College Football-Week 4 Recap

Cal RB Jahvid Best (figuratively) and Florida QB Tim Tebow (literally) took it on the chin this past weekend in what proved to be a rough weekend for Heisman hopefuls.

Written by: D. Wash.

This is the part of the year where teams prove that they deserve their rankings. Some teams rose to the challenge, destroying their lesser opponents. Other teams faltered and lost because of it. This week, 8 teams ranked in the top 25 (4 of them ranked in the top 10) suffered losses. Another six teams needed 4^th quarter heroics to maintain their rankings. This made for an exciting week in college football and could end in an interesting problem for the voters later in the year.

Penn State’s Title hopes ended by Iowa… Again

A “White Out” in Happy Valley is a spectacular thing to see. Imagine 100,000 football crazed, screaming Penn State fans all dressed in white, making the entire stadium look like a sea of white. Most visitors to Happy Valley would be intimidated by this, but Iowa Hawkeyes were not. The Hawkeyes stunned Penn State last year, when the Nittany Lions were on the road to the national title game, and many Penn State players vowed that it wouldn’t happen this year. Unfortunately for them, Iowa didn’t get that memo and proceeded to shut down PSU’s offense in the last 3 quarters. The Hawkeyes then scored 16 points in the fourth to get the victory and earn the greatest sound that any visiting team can get in a rivals stadium. Silence.

Cal Crushed on The Road

This was supposed to be the year that the Cal Bears go undefeated and win the Pac 10 outright. They have the most talented running back in the nation and very skilled receivers. Oregon, however, showed that Cal didn’t have the willpower to win on the road against a decent team. After scoring a field goal in the first quarter, the Bears were shut down by the Oregon Ducks and embarrassed. The Ducks scored 42 points on the Bears to turn what should’ve been an easy Cal victory into a blowout for Oregon. The Ducks totaled over 500 yards of offense, using an extremely balanced pass-run offense. Perhaps most impressively, the Ducks held Heisman candidate Jahvid Best to only 55 yards on the day. This loss end Cal’s hopes for perfection and national supremacy (and possibly Best’s Heisman hopes), but helps to revive an Oregon team that was beat on national TV in the season opener.

Tech puts Miami back in their place

Miami seemed to have it all going for them. They led college football in passing efficiency and had a possible Heisman candidate in sophomore quarterback Jacory Harris. Then they went to Virginia Tech and it all fell apart. The defense that stuffed the Georgia Tech running game was run all over by VT running back Ryan Williams and quarterback Tyrod Taylor. The usually good Jacory Harris threw an interception and lost a fumble. The rest of the Miami offense couldn’t get started. It was a beatdown. Virginia Tech won decisively and spoiled Miami’s season. The win also propels VT back into the top 10 and back into a very interesting BCS bowl picture.

Michigan, LSU, TCU, Houston, Kansas, and Georgia barely get wins

To remain ranked, you have to win your games and win impressively. While all of the teams did get wins, they didn’t win impressively over their unranked opponents. LSU needed a goal line stand to beat Mississippi State. Georgia, Michigan, and Houston needed points in the last few minutes to sneak away with wins. Kansas and TCU went into the fourth trailing lesser teams. While all of these teams maintained their unbeaten status (save Georgia who lost to Oklahoma State earlier in the year), none of them truly impressed the voters. If it wasn’t for losses of some teams above them, none of these teams would be moving up the polls. All of them need to tighten up their games if they expect to beat the more difficult teams on their schedules.

An Interesting Dilemma

It’s still quite early in the college football season, and yet a number of teams have suffered losses. The only teams that have looked like national championship teams are Florida, Texas, and Alabama. They have all crushed their opponents and earned respect from the voters. The same cannot be said for current #4 team LSU, #13 Iowa, #18 Kansas, or #22 Michigan (the other ranked unbeatens from major conferences). There are other unbeatens that the voters could put in a BCS bowl game if two of the top 3 teams were to falter, but they’re from conferences like the WAC, USA, or Big East. Very unsexy. This creates an issue for the voters. Should they allow teams that have shown issues or glaring weaknesses such as LSU and Iowa into BCS bowls? Or should they let solid one loss teams like USC, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Virginia Tech to get back into the discussion? Or will an undefeated team not from a major conference, such as Boise State, get a chance? If mayhem occurs in the top three, the voters may have to answer any or all of these questions, and I guarantee that they won’t agree.

Side Notes

-Tim Tebow suffered a concussion this week. He was coherent on Sunday and seemed fine, but this could affect his status for the LSU game on October 10^th. I think Tebow will still play, a minor concussion is something that football players come back from all the time, but it may be something to keep your eye on. It was however, a vicious hit.

-With Best’s lackluster performance on Saturday, he may have to really step up his game these next few weeks to remain a realistic Heisman contender. At this point, it appears that its gonna be a battle between Mccoy and Tebow.

The Big Ten has 3 unbeaten teams, but not the ones that people may have been expecting at the beginning of the year. Nope, its not Ohio State, Michigan State, or Penn State who remain unbeaten. Rather, its Iowa, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Who woulda thunk?

College Football-Week 3 Recap

Opposing Pac-10 teams celebrating at USC's expense has become an all too familiar in season trend.

Written by: D. Wash.

Well, there's no such thing as a boring week in College Football. A couple spectacular individual performances and one HUGE upset are the stories after this week. The upset, #3 USC's loss on the road to Washington, changed the outlook of the entire college football season and gave us all some perspective on how much better Matt Barkley really is over Aaron Corp. Best showed everyone how good he was, Miami continued their stunning early season run with another good win, and a few ranked teams lost to unranked ones. In short, another good week of College Football.

USC, Consistent To a Fault

USC is a much storied program with seven consecutive outright or partial Pac 10 titles. A powerhouse with some of the best talent in the nation and a spectacular coach. USC has such high expectations that force the team to prove consistency every year. And every year they are consistent...to a fault, a fault that must baffle USC fans. For some reason, the Trojans can’t seem to get through their Pac 10 schedule undefeated. They lost to Oregon State and UCLA in 2006. Then, in one of the biggest upsets in college football history, they lost to Stanford in 2007. Then last year they lost to Oregon State again. This year’s Pac 10 and national hero that managed to topple the Goliath from Pasadena? The University of Washington, who’s only win in the past 16 games prior to the SC game came last week at home against Idaho. How did they manage to beat the mighty Trojans? They played mistake free football, took advantage of USC’s mistakes ,and (perhaps most impressively) made the USC offense one dimensional. Aaron Corp was unable to really get going and only averaged 5 yards per pass attempt. He didn't seem to have quite to poise that true freshman Matt Barkley had either, nor was his timing with his recievers always there. That forced SC to run it more and Washington was able to stack the box to limit long gains on run. One dimensional offense, a few turnovers, and a sup par QB performance equal one thing: Game, Huskies.

Bears Are Led by The Best

Cal is a spectacular home team, but they went into this game with a four game road losing streak. How did they deal with the pressure of needing a road win to maintain their top 10 ranking? Well, California’s defense didn’t look great against Minnesota and their passing attack is never gonna put up big points. But as long as the Golden Bears have Jhavid Best, they need not worry about a shaky defense or an average passing game. Best again showcased his skills as the best running back in the nation when he ran for 5 touchdowns at Minnesota. That was all of Cal’s offense, and all that they needed to get out of Minnesota with a win. While Best will look back at this 5 TD game fondly, this success of this season won’t be based on this game. No, for Best and the Golden Bears to consider this season a success, they need to capture the Pac 10 title outright, ending USC’s 7 year reign over the Pac 10. Will it happen? I’m sure Best thinks so.

USC's loss: National/Pac 10 Title Implications

What does USC’s loss mean for the national title picture and the Pac 10 race? Well, USC’s loss essentially knocks them out of title contention because the likelihood of 10 of the 11 teams ahead of USC falling apart and losing before the end of the season is rather small. Sure, SC could in theory leapfrog Boise State with a couple of dominant Pac 10 wins of top teams like Oregon State, Oregon and Cal (though the Cal game will be a game where the Trojans will assume an unfamiliar role, the underdog). LSU, Ole Miss, and Alabama do play each other, and series of wins-losses between them could let USC top them. But Florida doesn’t look like it will lose this season. Same goes for Penn St. (if it can get past OSU and UMich) and Miami looks like they have a chance to go undefeated (they’ll need to win at VT and against OU to secure that “possible unbeaten” status). That’s simply too many teams to get past for SC to hope for a national title shot. Assuming an undefeated year from here on out, a big assumption with the recent play of Cal, USC could make it to the Rose Bowl. That’s a decent season for USC, but still a huge letdown considering the amount of talent and number of returning players that they have this year. USC still has to beat Cal, Oregon, and Oregon State to earn that Rose Bowl game, and while Oregon and Oregon State don’t look too challenging for the Trojans to beat this year, Cal will be favored over the Trojans. That will be a game to watch and, unless the Trojans can pull it together, could end in the Golden Bear s of UC Berkeley earning their first Rose Bowl appearance in over 50 years.

Miami With an Impressive Win

With their win over Georgia Tech on Thursday night, Miami proved that they can play with the big boys once again. Georgia Tech, who embarrassed Miami last year by rushing for over 400 yards, was almost entirely shut down. The running game, which serves as about 80% of Georgia Tech’s offense, only produced 95 yards. Without a powerful rushing attack, the Georgia Tech offense couldn’t produce and only scored 17 points against this very fast Miami Defense. Hurricanes QB Jacory Harris had another big game this week, completing 20 out of 25 for 270 yards. Next week Miami can leapfrog both Boise St. and LSU with a win over the now #11 Virginia Tech. That might won’t be easy, but wins over Florida St. and Georgia Tech weren’t easy either. This Miami team is used to doing the unexpected, expect big things from them.

Backup QB Landry Jones Breaks OU School Record

This week, Oklahoma crushed Tulsa 45-0. That’s not surprising. What was surprising was the play of backup quarterback Landry Jones, who is currently taking over the starting spot for the injured Sam Bradford. Jones, a redshirt freshman and top 10 quarterback prospect from the class of 2008, set a school record with 6 passing touchdowns. That’s better than Heisman winners Jason White and Sam Bradford, along with some other great QB’s to play at Oklahoma. What does that mean for the future? Well, let me destroy any wild speculations right now. Sam Bradford WILL get his starting job back when he gets back from injury. Bradford is one of the most talented players in college football and has a Heisman trophy to prove it. Once Bradford gets back however, the Sooner star may be able to get some rest in games that are out of reach now that Bob Stoops knows that he has a decent option at backup quarterback. It also means that Landry Jones will be a solid starter once Bradford does decide to leave for the draft, and Sooner fans have nothing to worry about when Bradford leaves to play on Sundays.

Quickies

Michigan earned themselves their third win of the season against Eastern Michigan. No surprise there, but here’s a good stat. Michigan Leads the conference in points per game and rushing yards, and is only 1.3 yards per game behind Purdue. Not bad for a team that was last in conference in PPG and YPG and only managed 7th in rushing yards per game last year.

The Heisman race still seems to be a 2 horse race, but Jhavid Best is starting to look like he’s actually got a shot. If the Golden Bears do win the Pac 10 outright, Best could become the first running back to win the prestigious award since Reggie Bush.

Formerly ranked teams Oregon and Florida State both knocked off their undefeated ranked opponents on Saturday, Utah and BYU respectively. FSU’s win was very impressive as the Seminoles forced the usually good Max Hall to throw 3 interceptions in the game. The Seminoles then proceeded to embarrass the BYU defense by gaining over 500 yards on them. That’s a great game from the boys out of Tallahassee.

Florida pulled out a win over Tennessee. Texas beat Texas Tech. Is anyone surprised? No? Good.

Quick Hits: Week 2

The Bengals marched into Lambeau Field and cut the cheese

Big Up’s:

Chris Johnson, RB, Tenn- Both Johnson and Frank Gore (see below) absolutely tore it up in Week 2. Johnson gets first daps. He galloped all over the Houston Texans defense to the tune of 284 total yards (197 rushing and 9 catches for 87 receiving) while adding 3 total (1 receiving) touchdowns to boot. What’s more impressive is the amount of ground Johnson had to cover in all three-touchdown scampers. He took two third down carries 91 and 57 yards to the house as well as a 69-yard touchdown reception. The 91-yarder can be viewed here. At the 22-second mark look to the top of the video and see the damage the kid can do with a limited amount of rushes. He is arguably THE fastest player in the NFL and simply electric when in open space.

Frank Gore, RB, SF- After posting an embarrassing 22-carry -30 yard performance in week 1, Gore bounced back in a very big way. Much like Chris Johnson, Gore’s knack for the big play on Sunday helped catapult him to a monstrous 207 yards on the ground. He was able to score on runs of 80 and 79 yards, while shouldering the load for an otherwise stagnant 49er offense. Gore looked real good on Sunday. He showed quicks and explosiveness that flashed resemblances of his 2006-07 breakout campaign. If the 49ers can run the ball this effectively for the remainder of the season, they could seriously surprise in the NFC West. D. Wash was all over this one right here.

Andre Johnson, WR, Hou- Another player who had a hard time getting things going in week 1, “Dre” showed everyone why he is one of the games elite wide receivers with his outstanding week 2 performance. His 10-catch, 149- yard, 2-touchdown smackdown of the Titans defense was highlighted by a catch that was simply amazing. Catch of the year so far.

Dwayne Bowe, WR, KC- Members of one of my fantasy leagues will surely roll their eyes at the last two selections as they will probably feel I’m just trying to show too much love for players on my very own team. But when players haul down catches like this I find it hard not to take notice. Bowe posted modest yardage totals in week 2 but hauled in a touchdown pass for the 2^nd consecutive week and figures to be a huge part of the offense going forward as mentioned here. The Chiefs are going to be playing from behind A LOT this season, meaning Bowes yardage numbers should start to improve as the weeks go by.

“The Other” Steve Smith and Mario Manningham, WR, NYG- Before the season began I was pretty vocal in crowning rookie wide receiver Hakeem Nicks as the heir to Plaxico Burress’ 9mm throne in the Big Apple. However, injuries to Nicks as well as Dominick Hixon have allowed Smith and Manningham to prove their worth in a very big way. The duo combined for 20-catches, 284-yards and 2-touchdowns. Manningham summoned his inner Antonio Freeman circa the year 2000 to pull in a circus grab in the endzone as the Giants stifled the Cowboys in the Big D home opener.

Low Down Dirty Shame:

New England Patriots- Is this really the changing of the guard in the AFC East? The Jets had Tom Brady and company pressured and confused all game long and it resulted in a huge early season victory for the New York Jets. What surprises me the most is that this may be the first time in a very long time a team talked smack before a big game versus the Pats and actually walked into the stadium on game day and laid the wood, sending Belichick and his red ass to his knees. Pretty impressive. The Jets never backed down. Not before, during or especially after the game. This is the 2^nd straight week this Rex Ryan scheme has shut down a high-powered offense. I know its only week 2 but early season games don’t get much bigger than the one played in New York…errrrrrrr New Jersey on Sunday.

Jemarcus Russell- QB, Oak- I know the Raiders won but Russell looks absolutely horrendous. He is showing all the signs of being the next big quarterback BUST and it really irks me. Why this team let go of Jeff Garcia just before the season began is beyond me, but it would not surprise me if that roster move ends up costing this team 2 or 3 wins this season. His line on Sunday read 7 for 24 for 109 yards against a Chiefs D that would give up points to some high school offenses. His completion percentage on the season now stands at a herculean 35%. Yeah, not so good. Oh well, a W is a W right Bruce? Right?

Steve Slaton, RB, Hou- One of the best stories of last season, Slaton has really struggled to break stride in the early goings of the season. After week 2’s debacle, Slaton now sports a season line of 26 carries for 51 yards and zero touchdowns. Whats more concerning are his 3 fumbles that have left Texan fans wondering if last year was a fluke. I say not so fast as the Texans have faced run stuffing defenses hereto start the season (Pittsburgh, Tennesee) and the game on Sunday turned into a downfield shootout rather than a ground and pound slugfest. Those in fantasy leagues, I would consider this an ideal buy-low opportunity for a player with enormous upside. Don’t tread lightly.

Green Bay Packers- Man did they make a lot of people look stupid in week 2. The Packers played the Bengals at home in Lambeau in what could have been regarded as the lock win of the week by many standards. In typical NFL fashion, the underdog Bengals rose to the occasion and stole one from the Cheesehead nation, leaving many people scratching their heads. Stud wide receiver Greg Jennings was held without a reception while the defense allowed the Bengals to move the ball seemingly at ease. Quite unfortunate since this defense played so well in week 1 and has the potential to be one of the NFL’s elite units this season. Chalk it up to the rigors of a long season, but a few more of these gimme losses and the Packers will be shredded Wisconsin Cheddar come December.

Speed Round: 30 words or less. Go!

Tony Romo- You had us all fooled sir. He is what he is and I don’t think he will ever truly become a game changing quarterback.

Jessica Simpson- Completely unrelated I promise. But I find this article particularly entertaining. Especially the following quote, "she would cry herself to sleep at night, using (her dog) as a pillow.”

Brian Westbrook, RB, Philly- Tweaked an ankle. Surprise, surprise. I’m taking the under of 10 games played for him this year.

Drew Brees, QB, NO- Seems like he could throw for 300-yards in a stray jacket. This is getting out of hand.

Arizona Cardinals: Just when everyone was trying to jump off this bandwagon, the team goes bananas in Jacksonville. I’m staying firmly seated.

Philip Rivers, QB, SD- On the surface the numbers looked great in week 2. But a late game interception deep in their own territory proved to be too much to overcome.

Jerry Jones- A billion dollars just to lay an egg. Gotta love those NBC cut away shots to Jones' luxury suite showing him powdering his nose after every big Giants play.

Washington Redskins- A team that really needed to make a statement against a paltry St. Louis Rams team, the ‘Skins were barely able to get out of the game with a W.

The Nostradamus Effect:

Adrian Peterson will have MORE rushing yards this season than Ladainian Tomlinson and Jamal Lewis combined. You heard it here first.

-MJK

The Rundown

Week 2 is upon us- lets dissect.

Match Play

Some of this weeks most important matchups:

Randy Moss, WR, NE, VS. Darrelle Revis, Cornerback, NYJ

The case for Revis: This matchup will decide the outcome of this game. Revis is one of the best cover corners in the game and with Wes Welker officially ruled inactive for the Pats, all Revis has to worry about now is locking down Moss. The Jet’s will bring pressure on Tom Brady all game long but Revis will still have help over the top much like how the Jets deployed coverage on Texans receiver Andre Johnson last week. If the Jets can do this with success against a very smart Patriot gameplan than this could lead to a very long and unproductive game for Moss.

The case for Moss: Last week against Buffalo, Moss shined hauling in 12 catches for 141 yards. Even more impressive was his ability to get open on many short and intermediate routes. Once revered as the game’s most potent deep threat, Moss can still get loose over the top while polishing up his game on the underneath routes. The loss of Welker this week puts a huge damper on Moss’ value as Revis will be able to concentrate solely taking away Moss’ game changing abilities. We will see what wrinkles head coach Bill Belichick and company has in their playbook.

Advantage: Revis. As tough as it is to pick against Moss, I think the loss of Welker on the other side will prove costly and the Pats will be forced to run the ball much more than anticipated.

Darren McFadden, RB, OAK VS. Kansas City defense

The case for McFadden: For a few seasons now the Raiders have had zero ability to force the ball downfield via the pass. The lack of maturation of quarterback Jemarcus Russell and a no-talent receiving corps has allowed the Raiders to establish a ground and pound running game to some success. Mcfadden is now the focal point of this running game and just last season he torched this Chiefs defense for 164 yards and a touchdown in what has been the most productive game of his young career. The second year back is looking for a breakout season and this matchup could prove to be his first stepping-stone.

The case for the KC defense: On paper this defense is lacking some serious substance. They allowed the usually offensively challenged Ravens to march up and down the field with regularity in last weeks loss. The team will deploy defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey and linebacker Derrick Johnson with the hopes of not having a repeat performance of last weeks drubbing. The Raiders seriously lack the firepower to make that happen but if the Russell can find even just a little bit of accuracy, this defense will find it hard pressed to fill all the gaps and slow this running game down.

Advantage: McFadden. You really think I would have taken it any other way? Even so look for the Raiders to get the ground game going early and often. The Arrowhead crowd should play little part in this long time matchup of divisional rivals.

New Orleans offense VS. Philadelphia defense.

The case for New Orleans: I could throw up the numbers from last weeks beat down of the hapless Detroit Lions but that would almost be too easy. Look, the Saints have weapons. We all know this much. Last season, Drew Brees carried the offense while the team had to deal with injuries to wide receiver Marques Colston and tight end Jeremy Shockey. This season that tandem is back and healthy and has added another element to this already dangerous offense. There is no balance on this team. They will pass on any down and in any situation. With Brees at the helm it is a system that works almost seamlessly and he will look to exploit an Eagles defense that is being a bit over hyped due to the poor play of Panther quarterback Jake Delhomme last week. I would expect the Eagles to cautiously play the pass and this should allow for some seams for flex back Reggie Bush to hit as well.

The case for Philadelphia: The Eagles played inspired defense last week while deploying the usual exotic blitz heavy scheme that kept Jake Delhomme off balance and uneasy. Much of Phillys success last week had to do with the poor decision making of Delhomme who simply looked like he hadn’t played football since Pop Warner, so I am hesitant to give full credit to this aging defense. That being said look for the Eagles to force the issue with a conservative coverage scheme knowing full well that not much will confuse Brees in the pocket. This secondary is still in tact and the aggressiveness of defensive lineman Trent Cole will allow the coaches to back off somewhat on the abundance of blitzes that we have all come to know and love about this defense. There is no use in trying to force pressure on Brees as he will sit back and dump it off to the flats or find the easy one on one coverage and pick the defense apart.

Advantage: New Orleans offense: This game will be a shootout. Even with an injured Donovan McNabb on the sidelines I expect huge offensive numbers from both of these teams. I like New Orleans to slowly dissect the Philly defense and surprise some people this week.

Speed Round: 33 words or less

Storylines:

Anquan Boldin, WR, AZ- Was his lackluster performance last week due to an ongoing contract dispute or was his hammy seriously tweaked? I’ll take the latter. Look for a healthier Boldin to fare much better this week.

Kerry Rhodes, S, NYJ- Talked the talk but can he walk the walk?

Detroit Lions- 18-consectutive losses dating back to the 2006 season. Ouch.

Terrell Owens, WR, BUF- Already calling out teammates. Although in a subtle tone, I think we all know how this story ends.

Mark Sanchez, QB, NYJ- Can he make magic happen again? Will be tested today.

LaDanian Tomlinson/Darren Sproles, RB, SD- No LT means it will be Sproles' load to carry. More importantly, what do we make of LT’s early season injury. It could be the beginning of the end.

Cowboy home opener- What does a billion dollar stadium have to offer the fans? A really cool video board and 60 dollar cheese pizzas.

Irrational thoughts:

Randy Moss TD’s or Darrell Revis INT’s- I’ll take Revis.

Kurt Warner: More TD passes or sacks against- I like the TD’s

Chester Taylor Rushing Yards or Detroit Lions team rushing yards- It’s gotta be Taylor.

Over/Under:

1.5: Jake Delhomme INT’s- UNDER

250: Total Darren Sproles yards- OVER

2: Adrian Peterson TD’s- OVER

0.5: Punts to hit the new Cowboys video board- OVER

2: Jerry Jones facelifts this season- PUSH

Pick’em

I’ll take: RAIDERS, Falcons, Vikings, Packers, Texans, Jets, Saints, Redskins, Cardinals, Bills, Seahawks, Bears, Broncos, Ravens, Cowboys, Colts.

-MJK

NFL Week 2: Preview

"All Day", a healthier Anquan Boldin and a tough matchup for Tom Brady. It's time for NFL Week 2.

Get Fired UP...

Week 1 of the NFL season was just what any football fan could ask for. The vast majority of the games played last week went down to the wire and 7 games were decided by a touchdown or less. Some teams played better than projected while others worse. And, some teams that no one really expected looked like they could emerge as solid playoff contenders. Was this just a situation where certain teams were "playing above themselves" because it was week 1? Remember, teams did have a whole offseason to prepare for this first game. That's why week 2 is so crucial. Week 2 usually does a good job of separating the good teams from the ones that were able to get a little lucky. It is probably one of the most important weeks of the NFL season. While some teams need to show that they can rebound after a defeat, others need to show that they won't let their heads get inflated by a win. Let's go over the week 2 slate of games.

New England Patriots (1-0) at New York Jets (1-0)

A matchup of division rivals and enough pre game smack to fill a locker room, makes this game the most anticipated matchup of week 2. The Jets looked much improved last week, anchored by a stellar defensive game plan and a clock management offense. Quarterback Mark Sanchez showed poise when it came to completing passes, calmness when it came to converting 3rd downs, and mobility when it came pocket presence.The short passing game is perfect for him this year and the Jets will really be able to find some success with screens and other types of safe throws with New England linebacker Jerod Mayo injured indefinitely. The Patriots on the other hand needed to "win ugly" against the Bills last week. Tom Brady looked in sync with his receivers but the running game couldn't seem to get started. This game will be very close, hard fought and exciting. The fight for AFC East supremacy starts and ends here.

Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) at Chicago Bears (0-1)

The Steelers Defense looked very good against the Titans last week. They shut down a very good running game and forced them to make short throws to move the ball down the field. Jay Cutler is looking at quite a challenge in his first regular season game at home in a Bears uniform. Cutler needs a good performance this week to prevent shout from Bears fans similar to those when Rex Grossman was quarterback. Running back Matt Forte, tight end Greg Olsen, and wide receiver Earl Bennet will need to have productive performances this week as Cutler will try to hit them for a lot of short and intermediate passes. Look for speedster Devin Hester to attack the void left by injured Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu over the top. The Brian Urlacherless Chicago defense will probably have lots of trouble shutting down this Ben Roethlisberger led passing attack that found seams against a tough Tennessee defense last week. If the Bears plan on winning this game, then they may need to score a lot of points.

Baltimore Ravens (1-0) at San Diego Chargers (1-0)

This is another game that should be very interesting. The Ravens defense let up 24 points last week, 9 points above their season average last year. Ray Lewis,Terrell Suggs, and Ed Reed need to prove that it was just a fluke by shutting down this Chargers offense. The Chargers O had trouble moving the ball last week against the Raiders until very late in the game. Darren Sproles will get the majority of the carries in this game because LaDainian Tomlinson has been ruled out with a bum ankle. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this as a recurring theme from here on out-even when LT is healthy. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco looked very good last week (307 yards and 3 scores), throwing out of spread formations to great effectiveness. If he can do it again against the Chargers, then it could lead to a huge win versus a tough conference foe.

New York Giants (1-0) at Dallas Cowboys (1-0)

This is another fantastic NFC matchup for two big time divisional opponents. The Cowboys seem to be the fashionable pick this week, as everyone seems to think that they can upset the Giants. Tony Romo looked good last week, throwing for over 300 yards and 3 scores. The Giants D needs to get a good pass rush to shut down Romo and the ‘Boys offense. If this can happen, Romo won't have the time to make the same downfield completions that resulted in three long scores last week. The Giants will look to establish their bread and butter running game against a Cowboy D that struggled a bit last week. It should be an exciting game as the Cowboys play their home opener in their new billion dollar stadium. While I’m not convinced that the Cowboys can pull out a win, I think it will be close.

Houston Texans (0-1) at Tennessee Titans (0-1)

Both of these AFC south teams could really use that first W on their records. The Titans are undoubtedly disappointed that they couldn't step up to the plate and beat the super bowl champions on national TV in the NFL season opener. Titan running backs Chris Johnson and Lendale White really need to get that Tennessee rushing game going against this Houston Defense, which allowed just short of 200 yards rushing last week. They should be able to. The Texans are trying to rebound after a somewhat unexpected loss to the New York Jets. Again, rushing is key as running back Steve Slaton needs to show that he's not simply a one-year wonder. Last weekend, he got shut down the Jets defense. However, this Titan defense is a couple notches better, especially against the run. But if Slaton is gonna be a good running back and not simply an average one, he needs to show the world that he can run against a tough defense.

New Orleans Saints (1-0) at Philadelphia Eagles(1-0)

This could be a game of top tier NFC contenders. While I believe that the Eagles are the real deal, I think this game will show that New Orleans is not. New Orleans allowed 27 points to the LIONS. If they can allow that many points to the Lions, then the Eagles offense (even without McNabb who likely won't play) will be able to dominate this New Orleans defense. The only question is whether Kevin Kolb will let the offense do work or will he try to use this opportunity as an audition for a starting job elsewhere. If he does and happens to throw a few senseless picks, then expect Jeff Garcia to step in and execute the offense like he has so many other times for an injured Donovan McNabb. The New Orleans offense will probably put up some big numbers, but Drew Brees won't have anything close to the 6-touchdown day that he did last week. The Eagles secondary is far superior to the Lions and despite the plethora of receiving options that Brees has to play with, he won't be able to torch this defense for over 300 yards.

Arizona Cardinals (0-1) at Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1)

Have you ever been curious about how if feels to have a 300-pound lineman run full speed into you while plowing you into the ground? If so, then ask Cardinal quarterback Kurt Warner. He was hit 8 times last week and for a guy as old as he is that's just begging for an injury. The Cardinals O-Line needs to show that they care about their quarterback, and this is the game to do it. If they can defend Warner, then look for the offense to put up some good numbers. Larry Fitzgerald is looking for a 100 yard receiving day and if Tim Hightower can be an element in the passing game like he was last week (12 receptions, 121 yards) then Kurt Warner should be able to fire on all cylinders. A healthier Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston should also go a long way in getting this offense back up to speed. The Jacksonville D-Line needs to get good pressure to prevent that from happening, and I think that they could be capable of it. While the Jacksonville running game looked good enough last week, Maurice Jones-Drew ran for 97 yards and a score, the passing game was very limited. The addition of wide receiver Tory Holt was supposed to help out the passing game. Against this Cardinals defense, Holt and Garrard should be able to hook up for quite a few completions.

Oakland Raiders (0-1) at Kansas City Chiefs (0-1)

I have a statement and a question for you. Statement: The Raiders looked surprisingly good last week on Monday Night Football. Question: Was it a fluke? I'm unsure. The defense for the Raiders looked very good as they made LT a nonfactor in the game and made Phillip Rivers and the rest of this San Diego offense really work to pull out a last second win. Richard Seymour's presence on the defensive front was key in helping the Raiders make that Monday Night Game close and he should be able to stifle Larry Johnson. I have zero confidence in this Kansas City Defense and even the sub par Raiders offense should be able to embarrass them. Raiders running back Darren Mcfadden will look to exploit openings in this Kansas City defense while a potential start by KC quarterback Matt Cassel will help in getting the passing attack a little more vertical.

Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) at Green Bay Packers (1-0)

I figured that the Packers would be at least decent this year, but last week they looked good. Can they have a repeat performance of last week? I'm not sure yet, but fortunately for them they don't need to. Cincinnati is still a sub par team. Last week, they couldn't get their offense together for more than one touchdown even with Chad Ocho Cinco more involved. Green Bay should shut down the Cincy offense with ease. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is looking at a potentially great week here against the Bengals, who haven't made the key steps that they need to make to improve their defense.

Minnesota Vikings (1-0) at Detroit Lions (0-1)

It has been 634 days since the last lions win in a regular season game. Don't expect them to break that streak on Sunday. Adrian Peterson ran all over the Browns defense and should be able to have a repeat performance against the Lions. In fact, I'm predicting enough rushing yards to go around that both Peterson and backup Chester Taylor should be able to get 100+ yard games. That's not gonna be pretty for Detroit fans. The Lions offense will only go as far as quarterback Matthew Staffords arm will take them, and Stafford still has yet to throw an NFL touchdown. This Vikings defense is tough, but if the Lions are able to get decent field position based on a big special teams play (much like the Browns) then Stafford may be able to get that first TD under his belt in front of the home fans.

St. Louis Rams (0-1) at Washington Redskins (0-1)

St. Louis truly looked horrible last week. They were the only team in the NFL to get shut out in their season opener. Whatever excitement there was surrounding this team before last week is already a distant memory. Running back Steven Jackson needs to get going for this team to win a game and quarterback Marc Bulger needs to start living up to that big contract if he plans on keeping his job. Unfortunately, for the Rams neither of those things will happen on Sunday against this very good Redskins defense. It would not surprise me if they actually got shut out again. The Skins offense, especially running back Clinton Portis, need to have a breakout performance and make a statement if they have any aspirations of making the playoffs this season. Look for quarterback Jason Campbell to open things up a bit more and find Santana Moss and Chris Cooley downfield.

Carolina Panthers (0-1) at Atlanta Falcons (1-0)

The Panthers didn't look too great last week. Jake Delhomme played horribly and when your quarterback throws 4 picks it kills any chance for the rest of the offense to really find a rhythm. Delhomme needs to play better this week and allow his playmakers (Deangelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart, and Steve Smith) to make the plays for him. The Falcons offense looked balanced and effective last week. Matt Ryan played solid, mistake free football. I'd really like to see running back Michael Turner get in good game against this strong Panthers run D to help solidify himself as one of the elite runners in the game. This is another important early season divisional matchup that will help carve a path atop the NFC South standings.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1) at Buffalo Bills (0-1)

The Buffalo Bills were probably the biggest surprise of last week. The offensive line played well enough Trent Edwards and company to move the ball effectively against the Patriots defense. If that wasn't just a fluke and the offensive line is better than everyone thought they would be, than the Bills will be able to take full advantage of all of the talent they have at the skill positions. The Bucs secondary will have trouble stopping the Bills, as they got torched by the Cowboys for 3 long touchdowns. Fortunately, Cadillac Williams and Derrick Ward should be able to run effectively on this Bills defense that gave up alot of yards last week. If the Bills can move the ball against this Bucs D and shut down the Bucs offense then they should be looked at as a possible wild card contender.

Seattle Seahawks (1-0) at San Francisco 49ers (1-0)

The Seahawks D should be very satisfied with themselves as they went on to shut out the Rams last week. But, for some reason I think that they'll have trouble with 49er running back Frank Gore this week. Gore, coming off a dismal 30-yard performance last week, needs to really step up in order for this offense to click. The Seahawks offense should be in for quite a battle against a Mike Singletary coached 49ers defense, who really limited a high powered Cardinals offense last week. Patrick Willis is the best linebacker in the NFL and stud linebackers have a tendency to shut down productive offenses.

Cleveland Browns (0-1) at Denver Broncos (1-0)

The Browns only kept last weeks’ game against the Vikings close because of some explosive special teams plays. The offense looked stagnant and Brady Quinn really needs to show that he deserves to be the starter. He will have the perfect opportunity this week against a lackluster Broncos defense. The Broncos barely snuck away with a win last week. If it wasn't for an unbelievable Brandon Stokely catch, the Broncos would be 0-1. If they have trouble putting points on the board against both Cincy and the Cleveland, then Denver fans can expect very little from this team this season.

Indianapolis Colts (1-0) at Miami Dolphins (0-1)

The Colts earned a hard fought win last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne looked fantastic as they connected for 10 completions, 162 yards, and one TD. That’s impressive, but without Anthony Gonzalez on the other side, Wayne won't be able to get as wide open this week. The Colts will need to establish a solid running game if they plan to win, and while I think that they are capable of it, the Miami D will give them some trouble. Don’t expect a Colt’s 100-yard rusher. The Dolphins wildcat looked ineffective last week against the Falcons. Pat White should be able to run it more effectively, but if he doesn’t then this Dolphins team loses a big element of their offense.

-D.Wash

Surprise, Surprise

Miguel Cabrera remains under the radar while Tommy Hanson and Kendry Morales have shined as 2009 breakout performers


It’s that time of the year...

...Where baseball seems as though it is on the back burner. The season has reached a lull, and the start of college and NFL seasons don’t help. With almost all of the division winners locked into place, this September has even lacked the excitement of a true pennant race. The Sports Bar feels the need to show some much needed love to Americas Pasttime. Without getting into MVP or Cy Young debates, lets take a look at some of the more surprising, breakout and under the radar players from this season.

Miguel Cabrera, 1b, DET, (.333 avg-30 HR-91 RBI)- I promise this will be the most notable name on this list but anyone outside of the baseball enthusiast community probably has no idea who “Miggy” is. Sure, there are probably 5-10 other young budding superstars I could mention here, but I really feel the need to single out Cabrera. The kid is Pujols-lite. An exaggeration? Possibly. But Cabrera provides a comparable combination of power and average that is matched by few in the game. At 26 –years old, Miggy has quietly pieced together another stellar season on a team that has disintegrated around him offensively. From 2006-08 the Tigers boasted one of the more potent lineups in all of baseball, however, this season Cabrera has had to shoulder much more of the load while doing his work without the protection or RBI opportunities of seasons past. Currently his 2009 campaign has him on a pace that falls just short of his career numbers, but with another year of adjustment to the American League and few more pieces around him Cabrera could post mind-boggling numbers in seasons to come.

Kendry Morales, 1b, ANA, (.304 avg-30 HR-98 RBI)- Holy Cuban sandwich! What a season this guy has put together. An offensive spark that the usually power stricken Angels were sorely lacking. The Cuban defector signed with the Angels in 2004 and has received full time major league at-bats for the first time this season. The switch hitter helped fill a huge void for the Angels after Mark Texiera left the team via free agency after last season. Morales has put together his first career 30 home run season and is on pace to knock in well over 100 runs, probably far exceeding the projections that the Angel brass had for him. Regardless, look for Morales to really take the next step in 2010 after having played a full season at a very high level.

Mark Reynolds, 3b/1b, ARI,(42 HR-97 RBI-24 steals)- The breakout player of the year and I don’t think its really that close. In what seems to be one of the most inexplicable seasons of recent memory, his numbers are simply insane. Before this season, no one questioned Reynolds’ raw ability to hit for power. He smacked 28 out of the park just last year. However, it was an average (.239) that was hindered by a record setting 204 strikeouts in 2008 that had many wondering if he would ever be able to take the next step. Ironically enough, Reynolds finds himself on pace to strike out even MORE in 2009 yet he remains amongst the league leaders in most offensive categories. If he can re-discover his early season swing to push himself through the end of the year, Reynolds could become the most unlikely 50-homerun player in MLB history.

Tommy Hanson, SP, ATL,(10-3, 2.65 ERA 1.18 WHIP, 93K’s, 108.2 innings)- This rookie pitcher has been nearly untouchable since his call up in early June. Since getting roughed up for 6 earned runs in his first major league start he has gone on to allow 3 earned runs or fewer in 15 of his last 17 starts. Pretty impressive for a 23-year old. Hanson has settled in nicely after advancing very quickly through the Braves minor league system. He just reached 10-wins in 18 starts, a remarkable feat for such a young pitcher. Hanson posted 22 consecutive scoreless innings earlier this season and is now currently working on a 15 inning streak after blanking the Met’s for seven strong innings on Sept. 15. Atlanta has helped Hanson reach his comfort zone by surrounding him with a solid veteran staff that should help keep the pressure off for the foreseeable future. The sky is the limit for Hanson who has shown calm and poise that is almost unforeseen in rookie arms fresh out of the minor leagues. He has adjusted to big league pitching almost seamlessly and it makes one wonder how good this kid can actually be.

Rajai Davis, OF, OAK (.314 AVG-56 RBI-38 SB-315 At-bats)- What a difference a little opportunity can make. Davis did not start off the season receiving full time at-bats but has worked his way up the ranks of the Oakland A’s depth chart very quickly. Since the all-star break Davis has been on fire batting .347 anchored by a blistering .407 in July and .411 so far in September. Really eye popping numbers. Davis is fast, really fast with almost all of his value coming via the stolen base. His 38 steals in 315 at bats is a fantastic ratio shows how little opportunity this guy needs to make a substantial impact on the base paths. The average has been a pleasant surprise considering he has never received enough at bats to gauge exactly how he would react to such opportunity. Regardless, it seems as though Davis has at the very least worked himself into consideration for the everyday starting center field spot for the A’s come 2010.

-MJK