THE 'HAVES' COVER ANOTHER, MAJOR INJURIES & SANCHEZ'S WEENEY TROUBLES
Last night another 'have' roughed up a 'have-not' as the Philadelphia Eagles whipped the Washington Redskins, 27-17. The Eagles opened as a 7-point favorite, but were bet up to 9, which they covered. There are 2 of these matchups this weekend, Oakland at San Diego & Carolina at Arizona. Keep an eye on these two.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said last night the NFL was "looking into the Larry Johnson matter in regard to his Twitter posts". This controversy sort of overshadows the steaming pile of you-know-what the Chiefs have become. Coupled with a bye week, I'll bet Scott Pioli is hoping LJ stays out front of this very sad organization. Johnson just issued an apology as I'm writing this, obviously written by his agent or attorney. He's very sorry, anyone tired of Larry's apologies? The Chiefs have told Johnson to stay away from all team activities until they & the NFL, complete their investigations into Johnson's Twitter ramblings.
The BCS gave us one decent week before it reverted back to the old ways of totally patronizing the old guard. USC, fresh off their 42-36 hanging-on-for-dear-life win at the Coliseum over Oregon State, vaulted over Boise State & Cincinnati into 5th place in the dollars-driven poll. Boise bombed Hawaii in Aloha State, 54-9 & Cincinnati rolled Louisville, 41-10, with their 2nd string QB in place of injured Tony Pike. Iowa moved up from 6th to 4th with their last-play-of-the-game touchdown to beat Michigan State at East Lansing. Florida & Alabama continue to lose style points with their less than overwhelming performances. The referee-aided wins are beginning to wear on the pollsters as well, their lead dwindling little by little. USC plays #10 Oregon this weekend & if the Ducks win, I'm afraid they'll vault over the only team to beat them, Boise State. If the Trojans win, I fear they'll jump over undefeated Iowa. It's a shame the writers voting in these polls don't understand just how difficult it is for these "lesser" teams to compete with the bigger programs & still stay undefeated. They have fewer coaches, lesser facilities, much less to draw recruits to & nearly always having to play the "big guys" on the road for a much needed paycheck. Boise State(32K), Cincinnati(35K) & TCU(44K) play in stadiums that have less than half the capacity of most of the "big guys". Throw in weight rooms, film rooms, meeting rooms, athletic dorms, much smaller enrollments & you can see the handicap these schools deal with every day. Don't give me that "USC might be the best team in the country" crap-ola. If they are even "one of the best", they wouldn't lose to unranked teams every year O.K.?
There were some major injuries over the weekend & into Monday night. The Dolphins lost starting cornerback Will Allen with a torn ACL. Miami will now start 2 rookies in Sean Smith & Vontae Davis, their 1st & 2nd round draft picks. Jet running back Leon Washington is lost for the season after sustaining a broken leg Sunday against the Raiders. Many of the players on the field said it was the worst injury they'd ever witnessed. Washington TE Chris Cooley is lost for at least a month with a broken ankle & Eagles RB Brian Westbrook sustained a concussion in last night's game. A couple of major losses in the Big-10 include Minnesota WR Eric Decker who'll be out for at least 4 weeks with a severe sprained foot. The Big-10's leading receiver has 50 receptions for 758 yards & 5 touchdowns. It is a major blow to the Gophers bowl hopes. Iowa lost 2 starters, RB Adam Robinson(high ankle sprain) & G Dace Richardson(broken left leg).
The favorable calls from game officials isn't limited to the SEC. PAC-10 officials reprimanded & suspended a back judge who failed to call a blatant personal foul in the Oregon State-USC game Saturday night. USC All-American safety, Taylor Mays should have been flagged for a "blatant & dangerous face mask infraction". I watched the play in question on YouTube several times & how any of the officials missed this one is beyond my comprehension, "blatant" is a perfect definition.
From the "Shame, Shame, Shame" file we have 4 candidates. Oakland DT Richard Seymour guaranteed a week ago after the Raiders whipped the Eagles "we're going to the playoffs, I guarantee it". After they were skunked by the Jets Sunday, 38-0, Seymour said "I don't think we could've beat an Oakland high school team". Richard, it's a long way from high school to the NFL playoffs, which is it?
Hall of Fame quarterback Bob Griese, currently employed by ABC/ESPN as a color analyst, was suspended 1 game for his comment during a Saturday telecast. When a promo for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase came onscreen complete with the 5 leading drivers, broadcast partner Chris Spielman wondered "where is Juan Pablo Montoya? He's been in the top-5 for weeks." To which Griese replied "he was out getting a taco". Montoya isn't Mexican, he's Colombian. After halftime, Griese made an on-air apology that was almost as lame as the offending remark. He talked about how much he watches NASCAR & what a fan of Montoya he is. O.K. Bob, enjoy the week off, buh bye.
The Washington Redskins instituted a new policy before last night's game without any pre-notification to the public. They prohibited fans from bringing any signs into the stadium regardless of what was on them. This is an effort to silence dissent, Redskin management said it was "a safety issue". Anyone buying that? Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post fished several signs out of the trash near an entry gate. On one of the signs it said "Hi to my husband in Afghanistan, I love you!". If the Skins didn't micro manage everything, signs like this wouldn't be a problem, but their on-field performance is so awful, it's now spilled over into the crowd, can't run the risk of someone bringing in a sign that's critical of management now can we?
Jet quarterback Mark Sanchez had to apologize to fans, teammates & the Raiders for a real dumb move on the New York bench Sunday. He had a ball boy get a hotdog out of the stands & the "Sanchize" ate it while on the bench. Wasn't it just a week ago after throwing 5 interceptions & losing to the lowly Bills, Sanchez was so depressed he looked like someone had run over his dog. His body language was as bad as it could've been. But winning 38-0, he feels emboldened to eat a weeney on the sideline. This kid needs to find a happy medium if he's going to be the leader of this team. He was bashed especially hard by former players now working as TV talking heads.
Finally, I want to thank my lifelong buddy Mark, who came down from the city to spend the weekend with us watching football. We had way too much to drink Friday night, but we settled down & watched about 30 games the next two days, sans the Crown Royal & Budweiser. It was great having him here & we look forward to another visit, watching football next season.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said last night the NFL was "looking into the Larry Johnson matter in regard to his Twitter posts". This controversy sort of overshadows the steaming pile of you-know-what the Chiefs have become. Coupled with a bye week, I'll bet Scott Pioli is hoping LJ stays out front of this very sad organization. Johnson just issued an apology as I'm writing this, obviously written by his agent or attorney. He's very sorry, anyone tired of Larry's apologies? The Chiefs have told Johnson to stay away from all team activities until they & the NFL, complete their investigations into Johnson's Twitter ramblings.
The BCS gave us one decent week before it reverted back to the old ways of totally patronizing the old guard. USC, fresh off their 42-36 hanging-on-for-dear-life win at the Coliseum over Oregon State, vaulted over Boise State & Cincinnati into 5th place in the dollars-driven poll. Boise bombed Hawaii in Aloha State, 54-9 & Cincinnati rolled Louisville, 41-10, with their 2nd string QB in place of injured Tony Pike. Iowa moved up from 6th to 4th with their last-play-of-the-game touchdown to beat Michigan State at East Lansing. Florida & Alabama continue to lose style points with their less than overwhelming performances. The referee-aided wins are beginning to wear on the pollsters as well, their lead dwindling little by little. USC plays #10 Oregon this weekend & if the Ducks win, I'm afraid they'll vault over the only team to beat them, Boise State. If the Trojans win, I fear they'll jump over undefeated Iowa. It's a shame the writers voting in these polls don't understand just how difficult it is for these "lesser" teams to compete with the bigger programs & still stay undefeated. They have fewer coaches, lesser facilities, much less to draw recruits to & nearly always having to play the "big guys" on the road for a much needed paycheck. Boise State(32K), Cincinnati(35K) & TCU(44K) play in stadiums that have less than half the capacity of most of the "big guys". Throw in weight rooms, film rooms, meeting rooms, athletic dorms, much smaller enrollments & you can see the handicap these schools deal with every day. Don't give me that "USC might be the best team in the country" crap-ola. If they are even "one of the best", they wouldn't lose to unranked teams every year O.K.?
There were some major injuries over the weekend & into Monday night. The Dolphins lost starting cornerback Will Allen with a torn ACL. Miami will now start 2 rookies in Sean Smith & Vontae Davis, their 1st & 2nd round draft picks. Jet running back Leon Washington is lost for the season after sustaining a broken leg Sunday against the Raiders. Many of the players on the field said it was the worst injury they'd ever witnessed. Washington TE Chris Cooley is lost for at least a month with a broken ankle & Eagles RB Brian Westbrook sustained a concussion in last night's game. A couple of major losses in the Big-10 include Minnesota WR Eric Decker who'll be out for at least 4 weeks with a severe sprained foot. The Big-10's leading receiver has 50 receptions for 758 yards & 5 touchdowns. It is a major blow to the Gophers bowl hopes. Iowa lost 2 starters, RB Adam Robinson(high ankle sprain) & G Dace Richardson(broken left leg).
The favorable calls from game officials isn't limited to the SEC. PAC-10 officials reprimanded & suspended a back judge who failed to call a blatant personal foul in the Oregon State-USC game Saturday night. USC All-American safety, Taylor Mays should have been flagged for a "blatant & dangerous face mask infraction". I watched the play in question on YouTube several times & how any of the officials missed this one is beyond my comprehension, "blatant" is a perfect definition.
From the "Shame, Shame, Shame" file we have 4 candidates. Oakland DT Richard Seymour guaranteed a week ago after the Raiders whipped the Eagles "we're going to the playoffs, I guarantee it". After they were skunked by the Jets Sunday, 38-0, Seymour said "I don't think we could've beat an Oakland high school team". Richard, it's a long way from high school to the NFL playoffs, which is it?
Hall of Fame quarterback Bob Griese, currently employed by ABC/ESPN as a color analyst, was suspended 1 game for his comment during a Saturday telecast. When a promo for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase came onscreen complete with the 5 leading drivers, broadcast partner Chris Spielman wondered "where is Juan Pablo Montoya? He's been in the top-5 for weeks." To which Griese replied "he was out getting a taco". Montoya isn't Mexican, he's Colombian. After halftime, Griese made an on-air apology that was almost as lame as the offending remark. He talked about how much he watches NASCAR & what a fan of Montoya he is. O.K. Bob, enjoy the week off, buh bye.
The Washington Redskins instituted a new policy before last night's game without any pre-notification to the public. They prohibited fans from bringing any signs into the stadium regardless of what was on them. This is an effort to silence dissent, Redskin management said it was "a safety issue". Anyone buying that? Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post fished several signs out of the trash near an entry gate. On one of the signs it said "Hi to my husband in Afghanistan, I love you!". If the Skins didn't micro manage everything, signs like this wouldn't be a problem, but their on-field performance is so awful, it's now spilled over into the crowd, can't run the risk of someone bringing in a sign that's critical of management now can we?
Jet quarterback Mark Sanchez had to apologize to fans, teammates & the Raiders for a real dumb move on the New York bench Sunday. He had a ball boy get a hotdog out of the stands & the "Sanchize" ate it while on the bench. Wasn't it just a week ago after throwing 5 interceptions & losing to the lowly Bills, Sanchez was so depressed he looked like someone had run over his dog. His body language was as bad as it could've been. But winning 38-0, he feels emboldened to eat a weeney on the sideline. This kid needs to find a happy medium if he's going to be the leader of this team. He was bashed especially hard by former players now working as TV talking heads.
Finally, I want to thank my lifelong buddy Mark, who came down from the city to spend the weekend with us watching football. We had way too much to drink Friday night, but we settled down & watched about 30 games the next two days, sans the Crown Royal & Budweiser. It was great having him here & we look forward to another visit, watching football next season.
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