BOISE UPSET COSTS WAC, DESEAN IS "OBSESSED" WITH NEW CONTRACT, STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE REVEALED-"MURDERER'S ROW" IT AIN'T & TRUMP STUMP FOR LEACH
As if Boise State's overtime loss wasn't traumatic enough for those in the land of spuds, it will affect every member of the WAC to the tune of $1 million. With a win, Boise was almost a shoe-in for a BCS bowl bid, worth between $10-11 million. After the Broncos would take there cut of $3 million, the remaining 8 conference members would split the balance. That loss will be costly to all, including Nevada.
Thru all the hate email, death threats & the like, Boise State kicker Kyle Brotzman now has a sympathetic ally to deal with the depression of his two missed short-range kicks Friday night. This guy has dealt with his shortcoming for nearly 25-years. Former Red Sox 1st baseman Bill Buckner, a 15-year Boise resident, has come to Brotzman's aid. Buckner had the 2-out ground ball go between his legs allowing the Mets to win game six of the 1986 World Series & then take the title the next night. Sox fans put Buckner on top of their hit list, his name was mud, or worse. Maybe he can help Brotzman deal with everything that goes with such an infamous play in a huge game.
With the Big-12 Championship game coming up on Saturday night, it figured to be the end of the storied Nebraska-Oklahoma rivalry. These two have played some of the most memorable games over the past 40-years, they have a combined 9-national championships between them since 1970. It was revealed today, the two schools have been working on a home & home non-conference mini-series in 2020 & 2021. It hasn't been finalized as their respective conference schedules aren't finalized that far out, but apparently they have a handshake deal to continue playing each other occasionally.
OU running back, DeMarco Murray, is still very questionable for the title game after injuring his knee last Saturday versus Okie State.
The NCAA announced early Wednesday afternoon that Cam Newton is eligible to play the rest of the season for Auburn. Their investigation determined neither Newton or Auburn knew of the financial arrangement the Rev. Cecil Newton tried to negotiate on his son's behalf. Now let's not hear anymore about it O.K.?
Real quickly, the $25K the NFL fined Texans' WR Andre Johnson & Titans' CB Courtland Finnegan for their fisticuffs last Sunday, is a joke. Just like the $25K the league fined Richard Seymour early last week for punching Ben Rothlisberger, fining millionaires a pittance doesn't deter future slugfests. Is the sport becoming hockey? Richard Seymour's fine amounted to 1/4 of 1% of his overall compensation this season. Are you kidding? Do the piddly fines dealt to Johnson & Finnegan have anything to do with the fact the Texans play on the NFL Network tonight & Johnson is a marquee player for Houston? Only suspensions will cure this type of activity, missing a game check is a real deterrent, plus your team has to play without you.
Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson apparently is obsessed is a new contract that isn't forthcoming at this time. His coach & teammates are beginning to question his dedication. Reid called him out in front of the entire team after their loss to the Bears last Sunday. Jackson refused to practice punt returns before the game. Teammates say he is constantly texting his agent. Ever since he received a concussion 6-weeks ago, his efforts to catch some passes, especially over the middle have been questioned.
The Denver Bronco, Kenny McKinley, who shot himself September 23rd, had created some extreme debt for himself in less than 2 full seasons in the league. He was already paying $1,500 per month in child support & it was supposed to be doubled soon. Another woman had come forward charging McKinley with fathering a child with her. He owed Las Vegas casinos $40,000 in delinquent markers. He had huge credit card debt & owed former teammate Tom Brandstater a cool $65K after he tried to counsel McKinley about getting out from under some of his debt. The Broncos' front office knew of McKinley's money trouble, in fact they held the contract between McKinley & Brandstater. Numerous people have come forward to say they knew he was in money trouble & was extremely depressed about his predicament. McKinley had received over $600,000 in pay & bonuses before his 24th birthday & yet was buried in debt. The other disturbing item from the Associated Press was the handgun he shot himself with was purchased from teammate Jabbar Gaffney.
On the injury front, Oakland QB Bruce Gradkowski had just returned from missing 3-weeks with a shoulder injury & then it happened again. He will miss the remainder of the season with a severe shoulder separation. Adrian Peterson failed to practice for the Vikings on Wednesday, his ankle sprain might keep him from playing on Sunday vs the Bills. Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Rothlisberger is using a walking boot to support his injured foot. He will most likely not practice this week, but look for him in uniform come Sunday night, their game with the Ravens is for the division lead. Frisco RB Frank Gore suffered a hip fracture Monday night & was placed on I.R. Brian Westbrook will take over for the Niners. The Chiefs no longer list Dexter McCluster on their injury report but he could still be a healthy scratch Sunday. I don't look for CB Brandon Flowers, OT Brandon Albert or McCluster to play Sunday against Denver, the San Diego game the following weekend wil demand all hands on deck for Kansas City.
Tampa Bay & Cincinnati will be blacked out on local television this Sunday. Surprisingly, the Jaguars, thought to be looking at 8 home blackouts, have only had 2. Their resurgence in the standings has a lot to do with that.
All the talk about Jon Gruden becoming the new coach at the University of Miami, is just that, talk. I don't doubt that Gruden will return to coaching, I just question if he really wants to get involved with recruiting & compliance after being in the NFL for 17-years.
Cleveland quarterback Jake Delhomme(that's Cajun for turnover) celebrated his return to the starting lineup by throwing a pick-6 last Sunday against his former team, the Carolina Panthers. He only got the starting shot after rookie Colt McCoy suffered a high ankle sprain & couldn't practice or play last week.
So much for "Murder's Row", the mythical schedule played by Ohio State according to university president E. Gordon Gee. He decided to show his ignorance regarding college football by demeaning TCU & Boise State, claiming they "played the Little Sisters of the Poor, while Ohio State played a virtual 'Murderer's Row'" Well, E. Gordon, The Sagarin computer report, used by the BCS for the strength of schedule component, says bullsh*t. His strength of schedule rankings are as follows:
#8 Stanford
#9 Texas A&M
#12 Oklahoma
#15 Alabama
#17 Arkansas
#18 Texas
#21 Texas Tech
#28 Baylor
#23 Missouri
#24 Auburn
#25 South Carolina
#35 Oklahoma State
#44 Nebraska
#62 Boise State
#64 Ohio State
#71 Wisconsin
I never trusted guys with bow ties. E. Gordon should stick to topics he has knowledge of, it makes him look ridiculous.
Mike Leach is interested in the Miami job. In fact it marks the 2nd time he's made a play for the position. In 2007, he applied for the position while still at Texas Tech. He even got a letter of recommendation from his old buddy Donald Trump. Miami president Donna Shalala laughed off Trumps letter. He is now very critical of Shalala for not hiring Leach in '07 & tells her in another letter, she shouldn't pass on Leach again. Trump & Leach, there's a strange friendship huh?
And now for the Office Pool Picks. Two people notified me of their win this past week, making them the 3rd & 4th winners this season using these picks. Good luck!
Houston at Philadelphia (Thursday)
Jacksonville at Tennessee
Denver at Kansas City
Washington at New York Giants
Chicago at Detroit
Atlanta at Tampa Bay
New Orleans at Cincinnati
Buffalo at Minnesota
Cleveland at Miami
San Francisco at Green Bay
Oakland at San Diego
St. Louis at Arizona
Dallas at Indianapolis
Carolina at Seattle
Pittsburgh at Baltimore
New York Jets at New England
Total points for MNF 41
Thru all the hate email, death threats & the like, Boise State kicker Kyle Brotzman now has a sympathetic ally to deal with the depression of his two missed short-range kicks Friday night. This guy has dealt with his shortcoming for nearly 25-years. Former Red Sox 1st baseman Bill Buckner, a 15-year Boise resident, has come to Brotzman's aid. Buckner had the 2-out ground ball go between his legs allowing the Mets to win game six of the 1986 World Series & then take the title the next night. Sox fans put Buckner on top of their hit list, his name was mud, or worse. Maybe he can help Brotzman deal with everything that goes with such an infamous play in a huge game.
With the Big-12 Championship game coming up on Saturday night, it figured to be the end of the storied Nebraska-Oklahoma rivalry. These two have played some of the most memorable games over the past 40-years, they have a combined 9-national championships between them since 1970. It was revealed today, the two schools have been working on a home & home non-conference mini-series in 2020 & 2021. It hasn't been finalized as their respective conference schedules aren't finalized that far out, but apparently they have a handshake deal to continue playing each other occasionally.
OU running back, DeMarco Murray, is still very questionable for the title game after injuring his knee last Saturday versus Okie State.
The NCAA announced early Wednesday afternoon that Cam Newton is eligible to play the rest of the season for Auburn. Their investigation determined neither Newton or Auburn knew of the financial arrangement the Rev. Cecil Newton tried to negotiate on his son's behalf. Now let's not hear anymore about it O.K.?
Real quickly, the $25K the NFL fined Texans' WR Andre Johnson & Titans' CB Courtland Finnegan for their fisticuffs last Sunday, is a joke. Just like the $25K the league fined Richard Seymour early last week for punching Ben Rothlisberger, fining millionaires a pittance doesn't deter future slugfests. Is the sport becoming hockey? Richard Seymour's fine amounted to 1/4 of 1% of his overall compensation this season. Are you kidding? Do the piddly fines dealt to Johnson & Finnegan have anything to do with the fact the Texans play on the NFL Network tonight & Johnson is a marquee player for Houston? Only suspensions will cure this type of activity, missing a game check is a real deterrent, plus your team has to play without you.
Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson apparently is obsessed is a new contract that isn't forthcoming at this time. His coach & teammates are beginning to question his dedication. Reid called him out in front of the entire team after their loss to the Bears last Sunday. Jackson refused to practice punt returns before the game. Teammates say he is constantly texting his agent. Ever since he received a concussion 6-weeks ago, his efforts to catch some passes, especially over the middle have been questioned.
The Denver Bronco, Kenny McKinley, who shot himself September 23rd, had created some extreme debt for himself in less than 2 full seasons in the league. He was already paying $1,500 per month in child support & it was supposed to be doubled soon. Another woman had come forward charging McKinley with fathering a child with her. He owed Las Vegas casinos $40,000 in delinquent markers. He had huge credit card debt & owed former teammate Tom Brandstater a cool $65K after he tried to counsel McKinley about getting out from under some of his debt. The Broncos' front office knew of McKinley's money trouble, in fact they held the contract between McKinley & Brandstater. Numerous people have come forward to say they knew he was in money trouble & was extremely depressed about his predicament. McKinley had received over $600,000 in pay & bonuses before his 24th birthday & yet was buried in debt. The other disturbing item from the Associated Press was the handgun he shot himself with was purchased from teammate Jabbar Gaffney.
On the injury front, Oakland QB Bruce Gradkowski had just returned from missing 3-weeks with a shoulder injury & then it happened again. He will miss the remainder of the season with a severe shoulder separation. Adrian Peterson failed to practice for the Vikings on Wednesday, his ankle sprain might keep him from playing on Sunday vs the Bills. Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Rothlisberger is using a walking boot to support his injured foot. He will most likely not practice this week, but look for him in uniform come Sunday night, their game with the Ravens is for the division lead. Frisco RB Frank Gore suffered a hip fracture Monday night & was placed on I.R. Brian Westbrook will take over for the Niners. The Chiefs no longer list Dexter McCluster on their injury report but he could still be a healthy scratch Sunday. I don't look for CB Brandon Flowers, OT Brandon Albert or McCluster to play Sunday against Denver, the San Diego game the following weekend wil demand all hands on deck for Kansas City.
Tampa Bay & Cincinnati will be blacked out on local television this Sunday. Surprisingly, the Jaguars, thought to be looking at 8 home blackouts, have only had 2. Their resurgence in the standings has a lot to do with that.
All the talk about Jon Gruden becoming the new coach at the University of Miami, is just that, talk. I don't doubt that Gruden will return to coaching, I just question if he really wants to get involved with recruiting & compliance after being in the NFL for 17-years.
Cleveland quarterback Jake Delhomme(that's Cajun for turnover) celebrated his return to the starting lineup by throwing a pick-6 last Sunday against his former team, the Carolina Panthers. He only got the starting shot after rookie Colt McCoy suffered a high ankle sprain & couldn't practice or play last week.
So much for "Murder's Row", the mythical schedule played by Ohio State according to university president E. Gordon Gee. He decided to show his ignorance regarding college football by demeaning TCU & Boise State, claiming they "played the Little Sisters of the Poor, while Ohio State played a virtual 'Murderer's Row'" Well, E. Gordon, The Sagarin computer report, used by the BCS for the strength of schedule component, says bullsh*t. His strength of schedule rankings are as follows:
#8 Stanford
#9 Texas A&M
#12 Oklahoma
#15 Alabama
#17 Arkansas
#18 Texas
#21 Texas Tech
#28 Baylor
#23 Missouri
#24 Auburn
#25 South Carolina
#35 Oklahoma State
#44 Nebraska
#62 Boise State
#64 Ohio State
#71 Wisconsin
I never trusted guys with bow ties. E. Gordon should stick to topics he has knowledge of, it makes him look ridiculous.
Mike Leach is interested in the Miami job. In fact it marks the 2nd time he's made a play for the position. In 2007, he applied for the position while still at Texas Tech. He even got a letter of recommendation from his old buddy Donald Trump. Miami president Donna Shalala laughed off Trumps letter. He is now very critical of Shalala for not hiring Leach in '07 & tells her in another letter, she shouldn't pass on Leach again. Trump & Leach, there's a strange friendship huh?
And now for the Office Pool Picks. Two people notified me of their win this past week, making them the 3rd & 4th winners this season using these picks. Good luck!
Houston at Philadelphia (Thursday)
Jacksonville at Tennessee
Denver at Kansas City
Washington at New York Giants
Chicago at Detroit
Atlanta at Tampa Bay
New Orleans at Cincinnati
Buffalo at Minnesota
Cleveland at Miami
San Francisco at Green Bay
Oakland at San Diego
St. Louis at Arizona
Dallas at Indianapolis
Carolina at Seattle
Pittsburgh at Baltimore
New York Jets at New England
Total points for MNF 41
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