Stump the Stevo

Well, looks like Cory is the only one with the nads to challenge me at college pick 'em. He didn't fare too well this week against me, but at least he's trying! V Tech and Michigan killed me, but fortunately it killed everyone else too. The Alabama pick was my proudest moment. Cory had picked Clemson and Washington St. Ouch! He ended up with 30 points this week, 45th percentile and I finished with 42 points, 92nd percentile. Come on ladies! It's not too late to sign up and join the group! You're not...scared...are you???

Random thoughts that may only interest me...

Here are some of my football related thoughts in this opening weekend in college football:

• Does Shawne Merriman seriously think he's warrior? Why do football players think they are in some kind of war? If he wants to be a warrior, join the army and go to Iraq or Afghanistan like Pat Tillman did. He's putting his career at risk in the name of calling himself a "warrior". He's clearly lacking in intelligence and wisdom.
• Rich Rodriguez has a long way to go to turn the Michigan offense around. That unit was awful today against Utah. Credit Utah though, and it helps that they see the same spread offense every day in practice.
  
• USC looked complete today against Virginia. The linebackers were terrific.
  
• The ACC suffered some major losses. VT losing to East Carolina. NC St. losing to South Carolina. Clemson suffered a humiliating loss to Bama. This matchup was interesting. In college pick 'em, my head and rationalizing told me to pick Clemson, but my gut told me to take Bama. So I took the Tide.
• The SEC looked great. Alabama, LSU, South Carolina, Florida and Georgia came away with dominating wins against non-conference opponents.
• Someone asked the Appalachian St. qb what his thoughts were after seeing film of both LSU this year and Michigan last year. His response was that LSU had a lot more speed.
• Ohio St. better hope Beanie Wells' injury isn't serious and that he can play in two weeks against USC. This would be a major loss to the Buckeyes who have more to lose in the USC game than the Trojans do.
  
• The Mountain West has had a good weekend too, capped off with Utah's win. Air Force and TCU also dominated in their wins.
  

Fantasy Football pt 2

I had my not-so-free league draft last night and I feel pretty good about my team. In fact, I feel better about this team than the team I drafted in my free league...which wasn't the case last year. I changed my draft strategy this year and also had a different number in the draft order which made it interesting. In the past, I usually had a pick right in the middle of the order, like 5 or 6 out of 10 and would always draft 2 RB's with my first two picks. This year, I had pick 9 and being that we use the snake method of drafting which goes backwards in the next round, I also had pick 12. So I was able to pick 2 players in a very short time but would then have to wait awhile for my next two picks. I think I prefer being pick 9 over pick 5 or 6. My strategy this year was to draft either a WR or QB first, then a RB second. Because RB's aren't getting the kind of numbers they used to, I'm putting less emphasis on them this year. Anyway, here is the team I drafted:

QB- Peyton Manning- I drafted Peyton first. This is the best qb I've ever drafted in this league.
RB- Marion Barber- Not big on yardage, but big on TD's.
RB- Laurence Maroney- The Patriots are going to balance out their offense more this year.
WR- Plaxico Burress- Go to guy for Eli Manning. Always puts up big.
WR- Brandon Marshall- Can't use him the first game, but after that, he's Cutler's go to guy.
TE- Kellen Winslow- Great TE option in high powered Cleveland offense.
DEF- Seahawks- Great for sacks and TO's. Lots of speed. Having a consistent offense helps too.
K- Phil Dawson- Browns kicker
Bench:
QB- Marc Bulger- Still has weapons to throw to and O-line should be healthier this year. I only need him for one game.
RB- Kevin Smith- Rookie out of UCF. Never trust a rookie WR, but you can trust rookie RB's.
RB- DeAngelo Williams- Will split time on a run first offense.
WR- Calvin Johnson- Remember this guy at Georgia Tech? He's a 2nd year player now and should put up big.
WR- Anthony Gonzalez- 3rd receiver on Colts. If Marvin Harrison goes down, he's a starter.
TE- Alge Crumpler- Will improve the Titans red zone scoring problems

Fantasy Football

I attended the draft of my free league this past Saturday. The league is managed via Yahoo sports but we have an in person draft at the commissioner's house. I do like having the draft in person because you can really rail on people! One problem we kept having was that people would not mark off who was drafted and then try to draft someone that had already been taken. For example, it's the 10th round and someone asks if Willis McGahee is still available! Are you kidding me? He was taken in the 1st round! Then, later on, someone tried to draft a Tight End I had already taken.. I proposed a rule that next time this happened, the individual had to forfeit his pick for that round! Of course that didn't happen (this is a free league after all). This was a 10 person league last year, a league in which I dominated all year until the end when my team completely fell apart and I lost in the playoffs. It's tough being the #1 seed because you get comfortable and once you have key players get hurt at the end of the year and there are no good players left to sign off waivers, your SCREWED! Towards the end of the year, I could feel that I wasn't going to win it because of injuries to my running backs, Larry Johnson and Ronnie Brown. This year our league is up to 12 people so there is less depth on our rosters. I feel like I drafted a pretty decent team. I think I'm still a contender, but I won't be as dominant as I was last year. I seriously was demolishing everyone through most of the season. My roster is as follows:

QB- Tom Brady- I had him last year too. The #1 reason for my success last year.
RB- Larry Johnson- Also had him last year. Was pretty good until he hurt his foot at the end.
RB- LenDale White- Workhorse back who puts up solid numbers consistently.
Flex- Edgerrin James- Aging, hopefully not over the hill yet!
WR- Braylon Edwards- Expected to have a great year in a high powered offense.
WR- Torry Holt- Aging, but can still produce good numbers.
TE- Vernon Davis- Hasn't lived up to potential yet, but is in Mike Martz offense...
DEF- Jaguars- physical, dominating defense. One of the best around.
K- Phil Dawson- Browns kicker. Should get a lot of points.
Bench:

WR- Joey Galloway- Old timer had a great year last year. Is still very fast.
WR- Jerry Porter- My last draft pick...we'll see.
TE- Zach Miller- Raiders TE who has looked good in camp and pre-season
RB- Kolby Smith- Larry Johnson's backup. Let's just call it insurance.
QB- Vince Young- I'll only need him 1 week.
WR- Donte Stallworth- He'll be opposite Braylon Edwards on the Browns lineup.

I have the draft for my not-so-free league on Thursday night. It's done online via espn.com because everyone in the league lives in a different city. We have a couple of guys in Dallas, Memphis, Philly, Tampa and Denver. I think the fact that I've already had a draft will help me Thursday night in that it's given me an idea of where everyone is going. I won this league 3 years ago in my first year, but then had an awful year the next with injuries and then an average, ho-hum year last year. I need to get back to elite status.

My Thoughts on the BCS

I guess at this point I should post my thoughts on the BCS and the arguments for and against it. Let me just start by saying I can understand some of the arguments in favor of the current system. Has college football always been about who's #1? Not necessarily. Prior to the BCS, it was really more about winning your conference and playing in a traditional bowl. For example, let's take Ohio St in the Woody Hayes era 1970's. Playing ball for the Buckeyes meant beating Michigan, winning the Big 10 and then playing USC in the Rose Bowl. That was the tradition...and still is, for the most part. And, anyone who is even vaguely familiar with college football understands that tradition is a HUGE part of college football. Ask any rabid Buckeye fan in Ohio what the teams all time record is against Michigan and he'll rattle it right off the top of his head! There have been books written about the Tennessee/Alabama rivalry! I could go on and on... There is also the argument that every game matters in the current system, and that is true, but it's actually not as true as it used to be. So, what changed? Why are there so many people and media people who want to see division I go to a playoff system instead of the traditional bowl system? Why don't the people in charge of division I want a playoff system? My working hypothosis is that the demographics of college football have changed, thereby altering views and perspectives on college football. The national media is also heavily influencing the dialogue, and the people in power have not changed.

I'll start by saying that the people in power have not changed because they don't need to. It's all about money and they are making a ton of it! If it ain't broke... Of course everyone who disagrees with the BCS system could just boycott it...but we all know that isn't going to happen. Now that we got the obvious stuff out of the way, let's talk demographics. Division I college football is a tradition that sprang up and has largely been centered in the midwest and the south. Think of all the traditional powerhouses...Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio St., Penn St., Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Purdue are all in the general vicinity of the midwest. Then there's Alabama, Tennessee, Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, Auburn, LSU, Texas A&M, Clemson, Miami, Florida, Florida St. All in the south. There have been some other great schools that are from different areas of the country, think USC, but not as prevalent. This has changed. Obviously, the south is still dominant (college football IS religion). The midwest has declined a little bit. Joe Tiller, Purdue's head coach who is retiring after this season said that part of the reason the Big 10 is struggling is that high school football in the midwest has declined. The west, which includes the mountain west and the Pacific coast have improved drastically over the last 40 years, mainly due to the simple fact that more people are living in these areas. Think of some of the western programs that have had success...USC, Washington, Oregon, Cal, UCLA, Arizona St., BYU, Colorado, Utah, Hawaii, Boise St. My point is this: College football has become a much more national past time, not just relegated to the midwest and the south. With these new programs having success in the west and even a little in the northeast, there are legions of newer fans who aren't familiar with the traditions or don't care about the traditions of college football. For example, why would a mormon BYU fan in Utah care about the Iron Bowl? He probably wouldn't even know what the Iron Bowl is or who plays in it! The shift in demographics essentially de-values the tradition of the game on a national level...though it is still maintained religiously on local levels. Another factor in the demographics and tradition issue is the national media. The national media is predominantly from the northeast, an area of the country that does not traditionally care about college football. However, for the sake of 24 hour sports coverage, the media has taken an interest in college football over the last several years, and whether it be pundits criticizing the bowl system or just sparking debate, the media has put the spotlight on this issue and even offered "solutions" to the "problem". So, along with the shifting demographics, the national media has also de-valued the tradition, and via the debates, the national media has also placed an emphasis on the need for a national champion, which the new fans wholeheartedly agree with. More and more fans want to see a playoff to bring a sense of closure and finality to the season. The BCS system was implemented as a compromise to this, but has not worked.

Then there's the argument that all the games matter. The reason I said that it is not as true as it used to be is due to the fact that two-loss teams can win the BCS championship now. Undefeated teams are slowly becoming a thing of the past. The competition has just become too much. So, with all this being said, here is my solution. I propose a compromise! Keep the BCS and all the bowl games. Keep the pre-season rankings and coaches polls and all that. I also agree that the mid-majors, i.e., MWC, WAC, MAC, etc. do not belong in the discussion unless they go undefeated. As a whole, they still aren't as strong as the BCS conferences. But, a playoff system needs to be implemented. Take the top 8 BCS ranked teams. This includes the 6 BCS conference champions and two at-large bids. Use the BCS bowls as the first 4 games then rotate which bowls get to have the final 3 games. Lot's of money for the powerful people. Because only 8 teams make it and we are keeping the polls and BCS, things like "strength of schedule" and "every game matters" remain important aspects of the game. Teams still have to win every week to even be considered an "elite 8" team. We will also get to see the "elite 8" battle it out in a playoff to determine who the best really is! How awesome would that be??? Will there be arguments over some of the top 8 choices? Of course! This will keep people interested and talking about the game. In summary, we keep almost all of the traditions, while truly finding out who the real national champion is year to year. It's a win/win!

In conclusion, I predict something similar to this will happen eventually, but not for a long time. The continuance of the demographic shift, the relentlessness of the national media, and the influence of younger generations will make the changes. At some point, the positions of power in the game will be manned by non-traditionalists who will finally make the necessary changes to the game to improve the overall product, while maintaining many of the old traditions that make college football such a wonderful game.

(My thoughts on the media's influence and the tradition were heavily influenced by Jason Whitlock, a former college player and sports writer who actually favors the tradtional system. The demographic thoughts came out of my clouded noggin)

Good news for the Vols!

The NCAA has cleared Brandon Warren to play this season as a Tight End for the Vols. He is a transfer from Florida St. who played quite a bit as a true freshman at FSU. He missed last year due to transferring. He is from Alcoa and wanted to transfer to Tennessee to be closer to his mother who was diagnosed with cancer. He is one of those hybrid type Tight Ends (think Kellen Winslow, Jr. or Shannon Sharpe). He's too quick for linebackers and too big and strong for DB's. Fulmer also mentioned that he would like to get him in on some pass rushing situations on defense as well. I'm not quite sure how to read that...is he that great of an athlete? Or do the Vols not have squat at defensive end? I'm suspicious of the latter. This also comes at a good time as another of the Vols TE's, Jeff Cottam, is out for 6-8 weeks for back surgery.

ESPN's face of the franchise- NFL teams

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3538393&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos1. This is pretty interesting. I agree with all of them except one. Matt Stover as the face of the Ravens? Are you kidding me? A kicker? With the great defenses? They've won a Super Bowl in their short history...in fact, I believe the 2000 Ravens defense is the best that's ever taken the field (including the '85 Bears). Ray Lewis is the face of the Ravens franchise. He is one of the greatest linebackers ever to play the game. They would not have won a Super Bowl without him...they still would've won the Super Bowl without Matt Stover. Incredible. All the other picks are good. I even agree with the Bengals having Anthony Munoz as their franchise player. He was an offensive lineman but he may very well be the best left tackle ever. He was a stud. Some of the teams have such a rich history that several players could be their franchise player. For example, the Colts have Peyton Manning, but you could also make a great case for Johnny Unitas. Another would be the Cowboys. It ended up being Emmitt Smith, but it could've been Staubach, Aikman, Irvin, Dorsett, etc.

College Pick 'Em

http://games.espn.go.com/cpickem/frontpage. This is the direct link to the Pick 'em page...So, go ahead see if you can stump the Stevo!!! Good luck, you're gonna need it!

College Pre-season rankings are out!

Georgia gets #1 in the pre-season rankings. I think they deserve the ranking but it's going to be a tough road to the BCS championship for them. They got red hot at the end of the year last year and demolished Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl. The night of the game my dad-in-law was saying he thought Hawaii would do pretty good in that game to which I responded, "Do you Knowshon Moreno? Hawaii is gonna Knowshon Moreno tonight!" Georgia's players have had a rough offseason with injuries and arrests and they have an INSANE schedule that includes @Arizona St., @LSU, @Auburn, @South Carolina and @Kentucky. They also have Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia Tech and that little cocktail party in Jacksonville with the Gators! I see them with at least 3 losses. Ohio St., USC, Oklahoma and Florida round out the top 5. I know, everyone's thinking..."Not the Buckeyes! I'm tired of the Buckeyes!" They are loaded again and should be better than they were last year...though that doesn't qualify them to beat an SEC team...

Speaking of the SEC, they have 6 teams in the top 25...Georgia, Florida, LSU at 7, Auburn at 10, Tennessee at 18, and Bama at 24. Spurrier could easily crack the top 25 this year too. The Big 12 has 5 with Boomer Sooner, Mizzou, Kansas, Texas, Texas Tech. The Pac 10 has 3 with USC, Arizona St., and Oregon. The ACC has 3 with Clemson, V Tech and Wake Forest. The Big 10 has an overrated 4 with OSU, Wisconsin, Illinois and Joe Pa. The Big East has 3 with West Virginia, South Florida and Pitt. BYU is the lone non BCS wolf at #16.

The A-11 offense...is this thing for real???

Read this article on ESPN. This is fascinating. The NFL could never do this but I could see some college teams trying it in the near future.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=weinreb/080811&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab4pos1

NFL Preview- NFC West

Other than the 49ers, this division has some high octane offense. Because of this Nolan's on the hot seat...so they brought in Mike Martz as their offensive coordinator. This is Mike Holmgren's final season, will the Seahawks make it a memorable one for him? Here are the picks...

• Seahawks- Hasselbeck has turned into one of the better and more consistent qb's in the league. Walter Jones remains the best tackle in the game. They have depth at wideout. Major question mark is in the running game, can Julius Jones be the man? The defense should remain consistent.
• Rams- I almost put the Cardinals here, then I remembered...it's the Cardinals. If they can get Steven Jackson back and injury free this should be a very balanced offense. Torry Holt is no spring chicken anymore. Nor is Orlando Pace. The defense should be solid. Chris Long is gonna be a beast!
• Cardinals- It's time for Matt Leinart to step up. He's got all the weapons he needs, Edge James in the backfield, Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin...what more do you need? The defense isn't bad, Adrian Wilson is the best safety no one's heard of. I like Ken Whisenhunt as their coach.
• 49ers- It's also do or die for Alex Smith. The former #1 overall pick has lost his starting spot to J.T. O'Sullivan...WHO??? Martz brought O'Sullivan in and apparently thinks he can run the offense better than Smith. Ouch! They brought in Bryant Johnson and an over the hill Isaac Bruce at wideout and of course there's Vernon Davis at TE (if he can stay healthy). Frank Gore is a good back but he needs support from the passing game. The defense is scrappy and I like Patrick Willis, he could turn into an elite LB.

Quick note

I got the word that people have been unable to comment on this blog. I had to adjust the comment settings so it should work now...sorry about that!

NFL Preview- NFC South

The Bucs won this division a year ago behind the wyly Jeff Garcia. The Saints fell off the wagon after an appearance in the NFC championship the year before. The Panthers were a disappointment once Jake Delhomme got hurt and the Falcons were just plain and simply a disaster. Here are the picks...

• Saints- The Saints are back in the playoffs this year with a much improved defense with the additions of Sedrick Ellis and Jonathan Vilma. The offense should be a powerhouse again, though they need an inside runner to compliment Reggie Bush. Picking up Shockey was huge and keep your eye on Robert Meacham at wideout.
• Buccaneers- Garcia returns at qb. The guy seems like an ageless wonder and just finds ways to win. They have a running back by committee approach with Cadillac, Earnest Graham, Warrick Dunn and Michael Bennett. They have another ageless wonder at wideout with Joey Galloway who had a monster year last year. The defense has also been returning to the old Super Bowl form. Derrick Brooks is another ageless wonder at LB.
• Panthers- They got off to a quick start last year then Delhomme had a season ending injury. If he and Steve Smith can stay healthy, the passing game should be sufficient. Smith is pound for pound the best receiver in the game. They have a dual running back threat with rookie Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams. What used to be one of the best defenses in the game has slipped of late. They need Julius Peppers to get a few more than 2 sacks this year.
• Falcons- It can't get any worse for this franchise than what they went through last year.
  They had to have hit rock bottom right? They were talking about starting Matt Ryan right off the bat, but it looks like they are going to start journey man Chris Redman. They picked up a playmaker in Michael Turner, trouble is, there isn't much of a supporting cast. The defense is decent. Keith Brooking continues to play at a high level at LB.

Stump the Stevo

It's almost time for Stump the Stevo! I've set up a group for College Pick 'em on espn.com. Once you're on the homepage, click on "fantasy" then click "college pick 'em". You'll need to create a free entry and then join the group called, "Stump the Stevo". It's a public group so anyone can join. The first week of college football is Aug. 30. There are already 10 games picked out to pick. You have to pick a winner of each of the 10 games listed and score it from 1-10 based on how confident you are in that pick. For example, you might have USC v. UNLV but also LSU v. Auburn. Obviously the USC/UNLV is an easy one so you might give that game 10 points. But the LSU/Auburn game is a little trickier so you might give that game 1 point. Then, as a tie breaker it gives you a game to pick the score on. You accumulate points based on how many games you pick right and how many confidence points you gave those games. So, if you get all 10 right, you get 55 points that week...1+2+3+4+5, etc. Last year was the first full year I played it and I managed to stay around the 97th percentile all year on the ESPN pick 'em...there are literally hundreds of thousands of people that play it on ESPN every year. So, if you think you can do better than me, give it a shot! What have you got to lose...besides your every ounce of pride!

NFL Preview- NFC North

The black and blue division or as Chris Berman refers to it...the Norse division. Questions at qb abound in this division. Here are the picks...

• Vikings- Many are calling them a Super Bowl contender this year. Loaded on defense, enough so that they may have the top rated d in the league this year. O line is one of the best in the business and they have this RB...a certain Adrian Peterson...who is fast becoming the best in the biz. Question mark is obviously at qb. Is Tarvaris Jackson a legit pro qb? Questions at receiver as well.
• Packers- They won't be what they were a year ago w/o Favre. Like the Vikings, the only real question is at qb. I'm not a believer in Aaron Rodgers. He comes from a college system that produces great college qb's but not great pro qb's. They have talent in all the other positions on the team.
• Bears- Same story here...qb issues. Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman are your choices? No thanks. In fact, I'll say no thanks to the whole offense. The defense is still good. Did I mention my brother has a man crush on Brian Urlacher? Devin Hester may be the best return man ever and is the only scoring threat on this whole team.
• Lions- Mike Martz is gone as the offensive coordinator, which means that the pass happy offense will be gone and word is they are going more toward a run happy offense. This bodes well for Joh Kitna's shelf life as he got killed last year. Rookie Kevin Smith could have a good year.

NFL Preview- NFC East

The NFC East has become the most intriguing and competitive division in football. All four of these teams are potential playoff teams who can beat anybody. Here are the picks...

• Cowboys- They are the team to beat again this year (in the NFC East and maybe even the NFC). Drafting Felix Jones was a great move, he can compliment Marion Barber nicely! TO and Witten should both have great years again and they have one of the best O lines in football. Defense has some playmakers too and provided Pacman is allowed to play, the secondary should be strong this year. DeMarcus Ware is a beast at LB!
• Eagles- McNabb still needs a go to receiver and they need to talk Shawn Andrews into coming back to camp, but Westbrook is a flat out playmaker! DeSean Jackson should make a nice slot receiver addition. They are loaded in the secondary with the pick up of Asante Samuel from NE to compliment Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown.
• Giants- Super Bowl slump for the G-Men. They lost too much on defense with Strahan's retirement and Gibril Wilson in the secondary. Eli is finally proving he's the real deal. He'll have another good year, but not good enough to repeat last years magic.
• Redskins- New coach, new system for Jason Campbell to learn. Chris Cooley is one of the more underrated TE's. Solid on defense. This team is good enough for the playoffs, but they unfortunately play in the wrong division.

NFL Preview- AFC West

One contender and three pretenders is the story of this division. One thing I do like about these four teams is that they each have a young high potential qb. The Chargers have the most experienced one in Philip Rivers. The Broncos have Jay Cutler, the Raiders have JaMarcus Russell and the Chiefs have Brodie Croyle who I think is the least talented of the bunch. Here are the picks...

• Chargers- They have become a perennial contender thru great drafting...all the stars were drafted. The offense is loaded, the only weakness in the past has been the lack of receivers but the acquisition of Chris Chambers and the emergence of Vincent Jackson could change that. The defense will be great as usual.
• Broncos- They get 2nd place by default. There are way too many questions here. They have playmakers on offense but the O line is weak. Ryan Torain was looking good at RB until he got hurt...then there's the whole Marshall suspension. The D line needs to step up for once and there are some questions at LB. Shanahan needs to focus on coaching...Pat Bowlen needs to hire a legit GM.
• Chiefs- They get 3rd place by default. Is Croyle the real deal? He has some weapons to throw to in Tony Gonzalez and the DeWayne Bowe. Larry Johnson is one of the best when healthy, but the O line is depleted. The defense is young, inexperienced, but very speedy.
• Raiders- Other than the inexplicable Javon Walker, they have no receivers. Russell and Darren McFadden will be good, but there is not enough talent around them at this point. Defense is solid and picking up DeAngelo Hall at CB was huge.

Favre trade

Good move for both teams. The Pack gets rid of the headache to a team in a different conference and the Jets get a much needed qb. My guess is Pennington is probably out. Will this make the Jets a playoff team? No...but they should be more competitive. There have been numerous other hall of fame players who played for a different team at the end of there careers...Unitas, Namath, Montana, O.J., Franco Harris, Tony Dorsett. The only situation that seemed to work out alright was Montana in KC. Jets fans cannot expect Favre to have the kind of year he had last year, but he can make the throws that Pennington can't and he's got the veteran intangibles that Clemens doesn't have yet.

NFL Preview- AFC South

This new division is evolving...Gone are the days of complete Colt dominance. Keep an eye on those pesky Jaguars! Here are the picks...

• Colts- I was tempted to put the Jags here but I think barring injury, the Colts are still the team to beat. If Marvin Harrison and Dwight Freeney can return to form after last season's injuries, the Colts should be a strong Super Bowl contender. Joseph Addai and Reggie Wayne proved they were the real deal last year, so this team is loaded like usual.
• Jaguars- They are on the cusp, can they get over? Awesome running tandem with Maurice Jones-Drew and a resurgent Fred Taylor. David Garrard does nothing but impress me. Now if they could only find a go-to guy at wideout. The defense is lights out as usual. This team is big, physical and they will beat you up! I saw them in Denver last year and not only did they beat the Broncos, they beat them up.
• Texans- I'm putting them ahead of the Titans provided they can stay healthy this year. The Matt Schaub/Andre Johnson combo was lethal until they got hurt. Mario Williams is proving to be a pretty good pick at DE. Young, up and coming team.
• Titans- Will somebody please get some receivers for VY to throw to? No playmakers on the outside...they did make a great pick up in Alge Crumpler at TE. Running game should be strong as usual. I keep hearing about this Chris Johnson...don't know much about him. Keith Bulluck is the best LB no one's heard of.

NFL Preview- AFC North

The AFC North, the AFC's version of the "Black & Blue" division. The Steelers/Browns rivalry is one of the oldest around. Here are the picks...

• Steelers- This team has the talent to be a Super Bowl contender. If the rebuilt offensive line can gel quickly, the offense should be pretty efficient. Keep an eye on Santonio Holmes at receiver, this should be his break-out year (should've been last year but he got hurt). Defense will be strong as usual. Lamar Woodley is getting rave reviews at outside linebacker opposite James Harrison. They always have great blitzing linebackers! Where do they find them?
• Browns- This offense is loaded! Of course Derek Anderson looks good when he's got Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow, Joshua Cribbs, Jamal Lewis and a great O-line. Defense should be better. The Browns should be in the playoffs this year.
• Bengals- They need to find a 3rd wideout to replace Chris Henry. O-line is depleted. Defense will probably still stink. Every year they say their defense is going to be improved and it never happens. Also, can they stay out of jail?
• Ravens- Rebuilding time in Baltimore. New coach, new qb, new O-line, defense is getting old...Ray Lewis is past his prime, but Ed Reed is still a playmaker. I wonder how long it will take the coaching staff to bench Kyle Boller and put in the rookie Joe Flacco? He comes from div II Delaware but he has an arm.

NFL Preview- AFC East

Now that I got the college previews out of the way let's focus on the NFL. I'll start with the AFC East which has been dominated by New England the last several years. Things won't be different this year. Here are the picks...

• Patriots- Won't go 16-0 this year but are still a top flight Super Bowl contender. Offense lost Stallworth but that's about it. When is Chad Jackson going to start seeing some playing time? The defense has the question marks in the secondary. They lost Asante Samuel and Ellis Hobbs. Rodney Harrison ain't gettin' any younger either. It proved to be their achilles heal in the Super Bowl and should be again this year. Front seven is strong as usual. Keep your eye on rookie linebacker Jerod Mayo.
• Bills- Young, scrappy team that' s looking to make a move this year. Set at RB with Marshawn Lynch. Trent Edwards may finally be the answer to Jim Kelly's retirement, we'll see. O line is getting better but they need to get Jason Peters into camp. Defense should be solid...they finally get Paul Pozluzny at LB after losing him for the season early last year. If injury bug doesn't hit, they should be pretty decent.
• Jets- They still need a qb. Pennington is the old fall back but he's got zero arm strength. O line is young and improving with the pick up of Alan Faneca at LG...he's a mauler and one of the best. The Jets were a playoff team two years ago and then just fell off last year. I don't think they are going to get back to form this year.
• Dolphins- Gone is the veteran defensive leadership with Taylor and Thomas...maybe they needed to go? I'm hearing good things about rookie qb Chad Henne...great size and arm strength. Ronnie Brown may start slow because it usually takes longer than a year to fully heal from a torn ACL.

The Princess and the Pauper

Looks like Aaron Rodgers just lost his job! Favre is coming back to the Pack and will compete for the starting job. Of course Favre will get the starting spot, he is clearly a better qb than Rodgers. Makes you wonder what's going thru Rodgers head at this point.

4 SEC games you HAVE to watch!

9/20- Florida v Tennessee in Knoxville- The Gators demolished the Vols last year and ran up the score. Tebow was still going deep well in the 4th quarter after the game was over! Word is the Vols are still holding a grudge...stay tuned. This used to be THE game in the SEC. Plus, I'll be at that game...that's all the motivation you need, right?

9/20- LSU v Auburn in Auburn- This will decide who wins the SEC West. LSU has had a hard time winning at Auburn the last several years...will it be the same this year?

11/1- Florida v Georgia in Jacksonville- Florida had been dominating this series until last year. After the Dawgs scored their first td, ALL the players ran into the end zone to celebrate! Knowshon Moreno than ran all over the Gators the rest of the game. Urban Meyer is STILL pissed about the end zone shenanigans and wants revenge!

11/15- Georgia v Auburn in Auburn- Possible pre-SEC championship right here. This will be a HUGE matchup!

Then there's that whole Iron Bowl between Bama and Auburn, but Auburn has dominated that series of late, Bama needs to get back to relevance before we can count this game. Ditto for the Tennessee/Alabama rivalry...one of the longest running and most storied rivalries hasn't meant much the last few years.

BCS Bowl predictions

Here are my pre-season BCS bowl predictions...enjoy!

Rose Bowl- Ohio St. v Arizona St. (Not that ASU will deserve it, but the Rose Bowl has to always have Big 10 v Pac 10)
Fiesta Bowl- Missouri v BYU
Sugar Bowl- Auburn v West Virginia
Orange Bowl- Clemson v Oklahoma (though Georgia wouldn't surprise me)

Did I forget something? Oh yeah...the BCS Championship which is in Miami this year.

Florida v. USC- with the Gators winning

The Prince(ss)

I'm so sick of Brett Favre. It would appear the Green Bay Packers are sick of him as well...though the fans don't seem to be. At the end of the previous four seasons, Favre would lead the organization along while he painstakingly "considered" retirement. Then, after this past season, he finally does the classy thing and makes his announcement in a timely fashion...only to back out of that decision right before training camp. Meanwhile the Pack had moved on. So what do the Packers do? New president Mark Murphy flies down to Mississippi to bribe Favre into staying retired with $20 million. And considering Favre has been so hellbent on being reinstated by the league, he's actually mulling the Pack's offer over! What gives? I thought he wanted back? The Packers originally had no intention of trading him to Vikings (which is were he wants to go) but are now considering that option if he rejects their bribe. I actually used to like Favre but that's been about 7-8 years ago. I'm tired of this guy! What are your thoughts?

College Preview- WAC

In the last of my college preview series, I'll go over the WAC. The WAC has produced two BCS busters with Boise St. and Hawaii. Fresno St. is looking to crash the party this year. Should be another interesting year in this conference that is still full of fireworks. I'm not going to cover the other mid-majors (MAC, Conference USA, Sun-Belt, though for future reference, keep your eye on UCF & FAU) because I'm just not that familiar with them. Here are the picks...

• Boise St.- Fresno is getting all the pre-season love but Boise cannot be overlooked. They always have plenty of weapons on offense and they have a fairly easy schedule, other than a trip to Eugene. The annual matchup with Fresno is on the Smurf Turf so Boise gets the advantage.
• Fresno St.- I can see why so many picked the Bulldogs to win the WAC this year, they return a lot of starters and should be a powerhouse on offense. Tough schedule that includes @Rutgers, @UCLA and Wisconsin, then @Smurf Turf. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. They have a tendency to lose games they shouldn't.
• Hawaii- Hangover from last years devastating loss to Georgia. Plus they've lost June Jones and Colt Brennan. They'll still be competitive and Honalulu is a tough place to play for visitors. They have to travel to Gainesville for their first game...Ouch! That's not gonna help the old confidence!
• Nevada- Tough early season matchups with Texas Tech and Missouri. This team is usually in the hunt but can never quite get over the hump.
• New Mexico St.- Have the firepower to win more than one conference game this year. Defense is the achilles heal here. Chase Holbrook may be the best qb they've ever had.
• San Jose St.- Several returning starters. They need to find a way to win close games. Solid defense but overall average team.
• Louisiana Tech- I still can't figure out why this team is in the WAC? Just being in Louisiana should give them an automatic recruiting advantage over many others in this conference, but that doesn't seem to happen. Just below average team.
• Idaho- Doormat that doesn't have the talent to compete with the elite of the WAC. Will it ever improve?
• Utah St.- See Idaho. Ditto here.