I'm sure nobody will ever forget where they were six years go to this day. I was at school getting ready for class when one of my fellow students told me about the horrific news that a plane flew into one of the towers. I didn't believe it at first, because the total shock factor was tremendous. But when one of the teachers went down the hallway in tears, that's when I knew that our country would never be the same. That night, there were a lot of local TV stations that weren't operating because their signals were operated from atop the towers that were then no more. I live near Kennedy Airport in New York, and planes fly over my head constantly, but a sense of fear and sadness fell over me when I heard the loud whizzing of the fighter jets over my home. Our country would never be the same. Our nation as a whole didn't feel safe, but us as New Yorkers and as Americans came together with pride, honor, and unity. We didn't know how to deal with such a catastrophic day, but we knew that if we rallied together, that we'd pull through and persevere.
Obviously, the sports world came to a stand still. The Yankees or Mets didn't play, NASCAR postponed its race, and the NFL postponed its week 2 games. It's like the entire city of New York was stabbed right in the heart, we lost so many of our own. But the nation came together in support of the NYPD and FDNY. Even the Jet fans would agree that at that time that we were all patriots. Sports was obviously far from being even close to important, but the 2001 New York Yankees may have been the most important Yankee team of all time. It helped heal an entire city, and those Yankees were one of my favorite teams of all time. They brought New York together, and even the most heated of Yankee haters couldn't help but root for a team that brought America back to life.
When baseball came back to New York after the attacks, it breathed life into the city. After a week, people wanted a distraction and just a time allotted for normalcy be it 4 quarters or in that case 9 blissful innings. God Bless America was sung during the 7th inning stretch and still is at Yankee Stadium to this day, but baseball instituted this singing across the country, from sea to shining sea.
The Yankees made the postseason and played the A's at home in the division series. The city was as hyped as can be as the Yankees represented the resilient city. And resiliency was needed as they droped the first 2 games at home to upstart Oakland, facing elimination out west. In game 3, Mike Mussina was absolutely brilliant and Derek Jeter's defensive play is still a highlight shown in the anals of postseason history. The Yankees stared a deficit down, and fought back winning the series in 5 games. New York then faced Seattle in the ALCS, a team that won 116 regular season games. Their calm, cool, and composed nature about them was the embodiment of the New York spirit as they defeated the M's in 5 games to go to the World Series.
As you know, the Yankees were stunned by Arizona in an incredibly exciting 7 game series, but the city was brought to life by the Yankee story, and the city was nearly off the ground when Jeter and Tino Martinez hit huge homers in game 4, and Scott Brosius tied it up in game 5 and New York ended up with a win in 12 innings. That state of euphoria in which New York was under was the perfect remedy to the 9/11 ills, and more then filled the void of a city that needed a boost.
September 11th is a date that will never be forgotten in American history, but let us also not forget when one team lifted a city that was mercilessly brought to its knees. I hope everyone has a meanigful day, and God Bless America.
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Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
NFL Daily Presents: The NFL Analytical Assault
All the analysis of what happened week one. Get it here, now.
- The Colts defense was as good as it was last postseason. That's a very scary thought. Indy scored 31 unanswered points in the 2nd half and smothered the Saints 41-10. Bush and McAllister were held to 38 rushing yards each on 22 carries. That's unbelievable. Drew Brees only averaged 4.7 yards a completion, one of the worst single game marks ever. Bob Sanders is so good going into the box and pursuing ball carriers to make stops. Peyton Manning was good as expected, Joseph Addai looked fabulous, and Jason David of New Orleans looked lost. He got scorched, burnt to a crisp, blow torched. There seemed to have been a lot of end arounds and reverses in the game, and I asked Doug Kretz of Scouts' INC if that was going to be a trend this season from a lot of teams. "No, I think that both offensive coordinators (and head coaches) are not afraid to use "gimmic" plays. It just happened to fit these two teams."
- Jason Elam is clutch. Nothing else to it. The way he showed leadership by getting his team in position. My hats off to him. Roscoe Parrish was the special teamer that did the early damage in this one. More big plays on special teams happen in the first 2 weeks then the rest of the season. Teams usually juggle their rosters in the preseason and that's why there are so many blown coverages and fumbled returns. Regardless, JP Losman had 97 passing yards on 16 completions! Marshawn Lynch had a good game, but Lee Evans was non existent as expected. From the stats, it's amazing how the Broncos didn't blow Buffalo out. I think that the Broncos are much better then the score indicated. Watch out for them. My thoughts and prayers go out to Kevin Everett.
- Brady Quinn may be in earlier then expected, as the Browns were awful in ever aspect of the game against Pittsburgh. Jamal Lewis had 35 yards rushing, and Anderson and Frye were a combined 17/38 passing. Kellen Winslow was the only Brown who had a good game. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said that he was going to open up the offense, and Cleveland had no answer. Willie Parker was a stud, and Big Ben threw 4 TD's to 4 different WR's. Santonio Holmes looks like he'll be finding the end zone quite often. The end didn't come fast enough for the Browns.
- Special teams cost Philadelphia a ball game. A bobbled punt by JR Reed allowed the game winning field goal with 2 seconds left. I'm surprised that the Philly fans haven't pulled a Dallas. Why haven't they shot JR yet? Green Bay's D looked very formidable and Brett Favre and the offense did just enough. Donovan McNabb will have rust, it's going to happen. The Eagles need to have patience. Brian Westbrook played well, Brandon Jackson did not. The game was even, but special teams was the theme.
- Carolina really surprised me the way they played. Delhomme was excellent, and the Panthers proved that they had receiving weapons not named Smith. Foster and Williams were tremendous, but the big story is the loss of Orlando Pace for the season for St Louis. It changes the way St. Louis runs their entire offense. Stephen Jackson can't use the left side like he would if Pace would be in there, and Bulger's protection is now greatly in question. They rely on high completion percentages when Bulger has a lot of time to step up and survey his options, this could prove very costly for St Louis. Props to the Carolina D.
- Adrian Peterson may have had more talent then anyone on either side combined. 163 all purpose yards, and the defense scored 2 TD's. Dunn was bad, Norwood was good, Atlanta made a terrible decision in starting the vet. Tarvaris Jackson didn't play too poorly, but Joey Harrington threw 2 costly picks. The Falcons are doomed.
- Cheating or not cheating would not have stopped Randy Moss and the Patriots. The Jets probably would not have scored 38 points if given 6 quarters, and it would not have mattered if the Pats spied on New York's inability to cover kickoffs. Brady was masterful and didn't even need to utilize 2nd WR Donte' Stallworth. Maroney was solid, and Wes Welker showed why the Pats gave up such a high pick to get him. I really like Jim Nantz's comparison of Welker as a faster Wayne Chrebet. He's that speedy 3rd down possession receiver with even more speed then the former Jet. Mike Vrabel was a force, and we really saw Adalius Thomas' ability to cover a receiver, even the fast Jerricho Cotchery. On the spy front, I expect the Pats to lose draft picks, a forfeit is almost 100% out of the question. In the wise words of Chris Collinsworth, "The AFC race is over." That's bulletin board material for "Mangenious" if I've ever heard of one.
- That hail mary pass at the end of regulation that Randle El almost punched in was incredible. Trent Green actually played surprisingly well. Ronnie Brown surprisingly played like garbage. Chris Chambers did a nice job, but the Dolphin defense could not stop the two pronged Skins attack of Portis and Betts, who combined for 157 on the ground. Randle El had 162 receiving yards and is trying to make up for the rest of his tenure in DC in which calling it a bust would be a tremendous understatement. Jason Campbell didn't impress me, he still has a lot to learn and a large amount of lumps to take.
- If Jacksonville has a run defense, it did an unbelievably amazing job of running away in week 1 against Tennessee. Vince Young accounted for just 100 yards total, and they still won! Chris Brown isn't even a certefiable starting back, how does Jack del Rio explain giving up a buck and three quarters to this stiff? I may be overreacting, but JDR's ass is on the line this season. He's basically riding his career on Garrard who actually did pretty well and a defense that had as poor of an outing as you'll see from a unit that's supposed to be their strength, because it's sure as hell not your running game, (72 total yards) or your passing game led by Browns reject Dennis Northcut. del Rio may want to keep his house in Jacksonville, I heard they have a nice retirement complex for the old and unemployed.
- And save a spot for Herm Edwards, will ya Jack? Speaking of jack, that's what the Chiefs did against Houston. Huard and Croyle are stiffs, and Edwards only carried LJ 10 times sticking to his policy of resting LJ and trying to suck as much as humanly possible. I said in my predictions that Andre Johnson would go off, and he did going off for a buck forty two and a score. Ahman Green did nicely, and he'll have to continue to do well so young Matt Schaub can manage this offense. Mario Williams looked great this week (unlike the two players drafted behind him) and may just end up validating getting picked first. It's going to be a loooooong year in KC.
- Jon Kitna may be on to something with the Lions. In prevous years, the Lions would not have come back against the Raiders, but Detroit rattled off 17 unanswered points for the big win. Kitna had the high completion percentage to provide optimal success for the Mike Martz attack, and Oakland was kept honest by the superb rushing effort by Tatum Bell. For a team who's defense was its apparent strength, the offense really carried the Silver & Black. Josh McCown threw for 313 and 2 scored, and top two wideouts Curry and Porter combined for 222 yards on 19 catches. Even LaMont Jordan came back from the dead to have a nice effort. Both teams played well, and there's actually a sense of optimism in the Motor City.
- Out in the Second City, the lack of offense was offensive to fans of Da Bears. They held LT to 25 yards on the ground, and their offense was putrid enough to actually cost them the contest. Grossman threw a pick, the running backs took turns losing the football most notably Ceddy Benson who was supposed to be a huge breakout star. The only thing that broke out in the minds of Chicagoans went something along the lines of "we want Thomas Jones back". Antonio Gates was really the key for the Bolts in this win, and San Diego will breath a sigh of relief to win even when playing like crap. This is one of those weeks where you just don't wanna look back at the week of film, just to concentrate on what lies ahead.
- Shawn Alexander had a solid effort, and the Seahawk defense had 5 sacks en route to their win over the Bucs. Tampa played sloppily and couldn't get enough offense. Caddy Williams was playing well before he got hurt. The Bucs are going to have some problems scoring this season, and it will ultimately be the end of the Gruden era,
- Twas a good old fashioned shootout in Dallas, and the Giants may have lost the battle and the war. Both defenses were burnt to a crisp, but Eli Manning, Brandon Jacobs, and Osi Umenyiora could miss time maybe a month for the first two mentioned. Tony Romo was sensational and the Cowboys fought off several New York comeback attempts. You could see that the Dallas defense really needs Terrence Newman to perform at its best. This may be the beginning of the end for Tom Coughlin and Big Blue. And one more thing, if you saw this game and you still think that Jeremy Shockey is better then Jason Witten, you're dead wrong. We're talking about the most underrated TE and clearly the most overrated. Witten's the better player hands down.
- School was in session as the Ravens gave us all a nice lesson in Giving A Game Away 101. They said that McNair was taken out in favor of Kyle Boller because of an injury? Hogwash, the only injury was a pain in Brian Billick's you know what. The Ravens defense was superb considering the circumstances and Rudi Johnson and Carson Palmer were held in check. But when you turn the ball over 6 times, you're going to lose the game 99 times out of 100. Great game, ugly Baltimore.
- Speaking of ugly, that's what the Niners were for 57 minutes until Alex Smith showed us a lot by orchastrating the game winning drive against Arizona. But in total, Smith and Matt Leinart were both terrible, and Frank Gore was a bust. Edge James probably had the best performance out of anyone last night. But it was a big win for Mike Nolan and co, and hopefully it won't get much worse then what happened.
- The Colts defense was as good as it was last postseason. That's a very scary thought. Indy scored 31 unanswered points in the 2nd half and smothered the Saints 41-10. Bush and McAllister were held to 38 rushing yards each on 22 carries. That's unbelievable. Drew Brees only averaged 4.7 yards a completion, one of the worst single game marks ever. Bob Sanders is so good going into the box and pursuing ball carriers to make stops. Peyton Manning was good as expected, Joseph Addai looked fabulous, and Jason David of New Orleans looked lost. He got scorched, burnt to a crisp, blow torched. There seemed to have been a lot of end arounds and reverses in the game, and I asked Doug Kretz of Scouts' INC if that was going to be a trend this season from a lot of teams. "No, I think that both offensive coordinators (and head coaches) are not afraid to use "gimmic" plays. It just happened to fit these two teams."
- Jason Elam is clutch. Nothing else to it. The way he showed leadership by getting his team in position. My hats off to him. Roscoe Parrish was the special teamer that did the early damage in this one. More big plays on special teams happen in the first 2 weeks then the rest of the season. Teams usually juggle their rosters in the preseason and that's why there are so many blown coverages and fumbled returns. Regardless, JP Losman had 97 passing yards on 16 completions! Marshawn Lynch had a good game, but Lee Evans was non existent as expected. From the stats, it's amazing how the Broncos didn't blow Buffalo out. I think that the Broncos are much better then the score indicated. Watch out for them. My thoughts and prayers go out to Kevin Everett.
- Brady Quinn may be in earlier then expected, as the Browns were awful in ever aspect of the game against Pittsburgh. Jamal Lewis had 35 yards rushing, and Anderson and Frye were a combined 17/38 passing. Kellen Winslow was the only Brown who had a good game. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said that he was going to open up the offense, and Cleveland had no answer. Willie Parker was a stud, and Big Ben threw 4 TD's to 4 different WR's. Santonio Holmes looks like he'll be finding the end zone quite often. The end didn't come fast enough for the Browns.
- Special teams cost Philadelphia a ball game. A bobbled punt by JR Reed allowed the game winning field goal with 2 seconds left. I'm surprised that the Philly fans haven't pulled a Dallas. Why haven't they shot JR yet? Green Bay's D looked very formidable and Brett Favre and the offense did just enough. Donovan McNabb will have rust, it's going to happen. The Eagles need to have patience. Brian Westbrook played well, Brandon Jackson did not. The game was even, but special teams was the theme.
- Carolina really surprised me the way they played. Delhomme was excellent, and the Panthers proved that they had receiving weapons not named Smith. Foster and Williams were tremendous, but the big story is the loss of Orlando Pace for the season for St Louis. It changes the way St. Louis runs their entire offense. Stephen Jackson can't use the left side like he would if Pace would be in there, and Bulger's protection is now greatly in question. They rely on high completion percentages when Bulger has a lot of time to step up and survey his options, this could prove very costly for St Louis. Props to the Carolina D.
- Adrian Peterson may have had more talent then anyone on either side combined. 163 all purpose yards, and the defense scored 2 TD's. Dunn was bad, Norwood was good, Atlanta made a terrible decision in starting the vet. Tarvaris Jackson didn't play too poorly, but Joey Harrington threw 2 costly picks. The Falcons are doomed.
- Cheating or not cheating would not have stopped Randy Moss and the Patriots. The Jets probably would not have scored 38 points if given 6 quarters, and it would not have mattered if the Pats spied on New York's inability to cover kickoffs. Brady was masterful and didn't even need to utilize 2nd WR Donte' Stallworth. Maroney was solid, and Wes Welker showed why the Pats gave up such a high pick to get him. I really like Jim Nantz's comparison of Welker as a faster Wayne Chrebet. He's that speedy 3rd down possession receiver with even more speed then the former Jet. Mike Vrabel was a force, and we really saw Adalius Thomas' ability to cover a receiver, even the fast Jerricho Cotchery. On the spy front, I expect the Pats to lose draft picks, a forfeit is almost 100% out of the question. In the wise words of Chris Collinsworth, "The AFC race is over." That's bulletin board material for "Mangenious" if I've ever heard of one.
- That hail mary pass at the end of regulation that Randle El almost punched in was incredible. Trent Green actually played surprisingly well. Ronnie Brown surprisingly played like garbage. Chris Chambers did a nice job, but the Dolphin defense could not stop the two pronged Skins attack of Portis and Betts, who combined for 157 on the ground. Randle El had 162 receiving yards and is trying to make up for the rest of his tenure in DC in which calling it a bust would be a tremendous understatement. Jason Campbell didn't impress me, he still has a lot to learn and a large amount of lumps to take.
- If Jacksonville has a run defense, it did an unbelievably amazing job of running away in week 1 against Tennessee. Vince Young accounted for just 100 yards total, and they still won! Chris Brown isn't even a certefiable starting back, how does Jack del Rio explain giving up a buck and three quarters to this stiff? I may be overreacting, but JDR's ass is on the line this season. He's basically riding his career on Garrard who actually did pretty well and a defense that had as poor of an outing as you'll see from a unit that's supposed to be their strength, because it's sure as hell not your running game, (72 total yards) or your passing game led by Browns reject Dennis Northcut. del Rio may want to keep his house in Jacksonville, I heard they have a nice retirement complex for the old and unemployed.
- And save a spot for Herm Edwards, will ya Jack? Speaking of jack, that's what the Chiefs did against Houston. Huard and Croyle are stiffs, and Edwards only carried LJ 10 times sticking to his policy of resting LJ and trying to suck as much as humanly possible. I said in my predictions that Andre Johnson would go off, and he did going off for a buck forty two and a score. Ahman Green did nicely, and he'll have to continue to do well so young Matt Schaub can manage this offense. Mario Williams looked great this week (unlike the two players drafted behind him) and may just end up validating getting picked first. It's going to be a loooooong year in KC.
- Jon Kitna may be on to something with the Lions. In prevous years, the Lions would not have come back against the Raiders, but Detroit rattled off 17 unanswered points for the big win. Kitna had the high completion percentage to provide optimal success for the Mike Martz attack, and Oakland was kept honest by the superb rushing effort by Tatum Bell. For a team who's defense was its apparent strength, the offense really carried the Silver & Black. Josh McCown threw for 313 and 2 scored, and top two wideouts Curry and Porter combined for 222 yards on 19 catches. Even LaMont Jordan came back from the dead to have a nice effort. Both teams played well, and there's actually a sense of optimism in the Motor City.
- Out in the Second City, the lack of offense was offensive to fans of Da Bears. They held LT to 25 yards on the ground, and their offense was putrid enough to actually cost them the contest. Grossman threw a pick, the running backs took turns losing the football most notably Ceddy Benson who was supposed to be a huge breakout star. The only thing that broke out in the minds of Chicagoans went something along the lines of "we want Thomas Jones back". Antonio Gates was really the key for the Bolts in this win, and San Diego will breath a sigh of relief to win even when playing like crap. This is one of those weeks where you just don't wanna look back at the week of film, just to concentrate on what lies ahead.
- Shawn Alexander had a solid effort, and the Seahawk defense had 5 sacks en route to their win over the Bucs. Tampa played sloppily and couldn't get enough offense. Caddy Williams was playing well before he got hurt. The Bucs are going to have some problems scoring this season, and it will ultimately be the end of the Gruden era,
- Twas a good old fashioned shootout in Dallas, and the Giants may have lost the battle and the war. Both defenses were burnt to a crisp, but Eli Manning, Brandon Jacobs, and Osi Umenyiora could miss time maybe a month for the first two mentioned. Tony Romo was sensational and the Cowboys fought off several New York comeback attempts. You could see that the Dallas defense really needs Terrence Newman to perform at its best. This may be the beginning of the end for Tom Coughlin and Big Blue. And one more thing, if you saw this game and you still think that Jeremy Shockey is better then Jason Witten, you're dead wrong. We're talking about the most underrated TE and clearly the most overrated. Witten's the better player hands down.
- School was in session as the Ravens gave us all a nice lesson in Giving A Game Away 101. They said that McNair was taken out in favor of Kyle Boller because of an injury? Hogwash, the only injury was a pain in Brian Billick's you know what. The Ravens defense was superb considering the circumstances and Rudi Johnson and Carson Palmer were held in check. But when you turn the ball over 6 times, you're going to lose the game 99 times out of 100. Great game, ugly Baltimore.
- Speaking of ugly, that's what the Niners were for 57 minutes until Alex Smith showed us a lot by orchastrating the game winning drive against Arizona. But in total, Smith and Matt Leinart were both terrible, and Frank Gore was a bust. Edge James probably had the best performance out of anyone last night. But it was a big win for Mike Nolan and co, and hopefully it won't get much worse then what happened.
College Football Fallout
Upsets galore, 0-2 giants, and what conference is really the best in the land? Find out right now here on SOS2.
Week 2 Fallout
- On Thursday, Louisville may have won but they gave up 42 points to Middle Tennessee! West Virginia and South Florida could put up way more points then that and Steve Kragthorpe has to improve his D going into conference play.
- Was the VaTech offense alive on Saturday? The Hokies didn't look like a top 10 team against LSU, and got pasted. Score one for the SEC over the Pac 10. 1-0 SEC, we'll count points.
- Another reason why the ACC may not be all it's cracked up to be, Miami getting smashed by Oklahoma to the tune of 51-13. The Sooners could be primed for a National Title game if they make it out of the Big 12.
- Does anyone wanna win the Big 10? Wisconsin barely survived against UNLV.
- Cincy looked pretty good in beating Oregon State. The Big East is pretty good.
- Nebraska may not have the offensive power to win the Big 12 title, but they got a nice road win at Wake.
- Maybe Ohio State wants to win the Big 10, they embarrassed Akron 20-2.
- Big win for Alabama in what I thought could be a tough game against Vandy.
- Clemson could be a dark horse in the ACC, as could Georgia Tech.
- DeSean Jackson may be the leading candidate for the Heisman as he led Cal to a tough road win at Colorado State, not an easy place to play.
- Boston College has beaten Wake and NC State in back to back weeks, Matt Ryan's legit.
- Lloyd Carr may want to book a moving truck. Oregon pasted them, score one for the Pac 10 1-1.
- Fresno State gave TAMU quite a scare, but the Aggies showed some resiliency and pulled it out.
- You wanna score one for the Pac 10? How about ending Boise State's 14 game winning streak in convincing fashion. That's what Washington did to the Broncos 24-10 and 2-1 Pac 10.
- Big bounce back win for Florida State.
- Georgia shocked at home by South Carolina, it just shows how tough the SEC is. No point for that.
- Notre Dame will have touble this year, especially against a team like Big 10 contender Penn State. PSU just rolled them over.
- UCLA got a nice win over BYU, not an easy team to beat. Score one for the Pac 10. 3-1 Pac 10.
- Minus 3 for the Big 12, Iowa State lost at home to Northern Iowa. Ouch.
- Plus 4 for the Big 12, Texas manhandled a really good TCU team on the 4th quarter, which is a huge confidence booster for Colt McCoy and the Longhorns after struggling against Arky State.
- Nice win for Wazzu over San Diego State, no points awarded though.
- Hawaii is fun to watch. I'll root for them since Syracuse blows.
- Tennessee was down early against a good Southern Miss team, but fought back well. One point for the SEC. 3-2 Pac 10.
- Biggest story of the day in my mind is the emergence of the Big East as a viable threat as South Florida won at Auburn 26-23 in OT to seal the Big East as legit. Also minus 1 for the SEC, 3-1 Pac 10. The Bulls could be a threat in the Big East, look out for fast, ferocious, tenacious USF.
- And lastly, score one more for the Pac 10 as Arizona State beat Colorado so the Pac 10 wins this week 4-1 to take a 1-0 series lead in the great Fallout Conference Showdown.
Week 2 Fallout
- On Thursday, Louisville may have won but they gave up 42 points to Middle Tennessee! West Virginia and South Florida could put up way more points then that and Steve Kragthorpe has to improve his D going into conference play.
- Was the VaTech offense alive on Saturday? The Hokies didn't look like a top 10 team against LSU, and got pasted. Score one for the SEC over the Pac 10. 1-0 SEC, we'll count points.
- Another reason why the ACC may not be all it's cracked up to be, Miami getting smashed by Oklahoma to the tune of 51-13. The Sooners could be primed for a National Title game if they make it out of the Big 12.
- Does anyone wanna win the Big 10? Wisconsin barely survived against UNLV.
- Cincy looked pretty good in beating Oregon State. The Big East is pretty good.
- Nebraska may not have the offensive power to win the Big 12 title, but they got a nice road win at Wake.
- Maybe Ohio State wants to win the Big 10, they embarrassed Akron 20-2.
- Big win for Alabama in what I thought could be a tough game against Vandy.
- Clemson could be a dark horse in the ACC, as could Georgia Tech.
- DeSean Jackson may be the leading candidate for the Heisman as he led Cal to a tough road win at Colorado State, not an easy place to play.
- Boston College has beaten Wake and NC State in back to back weeks, Matt Ryan's legit.
- Lloyd Carr may want to book a moving truck. Oregon pasted them, score one for the Pac 10 1-1.
- Fresno State gave TAMU quite a scare, but the Aggies showed some resiliency and pulled it out.
- You wanna score one for the Pac 10? How about ending Boise State's 14 game winning streak in convincing fashion. That's what Washington did to the Broncos 24-10 and 2-1 Pac 10.
- Big bounce back win for Florida State.
- Georgia shocked at home by South Carolina, it just shows how tough the SEC is. No point for that.
- Notre Dame will have touble this year, especially against a team like Big 10 contender Penn State. PSU just rolled them over.
- UCLA got a nice win over BYU, not an easy team to beat. Score one for the Pac 10. 3-1 Pac 10.
- Minus 3 for the Big 12, Iowa State lost at home to Northern Iowa. Ouch.
- Plus 4 for the Big 12, Texas manhandled a really good TCU team on the 4th quarter, which is a huge confidence booster for Colt McCoy and the Longhorns after struggling against Arky State.
- Nice win for Wazzu over San Diego State, no points awarded though.
- Hawaii is fun to watch. I'll root for them since Syracuse blows.
- Tennessee was down early against a good Southern Miss team, but fought back well. One point for the SEC. 3-2 Pac 10.
- Biggest story of the day in my mind is the emergence of the Big East as a viable threat as South Florida won at Auburn 26-23 in OT to seal the Big East as legit. Also minus 1 for the SEC, 3-1 Pac 10. The Bulls could be a threat in the Big East, look out for fast, ferocious, tenacious USF.
- And lastly, score one more for the Pac 10 as Arizona State beat Colorado so the Pac 10 wins this week 4-1 to take a 1-0 series lead in the great Fallout Conference Showdown.
Around The Majors- Monday
I'll get back to football on the main blog tomorrow, but let's not forget that we're in the middle of a pennant race! Lots to talk about including yesterday's games, the standings, some news and notes, and a look at what's on tap for today.
Sunday Recap
Seattle scored 13 runs in the first 4 innings in a 14-7 drubbing of Detroit. Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman got lit, and will likely be shut down for the rest of the season with elbow problems. Adrian Beltre drove in 4 for the M's. Josh Beckett won his 18th and Mike Lowell drove in 2 as Boston edged Baltimore 3-2. Jaime Shields pitched 7 strong innings as the Rays edged the Jays 3-2. Jason Kubel homered and drove in 4 and Johan Santana struck out 10 in Minnesota's 5-2 win over the White Sox. Chien Ming Wang won his 18th as the Yankees swept the Royals 6-3. A-Rod homered again, his 52nd and Jorge Posada drove in 2 for New York. Sammy Sosa homered and drove in 4 as Texas slugged out Oakland 12-9. Cleveland scored 5 in the 4th off of Jered Weaver to beat the Angels 6-2. Ryan Garko drove in 3 for the Tribe.
D'Angelo Jimenez and Ryan Church each drove in 3 as Washington beat the Braves 7-4. Pedro Martinez pitched 5 scorless innings in the win as the Mets swept Houston 4-1. Beltran and Alou each drove in 2. Rickie Weeks and Ryan Braun each hit 2 homers as the Brewers romped past the Reds 10-5. Pat Burrell homered and drove in 3 as Philadelphia scored 5 in the first off of Dontrelle Willis to fry the Fish 8-5. Freddy Sanchez drove in 4 as Pittsburgh crushed the Cubs 10-5. Garrett Atkins hit a 2 run homer in the first as Colorado beat San Diego 4-2. Ray Durham hit a pinch hit 3 run homer off of Joe Beimel in the 8th as the Giants bested the Dodgers 4-2. Clark, Young, and Upton each drove in 2 as Arizona edged St Louis 6-5.
News and Notes
- Curtis Granderson yesterday became just the 3rd player in history to join the 20-20-20-20 club. That'd be homers, triples, doubles, and steals. Impressive, no? He's the first to do it since Willie Mays 50 years ago.
- Ankiel, Glaus, and now Gibbons? SI.com reported that Gibbons received steroids and HGH from the Florida pharmacy that supplied the 2 player mentioned last week. Keep it here for the latest.
- Baltimore got Victor Zambrano from Pittsburgh and placed Erik Bedard on the 60 day DL. Pedro Lopez, Bartolo Colon, Claudio Vargas, and Marcus Giles were all activated yesterday.
Standings
Boston and New York have each won 7 of 10, and the Yanks have won 5 straight to get to 5.5 back in the AL East. Baltimore have lost 7 of 10 while Tampa has won 7 of 10. Cleveland has won 7 of 10 and own a 6 game lead over Detroit in the AL Central. Minnesota and KC have lost 7 of 10 and the Royals have dropped 5 straight. Seattle have lost 8 of 10 and are now 8 games behind the Angels in the AL West. Texas has won 5 straight and 8 of 10. The Mets have won 8 of 10 and leads Philly by 6 in the NL East. Florida has won 7 of 10. Milwaukee has won 7 of 10 to take a 1 game lead over the Cubs in the NL Central. The Cardinals have dropped 3 in a row to go 3 games back. The Reds and Astros have both lost 7 of 10. Arizona has won 5 in a row and 7 of 10 to open up a 3 game lead in the NL West over San Diego. The Dodgers are 5.5 back and Colorado is 6 back. The Rox have won 7 of 10. The Yankees lead the Tigers by 4 and the Mariners by 5 for the AL Wild Card. San Diego leads Philadelphia by 2, the Dodgers by 2.5, Colorado by 3, Atlanta by 4.5, and the Cubs by 5 for the NL Wild Card.
Monday On Tap
Big time makeup game at Wrigley as Ted Lilly and the Cubs host Joel Piniero and the Cardinals at 3:20. Kazmir faces Schilling in Boston, Halladay faces Rogers, and Jimenez faces Lohse in Philly in a game between 2 teams fighting for their lives. Fausto Carmona pitches in Chicago, Blanton faces Horacio Ramirez in Seattle, Hudson faces Perez in New York, and Hernandez faces Lincecum in Frisco.
Sunday Recap
Seattle scored 13 runs in the first 4 innings in a 14-7 drubbing of Detroit. Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman got lit, and will likely be shut down for the rest of the season with elbow problems. Adrian Beltre drove in 4 for the M's. Josh Beckett won his 18th and Mike Lowell drove in 2 as Boston edged Baltimore 3-2. Jaime Shields pitched 7 strong innings as the Rays edged the Jays 3-2. Jason Kubel homered and drove in 4 and Johan Santana struck out 10 in Minnesota's 5-2 win over the White Sox. Chien Ming Wang won his 18th as the Yankees swept the Royals 6-3. A-Rod homered again, his 52nd and Jorge Posada drove in 2 for New York. Sammy Sosa homered and drove in 4 as Texas slugged out Oakland 12-9. Cleveland scored 5 in the 4th off of Jered Weaver to beat the Angels 6-2. Ryan Garko drove in 3 for the Tribe.
D'Angelo Jimenez and Ryan Church each drove in 3 as Washington beat the Braves 7-4. Pedro Martinez pitched 5 scorless innings in the win as the Mets swept Houston 4-1. Beltran and Alou each drove in 2. Rickie Weeks and Ryan Braun each hit 2 homers as the Brewers romped past the Reds 10-5. Pat Burrell homered and drove in 3 as Philadelphia scored 5 in the first off of Dontrelle Willis to fry the Fish 8-5. Freddy Sanchez drove in 4 as Pittsburgh crushed the Cubs 10-5. Garrett Atkins hit a 2 run homer in the first as Colorado beat San Diego 4-2. Ray Durham hit a pinch hit 3 run homer off of Joe Beimel in the 8th as the Giants bested the Dodgers 4-2. Clark, Young, and Upton each drove in 2 as Arizona edged St Louis 6-5.
News and Notes
- Curtis Granderson yesterday became just the 3rd player in history to join the 20-20-20-20 club. That'd be homers, triples, doubles, and steals. Impressive, no? He's the first to do it since Willie Mays 50 years ago.
- Ankiel, Glaus, and now Gibbons? SI.com reported that Gibbons received steroids and HGH from the Florida pharmacy that supplied the 2 player mentioned last week. Keep it here for the latest.
- Baltimore got Victor Zambrano from Pittsburgh and placed Erik Bedard on the 60 day DL. Pedro Lopez, Bartolo Colon, Claudio Vargas, and Marcus Giles were all activated yesterday.
Standings
Boston and New York have each won 7 of 10, and the Yanks have won 5 straight to get to 5.5 back in the AL East. Baltimore have lost 7 of 10 while Tampa has won 7 of 10. Cleveland has won 7 of 10 and own a 6 game lead over Detroit in the AL Central. Minnesota and KC have lost 7 of 10 and the Royals have dropped 5 straight. Seattle have lost 8 of 10 and are now 8 games behind the Angels in the AL West. Texas has won 5 straight and 8 of 10. The Mets have won 8 of 10 and leads Philly by 6 in the NL East. Florida has won 7 of 10. Milwaukee has won 7 of 10 to take a 1 game lead over the Cubs in the NL Central. The Cardinals have dropped 3 in a row to go 3 games back. The Reds and Astros have both lost 7 of 10. Arizona has won 5 in a row and 7 of 10 to open up a 3 game lead in the NL West over San Diego. The Dodgers are 5.5 back and Colorado is 6 back. The Rox have won 7 of 10. The Yankees lead the Tigers by 4 and the Mariners by 5 for the AL Wild Card. San Diego leads Philadelphia by 2, the Dodgers by 2.5, Colorado by 3, Atlanta by 4.5, and the Cubs by 5 for the NL Wild Card.
Monday On Tap
Big time makeup game at Wrigley as Ted Lilly and the Cubs host Joel Piniero and the Cardinals at 3:20. Kazmir faces Schilling in Boston, Halladay faces Rogers, and Jimenez faces Lohse in Philly in a game between 2 teams fighting for their lives. Fausto Carmona pitches in Chicago, Blanton faces Horacio Ramirez in Seattle, Hudson faces Perez in New York, and Hernandez faces Lincecum in Frisco.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
NFL Pre-Season Picks: By Adam Ehrenreich
Division Winners:
NFC: Eagles, Bears, Saints, Cardinals; Wild Card: Rams, Cowboys
AFC: Patriots, Bengals, Colts, Chargers; Wild Cards: Ravens, Broncos
Championship Games:
NFC: SAINTS over Cowboys
AFC: COLTS over Chargers
Super Bowl Winner:
COLTS over Saints
Awards:
LaDanian Tomlinson (Offensive Player), Adrian Wilson (Defensive Player),
Marshawn Lynch (Offensive Rookie) , Adam Carriker (Defensive Rookie)
Coach of the Year: Ken Wisenhunt, Comeback Player: Jamal Lewis
NFC: Eagles, Bears, Saints, Cardinals; Wild Card: Rams, Cowboys
AFC: Patriots, Bengals, Colts, Chargers; Wild Cards: Ravens, Broncos
Championship Games:
NFC: SAINTS over Cowboys
AFC: COLTS over Chargers
Super Bowl Winner:
COLTS over Saints
Awards:
LaDanian Tomlinson (Offensive Player), Adrian Wilson (Defensive Player),
Marshawn Lynch (Offensive Rookie) , Adam Carriker (Defensive Rookie)
Coach of the Year: Ken Wisenhunt, Comeback Player: Jamal Lewis
NFL Daily Presents: Latest League Injury Update
Team by team, the latest updates and how it will change your teams, real and fantasy.
Injury Update
- 1st round pick Alan Branch will be out for Arizona with a broken hand. DT Ross Kolodziej will be out, and OL Nick Leckey will be probable for Monday.
- Atlanta as of Friday: Crocker and Coleman are out, Grady Jackson questionable, and Alge Crumpler probable.
- Big question marks for Baltimore. Jonathan Ogden will be a game time decision, Trevor Price is questionable, as is LB Antwan Barnes.
- For Buffalo, Ryan Denney is out until after their bye.
- Carolina S Nate Salley is out. Starting CB Chris Gamble is questionable as is Stanley McClover. Jason Kyle is probable.
- As of Friday, Greg Olson is questionable, Mushin Muhhamad is probable.
- TJ Houshmanzadeh has been upgraded to probable, Shayne Graham is probable, Willie Anderson is questionable, and Antonio Chatman is out.
- Punter Dave Zastudil and Willie McGinest are both out for Cleveland.
- Terry Glenn is out for Dallas as is Greg Ellis, and both Terrence Newman and Kevin Burnett will be game time decisions.
- Travis Henry is probable for Denver.
- Greg Jennings is questionable and Donald Driver is probable for Green Bay. Vernand Morency is questionable, everyone else including Aaron Kampman is probable.
- Reggie Heyward is probable for the Jaguars.
- Ted Ginn and Joey Porter are both probable for Miami.
- Michael Doss is out for the Vikings, Ferguson, Tank Williams, and Ciurciu are questionable. Bobby Wade and EJ Henderson are probable.
- Thomas, Wright, and Baker are all out for New England, Asante Samuel will play. Tom Brady is probable.
- Michael Strahan will play about 20 snaps tonight, Will Demps is on IR, and Madison and Burress will likely play.
- Andre Dyson is listed as probable, but may not play for the Jets. Thomas Jones will play according to Sal Paolantonio. Tim Dwight is out.
- JaMarcus Russell will be out, he's not under contract.
- LJ Smith is questionable and AJ Feely is probable for the Eagles. Andrews and Kearse are probable.
- Michael Turner is probable for the Chargers.
- Dashon Goldson is out for the 49ers, Donals Strickland will be a game time decision. Darrell Jakcson is probable.
- Ben Obamanu is doubtful for Seattle.
- Bennett, Incognito, and Adeyanju are questionable, Atogwe is probable for the Rams.
- Casey Cramer doubtful for the Titans, Kevin Mawae is questionable.
Enjoy Football!
Injury Update
- 1st round pick Alan Branch will be out for Arizona with a broken hand. DT Ross Kolodziej will be out, and OL Nick Leckey will be probable for Monday.
- Atlanta as of Friday: Crocker and Coleman are out, Grady Jackson questionable, and Alge Crumpler probable.
- Big question marks for Baltimore. Jonathan Ogden will be a game time decision, Trevor Price is questionable, as is LB Antwan Barnes.
- For Buffalo, Ryan Denney is out until after their bye.
- Carolina S Nate Salley is out. Starting CB Chris Gamble is questionable as is Stanley McClover. Jason Kyle is probable.
- As of Friday, Greg Olson is questionable, Mushin Muhhamad is probable.
- TJ Houshmanzadeh has been upgraded to probable, Shayne Graham is probable, Willie Anderson is questionable, and Antonio Chatman is out.
- Punter Dave Zastudil and Willie McGinest are both out for Cleveland.
- Terry Glenn is out for Dallas as is Greg Ellis, and both Terrence Newman and Kevin Burnett will be game time decisions.
- Travis Henry is probable for Denver.
- Greg Jennings is questionable and Donald Driver is probable for Green Bay. Vernand Morency is questionable, everyone else including Aaron Kampman is probable.
- Reggie Heyward is probable for the Jaguars.
- Ted Ginn and Joey Porter are both probable for Miami.
- Michael Doss is out for the Vikings, Ferguson, Tank Williams, and Ciurciu are questionable. Bobby Wade and EJ Henderson are probable.
- Thomas, Wright, and Baker are all out for New England, Asante Samuel will play. Tom Brady is probable.
- Michael Strahan will play about 20 snaps tonight, Will Demps is on IR, and Madison and Burress will likely play.
- Andre Dyson is listed as probable, but may not play for the Jets. Thomas Jones will play according to Sal Paolantonio. Tim Dwight is out.
- JaMarcus Russell will be out, he's not under contract.
- LJ Smith is questionable and AJ Feely is probable for the Eagles. Andrews and Kearse are probable.
- Michael Turner is probable for the Chargers.
- Dashon Goldson is out for the 49ers, Donals Strickland will be a game time decision. Darrell Jakcson is probable.
- Ben Obamanu is doubtful for Seattle.
- Bennett, Incognito, and Adeyanju are questionable, Atogwe is probable for the Rams.
- Casey Cramer doubtful for the Titans, Kevin Mawae is questionable.
Enjoy Football!
NFL Daily Presents: The SOS Panel Season Predictions
Myself, and my SOS staff of writers including Jake Weintraub, and Andrew Livingston give their predictions for the upcoming NFL season.
SprungOnSports
Division Winners
Dallas, Chicago, New Orleans, Seattle. Wild Cards Philadelphia and St Louis.
New England, Baltimore, Indianapolis, San Diego. Wild Cards Denver and Cincinnati.
Conference Championship Games
Dallas over Chicago, New England over San Diego
Super Bowl
New England over Dallas
Season Awards
Tom Brady (offensive player), DeMarcus Ware (defensive player), Marshawn Lynch (offensive rookie), Jon Beason (defensive rookie), Mike Shanahan (coach), Randy Moss (comeback player)
Jake Weintraub
Division Winners
Dallas, Chicago, New Orleans, San Francisco. Wild Cards Philadelphia and St Louis.
New England, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, San Diego. Wild Cards Denver and NY Jets.
Conference Championship Games
New Orleans over Philadelphia, San Diego over New England.
Super Bowl
New Orleans over San Diego
Season Awards
LaDanian Tomlinson (offensive player), Adalius Thomas (defensive player), Marshawn Lynch (offensive rookie), Reggie Nelson (defensive rookie), Mike Nolan (coach), Donovan McNabb (comeback player)
Andrew Livingston
Division Winners
Dallas, Chicago, Carolina, Seattle. Wild Cards Washington and Tampa Bay.
New England, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, San Diego. Wild Cards Denver and Miami.
Conference Championship Games
Carolina over Chicago, San Diego over Indianapolis
Super Bowl
Carolina Panthers
Season Awards
Carson Palmer (offensive player), Marshawn Lynch (offensive rookie), LaRon Landry (defensive rookie), John Fox (coach), Edgerrin James (comeback player)
At Noon, check out the latest injury update on SOS2
SprungOnSports
Division Winners
Dallas, Chicago, New Orleans, Seattle. Wild Cards Philadelphia and St Louis.
New England, Baltimore, Indianapolis, San Diego. Wild Cards Denver and Cincinnati.
Conference Championship Games
Dallas over Chicago, New England over San Diego
Super Bowl
New England over Dallas
Season Awards
Tom Brady (offensive player), DeMarcus Ware (defensive player), Marshawn Lynch (offensive rookie), Jon Beason (defensive rookie), Mike Shanahan (coach), Randy Moss (comeback player)
Jake Weintraub
Division Winners
Dallas, Chicago, New Orleans, San Francisco. Wild Cards Philadelphia and St Louis.
New England, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, San Diego. Wild Cards Denver and NY Jets.
Conference Championship Games
New Orleans over Philadelphia, San Diego over New England.
Super Bowl
New Orleans over San Diego
Season Awards
LaDanian Tomlinson (offensive player), Adalius Thomas (defensive player), Marshawn Lynch (offensive rookie), Reggie Nelson (defensive rookie), Mike Nolan (coach), Donovan McNabb (comeback player)
Andrew Livingston
Division Winners
Dallas, Chicago, Carolina, Seattle. Wild Cards Washington and Tampa Bay.
New England, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, San Diego. Wild Cards Denver and Miami.
Conference Championship Games
Carolina over Chicago, San Diego over Indianapolis
Super Bowl
Carolina Panthers
Season Awards
Carson Palmer (offensive player), Marshawn Lynch (offensive rookie), LaRon Landry (defensive rookie), John Fox (coach), Edgerrin James (comeback player)
At Noon, check out the latest injury update on SOS2
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