It Was a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Weekend…

As the weekend began to unfold I realized why I don’t bet on sports.  It’s too darned risky.  I’ve got Cincinnati nearly losing to UCONN (something I never would have guessed.)  I’ve got Louisiana Tech (who I always forget has more than a women’s basketball team) putting up 35 points on Boise State.  Iowa loses to Harvard…I mean Northwestern (and it was funny to see the score, BTW.)  Oregon loses to Stanford (which I said WASN’T going to happen.)  {And to think of all the time I spent lauding the Ducks and Chip Kelly and they go and lose to Stanford.  Jim Harbaugh is gonna get a new job and a ton of money and sooner than most of us thought.}  Georgia Tech needs a conversion on 4th and 1 to go ahead and beat Wake Forest (who has no business being on the same field as GT right now.)  USC beats Arizona St. 14-9 (oh, how the mighty have fallen.)  Then I thought Steve Kragthorpe went back to Tulsa because they lost 46-45 to Houston (since when can Tulsa score 45 points EVER?)

Then the NFL comes in and screws up my good picking run.  The Giants lose again.  The 49ers lost to the Titans (dammit!!!!)  Miami laid an egg against the Patriots (although I’m sure Tom Brady’s rules had something to do with that.)  Then, Green Bay goes out and loses to effing Tampa!  TAMPA!  They lost to the creamsicle uniforms people.  Do we all realize that that creamsicle uniform embodies all that is wrong with professional sports?  The way NOT to run a franchise.  The main reason why the Bucs winning the Super Bowl seemed like a sheer impossibility and that if it did happen the end was near!  They might has well have worn sackclothes and banged themselves on the heads with rocks.  The creamsicle uniform MAKES you play bad, and the Packers (who I also lauded) go out and lose to that pile of crap.  Are you kidding me?

Then, there were some things that were expected and not at all surprising.  The Falcons beat the Redskins.  DeAngelo Hall got in the middle of a skirmish by running his mouth and not just playing the damn game.  Because of his stupid yap Falcons coach Mike Smith ended up getting in the middle of a potential brawl because Hall probably ACTUALLY instigated the whole thing.

Let me ask you a question.  Do you think D. Hall wants to be a good player and win games, or do you think he wants to be famous?  For the record, I say famous and that blowhard is getting no more of my time.

THEN, the Cowboys go and beat the Iggles.  WTF!?!?!?!  I wrote this really great allegory where I made McNabb and Romo into “Starsky and Hutch” and then I basically said that Romo was going to take a bullet between the eyes in an alley gunfight and then the Cowboys beat the Eagles and Romo looks like freakin’ Roger Staubach!  How in the hell does this happen?  How in the hell can the Eagles not get it together after I do that great piece of writing!?  Really?!  UGH!  It’s like this, I might have underestimated the Cowboys, but they need to decide when they’re a Wade Phillips team and when they aren’t.  When they are going to suck.  When they’re not (OOOOORRR, Jerry Jones reads my column and put the “interim” tag on Phillips and didn’t tell us…hmmmmmmmm) they’re great like they were yesterday.  I don’t get it.  I totally don’t get it.

The Texans looked great, like I thought they would, but they couldn’t close out the Colts.  This shouldn’t be surprising since Peyton’s won a Super Bowl and Matt Schaub played at Virginia.  {This is the part where I say “DUH!” to myself.}

The Bears sucked and Lovie Smith might lose his job sooner than later.  Once again, I’m not going to advocate for someone’s firing unless I think they’re breaking the law or TOTALLY ill-equipped, but I talk about the reality of leagues in this column and I say to you that the reality is that the Bears have a better Quarterback than Rex Grossman (how much better is for you to decide) and they aren’t going to the Super Bowl.  Do you really think Lovie can keep his job given the climate of the league and those facts?

The Ravens got stomped by the Bengals and I called that one, but I want to point out again why it isn’t surprising.  Even though the Bengals have a loudmouth (Chad Stupidhead) he doesn’t run the team.  Even though the Ravens have killers all over the field, they don’t have the head coaching (right now) to push through.  This is where John Harbaugh grows up.  This time next year the Ravens win that game because they HAVE TO.  This year he can only squeeze so much out of them.  You can go on about how last year they did so much better and blah, blah, but the league wasn’t then what it is now.  Last year all the crap teams were right out there with their crappiness.  This year you can’t tell and because so many teams are unpredictable the coaching has to be better.  This is why I’m not going to blame the Ravens woes on a Joe Flacco “Sophomore Slump”.  The real problem is that John Harbaugh isn’t there as a coach yet, but he is learning right now.  Next year, look for this team to win games like this in a crunch and for the AFC Central to become the deepest division in the history of pro sports (yes the other 3 teams can buoy even the sucky Browns.)

On the other hand Marvin Lewis is the calmest and most stable coach in the league.  I don’t mean he has the most stable job (that goes to Mike Tomlin) but he is the most stable person.  If you told Marvin Lewis that his balls were going to fall off tomorrow he’d say “Ok, we’ll take care of that tomorrow then.”  That’s it.  That’s all.  {Just imagine me throwing my hands up in the air right now.  That’s all there is to say.}  Yes, the Bengals have sucked the last few years, but you know what keep them from going into a total quagmire?  Marvin Lewis.  Continuity.  Consistency.  His personality.  Nothing else.  He just rolled with the punches until things turned around and now they have.  Marvin Lewis is the man.  He may not have a million winning seasons in his (what I would expect to be very long) career, but he won’t jump out of a sinking ship either.  Marvin Lewis just spent the last few years learning to be what John Harbaugh is learning to be right now.  The edge goes to Marvin.  And in a fight with the Steelers Marvin Lewis is just as equipped to deal with Mike Tomlin as Mike Tomlin is ready to deal with Marvin Lewis.  If you asked Mike Tomlin about that he would agree.  He ain’t stupid.

Now, with all of that done I have to wonder how the Monday Night Game will turn out.  Pittsburgh and Denver.  Proven coaching (Tomlin) against obviously-good-yet-unproven coaching (McDaniels) and you’re telling me I actually made a pick on this game!?!?!  Who did I pick anyways?)  (Pittsburgh actually, it’s 6 hours since I wrote the previous sentence and I had to look it up.  I’m that topsy-turvy over the weekend! ) Does it matter?  Whatever I did it’ll get screwed up faster than asking for no MSG at a Chinese Restaurant.  Ahhhh, forget it.  I’ll eat my crow on Wednesday…

So then, I get up this morning, drive to work, turn on my computer and I see the storyline:  Chefs release Larry Johnson.  Can we say “I think that petition worked?”  I mean, they sat down with his agent and worked out a deal for his suspension so he would lose and they must have felt so overwhelmed by how much K.C. hates this guy that they just cut him.  Damn!  They gave like $19 million in guaranteed money after they gave him that contract extension and now it all comes due because the people in K.C. don’t like him.  Wow!  This will either make Clark Hunt (the later Lamar Hunt’s son) look like a genius or a doofus.  Matt Cassel is either going to be rattled by this or spurned into being a new player.

Maybe my attention was focused on the wrong guy on the Chefs.  Maybe the whole time that I’m been crapping on Cassel LJ was the problem?  We’ll see, but Matt Cassel isn’t getting an apology yet…he may well still suck.

Before I move back to college for a minute I just want to bring up something interesting that I saw yesterday that I think is worth pointing out:

Mike Vick did an interview with Bob Costas where he said that the ideal situation for him in Philly is some into the game in garbage time during a blowout and lead an 80-yard scoring drive (probably against the opponent’s 2nd and 3rd stringers on defense.)  Really Mike, that’s your ideal situation?  Ok, your expectations are too low, or you finally figured out you are NOT cut out to be an NFL QB.  Perhaps Mike finally started to notice that all the “sucky” receivers he had in Atlanta don’t suck anymore because an actual passer is throwing them the ball.  Yes, I will tell you how I really feel. Mike Vick is NOT a QB.  He’s Reggie Bush but suited better for the NFL.  Period.  End of story.  If Reggie Bush and Mike Vick traded places right now Mike Vick would lead the league in all-purpose yards.  I guaranfreakin’tee you.

TCU is #4 in the latest BCS Standings and that is highest any non-BCS conference team has EVER been in the BCS before.  Now, I know I said that the Horned Frogs could beat Jesus’ team and they wouldn’t get a whiff of the title game, but we need to reconsider.  Apparently, if they’re #4 and everybody wins out they stay #4.  Either Florida or Bama is GOING to lose the SEC Title.  Now only Texas stands in the way of TCU.  If Texas loses at any point between now and the end of the season TCU WILL be in the Title Game (providing they don’t lose themselves.)  Now it’s really the “Battle of Texas” to see who gets a shot at either Florida or Bama for the National title.  It’s that simple.  A thousand things could happen at the bottom (and probably will) but everyone wins out it’s between Texas and TCU.  {This is like in “No Country For Old Men” when Tommy Lee Jones is talking to his buddy and he says:

“Signs and wonders. But I think once you stop hearin’ sir and madam the rest is soon to follow.”

Well…


Once you put a non-BCS team in the Top 4 the rest is soon to follow…

The “formula” put TCU in the top 4 and now the smokes are getting hit harder than they ever were before.  Not only do we have 2 undefeated non-BCS clubs, but we have a 3rd unbeaten from a crappy BCS conference and a non-BCS school is in the Top 4.  {Which also means that was have thousand of college administrators sweating through their over-priced suits while they wonder what they can do to keep TCU from a)  stealing their money and b)  stealing their headlines which will c)  steal money from them because that’s what college football is all about anyways.) It’s only a matter of time before someone breaks through.  It may not be this year (because TCU can still lose at some point) but it’s coming.  If you thought Utah being ranked 6th was a breakthrough that’s nothing compared to this.  NOTHING.  If I were Gary Patterson I’d write Mack Brown a nice little note that went something like this…

Hi Mack,

We’re coming and you can’t stop us.  We don’t play you but we should.  You’re going down and you know it.  I took this piddly little Christian school to the edge of the Jordan and I’m about to hook the Horns myself.  I’m coming.  You don’t want me Mack, you don’t.  You can’t handle the truth. I plan to fully enjoy the blanket of freedom that Texas football created for me and then fully question the way in which you provided it by taking your spotlight and forcing you to retire.  This is a kids game baby and you’re no spring chicken.  Like I said…you don’t want this.

You know what?  Deep down inside Mack Brown knows this and he is so freaked out at the prospect of losing a game and putting TCU into the Title Game that he probably can’t stand it.  Texas closes out with Baylor, Kansas, A&M, and the Big 12 Championship Game.  TCU closes with Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico.  You can do the math there.

If Texas does end up losing [and it COULD happen with that schedule] (and losing out on a shot at another title) then Will Muschamp needs to bring his stuff over to Coach Brown’s office because it won’t be Coach Brown’s office much longer.  Brown will retire…mark my words, he’ll retire.

Tune in Wednesday for more from The General…

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Posted by The General on Nov 9th, 2009 and filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response by filling following comment form or trackback to this entry from your site

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