November 4, 2009

IF YOU CAN'T WIN IT ALL, MIGHT AS WELL BE INTERESTING

Texas Tech will never be a national title contender, but at least they have a coach that can put them in the national headlines.

I guess that's better than not being a contender and not ever getting in the national spotlight.

Let's be real here. If the best season in your program's history ended with a 65-21 loss to OU (a legitimate perennial national power), a 7-point home win against Baylor (which led by 14 in the 2nd half) and a 47-34 bowl loss to a 9-4 Ole Miss team that had lost to Vanderbilt and Wake Forest earlier in the season...you're not a contender.

If that season is considered the "best in Tech history?" You get the idea...

That being said...and there's no disputing that fact...at least the Tech administrators know what they have in Mike Leach.

He's a quirky, interesting, genius who is a master of mind games, manipulation and the media.

His quotes and antics constantly make headlines and draw the attention of the national media.

Take his latest gem. The "fat little girlfriends" controversy.

Anyone with half a brain would know that Leach wasn't singling out any player's girlfriend. He wasn't making a statement about the obesity rate in America (right around 40% by the way). He wasn't starting a campaign against school lunches and the junk we're feeding our kids.

He was personifying the thing that distracts football players from playing to their potential: praise from family, friends, girlfriends, teachers, classmates, fans and the media.

That's what he was saying.

But why say, "Our players are distracted by the praise they're getting from their family and friends," when you can say, "As coaches we failed to make our coaching points more compelling than their fat little girlfriends."

Brilliant.

And we all know that if you play football at Tech, you don't have a "fat little girlfriend."

It caused ripples on a national stage and was a conversation piece at water coolers across the country.

Good publicity. And as some professional team owners believe, any publicity is good publicity.

He's also called out Browns coach Eric Mangini, A&M's "pretend" cadet corps and the Aggie coaches.

The point is, Mike Leach is a brilliant offensive football coach. He knows his stuff. He could and would probably be successful at any number of big programs in the FBS.

Any non-delusional Tech fan can agree that Leach is the best coach in school history. He wins more games every year than Spike Dykes did, plays a tougher schedule and is 5-4 in bowl games.

But having a brilliant coach doesn't mean you can be a national powerhouse.

I don't think you could bring anybody, any coach in the world to Lubbock that would make Tech a contender. Not Urban Meyer, not Nick Saban, not Mack Brown, not Pete Carroll, not anybody.

Why?

Location, location, location.

I'm not banging on Lubbock here. I happen to love the city. Met my wife there.

But Lubbock simply cannot compete with Gainesville, Austin, Los Angeles, Tuscaloosa, etc...in terms of weather, proximity to other "interesting" things or tradition.

I can hear the rebuttal now, "but look at Notre Dame, Michigan and Ohio State. They're national powers and are in 'bad' weather spots not close to anything great."

Yes, but back in the day, you used to have to go to those types of schools to get seen on TV. That was a big selling point.

Now 4- and 5-star high school seniors can go play football where the weather is warm (not dust storm desert-ish or cold) in great areas of the country - near mountains, hills, the beach, big cities - and be on national television nearly every Saturday (especially if your coach likes to play on Tuesday).

And it's those types of players that ultimately make a program a national title contender. You can have the best coach and scheme in the world, but in college football if you don't have the talent, you'll never win it all.

Plus, those other schools already have big-time tradition and momentum. It helps to tell a recruit you have 3 or 4-plus Heisman trophy winners or 5 national titles.

Tech can't show anything other than some SWC championships from the Stone Age and an 11-2 record in 2008 when they knocked off a #1 ranked team.

What I'm trying to say is that there are a lot of programs out there in the same boat as Tech - good teams with the ability to have a great year every now and then and to knock of some ranked teams - but don't have a Mike Leach to make them interesting and relevant.

I bet if Leach wasn't the type of coach he is, he wouldn't have half the talent on the roster that he does today....great talent brought to Lubbock because Tech is in the national spotlight every so often.

That helps in recruiting. It helps to get some very good players.

But the majority (the MAJORITY, not all) of the 4 and 5-star recruits (the type of players that lead to championships) will continue to go to Texas, Oklahoma, USC, Florida, Miami and LSU.

I'd rather have an interesting guy coaching my average football program than a completely boring guy coaching my average football program.

Wouldn't you?

October 28, 2009

ANYONE ELSE AGAINST A PLAYOFF?

This article was originally posted on May 3, 2009. Thought it would be good to bring up again mid-season. I'd like to hear your thoughts...


I'm beginning to think I'm the only college football fan left on the planet that is against implementing a playoff to end the season.

I'm not necessarily saying the BCS is perfect or that I'm even a fan of the BCS. What I'm saying is I'm all for the bowl system and keeping things the way they are for the time being...if there are changes, they just need to be small ones.

I think I have an interesting and unique perspective on college football - I went to a Division II school, have no true Division I (or FBS) allegiance, and would be just as happy watching Texas/OU, Florida/Georgia or Ball State/Toledo.

Last season I averaged watching 30 games every Saturday...not to mention the games on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.

I say all that just to say that I feel like I have a broad perspective on all things college football. For goodness sakes I can name every Heisman Trophy winner in two minutes with my eyes closed and hands tied behind my back hanging upside down.

The current system is interesting. It's dramatic. It makes the regular season the best of any sport in the country. And it's a tradition. Bowls have been around since the early part of last century...since the dawn of college football.

I do believe that there are certain things in life that need to be amended or revamped every now and then. Things like balding men just going ahead and shaving it off instead of trying to hide it or fixing my sprinkler heads to actually spray my lawn instead of the street in front of my house. 

But taking college football and jamming a playoff down its throat would be like making Navy SEALS eat marshmallows, sing Barney songs and wear Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle pajamas...it just wouldn't seem right.

Another thing that irks me is hearing our President (who's pro-playoff) say he hasn't talked to a single college football fan who isn't in favor of a playoff...he clearly hasn't spoken to me. And I clearly should be the Secretary of Sports in his Cabinet. He hasn't asked me yet. Still waiting for the call.

The scary thing to me is that President Obama is the type of person and leader whose opinion and encouragement could actually change the system. Of course that's only scary to me because I don't want that to happen.

There are probably millions of people out there who hope that the change is made.

Many of those who want a playoff are fans or supporters of small conference schools like Utah, Boise State, TCU and BYU.

One of those schools is usually in the BCS picture and whining that they should have a shot at the title. Well, they shouldn't.

You can't tell me and will never be able to tell me that a 12-0 Utah team (even one that beat Alabama) is on the same level as Texas, Florida or USC. They don't have the money, the talent or the schedules to match up.

And the wins by Boise State and Utah over major powers OU and Alabama lately don't hold any water for me. Last year Utah went undefeated playing in a pedestrian conference and had everything to gain by beating Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.

On the other hand, Alabama didn't lose a regular season game in the toughest, most brutal, viscous and hard-hitting conference in the country...battling week after week after week. And were coming off an emotionally destructive loss to Florida in the SEC Championship game that ruined their chances to win a national title. They weren't themselves.

Same scenario for Boise State and OU in the Broncos win in the Fiesta Bowl a few years ago. But that's a whole separate issue for a whole separate article.

What I'm trying to say in this post is that every week during the regular season means something in college football. Ohio State/USC this year will have national title implications. If a playoff were the case, a loss in that game wouldn't be nearly as detrimental.

Making the Rose, Sugar, Fiesta and Orange Bowls the first games in an eight game playoff would ruin the tradition and prestige of those bowls and diminish the usually glorious end of the season.

A playoff wouldn't end the whining or "unfairness" of the bowl system...in an eight team playoff, the ninth, tenth and eleventh ranked teams would all be picketing outside the Playoff Selection Committee's headquarters.

In a 12 team playoff it would be the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth...and on and on and on.

So let's not just make the change for the sake of giving everybody a Charlie Brown fair chance.

The other type of "Pro-Playoffer" is the person who likes college football, but isn't IN LOVE with college football.

Men, it's like you would have no problem watching one of your friends get his head shaved against his will as a prank...you'd probably think that was pretty funny. You'd laugh and point and go on about your business when the show was over.

But if it was your WIFE...someone you LOVED...you would do everything in your power to keep her head from being shaved for a silly prank. You would risk your neck because you know your life would be miserable for a long time (and her's would, too of course).

That's how it is with me and college football...I love the season the way it is and know that changing to a playoff system (aka "shaving her head for no good reason") would be terrible and not fun for anyone.

So let's keep a unique, intense and exceptional season the way it works best...the way it's always been done. A true recipe for legends, glory, fame, heroes and drama...college football in it's natural form - the bowl system.

And let's keep the playoffs working where they work best...everywhere else.

DON'T TEASE ME, COWBOYS

As much as I hate to say it...I may be slowing my dead sprint away from the Cowboys' band wagon.

Didn't say I was headed back towards it...just that I may be slowing down.

In case you forgot, after years of dedicated and passionate following, I had begun to take on my father's hyperbolic pessism in regards to America's Team.

http://blogs.scripps.com/abil/bigcountryfootball/archives/2009/09/cowboys-win-home-opener-in-blo.html

and then again...

http://blogs.scripps.com/abil/bigcountryfootball/archives/2009/10/newsflash-cowboys-arent-conten.html

My father's pessimism leads one to utter things like "Welp, here goes a pick-six the other way" before every Cowboys snap - or - "Oh we'll score here, but they'll give up a TD on the kickoff." Makes for an unappealing viewing experience for all others in the room.

In that last article I linked to above, "Newsflash: Cowboys Aren't Contenders", I referenced the fact that we don't have any "it" guys on the team. And the only ones that were close were on defense: Bradie James and Keith Brooking.

I know that Brooking is an "it" guy but didn't know what kind of influence he could have on a locker room in such a short time.

I'm not ready to say it yet...BUT...Brooking's craziness and fire may be infiltrating the blahsay attitude of the Dallas locker room.

Look at the standings...we're 4-2. A half-game out of first. Two plays away from being 6-0. We DO NOT deserve to be 6-0. We deserve to be 4-2...just sayin'.

After the first five games, we'd only beat teams who hadn't won and lost to teams who hadn't lost. But that's changed after Sunday.

We beat a pretty good Atlanta team pretty good.

Miles Austin followed up his 250-yard receiving performance in KC with another 150+ yard day. He is finally showing everybody what the Cowboys scouts saw from him at Monmouth many years ago.

But it wasn't our offense that impressed me the most. It was our defense.

Finally showing signs of life. Getting to the QB. Causing fumbles. Picking off passes. That's more like it.

And behind every big defensive play (or special teams and offensive play for that matter) is a crazy-eyed Keith Brooking head-butting an innocent ball boy or yelling and spitting all over the wire-carrer guy.

I love it.

I can't say for sure, but I don't know if Mike Jenkins and Terrence Newman make the hits they made on Sunday if Brooking wasn't on the team.

His presence breeds violence. If there was just some way we could convince him that he played 10+ years with every team we play for the rest of the season....hmmmm......

Again, I'm not ready to believe the Cowboys are Super Bowl contenders. Or that they're even going to win a playoff game.

I am ready to say that someone has to make it to the NFC Championship this year. Who's it going to be?

New Orleans has shown they're for real. But the only other team that has lost fewer games than Dallas is Minnesota, and they're a Brett Favre arm-falling-off away from being mediocre.

The Giants have shown major weaknesses. Brandon Jacobs hasn't run for 100+ yards in an eternity.

The Eagles may be without Brian Westbrook for the rest of the season.

The Redskins haven't scored 100 points yet this year.

Hope for winning the division or at least making the playoffs and maybe winning a Wild Card game has begun to emerge it's bruised and battered head from the depths of the goo, guts and mayhem left over from the Sunday night Giants loss.

It's not all the way out yet. But at least it's alive.

And if anyone can snap it back to life by spitting and screaming nonsensical obscenities at it and head-butting it in the chest until the blood starts flowing and the strength to stand (and run for its life) is regained...it's Keith "Crazy-Eyes" Brooking.

October 26, 2009

TEXAS IS PEAKING

Funny how Florida comes-from-behind to beat a 3-4 Arkansas team at home, then has to pull out all the stops against 3-5 Mississippi State, and it's pegged as "just a good team playing against great SEC defenses...an old-fashioned slug fest."

And then Alabama squeaks past a Tennessee team that's still a year away from being an SEC contender? Same thing...a great SEC slug fest.

But when Texas pulls out a close win against biggest rival OU on a neutral field, it's an "ugly win" and "Texas isn't as good as everyone thought."

Why? Because they struggled in the first half against Colorado?? UT won that game 38-14 and showed that it wasn't a one-dimensional team by overpowering the Buffs on defense and special teams.

I'm not taking anything away from Florida or Alabama - they're great teams - but all this talk about Texas not being able to compete should be thrown right out the window.

They're all legitimate title contenders but could all lose very easily in the next few weeks.

Florida has Georgia on Saturday. Bama still has to play LSU and at Auburn.

The Gators could all but clinch the East with a win on Saturday, but the West is still up for grabs between the Tide and LSU Tigers.

And if those two teams do win their respective divisions, they'll have to play in the SEC title game.

If Texas is still unbeaten, there will not be an SEC Championship rematch in the BCS Title Game.

All that aside, Texas has the #1 scoring offense in the nation.
UT is #2 in total defense.
The Longhorns have the largest point differential than any other team in college football.
The last five games? Texas has given up a total (TOTAL) of 103 rush yards on 128 attempts including -16 to OU.
And to top it all off...Colt McCoy needs just four more wins to break the all-time FBS win record by a starting QB.

Texas went on the road and played its first complete game on Saturday in a huge win over Missouri.

They dominated in all three facets of the game.

Next up is an OSU football team that has regrouped since an embarrassing home loss to Houston, and despite not having Dez Bryant or Kendall Hunter in the lineup (although Hunter may try to play a limited role on Saturday), the Cowboys would take over the South lead with a win this weekend.

Doesn't help that OSU has beaten Texas twice...all-time.

Texas is just as dangerous as any team in the nation right now. And just like every other team in the nation, could lose any of their remaining games if they don't come to play.

(some) TEXAS TECH FANS NEED TO GET A BRAIN

(disclaimer: any mention of the group "Tech fan" or "fan base" in this article is only referring to the mass of people chanting at the game on Saturday night. I acknowledge the majority of Texas Tech football fans weren't involved)

I'm a huge football fan. High school, college, pros. I'm passionate. I get in to it. It has an affect on my mood...it can ruin a day (or week) for me. I've broken things while watching football. I've cried. I've screamed. I'm a pretty typical fan (in my opinion) and do many things that many typical fans do. I get it.

But there's one thing I absolutely DO NOT get nor will I EVER get...booing a college football player.

It happened Saturday night in Lubbock to QB Taylor Potts.

Most, if not all, Tech fans brag about their loyalty, dedication and passion. Lubbock is a tough place to play, and Tech fan takes pride in that.

But any Tech fan who took part in chanting "No More Potts" on Saturday in the 3RD quarter of Tech's loss to A&M should be banned from any sporting event in Lubbock and (in my opinion) forced to eat nothing but molded oatmeal and spoiled milk for the rest of their idiotic lives.

Taylor Potts lives and breathes Tech football.

He wakes up thinking about it. He goes to sleep thinking about it. He's consumed by it all day everyday and has for many years.

In six games this year, Potts has thrown for 2,127 yards, 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He's been sacked 11 times and has a QB rating of 146.2.

To put that in perspective, Texas QB Colt McCoy has a rating of 143.3, has thrown 14 touchdowns, eight interceptions and been sacked 12 times.

There's just two main differences:
  • 1. Texas is undefeated and ranked 3rd in the nation.
  • 2. Texas is a better team with better talent, better facilities, better coaching, better discipline, in a better city.
Any of the fans chanting for the benching of Taylor Potts want to point out that an incredibly undisciplined Red Raiders team has been penalized 12 more times than any other program in the nation?? How about chanting "No more penalties!!""???

Maybe Potts is having to force things because the rest of the team can't do their jobs.

And how about the fact that the Tech defense is not all that great.

Here are some defensive conference stats for you...these are Big 12 rankings:
#11 in passing yards allowed
#8 in rush yards allowed
#8 in total yards allowed
T#8 in interceptions (just five)
 #9 in points allowed

Listen here, Tech fan - you had a great year last year. Beat a #1 ranked team. Had a great QB and a great WR that led an explosive offense.

But you know what else you had? A decent defense. Here are the same defensive categories I listed above from the 2008 season (in the same order listed above):

#3
#6
#4
#2
#3

If Tech fan can't realize that a good defense makes a difference in how your QB plays, then that fan should have "IDIOT" tattooed across his/her face.

It makes a difference.

But it's way easier to completely demoralize a young kid and his family by chanting "No More Potts" in front of 60,000 people than it is to actually know what in the world you're talking about.

It's like Tech fan thinks Taylor wakes up at noon. Rolls out of bed to eat some Fruit Loops and play video games, then comes to the stadium on Saturday and laces 'em up.

You don't think he's trying just a little harder at being a football player than Tech fan is at being a complete waste of space?

Makes me absolutely sick.

And not just for Taylor, but for any young athlete who pours his/her heart and soul into something and is then completely ostracized by the very group of people he/she is doing everything he/she can to please.

I'm sure it happens every week somewhere across the country. But it's never really hit this close to home.

I've known Taylor for a long time and know his family well. They are some of the best, quality, upstanding people I've ever had the privilege to know.

And this isn't some kid who's been in trouble with the law. He hasn't been arrested for beating up his girlfriend, for public intoxication or for disorderly conduct.

Taylor doesn't talk trash on the field. He doesn't taunt the other team. He doesn't say stupid things in the media. A player that does those things might be deserving of some fan ridicule if he's not performing well.

But Taylor hasn't done either of those things. He's a good kid, and he's played hard.

All he does is do everything exactly right, try his ever-loving rear end off and gets booed off the stage because Tech is having a good year instead of a "great" one they had at the beginning of last year for the first time in 1,000 years.

Does it really take less than 12 months to forget that you've always been just an average program?
 
Taylor's numbers are way better than most QBs in the FBS.

Not to mention he was illegally hit (helmet-to-helmet) in the Texas game and spent the night in the hospital a few weeks later after suffering a major concussion. What else does he have to do to prove to Tech fan that he's dedicated and willing to give up his health and lot of other things to win games for an ungrateful fan base?

Tech fan can have an opinion and talk to others about the possibility of putting someone else in at QB. That's part of the position: you get all the glory and all the ridicule.

But no college athlete should be ridiculed like that. In front of his family, his close friends, his team.

I hope Taylor doesn't ever play another down for those idiotic, dim-witted, dense Tech fans that booed him the other night.

I hope he transfers to another school and finishes his career with a fan base that actually knows something about football.

Taylor would never say it, but he's a better athlete, student and human than about 99.8% of the people walking around this planet.

And I can tell you one other thing, too - Not a one of those fans would boo Taylor to his face because (although he never would) he could smash them all into little pieces with one arm.

It just says a lot about the Tech fans that took part...they're cowards with no intellect and will only be successful in life if someone comes up with a way to make a living by being a completely thoughtless, selfish, tactless and gauche human being.

October 22, 2009

THE SPIRIT OF AGGIELAND HAS LEFT THE BUILDING

Let me start off this article by saying that, technically, I have no allegiance to any FBS school.

I graduated from ACU. My parents graduated from ACU. If I have any college football allegiance, it's to the Abilene Christian Wildcats.

That being said and to offer full disclosure...my in-laws (mother, father, brother) are just about the biggest UT fans on the planet.

Now that that's out of the way...

Texas A&M is absolutely terrible.

They blew out New Mexico and UAB and squeaked by Utah State at home in their first three games.

Heading into a Week 4 contest with Arkansas, the Aggies had the #1 ranked offense in the nation...just a tad misleading.

They got it handed to them at Cowboys Stadium by a pedestrian Arkansas team even after leading the game early 10-0.

Then they lost a close one to Oklahoma State in College Station thanks to 11 penalties by the Cowboys (or that one would have probably been a blow out).

Which brings us to the 62-14 loss at Kansas State on Saturday. Yes, Kansas State.

A team which barely beat UMass and lost to Louisiana-Lafayette. They also just lost to Texas Tech 66-14, and the Aggies play Tech in two days.

But it's not just this year. It's turned into a chronic problem.

Since the 1990 season, Texas A&M, which has long been perceived to be a solid football school, has won two (2) bowl games.

They are 2-10 since their win over BYU in 1990.

The two wins were against TCU (2001) and Michigan (1995).

Since the 1996 season (a span which has seen one Aggie bowl win), 94 different FBS teams have won at least one bowl game including Toledo, Rice, Florida International, Idaho, UNLV, Wyoming, Troy, North Texas and Bowling Green. That's pretty good company to be in.

The Aggies last AP Top 25 finish was in 1999. The last AP Top 10 finish? 1994. That's 15 years ago.

They're easily the fourth best team in the Big 12 South over the last ten years. And you could put up a great argument that only Baylor has been worse in the last five years.

It seems like I hear people (normally Aggie alum) asking, "what has happened to our great football program lately?"

I don't think that's the question to ask because A&M should not even be considered an all-time great program...not even close.

They've had some good years, but when you look at the body of work? They're 13-17 in bowl games (2-10 since 1991) , have won 1 national title (1939), 1 Big 12 Title (1998) and lost a lot of games against "inferior" opponents.

And I don't mean inferior on the football field. Lots of "inferior" teams have defeated A&M with less money, less talent, less national prominence and less tradition than A&M.

The Aggies have a good home-field advantage...but who really doesn't?

It seems like the state-wide (and even national) perception, is that A&M is a good program that is having some down years. But I think it's an average program that had some really good years.

I polled a bunch of different people and asked how many bowl games A&M has won since 1991. The average answer was around five. As I stated earlier, the correct answer is actually just two.

It's perplexing to me how they're regarded as a great (even good) program. Maybe it's just the tradition and the strength of the alumni. But they have traditionally NOT put a good product on the football field.

I'm not saying they haven't had great players or won some really big games, but anyone with money, talent and a fan base can do that.

To give you some more perspective, let's look at what Texas has done (remember my full-disclosure statement at the beginning). I only use Texas because they began playing football one year before A&M (1893) and are the Aggies' biggest rival on the field (even though they're not even Texas' biggest rival) and a big recruiting competitor.

UT has the second most wins in FBS history. They've won 25 bowl games including five in a row. Texas has won four national championships, two Big 12 Championships and won 25 SWC Titles.

That's a great program.

And there are about thirty other programs I could compare A&M with that would make them look average if not way below average.

I'm not hating on the Aggies...just stating some facts.

I'm sure I'll get some comments from Aggies about how I don't understand tradition or the Spirit of Aggieland...and I probably don't.

But I do understand records and accomplishments, and it just seems like the Spirit of Aggieland spent a little too much time practicing how to cheer and never learned how to play football.

October 20, 2009

IF SEASON ENDED TONIGHT, INGRAM'S YOUR WINNER

As a so-called "Heisman Expert", I feel that I have a pretty good understanding of college football's annual premier award.

I know every Heisman Trophy winner by heart and am working on the notable runners-up.

And in my opinion, if the season were to end today, there would be three young men invited to the DAC in NYC: Colt McCoy, Tim Tebow and Mark Ingram.

After watching ESPN's 67-hour long Heisman Trophy awards show and listening to Kirk Herbstreit awkwardly interview each finalist ten times...

...the award goes to??

Alabama RB Mark Ingram.

Well, that's in my delusional world of sanity.

In reality, the voters would probably vote for Tim Tebow because he's had such a brilliant career. Arguably the best in college football history.

And he overcame that concussion to lead his team to a road win at LSU. Not an easy task.

However, at this point of the year, the best player in college football has been Mark Ingram.

First of all, great name.

Second of all, he has played the best when it's mattered most.

150 yards at Virginia Tech to open the year. Huge.

140 and 172 yard in back-to-back road SEC games against Kentucky and Ole Miss.

And most notably, the incredible 246 yards against South Carolina...when the Gamecocks knew what Bama was doing.

In what could possibly be the "Heisman moment" for Ingram, he took direct snap after direct snap late in a one-possession game, gasping for breath on an injured knee and absolutely ran over a very strong South Carolina defense to seal the win for the #1 ranked Crimson Tide.

Not saying I don't want Colt to win, but Ingram has impressed me from week 1. Nobody with more than 135 carries is averaging more yards per tote than Ingram. Plus he has eight rushing TDs and three receiving.

Tebow has had another strong year. He's in the top 5 in QB rating and only five QBs in the FBS have a higher yards/attempt number (I like that stat - measures efficiency).

Plus he's won the award and has two national championships under his belt. That's a lot to consider.

McCoy has not been himself when you look at QB rating...he's ranked somewhere in the 40s. But he's right up there in accuracy, hovering around 70%.

More importantly, he led Texas to a close win against Oklahoma. But that win may not get as much national credit as it deserves since Sam Bradford went down early and McCoy's numbers were less than stellar. But it really doesn't matter what McCoy's numbers were - he won the game. Period.

Colt will have another chance at a "Heisman moment" in the final six weeks...four of those games are on the road. At Missouri, at Oklahoma State, at Baylor and at A&M (on four days rest).

Texas has only played one true road game this year...at Wyoming. So the test for UT has just begun.

So as of today I think Ingram would win.

But that's why they don't give the award out mid-season. We still have a lot of ball left to play.

Unless the sun explodes, Bama and UF will play in the SEC Title game.

And Texas at Oklahoma State could end up being the Big 12 South championship. OSU is not an easy win...especially on the road. Who does the South champ play in the Big 12 Title game?? You got me...it's completely wide open.

A team with three losses is leading the division. Missouri is 0-2. Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado are tied for second. Not a strong division. Not consistent either...Colorado loses to Colorado State and Toledo, then beats Kansas.

Nebraska should have beat Virginia Tech on the road, did beat a ranked Missouri team on the road, then loses to Texas Tech at home.

I could go on and on. In conclusion, the Big 12 North is completely unpredictable.

Texas and Florida are the easy picks to play in the National Title game...today.

But on this day, October 20, 2009, I'm saying that I would not be shocked if it weren't those two teams bashing heads at the end of the year. In fact, if I were a betting man, I wouldn't put a dime on a UT/Florida Title game.

Remember...41-point dog Stanford beat USC two years ago.
UTEP beat Houston.
Washington beat USC.
Boise State beat OU.
West Virginia beat OU.
BYU beat OU.
Miami beat OU.
TCU beat OU.
Ok...sorry OU...got a little out of control.

Anyway, all I'm saying is that in the Heisman race...in the national title race...anything can happen.

And I bet it will.

October 15, 2009

DESPITE WIN, COWBOYS STILL AREN'T CONVINCING

OK - let's all take a deep breath. The Cowboys won a thriller on Sunday afternoon.

Miles Austin set a franchise record for receiving yards in a single game.

Tony Romo averaged more than 10 yards/attempt again...he does that quite often, which is a very good stat.

Tashard Choice had 92 yards rushing....on EIGHT carries (an 11.5 average per carry). He had 6 carries for 83 yards and a TD in the second half alone.

The offensive had nine plays more than 15 yards and was 5-for-12 on third down.

The defense allowed 72 yards rushing and only 300 yards of total offense.

DeMarcus Ware had two sacks (the team had four total).

We outgained our opponent by 194 yards even though they ran 13 more plays than us.

All great statistics, and we won.

Great. Grand. Wonderful.

You'd see stats like that if you perused any championship caliber team's box score: Pittsburgh, New York Giants, etc...

But let me tell you why this "win" (quotations emphasized) did absolutely nothing to make me think we've "turned the corner" and are headed towards a championship.

This is the same team that I said didn't have enough people that cared as much as you need to care to win a championship.

It's very easy to see, and I didn't even have to watch the game.

There are three stats that stand out to me that scream "We're not a championship team!!!!"

PENALTIES Number and yards: 13-90
FUMBLES Number and Lost: 4-2
RED ZONE EFFICIENCY: 0-2-0%

Boom. That's all you need to know.

And we should have had more penalties...a few were declined or offset due to a KC penalty.

Championship teams don't consistently have penalty yards near 100.

Especially against a winless team.

Championship teams don't handle the ball like it's a WMD.

Especially against a winless team.

Championship teams don't treat their red zone opportunities like they're trying to win a big stuffed bear at the carnival for the girl their parents made take to the carnival who has sideburns and is wearing a Wrestlemania t-shirt.

Especially against a winless team.

There was one series in particular that stood out to me...kind of sums it all up.

Third quarter. Crunch time. Down 7 points.

KC has the ball at their own 44. We were called for defensive offside not once, not twice, not three times...but FOUR times. On ONE drive. One of the penalties was offsetting due to an offensive holding call...but still.

They ended up kicking a FG to take a ten point lead at the end of that drive.

To me, that's all coaching.

What kind of team lines up or jumps offside four times on a drive that basically starts at midfield? A poorly coached one. A team that isn't disciplined. A team with a head coach that is as soft as one of those huge air cushions that stunt men dive onto from the top of skyscrapers.

Yeah, we won.

Miles Austin and Tony Romo were celebrating on the sideline like they just won the Super Bowl.

We're 3-2 instead of 2-3.

Everything is fine again.

Big whoop.

No it's not. This is the same team with the same problems.

Thank goodness there's no way we can lose this weekend.

We don't play.

October 6, 2009

I LOVE ME SOME BRETT FAVRE

Brett Favre has taken a lot of heat in recent years about his indecisiveness regarding the future of his NFL career.

He's retiring? No, he signed with the Jets. He had surgery and is done? No, someone saw him getting on a plane headed for Minnesota. He's through. He's back. He's gone. He's here!

I wept at his very first retirement press conference when it happened a few years ago for crying out loud.

I've heard and read people calling him a liar, an attention hound, immature, inconsiderate and even a phony.

But you know what 100% of all the Favre-haters out there have in common?

They aren't the greatest QB in NFL history. So shut your cake holes and leave the man alone.

I could rattle off all the career numbers that we've all heard over and over...all-time TD leader, all-time passing yards leader, (most impressively) most consecutive starts in NFL history and on and on and on...

By the way...his consecutive starts streak makes Cal Ripken's look like the fourth grader who never missed a single day of fourth grade the whole year.

We all know the great numbers. We know he's won a Super Bowl. We know he's delivered some of the most memorable performances in league history (like the Monday Night game he played the day his dad died...just got chills thinking about it).

So why does anyone care if he can't make up his mind about when to end, arguably, the greatest career in professional sports history?

Who does it inconvenience? Whose life does it alter in any way?

His family. OK. They obviously count, but they obviously give him the green light to do whatever it is he feels like he should do. They support him.

No one else matters one iota.

Oh, I can hear them now..."Well it effects the teams he's considering because they can't gameplan and prepare until they know one way or another."

Give me a break.

The teams that he's considering are only getting that much more attention and are put in the national spotlight that much more which leads to just one thing: more money.

Sounds like a raw deal.

I haven't looked at the ratings from last night's Vikings/Packers game, but I would bet they are way off the charts.

It was one of the most interesting and dramatic story lines in recent years. In any sport. It would be like if Derek Jeter played for the Red Sox and led Boston to a pivotal regular season series sweep over the Yankees at Fenway. Now that's drama.

And last night Favre not only became the only QB in the history of the league to beat all 32 teams, he was absolutely brilliant.

271 yards passing on 24 completions, three TDs, no picks, seven receivers had more than one catch, no one had more than six, and he looked like he was 28 again.

He had touch when he needed it and that blazing, frozen rope, break-your-fingers, Favre velocity when he needed it, too.

Not to mention he didn't get sacked.

He's the most interesting professional athlete in the world right now.

So why in the world would we not want him making headlines? Either on the field or off of it with his "flip-flops"?

You know the league absolutely loves it. You can't make this stuff up. He's a ratings magnet. Like keeping Spencer Pratt on "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here" even after he tries to quit like three times.

People can't not watch him. He is absolutely great television, and the NFL is just that - a television show. And they know it.

You say he's an egomaniac and only wants the attention?? SO WHAT?!?!

So would YOU if you had the physical and mental skills to be the best in the world at something.

And not just like the best fake-plant gardner or something...the best at the most popular position in the most popular sport in the most popular league ever known to man.

I'm not exaggerating...look it up.

No sport has ever been as popular as the NFL is today. Look at TV ratings, fantasy football, attendance, etc...

I don't want Favre to ever retire. I hope he keeps the millions of people watching his every move guessing for many years to come.

The guy turns 40 on Saturday.

I wonder if Favre daydreams about how he'll leave the game.

I wonder if that daydream is of him in 30 years throwing a touchdown pass to some kid who isn't even alive today, then celebrating with his offensive line, blowing a kiss to his wife, children and grand-children, kneeling down at midfield, laying his head on the soft, spongy grass, closing his eyes...and never waking up.

Morbid? Yes. Fitting? Absolutely.

I love me some Brett Favre.

We should want him to hang around as long as possible because there will never be another one quite like him. Soak him in while you still can because I heard he's retiring at the end of the season.

 

October 4, 2009

NEWSFLASH: COWBOYS AREN'T CONTENDERS

Guess this really isn't breaking news.

This is something that I've come to realize over the last two weeks (or three games).

The Cowboys don't have what it takes to win an NFL Championship.

And it's not the personnel. Our players are extremely talented...above average at nearly every position.

It's not our scheme. Jason Garrett is a fine offensive play-caller. Wade Phillips always puts together a good defensive game plan. Our players are usually in good position to win games.

It's our attitude. Plain and simple. The Cowboys players who have the task of leading this team to a championship simply don't know what it takes to win it all. They don't care.

I'm talking about the players in leadership positions: Tony Romo, Jason Witten, Andre Gurode, Marion Barber, Flozell Adams, Demarcus Ware, Terrence Newman, Marcus Spears.

Now, I'm not saying our players don't care about the team, the coaches or the season. They put in the work in the offseason. They go through a grueling training camp. They watch film and practice every day. They care in the sense that this is what they do for a living. They care about their teammates a great deal.

But they don't care they way you're supposed to care if you want to win it all and go down in history as one of the all-time great teams.

And all the players I've listed are great players. Great players. And I'm not saying they don't deserve to win or they don't work hard or they slack off or anything like that.

But if you go down the line, each and every one of those guys are low-key, mostly quiet guys.

Barber may go crazy after big runs, but if that guy wasn't an NFL running back, he'd be working the night shift at the graveyard. Ever wonder why you never see him doing any interviews for the cameras? It's because he never does interviews...he's just a shy guy. You get the sense that he absolutely hates being around people. Trust me, I've seen him on the field and in the locker room after games.

And there's nothing wrong with that...nothing.

Witten's a pretty quiet, down-to-earth guy, too. Romo's the same. DeMarcus Ware isn't an in-your-face, talk-trash kind of guy. Neither is Roy Williams for that matter.

And all those guys are great people. They work hard. They play hard. They're good players.

You just can't have a team made up entirely of guys like that and expect to win championships. Period.

We don't have a Michael Irvin or Emmitt Smith personality.

We don't have a Ben Roethlisberger.

We don't have a Tom Brady or a Randy Moss.

We don't have a Brett Favre or Reggie White.

There's no one on our team like John Elway or Jerry Rice.

You can match up our players' stats and accomplishments with those guys at similar points in their careers. You can argue numbers and tangibles all day. I get it.

But the thing that we don't have is the thing that each of those guys had that you can't define.

It was their swagger, their confidence, their "I'm going to beat you today and there's nothing you can do to stop me and I'll yell it in your face while I'm doing it" attitude.

It's what people call having "it". Other people refer to it as intangibles...things you can't measure.

You could take 97% of our team and build a champion. We have great players. The only problem is...none of them have "it".

Our head coach is the same way. And you know what? Maybe that's OK in the grand scheme of things. All those guys know that there are more important things in life than football. I get that, too. And I agree.

But the ones who separate themselves in the NFL...the ones who end up in the Hall of Fame...the ones who up-and-coming stars will be compared to for all time don't have that perspective.

To them, winning a championship is the most important thing in life. They're the kinds of guys that you absolutely HATE if they don't play for you. You know, Bruce Bowen, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Rodney Harrison, Larry Bird, Ray Lewis or Bill Laimbeer. You know what all those guys have in common? Right...

Not always a good perspective...but it'll win you titles if you combine it with raw talent, hard work and good, solid management.

I don't know...call me "old school" but I think the powers-that-be are making it harder and harder to have that kind of attitude. All the penalties they call now for personal fouls and "illegal" hits that are absolutely, perfectly normal, aggressive hits are absolutely ridiculous.

They do it in college, too. And I like that fact that the Powers are trying to make it more safe. That's great. But they're also in danger of taking away an aspect of the game that drew people to love football in the first place...the ferocity, the violence, the passion.

But I digress...that's another article. Back to the Cowboys.

I like Tony Romo as a person. There is not a person in the league more honorable and good than Jason Witten. DeMarcus Ware is a really solid guy. But unless we get somebody on this team that has "it", we'll never win an important game.

Bradie James is the closest thing we have. If his attitude were in Romo, our problems would be solved.

Did you see Keith Brooking go crazy when he made that play on fourth down today? That is what I'm talking about.

Instead, our coach and QB look like they'd rather be playing Go Fish than winning games on Sunday.

Something's got to change before we get back on top. Jerry Jones knows who has "it" and who doesn't. He'll find the right guys. Sometimes "it" doesn't show up in college so you have to rely a little bit on luck. Sometimes guys don't pan out like you think they will.

But he'll find the guys, and we'll eventually be the best again.

And, man, I hate to sound like a pessimist, but it just won't be anytime soon.

HOUSTON'S LOSS IS A HEAD-SCRATCHER

Not really sure how to explain this one.

UTEP beat Houston at the Sun Bowl late last night.

If you'd have told me before the season this was going to happen, I wouldn't have been surprised. But after the first few weeks of the season, it's a complete shock.

Let's go back one week to the Texas/UTEP box score.

UT held the Miners to 7 first downs. UTEP was 1-12 on third down. They completed nine passes and averaged .4 yards per rush (a total of 9 yards). UTEP racked up an impressive 53 total yards.

Granted, UT is the #2 team in the nation, and the game was in Austin. But it clearly proved that UTEP is not a very strong football team.

Then we go to Houston...a team that upset #5 Oklahoma State on the road then beat a Texas Tech team that was a few plays away from beating Texas in Austin.

Houston looked really good. People were starting to yell for the BCS. Case Keenum was being listed next to Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy on Heisman watch lists.

Then they went to the Sun Bowl. And lost.

And just looking at the box score really doesn't explain it.

Houston had 42 first downs. UTEP had 26.
Houston had 664 total yards. 83 more yards than the Miners.
Both teams were fairly efficient on third down.

But the Miners proved why running the football is so important.

They rushed for 305 yards while the Cougars only ran for 128. UTEP had the ball three more minutes than Houston. UTEP forced two turnovers and didn't turn it over once.

All those things are key.

And I noticed something else: UTEP outscored UH in the 3rd quarter 20-3. Not a big deal if you remember that OSU outscored UH 21-0 in their loss to the Cougs.

So what was the difference?

Houston got some breaks against the Cowboys in the fourth quarter of that game and held OSU to just 7 points while scoring 21.

Last night against UTEP, Houston scored 21 in the fourth, but they also allowed 21. And UTEP had a 70+ yard fumble return for a TD late in the game that sealed it.

Crazy to think that a team that totaled...TOTALED...53 yards against Texas could score 58 points against Houston.

Blame it on the late night game. Blame it on playing on the road. Blame it on Houston looking past UTEP to their big road game against SEC foe Mississippi State. Blame it on whatever you want. But Houston should NOT have lost that game.

And I hate to say it, but as much as I'd love for Keenum to be in the Heisman talks...his Heisman campaign is probably over.

I know he had a great night last night. A career night.

But if UH is out of the national spotlight...so will be there leader.

Unfortunate, but that's how it works.

Houston still has a shot to win the conference, but their bid for the BCS was shot into outer space when the clock hit all zeros at the Sun Bowl.

10-0 NOT A GOOD START FOR SOME TEAMS THIS WEEKEND

OK...this is just something weird I noticed this weekend.

I watched the Clemson/Maryland game (11 AM on Saturday). The Tigers jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead. They dominated early. They ended up losing.

Texas A&M played Arkansas at Cowboys Stadium last night. I predicted the Aggies would lose big, which they did. But they also jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead.

Oklahoma went to Miami to face the Hurricane. The Sooners were up quick, 10-0. They lost.

Case Keenum and the 12th ranked Houston Cougars had gone to then-5th ranked Oklahoma State and won. Then they hosted Texas Tech and won by a point. They led UTEP (a team the Texas Longhorns held to 53 total YARDS) 10-0...and lost.

It happened to Army, too. They led 10-0 and lost.

And wouldn't you know it? The Dallas Cowboys took a quick 10-0 lead in Denver this afternoon. Need me to tell you what happened?

What's the deal with the 10-0 lead? It's a curse or something.

And as for my predictions before games started yesterday...I was 4 out of 6. I missed Florida State/BC and Cal/USC.

October 3, 2009

PREDICTIONS FOR TODAY

OK...just so I've got it in writing in case I'm right. And if I'm wrong, I'll just delete everything.

I'm calling Miami to upset OU.
I've got Arkansas winning BIG over A&M.
FSU will beat Boston College.
LSU will beat Georgia.
Cal over USC.
Auburn over Tennessee.

That's all I got...let the games begin.

September 29, 2009

ROMO NOT OFF THE HOOK YET

First of all, let me say that I'm very happy the Cowboys are 2-1 instead of 1-2. After last week's loss to the Giants I had a stretch of time when I was hoping we'd go 1-15. I was a little disgruntled.

So I'll admit that I'm happy we're 2-1, but I won't admit that I've jumped back on the Tony Romo bandwagon. In fact, I'm still running wildly in the opposite direction.

He didn't throw an interception. He didn't throw a touchdown. He didn't fumble. He was accurate. He made good decisions. He won.

As I said last week? Big deal.

So he played pretty good in prime time, but he wasn't on network television.

He beat the Panthers, but they're not a division rival.

He made good decisions with the football, but it wasn't the first ever regular season game at Jerry World.

There were 15,000 less people on hand to watch.

You get my drift.

All that being said, my jury is still in deliberation on Romo. The jury made up of all the voices that speak to me during Cowboy games.

And he'll have to have a winning record in December and win a playoff game before they return to the court room with happy news.

An interesting note - Romo and Jake Delhomme had identical completion to attempt numbers (22-33) and threw for about the same number of yards. Delhomme even threw for a touchdown, one more than Romo. But he threw two picks and may not end the year as the Panthers QB. Just goes to show what making poor decisions gets you.

But enough about Romo...let's look at last night's game.

The first half was vanilla and boring. The first time since 2006 that we've gone scoreless in the opening two quarters.

We were average. Carolina was average.

But then something happened...the third quarter.

It was one of the most dominating third quarters I've ever seen from a Cowboys team, current or past.

We scored on three consecutive possessions. Had we scored touchdowns instead of field goals on two of the drives, it would have been 21 points instead of 13.

We did not allow a first down. Three "three-and-outs" is all Carolina managed.

We recorded our first sack of the season. It was Jay Ratliff by the way...have I mentioned that I think he's the best defensive player in the NFL?

It was a great third quarter and the reason we won the game.

Other things that stood out to me - good and bad:

  • We had the ball 18 of the first 25 minutes of the 2ND half
  • We dominated field position allowing Carolina to start just one possession outside of their 20.
  • Mat McBriar had five punts. They were all downed inside the Panther 20.
  • We allowed one 3RD down conversion the whole game.
  • We allowed less than 200 yards passing and 100 yards rushing.
  • We had a receiver catch more than one pass...in fact, we had TWO receivers catch more than one pass...oh happy day!!!
  • Our rushing attack gained more than 200 yards in the second consecutive game for the first time since Tony Dorsett was our running back.
  • Despite getting injured, Felix Jones averaged 11.8 yards/carry. He's having an MRI on his knee today and will hopefully be just fine.
  • We had nine penalties for 80 yards (Flozell Fat-ams had a few, but I'll let them slide since he completely silenced Julius Peppers the entire game).
  • We were 1-4 in the red zone...unacceptable. We will not win games against good teams if we can't punch it into the endzone when we get close. Two passes from the one yard line?? C'mon.
  • We finally recorded a sack. Jay Ratliff had the first. Rookie OLB Victor Butler had the other two - and forced a fumble.
  • Our secondary finally picked off a pass. Mike Jenkins had the first (we were the last team in the league to force a turnover this year). Terrence Newman put the game away in the fourth when he returned his pick for a TD.

Overall, I guess I was happy that we won although I'm still disgruntled about the loss to the Giants.

We play the Broncos on Sunday afternoon in Denver. That will be a bigger test than the Panthers.

And yes, I know how many times I use the word "We" when talking about the Cowboys. Leave me alone about it. It makes me feel important.

12-4 is still possible, however I don't feel as confident as I did before what will forever be known in my memory as "The Opening Day Disaster."

September 21, 2009

POTTS WAS THE BEST PLAYER ON THE FIELD

Texas Tech QB Taylor Potts was not able to pull off the upset win at Texas on Saturday night.

He probably had a rough time sleeping over the weekend thinking about Tech's missed opportunities and what could have been.

But I have never been more impressed with a QB's performance than I was on Saturday watching Potts operate.

On the road in front of 105+ thousand screaming UT fans. Against the #2 ranked team in the country led by a Heisman front runner.

He was poised. He was efficient. He was accurate. He was passionate. He was sensational.

And, oh my goodness, did he ever get obliterated by one of the biggest, baddest defenders in the country.

Not only did Potts get back up after Sergio Kindle nearly decapitated him...he led the Raiders on a scoring drive the next time he touched the ball.

Not many of us will ever know what it feels like to get hit like that...ever. Maybe if you've been involved in a head-on collision on the interstate. Other than that, nothing comes close.

Needless to say, Potts is a tough kid.

There were a lot of things out of Taylor's control that led to the Tech loss. But the things he could control were handled professionally and remarkably.

He was the best player on the field and has a huge career in front of him.

COWBOYS WIN HOME OPENER IN BLOW-OUT FASHION...OR NOT

At least that's what the headline should have said.

A quick glance at the box score reveals a similar number in the total yards column. Both teams had 13 possessions. Return yards were virtually identical.

Weighing heavily in the Cowboys' favor was a 154 yard advantage in the rushing category. Take away a 31 yard Brandon Jacobs run in the second half and he was held to 27 yards...no touchdowns.

The Giants were 0-for-5 in the red zone and were held to five field goal attempts.

Marion Barber rushed for 124 yards on 18 carries. Felix Jones was four yards away from the century mark.

On paper, the Cowboys completely dominated.

There was just one minor detail that derailed the Cowboys in their bid for a win in front of the biggest crowd in NFL history:

Tony Romo.

Three interceptions. 13-for-29 through the air. Passer rating?? N/A.

He wasn't sacked one time and had time to throw. And throw he did. To the other team. Three times.

One was returned for a TD. One should have been. And the last one looked like Romo was playing 500 Toss-Up with the Giants secondary.

You know how many Cowboy receivers had more than one catch?? Like to take a guess??

Zero.

Yes. Zero. Kenny Phillips had more catches from Romo than any of our receivers.

If you add 10 points to the Cowboys total, 10 points that we would have scored if we had three more possessions, and take away 17 of the 24 points New York scored off of our turnovers, the score would have been 41-16.

And if that game had been played at the same venue in Week 7 against that same Giants team with the same result? Big deal. We play the next week.

But when you put it into context...new 1.15 billion dollar stadium, division rival, all the Cowboy greats on hand, national TV, Sunday night, biggest crowd in the history of the NFL? A championship team would have won that game. Period.

I've defended Romo at great lengths over the last few years. But I can't do it now.

Even when the Dallas papers are saying he's taken the blame and earned the trust of his teammates.

Big deal. He should have already earned the trust of his teammates.

He should be winning those kinds of games now. Not earning the trust of his teammates by taking the blame for the most embarrassing loss in recent Cowboy history.

And this is how I feel 24 hours later. You can imagine the things I was thinking last night. It wasn't pretty.

I'll keep my hopes up and pull for the Cowboys. I'll hope they win a playoff game and contend for a championship. I'll watch the rest of the games.

But until Romo proves to me that he can play great (or even average for crying out loud) in a big game, I won't hold my breath.

There is one thing that could have been different last night to ensure a Dallas win. One small thing: If Romo had chosen to become an investment banker...then we would have won.

September 20, 2009

COWBOYS HAVE CUT ME DEEP

More to come on this catastrophe of a game tomorrow...after I've calmed down. I have never been more angry at the Cowboys.

I'm on the verge of adopting the Detroit Lions as my new team...that's why I must sleep on this loss and write my thoughts tomorrow.

As much as I hate to think about it...I'll probably watch the horror again tomorrow.

Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable.

We go out of Texas Stadium completely embarrassed with our tails between our legs...we open up Jerry World the same way.

Have we no pride???

I must stop...I can feel the flood of pessimism and anger about to break forth and take over.

Sleep - rescue me from this quagmire of pity and hyperbolic anger.

September 13, 2009

COWBOYS OFFENSE: A...COWBOYS DEFENSE: D-

At the end of the day I'm just happy the Cowboys beat the Buccaneers and are coming home next week 1-0.

It was a dominant performance by our offense. Well-balanced, efficient, few penalties, powerful and explosive.

But if we want to win the division and contend for a Super Bowl, our defense better get a lot better.

Now, the D didn't play terrible, we eventually wore down the Bucs offensive line and beat up Byron Leftwich pretty good...but we also gave up 450 yards, 21 points and nearly 30 first downs.

Those numbers are all way too big.

The bright spots were Jay Ratliff and Demarcus Ware (the fact that he wasn't seriously injured early in the game).

But Tampa Bay ended up with one more sack than us and they had one on the day. That's not good for a defense that thrives on big plays like sacks and tackles-for-loss.

Our second string line was in for a few of the big running plays which tells me that we better not have any serious injuries to our line. If Ratliff gets hurt, things could get ugly.

When he's blocked one-on-one and the play is anywhere around him? He makes the tackle. Actually, on the first play of the game, Ratliff was double-teamed and still made the play for no gain.

I guess I'm glad there was something major we need to improve after the first game. Normally we look unstoppable in the first month and completely collapse late in the year.

But maybe this year we'll peak at the right time: December and January.

Overall I was pleased. Romo set a career high in passing yards, we didn't turn it over, three different receivers scored TDs, and we were able to dominate the line of scrimmage in the fourth quarter.

But we won't beat the Giants next week with that kind of defensive performance because I don't think the Giants will give up as many big plays as Tampa did. In fact, we won't beat a lot of teams unless the defense tightens up a bit.

Like I said, I'm pretty pleased that at least there's something to improve

A good start to the year. 1-0 en route to 12-4. And remember, I predicted a 7-0 start.

Can't wait for next week.

KEENUM VALIDATES HEISMAN HYPE

The first thing I must mention about the Houston/Oklahoma State game is that (although I was really pulling for Keenam and the Cougars) I really didn't think they would win that game.

I even argued about it with a friend of mine named Shaun. I thought that it was too early in the year for the Cowboys to get caught off guard. I was wrong.

Shaun? You were right. And I'm happy.

But what a game that was.

Houston scored the first TD of the game off an OSU fumble deep in its own territory. They added a FG a few possessions later, and it was a pretty close game for most of the half. In fact, the time of possession was nearly identical.

Then UH went on a 96 yard drive with 5 minutes left in the 2nd quarter. On the ensuing kickoff ( I think the UH kicker was just trying to squib kick it), the ball caromed off a Cowboy and the Cougars recovered.

They scored another TD right before the half. 14 points in five minutes. A pivotal stretch in the game.

But the really impressive thing was what Houston was able to do in the second half.

Oklahoma State came out of the locker room with their grease hot, down 24-7, and scored three touchdowns. 21-0 was the third quarter score including an electrifying punt return by Dez Bryant.

Normally, a team ranked in the top 5, at home, that goes on a run like that, will end up running away with the game.

But that didn't happen.

So what was the turning point? How did Houston get the momentum back in its favor?

Special teams.

Oklahoma State was finally stopped late in the third and had to punt. They were deep in their own territory and had the Cougars placed at their own 35 yard line after a fair catch.

But there was a penalty, and they had to kick it again.

On the ensuing punt, Houston got a great return back to the Cowboys' 30 yard line. A swing of 35 yards.

The third quarter ended during the next drive, and Houston ended up scoring the first points of the fourth quarter on a fourth and goal plunge from the one yard line to retake the lead, 31-28.

The momentum OSU gained in the third quarter wouldn't have been stopped so quick had they not given up 14 points in the final 5 minutes of the half.

If that hadn't happened, the score could have been 28-10, a Houston TD in the fourth would have made it 28-17...not enough to get them back into Momentum's good graces.

But when that TD gives you the lead? Momentum here we come.

OSU answered with a 60 yard scoring drive, but what happened next will live in Houston lore forevermore.

OSU should have put the Cougars away early in the game, but when you let a good team hang around (even if you're at home) crazy things can happen.

And Houston needed crazy things to happen to win the game.

They'd already scored a TD on fourth and goal, so why not try it again on the next drive?

A fourth and goal that was tipped by an OSU defender...right into the hands of Houston. Mere inches away from falling incomplete and keeping the Cowboys in front. During the play, Keenum dodged and darted around Cowboy defenders until he could make a throw. They nearly had him more than once.

Instead, they're down three points needing a scoring drive to tie or take the lead.

So what happens? Another costly fumble. And although the Cougars didn't turn it into points, it was a lost opportunity for OSU to score. They started that drive inside UH territory.

OSU gets the ball back with 3:24 to go, down three. Plenty of time.

But then yet another crazy thing happened. A tipped ball, picked off by UH and returned for a TD. Game over.

Wow.

Keenum played a magnificent game and has truly validated himself as a legitimate Heisman contender.

But if I'm on the OSU coaching staff? All I can do is shake my head at the dozens (seemed like hundreds) of missed tackles, costly penalties and untimely fumbles that led to the loss.

It just goes to prove that even really good teams can get beat at home if they don't wrap up, play disciplined defense and let good teams hang around for too long.

A great win for Houston. If they beat Texas Tech and win the conference? Case Keenum will get a free trip to NYC at the end of the year.

He is must-see-TV.

And once again, Shaun? Good call...maybe I'll start listening to you more often...about anything but the Dallas Cowboys. You hater.

OBSERVATIONS FROM SATURDAY

Wow. What a college football Saturday. I'll get to the UH/Oklahoma State game in a separate post.

Things I noticed:

Texas took a while to get rolling, but when they got rolling, it was fun to watch. Former Southlake Carroll Tre Newton may end up having a great redshirt freshman season. He looked really good when Vondrell McGee went out.

Colt McCoy seemed to have a little trouble getting used to the thin air - had a lot of balls sail on him - but he ended up with good numbers (3 TDs passing, 1 rushing) and is in the thick of the Heisman race.

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I'm really mad at myself because I missed the end of the Central Michigan/Michigan State game. After Central Michigan missed the 2-point conversion, it was 2:30 PM so I switched it to the Texas game. I only noticed the score on the bottom of the screen later in the evening and read about what happened.

Cent Michigan QB Dan LeFevour is a player I told you all to look out for before the season. What a huge win for that program. And how about the player who was offsides on the first game-winning FG attempt? Wow. Wonder how he slept last night?

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Two games were decided by missed extra points: South Carolina/Georgia and Purdue/Oregon.

The Gamecocks had one blocked earlier in the game, so instead of being able to kick a tying FG in the final seconds, they had to go for the TD...didn't make it and lost.

Purdue missed a PAT and ended up losing to Oregon because of it. My argument on PATs is that if the game comes down to an extra point, then you didn't do the job in other aspects of the game. If you want to win the game, win the game. Don't let it come down to one point.

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UNC beat Connecticut on a bad snap that resulted in a safety. 12-10 was the final. UNC didn't look as good as I thought they would.

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Ohio State REALLY surprised me. USC was favored by 7, and I thought they'd have covered that two or three times over.

Instead they needed true freshman Matt Barkley to go 90-plus yards in the final seconds...AT Ohio State.

That was really impressive - and he did it on a banged up shoulder. I think he's going to end up being something very special.

And although USC didn't dominate like they did last year, a win's a win, and they'll keep their #3 ranking.

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And how's this for a crazy string of games: Wyoming beat Weber State, Weber State beat Colorado State, Colorado State beat Colorado, which got mutilated by Toledo, which got mutilated by Purdue which lost to Oregon, which lost to Boise State...wonder if that will ever come back around to Wyoming. I'll keep track of it.

EAGLES' ADJUSTMENTS WERE THE DIFFERENCE

The Abilene High/Cooper game was once again a memorable and entertaining game.

A 21-21 tie at the half, Cooper had run 47 plays. Abilene High? Just 17.

Cooper had the ball 18 minutes. Abilene High had it six. Six minutes, and they scored 21 points.

Normally when an offense scores that quickly, the defense is sucking wind and doesn't play very well. Any drive over nine plays begins to take a toll on the defenders. Cooper had three drives more than 13 plays on Friday. It was a great first half.

And I don't know the specific adjustments that were made (perhaps I could determine that if I could watch the game film again), but Abilene High stopped the Cougars on the first drive in the third quarter...held them to a FG...and that was the difference.

The momentum began to swing in the Eagles favor, and Cooper was never able to tilt it back their way.

Controlling the clock like that only works if you can stop the other team from scoring.

If that happens, the team that only scores quick will eventually run out of time.

It happened to the 2002 Abilene High Eagles. That was the year Marcus Johnson (QB) and Jerale Badon (WR) were seniors.

They had an unbelievable season and many thought they had a chance to play for the state title.

They lost in the first round to Lub. Monterey (a team they whipped early in the year) because Monterey kept the ball for so long. The Eagles simply didn't have enough time to score. It was an upset for the ages.

It looked like Cooper was on its way to that kind of win on Friday, they just couldn't come up with that big stop they needed.

Got to hand it to the Cooper offense for doing their part in keeping the ball out of the Sims boys' hands.

But you have to give more credit to the Sims boys. They were simply unstoppable.

Guess that week off didn't effect them all that much.

I wish that one had playoff implications instead of not having one ounce of importance in the standings...oh well.

LESSON IN COACHING

That's what Clemson coach Dabo Swinney got from Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson on Thursday night.

The Yellowjackets won the game but were completely outplayed by the Tigers. Georgia Tech started out good but faded late.

I don't know if they're in bad condition or just got lazy, but the Tigers won the game on the field. It was a couple of major coaching mistakes early in the game that cost Clemson.

Lining up for a field goal in the first half, the Yellowjackets put a return man deep in case Clemson tried to quick-kick.

Once they put the man deep, Swinney should have called timeout and put his punt team on the field.

Instead, they went ahead and kicked it to the deep man with nothing but big, slow lineman on the field to try and stop him. They didn't, and he went for a TD.

Later in the half, Georgia Tech appeared to be thinking about going for it on fourth down, but with about 20 seconds left on the play clock, the offense ran off the field and the field goal team ran on and lined up.

One of the Georgia Tech receivers stayed on the field, and only 10 men ran on from the FG team.

The Clemson defense didn't pick it up, the kicker threw the ball to an uncovered receiver, and they scored.

Take away those two huge mistakes and Clemson wins that game easily.

Tough way to lose in your 2009 national television debut.

And by the way, if you haven't heard the name Derrick Morgan? Pay attention. He is a DE for Georgia Tech, and he's a freak of nature.

He was the best football player on the field on Thursday.

Derrick Morgan. Number 91.

September 11, 2009

OBSERVATIONS FROM 1ST WEEKEND OF CFB

If you just look at current year performances (which in this case is one game), there are two Heisman Trophy candidates leading the way. BYU QB Max Hall and Alabama RB Mark Ingram.

BYU and Bama were the only two teams that defeated top 10 teams over the weekend, and those two guys were the main reasons each team won.

If they keep performing like they did and their teams keep winning, it's theirs to fight over. Not saying that other guys won't be in the mix, but they should be leading in everyone's brain-ballots right now.

And Terelle Pryor proved why he won't win: he just won't have the flashy numbers the other guys will. Great athlete, but he won't win it throwing 170 yards and one TD per game.

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I thought Navy was going to beat OSU after watching the first quarter of that game. They were absolutely dominating the Buckeye defensive line, gaining huge chunks of yards at a time.

I don't understand why Navy lined up in a passing formation on the 2-point conversion though. I can see maybe passing on that play on a play-action, but to just line up in a formation you haven't used all day? Crazy.

Bad call coach. They should have just run it in or faked the run before they passed.

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Alabama might be the best team in the country. Their two inside LBs are both 6-4 and closer to 260 than 250. And they can MOVE. They are unbelievable to watch.

The defense looks like an NFL defense at every position.

They have one of the best RB stables in the country and arguably the best WR in Julio Jones. Is it wrong to say I have a man-crush on him?

They should have beat Virginia Tech 42-6, and Tech is good. They outgained the Hokies by about 400 yards. The score was much closer than the game actually was. Alabama absolutely crushed them.

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Oklahoma State really surprised me. I knew they were going to be good, but I didn't know they were going to be good enough to beat Georgia by two TDs.

The jury is still out on Georgia. They may end up having a down year which would show that OSU isn't that dominant. Tough to tell at this point.

One thing I do know: Dez Bryant is ridiculously good.

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I don't know if Rutgers is just that bad or if Cincinnati is actually pretty good...??? Cincinnati is precise on offense and has some talent on defense. They completely dominated a Rutgers team that a lot of people thought would win that game. Cincy QB Tony Pike will be an NFL QB.

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Miami is MUCH better than I thought they'd be. Jacory Harris looks like a spaghetti noodle, but his poise and maturity at the position is very impressive.

Miami is fast. Very fast. They may just beat OU.

Their first four games are Florida State (which they won), Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and OU (not in that order). The experts were saying that if they went 2-2 through that stretch it would be great. They may go 3-1 or 4-0.

After watching all five teams? I don't see any reason why Miami couldn't beat all of them.

Of course, doing it in a month is going to be tough.

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Notre Dame looked really good. Nevada is not a terrible team. I've said for the last two years that I think Jimmy Clausen would be in the Heisman race. He may validate me this year.

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USC QB Matt Barkley is a real talent. I think his confidence and the fact that I don't think he really understands the magnitude of the position he's in will factor in to him having a fantastic year.

USC is really solid...again.

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Nothing else really stood out to me from the first weekend. Second weekend started last night...will comment on the Georgia Tech/Clemson game soon.

BYU PROVES ME RIGHT

If you'll look down a few posts on this blog, you may notice that I made an entry during the first few minutes of the BYU/OU game last Saturday night.

I mentioned that with the way BYU was playing early, they had a great chance to not only make it close, but win. They were controlling the line of scrimmage and looked crisp and efficient on offense.

After Sam Bradford went down with a shoulder injury, their chances increased greatly, and the Cougars left Arlington with a huge win.

Sooner fans have been saying all week that if Bradford hadn't gotten hurt, that wouldn't have happened.

Well you know what? Bradford got hurt because OU's offensive line is inexperienced and was getting beat up by the BYU front seven. That's how you win games.

Plus, Bradford was having a hard time finding receivers - they're young and inexperienced, too.

And if you'll remember, I wrote an article a few months ago about why I thought Texas would win the Big 12 South over Oklahoma. Two things: OU's offensive line and WR inexperience.

The same two reasons they lost the season opener.

OU is a good program and will bounce back and probably win their bowl game, but every now and then the stars align just right (or wrong depending on your perspective) and it's just not your year.

Bradford should be making millions in the NFL right now.

September 5, 2009

POTENTIAL OKLAHOMA LOSS

I think there's a great shot that BYU will beat OU. Nothing really crazy has happened today, and we're due.

If Navy had upset Ohio State (which they came extremely close to doing), I wouldn't give BYU a shot.

But since we've been treated to some sort of jaw-dropping Appalachian State over Michigan moment the last few years, I'm still waiting for the impossible to happen.

Go Cougars!!!!

Great...they just missed a field goal.

TEXAS ONESIE

My wife dressed my daughter in her pink University of Texas onesie this morning.

She looks very cute, but it's too bad there's no way I'm spending 40 bones to watch the game on Pay Per View.

OKLAHOMA STATE SHOCKER

I am completely blown away by the fact Oklahoma State beat Georgia.

The Bulldogs went 80 yards on their first possession, and it looked like they were headed towards a blowout win.

But the Cowboys adjusted and allowed Georgia just three more points the rest of the game while scoring 24 themselves.

Dez Bryant was shut out in the early part of the game but ended up with a couple of big touchdown catches proving why he may be the best receiver in college football.

We'll see his main competition (Alabama sophomore Julio Jones) in about 45 minutes.

I didn't think the OSU defense was going to be able to stop Georgia.

The Bulldogs are bigger and more experienced up front and used to playing against SEC defenses every week.

Anyway, the Cowboys validated their top 10 preseason ranking and just made the Big 12 South that much more interesting.

FRIDAY NIGHT MAYHEM

I've been closely involved (as a spectator, player or reporter) in about 17 football season.

I've never seen anything in North or West Texas like I saw on Friday.

Lots of times games are delayed or played on Saturday, but it was crazy to see how many games were straight up canceled.

It will be interesting to see how the extra "off" week helps or hurts area teams.

I think Abilene High is going to beat Cooper next week, but it may be closer since the Cougs have had an extra game to gel and gain some momentum.

Hopefully we won't have another Friday night like that.

It's never good when the weather is the top story at 10:30 PM on a Friday night in the fall.

GUESS I WAS RIGHT ABOUT OREGON

A few weeks ago I got into a rather lengthy debate about the state of Oregon football. I mentioned on this blog that I thought Oregon would lose to Utah on September 19.

Oregon fans came out of the woodwork calling me an idiot.

Looks like it doesn't matter if they lose to Utah, because they were absolutely dominated by Boise State on Thursday night.

Boise State is a good football team with a great quarterback. They will probably go undefeated and get an at-large BCS bid, but they're not THAT good.

The score was actually closer than it really was. Boise State should have won that game 35-6.

The Boise State offensive and defensive lineman beat the tar out of Oregon for 60 minutes.

Can't say I'm surprised.

Of course, I'll never point out when a prediction is wrong...just when I'm right.

September 1, 2009

COWBOYS AS READY AS THEY'RE GOING TO GET

Let the 2009 NFL regular season officially begin.

I wouldn't expect the starters to play much on Friday night in Minnesota, but they really don't need to. This team is ready to play for real.

The next two weeks should be about two things: getting Roy Williams' shoulder better and game-planning for Tampa Bay (the regular season opener is in Tampa on September 13.

On Saturday night, the starters once again dominated their opponent. A 10-3 half-time lead doesn't look that dominant, but we had the ball for about 20 of the 30 minutes in the opening half, Tony Romo threw for 195 yards, the Marion Barber-Felix Jones man-machine rushed for 70 yards and a TD, and four different receivers touched the ball.

Plus, we had another 90+ yard scoring drive. That's big.

That's how you win games in the NFL: by controlling the clock, keeping your defense fresh and staying balanced. Our pass:run ratio in the first half was nearly 1:1...that's great news.

And anyone that's sick of me singing Jay Ratliff's praises every time I post about the Cowboys? Do me a favor...just watch him on every play he's in there. He rarely doesn't make you shake your head in amazement.

He completely obliterated the 49ers' center on the first play from scrimmage on Friday and made a tackle for a one-yard loss. And if he does get beat? He comes back the next play with a vengeance. Just watch him.

And don't get all worked up about Romo's INT. It really wasn't his fault. Our fullback whiffed on his block forcing Romo to throw into pressure. He didn't get anything behind what would have been a probable TD and left it short. Those things are going to happen.

Overall, we look like a team that's ready to compete for a Super Bowl. We're not there yet, but it's a great starting point.

Here's a snapshot of my takeaway from Saturday's game: Romo looked poised and efficient. Miles Austin FINALLY did something in a game. Kevin Ogletree followed up a brilliant game against Tennessee with another good showing (this time against a starting NFL defense). Our running backs look great. The offensive line has looked quick and dominant. Anthony Spencer continues to look good. Mike Jenkins made a couple of fantastic open field tackles. Isaiah Stanback will probably not make the 53-man roster. Jay Ratliff does things in traffic that the majority of DEs and OLBs can't do in open space. He's amazing. Our defense has been ridiculously vanilla so far (which is just fine) and has been able to make big plays, but I can't wait to see when they start throwing some curve balls in there. 

And I still like my prediction that we'll start the season 7-0 before losing November 8 at Philadelphia.

12-4 here we come.