Lessons Learned, Theories Confirmed

I apologize there was no “Choosen Ones” this past Friday, but I will make it of my best efforts to not miss another Friday again. It was a great weekend, I went to my Alma Matter ,Western Carolina. It was great to see everyone, I did a little of everything: bar, casino, and football game. I must say the scoreboard does not accurately show how much talent the cats have. Sunday, I luckily got box seats at the Panthers Bengals game. The box became an extra luxary because it was raining by the buckets. How bad are the Panthers, I feel really bad for one of the good coaches in the league, John Fox. Overall a good weekend.

Things Learned this Weekend:

1. What Happened to Carson Palmer?: I had one of the best seats in the house to watch what I thought was a very talented quarterback in Carson Palmer. I thought Palmer was more than enough at quarterback for this Bengals team to win a bunch of games. I was completely mistaken. I know it was raining hard, but Palmer was down right pathetic. In the first half he should of had four or MORE picks. It got so bad, I was not sure if Carson knew the panthers were the team in white. I guess the upside for Palmer,  Clausen looked worse for the Panthers. Bengals, Good luck winning with Palmer at Quarterback.

2. Even the best has an off week: Mack Brown is the reason way coaches such as Mark Richt are on the respectable “Hot Seat.” The way he has won ten or more games year in and year out is down right impressive. Which makes it more impressive is you don’t see the NCAA showing up in Austin for an investigation. However, Texas showed this past weekend that even they can have an off week. Texas not only lost to a mediocre as at best UCLA team, UCLA dominated this game. However, don’t sleep on Texas against Oklahoma this week.

3. The Phillies are no doubt the favorites: As much as I hate to say it, The Phillies are not only the huge favorite to win the NL, but they are the Unanimous favorites to win the whole thing. Sorry Yankees fans, If CC loses a damn game in any playoff series you guys might as well be a game and a half back. A.J. Burnett is as up and down as a four year old girl on a pogo stick, and Andy Petite is so old he pitched against Shoeless Joe Jackson in the 30s. In fact he might have struck out Babe Ruth. With the recent reemergence of Cole Hamels, the Phillies have three number one pitchers. If you made a power rankings of top ten NL pitchers, all three of the these guys are on that list. The Philies are loaded. I just hope my Braves get in, win one series against the Reds, and then win one game at Turner for Bobby. Am I asking for too much?

4. 18 Games is a done deal? Colts President Bill Polian said this weekend the negotiations over the NFL going to 18 games is over! Really Billy? This very issue is going to be the hot topic this summer at these negotiations. If the players are going to agree to this, they better get paid for these extra games because that is just two more games of abuse for these guys.  For every owner that votes in favor of this should have to take a hit from Ray Lewis. Personally I don’t understand why anyone would want to mess with the best cash cow in the barn when it is perfect the way it is.

Theories Confirmed:

1. No body wants anything to do with Alabama: The way Alabama continues to dominate defensively despite all of their loses from last season is down right sick. Alabama made my boy Ryan Mallet look like an intramural flag football quarterback. I thought Mallet would be able to do more damage against a young Alabama secondary. Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson are the best one two punch in the back field since Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown. I don’t see Alabama losing to anyone or having anymore close games. However, in their last 5 SEC games their opponents are coming off of bye weeks.

2. Patriots Defense: The Patriots have gotten a little cocky with their ability to develop young talent. Their defense is basically rookies and second year players, and they are playing like it. They gave up 30 points to a Bills team that just cut their starting quarterback. What happens if they play Peyton Manning or Aaron Rodgers later in the season? It is going to get ugly!

3. You’re fucking out: East Bound and Down season 2 started this Sunday, and it did not disappoint. Kenny was back to his usual humorous inappropriate cockiness. I love it! Danny McBride looks like he struck gold again with this season’s setting in Mexico there is so much potential for Kenny Powers at his best.

4. Urban Myer can’t coach quarterbacks: If you are a high school quarterback, and you have NFL aspirations then Florida is not your place. John Brantley has passed my eye test as a quarterback who can get it done, but Urban Meyer for some reason can’t resist going with a quarterback who likes do things from the spread.  So Urban inserted Trey Burton ,a player that has lined up at fullback, and receiver, this past Saturday to run the Tim Tebow style spread offense. I guess if you are a Florida fan, you really don’t give a rats ass as long as you win.

Weekly Lessons Learned and Things Confirmed

Following the greatest week in sports, was a week that was lack luster at best. College football only had one match up of top 25 teams, but had some interesting inter-BCS-conference games. In the NFL, Washington and Texas was an excellent game, but after that the games where highly one sided whether it was a high scoring or defensive affair.  In my every Friday column, The Chosen Ones, I was undefeated in my college picks, but struggled in the NFL.  Overall Went 5 of 8, not a great week, but above .500 I will take it.

Lessons Learned:

1. Mark Sanchez Flip Flop: I know last week I put Mark Sanchez on the things confirmed list as not being an elite quarterback. I have learned that Mark Sanchez is the most inconsistent quarterback in the league. He has flashes of dreadful play, but has flashes of brilliance. He completely out played Tom Terrific yesterday, and picked up a huge win for the Jets.  Therefore, I have learned that the verdict on Mark Sanchez will not truly be announced until season 4.

2. The Bengals Defense: The Bengals beat the Baltimore Ravens in their own game. The Bengals rose to the occasion, and went blow for blow with the Baltimore Ravens. I was not drinking the Bengal defensive cool-aide, well now I am doing Keg stands of it. The Bengals got after Flacco, they caused turnovers, and ultimately physically beat up the Ravens offense. If the Carson Palmer can get this offense clicking, look out AFC.

3. Steelers Look Nasty: 85 Bears, 01 Ravens, 70s Steelers, 2010 Steelers?  The Pittsburgh Steelers defense looks straight up  nasty! In two games, they have caused ten turnovers, and only allowed a total of 19 points. What happens when Big Ben shows up to ignite this offense. The Steelers are going to be a hell of a team to beat.

4. Fans with Helmets: Brandon Jacobs helmet some how managed to find its way to the stands. He said “He threw the helmet down, and it bounced into the stands.” Wow! That is an impressive bounce pass. This is the first time in knowledge that someones helmet has entered the stands. Just to let you know its not like a baseball, you have to give it back.

4. TCU not Boise State: TCU is the team that has the best threat to be a BCS Buster. If the Horned Frogs go undefeated they will have beaten Oregon State, Baylor,  BYU, Utah, and an Air Force team that gave Oklahoma a scare. I hear you SEC Nation the schedule is not nearly the same, but a team that starts that high in the polls and beats these teams has to be given a shot at the title.

5. Mike Vick can Play: Mike Vick had a huge week for the Eagles. He threw for over two hundred yards and two scores. He broke out the electric running plays that the people of Atlanta distinctly remember. Unfortunately Andy Reid has to send him back to the bench in favor of Kevin Kolb. Reid traded McNabb within the division in order to move forward with Kolb. Reid has to stick to his guns or trading McNabb was worthless. I just wish Reid would give Vick a shot by trading him to a team that needs a starting quarterback.

Things Confirmed:

1. Brett Favre didn’t want to play this season: After two games the Vikings are 0 and 2, and the offense has struggled to score points. It is quite apparent the offense is struggling without SidneyRice, but Brett Favre is truly hurting. That ankle has been sketchy all along, and he was going to retire if his boys hadn’t gone and dragged him out Mississippi. This is going to be a long season for Vikings, and this will finally be Brett’s last year.

2. ESPN true darling: Michelle Beadle has been down right awesome since the start of the show sports nation. Beadle is cute, quirky, and witty as she has really shown up Erin Andrews as ESPN’s true media darling. I don’t think I have met a guy who watches ESPN, who doesn’t have a crush on Michelle. Keep it up Michelle you are pretty awesome.

3. Randy Moss is No Slouch: Randy Moss burned Revis for a sick one handed grab. Yeah I get it Revis was hurt, but does anyone, even Revis, think Moss is a slouch? New England you better re-sign this guy or you will have an average defense, and an average offense.

4. Ryan Mallet should be the number 1 pick: If Ryan Mallet has a huge game and pulls out the victory against Alabama this weekend wrap the Heisman up, and ship it to him. As for the NFL,  The Bills, Browns, Cardinals, and Jaguars better start tanking games to get this guy with the number one pick.

The Chosen Ones

Get ready for it! As long as there is football going on, then there will be THE CHOSEN ONES. Not a great weekend in college football as far as top 25 match ups are concerned, but there are a lot of intriguing non-conference match ups between “BCS Conference” teams. Look for a weekend of upsets.

Number 4 TCU vs. Baylor: A battle of undefeated teams. Baylor is a heavy sleeper in the Big 12 this season. Their offense is fueled by their  multi-dimensional quarterback Robert Griffin the III. Griffin is a very athletic quarterback that has the ability to kill teams through the air and on the ground. This will be a great test for the TCU defense.

TCU 30 Baylor 24.

9 Iowa vs. Number 24 Arizona. Pace of play will be the key to this  game. Arizona will look to make it an offensive affair, while Iowa wants to drag the game out by playing defense and running the ball. In the year of the quarterback in college football, Arizona’s Nick Foles might be the most underrated. Through two games Foles has incompleted only ten passes, and at six five two forty five Foles is a big physical quarterback. Foles will be looking to put some points up, but on Iowa’s defense this is no easy task. This game will be the best of the weekend.

Arizona 24 Iowa 21.

9 Arkansas vs. Georgia. Bad news for Georgia fans came down from the NCAA this afternoon. Stud reciever AJ Green appeal to the NCAA was denied, and Green will have to sit out this and next game. Georgia’s offense without Green is very mediocre, and their defense last week looked to have some major problems. Arkansas’ Ryan Mallet in my opinion is the best quarterback in the country. They have the leading reciever in the SEC, Greg Childs, who can straight ball. This could get ugly for Georgia.

Arkansas 44 Georgia 27.

8 Nebraska vs. Washington. This weekend the nation will  get to see how good Jake Locker truly is. Nebraska brings in one of the best defenses in the country. I love this match up, and  Washington is going to give Nebraska all it can handle.

Nebraska  21 Washington 17.

16 Auburn vs. Clemson. Auburn barely slipped by Mississippi in their first SEC game  of the season. Clemson is looking to prove they are a force in the ACC without C.J. Spiller. Clemson’s quarterback Kyle Parker has to have a good game  for them to go into Auburn  to get a win. However, I believe Auburn is highly overrated, and will show their true colors when the get to the meat of their SEC schedule. In the end, playing on Saturday night in the SEC is tough….

Auburn 27  Clemson 21.

NFL Chosen Ones:

Patriots vs. Jets: The Jets offense is a complete mess. Schottenheimer has to let some damn slack out of the leash for Sanchez to be successful. Sanchez has to grab a hold of the offense, and show everyone that he has some confidence out there. On the other side Tom Brady, and the Pats could not of looked better. The offense was clicking, and the young defense looked very fast and very physical. Moss is going to light Revis up this week, but everyone will blame Revis’ hammy for the numbers.

Patriots 28 Jets 10

Baltimore vs. Cincy: I am not buying the Cincy hype. The T.O. Ocho Cinco shenanigans are never going to work out, and their defense is almost as overrated as Dallas super bowl chances. Baltimore looked as if they are the early favorite to win the AFC. Joe Flacco is going to join the elite quarterback this season, and Anquan Bolden’s physicality at the receiver position fits this team perfectly.

Baltimore 27  Cincy 17.

Giants at Colts: “Manning Bowl 010″ will be on full display Sunday night. I am very high on both of these teams, and picked them to win their divisions. The Giants have returned to the physical style of play that won them a Super Bowl, and The Colts are well The Colts. In the end Peyton finds a way to get the Colts the win…

Colts 35 Giants 31

Things Learned and Things Confirmed:

Things Learned:

1.Nick Saban has a Soul. Who would have known the man that couldn’t even break a smile after wining his second national championship had a soul, or even knew about the world outside his little bubble. Nick Saban was the class of college football this week with the respect he treated Joe Pa and the Penn State Nittany Lions. He asked his fans not to boo the team as they entered the stadium, and then in a game Roll Tide could of rolled up fiftey and embarrassed the old coach. Saban decided to play conservative to the tune of only twenty four points, and a comfortable win. Saban finally showed respect to college football, and the greats that paved the game before him.

2. A win over Virginia Tech is meaningless. The division 1AA James Madison was able to beat Virginia Tech ultimately making Boise State’s win over VT meaningless.

3. South Carolina Marcus Lattimore is going to be an absolute stud for South Carolina. If you asked me who was the favorite to win the SEC East, South Carolina looks like a tough team to beat.

4. Without Tim Tebow, Florida is struggling to score points. Obviously Urban Myer was not lying when he said this preseason “His team was not very good.” How about this stat. Florida started the season ranked number 4 and has dropped to number 10 after two weeks and two wins. It is the biggest drop  in the polls without losing a game in 50 years.

5. You can catch a touchdown pass, and not have it count. Just ask Megatron, Calvin Johnson, I am sure he will be able to explain.

Things Confirmed:

1. Mark Sanchez is not a franchise quarterback. Mark Sanchez showed Monday night that he has no understanding of the offense, is scared to go down field, and plays quarterback like a deer in headlights. If Mark is to truly be the “Sanchize” he has a long way to go.

2. The Cowboys are so overrated. Just because “The Boys” are hosts of the super bowl doesn’t mean they are destined to play in the game. The offensive line sucks, and Romo just doesn’t have what it takes to be a champion.

3. Flacco beats Ice. Joe Flacco continues to prove that he is a better quarterback than “Matty Ice” Matt Ryan. Both quarterbacks played top defenses this weekend, and Flacco was still able to make plays, and ultimately get his team the victory.

4. The United States has the most talented basketball players in the world. I don’t care what people say, the team at the Basketball World Championships was a “B Team.” It is not used in a bad way. It just happens that USA TEAM A and USA TEAM B are ranked 1 and 2 in the world.

5. I watched the Sandlot this week. And Wendy Peffercorn is still one hot piece of tail. What up Michael “Squints” Palladoris.

The Best Weekend of the Year in Sports!

This is by far and away the best weekend in all of sports. Every sport you could possibly want to watch is being played this weekend! Just go through the run down, It is the NFL kickoff weekend, College football has four games that feature match ups of top 25 teams, Baseball pennant races could not get any hotter, USA Basketball is playing for a FIBA world championship, Golf is at Cog Hill for the third of four playoff events, and Tennis has the US Open finals! That’s right we ran the list all the way down to Golf and Tennis because significant events are on, and yes they are worth watching. Guys you better have dominos on speed dial, three cases Budweiser in the fridge, and time your bathroom breaks to fit commercial breaks because you don’t have time to do anything else but watch sports.

NFL Games to Watch and Picks:

-1:00 PM on Fox Atlanta at Pittsburgh: Matt Ryan has to show he is ready to become an elite quarterback. The Steelers defense will return to top three form. No Roethlisberger no win for the Steelers. Falcons 21 Steelers 17.

-1:00 PM Indy at Houston. If Houston wants to become a playoff team they must start winning division games. What a perfect opportunity to make a statement against the AFC defending champs. However Payton is to good. Colts 35 Texans 24.

-1:00 PM Cincy at New England. These are two teams who I believe are highly overrated. I am not buying the OchoCino T.O. love affair, and I don’t think Carson Palmer has what it takes to win pressure packed games. New England has great weapons in the passing game, no running game what so ever, and if Bill Belichick really is a defensive genius this is the year to prove it. New England wins at home 24-20.

-4:00 PM Green Bay at Phily: Green Bay is the hot pick to go to the super bowl out of the NFC.  I still feel sketchy about the defense, however they have the pieces to run a similar scheme that gets it done for the Saints. However Phily’s defense is even younger, and more sketchy then Green Bays. Green Bay’s offense is clicking on all cylinders they win going away 42-24.

-8:20 PM Dallas at Washington. I am not buying the Dallas hype this season. Their offensive line is not what it should be. Jason Garrett does not buy into running the ball which is the strength of the offense. However Washington is a complete mess. Dallas has no problems 24-10.

-Monday Night: Jets vs. Ravens: The Jets have made more noise in this offseason than any other team in history. They have even compared themselves to the Miami Heat of the NBA. Well guess what the Ravens are just better, and if Ed Reid plays they will be that much better. Flacco is going to have a HUGE year for the Ravens, and Mark Sanchize has no command of this offense.  The Ravens win 21-9.

College Football Games To Watch and Picks:

1 Alabama vs. 18 Penn St: No Mark Ingram No problem. Penn St doesn’t have the passing attack to challenge the weakness of Bama’s defense. Alabama 35- Penn State 17.

2 Ohio St. vs. 12 Miami: This is a battle of two legit Heisman Trophy candidates, Miami’s Jacory Harris, and Ohio St. Terrell Pryor. The key to this game is which defense can rattle the other teams Heisman trophy candidate. Ohio St has been recruiting speed on defense specifically for these kind of match ups. Ohio State 31 Miami 27.

10 Oklahoma vs. 17 Florida State: I really like Florida State heading into this game and this season. Mike Stoops is going to do a great job with this defense, and Christain Ponder will be a Heisman Finalist this season. Oklahoma lost to many big pieces to the draft last season. Florida State in the upset. 23-17.

22 Georgia vs. 24 South Carolina: Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray will have to show how much of a gamer he is. He doesn’t have his number one weapon available AJ Green because of NCAA Violations, and he makes his first SEC start on the road in a game where Georgia historically struggles. This would be a great game for those changes in the Georgia defense to show up. Georgia loses 17-14.

FIBA World Championships: This is America of course I am taking USA to win. Go ahead call me a homer.

Golf BMW Championship: Luke Donald. He played well last week, and is only two off the lead now.

US Open:

Men: Nadal vs. Federer in the final once again. This could be the most exciting match or game of the weekend, and not many people will watch it. I have Nadal in five sets.

Women: Kim Clijsters repeats

Boise State and BCS Baffelry

Boise State lived up to all the hype that was laid upon them this past Monday night. They came out and hit Virginia Tech in the mouth putting up 17 points before the Hokies could blink. When the Hokies stormed back, Kellen More made the two minute drill look like he was going against a scout team. And the debate has been going on all week about if Boise State goes undefeated should they play for the national championship? How could they not?

They are 2 and 0 in Fiesta Bowl Games, and in both those seasons they went undefeated. This season they defeated a top 10 Virginia Tech team who has national championship hopes of their own. They have a quarterback that simply wins games. Yeah he is not the flashiest guy, he doesn’t have the biggest arm, but he is the smartest quarterback in America. After Monday night, is there any other quarterback you want with a minute forty left, and your season on the line?  Hasn’t this team built a big enough resume to play in the college football’s biggest game?

I understand that Boise State plays a powder puff schedule from here on out, but this is the schedule you get for playing in the WAC. It is not their fault the PAC 10 didn’t add them this summer during conference expansion. It is an upmost crime to tell these kids of Boise State that they are voted in the top ten in both preseason polls ,the AP and Coaches Poll, and then win all of their games and not put them in the national championship game. I would love to be there to hear that explanation, “Well you know you did all you could, and everyone thought you were one of the best teams in country coming into the season. But you are going to have to play opening act in the Fiesta Bowl, and one loss Alabama will play the main attraction. I hope you understand.”

If this is the case, then all teams not in the big six “BCS conferences” should be moved to FCS where they will actually play it out for a national championship. How can the BCS look at anyone and say that the BCS is the best system to decide college football’s national champion when it doesn’t provide equal opportunities to all of the teams participating. A merry-go-round always comes back to the same place, Sammi “Sweetheart” always comes back to Ronnie, and college football’s problems continue to come back to the flaws of the BCS.