Your Bully Defense Instruction

Why is Kareem in here for like 5 seconds? Why is candy throwing supposed to be a good plan? If you watch this video, you will ask yourself many questions.

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The BCS Agenda Delivers the "Best"

It's time once again to take a look at the BCS. Many other bloggers, writers and pundits are playing "what if" with Iowa, USC, TCU, Boise State and others, which is ironic considering the entire system is designed to remove all chance. Last season we took a look at the computer polls, pointing out several of the flaws, while conceding the inherent problems of the polls, but now it's time to take aim at the whole of the system. Often times people will refer to BCS voters having an 'agenda,' here's a look at what that just might mean.

The BCS is the sports version of American Idol minus the teenie boppers voting on their cell phones. It's one big popularity contest. Some talking heads lament the possibility of the dark horses in the National Championship, 'Do you really want to watch Cincinnati vs. Alabama? Ugh', but that's not the way sports works (or should work). We didn't get LeBron-Kobe even though it would've gotten better ratings, because the Cavs lost. We haven't had a Manning Bowl, Yankees-Dodgers world series since 1981 or an all-Canada Stanley Cup Final in twenty years, because sports has no script. The great fallacy of the BCS and why some are tricked into believing the system is either a) working or b) is "better than what we had" lies in the desirability of the match-up. While various fanbases get upset annually, by and large the masses are pleased due to the marquee nature of the Championship Game. Look back at the Finals teams from all the major sports in the last decade. Every one of them has Tampa Bays, Georgia Techs, Carolina Hurricanes, Arizona Cardinals and New Jersey Nets sprinkled through out them and yet the BCS has never had a team that's not one of the winningest or iconic programs of the last twenty years. Look quickly at the list of teams that have competed for the crystal football since the BCS came about: Oklahoma (4x), Ohio State (3x), Florida State (3x), Florida (2x), Miami (2x), USC (2x), LSU (2x), Texas, Nebraska, Tennessee and Virginia Tech. Not one dark horse program and of those only Virginia Tech is not considered football royalty, but in addition to being one of only two BCS conference teams undefeated that season (going into the bowl) they also had a once-in-a-lifetime dynamic player in Michael Vick. On the flip side, consider the lesser teams that have been part of the discussion, but ultimately left out of the game: Kansas St., Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Auburn, Wisconsin, and Louisville among others. Even among the power players there's a pecking order, with several seemingly deserving teams being hurdled by late season voting shenanigans. There's a reason. College football is the golden goose of sports and the select few who get those golden eggs annually are not interested in sharing.

Another primary difference between the BCS and American Idol; the BCS voters have a vested interest in the outcome. It's difficult to assess how much being a voter for the national championship is worth, but it certainly has value. Being voters for the National Champion gives the pollsters' opinions weight, generates more exposure for them and their employers and therefore puts more money in their pocket. Inserting a non-BCS conference team into the national championship may not be the death knell for the current system, but establishing the precedent could lead to the erosion of the system that gives the writers the current stature they enjoy. Not to go all conspiracy theorist, but the BCS polls being released midway through the season is no coincidence. College football enjoys the most passionate fanbases of any sport in America, other rankings provide us with a general lay of the land week to week and the top teams know from this point on the must win out in order to ensure their place in a BCS bowl. So why do they need to be released? College basketball doesn't seed March madness weeks out and inform us who's in and who's out. Could it not be argued that the BCS is unwilling to take a multi-million dollar gamble by preventing the pollsters from seeing how the rankings stack up before the final week? Let's say Iowa stays perfect and finishes ranked third in the polls behind the SEC and Big 12 champions, but as it stands the computers love the Hawkeyes and could potentially push them into the National Championship game. If you stood to make millions more on a marquee national championship game, particularly in a down economic time, would you take the chance that Iowa could unseat Texas by not releasing the results until the final day? This way pollsters are able to see which teams the computers will eliminate (Boise State) and conversely the pollsters can see which teams the computers love and need to be wary of, so they can justify them down slightly in the polls. Consciously or subconsciously, pollsters will do what they think is needed to ensure the "best" national championship match-up. We saw this manipulation at work last year with Oklahoma receiving a late push in the polls on the strength of the margin of victory over Texas Tech.

Even more so than the voters, the primary TV networks benefit from always having a chalk match-up in the title game. ESPN and CBS both root for the SEC and ESPN has contracts with all of the BCS conferences. If a Mountain West team were to play for a national championship, it would be a tremendous boost to the Versus network. While it seems ludicrous to suggest at this point, but having the National Champion of college football and (dare I say) the NHL would provide a tremendous foothold for Versus towards creating a dent in the juggernaut that is ESPN and we know they don't like competition in Bristol. ESPN loves their "bracket busters" in college basketball, but why not in college football? They want to protect their interest in the big conferences. ESPN stays out of the picture when it comes to non-conference scheduling in college football, but they regularly pitch ideas like the ACC/Big 10 challenge in basketball, because they know those games will be money makers and the conferences need not worry about the impact on teams making the NCAA tournament. In college football, they don't have that luxury and playing such games (after the Kickoff Classic) only serves to potentially hurt their investments. When listening to the talking heads at any of these networks, remember that they themselves are in invested in these conferences and seeing someone else's team in the national championship making the other guy money instead of them, isn't in their best interest. (That said, I believe you will see ESPN slowly turn up the heat on the possibility of a college football playoff, but that's a discussion for another day.)

Discussing the "what if" scenarios of college football through out the season can be equal parts fun and maddening, but in reality few if any of those scenarios have any chance of coming to fruition regardless of the outcomes on the field because they just don't fit the agenda. The big six conferences rely on their guaranteed money from BCS games and are not eager to share and both the voters and the TV networks have vested interests in delivering what those conferences want. Unfortunately, the best sport America has is currently run like Olympic figure skating. Style points and what flag you play under are just as important as performance. There is a man behind the curtain and he has no interest in getting the right National Championship game, only the best one. It's the only way they can keep their money and the masses satisfied. That's the BCS, the Business of College Sports.

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It's Friday

RIP Captain Lou

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Wednesday Links

Above is a graph from EDSBS which was included in a group of charts and graphs to help explain the college football season so far. J12's trip to Target in Blacksburg may cost him a chance to wear the pimp suit to the Heisman presentation.

An interview with John Calipari. [TBL]

The Red Sox have questions, questions that need answering. [Rumors and Rants]

Joe Pos on the ten best hitters of all time. [Joe Posnanski]

People are not happy with LSU's play calling after that anemic display against Florida. [Friends of the Program]

Obligatory Rush Limbaugh NFL ownership post. [Yahoo]

On the heels of Francisco Garcia's injury via Physioball, the dumb injury hall of fame. [Basketbawful]

It's trivia Wednesday. Stadium names are not as iconic as they used to be, so if you struggle with guessing the teams that play in them I understand. [Sporcle]

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Sometimes You're The Deer, And Sometimes Your The Local Restaurant

This video is pretty amazing. I have watched it several times and am most amazed that the deer knew exactly where the exit doors were. It was like her deer buddies bet her she wouldn't jump through a restaurant window.

via Extra Mustard

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Week 5 NFL De-Cleeting

It seems to be a constant theme this season and every season lately but the urge to criticize officials is almost overwhelming again this week. However, it is a useless endeavor. Not that these individuals should not be held accountable because even officials at the college level make a good amount of money for working a single game but the bad calls are going to happen. No matter ridiculous it is to throw a flag on a penalty before it happens or make a 49-yard penalty call for pass interference when the ball ends up going through the receiver's hands, the calls on the field stand, even if we can't stand it. So read on for the musings on what we saw this past weekend in the NFL because we will not be discussing the officiating, starting.....now.

Something is off

In an interview as the season was getting underway Tom Brady said one thing that really hit home when he went down in week 1 last year was that the game goes on without you when you fall behind. Already this season we have seen the stories of the new generation of QBs; Sanchez, Flacco, Rivers, and now Henne just to name a few. This game is the most popular in our country right now because of the game itself and not the superstars. I have watched just about every snap of the Patriots this season and there was a sense that Brady was a little bit off. After New England dropped its second game of the season to the Broncos in overtime 20-17, it is now clear to anyone who is watching that Brady is off.

I do not know if it is the knee, his head, his marriage, or whatever but Brady is not just missing targets, he is missing scoring opportunities. The Broncos did a great job in the game and McDaniels deserved his celebration at the end of the game but the bottom line is that the Patriots should have won that game. In the first half Brady had Randy Moss wide open on a 3rd and 12 and overthrew him. Overthrow might be an understatement, he was wide f'n open and the pass sailed about 5 yards over his head. No one is saying the Patriots will score like they did in 2007 but that was the kind of play that was automatic. Later in the game Brady missed Welker on a wide open slant that would have been an easy go-ahead touchdown.

Where does Brady go from here? Does he recover like Peyton did last year? Does he struggle the whole year like Donovan after his knee injury? The Patriots are tied for the AFC East at the moment but it still feels like they are on shaky ground. Both of their losses are to AFC teams. Record against conference opponents is an important tie-breaker when it comes to the playoffs and it is one that cost the Patriots a playoff berth last year. The numbers for Brady show a good season, 61.4%, 6 TDs, 2 INTs, 1344 yards, but the missed opportunities are the reason they have dropped 2 of their first 5.

Hogs not High

The Panthers were getting booed mercilessly in the first half of their 20-17 win over the Redskins on Sunday. Carolina fans take a bad rap from the rest of the league because they have not been around as long and they do not do nonsensical things to show their loyalty such as get dumb tattoos, name their kids after players, or mortgage their house in order to see a playoff game. Or maybe they take abuse because they do stuff like this. In any event the Panthers fan base has grown up a lot, especially after last year's 12-4 regular season led to a blowout playoff loss at home to the Cardinals. During the offseason the fans were angry and wanted to see something done in the front office and on the field. But in the first 3 games the Panthers looked next to hopeless. Enter this stretch of their schedule and now 3-3 seems doable. They got past Washington and next have Tampa Bay and Buffalo. We mentioned that Jon Beason was going to talk with Julius Peppers about playing harder for the $1 million he gets per game, and it seemed to work...I guess. Peppers was more aggressive overall, getting a sack and helping to force a safety but still did not look like his motor was going full-time, all the time.

The Redskins have more than likely come to the end of the Jim Zorn era. With 3 games left against the Giants and Eagles, and Denver, Atlanta, New Orleans added in it looks like an 8 loss season. The question is who will Snyder bring in? Or rather what respectable coach wants to play for them? Mike Shanahan is a popular rumored choice but he will want total control like he had in Denver and it is unlikely Snyder will concede that. The Redskins will most likely have to go with an unproven entity which means either it will be a slower turnaround than Snyder wants or the new coach won't be suited to deal with Snyder and Vinny Cerrato's meddling.

Rush of Blood to the Head

I am going to get this out of the way; I do not like Rush Limbaugh. It has nothing to do with his political views and has everything to do with the person. I know he does not care what someone like me would think of him but if it does offend him he should not worry, I don't like many people. The fact that someone like Rush even has enough money to buy a stake in the Rams is laughable yet reality. Something tells me that Limbaugh likes the controversy this has stirred up more than the prospect of being part owner of a horrible team. Players' Union president DeMaurice Smith sent an email to the players asking them to fight this possibility. Why? Are the other owners in the NFL that much more upstanding of citizens? If Rush gets part ownership it is not like he will be leaving conservative leaflets in the players' lockers. As much as I think Rush is an hypocritical windbag he is not trying to get a piece of the Rams for any sort of ideological crusade, the man likes football and has lots and lots of money. In case you were wondering if this whole protest against Rush is starting to get fishy, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson have joined the argument.
Who would resound more in speaking out against Rush, Jesse Jackson or Stephen Jackson? Stephen Jackson decided not to comment. This is America folks and if people want to speak out against the Rush bid that is well and good but also realize this is America folks and when people have tons of money, they get to do just about whatever they want.

I guess I should mention the Rams 38-10 loss to the Vikings on Sunday. The Rams are 0-5 and have scored 34 points....the whole year.

Quick Slants:
-Dre Bly did the right thing by apologizing for his jackassery on Sunday. In other news, I believe people should not throw babies off buildings, that would be wrong.

-Rex Ryan is great for a quote, but the wildcat proved itself against a top-notch defense last night. The Dolphins are better off with Henne at QB and are the most dangerous 2-3 team in football.

-Was at the bar when Miles Austin scored the game-winner for the Cowboys in OT. Did not know people could be that happy beating a winless team in overtime but the guy in the Roy Williams (former safety not WR) jersey proved me wrong, stylin'.

-Why did Todd Haley not go for 2? You let a 10 point lead slip through your hands and you are an offensive coach and you're telling me you don't have one perfect play from the 2?

-The Giants look just like they did at the beginning of last year; dominant. How will they look in December and January?

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Carolina Panthers: A Cry for Help

Last night Panthers linebacker Jon Beason was on WFNZ's Primetime and had some pointed comments about the effort of fellow captain Julius Peppers. When asked about Jared Allen's performance on Monday Night Football, Beason outlined receiving a call from a teammate and how different the passion Allen plays with is in comparison to Peppers. He refused to identify Pep by name, but it was painfully clear. Beason plans to have dinner with 90 tonight and have a "heart to heart" with the big fella. This was not a player popping off about another, but a cry for help. The Panthers and his defense need him to perform if they hope to have any measure of success this season.

Peppers has long been known in these parts as an enigma that was difficult to reach and this seems like a desperate plea by a desperate leader. Beason and every other member of the team needs to be on the same page and when the highest paid player on the team refuses to try it justifies lackadaisical effort from every other player. As it stands now, 90 has just seven solo tackles, one sack and no tackles for loss. By comparison, WR Steve Smith has three solo tackles. Peppers defenders will point to his lack of interest in playing here, a point he made abundantly clear at the start of the last off-season. It cannot be forgotten, however, that Pep and his agent, Carl Carey, handcuffed the organization by refusing to sign the franchise tender. NFL rules prevented the Panthers from pursuing a trade for him until he signed the tender, which he did not do until the last possible second, past the NFL draft and well into the free agency period. He made the choice to make trading him impossible and he gladly deposits his $1 million dollar checks each week, so expecting him to perform and to help out his teammates is not asking too much.

Critics and analysts were all over Brandon Marshall for his stunt in practice, but as recently as this Sunday, when the team needed a play made, Marshall made it. We've previously asked if Peppers off-season behavior was worse than TO's and here we are again, comparing him to another immature diva receiver and Pep's pitiful performance is far more embarrassing and immature than Marshall's because he's doing it on game day.

On the flip side, there are plenty of critics upset at Beason for choosing a public forum to air dirty laundry, but again this was not calling someone out because of personal differences, this was a cry for help. For many Panther fans, they feel vindicated and relieved that finally someone in the organization has acknowledged exactly what they (we) have felt for the last year. Instead of toeing the company line someone finally broke ranks and spoke up for all the fans as well as all the players who are busting their tail and putting their bodies on the line in that locker room. It will be intriguing to hear the reception Beason gets on Sunday, but also how the other nine players on defense respond. If they come out with fire and a renewed dedication to tackling, can we not assume that Beas was saying exactly what the other players were thinking? Peps lack of passion has been the white elephant in the room for months and finally someone spoke up and perhaps now this team can focus on playing instead of being quietly frustrated that one of their captains is hanging them out to dry.

Hear the entire interview.

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Proximity is Everything

SN's Bethlehem Shoals previewed the Bobcats yesterday and one particular line stuck out, "Felton's a distant third to Paul and Williams, but third nonetheless.' Now, it seems more and more like he's darn lucky, through an accident of history, to still get discussed in those terms." Felton certainly benefits from being in the same breath with two of the best PGs in the game (who wouldn't accept a bronze in that race), but there are two sides to the proximity coin as has been illustrated over and over in sports.

Ryan Leaf has become the ultimate straw man for NFL busts, but not solely due to his nearly 1:3 touchdown to interception ratio, but also because of who he was drafted immediately behind. The NFL draft was just beginning to receive widespread attention when the Colts selected Peyton Manning, who would go on to win 3 MVPs (edit: 4 if you read this after February 2010) and a Super Bowl instead of a guy whose most notable contribution was his "Don't Talk to Me" rant. Because of the debate of who to pick and how laughable it has become in hindsight Leaf remains at the forefront of people's minds when discussing busts. In actuality, Alex Smith and (based on his current career arc) JaMarcus Russell could easily be considered bigger busts because of the financial investment the Bay area teams made in both young men. Perhaps as these young men finish up their careers we'll look back on them as the biggest busts, but Art Schlichter and Heath Shuler suggest they will fade away into the sea of failed draft selections. While Smith, Russell, Schlichter and Shuler were all top five picks, none have the stigma of being drafted ahead of or in close proximity of a great. With the other quarterbacks selected around them having largely negligible careers, they too become forgettable. Donovan McNabb and to a lesser extent Daunte Culpepper have had solid careers but not on par with Manning and so as a result the three QB busts: Tim Couch, Akili Smith, and Cade McNown largely get a pass for their failings. Smith's 5 touchdowns and 13 interceptions are right on pace with Leaf's 14 and 36 respectively, but due to a lack of proximity to greatness Smith avoids the spotlight.

This proximity to greatness or lack there of can also create the illusion of an inflated performance level. There's always a kid who's the most athletic in the neighborhood, but if your cul-de-sac is occupied by pudgy, slow kids, how good they are on the greater scale can be skewed greatly. Look at NBA drafts of the early 2000's. There were so many high schoolers selected because they looked tremendous competing against inferior competition. Consider this the Darius Miles effect. After a solid rookie season, GM's convinced themselves that diamonds in the rough were all over the place, in high schools, international leagues and small colleges. The 2001 draft stands as a beacon of overrated talent with eight international and high school players taken in the first round as well as players from UNC-Charlotte, Okaloosa-Walton Community College, Southern Methodist and Pepperdine. Of those twelve only Pau Gasol and Tony Parker lived up to their draft position (with all due respect to Tyson Chandler who is a distant third). This is not to suggest that great players cannot come from high schools, over seas or small schools, but the lack of great players around them can make them artificially more appealing. Players from powerhouse schools also enjoy a benefit from playing not just against but with superior talent. As a result, many have been drafted much higher than they deserved. I'm looking at you 2005 national championship team. Marvin Williams, Sean May, Rashad McCants and to bring things full circle, Raymond Felton were all drafted high by virtue of playing together.

Some will remember Chris Webber's running mate in Sacramento, fewer will recall Reggie Miller's in Indiana, but everyone remembers MJ's running mate in Chicago. That's the effect of being in the proximity of greatness. We remember the best of the best and being linked to them can be a blessing or a curse. Just ask Wally Pipp, Burt Ward, or Pete Myers.

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Wednesday Links

I am not sure how many people tuned in for the marathon game between the Tigers and Twins last night, but after 4 hours of baseball it turned out to be a pretty darn good game. The Tigers blew many opportunities to close the Twins out which mirrored their run through September. The Metrodome fans seemed a little exhausted after going through the Favre Bowl the night before but the Homer Hankies were still being waved. In the infinite wisdom of MLB, the Twins now have to hop on a flight to New York and play the Yankees less than 24 hours after securing the AL Central. [SI]

Braylon Edwards will be dropping passes in New York from now on. Glazer again gets the first scoop and says Edwards was dealt for LB Jason Trusnik and receiver Chansi Stuckey. [Foxsports]

In other WR news, Michael Crabtree has finally inked a deal it is reportedly 6 years in length and MC Hammer helped him finally get signed. I bet you think I was going to make some kind of old school Hammer song reference like "Can't Touch This" or "Too Legit to Quit" but I maintain "Pumps and a Bump" to be his best work. [TBL]

Favre Bowl has largest Cable audience ever. Thank you ratings system for enabling more ESPN Favre fellating. [Awful Announcing]

So um...this high school shirt..well just see for yourselves. [Sportress of Blogitude]

It's trivia Wednesday. Did you know Steve Young was the first left-handed QB inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame? Well we didn't last week and it cost us the game. If you are a glutton for punishment, try this BCS quiz. [Sporcle]

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They Call Him Ray Ray

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College Football Officials Out To Create Race Of Endzone Cyborgs

I believe it was the great governor of California that said "Desire is irrelevant, I am a machine." When it comes to college football players, the officials would like to see the same emotionless reaction when a young man and his teammates score a touchdown that could potentially be game-winning in a contest that the schools and the conference are making millions on through television rights and advertisements and millions of dollars is being gambled on.

As Orson of EDSB put it: "...mostly white, middle-aged men judging the intent of young black men’s pantomime following emotional and exhilarating moments in sporting competition." But lo! What is this? The SEC has now come out and said he should not have thrown the flag. You know,the officials have a hard enough time calling the plays on the field correctly so maybe a little leeway should be granted to a player that scores a possible game-changing touchdown. It's enough to make you sick, even if you are LSU.

The officials were more than willing to allow Notre Dame self-congratulate to "excess" after they tied it up against Washington late,even after they blew the call of Hughes' knee being down before he crossed the goal line on the 2 point conversion. Washington still drove the ball down and sent the game into overtime which many people point to as the crux of the Georgia game. The Bulldogs still allowed a long return by Holliday and the touchdown scamper by Charles Scott. I wonder how Washington fans feel after the bad call and the no call from celebrating considering Jake Locker was penalized for his display of happiness last year against BYU.

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“Tom and I we’ve been friends for years. There’s no other person, no other football player maybe other than Junior Seau that I have more respect for. “I texted Tom and told him, ‘Hey Tom, I’m going to bust your chops a little bit at halftime.’ It was a joke, and everyone’s getting all bent out of shape,” Harrison explained. “This guy’s directly responsible for me having two Super Bowl rings on my fingers, and you think I’m going to call him out? It’s one thing to criticize a guy out if he’s not playing well. But to question a guy like Tom Brady, who I feel like is one of the toughest guys I’ve ever been around … It’s totally absurd, ridiculous, that people would actually think that I would take a shot at Tom Brady. I’ve had some 30 text messages and 30 e-mails [saying], ‘Some of the Patriots fans are kind of upset at you,’ ” Harrison added. “The one thing I do stand by: I felt the call was not a good call… as far as when I jokingly took a shot at Tom Brady, if it’s something that I truly meant, I would stand by it. But I didn’t mean it that way. And Tom knows that. We’re good friends. … It’s just ridiculous that people would think that.”

Rodney Harrison on some people thinking his knock on Brady on NBC was not a joke.
via Barstool Sports

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Week 4 NFL De-Cleeting

Ernie Hudson is one of my favorite actors. Whether it was his role on the show Oz or his performance as Winston Zeddemore in the Ghostbusters movies Ernie always delivers. Watching the NFL this weekend reminded me of line from a Hudson movie. That is just how twisted my mind is. The line is from the movie, The Substitute, which stars Tom Berenger as a mercenary who takes a substituting job in a Miami public school to stop a drug ring that involves a group of students led by....you guessed it Marc Anthony who now is a part owner of the Dolphins. Forgive the digression, but when Berenger first enters the school he meets Hudson, who plays the principal, and learns how he keeps the students in line. "Power perceived is power achieved." Well that might work when you are fighting an inner city high school drug ring, but in the NFL perception does nothing to help you win football games. After those teams which did not get their bye week are a quadrant through the season, the reality is either far worse or far better than it was laid out for them before the season began.

Titans 0-4

Remember the Titans? The ones that have made the playoffs the last two years and won the AFC South last year. Despite losing Albert Haynesworth and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz the Titans were expected to keep up their winning ways but their 37-17 blowout at the hands of the Jaguars has them winless and facing 4-0 Indy this Sunday night. The Titans lead the league in scoring defense last year but aside from their opening week loss 13-10 to Pittsburgh they have not been able to stop teams from getting into the endzone. With 3 losses already in the division it is likely the Titans will not be in contention for the AFC South this year and if they continue to play like this they will not even make it to .500.

Broncos 4-0

Well well well everybody was just so quick to put down the Broncos and how Josh McDaniels had not control over the team and what a joke Kyle Orton is your quarterback. Ok, I was one of them. I thought the Broncos would be a laughing stock this year and while they may not go wire to wire into the playoffs, they have shut a lot of people up. Granted, two of their games have been against Oakland and Cleveland but a win in this league is a win. The Broncos toppled the Cowboys at home 17-10. The Neckbeard Kyle Orton is just being himself out there, not too spectacular but not turning the ball over. Did you know that Orton is 17-2 as a starter when he plays at home? He has not thrown a pick yet this season, although he has come close. Brandon Marshall has put his temper tantrum and slipping on McDonalds wrappers behind him. The defense is allowing 6.5 points per game. A lot of credit should go to defensive coordinator Mike Nolan forgetting the defense to play like it is. Credit all around to the Broncos who have to be feeling pretty good looking at the way the rest of their division is playing. Many thought San Diego was the easy pick for this division but it turns out the perception might be wrong.

Rams 0-4

One situation where a team was perceived to have no power and turned out to be true was in St. Louis. The Rams are bad, so bad the winless predictions are starting to come in. In 4 games the Rams have scored 24 points and have been shutout twice. They lost to the 49ers 35-0 in San Fran and looked horrible doing it. With Bulger hurt(again) Kyle Boller barely made it over 100 yards passing. The Rams play Detroit November 1 in what might be their most winnable game. We are far cry from "Ram It".


Random Thoughts

-I know this issue has been beat to death in Carolina but let's compare Jared Allen and Julius Peppers for a moment.
Allen has 18 total tackles, 6.5 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles so far this year.
Peppers has 9 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble in 3 games.

-Catfish made a great point last night: What if the Chargers had had the stones to let LT go and keep Michael Turner? That being said the Chargers offense is not necessarily the problem. Shawn Merriman's stats so far this season: 8 tackles, 0 sacks, 0 everything else.

-I completely understand Ray Lewis being upset over the roughing the passer calls in the game against New England. However, I am not going to shed too many tears. The Patriots got a roughing call of their own and if Clayton had not dropped that 4th and 3 pass who knows what would have happened. There are three certainties in life; death, taxes, and bad officiating. All that being said I do not blame Brady for his initial reaction to the way Suggs came flying in. If you had a repaired knee you would be a little skiddish as well.

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It's Friday

14 seconds of Ed Reed pumps me up more than 37 of Tebow doing his Jonathan Moxon impersonation.

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Thursday Links

Hockey season is back! Ok I'm not the biggest hockey fan in the world and they do start their season in the midst of football season where nearly all the teams still are worth watching but that is the great thing about hockey, they keep plugging along no matter how bad the timing is. In case you missed it Wayne Gretzky got out as Phoenix head coach and while The Great One may have a little egg on his face, we know Superfan 99 will always be behind him, even if his head is bleeding.



Kimbo lost in a horribly dull match on the ultimate fighter last night. Nelson just kind of laid on him like a beached whale once he realized he had no chance to throw hands with Slice. Kimbo is not going anywhere though because White knows people will still tune in to see him. [Cagewriter]

Brady Quinn is out as Cleveland starter, must now eat his EAS from the sidelines while holding a clipboard. [Rumors and Rants]

Rio de Janeiro is rumored to be the favorite to take home the 2016 Olympic bid, even with the president making his way to Denmark. [Sporting Blog]

This preview of the New Jersey Devils was custom-made for our friend Walter Peckas it features a conversation with Admiral Ackbar, and that he is a Devils fan. [Melt Your Face Off]

Texas Tech is not quite the BCS darling they were a year ago. [Wizard of Odds]

More Hockey! Mats Sundin has been playing hockey since I was 8, but now the Bruce Willis clone is calling it quits. [Pension Plan Puppets]

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