JMU recently released their football schedule. I'm giddy just writing about this. In case you haven't seen it, here we go:
September 1- St. Francis (Pa)
The only thing even worth mentioning is that the last few home openers have been late afternoon/night games. That means grilling and tailgating. Am I the only one that wants more night games? Just sayin.
September 8- Alcorn State
Please.
September 15- West Virginia at FedEx Field
As you all know, this is the game that has been circled on my calendar for quite some time now. I will be at the game, large portions of my family will be at this game, and I hope all of you make the drive up to Maryland too. Personally, I'm waiting for the WVU and JMU AD's to decide that I'm the best person on Earth to do color commentary for this game on TV. Hit me up Curt Dudley. We could be great together.
September 22- @ Rhode Island
Sure, it's not a home game, but if you've got to go on the road, this is probably where you want to go in CAA play.
October 6- Towson (Family Weekend)
I've got some mixed emotions about this. It's great that one of our biggest weekends is against the reigning CAA champs. But if you sat with me last fall for family weekend or read my reaction piece (blog or Breeze) afterwards, you probably know I was none too happy with the surprisingly large amount of family sitting in the student section. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but if you're going to be a "student" for the game, you better stand up and make some noise. If Towson remains a quality team next year, which I think they will, we're gonna need the full noise advantages that Bridgeforth can provide us. Let's step it up families.
October 13- William and Mary
The tribe has been a bit hard to pin in recent years, but this should be another good, quality home game to witness in the heart of football season.
October 20- @ Richmond
8000 people will show up to this game, and around half will be Dukes fans. Poor spiders. Their fans are more worried about derivatives and less worried about our special teams breaking their kicker's leg. If the Creepy Crawlers are twice as good as they were last year, we could probably win by 50.
October 27- Georgia State (Homecoming)
Ouch. Sorry GSU, it's a long drive home.
November 3- @ Maine
This is a key game JMU can't afford to drop. Maine was good this year despite being pretty young across the board. If JMU wants to win the CAA regular season title, they need to close it out down the stretch. Winning in the land of the frostbitten willl be step 1.
November 10- @ Villanova
Villanova was so incredibly bad in 2011 that I have no idea what to expect from them in 2012. They historicaly field a good team, so it's hard for me to imagine them being a cellar dweller twice. We will probably be a better team than them, but this could be a let down game as the Dukes look forward to...
November 17, Regular Season Finale- ODU
If you're looking for a rivalry where rich intellects sit around and eat cheese while talking about politics in a luxury box, go watch William and Mary play Richmond. I barely consider them a rival. If you're looking for a dirty war in the trenches where people beat the crap out of each other, show up to JMU vs ODU. Going forward, it's going to be the game on JMU's calendar not only because it will cap the regular season every year from now on, but also because Monarch fans seem to be the only FCS fans in Virginia that actually care about what's happening on the gridiron. Both teams were playoff bound in 2011. ODU won a close, physical, injury-laden game. It's gonna be a bruiser, and it's going to set attendance records. Buy your tickets now.
Okay, now time for my reaction. Some of you may remember this wonderful letter issued by Jeff Bourne after his incredibly low 12k attendance bid on the first round playoff game against Eastern Kentucky on Thanksgiving weekend. The end result was JMU defeating EKU in what was essentially a high school stadium six or eight hours down the interstate from Harrisonburg. For the class of 2013 (and everyone younger), we still haven't seen a playoff game at JMU. I know I speak for a lot of people when I say that my ass would have been in Bridgeforth for a playoff game regardless of the date or holiday. Period. So going into the Christmas season, Jeff Bourne was on my naughty list. He was on a lot of people's lists, I would imagine.
Jeff Bourne, welcome back to my good side.
This schedule is incredible. We don't draw New Hampshire, but we do play the remaining three top-four finishers from 2011's CAA play. Two of the three (Towson, ODU) we get at home on notable weekends. As for the remaining team (Maine), we go on the road to one of the lamest home field advantages in the conference. Maine students are too busy working on their double major in Animal Husbandry and Frostbite Survival to go watch a football game.
It's about 7 months too early for football predictions, but I have JMU going 9-2 next year. If Thorpe can straighten out his off the field issues and lead this locker room, we have a real shot to win the CAA and grab a 10-win season. And that's just the regular season.
JMU won the national championship in 2004, and almost did it again in 2008. I don't know what they'll do in 2012, but I have a vague idea. I like where this is going.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Sunday Hangover: And Then There was One/ Really, Murray State?
Longtime blog readers know that this is indeed a Hangover type of weekend. Let's talk teams that might need an aspirin and the blinds closed.
Notre Dame 67, #1 Syracuse 58:
When I found out Fab Melo would miss at least two games for "academic reasons" (political speak for
Fab Melo is academically ineligible until the Syracuse Athletic Director threatens the teachers who failed him so that Melo can be awarded a passing grade), I immediately said that I thought this would be the moment where Syracuse would lose.
I just thought that moment would take place at 5-1 Cincinatti, not 3-3 Notre Dame.
Regardless, the Cuse had a bad shooting night at a place that's only seen one road team win in the last calendar year. And the last of the power conference unbeatens falls. How far will Syracuse fall in the rankings? It's hard to say, but I'd say not too far in a weekend where third ranked Baylor fall at home, second ranked Kentucky barely beat Alabama in Rupp, and Duke lost at Cameron.
What Syracuse should really be worried about is the midseason slide that has plagued them in recent years. Take last year, for example. Let me know if you think this sounds familiar: Syracuse was ranked in the top 3 in the country in late January, and went on the road in Big East play to a difficult location to play at (in last year's case, the Oakland Zoo). They suffered their first loss of the season at Pitt, and proceded to lose their next three games at Villanova, at home to Seton Hall, and at Marquette. They would end up dropping six of eight, and tailspin their way right out of the top 25 rankings. Boeheim eventually righted the ship, but they still made an early exit in both postseason tournaments. I don't think the same thing can happen this year- the team is too deep- but I wouldn't be at all surprised if Syracuse doesn't meet the expectations that have been laid at their feet.
Syracuse plays against without Melo on Monday night as Cincinatti, then goes home to play WVU. If they dropped all three games, I wouldn't be 100% shocked. (Though with West Virginia's inability to handle a press, I would probably have to admit to being about 75% shocked.)
Florida State 76, #4 Duke 73:
I'd love to know the statistic on how many teams have absolutely thrashed North Carolina and then followed that up with a win in Cameron Indoor? I'm guessing it's a pretty small number, somewhere around 1.
Similarly, I'd love to know the stat on how many ACC teams have lost to two Ivy League teams in the same season. Or maybe how many teams have scored ten points in a first half. Again, I'm guessing the number of teams that have accomplished those daring feats are... 1.
But at least I understand Duke. They're athletically gifted, have above average perimeter shooters lining their team, and are extremely well coached. It's not a vintage team, and ever since Coach K won the national championship in 2010, I've struggled to understand just what exactly is wrong with this team, why they probably couldn't beat a middle school gym class team if they were playing on the road. But at least I get that, if the little @ symbol is to the right of the word "Duke" on the schedule instead of the left, the Devils in blue are probably going to lose.
Compare that to my understanding of FSU and it's night and day. How can you beat the two heavyweights of the ACC, who are clearly better than everyone else in the conference (I think?), yet be as offensively challenged as the Seminoles are? Lose to Princeton? Get blown out by Clemson?
I think FSU still has some work to do before they are a lock for March. In order to prevent a headache, I think I'll hold my judgement until then.
#5 Missouri 89, #3 Baylor 88:
Baylor is good. Missouri is good. This game was a coin flip on paper. In reality, it was decided by one point in the last seconds if the game.
Both teams are still good. Top 10 good. Let's all relax.
Baylor was probably a #1 seed before this game. Missouri was probably a #2. Those two probably swap now.
Other Scores that Caught my Attention:
#10 Murray State 82, Southern Illinois Edwardsville 65
Beating SIUE isn't exactly a marquee win, but expect Murrary State to jump at least one team in Monday's poll. That's what being 20-0 and the last undefeated team in Division 1 will do for you.
A quick straw poll of my roommates and friends has the Racers leaving the NCAA tournament, on average, in the second round. Clearly, beating Southern Mississippi and Dayton does not impress the casual fan, and I'm inclined to agree. When you rank 263'rd in the country in rebounding, any team with a half decent frontcourt is likely to embarass you.
(Programming note: Hey, ESPN, I don't care if they're 19-0. I do not, nor will I ever in the future, want to watch Southern Illinois play basketball. Don't air them on ESPN. Ever. I'd rather watch poker.)
Tennessee 60, #11 Connecticut 57
The Huskies are a top 15 team, but I definitely won't be picking them again in March. Jury is still out on the Vols, but a late season push might squeeze them into the Dance.
#12 Georgetown 52, Rutgers 50
Some people say there is no such thing as a moral victory in college basketball. Mike Rice would probably disagree with them.
#15 Mississippi State 78, Vanderbilt 77
Stop me if you've heard this before- Vanderbilt was a preseason top ten team, and vastly overrated.
Arkansas 66, #19 Michigan 64
This loss isn't as bad as it looks. Arkansas is quietly 14-5 with two top 20 wins. Four of their five losses were on the road, and two of them were at Connecticut and Kentucky. Still Michigan seems to be exactly what we thought they were- a good but not great team.
#20 UNLV 80, New Mexico 63
Winning in the Pit is hard. Beating the crap out of New Mexico in the Pit is usually a Herculean task. UNLV is a sleeper type of final four team.
#21 Louisville 73, Pittsburgh 62
Jamie Dixon has never lost more than nine games in one season. Pitt is now 11-9, and 0-7 in Big East play. If you don't think the Panthers are basketball's biggest disappointment this year, you're not watching basketball.
West Virginia 77, Cincinatti 74
By this time next week, there is a very strong possibility that one of these teams will be in first place in the Big East.
Dayton 87, Xavier 72
Evidently, locker room gangsta's were never taught how to stop the bleeding. Perhaps they should have joined the Boy Scouts... but I suppose they wouldn't be gangstas then. It's all very circular.
Long Beach State 71, UC Santa Barbara 48
LBSU is 7-0 in conference play with wins over Xavier and Pitt. Smart money has them winning a game in March. My money has them winning two.
Notre Dame 67, #1 Syracuse 58:
When I found out Fab Melo would miss at least two games for "academic reasons" (political speak for
Fab Melo is academically ineligible until the Syracuse Athletic Director threatens the teachers who failed him so that Melo can be awarded a passing grade), I immediately said that I thought this would be the moment where Syracuse would lose.
I just thought that moment would take place at 5-1 Cincinatti, not 3-3 Notre Dame.
Regardless, the Cuse had a bad shooting night at a place that's only seen one road team win in the last calendar year. And the last of the power conference unbeatens falls. How far will Syracuse fall in the rankings? It's hard to say, but I'd say not too far in a weekend where third ranked Baylor fall at home, second ranked Kentucky barely beat Alabama in Rupp, and Duke lost at Cameron.
What Syracuse should really be worried about is the midseason slide that has plagued them in recent years. Take last year, for example. Let me know if you think this sounds familiar: Syracuse was ranked in the top 3 in the country in late January, and went on the road in Big East play to a difficult location to play at (in last year's case, the Oakland Zoo). They suffered their first loss of the season at Pitt, and proceded to lose their next three games at Villanova, at home to Seton Hall, and at Marquette. They would end up dropping six of eight, and tailspin their way right out of the top 25 rankings. Boeheim eventually righted the ship, but they still made an early exit in both postseason tournaments. I don't think the same thing can happen this year- the team is too deep- but I wouldn't be at all surprised if Syracuse doesn't meet the expectations that have been laid at their feet.
Syracuse plays against without Melo on Monday night as Cincinatti, then goes home to play WVU. If they dropped all three games, I wouldn't be 100% shocked. (Though with West Virginia's inability to handle a press, I would probably have to admit to being about 75% shocked.)
Florida State 76, #4 Duke 73:
I'd love to know the statistic on how many teams have absolutely thrashed North Carolina and then followed that up with a win in Cameron Indoor? I'm guessing it's a pretty small number, somewhere around 1.
Similarly, I'd love to know the stat on how many ACC teams have lost to two Ivy League teams in the same season. Or maybe how many teams have scored ten points in a first half. Again, I'm guessing the number of teams that have accomplished those daring feats are... 1.
But at least I understand Duke. They're athletically gifted, have above average perimeter shooters lining their team, and are extremely well coached. It's not a vintage team, and ever since Coach K won the national championship in 2010, I've struggled to understand just what exactly is wrong with this team, why they probably couldn't beat a middle school gym class team if they were playing on the road. But at least I get that, if the little @ symbol is to the right of the word "Duke" on the schedule instead of the left, the Devils in blue are probably going to lose.
Compare that to my understanding of FSU and it's night and day. How can you beat the two heavyweights of the ACC, who are clearly better than everyone else in the conference (I think?), yet be as offensively challenged as the Seminoles are? Lose to Princeton? Get blown out by Clemson?
I think FSU still has some work to do before they are a lock for March. In order to prevent a headache, I think I'll hold my judgement until then.
#5 Missouri 89, #3 Baylor 88:
Baylor is good. Missouri is good. This game was a coin flip on paper. In reality, it was decided by one point in the last seconds if the game.
Both teams are still good. Top 10 good. Let's all relax.
Baylor was probably a #1 seed before this game. Missouri was probably a #2. Those two probably swap now.
Other Scores that Caught my Attention:
#10 Murray State 82, Southern Illinois Edwardsville 65
Beating SIUE isn't exactly a marquee win, but expect Murrary State to jump at least one team in Monday's poll. That's what being 20-0 and the last undefeated team in Division 1 will do for you.
A quick straw poll of my roommates and friends has the Racers leaving the NCAA tournament, on average, in the second round. Clearly, beating Southern Mississippi and Dayton does not impress the casual fan, and I'm inclined to agree. When you rank 263'rd in the country in rebounding, any team with a half decent frontcourt is likely to embarass you.
(Programming note: Hey, ESPN, I don't care if they're 19-0. I do not, nor will I ever in the future, want to watch Southern Illinois play basketball. Don't air them on ESPN. Ever. I'd rather watch poker.)
Tennessee 60, #11 Connecticut 57
The Huskies are a top 15 team, but I definitely won't be picking them again in March. Jury is still out on the Vols, but a late season push might squeeze them into the Dance.
#12 Georgetown 52, Rutgers 50
Some people say there is no such thing as a moral victory in college basketball. Mike Rice would probably disagree with them.
#15 Mississippi State 78, Vanderbilt 77
Stop me if you've heard this before- Vanderbilt was a preseason top ten team, and vastly overrated.
Arkansas 66, #19 Michigan 64
This loss isn't as bad as it looks. Arkansas is quietly 14-5 with two top 20 wins. Four of their five losses were on the road, and two of them were at Connecticut and Kentucky. Still Michigan seems to be exactly what we thought they were- a good but not great team.
#20 UNLV 80, New Mexico 63
Winning in the Pit is hard. Beating the crap out of New Mexico in the Pit is usually a Herculean task. UNLV is a sleeper type of final four team.
#21 Louisville 73, Pittsburgh 62
Jamie Dixon has never lost more than nine games in one season. Pitt is now 11-9, and 0-7 in Big East play. If you don't think the Panthers are basketball's biggest disappointment this year, you're not watching basketball.
West Virginia 77, Cincinatti 74
By this time next week, there is a very strong possibility that one of these teams will be in first place in the Big East.
Dayton 87, Xavier 72
Evidently, locker room gangsta's were never taught how to stop the bleeding. Perhaps they should have joined the Boy Scouts... but I suppose they wouldn't be gangstas then. It's all very circular.
Long Beach State 71, UC Santa Barbara 48
LBSU is 7-0 in conference play with wins over Xavier and Pitt. Smart money has them winning a game in March. My money has them winning two.
Friday, January 13, 2012
10 Things: I Still Love You, Jeff Fisher
The blog returns to a reader favorite recurring segement today. Here are ten notable storylines or opinions from the sporting world you might have missed:
1. Eric Decker, one of the Broncos' two main wideouts, is listed as out for Saturday night's game. Should Denver be worried about a key piece of their offense missing? Maybe, but I doubt they're going to lose any sleep tonight. On the other side of the field, the Patriots have thirteen players listed as questionable- which means it's likely that at least 6 or 7 of them will not play, as the questionable tag usually leads to a coin flip, game time decision. Among the questionables: safety Patrick Chung, corner Kyle Arrington, linebacker Brandon Spikes, linemen Marcus Cannon and Dan Connolly, and receiver Wes Welker.
2. The Clippers are a respectable 5-3, but in Los Angeles? How about 4-1 with wins over Portland AND Miami? Their lone home loss comes against the Bulls on a night reigning MVP Derrick Rose netted 29 points, 8 rebounds, and 16 assists. The Clippers are in action again Saturday night in LA, this time against their crosstown rivals. You might have heard of them.
3. You may be (but you probably aren't) farmiliar with Tino Sunseri, the rather poor quarterback for the University of Pittsburgh. His father Sal, also a former Pitt player, is the associate head/linebackers coach at Alabama. Or rather, he was the associate head/linebackers coach at Alabama. Sal has taken a job as the new Defensive Coordinator at Tennessee. On the move, Sunseri had the following to say:
"The chance to work with Derek Dooley, who has been around championships and knows what it takes to build an elite program...makes this opportunity so exciting to me."
Okay, to quote Deion Sanders' twitter, Hold On Playa. You're leaving Alabama- that school that's won two national championships in the last three years- because you think Derek Dooley is going to build an elite program at Tennessee? If you're looking to help mould an elite program, you're probably already in the right spot. #LOL. #nosenseofirony #thinkbeforeyoutalktoreporters
4. In a basketball game in East Lansing a few days ago, Iowa's basketball coach Fran McCaffery was having a no-good, very bad day. His players didn't show up to the game with any real desire to play, and he had already been T'ed up. So what does he do, rather than talk through his feelings? He goes all Bobby Knight and throws a chair in the huddle during a Timeout. I can't say I can blame him. If I was being blown out by 30 points and my parents had named me Fran, I would probably be a little upset too.
On second though, my parents did name me Fran. Why am I not a more angry and violent person?
5. ESPN has released its all-Bowl team, and if I've taken one thing away from it, it's that stereotypes exist for a reason. I've broken everything down for you, and here are my thoughts:
-The SEC has 6/25 players on the team. One is Alabama's place-holder; the other five are all defensive players. That means that the SEC accounts for half of the all-bowl team defense. They had no players on offense.
-Conversely, the Big 12 had 4/25, and all four were on offense, highlighted by Justin Blackmon. Again, stereotypes.
-The Big East conference, and both BYU and Boise State all totaled more representatives (3,2,2 respectively) than the ACC (1). I've been saying it forever. ACC football is massively overrated, and no stat says that like a 2-13 overall BCS bowl record.
-The Big10 and Pac12 combined for only 5 spots- two defense, three offense. Kind of underwhelming when you consider the hype and media coverage they get.
Notable players:
Quarterback- Geno Smith (WVU)
Runningback- Doug Martin (Boise)
Receiver- Justin Blackmon (Ok St)
D. Tackle- Mike Martin (Michigan)
Linebacker- Courtney Upshaw (Alabama)
Linebacker- Khaseem Green (Rutgers)
DBack- David Amerson (NC State)
DBack- Brandon Boykin (Georgia)
All Purpose- Tavon Austin (WVU)
6. The Capitals beat the Penguins Wednesday night in one of the most heated rivalries in hockey. The penguins are in the midst of a six-game funk, but they haven't been shut out all season. That all changed in the Verizon Center, where Jason Chimera scored the only goal for Washington's 1-0 victory. Crosby, Backstrom, and my boy Mike Green all missed the game because of injury. Maybe all the missing star power contribute to the lack of no one really caring at all about a game that has traditionally blown up my facebook feed to obnoxious proportions.
7. ESPN always does a "way-too-early" top 25. LSU is listed at #1, and its not a sympathy vote folks. The amount of talent they bring back from an already amazing team is just flat out unfair. But that's not what I want to talk about. West Virginia is ranked at #7 in the poll, mainly on the heels of their 70-point coming-out party for what Dana Holgorsen's offense can actually do when the players buy into the scheme. Now I know preseason polls don't really matter, especially those that are written in January, but I'd just like to say...
Seriously, ESPN? Seriously?
Are you trying to cripple us? That's setting the bar wayyyyy too high. Even I don't think we should be ranked that high, and that should say something. This is Geno for Heisman all over again. Don't set impossible standards. There's virtually no benefit to meeting them (other than, you know, winning, which feels good regardless) and it sets the Mountaineers up for an all-too-likely failure to reach them. Pat White is gone, folks. This isn't 2007. WVU is not a preseason top ten team, especially because of one game.
8. Former Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher was recently hired by the St. Louis Rams in a move that about 90% of America scoffed at. My question is... why? Fisher gets to work with Sam Bradford, one of the premiere young quarterbacks of the league. What's even better is that the boys in St. Louis have the second overall pick in this year's NFL draft. It's projected that a team in need of a quarterback may want to trade up to grab whoever remains from the monster tandem of Andrew Luck and RG3. Such a huge pick could potentially trade for numerous picks from both the 2012 draft future drafts. If you're looking for precedent, rememeber how the Cleveland/Atlanta trade that ended up nabbing the Falcons wideout Julio Jones last year? Cleveland made out like a bandit with five or six picks just for JJ. I expect even more will be coming the Rams' way. It's not a bad time to be Jeff Fisher. Who cares if the Rams are 15-65 in the last five years?
9. I have consistently argued that the Big East has been the best AND deepest league in college basketball for the last few years, but this year... I think they've taken a step back. Syracuse is certainly the best team in the country thanks in no small part to their amazing bench play, but after that, there are no more great teams... just a lot of really good ones. I'm not complaining though- parity makes for better games and conference races. I'm willing to go on the record saying a few things about this conference.
-Syracuse will win the regular season title, but not the conference tournament title
-Nine teams will make the NCAA tournament from the Big East
-The Big 10 is a better conference than the Big East
-Kevin Jones will be a first team All-American (or else I will twitter bomb cbb like there is no tomorrow)
-Herb Pope will be a second team All-American.
Please note that both of the above players are the only players in all of college basketball average 20 points and 11 rebounds.
10. I know everyone's favorite point man/power man combo is now CP3 and the human highlight reel, aka Blake Griffin, but how about some love for their poor man's Minnesota equivalent, Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love? Most casual fans have heard of Love by now after his insane consecutive games with a Double-Double streak last year, but Rubio isn't quite a household name yet. The rookie sensation from Spain is tearing up the NBA in his first season, averaging 8 assists in limited minutes with the Timberwolves. My only question is... why in the name of David Stern is he only playing limited minutes?
1. Eric Decker, one of the Broncos' two main wideouts, is listed as out for Saturday night's game. Should Denver be worried about a key piece of their offense missing? Maybe, but I doubt they're going to lose any sleep tonight. On the other side of the field, the Patriots have thirteen players listed as questionable- which means it's likely that at least 6 or 7 of them will not play, as the questionable tag usually leads to a coin flip, game time decision. Among the questionables: safety Patrick Chung, corner Kyle Arrington, linebacker Brandon Spikes, linemen Marcus Cannon and Dan Connolly, and receiver Wes Welker.
2. The Clippers are a respectable 5-3, but in Los Angeles? How about 4-1 with wins over Portland AND Miami? Their lone home loss comes against the Bulls on a night reigning MVP Derrick Rose netted 29 points, 8 rebounds, and 16 assists. The Clippers are in action again Saturday night in LA, this time against their crosstown rivals. You might have heard of them.
3. You may be (but you probably aren't) farmiliar with Tino Sunseri, the rather poor quarterback for the University of Pittsburgh. His father Sal, also a former Pitt player, is the associate head/linebackers coach at Alabama. Or rather, he was the associate head/linebackers coach at Alabama. Sal has taken a job as the new Defensive Coordinator at Tennessee. On the move, Sunseri had the following to say:
"The chance to work with Derek Dooley, who has been around championships and knows what it takes to build an elite program...makes this opportunity so exciting to me."
Okay, to quote Deion Sanders' twitter, Hold On Playa. You're leaving Alabama- that school that's won two national championships in the last three years- because you think Derek Dooley is going to build an elite program at Tennessee? If you're looking to help mould an elite program, you're probably already in the right spot. #LOL. #nosenseofirony #thinkbeforeyoutalktoreporters
4. In a basketball game in East Lansing a few days ago, Iowa's basketball coach Fran McCaffery was having a no-good, very bad day. His players didn't show up to the game with any real desire to play, and he had already been T'ed up. So what does he do, rather than talk through his feelings? He goes all Bobby Knight and throws a chair in the huddle during a Timeout. I can't say I can blame him. If I was being blown out by 30 points and my parents had named me Fran, I would probably be a little upset too.
On second though, my parents did name me Fran. Why am I not a more angry and violent person?
5. ESPN has released its all-Bowl team, and if I've taken one thing away from it, it's that stereotypes exist for a reason. I've broken everything down for you, and here are my thoughts:
-The SEC has 6/25 players on the team. One is Alabama's place-holder; the other five are all defensive players. That means that the SEC accounts for half of the all-bowl team defense. They had no players on offense.
-Conversely, the Big 12 had 4/25, and all four were on offense, highlighted by Justin Blackmon. Again, stereotypes.
-The Big East conference, and both BYU and Boise State all totaled more representatives (3,2,2 respectively) than the ACC (1). I've been saying it forever. ACC football is massively overrated, and no stat says that like a 2-13 overall BCS bowl record.
-The Big10 and Pac12 combined for only 5 spots- two defense, three offense. Kind of underwhelming when you consider the hype and media coverage they get.
Notable players:
Quarterback- Geno Smith (WVU)
Runningback- Doug Martin (Boise)
Receiver- Justin Blackmon (Ok St)
D. Tackle- Mike Martin (Michigan)
Linebacker- Courtney Upshaw (Alabama)
Linebacker- Khaseem Green (Rutgers)
DBack- David Amerson (NC State)
DBack- Brandon Boykin (Georgia)
All Purpose- Tavon Austin (WVU)
6. The Capitals beat the Penguins Wednesday night in one of the most heated rivalries in hockey. The penguins are in the midst of a six-game funk, but they haven't been shut out all season. That all changed in the Verizon Center, where Jason Chimera scored the only goal for Washington's 1-0 victory. Crosby, Backstrom, and my boy Mike Green all missed the game because of injury. Maybe all the missing star power contribute to the lack of no one really caring at all about a game that has traditionally blown up my facebook feed to obnoxious proportions.
7. ESPN always does a "way-too-early" top 25. LSU is listed at #1, and its not a sympathy vote folks. The amount of talent they bring back from an already amazing team is just flat out unfair. But that's not what I want to talk about. West Virginia is ranked at #7 in the poll, mainly on the heels of their 70-point coming-out party for what Dana Holgorsen's offense can actually do when the players buy into the scheme. Now I know preseason polls don't really matter, especially those that are written in January, but I'd just like to say...
Seriously, ESPN? Seriously?
Are you trying to cripple us? That's setting the bar wayyyyy too high. Even I don't think we should be ranked that high, and that should say something. This is Geno for Heisman all over again. Don't set impossible standards. There's virtually no benefit to meeting them (other than, you know, winning, which feels good regardless) and it sets the Mountaineers up for an all-too-likely failure to reach them. Pat White is gone, folks. This isn't 2007. WVU is not a preseason top ten team, especially because of one game.
8. Former Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher was recently hired by the St. Louis Rams in a move that about 90% of America scoffed at. My question is... why? Fisher gets to work with Sam Bradford, one of the premiere young quarterbacks of the league. What's even better is that the boys in St. Louis have the second overall pick in this year's NFL draft. It's projected that a team in need of a quarterback may want to trade up to grab whoever remains from the monster tandem of Andrew Luck and RG3. Such a huge pick could potentially trade for numerous picks from both the 2012 draft future drafts. If you're looking for precedent, rememeber how the Cleveland/Atlanta trade that ended up nabbing the Falcons wideout Julio Jones last year? Cleveland made out like a bandit with five or six picks just for JJ. I expect even more will be coming the Rams' way. It's not a bad time to be Jeff Fisher. Who cares if the Rams are 15-65 in the last five years?
9. I have consistently argued that the Big East has been the best AND deepest league in college basketball for the last few years, but this year... I think they've taken a step back. Syracuse is certainly the best team in the country thanks in no small part to their amazing bench play, but after that, there are no more great teams... just a lot of really good ones. I'm not complaining though- parity makes for better games and conference races. I'm willing to go on the record saying a few things about this conference.
-Syracuse will win the regular season title, but not the conference tournament title
-Nine teams will make the NCAA tournament from the Big East
-The Big 10 is a better conference than the Big East
-Kevin Jones will be a first team All-American (or else I will twitter bomb cbb like there is no tomorrow)
-Herb Pope will be a second team All-American.
Please note that both of the above players are the only players in all of college basketball average 20 points and 11 rebounds.
10. I know everyone's favorite point man/power man combo is now CP3 and the human highlight reel, aka Blake Griffin, but how about some love for their poor man's Minnesota equivalent, Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love? Most casual fans have heard of Love by now after his insane consecutive games with a Double-Double streak last year, but Rubio isn't quite a household name yet. The rookie sensation from Spain is tearing up the NBA in his first season, averaging 8 assists in limited minutes with the Timberwolves. My only question is... why in the name of David Stern is he only playing limited minutes?
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Gridiron Playoff
Hey all, just wanted to give a quick plug to one of ESPN's fantasy sports games. If the lack of fantasy football has created a void in your life, pop over to games.espn.com and find the gridiron playoff challenge.
You get 50 million dollars as a salary cap, and you have to put together a team of playoffs players based on how you think they'll do each week. This isn't a draft- you can pick anyone regardless of what everyone else is doing. Join up with me (neersfan804, find the group "chase blog") and play against me and other readers. Or the rest of the world. Or both. Whatever you're feeling.
My lineup for this weekend:
Drew Brees
Eli Manning
Arian Foster
Darren Sproles
Julio Jones
Victor Cruz
Joel Dreessen
Matt Prater
Pittsburgh Defense
You get 50 million dollars as a salary cap, and you have to put together a team of playoffs players based on how you think they'll do each week. This isn't a draft- you can pick anyone regardless of what everyone else is doing. Join up with me (neersfan804, find the group "chase blog") and play against me and other readers. Or the rest of the world. Or both. Whatever you're feeling.
My lineup for this weekend:
Drew Brees
Eli Manning
Arian Foster
Darren Sproles
Julio Jones
Victor Cruz
Joel Dreessen
Matt Prater
Pittsburgh Defense
The Original Blog Entry: Welcome to Wildcard Weekend
A lot of you readers have probably read the handle on the right or simply heard me tell me the story of how this blog was started. It was a project I began in WRTC200 last February to get a position with JMU's newspaper, and everything just kind of exploded from there.
What you may not know is that this blog has much older roots. The original form of this blog was a Richmond locker room in 2006.
Since I was a freshman in high school, I have sat down every year and made playoff predictions with my longtime friends Karthik and Will. It was usually some lunchtime argument or, as previously mentioned, a locker room discussion that everyone would eventually get in on. Until my senior year of high school, it was never conjecture on the grandiose stage of facebook, where all the world could see my flaws. Yet this is what went on in the 2009 playoffs- a simple facebook noted attracted huge attention from several of my friends, and my voice gave way to a running commentary of the 2009 playoffs. In many ways, it is the spiritual ancestor of this blog. Beyond journalistic inquiry is just a pure love of talking sports. That's how it all started.
I say all that so that I can now say this. It's playoff football. Let your voice be heard. Get into the conversation.
Saturday, 4:30- Cincinatti at Houston
The Bengals find themselves in the playoffs despite losing to almost every team with a winning record they played this year. Still, you have to like what rookies Andy Dalton and AJ Green have done this year. Cincinatti isn't exactly a quickstrike team, but these two give them that sort of potential at times. Meanwhile, Houston comes in on a strange three game losing streak with their third string rookie quarterback leading the team.
So obviously, I'm picking the Houston Texans.
Look, Andy Dalton is clearly better than TJ Yates. Nobody is arguing that here. But as good as the Bengal's defense has been this year, I'm not sure they have a definitive answer to Arian Foster, let alone the additional headache Ben Tate brings in. During that losing streak, Houston's defensive coordinator was in the hospital and subsequently recovering. He's back now, and I think the NFL's statistically best defense finds ways to harass a rookie quarterback- however impressive he's been- into some big mistakes.
Saturday, 8:00- Detroit at New Orleans
I'm not even going to try to be coy here. I'm picking the Saints, and the way they have played at home this year, it seems like a no brainer. Detroit will probably hang around for the first 20 minutes, maybe even the first half. But Drew Brees is not going to lose this game.
Detroit, I'm sorry it couldn't work out. I really am. I love that you've made a resurgence, and I love that people are proud to Lions fans again. I'm sure Eminem and the other four fans that stood with him will be cheering very loud for you in this game. But you're going to lose. See you next year. Don't worry, I'll still try to draft Calvin Johnson.
Sunday, 1:00- Falcons at Giants
This is the hardest game I think I've ever had to pick in my whole career of watching the NFL. Both teams are kind of mysterious, especially the Giants. There's a bit of a running conversation in my head that goes something like this:
"The game is in New York!"
"Yeah, but the road team has won most of the games in this series!"
"Yeah, but the Falcon's are only 4-4 this season on the road!"
"Yeah, but the Giants are only 4-4 this season at home!"
"Yeah, but New York has had a really great pass rush the last few weeks!"
"Yeah, but Atlanta's offensive line is really good!"
and on and on and on.
This is so hard. Whenever I pick the giants, I feel like they lose. So I'm picking the Falcons, and I think the difference here is the matchup between the wide receivers for Atlanta and the abyssmal secondary for New York. The Falcons have really been starting to fire on all cylinders the last five games or so (throw out the Saints game, NOBODY was going to beat them that night), and a big part of it has been the play of Roddy White. My boy Roddy, who is a two-time staple of my fantasy team, was in a bit of a slump in the beginning of the season as he played through an injury. He's healthy now, and I think both him and Alabama prodigy Julio Jones are going to tear it up this game- at least 3 touchdowns between the two of them. Maybe more. It's not just that they're really good- the New York coverage has kind of been that bad.
Sunday, 4:30- Pittsburgh at Denver
I'd take a broken Ben Roethlisberger over Tim Tebow at quarterback any day. John Elway is going to pull the reins off Tebow and let him throw this game away... literally. He wants America (and more importantly, Denver) to see what kind of thrower Tebow really is. I have a sneaky suspicion that it's going to be an ugly picture.
Take the under in what's bound to be a low scoring game. Pittsburgh's injured line will have trouble scoring against Von Miller and a great pass rush. Denver... well, they might just have trouble scoring. I can't pick Denver in the playoffs with Tim Tebow. Pittsburgh just has too much experience. I like Pittsburgh to get it done despite dreadful health concerns everywhere.
So, in summation:
Bengals at Texans
Lions at Saints
Falcons at Giants
Steelers at Broncos
What you may not know is that this blog has much older roots. The original form of this blog was a Richmond locker room in 2006.
Since I was a freshman in high school, I have sat down every year and made playoff predictions with my longtime friends Karthik and Will. It was usually some lunchtime argument or, as previously mentioned, a locker room discussion that everyone would eventually get in on. Until my senior year of high school, it was never conjecture on the grandiose stage of facebook, where all the world could see my flaws. Yet this is what went on in the 2009 playoffs- a simple facebook noted attracted huge attention from several of my friends, and my voice gave way to a running commentary of the 2009 playoffs. In many ways, it is the spiritual ancestor of this blog. Beyond journalistic inquiry is just a pure love of talking sports. That's how it all started.
I say all that so that I can now say this. It's playoff football. Let your voice be heard. Get into the conversation.
Saturday, 4:30- Cincinatti at Houston
The Bengals find themselves in the playoffs despite losing to almost every team with a winning record they played this year. Still, you have to like what rookies Andy Dalton and AJ Green have done this year. Cincinatti isn't exactly a quickstrike team, but these two give them that sort of potential at times. Meanwhile, Houston comes in on a strange three game losing streak with their third string rookie quarterback leading the team.
So obviously, I'm picking the Houston Texans.
Look, Andy Dalton is clearly better than TJ Yates. Nobody is arguing that here. But as good as the Bengal's defense has been this year, I'm not sure they have a definitive answer to Arian Foster, let alone the additional headache Ben Tate brings in. During that losing streak, Houston's defensive coordinator was in the hospital and subsequently recovering. He's back now, and I think the NFL's statistically best defense finds ways to harass a rookie quarterback- however impressive he's been- into some big mistakes.
Saturday, 8:00- Detroit at New Orleans
I'm not even going to try to be coy here. I'm picking the Saints, and the way they have played at home this year, it seems like a no brainer. Detroit will probably hang around for the first 20 minutes, maybe even the first half. But Drew Brees is not going to lose this game.
Detroit, I'm sorry it couldn't work out. I really am. I love that you've made a resurgence, and I love that people are proud to Lions fans again. I'm sure Eminem and the other four fans that stood with him will be cheering very loud for you in this game. But you're going to lose. See you next year. Don't worry, I'll still try to draft Calvin Johnson.
Sunday, 1:00- Falcons at Giants
This is the hardest game I think I've ever had to pick in my whole career of watching the NFL. Both teams are kind of mysterious, especially the Giants. There's a bit of a running conversation in my head that goes something like this:
"The game is in New York!"
"Yeah, but the road team has won most of the games in this series!"
"Yeah, but the Falcon's are only 4-4 this season on the road!"
"Yeah, but the Giants are only 4-4 this season at home!"
"Yeah, but New York has had a really great pass rush the last few weeks!"
"Yeah, but Atlanta's offensive line is really good!"
and on and on and on.
This is so hard. Whenever I pick the giants, I feel like they lose. So I'm picking the Falcons, and I think the difference here is the matchup between the wide receivers for Atlanta and the abyssmal secondary for New York. The Falcons have really been starting to fire on all cylinders the last five games or so (throw out the Saints game, NOBODY was going to beat them that night), and a big part of it has been the play of Roddy White. My boy Roddy, who is a two-time staple of my fantasy team, was in a bit of a slump in the beginning of the season as he played through an injury. He's healthy now, and I think both him and Alabama prodigy Julio Jones are going to tear it up this game- at least 3 touchdowns between the two of them. Maybe more. It's not just that they're really good- the New York coverage has kind of been that bad.
Sunday, 4:30- Pittsburgh at Denver
I'd take a broken Ben Roethlisberger over Tim Tebow at quarterback any day. John Elway is going to pull the reins off Tebow and let him throw this game away... literally. He wants America (and more importantly, Denver) to see what kind of thrower Tebow really is. I have a sneaky suspicion that it's going to be an ugly picture.
Take the under in what's bound to be a low scoring game. Pittsburgh's injured line will have trouble scoring against Von Miller and a great pass rush. Denver... well, they might just have trouble scoring. I can't pick Denver in the playoffs with Tim Tebow. Pittsburgh just has too much experience. I like Pittsburgh to get it done despite dreadful health concerns everywhere.
So, in summation:
Bengals at Texans
Lions at Saints
Falcons at Giants
Steelers at Broncos
Sunday, January 1, 2012
A Letter to Tim Tebow
Dear Tim,
It all just fell kind of into place for you didn't it? In ways that the most brilliant author couldn't even write up.
I suppose I should explain what I'm talking about, but really, what am I not talking about? You were handed the starting job in Denver on a silver platter not by management, but by hordes of demanding fans the likes of which the NFL has never seen before and will probably never see again. You drew an absolutely uncanny amount of luck- go to church every Sunday for the rest of your life (you probably will anyway) type of luck- when it came to your schedule. You took a team that couldn't really buy a win, and backed your way into half a dozen of them.
And even when your luck evened out, even when you lost three straight to a defenseless New England team, a slumptastic Buffalo team, and a depleted Kansas City team... you still find yourself in the playoffs because, low and behold, the Denver Broncos play in the worst division in the NFL, and an 8-8 record with tiebreakers means you've quarterbacked a division winner. If your karma truely has balanced out, I'm not sure which way it will lean next- you've drawn the gauntlet that is the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they might be just injured enough to get surprised in Mile High. The last thing I want to hear about is how the Denver Broncos have won a playoff game, but it's not really that unfathomable for you, is it?
But this isn't about you. Like any selfish wannabe journalist college student, this is about me.
I know I care very little about the NFL as far as actual fandom goes. I know I care so much more about college sports. But still, Tim, this hurts. Why did you have to lose the one game where I was actually rooting for you to win? It's clear that you and God have had a personal talk about his creation of irony.
Why, Tim? Why did you have to leave my Titans out of the playoffs?
You couldn't have dialed it up better, could you have? Sure, I've criticized you endlessly. And most of it you probably even deserved. You could have taken it as motivation, but no, you had to get spiteful with it. So with the Titans playoff fate in your hands, in a surely calculated move that even the Grinch wouldn't consider, your loss isn't really your loss. Your loss got you into the playoffs regardless.
Instead, your loss is my loss. Your loss is Nashville's loss. People aren't too happy in the state of Tennessee right now, Tim.
But I get it. I'm sure you were tired of my complaining, tired of the nagging, tired of my overcritical eye. Maybe I deserved this for being just a tad bit too hard on you. God knows you don't deserve all the hype you've got, but perhaps there's something to say for the motivation and inspiration you've provided the boys in the Denver locker room. Perhaps you deserve a little more credit than I've been willing to give you.
Or maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe it's not a personal thing at all. I suppose I should consider the possibility that you haven't done this on purpose, and it's all just an unfortunate, unhappy accident. Forgive him, for he knows not what he has done.
I don't know much about all that. Virginia is a long ways away from Colorado. But if I strain real hard, I can almost here what they're whispering over in Denver...
And on the eighth day, God created irony.
It all just fell kind of into place for you didn't it? In ways that the most brilliant author couldn't even write up.
I suppose I should explain what I'm talking about, but really, what am I not talking about? You were handed the starting job in Denver on a silver platter not by management, but by hordes of demanding fans the likes of which the NFL has never seen before and will probably never see again. You drew an absolutely uncanny amount of luck- go to church every Sunday for the rest of your life (you probably will anyway) type of luck- when it came to your schedule. You took a team that couldn't really buy a win, and backed your way into half a dozen of them.
And even when your luck evened out, even when you lost three straight to a defenseless New England team, a slumptastic Buffalo team, and a depleted Kansas City team... you still find yourself in the playoffs because, low and behold, the Denver Broncos play in the worst division in the NFL, and an 8-8 record with tiebreakers means you've quarterbacked a division winner. If your karma truely has balanced out, I'm not sure which way it will lean next- you've drawn the gauntlet that is the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they might be just injured enough to get surprised in Mile High. The last thing I want to hear about is how the Denver Broncos have won a playoff game, but it's not really that unfathomable for you, is it?
But this isn't about you. Like any selfish wannabe journalist college student, this is about me.
I know I care very little about the NFL as far as actual fandom goes. I know I care so much more about college sports. But still, Tim, this hurts. Why did you have to lose the one game where I was actually rooting for you to win? It's clear that you and God have had a personal talk about his creation of irony.
Why, Tim? Why did you have to leave my Titans out of the playoffs?
You couldn't have dialed it up better, could you have? Sure, I've criticized you endlessly. And most of it you probably even deserved. You could have taken it as motivation, but no, you had to get spiteful with it. So with the Titans playoff fate in your hands, in a surely calculated move that even the Grinch wouldn't consider, your loss isn't really your loss. Your loss got you into the playoffs regardless.
Instead, your loss is my loss. Your loss is Nashville's loss. People aren't too happy in the state of Tennessee right now, Tim.
But I get it. I'm sure you were tired of my complaining, tired of the nagging, tired of my overcritical eye. Maybe I deserved this for being just a tad bit too hard on you. God knows you don't deserve all the hype you've got, but perhaps there's something to say for the motivation and inspiration you've provided the boys in the Denver locker room. Perhaps you deserve a little more credit than I've been willing to give you.
Or maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe it's not a personal thing at all. I suppose I should consider the possibility that you haven't done this on purpose, and it's all just an unfortunate, unhappy accident. Forgive him, for he knows not what he has done.
I don't know much about all that. Virginia is a long ways away from Colorado. But if I strain real hard, I can almost here what they're whispering over in Denver...
And on the eighth day, God created irony.
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