SUH GETS NASTY, DEANGELO HALL IS REALLY SENSITIVE, WASHINGTON CHARGED & I'LL STICK MY NECK OUT A LITTLE
Were you able to catch any of the Detroit Lions-Cleveland Browns game when it was rebroadcast on The NFL Network? Other than Jahvid Best's 51-yard run, Jake Delhomme's 20-25 passing performance, there wasn't a lot to see. Except for Ndamakong Suh's attempt to unscrew Delhomme's head from his body. I smell a fine coming. Senaca Wallace, Delhomme's backup, wants Suh suspended. Suh grabbed Delhomme's facemask as he was about to deliver a pass from the pocket, then he grabbed Delhomme around the neck & proceeded to twist like he was really trying to remove the quarterback's head from his shoulders. If you've been with me since last year, you know that despite Suh being a Nebraska Cornhusker, I have always been a huge fan of his ability, aggressiveness, work ethic & production. But this one was just wrong. I have no problem with defenders playing rough with quarterbacks, but I do draw the line with a move like this one. I, like most people, don't want to watch a guy's head come off some Sunday afternoon. I hope Eric Berry is the defensive rookie of the year but I want to see Suh finish second in the balloting. I think the commissioner will make sure Ndamakong Suh understands the NFL's aversion to decapitation & how it will not play well on Sunday afternoon. The way to do that is a small fine & a one-line statement.
Washington cornerback DeAngelo Hall is one pretty sensitive "little" guy. How sensitive? He will not allow Kelli Johnson, a Comcast SportsNet reporter to interview him unless she removes her heels. Seriously. Johnson, with her high heels, is said to stand slightly taller than 6', Hall is listed as 5' 10", but in reality, he's shorter than his roster height. Hall admitted to another reporter, who saw Johnson remove her heels to do a live video shot, "she's too tall man, I can't have her being taller than me on TV, I can't. If I was six-foot tall, I wouldn't mind, but I'm only 5' 11", so I can't allow it." Now he's 5' 11"? It amazes me that a veteran NFL player, especially one who plays a position that requires the utmost in confidence, is paranoid about being shorter than a female reporter. Weird.
Mizzou starting running back & co-captain, Derrick Washington, was formally charged with deviate sexual assault on Monday. He is accused of assaulting a former tutor in her apartment in early June. An "etched in stone rule" of all Tiger sports teams is anytime a player is charged with a felony, they are indefinitely suspended until the charges are resolved. Washington could very well have played his last football for Missouri. The Boone County prosecutor has kept quite a tight lid on this investigation & the resulting charges. I have no idea if there they have a strong case against Washington, but it seems, were there's smoke there's fire & this one's smokin' pretty good. Absolute pity to everyone involved, especially the young woman. Coach Gary Pinkel has been distraught about one of his best players & co-captains who has really let down a lot of people. I think sophomore Kendial Lawrence will take over as the starter. This could throw the Tigers into a tailspin, especially if they stumble Saturday against Illinois. If they come together & Lawrence plays well, it could bring the team closer together. The line has dropped from Mizzou -13 1/2 to -11.
Only one reader correctly identified all four Chiefs in the "Best of Each Number" quiz. I used the recent article from Sports Illustrated, naming the all-time best NFL player to wear each number from 00-99. It took her 5 shots, but she got it first. KCKrissy, a Chiefs' fan & a young woman who isn't shy about her criticism of my outlook on our team, got all four, #61, Curley Culp, #63 Willie Lanier, #86, Buck Buchanan & #90, Neil Smith. She didn't identify both of the Kansas City runners-up, #16, Len Dawson(2nd to Joe Montana) & #58, Derrick Thomas(2nd to Jack Lambert) so she didn't win the Steve Bono 8x10 glossy, just kidding, there were no prizes. But congratulations to KCKrissy.
Since college football begins this Thursday, I thought it was time to put down a few predictions that you can throw in my face as the season progresses(always when I'm wrong, but totally ignored when I'm right). So here they are:
Teams I think could surprise: Texas Tech, Auburn, Utah, Arizona & Michigan(Really? Yes really).
Teams I think will disappoint: North Carolina, UCLA, Houston, Oklahoma State & LSU.
My Heisman finalists: Noel Devine RB West Virginia, Mark Ingram RB Alabama('09 winner), Andrew Luck QB Stanford, Kellen Moore QB Boise State & Andy Dalton QB TCU. There's really no way two non-BCS qualifying players get into the top-5, but They certainly have the potential.
The winner? Kellen Moore? Yes, if they win Monday night against Va Tech.
Who plays for the BCS Title? Boise State & Iowa, how's that for off the wall?
Who else plays in the BCS Bowls? Texas, Oregon, Auburn, West Virginia & Virginia Tech with the automatic bids. TCU, Ohio State & Alabama as the at-large invites.
Coaches who will be looking for new employment in 2011: Les Miles(LSU), Dan Hawkins(Colorado), Dennis Erickson(Arizona State), Ron Zook(Illinois) & Ralph Freidgen(Maryland)
What about USC's Lane Kiffin? He's on "double secret probation" to be sure. If the NCAA's probe into his 1-year stop at Tennessee shows he was a part of this traveling hostess show, USC AD Pat Haden will move Kiffin into "triple secret probation" & the slightest misstep by him, his staff or his team will result in sudden unemployment. This is the definition of "thin ice."
Long overdue for a bowl win, they get one this season: UTEP, San Diego State, Kansas State, Stanford & Texas A&M.
Top 5 things that can screw up your season: 1. Injuries 2. Losing to a "nobody" 3. Twitter 4. Player contact with an agent 5. Poor academics resulting in ineligible players
Best defensive players in the nation: 1. Prince Amukamura CB Nebraska 2. Adrian Clayborn DE Iowa 3. Quan Sturdivant LB North Carolina 4. Greg Jones LB Michigan State 5. Patrick Peterson CB LSU
Comeback player of the year: Only two come to mind, Mark Herzlich LB Boston College & Robert Griffin QB Baylor, both true gamechangers.
Most dangerous return man: Titus Young, Boise State
Why won't Alabama repeat as national champs? Only 1 returning starter on defense, all three specialists, two of them NCAA record holders, are gone & the same for the offensive line, 5 new starters. Just too much to truly classify this as a reloading season in an ultra-competitive conference.
Will the Irish be improved? Yes, inspite of a tougher schedule than the 2009 6-6 version of Notre Dame. New head coach Brian Kelly has quite a bit to work with, excellent skill position players in QB Dayne Crist, TE Kyle Rudolph, WR Michael Floyd & RB Armando Allen.
Big-12 North projected finish: 1. Nebraska 2. Mizzou 3. Kansas State 4. Colorado 5. Iowa State 6. Kansas
Big-12 South projected finish: 1. Texas 2. Oklahoma 3. Texas A&M 4. Texas Tech 5. Baylor 6. Oklahoma State
Washington cornerback DeAngelo Hall is one pretty sensitive "little" guy. How sensitive? He will not allow Kelli Johnson, a Comcast SportsNet reporter to interview him unless she removes her heels. Seriously. Johnson, with her high heels, is said to stand slightly taller than 6', Hall is listed as 5' 10", but in reality, he's shorter than his roster height. Hall admitted to another reporter, who saw Johnson remove her heels to do a live video shot, "she's too tall man, I can't have her being taller than me on TV, I can't. If I was six-foot tall, I wouldn't mind, but I'm only 5' 11", so I can't allow it." Now he's 5' 11"? It amazes me that a veteran NFL player, especially one who plays a position that requires the utmost in confidence, is paranoid about being shorter than a female reporter. Weird.
Mizzou starting running back & co-captain, Derrick Washington, was formally charged with deviate sexual assault on Monday. He is accused of assaulting a former tutor in her apartment in early June. An "etched in stone rule" of all Tiger sports teams is anytime a player is charged with a felony, they are indefinitely suspended until the charges are resolved. Washington could very well have played his last football for Missouri. The Boone County prosecutor has kept quite a tight lid on this investigation & the resulting charges. I have no idea if there they have a strong case against Washington, but it seems, were there's smoke there's fire & this one's smokin' pretty good. Absolute pity to everyone involved, especially the young woman. Coach Gary Pinkel has been distraught about one of his best players & co-captains who has really let down a lot of people. I think sophomore Kendial Lawrence will take over as the starter. This could throw the Tigers into a tailspin, especially if they stumble Saturday against Illinois. If they come together & Lawrence plays well, it could bring the team closer together. The line has dropped from Mizzou -13 1/2 to -11.
Only one reader correctly identified all four Chiefs in the "Best of Each Number" quiz. I used the recent article from Sports Illustrated, naming the all-time best NFL player to wear each number from 00-99. It took her 5 shots, but she got it first. KCKrissy, a Chiefs' fan & a young woman who isn't shy about her criticism of my outlook on our team, got all four, #61, Curley Culp, #63 Willie Lanier, #86, Buck Buchanan & #90, Neil Smith. She didn't identify both of the Kansas City runners-up, #16, Len Dawson(2nd to Joe Montana) & #58, Derrick Thomas(2nd to Jack Lambert) so she didn't win the Steve Bono 8x10 glossy, just kidding, there were no prizes. But congratulations to KCKrissy.
Since college football begins this Thursday, I thought it was time to put down a few predictions that you can throw in my face as the season progresses(always when I'm wrong, but totally ignored when I'm right). So here they are:
Teams I think could surprise: Texas Tech, Auburn, Utah, Arizona & Michigan(Really? Yes really).
Teams I think will disappoint: North Carolina, UCLA, Houston, Oklahoma State & LSU.
My Heisman finalists: Noel Devine RB West Virginia, Mark Ingram RB Alabama('09 winner), Andrew Luck QB Stanford, Kellen Moore QB Boise State & Andy Dalton QB TCU. There's really no way two non-BCS qualifying players get into the top-5, but They certainly have the potential.
The winner? Kellen Moore? Yes, if they win Monday night against Va Tech.
Who plays for the BCS Title? Boise State & Iowa, how's that for off the wall?
Who else plays in the BCS Bowls? Texas, Oregon, Auburn, West Virginia & Virginia Tech with the automatic bids. TCU, Ohio State & Alabama as the at-large invites.
Coaches who will be looking for new employment in 2011: Les Miles(LSU), Dan Hawkins(Colorado), Dennis Erickson(Arizona State), Ron Zook(Illinois) & Ralph Freidgen(Maryland)
What about USC's Lane Kiffin? He's on "double secret probation" to be sure. If the NCAA's probe into his 1-year stop at Tennessee shows he was a part of this traveling hostess show, USC AD Pat Haden will move Kiffin into "triple secret probation" & the slightest misstep by him, his staff or his team will result in sudden unemployment. This is the definition of "thin ice."
Long overdue for a bowl win, they get one this season: UTEP, San Diego State, Kansas State, Stanford & Texas A&M.
Top 5 things that can screw up your season: 1. Injuries 2. Losing to a "nobody" 3. Twitter 4. Player contact with an agent 5. Poor academics resulting in ineligible players
Best defensive players in the nation: 1. Prince Amukamura CB Nebraska 2. Adrian Clayborn DE Iowa 3. Quan Sturdivant LB North Carolina 4. Greg Jones LB Michigan State 5. Patrick Peterson CB LSU
Comeback player of the year: Only two come to mind, Mark Herzlich LB Boston College & Robert Griffin QB Baylor, both true gamechangers.
Most dangerous return man: Titus Young, Boise State
Why won't Alabama repeat as national champs? Only 1 returning starter on defense, all three specialists, two of them NCAA record holders, are gone & the same for the offensive line, 5 new starters. Just too much to truly classify this as a reloading season in an ultra-competitive conference.
Will the Irish be improved? Yes, inspite of a tougher schedule than the 2009 6-6 version of Notre Dame. New head coach Brian Kelly has quite a bit to work with, excellent skill position players in QB Dayne Crist, TE Kyle Rudolph, WR Michael Floyd & RB Armando Allen.
Big-12 North projected finish: 1. Nebraska 2. Mizzou 3. Kansas State 4. Colorado 5. Iowa State 6. Kansas
Big-12 South projected finish: 1. Texas 2. Oklahoma 3. Texas A&M 4. Texas Tech 5. Baylor 6. Oklahoma State
Comments