Week One Preview

The debate between me and my brothers went on for a long time regarding Daunte Culpepper. My argument was he was always overrated without a guy named Moss. It'd be really mean of me to rub it in, so I won't but now, all arguments regarding the former quarterback can come to a rest because he decided to call it quits.

What's the deal with Terrance Newman? Gone during the opener again? Pack, you better step it up. We aren't paying you the big bucks for nothing.

Don't buy into all this Tom Brady talk. He's healthy and will be ready to go. Not a chance the Pats fall to the Chiefs. We saw the Giants knock of the Redskins in the season opener last night so the season is officially here. That being said, it's time for week one NFL Picks.

Det @ Atl: Last year John Kitna guaranteed 10 wins for the Lions and didn't deliver the guarantee. The Falcons have nothing to guarantee. They're being lead by a rookie quarterback and a first year starting running back in Michael Turner. The win goes to the Detroit Lions.
Sea @ Buf: I won't go into as much detail as I did for the first game but I'll break the rest down a little bit. The Bills could give the hawks a run for their money, but they're not going to escape with the W. Seahawks get the win.
Jac@ Ten: This is one of the toughest divisions in football. There's a lot of pressure on Vince Young and the Jags are being picked by many to win the division. I don't think they will but I'm taking them to win this game. Jags win.
NYJ@Mia: Emotions are running high in this one but whoever keeps them under control will come away with the victory. Chad Pennington faces his old team after being replaced from a kid out of Kiln, MS. Bill Parcells faces his former team, although it's been a while and he's not coaching. Oh, don't forget, Ricky Williams is starting. The win goes to J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets, yes another road team.
KC@NE: Pats. Enough said.
TB @ NO: The Saints are marching. They get the win.
STL@Phil: Once upon a time there was a team called "The Best Show on Turf." This is not them and they fall short to the Eagles.
Hou@Pit: I would love to say the Texans, but the Steelers may have something to say about that. It's in the Steel City, they win.
Cin@Bal: No, I'm calling him Johnson. I don't care what's on the back of his jersey. I want to pick against his team so bad but the problems is no one will show up to play against them. Bengals win.
Car@SD: Two letters: LT
Ari@SF: I'm not sure if the 49ers winning would be an upset but most people are picking the Cards. It can go either way but I'll take the home team.
Dal@Cle: Finally, I've been waiting for this game for obvious reasons. The Browns have a very impressive offense and the fact that Newman is hurt won't help the Boys. I'm taking the Cowboys but it's not going to be by much. The spread is 10 and they may cover it but without T-New, I'm not sure it will be much higher if any.
Min@GB:This is the first of a doubleheader on Monday night. I'm being told the Packers will not retire Brett's No. 4 jersey, at least not this night despite the fact he will not be suiting up at Lambeau. Aaron Rodgers has some big shoes to fill and must start this night. Adrian "All Day" Peterson will run into the night and help the Vikings get their first win. Vikings escape with the victory.
Den @ Oak: This is the second game on Monday night and another heated rivalry. I'll take the Broncos but look forward to watching McFadden in his Raiders Premier. We'll see how he compares to AD. Once again, happy opening weekend.

College Football Week 2

Happy Holidays. It's opening weekend of the NFL. Sorry I forgot to tell you happy opening weekend last week for college ball. There's nothing like waking up on Saturday morning and turning on the TV to watch College Game Day.

One thing college football should do is drop the pre-season rankings. It's based on opinion without actually watching any games. They should wait about two weeks before ranking the teams because they'd have something to back up their theories.

Will Chase Daniel bring home a championship? What about the Heisman or is that going back to Gainsville to Tim Tebow again? Perhaps both the National Championship and the Heisman will go to someone not even on the radar.

Texas Tech is going to do some damage in the Big 12 but why are they ranked No. 12? The Red Raiders are playing Nevada. The fourth ranked Sooners are hosting Cincinnati and Stephen F. Austin State University (my school) is coming off it's first win in over a year after an 0-11 season and is heading to Fort Worth this weekend to take on TCU. Yeah, that's too bad. At least there's nowhere to go but up for them.

The following is the newest college football ranking according to AP. Take a look.

1. USC
2. Georgia
3. Ohio State
4. Oklahoma
5. Florida
6. Missouri
7. LSU
8. West Virginia
9. Auburn
10. Texas
11. Wisconsin
12. Texas Tech
13. Alabama
14. Kansas
15. BYU
16. Arizona State
17. South Florida
18. Oregon
19. Penn State
20. Wake Forest
21. Fresno State
22. Utah
23. UCLA
24. Illinois
25. South Carolina

If you're at all interested, or bored, come back soon and I'll have my NFL Week One predictions. Yeah, you'll be able to laugh soon enough.

What's in a name?

Is Chad Johnson aware he just legally changed his name to eight-five in Spanish? No, it doesn't mean 85, it means 8-5. That being said, who's going to call him Cinco Ocho?

Mark Duper, also No.85, legally changed his name to Super Duper. What is with these WR's? They seem to be the cockiest guys in the league. Quick FYI: Pretty sure I used to have that card.

Randy Moss once said "I'll play when I want to play." Chad Johnson (yes, that's right, Johnson) is all about himself and will celebrate an eight yard gain even if his team is down by 21. Same thing goes for Roy Williams of the Detroit Lions who referred to himself as "an exciting player." After his rookie season, Keyshawn Johnson wrote a book titled Just Give me the Damn Ball." (Who did more writing, Keyshawn or Shelly Smith?) The list is huge for one Terrell Owens and it goes on for several other receivers. Too bad they can't be like Marvin Harrison whose game does the talking.

So why is that WR's are so dang cocky. ? Don't these guys know in order for them to succeed at their job, so many other people have to be successful with theirs as well? The QB must throw, the line must block etc... Football is a team sport. Please, don't make this game one full of thugs. This isn't the NBA who had to come out with NBA Cares in attempt to clean it's image.

Oh, Ricky Williams is going back to school apparently. He said his goal is to be a Dr. Can you picture that? Will he subscribe pot or give it over the counter. His No. 1 subscription? $9.1 million. He's an exception to the rule, you know about receivers being the cockiest in the league.

Randomness and WSH

Happy Memorial Day to all. My thoughts and prayers are with those in the midst of the storms. That being said, this is a sports blog, let's talk sports.

The Cowboys receiving squad is hurting after losing Sam Hurd in the final pre-season game. The Cowboys had already lost Miles Austin. On paper, the Cowboys are easily the best team in the NFC but on the field, well that might be a different story. There still holes in Big D but hopefully the addition of a healthy T-New will help the secondary and lift the defense. Looks like they made the right choice in taking Ware over Merriman after all.

Tampa Bay cast the devil out of their name and now are that much closer to winning a very tough AL East division. Did I mention anything about a team from New York not making the playoffs?

As we approach the NFL season and baseball playoffs, I'll preview different aspects, but that's for another time. It's the month of September. Let's do Weekly Sports History:

9/1/1890 - First MLB tripleheader-Red Sox vs Pirates
9/2/1971 - Chris Evert ( Kournikova of her time,except with talent) and Jimmy Connors win their first US Open tennis matches.
9/3/1928 - Ty Cobb got his 4,191th and final career hit
9/3/1974 - Oscar Robinson announces retirement
9/3/1986 - Astros and Cubs use a record 53 players in 18 innings.
9/3/1989 - Chris Evert defeats 15-year-old Monica Seles for her 101st and last US Tennis Open singles victory.
9/3/1995 - Carolina Panthers lose their 1st NFL game to the Atlanta Faclons-23-20 (OT)
9/3/1995 - Jacksonville Jaguars lose their 1st NFL game to the Houston Oilers 10-3
9/4/1941 - NY Yankees win earliest AL pennent
9/4/1981 - Seattle Mariners beat the Boston Red Sox in the longest game at Fenway Park completed in 20 innings. The game started Sept. 3rd.
9/5/1994 - Jerry Rice catches NFL record 127th touchdown pass
9/6/1963 - Major league baseballs 100,000th game.
9/7/1963 - Pro Football Hall of Fame dedicated in Canton Ohio