Monday, October 15, 2007

Monday 10/15 A.M. Quickie:
Pats Rout, Rox Roll, AP Runs, USF Rules!

Today's Names to Know: Tom Brady, Yorvit Torrealba, Adrian Peterson, Maurice Jones-Drew, LaDainian Tomlinson, Devin Hester, Vinny Testaverde, South Florida, Greg Monroe, Kelvin Sampson and More!

NFL: Pats rout Cowboys, 48-27. There is very little to say about this game, except that it was yet another statement that the Pats are out to absolutely eviscerate the rest of the league en route to 19-0. They just took the best team in the NFC and destroyed them in their own house. (I love how some people think the Colts are right there with the Pats as the NFL's clear-cut best. Right now, I think the Pats would beat the Colts worse than they beat the Cowboys.)

Sunday's NFL Stud: Tom Brady, who threw a career-high 5 TD passes and became the first QB ever to throw at least three TD passes in each of the first six games of a season. (Take that, Peyton.)

MLB Playoffs, NLCS: Rockies beat D'backs in Game 3, one win away from a sweep. So add "rain or shine" and "cold or warm" to the list of conditions – now most properly described as "any" – under which the Rockies will win.

20 of their last 21. Three in a row in the NLCS. Six in a row in the playoffs. Led most recently by mostly anonymous players with mythical-sounding names like Yorvit Torrealba and Josh Fogg.

And I will be at Coors Field tonight for Game 4, rooting like crazy to witness a pennant-clincher. Franklin Morales vs. Micah Owings (known more for his bat than his arm.) More tomorrow on the game tonight.

ALCS: Indians, Red Sox tied 1-1 with series moving to Cleveland: Despite Boston's Game 1 clobbering, I had targeted Game 2 as the quasi-"pivotal," whichever-team-wins-this-wins-the-series event. The momentum belongs with the Indians, heading into three straight games in Cleveland.

Where to start with Game 2? Eric Gagne pooped the bed (in a "didn't-he-used-to-be?" performance that will linger in the memory far longer than his record-breaking season just a few seasons ago); Trot Nixon enjoyed a moment of ironic revenge; and Papi/Manny combined to go 1/6. (Tonight: Matsuzaka vs. Westbrook.)

More NFL: A handful of notes that won't come close to doing the day justice.

(1) Adrian Peterson is amazing: It's not just that the NFL might as well engrave the Rookie of the Year trophy with Peterson's name; it's that Peterson is arguably the best running back in the NFC right now, rookie or otherwise. Yesterday, he set the record for rushing yards by a Vikings RB (again, rookie or otherwise).

(2) Maurice Jones-Drew is back: 12 carries for 125 yards and 2 TDs, and the TD celebration of the day: Karate Kid, which out-did his flip into the end-zone. And with a solid game from QB David Garrard, the Jaguars are suddenly looking like one of the top non-Pats teams in the AFC. Next week's MNF game against the Colts will be the true test (not that last season's Jags throttling of the Colts meant anything in the larger scheme of either team's long-term fortunes).

(3) Vinny Testaverde is ageless. If Tom Brady didn't steal it from him, Vinny would have been this week's stud, for being the oldest starting QB to win a game in NFL history – a week after being signed, no less. He threw a TD pass, the 21st consecutive season he has done that, which strikes me as a record damn near unbreakable. Unless you're a Cardinals fan or playing against the Panthers, how can you NOT root for Vinny T?

(4) If you don't like Brady Quinn, you can't possibly help but like Derek Anderson.

(5) Welcome back LaDainian. (You, too, Larry Johnson.) 4 TDs is exactly why you were the consensus No. 1 overall fantasy football pick.

(6) And, apologies to both LT and AP, but Devin Hester is the most exciting player in the league right now.

(7) The Rams are absolutely utterly awful. The Dolphins aren't far behind, but if you were forced to pick the worst team in the league, the Rams would be it.

(8) Is it NBC's Football Night In America or Watch For Plummeting TV Cameras Night? Either way, it was good for the Saints, who won their first game and got 141 yards out of Reggie Bush and a solid game out of Drew Brees.

NFL Milestones: Tony Gonzalez set a new record for career TDs by a tight end. Enough to get him into the Hall of Fame? I don't think so.

MNF: Giants-Falcons? Ugh. Maybe if Michael Vick was playing (or even just in attendance), this would be something to watch. Otherwise, I'm glad I'll be in Denver at the Rockies-D'backs Game 4.

CFB: First BCS standings revealed. Ohio State and South Florida are in the driver's seat at 1-2, with USF set to leap OSU if/when the human pollsters ever lose their insane bias against them to match the computers, who rank USF at No. 1 (as I do -- see this week's BlogPoll ballot).

I think it's an embarrassment that Harris Poll and Coaches Poll voters – who are supposed to be so-called EXPERTS in college football – don't know anything about South Florida; discount their season's accomplishments because they don't have a brand name as established as other teams in the Top 5; and otherwise plead ignorance.

In a season as insane as this one, it's key to see who this year's Florida might be: The 1-loss team in the best position to capitalize should the (dwindling number of) unbeatens (continue to) stumble.

That 1-loss team with the inside track is LSU, with a healthy margin ahead of the next-highest-ranked 1-loss team, Oklahoma. And the Sooners are just a smidgen ahead of South Carolina, which assuredly benefited from beating Kentucky (which beat LSU).

CFB Weekend Wrap: You know it's an insanely great season when, after three straight weeks, you can't decide which had the wildest result:

(a) Three weeks ago, when all those upsets in the Top 10 happened;

(b) Two weeks ago, when preseason and presumptive national-title favorite USC lost at home to a 41-point underdog in the biggest regular-season upset in modern CFB history;

(c) This past weekend, when the No. 1 team lost, then the team presumptively poised to take over the No. 1 spot lost (at home to an unranked team on an insanely boneheaded game-ending play).

You'll forgive me if I don't take the BCS too seriously right now: Of the remaining BCS-conference unbeaten teams:

Ohio State: Will lose at Michigan.
South Florida: Will lose at Rutgers.
B.C.: Will lose at Virginia Tech.
Arizona State: Will lose at Oregon.
Kansas: Will lose in the Big 12 CG (if not sooner)
Hawaii: Will lose to Boise State.

Meanwhile, the most highly regarded 1-loss teams have both remaining gauntlets of their own (South Carolina and Kentucky still have to play Florida) or have fatal flaws (i.e., USC and Cal lost at home to unranked teams, Oklahoma lost to an unranked team).

If I had to make a prediction now, I would say that no team will finish the season unbeaten, and that the national-title match-up will be LSU vs. Oklahoma, with a third team earning half a national title on a playoff-protest vote by the AP voters.

College Hoops Recruiting: Georgetown was already poised to repeat their 2007 Final Four appearance next March. Now, it looks like they may be a presence there for even longer, after getting a verbal commitment from 6-10 star Greg Monroe, the top player in the 2008 high school class.

By the way, I would like to modify my preseason pick of UCLA to win the national title to include my entire Final Four: UCLA, Tennessee, Georgetown, UNC.

More CBB: Indiana to punish coach Kelvin Sampson for more illegal recruiting calls. Given that he was already being punished for the same violation, I find Indiana's punishment of a $500,000 raise and a scholarship to be inadequate. He brokes the rules originally, but then compounds the problem now by SNUBBING the rules. I don't care if Indiana was being proactive -- cripes, isn't this what the NCAA is for?

MLB Offseason: Reds hire Dusty Baker. Meh.

More CFB: Boise State beats Nevada in 4 OT, 69-67. The reason we don't have to talk about Hawaii crashing the BCS is because the Broncos are going to beat them in Hawaii in the season finale.

-- D.S.

88 comments:

The heroin sheik said...

The beatdown USF put on UCF was sick. I really think they can beat anyone in the country and would love to see if they can keep the success going all the way to a spot in the Nat'l championship game.

This might be the most exciting season of football that I can remember. With all the craziness in the college ranks it is making every weekend a thrill ride. The icing on the cake is some of the things that are going on in the NFL. The Bears came back only to choke it away at the end which was funny while the Bucs I thought had choked away the game only to win it as time was running out. For a team as beat up as the Bucs are they really are playing well. Garcia might be the most important free agent signing of last offseason.

I could care less about any of the teams left in the playoffs but that being said I kinda have to root for the Indians only because I hate the sox because they are in the east. I also am impressed with the rockies. I just can't believe the tear that they are on. Although most of the country could care less I think an Indians/Rockies series would actually be fun to watch.

The lightning are looking pretty solid this year. They are going to score a lot of goals which is key since their biggest weakness is in goal.

pv845 said...

Tony G not in the HOF? You must be kidding. EVERY sports analyst or former player would beg to differ. I know that plays in KC, but he redefined the TE position as much and if not more than Shannon Sharpe.

No love for KU in your Blog Poll. They win and don't move up?

The Colt can stay with the Pats because Manning doesn't make that many mistakes and the Pats D looks terrible at times. While Romo may looks good at times, he misses a lot of passes that Manning wouldn't and I say that the Colts D is better than the Dallas D.

thistlewarrior said...

I love Adrian Peterson, he single-handedly won me my fantasy game this week.

My husband & I had the tOSU vs. USF arguement yesterday. He absolutely refused to conceed that based on current wins USF should be ranked higher. USF has beat Auburn & WVU. The best team tOSU beat was Purdue! All he kept saying was his projections of the remainder of each team's schedule. Shouldn't each week's poll (preseason excepted) reflect only the current body of work as opposed to predictions?

And Sheik, I too would love to see an Indians/Rockies WS. I think it would be better for ratings than any other combination simply because all non-Sox fans DO NOT want to see them win again & the D-backs simply don't have a great, unbelievable story like the Rockies.

Steve said...

Is there anything about the state of Indiana you don't hate Dan? You already bash Notre Dame every chance you get. Now you make a ridiculous statement about the Colts who if I remember correctly are the defending Super Bowl champions and you rip on IU as well. What did my state ever do to you? Way to suck up to the Boston homers on this board though by sucking off the Patriots some more.

Geoff said...

"Unless you're a Cardinals fan or playing against the Panthers, how can you NOT root for Vinny T?"


how about if you're a Jets fan, and remember how many games he cost you. Vinny sucks. 2nd least favorite player EVER

bkelly126 said...

tOSU benefits from actually being ranked at the beginning of the season so they have that leg up. That being said, if/when the unbeaten actually lose, they're respective conferences are DOWN.

is it just me or is the SEC looking like the big televen 5-6 years ago where it's almost more important where you play your games than who your opponent is. I'm convinced that if LSU had played Kentucky at home, that game wouldn't have been close

and the Rox sweep, do you think they would lose any momentum if the ALCS went 7 games and they had a week off before the WS?

Ed Chavis said...

Oh, yeah... props to Vinny T. on his longevity... I thought this was halfway interesting - Ron Dayne (1999)and Charles Woodson (1997) are the only other players who won the Heisman before 2000 who are still playing in the NFL. Vinny won the thing in 1986!

David Kippe said...

Slight correction Dan. Ohio State will lose to Michigan State. These are just the type of games we win. Then we will follow it up with two stinkers.

RevScottDeMangeMD said...

WRONG WRONG WRONG Dan!

Ohio State: If you did your HW, you would know that OSU struggles vs. Wisconsin and @ Penn State. If they lose, it will be one of those games.

South Florida: Will lose to Louisville.

B.C.: Will lose to VT AND Clemson.

Arizona State: Will lose to USC.

Kansas: Will lose to Oklahoma State.

Hawaii: Will lose to Boise State.

National Championship: Ohio State vs. Oklahoma. Why? B/c LSU will lose in the SEC Championship game to Florida. And of course, you will plead for Florida to be in the championship game.

Also...Dusty Baker sucks!

Anonymous said...

Wait, OSU losing to UM? Did Lloyd Carr quit or something?

David Kippe said...

oh and us yankee fans will have to see the famous graphic in game 4 of the NLCS. Teams to comeback from an 3-0 deficit. Sigh...

CMFost said...

I really hope that BC and USF stay undefeated. What better why to get the ball rooling on finally having a playoff then having 2 teams from Programs that are not marquis playing for the Championship but of course because of some formulas a math expert cant figure out they will both be undefeated and somehow one team will be left out to a one loss team

Natsfan74 said...

So SEC teams keep beating eachother and it's a sign of how deep the conference is. Big 10 teams keep beating eachother and it's a sign of how week the conference is?

Do you really think USF would beat Ohio State on a neutral field? tOSU has the top scoring defense in the nation, a good stable of wide receivers, they score by passing, running, special teams, and defense. They beat Northwestern by 50, when other good teams have played them a lot closer. They kept Purdue off the scoreboard for 59 minutes. They shut out Washington for the 2nd half, after falling behind at half time (at Washington, where USC barely won and Boise State didn't).

I argued before the Washington game that OSU was overrated. If the top teams hold serve, OSU is still on the outside looking in. But, tOSU has beaten the teams they are supposed to beat.

And don't claim USF bias and say that's why they're not #1. Otherwise, why aren't you making the same arguments for Kansas and Arizona State rounding out the top 5? They're unbeaten. Must be the same bias. USF would not beat Ohio State on a neutral field. Perhaps we'll find out for sure in New Orleans.

thistlewarrior said...

Dusty Baker?!?! Was that the best the Reds could do, or was that all they were willing to pay for? Cheap, stupid bastards! They might as well kept the interim guy. Sheesh!

jhawkjjm said...

Tony Gonzales not in the HoF? I'm nto a Chiefs fan but he's a lock. He's still arguably the best TE in the game still and the second best, Antonio Gates, is basically a younger version of Gonzales.

BobbyStompy said...

T-Goz hall of fame for surrrre.

PatriotsNation said...

Not a huge Vinny fan but last week at this time he was sitting at home taking care of his kids and hadn't thrown a football in 5 weeks. Pretty impressive performance being with a new team for only 5 days!!

Brady = MVP and AP=ROY, barring serious injury both seem to be locks!

Lowlife said...

Yeah, how about we leave predictions about BCS projections until after the season is over. This is getting out of hand - I believe there's going to be at least 2, maybe 3 unbeatens left in this season. And once again, everyone's predictions are going to fall flat of reality (even mine), much like this whole season has been. But it's been exciting. And screw a playoff system. How the hell would that solve anything? You would still have to pick 8 or 16 teams. How the hell are you going to pick the top 16, or even the top 8? I call BS on a playoff. They just need to tweak the BCS system a little bit (1v4, 2v3 - winners battle for title).

pv845 said...

I know this is going to seem like a stupid argument, but I would argue that Brady is not the MVP. The Patriots would still be amazing with another QB. I think it has to be Favre or someone else perhaps. I don't think the Packers would be anywhere like they are without Favre.

Geoff said...

Is it just me or does this college football season suck? I don't know, I like when the good programs are good and the also rans are what they are. Maybe one surprise team a year and a few surprise upsets. Not every week we get new upsets more surprising than the week before. Eventually the upsets will mean nothing when they happen every week and we are left with college football being just like the NFL.

Unknown said...

DAILY QUICKIE FANTASY BASKETBALL LEAGUE

Hopefully I will be able to find people to do this. I am one of the few big NBA fans here, this I know. I recall last year when I did an NBA recap every day in this space and the discussion included about 8 people.

Participants of the Daily Quickie Baseball and Football fantasy leagues will get the first spots. So far the only one I have heard from is Rafael who said maybe.

Post here if you are interested.

Gary said...

Guy-
I'm down for a fantasy NBA league.
Give me info or let me know if you need info

The Poobah said...

First, Gonzalez is a Hall Of Famer. Best TE in the league for several years.

Second, why get so worked up over where teams are ranked now in the BCS? It doesn't matter for another month and a half, right?

CMFost said...

pv845 - get off the crack pipe it is not helping you. There are almost no QB's that would do better or the same as Brady in this offense. If Brady went down the Patriots go from the best team in the League to out of the playoffs.

Beetle said...

PV845...
So, if we take out Brady and bring in say....Damon Huard, the Pats would still be unstoppable?
Wake up!!!
Favre can't and won't be the MVP because of the type of throws that cost the Pack the Chicago game.
Terrrrrrrrible!!
Brett did everything in hos power to blow yesterday's game as well. I guess Santana Moss felt bad for him and decided to give away the game.
Quick stat - Brett Favre has double the INTs over the past 2 weeks than Brady has all season.

pv845 said...

CMFost: Not smoking crack but thanks. I am not saying that Brady isn't a great QB and isn't playing great. As I understant what you are saying is that no other QB would look at good as Brady is right now with Moss, Stallworth, Welker, Brady, and Watson. BS pure and simple. There is not another receiving corp that is even close to as good as these guys. I say that you could put in several other QBs in the league and have similar numbers to what Brady is having.

As for Farve, ok so maybe not the best example.

CMFost said...

Peyton Manning Yes but anyone else I doubt it. It not just about the WR that Brady numbers are ridiculous it is about his decision making process and the only one that is on the same level has Brady when it comes to make the quick decision and making the right throw is Manning

Beetle said...

pv845...I see what you are saying, but based on your reasoning, Brady should have been the MVP LAST year when he led a rag-tag group of street free agent wide receivers to a 12-4 records and within a play or two of the SB, which they would have won.
If you look at the statistics of Moss, Welker, and Stallworth over the past 2 seasons, they are hardly eye popping. They had to come to NE with Brady and Belichick to become the force which they now are.

CorrND said...

2 points Dan:

1. Derek Anderson had a very good outing against a "not far behind utterly awful" Dolphins team and you use it to talk about Brady Quinn?

2. Hawaii is NOT in a BCS conference.

pv845 said...

I don't disagree with Brady being the MVP last year. He did amazing things last year.

As for the numbers of Moss et al this year, yes Belichick and Brady help, but having this group together helps. Who was Moss's number 2 WR last year or his QB. Same with Stallworth and Welker. Putting this group together helps immensely.

As for replacing Brady: Manning, Hasselbeck, Brees, Garcia, Delhomme, Roethlisberger all make good decisions.

Jingoist said...

Sorry, but I can't help but be giddy over the absolute demolishing in Dallas yesterday. The Cowboys had no answer for the Patriots. None. Not on a single series. It was such a mismatch even the Dallas players and coaches admitted to the beat down with pretty much every post-game comment.

But outside of the hazing the Patriots put on the Cowboys, the following best summarizes what a horrible HC Wade Phillips is and why the Cowboys will never win with him. Read one of his own comments (h/t Matt Moseley)...

Asked why the Cowboys didn't go for a touchdown when they had the ball fourth-and-goal on the Patriots' 5-yard line with 10:07 left in the game, Phillips said, "If we had a play I thought we would score on, we would have gone for it on third-and-five."

Seriously? You are a head coach in the NFL, leader of (at the moment) the best team in the NFC, #1 in offense in the league. And you didn't even have the gonads to attempt a single play to try and score? Note to Wade: you need to score more than the other guy to win.

But that's why he's Wade Phillips, and not Bill Belichick.

eileen said...

Guy ITC...I'm in for fantasy basketball. As a Celtics fan, I finally have a reason to be excited about the NBA again! Email's in the profile.

I can't believe we're even debating this Brady thing. He makes the WRs look good, not the other way around. Why do you think Randy Moss took a paycut to play with the Pats? Look at Deion Branch- he was Superbowl MVP with Brady, but not nearly as good with another QB.

Overall, the Pats have a superb team this year, but Brady is certainly the most important ingredient to their success.

marcomarco said...

@pv845

Thank you for validating the argument about Manning vs. Brady.

If Brady had Harrison, Wayne, Edge, Addai, etc for the past 6 years, he'd have Manning numbers.

This year he's proving it.

Unknown said...

I think that the Pats would still be very good with Peyton instead of Brady but not as good. This offense is tailored to Brady. I actually believe that the 2nd best fit for the system would be Drew Brees. Peyton a close third though. After that would be a tie between Bulger (without 4 broken ribs) and Hasselback to finish up.

That's not to say that you couldn't form another system with the Pats' offensive players to fit Big Ben or Rivers or someone else, but the current system would work well for those 5 guys.

Unknown said...

So far in the Basketball Fantasy League spots are taken by:

Guyinthecorner
Patriots64
CmFost
Rafael (holding)

Still waiting to hear from:
Danielle
Big D
Natsfan74 (who I seem to remember likes NBA)
Andy/Lenny
DAN SHANOFF (not surprised)

Commenters who've expressed interest for open spots:
Gary
Eileen

ToddTheJackass said...

As one of the only BC fans around (since everyone in Boston went to a 4-year university practically, no one has any loyalty to BC except BC alum), let me say I don't really care whether or not we're ranked #2 or #3 this week. It's just really damn cool that we are ranked even that high. It's very reminiscent of when the basketball team went 20-0, and we were ranked #2, even though talent-wise we probably weren't second best then, or now.

As for V-Tech, while I realize we might not even be the favorites against them, remember that last year BC annihilated V-Tech on a Thursday night game, so BC can beat V-Tech. V-Tech's inconsistencies on offense play well to BC's defensive strengths, which has been turnovers, and points off of turnovers.

I don't think we'll run the table, but I do think we're better than most people are giving us credit for, and I think we're better than any SEC team other than LSU. That's right Dan, and Matt Ryan > Tim Tebow.

But while Matt Ryan (deservedly) gets a ton of the credit, BC's defense has been phenomenal this year, probably the best defense that no one gives credit to.

Unknown said...

todd-

As a former member of DanShanFan baseball you would be granted a spot in the Fantasy Basketball League.

Are you in?

ToddTheJackass said...

And while Brady deserves a ton of credit, the story that no one is talking about is how good the Patriots offensive line has been in giving Brady time. There's a reason that Brady has had time to throw a lot of downfield balls to Moss, and I think the offensive line's contribution to that team has been extremely underrated.

As for baseball, before the playoffs started I said that the series everyone should be rooting for is Rockies/Indians, since those were by far the least hateable teams left in the playoffs. It should be fun to see what happens in the Red Sox/Indians series. Regardless, it's much more enjoyable to be playing the Indians than the Yankees, since I know I'd root for Cleveland if they advance to the World Series. Not saying I didn't get upset Saturday night about losing in extras, but it was a hell of a lot easier to take considering it was by a very likeable Indians team, you know?

ToddTheJackass said...

Guy, my knowledge of the NBA is awful. Like Dan pretending to be unbiased when talking about Florida bad. For the sake of the integrity of the league, I'll decline, but thanks though.

Let me know when baseball comes back up. I'm willing to admit I was an idiot and fairly wrong with what transpired there. That or maybe for baseball we should set up 2 leagues, a H2H and a Roto one, so people can choose... anyway, that's a long way away so no need to worry about that.

Paul L Carter said...

I know that [Tony Gonzalez] plays in KC, but he redefined the TE position as much and if not more than Shannon Sharpe.

Gonzalez is more throwback that redefiner, a guy whose style is straight from the 1960's all-purpose weapon approach that was nearly forgotten during the no-huddle-run-and-shoot offenses of the 1990's.

And yes, he is a HOFer.

Matt said...

Adrian Peterson's nickname is not AP but AD...it stands for All Day.

Unknown said...

Getting on a bit late, busy this morning.

USF wasn't playing football 18 years ago and they are ranked #2. How does that make all the teams that have been playing for 80-90 years who have never won anything feel. USF is in the process of surpassing Miami and Fl. St. for being the Florida school to go to now.

Rockies are insane. I can't remember ever seeing a team just come from nowhere like that and go on that kind of run.

Unknown said...

Rugby World Cup

Well England beat France by 5 in and incredibly tense and exciting back and forth type game. South Africa destroyed Argentina to go to the finals as well.

England and South Africa were in the same pool in the round robin stage and SA beat England 36-0 the first time around but England are the defending champs and have turned it on lately. The score should be closer this time but South Africa will likely win. Can't wait to see the game though.

Unknown said...

Dusty Baker!??! DAMNIT. It's not like the Reds have good pitching as it is...Baker will force the Reds to have record number of Tommy John surgeries by season's end.
Shit.

Ohio State won't lose to Michigan. I do, however, think they'll lose to Penn State and/or Wisconsin. Wisky sucks, but they always give OSU trouble.

My BCS title game? Oregon v LSU

ToddTheJackass said...

Also, did Dan just join the Rockies bandwagon? Will it ever end?

Unknown said...

todd-

Don't worry. We have room in baseball for next year. Daddy Rosee, Dan Mega, and Dr. Doom will not return.

That said, H2H was awesome. To think that I, like you, opposed it disturbs me to this day.

Paul L Carter said...

Adrian Peterson is amazing: It's not just that the NFL might as well engrave the Rookie of the Year trophy with Peterson's name; it's that Peterson is arguably the best running back in the NFC right now, rookie or otherwise.

Dan, I watched that game, and they are already comparing his rookie numbers to those of LT's and Eric Dickerson's first season. Yes, Peterson's numbers are that good.

You talk about exciting? It certainly was exciting watching Peterson and Devin Hester outrunning everyone else on the field. In fact, the two of them should have a kickoff/punt return competiton to drum up some interest in the Pro Bowl.

Unknown said...

Colts vs. Pats.

Nice thing is we don't have to speculate. They play each other in a few weeks. Colts have some injury problems right now. I think it will be close and the Colts are a better team than Dallas.

Mike and Mike were discussing the Pats O-line this morning. They are amazing. Brady just steps back, looks around and has time to find his open receiver. It doesn't hurt that he has a great arm, makes good decisions and is accurate. Also doesn't hurt having a great receiving corp. God I hate the Pats. I could even deal with the Red Sox winning the Series as opposed to the Pats winning the SB again. If both win, well I can't contemplate the death of pro sports for me right now.

Unknown said...

If you have already been authorized to join DanShanFan basketball league by way of your inclusion of DanShanFan football league and would like to join, head over to the football league board for link, ID, and password.

Unknown said...

Tony Gonzalez not in the Hall of Fame? Are you kidding me? He was a lock before he broke the record. You are the first person I have heard in the last couple of years make such a statement.

CMFost said...

cycledan said..."Rockies are insane. I can't remember ever seeing a team just come from nowhere like that and go on that kind of run."

I give you the same answer I gave you when you said this last week.


Think the 2001 Patriots. They Started 1-3 and were 5-5 after week 10, then one there final 6 games plus 3 playoffs games to win the Super Bowl.

pv845 said...

Am I the only person that finds it today, hard to believe that the Pats would start a season 1-3? That seems like a huge aberration after seeing them the past few years.

Unknown said...

"Meanwhile, Louisville loses on the road at unranked Kentucky, but not only do the Cardinals get to retain their place in the Top 25, but they are ranked AHEAD of Kentucky in both AP and Coaches' polls.
... Meanwhile, I debut Kentucky at No. 15; we can disagree about where in the Top 25 to put the Wildcats, but -- at a minimum -- how can anyone rank them BEHIND Louisville?"

Shanoff Week 9:
LSU: 3
Kentucky: 5

Unknown said...

Since the 1-3 start in 2001 the Patriots overall record is 87-25 overall, including 12-2 in the playoffs. They have also never finished out of 1st place in that time.

I wish my 'Skins did that.

Jibblescribbits said...

Tony Gonzales was a sure fire hall of fame player before this TD record for TE's. Him and Shannon Sharpe are the two that completely redefined the position. He has been the best for a long time.

If you are making an all-time greatest team, those two are my candidates to fill the TE position and it's probably the toughest position to call.

I even HATE the Chiefs, but man he's got to go in. How Derrick Thomas took more than a first ballot is beyond me too. Note to NFLers, want in the Hall of fame? don't play in KC, Denver.

Unknown said...

Actually from 1982-1988 the 'Skins were 77-25 overall and 11-3 in the playoffs. So I guess that's close...

BLUE said...

I'm going to the game tonight too Dan...What section are you sitting in.

You better hope its not section 117 because if it is I will mock and ridicule you for the entire game....good luck and stay out of my town from now on.

Mills said...

Tony Gonzalez is NOT a HOFer?

You are absolutely crazy.

Unknown said...

RE: Tony Gonzales HOF

The last true TE to get in to the HOF was Ozzie Newsome, who retired in 1990.

For argument sake, let's call Kellen Winslow the best TE in the hall (I don't include non-modern era guys. Different game then)

Winslow's stats, at retirement

Receptions - 541
Yards - 6,741
TDs - 45
Games - 109
1000 yard seasons - 3
Pro Bowls - 5

Gonzo's stats, today

Receptions - 759
Yards - 9,150
TDs - 64
Games - 164
100 yard seasons - 2
Pro Bowls - 8

Now, I'm not even going to go into all his charitable work, or the fact he's never had any kind of incident with the law (at least that I can remember).

HOF lock, first year of eligibility.

BLUE said...

I will beat you with my broom

danwise1856 said...

A couple nuggets.

To this date in the NFL season, the team that has given the Pats the biggest challenge?... The Browns. Who would have thought.

People are going to complain about the BCS rankings and OSU #1, but Herbie said it best. They are the ONLY team to be consistent every game this season. Albeit against a weeker schedule but LSU, Florida, USF, USC, Oklahoma, and Boston College have all struggled in at least one game against a significantly inferior opponent.

Lets see how the Bucks do against PSU, UM etc... but how can they be overrated when they started at 12 and every team in front of them has lost?

In the intro to the quickie, Dan mentioned, LT, Peterson, Hester, MJD and Tom Brady. All of those happened to be on my fantasy-team yesterday so it was a good day!

Jonathan said...

we should all discuss this over coffee somewhere. the interweb is too inpersonal.

Jonathan said...

danthemanwise,

what is a fantasy team? you pretend to have a team? why not just pick a real team and root for them?

can we have coffee and discuss?

Beetle said...

That Pats 1-3 season actually started 0-2, and then some scrawny 6th round pick named Brady got the start after Mo Lewis nearly killed Drew Bledsoe (literally!!!).
Brady, got his feet wet going 5-3 over his first 8 starts, then ran off 9 straight wins for the Superbowl Title.

The Patriots had compiled a 14-26 record dating back to the end of the 1999 season (losing 3 of their last 4 in '99).

Ever since Brady took over, the Pats have gone an incredible 88-26 (including playoffs).

The more you dissect the numbers of what Brady, Belichick, and the Pats have accomplished this decade, the more amazing they become.

Unknown said...

More Gonzales HOF lock info...

Next year (or later this year if he keeps having days like yesterday), he'll pass Shannon Sharpe's all time yards and receptions by a tight end as well.

So, at retirement, he'd be the career leader in TDs, receptions, and yards for a tight end, played in a minimum of 8 pro bowls, and he's NOT a HOF player?

What, exactly, does a guy have to do to BE a HOF player, Dan? I mean, can you make one argument that he's not?

Unknown said...

South Carolina Beat Kentucky
Kentucky Beat LSU
LSU beat South Carolina

That's why dan's poll is a mess. I'd rate the three the same way

Mike D said...

Hey gtc I'm down for a fantasy NBA I don't comment alot but I read this blog practically every day. I would comment more often but the blogger comment section is blocked by my firewall at work. So if you have spot let me know

Unknown said...

Dane Cook vs. Bill Simmons
Round 5

So here's a recap....
Round 1- July 14, 2006 Sports Guy tells a story of Dane Cook wearing a Yankees hat to a Crank Yankers taping and then claiming to be a huge Red Sox fan. After this he references Dane Cook not being funny at all numerous times over the next year.

Round 2- September 17, 2007 Dan Cook hosts an ESPN chat where the following takes place...
Matt (Philly): How do you feel about Bill Simmons thinking you suck?
Dane Cook: (10:00 AM ET ) Who's Bill Simmons?
Clinton (Indianapolis): Dane, what was it like working on something as tense as Mr. Brooks? Would you like to play another role like that soon?
Dane Cook: (10:04 AM ET ) It was nice to do something outside of my wheelhouse. Mr. Brooks was a blast to play, such a deviant, despicable guy. It was almost like being Bill Simmons for a day...Once again, who the hell is Bill Simmons?
Robert (Raleigh NC) : Some people say you aren't funny at all. Others say you are genius. Why the varried opinion?
Dane Cook: Everyone has an opinion on what is funny and what sucks. Just ask Bill Simmons, because he knows exactly who is funny, and who is not. After all, he is Bill Simmons."

That same day he was on Mike and Mike and told a story that he once ran into Derek Jeter in a hotel lobby and Jeter saw his Sox shirt and asked if he was a big fan to which Dane Cook responded, "I'm Not."

Round 3-October 8, 2007 Sports Guy starts his podcast with Seth Meyers from SNL with this:
Bill Simmons: You're a real Sox fan.
Seth Meyers: Yes. I'm a real Sox fan.
Bill Simmons: You're not one of the fakers like Dane Cook.
Seth Meyers: No, no, no, I'm the real deal.
Then Sports Guy later says this: "We’ve all seen these baseball playoff commercials where Dane Cook pretends to be such a big baseball fan, even though we’re not sure if he could pick Albert Pujols out of a police lineup … so this week’s host is shooting one of those the baseball commercials, except he keeps screwing up the names really badly (absolutely butchers Rivera, Papelbon, Pujols, Sabathia, etc). And the director has to keep interrupting him. And then it goes on for three minutes."

Round 4- October 12, 2007 Sports Guy answers a question about fake fans with this quote:
"It's the Dane Cooks of the world that need to be addressed. I know for a fact that Cook (A) wore a Yankees cap while taping an entire day of "Crank Yankers" phone calls, and (B) wore a Yankees cap and a Red Sox T-shirt to a "Man Show" season wrap party. Again, this isn't a third-hand story -- I have friends who would swear on the lives of their children that they witnessed those two "incidents" (for lack of a better word). Well, no true Sox fan would wear a Yankees hat under any circumstances, unless they were being tortured or engaging in some sort of twisted sexual role play with a hooker. So when he's doing the whole "I'm a huge Sox fan!" thing in his baseball commercials, or claiming that Derek Jeter told him he was a big fan and Cook responded, "I'm not" (an actual "story" that Cook told on the "Mike and Mike" show last month) ... I mean, he HAS to be called out on this stuff, right? I think it's time for him to write another letter to himself."

ROUND 5- This airs, both pieces seperate at different points in the show but together in this clip, on SNL a couple of nights ago...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KRrXI-4GYg


Wow. Forget about the fact that he managed to get a skit on SNL in like 5 days but the fact that they did two of them and they were both funny was crazy. Dare I say KO?

Jen said...

GO TRIBE!!!!
GO TRIBE!!!!
GO TRIBE!!!!

Love the fact that the Cowgirls gave up more points to the Pats than the Browns.

I love the reaction to Ohio State being ranked #1 now...it's not like this is the preseason poll and a bunch of homers are putting them there...they are undefeated (so far) and have benefited from others' losses. There is still over a month of football to go....it's going to change again and again until the Nat'l Championship game unless the Buckeyes can beat Michigan State, the Nittany Lions and Wisky...those three teams that give them a headache no matter what. THEN, go to Michigan and beat them at home. It'll be interesting, that's for sure! It's nice as a fan since it is very unexpected.

David Kippe said...

I did catch the first Dane Cook spoof on SNL. I could not believe that Simmons was able to get them to pull that one off. Unbelievable.

Unknown said...

sparty-

I have to admit to being on Sports Guy's side of this one, but this one was a blow that Cook can't strike back on.

How does he get back at Bill for this one?

David Kippe said...

he doesn't, there is nothing he can do.

I didn't really care for the fued, but that was sweet to see.

A.P. Boynton said...

Ohio State has been consistent?


Did anyone not watch that game against Akron where they were only leading 3-2 at halftime? They were lucky their offense scored any points in the 2nd half.

Herbstreit also said that LSU was the most consistent team all year. If consistency is barely getting by Florida and then failing to beat an average Kentucky defense, then I wonder what South Florida is...superbly consistent?

USF won't lose to Rutgers or Louisville. If anything, they could get tripped up against Cincinnati. Louisville's defense is horrid while USF has a stout defense. The Bulls will only have 1 loss this year (just like Syracuse will only have 1 win this year...BASTARDS!)

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

For those who can't use youtube at work, here is a transcript I found...

ALCS: The 2007 playoffs, it all comes down to this. Red Sox versus Indians. It's like the French and Indian war, but instead of the French it's baseball players, from Boston. You've got Josh Beckett, Curt Schilling, DI-sah-KEE MOTTS-oo-ZOO-KEE-kah-KEE. But against the Indians they're gonna need more than blankets with small pox. They're gonna need baseball hits. Just ask C.C. Sabathia. This C.C.'s not a music factory, he's a pitching factory. The only reservations these Indians care about is a reservation for the World Series. There's only one playoffs, there's only one October, and there's only one logical spokesperson for baseball - Dane Cook.

NLCS: The NLCS. It all comes down to this. 9 games, 5 innings, 1 strike. It's the Colorado Rockies versus the Arizona D'Bags. Arizona's goal? Scoring goals. Baseball goals. Brandon Webb, (makes Spiderman's webslinging hand gesture with both hands and makes sound effect) Spiderman reference. And there's probably a player named "Ramirez". Meanwhile, the Rockies haven't been this good since they beat Hulk Hogan and Mr. T in the same movie. Todd Helton shouldn't have a batting "average", he should have a batting "outstanding". The Diamondbacks versus the Colorado Rockies. I'm pretty sure one of them is a hockey team. Which one? You'll have to watch to find out. 'Cause there's 20 guys on the field, but there's only one baseball Grammy, there's only one October, and there are three hundred of these promos.

TBender said...

...there's only one October, and there are three hundred of these promos...


...one of which included the Mets.

Oops.

Unknown said...

I still think that this was the best SNL of last year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb7eLgaddI4

danwise1856 said...

a.j. boynton,

OSU may have lead Akron 3-2 at halftime, but look at the final score. Akron gained 70 some yards for the game and had 3 first downs.

60 of those yards and 2 of the first downs came on the opening drive. The remaining on the last drive of the game.

Again, OSU's defense dominated and the offense came around in the second half.

Consistent with everygame. Defense dominates and offense does more then enough to win

pv845 said...

My favorite SNL skit from last year was the United Way commercial with Peyton Manning.

"Spend time with your kids so Peyton Manning doesn't ."

Travis said...

Im a big BC fan... Follow the basketball and football teams all the time.. Sorry hockey...UNH ROCKS! :p

I think this BC team can go undefeated and will be in the BCS Championship.

marcomarco said...

@pv845

United Way

futurelegendvinceyoung said...

Not that anyone on this board cares but the troubles that have plagued Nebraska football may soon becoming to an end. The University announced that Steve Pederson, the Athletic Director who is responsible for the rotgut that is now Nebraska football, has been fired. Of course Tom Osborne is on the short list of candidates to take over. No matter who gets the job Bill Callahan is going to be on one incredibly short, short leash.

I went to school at Nebraska during the remarkable 5 year run that makes USC current run look like garbage. Hopefully the next order of business is the termination of Callahan and that "sophisticated" offense and the horrible D-Coordintor Kevin Cosgrove.

Nebraska has not had many good days for football this millennium but this is definitely one of them.

hskr dave said...

Future Legend,

I am from Lincoln, and I agree with your post 100%. It is a great day. I think they both should have been fired at halftime against okie state. My candidate: Bring back Bo Pelini.

Unknown said...

I always sort of wondered how the Nebraska team stayed so good. They obviously had real powerful O-lines that could just about push around anyone they wanted. With top players wanting to play more in a pro style offense, it became harder to recruit those top skill positions. I guess if the local talent pool dries up and recruits don't see Nebraska as contending for a NC, recruits don't want to attend.

I always kind of liked Nebraska. Just a powerhouse old fashioned football school. Once they decided the answer was to go to a modern west coast, run and gun, short passing game type offense, they lost their appeal.

In college football we just expect the good teams to get the good recruits and the bad teams to stay bad. When perennial loser Rutgers, non-existent USF suddenly become powers while Notre Dame, Nebraska and yes, even my Syracuse Orange suck lately it is kind of interesting.

Syracuse used to get the top recruits from Long Island, NJ, Conn, and compete in Easter PA and get some from Florida. Now they are out competed by UConn, Rutgers Penn State (nothing new there), get nobody from Florida and they simply don't have the talent anymore. Frustrating to watch and I don't see a solution.

futurelegendvinceyoung said...

Cycledan one of the unheralded aspects of Nebraska football was the walk-ons they would get. Many of them were in-state and just wanted a shot to play for the Big Red. Callahan has abandoned that program and tried to go after top ranked recruits.

From what I have heard Callahan has not embraced the tradition of Nebraska football. This does not sit well with me since Nebraska is one of only 4 teams to have won 800 games (Michigan, Notre Dame and Texas are the other 3). I hope that the search does not take long and the new AD comes in and cleans the football house. Nebraska has the facilities and the tradition to still be a big time force in college football. They just need to get the right coach in there. My hope is it is not someone who is a big name. I hope they try to find a young coordinator in the Bob Stoops mold who will right the ship.

Melbye said...

Seriously, who wants to get rid of the Wild Card again?

PatriotsNation said...

The San Diego Chargers, looking for more offensive firepower, acquired wide receiver Chris Chambers from the Miami Dolphins, sources told ESPN.com's John Clayton.

Eric said...

Your BlogPoll is totally illogical. So, Michigan is two spots behind Cal he beat the team Michigan got blown out by? And, Michigan has an additional loss to a 1AA team whereas Cal's only loss came in the last seconds with its backup QB starting his first game. Makes total sense. Dropping Cal that many spots proves one thing, you didn't watch Cal-Oregon State and you probably don't know jack about the Pac-10 generally.

For you to even have Oklahoma that far ahead of Cal is just as ridiculous. Wait, so they lost to unranked Colorado and their best wins were against Texas and Missouri. Oh yeah, that is sooo much more impressive than Cal winning on the road against Oregon and at home against Tennessee.