7 Things for Vetrans Day

Its Monday, so you know that I had to have learned something this weekend. And of course I need to share it with both of my readers. Besides, where else can you read about Being Lazy, Raiders Football, Paytons much needed Pep talk and the solution to bringing down Bill Simmons in one place.

So lets get right into it:

#1 - Being Lazy is a good thing

Is there anything better than a Weekend where you don't have to do anything? Well sure I had things to do, but most of them required going outside, and thanks to the weather they couldn't get done this weekend. So I was able to veg out on the couch, watch football and nap. Throw in copious amounts of mexican food, beer and leftovers and the hardest thing I did all weekend was set the timer on the microwave.

Sure I took the dog to the park and let him run around, but even that was generaly exertion free, as I was able to go to a little used section of the park and let him run off-leash. This mimimal amount of action cost me adjusting 1 lineup on a fantasy team, but the guy I was playing had SD's D (who the fuck starts SD's D against Indy) so I was destine to loose anyway.

Unfortunately I think this will be my last lazy weekend of the year, since I have parties/family/hunting/Christmas Bull to attend to each weekend for the rest of the year. Fortunately, I have plenty of vacation time left for scheduling of Lazy weekdays.

#2 - Florida football

Lets take this time to laugh at the once mighty Florida St. and Miami programs. Florida St's collapse against VT was a thing of beauty, well at least according to my Brother who was at the game. I was unable to watch as the game was blacked out for some unfathomable reason here. I also didn't get to watch a down of Miami getting run out of the Orange Bowl, but all you have to do is look at that score to get a good laugh in.

Florida may still be a top team, but at least they have already lost 3 games this year, so America's wang is officialy out of National title contention.

#3 - The Raiders offense continues to regress

Where do we start. The Bears putrid run defense held the Raiders in check (remember when the Raider's run attack was one of the best in the league? Me neither) The Raiders wide outs were unable to get consistant separation against a banged up Bears secondary. And when they did manage to get a little separation, McCown was unable to deliver the ball.

The most damning play came late in the game as the Raiders were attempting to drive into scoring position. McCown was pressured early, but managed to buy time with his feet. Reset and...wait...wait some more. Throw a piss poor pass down field just out of the reach of Tim Dwight. Where the fuck were the other recievers. Well I don't have a view that shows all 11 players, so I'll have to take the anouncers word for it. All the other recievers gave up on the play. When the Raiders allow the QB that much time, they almost always give up a big play. When the Raiders get that much time, the recievers just assume that the QB has been sacked.

That in a nutshell is the problem with the Raiders. There is not a WR on the team worth keeping right now. The only 1 I'm even interested in is Curry, but he seems to have caught a case of the drops. And if I have to I'll give Higgens a pass since he is a rookie. It would seem like I'm calling for a house cleaning, but that only leaves Porter and Dwight. Thats right there are only 4 WR's on the Raiders roster.

That is why you can't put Russell in. Well that and the Oline can't handle the 8-9 man fronts it is seeing. Putting Russell in when there is no one he can throw deep to in order to back off the safeties will only confuse the rook further.

Sorry Raider fans, until the team finds 2-3 competant WR's the offense will continue to look like shit. 4-12 will be a hell of an accomplishment at this point.

#4 - The Juice is Loose

By far my favorite game of the weekend was the Illini taking down theOSU. How great was it to see a spread offense take down the team that used spread offense elements to dominate the Big Televen the last few years.

Unfortunatly this means that the Wolverines will not go undefeated in the Big Televen for the next two years, as there is no sign that they have or will learn how to stop a QB like Williams consistantly.

For now I will just take delight in Jim Tressel and his sweater vest getting embarrassed by an unranked team. And showing that even if your coach has a sweater vest, it doesn't mean your team has any class. Nice brawl to end the game theOSU.

Now all we need is a Michigan upset next weekend so that not only does Ohio St. loose out on the National Championship, but they also loose out on the Rose Bowl. Eh, for some reason I don't see Carr being able to pull that off.

#5 - Payton Manning

The King of comercials has yet another spot running durring NFL games. At this rate the networks should just save everyones time and have Payton stand in front of a blue screen and flash up corporate images for 2 1/2 minutes. Hell, he could even say a little something about each product.

"If Cadilac should fail to turn you on try cialis for errectile disfunction while talking on your sprint phone to a united way volunteer."

The best is Payton's pep talk's. I'm particulary fond of his latest about getting 6-pack abs. Hey Payton, we all saw your "impressive" physique on SNL. You've got about as much definition as Britney Spears. I'm guessing that the only way you have a 6-pack is by drawing one on.

That said, watching the graceful way that Payton handled his 6-pack of INT's (oh so thats the 6-pack he was talking about) I think Peyton needs his own pep-talk.

Cue brick:

So you're having a little trouble taking a little misfortune like a man. Sure you've thrown 6 interceptions and are missing your friend Mavin. But thats no excuse to make this face.


We've all heard the excuses, your targets and oline are injured, your coach is calling bad time outs. How about stepping up and not throwing 6 INTs you whining bitch. Stop trying to be your generations Dan Marino, just because you've won 1 more Super Bowl than he has doesn't mean you can throw your team mates under the bus the way he did.

YOU CAN ACT LIKE A MAN. Or not, you've got enough FU money to have a nice life being 2nd Banana to Brady the rest of your life, you Frankenstien looking motherfucker.

#6 - The Brady Knee Watch is back

OK, since we've jumped on KSK's Brady kneecapping bandwagon, we are 0-2 in our predictions. 1st Rocky let down America by not living up to his name then Tony Dungy let god down by not taking rightous action.

So now we look to the Bills to make their biggest impact since falling on their faces 4 straight years in the Super Bowl. A quick perrusal of their roster leads us to 1 man who can raise his game up and end the national nightmare of dealing with Pats fans.



Kyle Williams,

Never heard of Kyle, yeah well me neither. Kyle is our choice based solely on his mug shot. Look at those eyes, he has a hungry look about him. Sure he has only 1 career sack, but I bet he can down himself some Buffalo wings. I'm guessing he is one of those guys who can just inhale the meat right off the bone. So Kyle, we are going to do some "Waterboy"-esque visualization. Look at Brady's leg and imagine its a wing from anchor bar. Thats right, just dripping with hotsauce. And it doesn't matter if you get a little sauce on your uniform, since the team cleans it for you. Thats right, no drycleaning charge for your favorite Louisiana St. T-shirt. You can really dig in and get messy. And just think off all the pizza you can buy collecting the bounty on Tom's knee. So get in there fatty and get crackin.

#7 - Time to forget about Simmons

I've got a little something to admit. I think part of the reason I've been so harsh on Bill Simmons is that I remember when his writing was funny and I could relate to it. I bashed because I cared. In the buisness that Simmons is in it pays to make people either love or hate you. It brings in page hits to ESPN's site, whether it be from fans who read every posting, or by people who can't stand you who want to spread some mock-indignation across the interweb.

Simmons, along with NE fans in general, took a turn for the worse following the Red Sox 1st ring in 80 some years (I don't care enough to know exactly how many). They became what they hated, Yankee fans. For years they had the lovable looser title to share with Cubs fans. Now they expected to be loved for being champions. Love US, Celebrate US, but do so on our terms, don't go buying a Red Sox hat if you haven't been wearing one since birth or you'll be labled a pink-hat.

They can't understand the backlash. The most publicly indignant figurehead for NE fandome is Simmons. So he has to rail against slights, real or percieved. To do otherwise would be risking Pink-hat status.

So Simmons has become a hypocrite, openly chearing for actions that he would have derided in years past.(Spygate, running up the score, try to go undefeated) Defending the indefensible (yes Bill the Pats are all class on and off the field, just ask anyone who has ever played against Rodney Harrison) and railing against the Refs. (How many times have you told Raider fans to get over it, Karma is a bitch Billy).

So I'm going to stop writing about Simmons and stop reading anything he writes. Love him or Hate him nothing you do can hurt him. But ignor him, now that hits him right in the overies.

I guarentee, if everyone who currently rushes to read his column each week and post their indignation across the web just stopped reading him and quoting him, his readership would drop by 70%. And the result would be hilarious. What BS would BS post to get readers back? Could his ego handle being dropped from ESPN's frontpage, would the sportsgirl leave him for Steven A. Smith?

So no, I'm not going to contribute to the bounty on Simmons head, I'm not going to break down his BS to show how stupid he has become. I'm going to start the ignor Bill movement. Because, other than personaly knocking his teeth in, nothing would be funnier to me than to watch him implode.

Now, Stuart Scott, its too much fun to bash him to stop.

Rehab is for Raiders?

Sometimes you just have to admit when you have a problem. I have friends who have gone through rehab programs, and according to them admitting you have a problem is the 1st step. Unfortunately I don't know what the next step is, since we were usually getting drunk when they would be telling me about these steps.

My problem is not alcohol, unless of course I'm out. My problem is that I watch every Raiders game, often multiple times. Except for the Gannon years, most of my time as a Raider fan this has been an excruciating experience. Sure there have been highlights here and there other years, Bo Jackson, Curry's catch in the snow. But for the vast majority of the time I've been watching, the Raiders have not been a dominant team.

The Raider's problem is that they have neither a dominant defense or play makers on offense.

Watching the rest of the NFL, I've come to the conclusion that a team needs one of two things to dominate. Either a dominating defense with a ball controlling offense or a play maker (or group of play makers) who tilt the field and keeps defenses up at nights.

Looking at the teams who have won the Superbowl the last ten years proves this fact out.

2006 - Indianapolis - Payton Manning with his ability to dissect a defence, was until this year, the guy who caused the most lost sleep among D-coordinators
2005 - Pittsburgh - Dominant D coupled with an incredible run game that kept the pressure off of the young QB.
2003, 2004 - New England - Tom Brady may not have the best physical gifts, but he has an uncanny knack for finding the open receiver. The Pats D was bordering dominant.
2002 - Tampa Bay - Dominant D coupled with an offense who gave them time to rest and didn't turn the ball over.
2001 - New England - The closest to breaking the trend as Brady was just emerging, but this was their best defensive year in the playoffs as they just shut down everyone.
2000 - Baltimore - Dominant D, power run game.
1999 - St. Louis - Warner, Faulk, Bruce, Holt, play maker, play maker, play maker, play maker
1997, 1998 - Elway and TD

I could go back further, but it would just be belaboring the point. So instead lets look at the most successful and disappointing teams this year.

Contenders

New England - Tom Brady now has another bona fide play maker in Moss (more on him later) the result is a scary good team. The D is no slouch either and the return of Seymore may see them return to borderline dominance.

Indy - Payton just continues to get it done, and the D continues to play at last years playoff level.

Dallas - Romo is emerging as a play maker, and the D is up and coming.

Tennessee - The defence has begun to dominate, hiding the fact that the offense is pedestrian.

Green Bay - The old play maker is making 1 last run with new targets and top D.

Pittsburgh - The D is dominant giving up only 98 points this year

Disappointments

Chicago - Last years dominant D has been ravaged by injuries

Baltimore - The team with the best record last year has suffered a letdown on D and can no longer make up for the lack of offense

NY Jets - Playoff team last year, no longer fooling anyone.

SD Chargers - New D coordinator unable to keep the dominant tag, Norv Turner effect (once again more later).

Phily - Old play maker no longer making DC's sweat, D no longer dominant.

San Francisco - Looked to build on Gores emerging status, instead find him injured and the team is now pitiful.


Which brings us back to the Raiders problem. While I don't know what the next step in a traditional program might be. The next step for the Raiders is obvious to me.

They need to either get the final pieces to make the D dominant (see my plan here) or get some play makers on the offensive side of the ball.

The Raiders have not had a nightmare inducing play maker since Bo Jackson. He only played part of the season and his career was ended early by injuries.

Tim Brown, while a great player, did not keep DC's up at night and never had the advantage of a Pro bowl caliber QB until...

Rich Gannon, he was a play maker, in the sense that Tom Brady was until this year. He scared teams due to his ability to always find the open man, more so than for his physical prowess. "Death by paper cuts" is a term I've seen thrown around, and is a perfect description of the team he helmed.

That's it, since Jackson's injury in 1990, the Raiders have lacked the kind of play maker that tilts the field. There have been players whom flashed potential (Porter, Kaufman), players who came in for 1 last hurrah (Rice) and players who shined brightly in the system (Garner).

Then there are the what could have been guys. Some will point to Marcus Allen, but IMO his best days were behind him by the time Jackson's injury occurred. And the reason he had some productive years as a Chief is that he sat so much in LA resting his body.

Randy Moss should have been the guy that the Raiders have looked for, for so long. Moss is proving this year that he is still perhaps the biggest game changer there is. But the Raiders don't have Tom Brady, and Norv Turner and Art Shell aren't the kind of disciplinarian coaches that can reign Moss in.

By the time Moss's first season was over and Turner was done proving Once and for all that he is not head coaching material (wait, he got another HC job in SD...HAHAHAHA sorry LT2, sucks for you) there was no salvaging Moss's stint in Silver and Black. Davis further exacerbated the situation by hiring Shell, who never showed any ability to provide discipline to any player not named Porter.

The Moss experiment failed, the Raiders cupboard was left completely bare. You go down the Raiders offensive roster coming into the past off season and their wasn't a proven player let alone play maker.

Porter - more disappointments than flashes
Curry - Injuries seem to have ended the game changing potential, still a good player
Jordan - Talks the talk, but can't seem to walk down the street without getting hurt
Fargas - Has been teasing teams since he was a Freshman at Michigan
Walter - beaten down and perhaps broken from the previous year

So with the trade of Moss looming over the Draft the Raiders had a choice to make. Instant gratification in the form of Calvin Johnson or take a chance on long term greatness in Jamarcus Russell.

The Raiders, in a move that somewhat surprised me, went with Russell. I was convinced that Davis wouldn't have the patience to wait for a QB to develop, let alone one with the huge hit or miss potential of Russell. I thought Davis would look to correct the Moss mistake with Johnson. However, the selection of Russell may well show that the Raiders brass has finally admitted that they are not 1 player away from greatness. They may have finally admitted they have a problem.

Which finally brings us to this season. The playmakerless Raider offense is slogging its way through yet another season. They have tried patching things up enough to get through the season without suffering the embarrassments of last year with limited success. (The struggles of Miami, St. Louis and San Fran have kept the spotlight off the Raiders). Leaving Raider fans to once again look to the future, with its dim light at the end of the tunnel.

Russell is currently the only Raider offensive player who is providing that light. Thanks to a unfathomable holdout he has yet to step on the field this year, and due to the current condition of the team probably shouldn't. So where do Raider fans look for the team to take the next step out of the abyss? FA and the draft?

Free agency is evolving due to two factors. 1st being teams are continuing to get better at handling the salary cap, and 2nd being the huge increases in the amount of money available due to the new CBA.

Ask yourself, who was the last offensive play maker to switch teams via free agency? Drew Brees was available due to AJ Smith's ego. You have to go back to Priest Holmes signing with KC to find a true offensive play maker who changed teams, and he was unproven at the time. Others like Gannon and Rice were either journeymen who just came to the right system, or aging Vets getting one last day in the sun. Not the long term answer this team needs.

So while the Raiders need to add players through free agency this off season, don't expect a game changer to come to the Silver and Black. This is where the Raiders can get the complimentary players who fit the system or can get another Rhodes, who doesn't fit the system and just wastes a roster spot.

Then there is the draft. The Raider draft history is the definition of crap shoot. Can they find that elusive play maker here? I've advocated using the 1st round to fix the defensive problems, but I'll admit its way to early to try and predict who will be there or when the Raiders will pick. Its long past time for the Raiders to trade down and stock pile picks. It looked like they had a chance last year with 11 picks, but too many of them were late round picks or reaches to help this year.

So the Raiders are left at the bottom of a long tunnel with the dimmest of lights flickering at the end. The positive is that they have admitted the problem, can they discover the elusive next step? Or will they relapse into old habits, overspending for free agents and drafting reaches?

WTF????

I've never complained about where I went to High School. I enjoyed High School and didn't understand why so many people were in such a rush to get out of there. I mean classes were easy, we could always find beer for the weekend, and I didn't have a job.

But I now know that I was definately in the wrong school. This is what happens in Nottingham England high schools

After walking the boy round the classroom and spanking him with a whip - the action turned even more blue.

"She took off some clothes until she was down to her bra and pants, pulled out some cream, put it on her buttocks and told him to rub it in," the source said.

It was at that point the shocked teacher - who had not been told what the surprise was - called an end to the show.

You have got to be kidding me. 1st of all, what teacher lets a stripper spank a student and strip down to bra and panties and apply whip cream before stopping the show. I know that I never had anyone of this callibure for a teacher. Uptight bastards.

I would question what the stripper was thinking when she showed up to a school for her next performance. But she should be forgiven, since she is a stripper, and thats the most noble profession there is. Although I will question the selection of Britney Spears for background music. Why Britney when you could go with some classic Def Leopard or Warrent. Nothing says high class stripper like "Pour Some Sugar on Me" or "Cherry Pie".

This story however has lead me to the following conclusion. We need to overhaul the American educational system. Strippers should be hired by school districs to reward students for their hard work. You want to tell me that test scores wouldn't imporve if the students thought that they would be getting a trip to the champagne room for straight A's. There is nothing more important in a High School Boys life than seeing some titties.

And I'm convinced, due to the "naughty schoolgirl" emails that I receive that the girls test scores would also improve since all high school girls are bi. Plus the relevancy of their education would improve, since half of them will end up stripping at one point of their life anyway (the other half are fatties).

But we can't stop there. Strippers should be used by all respectable buisnesses to motivate employees. In fact I think my company would be well served to start this practice. I'm looking forward to my end of quarter lap dance already.

I'll even supply the whip cream.

One Game to try to Watch

Slim pickings for 1 game to watch this week. Sure there are some great match ups, but for it seems that most of the country won't get to see the best match ups due to regional coverage. My 1st choice was going to be USC vs. Cal. And if I could truly choose 1 game to watch this weekend, that would be the choice.

But since I don't live on the West coast I'll be getting the Kansas Oklahoma St. game. Now this will be interesting to see if Kansas can remain undefeated, but for my purposes Adarius Bowman and Dantrell Savage are the only two guys who meet the criteria of who to watch.

I thought about a number of other games, but they all seemed so lopsided in talent, or were relegated to regional coverage that I dismissed them all.

So I'm going to direct you to grab some beer and a pizza Thursday night and tune into the misleader and watch Louisville at West Virginia.

If the preseason polls were right, this game would have national championship implications. But both of these teams are currently behind UConn in the big east standings. If you are behind UConn in your college football standings, chances are you aren't having a good year.

Now before I get started I'm throwing out one of my rules that established for writing this series. We will be looking at Juniors this week, not just seniors.

Enough babbling, lets get to the players.

Louisville


Brian Brohm (QB,6-3,225) If Brohm had come out in last years draft he would have competed for honor of being the 1st QB selected. He will compete for that honor again this year, but some of the bloom is off that rose. There are draftnics out in the internet who believe that struggling as a Senior, after proving yourself as a junior, is a good thing. I find this line of thinking convoluted. And truth be told, Brohm hasn't struggled as much as the Louisville defense has disintegrated around him. He has passed for 3,229 yards and 26 touchdowns with just 7 interceptions. Damn fine numbers there.

He has run a pro style offense, can make all the throws, he is a sure fire 1st round pick. I think that his drop in draft rankings is more due to the inability of the team compete for the national title.

Once the season is over, and the draft hype machine kicks into full gear, Brohm will be one of the faces plastered all over your TV again.

Harry Douglas (WR,5-11,176) This draft is going to be well stocked with smaller, fast WR. Douglas will be one of them trying to raise above the pack. Injuries slowed him earlier this year. But a strong finish to the year along with a solid draft season will keep him as a late 1st early 2nd round prospect. He should have no trouble finding holes in WV's porous secondary.

Malik Jackson (OLB, 6-2, 232) Last season it looked like Jackson was poised to breakout as a playmaking OLB for the Cardinals. This season Jackson has been lost in the shuffle and has seen his draft stock take a huge hit. Coming into the year he looked like a late 2nd round prospect, now he looks like he can go fishing until late day two. He needs to really come on strong to finish the year and post some great numbers in the draft season to re-establish himself as a top prospect. Could the coaching change have really effected his play this much, or did Louisville's losses along the D-line leave him too open to getting blocked.

Watch to see how he fights through blockers. Can he shed the blocks, or does he run around and make the play down field.

Mario Urrutia (WR, 6-6, 225) Mario has the prototypical size that NFL teams look for. His reported 40 time isn't ideal, but with the way he exploded in the opening game this year, it looked like Mario was looking to cement himself as one of the top receivers coming into this years draft. Since then Mario has been hampered by turf toe, and his attitude has raised a red flag with multiple personal foul penalties.

Mario needs to get healthy and keep his head on straight for the rest of the year if he wants to go on the 1st day. Many will look at him as a T.O. type player, complete with the baggage.

Others to watch:
Art Carmody (K, doesn't matter) top college kicker this year
Gary Barnidge (TE, 6-6, 235) late round TE prospect
Breno Giacomini (OT, 6-7,305) athletic tackle, watch if your team employs a zone scheme

West Virginia


Steve Slayton (RB, 5-10, 195) One of the most exciting players to watch in College football. Slayton is looking like a late 1st round pick if he comes out this year. Slayton running style and size leads to questions whether he can be an every down back at the pro level. However, with more teams featuring two backs in the NFL, he could easily find himself sharing time in an NFL backfield next season.

West Virginia's offense and embarrassment of riches in the backfield may actually be hurting Slaytons stock, as NFL teams will have questions about how he will fit into a pro style offense and if he can handle the full load if asked. IMO, whatever team picks him up will be happy to have him.

Pat White (QB/RB, 6-2, 188) White is listed as a QB on West Virginia's roster, however due to his style of play many sites see him as a RB prospect in the NFL. Personally, I would like to see him work out as a WR come draft season. And there is the problem for White, what do you do with him?

Rich Rodriguez's offense provides match up problems for his college football opponents and scouting problems for NFL teams. White is obviously a talent. How highly you rank him depends on how you see that talent translating.

My thinking of moving him to WR ties into the success that teams have had with Ward, Curry and Randell-El. For some reason I have my doubts about his ability to hold up to the pounding of being an NFL running back.

Owen Schmitt (FB,6-3,248) Fullback, a thankless position which has been significantly devalued on NFL draft boards. However Schmitt looks to be either option 1 or 1a for a team looking for a FB this year. So he can expect to hear his name called sometime around round 5 or 6.

Helping Schmitt is his ability to effectively run the ball and provide an outlet out of the backfield to compliment his excellent blocking. He has also lined up at TE at times and is a contributor on special teams. His versatility will earn him a spot on an NFL roster.

Others to watch:

Ryan Stanchek (OT, 6-4, 302) Junior who projects to guard in NFL, could use another year in college.
Keilen Dykes (DT, 6-4, 295) has shown versatility moving around the line due to injuries.
Darius Reynaud (WR, 5-10, 205) WV leading receiver, doesn't mean much in Rodriguez's system.

Hmmm, I didn't even try to be funny with anything this week, must have something to do with 13 hour work days. I need a nap.

Lowest Common Denominator

At one time I watched ESPN religiously. Sunday Countdown was as much a part of my Sunday as burning beer shits. However I have grown as a person and no longer regular subject myself to copious quantities of alcohol or crap sports journalism.

I had assumed that ESPN was targeting a younger demographic, or more likely Stuart Scott was in charge of the network. However, due to an article I read today and the comments left by the readers, I think the truth is much worse. ESPN is giving the average viewer exactly what they want, Extraneous bullshit that appeals to the lowest common denominator.

Check out the article in question here. I haven't hidden the fact that one of my favorite sites is footballoutsiders. They are linked over at the side of the site. I've also linked to an article by one of their writers recently. Hell, I've toted their "Profootball Prospectous" along with me on many flights, and pick it up at least once a week to read their take on the Raiders upcoming opponent. So I may have a slight bias toward the writer of the article, but one need not have a bias to blast the idiots who commented on the article.

Now, while I think footballoutsiders is great, and love the way they bring a different way of looking at the game to the table, I will admit to not always agreeing with Aaron Schatz, the writer of the article in question. Aaron played enabler to Bill Simmons in one of The sports guys rants about the unfairness of the scrutiny leveled against the Pats for spy gate. Now Aaron is an admitted Pats fan, and we will hold that against him, but collaborating with Simmons on that piece of garbage placed a black eye on what was becoming an excellent resume.

Now back to the article. Aaron points out that while Purple Jesus now holds the all time single game rushing record, he does not have the greatest game under the DPAR system, even for a rookie. While an interesting point, to me it raises more questions about the validity of DPAR as an effective statistical tool, than about the greatness of Peterson's game. Aaron attempts to explain this with the following paragraph

Why does Peterson's fabulous performance end up just seventh? The biggest reason is that he fumbled the ball away on a 12-yard run in the fourth quarter that would have otherwise put the Vikings in the red zone. Peterson also wasn't quite as consistent as these other backs from carry to carry. Addai, for example, did not have a single carry that lost yardage against the Eagles last year; Peterson had three carries for a loss this week.

By bringing up these points without further explaining how each item affects the overall DPAR rating, Aaron opens himself up to some criticism. However that criticism is easily countered by anyone with an understanding of the DPAR system. Unfortunately Fox sports readers don't possess that understanding, and don't seem to be interested in attaining it.

Here is some of the brilliance uttered by Foxsports readers:

Whatever dpar is, dpar is krap. Dpar is subject to personal bias and favoritism to the point of rivalling the New York Times when it comes to politics. Dpar is krap. Fox Sports....is this some lame effort to match the launch of the Fox Business Channel????

dpar is krap.....good luck with that Fox Sports.

WOW....DPAR?????? wtf? Sounds like another AD hater to me....it reminds me of the negative media he received as a freshman in College when he should have won the Heisman but they didn't want to award it to him because he was a freshman so they did a negative media blitz similar to this that kept him as a 1st runner-up to Matt Leinart....by the way what has he done in his 2 years in the NFL? Nobody wants an even longer explanation of these numbers....we know what we saw on CBS on Sunday and we also know that he earned more yards than a good percentage of the teams that were playing on the same Sunday....This DPAR whatever is a @#$#*&$% joke!

You actually took the time to write an article to try and convince yourself that Adrian "All Day" Peterson did not have the greatest single game performance ever by a running back, let alone a ROOKIE. What's with the hate and a great majority of fans don't even give a flying c.r.a.p about the DPAR it's a dumb stat system and devalues just how good a player is and overrates many players such as E. James (way overrated i'm starting to think now). Fact and it's as stone cold as ever is that Adrian Peterson is the BEST running back in the game right now and is better then all but two running backs ever that being Jim Brown and Barry Sanders. I give this an article the ranking of......flaming bag of poop at the doorstep for absurdity, hating, and plain out ridiculousness.

Trying to dumb down the achievements of a rookie just to try and make other players who aren't even in the same class look better is simply PATHETIC.

LOL What is this guy even talking about. How can you even write trash like this. Who even knows or cares about this ridiculous rating system. Watch the highlights on youtube. I mean seriously, AP got the record, dont cry about it. Give him credit for what he's done. AP AD!!!

So just to sum it up, Aaron is a "hater" (the lamest, I can't come up with a coherent argument to counter your point label there is), DPAR is crap because it doesn't agree with preconceived notions of rating play, and you can learn all you need to know about football by watching Youtube highlights.

I put part of the blame on Fox Sports for the headline they filed the article under

Under the microscope
Although Adrian Peterson set an NFL-record for rushing yards in a game, was it the best effort by a running back of all time?

This is just baiting the mouth breathers to come out en mass to defend Purple Jesus against the "haters" in the media.

I also put part of the blame on Aaron as noted above for not completely explaining how the lost yards and fumble lowered Peterson's ranking.

But mostly I blame the readers who comment. They are the reason that TV sucks, they are responsible for "Who's Next" being a feature on ESPN. They are the reason that FOX News has ratings and that CNN spends more time on what Britney Spears is doing than real issues in the world. They are responsible for the careers of Oprah, Rosie and Nancy Grace. They are responsible for the Stuart Scottification of the United States. They are why the terrorists are winning.

ESPN, and the litany of 3 letter networks understand that this is their audience. They know that by putting out garbage they are satisfing the need of these people to feel unchallanged mentaly.

Unfortunatly this is an issue that I can't start to wrap my head around an answer for. Writers like Aaron will continue to get lambasted by the average reader while FOX Sports happily counts the extra hits to the website by the disgruntled. The masses will continue to demand:

A sports anchor who screams BooYAH
A sports writer who writes the most Boston centric crap
Music written by a drum machine sung by a boyband/future stripper
TV featuring D-list stars dancing
A president who protects us from the gay's over...well its not like they are given any good choices

Its a sad state of affairs, but decades of coddelling the lowest common denominator in all facets of life (every team gets a trophy, classes where the slowest determine the pace of education, anyone can be president) have caused irreprible harm to a generation of Americans.

Hell, look at me, I just spent the last 30 minutes of my time at work writing this blog instead of you know... doing work. Maybe thats why I can't find an answer, I'm part of the problem... Nope, thats not it... clearly this is Stuart Scotts fault, lets blame him.

7 Things on Novemer 5th

I'll admit, I'm not even sure that I have 7 things to note after this weekend. I'm just winging it here. So if I through in a Peter Kingesque "Tony Romo leads the league in smiles" please don't hold it against me. OK, you should flame me if I put something like that in.

1 - Purple Jesus (Christ he's good)

296 yards, against the Chargers D, when you aren't even listed as the starter... Jumpin Jesus on a Pogo Stick.

Adrian Peterson could take the rest of the year off and still get the Rookie of the Year award. In fact, I'm calling on Childress to give AP the rest of the year off, even if it is going to screw one of my fantasy teams. The Vikings aren't going anywhere this year. Even if they somehow get past Green Bay and Detroit in the standings, does anyone think that they are going to get past the 1st round of the playoffs with the excrement they have at QB?

So Childress, find some minuscule injury to over blow and put Peterson on IR. Not having Peterson available might save your job and give you a chance to find a real QB for next season. Then unleash Peterson against the rest of the league with a complimentary passing attack next year. (This has nothing to do with my desire not to have the Raiders give up 400 yards rushing to Peterson when they meet later this year...nope nothing to do with that.)

On a side note, how far has the Chargers coaching staff fallen in 1 year. Not stacking the box against Peterson was one of the most ridiculous coaching displays I've seen. Norvell and the boys couldn't out coach a box of Cheetos.

2 - I promised a plug if the service was good

I wrote about dropping my home computer last week and mentioned that the guy at the Apple store said to send the computer to some shady Internet based site to have it fixed fast and cheap. So I did, and they came through fixing it fast and cheap.

The site is:

http://www.techrestore.com

sent out the computer Tuesday night and had it back Thursday night. Brand new screen, they even cleaned the damn thing, looks like new. Now if there is some hidden problem I don't know about I'll be damning them here, but for now they get my praise.

If you drop your laptop and don't feel like paying full price to get it fixed try them out.

3 - Cramming 108,000 in a stadium meant to fit 78,000 sucks

So I made the trip to Penn St. for the HUGE match up with Purdue, where both teams attempted to not be the most disappointing team on the field. For a game full of mistakes and poor play calling, it wasn't that bad. Hell it would have been enjoyable if not for 1 thing.

The 4 tickets that we had, entitled us to as much space as the top of my desk. I am now convinced that the "renovations" that Penn St. made to increase their seating capacity entailed scraping the numbers off of the bench seats and painting them back on 6" closer to each other.

Thanks to the 1 lane road leading to Penn St. and the parking that we found being 1 mile from the stadium according to our GPS, we walked into the stadium just after the opening kickoff. When we found our row, I was sure that someone was sitting in 2 of our seats. But I was wrong, that was just how little room they left us.

So I spent the entire game so close to the guy next to me that I'm thinking of getting checked for STD's, with my knee in the back of some poor slob in front of me and with a knee jambed into my back.

Thank god my buddy and I brought our wives and not some friends who were bigger than 5-2, 110lbs. (I will not print my wife's actual height and weight for fear she actually reads this far into an article about football, I don't feel like being killed in my sleep.)

As for the much hyped Penn St. home field advantage, you could have heard a pin drop for most of the game. The student section got loud at times, but the rest of the stadium was to cramped up to take in a large enough breath to yell.

Well except for the old man two seats down for me, who seemed to feel that Joe Pa was looking for his input on every offensive down. The shit that was coming out of this guys mouth had me laughing half the game. His call to throw the ball as Penn St. was trying to run the clock at the end of the game was classic.

Joe Pa may not be what he once was, but he has still forgotten more about football than that clown will ever know. I would have let him know that, but I didn't have enough room to turn towards him, and I was too close to the guy in front of me to yell without blowing out his eardrum.

4 - Screw the BCS, let me set the match ups

Since I write a blog I obviously feel that I know more than anyone else, just like any other blogger. The difference being that I'm right.

So I think that I should be the one to set the BCS match ups. Because otherwise we are going to end up with the same old shit that we seam to get every year.

So with me in charge, who do we get to see in the Championship game.

LSU vs. Oregon

LSU let 'Bama stay in it longer than they should have Saturday, but in the end showed once again that they are the best overall team in the nation. I don't see anyone giving them a game after they have 3+ weeks to heal up leading to the title game. So instead of pitting them against what appears to be the 2nd best team (wake me when Ohio St. beats a good team) let the Ducks play for the title.

Oregon has the best offense going right now. This should at least keep them in the game well into the 3rd quarter. Where as the Ohio St. offense blows and the game will be a repeat of last years against Florida.

So screw the rankings, and lets set the match ups based on providing me the most entertainment.

(Oh and just so you know, If I'm setting the match ups, ND will get a New Years day game... against Michigan. Since this is for my entertainment I'd like to see Michigan actually win a bowl game.)

5 - The NHL network rocks

With absolutely no fanfare or publicity, (just like the start of the new season) the NHL has launched a network here in the states. I have been informed that this network has been around at least one year in Canada, but its new to me.

Hockey is easily my 2nd favorite sport, but I hate the fact that I have to remember where .VS is on direcTV to find a damn game. And even then who the hell knows when a game will actually be on. So I was just looking for something to watch the other night and chanced upon the NHL network.

It was some program called "on the fly" or something equally forgettable. But the program was great. Live in game coverage with highlights from other game spliced in. I left this on for a good hour. Thing cut around quickly enough not to test my attention span. I feel like I actually know what is going on in the NHL for the 1st time since I left college and had time to keep up. (Lets face is ESPN and SI would rather cover a rock paper scissor contest than an NHL game).

As soon as football season is over, the NHL Network will be on my TV almost full time. At least until we get close to the NFL draft.

6 - Another week, another Raider loss

I admit, I cheated on the Raiders this weekend. I Tivo'ed the Raider game and went over to a friends place with the wife to watch the Pats/Colts and have dinner. I managed to avoid the Raiders score except for during half-time so that I only knew that Jano would miss his kick when I watched the game when I got home.

Well TiVo missed the first 7 minutes of the game since I set it to record the HD feed, and the early game went into OT. That, plus my 30 second skip button let me watch the whole game in less than 1 hour.

My quick impressions:

It may have cost the Raiders 3 points, but going for the 64 yard field goal made sense to me. If Jano had made that field goal it would have given the Raiders their first positive in weeks to build on (Hell the crowd went crazy even with the miss). Instead, Jano was Jano and hit the goal post, and the Raiders continued trudging toward a top 5 pick. (I need someone to calculate the odds that Jano could hit the goal post 1 out of every 5 attempts. He has to have set an NFL record for goal posts hit by now.)

McCown, Culpepper, Jeff George... it doesn't matter. The Raiders receivers can't get separation quickly, the line can't block for more than 3 seconds. Nothing is going to change until the blocking improves and the WR's are upgraded. I have been dead set against playing JRuss this year since he missed camp. But I think we are quickly nearing the time to let him get in and get exposed to NFL game speed.

I could just repeat what I've said time and time again about the D. Only the announcer's give Sapp any repect anymore Check out this article by Michael David Smith over at footballoutsiders to read someone elses take on what I told you here about Sapp. Add in the LB's overpursuit and the secondary is left out to dry on the run game way too often.

The fact that I'm having trouble finding anything to write about the Raiders which doesn't involve how to patch up hole via FA and the draft tells me how sad this season has become.

7 - The NFL officiating is shady

I'm a Raiders fan so I have a problem with NFL officiating by default. Sunday's game between the Colts and Pats showed me once again that the NFL official have predetermined notions of what to call before the game. In the 1st half the officials made numerous questionable calls in the Colts favor, which served to ensure that the "Game of the Century" was no blowout.

Moss can be called for Offensive PI on almost any play, well except for the play for which he was flagged. The catch on the sidelines that was overturned by replay wasn't even close.

But before you let Pats fans get away with crowing about how they got pass the Colts despite the Officials bias, look at the 4th quarter. The officials made numerous calls in the Pats favor to allow the comeback. Perhaps a "my bad" for the 1st half. There was a ridiculous Defensive PI call late in the game setting up a Patriots TD.

Unfortunately this isn't going to change anytime soon. Its been going on too long, and the NFL is too successful for them to try an remedy the situation. So we can all look forward to bad calls influencing the outcome of the game. It sucks, but football fans are going to be left to just deal with it. To the rest of you, I say welcome to the hell Raiders fans have been dealing with for years.

The Pats are on a bye this week, so no one is getting the best bet to end Brady's season this week. Maybe he can catch the clap or something, or maybe he runs into the '72 Dolphins this week. Who know, but I'm done with 7 things, so anything else here and you will need to pay me overtime.

If you only watch 1 game

There were plenty of interesting games to choose from this week.

You could watch Navy embarrass ND, or Arizona St. at Oregon (actually a very good choice) or Purdue at Penn St. (even more attractive since there is a 1 in 100,000 chance that I'll be shown on TV) but if you are only going to watch 1 college football game this weekend then, for checking out potential NFL talent purposes, I'm recommending:

LSU at ALABAMA

I know what you are going to say, "brick aren't you only going to be seeing 1 game this weekend since your going to the Penn St. game? and thus not even watching your game of the week yourself?"

To which I respond "check yourself before you wreck yourself" (always an appropriate response when questioned on anything.

Why is there a $500 dollar charge on your expense report for "Champagne Room Services"?

"check yourself before you wreck yourself"

Honey, why is their lipstick on your collar?

"check yourself before you wreck yourself"

Why are you naked in your office everyday at lunch?

"check yourself before you wreck yourself"

See, its the perfect answer. Thanks Ice Cube, rest in peace... what you say Ice Cube isn't dead, just his career, that can't be, I mean check yourself before... you mean to tell me he is now making the family friendly comedies that are turned down by Eddie Murphy, but Eddie doesn't turn down anything.

I guess I need to rethink the coolness factor of quoting Ice Cube

Well I guess since "check yourself" is no longer a valid answer I'll have to elaborate on why I'm not only watching 1 game.

I'm not going to just be watching 1 game. I have TiVo bitch, and I'll be recording at least 3 afternoon games, plus will be home in time for the 8pm starts. Not to mentioned that the lovely Mrs. brick and I will be joined by a mixed marriage couple in attending the Penn St. game. That's right, she is a Bama fan and he is a Auburn fan. I don't know if either family has disowned their children for marrying outside of their kind, but personally I'm just fine with it. Call me a liberal or enlightened if you must, but I don't think we should limit ourselves based on College team preference, unless you are a ND fan, then you shouldn't be aloud to marry,reproduce or go out in public.

So I'm sure that if for some reason we can't get the game on the radio, we'll be stopping back at my place to watch the Bama game.

Enough about me (not really, I mean isn't any blog just a cry for attention) on to the prospects.

LSU


God damn, is there any more loaded team in the nation? Seniors alone you are looking at 9 NFL draft prospects. The only other team close is USC. With this much senior talent to discuss, we will ignore the juniors and save them for the next time I pick LSU in the game of the week.

Glenn Dorsey (DT, 6-2, 296) Most have Glenn ranked as the top DT coming out in this years draft, and some have him ranked as the best player in the entire draft class. To me he is a top ten talent, but I have serious questions about his work ethic and his ability to progress at the next level. Maybe he is not being used in the best way to showcase his NFL potential as LSU is asking him to hold the line to shut down the run game, and not act as a 1 gap terror as he most likely be looked at in the NFL. Then again maybe the LSU staff is using him to his full ability and all that potential is just hype.
Looking at him, I just don't see him being able to comfortably carry anymore weight, or being an effective 2 gap tackle at the next level. I do think he has the potential to be an explosive 1 gap tackle, but right now he isn't getting to show it.
What to watch with him, well there shouldn't be anyone on Bama's line who can handle him. See how he handles blockers, does he run around or fight through them. How is his motor, does he go all out every play, or does he hit and stop his feet.

Early Doucet (WR, 6-0, 205) Doucet is widely considered the best senior wide out in this years class, with his only competition being Limas Sweed of Texas. Well just like Sweed, Doucet has been injured most of the year, which has really hurt LSU's offensive production. When healthy he is a threat all over the field. He goes deep, over the middle, returns kicks and played QB in high school. Doucet is a complete package, with the only knock being his height. He will overcome this with his rout running ability.
If he plays, watch how he run blocks, if he puts his all into it, he could be the 1st WR off the board in April.

Ali Highsmith (OLB, 6-1, 228)Ali has been flying up draft boards this year based on his stellar play on the field. He was named defensive player of the week for his performance against Auburn. Ali is a play maker, however he will get downgraded by NFl teams due to his size. If he can run faster than his reported 4.5 speed he may get a look as a safety by some teams. The key here is that he is a play maker and he will find a spot somewhere.

Chevis Jackson (CB, 6-0, 188) Jonathan Zenon (CB, 6-0, 178)I'm combining these two since otherwise I would just cut and paste the same comments. Good cover corners, excellent speed, not great at run support. Jackson is rated higher at this point since he is a better tackler and Zenon can be too aggressive at times and gives up the occasional big play.

Others to watch for (Seniors only)
Craig Steltz (S, 6-1, 210) emerging from landry's shadow.
Will Arnold (G, 6-4, 322)can he overcome the injury bug
Jacob Hester (FB, 6-0, 228) can a white boy play FB
Matt Flynn (QB, 6-3, 222) not allot of starts, but looks solid

ALABAMA


Alabama brought in Nick Saban to return the Tide to SEC prominence. One of the key reasons Bama sought to grab Saban away from the Dolphins was his recruiting work at LSU. There is still alot of work for Saban to do, and while the team has shown some flashes this season, they are definitely short on NFL talent, and at a disadvantage this Saturday. However there are some players to keep an eye on.

DJ Hall (WR, 6-3, 190) Right now Hall looks like a 3rd round pick for a team that needs to stretch the field. He runs good routs, has good moves to get off the line and is sure handed. The problem is he just good at the college level, he needs to be great to go any higher than 3rd round. A standout game against LSU could instantly raise his stock. He has the size and speed to give the LSU CB's fits, but will anyone have time to get him the ball? If he can repeat his standout performance from the Tennessee game that stock is going to rise.

Simeon Castille (CB, 6-1, 188) Simeon is middle of a deep pack of CB's. He earned a red flag for his lack of judgement which lead to a 1 game suspension earlier this year and for his academic suspension which cost him a bowl game as a soph. He is not dominant and LSU will not shy away from testing him. That will be his opportunity to turn some heads. Another 3rd round kind of guy.

Wallace Gilberry (DE, 6-4, 265)Playing in a new 3 man front for Saban, Gilberry has taken a little time to get use to the new scheme. However he has come on of late racking up tackles and sacks. However at 265 he is a little light for base end in an NFL 3-4 front, and a little slow of foot for Rush OLB in the 3-4. If a 3-4 team takes him, he will be asked to put some weight on. He may be a better fit as an end in a 4-3 scheme, but the lack of film on him in a 4-3 this year may hurt his stock. Watch to see how he stands up in the run game. Can he take on block head up and hold his ground? Due to his tweener status he is yet another 3rd round prospect for the Tide.

Others to Watch for:

Lets be honest, there is too much to watch on the LSU side to worry about any of the other Bama players this week.

Based on the talent on the LSU side of the ball this should be a blowout, but in the SEC it seems that no game is a cakewalk. Throw in the return of Saban to the SEC and Bama should be in this thing longer than they have any right to be.