BISON COACH DISSES JAYHAWKS, MONTANA DEFLATES RUDY, SABAN WANTS "NO BOOING" & YES, I PICKED THE CHIEFS ON MONDAY NIGHT
As if losing to North Dakota State weren't bad enough, now Kansas fans have the Bisons' coach taking shots at them & their football team. Craig Bohl is spouted off about the lack of excitement in Lawrence last weekend, he also made some disparaging remarks about the intensity of Big-12 football. I can appreciate two things about this story, the Bisons beat a Division 1 school on the road & it was KU, much to my delight. But honestly, after reading Bohl's comments, I thought he must have been ultra successful. turns out I was wrong. Since becoming the Bisons' coach in 2003, they've won but one conference title. His conference record in that time is 23-18, not exactly dominating. His 2008 Bisons were 6-5 & the '09 edition was a very impressive 3-8. I can't believe I'm defending KU, what's the world coming to? Bohl needs to take a few real deep breaths & then go on about his business of winning the Missouri Valley conference. Here are Bohl's comments about beating Kansas & the upcoming game vs. Northern Iowa.
"I think the environment that we're going to play in Cedar Falls is going to be much more of a hostile environment than Memorial Stadium in Kansas. That was pretty docile," Bohl said. "And the type of team that we're going to be playing is going to be a much more physical, aggressive football team than KU. And quite frankly, I think we'll be playing a better opponent. I know one school is in the Big 12 and the other one is in the Missouri Valley. I think that gives an indication on how we see Missouri Valley play and the respect we give Northern Iowa."
Joe Montana appeared on The Dan Patrick Show yesterday & I'm still trying to figure out why he said what he did. Even gossip site TMZ is covering the story. Montana was a freshman on the 1975 Notre Dame squad that had a new coach in Dan Devine, one that won the Gator bowl over Penn State & a team that had a permanent scout team player named Rudy Ruettiger, yeah, that Rudy. As anyone knows, "true stories" are fictionalized by Hollywood. Sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. Joe Montana seemed to make it his mission to poke holes in the Rudy story. He said Rudy did get the sack on the season's last play but the crowd never uttered his name in chant, starters didn't turn in their jerseys so Rudy could play & the part about him being carried off the field was a "goof." In other words, they did it as a joke aimed at Ruettiger. Jay Achterhoff, also a starter on the '75 team called into the show after Montana was off the air to dispute his remarks, claiming 98% of the movie was absolutely correct & that Ruettiger was carried off the field as a tribute to 4 years of never complaining & always giving his all on the scout team, it wasn't a goof as Montana had described. Achterhoff described Rudy as an inspiration to many on the team. My question is, with all his success, championships & the almost universal love from the fans, why did he need to shoot down Rudy? Achterhoff wondered "why Montana wasn't more supportive of Rudy." I wonder too, why poop all over a 17-year old movie about one of his teammates?
The Dallas Cowboys open the season on Sunday night in Washington against the Redskins. Their offensive line had difficulties during the preseason protecting QB Tony Romo & consistently opening holes for the running backs. The 1st string offense scored but one touchdown in 5 preseason games. The Cowboys were & still remain the popular pick to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl to be played on their home field. Now they have lost starting right tackle Mark Colombo for at least the opener. His backup, rookie Sam Young is also unavailable because of injury, so they will move backup LT, Alex "Mr. False Start" Barron to the right side. Left guard Kyle Kosier will also miss this game & he will be replaced with Montrae Holland. I might be sorry I picked the Cowboys this week.
Miami dumped center Jake Grove today. The Dolphins signed the free agent last year to a 5-year $29.5 million deal with $14 million of it guaranteed. So they got 16 games for $14 million, pretty sad. And this was on Bill Parcell's watch.
The Oakland Raiders will start the largest center in NFL history when rookie Jared Veldheer Sunday in Jacksonville. The 6' 8" former college left tackle will move inside to a position he's never played & be responsible for making all the line calls. I watched him in one preseason game & he looked pretty fluid at times & others he was a bull in a china closet. Centers are normally more compact, but you never know. Is this a look at the future or one of Al Davis' bizarre moves?
Alabama coach Nick Saban made it clear during today's news conference he doesn't like the Crimson Tide fans booing at the opposing teams. He's especially concerned about any booing directed at this week's opponent Penn State. He said "I didn't like the booing at San Jose State when they came out of the locker room & it would be a damn crying-ass shame if more of it was directed at Penn State & Joe Paterno. This team is about as big a window as those outside the state of Alabama ever see. Let's make that picture a good one & knock off the booing."
The Boise State-Virginia Tech game on Monday night drew a record breaking TV audience for college football on ESPN. The Nielsen ratings translated to 9.9 million viewers for the showdown.
Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green's suspension is drawing some heavy criticism from around the country. He broke the NCAA rules, that's the bottom line but there are a few extenuating circumstances that need to be noted. He was suspended for selling his Independence Bowl jersey, which the bowl game gave to him, to an agent for $1,000. Meanwhile the Georgia campus bookstore is selling 6 different versions of Green's jersey. I know he broke the rules, but the whole thing is rather troubling to me, you know how I hate hypocrisy.
I'm already getting grief for picking the Chiefs on Monday night. I write stuff about the Chiefs that rubs so many people wrong & yet when I pick them to win a game it makes me the target of the internet boo-birds. I picked Kansas City for the following reasons:
Home opener, Monday Night football, debut of the newly renovated Arrowhead stadium.
Chiefs have a more explosive team with the addition of Javier Arenas returning kicks & punts, Dexter McCluster running patterns out of the slot & misdirection plays out of the backfield. Jamaal Charles can score from anywhere on the field as well.
My selection of Kansas City might be more about San Diego than the Chiefs. The Chargers will be missing three of their most important starters. Shawne Merriman hasn't practiced in three weeks & is doubtful. Marcus McNeill, the left tackle, has held out for a new contract & isn't with the team currently. Wide receiver Vincent Jackson, also a holdout, is currently suspended for the first three games for violating the league policies on substance abuse. He received two DUI's within 3 months during the past off-season. These are three crucial players for the Chargers. Also gone is longtime nose tackle Jamal Williams, a premiere run-stuffer, who went to Denver in free agency, replaced by a 5th round rookie, Cam Thomas. LaDainian Tomlinson is also gone. His departure wasn't tough for his teammates to take, many were glad to see him go, but his ability in short yardage even in his last season, couldn't be denied. Rookie Ryan Mathews should have a banner season in his place, but he's a rookie, so there's always going to be doubt.
I believe the 2 new coordinators, Charlie Weis & Romeo Crennell, have already had an impact. This team isn't playoff ready, but they will be improved.
"I think the environment that we're going to play in Cedar Falls is going to be much more of a hostile environment than Memorial Stadium in Kansas. That was pretty docile," Bohl said. "And the type of team that we're going to be playing is going to be a much more physical, aggressive football team than KU. And quite frankly, I think we'll be playing a better opponent. I know one school is in the Big 12 and the other one is in the Missouri Valley. I think that gives an indication on how we see Missouri Valley play and the respect we give Northern Iowa."
Joe Montana appeared on The Dan Patrick Show yesterday & I'm still trying to figure out why he said what he did. Even gossip site TMZ is covering the story. Montana was a freshman on the 1975 Notre Dame squad that had a new coach in Dan Devine, one that won the Gator bowl over Penn State & a team that had a permanent scout team player named Rudy Ruettiger, yeah, that Rudy. As anyone knows, "true stories" are fictionalized by Hollywood. Sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. Joe Montana seemed to make it his mission to poke holes in the Rudy story. He said Rudy did get the sack on the season's last play but the crowd never uttered his name in chant, starters didn't turn in their jerseys so Rudy could play & the part about him being carried off the field was a "goof." In other words, they did it as a joke aimed at Ruettiger. Jay Achterhoff, also a starter on the '75 team called into the show after Montana was off the air to dispute his remarks, claiming 98% of the movie was absolutely correct & that Ruettiger was carried off the field as a tribute to 4 years of never complaining & always giving his all on the scout team, it wasn't a goof as Montana had described. Achterhoff described Rudy as an inspiration to many on the team. My question is, with all his success, championships & the almost universal love from the fans, why did he need to shoot down Rudy? Achterhoff wondered "why Montana wasn't more supportive of Rudy." I wonder too, why poop all over a 17-year old movie about one of his teammates?
The Dallas Cowboys open the season on Sunday night in Washington against the Redskins. Their offensive line had difficulties during the preseason protecting QB Tony Romo & consistently opening holes for the running backs. The 1st string offense scored but one touchdown in 5 preseason games. The Cowboys were & still remain the popular pick to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl to be played on their home field. Now they have lost starting right tackle Mark Colombo for at least the opener. His backup, rookie Sam Young is also unavailable because of injury, so they will move backup LT, Alex "Mr. False Start" Barron to the right side. Left guard Kyle Kosier will also miss this game & he will be replaced with Montrae Holland. I might be sorry I picked the Cowboys this week.
Miami dumped center Jake Grove today. The Dolphins signed the free agent last year to a 5-year $29.5 million deal with $14 million of it guaranteed. So they got 16 games for $14 million, pretty sad. And this was on Bill Parcell's watch.
The Oakland Raiders will start the largest center in NFL history when rookie Jared Veldheer Sunday in Jacksonville. The 6' 8" former college left tackle will move inside to a position he's never played & be responsible for making all the line calls. I watched him in one preseason game & he looked pretty fluid at times & others he was a bull in a china closet. Centers are normally more compact, but you never know. Is this a look at the future or one of Al Davis' bizarre moves?
Alabama coach Nick Saban made it clear during today's news conference he doesn't like the Crimson Tide fans booing at the opposing teams. He's especially concerned about any booing directed at this week's opponent Penn State. He said "I didn't like the booing at San Jose State when they came out of the locker room & it would be a damn crying-ass shame if more of it was directed at Penn State & Joe Paterno. This team is about as big a window as those outside the state of Alabama ever see. Let's make that picture a good one & knock off the booing."
The Boise State-Virginia Tech game on Monday night drew a record breaking TV audience for college football on ESPN. The Nielsen ratings translated to 9.9 million viewers for the showdown.
Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green's suspension is drawing some heavy criticism from around the country. He broke the NCAA rules, that's the bottom line but there are a few extenuating circumstances that need to be noted. He was suspended for selling his Independence Bowl jersey, which the bowl game gave to him, to an agent for $1,000. Meanwhile the Georgia campus bookstore is selling 6 different versions of Green's jersey. I know he broke the rules, but the whole thing is rather troubling to me, you know how I hate hypocrisy.
I'm already getting grief for picking the Chiefs on Monday night. I write stuff about the Chiefs that rubs so many people wrong & yet when I pick them to win a game it makes me the target of the internet boo-birds. I picked Kansas City for the following reasons:
Home opener, Monday Night football, debut of the newly renovated Arrowhead stadium.
Chiefs have a more explosive team with the addition of Javier Arenas returning kicks & punts, Dexter McCluster running patterns out of the slot & misdirection plays out of the backfield. Jamaal Charles can score from anywhere on the field as well.
My selection of Kansas City might be more about San Diego than the Chiefs. The Chargers will be missing three of their most important starters. Shawne Merriman hasn't practiced in three weeks & is doubtful. Marcus McNeill, the left tackle, has held out for a new contract & isn't with the team currently. Wide receiver Vincent Jackson, also a holdout, is currently suspended for the first three games for violating the league policies on substance abuse. He received two DUI's within 3 months during the past off-season. These are three crucial players for the Chargers. Also gone is longtime nose tackle Jamal Williams, a premiere run-stuffer, who went to Denver in free agency, replaced by a 5th round rookie, Cam Thomas. LaDainian Tomlinson is also gone. His departure wasn't tough for his teammates to take, many were glad to see him go, but his ability in short yardage even in his last season, couldn't be denied. Rookie Ryan Mathews should have a banner season in his place, but he's a rookie, so there's always going to be doubt.
I believe the 2 new coordinators, Charlie Weis & Romeo Crennell, have already had an impact. This team isn't playoff ready, but they will be improved.
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