TCU & BAYLOR IN RIDICULOUS SHOOTOUT, FLA BLACKOUTS APLENTY, BOISE SITS 3 PLAYERS & SELMON "HANGS ON"
I know Friday nights are busy for many of you, but if you were lucky enough to have seen the TCU-Baylor game on ESPN tonight, you saw an instant classic. The 14th ranked Horned Frogs traveled to Waco to take on Robert Griffin III & the Baylor Bears. To see a Gary Patterson-coached team shredded the way they were was amazing. Baylor wins 50-48, there were 1,030 total yards of offense in this shootout, 564 by the Bears. Those totals don't include a 30-yards punt return & 55, 61 & 73-yard kickoff returns. Plus there were 4 PATS missed in this game, 3 kicks & a two-point conversion. In the past five years only 3 teams have scored 35 or more points against TCU, Oklahoma(35), San Diego State(35) & Stanford(36). Fifty? The first twenty minutes of the game was like a heavyweight slugfest, two punchers going toe-to-toe. Baylor led 27-23 with 11:32 left in the 1st half! TCU couldn't stop Baylor's 3-headed monster, Griffin at QB(21 for 27 for 359-yards & 5 touchdowns), WR Kendall Wright(2 for 2 passing for 55 yards & a TD, 12 receptions for 189-yards & 2 TD's) & RB Terrence Ganaway(24 carries-120-yards & a TD). After leading 34-23 at half, Griffin threw two quick touchdowns from 64 & 42-yards out. That was when Baylor seemed like they thought that was going to be enough, leading 47-23. It wasn't, TCU didn't win 25-straight regular season games in a row by quitting when things get tough, even on the road. The Frogs ripped off 25 4th quarter points to take the lead 48-47 with 4:27 to play. Griffin calmly led his team downfield for a game winning 37-yard field goal with a minute to play. A Mike Hicks interception with less than 10-seconds left sealed the deal for the Bears. I was worn out when it was finally over. The Baylor fans I know told me they felt not closing out the game with such a big lead was going to haunt them, but Baylor escaped with the upset & a giant step forward to their 2011 season. Maybe some of the Heisman voters got to see Griffin tonight since they were the only show worth watching.
Robert Griffin III They were rockin' in Waco Friday night
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk & NBC Sports quoted the late Sam Kinison today. Talking about hunger in the 3rd world, Kinison said "it's simple, the people who live where there's no food need to move where this is some, how tough is that?" Professional football fans who live in the state of Florida better take that to heart. All three Florida teams open the season at home next weekend & all three expect to be blacked out because of low attendance. All three have at least 10,000 non-premium seats to sell, so unless ownership will buy the tickets, they won't be on local television. Tampa Bay had all 8 of it's home games blacked out last season & the Glazer family is expecting the same this year. Jacksonville's Wayne Weaver has had over 3,000 upper deck seats covered by tarps for several seasons, those seats aren't even counted against the stadium's total & they still can't defeat the blackout monster. The Dolphins & Jags don't figure to challenge for division titles, but the Buccaneers won 10 games last season & they are heading in the right direction quickly. The economy is so lousy, most non-premium seats are purchased by middle class buyers, the exact people who have suffered thru this cycle of unemployment & home foreclosures. With the trouble at the "U" & the Gators having a rebuilding season, only Florida State figures to have a full stadium & a shot to go somewhere in January. Tough times in the Sunshine State, I hate it too, I have a lot of long time friends who live down there, but L.A. beckons, they want an NFL team & it's going to have to come from somewhere.
Speaking of attendance, did you notice at the Chiefs-Green Bay game Thursday night, there wasn't an empty seat at Lambeau Field? Their fans knew the Packers first teams would only play briefly & yet every seat was filled. That franchise is a marvel.
Seattle wide receiver Golden Tate must had read his press clippings before tonight's preseason game with Oakland. There was considerable speculation the 2010 2nd round draft pick was on the roster bubble, he just hadn't done enough. Being arrested for breaking into a donut shop for a 4AM snack after drinking all night was the biggest news Tate had made since he was drafted. He must have taken that speculation to heart. He caught 5 passes for 79-yards, returned a punt 43-yards & had one kickoff return for 34-yards. If you really care, Seattle won the last preseason game 20-3.
In disciplinary news, the NFL finally suspended the 4 players caught in the StarCaps controversy from 2008. The supplement contained a banned substance & even thi that substance wasn't listed in the ingredients, they still were suspended. It took 3-years & several battles in court to get it done. They did cut the original suspension in half tho, from 4 games to 2. Minnesota DT Kevin Williams & New Orleans DE Will Smith will sit out the first two games of the season & forfeit their game checks as well. Free agents Pat Williams & Charles Grant are also suspended if they sign with another team.
Disgraced coach Jim Tressel got himself a job in football. The Indianapolis Colts hired Tressel to be their replay review consultant in the press box. His job is to review every play & signal down to the sideline if he believes the Colts should throw the red flag for a review. I doubt it comes anywhere near the $2.5 million he was making as head coach at Ohio State, but it gives him some walkin' around money & keeps him off the street.
USC secondary coach, Willie Mack Garza, resigned Friday, citing "personal issues." Replacing a position coach the day before the Trojans debut against Minnesota, is tough, but it won't keep USC from winning.
The Tennessee Titans made a couple of cuts Friday I hated to see. RB Stafon Johnson & S Myron Rolle were released. Johnson had battled back from a 2009 weight room accident at USC when a bar loaded with nearly 400-pounds fell across his throat & almost killed him. Johnson suffered thru numerous surgeries & was actually having a good preseason. But as soon as Chris Johnson signed & reported, Stafon's days were numbered. Rolle had given up his senior year at Florida State to travel to Oxford to become a Rhodes Scholar. He returned after his year in England & was drafted by the Titans. But after a year on the practice squad & a quiet preseason, he was cut. Great individual, wants to become a neurosurgeon. Not many of those in the NFL is there?
The Broncos sustained two significant injuries Thursday night. Dime cornerback Syd'Quan Thompson tore his Achilles tendon & will be lost for the year. Rookie linebacker Nate Irving suffered a chest injury that looked pretty serious. I like Irving, he made his way back onto the North Carolina State squad after nearly dieing in an automobile accident. He sustained a broken leg, broken ribs, a collapsed lung, a dislocated shoulder & numerous lacerations. It took Irving 15-months to return to football & he was a 3rd round pick for Denver.
Linebacker Clint Sintim had recently returned to the New York Giants after rehabbing a torn ACL in December. In Thursday night's victory over New England, Sintim tore his patella tendon & will be lost for the season.
So much for Brodie Croyle's return to the National Football League. He was cut Friday by the Arizona Cardinals about two weeks after they signed him as an injury replacement for Max Hall. In a showdown Thursday night, Richard Bartel beat him out for the last QB roster spot. Richard Bartel huh? Hey, we watched the game & he lit 'em up, 12 of 16 for 216-yards & a pair of scores. Never heard of him? He went to Tarleton State & yes, I had to look it up.
Boise State left three players back in Idaho, there are questions regarding their eligibility. Al three are from the Netherlands & played for the Broncos in 2010. Now there are questions about when they quit their high school in the Netherlands to come to the U.S. & play prep football in Boise. Two starters, wide receiver Geraldo Boldewijn & safety Cedric Febis stayed in Boise along with reserve defensive tackle Ricky Tjonga-Tjoe. Boise State plays Georgia today in Atlanta.
I forgot to tell you about a high school football player last week who had a remarkable performance. Remarkable? Hell it was off the charts. Jordan Walker from Kansas City Rockhurst, a long time Missouri & national prep power, had 33 carries last Friday night for 400-yards. Rockhurst was playing Blue Springs, another Kansas City area powerhouse & with Walker's 400-yard performance, they won. He didn't set any records last night, 151-yards on 16 carries & a pair of touchdowns.
Mizzou opens their season this morning against Miami of Ohio. Illinois grew tired of being 0-1 every season after opening with Mizzou, so new prey was needed. The Tigers, ranked 21 nationally, will be led by a new quarterback, James Franklin. How far they go this season is pretty much on his shoulders, with 9 returning starters on offense & 6 on defense, the Tigers could make some noise if Franklin plays well. They are the Friday night game next week on ESPN when they travel to Tempe to play the Arizona State Sun Devils.
New Mizzou QB James Franklin
One of my very favorite players of all-time is LeeRoy Selmon. I have an autographed mini helmet from Selmon right here in my office. Enshrined in both the College & Pro Football Halls of Fame, Selmon was a very special player on a lot of very bad Tampa Bay teams. But he is royalty in Tampa, there's a freeway named after him & he owns some of the best sports bars in the nation. He won both the Outland & Lombardi Trophies while at Oklahoma &, here's the best part, Selmon was never blocked off his feet. Folks I can't begin to tell you how amazing that is, never blocked off his feet in his entire OU career. Tonight, his brother Dewey announced LeeRoy was clinging to life after suffering a stroke Friday afternoon. The 56-year old was being mourned around the Tampa area as two television stations reported he had died & the sports bars he owns there put out a statement honoring their boss & closed for the evening. Dewey Selmon's statement outside the hospital caused the TV stations to retract their stories claiming he had passed away. Let's not throw dirt on him until his time actually comes. I hope he pulls through, he was an amazingly tough player, let's hope he's just as tough now.
At his HOF induction in 1995
Robert Griffin III They were rockin' in Waco Friday night
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk & NBC Sports quoted the late Sam Kinison today. Talking about hunger in the 3rd world, Kinison said "it's simple, the people who live where there's no food need to move where this is some, how tough is that?" Professional football fans who live in the state of Florida better take that to heart. All three Florida teams open the season at home next weekend & all three expect to be blacked out because of low attendance. All three have at least 10,000 non-premium seats to sell, so unless ownership will buy the tickets, they won't be on local television. Tampa Bay had all 8 of it's home games blacked out last season & the Glazer family is expecting the same this year. Jacksonville's Wayne Weaver has had over 3,000 upper deck seats covered by tarps for several seasons, those seats aren't even counted against the stadium's total & they still can't defeat the blackout monster. The Dolphins & Jags don't figure to challenge for division titles, but the Buccaneers won 10 games last season & they are heading in the right direction quickly. The economy is so lousy, most non-premium seats are purchased by middle class buyers, the exact people who have suffered thru this cycle of unemployment & home foreclosures. With the trouble at the "U" & the Gators having a rebuilding season, only Florida State figures to have a full stadium & a shot to go somewhere in January. Tough times in the Sunshine State, I hate it too, I have a lot of long time friends who live down there, but L.A. beckons, they want an NFL team & it's going to have to come from somewhere.
Speaking of attendance, did you notice at the Chiefs-Green Bay game Thursday night, there wasn't an empty seat at Lambeau Field? Their fans knew the Packers first teams would only play briefly & yet every seat was filled. That franchise is a marvel.
Seattle wide receiver Golden Tate must had read his press clippings before tonight's preseason game with Oakland. There was considerable speculation the 2010 2nd round draft pick was on the roster bubble, he just hadn't done enough. Being arrested for breaking into a donut shop for a 4AM snack after drinking all night was the biggest news Tate had made since he was drafted. He must have taken that speculation to heart. He caught 5 passes for 79-yards, returned a punt 43-yards & had one kickoff return for 34-yards. If you really care, Seattle won the last preseason game 20-3.
In disciplinary news, the NFL finally suspended the 4 players caught in the StarCaps controversy from 2008. The supplement contained a banned substance & even thi that substance wasn't listed in the ingredients, they still were suspended. It took 3-years & several battles in court to get it done. They did cut the original suspension in half tho, from 4 games to 2. Minnesota DT Kevin Williams & New Orleans DE Will Smith will sit out the first two games of the season & forfeit their game checks as well. Free agents Pat Williams & Charles Grant are also suspended if they sign with another team.
Disgraced coach Jim Tressel got himself a job in football. The Indianapolis Colts hired Tressel to be their replay review consultant in the press box. His job is to review every play & signal down to the sideline if he believes the Colts should throw the red flag for a review. I doubt it comes anywhere near the $2.5 million he was making as head coach at Ohio State, but it gives him some walkin' around money & keeps him off the street.
USC secondary coach, Willie Mack Garza, resigned Friday, citing "personal issues." Replacing a position coach the day before the Trojans debut against Minnesota, is tough, but it won't keep USC from winning.
The Tennessee Titans made a couple of cuts Friday I hated to see. RB Stafon Johnson & S Myron Rolle were released. Johnson had battled back from a 2009 weight room accident at USC when a bar loaded with nearly 400-pounds fell across his throat & almost killed him. Johnson suffered thru numerous surgeries & was actually having a good preseason. But as soon as Chris Johnson signed & reported, Stafon's days were numbered. Rolle had given up his senior year at Florida State to travel to Oxford to become a Rhodes Scholar. He returned after his year in England & was drafted by the Titans. But after a year on the practice squad & a quiet preseason, he was cut. Great individual, wants to become a neurosurgeon. Not many of those in the NFL is there?
The Broncos sustained two significant injuries Thursday night. Dime cornerback Syd'Quan Thompson tore his Achilles tendon & will be lost for the year. Rookie linebacker Nate Irving suffered a chest injury that looked pretty serious. I like Irving, he made his way back onto the North Carolina State squad after nearly dieing in an automobile accident. He sustained a broken leg, broken ribs, a collapsed lung, a dislocated shoulder & numerous lacerations. It took Irving 15-months to return to football & he was a 3rd round pick for Denver.
Linebacker Clint Sintim had recently returned to the New York Giants after rehabbing a torn ACL in December. In Thursday night's victory over New England, Sintim tore his patella tendon & will be lost for the season.
So much for Brodie Croyle's return to the National Football League. He was cut Friday by the Arizona Cardinals about two weeks after they signed him as an injury replacement for Max Hall. In a showdown Thursday night, Richard Bartel beat him out for the last QB roster spot. Richard Bartel huh? Hey, we watched the game & he lit 'em up, 12 of 16 for 216-yards & a pair of scores. Never heard of him? He went to Tarleton State & yes, I had to look it up.
Boise State left three players back in Idaho, there are questions regarding their eligibility. Al three are from the Netherlands & played for the Broncos in 2010. Now there are questions about when they quit their high school in the Netherlands to come to the U.S. & play prep football in Boise. Two starters, wide receiver Geraldo Boldewijn & safety Cedric Febis stayed in Boise along with reserve defensive tackle Ricky Tjonga-Tjoe. Boise State plays Georgia today in Atlanta.
I forgot to tell you about a high school football player last week who had a remarkable performance. Remarkable? Hell it was off the charts. Jordan Walker from Kansas City Rockhurst, a long time Missouri & national prep power, had 33 carries last Friday night for 400-yards. Rockhurst was playing Blue Springs, another Kansas City area powerhouse & with Walker's 400-yard performance, they won. He didn't set any records last night, 151-yards on 16 carries & a pair of touchdowns.
Mizzou opens their season this morning against Miami of Ohio. Illinois grew tired of being 0-1 every season after opening with Mizzou, so new prey was needed. The Tigers, ranked 21 nationally, will be led by a new quarterback, James Franklin. How far they go this season is pretty much on his shoulders, with 9 returning starters on offense & 6 on defense, the Tigers could make some noise if Franklin plays well. They are the Friday night game next week on ESPN when they travel to Tempe to play the Arizona State Sun Devils.
New Mizzou QB James Franklin
One of my very favorite players of all-time is LeeRoy Selmon. I have an autographed mini helmet from Selmon right here in my office. Enshrined in both the College & Pro Football Halls of Fame, Selmon was a very special player on a lot of very bad Tampa Bay teams. But he is royalty in Tampa, there's a freeway named after him & he owns some of the best sports bars in the nation. He won both the Outland & Lombardi Trophies while at Oklahoma &, here's the best part, Selmon was never blocked off his feet. Folks I can't begin to tell you how amazing that is, never blocked off his feet in his entire OU career. Tonight, his brother Dewey announced LeeRoy was clinging to life after suffering a stroke Friday afternoon. The 56-year old was being mourned around the Tampa area as two television stations reported he had died & the sports bars he owns there put out a statement honoring their boss & closed for the evening. Dewey Selmon's statement outside the hospital caused the TV stations to retract their stories claiming he had passed away. Let's not throw dirt on him until his time actually comes. I hope he pulls through, he was an amazingly tough player, let's hope he's just as tough now.
At his HOF induction in 1995
Hoping Mizzou steps it up this year. Lived in Boise area 18 years, Broncos rock. To bad AD Bleymeyer got the axe for minor NCAA violations, He's been there for 30 years, back when they were a Junior College.
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