Waldini:
- I watched the Lakers-Spurs last night and Kobe was forcing the issue. It was interesting b/c when he was in the game, it was everybody watch Kobe, Kobe dribble forever and take a bad shot with little time on the shot clock. When he was out in the early 4th qtr, the Lakers made a run. Keep in mind they had Odom, Bynum, Vujacic, McKie, and Green on the floor. And that squad cut the lead to 4.
- Does anyone think the Clippers are for real? They're off to a franchise best for Ws in November and currently lead the Pacific. They have beaten quality teams on the road. I'm hesistant to pencil them in for the playoffs b/c Sam I Am is older and tends to break down over a season
- Who is the best team in the NBA right now? Spurs, Pistons, Mavs,etc....there's a lot of parity right now
- The Stan Van Gundy conspiracy is in full watch right now. Shaq comes back next week and if that team doesnt go on a roll, then's he toast by Jan
- Chris Paul, Channing Frye, Andrew Bogut are the truth.
- Dwight Howard is going to be a beast in 2 yrs
- Remember when experts said Tim Thomas was going to revolutionize his position. I guess those guys never forsaw him being placed on the inactivelist.
- My oh my how the Wiz have fallen since their fast start
Gangsta D:
Bynum may turn out to be a player, and I mean by the end of the year. He showed me something last night. I'm not gonna shout hallelujah over 6/6/2 but he made some nice moves in the post, had a real nice assist to Smush, and got some strong rebounds. If he can figure out what to do 30% of the time in the triangle, he will be an asset.
Waldini:
Yea, he did look decent last night. Sasha didnt look that bad either. I know folks will say I am crazy but the Lakers should have beat the Spurs last night. The Lakers forced the issue too many times on a number of different possessions. When they played under control, they were running neck and neck with the Spurs. Classic example of forcing...Smush steals the ball has a 2 on 1 break (Odom on the wing) with another Laker trailing. Brent Barry is trying to stop Smush from pushing up the court. Instead of Smush passing the outlet to Lamar early, he decided to dribble behind his back. Yea he got fouled and fortunately hit both free throws but it made more sense to give up the ball early
I'm optimistic though b/c it's early in the season.
Da Realist:
sorry guys...putting out fires this morning...
Gangsta D:
Don't know if you saw on NBA TV sunday, but they showed Game 4 of the 2002 Finals. It's wierd to see that team play with poise, play agressive defense, and precision on offense. The 2005 team pretty much lacks in all categories:) But, they have talent and potential. They just have to find a way to put it all together. Lamar went off and picked up the slack due to Kobe's bad shooting night. Sasha had a couple big threes. They played very good defense at times, and horrible defense at other times. The only personwho knows how to win is Kobe, but he often tries to do too much by himself. They just need a good win against an upper echelon team, to give themselves confidence. I think they can do it, but I hope the season doesn't devolve into a tailspin before they can figure it out.
Waldini:
Naw, but I got it on tape :-)
Well we both can do math. The Lakers lost by 6, Kobe made 9 of 30 shots. He shoots at least 45% the Lakers win. I agree with you. They need a win against a top tier team to give them confidence. I think they are more talented than they show at times but they have to believe it. Amazing how different they look now vs that first week huh :-)
Read more!
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Monday, November 28, 2005
Da Realist Concedes a Point?
Da Realist:
this past weekend is the reason i don't like conference championships. first of all, it ain't fair that you go through the whole 10 game season and end up with the best record only to have to play one more game to officially "win" the conference. did you two see fsu get their asses handed to them saturday. they lost 3 straight games, yet they have a shot at the orange bowl. what about the big 12 north? colorado has a chance to wrap itup AT HOME against nebraska and what do they do? they didn't just lose,they got the snot beat out of them. so now all iowa state has to do is beat kansas on saturday and what do they do? LOSE! so now colorado has a chance to "win" the big 12, even though texas already beat the snot out of them earlier in the season.
and besides, lsu gets an extra game (sec championship) to impress voters while penn state sits at home (no big 10 championship). it ain't fair. mypreference would be to get rid of the conf. championships but whether youhave them or not, all conferences should play by the same rules.
Gangsta D:
I like conference championship games, but i agree that all conferences should have them. If Texas is truly the second best if not best team in the country, then CU won't get within 20. If the Buffs win, then that's Texas' fault not the conference title game.
Da Realist:
are you kidding me? why does it not surprise me that you like the conference championships? texas already beat colorado! sorry buffs. maybe next year suckers. next time win the game. that's the way it should be.
Waldini:
Either all conferences should have them or none at all. There's nothing more crappy then watching an underdog like Texas A&M upset a Kansas St in the Big 12 game :-)
Gangsta D:
Riddle me this Batman, what if lo and behold the division winners don't play each other in the regular season like.....LSU and UGA? Georgia's a Shockley injury away from having the same record as LSU. What if like three years ago when Iowa won the Big Ten, you don't play the best teams in your conference that year? Are you really the conference champion?
Da Realist:
yeah, i see your point. maybe there is some use to conference championships, but some changes would have to be in place.
you have to play everyone in your division.
you can't play anyone in the other division. the only time you can possibly play that team is in the conference championship. this would have force theACC to put miami and fsu in the same division every year. it also guarantees the championship game is a rematch. Read more!
this past weekend is the reason i don't like conference championships. first of all, it ain't fair that you go through the whole 10 game season and end up with the best record only to have to play one more game to officially "win" the conference. did you two see fsu get their asses handed to them saturday. they lost 3 straight games, yet they have a shot at the orange bowl. what about the big 12 north? colorado has a chance to wrap itup AT HOME against nebraska and what do they do? they didn't just lose,they got the snot beat out of them. so now all iowa state has to do is beat kansas on saturday and what do they do? LOSE! so now colorado has a chance to "win" the big 12, even though texas already beat the snot out of them earlier in the season.
and besides, lsu gets an extra game (sec championship) to impress voters while penn state sits at home (no big 10 championship). it ain't fair. mypreference would be to get rid of the conf. championships but whether youhave them or not, all conferences should play by the same rules.
Gangsta D:
I like conference championship games, but i agree that all conferences should have them. If Texas is truly the second best if not best team in the country, then CU won't get within 20. If the Buffs win, then that's Texas' fault not the conference title game.
Da Realist:
are you kidding me? why does it not surprise me that you like the conference championships? texas already beat colorado! sorry buffs. maybe next year suckers. next time win the game. that's the way it should be.
Waldini:
Either all conferences should have them or none at all. There's nothing more crappy then watching an underdog like Texas A&M upset a Kansas St in the Big 12 game :-)
Gangsta D:
Riddle me this Batman, what if lo and behold the division winners don't play each other in the regular season like.....LSU and UGA? Georgia's a Shockley injury away from having the same record as LSU. What if like three years ago when Iowa won the Big Ten, you don't play the best teams in your conference that year? Are you really the conference champion?
Da Realist:
yeah, i see your point. maybe there is some use to conference championships, but some changes would have to be in place.
you have to play everyone in your division.
you can't play anyone in the other division. the only time you can possibly play that team is in the conference championship. this would have force theACC to put miami and fsu in the same division every year. it also guarantees the championship game is a rematch. Read more!
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Predictions and Prognostications
Waldini:
FSU@FLA - Wow both teams are stumbling into the finish line and it's hard decision to make. Leak's a better QB than Weatherford but Bobby's a better coach than Urban (track record wise). I'm picking Florida only b/c they are at home not b/c I think they are better than FSU. I want to see if Realist's Jedi training is complete and if he has converted to the darkside of FSU :-). GATORS
UGA@GT - All of sudden, the Yellow Jackets are dragon slayers (see victories at Auburn, at Miami). The last time we saw UGA, they disappointed losing to a surprising Auburn team at home. This is a hard game to call b/c both teams do too much Jekyll and Hyde. You never know which squad will show up or not. But I'm going with Shockley b/c I dont think he wants to end his regular season career on a downer. BULLDAWGS
UT@A&M - "Reggie Bush, you did your thing on Sat night, now it's my turn" -Vince Young. You dont think Vince is sitting there thinking to himself, he has to do something big on Sat to wow the Heisman committee. I am a Bush backer but Vince isnt far behind in the balloting, according to different critics. Texas A&M were supposed to challenge UT this year but they have been a major disappointment. Franchionne (sp?) has stunted Reggie McNeal's growth severly this year. LONGHORNS
PITT@WVA - Pitt was absolute trash to start the year but have slowly come around and are one win from being bowl eligible. Rich Rodriguez knows his team is in the driver's seat for that automatic BCS bid so I dont think he lets his team come out flat. Plus I think Dave Wannstedt is a jabroni.MOUNTAINEERS
ARK@LSU - This one made the cut b/c Arkansas traditionally has played LSU tough no matter how good or bad they are in a season. LSU is another team that's in the driver's seat and they win this, they clinch the West and and appearance in the SEC bowl. Amazing considering 3 weeks ago, people wereprojecting them to go to the Outback Bowl. Now they can control there own destiny and could wind up in a BCS bowl if they win out. Jamarcus, this is your chance to make me believe that you are better than I think you are.TIGERS
ND@STAN - My hate tells me to pick the Cardinal. My loathing tells me thatNotre Dame is bound to come up short. My disgust wants Weis and Quinn to fly out of Cali with a long look on their face. Too bad my spider sense trumps all of that above. Unfortunately, the Irish will win this one and continue to "prove" the conspiracy is in effect. FIGHTING IRISH
UVA@UM - I put this one on here only b/c of what GT did last week. But I dont think Miami suffers the same letdown against the Cavs. I can picture them now playing that 7th floor crew song again and getting themselves ready to layeth the smacketh down on Al Groh's boys. I wouldnt want to be a Cavs fan this Sat. CANES
Da Realist:
FSU @ UF - this game is the hardest to call out of the whole list. neither team will want to lose this game. fsu has already lost 2 straight games and florida wants to get the taste of the spurrier loss out of their mouths. i've been back and forth on this one for almost 2 weeks, but i'm picking florida for a few reasons. first of all, it's senior day. secondly, i don't think the noles' corners can compete with the gator wide receivers in man to man coverage the whole game and if they drop the safeties to help out, the gator running game will take over. next, the noles can't run the ball and leon washington is still hurt. and lastly, i think fsu is still trying to save their best game for the acc championship. of course they want to win, but they are banged up on both sides of the ball. if a keyplayer is 60% effective this saturday, why not rest him this week against florida in a meaningless game and let him rest up for another 2 weeks in the championship game? FLORIDA
UGA @ GT - i said a couple of weeks ago that georgia tech plays the big boys well but they don't show up against softies. i also said miami would get gt's best game. what was left unsaid is this, gt is only good for one great performance a year. they had that last week. the yellow jackets will be patting themselves on the backs all week because of last week. conversely, the yellow jackets win caught the attention of the bulldogs. gt will haveto be even better to win this game and my guess is, they won't be. GEORGIA
TEXAS @ A&M - A&M looks lost. their team is beat up and have no they confidence. texas sees the light at the end of the tunnel. they may lose, but it won't be this game. TEXAS
PITT @ WEST VIRGINIA - pittsburgh sucks and i don't believe in dave wannstedt. i don't think his team believes in him either.
WEST VIRGINIAARK @ LSU - lsu is too talented for arkansas to handle. arkansas will bringthe running game, but will need to be better balanced offensively to beat lsu. and there is no way the hogs can match the tiger's speed. LSU
ND @ STANFORD - nd will beat the cardinal so bad they'll be calling themselves toby. there is no way the irish miss out on this payday. NOTREDAME
UVA @ MIAMI - virgina already has what it wanted - a bowl berth. they're now shutting things down this year. miami will come out breathing fire and handle the wahoos pretty handily. MIAMI
Gangsta D:
FSU vs UF - The Noles will win because Urban Meyer has no ties to BobbyBowden. Plus, no way they lose three in a row. I just can't see Bobby letting that happen.
Dogs vs Gnats - Tech shot their wad last week. They won't be able to blitz Shockley like they did Kyle, he'll take off and burn 'em for 30 on the ground. No way the Dogs lose to UF and Tech in the same year again. But, Demario Minter better be wary of Calvin Johnson. Dude is legit. Any time someone goes off on the 'U like he did, he gets my respect.
Bevo vs Aggies - Uh you think Young Vince is motivated after the performance El Presidente gave last week? Expect him to go for 300+ yds passing and200+ yds rushing. It's 42-0 in the 2nd Qtr.
Pitt vs WV - Who cares? Pitt, Wanndstedt's mustache will be the deciding factor.
Hogs vs Tigers - LSU is a Leinert/Young injury away from the nat'l championship game...maybe. At any rate, they are close and if they beat theHogs and destroy UGA maybe they get some swing votes. Either way, they don't lay down in this one.
Fighting Drunks vs Cardinal - Notre Dame in a laugher, unfortunately. They will knock a more deserving one loss team out of the BCS.
Cavs vs 'Canes - I imagine the team is thoroughly embarassed by their play last week and will come out with a chip on their shoulder. And they may even keep Kyle from eating mud pies this game. Very slim hope of an ACC championship game still lives, so maybe they come with the swagger. Canes by at least 10.
Da Realist:
what in the hell??? you've picked the noles 3 times this year and are 1-2 so far. this will soon be 1-3. tech "shot their wad"??? hey, isn't this a family-oriented blog? you picked PITT???
Gangsta D:
I gotta pick different games than you dudes, who picked the EXACT same games. I don't believe in ties. I either win or lose. And yes, I'm the kind of guy that would go for two at the end of the game instead of playing it safe. Read more!
FSU@FLA - Wow both teams are stumbling into the finish line and it's hard decision to make. Leak's a better QB than Weatherford but Bobby's a better coach than Urban (track record wise). I'm picking Florida only b/c they are at home not b/c I think they are better than FSU. I want to see if Realist's Jedi training is complete and if he has converted to the darkside of FSU :-). GATORS
UGA@GT - All of sudden, the Yellow Jackets are dragon slayers (see victories at Auburn, at Miami). The last time we saw UGA, they disappointed losing to a surprising Auburn team at home. This is a hard game to call b/c both teams do too much Jekyll and Hyde. You never know which squad will show up or not. But I'm going with Shockley b/c I dont think he wants to end his regular season career on a downer. BULLDAWGS
UT@A&M - "Reggie Bush, you did your thing on Sat night, now it's my turn" -Vince Young. You dont think Vince is sitting there thinking to himself, he has to do something big on Sat to wow the Heisman committee. I am a Bush backer but Vince isnt far behind in the balloting, according to different critics. Texas A&M were supposed to challenge UT this year but they have been a major disappointment. Franchionne (sp?) has stunted Reggie McNeal's growth severly this year. LONGHORNS
PITT@WVA - Pitt was absolute trash to start the year but have slowly come around and are one win from being bowl eligible. Rich Rodriguez knows his team is in the driver's seat for that automatic BCS bid so I dont think he lets his team come out flat. Plus I think Dave Wannstedt is a jabroni.MOUNTAINEERS
ARK@LSU - This one made the cut b/c Arkansas traditionally has played LSU tough no matter how good or bad they are in a season. LSU is another team that's in the driver's seat and they win this, they clinch the West and and appearance in the SEC bowl. Amazing considering 3 weeks ago, people wereprojecting them to go to the Outback Bowl. Now they can control there own destiny and could wind up in a BCS bowl if they win out. Jamarcus, this is your chance to make me believe that you are better than I think you are.TIGERS
ND@STAN - My hate tells me to pick the Cardinal. My loathing tells me thatNotre Dame is bound to come up short. My disgust wants Weis and Quinn to fly out of Cali with a long look on their face. Too bad my spider sense trumps all of that above. Unfortunately, the Irish will win this one and continue to "prove" the conspiracy is in effect. FIGHTING IRISH
UVA@UM - I put this one on here only b/c of what GT did last week. But I dont think Miami suffers the same letdown against the Cavs. I can picture them now playing that 7th floor crew song again and getting themselves ready to layeth the smacketh down on Al Groh's boys. I wouldnt want to be a Cavs fan this Sat. CANES
Da Realist:
FSU @ UF - this game is the hardest to call out of the whole list. neither team will want to lose this game. fsu has already lost 2 straight games and florida wants to get the taste of the spurrier loss out of their mouths. i've been back and forth on this one for almost 2 weeks, but i'm picking florida for a few reasons. first of all, it's senior day. secondly, i don't think the noles' corners can compete with the gator wide receivers in man to man coverage the whole game and if they drop the safeties to help out, the gator running game will take over. next, the noles can't run the ball and leon washington is still hurt. and lastly, i think fsu is still trying to save their best game for the acc championship. of course they want to win, but they are banged up on both sides of the ball. if a keyplayer is 60% effective this saturday, why not rest him this week against florida in a meaningless game and let him rest up for another 2 weeks in the championship game? FLORIDA
UGA @ GT - i said a couple of weeks ago that georgia tech plays the big boys well but they don't show up against softies. i also said miami would get gt's best game. what was left unsaid is this, gt is only good for one great performance a year. they had that last week. the yellow jackets will be patting themselves on the backs all week because of last week. conversely, the yellow jackets win caught the attention of the bulldogs. gt will haveto be even better to win this game and my guess is, they won't be. GEORGIA
TEXAS @ A&M - A&M looks lost. their team is beat up and have no they confidence. texas sees the light at the end of the tunnel. they may lose, but it won't be this game. TEXAS
PITT @ WEST VIRGINIA - pittsburgh sucks and i don't believe in dave wannstedt. i don't think his team believes in him either.
WEST VIRGINIAARK @ LSU - lsu is too talented for arkansas to handle. arkansas will bringthe running game, but will need to be better balanced offensively to beat lsu. and there is no way the hogs can match the tiger's speed. LSU
ND @ STANFORD - nd will beat the cardinal so bad they'll be calling themselves toby. there is no way the irish miss out on this payday. NOTREDAME
UVA @ MIAMI - virgina already has what it wanted - a bowl berth. they're now shutting things down this year. miami will come out breathing fire and handle the wahoos pretty handily. MIAMI
Gangsta D:
FSU vs UF - The Noles will win because Urban Meyer has no ties to BobbyBowden. Plus, no way they lose three in a row. I just can't see Bobby letting that happen.
Dogs vs Gnats - Tech shot their wad last week. They won't be able to blitz Shockley like they did Kyle, he'll take off and burn 'em for 30 on the ground. No way the Dogs lose to UF and Tech in the same year again. But, Demario Minter better be wary of Calvin Johnson. Dude is legit. Any time someone goes off on the 'U like he did, he gets my respect.
Bevo vs Aggies - Uh you think Young Vince is motivated after the performance El Presidente gave last week? Expect him to go for 300+ yds passing and200+ yds rushing. It's 42-0 in the 2nd Qtr.
Pitt vs WV - Who cares? Pitt, Wanndstedt's mustache will be the deciding factor.
Hogs vs Tigers - LSU is a Leinert/Young injury away from the nat'l championship game...maybe. At any rate, they are close and if they beat theHogs and destroy UGA maybe they get some swing votes. Either way, they don't lay down in this one.
Fighting Drunks vs Cardinal - Notre Dame in a laugher, unfortunately. They will knock a more deserving one loss team out of the BCS.
Cavs vs 'Canes - I imagine the team is thoroughly embarassed by their play last week and will come out with a chip on their shoulder. And they may even keep Kyle from eating mud pies this game. Very slim hope of an ACC championship game still lives, so maybe they come with the swagger. Canes by at least 10.
Da Realist:
what in the hell??? you've picked the noles 3 times this year and are 1-2 so far. this will soon be 1-3. tech "shot their wad"??? hey, isn't this a family-oriented blog? you picked PITT???
Gangsta D:
I gotta pick different games than you dudes, who picked the EXACT same games. I don't believe in ties. I either win or lose. And yes, I'm the kind of guy that would go for two at the end of the game instead of playing it safe. Read more!
We've Got Bush!
Gangsta D:
I just realized that Tennessee was 2-8. They've got a legitimate shot at the top pick. Their OC just happens to be Norm Chow. Interesting. Either way, Norm is reunited with a former pupil. Do they go for Leinert, thus signaling the end of the "Air McNair Era." Or would they go with Bush. Very interesting who gets the first pick...
Da Realist:
i'm almost certain they'll take leinart. reggie is an exciting college player but he's a little small for the big league. even in college, when usc needs to pound the ball they give it to lendale white.
Gangsta D:
I don't know man, it didn't seem to bother Barry Sanders. Besides when you're that fast, you ain't gonna get hit no way:)
Da Realist:
did you see barry's thighs? that dude was built like a rock. he was short, but little he was not.
Gangsta D:
At any rate, whoever passes up Bush will regret it. Small thighs or not, he will be killing folks.
Da Realist:
so you think he'll be a good pro? at what position? running back?
Gangsta D:
He's Brian Westbrook with World Class speed. Who cares about a position? RB, WR, KR, PR, it doesn't really matter. If he doesn't pan out, I'll switch my allegiance to FSU! Ok that was a tad egregious, but he will be a good pro.
Da Realist:
in the super conservative world of the nfl, norm chow would probably be theonly OC to know what to do with him. Read more!
I just realized that Tennessee was 2-8. They've got a legitimate shot at the top pick. Their OC just happens to be Norm Chow. Interesting. Either way, Norm is reunited with a former pupil. Do they go for Leinert, thus signaling the end of the "Air McNair Era." Or would they go with Bush. Very interesting who gets the first pick...
Da Realist:
i'm almost certain they'll take leinart. reggie is an exciting college player but he's a little small for the big league. even in college, when usc needs to pound the ball they give it to lendale white.
Gangsta D:
I don't know man, it didn't seem to bother Barry Sanders. Besides when you're that fast, you ain't gonna get hit no way:)
Da Realist:
did you see barry's thighs? that dude was built like a rock. he was short, but little he was not.
Gangsta D:
At any rate, whoever passes up Bush will regret it. Small thighs or not, he will be killing folks.
Da Realist:
so you think he'll be a good pro? at what position? running back?
Gangsta D:
He's Brian Westbrook with World Class speed. Who cares about a position? RB, WR, KR, PR, it doesn't really matter. If he doesn't pan out, I'll switch my allegiance to FSU! Ok that was a tad egregious, but he will be a good pro.
Da Realist:
in the super conservative world of the nfl, norm chow would probably be theonly OC to know what to do with him. Read more!
Friday, November 18, 2005
Rivalry Weekend...Patna!
Da Realist:
alabama at auburn - despite the fact that auburn lost to lsu, i still think they are the best team in the SEC. watch out, auburn is gonna be nasty next year. as far as this game is concerned, i just think alabama is gonna have a hard time getting their defense off the field. auburn is more balanced than LSU and should be better at running the football. that tiger offensive line is a beast and they'll find a way to wear down the tide. alabama needs turnovers to keep them in the game. AUBURN
ohio state at michigan - how would you like to be michigan right now? you've lost 3 of the last 4 to "that team down south" AND you're underdogs in your own stadium! think that wouldn't fire you up? last year the wolverines got dismantled by troy smith and the buckeyes 37-21. revenge will be on the minds of the wolves but i'm not sure that will be enough. chad henne will be under mucho pressure all game long so michigan will need a healthy and effective mike hart to take some of the pressure off. on theother side, ohio state has the potential to be explosive offensively, but sometimes jim tressel plays it too close to the (sweater) vest. playing too conservatively can provide a hole for michigan to go through just like texas did. but the guess here is ohio state will win because they are the more complete team, they have more weapons on offense and their defense is better. OHIO STATE
south carolina at clemson - steve spurrier deserves some kind of award forwhat he's done to the gamecocks. they are traditional also-rans that are still legitimately in the SEC title race. but let's be real, the gamecocks have been winning based on smoke and mirrors. they were outgained last week in a home win against florida and also on the road against tennessee. one of these days they will have to play an opponent that isn't spooked by the ole ball coach. this is the week. clemson OWNS this series, winning 9 of 10. they won't be spooked by the crowd because they've won 4 of the last 5 in columbus, and charlie whitehurst is aiming to go 4-0 against the gamecocks in his final game in the rivalry. if chanci stuckey has the kind of game he had against the noles, this won't even be close. CLEMSON
penn state at michigan state - michigan state is in the middle of another year-end collapse. they have lost 2 straight and 5 of 6 games. yet, they will give penn state their best game on senior day. beware of teams fighting for a bowl berth. the spartans are one win away from going on an all-expenses paid vacation and they are going to fight for it. one thing to keep in mind is that PSU's best games have come at home. the spartan offense is explosive, but penn state's defense is like a rock. and offensively, the lions may have more speed than the spartans have seen all year. there is no stopping this nittany lion train this year, they will go BCS-bowling. all the criticism they've endured over the past few seasons will motivate this team to go on the road and beat the spartans. penn state will win the Big-10 and send joe pa to either the fiesta or the orange bowl and allow him to send a big FUCK YOU! to all the people who doubted him and suggested he should retire. PENN STATE
oklahoma at texas tech - look, there are 2 teams in the big 12 - OU andTEXAS. the other teams are filler. i know texas tech is 8-2 and they have an explosive offense, but they turn the ball over too much, have nodefense and no way to get adrian peterson and the sooners offense off the field. rhett bomar is cutting down his mistakes and AD is finally healthy again. OU will control the line of scrimmage and eventually wear down the red raiders. OKLAHOMA
Waldini:
BAMA@AUB - Has any team flown under the radar more than Auburn this year?They, like Miami, struggled at the beginning of the year losing ugly to GaTech and LSU. The win in Georgia was impressive to me b/c I didnt think Auburn was that good. Alabama, on the other hand, lost its offensive mojo eons ago when Prothro was lost for the year. I think the offense purposely tries to lose games now (j/k). Bama's kung fu was broken last week when LSU won in OT in Tuscaloosa. Expect Auburn to finish the job this week. TIGERS
OHIO ST@MICH - The Bucks have averaged over 40 pts a game in their past 5 games. That's amazing considering earlier this year they scored 40 points total in their first 3 games. Michigan has rebounded from a horrible start and have been posting Ws in the column. It's weird, no matter how good Ohio St or how much better on paper they are than Michigan for a given season, they find a way to stumble and lose. I dont think the Bucks stumble this time. BUCKEYES
SC@CLEM - And so begins Spurrier's back to back weekends of playing the Bowden boys. He's definitely the SEC coach of the year for getting that mediocre team to win this year. I dont even know who's on that team. Clemson is prbly one of the more frustrating teams to watch. They win games they shouldnt (FSU) and lose games they shouldnt (Wake). My guess is Tommy B gives his boys the annual "My job is on the line" pre-game speech and Clemson pulls it out. Oh how I would love to be at home for the annual Bojangles Bowl :-). TIGERS
PSU@MSU - Easy call. Penn State. NITTANY LIONS
OKLA@TT - I dont know why I should care about this gEame but I will flip a coin and see what it says. Tails Sooners win, Heads Red Raiders win. Coin is flipped and....it's....HEADS!! Everyone here is TT, the winner of the 50% probability game :-). RED RAIDERS
Gangsta D:
No expert analysis today, just picks. I gotta headache:)
AUBURN
OSU
SOUTH CACK
P STATE
T TECH Read more!
alabama at auburn - despite the fact that auburn lost to lsu, i still think they are the best team in the SEC. watch out, auburn is gonna be nasty next year. as far as this game is concerned, i just think alabama is gonna have a hard time getting their defense off the field. auburn is more balanced than LSU and should be better at running the football. that tiger offensive line is a beast and they'll find a way to wear down the tide. alabama needs turnovers to keep them in the game. AUBURN
ohio state at michigan - how would you like to be michigan right now? you've lost 3 of the last 4 to "that team down south" AND you're underdogs in your own stadium! think that wouldn't fire you up? last year the wolverines got dismantled by troy smith and the buckeyes 37-21. revenge will be on the minds of the wolves but i'm not sure that will be enough. chad henne will be under mucho pressure all game long so michigan will need a healthy and effective mike hart to take some of the pressure off. on theother side, ohio state has the potential to be explosive offensively, but sometimes jim tressel plays it too close to the (sweater) vest. playing too conservatively can provide a hole for michigan to go through just like texas did. but the guess here is ohio state will win because they are the more complete team, they have more weapons on offense and their defense is better. OHIO STATE
south carolina at clemson - steve spurrier deserves some kind of award forwhat he's done to the gamecocks. they are traditional also-rans that are still legitimately in the SEC title race. but let's be real, the gamecocks have been winning based on smoke and mirrors. they were outgained last week in a home win against florida and also on the road against tennessee. one of these days they will have to play an opponent that isn't spooked by the ole ball coach. this is the week. clemson OWNS this series, winning 9 of 10. they won't be spooked by the crowd because they've won 4 of the last 5 in columbus, and charlie whitehurst is aiming to go 4-0 against the gamecocks in his final game in the rivalry. if chanci stuckey has the kind of game he had against the noles, this won't even be close. CLEMSON
penn state at michigan state - michigan state is in the middle of another year-end collapse. they have lost 2 straight and 5 of 6 games. yet, they will give penn state their best game on senior day. beware of teams fighting for a bowl berth. the spartans are one win away from going on an all-expenses paid vacation and they are going to fight for it. one thing to keep in mind is that PSU's best games have come at home. the spartan offense is explosive, but penn state's defense is like a rock. and offensively, the lions may have more speed than the spartans have seen all year. there is no stopping this nittany lion train this year, they will go BCS-bowling. all the criticism they've endured over the past few seasons will motivate this team to go on the road and beat the spartans. penn state will win the Big-10 and send joe pa to either the fiesta or the orange bowl and allow him to send a big FUCK YOU! to all the people who doubted him and suggested he should retire. PENN STATE
oklahoma at texas tech - look, there are 2 teams in the big 12 - OU andTEXAS. the other teams are filler. i know texas tech is 8-2 and they have an explosive offense, but they turn the ball over too much, have nodefense and no way to get adrian peterson and the sooners offense off the field. rhett bomar is cutting down his mistakes and AD is finally healthy again. OU will control the line of scrimmage and eventually wear down the red raiders. OKLAHOMA
Waldini:
BAMA@AUB - Has any team flown under the radar more than Auburn this year?They, like Miami, struggled at the beginning of the year losing ugly to GaTech and LSU. The win in Georgia was impressive to me b/c I didnt think Auburn was that good. Alabama, on the other hand, lost its offensive mojo eons ago when Prothro was lost for the year. I think the offense purposely tries to lose games now (j/k). Bama's kung fu was broken last week when LSU won in OT in Tuscaloosa. Expect Auburn to finish the job this week. TIGERS
OHIO ST@MICH - The Bucks have averaged over 40 pts a game in their past 5 games. That's amazing considering earlier this year they scored 40 points total in their first 3 games. Michigan has rebounded from a horrible start and have been posting Ws in the column. It's weird, no matter how good Ohio St or how much better on paper they are than Michigan for a given season, they find a way to stumble and lose. I dont think the Bucks stumble this time. BUCKEYES
SC@CLEM - And so begins Spurrier's back to back weekends of playing the Bowden boys. He's definitely the SEC coach of the year for getting that mediocre team to win this year. I dont even know who's on that team. Clemson is prbly one of the more frustrating teams to watch. They win games they shouldnt (FSU) and lose games they shouldnt (Wake). My guess is Tommy B gives his boys the annual "My job is on the line" pre-game speech and Clemson pulls it out. Oh how I would love to be at home for the annual Bojangles Bowl :-). TIGERS
PSU@MSU - Easy call. Penn State. NITTANY LIONS
OKLA@TT - I dont know why I should care about this gEame but I will flip a coin and see what it says. Tails Sooners win, Heads Red Raiders win. Coin is flipped and....it's....HEADS!! Everyone here is TT, the winner of the 50% probability game :-). RED RAIDERS
Gangsta D:
No expert analysis today, just picks. I gotta headache:)
AUBURN
OSU
SOUTH CACK
P STATE
T TECH Read more!
Thursday, November 10, 2005
More?????
Gangsta D:
Damn you really have given up on FSU.
Bowden @ Bowden - I don't buy your theory that teams that have secured a playoff slot will coast. One because if they were to lose a game they will lose that slot and possibly a chance at the tournament. But that theory kind of does hold true in this instance. FSU could have 3-4 losses going to the championship game. Their defense is still good, but Rix-I mean Weatherford is killing them at times. I remember 4 years ago when people said that Rix was erratic and inconsistent but he was just a freshman and he would grow out of it. Sound familiar? No way Bobby loses this game. He couldn't stomach a 4 or 5 loss season. They figure out a way to keep Weatherford from beating them and eek out a W.
Trojans @ Kodiaks - Colin Cowherd had Beano Cook on his show this week and Colin asked if Texas was the only team that could beat the Trojans. Beano said, "Yeah them and the Colts." Hyperbole for sure, but no way Cal beats USC. They're just destroying people like NCAA Football set on "Freshman"level. 'SC by 20.
Gators @ South 'Cak - Urban Meyer CANNOT lose this game. He can't. It would be disastrous. That being said, Spurrier will probably have about 5 formations never before seen by human eyes. He will go for it on 4th and 5 from HIS 20 yard line. He will fake punts, throw double reverse passes, and cause all kinds of chaos. I think the Cocks believe in themselves and I'm still not sold on the spread option. Cocks by 1.
Tigers @ Tide - Alabama CAN'T score. Just. Can't. Score. They've scored what 3 offensive TDs in the past 3 games. Their defense is solid, but without Prothro they can't do anything. It's amazing how much one person can affect the entire offense. Mike Shula should get 40 lashes every week for leaving Prothro in against Florida. This week it comes back to bite him. LSU underacheives yes, but remember Les Miles beat OU two years in a row. This is for the SEC West. I think they'll be ready to play. Bengals by 8.
War Eagle @ UGA - Shockley's not 100%. The 'Dog D-line still has injuries. They still don't have a #1 WR. McFadden ran all over them but the Hogs still lost. Auburn's a better team, but UGA is better with Shockley. He'll still be mobile enough to make a few plays. Plus the SEC East is on the line and they're at home. UGA by 9. Read more!
Damn you really have given up on FSU.
Bowden @ Bowden - I don't buy your theory that teams that have secured a playoff slot will coast. One because if they were to lose a game they will lose that slot and possibly a chance at the tournament. But that theory kind of does hold true in this instance. FSU could have 3-4 losses going to the championship game. Their defense is still good, but Rix-I mean Weatherford is killing them at times. I remember 4 years ago when people said that Rix was erratic and inconsistent but he was just a freshman and he would grow out of it. Sound familiar? No way Bobby loses this game. He couldn't stomach a 4 or 5 loss season. They figure out a way to keep Weatherford from beating them and eek out a W.
Trojans @ Kodiaks - Colin Cowherd had Beano Cook on his show this week and Colin asked if Texas was the only team that could beat the Trojans. Beano said, "Yeah them and the Colts." Hyperbole for sure, but no way Cal beats USC. They're just destroying people like NCAA Football set on "Freshman"level. 'SC by 20.
Gators @ South 'Cak - Urban Meyer CANNOT lose this game. He can't. It would be disastrous. That being said, Spurrier will probably have about 5 formations never before seen by human eyes. He will go for it on 4th and 5 from HIS 20 yard line. He will fake punts, throw double reverse passes, and cause all kinds of chaos. I think the Cocks believe in themselves and I'm still not sold on the spread option. Cocks by 1.
Tigers @ Tide - Alabama CAN'T score. Just. Can't. Score. They've scored what 3 offensive TDs in the past 3 games. Their defense is solid, but without Prothro they can't do anything. It's amazing how much one person can affect the entire offense. Mike Shula should get 40 lashes every week for leaving Prothro in against Florida. This week it comes back to bite him. LSU underacheives yes, but remember Les Miles beat OU two years in a row. This is for the SEC West. I think they'll be ready to play. Bengals by 8.
War Eagle @ UGA - Shockley's not 100%. The 'Dog D-line still has injuries. They still don't have a #1 WR. McFadden ran all over them but the Hogs still lost. Auburn's a better team, but UGA is better with Shockley. He'll still be mobile enough to make a few plays. Plus the SEC East is on the line and they're at home. UGA by 9. Read more!
You Got A Couple Too?
Waldini:
Man, you just full of upsets this week. And what no love for the Big 10 this week? Northwestern at Ohio St is a big game :-)
FSU@Clemson - I think Bobby used his one conspiracy theory card last week when he let NC State beat him. This one is hard to call b/c for whatever reason, no matter how crappy they play prior, Clemson ALWAYS get up for the FSU game. I'm picking FSU not b/c I think they are much better, it's justb/c I dont think Bobby lets his boys drop 2 in a row. 'NOLES
USC@CAL - You dont think Leinart, Bush, White, and Co know this is the only game they have lost in 3 yrs! While I think the combo of Ayoob and Lynch is pretty good, I dont see USC dropping this one. I think they are literally foaming at the mouth and ready to unleash an good ole case of ass whupp into Cal. Neither team's defense is great and I dont see Cal holding USC below 31 points (which I said is the only way a team will beat USC).TROJANS
UF@South Cack - Ex coach vs old team. I want to know how in da hell did SC get Florida and Tenn at home this year??? Regardless, I dont think Florida pulls up lame like Tenn did a few weeks back and lose a game they should win. Ever since Alabama beat them like they stole something, Florida quietly has been getting it done. Urban at least had the intelligience to scrap some of the spread option for a more traditional offense. And thatmakes Leak D-A-N-G-E-R-O-U-S.GATORS
LSU@BAMA - Realist, I agree with you. LSU has more talent than any team inthe SEC. Yet did you check out the final score against lowly Appalachian Stat home last week?? Completely unacceptable. Alabma has been exceptionally lucky the past couple of weeks, mainly due to their great defense. I think this one's a low scoring affair (no better than mid-teens) but I dont expect Alabama's luck to continue. TIGERS
AUB@UGA - I read somewhere that Auburn has the the most productive offense in the SEC. Considering the offenses in the SEC have been unwatchable on occassion, that's not saying a lot. I think just having Shockley back motivates Ga to win. Plus they know if they lose this game, it gives Florida a shot at repping the SEC East in the SEC championship. U think Mark Richt is having that. As Stone Cold usa ta say, "Can I get a HELLNO!!" BULLDOGS Read more!
Man, you just full of upsets this week. And what no love for the Big 10 this week? Northwestern at Ohio St is a big game :-)
FSU@Clemson - I think Bobby used his one conspiracy theory card last week when he let NC State beat him. This one is hard to call b/c for whatever reason, no matter how crappy they play prior, Clemson ALWAYS get up for the FSU game. I'm picking FSU not b/c I think they are much better, it's justb/c I dont think Bobby lets his boys drop 2 in a row. 'NOLES
USC@CAL - You dont think Leinart, Bush, White, and Co know this is the only game they have lost in 3 yrs! While I think the combo of Ayoob and Lynch is pretty good, I dont see USC dropping this one. I think they are literally foaming at the mouth and ready to unleash an good ole case of ass whupp into Cal. Neither team's defense is great and I dont see Cal holding USC below 31 points (which I said is the only way a team will beat USC).TROJANS
UF@South Cack - Ex coach vs old team. I want to know how in da hell did SC get Florida and Tenn at home this year??? Regardless, I dont think Florida pulls up lame like Tenn did a few weeks back and lose a game they should win. Ever since Alabama beat them like they stole something, Florida quietly has been getting it done. Urban at least had the intelligience to scrap some of the spread option for a more traditional offense. And thatmakes Leak D-A-N-G-E-R-O-U-S.GATORS
LSU@BAMA - Realist, I agree with you. LSU has more talent than any team inthe SEC. Yet did you check out the final score against lowly Appalachian Stat home last week?? Completely unacceptable. Alabma has been exceptionally lucky the past couple of weeks, mainly due to their great defense. I think this one's a low scoring affair (no better than mid-teens) but I dont expect Alabama's luck to continue. TIGERS
AUB@UGA - I read somewhere that Auburn has the the most productive offense in the SEC. Considering the offenses in the SEC have been unwatchable on occassion, that's not saying a lot. I think just having Shockley back motivates Ga to win. Plus they know if they lose this game, it gives Florida a shot at repping the SEC East in the SEC championship. U think Mark Richt is having that. As Stone Cold usa ta say, "Can I get a HELLNO!!" BULLDOGS Read more!
Presictions Anyone?
Da Realist:
FSU AT CLEMSON - clemson is fighting for a bowl berth, needing just one win in their last 2 games to secure it. tommy bowden is fighting for his job...AGAIN. fsu on the other hand isn't really playing for anything because they've already secured their spot in the ACC championship game. sure, bobby's boys don't want to lose 2 straight with florida and possibly miami coming up, but realistically they don't care if they play just one more great game all season as long as it's in the ACC Championship game. take notice playoff supporters. the rest of fsu's season will be a good outlook for teams that know they've secured a spot in a playoff, if we had one. fsu is a hurt and injured team that will be more inclined to rest than to push the pedal to the metal for a meaningless game. leon washington will sit out another game and his "replacement" lorenzo booker just came off an astounding 15 yards on 12 carries last week against nc state. add into that mix the fact that clemson's coach is bobby's oldest son who desperately needs a win. add a pinch of the fact that fsu can't (or won't) run the ball to set up the play action and 2 parts overrated defense and you have a recipe for a loss. CLEMSON
USC AT CALIFORNIA - the trojan's last loss was to california at berkley two years ago. cal is not afraid of usc after beating them 2 years ago and coming close last year. on the other hand, the trojan's will be extra motivated to beat a surprisingly mediocre team convincingly so they don't have to keep hearing about them. usc big. USC
FLORIDA AT SOUTH CAROLINA - on paper, florida has every edge. even with all the injuries, the gators should win this game. but i have a feeling they are about to walk into a buzzsaw in columbia. i've seen enough of steve spurrier to believe he will have a few things cooked up just for the gators. does he have the players to pull it off? more importantly, do his players BELIEVE they can pull it off? the win against tennessee was huge for them because they now believe they can play with the big boys. they'll be tough at home, but florida just has too many good atheletes and too much to play for (SEC East is stillwithin their grasp) to lose this game. FLORIDA
LSU AT ALABAMA - everybody seems to agree that lsu has THE MOST TALENT IN THE SEC. they have the better athletes and the better playmakers. but they don't always play to their potential. if they did, they would be #2 team in the country. sometimes i think lsu has more talent than les miles knows what to do with. remember he came from oklahoma state, clearly the state's #2 team. now he's at the dominant school in talent-rich louisiana and it certainly looks like an adjustment on his part. so, at least for this year, let's forget about potential. if you look at the performance on the field, it's been sort of up and down. they beat arizona state on the road on the last play (up), then lost to a tennessee at home after being up 21 (down), then beat a struggling florida team at home even after coughing up the ball 5 times(ehhh) then beat auburn at home after auburn missed 5 or 6 field goals (ehhh). they've won as much for the other teams blunders as their own play. alabama on the other hand has a few "lucky" games themselves, most notably a tennessee fumble recovery that stopped the vols from winning the game. but all week alabama has heard about their eventual demise. now that virginia tech was exposed everyone thinks the bcs iss afe from controversy, forgetting the fact that no one has beaten the tide yet. they've heard how one-loss miami and penn state should be ranked ahead of them. how there's no way they will win without prothro. this will provide all the motivation they need to beat lsu at home this week. stout defense and just enough offense will help them get the win. ALABAMA
AUBURN AT GEORGIA - if georgia had trouble stopping mcfadden from arkansas, they will have an even harder time with kenny irons. he may just be the best back in the SEc. who knows how healthy shockley really is? is he healthy enough to dance around the pocket or possibly pick up some yards? will richt hold back offensively? georgia has a lot to play for, but so does auburn. they missed an opportunity for a big road win against lsu, they won't miss this one. auburn wins and sets up a juicy iron bowl next week for the SEC West crown. AUBURN Read more!
FSU AT CLEMSON - clemson is fighting for a bowl berth, needing just one win in their last 2 games to secure it. tommy bowden is fighting for his job...AGAIN. fsu on the other hand isn't really playing for anything because they've already secured their spot in the ACC championship game. sure, bobby's boys don't want to lose 2 straight with florida and possibly miami coming up, but realistically they don't care if they play just one more great game all season as long as it's in the ACC Championship game. take notice playoff supporters. the rest of fsu's season will be a good outlook for teams that know they've secured a spot in a playoff, if we had one. fsu is a hurt and injured team that will be more inclined to rest than to push the pedal to the metal for a meaningless game. leon washington will sit out another game and his "replacement" lorenzo booker just came off an astounding 15 yards on 12 carries last week against nc state. add into that mix the fact that clemson's coach is bobby's oldest son who desperately needs a win. add a pinch of the fact that fsu can't (or won't) run the ball to set up the play action and 2 parts overrated defense and you have a recipe for a loss. CLEMSON
USC AT CALIFORNIA - the trojan's last loss was to california at berkley two years ago. cal is not afraid of usc after beating them 2 years ago and coming close last year. on the other hand, the trojan's will be extra motivated to beat a surprisingly mediocre team convincingly so they don't have to keep hearing about them. usc big. USC
FLORIDA AT SOUTH CAROLINA - on paper, florida has every edge. even with all the injuries, the gators should win this game. but i have a feeling they are about to walk into a buzzsaw in columbia. i've seen enough of steve spurrier to believe he will have a few things cooked up just for the gators. does he have the players to pull it off? more importantly, do his players BELIEVE they can pull it off? the win against tennessee was huge for them because they now believe they can play with the big boys. they'll be tough at home, but florida just has too many good atheletes and too much to play for (SEC East is stillwithin their grasp) to lose this game. FLORIDA
LSU AT ALABAMA - everybody seems to agree that lsu has THE MOST TALENT IN THE SEC. they have the better athletes and the better playmakers. but they don't always play to their potential. if they did, they would be #2 team in the country. sometimes i think lsu has more talent than les miles knows what to do with. remember he came from oklahoma state, clearly the state's #2 team. now he's at the dominant school in talent-rich louisiana and it certainly looks like an adjustment on his part. so, at least for this year, let's forget about potential. if you look at the performance on the field, it's been sort of up and down. they beat arizona state on the road on the last play (up), then lost to a tennessee at home after being up 21 (down), then beat a struggling florida team at home even after coughing up the ball 5 times(ehhh) then beat auburn at home after auburn missed 5 or 6 field goals (ehhh). they've won as much for the other teams blunders as their own play. alabama on the other hand has a few "lucky" games themselves, most notably a tennessee fumble recovery that stopped the vols from winning the game. but all week alabama has heard about their eventual demise. now that virginia tech was exposed everyone thinks the bcs iss afe from controversy, forgetting the fact that no one has beaten the tide yet. they've heard how one-loss miami and penn state should be ranked ahead of them. how there's no way they will win without prothro. this will provide all the motivation they need to beat lsu at home this week. stout defense and just enough offense will help them get the win. ALABAMA
AUBURN AT GEORGIA - if georgia had trouble stopping mcfadden from arkansas, they will have an even harder time with kenny irons. he may just be the best back in the SEc. who knows how healthy shockley really is? is he healthy enough to dance around the pocket or possibly pick up some yards? will richt hold back offensively? georgia has a lot to play for, but so does auburn. they missed an opportunity for a big road win against lsu, they won't miss this one. auburn wins and sets up a juicy iron bowl next week for the SEC West crown. AUBURN Read more!
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
OD'd on T.O.
Waldini:
Realist, I saw the press conference last night and I got a kick out of Drew making his comments, then basically answering every question with "Next Question."
Da Realist:
it was funny because TO tried to come off as apologetic and contrite then drew stepped up. everything TO did to win style points, drew stepped all over it.
"TO tried to apologize, but obviously that wasn't good enough".
"He's a good person, a competitor, that is being treated unfairly".
"I know players who have been suspended for drugs andviolence and they don't get treated as unfairly as TO"
"I LOVE TO. He's a wonderful human being and for some people to suggest that I haven't supported him is LUDICROUS!!! He's a good man."
"He wants to play ASAP. He wants to be on the field against the cowboys. I'm going to do everything in my power to make that happen.
"drew, why didn't TO make a similar apology a couple of days ago? "Next Question"
"drew, has TO apologized to Donovan personally? "NextQuestion"
drew, has TO had any contact with the Eagles management regarding his suspension? "I don't talkabout personal conversations between TO and managment"
drew, is it true TO had a physical altercation with another player and did this force the team to suspend him? "Next Question"
Waldini:
Either you cut/pasted the dialogue from an internet site or you have one of the best memories ever :-). Pretty accurate account
Da Realist:
nah, i remembered everything. had the espn radio stream on my computer yesterday and i was laughing my head off! that's why i asked if y'all were listening because i knew you would think it was as funny as i did. if i were the eagles i wouldn't suspend him. i wouldlet him rot on the bench like the redskins are doing to lavar arrington.
why didn't you play TO today? "Next Question"
Waldini:
Did you see PTI yesterday, specifically DanLeBatard's 5 good mins piece? He was defending TO but saying that Drew has been bad for TO and has been giving him bad advice. I've heard or read different sportswriters that have said the only way the Eagles should take TO back is if McNabb publicly forgives and give the OK to allow TO back with the team.
On the flip side, I think it's safe to say that TO-McNabb has surpassed Kobe-Shaq as the Rockiest relationship of the new millenium :-). Others onthe list include Barry Bonds-Jeff Kent, Keyshawn Johnson-Jon Gruden, RayAllen-Glenn Robinson.
Gangsta D:
TO's not coming back. The Eagles are willing to pay him for every game he'll miss, they just want him gone. Even if they don't win their next two, which I don't think they will, TO's gonna be chillin on the couch. The question is, who is gonna make a run for him and what kind of deal are they gonna offer.
Da Realist:
they'll be takers, but certainly no long term contracts. he'll be a mercenary for hire unless he can convince some team he's changed his ways. Read more!
Realist, I saw the press conference last night and I got a kick out of Drew making his comments, then basically answering every question with "Next Question."
Da Realist:
it was funny because TO tried to come off as apologetic and contrite then drew stepped up. everything TO did to win style points, drew stepped all over it.
"TO tried to apologize, but obviously that wasn't good enough".
"He's a good person, a competitor, that is being treated unfairly".
"I know players who have been suspended for drugs andviolence and they don't get treated as unfairly as TO"
"I LOVE TO. He's a wonderful human being and for some people to suggest that I haven't supported him is LUDICROUS!!! He's a good man."
"He wants to play ASAP. He wants to be on the field against the cowboys. I'm going to do everything in my power to make that happen.
"drew, why didn't TO make a similar apology a couple of days ago? "Next Question"
"drew, has TO apologized to Donovan personally? "NextQuestion"
drew, has TO had any contact with the Eagles management regarding his suspension? "I don't talkabout personal conversations between TO and managment"
drew, is it true TO had a physical altercation with another player and did this force the team to suspend him? "Next Question"
Waldini:
Either you cut/pasted the dialogue from an internet site or you have one of the best memories ever :-). Pretty accurate account
Da Realist:
nah, i remembered everything. had the espn radio stream on my computer yesterday and i was laughing my head off! that's why i asked if y'all were listening because i knew you would think it was as funny as i did. if i were the eagles i wouldn't suspend him. i wouldlet him rot on the bench like the redskins are doing to lavar arrington.
why didn't you play TO today? "Next Question"
Waldini:
Did you see PTI yesterday, specifically DanLeBatard's 5 good mins piece? He was defending TO but saying that Drew has been bad for TO and has been giving him bad advice. I've heard or read different sportswriters that have said the only way the Eagles should take TO back is if McNabb publicly forgives and give the OK to allow TO back with the team.
On the flip side, I think it's safe to say that TO-McNabb has surpassed Kobe-Shaq as the Rockiest relationship of the new millenium :-). Others onthe list include Barry Bonds-Jeff Kent, Keyshawn Johnson-Jon Gruden, RayAllen-Glenn Robinson.
Gangsta D:
TO's not coming back. The Eagles are willing to pay him for every game he'll miss, they just want him gone. Even if they don't win their next two, which I don't think they will, TO's gonna be chillin on the couch. The question is, who is gonna make a run for him and what kind of deal are they gonna offer.
Da Realist:
they'll be takers, but certainly no long term contracts. he'll be a mercenary for hire unless he can convince some team he's changed his ways. Read more!
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Realist Succombs To The Darkside
Da Realist:
i'm done with florida state. done. i'm throwing 15 years down the drain. i don't believe in the program anymore. i'm making a transition...
i made the first step last night. wifey and i talked about this for hours and finally came to a conclusion...the right conclusion. i then called a cousin of ours to verbally state our intention, which after much initial doubt, he finally agreed with. but this won't be finalized until i do one thing...
Gangsta, i humbly ask you to accept me as a cane fan. this isn't very easy to do, but there is only one team that i have followed as much as the seminoles. love and hate are 2 different emotions but both bring the same amount of intensity. i know the canes about as well as i know the noles. i am sick and tired of bubba's boys and it's time for me to go to the dark side of the force, never to return. what sayeth thou?
Gangsta D:
Seriously people. The man has fallen on his sword. Howcan I deny him? The Hurricane nation welcomes you. Read more!
i'm done with florida state. done. i'm throwing 15 years down the drain. i don't believe in the program anymore. i'm making a transition...
i made the first step last night. wifey and i talked about this for hours and finally came to a conclusion...the right conclusion. i then called a cousin of ours to verbally state our intention, which after much initial doubt, he finally agreed with. but this won't be finalized until i do one thing...
Gangsta, i humbly ask you to accept me as a cane fan. this isn't very easy to do, but there is only one team that i have followed as much as the seminoles. love and hate are 2 different emotions but both bring the same amount of intensity. i know the canes about as well as i know the noles. i am sick and tired of bubba's boys and it's time for me to go to the dark side of the force, never to return. what sayeth thou?
Gangsta D:
Seriously people. The man has fallen on his sword. Howcan I deny him? The Hurricane nation welcomes you. Read more!
Monday, November 07, 2005
Da Realist Plays Witness To A Massacre
here is my account of my trip down to blacksburg...or should i say NoBlacks-burg, VA.
first of all, blacksburg is about 4 1/2 hours away from us. it's nestled in the appalachian mountain range in southwestern virginia. there really is one way in and one way out. there are only 2 large hotels in blacksburg and they are owned by virginia tech. this means that for big games the only people that are able to stay in blacksburg are big wig alumni. the rest of us have to stay in roanoke, a coal-mining town about 45 miles away!
so we arrive in roanoke around 10:30 saturday morning. our rooms weren't ready so we went to eat breakfastat the Roanoker Restaurant. this restaurant had rave reviews for it's food so we decided to try it. we walked in and it felt like we walked into a 1950's era tv show where, apparently on tv, blacks didn't exist. we walked in and we could just feel everything stop. no forks clanging the plates, no conversation, no nothing. everybody wanted to sneak a peak at the black people. they were friendly enough...to each other. everybody knew each other, even talking across tables to hold conversations. our waitress was...not exactly rude, but certainly wasn't that friendly. the food was as bland as cardboard, only burnt. we got out of there as fast as we could.
we get to the hotel and it's STILL not ready. front desk girl tells me on the hush-hush there is a LARGE group that won't check out until 4:30 that day. she says "don't tell anyone, but the HOKIES are staying here. shhhhh." i just want a room to take a nap. so we go to the car and wait a little longer...
we finally get our room about 1pm and start to settle in. about 1:30 we go to the lobby to find some water and we see several of the players in the gameroom shooting pool and chillin' while the texas/baylor gameis on the screen. i point out marcus to Da Wife and start to walk away, prompting this exchange...
Da Wife: shouldn't they be, you know, excited or something? they don't look like they are about to play in TBOY (the biggest game of the year)
me: yeah, well, i know if i was on the team this close to game time i would be bouncing off the walls. but maybe that's why they're successful. they are not getting too worked up so they can concentrate on their assignments and pay closer attention to detail.
needless to say, this exchange was brought back to my attention about 9 hours later.
we get up and make the long trek down to blackburg at4. we arrive at 4:45 (a full 3 hours before game time). it takes us an HOUR to find parking in this little hillbilly town. we finally park at some rundown autoshop and literally had to walk about 5-6 miles to get to the stadium. we stop to eat something at a place called buffalo wild wings. they supposedly have the best wings in the area. i wasn't that impressed. where's hooters when you need them? we sat down and ate while watching tennessee give up 40+points to notre dame.
we finally convinced them to put on the fsu game. hokie fans found out i was a nole fan and they start riding me hard. "they suck!" and "i hope they lose!" followed by "we're gonna kick your ass!". i said to Da Wife, "these idiots don't realize they should WANT US TO WIN!" i tried to explain the bcs ramifications to their chances if fsu lost and i got a bunch of blank stares. (do they even WATCH???) anyway, we now know it didn't matter.
we get to the stadium and had GREAT seats. rightabove the 40 yard line about 40 rows up. hokie fans going crazy. we might have seen 4, maybe 5 other blacks at the game. it's no stretch to say we felt isolated even though we were going for the home team. in fact, we felt more comfortable in charlottesville wearing our fsu gear than here.
i should have known i was in trouble when i walked around and saw a lot of people wearing shirts that read, "miami sucks and UVA swallows". i told Da Wife, "you know, it's just a game. do they really want little kids seeing those shirts?". we were there for about 3 hours and no one said a word to us the wholetime. oh wait, someone did say something...
when miami scored on a fumble in the end zone to mak eit 27-0, fans started leaving. there was this one drunk fat white girl yelling at everybody, apparently upset that the fans were "giving up". she yelled all kinds of obscenitites. i told Da Wife, "is she crazy? they are down almost 4 touchdowns going into the 4th quarter. is she WATCHING THE GAME? they are done." but being mindful of fsu's comeback from 4 touchdowns to the florida gators 11 years ago, i said "if theydon't score a touchdown on this posssion, we're leaving." the next play, marcus throws an interception and we get up to leave. the drunk, fat white girl said, "FUCK YOU!!!". that was the only time someone said something to us the whole time we were at the game.
the 5-6 mile trek back to the car was the most painful. not because of the game...i already acceptedthat. but it was 11pm and we were tired. remember when i said there was one way into blacksburg and oneway out and everybody stayed someplace other than blacksburg? well this is a recipe for disaster. the road was incredibly backed up. it took us 3 hours to drive 45 miles.
i've been to 2 championship games, 1 SEC championship game, florida state, clemson, maryland, virginia and now virginia tech and this was by far the worst experience i've had going to a game. it will take a lot for me to go back to blacksburg. the noles play there in '07, but unless it's a big time game with national championship aspirations i won't be going.
as far as the game is concerned, congratulations d. the canes showed the kind of heart i wish my noles would display every once in a while. i don't like them but i respect the hell out of them. after that display go ahead and do your thing. i can't go for them if they play the noles in the acc championship game, but if they make it to national championship i'll pull for them. don't be surprised, i once pulled for the hated detroit pistons in 1990. my philosophy is, it's better to lose to the bully you know than to the one you don't.
Read more!
first of all, blacksburg is about 4 1/2 hours away from us. it's nestled in the appalachian mountain range in southwestern virginia. there really is one way in and one way out. there are only 2 large hotels in blacksburg and they are owned by virginia tech. this means that for big games the only people that are able to stay in blacksburg are big wig alumni. the rest of us have to stay in roanoke, a coal-mining town about 45 miles away!
so we arrive in roanoke around 10:30 saturday morning. our rooms weren't ready so we went to eat breakfastat the Roanoker Restaurant. this restaurant had rave reviews for it's food so we decided to try it. we walked in and it felt like we walked into a 1950's era tv show where, apparently on tv, blacks didn't exist. we walked in and we could just feel everything stop. no forks clanging the plates, no conversation, no nothing. everybody wanted to sneak a peak at the black people. they were friendly enough...to each other. everybody knew each other, even talking across tables to hold conversations. our waitress was...not exactly rude, but certainly wasn't that friendly. the food was as bland as cardboard, only burnt. we got out of there as fast as we could.
we get to the hotel and it's STILL not ready. front desk girl tells me on the hush-hush there is a LARGE group that won't check out until 4:30 that day. she says "don't tell anyone, but the HOKIES are staying here. shhhhh." i just want a room to take a nap. so we go to the car and wait a little longer...
we finally get our room about 1pm and start to settle in. about 1:30 we go to the lobby to find some water and we see several of the players in the gameroom shooting pool and chillin' while the texas/baylor gameis on the screen. i point out marcus to Da Wife and start to walk away, prompting this exchange...
Da Wife: shouldn't they be, you know, excited or something? they don't look like they are about to play in TBOY (the biggest game of the year)
me: yeah, well, i know if i was on the team this close to game time i would be bouncing off the walls. but maybe that's why they're successful. they are not getting too worked up so they can concentrate on their assignments and pay closer attention to detail.
needless to say, this exchange was brought back to my attention about 9 hours later.
we get up and make the long trek down to blackburg at4. we arrive at 4:45 (a full 3 hours before game time). it takes us an HOUR to find parking in this little hillbilly town. we finally park at some rundown autoshop and literally had to walk about 5-6 miles to get to the stadium. we stop to eat something at a place called buffalo wild wings. they supposedly have the best wings in the area. i wasn't that impressed. where's hooters when you need them? we sat down and ate while watching tennessee give up 40+points to notre dame.
we finally convinced them to put on the fsu game. hokie fans found out i was a nole fan and they start riding me hard. "they suck!" and "i hope they lose!" followed by "we're gonna kick your ass!". i said to Da Wife, "these idiots don't realize they should WANT US TO WIN!" i tried to explain the bcs ramifications to their chances if fsu lost and i got a bunch of blank stares. (do they even WATCH???) anyway, we now know it didn't matter.
we get to the stadium and had GREAT seats. rightabove the 40 yard line about 40 rows up. hokie fans going crazy. we might have seen 4, maybe 5 other blacks at the game. it's no stretch to say we felt isolated even though we were going for the home team. in fact, we felt more comfortable in charlottesville wearing our fsu gear than here.
i should have known i was in trouble when i walked around and saw a lot of people wearing shirts that read, "miami sucks and UVA swallows". i told Da Wife, "you know, it's just a game. do they really want little kids seeing those shirts?". we were there for about 3 hours and no one said a word to us the wholetime. oh wait, someone did say something...
when miami scored on a fumble in the end zone to mak eit 27-0, fans started leaving. there was this one drunk fat white girl yelling at everybody, apparently upset that the fans were "giving up". she yelled all kinds of obscenitites. i told Da Wife, "is she crazy? they are down almost 4 touchdowns going into the 4th quarter. is she WATCHING THE GAME? they are done." but being mindful of fsu's comeback from 4 touchdowns to the florida gators 11 years ago, i said "if theydon't score a touchdown on this posssion, we're leaving." the next play, marcus throws an interception and we get up to leave. the drunk, fat white girl said, "FUCK YOU!!!". that was the only time someone said something to us the whole time we were at the game.
the 5-6 mile trek back to the car was the most painful. not because of the game...i already acceptedthat. but it was 11pm and we were tired. remember when i said there was one way into blacksburg and oneway out and everybody stayed someplace other than blacksburg? well this is a recipe for disaster. the road was incredibly backed up. it took us 3 hours to drive 45 miles.
i've been to 2 championship games, 1 SEC championship game, florida state, clemson, maryland, virginia and now virginia tech and this was by far the worst experience i've had going to a game. it will take a lot for me to go back to blacksburg. the noles play there in '07, but unless it's a big time game with national championship aspirations i won't be going.
as far as the game is concerned, congratulations d. the canes showed the kind of heart i wish my noles would display every once in a while. i don't like them but i respect the hell out of them. after that display go ahead and do your thing. i can't go for them if they play the noles in the acc championship game, but if they make it to national championship i'll pull for them. don't be surprised, i once pulled for the hated detroit pistons in 1990. my philosophy is, it's better to lose to the bully you know than to the one you don't.
Read more!
Sunday, November 06, 2005
Canes Up! Ho(kie)s Down!
Damn, the most satisfying win since the national title game. I'd like to send a big up yours to all the people that thought Tech would walk all over The U. For shame my little piggies. You shoulda known better.
Read more!
Thursday, November 03, 2005
The 'U vs The Techies
Da Realist:
we're all tied again. hopefully staying up past 1am will cause you two to make a couple of mistakes so i can finally pull away. and now the picks...
tennessee at notre dame - normally i would be wary of picking against a team like tennessee. they are a wounded animal right now having lost 3 straight games. think they want to lose 4 straight? me neither. they may go to a bowl, but it won't be a bowl anyone cares or even knows about. going to the WALDINI BOWL won't impress recruits, but beating the fighting irish under the gaze of touchdown jesus would. make no mistake about it, this IS their bowl game. but there are 4 good reasons why i don't think they'll get it done.
1) if notre dame wins out, they will be guaranteed an invite to a BCS bowl. BCS bowl = $14 mil, non-BCS bowl = $4 mil, all of which they keep. for those of you not counting, that's 10 million reasons to play your a$$ off.
2) notre dame is coming off a bye week. this is the only team i know that has TWO bye weeks in the same season! nevertheless, that gives the irish an additional week to prepare for UT.
3) gerald riggs is still out.
4) too much turmoil in knoxville. the OC resigns,but still has play-calling duties...with fulmer. (?)when has phil fulmer been perceived as an offensive genius? my guess is that was just a line to get people off his back. randy will still be the main signal caller, just not officially. too much indecision, too much pressure. NOTRE DAME.
wisconsin at penn state - wisconsin is a true smash-mouth club that relies mostly on winning the line of scrimmage and running the ball. but they are going to happy valley where 105K will be rocking the very foundation in anticipation of 10-1 season, Big 10 championship and a BCS bid. too much to overcome.PENN STATE
california at oregon - california has a big game next week against USC. normally this would be screamingLET DOWN ALERT!! but i'm still waiting on the bears to put it together. this will be a good test before trying to topple a dynasty next week. at 7-1, oregon is on track to finish with 10 wins - it's only loss to you-know-who. california will have to go to a place, autzen stadium, that knocked the trojans back for a half before they recovered. does california have the grit to go there and beat a good ducks team? they certainly have the talent. i'll go with...CALIFORNIA.
nc state at florida state - the noles win this game, they are guaranteed to go to jacksonville for the acc championship. if not, they'll be forced to win a game against the underrated clemson tigers at death valley. if they are smart, they will handle business this weekend. but here are couple of factors working against them.1) the noles are a hurt team. injuries are prevalent throughout the defense and we're still trying to overcome the loss of our best corner, cromartie. 2) although they struggle offensively, nc state has a really good defense. they should have beaten v-tech earlier in the season, and they would have if not for turnovers. they actually outgained the hokies that game. this game makes me nervous because the noles are such a jekyll and hyde team. but i'm picking them mostly out of loyalty than anything else. FSU
miami at virginia tech - THE GAME. this has the potential to be every bit as good as USC at NOTRE DAME and TEXAS at OHIO STATE. these are two evenly matched, highly motivated teams with something to prove. miami wants national respect, and so do the hokies in a different way. but this is not the same miami team we are used to seeing. these are NICEGUYS! no one spouting off at the mouth, no braggadocio dances, no recruiting violations and mostly NO INTIMIDATION. where are the real canes??? this team lost to a noles team they should have beaten, struggled early with north carolina and has never really looked like they are firing on all cylinders. sinorice moss is hurt and so is eric winston. tyrone moss does not have that game breaking speed that put the fear of GOD in opponents like willis mcgahee and clinton portis did. there really is no ed reed or jon vilma on this team (at least not yet). vtech is solid all the way through. their defense is just as good as miami's and they can move the ball offensively. i don't think vick will have a heisman night, but i do think he'll be effective enough. i think this will be a defensive battle until v-tech breaks away late, similar to the boston collegegame. VIRGINIA TECH
Gangsta D:
UT @ ND - Don't care. Irish.
'Sconcin @ PSU - Don't care. Badgers
Cal @ Ducks - Don't care. Cal
Pack @ 'Noles - Don't care. FSU
The 'U @ Hokies - Don't care. Hoki--don't make me laugh.
No way I'm going against the boys no matter what. Here is how we can beatthem.
Offense - They're defense may be just as fast as ours. So we HAVE to run the ball straight at 'em. The run has to be established from the get go. The O-line has to come ready to play. If they shut down our running game, it's game over. But, if we can run effectively that opens everything up. They haven't seen speed on the boundary like ours all year. If we run effectively that will set up the play action. We can go down field or down the middle to Olson. Olson has to have a Shockey-Winslow type performance. They will be looking to stop the run and take away the deep threat. He's got to come up major. Kyle CANNOT make dumb mistakes. If it's not there on his second read, the ball's got to be gone. Their defense is too good. He's got to take shots down the field, but he can't just throw the ball up for grabs. he's got the big arm and he's accurate from short to medium range. He's got to play a very heady game.
Defense - We can't out quick ourselves. That means rushing too far up the field, over running plays, and missing tackles. We've got to play bump and run. I've seen too many Tech WRs WIDE open this year. We have the speed in the secondary to recover. With that said, the LBs have to play zone and keep everything in front of them. If they play man, Vick and Imoh will kill us. They've got to disrupt the middle and keep Vick from breaking long runs up the field. He's beaten every defense to the corner so far this year, and he can beat us but not for TDs. The most important unit is theD-line. They have to pressure Vick, but do it up the middle forcing him to the sidelines where hopefully our LBs will be waiting. They've got to clog his passing lanes and harass him. They probably won't sack him and that shouldn't be primary focus. They have to get him out of his comfort zone. If he can sit in the pocket and throw all day, it's a wrap.
So obviously, I'm picking the boys. This will be a tremendous victory if we can get it done. I know we can do it, it's just a matter of execution.
Waldini:
Tenn@ND - For the first time in the Commission weekly pick off history, I am picking against the boys. You named all the reasons Realist and knowing the Ainge is the starter doesn't exactly evoke shades of Shuler, Manning,Martin, or C Clausen. We all know anything can happen but reality says Irish keep marching. Dayum you Tenn (sniff) you broke my heart. IRISH
Wis@PSU - Picking the Nittany Lions b/c they play 10 times better at home than they do on the road. Although dont sleep on Calhoun, he's a beast.NITTANY LIONS
CAL@ORE - I was about to go against the grain and pick Oregon but realized Kelly Clemens is out for the year. Autzen is one of the noisest stadiumsand Bellioti is a good coach but losing Clemens is a lot to overcome. BEARS
NCState@FSU - Mentee vs Mentor, ex-offensive coach vs new offensivecoach....too bad the Noles are better than NC this year. NOLES
MIA@VT - Aw the game that will spark a flurry of emails btw the Realist andGangsta on Monday, Nov 7 :-). Both of you present thought-provoking, eye-opening, valid arguments about why both teams will win. Unfortunately neither means anything to me in picking the winner, lol. Gimme Va Tech b/c that defense is a monsta.
FYI, the Waldini Bowl doesnt accept 5 loss teams. We accept only undefeated and one loss teams from the SIAC :-) Read more!
we're all tied again. hopefully staying up past 1am will cause you two to make a couple of mistakes so i can finally pull away. and now the picks...
tennessee at notre dame - normally i would be wary of picking against a team like tennessee. they are a wounded animal right now having lost 3 straight games. think they want to lose 4 straight? me neither. they may go to a bowl, but it won't be a bowl anyone cares or even knows about. going to the WALDINI BOWL won't impress recruits, but beating the fighting irish under the gaze of touchdown jesus would. make no mistake about it, this IS their bowl game. but there are 4 good reasons why i don't think they'll get it done.
1) if notre dame wins out, they will be guaranteed an invite to a BCS bowl. BCS bowl = $14 mil, non-BCS bowl = $4 mil, all of which they keep. for those of you not counting, that's 10 million reasons to play your a$$ off.
2) notre dame is coming off a bye week. this is the only team i know that has TWO bye weeks in the same season! nevertheless, that gives the irish an additional week to prepare for UT.
3) gerald riggs is still out.
4) too much turmoil in knoxville. the OC resigns,but still has play-calling duties...with fulmer. (?)when has phil fulmer been perceived as an offensive genius? my guess is that was just a line to get people off his back. randy will still be the main signal caller, just not officially. too much indecision, too much pressure. NOTRE DAME.
wisconsin at penn state - wisconsin is a true smash-mouth club that relies mostly on winning the line of scrimmage and running the ball. but they are going to happy valley where 105K will be rocking the very foundation in anticipation of 10-1 season, Big 10 championship and a BCS bid. too much to overcome.PENN STATE
california at oregon - california has a big game next week against USC. normally this would be screamingLET DOWN ALERT!! but i'm still waiting on the bears to put it together. this will be a good test before trying to topple a dynasty next week. at 7-1, oregon is on track to finish with 10 wins - it's only loss to you-know-who. california will have to go to a place, autzen stadium, that knocked the trojans back for a half before they recovered. does california have the grit to go there and beat a good ducks team? they certainly have the talent. i'll go with...CALIFORNIA.
nc state at florida state - the noles win this game, they are guaranteed to go to jacksonville for the acc championship. if not, they'll be forced to win a game against the underrated clemson tigers at death valley. if they are smart, they will handle business this weekend. but here are couple of factors working against them.1) the noles are a hurt team. injuries are prevalent throughout the defense and we're still trying to overcome the loss of our best corner, cromartie. 2) although they struggle offensively, nc state has a really good defense. they should have beaten v-tech earlier in the season, and they would have if not for turnovers. they actually outgained the hokies that game. this game makes me nervous because the noles are such a jekyll and hyde team. but i'm picking them mostly out of loyalty than anything else. FSU
miami at virginia tech - THE GAME. this has the potential to be every bit as good as USC at NOTRE DAME and TEXAS at OHIO STATE. these are two evenly matched, highly motivated teams with something to prove. miami wants national respect, and so do the hokies in a different way. but this is not the same miami team we are used to seeing. these are NICEGUYS! no one spouting off at the mouth, no braggadocio dances, no recruiting violations and mostly NO INTIMIDATION. where are the real canes??? this team lost to a noles team they should have beaten, struggled early with north carolina and has never really looked like they are firing on all cylinders. sinorice moss is hurt and so is eric winston. tyrone moss does not have that game breaking speed that put the fear of GOD in opponents like willis mcgahee and clinton portis did. there really is no ed reed or jon vilma on this team (at least not yet). vtech is solid all the way through. their defense is just as good as miami's and they can move the ball offensively. i don't think vick will have a heisman night, but i do think he'll be effective enough. i think this will be a defensive battle until v-tech breaks away late, similar to the boston collegegame. VIRGINIA TECH
Gangsta D:
UT @ ND - Don't care. Irish.
'Sconcin @ PSU - Don't care. Badgers
Cal @ Ducks - Don't care. Cal
Pack @ 'Noles - Don't care. FSU
The 'U @ Hokies - Don't care. Hoki--don't make me laugh.
No way I'm going against the boys no matter what. Here is how we can beatthem.
Offense - They're defense may be just as fast as ours. So we HAVE to run the ball straight at 'em. The run has to be established from the get go. The O-line has to come ready to play. If they shut down our running game, it's game over. But, if we can run effectively that opens everything up. They haven't seen speed on the boundary like ours all year. If we run effectively that will set up the play action. We can go down field or down the middle to Olson. Olson has to have a Shockey-Winslow type performance. They will be looking to stop the run and take away the deep threat. He's got to come up major. Kyle CANNOT make dumb mistakes. If it's not there on his second read, the ball's got to be gone. Their defense is too good. He's got to take shots down the field, but he can't just throw the ball up for grabs. he's got the big arm and he's accurate from short to medium range. He's got to play a very heady game.
Defense - We can't out quick ourselves. That means rushing too far up the field, over running plays, and missing tackles. We've got to play bump and run. I've seen too many Tech WRs WIDE open this year. We have the speed in the secondary to recover. With that said, the LBs have to play zone and keep everything in front of them. If they play man, Vick and Imoh will kill us. They've got to disrupt the middle and keep Vick from breaking long runs up the field. He's beaten every defense to the corner so far this year, and he can beat us but not for TDs. The most important unit is theD-line. They have to pressure Vick, but do it up the middle forcing him to the sidelines where hopefully our LBs will be waiting. They've got to clog his passing lanes and harass him. They probably won't sack him and that shouldn't be primary focus. They have to get him out of his comfort zone. If he can sit in the pocket and throw all day, it's a wrap.
So obviously, I'm picking the boys. This will be a tremendous victory if we can get it done. I know we can do it, it's just a matter of execution.
Waldini:
Tenn@ND - For the first time in the Commission weekly pick off history, I am picking against the boys. You named all the reasons Realist and knowing the Ainge is the starter doesn't exactly evoke shades of Shuler, Manning,Martin, or C Clausen. We all know anything can happen but reality says Irish keep marching. Dayum you Tenn (sniff) you broke my heart. IRISH
Wis@PSU - Picking the Nittany Lions b/c they play 10 times better at home than they do on the road. Although dont sleep on Calhoun, he's a beast.NITTANY LIONS
CAL@ORE - I was about to go against the grain and pick Oregon but realized Kelly Clemens is out for the year. Autzen is one of the noisest stadiumsand Bellioti is a good coach but losing Clemens is a lot to overcome. BEARS
NCState@FSU - Mentee vs Mentor, ex-offensive coach vs new offensivecoach....too bad the Noles are better than NC this year. NOLES
MIA@VT - Aw the game that will spark a flurry of emails btw the Realist andGangsta on Monday, Nov 7 :-). Both of you present thought-provoking, eye-opening, valid arguments about why both teams will win. Unfortunately neither means anything to me in picking the winner, lol. Gimme Va Tech b/c that defense is a monsta.
FYI, the Waldini Bowl doesnt accept 5 loss teams. We accept only undefeated and one loss teams from the SIAC :-) Read more!
It's the NBA Bi-itches!
Waldini:
- Raise your hand if you think Toine will put 20 plus points, 10 plus boards every night
- Realist was your team really down by 25 to the Bobcats at home? And was that Chris Duhon leading the charge back with a triple double?
- Why did Denver give all that moolah to Earl Watson if they are not going to play him? And he turned down LA's offer for what reason?!?!
- Is it too early for folks to jump on the Bucks bandwagon? Bogut is averaging a double double, Redd is avg 35 a game, TJ is averaging a double double....and this is with Magloire giving them pretty much nothing right now.
- If you're a sixers fan, would you worried that Webber and Iverson are avg 60 pts combined and you are still getting blown out?
What thoughts do you guys have on the league
Gangsta D:
-Toine hit his 1st three 3's. Not gonna happen every night, trust me.
-Sacramento is done. I'm trying to figure out how they keep the forks from falling out of their backs when they run up the court.
-Detroit looks nasty. Don't know about their bench, but the starters are pretty crucial.
-I think it's too early to hop on the Bucks bandwagon, but if Redd keeps shooting out of his mind they could be this year's Phoenix. I forgot how good Ford was coming out of Texas.
- Last year's Phoenix is a middle pack team. You can't lose THREE starters and expect to play at the same level. People still have them in the upper echelon, but i don't see it.
Da Realist:
not much. i haven't seen one game yet. admittedly it's a little hard to care right now because the nba in november sucks. but for the sake of "being in the conversation" everyday, i'll start watching some games.
did see sportscenter this morning. i thought it was very nice of kobe to point out the only reason he missed the game winner in regulation was because he"couldn't see". it was only obvious, because we all know the only way kobe misses a big shot is because he couldn't see or his pants were pulled down or something in that manner. just a little hate to wake you guys up. ;-) (c'MON,you guys need me. without me this would not be THELAKE SHOW, but THE LAKE SLURP SHOW)
Waldini:
Hate you give and hate you shall receive :-)
Guess you didn't watch the entire highlight b/c Kobe "graciously" allowed Phil to call the game winning play for Kwame in OT. But being the great man that he is, Kobe was like "cool", allowed Kwame to try and win the game. Then when Kwame missed, Kobe did what he needed to do. He rebounded the ball, pulled up, hit a jumper and iced the game with .6 on the clock. A great day for a great guy :-)
Now what'chu gotta say HAMMER! Read more!
- Raise your hand if you think Toine will put 20 plus points, 10 plus boards every night
- Realist was your team really down by 25 to the Bobcats at home? And was that Chris Duhon leading the charge back with a triple double?
- Why did Denver give all that moolah to Earl Watson if they are not going to play him? And he turned down LA's offer for what reason?!?!
- Is it too early for folks to jump on the Bucks bandwagon? Bogut is averaging a double double, Redd is avg 35 a game, TJ is averaging a double double....and this is with Magloire giving them pretty much nothing right now.
- If you're a sixers fan, would you worried that Webber and Iverson are avg 60 pts combined and you are still getting blown out?
What thoughts do you guys have on the league
Gangsta D:
-Toine hit his 1st three 3's. Not gonna happen every night, trust me.
-Sacramento is done. I'm trying to figure out how they keep the forks from falling out of their backs when they run up the court.
-Detroit looks nasty. Don't know about their bench, but the starters are pretty crucial.
-I think it's too early to hop on the Bucks bandwagon, but if Redd keeps shooting out of his mind they could be this year's Phoenix. I forgot how good Ford was coming out of Texas.
- Last year's Phoenix is a middle pack team. You can't lose THREE starters and expect to play at the same level. People still have them in the upper echelon, but i don't see it.
Da Realist:
not much. i haven't seen one game yet. admittedly it's a little hard to care right now because the nba in november sucks. but for the sake of "being in the conversation" everyday, i'll start watching some games.
did see sportscenter this morning. i thought it was very nice of kobe to point out the only reason he missed the game winner in regulation was because he"couldn't see". it was only obvious, because we all know the only way kobe misses a big shot is because he couldn't see or his pants were pulled down or something in that manner. just a little hate to wake you guys up. ;-) (c'MON,you guys need me. without me this would not be THELAKE SHOW, but THE LAKE SLURP SHOW)
Waldini:
Hate you give and hate you shall receive :-)
Guess you didn't watch the entire highlight b/c Kobe "graciously" allowed Phil to call the game winning play for Kwame in OT. But being the great man that he is, Kobe was like "cool", allowed Kwame to try and win the game. Then when Kwame missed, Kobe did what he needed to do. He rebounded the ball, pulled up, hit a jumper and iced the game with .6 on the clock. A great day for a great guy :-)
Now what'chu gotta say HAMMER! Read more!
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