Some quick thoughts on Saturday's college football action:

Conspiracy!
What did BCS officials put in Marcus Vick's gatorade during the VA Tech/Miami game? Very disappointing performance by Vick and the Hokies. I know Miami's defense is good but Tech's offense was flatter than Kiera Knightley.

Yawn
Texas and USC looked awesome again. Bush, Leinart, and Vince Young are the reason these guys are undefeated and should be the top 3 in votes received for the Heisman. That will be a close vote.

Another quarter and we would have had them!
UCLA bummed me out. I had been hoping for a undefeated showdown between the Bruins and Trojans later this month. The boys from L.A. played with matches one too many times and finally got burned.

The ugly sister
Alabama is undefeated but they're not blowing your socks off are they? (sit down Bama fans, I'm ignoring you) It doesn't matter if they win out, if they continue to perform offensively like they have been the past few weeks, and the Longhorns and Trojans are still undefeated, nobody will have a beef that the Crimson Tide aren't invited to the party (still ignoring you Alabama folks). I will say this though, Alabama ought to have the chance to show what they can do if they run the table. A playoff system? What a novel idea.

Pink slip anyone?
I never thought I'd say this, but I miss Trev Alberts on ESPN. Did this network watch any of Lou Holtz's press conferences when he was a coach? He lives in a world where coaches and officials should not be questioned, criticized, or ever be held accountable. No team should ever be thought of in bad terms. It's not like I have some sick need to hear negative stuff but his rosy view about everything gets annoying. It destroys his credibility. No new insight is ever given by Lou. No real analysis ever comes forth. I now have the mute button ready to fire when the Holtzinator speaks.

 

 

T.O. Apologizes

 "It has been brought to my attention that I have offended the organization and my teammates. Therefore, I would like to apologize for any derogatory comments toward them." -Terrell Owens

Concerning my previous post, I think the Eagles and I are on the same wavelength. It's obvious T.O. was invited into the Godfather's office and presented options. I hope Andy Reid had cottonballs in his cheeks

. ....Or Not

 I guess you actually have to mean apologies these days (damn you Andy Reid).  Terrell Owens suspended indefinitely?  Why the ambiguity?  In terms of signing T.O., how many times a day do you think Andy Reid says to himself, "what the hell were we thinking?" Also which team is going to step up and take their dose of T.O. up the wazoo next? You know there is another coach out there with an ego big enough to think he can control him.

An experience my secretary had recently reminds me of the Owens situation. She really wanted to avoid getting the flu this year and the Human Resources office was offering free flu shots for employees. She knew that flu shots do some really good things for people. She also knew that these shots had given her problems in the past. She desperately wanted to stay healthy this year. So she took the risk and went and got the flu shot. Well, the result was inevitable. The next day she had a high fever, was running for the john every couple of minutes and basically had the worst case of the flu that she had ever had. She blamed the flu shot but she also blamed herself because she knew that for her, the risk was high. My point is obvious. The Eagles knew what they were getting. Any team in the future that is stupid enough to try this little game of T.O. roulette deserves what they get.

In the least surprising sports news item of the NFL season, Terrell Owens has again blasted the Eagles and Donovan McNabb. In an ESPN interview he agreed with some comments made by Michael Irvin that the Eagle's would be better off with Brett Favre at quarterback and probably undefeated. Then he went on to rip the Eagles for not having the class to celebrate his 100th TD with the pomp and fanfare he deserves.

First , I can't put into words how much I hate this guy. I root for bad things to happen to Owens every week. I don't care what it is. Dropped balls and bone-crushing hits that leave his mouth paralyzed forever are a couple that come to mind. For him to repeatedly trash his quarterback and one of the genuinely good guys in the league is not only wrong but downright stupid. I mean this is the guy that will decide if he wants to throw you the ball. And to accuse his own organization of lacking something (class) of which he doesn't have a shred of, is just ridiculous. I'm so tired of athletes trying to make themselves into the victim. I watched Karl Malone do this over and over in Utah. It's boring, childish, and definitely gives us a clue about the insecurities some of these guys have. Andy Reid and the Eagles ought to go all "Godfather" on his ass and leave a horse's head in his bed tonight. Actually, animal rights activists might hunt me down for that statement so maybe other messages could be sent to Terrell in the spirit of the Godfather. A couple of ideas:

1. Make him an offer he can't refuse. Donovan and all his offensive lineman show up at T.O's house to present him with some options. Either he shuts up and plays hard or......ah hell......screw the options, just rip his tongue out and render him speechless for the rest of his life. And yes, I know I'm demented.

2. Tell him he's going to sleep with the fishes. Maybe a threat of a trade to play under Gus Frerotte with the Dolphins would help him shut up. Since the Dolphins are actually a pretty decent team and someday might have a decent QB, this might be too much of a reward for him.

3. Even better, threaten to trade him to the Texans. Actually, don't threaten, just do this. He deserves this. The Texans don't, but I'm all about making T.O. hurt here.

4. Give him the Kiss of Death. Remember in the Godfather II that look Fredo got on his face after Michael kissed him and said, "I know it was you Fredo". Classic "holy crap, I'm screwed" look. This is the look we want for T.O. ---I've figured out how to achieve this. Lure Owens into a secure area of the Eagle's facilities. Lock him, Keyshawn Johnson, and former Eagle receiver Freddie Mitchell (the guy who thanked his hands for being so great....and then was cut) in a room together for at least a month. To recoup some cash, the Eagles could sell footage of this for a reality show.

Did I mention I hate this guy?

Being a Utah guy I have to say something about the upcoming Jazz basketball season. The last couple of years have been a strange experience as a Jazz fan. When the Stockton and Malone era ended many experts picked the Jazz to finish as the worst team in the NBA for the 2003-04 season. They defied expectations (42-40 record) and just missed the playoffs that year with the help of a rising star named Andrei Kirilenko. The Jazz had plenty of money to throw around last year and they shot their wad on Carlos Boozer (ok so he stabbed the Cavs in the back but it seemed like a good deal for Utah) and Mehmet Okur (a promising scoring center on the bench in Detroit), and gave a nice contract to point guard Carlos Arroyo, who had just trashed the U.S. squad in the Olympics for Puerto Rico and seemed ready for a breakout year. The Jazz were promoting their slogan for the year "I can't wait" and it seemed to represent what many Utah fans were feeling. There was a palpable excitement about the promise and hope of this team. Jazz fans had been hearing for years before Stockton and Malone left that their era was ending. By the time it did, many were feeling some feelings of relief. We would miss the dynamic duo and things were going to be rough in the future until new stars emerged, but at least we could start that process (be careful what you wish for).

That's why the 2003-04 season was so cruel. We had no reason to expect anything that year and then somehow Kirilenko and the Jazz overachieve and are fighting for a playoff spot until the last day of the season.

Then came the 04-05 season. The Jazz win their first 6 games, Kirilenko is scoring and seemingly blocking every shot put up by the opposition. Their was excitement in the air. This team's down time was going to be non-existent!......Um...Earth to Jazz fans....come in Jazz fans..... Yeah. Kirilenko ends up getting hurt and spending half the season in street clothes. Arroyo never plays up to expectations, ends up in Sloan's doghouse and is traded to the Pistons. Boozer also spends significant time hurt and although his stats aren't bad, Jazz fans are more than a little disappointed in his season. Final record 26-56. Ouch. Back to reality.

The end of the season brought the Jazz the highest draft pick (traded up to get the # 3 slot) they had seen in a long while. They needed a point guard and they had Chris Paul and Deron Williams as the two highest rated guys to pick from. As everyone knows they went with Williams. This was no surprise to anyone familiar with Jerry Sloan. Williams seemed like the tougher guy, with a willingness to get others involved in a game. Sloan has always valued that over flashiness and scoring, which is what I'm sure he and the Jazz brass saw in Chris Paul. I have to admit I wanted them to draft Paul. The Jazz need a go-to guy and even though Boozer and Kirileko can score in double digits, I think they need someone else who will take the big shot when it's needed. Chris Paul seems like that type. Maybe I'm wrong and Deron Williams will end up being the better point guard in the long run and Paul will end up much like Stephon Marbury (talented, a scorer, but not a great player), but I have my doubts.

The Jazz have some questions that need to be answered in mind for this year:

1. Can Kirilenko stay healthy and regain his 03-04 all-star form?

2. Can Boozer stay healthy and play like the guy the Jazz thought they shelled out all the cash for?

3. Can Deron Williams develop into a solid point guard this year and show all-star potential for the years to come?

4. Can Jerry Sloan relate to his players and actually adapt his style to fit the personnel he has?....Wait I know the answer to this already. As Napoleon Dynamite would say, "Idiot!"

5. Can Okur and Kirilenko avoid hair styles this year that leave grown men crying and mothers shielding their babies eyes?

I think the Jazz will be lucky if they come anywhere close to replicating their 03-04 season. I have hope for them but I'm also realistic that they may be a couple of years and a couple of players away from contending for a playoff spot. At any rate I'm still a fan and will stick with them no matter how painful it is. You can still get Tylenol over the counter right?

The Steelers dodged a purple and black bullet last night. This was an ugly game (not surprising considering the teams involved) full of good defense and some pretty awful passes by both Quarterbacks. Say what you want about the Ravens offense but their defense always plays hard. And speaking of playing hard, how tough is Hines Ward? He plays like a man possessed.
Roethlisberger looked slow (ok, slower than normal) and his passes for the most part had little zip on them. Maybe those knees are going to be a problem. I hate it when coaches get too conservative at the end of the game but I really didn't have too much of a problem with Cowher giving the ball to Bettis on 3rd and 3 down in Raven territory (a field goal only leaves you 1 point ahead)and still over a minute and a half to go. With Big Ben struggling a bit and knowing they were facing one of the worst offenses in the league, it's not the risk you think it would be to rely on your defense to hold them. However, if it was Indy or especially New England on the other sideline then that would be absolutely the wrong call. You need that first down and you know the defense will be stacking the box. In the playoffs if you leave the Colts or Patriots with a minute and a half to get a field goal at the end.....well, lets just say the fat lady not only will have sung for the Steelers but she will be talking to the "Bus" about ways they can shed a few pounds in the off-season together