Today is honestly a rough day for watching football. I'm picking favorites for all of the early games, and I don't see a single game on the schedule that will be competitive. The first quality game of the day is in Jacksonville as Florida meets Georgia on the traditional neutral field. I'm picking Florida, but the offense has to get going. Brandon Spikes is proving how valuable he is to the Gators now that he is gone. Miami shouldn't struggle against Wake Forest, but it's the ACC, and the Tar Heels proved on Thursday night, anything can happen. The underrated game of the day will be South Carolina meeting Tennessee. The battle of defenses will be decided by which quarterback doesn't make the mistake that both are prone to make.
Then there's the nightcap. Two great games highlight this selection. All Hawkeyes fans are converting to Cowboy fans tonight as Texas travels to Oklahoma State for their last legitimate test toward an undefeated season and a berth in the BCS title game. Then the game that my reputation is riding on. USC heads to Eugene to take on Oregon. I'm standing by my pick of the Ducks at home. Masoli will have a huge game rushing which will be the difference. Stay tuned tonight or tomorrow for NFL picks.
October 31, 2009
October 28, 2009
True Grit
Lots of athletes write books after their careers are over. Most of them contain some lame controversy that everyone probably knew about already. For example, it shouldn't be a surprise for those that read Joe Torre's book about the Yankees that the clubhouse was mad at A-Rod, especially in previous postseasons. And then there's Canseco. No shit you did steroids buddy! All this to sell a few more books. Torre didn't need the money, Canseco might have. Then Andre Agassi wrote his book "Open" in which he admits to using crystal meth among other things.
This is incredible to me. Agassi is a beloved figure, he is retired and highly regarded. In other words, he's no Canseco. He's presumably not trying to illuminate some problem in the Tennis Association while having no authority to do so like Canseco; and honestly tennis doesn't create controversy like baseball players who make hundreds of millions of dollars and then stink in crunch time. This is Agassi telling the world he is human, that the spotlight can be overwhelming. "Open" is indeed the perfect title. And this honesty is both remarkable and refreshing in today's world of gotcha books and stories of fallen stars trying to grasp at the last straw of fame to make a few bucks.
Sure, the cynic may say that this is just another ploy to sell books. Maybe it is, but it's a good one, and it has me sold. It's refreshing to know that some are still willing to confess humanity and try to reconcile with their fans in the right way.
This is incredible to me. Agassi is a beloved figure, he is retired and highly regarded. In other words, he's no Canseco. He's presumably not trying to illuminate some problem in the Tennis Association while having no authority to do so like Canseco; and honestly tennis doesn't create controversy like baseball players who make hundreds of millions of dollars and then stink in crunch time. This is Agassi telling the world he is human, that the spotlight can be overwhelming. "Open" is indeed the perfect title. And this honesty is both remarkable and refreshing in today's world of gotcha books and stories of fallen stars trying to grasp at the last straw of fame to make a few bucks.
Sure, the cynic may say that this is just another ploy to sell books. Maybe it is, but it's a good one, and it has me sold. It's refreshing to know that some are still willing to confess humanity and try to reconcile with their fans in the right way.
October 26, 2009
Hot Dog-Gate
I'm sure many of you have heard about Mark Sanchez's hot dog incident upon his return to Southern California. For those of you who haven't, Sanchez was seen scarfing down a hot dog near the end of the Jets 38-0 rout of the Oakland Raiders this weekend. Sanchez was given grief about it, even though he attempted to conceal the snack from view, and apologized on camera saying that he was sick earlier in the week and was having trouble holding down food, so he needed the hot dog. He has since said that he should have eaten an energy bar instead.
I say...BALONEY! Are we really that obsessed about not hurting each other's feelings anymore by being politically correct every second of our lives? Need I remind everyone that football is a game where the defense's entire point is to crush the opponent's offense into submission? Or why Adrian Peterson's hit on William Gay was the greatest individual highlight of the NFL season so far? I mean seriously, we love watching hits. All of this points out a key attribute for all football players-competitiveness to the point of hating the other person. Nowhere in that job description is caring not to offend the opponent!
So, back to the hot dog. Sanchez was eating a hot dog when his team was up huge on an incredibly bad team. Two points: 1. The guy had a legitimate excuse for eating the snack, and the fact that he tried to keep it discreet should point out that he wasn't trying to "show up" the Raiders. 2. Even if he was gloating, it's the Raiders job to make the game competitive. If we are beating you that bad, you deserve it. You are so bad that people can enjoy a delicious tailgating delicacy, then run out 5 minutes later and throw another touchdown on you. Not even sure that Sanchez was still in the game at that point, but who really cares!
I guess this makes my stance on running up the score clear! Have some pride, and don't let them into your endzone anymore!
I say...BALONEY! Are we really that obsessed about not hurting each other's feelings anymore by being politically correct every second of our lives? Need I remind everyone that football is a game where the defense's entire point is to crush the opponent's offense into submission? Or why Adrian Peterson's hit on William Gay was the greatest individual highlight of the NFL season so far? I mean seriously, we love watching hits. All of this points out a key attribute for all football players-competitiveness to the point of hating the other person. Nowhere in that job description is caring not to offend the opponent!
So, back to the hot dog. Sanchez was eating a hot dog when his team was up huge on an incredibly bad team. Two points: 1. The guy had a legitimate excuse for eating the snack, and the fact that he tried to keep it discreet should point out that he wasn't trying to "show up" the Raiders. 2. Even if he was gloating, it's the Raiders job to make the game competitive. If we are beating you that bad, you deserve it. You are so bad that people can enjoy a delicious tailgating delicacy, then run out 5 minutes later and throw another touchdown on you. Not even sure that Sanchez was still in the game at that point, but who really cares!
I guess this makes my stance on running up the score clear! Have some pride, and don't let them into your endzone anymore!
October 25, 2009
HCS Week 2
Here we go for week 2. Note for this week: To me winning ugly is still winning.
1.Florida: Even though redzone offense was ugly yesterday, Alabama got tested by Tennessee and Florida took care of Tennessee more successfully.
2.Alabama: Blocking a last second field goal to Tennessee will lose you a spot every week. They are still really close in the rankings though.
3.Texas: Texas took care of a struggling Mizzou team. Win strong over Oklahoma State next week and I'll give them the number 1 spot.
4.Iowa: Like I said, winning ugly against a better than average Michigan State team on the road. Plus, they are the first team since the early 90s to go on the road at Penn State, Wisconsin, and Michigan State and walk out undefeated. Next big test: at the Horseshoe in Columbus
5.Cincinnati: Just correcting last week's mistake.
6.Boise State: Oregon keeping the winning streak up is absolutely critical for Boise State's chance to improve in the standings.
7.USC: Reminder: Lost to Washington! Furthermore, they will drop from title talk next week with a loss at Oregon.
8.TCU: Will jump next week, but still has to beat Utah for a Buster run.
9.LSU: Gets the nod for a better conference
10.Oregon: Will jump next week
11.Georgia Tech: Needs to keep up reign in the horrible ACC
12.Penn State: The fighting Paternos have only lost to #5 Iowa, and Dwight Clark could make a darkhorse Heisman run. He'll at least be in New York I think.
13.Oklahoma State: Could upset Texas next week
14.Houston: Good wins against Big 12 competition
15.Pittsburgh: Will have a big showdown with Cincinnati for a potential Fiesta Bowl bid.
1.Florida: Even though redzone offense was ugly yesterday, Alabama got tested by Tennessee and Florida took care of Tennessee more successfully.
2.Alabama: Blocking a last second field goal to Tennessee will lose you a spot every week. They are still really close in the rankings though.
3.Texas: Texas took care of a struggling Mizzou team. Win strong over Oklahoma State next week and I'll give them the number 1 spot.
4.Iowa: Like I said, winning ugly against a better than average Michigan State team on the road. Plus, they are the first team since the early 90s to go on the road at Penn State, Wisconsin, and Michigan State and walk out undefeated. Next big test: at the Horseshoe in Columbus
5.Cincinnati: Just correcting last week's mistake.
6.Boise State: Oregon keeping the winning streak up is absolutely critical for Boise State's chance to improve in the standings.
7.USC: Reminder: Lost to Washington! Furthermore, they will drop from title talk next week with a loss at Oregon.
8.TCU: Will jump next week, but still has to beat Utah for a Buster run.
9.LSU: Gets the nod for a better conference
10.Oregon: Will jump next week
11.Georgia Tech: Needs to keep up reign in the horrible ACC
12.Penn State: The fighting Paternos have only lost to #5 Iowa, and Dwight Clark could make a darkhorse Heisman run. He'll at least be in New York I think.
13.Oklahoma State: Could upset Texas next week
14.Houston: Good wins against Big 12 competition
15.Pittsburgh: Will have a big showdown with Cincinnati for a potential Fiesta Bowl bid.
October 23, 2009
Defending the Indefensible
I'm sure that many of you have seen some of the botched calls by umpires in this year's postseason. It's safe to say that we have all heard enough calls for further instant replay in the postseason. That said, I think the League, and specifically the commissioner's office, has done a superb job of recognizing the error and fixing it, but not giving in to outside pressure for a potentially ineffective system.
For a brief intro, I completely agree that further instant replay would limit the umpires, take out the wonderful human element of the game, and completely destroy the tempo of the game. But this post isn't meant as an argument for or against further instant replay. Instead I just wanted to congratulate the commissioner for being very effective in dealing with an important issue.
For those of you who don't know, the commissioner has decided that a veteran crew of umpires will call the World Series this year instead of a new crew getting the opportunity. This was the perfect political move for the commissioner's office to make: the public knows that the commissioner realizes that the blown calls are a problem, and interfere with the game, but also recognizes that getting into a debate about the value of instant replay during the postseason will take away from the great baseball that is being played.
Because of the commissioner's move, we can now talk about how well A-Rod and Ryan Howard have been hitting, or how dominant Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia have been. This is what October baseball is about: excellence is no accident (thank you Truman State for a horribly cheesy slogan). Now that the commissioner has dealt with the issue, let's all sit back and enjoy the wonder of postseason baseball!
For a brief intro, I completely agree that further instant replay would limit the umpires, take out the wonderful human element of the game, and completely destroy the tempo of the game. But this post isn't meant as an argument for or against further instant replay. Instead I just wanted to congratulate the commissioner for being very effective in dealing with an important issue.
For those of you who don't know, the commissioner has decided that a veteran crew of umpires will call the World Series this year instead of a new crew getting the opportunity. This was the perfect political move for the commissioner's office to make: the public knows that the commissioner realizes that the blown calls are a problem, and interfere with the game, but also recognizes that getting into a debate about the value of instant replay during the postseason will take away from the great baseball that is being played.
Because of the commissioner's move, we can now talk about how well A-Rod and Ryan Howard have been hitting, or how dominant Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia have been. This is what October baseball is about: excellence is no accident (thank you Truman State for a horribly cheesy slogan). Now that the commissioner has dealt with the issue, let's all sit back and enjoy the wonder of postseason baseball!
October 18, 2009
HCS
So, since the first BCS poll is going to come out later today, I decided to take a stab at my own poll, thus the Hambone Championship Series: I will feature my weekly rankings sometime between the close of Saturday games and the beginning of the Sunday games from here on out.
This system is a combination of the traditional BCS categories, but I also want to make it clear that I will judge the production over the season over whether a team will beat another. For example, in today's poll Virginia Tech is below Miami (FL)even though the Hokies won head-to-head. To me, there is no reason a team with 2 losses should be above a 1 loss team from the same conference.
Feel free to comment; after all, what are rankings if they don't create controversy. Short explanations usually provided.
1.Alabama (7-0): They get the nod over Florida simply because they have defeated two strong teams to the Gators one. If the Gators beat another strong opponent, or started routing opponents, they'll get the spot back.
2.Florida (6-0): Hard to give the undefeated national champions the number 2 spot, but it isn't last season, and LSU is the only tough opponent so far.
3.Texas (6-0): Won ugly against the Sooners, but the Sooners are the best 3-3 team I've ever seen
4.Cincinnati (6-0): I know this is the one that I will take a lot of flak for because of the conference, but Rutgers and South Florida are above average teams and make strong wins. Plus, Cincinnati has a legit shot at running the table.
5.Iowa (7-0): Call me a homer if you like but the Hawkeyes have a dominating defense and have shown consistency over 7 games with road wins at Penn State and Wisconsin (who was a Big 10 title contender before the loss to Iowa) and a win over a pretty good Arizona team. With 1 signature win apiece and no negatives for the Hawkeyes, they get the edge over the Trojans.
6.Boise State (6-0): Signature win against Oregon has them ahead of Cincinnati in most polls, but the Western Athletic Conference is not even close to the Big East, period.
7.USC (5-1): Yes, they have beaten an above average Notre Dame team. But Ohio State, who just lost to Purdue took them to the edge and they lost to Washington. Yes, that's the Washington that won a whopping 1 game last year! Beat Oregon in 2 weeks, and I will give them the edge over a few of the unbeatens. Losing to Washington is just terrible, and like I said, this isn't a matchup poll.
8.Miami (FL)(5-1): Yes, the loss to the Hokies was embarassing, but Oklahoma is a legitimately good team and Georgia Tech is tough to stop too.
9.LSU (5-1):Yes, they were once ranked 4th, but let's be honest, a win against Georgia isn't all that impressive anymore, and don't give me a ten point loss at home against the Gators doesn't really impress me -it's a loss!
10.Oregon (5-1): Wins against Utah and Cal have avenged the road loss to Boise State. Those wins give them the edge over the Nittany Lions.
11.Penn State (5-1): Their only really strong opponent, the Hawkeyes, beat them. No signature win yet puts them behind Oregon, but Michigan and Ohio State looming will give them a chance to leap-frog the Ducks.
12.TCU (6-0): Yes, the consistency is there, but the Horned Frogs are consistently good against crappy opponents. Beat BYU next week and I'll reward the Frogs with a little hop in the line.
13.Virginia Tech (5-2): Gets the nod over Oklahoma State because they have lost to two ranked opponents and beat Nebraska and Miami two weeks in a row. The signature win once again gives the nod.
14.Oklahoma State (5-1): Georgia and Missouri are not signature wins yet, especially with Mizzou losing to Nebraska. Plus, just like USC, a loss to Houston is not impressive.
15.BYU (6-1): Barely gets the last spot in my rankings because the Oklahoma win nullifies the clunker that was the Florida State game. Will have a chance to impress some more next week against TCU.
Alright, that's my poll. Let me know if you don't like it!
This system is a combination of the traditional BCS categories, but I also want to make it clear that I will judge the production over the season over whether a team will beat another. For example, in today's poll Virginia Tech is below Miami (FL)even though the Hokies won head-to-head. To me, there is no reason a team with 2 losses should be above a 1 loss team from the same conference.
Feel free to comment; after all, what are rankings if they don't create controversy. Short explanations usually provided.
1.Alabama (7-0): They get the nod over Florida simply because they have defeated two strong teams to the Gators one. If the Gators beat another strong opponent, or started routing opponents, they'll get the spot back.
2.Florida (6-0): Hard to give the undefeated national champions the number 2 spot, but it isn't last season, and LSU is the only tough opponent so far.
3.Texas (6-0): Won ugly against the Sooners, but the Sooners are the best 3-3 team I've ever seen
4.Cincinnati (6-0): I know this is the one that I will take a lot of flak for because of the conference, but Rutgers and South Florida are above average teams and make strong wins. Plus, Cincinnati has a legit shot at running the table.
5.Iowa (7-0): Call me a homer if you like but the Hawkeyes have a dominating defense and have shown consistency over 7 games with road wins at Penn State and Wisconsin (who was a Big 10 title contender before the loss to Iowa) and a win over a pretty good Arizona team. With 1 signature win apiece and no negatives for the Hawkeyes, they get the edge over the Trojans.
6.Boise State (6-0): Signature win against Oregon has them ahead of Cincinnati in most polls, but the Western Athletic Conference is not even close to the Big East, period.
7.USC (5-1): Yes, they have beaten an above average Notre Dame team. But Ohio State, who just lost to Purdue took them to the edge and they lost to Washington. Yes, that's the Washington that won a whopping 1 game last year! Beat Oregon in 2 weeks, and I will give them the edge over a few of the unbeatens. Losing to Washington is just terrible, and like I said, this isn't a matchup poll.
8.Miami (FL)(5-1): Yes, the loss to the Hokies was embarassing, but Oklahoma is a legitimately good team and Georgia Tech is tough to stop too.
9.LSU (5-1):Yes, they were once ranked 4th, but let's be honest, a win against Georgia isn't all that impressive anymore, and don't give me a ten point loss at home against the Gators doesn't really impress me -it's a loss!
10.Oregon (5-1): Wins against Utah and Cal have avenged the road loss to Boise State. Those wins give them the edge over the Nittany Lions.
11.Penn State (5-1): Their only really strong opponent, the Hawkeyes, beat them. No signature win yet puts them behind Oregon, but Michigan and Ohio State looming will give them a chance to leap-frog the Ducks.
12.TCU (6-0): Yes, the consistency is there, but the Horned Frogs are consistently good against crappy opponents. Beat BYU next week and I'll reward the Frogs with a little hop in the line.
13.Virginia Tech (5-2): Gets the nod over Oklahoma State because they have lost to two ranked opponents and beat Nebraska and Miami two weeks in a row. The signature win once again gives the nod.
14.Oklahoma State (5-1): Georgia and Missouri are not signature wins yet, especially with Mizzou losing to Nebraska. Plus, just like USC, a loss to Houston is not impressive.
15.BYU (6-1): Barely gets the last spot in my rankings because the Oklahoma win nullifies the clunker that was the Florida State game. Will have a chance to impress some more next week against TCU.
Alright, that's my poll. Let me know if you don't like it!
October 17, 2009
Gridiron Greatness
Congrats to the Hawkeyes on another great win, after dominating the 2nd half for a second straight week. With the losses from Virginia Tech and Ohio State, I wouldn't be surprised to see the undefeated Hawkeyes move up to number 7 in the polls. More importantly though, Ricky Stanzi has gotten more and more comfortable with managing the game and not throwing interceptions. With only 5 incompletions and a somewhat costly fumble, Stanzi proved that he is fairly reliable.
Anyway, I'm happy about that...Now to the Sunday games! In the early round, Houston travels to Cincinnati in a game that is surprisingly important. Baltimore needs to get back on track with a win against an unbeaten Minnesota team, but their run defense has been surprisingly porous the last few weeks. My bold prediction for the noon games is that my Chiefs will get the 3rd straight win by a winless team against the Washington Redskins, and Jim Zorn will lose his job during the bye week in 2 weeks. The Giants and Saints will simply be an awesome game, if I had to pick I suppose I'll go with the Saints at home, but it's really just too close to tell.
In the afternoon, Philadelphia will prove that there is more than one contender in the NFC East; the Patriots will continue the woes of the winless Titans, and the Jets get back on track with a win against the Bills (a little bit of credit goes to T.O. for not losing his cool yet, because this is a seriously bad team -a LITTLE credit).
Atlanta edges Chicago on the road due to Matty Ice being his normal cool self (and carrying my fantasy team along for the ride, thank you), and as unpopular as this pick seems to be: the Broncos go into San Diego and prove that Josh McDaniels is the front runner for Coach of the Year. By the way, Kyle Orton has only one interception all season, and that was a gimme to Randy Moss to close the half -yes, I said Randy Moss has an interception. So much for Kyle Orton can't be a starter in the NFL. Kyle Orton for the ProBowl on this blog.
Anyway, I'm happy about that...Now to the Sunday games! In the early round, Houston travels to Cincinnati in a game that is surprisingly important. Baltimore needs to get back on track with a win against an unbeaten Minnesota team, but their run defense has been surprisingly porous the last few weeks. My bold prediction for the noon games is that my Chiefs will get the 3rd straight win by a winless team against the Washington Redskins, and Jim Zorn will lose his job during the bye week in 2 weeks. The Giants and Saints will simply be an awesome game, if I had to pick I suppose I'll go with the Saints at home, but it's really just too close to tell.
In the afternoon, Philadelphia will prove that there is more than one contender in the NFC East; the Patriots will continue the woes of the winless Titans, and the Jets get back on track with a win against the Bills (a little bit of credit goes to T.O. for not losing his cool yet, because this is a seriously bad team -a LITTLE credit).
Atlanta edges Chicago on the road due to Matty Ice being his normal cool self (and carrying my fantasy team along for the ride, thank you), and as unpopular as this pick seems to be: the Broncos go into San Diego and prove that Josh McDaniels is the front runner for Coach of the Year. By the way, Kyle Orton has only one interception all season, and that was a gimme to Randy Moss to close the half -yes, I said Randy Moss has an interception. So much for Kyle Orton can't be a starter in the NFL. Kyle Orton for the ProBowl on this blog.
Saturday Games
Real quick post because I have to pick up mom at the train station for a day of relaxation. So without further ado...
If Texas brings back a special teams touchdown, they will win. Otherwise, we'll see. Iowa will be tested at Wisconsin, but Wisconsin quaterback Scott Tolzien has 3 interceptions in the last 2 weeks and Iowa ranks second in the nation with 12 interceptions, including the national individual leader in Tyler Sash (with 5).
Alabama roles over South Carolina, especially since they're at home.
Notre Dame's lack of defense will show against the USC rushing attack, and Matt Barkley will open up the passing game a little more this week as USC will pull away in the 4th quarter in South Bend. I will readily admit that I didn't see Tyrod Taylor emerging as the pass threat he has evolved into. I pick them to win today, and if they run the table I would expect them to get the berth for the Championship game over USC (who lost to Washington) and the loser of the SEC Championship game (voters have already proven they don't want rematches-see 2006: Ohio State, Michigan). KU will rope the buffaloes as Todd Reesing will continue an awesome season throwing to Dezmond Briscoe. No comment on the Mizzou-Oklahoma State game-if there were ever a game that I wish both teams could lose it would be that game.
Finally, a note on Thursday's game: Even with the loss of Tony Pike (a darkhorse Heisman contender) to injury, the Cincinnati Bearcats are for real. Coach Brian Kelly will end up in South Bend next year if Charlie Weis doesn't at least keep ND competitive against USC today. For what it's worth, he's my coach of the year behind Coach Ferentz (sorry I'm a homer on this one).
If Texas brings back a special teams touchdown, they will win. Otherwise, we'll see. Iowa will be tested at Wisconsin, but Wisconsin quaterback Scott Tolzien has 3 interceptions in the last 2 weeks and Iowa ranks second in the nation with 12 interceptions, including the national individual leader in Tyler Sash (with 5).
Alabama roles over South Carolina, especially since they're at home.
Notre Dame's lack of defense will show against the USC rushing attack, and Matt Barkley will open up the passing game a little more this week as USC will pull away in the 4th quarter in South Bend. I will readily admit that I didn't see Tyrod Taylor emerging as the pass threat he has evolved into. I pick them to win today, and if they run the table I would expect them to get the berth for the Championship game over USC (who lost to Washington) and the loser of the SEC Championship game (voters have already proven they don't want rematches-see 2006: Ohio State, Michigan). KU will rope the buffaloes as Todd Reesing will continue an awesome season throwing to Dezmond Briscoe. No comment on the Mizzou-Oklahoma State game-if there were ever a game that I wish both teams could lose it would be that game.
Finally, a note on Thursday's game: Even with the loss of Tony Pike (a darkhorse Heisman contender) to injury, the Cincinnati Bearcats are for real. Coach Brian Kelly will end up in South Bend next year if Charlie Weis doesn't at least keep ND competitive against USC today. For what it's worth, he's my coach of the year behind Coach Ferentz (sorry I'm a homer on this one).
October 14, 2009
Trustworthy
It's been awhile since I've done a scouting related post, so that's what you get folks. Even though I think they may be a little overrated at #11 in the polls, my Hawkeyes have impressed the world with their clutch defense. This also impressed me, and got me thinking about how important it is to have players that can come through under pressure.
The part of the scout law -the first point actually- that came to mind was trustwortiness. Why is clutch performance trustworthy you ask? The fact is that coaches, fans, and teammates expect much of you as an athlete. How many times have you seen a football movie and witnessed the coach exhorting his defense; it happens all the time. I think of Remember the Titans, when Coach Yoast (the white coach and father of Hayden Panitierre's character) urges the defense to not allow another yard. Awesome movie by the way, go watch it this weekend. But back to the point, people expect the defense to stop the game winning drive, and the Hawkeyes have shown a remarkable ability at fulfilling these expectations, from field goal blocks to clutch interceptions.
In a huge stadium with 80,000 people, I will readily admit that I would hate the pressure of having to stop a game winning drive. But the Hawkeyes have shown that they are up to the challenge, and that they are worthy of our trust at fans. Well, I'm still impressed and next time you watch a Hawkeyes game, don't fear that last drive and remember that the Hawkeyes are playing trustworthy defense!
The part of the scout law -the first point actually- that came to mind was trustwortiness. Why is clutch performance trustworthy you ask? The fact is that coaches, fans, and teammates expect much of you as an athlete. How many times have you seen a football movie and witnessed the coach exhorting his defense; it happens all the time. I think of Remember the Titans, when Coach Yoast (the white coach and father of Hayden Panitierre's character) urges the defense to not allow another yard. Awesome movie by the way, go watch it this weekend. But back to the point, people expect the defense to stop the game winning drive, and the Hawkeyes have shown a remarkable ability at fulfilling these expectations, from field goal blocks to clutch interceptions.
In a huge stadium with 80,000 people, I will readily admit that I would hate the pressure of having to stop a game winning drive. But the Hawkeyes have shown that they are up to the challenge, and that they are worthy of our trust at fans. Well, I'm still impressed and next time you watch a Hawkeyes game, don't fear that last drive and remember that the Hawkeyes are playing trustworthy defense!
October 7, 2009
Crabtree Update
The saga is over! Someone finally woke up and decided he wanted to play football! Yes, Michael Crabtree signed with the 49ers.
This is primarily just a short update post, but I was glad to see that he finally is with a team. It shouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that playing for an above average team in a horrible division should make one fall into line and settle the contract.
As if the man needed more praise heaped on him, Singletary has handled the situation brilliantly by focusing on the team improving without Crabtree. Now that Crabtree has signed, he will no doubt use veteran wide receivers like Isaac Bruce to tutor Crabtree to success.
I have no doubt that Crabtree will provide some much needed help to a somewhat depleted receiving corps, but he will do it on Singeltary's terms: the way it ought to be.
This is primarily just a short update post, but I was glad to see that he finally is with a team. It shouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that playing for an above average team in a horrible division should make one fall into line and settle the contract.
As if the man needed more praise heaped on him, Singletary has handled the situation brilliantly by focusing on the team improving without Crabtree. Now that Crabtree has signed, he will no doubt use veteran wide receivers like Isaac Bruce to tutor Crabtree to success.
I have no doubt that Crabtree will provide some much needed help to a somewhat depleted receiving corps, but he will do it on Singeltary's terms: the way it ought to be.
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