Orton has looked terrific in exhibition football games. And, Hutchinson looked terrible in his start against Buffalo's first-defense last week. Blake and Kittner are to be excused, as they either haven't played or have mopped up.
But preseason football isn't NFL football. I think the Bears need to do what's right for their franchise and stop worrying about who the fans want to see start.
Against Buffalo Friday night, Hutchinson was 3-for-14 for 33 yards, and he threw two picks. He goes from first string to fourth string for that performance. He will likely be cut (update: he WAS cut).
Against the Bills' backups later in the same game, Orton was 7-for-11 for 74 yards and a touchdown, no picks. He goes from the fourth round to franchise savior. Don't try to tell me that Lovie Smith is impetuous.
Succeeding against second- and third-team NFL defenses in preseason is like ripping line drives against batting practice pitching. There are no real blitz packages, there is no real game-planning. The zones are vanilla, and many of the young cornerbacks are strawberries.
And that's all Orton has faced.
Hutchinson was 10-for-18 for 124 yards in the first preseason game against Miami, when Rex Grossman was still the starting QB. Hutchinson was 2-for-2 against the Rams, and he was 5-for-8 for 40 yards against the Colts, though he did throw two picks.
Orton has looked better so far, granted, but usually against worse players. So far, Orton has taken three snaps against a first-team defense. THREE SNAPS. And he's the starter.
Hutchinson has 14 NFL starts. He has shown that he can be at least a fair professional quarterback, and he could improve on that.
He started nine games for Dallas in 2002, and he looked unprepared but not overwhelmed. Then, without a training camp, he was thrown into the Bears offense in 2004 and was the best looking QB out there. Not that the bar was very high.
In 14 games thus far in his career, less than one NFL season, Chad Hutchinson has thrown for 15 TDs, 15 interceptions, 53 percent completion rate, and 2,400 yards. He also threw for 1,300 yards for the Rhein Fire in NFL Europe. He compiled all of his career stats with some less-than-stellar offenses. Hutchinson would give the Bears the best opportunity to win now, because he's been with the Bears for almost a year, and he's played when the bullets where flying.
The best NFL quarterback on the Bears right now is Jeff Blake. He's been to Pro Bowls, he's thrown for 21,656 yards in his career, he has 133 touchdown passes to his credit. He just needs to learn the Bears system and personnel.
Kyle Orton was a teriffic pick in the fourth round. I thought he was the nation's best combination of college quarterback and pro prospect quarterback through about eight games last year while he was at Purdue, before he was hurt. I think he could be a fine NFL quarterback. I just think he needs to be seasoned for the job.
What should the Bears do (or, at least, what should they have done)?
1. Declare that Hutchinson is the starter for the opener at Washington. End of discussion.
2. Give him three games (Washington, Detroit, and Cincinnati--all of which are winnable) to get himself together. All the while, prepare Jeff Blake to take over if need be.
3. If the QB situation is stinking up the place after Cincinnati, make the change to Blake. The next week, you have a bye. And then you have 13 weeks left in the season to make a run at the playoffs.
4. Things are going poorly, and the playoffs look out of reach, then put in Kyle Orton, and let the future begin.
But what the Bears have done is basically put Orton in a position to fail. He needs to be the quarterback of a team that is expecting to go to the playoffs, this year. He is a rookie with three snaps against a No. 1 defense in the NFL.
The quarterback that would have given the Bears the best chance to succeed early in the season is Chad Hutchinson.
The Bears announced yesterday that Kyle Orton is going to be their starting quarterback. Chad Hutchinson is all but gone (update: he IS gone). Jeff Blake is the backup. And Kurt Kittner lives to fight another day as the third teamer.
Everybody in ChiTown is saying it's good good good, but I can't help but feeling it's not so good. A lot.
Orton has looked terrific in exhibition football games. And, Hutchinson looked terrible in his start against Buffalo's first-defense last week. Blake and Kittner are to be excused, as they either haven't played or have mopped up.
But preseason football isn't NFL football. I think the Bears need to do what's right for their franchise and stop worrying about who the fans want to see start.
Against Buffalo Friday night, Hutchinson was 3-for-14 for 33 yards, and he threw two picks. He goes from first string to fourth string for that performance. He will likely be cut (update: he WAS cut).
Against the Bills' backups later in the same game, Orton was 7-for-11 for 74 yards and a touchdown, no picks. He goes from the fourth round to franchise savior. Don't try to tell me that Lovie Smith is impetuous.
Succeeding against second- and third-team NFL defenses in preseason is like ripping line drives against batting practice pitching. There are no real blitz packages, there is no real game-planning. The zones are vanilla, and many of the young cornerbacks are strawberries.
And that's all Orton has faced.
Hutchinson was 10-for-18 for 124 yards in the first preseason game against Miami, when Rex Grossman was still the starting QB. Hutchinson was 2-for-2 against the Rams, and he was 5-for-8 for 40 yards against the Colts, though he did throw two picks.
Orton has looked better so far, granted, but usually against worse players. So far, Orton has taken three snaps against a first-team defense. THREE SNAPS. And he's the starter.
Hutchinson has 14 NFL starts. He has shown that he can be at least a fair professional quarterback, and he could improve on that.
He started nine games for Dallas in 2002, and he looked unprepared but not overwhelmed. Then, without a training camp, he was thrown into the Bears offense in 2004 and was the best looking QB out there. Not that the bar was very high.
In 14 games thus far in his career, less than one NFL season, Chad Hutchinson has thrown for 15 TDs, 15 interceptions, 53 percent completion rate, and 2,400 yards. He also threw for 1,300 yards for the Rhein Fire in NFL Europe. He compiled all of his career stats with some less-than-stellar offenses. Hutchinson would give the Bears the best opportunity to win now, because he's been with the Bears for almost a year, and he's played when the bullets where flying.
The best NFL quarterback on the Bears right now is Jeff Blake. He's been to Pro Bowls, he's thrown for 21,656 yards in his career, he has 133 touchdown passes to his credit. He just needs to learn the Bears system and personnel.
Kyle Orton was a teriffic pick in the fourth round. I thought he was the nation's best combination of college quarterback and pro prospect quarterback through about eight games last year while he was at Purdue, before he was hurt. I think he could be a fine NFL quarterback. I just think he needs to be seasoned for the job.
What should the Bears do (or, at least, what should they have done)?
1. Declare that Hutchinson is the starter for the opener at Washington. End of discussion.
2. Give him three games (Washington, Detroit, and Cincinnati--all of which are winnable) to get himself together. All the while, prepare Jeff Blake to take over if need be.
3. If the QB situation is stinking up the place after Cincinnati, make the change to Blake. The next week, you have a bye. And then you have 13 weeks left in the season to make a run at the playoffs.
4. Things are going poorly, and the playoffs look out of reach, then put in Kyle Orton, and let the future begin.
But what the Bears have done is basically put Orton in a position to fail. He needs to be the quarterback of a team that is expecting to go to the playoffs, this year. He is a rookie with three snaps against a No. 1 defense in the NFL.
The quarterback that would have given the Bears the best chance to succeed early in the season is Chad Hutchinson.
Saturday, August 20, 2005
Double Duty Radcliffe
Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe died August 10, 2005, at age 103 I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Radcliffe in Chicago about 15 years ago at a local establishment (if I'm not mistaken, I think it might have been the bar "Sluggers" on Clark). WGN TV had an event for a documentary that it produced on the negro leagues, and Mr. Radcliffe was one of the stars of the event. I was also able to meet Vernon Jarrett at the time, which was a great thrill for me.
Mr. Radcliffe was very gracious, and he was funny. He will be missed.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/baseball/mlb/08/11/baseball.oldest/
Mr. Radcliffe was very gracious, and he was funny. He will be missed.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/baseball/mlb/08/11/baseball.oldest/
Griff Junior: Should He Stay Or Should He Go?
Ken Griffey Jr. has done nothing but play hard for the Cincinnati Reds. I am a Ken Griffey Jr. fan.
Those who want to dog him because he kept getting hurt, I think, have it backwards. He kept getting hurt because he doesn't love the game. He kept getting hurt solely because he loves the game and plays only one way. In that way, he reminds me of Eric Davis, or, if you're a fan of baseball history, Pete Reiser.
The Reds have tried to trade Junior away. Jim Bowden traded Junior to the Padres for Phil Nevin. The trade was voided because Nevin refused to come to the Reds. Junior for Phil Nevin. I can't even fathom it. I am convinced that that trade got Jim Bowden fired. I'm sure the dearth of starting pitchers in the Reds minors for a decade or so helped, but I think that that trade of Junior was the straw that broke the GM’s back.
Now, the rumors are flying that Junior will be traded to the White Sox for some prospects, that in fact a deal had been done, and that Carl Lindner, the managing general partner of the Reds, nixed the deal before the trade deadline. John Allen, who is the president of the Reds, furiously denies all of this. Ken Williams, the Sox GM, remains mum about the specifics.
If Lindner nixed the deal, all I can say is, "Good for you." I know that Junior should go. I know that it would be the best thing for the Cincinnati organization and for Ken Griffey Junior. Trading to get Junior was the right thing to do. But letting him move on at the right price is also the right thing to do.
At the right price. My greatest fear is that the Reds will dump Junior, get marginal prospects, and still have to foot almost all of his salary, thus impairing their ability to spend the money necessary in player development and roster development that would help them move forward.
If you are not helping the franchise baseball wise, then keep Junior. I know that there is a logjam in the outfield and Kearns and Pena need to play. I know that the Reds need pitching, and that they are a small market, and that the farm system is not very stocked. I know all this. But, if the deal's not the one to move the franchise forward, don't make it.
Grif is hitting .290, with 28 homers, 83 RBI, and 74 runs this season. If the White Sox (or the Braves or the Mets or someone else) wants a centerfielder who can put up those kinds of numbers, they will have to come to the table with something good. If not, the Reds should keep him.
Of course, that is coming from a Ken Griffey Jr. fan. But, even more, I'm a Cincinnati Reds fan. And the No. 1 goal in any transaction is, move the franchise forward.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
Those who want to dog him because he kept getting hurt, I think, have it backwards. He kept getting hurt because he doesn't love the game. He kept getting hurt solely because he loves the game and plays only one way. In that way, he reminds me of Eric Davis, or, if you're a fan of baseball history, Pete Reiser.
The Reds have tried to trade Junior away. Jim Bowden traded Junior to the Padres for Phil Nevin. The trade was voided because Nevin refused to come to the Reds. Junior for Phil Nevin. I can't even fathom it. I am convinced that that trade got Jim Bowden fired. I'm sure the dearth of starting pitchers in the Reds minors for a decade or so helped, but I think that that trade of Junior was the straw that broke the GM’s back.
Now, the rumors are flying that Junior will be traded to the White Sox for some prospects, that in fact a deal had been done, and that Carl Lindner, the managing general partner of the Reds, nixed the deal before the trade deadline. John Allen, who is the president of the Reds, furiously denies all of this. Ken Williams, the Sox GM, remains mum about the specifics.
If Lindner nixed the deal, all I can say is, "Good for you." I know that Junior should go. I know that it would be the best thing for the Cincinnati organization and for Ken Griffey Junior. Trading to get Junior was the right thing to do. But letting him move on at the right price is also the right thing to do.
At the right price. My greatest fear is that the Reds will dump Junior, get marginal prospects, and still have to foot almost all of his salary, thus impairing their ability to spend the money necessary in player development and roster development that would help them move forward.
If you are not helping the franchise baseball wise, then keep Junior. I know that there is a logjam in the outfield and Kearns and Pena need to play. I know that the Reds need pitching, and that they are a small market, and that the farm system is not very stocked. I know all this. But, if the deal's not the one to move the franchise forward, don't make it.
Grif is hitting .290, with 28 homers, 83 RBI, and 74 runs this season. If the White Sox (or the Braves or the Mets or someone else) wants a centerfielder who can put up those kinds of numbers, they will have to come to the table with something good. If not, the Reds should keep him.
Of course, that is coming from a Ken Griffey Jr. fan. But, even more, I'm a Cincinnati Reds fan. And the No. 1 goal in any transaction is, move the franchise forward.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Pigskin News: TO Goes to Work. Big Whup
In pigskin news, the big story of the day is that Terrell Owens went to work. He went to work today. This morning. He got up, put on his monkey suit, which is apparently camouflage, and went to work.
Last night, he was getting ready to come to work. He was back in town, which is, I believe, the little town of Bethlehem, with his publicist and his agent. And, then, this morning, it was up and at 'em.
My next door neighbor went to work this morning. I saw the post office down the street bustling with activity. My wife went to work. I went to work. The Metra station looked packed with people going to work.
There are at least 2,400 other NFL players who went to work today. Brett Favre went to work. Michael Lewis reported. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison and Jerry Rice are in camp, working, trying to make their teams Super Bowl teams.
Apparently, TO doesn't like his pay structure. There are times that I'm not happy with my pay. So, TO isn't happy with his direct supervisor and some of his coworkers. There are times I'm not all that thrilled with my coworkers or my boss. But I go to work. I don't complain. I get my job done. I do it because it's my job and I'm a professional.
So, Terrell Owens went to work today. For all of the pigskin news today, that's the news lead.
Huh.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
Last night, he was getting ready to come to work. He was back in town, which is, I believe, the little town of Bethlehem, with his publicist and his agent. And, then, this morning, it was up and at 'em.
My next door neighbor went to work this morning. I saw the post office down the street bustling with activity. My wife went to work. I went to work. The Metra station looked packed with people going to work.
There are at least 2,400 other NFL players who went to work today. Brett Favre went to work. Michael Lewis reported. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison and Jerry Rice are in camp, working, trying to make their teams Super Bowl teams.
Apparently, TO doesn't like his pay structure. There are times that I'm not happy with my pay. So, TO isn't happy with his direct supervisor and some of his coworkers. There are times I'm not all that thrilled with my coworkers or my boss. But I go to work. I don't complain. I get my job done. I do it because it's my job and I'm a professional.
So, Terrell Owens went to work today. For all of the pigskin news today, that's the news lead.
Huh.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Jeff Blake's Pigskin Leadership Questioned in News
The pigskin scribes in the Chicago press has been all over Jeff Blake, saying that in the past he had a reported "me-first" attitude. They consistently bring up the fact that in 2003 in Arizona, Blake's Cardinal teammates nicknamed him "Leon," as the Leon in the Budweiser commercials who would said things like, "There's no "I" in "Team," but there ain't no "we" neither."
That's not the Jeff Blake I remember. I remember a Jeff Blake who rode in a white horse in Cincinnati in 1994 when all hope was lost. He found success throwing bombs to Carl Pickens and leading what was a terrible offense for two or three years. I remember a Jeff Blake who was constantly taken out of a starting role by Bengal management, either by Boomer Esiason, Neil O'Donnell, and Akili Smith, finally replacing him with, of all people, Scott Mitchell. The Bengals were bad in the 1990s. But Blake handled it all with a lot more grace than he should have.
In 2000, Blake took a bad New Orleans team to the brink of the playoffs, before getting hurt and being replaced forever by Aaron Brooks. Blake sort of helped salvage Baltimore's 2002 season. Baltimore wanted to re-sign Blake, but Blake felt low-balled by the figure. Maybe things weren't left in that great of a situation in Baltimore, but Jeff wasn't really that bad about it. And the situation deteriorated it seems to me because Balitmore wanted Jeff back so badly but were unwilling to pay him a starter's salary.
Blake shopped around and ended up in Arizona for the 2003 season. Arizona was trying to replace Jake Plummer.
Below is Blake's 2003 season:
Name G CMP ATT PCT YARD Y/A TD IN
Jeff Blake 13 208 367 56.7 2247 6.1 13 15
And here is Plummer's 2002 season:
Name G CMP ATT PCT YARD Y/A TD IN
Jake Plummer 16 284 530 53.6 2972 5.6 18 20
Add in three more games, and Blake's numbers may have been near identical to Plummer's. Blake's coach in Arizona, Dave McGinnis, was reportedly happy with Blake as his quarterback. Plummer is making a lot more money than Jeff Blake is right now.
Last year, Blake was Philadelphia's third-string quarterback, and, now, he's Chicago's third-string QB. Is Jeff Blake a me-first player? I don't' think he is. I think he is a confident and maybe cocky player who thinks he can play in the NFL and win games. I think that is probably what the Bears really need right now.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
That's not the Jeff Blake I remember. I remember a Jeff Blake who rode in a white horse in Cincinnati in 1994 when all hope was lost. He found success throwing bombs to Carl Pickens and leading what was a terrible offense for two or three years. I remember a Jeff Blake who was constantly taken out of a starting role by Bengal management, either by Boomer Esiason, Neil O'Donnell, and Akili Smith, finally replacing him with, of all people, Scott Mitchell. The Bengals were bad in the 1990s. But Blake handled it all with a lot more grace than he should have.
In 2000, Blake took a bad New Orleans team to the brink of the playoffs, before getting hurt and being replaced forever by Aaron Brooks. Blake sort of helped salvage Baltimore's 2002 season. Baltimore wanted to re-sign Blake, but Blake felt low-balled by the figure. Maybe things weren't left in that great of a situation in Baltimore, but Jeff wasn't really that bad about it. And the situation deteriorated it seems to me because Balitmore wanted Jeff back so badly but were unwilling to pay him a starter's salary.
Blake shopped around and ended up in Arizona for the 2003 season. Arizona was trying to replace Jake Plummer.
Below is Blake's 2003 season:
Name G CMP ATT PCT YARD Y/A TD IN
Jeff Blake 13 208 367 56.7 2247 6.1 13 15
And here is Plummer's 2002 season:
Name G CMP ATT PCT YARD Y/A TD IN
Jake Plummer 16 284 530 53.6 2972 5.6 18 20
Add in three more games, and Blake's numbers may have been near identical to Plummer's. Blake's coach in Arizona, Dave McGinnis, was reportedly happy with Blake as his quarterback. Plummer is making a lot more money than Jeff Blake is right now.
Last year, Blake was Philadelphia's third-string quarterback, and, now, he's Chicago's third-string QB. Is Jeff Blake a me-first player? I don't' think he is. I think he is a confident and maybe cocky player who thinks he can play in the NFL and win games. I think that is probably what the Bears really need right now.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Da Bearss Need a QB. Who Will It Be?
Rex Grossman is out for at least half of the 2005 season, according to the Bears. The quarterbacks remaining on their roster include Chad Hutchinson, Kyle Orton, Kurt Kittner, Joe Barnes, and Kent Nix. I don't think that'll do it.
I advocated last year (I have at least one friend, Hot Doug, who'll back me up) that the Bears sign Chad Hutchinson before they did. And I think that he potentially can still be a good backup. I don't really know about being a real starter in this league.
But I think Da Bearss need a veteran quarterback to come in. Here are the names that are sort of being bandied about:
Vinnie Testaverde: No. Vinnie is too old. He looked not so good at the end of last year. I don't think the Bears need a 40-year-old to come in. They need a veteran, but not of WWII.
Jeff George: No. Though he had some experience with the Bears last year, there is a new offensive coordinator, so some of that advantage is lost. And, he's not had the best history of team play. I don't think Jeff is a bad idea for some teams, necessarily, but not the Bears.
Quincy Carter: No. The Jets didn't want him back. I think Q needs to go to Canada.
Tim Couch: No. The Bears probably can do better. Also, I don't know if Tim's shoulder can take two pratices in a row, much less hold up in game situations. As with Carter, I think you need someone who is ready to step in, but not that old.
Brock Huard: Now we are getting somewhere. But I think he is closer to Chad Hutchinson, and he doesn't have the experience that Hutchinson does. So, he still rates a "no."
Jeff Blake: Here you go. He's the answer if you are looking for a one-year deal. He has a ton of experience, he has been in several "West Coast" offenses, so he should be able to step in. He's a bit long in the tooth, but he should be fresh after not playing much last year. He could step in, help right away, and then you could say "bye-bye."
Shaun King: He's the guy if you want a longer term solution. Without a doubt. The only math I think you need to make is where you think Kyle Orton is, and where you think Chad Hutchinson is. And, I guess for that matter, what you think about Rex Grossman. I think that Orton could be a starter in the NFL. I thought he was the best combination of college QB and pro prosepect as a QB through about eight weeks of the season last year, until he got hurt. I have my doubts about Hutchinson. And I have strong doubts about Rex. So I would sign Shaun King.
So it's Blake or King. Fairly easy call.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
I advocated last year (I have at least one friend, Hot Doug, who'll back me up) that the Bears sign Chad Hutchinson before they did. And I think that he potentially can still be a good backup. I don't really know about being a real starter in this league.
But I think Da Bearss need a veteran quarterback to come in. Here are the names that are sort of being bandied about:
Vinnie Testaverde: No. Vinnie is too old. He looked not so good at the end of last year. I don't think the Bears need a 40-year-old to come in. They need a veteran, but not of WWII.
Jeff George: No. Though he had some experience with the Bears last year, there is a new offensive coordinator, so some of that advantage is lost. And, he's not had the best history of team play. I don't think Jeff is a bad idea for some teams, necessarily, but not the Bears.
Quincy Carter: No. The Jets didn't want him back. I think Q needs to go to Canada.
Tim Couch: No. The Bears probably can do better. Also, I don't know if Tim's shoulder can take two pratices in a row, much less hold up in game situations. As with Carter, I think you need someone who is ready to step in, but not that old.
Brock Huard: Now we are getting somewhere. But I think he is closer to Chad Hutchinson, and he doesn't have the experience that Hutchinson does. So, he still rates a "no."
Jeff Blake: Here you go. He's the answer if you are looking for a one-year deal. He has a ton of experience, he has been in several "West Coast" offenses, so he should be able to step in. He's a bit long in the tooth, but he should be fresh after not playing much last year. He could step in, help right away, and then you could say "bye-bye."
Shaun King: He's the guy if you want a longer term solution. Without a doubt. The only math I think you need to make is where you think Kyle Orton is, and where you think Chad Hutchinson is. And, I guess for that matter, what you think about Rex Grossman. I think that Orton could be a starter in the NFL. I thought he was the best combination of college QB and pro prosepect as a QB through about eight weeks of the season last year, until he got hurt. I have my doubts about Hutchinson. And I have strong doubts about Rex. So I would sign Shaun King.
So it's Blake or King. Fairly easy call.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Fantasy Football News: QBs list one
Fantasy Football News. Below, please find my first pass, har har, at fantasy QBs for 2005
1 Manning,Peyton IND 8 29/7 399.0
2 Culpepper,Daunte MIN 5 28/5 385.6
3 McNabb,Donovan PHI 6 29/6 366.3
4 Bulger,Marc STL 9 28/3 362.3
5 Vick,Michael ATL 8 25/4 253.2
6 Collins,Kerry OAK 5 32/10 316.0
7 Palmer,Carson CIN 10 25/2 280.9
8 Favre,Brett GB 6 35/14 309.3
9 Hasselbeck,Matt SEA 8 29/6 307.0
10 Green,Trent KC 5 35/8 347.5
11 Brady,Tom NE 7 28/4 293.9
12 Leftwich,Byron JAX 7 25/2 234.1
13 Delhomme,Jake CAR 7 30/4 247.3
14 Brooks,Aaron NO 10 29/5 265.7
15 Plummer,Jake DEN 9 30/8 296.4
16 Brees,Drew SD 10 26/4 251.3
17 Roethlisberger,Ben PIT 4 23/1 218.0
18 Carr,David HOU 3 26/3 223.0
19 Griese,Brian TB 7 30/6 247.2
20 Pennington,Chad NYJ 8 29/4 231.9
21 Boller,Kyle BAL 3 24/2 205.6
22 Grossman,Rex CHI 4 24/2 176.7
23 Warner,Kurt ARI 6 34/6 215.1
24 Manning,Eli NYG 5 24/1 188.9
25 McNair,Steve TEN 10 32/10 194.3
26 Bledsoe,Drew DAL 9 33/12 209.0
27 Losman,J.P. BUF 9 24/1 188.2
28 Harrington,Joey DET 3 26/3 143.0
29 Feeley,A.J. MIA 4 28/2 165.9
30 Ramsey,Patrick WAS 3 26/3 183.8
31 Holcomb,Kelly BUF 9 32/7 34.0
32 Smith,Alex [R] SF 6 R 92.0
33 Dilfer,Trent CLE 4 33/11 138.0
34 Rattay,Tim SF 6 28/4 133.8
35 Garcia,Jeff DET 3 35/6 130.9
36 Volek,Billy TEN 10 29/2 121.1
37 McCown,Josh ARI 6 26/3 40.4
38 Fiedler,Jay NYJ 8 33/7 22.2
39 Brunell,Mark WAS 3 34/11 20.2
40 Hutchinson,Chad CHI 4 28/3 19.8
I'll update this list later.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
1 Manning,Peyton IND 8 29/7 399.0
2 Culpepper,Daunte MIN 5 28/5 385.6
3 McNabb,Donovan PHI 6 29/6 366.3
4 Bulger,Marc STL 9 28/3 362.3
5 Vick,Michael ATL 8 25/4 253.2
6 Collins,Kerry OAK 5 32/10 316.0
7 Palmer,Carson CIN 10 25/2 280.9
8 Favre,Brett GB 6 35/14 309.3
9 Hasselbeck,Matt SEA 8 29/6 307.0
10 Green,Trent KC 5 35/8 347.5
11 Brady,Tom NE 7 28/4 293.9
12 Leftwich,Byron JAX 7 25/2 234.1
13 Delhomme,Jake CAR 7 30/4 247.3
14 Brooks,Aaron NO 10 29/5 265.7
15 Plummer,Jake DEN 9 30/8 296.4
16 Brees,Drew SD 10 26/4 251.3
17 Roethlisberger,Ben PIT 4 23/1 218.0
18 Carr,David HOU 3 26/3 223.0
19 Griese,Brian TB 7 30/6 247.2
20 Pennington,Chad NYJ 8 29/4 231.9
21 Boller,Kyle BAL 3 24/2 205.6
22 Grossman,Rex CHI 4 24/2 176.7
23 Warner,Kurt ARI 6 34/6 215.1
24 Manning,Eli NYG 5 24/1 188.9
25 McNair,Steve TEN 10 32/10 194.3
26 Bledsoe,Drew DAL 9 33/12 209.0
27 Losman,J.P. BUF 9 24/1 188.2
28 Harrington,Joey DET 3 26/3 143.0
29 Feeley,A.J. MIA 4 28/2 165.9
30 Ramsey,Patrick WAS 3 26/3 183.8
31 Holcomb,Kelly BUF 9 32/7 34.0
32 Smith,Alex [R] SF 6 R 92.0
33 Dilfer,Trent CLE 4 33/11 138.0
34 Rattay,Tim SF 6 28/4 133.8
35 Garcia,Jeff DET 3 35/6 130.9
36 Volek,Billy TEN 10 29/2 121.1
37 McCown,Josh ARI 6 26/3 40.4
38 Fiedler,Jay NYJ 8 33/7 22.2
39 Brunell,Mark WAS 3 34/11 20.2
40 Hutchinson,Chad CHI 4 28/3 19.8
I'll update this list later.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
Kenny Rogers Gambles, Beats the Bud
Kenny Rogers got his supension for knocking around two camera operators toting heavy equipment reduced from 20 days to 13 days. The fine became a charitable contribution, thus tax deductable. Which is good, 'cause you don't want multimillionaires to pay the same in taxes that a taxi driver pays.
Reading the news, I fully expected outrage from the baseball pundits, saying that this was another case of letting these guys get off easy. Instead, much to my surprise, I saw that Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune (who I am pretty sure is not related to Kenny Rogers) pretty much blasted Bud Selig. Another writer, Mike Celizic of MSNBC, did likewise. What did Bud do wrong?
Rogers writes that Bud was the person who issued the suspension, not baseball vice president in charge of issuing suspensions Bob Watson. Then Bud heard the appeal, which Bud denied.
What Kenny Rogers did was terrible. He acted like a bully. There are other instances of athletes or coaches or celebrities abusing workers doing their jobs whereever the event may be taking place. The stars of sports or the media depend on hundreds of lunchbucket folks such as camera operators, clubhouse attendants, sound engineers, and on and on, to let them bask in the glow and rake in the dough of stardom. Abusing the people who provide the entire support system that allows these people to be multimillionaires really frosts my butt. I thought that the original suspension should have been for more than 20 days.
Bud Selig needs to follow the rules, however. There needs to be some due process. He took over the whole process, grandstanding and letting everyone know that he's tough and not going to take it. Well, there are times that you need to let the process work. And this was one of those times.
Unfortunately, this looks like one of those stories that there is no real satisfactory outcome.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
Reading the news, I fully expected outrage from the baseball pundits, saying that this was another case of letting these guys get off easy. Instead, much to my surprise, I saw that Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune (who I am pretty sure is not related to Kenny Rogers) pretty much blasted Bud Selig. Another writer, Mike Celizic of MSNBC, did likewise. What did Bud do wrong?
Rogers writes that Bud was the person who issued the suspension, not baseball vice president in charge of issuing suspensions Bob Watson. Then Bud heard the appeal, which Bud denied.
What Kenny Rogers did was terrible. He acted like a bully. There are other instances of athletes or coaches or celebrities abusing workers doing their jobs whereever the event may be taking place. The stars of sports or the media depend on hundreds of lunchbucket folks such as camera operators, clubhouse attendants, sound engineers, and on and on, to let them bask in the glow and rake in the dough of stardom. Abusing the people who provide the entire support system that allows these people to be multimillionaires really frosts my butt. I thought that the original suspension should have been for more than 20 days.
Bud Selig needs to follow the rules, however. There needs to be some due process. He took over the whole process, grandstanding and letting everyone know that he's tough and not going to take it. Well, there are times that you need to let the process work. And this was one of those times.
Unfortunately, this looks like one of those stories that there is no real satisfactory outcome.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
Saturday, August 06, 2005
John Bolton: Who's Call Is It, Anyway?
If lovin' John Bolton is wrong, W don't wanta be right.
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2005/08/02/bolton/index.html
Ian Williams wrote a piece in Salon regarding John Bolton's recess appointment to the U.N. I share in its conclusion that the democrats would be wise to not try to block John Bolton. My reasoning is different, however. Ian Williams says that if the dems were truly partisan, they would rejoice this as a bad thing for the Bush administration.
My reasoning that the democrats should cease the delaying tactics is because the president, I believe, has the right to pick many of the people in the administration, right or wrong. I believe Bolton is wrong, maybe as wrong as you can get, for this particular position. But that's the pres's call. I think the dems are working this to their disadvantage. I don't think the lunchbuckets worry who the U.N. Ambassador is. The dems, trust me, have other things to worry about.
Federal courts, now that's different. Attorney General, that's a closer call. Secretary to the United Nations, even one as fun-loving and open-minded as John Bolton, that's is W's call, even if he is one of the worst candidates that there is. Which he is.
thankyouverymuch,
old cleat
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2005/08/02/bolton/index.html
Ian Williams wrote a piece in Salon regarding John Bolton's recess appointment to the U.N. I share in its conclusion that the democrats would be wise to not try to block John Bolton. My reasoning is different, however. Ian Williams says that if the dems were truly partisan, they would rejoice this as a bad thing for the Bush administration.
My reasoning that the democrats should cease the delaying tactics is because the president, I believe, has the right to pick many of the people in the administration, right or wrong. I believe Bolton is wrong, maybe as wrong as you can get, for this particular position. But that's the pres's call. I think the dems are working this to their disadvantage. I don't think the lunchbuckets worry who the U.N. Ambassador is. The dems, trust me, have other things to worry about.
Federal courts, now that's different. Attorney General, that's a closer call. Secretary to the United Nations, even one as fun-loving and open-minded as John Bolton, that's is W's call, even if he is one of the worst candidates that there is. Which he is.
thankyouverymuch,
old cleat
Pat Harmon, Sports Editor and Football History Writer, Retires
This is from Fred Mitchell's "Around Town" column in the Chicago Tribune on July 21, 2005:
Pat Harmon, whose career as a sportswriter and editor spanned more than 70 years, has retired as the historian for the National Football Foundation&College Hall of Fame. Harmon began his career in 1933 covering events at age 17 for the Freeport (Ill.) Journal Standard during the Depression. He served as sports editor and columnist for the Cincinnati Post for more than 34 years, starting in 1951. Harmon, who will turn 89 on Sept. 2, covered such greats as Vince Lombardi, Pete Rose, Casey Stengel, Arnold Palmer, Eddie Robinson, John Wooden, Paul "Bear" Bryant, Jack Nicklaus, Woody Hayes, Paul Brown and Joe Louis. Harmon also wrote for the Champaign News-Gazette in 1934 when he became a student at the University of Illinois. He may be known best for inaugurating the selection of All-State high school football and basketball teams in Illinois.
Pat Harmon was one of those guys I wanted to be while growing up in Cincinnati. He was the sports editor for the Post, which was then (and is now) the No. 2 paper in Cincy to the Enquirer. My family had both subscriptions. The Enquirer was a morning paper, and the Post was the afternoon paper. And I used to read both. Especially the sports sections.
Pat was Old School. He covered the Reds before Frank Robinson was on the team, for Pete's sake. He covered Paul Brown as a new (and highly successful) coach in the NFL for the Browns. So by the time I started reading his stuff, he KNEW Frank Robinson and the trade that sent him to the Orioles. He KNEW Paul Brown and the baby Bengals. He was a part of the history.
The below item was all I could find in his old paper, the Cincinnati Post:
http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050719/SPT/507190316/-1/all
MORRISTOWN, N.J.
Football historian Harmon retires
Pat Harmon retired as historian of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame.
"Pat has dedicated himself to the reporting, researching and publicizing of sports, in particular football, for more than 70 years," NFF chairman Jon F. Hanson said in a statement Monday. "We have been privileged to have an individual with his depth of knowledge as a resource for our organization and the entire nation."
Harmon began his career in 1933, covering events for the Freeport Journal Standard in Illinois at the age of 17. Harmon later spent 34 years at The Cincinnati Post as a sports editor and columnist. He retired in 1986, and began his tenure as NFF historian.
"The job has been wonderful," Harmon, 89, said in the statement. "It's the contact with people that I will miss the most. Every day, I think about something that
I could be doing. But, heck, I am almost 90 years old. It's time to retire."
http://www.footballfoundation.com/news.php?id=290
http://www.footballfoundation.com/news.php?id=650
Pat Harmon, whose career as a sportswriter and editor spanned more than 70 years, has retired as the historian for the National Football Foundation&College Hall of Fame. Harmon began his career in 1933 covering events at age 17 for the Freeport (Ill.) Journal Standard during the Depression. He served as sports editor and columnist for the Cincinnati Post for more than 34 years, starting in 1951. Harmon, who will turn 89 on Sept. 2, covered such greats as Vince Lombardi, Pete Rose, Casey Stengel, Arnold Palmer, Eddie Robinson, John Wooden, Paul "Bear" Bryant, Jack Nicklaus, Woody Hayes, Paul Brown and Joe Louis. Harmon also wrote for the Champaign News-Gazette in 1934 when he became a student at the University of Illinois. He may be known best for inaugurating the selection of All-State high school football and basketball teams in Illinois.
Pat Harmon was one of those guys I wanted to be while growing up in Cincinnati. He was the sports editor for the Post, which was then (and is now) the No. 2 paper in Cincy to the Enquirer. My family had both subscriptions. The Enquirer was a morning paper, and the Post was the afternoon paper. And I used to read both. Especially the sports sections.
Pat was Old School. He covered the Reds before Frank Robinson was on the team, for Pete's sake. He covered Paul Brown as a new (and highly successful) coach in the NFL for the Browns. So by the time I started reading his stuff, he KNEW Frank Robinson and the trade that sent him to the Orioles. He KNEW Paul Brown and the baby Bengals. He was a part of the history.
The below item was all I could find in his old paper, the Cincinnati Post:
http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050719/SPT/507190316/-1/all
MORRISTOWN, N.J.
Football historian Harmon retires
Pat Harmon retired as historian of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame.
"Pat has dedicated himself to the reporting, researching and publicizing of sports, in particular football, for more than 70 years," NFF chairman Jon F. Hanson said in a statement Monday. "We have been privileged to have an individual with his depth of knowledge as a resource for our organization and the entire nation."
Harmon began his career in 1933, covering events for the Freeport Journal Standard in Illinois at the age of 17. Harmon later spent 34 years at The Cincinnati Post as a sports editor and columnist. He retired in 1986, and began his tenure as NFF historian.
"The job has been wonderful," Harmon, 89, said in the statement. "It's the contact with people that I will miss the most. Every day, I think about something that
I could be doing. But, heck, I am almost 90 years old. It's time to retire."
http://www.footballfoundation.com/news.php?id=290
http://www.footballfoundation.com/news.php?id=650
Jim Parker's Stays at Woody's Dorm; NCAA Blows Football History Top
I was saddened to read about the passing of Jim Parker, the legendary Ohio State Buckeye and Baltimore Colt lineman, who was one of the best players in football history.
In reading the obits, I was struck with one in the Baltimore Sun recounting his history as an Ohio State football player. First there was a little item on the weight that he gained. But the bigger item was where he stayed.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/bal-sp.parker19jul19,1,2919229.story?coll=bal-sports-headlines
First of all, he gained nearly 100 pounds. Parker was a big lineman for his time. So if he weighed 290 pounds, let's say, he would have had to have been about a 200 pounder as a high school player for the nearly 100 pounds he gained.
But, second of all, he stayed at the head coach's house. How do you think the suits at the NCAA would react to that today? Can you imagine the hubbub that would ensue today? It would be the biggest uproar in football history.
Hard to imagine.
thankyouverymuch,
old cleat
In reading the obits, I was struck with one in the Baltimore Sun recounting his history as an Ohio State football player. First there was a little item on the weight that he gained. But the bigger item was where he stayed.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/bal-sp.parker19jul19,1,2919229.story?coll=bal-sports-headlines
"When I'm gone, I'd like to be known as the best offensive lineman that
ever lived," Parker told The Sun in a 2000 interview. "I set that goal as a
college freshman, but I didn't get bodacious about it until later.
"You don't broadcast goals 'til it's all over."
Four years later, Parker had gained nearly 100 pounds and a college football scholarship. At Ohio State, where few blacks lived on campus, he stayed at the home of the late Woody Hayes, the Buckeyes' head coach, who would introduce Parker at his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973.
First of all, he gained nearly 100 pounds. Parker was a big lineman for his time. So if he weighed 290 pounds, let's say, he would have had to have been about a 200 pounder as a high school player for the nearly 100 pounds he gained.
But, second of all, he stayed at the head coach's house. How do you think the suits at the NCAA would react to that today? Can you imagine the hubbub that would ensue today? It would be the biggest uproar in football history.
Hard to imagine.
thankyouverymuch,
old cleat
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Backup Quarterbacks Could Make Gridiron News
Seth Wickersham, a gridiron news writer for ESPN The Magazine, recently wrote in his blog:
“They are the QBs who start the year on the bench or with no expectations and rise up to a Pro Bowl or Super Bowl near you. Here are a quick five who might some about this year.”
Then he listed the following five:
5. Tony Banks, Houston.
4. Gus Frerotte, Miami.
3. Joey Harrington, Detroit.
2. Kyle Boller, Baltimore.
1. Jason Campbell, Washington.
I agree maybe with one of these picks, Tony Banks. Kyle Boller and Joey Harrington are former first-round picks who are starters, for crying out loud. They have to have some expectations, so they don’t count. Gus Frerotte is a former starter who is not really a backup. He is competing for a starting job under a new coach. So he don’t count. And Jason Campbell is a first-round pick this year who is the designated QB of the future for Joe Gibbs and Co. So Campbell don’t count.
My list has five QBs who would really be surprises to lead his team to the playoffs, or to make a Pro Bowl:
5. Todd Bouman, New Orleans. Not the QB of the present or the future. He also could be a third stringer that we never hear from again. But I’ve seen him play, and he can play some QB in the NFL.
4. Tim Hasselbeck, New York Giants. Picture this: Eli’s not getting it done. The Giants don’t have patience. They bring in a Hasselbeck, and he gets it done. I can see it now. Not a pro bowler, but I can see a playoff run behind Timmy.
3. Marques Tuiasosopo, Oakland. Now this would be a real surprise. He is behind Collins, he’s been hurt, and they drafted that Walter kid outta Arizona State, who I really like. But I can see him lofting pass after pass to Moss. And let’s face it: Nobody really knows about San Diego.
2. Anthony Wright, Baltimore. This would surprise the world (well, maybe not the world), but not me. I think Wright may outplay Kyle Boller early in camp. And if Boller struggles during the season, it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see Wright under center. Athletic, strong arm, pretty darned good team around him, save maybe for the wideouts. What the hell. I could see Wright go far in the playoffs.
1. Kelly Holcolmbe, Buffalo. This is a no-brainer. I think Holcolmbe can flat out get it done. I have no real opinion on J.P. Losman other than I thought it was a terrible waste of picks to get him. Saw him a little in college and wasn’t real impressed. But Holcolmbe can play. Don’t pay attention to some of the crapola that happened in Cleveland. This kid’s a QB. I’m sayin’ he could make the Pro Bowl.
Well, that's the gridiron news for now. thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
“They are the QBs who start the year on the bench or with no expectations and rise up to a Pro Bowl or Super Bowl near you. Here are a quick five who might some about this year.”
Then he listed the following five:
5. Tony Banks, Houston.
4. Gus Frerotte, Miami.
3. Joey Harrington, Detroit.
2. Kyle Boller, Baltimore.
1. Jason Campbell, Washington.
I agree maybe with one of these picks, Tony Banks. Kyle Boller and Joey Harrington are former first-round picks who are starters, for crying out loud. They have to have some expectations, so they don’t count. Gus Frerotte is a former starter who is not really a backup. He is competing for a starting job under a new coach. So he don’t count. And Jason Campbell is a first-round pick this year who is the designated QB of the future for Joe Gibbs and Co. So Campbell don’t count.
My list has five QBs who would really be surprises to lead his team to the playoffs, or to make a Pro Bowl:
5. Todd Bouman, New Orleans. Not the QB of the present or the future. He also could be a third stringer that we never hear from again. But I’ve seen him play, and he can play some QB in the NFL.
4. Tim Hasselbeck, New York Giants. Picture this: Eli’s not getting it done. The Giants don’t have patience. They bring in a Hasselbeck, and he gets it done. I can see it now. Not a pro bowler, but I can see a playoff run behind Timmy.
3. Marques Tuiasosopo, Oakland. Now this would be a real surprise. He is behind Collins, he’s been hurt, and they drafted that Walter kid outta Arizona State, who I really like. But I can see him lofting pass after pass to Moss. And let’s face it: Nobody really knows about San Diego.
2. Anthony Wright, Baltimore. This would surprise the world (well, maybe not the world), but not me. I think Wright may outplay Kyle Boller early in camp. And if Boller struggles during the season, it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see Wright under center. Athletic, strong arm, pretty darned good team around him, save maybe for the wideouts. What the hell. I could see Wright go far in the playoffs.
1. Kelly Holcolmbe, Buffalo. This is a no-brainer. I think Holcolmbe can flat out get it done. I have no real opinion on J.P. Losman other than I thought it was a terrible waste of picks to get him. Saw him a little in college and wasn’t real impressed. But Holcolmbe can play. Don’t pay attention to some of the crapola that happened in Cleveland. This kid’s a QB. I’m sayin’ he could make the Pro Bowl.
Well, that's the gridiron news for now. thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Terry Hoeppner Makes the Right Call
Below is the text of an email that I sent to Matt Hayes, the The Sporting News college football reporter. It is regarding a head coach that I admire quite a bit, Terry Hoeppner.
Below is the link to the article (really a sidebar to an article) discussing head coaching prospects at mid-majors who will be prospects for BCS jobs. I pulled the quote concerning Gregg Brandon, which discusses Hoeppner's decision to move to Indiana.
http://www.sportingnews.com/exclusives/20050616/626096.html
Well, that's all for now.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
Mr. Hayes:
I have to respectfully disagree with you regarding Terry Hoeppner. You chararcterized him as a hot mid-major head coach who jumped
at the first big-program job offer that he received, Indiana. Your implication,
I believe, was that taking the Indiana job was a big mistake, and that he could
have held out for a better job.
I am a Miami grad and love MAC football. In the past three years, when a job opened at a major program, I had never heard Hoeppner's name mentioned once. Maybe you can let on as to which jobs those were. Most of the hot coaches from the mid-majors, it seems to me, are late 30-somethings or 40-somethings who have head coached in the lower ranks and who are offensive-minded coaches. Hoeppner was a career defensive coordinator who was a 50-something solid guy. He wasn't Urban
Meyer.
Hoeppner grew up in Indiana, went to college in Indiana (though not AT Indiana), and I take him at his word that he really wanted to coach the Hoosiers. I'm sure it was the best decision he could have made. It is a good BCS job near his home.
I am sure that he will run the Hoosiers the right way, building them with solid kids who work hard. It is going to take some time. Looks to me like the cupboard is a little barren at the present time.
Of course, the administration and the fans at IU may not give him the time he needs. But they fire coaches in the MAC, too. All you have to do is look at the rise and the fall of Gary Darnell at Western Michigan to realize that staying put at Miami has its risks, too. One injury to, say, Josh Betts, and you're looking at a 3-8 record . . . . I appreciate your time.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
Below is the link to the article (really a sidebar to an article) discussing head coaching prospects at mid-majors who will be prospects for BCS jobs. I pulled the quote concerning Gregg Brandon, which discusses Hoeppner's decision to move to Indiana.
http://www.sportingnews.com/exclusives/20050616/626096.html
Gregg Brandon, Bowling Green. The architect of Urban Meyer's offense at Bowling
Green, Brandon has further developed the system and has other MAC teams lifting
his schemes and pass sets. He has 20 wins in two seasons and has proved he can
develop a young, raw quarterback into a big-time talent (Omar Jacobs). Brandon
won't make the same mistake Terry Hoeppner made by diving into the first BCS job
that's offered. A MAC rising star at Miami (Ohio), Hoeppner is the new coach at
Indiana
Well, that's all for now.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
Saturday, July 09, 2005
Jim Leyland May Skipper the Wishbone C
Being a fan of the Reds, one of the more encouraging things I've read in a while is that Jim Leyland could maybe kinda sorta be a managerial candidate for the Wishbone C.
I wanted Dave Miley to last at least throughout the year. If he would have turned it around in the second half, I would have been up for reupping him.
But that didn't happen. Jerry Narron is an interim manager. That's fine. I hope that he is one of the interviewees for the permanent job. That would be fine, too.
What happened in the first half of 2005 wasn't a managerial thing. It wasn't even an offseason 2004 thing. It was a long time in coming. It's systemic. The system is broken and needs a lot of work to get it fixed. There were too many huge problems that re-signing Paul Wilson and acquiring Ramon Ortiz and Eric Milton weren't going to fix, even if they hadn't blown up. Two games under .500 and 17 games under .500 is the same thing if you really truly can't compete.
Anyway, here is a link to the article regarding Jim Leyland, and I pulled the end quote.
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/102-07062005-511074.html
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
I wanted Dave Miley to last at least throughout the year. If he would have turned it around in the second half, I would have been up for reupping him.
But that didn't happen. Jerry Narron is an interim manager. That's fine. I hope that he is one of the interviewees for the permanent job. That would be fine, too.
What happened in the first half of 2005 wasn't a managerial thing. It wasn't even an offseason 2004 thing. It was a long time in coming. It's systemic. The system is broken and needs a lot of work to get it fixed. There were too many huge problems that re-signing Paul Wilson and acquiring Ramon Ortiz and Eric Milton weren't going to fix, even if they hadn't blown up. Two games under .500 and 17 games under .500 is the same thing if you really truly can't compete.
Anyway, here is a link to the article regarding Jim Leyland, and I pulled the end quote.
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/102-07062005-511074.html
By RANDY MILLERWell, that's all for now.
phillyBurbs.com
... "I think I can run a major league team, and I think I know what I'm
doing."
Leyland wants one more crack at managing, but on his terms. He doesn't want
to stray too far from his suburban Pittsburgh home, which narrows his options.
Leyland isn't saying, but he'd probably only return to Pittsburgh or go to
Cleveland, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, New York, Washington or Boston. His best
bet could be Cincinnati, which hired Jerry Narron as interim manager after
firing Dave Miley last month.
"I want to manage again if it's the right situation,"Leyland said. "I'm not
going to sit here and campaign for a job that somebody else has. That's not my
style."
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
More Hank Stram
Len Pasquarelli on espn.com does a great job. I always enjoy reading his columns.
Anyway, he had a nice rememberance of Hank Stram.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=2100503
I've pulled another interesting fact out of this, as well.
I do remember Morris Stroud. Given how athletic big men in college basketball are nowadays, it surprises me that there isn't a Morris Stroud for this generation.
I remember watching Antonio Gates play basketball for Kent State. I actually think I have videotape of him playing against Miami U in some MAC tourney game somewhere. He was a great college basketball player. But that's not what I'm talking about.
I'm talking about someone like Lawrence Roberts from Mississippi State. Or better yet, Dwayne Jones of St. Joes, who wasn't drafted. 6-11, 250. Put him in a weight room for a year, have him run 100 end zone patterns a day, and in 2006 you have a real matchup problem for other teams.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
Anyway, he had a nice rememberance of Hank Stram.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=2100503
I've pulled another interesting fact out of this, as well.
Given his own stature, Stram had a soft spot for vertically-challenged
players, no doubt. At the same time, though, he was fascinated by raw size.
He brought the tallest player in NFL history, 6-feet-10 tight end Morris Stroud,
into the league in 1970. Not only did he design red zone plays specifically
to create size mismatches for Stroud, but Stram also positioned him under the goal
posts, where he was instructed to try to swat away long field goal attempts.
Little known is that Stram once spent several hours attempting to convince
the splendid seven-footer Wilt Chamberlain to give the NFL a try.
I do remember Morris Stroud. Given how athletic big men in college basketball are nowadays, it surprises me that there isn't a Morris Stroud for this generation.
I remember watching Antonio Gates play basketball for Kent State. I actually think I have videotape of him playing against Miami U in some MAC tourney game somewhere. He was a great college basketball player. But that's not what I'm talking about.
I'm talking about someone like Lawrence Roberts from Mississippi State. Or better yet, Dwayne Jones of St. Joes, who wasn't drafted. 6-11, 250. Put him in a weight room for a year, have him run 100 end zone patterns a day, and in 2006 you have a real matchup problem for other teams.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Hank Stram died on July 4, 2005
Hank Stram died on July 4, 2005.Just recently, I remember watching an NFL Films documentary called "The Original Six Days to Sunday." Stram of course let NFL Films get complete access to the Saints in 1976 as they prepared for a division game against the Falcons. Stram was fired before they did all the production work on the film, so they let it sit in the vaults for years before finishing it.
It was a great film. It showed Stram working with Bobby Douglass to break down game film and to become a finished product as an NFL quarterback.
Hopefully, the NFL Network or ESPN Classic will replay the film in the next few days or weeks.
Here are some other interesting things I found out about Coach Stram.
Stram won the 1948 Big Ten Medal for combining athletics and academics.
From some additional research, I found out that John Wooden won the award at Purdue in 1932.
I've linked to some of the better obits that I've found. And I pulled some quotes that interested me. I will say that I've read several columns by Jerry Magee and I love his stuff.
Stram also has a reputation of being a innovator. There are three that I would like to investigate further. The full-time conditioning coach was credited to Stram in some of the obits. The use of the zone defense in the AFL, at least, if not the zone defense itself was credited to Stram. And, Lenny Dawson said that the Chiefs were running the West Coast offense before the West Coast offense. I don't know if these are accurate or not, but I'd like to find out.
Below please find the interesting quotes.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/nfl/20050705-9999-_1s5stram.html
By Jerry Magee
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
July 5, 2005
Two
coaches arguably had more to do with American Football League teams achieving
permanence than any others. One was the Chargers' Sid Gillman, the other Stram.
Gillman, who died in January 2003 at age 91, respected Stram. "Good plays,"
Gillman would say. But he also felt he could read Stram. One of Gillman's
deductions was that when a Stram team would get behind, it would begin blitzing.
Joe Horrigan noted that under Stram, the Chiefs were among the first
professional teams to recognize the talent pool contained in historically black
schools.
Henry Louis Stram was the son of a professional wrestler from
Gary, Ind. At Purdue, he was a running back in 1942 and in 1946-47.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3252592
By MICKEY HERSKOWITZ
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
Stram fought
the battle of Dallas, where the Cowboys and Texans both drew so poorly that a
playoff was suggested, with the winning team getting to leave town.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/football/nfl/kansas_city_chiefs/12057041.htm
By RANDY COVITZ
The Kansas City Star
Stram was born Jan. 2, 1923, in
Chicago and grew up in Gary, Ind., where his Polish-born father was a tailor and
professional wrestler named Henry Wilszek, who performed for the Barnum &
Bailey circus. The circus changed his surname to Stram.
Although his
parents discouraged him from playing football, Hank Stram became a star athlete
in football, baseball, basketball and track at Lew Wallace High in Gary, earning
all-state honors as a halfback.
Stram enrolled at Purdue University on a
football scholarship in 1941 and enlisted in the Army reserve in 1943. He
remained in the service for three years, returning to Purdue in 1946 and earning
his degree in 1948. He lettered in football and baseball at Purdue, and as a
senior he received the Big Ten Medal, awarded to the conference athlete who best
combines athletics with academics.
Stram spent the next 12 seasons as an
assistant at Purdue, SMU, Notre Dame and Miami (Fla.) before Hunt hired him as
the head coach of the Dallas Texans of the fledgling AFL.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/12053348.htm
By RANDY COVITZ
The Kansas City Star
"I don't know if there is
anything ever new in football, but we were doing things in the `60s that teams
are doing now," said Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson. "Hank came up with so
many new twists and doesn't get the credit he deserves.
"He wasn't
afraid to try things. Back in those days, guys didn't try anything. They pretty
much stayed with what the Green Bay Packers or New York Giants were doing. Well,
Hank decided let's do some things different. We were playing the West Coast
offense before it was the West Coast offense."
And Stram deployed zone
defenses in the early 1960s as a way to combat the wide-open passing games of
the AFL when teams were loath to defend receivers in anything but man-to-man
coverage.
Stram attributed that defense to the Texans' intercepting five
passes in the 1962 AFL championship win over Houston.
http://www.nola.com/sports/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-19/1120543067262410.xml
The Times-Picayune
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Peter Finney
What
befell Coach Stram at the end of a long career, a two-year pit stop for John
Mecom's Saints, did nothing to tarnish the résumé of the most successful coach
in the history of the AFL.
Without a doubt, Hank's finest hour with the
Saints had more to do with the owner who fired him in Kansas City, Lamar Hunt,
than the man who brought him to the Big Easy.
Perhaps old-timers will
remember.
All the Saints had to do to sew up a 20-17 victory at
Arrowhead Stadium in 1976 was run out the clock. They were near the Kansas City
end zone with the final seconds ticking down when Stram called time. He told a
surprised Bobby Scott, his quarterback, "now we're going to shove it to 'em."
Scott threw a touchdown pass to tight end Henry Childs to make it 27-17.
"I wanted that last one," Hank said afterward. "Maybe these people will
learn to do their talking after the game, not before."
During the week,
Chiefs coach Paul Wiggin was quoted as saying, "I'd like to kick Stram's butt."
After the game, as Stram was being carried from the field, running back Chuck
Muncie ran over to Wiggin and handed him a poster-sized reproduction of his
words.
All and all, it was a strange setting. Stram had been best man at
Lamar Hunt's wedding. And that's not all. At the time, the coach and his former
boss were in the courts, trying to settle Hank's contract with Kansas City, a
10-year, $100,000-a-year deal terminated with seven years remaining.
So
it made for a memorable postgame scene, the Strams leaving Arrowhead Stadium
linked arm-in-arm, Hank, wife Phyllis, two sons, two daughters, all of them
singing, "When the Saints . . ."
It was right out of Dorothy and
friends, in the "Wizard of Oz," walking the Yellow Brick Road.
Hank had
found his Saints rainbow.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
Saturday, July 02, 2005
What is the Best Hot Dog in Chicago? Hot Doug's
If you are in Chicago, and you have a hankerin' for the best hot dog you'll ever taste, or any other kind of sausage, you should visit Hot Doug's.
Several years ago, three coworkers and myself set out to find the best hot dog on the north side of Chicago. We reviewed more than 40 joints, and we found several that were to our liking, such as Superdawg and Byron's. But one of the members of the Hot Dog Club, Doug Sohn, did us all one better. He went out and became Hot Doug.
Doug opened his humble little sausage joint, and nobody took notice.
Just kidding.
This man had a half-page, four-color picture of himself in the New York Times, for R.W. Apple's sake. Doug is a media trollop.
Regardless, he does make on tasty hot dog. And he makes all sorts of sausages.
And if you have bratwurst on the brain, I urge you to get the Paul Kelly. And tell Doug that Old Cleat sent you.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
Several years ago, three coworkers and myself set out to find the best hot dog on the north side of Chicago. We reviewed more than 40 joints, and we found several that were to our liking, such as Superdawg and Byron's. But one of the members of the Hot Dog Club, Doug Sohn, did us all one better. He went out and became Hot Doug.
Doug opened his humble little sausage joint, and nobody took notice.
Just kidding.
This man had a half-page, four-color picture of himself in the New York Times, for R.W. Apple's sake. Doug is a media trollop.
Regardless, he does make on tasty hot dog. And he makes all sorts of sausages.
And if you have bratwurst on the brain, I urge you to get the Paul Kelly. And tell Doug that Old Cleat sent you.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
Friday, July 01, 2005
The Previews Are Here
The football preview magazines are here. I am just digging into them now.
I am a Street and Smith's guy. Always have been. There are other preview magazines with better information, but I just have a thing about SandS. There was a little problem a while back with the infatuation with four-color photography, but the've gotten over that.
I think TSN does a fabulous job.
Well, gotta run.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
I am a Street and Smith's guy. Always have been. There are other preview magazines with better information, but I just have a thing about SandS. There was a little problem a while back with the infatuation with four-color photography, but the've gotten over that.
I think TSN does a fabulous job.
Well, gotta run.
thankyouverymuch,
Old Cleat
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