High School Football

I watched 4 teams from Bossier this Weekend.
Airline is the best of the bunch because of the size of the line.
All but Benton should push for a playoff run. I doubt any of them will get past the 2nd round.
3 of them are running the spread and the 4th is still in the veer.

It is great to have my Friday nights busy again.
I love it.

The University of South Panola,Ms is number 1 in the Rivals top 10.
Euless 5*(No 1 in USA today), West Monroe 6, Abilene 7.
For the record, I doubt Euless is the best team in DFW, much less Texas.

South Panola rushed for over 447 yards rushing this weekend against one of the best teams in Ga by scoring 65 points. The monster RB, Griffin, went for 286. That is 566 in two games.
This week they play a Memphis team that beat them in a game last year.

Do you think any of these teams really want to play Katy, Tx?'
I saw the Glades who is ranked 19 only beat Skyline 6-0. Not a good sign for Glades.

J.

SEC facts

The four straight title-game victories? None of them close. Not a single second-half deficit. Average margin of SEC victory: 16.8 points. Closest margin: 10 points. Hasn't mattered whether the opponent is from the Big Ten (Ohio State twice) or the Big 12 (Oklahoma once, Texas the other); they haven't been able to compete.
• The league hasn't been just one marquee team and a bunch of hash. It has placed at least two teams in the USA Today final poll top six each of the past four seasons. Alabama was No. 1 and Florida No. 3 last season; Florida No. 1 and Alabama No. 6 in 2008; LSU No. 1 and Georgia No. 3 in 2007; and Florida No. 1 and LSU No. 3 in '06.
• Those eight teams were largely unbeatable -- except when facing their SEC peers. They were a combined 39-1 in nonconference games -- including seven dominant BCS bowl victories -- but still managed to lose 10 league games. If you want to underscore the much-discussed depth, understand that Kentucky, South Carolina, Mississippi, Arkansas and Auburn beat teams that either went on to win it all or finished in the top six.
"I know there's teams, they have circled games in other conferences, this is the premier game in the conference for this season," said Mississippi State coach and former Florida assistant Dan Mullen. "That's almost every single week in our conference."

James Lang/US PresswireUrban Meyer won his second trophy in three years when Florida beat Oklahoma in the 2008 title game.
Added LSU coach Les Miles: "I can tell you in our conference … you come out with a conference champion, they've been through it. They played the very finest competition. They've played it week in and week out. They've seldom had the opportunity to duck and have an off game. When they get to the title game, they've been there."
All this is why commissioner Mike Slive keeps calling this the SEC's "Golden Age." And he cannot be flagged for excessive celebration when simply stating the truth.
But as I wrote before the Alabama-Texas BCS Championship Game in January, tyranny is a bad thing. It would be good for college football for someone to lead a peasant revolt against SEC hegemony. Here's how it can happen -- both in the short term and beyond.
Start with this season. Alabama is the defending champion and returns the Heisman Trophy winner, its starting quarterback and its top two receivers. But Alabama also returns just three of its top 16 tacklers from last season -- and one of those, end Marcell Dareus, has unresolved eligibility issues related to the NCAA's ongoing agent investigation.
With losses like that, it's hard to see why Alabama should be such a prohibitive favorite. (The Crimson Tide got 55 of 59 first-place votes in the USA Today poll.) For that reason, my preseason pick is Boise State, which has everything but a name brand and a power conference. And if Ohio State weren't burdened by its recent history of nonconference train wrecks, there would be much more support for the Buckeyes.
League depth also could be an issue this season. Although Florida is prominently positioned at No. 3 in the USA Today poll, the Gators must overcome huge turnover -- they lost their defensive coordinator, their superstar quarterback and a slew of other draft picks. Everyone else in the SEC East comes with question marks as well.
In the West, voters at media day last month put LSU a shocking fourth. Arkansas and Auburn are the buzz teams, but can they live up to it, or will they fold under high expectations the way Mississippi did a year ago?
So this time around, it really does look like one power team (Bama) and a lot of uncertainty.
For the long haul, the rest of America has to get faster. The stereotype of Southern speed versus plodders from the Midwest and elsewhere probably is overplayed, but everyone who saw the Florida and LSU defenses overwhelm the Ohio State offensive line a few years back knows there also is some truth to it. In the SEC, athletes aren't at just the skill positions; they're everywhere. Even the long-snappers are fast.
[+] Enlarge
Jason Parkhurst/US PresswireLSU scored 31 straight points against Ohio State to give Les Miles his first national title.
"There seems to be a more athletic team [in the SEC]," Miles said. "There seems to be better ends, better corners. Seems like the receiving corps is more athletic. It just seems that there's greater competition in that regard."
So recruiting comparable speed is a priority. Then hope for some self-inflicted SEC wounds.
Agent issues are percolating around the league, and as long as the talent continues to flow to the SEC, the agents and their runners will, too. Also: As long as the passion to win remains at borderline toxic levels, the pressure to do whatever it takes will remain as well. As much as Slive has tried to rehab the league's outlaw image, scandal could be as big a threat to SEC dominance as anything another league can throw at it.
Then there are coaching questions. There might be too much inbreeding going on.
The three new hires for 2010 all have backgrounds in the league. But going outside the geographic footprint (and coaching pedigree) of the league for established head coaches has been good for some programs in recent years.
LSU brought in Nick Saban and Miles from the Big Ten and Big 12, respectively, with championship results. Florida imported Midwesterner-turned-Utah coach Urban Meyer, and he'll be a giant for as long as his esophagus lets him. Kentucky pulled old Pac-10 and NFL warhorse Rich Brooks out of retirement and enjoyed four straight winning seasons for the first time since the 1950s.
Perhaps Derek Dooley (former Saban assistant and son of a Georgia legend) will be the next great leader at Tennessee. Or Joker Phillips (assistant to Brooks) will sustain the momentum at Kentucky. Or Vanderbilt's Robbie Caldwell (assistant to retired Bobby Johnson) will coach as well as he talks. But they all have a lot to prove.
For now, though, the SEC as a whole has nothing left to prove. It is the standard of excellence in college football, and the evidence is in the trophy case..
J
Espn

Since the BCS started

Proof positive that the media is in love with the Big 10.

BCS appearances.
21-Big 10 47% winning
19-SEC 76% winning
17-Big 12- 43% winning.

SEC- 6 titles... The other conferences 5 titles.

j

Top 5 teams.

1. Gators
2. Bama
3. Texas
4. Ohio St
5. Oklahoma.

One of these 5 will win the crystal.
If an SEC team plays in the game, they will win it.

But, I think this is the year they dont have the best team from the SEC in the game. Title game Texas, OKIE winner will play Ohio State.
Ohio State gets a title and they would have finished 3 to 5th in the SEC.
Boise State will be stuck playing a 1 loss team SEC and beat up. No more Utah surprises for Satan.

Remember my prediction last year.
Bama in Championship game by two TDS.
Previous year Fla by two TDS.
Prior year LSU by 10.
This years prediction Fla by two TDS.

J

Horn's RB

I saw where Tre Newton was beat out for the starting tailback job.
Cody Johnson- 5'11 and 250lbs has been named the starter.

I haven't seen enough of Johnson to comment, but I do find it interesting.
Newton wasn't elusive enough for me.

J

College Football.

3 more hours of rivals radio today.

No big upsets predicted by anyone.
The best one I heard was SMU over TTech.

Big Games.
LSU-UNC: LSU- hasn't lost to an out of conference team with inferior talent in Miles career. LSU Wins, whether UNC has a full roster or not. If LSU gets any blocking and are in shape again they win by 2 TDs.

V Tech-Boise St: V Tech has been hard to watch on offense since Vick left. Boise State will play an offense not seen in the ACC. Boise State wins.
VTech gets better as the year rolls on.

TCU-Oregon St. Oregon St is not normally a quick starting team. TCU looked horrible in the final game last year, but this is the regular season. The Pac 10, lost to everyone last year so I will take TCU.

Possible Upset.
Pitt at Utah: The Big East tends to be overrated and the Mountain West underrated. Pitt is in for a rough game. Give me the Utes.
j

Hard Knocks- Jets

HBO has real bunch of winners with this Jets Team.

A few points:

1. Joe McKnight. - Disappointment- We heard him lie about recruiting with his phonww conversations with Reggie Bush, so I should not be surprised with the TV. The portrayal of him as a lazy buffoon is just mean and appears true.

2. Mark Sanchez- My biggest shocker. He is really immature and not too classy. It appears Sanchez is just another athlete that turns on a smile for the camera and appears weak in the maturity department. He practices poorly, he pouts, he ignores his coaches even when they are telling him to act professional. Overall, I have the same feeling as last year, he still needs to prove what he is and not just an average QB with inaccuracies. He really lost me with this multi-millionaire belittles a pizza joint worker, because they charge 59 cents for his order of ranch dressing.

3. I think I like Rex Ryan. But he needs to lose the belief that fights matter with a psyche.

He told the camera he wanted Verne Gholston to fight the next day, so they set it up for an O lineman to make him mad... Who cares about practice, Gholston will still flake out when it matters.

4. The RB coach will never be a head coach. Too Macho.

5. USC may sue HBO> Even ex-USC players don't argue that Joe McKnight may have taken a pay cut to play with the Jets.

j

Florida's Newest Freak.

I found this on a Gator's Blog...Uh Oh.

----

Now, it’s time to introduce the Gators’ newest Freak.

Jaye Howard.

Howard came to Florida as a 230-pound defensive end. Now, the junior from Apopka is a 310-pound starting (and very imposing) defensive tackle. And here’s the scary part: He’s running around out there like a defensive end or linebacker, making plays all over the field.

“He’s doing really good,” junior defensive end William Green said. “He’s over 300 pounds and he’s very fast. He’s almost as fast as I am. He’s a very fast guy, and very strong. His potential … the sky is the limit.”

By all accounts, Howard has been dominant in camp. When coaches or players are asked about who the top players are right now on defense, Howard’s name comes up every time.

J

You gotta love a coaching staff that actually improves the players. LSU has fallen a long way.

Duplicate Numbers in College Football.

This is a pet peeve of mine.

LSU has 105 players and 16 duplicate numbers.

The shocking part to me.

Patrick Peterson, Jordan Jefferson and Russell Shepard are three of the higher-profile Tigers, but all three share numbers with other players.

Why do the big timers have duplicates? Recruiting?

Ridiculous tradition.

j

Dandy Don post.

Maybe this will help explain the problem with LSU's offense.

JJ and JL may be a little slow on the uptick.

----

The number one question is the quarterback situation. I have been told that new passing coordinator Billy Gonzales has been working very closely with Gary Crowton to simplify the offensive playbook in hopes that it will help Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee make better decisions.

j

Some Peter King Comments.

My comments in Blue.

The Redskins players really like their coordinators, Jim Haslett and Kyle Shanahan. Defensive players like go-for-broke blitzers, which Haslett does at times. Offensive players like Shanahan because he's a football nerd who figures things out pretty fast for a 30-year-old who looks 19. "Kyle Shanahan is a brilliant football coach,'' Houston coach Gary Kubiak said.

Cowboy country should really be scared of the Skins if this is true. The talent is good and Dallas is soft.

9. There will be a longer line chasing John Fox than Bill Cowher after the season.

I love John Fox and do not like the Carolina talent.

10. Dexter McCluster could have the kind of impact on the Chiefs that Devin Hester had on the Bears four years ago. Not necessarily in the return game, but in pure explosive play-making ability.

I love Dexter, but HUH?

"One thing for sure that is clear to me is that Albert has gotten away in the past with playing without practicing. That will not happen under this regime. If he's going to play, he's going to practice, and that is the same with every player here. The days of him playing without practicing are over. And that, to me, says it all.''
-- Shanahan, to AOL FanHouse's Thomas George on Sunday
.
Fat Albert appears to be spoiled and a hot head. Cry baby.

Seems Oher is not very happy with how he was portrayed in The Blind Side movie. He thinks he was made to look like a simpleton who knew nothing about football before he was picked up off the Memphis streets and taken to live with a wealthy family. Seems he has no interest in furthering that public image, so he's concentrating on one thing: being a football player.

No surprise, when I saw I the movie, I knew the Pro Ego was going to be a problem..

j

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/peter_king/08/22/mmqb/index.html?eref=sihp#ixzz0xTr8jnSz

Brooking Quote during 3rd Quarter.

People talk about the Cowboys popularity.

During the 3rd quarter Keith Brooking says in amazement.

"We may have more fans than they do"

I was a little shocked, sure enough the cowboys complete a pass and the place roars.

During some games in Dallas you will see some Steelers, Packers or even Saints fans.

But to put 40,ooo fans in San Diego is nuts.

j.

For the record, The Chargers First team dominated the Dallas starters.

Sean Lee -- 2nd round pick

Good Stuff coming out of camp about the Penn State LB.

http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/cowboys/category/_/name/scouts-eye

Lee will be called on to play the all-important role of the nickel linebacker on this defense and the time he missed would have put him way behind. Do not feel like this is a case at all. In studying Lee, I thought he moved around well. When the squad went to team drills, in pass coverage other than one rep where he allowed a receiver to cross inside and behind him, he was solid on his responsibilities.

There is a lot to like about Lee, but there are two areas that really stand out to me.

One, Lee is always working for the perfect play. You can see that football is important to him through his effort and preparation. It bothered Lee that he made that mistake in coverage but on the next opportunity, although the ball did not come his way, he was able to maintain position in the route and put himself in good shape if it did.

For a rookie in the defense, Lee knows his assignments and those of the other linebackers. In pre-snap, Felix Jones motioned right to left outside the formation, Lee was there to pointJason Williams to bump outside and pick up the coverage. Here was a rookie having the awareness to make a defensive adjustment to keep the coverage intact.

Smart football players will always get a chance to make plays on Sundays.

j

FG's in Dallas.

Here is the Scout's comments... Dallas missed Home Field in the playoffs because of Fg's last year and here is where they stand.

====

When the team went to the field-goal period Thursday, David Buehler was a confident kicker. His training camp and preseason had been sailing along nicely. Talk of bringing in another kicker for his job was starting to remove itself from the conversation. Buehler connected on his first three kicks with no problem Thursday, but then the wheels came off on the next four kicks.

Buehler missed two to the left and two to the right. The misses were the first real problems that Buehler had shown since OTA’s and mini camps. The once steady, reliable kicker in camp was now leaking oil badly.

After practice, Buehler spoke of being grateful that he would have another opportunity to try kicks against the Chargers. But what once seemed like a lock now had everyone that witnessed the kicking display questioning how things might go the rest of the preseason.

j

Roger Clemens.

I cannot stand this anymore.

I realize that all of the unions and civil organizations will freak, but.........

Do blood testing or hair sampling and keep 3 other samples frozen for post testing during the next 5 years. This cures the problem on inaccurate testing. It also allows for the medical community to adjust and keep up with the cheaters and the new chemicals.

The problem with the current testing program is that the changing of the chemicals to avoid the testing in easy for a millionaire to pull off.

S.

There are not many superstars left that I originally said were juiced and that remain clear.

The big one in baseball will fall also. The rumors are already running rampant in the midwest.

j

Sayers Legacy

As we discussed, after seeing Gosselin's ranking of Sayers as 3rd best all-time, I looked at the stats. This week's SI talks about the existing film and his contemporary players' recollections. Football is just different; so many careers cut short that you have to look at players' impact. Sayers played in 51 games before his right knee was destroyed and to that point had averaged 5.3 yds/carry and way over 30 yds per kickoff. 10 months after the knee surgery (with no ACL) he played a full season and led the league in rushing and had a 4.4 avg/carry. The next preseason his left knee was totalled and he was basically finished. In just his first 3 years he returned 8 kicks for touchdowns, but never another one. When he was injured 9 games into his 4th season, he was averaging 6.2 yds/carry that year. In addition, he averaged a quite amazing 11.7 yds per reception over his career, a huge average for a RB. He finished with 56 TD's in 68 games. By the way, he played at 6' 200 lbs. In summary, there's a reason we still hear and see Sayers as an icon of the sport. He probably had as much pure talent as anyone who ever played the position, and no one who ever saw him can forget him.

S

Cowboys O-Line

Jacques Taylor lit into the Cowboys today about their poor drafting on the O-line and how it's left them with few options as they get older. Really terrible decisions and they have big trouble if injuries pile up.

But, he still advocates Barber starting? Stupid and inexplicable.

S

LSU Safety with the Cowboys.

he University of Texas wanted to make McCray into a linebacker, so the Houston native opted to play at LSU. He's one of at least nine rookies from the school and he was not even close to being the headliner. He played in the shadows of Chad Jones, the Giants' third-round draft pick who was in a horrific car accident this offseason. Special teams coach Joe DeCamillis thinks McCray could be a star for him. His play on special teams jumped off the screen in the Hall of Fame Game, but he also has shown excellent range at safety. There's no way to keep McCray off the 53-man roster.

j

Golf

The PGA was just brutal. I cannot side with Dustin Johnson even if I want to.

I saw the sheet of the bunkers and he should have known it was a bunker. Shame on him and his Caddie.

I can disagree that the bunkers should not be played as anything but a waste bunker. With people standing in the bunker, grounding your club should not be a big issue.

Another outdated and ridiculous rule for golf. Dye should not have defended that it should have been a waste bunker.

My biggest regret is Bubba Watson and his approach shot. The 6 iron was the mistake, not the angle of approach. I respect his willingness to go for it. As I personally experienced, when your nerves get high, you lose the power. He should have played for 10 yards over the green and chipped back. Mental disaster! The German player truly is a better player.

On the Ryder Cup. I would pick Zach Johnson, Anthony Kim and Tiger Woods.

I hate Woods but talent is talent. It will be a distraction for the team but he is the best.

Kim missed 3 months and wasn't healthy and almost made it anyway. Zach Johnson is just steady.

j

Rays Sweep of the Rangers.

A bit of a reality check in Arlington this week.

I hate being right on the Rays depth, this team is the team to beat in the playoffs.

I love the way this team plays baseball.

They are a young and aggressive team on offense and defense.

Even, Josh Hamilton cannot over come the pressure that Tampa puts on the rest of the Rangers. Every play and pitch is a pressure moment.

j

My 1st NFL Rankings. Top 10. Tit

This a pure gut check ranking.

1. Saints- I picked them to win 2 superbowls last November. Payton is a mastermind and they rest of these yahoo's are along for the ride.

2. Vikings- They should have won it last year. By far the best team that I watched. Sans, Peterson fumbling ever quarter and then some; they win every playoff game by 20. Head coach is a huge down grade, but the talent is by far the best in the league.

3. Chargers-Norv, needs a little luck on Defense. Rivers is already a top 3 Qb in the league.

4. Cowboys- Red Jesus needs to grow up with this offensive line and his play calling. If not they are doomed for a loss in New Orleans or Minnesota. Romo will take the blame and end up in the hospital on and off all year.

5. Colts- Peyton and the ability to change passing routes during a route makes them difficult to beat.

6. Packers- Best head coach in the NFC outside of New Orleans.

7. Pats- I cant downgrade the past without reason.

8a. Jets- I love the D, but hate the offense.

8b. Steelers. The talent is still there.

10. Titans- Jeff Fisher is all you need to win. Maybe the ex Longhorn will finally mature into a control QB and play all year.

j

College Football Is Coming.

Rivals Radio is the best show on the radio.

To listen them bash Les Miles is really a difficult listen as an LSU fan. The funny thing is that I agree with his every comment on LSU. King is really downgrading the LSU staff and Miles is an over matched coach in every game and every show. He actually compares LSU to the Florida/Bama/USC and Ohio State in talent. Then talks of them struggling to finish in the top 7 of the SEC.

The bashing continues with a comparison to Larry Coker.

It is going to be a long year.

j

MVP

As I watch the Rangers/Red Sox game tonight, going to extra innings and here is Hamilton's night so far: 4 for 5 with 8 total bases, a homer, a double, 4 runs, 2 amazing catches in center field, and just now scored from 2nd base on an infield hit; yes I said infield hit. As Grieve just said on the air: "if you have any doubt about who is the best player in baseball this year, then you haven't been watching our games, no one else is even close". He is absolutely the definition of a 5-tool player. Just scary having him play center because he dives for so many balls and hits the wall so many times. Tonight is one of the best 1-game performances by 1 player you'll ever see.

S

Curry's Daughter Jersey is Going into Cooperstown.

I have posted some stories about Curry's daughter pitching against the boys.

Well, Espn and Good Morning America was not big enough.

Monday, she will have jersey in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Local Little League phenom to be featured in Cooperstown - St. Petersburg Times

www.tampabay.com

j

290lb Freshman Running Back at Auburn.

Ladarious Phillips.

This is nuts:

He can dunk a basketball.

He can also do a standing back flip and land on his feet.

At 290lbs, my whole house would shake when he lands.

I bet the defensive coaches are itching to get him on defensive.

J

Are those Pac 10 QB's that good?

This is part of an article on Espn SEC blog

Can you pick out which statistics belong to Stephen Garcia and Jordan Jefferson?

Lets compare them to the PAC 10, superstars.

A. 2,862 passing yards, 17 TD passes, 10 interceptions, 55.3 completion percentage.

B. 2,850 passing yards, 18 TD passes, eight interceptions, 54.7 completion percentage.

C. 2,800 passing yards, 21 TD passes, 11 interceptions, 58.2 completion percentage.

D. 2,735 passing yards, 15 TD passes, 14 interceptions, 59.9 completion percentage.

E. 2,575 passing yards, 13 TD passes, four interceptions, 56.2 completion percentage.

F. 2,486 passing yards, 19 TD passes, nine interceptions, 63.6 completion percentage.

G. 2,166 passing yards, 17 TD passes, seven interceptions, 61.5 completion percentage.

Garcia’s stats were A. and that he passed for more yards than any of the five Pac-10 quarterbacks listed? B. Riley, C. Locker, D.Barkley, E. Luck and F. Foles.
Jefferson is G.

A good rule of thumb, usually it is the system.

j

I have to blame Crowton and Miles.

I am tired of people blaming Jefferson and Jarrett Lee for LSU downfall.

I admit I overrated Crowton, due to Tim Rattay, and his ability to coach a QB and offense.

Miles gets th most of my ire for his lack of ....well everything..

Jefferson was the best player in La and has really good stats. It is crazy but true, this is while he is running for his life on most every play.

Jarrett Lee has just been horrible and was one of the top players out of Texas.

I can't blame the QB's when these two coaches haven't developed anyone while at LSU.

j

College Football. Dirty Dozen Thoughts.

After spending 21 hours in my car in the a 30 hour period, I am full of useless college football information.

1. Bama has better talent than last years team. (And they lost 9 starters on Defense. )

2. Why do people think USC is suddenly not a top 5 talent team?

3. The Big 10 and Pac 10 fans are delusional. They need to quit bragging when their second best team beats a 6th to 8th ranked team SEC team like LSU or Tennessee in a bowl game.

4. Notre Dame should have a better record, the teams they play are just weak.

5. Florida is under the radar.

6. Oklahoma and Ohio State are too talented not play in a NC within 2 years.

7. Nebraska leaving helps Tx and Ok. Suddenly they one of them will be undefeated ever other year.

8. Big 10 breaking into two divisions will be very interesting.

9. Boise State and TCU being in top 10 is ridiculous, considering they could end up playing in NC game without ever beating another top 10 talent school.

10. LSU is an after thought and it makes me sick. Miles has returned the Tigers to second level bowl games.

11. I like the QB's at Tx and Ok as much as their ballyhooed predecessors.

12. I think Ohio State will win a title, as soon as the SEC is kept out of the title game.

OK/Tx winner , Ohio State, or USC - two of these 3 will go undefeated and not have to play an SEC champion for a title. The SEC champ will lose mid season in conference to miss out.

J

Cliff Lee Uh Oh.

While many people have ill feelings toward President Bush for his decisions.

His biggest mistake! Why is DFW playing baseball without A/C.

Quoted from Lee after his shortest outing of the season.

"That's part of playing in Texas: You've got to figure out how to deal with the heat," Lee said after the game. "It was definitely a hot one, but it was hot for both sides. That's an excuse. I'm not going to sit here and make excuses. It was a even playing field and both teams had to deal with it. You can't change the weather. You can't change the environment. It is what it is and you have to deal with it."

Ryan and new managing general partner Chuck Greenberg said the heat should not impact the club's ability to sign or keep key players, including Lee, who will be a free agent after the season.

Mark Cuban's thoughts.

"I don't know if you can go top five [payroll] just because the Rangers are always at a disadvantage just because of the heat factor out there [at Rangers Ballpark]," Cuban told ESPN 103.3 FM in Dallas on Monday. "

j

Chipper Jones

I wonder if I will ever appreciate Chipper Jones and his career as much as I should.

I just never thought he lived up to the Griffey, Arod type hype he had.

Watching him getting hurt is a sad way to go out.

Great Career. 307 avg. 436 HR. 1 MVP, 1 Batting Title.

j

Felix Jones vs Marion Barber.

Weight.

Felix Jones 218lbs.

Marion Barber 214lbs.

How in the world does this happen.

S, you were the first to mention this to me.

If he loses the quickness side to side, he is done.

Speed is great, but the elusiveness is his entire game. AP lost it last year, and the football.

I am worried about Felix. Marion could not get worse.

j

LSU Talk.

To start, I have to use Glenn Guilbeau's opening quote in his article about the LSU cornerbacks.

Disclaimer: Before you read what LSU coach Les Miles said about his cornerbacks for the 2010 season, remember what he said last season about his offensive line having a chance to be the best one he'd ever had at LSU.

That did not exactly work out as the Tigers' line was at its worst since the late 1990s, finishing last in the Southeastern Conference and 105th in the nation out of 120 upper division schools with 37 sacks allowed and 11th in the SEC and 90th nationally in rushing offense with 122.7 yards a game.

You have to give him high marks for that one. It is hilarious.

Peterson is the best DB, I have ever seen at LSU. He is truly a beast.

Since, I have touched on the only high point I can find, lets talk about a WR coach being the most important coach on the team. The impact of the Fl coach Gonzales is the talk of camp.

He is focused and time restrictive coach in camp, per the players.

That is scary...How bad has the coaching been at LSU?

Miles is already talking about the running backs in the same fashion as last year, elusive running backs with be on the bench like before and we will watch Ridley run into the line and fall down.

Sheppard may touch the ball maybe 4 times a game, so Miles can play tough ball with his fat and weak out of lines.

What a mess.

J

Scouts view on Cowboys coming out of Camp.

3 areas of concern and his comments.

1. Doug Free- He feels that Free will be fine, especially with the work he gets against Ware and Spenser.

2. Free Safety- Ball and Hamlin- I think he thinks it is an improvement with either player.

3. Kicker- No comfort here. He says we should hold off until we see him in a few games.

j

Pedro Relived

For some reason I wanted to review Pedro now that he seems done. Consider that he pitched in the absolute raging height of the steriod era, and mostly in the American league during that time. During his 9-year prime from 1997 to 2005, 9 seasons and 263 starts, he won an astounding 74% of his decisions (149-53), with a 2.48 era. 2.48 during that time! In that period, the league hit .203 against him and his total of hits + walks allowed equalled less than 1 per inning. His strike-out to walk ratio in that period was 5.2 to 1. Also note that he plunked 90 people in his prime years. Not bashful.

So, I've got work to do, but the question is was Pedro the best pitcher of all time during his prime? Lots of competition, and if you want durability, he's out of the discussion. But at his best, maybe just for 7 innings, was anyone ever better considering the numbers and the era he pitched in? Certainly the most dazzling array of high-quality stuff I've ever seen. More to follow when I have time.

S

Livestrong II

Food for thought: can a man be both good & bad? Today I read that the Livestrong Foundation is in the top 10 cancer-funding organizations in the US. To date Lance & Co. have raised over $325 million for cancer research. They took 130,000 gold bracelets to Europe for the racing season, and sold out. Dan Patrick ran a survey in which he asked his listeners that if Armstrong cheated, but helped cure cancer, was the cheating worth it. Over half said yes. Food for thought.

S

Stan the Man

How awesome to see Musial on the SI cover last week! You know I've always had that soft spot for Musial, liking him more than Williams, more than Mantle even. A great story to read. Open for debate: was Musial's 1948 the greatest single season in the post war era? He missed the triple crown by 1 homer. He finished leading the league in batting average, hits, doubles, triples, rbi's, total bases, and slugging %, but alas 2nd in homers. My previous posting of "best 9" years for the immortals makes the case that Stan the Man deserves a little higher place than he is now accorded.

S

High School Early Rankings

The ESPN Rise national pre-season rankings:

1 - Abilene (!)
3 - Lake Travis
6 - Euless Trinity
10 - West Monroe
11 - South Panola

Note - Abilene will play #2 Plant (Tampa) High on national TV in September

S

Emmitt Reply

Thought I would post new instead of reply to your Emmitt post. Today Gosselin ran a column detailing how he asked 5 very high-up NFL experts that he trusts to rank the all-time running backs 1-5. So, there were 25 spots on the 5 ballots. Emmitt got exactly zero votes! Not 1 of Gosselin's experts put Smith on their ballot. Faulk got votes, Allen got votes, Dorsett got votes, but Emmitt: none.

Gosselin's rankings: Brown, Sanders, Sayers, Simpson, Payton, Dickerson, Smith, Campbell, Allen, Faulk.

Interesting about Sayers; despite only playing 68 games, he averaged 5 yards per carry, won 2 rushing crowns, and holds the NFL record with a 30.1 kickoff return average (6 tds). Gosselin ranked all 3 of the backs with 5 yard averages in his top 3.

All in all, I think Gosselin's rankings are fair. Emmitt Smith was the perfect storm of ability & desire meeting the right offense and the right coach. Today's Morning News detailed the evolution of the 'lead draw' and how Turner devised it based on his USC days and added the 'draw' action to it. The Redskins defensive coach from that era discussed how they were unable to stop it despite knowing they would see it at least 20 times each day.

You're certainly right that Emmitt is hard to listen to. However, I do think he is a good guy at heart. When he discussed his feelings for Daryl Johnston this week it was hard not to get teary.

At the end of the day, Emmitt really represents the greatest years of my NFL-watching life, seeing the Cowboys rise and dominate. He will always hold a huge place in my sports soul, no matter where he ranks.

S

50 most heart breaking College Football losses on Espn

http://espn.go.com/college-football/features/houseofpain

A lot of great games...they are currently down to number 31.

I wonder if the Bert Jones-Archie Manning game in Baton Rouge will be a top 10.

Ark-Tex in 69 has to be, Penn State-Miami - Nebraska - Miami.

Bobby Bowden should have an entire page to himself.

Number 49.

ripped Up

• 

  LSU

  17
• 

  Ole Miss

  14

Nov. 22, 2003: In 2003, the No. 15 Rebels had second-generation hero Eli Manning at quarterback and All-American kicker Jonathan Nichols, who had missed one field goal all season. A defeat of No. 3 LSU in Oxford would send the Rebels to their first SEC championship game. Nichols missed two field goals. Manning, facing a fourth-and-10 with 1:55 to play, took the snap, took two steps back and fell down, tripped by his own lineman. LSU won 17-14. Ole Miss still hasn't been to the SEC title game.

j

Favre Retire?

Are we supposed to really believe this,,,,Again.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5433551

j

Emmitt Smith Interview

I loved the way Emmitt played and I have defended him for years.

I just laugh when people say he was great because of his O-line,

they ignore the fact that most of them were cast off players. The forget the explosive quickness and ability to push through tackles. Emmitt was just special, that vision was just incredible, second only to Sanders during his time.

Now, the reason for my post.

I cannot stand to watch him talk about himself, he is as bad as Deion Sanders.

He had a long interview with Newie and the melodrama was just hard to stomach.

Who would have thought that Irvin would be the self deprecating one.

I love to hear Irvin and Aikman tell stories, but Smith is just hard to watch.

j

Ole Miss- Criminal.

Former Oregon QB - Jeremiah Masoli, enrolled at Ole Miss.

Houston Nutt has lost his mind, this kid is a walking thug.

In the last year alone, he has been charged with burglary and later police found him with Pot in his car.

Did I mention that in 2005 he served time for robbery.

j

Saints Camp- Espn

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Jimmy Graham. The Saints took what seemed like a bit of a leap when they drafted the tight end in the third round. He played basketball at the University of Miami before deciding to switch to football in his final year. The conventional wisdom was that Graham would be a bit of a project and would take a year or two to really have an impact. But there already is a buzz among the coaching staff and other offensive players about Graham. Everyone knew he had great athletic ability coming in, but he’s picked up things faster than anyone expected and he got some first-team work with Brees in June workouts. He might play a bigger role faster than anyone expected.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

Clint Ingram. When the Saints signed Ingram, a lot of fans instantly thought he would be the automatic replacement for Fujita. Ingram had been a starter in Jacksonville, so the logic was solid. But Ingram was injured when the Saints signed him and he still hasn’t been on the practice field, except while riding a stationary bike. That has allowed Troy Evans, Dunbar and Arnoux time to make a good impression. Unless Ingram gets healthy very soon and makes a huge impression on the field, he might not even get a roster spot.

j

Scout's View on Cowboys Red Zone Practice.

Evidentily Romo had his worst practice of camp on Sunday.

Brian Broaddus had these observation on Garrett and the practice session.

The problem with all this to me, was that the offense was working on red zone situations, which is the very area that there were struggles in 2009. In the offseason we were told that special attention would be paid by all parties on offense to correct what needed to be done in the red zone to improve.

Romo’s play Saturday was not a step in the right direction.

j