Week 2 thoughts

The most over rated thing, other than preseason football, is NFL week 1 football. People make such big deals out of everything they see in one game that it’s like no one is thinking straight. That’s why it’s be best 2 weeks of football betting, because real gamblers and evaluators don’t get thrown into tail spins and start to declare teams Superbowl champs or failures based off of one week of games. Vegas is in the business of taking your money so these two weeks is where you’ll find the most inaccurate lines, not because the casinos and bookmakers don’t know what their doing, but they ride the wave of stupidity that’s out there. Their job is to get people to bet on both sides.

I give you the example of the Colts and the Cowboys. In full disclosure I’m a Colts fan and a Cowboys hater. If you where to take a poll during the off season, it wouldn’t be unlikely that many people would have the Colts vs ‘Boys in the Superbowl. The Colts have P. Manning and the Cowboys are loaded at all the key skill positions.

Both loss their first games of the year. Oh, how the writers / anchors / columnists / pundits / talk shows all yelled about each team. The cowboys where still Superbowl bound and just came across a fired up team and had a bad game, along with bad coaching and QB decision making, this really isn’t indicative on how the Cowboys are and they’ll be fine. Conversely, this was the end of the Colts run. Manning had a horrible team around him (even though there are few changes and the ones that where made have been rated as successes), their defense is porous and couldn’t stop the run, neither could they themselves run the football and all the changes in coaching have left no one there to make sound decisions.

If you’d believe what these people where saying, you’d think that the Cowboys where just a game or play away from being the most unstoppable group of players ever, just so happen to not win a playoff game in the past 15 year except for one. And you’d think that the team that’s dominated the NFL, won 12+ games every year, have been the model of consistency, produced and found gems in late round picks since they where always winning and never had a top 20 pick in any round for the past 5 to 10 years, and where always a threat to make a good run on the Lombardi trophy where now inexplicitly crashing and burning.

Well week 2 prove both things to be wrong. The Cowboys are in trouble and the Colts are fine. I’m not saying that I could have told you but shit, I could have told you!!

Yes, the preseason games are not a good barometer to figure out what a team is going to do during the regular season. I think the Colts have lost 90% of their preseason games over the past 5 years. But if you where to study the play and not the scores and Fantasy numbers of the preseason and relate that to what the teams show in week one, I think you can make fair conclusions that are far better than most analysis out there. I like the Colt / Cowboy comparison because both show perfect examples of what I’m talking about.

The Colts don’t win or care about winning preseason games. I think I’ve made that quite clear. But when you watch the preseason games you can learn a little something. Add that to what happens in the first game of the season, I think we’ll have made a better analysis of their team. Even though the Colts aren’t looking at the scoreboard of the preseason, I look at what their starters are doing on the field. I watched game 2 or 3 of their preseason and the starters marched up and down the field to score touchdowns and set up field goals. They seemed to be clicking on all cylinders. Then the second quarter started and boom, you get a change in philosophy and at that point they seem to drop off. In reality they’re judging players in each position to see who’s going to make the team or not. Peyton’s sitting on the sideline still listening to the calls, probably making a few himself, and really just going over what should happen on the field and honing his skills. Even to the point of looking at the receivers that are fighting for their jobs because he knows that one or two of them will make the team and he’ll need to throw them the ball eventually so he’d better learn their tendencies. This is what makes a good, championship team. You even look at their starting defenders. They showed promise of having a fast team that is going to play great with a lead and, as they always do, have a hard time playing from behind against a running team.

Meanwhile you watch the Cowboys and they too show terrible scores. Not as bad of score differential. They play a little tougher and harder to win these meaningless games. When watching their starters I noticed something. They can’t score. Every game I watched the Cowboys play in the preseason, Romo couldn’t hit a receiver, their runners couldn’t find wholes and half their starters seemed to be injured. But when you heard analysis on the Cowboys they where great and many people’s pick for NFC and Superbowl supremacy. I’d like to stress that their starters didn’t score one or maybe only one TD in the whole preseason.

Now let’s see what happened to the teams week 1. The Colts got rolled by a team in the Texans who’ve been waiting for this match up all off season. Their main goal is to get over the hump of loosing to the Colts and maybe if they can do that, just maybe win their division, get into the playoffs and possibly do some damage. They where ready for the Colts. They had been practicing for the Colts for 4 months. They new that they needed to get a lead or stay tied and just keep ramming the ball down the Colts weak run defense. Guess what, they played a perfect game. Keep in mind they only pulled away in the fourth quarter so the score was a little more one sided that the game actually was. Also, you had the running back for the Texans going for over 200 yards. These are numbers that sound impressive. But if it where 4 different players that each got 75 yards, we wouldn’t think too much, just an overall beating of the Colts. Bad loss, but again only week one. We are just used to seeing the Colts first loss in week 13 or 14. But in the end isn’t 13 – 3 still just 13 – 3, who cares how you get there.

Back to the Cowboys. They too play a divisional rival in the Redskins. Playing at the Redskins, one of the more intimidating home field crowds in football. The Cowboys showed a lack of any offensive cohesiveness and made mental mistake after mental mistake. They chose to cap both the first and second halves with plays and performances that I can say I’ve never seen. It was like watching Necessary Roughness and thinking, no way a team makes these kinds of mistakes. There’s just no way. Sure enough, instead of sitting on a close game at the end of the first half, they go for a hail mary. Not just a hail mary but when it’s obvious they’re not going to get it, Romo flips it to a running back that would have to go 60+ yards to make a touchdown. It was never going to happen. What did happen was that the receiver got the ball stripped and since both teams where the other way waiting for the HM, Hall was able to pick up the ball and basically skip into the endzone to finish off the first half. Wade Phillips (who has about 2 more losses until a mid season firing) didn’t even know the Redskins scored. I couldn’t tell you if that was good because like everyone else, he figured his team had more brains than to try for such nonsense but if it did, Romo or the receiver would know to kill the play before anything terrible happened OR was he so stupid that he should have know that he has a reckless and directionless team and he should be out there every second they have the ball because they need to be coddled like a child at a store and be told to sit down and shut up until the grown ups are ready to leave.

Week 2 comes around and I’ll finish by making this quick. Colts demolish a usually good and talented team in the NY Giants. While the Cowboys loose again to a team that was predicted to be at the bottom of their division, the Bears. I can’t even say that I was picking the Bears. Sure they won their first game this year but it wasn’t in a fashion where I thought that they’d be dominant. But the Bears slapped around the Cowboys. It wasn’t even as close as some would think. I wouldn’t even say the Bears took and won the game but I will say that the Cowboys did a lot more to loose that game.

So what can we take away from these week 2 examples? The Colts aren’t dead yet. Maybe they’ve come back to the pack a little or maybe they just had a bad first game against a team whose entire season was based on winning week one? The Colts D looked good and when playing with a lead they can be dominant. They can pin their ears back and send what may be the best two defensive ends in the league to go full speed after the opposing QB because they know they have to throw the ball in order the catch the Colts.

As for the Cowboys, they suck. I thought they sucked going into the season and I think they suck now. I’ll give that they have some really good players. That’s what happens when you’ve got an owner willing to spend and are in a division where you have to have talent to compete. I never like to blame a coaching staff but maybe this is truly the wrong coach for this team. They needed someone that was not as disciplined as Parcells and usually when you get a coach like Phillips who’s more loose in the locker room and a player’s coach, you’ll get good results the year or two after the dictatorship regime. Now that it’s been three years, the ‘Boys look just like that – BOYS. They look like they need someone to kick them into shape and demand they do things better because they do have the talent. Maybe we can say that the O line is finally back together and over the next few weeks that will help get the team on a winning streak. But I can’t imagine that the O line has anything to do with the Bears torching the Cowboy’s D? The Cowboys might have some good pass rushers but when a sorry group of receivers such as the Bears have can light you up, there are problems. What are you going to do against Philly who have young fast and good WR’s?

I do like the phrases, “you are what your record is” and “the preseason means nothing”. I think in many ways these things are true.

This early into the season, I don’t think you can go by the “you are what your record is” wrap. 2 games does not make a season or can tell you how a team will end up. who knows, maybe the Cowboys will win the rest of their games. I doubt it, but maybe they can transform a starting cast that hasn’t shown anything of substance for over a month and a half period?

At this early of the year, I’d also not rely on, “the preseason means nothing” either. It does mean something. It means how you can judge or evaluate your team’s potential. The Colts didn’t fall off the face of the earth. They’re A1 group is pretty damn good. I think you’ll see them in the playoffs. I wouldn’t be surprised if when the Texans come to the Big Oil Drum, they put on a show to prove who’s the old king of the division. Only time will tell. But from the old “eye test” I saw, even in the preseason, that the Colts where still a damn good team while they where trying.

Of course this can all change next week. I’m curious to see the headlines all week long. Will the Colts be back as America’s sweetheart team or on a gentle decline down? Are the Cowboys going to finally have people saying, they have the talent but something’s missing? I was listening to the NFL network’s wrap up of today’s games and one of the worst commentators, I won’t mention anyone’s name let’s just say you wouldn’t be shocked to see his name in Neon somewhere or that he always loved to play in Primetime, still says the Cowboys are “clearly” a great team and headed for the Superbowl. Well, only 4 teams have made it to the big game after starting 0 – 2 and just 3 of those went on to win. Those teams where the Emit-less (contract hold out) Cowboys, first year Tom Brady Patriots and the Miracle Catch / all star front D line of the NY Giants. Three teams, that for whatever reason, are vastly different and have the ability to do what the now Cowboys can’t. So unless these Cowboys find a once in a lifetime scenario, they better work their asses off and win dominantly next week.

Otherwise we still might see the Colts in the Superbowl but I don’t know about the Cowboys part of it.

R.I.P. to The Boss

I'm an LA guy. If you take anything away from my rants and articles, you'd know I'm a home town sports loyalist. I've never been a Yankee fan, except when they play the Red Sox then I'm a huge Yankee supporter.

More than anything I'm a sports lover. I recognize what the Yankees are. They're either the ultimate villain or the ultimate winner; or perhaps BOTH. You can't have great rivalries without good guys and bad guys. You can't have great teams unless they beat other great teams. You can't have magical moments without history that create environments where tensions can grow and pressure mounts and players break through.

The greatest baseball moment ever is Kirk Gibson's home-run in the '88 World Series. I won't go on about that because frankly I don't need to and it's just an example of what sports can mean and what magical moments and unforgettable games or plays can do to change people's lives.

With all that being said, George Steinbrenner was a maverick, a monster, a tyrant, a control freak, a unique character the likes we'll not see very soon and a winner. The man wanted to win every year. He made all the right moves when it came to generating money. He had no fear of spending the money to get a championship team. For good or bad, all he wanted was for the Yankees to win. And to win every year. Unlike most owners (by choice or by lack of funds) he pushed his players, coaches and fans to expect to win the World Series every single year. I can do nothing but admire him.

Sure there where times where he was banished from baseball twice. Or would fire a coach seemingly every six months. I truly believe he'd slit the throat of every Red Sox player if it meant one more championship. But what more do you want from your owner?

I love the Dodgers but they're not going to win. They're close. They have great young players and one of the best run minor leagues in baseball. The Dodgers are always turning out great young prospects. The one thing that they've lacked is the money and balls to go after those few sought after, high paid free agents. A big bat here or a ace #1 starter there. They never do it. When they try, they usually end up with a hurt arm or a washed up steroid-ed former all star.

The Yankees really didn't care if they got Cliff Lee this year, why? Because they're going to get him over the summer in free agency and not have to give up their young prospects to do it.

In his older age, when I believe he appreciated life and winning even more he let go. When coming back from his second suspension he saw that growing young talent was just as important as buying all stars. He was still willing to spend the money and that's how you've got a hall of fame infield of Jeter / Cano and A-Rod / Texeria. Two home grown stars and two superstar free agents. Name me another baseball team that can even come close to doing what the Yankees do year in and year out. I'd love for the owner of any of my favorite teams to be like this.

We have a taste of this in the Lakers. It's not quite the same because of salary cap rules. Like the Yankees, the Lakers always try to put the best product out there. Ask fans of the Royals, or the Indians or the Cavaliers or the Clippers. Ask them how it would feel if their owners where truly about winning a championship rather than just banking their multi-millions each year. Never breaking the bank to win, always playing it safe, trading their most valued players halfway before the season ends because they know they can't or won't sign them so they'd rather cripple the team to get some minor league player who may be something in 5 years.

Steinbrenner was a winner. He'll be remembered that way forever. For bringing the most historic franchise back to greatness and raising the playing field of every team in their division and possibly the league, if they wanted to contend of course.

I wish there where more owners like Steinbrenner and Dr. Buss in the sporting world. Steinbrenner had his flaws but from all accounts off the field he was a good man. On the field what was his greatest flaw, that he wanted to win every year. Not a bad flaw when it comes from the owner of a sports team.

George Steinbrenner 1930 - 2010

Superbowl in NYC, not for me!

I love New York. I love the Superbowl. But putting them together is a bad idea.

First off, the stadium isn't even in New York. It's in New Jersey. Sure, it's around the corner and two teams claiming to be from NYC play there but I know a fact when I see one.

That's just me stroking a sarcastic note. I hate this idea because of the big ice burg in the room. It's cold!!! Even worse, it's NYC in February.

If this past year taught us anything is that the Pro Bowl shouldn't be played a week early AND it should be in Hawaii. What NFL-er wants to go to a city that they've played in or even live in as a "bonus" of being an all star. Many people said that these players are so rich that going to Hawaii isn't all that special anymore. I disagree. First off, it's a chance to take their families and show off that they're not just special but get the red carpet treatment in a tropical island. They can take their wives, parents, family all for a nice trip. Just like any high paying job, sure you can afford to go to Hawaii on your own but many times you don't. And it means something more when you're good at your job and get to share that with the family. If I was given a trip to Hawaii by the mortgage brokers of America in honor of being one of the best mortgage brokers that would be great. I've been to Hawaii and owned a place there, but to be honored and take the family; that's special. You won't have all these players dropping out of the game. Also, when you have it the week before you're taking out a good 5 - 10 players that are going to be in the Superbowl and can't play. The reason that these guys are in the Pro Bowl is because they're good and naturally their teams would be in the Superbowl.

Let's get back to the Superbowl. Let me bring up just one game. The "tuck game". New England VS Oakland. Need I say more. If the Raiders went on to win that game, they could be the one that has won 3 of 4 championships and been a dominating factor between 2000 - 2010. I'll live with the results because it was a championship game. But if you think that for one second that was a "good" game to watch or remember you're out of your fucking mind. Even Patriot fans will tell you that game was horrible, and they WON!

We might get lucky and you won't see a drop of rain or feel a push of wind but I doubt New York in February you'll get that lucky. Even if one ball is thrown off because of a wind factor of 45 MPH you'll never hear the end of it.

Now it sounds good, having the NFL's biggest game in their home city and the home of two big time franchises but to risk the SUPERBOWL to something like weather when you don't have to is just stupid. Sure it rained for the Colts vs Bears game but you can't control everything. It was still over 50 degrees. But you gave it the best possible chance of having good weather by playing in Miami during the winter. By having a Superbowl in NYC you're just asking for trouble. And when it hits, I hope it's not a team that I like in the game. Because that game will never be forgotten.

There was a pole on ESPN that showed 60% of the fans like the idea of having the game in NYC. I think there is a magical quality to having the game there. But someone has to be the voice of reason and look at the game part. We want a fair neutral site. Or just have it go to the highest ranked team's home field like every other sport. Also don't forget about the days leading up to the game. The NFL promotes such a large number of events that if you have bad weather you're killing your own product and setting yourself up for a logistical nightmare.

As always I could go on but this is not a Pro Bowl where we can try it out one year and see how it goes. The game is fine. Leave it alone. Please don't put the Superbowl in New York in February. I thought that there where smarter people that ran the NFL, but I guess when you get to have your office party in your back yard, you forget the reason why offices don't have parties at the office, no one wants to clean up the mess.

Congrats Saints

OK, I was totally wrong about every part of my Superbowl pics.

It was strange because I really did want Peyton Manning to win another SB, but I can't say I'm upset that the Saints won. They've shown that they know how to party.

Whether or not it's true that the Saints bring the city of New Orleans together and gives them hope is a real question of mine. Sure it's great but it doesn't build houses and doesn't pave roads. Even if it brings one business back or makes one person feel better, than I guess that's a good thing for a city that's been through so much and has so much culture.

So go Saints. And let's hope the Colts can make another run for the championship next year. If I'm not wrong, I believe the SB will be held in Indy next year or the following year. Now that's something that I've always wanted to see. A Superbowl where one of the teams has a true home field advantage.

Early pic for SB

Here's the Bear's pic.

Colts 35 - Saints 24.

This could be a shoot out. So if anything I'd bet the over.

I never like that one team is talked about more than the other. It seems everyone is jumping on the Colts band wagon, more than that the Peyton Manning wagon. Let's not forget that the Saints are not to be overlooked offensively. They can match the Colts score for score. If the Saints get just 2 or 3 turnovers defensively I think they could win.

I don't think the final score will be close either way. If you like one team or another, pick that team and forget the points. We're talking about teams putting up 7's so I'm guessing that one of teams will win by more than 7 points. Specifically, the Colts will win by more than the line and if you like the Saints take the points.

This game smacks of scoring (so it'll probably be 13 to 10 :) ). Realistically, this should be a shoot out. Both teams are very good at moving the ball. The Saints give up a lot of yards and rely on turnovers, so if the Colts don't turn it over, they'll be putting up lots of points.

Good luck to all.

Take the NFC to win the coin toss. Believe it or not I think they've won for 12 straight years? And take the under on the amount of times they show Kim K in the stands. This is football, they'll only show her 2 or 3 times depending on if Bush does well.

From college to the Pros?

Is there anything worse than seeing your favorite college football star leave early from a winning program to go into the NFL?

Yes. It's to see your head coach, that has built a national powerhouse that aside from the latest 8-4 season, leave to go to the NFL.

Pete Carroll is all but a lock from the reports I'm reading to go to the NFL. What's worse is to see him go to the Seahawks. THE SEAHAWKS?!?!? WTF!!!!

USC is so good that they lost 4 linebackers to the NFL draft last year in the first 2 rounds. People, they only start 3!! And correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't the fourth guy drafted Maualuga, the defensive star?! Cushing is going to the Pro-Bowl in his first season. Let's add the fact that the year before, they lost 3, THREE, linebackers to the draft. In the span of two years, USC lost 7, SEVEN, linebackers to the NFL. I'm just pointing out how good and deep this system is. It wasn't a surprise to see that USC had an off season. Most teams would consider an 8 - 4 year with a bowl win as a record year. Not for USC.

If not for one stupid loss for the past 3 or 4 years, USC could very well have at least five championships. USC started a rookie, that by the end of the season looked far from it, for the first time at the quarterback position. The way USC ended up and considering who and what was returning they could be on the brink of another two to five year stretch of championship years.

This is all because of Pete Carroll. I ask why? Why would someone want to leave this job? Unless there is such damning NCAA violations that are coming around the corner, why would he want to leave? OK, so you weren't the greatest coach in the NFL the first few times you got the chance. But you are one of the best that college has ever seen. You're in a city that has no NFL team so by default USC is our NFL team. I bet for the past few years, USC would either win or stay close in games against any of the bottom third of the NFL.

It can't be money because USC will pay the coach whatever he wants. Besides the endorsements he gets in Los Angeles have to be way bigger and better than anything he can get in Seattle. It's inceadibly upsetting to see. I have no real loyalty to USC except for the fact their LA's football team. I don't care about the school or any other part of it. I wouldn't travel to USC unless you paid me. It's students come from some of the richest families in the world, but USC is slap dab in the middle of the ghetto.

I admire coaches like Paterno and Bowden. They stayed with their schools because they new it wasn't going to get better than this. Also, I find that most coaches that go from college to the pros miss out on this aspect; the players don't have to listen to you. You're not shaping young minds, you're babysitting super rich kids. Football is about chemistry and even on the best of teams you see the hardest part is keeping the egos in check and getting the players to work together. That's not the case in college. At USC, Carroll is going for championships all the time AND turning kids into men. He'll have way more to making a mark on this world in college than he'll ever do in the pros. Think about the kid that will never make it in the NFL. He'll have busted his ass and gone from 18 - 22 years old. Carroll will have made this boy into a man and this man may never see the light of the a Sunday night game.

If this is it, Pete, thanks for giving the greatest city in the world something to watch each week. As much as I love the city of Seattle, I hope you choke on your Starbucks bitch! You'll never EVER have in Seattle what you have in Los Angeles.