On Campus 9/30

5 Games to Watch:


#24 Georgia Tech vs. #11 Virginia Tech- The Hokies are perhaps the least proven team in the entire country, with their lone road win coming at North Carolina. However, playing at Lane Stadium is never easy for an opponent and the Hokies have only given up 13 points in three home games. The Ramblin Wreck are starting to play much better coming off a 24-7 win versus Virginia. Quarterback Reggie Ball and receiver Calvin Johnson provide a lethal combination, and with V-Tech missing their top pass rusher Ball could have a big day. Random stat of the day, Georgia Tech has beaten a ranked team in 11 straight seasons.

Colorado State vs. Fresno State- The Bulldogs are coming off of back to back losses to Pac-10 teams. Now they go back home to play the Rams of Colorado State. Fresno running back Dwayne Wright is averaging almost 150 yards a game, but the Ram defense has yet to allow 100 yard rusher. Colorado State is in the midst of playing 4 road games in a 5 game stretch, losing the first last week to Nevada. They need QB Caleb Hanie to get back on track and play like he did against Colorado if they want to win this game out in Fresno.

#14 Oregon vs. Arizona State- Another bad Dirk Koetter stat; he is 2-17 versus ranked teams….uh-oh! Also Sophomore Sun Devil QB Rudy Carpenter has played terrible the last two weeks on the road. Carpenter will need to play better to change Coach Koetter’s fortune. Oregon has had a week off after that crazy win against Oklahoma and they have a huge match-up looming on the road with Cal, so overlooking Arizona State may be a problem. The Ducks will need to control the ground game with RB Jonathan Stewart to keep the high octane Sun Devil attack on the sidelines.

#23 Rutgers vs. South Florida- The Scarlet Knights spend another week in the Top 25 and are looking to improve to 5-0. Coach Schiano’s team finds themselves on the first leg of a three game road trip so getting off on a good foot will be very important. The unsung hero of the Rutgers team is their offensive line, who have opened gaping holes for Ray Rice and Brain Leanord to run through and QB Mike Teel has only been sacked 3 times in four games. South Florida’s schedule has been weak this year, but they are 3-1 and are a very solid home team, so Rutgers beware.

#1 Ohio State vs .#13 Iowa- I hate to keep focusing on the Big-10 and the Buckeyes, but for the third time in 4 weeks they are playing a ranked team. Simply put Troy Smith is the best player in the country and he leads his Buckeyes into a raucous Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. The Buckeyes also have the super productive Ted Ginn, Jr. who has 5 TD’s in only 16 receptions. The Hawkeye defense needs to step up and play their best game of the season. Also QB Drew Tate is a great threat in the backfield and he needs to play a near perfect game in order to get the win.



4 Players to See:

Steve Smith, WR Southern California- The Trojans star receiver Dwayne Jarrett is going to be out with an injury so Smith is going to need to step in and fill that hole. The small and speedy Smith has been a steady contributor over the last few years in the Trojan offense, but now as the main weapon he will have to step his game up to another level.

Graham Harrell, QB Texas Tech- Another one in the line of rifle armed gunslingers for Coach Mike Leach’s pass happy offense. This week Harrell will lead his team into College Station looking for a big victory. Harrell has not thrown for the huge yardage numbers of some Red Raiders but he is efficient (67%) and virtually mistake free throwing 11 TD’s to 2 INT’s.

Juice Williams, QB Illinois- The one thing we know about Ron Zook is that he can recruit; Juice Williams was one of the top prospects in the country as a dual threat QB/Athlete. Coach has made him the full time starter now and the 18 year old freshman is bringing some excitement to the Illini, but not any wins. In his 2 starts he has only completed 18 passes total; but against Syracuse he completed 9 passes for 227 yards, that is crazy. Williams team may stink, but against the Spartan defense, which is a little shell shocked right now, it could be fun to watch the “juice” on the loose

Anthony Spencer, DE Purdue- He leads his team against the potent Irish offense this week. One thing has been proven; if you can get some pressure up into the backfield of Notre Dame they will struggle on offense. Spencer leads the Boilermakers with 9 tackles for a loss and five sacks on the season. If Spencer can cause some havoc in the Irish backfield it could be a long night for Brady Quinn.

Sorry folks, Parks Closed.......

........moose out front shoudl've told ya.



Everyone just relax, we are very busy here at the Wisdom offices this week. We will have out normal On Campus segment again this Friday. Next week will be a huge week, with the baseball playoffs beginning.

Next Week Schedule:

Monday- Baseball Playoff Preview
Tuesday- Baseball Post Season Awards
Wednesday- NFL Week 4 Power Rankings
Thursday- Eat lots of food
Friday- On Campus

Thanks for all your time, patience and readership.

Lastly, “El Wisdom” would like to congratulate Darby Wayne Rich and Jennifer Gibson on there marriage this past weekend. Congratulations!

On Campus 9/23

5 Games to Watch:

Hawaii vs. #25 Boise State- The Broncos have crept into the Top 25 this week, and even though Coach Dan Hawkins has moved on to bigger things at Colorado, he left the Boise State program in good hands. Senior QB Jared Zabransky (Paul how long has he been there, seriously) leads a balanced Bronco attack, and has won 20 straight WAC games at home. June Jones and Hawaii bring their high octane offense which is ranked second in the nation in passing. Hawaii has a chance to get a huge early season win. This game will get someone off to a good start in WAC conference play.

Bowling Green vs. Kent State- An early season MAC match-up between in state rivals, one of these teams will go to 2-0 in the conference and have the leg up in East Division. The Golden Flashes got their first win last week on the road in conference against Miami (OH). The Flashes want to control the clock with there backfield of Eugene Jarvis & Julian Edleman. Bowling Green is lead by their dual threat QB Anthony Turner who has almost 600 yards of total offense in 3 games. The Falcons however give up yards and points by the boat load, surrendering over 30 points a game this season.

#8 Louisville vs. Kansas State- The Cardinals are flying high with one of their highest rankings ever and the nations best offense, but going to Manhattan Kansas (the Little Apple) could be a trap. For the second season in a row Louisville QB Brian Brohm is injured and backup Hunter Cantwell takes the reigns. The K-State defense has been stout this year only allowing 10 points a game, and the defense has not given up a TD in over 8 quarters. The Wildcats have a chance to ruin the Cardinals season and since 200 they have only lost one non conference home game.

#22 Arizona State vs. #21 California- Cal has re-established themselves after a season opening pounding at the hands of Tennessee. Nate Longshore is the established QB finally and he seems more comfortable. ASU Coach Dirk Koetter has yet to win a game in the state of California in his fives years in Tempe. Before the season he made the unpopular decision to start Sophomore Rudi Carpenter. That decision has paid off as Carpenter improved to 7-1 as a starter and thrown 9 TD’s in three games. The key to the game could be All-American running back Marshawn Lynch who is averaging 7 yards a carry.

#24 Penn State vs. #1 Ohio State- This game feature two of the nations best players, OSU QB Troy Smith and PSU linebacker Paul Poluszny. Smith leads the highly potent and balanced Buckeye offensive attack. Smith has yet to throw an interception in three games and is the highest rated qB in the country. Poluszny and the Nittany Lion defense have to try and disrupt the timing of the Buckeyes offense. The x-factor is who can make the game changing play, and for that look to Ted Ginn Jr. for the Buckeyes.

4 Players to see:

Garrett Wolfe, RB Northern Illinois- Wolfe is leading the country in rushing by more than 100 yards this year. He ripped off 171 yards in the season opener against Ohio State and last week a mind numbing 263 yards averaging 11 yards a carry against Buffalo. This week Wolfe goes against the Indiana State Sycamores who have given up 300 yards on the ground the last two weeks. Wolfe has a chance to go for a record setting performance.

Derek Kinder, WR Pittsburgh- Kinder is leading the country in receiving. Two weeks ago he had one of the all time great stat lines; 3 rec. 172 yards 2 TD’s, 57.3 yards per catch. Overall he is averaging 23 yards a catch and has 4 TD’s on the season. Pittsburgh plays the 0-2 Citadel Bulldogs and Kinder should be able to have another huge day for his Panthers and get them to 3-1.

Brandon Coutu, K Georgia- Coutu is a veteran kicker who has yet to miss on anything this year. He has connected on 7 consecutive field goals, none shorter than 32 yards and he set a career long this season of 55 yards. Georgia should move the ball at will against Colorado so Coutu will have plenty of work this weekend.

Chase Daniel, QB Missouri- Daniel had the unenviable task of replacing the best QB in Missouri history, the double threat Brad Smith. Many thought that Missouri would take a step back with Daniel but he has molded this team in his image. Instead of worrying about being a double threat, Daniel has used his arm to get Missouri to a 3-0 record with a good chance to go 4-0. Daniel has completed 24 passes a game and thrown 7 TD’s against 1 INT.

NFL Week 2 Power Rankings

For all you NFL lovers we are going to try and do this as a bi-weekly segment, because doing it every week would be tedious and time consuming. The ranking is put together by a panel of experts here at “El Wisdom” and from around the globe (and by panel of experts I mean all the little voices inside my head screaming to get out). So without further adieu:

1) Chicago Bears- It is the Bears offense which has been the star so far this season. There is now no doubt that Rex Grossman is the QB to lead this team, with 550+ yards and 5 touchdowns through two games he is looking like the pro bowler they thought they drafted 4 years ago.

2) Atlanta Falcons- The Falcons have to be on some sort of record setting performance on the ground so far this season. Against two of the better defensive teams (or so we thought) in the league the falcons have pounded out 558 yards on the ground. That is an average of 279 yards per game; you will go undefeated if you can do that every week in the NFL.

3) San Diego Chargers- The Super-chargers have been electrifying on defense, not surrendering a point until the fourth quarter of the second game. They have barely given up 300 yards so far this season. Couple that with LaDanian Tomlinson and now backup Michael Turner ripping off yardage in 5 yards chunks at a time and the Chargers have a recipe for success.

4) Baltimore Ravens- Ray Lewis and the Raven Defense are back, healthy and better than ever. Through 2 games this season they have picked off opposing Quarterbacks 6 times and gathered 9 sacks. If the Raven defense keeps this up it wont matter what McNair and the offense does.

5) Indianapolis Colts- Boy that Colts offense has really lost a step without Edgerrin James. Oh no, wait a minute, no they haven’t, they still lead the league in points and passing yards and are second in total offense. Yes they are 20th in rushing offense, but with James last season they were 16th, so the difference isn’t that great.

6) Cincinnati Bengals- Carson Palmer has returned and looks pretty good so far this season, not dominant like last year but for right now he will be fine. The Bengals have turned to Running Back Rudi Johnson as their go to guy on offense racking up almost 250 yards in 2 games.

7) Seattle Seahawks- Though their offense has struggled to get off to a good start the defense has been exceptional. They have completely dismantled the Lions and Cardinals offenses to the tune of 253 yards per game. Alexander and Hasselback each only have one TD, that needs to improve if they want to keep winning.

8) Jacksonville Jaguars- Everyone wet themselves over their win over Pittsburgh the other night, why? Their secondary has played great this year, but the rest of the defense has been okay with only 4 sacks and 4 tackles for a loss in 2 games. On offense QB Byron Leftwich has a rating below 80 and they are averaging only 3 yards per carry, they need to improve if they want to be a contender.

9) New England Patriots- The Pats are 2-0 and already have 2 division wins, but they still have plenty of work to do. They got down huge against Buffalo and held on barely to beat the Jets. Tom Brady has struggled to find a go to receiver and they are still undecided at RB between Corey Dillon and rookie Lawrence Maroney.

10) New York Giants- They are the best 1-1 team in the league. They lost a tough home opener to the Colts, and rebounded with a huge division road win in Philadelphia. Eli Manning is beginning to prove himself in this league, few QB’s could have taken the ass whooping Manning did through three quarters and still lead the comeback victory like he did this weekend.

11) Minnesota Vikings- Hey they are 2-0 under new coach Brad Childress and that is impressive. However they have barely won both games and are a lucky 2-0. Troy Williamson and Brad Johnson need to connect more on the long ball to put some points up. Losing DT Erasmus James could be a big loss.

12) New Orleans Saints- Yes this is the feel good story everyone wants, the Saints to win every game, but there 2-0 record is fools gold. They have played two of the worst teams in the league and they have given up a boatload of yards so far. While Brees and Bush look like good additions their defensives deficiencies will catch up with them soon.

13) Dallas Cowboys- Every one was willing to write them off after a week 1 loss to Jacksonville. They responded with a big divisional win against the Redskins and look good in doing so. They sacked Mark Brunell 6 times in the win against Washington and the defense improves with every game.

14) Philadelphia Eagles- They probably should be 2-0 and Donovan McNabb looks like the MVP McNabb of a few years ago. He is second in the league in yards, tied for the lead in TD passes and has a rating of 105 with the worst receivers in the league.

15) Denver Broncos- The Broncos defense has been the ultimate bend but don’t break squad in the league. The sit right in the middle of the league in terms of yards per game, but they have yet to surrender a touchdown. Their running attack remains strong with the Bell Boys splitting time. But as a wise man once told me, never bet on a Jake Plummer lead team; his 38.6 rating and leading his team to only one TD is not getting it done.

16) San Francisco 49ers- I cannot believe I am writing this myself, but the 49ers have looked pretty good. Alex Smith looks completely different than last year, he is confident and throwing the ball with much more precision and has yet to throw an INT. Running back Frank Gore is averaging almost 5 yards a carry, that will help take pressure off Smith, and they already have an impressive division win against the St. Louis Rams.

17) Buffalo Bills- the Bills should actually be 2-0 this year, but surrender a come from behind defeat at the hands of the Pats in week 1. Although being 1-1 in the division after two road games is not bad. Consider the fact that the Bills offense is the worst in the league (Oakland’s is worse, but they don’t count) in terms of yards and they only have two offensive Touchdowns on the year.

18) Arizona Cardinals- They, like the Bills, have a 1-1 division record after two weeks; and they won they game they were supposed to (at home against the 49ers) and lost the game they were supposed to (on the road against the Seahawks). Kurt Warner has been efficient, if they can get Edgerrin James going they may have found their stride offensively.

19) New York Jets- Oh those mighty Jets, they could be 2-0 but suffered a tough luck loss to the Pats. Chad Pennington has looked outstanding so far, passing for over 600 yards and distributing the ball evenly to Laveraneus Coles and Jericho Cotchery. Their rushing attack is one of the worst in football and their defense is nothing to write home about, they have some work to do still.

20) Pittsburgh Steelers- I mean seriously, they started a guy this week that spent more of his off season in a hospital than on a football field. The Steelers like to control the clock by running the football and playing stout defense; hard to do when you are only getting 86 yards a game on the ground and giving up 340 yards a game.

21) St. Louis Rams- Stock way down on the Rams through two weeks. A devastating loss to the lowly 49ers could really affect this team’s psyque, especially with a first time coach. Their once potent offense is sputtering, not gaining 300 yards a game and having only 1 touchdown.

22) Carolina Panthers- I am still on the bandwagon, and maybe I am stupid for still riding. They have yet to a play a game with their and perhaps the leagues (as we now see and some fat guy told everyone last year) most valuable player. They got bullied in the first game, but lost the second one on the road on a bonehead mistake. There is still time to right the ship and they still have the pieces; although injuries to OT Travelle Wharton and MLB Dan Morgan will certainly hurt.

23) Washington Redskins- Hail to the Redskins, Hail victory, Braves on the Warpath, lets get a fucking first down! When you are 25th in total offense and 23rd in total defense, your ranking will fit somewhere in that general range. Their second leading rusher is receiver Santana Moss who only has four carries on the season, figure that one out.

24) Houston Texans- Yes Dan I picked them to go to the playoffs, and I still believe dammit. David Carr is finally looking like a quarterback, and he has some good receivers. They need to figure out who the go to running back is going to be soon, mainly so I can figure out what to do with Wali Lundy on my fantasy team. The main problem here is the 32nd ranked defense in the NFL.

25) Kansas City Chiefs- I have stated this repeatedly, I will always give Herm Edwards the benefit of the doubt, because of his class, humility and dignity as a person. That being said, his team sucks. They are in a quandary at quarterback because of the Trent Greene injury, but their rushing attack is still potent, ranking 7th in the league. They need to figure out how to punch the ball in when the get the opportunity.

26) Green Bay Packers- At least the offense showed some signs of life in week 2. Stumbling out of the block 0-2 and now having back to back road games, things could get a real ugly. All the talk is about Favre retiring or moving aside so Aaron Rogers can play. We shall see, if Rogers gives them a better chance to win then he should play.

27) Cleveland Browns- I thought this team was young and improving, but I guess I was wrong. Starting RB Reuben Droughns is averaging a whopping 2.4 yard per carry and starting QB Charlie Frye has thrown 4 INT’s. That and the 29th ranked defense in the league will lead to a lot of losses.

28) Tennessee Titans- I always have loved Jeff Fisher as a coach, but he just has no chance with this team. I like the fact that they are getting Vince Young some snaps every game; that is important for his development. I would say Young will be the full time starter by midseason.

29) Miami Dolphins- Hey good thing they went out and got Daunte Culpepper in the off-season. Last year they were 14th in the league in offense, Culpepper’s 69.2 rating and Ronnie Browns 3 yards per carry has dropped them back to 21st in the league. Maybe they should let Joey Harrington play?

30) Detroit Lions- The most potent offense in the motor city is still the Tigers. The one positive is their defense showed some pop in the first game really stifling the Seahawks offense. They once picked Charles Rogers, Roy Williams, and then Mike Williams and their leading receiver is Mike Furrey a free agent out of Northern Iowa.

31) Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Oh those mighty Yuccaneers, they should be forced to wear the old puter uniforms if they are going to suck this bad. This is another team I believe has the talent to turn it around, but this weeks showdown with the Panthers will get one of the teams going and the other one gone.

32) Oakland Raiders- Yes, the play in the NFL.

The Real Race to the Chase

Everyone here knows my affinity for movies and the movie making process. Well there is no better time of the year for the movie goer than the last 4 months of the year. This is when studios most typically release there Oscar hopeful pictures. Of the last 10 Best Picture winners only Gladiator and Crash were released before September. Mostly the days of releasing your best film in the summer are over. The summer is now reserved for your big budget money maker, not nescessarily your best movie. So now the studios are starting to release stuff worth going to see. Over the past week I have seen three of these long awaited films for me; Little Miss Sunshine, Hollywoodland, and The Black Dahlia. So this is the race for studios to get their bets films out.


The Black Dahlia- This is a movie I had long awaited, I was always intrigued by the real life story of the young drifter who went to Hollywood and got all messed up in the wrong crowds during Hollywood’s “Golden Age.” This era also had a seedy underbelly too it back in the days of illegal stag films and call girls. The Black Dahlia is the tale of one of those lonely girls who wound up grousumly murder in a residential LA neighborhood. The movie is a fictionalized account of two detectives who are put on the case to solve this murder. Director Brian De Palm’s (Scarface, Snake Eyes, Carlito’s Way) hands are all over this picture. It is shot and edited in his signature style of amazing camera angles, mood lighting, and creative editing. And as De Palma is known the action and drama are faced paced moved by a solid soundtrack. The story itself is a muddle and jumbled mess for most of the film. It starts off with these two detectives (Josh Hartnett & Aaorn Eckart) being paired together for another case, then they are reassigned to the Black Dahlia murder. After that happens the plot begins to go to shit, and them movie focus more on the back story of one of the detectives, his “girlfriend”(Scarlett Johansson) and their past together, involving a totally unrelated crime. Somehow, while that is going on they are still researching the facts of the Dahlia case which brings Hartnett across this eccentric millionaire family. The Daughter of the family is played by Hilary Swank and the patriarc by Jon Kavangh. This review is starting to make as little sense as the movie, it just gets lost and there are three or four plots going on at once. The ending tries to then all of sudden bring everything back together to make sense and it became even more confusing than the original plot. The acting in the movie is pretty good, except for the lead of Josh Hartnett. De Palama plays the movie in the film noir genre and Hartnett was the wrong actor to choose. His peformance is bland and stale. Aaoron Eckart, Scarlett Johansson, John Kavanagh, and Mia Kirshner as the Dahlia are all very good, but the movie is stolen away by Hilary Swank whenever she is in the scene. She is brilliant as the femme fatale of the movie Ms. Maedelaine Linscott. Overall the movie is so little about the actual case of the Black Dahlia than if that is what intrigues you about this movie stay away. Otherwise if you are a DePalma fan you will enjoy the thriller side of this film.
5 out of 10

Hollywoodland- This movie also tells the sorted tale of a famous Hollywood murder mystery. One June evening in 1959 up in the Hollywood Hills actor George Reeves (Ben Affleck), TV's Superman, shot and killed himself with a single bullet while some party guest were downstairs in his home. Most believe there was more to the case than just straight suicide, by the LAPD closed the case immediately. However, Reeves mother hired a prive investigator named Louis Simo (Adrien Brody) to findout the "truth." The movies exists on two different timelines. The first covers a span of about 7-10 days where Simo is investigating the case. The other is done through flashbacks and tells the story of Reeves rise to prominence and his untimely death, covering a span from the mid 40's until June 1959. Reeves life was extremely complicated because he was involved in a relationship with a married woman, Toni Mannix; not only was she married her husband happened to be the head of MGM Films Eddie Mannix. Though he never actually worked for MGM in his life it was known throughout Hollywood that the Mannix's helped Reeves achieve success in his career. Reeves was also a hard partier who had many other woman in his life, he was a classic Golden Age of Hollywood leading man, bousterious, handsome, larger than life. Simo tries to uncover all he can about the relationship between Reevs and Mannix focusing on that aspect, suspecting that something had went sour and that either Mannix or her husband may have had something to do with his death. The movie seemlessly exists in these two different time frames, easily transfering from one to another, never were you confused on where you were in the movie. Also, unlike the Black Dahlia the movie does not hack out some proposterious theory just to make the viewer feel happy. The movie is very dark and done very well by first time movie Director Allen Coulter (The Sopranos and Sex and the City). The film is also paced by storng acting performances throughout. Most people feel Diane Lane as Toni Mannix gives one of her strongest performances that may be Oscar worthy. The two leading me also are great, Adrien Brody as sort of this sleazy yet likeable PI and Ben Affleck as Geoge Reeves. There are some out there who don't like the choice of Affleck for Reeves but he does a very good job, he has many of the same physical qualities Reeves had though they do not look alike (which is why some people don't like Affleck playing this part). Brody is steady and solid and carries the movie through his timeline. The other performance that is noteworthy is that of Bob Hoskins (Who Framed Roger Rabbitt) as Eddie Mannix, he gives a strong supporting role which to me seems award worthy. Overall the movie is well done, the plot is good, the acting is strong and the movie exists in a parallel time frame that is hard to pull off, but in this case it works.
7 out of 10

Little Miss Sunshine- Call it what you will, I call it an super achievement in film in everyway. Brought to us by perhaps my favorite movie studio, Fox Searchlight Pictures (Garden State, Thank you for Smoking, The Full Monty, In America, The Millions, Boy's Don't Cry, Antwone Fisher) the independant arm of 20th Century Fox. Little Miss Sunshine follows a dysfunctional families two day journey to California to watch the youngest daughter compete in a regional beauty competition. The problems with this family are numerous and everyone of them has some awakening throughout the movie helping them confront their issues. The father (Greg Kinnear) is out of work and determined to sell his "9 steps to becoming a success" plan, the son (Paul Dano) has taken a vow of silence until he gets into the Air Force Academy, the Uncle (Steve Carell) is coming out of the hospital after a failed suicide attempt, the grandfather (Alan Arkin) was recently kicked out of his assited living home for snorting Heroine, and the mother (Toni Collette) is trying to hold all of this together. In reality it is the little girl, Olive, who truly cares about each person in her family in sucha special and poingant way. The only problem is everyone in the family sort of knows, although it is never said in the movie, that this little miss sunshine pageant may be somewhat of an embarrasment for Olive who is a little pudgy, sort of bucktoothed girl with glasses, but in her own way she is beautiful. She has dreamed her whole life of competing in this beauty pageant. The movie is so damned original it is scary, and the writer and director are making their first motion picture so you have nothing to say, well this is just like Movie A that they directed or wrote. But this movie is a character driven actors movie all the way. It is hard to say who gives the best performance here. Carell fans will like him, thought his part is small, the same can be said for Alan Arkin who is hilarious as the angry drug snorting grandfather. The parents Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette have a great chemistry about their somewhat strained marriage. But really this movie belongs to the two child stars, Paul Dano (The Girl Next Door) and Abigail Breslin (Signs). Dano barely speaks in the movie and yet he creates this complex young man, trapped in this dysfunctional family. Then there is Olive (Breslin) who thinks everyone in her family are the greatest people on earth and she is so focused on this beauty pageant because it has been her lifelong dream. She carries the movie throughout, when there was a lull or something that seemed to be going wrong in the movie Olive was always the hero. This movie is so amazingly brilliant, charming, heart warming, and at time laugh out loud funny. Really I recommend that everyone go out and see it, you won't be dissappointed.
9 out of 10

On Campus 9/16

5 Games to Watch:

I do not normally pick all games with highly ranked teams; however this week there are just too many exceptional games that have big time conference and national championship implications.

#11 Michigan vs. #2 Notre Dame- The Fighting Irish look to improve to 3-0, which would be impressive, something this fat guy didn’t think would happen. They get their second straight shot to knock off a Big Ten power. Brady Quinn has looked impressive this year completing 65% of is passes and not yet throwing and interception. The Irish will look to his leadership to lead them to another win. The Wolverines have had less than stellar play from Junior Chad Henne at QB this season, in fact last week he threw for a career low 113 yards against Central Michigan. So Michigan will turn to RB Michael Hart who has rushed for over 5 yards per carry and 262 yards this season. Also, backup Kevin Grady has averaged almost 5 yards and between the two of them they have scored 5 TD’s. If Michigan can establish the ground game and control the ball they will have a chance to pull off the upset.

#6 LSU vs. #3 Auburn- These may be the two most talented teams in the country squaring off down on the plains. LSU is off to a scorching start both offensively and defensively, they are outscoring their opponents 90-6 this season. Les Miles Tiger defense has been outstanding yielding only 164 yards per game, 3rd best in the country. Their offense is lead by veteran starter JaMarcus Russell who is completing 70% of his passes and thrown for 450 yards. Auburn counters that with one of the most impressive rushing attacks in the country. The backfield features Kenny Irons, Heisman candidate, and his backup Brad Lester who are both averaging over 6 yards per run. Last season Irons ran for a career best 218 yards against the Tigers. The winner here has the inside track at the SEC Championship and as Coach Miles said earlier this week when asked about playing a big rivalry game like this, “It’s why you play football.”

#17 Nebraska vs. #4 Southern Cal- Bill Callahan and all of Husker nation is going to find out real quick if they are back on the map as a legitimate power again. Husker power will be on display against the vaunted Trojan defense. The Huskers have a pair of talented running backs in Sophomores Marlon Lucky and Cody Glenn. With Lucky and Glenn the Huskers come into the game with a top 3 offense in both yards and scoring this season. The Trojans will look again to new QB John David Booty to be there leader. Booty was impressive with a win at Arkansas and now gets his first game in front of the Trojan faithful. The Trojan offense may be too big and strong for a still rebuilding Cornhusker defense. If Nebraska wants to win this game they need to jump on top early and hang on, for if the Southern Cal offense scores early they usually score often.

#7 Florida vs. #14 Tennessee- Nothing is better than this yearly early season Sec East rivalry. The whacky stat of the week is that the lower ranked team is 6-2 in this series over the past 8 years. The Gators are clearly the more veteran team with Chris Leak calling the signals. Leak enters his second season in the complex Urban Meyer offense and through two games this year he has look exceptional (67.8% Completions, 600 yards, 7 TD). Leak is a senior who has been playing in this spotlight his whole career, so the 100, 000 plus fans should not bother him (though hearing Rocky Top 75 times or so may drive anyone crazy). The Vols look to their signal caller as well, junior Erik Ainge has a renewed confidence in himself with the addition of QB Coach David Cutcliffe (for those unfamiliar with the SEC, Cutcliffe is the second most important person in making the Manning brothers into Pro Bowl QB’s). Don’t read too much into the close game with Air Force last week; the Vols will more resemble the team that dismantled Cal in week 1.

#17 Miami vs. #12 Louisville- The Cardinals quite simply have the best offense in the entire country. Even after losing their starting tailback in the 1st quarter of the season they still come in 3rd in the country in rushing yards with 337 per game. The Cane defense will have their hands full even if they stop the rushing because All-American Quarterback Brian Brohm is looking to break out. On the other hand, the Cane’s offense has looked mighty pedestrian. Kyle Wright behind center has still struggled throughout two games, only throwing 1 TD pass. Miami will look to keep up with their rushing game and try to keep that Louisville off the field. Although nobody wants to admit it, Louisville and West Virginia are legit, and Louisville has the chance to step up to that next level by beating Miami this week.

4 Players too see:

James Davis, RB Clemson- Davis has not been as crisp this season on the ground as he was last season, his first in college football. This week he goes up against perhaps the best defense and the best rushing defense in the country. The Tigers are on the road for a conference game for the second straight week, in Bowden Bowl 8. Clemson can’t afford to go down 0-2 in the conference and the strong legs of Davis will be needed if they have a chance at getting a win.

Bret Meyer, QB Iowa State- The junior signal caller for the Cyclones is big, strong, and has shown the legs to help become more of a double threat QB this season. This week he brings his cyclones into Iowa City to face the rival Hawkeyes, and next week down to Austin Texas. Meyer has the ability to throw and run for multiple touchdowns in a game and he has two weeks to show off his skills to the entire country. He has completed 68% of his passes; thrown for 2 TD’s and run for 3 more in 2 wins this season. If the cyclones can pull off an upset in the next two weeks it will be the arm and legs of Meyer that help get it done.

Nick Larkin, DE Boston College- The speedy junior defensive end has caused havoc for opposing offensive tackles so far this year. Larkin is tall but slender and uses his speed to get in the backfield and disrupt the offensives timing. Coming off an 8 tackle 1 sack performance against Clemson, he will need to use his speed again to contain the high octane BYU offense coming into Chestnut hill Saturday. Larkin will be relied upon heavily to get to BYU QB John beck and force him into bad decisions, something that hasn’t happened for Beck yet this year with his 0 interceptions and 75% completion percentage. The status off All League linebacker Greg Toal is a game time decision so his loss may put even more pressure on Larkin.

Dennis Dixon, QB Oregon- Dixon is one more in the long line of ultra talented QB’s under Mike Belotti in Eugene. This weekend the Oklahoma Sooners come knocking on Dixons door. The Sooners are susceptible to giving up points so far this year, but not many on the ground. Dixon has relied on his ground game so far in two wins this year, but he will have to become a much bigger factor and begin to throw for some scores if Oregon is going to be Oklahoma. Dixon speed will help him move around in the pocket and bye some time from the Sooner pass rush.


UPSET SPECIAL: I will only do this every once in awhile when I see a huge upset on the horizon. The Div I-AA Furman Paladins over the North Carolina Tar Heels.

The Daily Nooner 9/13

Last night I sat in an audience of a couple of thousand people and listened to the Nobel Peace Laureate Elie Wiesel give a lecture. I could qualify it as one of the most important and moving nights of my life. I actually had the chance to meet Wiesel one other time when I was working for a TV station and I taped a brief interview with him. At that time meeting him and just having the chance to be in his presence was spectacular. But last night listening to him speak was enrapturing. I sat up leaned over hanging on every single word he said, every word crafted, thoughtful; meaningful in ways I cannot use words. He spoke of his memoir and most famous book “Night” and what it meant for him to write the history of that time down. He believed firmly that if he kept the account of those camps alive it would leave to the destruction of anti-Semitism and racism across the world. But what he see’s today is a world with those problems more rampant than ever, yet he still see’s hope in the world. He was so poignant in relating those issues of the time he grew up to the problems in the world today. He talked of Judea-Christian relations being as strong as ever. However, he knows that 20-25 years ago when we started working on those relations there were many scholars who said there is another noble sacred world religion which we have ignored from these discussions and that is Islam. And he feels that the exclusion of Islam has helped lead the world to many of the problems it faces today with Terrorism and dictatorships across the Middle East. Again it was just an awesome night, one which I won’t soon forget. Here is more on the lecture:
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/15504969.htm

Okay, now back to useless sports shit!!!

I know Danny Price a loyal reader here is going to blast this one way or another, or start yapping about Jose Reyes is better than Derek Jeter (yea, right), but yesterday there was more typical Red Sox bullshit. Just like last spring training when the Sawx where running their traps about A-Rod and the Yankees, and the Yankees comment about all that nonsense was “No comment.” I tried to explain the difference in the class of people that both organizations employ and that the Yankees employ (for the most part) classy ballplayers who don’t run their mouths about nothing and everything all at once (i.e. Curt “the Mouth” Schilling). The one Red Sox player, who even I like, started running his big trap about why he should still be considered for the MVP and why he should win it, even though his team has fallen off the playoff map. Hey, Big Sloppy, I don’t recall anyone saying they weren’t going to vote for you. Why would he come out and say this? Does everyone on Boston really have that much of a complex about New York? I mean seriously, shut up and hit the damn thing fatso. Everybody loves you and you were probably still going to win the damned award until you opened your trap.

I know most Wisdom fans are not hockey lovers, but there is a hockey story that broke yesterday that almost made my head fall off. New York Islander’s goaltender Rick DiPietro just signed a 15 year contract. Huh, 15 fucking years? They signed him until he is 39 years old. He has played in 4 NHL seasons and is under .500 as a goaltender, and they signed him for 15 years. Most of the time teams don’t want to give players a 6th or 7th season on a contract, good thing GM Garth Snow said no way to that 17th & 18th year. The only contract which really comes close in American professional sports is Magic Johnson who signed a 25 year pact with the Los Angeles Lakers to be part of their organization; Magic’s contract was just to be part of the organization, not a player contract for that long. Good thing the Isles let go of veteran GM Neil Smith after 2 months on the job to give it to Garth Snow and all of his zero days of experience in the front office of any organization, and teams like this wonder why they constantly suck. Hey Garth, maybe you should hire Don Nelson as your coach.

Finally the NCAA has done right by a young man who is a scholarship athlete at one of their member institutions. Many of you have probably not heard of the story of Ray Ray McElrathbey, a Clemson football player who has had his struggles with life, from his crack addicted mother to his gambling addicted father. McElrathbey was recently given custody of his 11 year old brother Fahmarr who has become the unofficial mascot of this years Clemson football team. The NCAA approved a waiver whereby Clemson University can set up a trust fund where the university can help him pay for normal living expenses for he and his brother. Also, many of the families of the staff at Clemson will help with child care and local transportation for Fahmarr. For once the NCAA does not look like the big bad wolf, more like an organization which actually cares about its members on an individual basis. For more on this story go here: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2583647

AND

Danny, what the fuck is going on at your pseudo-alma mater. Apparently at the University of Northern Colorado (the real UNC) the backup punter has stabbed the starting punter in the leg, in order to try and obtain his job this weekend. What a fucking brilliant idea. I love this guy; he should be promoted to secretary of the state. Anytime somebody fucks with him, he will just stab their ass, America, what a country!!!

The NFL Summary Week 1

I am sure all the Eli Manning boo birds will be out early today (considering A-rod is sick and hasn’t play in a few days they needs someone to boo and say is overrated). But Eli played a pretty good game, and so did the Giant offense for the most part. They ran the ball extremely well but were done in by 10 penalties for almost 70 yards that is what killed them including the last two drives when Tim Carter got called for offensive pass interference on a first down catch and center Sean O’Hara got called for an illegal snap basically ending the game.

Whoa, Alex Smith looks like he may have gained some maturity since last season. He looked like a confident young man back there for the 49ers. Down 21-7 by the time the second quarter began on the road Smith helped keep his team composed and brought them back to within 24-21 midway through the 3rd period. They went on to lose 31-21 but the growth of Smith as a quarterback is encouraging for 49er fans. Smith spread the ball around to a bunch of targets from journeymen Wide out Antonio Bryant, super-freak Tight End Vernon Davis and their new starting Running Back Frank Gore who all caught 4 or more passes.

Well after reviewing my NFL preview it looks like some teams I may thought we be pretty good sucked balls, especially in the NFC. The Giants, Cowboys, Panthers, and Buccaneers all lost, St. Louis won and Minnesota plays tonight. Of the teams that lost, only the Giants resembled a football team. The Cowboys looked rattled all day at Jacksonville, which seems weird for a veteran team. The Panthers and Buccaneers looked downright awful. Combined the barely had over 300 yards of total offense. The Rams defense looked pretty good and their offense was just good enough to get a win.

Most disappointing debut with a news team: Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz. With some good weapons at his disposal his team was supposed to really push the ball downfield and have that wide open offense, and they were anything but that yesterday. Jon Kitna sputtered and didn’t throw a TD pass in a 9-6 loss to Seattle.

Best debut with a new team: this is a tie between DE John Abraham with Atlanta and WR Donte’ Stallworth with the Eagles. John Abraham reminded everyone why he will always get paid, because when he wants to he can take over a game at the defensive end position something rarely seen in football (think guys like Bruce Smith & Reggie White), however he only turns it on sometimes, and against the Panthers yesterday was sometime. He had two sacks and forced two fumbles while gathering 4 solo tackles and generally reeking havoc all over the Panther backfield. Stallworth who just joined the Eagles a few weeks before the regular season is fast becoming Donovan McNabb’s favorite target, catching 6 balls for 141 yards and a touchdown.

Lastly here are some names you may be hearing from in the future, the rookie report
Lawrence Maroney, RB Patriots 17 car. 86 yards
Ernie Sims, LB Lions 10 tackles
Reggie Bush, RB Saints 141 total yards
Jerious Norwood, RB Falcons 10 car. 66 yards

On Campus 9/9

5 Games to watch:

#18 Clemson vs. Boston College- The Tigers make their first ACC visit to Chestnut Hill to take on Boston College. People down south don’t think teams in the north can play football, but BC came down to Clemson and beat them last year. This will be Clemson QB Will Proctor’s first road game and first game against a real opponent. How he will react to a hostile crowd will be paramount for Clemson. Boston College has a more proven commodity at QB in Matt Ryan who registered his first career start and win in Death Valley last season. Ryan started off with a strong performance in game 1 this year throwing for 300+ yards and 3 scores. The x-factor here is Clemson Super-Soph James Davis, if he can run the ball successfully it will take the pressure of off Proctor. But folks remember, Tommy Bowden has a history of losing these games where he is a favorite and gearing up for a bigger game next week down in Tallahassee.

Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati- This is an important early Big East match-up with the winner having the inside track at third place in the conference (more than likely West Virginia & Louisville will finish 1,2). Pittsburgh is in their second season under the direction of Dave Wannstedt, and pre-season last year they were a ranked team. One of the main reasons for that was QB Tyler Palko. Palko is now a 5th year Senior and firmly entrenched as the starter, and though much maligned throughout his career he has thrown 44 TD passes with only 17 INT’s. It would be an important win for Pittsburgh on the road because it could set up a potential big match up with Rutgers come mid October. Cincinnati has been strong at home over the last 2 seasons going 8-3 so it is a tougher place to play than one would think.

#12 Georgia vs. South Carolina- People always ask me does South Carolina have a conference rival, if they do, Georgia is that team. Steve Spurrier has the Gamecocks on an unprecedented 6 game SEC winning streak and he would hate to see that end at home. Neither team learned much that they didn’t already know during the first week of the season. Spurrier knew his offensive line was suspect but he still does not know how good his defense is because Mississippi State was playing with their backup QB most of the night, and the offense was atrocious with the starting QB in there. Georgia still does not know what to expect out of senior signal caller Joe Tereshinski III, and he will be facing a very hostile environment on the road in Columbia. If the Gamecocks struggle to block again this week Defensive End Quentin Moses could become close friend with Cocks QB Blake Mitchell. The game will be a defensive struggle, but South Carolina may have a few more playmakers right now on offense that could make the difference, like Sophomore wideout Sidney Rice who’s coming out party was down between the hedges last season and junior Tailback Cory Boyd is back off of his suspension from last season.

#1 Ohio State vs.# 2 Texas- Whoa, Nelly! This is a 4 dag gummite game. Remember how last season Texas came storming into Columbus with the chip on their shoulder, the favorite in the game and the team with the most electrifying play maker. Well switch all that around, especially the play maker. Ohio State QB Troy Smith is the best player in the country and he is looking to lead his team to a revenge win against Texas. In the first game of the year Troy Smith threw 3 TD passes before his first incompletion. The Buckeye defense, which has 9 new starters, was expected to be an immoveable force, except someone forgot to tell Northern Illinois Tailback Garrett Wolfe that, as he went off for a combined 285 yards of offense. Texas has a strong running attack with a duel threat of Selvin Young and Jamaal Charles. Texas may be able to control the ground game and limit how much Troy Smith and the Buckeyes ultimate Weapon Ted Ginn, jr. have the ball on offense. But look out Longhorn fans, Smith and Ginn only need one touch to make something special happen.

#4 Notre Dame vs. #19 Penn State- Notre Dame got a solid win down in Atlanta against Georgia Tech in week 1 and Penn State defeated defending MAC Champion Akron with a solid effort in Happy Valley. I t was a good tune up for both teams, but now they have to step up their games for this week. Brady Quinn, Charlie Weis and the mighty Notre Dame offense better be ready for a steady diet of Paul Posluszny. He can control a game roaming the middle of the field for the Nittany Lions and he can make Quinn’s life a nightmare. Unfortunately the Nittany Lion secondary may struggle with receive Jeff Samardzija because of his massive size. On the other hand the stout Notre Dame defense will be going up against Penn State junior Anthony Morelli making only his second career start and first on the road. Morelli needs to rely on the experienced legs on RB Tony Hunt and get the ball in the hands of his playmakers, like Sophomore Derrick Williams. Again it looks like this one could be a defensives struggle but Notre Dame has the edge being at home and having the experienced QB in Brady Quinn.




4 Players to see:

Steve Slaton, RB West Virginia- The Sophomore running back is making his case as perhaps the best back in the country. He completed a stellar freshman campaign with 1100 yards and 17 TD’s. He picked up right where he left off going for 203 yards in week 1 versus Marshall. This week he faces an Eastern Washington team who gave up over 200 yards on the ground to Oregon State.

Josh Parker Wilson, QB Alabama- Wilson has the unenviable task of replacing one of Alabama’s favorite sons at quarterback, the homegrown 3 year starter Brody Croyle. In his first game Wilson tossed for 253 yards against a weak Hawaii defense. This week he will be facing his first SEC competition against a solid Vanderbilt defense which only surrendered 130 yards to Michigan starter Chad Henne while on the road. It will be Wilson first real test, let’s see if he passes.

Quinton Culberson, LB Miss St.- Last week in a season opening loss to South Carolina Culberson was all over the field. On the first play of the game from scrimmage he intercepted a pass. He then stalked the Gamecocks backfield all night long, collecting 7 tackles, a sack and another pass break up. He will be called on by Coach Sylester Crrom to slow down the Auburn rushing attack.

Isaiah Stanback, QB Washington- The Huskies senior signal caller is a solid dual threat QB. In week 1 he threw for 168 yards and rushed for another 100 yards and accounted for 2 TD’s in a win against San Jose State. Coach Tyrone Willingham loves to have a run/pass Quarterback to fit in his system and Stanback is the right type of guy for that. If he can have a big game, 300+ yards of total offense, the Huskies could pull off a big win down in Norman.

The One and Only, NFL Preview

AFC EAST:

New England Patriots- the Pats are still the class of this Division. As long as they have Tom Brady and Bill Belichik I am going to pick them to win the Division. Some may think that the loss of their Defensive Coordinator for the second straight season may hurt, but with vets like Rodney Harrison, Teddy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, Richard Seymour and 6 other returning starters on defense they wills till be solid on that side of the ball. Plus there is no better schemer on defense than Belichik. Outside of the Division the Pats have a manageable road schedule with their only tough game at Cincinnati.
RECORD 11-5

Miami Dolphins- Last season the Dolphins finished as strong as anyone, and they added Daunte Culpepper. Perhaps the most important factor is their offensive line comes back in tact to block for 2nd year man Ronnie Brown. Defensively they are solid in the front seven but they lack quality depth in their secondary (take it from a Giants fan who watched Will Allen be mediocre for too long). Nick Saban is a star coach in the making and he can win 2 or 3 game by himself this year.
RECORD 10-6 WILD CARD

New York Jets- New Head Coach Eric Mangini is trying to instill that same type of discipline and workmanship that he learned under Bill Belichik (someone tell the Jets they once had Belichik as their coach, well for a day). The Jets biggest problem is they are going to stink on offense. I no longer believe in Chad Pennington, they are starting two rookies on the offensive line (Nick Mangold at Center & D’Brickashaw Ferguson at LT), and their starting RB is Kevan Barlow. So they might not score very much, but their defense is pretty solid. They added Defensive End Kimo von Oelhoffen to their defensive front and they have an aggressive and fast improving young secondary that can force some turnovers with Justin Miller, Erik Coleman and Kerry Rhodes. Too bad the defense will spend too much time out on the field due to the ineptitude of the offense.
RECORD 6-10

Buffalo Bills- Looking at the pieces they have on offense you would think they would be decent. They have a solid starting line, Willis McGahee is a good back and receivers Lee Evans & Peerless Price are solid. However the QB situation is still up in the air; JP Losman is the starter but Kelly Holcombe could be put in at any time. There defense is a unit that could use some work, though Defensive End Aaron Schoble had a breakthrough season with 12 sacks last year. And let’s not forget the X-Factor the 35-50 Head Coach Dick Jauron. This team is destined for another top 15pick this season, unfortunate for a fan base that is overdue for a competitive team.
RECORD 6-10

AFC NORTH:

Baltimore Ravens- Count me in as a believer in the Steve McNair experiment in Baltimore. He already has a solid relationship with veteran receiver with Derek Mason. Mark Clayton and Todd Heap are very good receiving options and even with the uncertainty of Jamaal Lewis they have a proven backup in Mike Anderson. Their line returns three 16 game starters which should help protect McNair. On defense they are always solid, and this year a healthy Ray Lewis and a healthy Terrell Suggs should wreak havoc on opposing QB’s. In the secondary they are spectacular with perennial MVP candidate Ed Reed and veteran corners Samari Rolle and Chris McAllister. I think they could be the best team in the AFC this year.
RECORD 10-6

Cincinnati Bengals- I am not really sure what I don’t like about the Bengals, it would all seem to be there for them to be the class of their Division, and they don’t even have a Hasselbeck on the team. I guess the uncertainty with Carson Palmer and his knee worriers me. Anthony Wright as a backup QB is not something to get excited about. Otherwise on offense they have all the ingredients, a line that has been together for 4 consecutive years, a proven back in Rudi Johnson and maybe the best core of receivers in the league (C. Johnson, TJ Houshmandzadeh, and A. Chatman). Their defense is solid but I don’t see any big time playmakers and you never know when six or seven of them might go and get themselves arrested. Lastly their schedule is no cupcake, they have road games at Kansas City, Tampa Bay, and Denver and they get Carolina at home, which are all very losable games.
RECORD 8-8

Pittsburgh Steelers- Yes they are the defending Super Bowl Champions but that team that won it and this team are vastly different. There are just too many questions. Can they really win games with Charlie Batch? Can Willie Parker carry the whole load? What is Bill Cowher’s future? Can they replace the versatility of Antwaan Randle-El? All those questions and road games at San Diego, Jacksonville, Atlanta, and Carolina could be an ominous sign for the Steel Curtain. I think making the playoffs would be an accomplishment for this team.
RECORD 8-8

Cleveland Browns- The Browns under Romeo Crennel are a steadily improving team, they just happen to be in a real strong division. Charlie Frye has been given the reign’s full time and he has some weapons at his disposal with Ruben Droughns, Joe Jurevicius, Dennis Northcutt and the fast recovering Braylon Edwards. The added some veterans on defense like Ted Washington and Willie McGinest to an already top 15 defense. Crennel will keep this team competitive all season long, but they just don’t have enough proven playmakers on both sides of the ball yet to make the playoffs.
RECORD 7-9


AFC CENTRAL:

Indianapolis Colts- Ahhh, they don’t have Edgerrin James right? The year James was injured they only won 6 games lead by Dominic Rhodes, but this team is very different. At this point they are a well oiled machine and they still have Manning, Harrison, Wayne, and Stokely on offense and Freeney, Raheem Brock, Mike Doss, Bob Sanders among others on defense. Plus there division is fairly week so I think they should roll to another playoff appearance and division title.
RECORD 12-4

Houston Texans- Again, another team bandwagon I am jumping on. David Carr has been a better than average QB when he is actually on two feet, but he spends most of his time on his back. His offensive line is healthy and they return 4 veteran starters which should help him with time in the pocket and be able to find Andre Johnson and free agent Eric Moulds down the field. Coach Gary Kubiak brings his highly effective rushing offense from Denver and the season ending injury to Domanick Davis may be a blessing. Rookie Wali Lundy fits the cut back style of running that Kubiak prefers rather than the bruising Davis. The Texans defense has been a fairly solid unit except for their inability to rush the passer; enter first round pick Mario Williams who should help that. If they can protect this year they will be a playoff contender.
RECORD 10-6 WILD CARD

Jacksonville Jaguars- I just think the time is about up for Jack Del Rio here in Jacksonville and the same can be said for Byron Leftwich. Leftwich is very injury prone and has not played a full season and only completed 60% of his passes once. Running Back Fred Taylor is long past his prime and their receiving core is headed up by a white QB turned receiver (what is this bizarro world?). And on their defense I barely know who the guys are, so I can’t even give an honest analysis.
RECORD 6-10

Tennessee Titans- the Titans are clearly in a rebuilding mode. They traded away the franchises best player in Steve McNair in favor of questionable rookie Vince Young, or seldom used backup Billy Volek. They signed veteran center Kevin Mawae to help sure up the running game which will be a two headed monster of Chris Brown and Travis Henry. On defense they still have some playmakers that can help keep them in games. Defensive End Kyle Vanden Bosch lead the AFC in sacks last season and veteran LB Keith Bulluck is still a stud. Unfortunately the Titans play at Indianapolis, San Diego, Miami, and Washington as well as playing the Pats, Giants and Ravens. The schedule coupled with their inexperience at QB will lead to a long season in the Music City.
RECORD 5-11

AFC WEST:

Denver Broncos- I hate picking Jake Plummer teams almost as much as I hate picking Hasselbeck lead franchises. But if you look around this division, everyone else stinks and the Broncos are solid. Who cares who the RB is all five of their lineman started all 16 games last year. They added disgruntled Packer Wide Receiver Javon Walker as another target for Plummer. Defensively they have a solid core of veterans like John Lynch, Al Wilson, and Champ Bailey. This team will be atop the division all year, even if they go through a QB change to rookie Jay Cutler.
RECORD 11-5

San Diego Chargers- Well it is time for Phillip Rivers to show why he was sort of the number 1 pick. What he should learn quickly is that LaDainian Tomlinson is lined up behind him. Rivers is going to be the source of much scrutiny this year if his team does not make the playoffs. On defense the Chargers are decent and they do have a superstar waiting in the wings in Shawne Merriman. If Rivers can limit his mistakes and Coach Schottenheimer rely’s on his defense they have a chance to make the playoffs.
RECORD 8-8

Kansas City Chiefs- This team is getting old really quick and under new coach Herm Edwards they may struggle. Trent Green’s numbers look to be on the decline and receiver Eddie Kennison is in his 11th season. Larry Johnson still has yet to prove that he can last an entire season behind a revamped offensive line. Defensively this team is not real strong except in the secondary with Ty Law, Sammy Knight, and Patrick Surtain but again they are getting a little long in the tooth.
RECORD 7-9

Oakland Raiders- Aaron Brooks? Aaron Brooks, really are you fucking kidding me?
Their offensive line is weak with three new starters and while their receivers have big time names, they haven’t done anything of consequence lately. Defensively they are atrocious. They are thinking that Warren Sapp may have a rebirth or something, but he hasn’t had a productive season since 2002. Plus Aaron Brooks is the starting fucking quarterback, hello????????????????
RECORD 0-16 because I hate Aaron Brooks that much

NFC EAST:

New York Giants- Yes, I am a believer, mostly because I think Eli Manning is about to become the same level superstar as his older brother. For some reason people don’t think he is any good, but last I checked in his first full season as a starter he lead his team to a division title. He has as many weapons in his arsenal as anyone; Tiki Barber, Plaxico Burress, Amani Tumor, and Jeremy Shockey. Young receiver Tim Carter is coming into his own and the improving offensive line brings back all 5 starters. On defense Strahan and Umenyiora cause QB’s to quake in their boots. Their secondary looks to be improved with the signing of veterans Sam Madison, RW McQaurters, and Will Demps. They do have a challenging road schedule coming at Seattle, Atlanta, and Carolina.
RECORD 12-4

Dallas Cowboys- Okay the TO situation will loom all season long, but I know Parcells will not let it affect the team, because if it does Parcells will cut his ass. Offensively the line may be a problem for the Cowboys. If they can find someone to protect Bledsoe will be able to fins Owens, Terry Glenn, and Jason Witten and RB Julius Jones could have a breakout year. Defensively they are as good as anyone in the league. Their linebacker core is lead by two young superstars in Demarcus Ware and Bradie James and in the secondary Terrence Williams and Roy Williams make for a solid secondary. This is the make or break year for Parcells and Bledsoe and they are both born winners.
RECORD 11-5 WILD CARD

Philadelphia Eagles- Again the Eagles running game will struggle behind a weak and revamped offensive line and the injury prone Brian Westbrook. At receiver they have some unproven yet promising players with Reggie Brown and recently acquired Donte’ Stallworth. Defensively they are building from the back to the front, which seems to be the wrong thing. Their defensive line is we3ak and their linebackers are okay, but the secondary may still be the best in the business with corners Lito Sheppard & Sheldon Brown and safety Brian Dawkins. Too bad the line won’t get much pressure on the QB so Brown and Sheppard will have a lot of trouble covering guys without much help from the linebackers.
RECORD 7-9

Washington Redskins- This team’s offense is so bad. They have a veteran offensive line that other teams could make more use out of, but instead they get to block for Ledell Betts and Mark Brunell. Brunell has not completed 60% of his passes in a full season since 2001. At receiver they have the best return team ever with Moss, Randle El, and David Patten and journeymen Brandon Lloyd. Defensively this team is as good as their offense is terrible. The linebackers are solid and at safety they have two big time players in Sean Taylor and Adam Archuleta. Just like last season the defense will keep them in it so their offense can lose the games at Indianapolis, Tampa Bay and St. Louis.
RECORD 7-9

NFC NORTH:

Minnesota Vikings- As I told you people last year in my preview the Vikings biggest problem was the loss of all world center Matt Birk. Well they get Birk back and they added the best guard in the game from Seattle Steve Hutchinson. Put the underrated Chester Taylor at RB and the always reliable Brad Johnson under center and you have a recipe for success. Troy Williamson on the outside will get his chance to be the number 1 wide out with the arrest and release of Koren Robinson. On the other side of the ball they are solid with Kenechi Udeze, EJ Henderson and Darren Sharper anchoring each part of the Defense. In a weak division with the improvements they have made they should be back atop the division.
RECORD 11-5

Chicago Bears- If Rex Grossman can stay healthy they can be average again, I guess. They are down to their third string running back to start the year, Thomas Jones and receivers Mushin Muhammed and Bernard Berrian are as average as they come. Defensively they are exceptional. On the ends they have Adewale Ogunleye and Alex Brown and they have the best middle linebacker in the game still in Brian Urlacher. In the defensive backfield they have some of the biggest playmakers in the league with Mike Brown and Nathan Vashar. Their defense always keeps them in games and even wins them for coach Lovie Smith.
RECORD 10-5

Green Bay Packers- For about the 4th season in a row the offensive line is a work in progress, but Favre seems determined to have a good final year, and we all know he can will things to happen on a football field. If Ahman Green can come back and be solid they could have a good running back rotation with he and Samkon Gado. No longer are their any cancers on the team and Favre loves his new offense under coach Mike McCarthy, and he has his two favorite targets back & healthy in Robert Ferguson and Donald Driver. Defensively they are improving and they are hoping the additions of Charles Woodson and drafting AJ Hawk will help sure up the backfield. Middle Linebacker Nick Barnett is the best MLB nobody has heard off and Aaron Kampman and Kabeerr Gbaja-Biamila aare solid on the line.
RECORD 9-7

Detroit Lions- I drank the Texans kool aid, but am unwilling to take a sip of the Lions. Jon Kitna is certainly an improvement over Joey Harrington, but Kitna only gets you to a certain level of mediocrity. The offense will be wide open but Kitna does not have too many weapons. Third year RB Kevin Jones has to show more versatility to play under Martz offense and Roy Williams needs to be the consistent star that he has shown the potential to be. Up front on both sides of the ball they are patching things together because of injuries. Defensively they have a a weak linebacking core as well and the secondary lacks quality depth on any level. Will the Lions be better than they have been, probably, but they won’t make a serious run until they get a real QB (TRADE FOR MATT SCHAUB).
RECORD 6-10

NFC SOUTH:

Carolina Panthers- As always I am driving the Panther express bandwagon. There isn’t anything I don’t like about this team, I want to adopt the bastard love child of Jake Delhomme and John Fox. Offensively they are improved by adding Keyshawn Johnson to help elviate the pressure on Steve Smith. They have a solid offensive line anchored by Jordan Gross and Travelle Wharton at the tackle spots, and DeShaun Foster can be a top flight running back, and his backup DeAngelo Williams is just as good. On the other side they are as good as it gets; a healthy Kris Jenkins and Julius Peppers on the line, hard hitting Thomas Davis at linebacker and the addition of run stopper Shaun Williams at safety. Their corners are two of the best in the league in Ken Lucas and Chris Gamble and they don’t need much help, they prefer playing out on an island which allows them to blitz more than most teams. They have a manageable schedule too, with road games at Philadelphia, Washington and Cincinnati which are winnable for a team of this caliber.
RECORD 12-4

Tampa Bay Buccaneers- All the things you here about Chris Simms after his first season as a starter are the same things that made his father into a winner. His teammates all love him, he gets along with everyone on offense & defense, the players on offense respect him and his leadership in the huddle, and they and Coach Gruden believe in him as their leader. Simms has some help on offense too, a solid offensive line who brings back every starter, the Cadillac running the football and Joey Galloway & Mark Clayton on the outsides. And we all know the defense will be productive due to the continuity of having the same coach (Monte Kiffin) and a core of Pro Bowlers in Derrick Brooks, Anthony McFarland, Simeon Rice, Shelton Quarles, Brian Kelley, and Ronde Barber. If they were in any other division I would probably pick them to win it, because talent wise I think they are the second best team in the league behind Carolina.
RECORD 10-6 WILD CARD

Atlanta Falcons- Ron Mexico….er.. I mean Michael Vick is still the QB right? Well that just doesn’t excite, and nor does anything else on their offense. The top 3 receivers on the team including new addition Ashley Lelie caught 7 TD passes and their starting RB Warrick Dunn rushed for 3. Couple that with a QB who couldn’t in water from a boat most of the time and you have recipe for a bad offensive football team. On defense they are okay especially with the additions of John Abraham and Lawyer Malloy to a defense that already has Keith Brooking, Patrick Kearny and the best cover man in the league in DeAngelo Hall. But that defense wont be able to make up for the anemic offense. Seriously, Roddy White is one of your starting receivers, and Vick at QB? Does Vick still get you all excited and get your blood pumping? I guess if you like incomplete passes he does (START MATT SCHAUB OR TRADE HIM).
RECORD 7-9

New Orleans Saints- I could go low here and make an all out distasteful review by using Hurricane jokes, but I won’t. This team just stinks all around, they could have 7 Reggie Bush’s and it wouldn’t make a difference. Drew Brees is lining up behind one of the most impotent offensive lines in the league and turning around to handoff to a guy with bad knees or a guy who never carried the load in a college game, let alone an NFL game. The one thing to watch the Saints for over the last few years is to see what Joe Horn would do when he scores, well that isn’t going to happened much on this team. Not to be outdone, their defense stinks worse than their offense. They are starting a guy at middle linebacker who has 8 career tackles and a D-Tackle who has played in 3 career games over 2 seasons. Well at least Aaron Brooks isn’t there QB anymore.
RECORD 1-15

NFC WEST:

St. Louis Rams- This is my big surprise pick of the year. I like what the Rams have, and what they don’t have anymore (Mike Martz). Marc Bulger is still a very good NFL QB and this year I think Stephen Jackson will emerge as the best RB in the league. He is versatile and gives new head coach Scott Linehan optio on how he can use Jackson, especially with the addition of veteran Stephen Davis as a back-up. Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt are still two of the games best and 4th year wideout Kevin Curtis is emerging as a big play maker. On defense they have a good line and some playmaking linebackers in Will Witherspoon and Pisa Tinoisamoa, but I love the fact that Linehan hired former head coach’s Jim Haslett and Rick Venturi to run his defense. I think that veteran presence on his defensive coaching staff will help him focus mainly on making the offense back into one of the best in the league.
RECORD 11-5

Arizona Cardinals- The Cardinals will be one of the more improved teams in the league but I will not vault them up into playoff contention just yet. They are building a solid nucleus on offense with receivers Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald and Bryant Johnson. The running game struggled last season so they Cards went out and nabbed Edgerrin James to help out veteran QB Kurt Warner. All that should help the Cards offense be one of the more consistant in the league behind Head Coach Dennis Green. On defense they have some big play makers like LB Karlos Dansby and James Darling and along the defensive front End Bertrand Berry and Chike Okefor are solid pass rushers. This team will show sings of improvement this season and most importantly their offense needs to gert some reps with QB f the future Matt Leinart.
RECORD 8-8

Seattle Seahwaks- Alright we all know I have an irrational dislike for all things Hasslebeck. I just think Seattle suffers one of the post super bowl slump seasons. The loss of Guard Steve Hutchinson was huge, that and Walter Jones nursing a bad shoulder already before the season could slow down the record breaking rushing attack of Shaun Alexander. Defensively they return almost all of their starters from last year and MLB Lofa Tatupu is among the leagues best. They have tough road games at Denver, Tampa Bay, and Chicago as well as home contests against the Giants (who had them dead to rights last season) and Minnesota.
RECORD 8-8

San Francisco 49ers- In doing research for this piece I discovered that San Francisco does indeed have a professional football team. After interviewing some people in the Bay Area most of them seem to remember that they were once a proud franchise. And now they are lead by Alex Smith. Seriously, after spending about 4 hours writing this preview I have to try and come up with something to say about the 49ers? Well you know what, Fuck you people, the 49ers bite monkey ass, how about that!
RECORD 3-13

AFC PLAYOFFS
Patriots, Ravens, Colts and Broncos.
Wild Card- Dolphins and Texans

NFC PLAYOFFS
Giants, Vikings, Panthers, St. Louis
Wild Card- Cowboys and Buccaneers

Danger, danger, danger

When news broke yesterday of the death of Steve Irwin nobody was surprised that he was killed by a wild animal while doing research and filming a new documentary. It is how everyone figured he would die, and Irwin himself said he always encouraged his crew to keep shooting in case something like this where to happen. Irwin was definitely one of kind with his unbrideald enthusiasm for his work. He was truly a champion for wildlife conservation and sometimes his contributions were overlooked because of the hokey image of the crazy crocodile guy with the funny sayings, which in this country spawned many a comedic act.

Steve Irwin grew up around wildlife due to his parents owning a reptile park. Irwin’s love for animals spawned that little wildlife park into Australia Zoo one of the largest in all of Queensland and a zoo dedicated to the conservation and protection of wildlife. Way back in 1987 long before he was a television star that zoo opened the Crocodile Environmental Park (where all those famous feedings take place) which was started to aid in the protection of the Saltwater Crocodile one of Australia’s most endangered species. Irwin then decided, with the help of an old friend who was in television production, to start filming his rescue and capture efforts of Crocodiles in order to help educate people more about them. As these documentaries grew into bigger production’s Irwin’s fame grew. He became a hit all across the globe known simply as “The Crocodile Hunter.”

He was so much more than that. He was one of the most educated zoologists in all the world (and as far as anyone knows he had very little formal education). With his growing celebrity he used to help raise more money for the conservation efforts that he and his Australia zoo team worked on including; the Saltwater Crocodile, endangered snake species, Koala Bears, and Tigers.

So many people I talked to yesterday were talking about the death of Irwin. However, there is always that contingent of people that say, “Who cares that he died, I mean he was just some crazy Australian guy who wrestled alligators.” That statement is false in so many ways it’s scary. But I would contend with them that I care more that Steve Irwin died than I ever did that Jonbenet Ramsey, Lacy Peterson, or Princess Diana combined. Irwin’s fame and his message that he brought all over the world is undeniable when you realize that every different type of website was reporting his death when it happened; NBC/ABC/CBS News, The AP, the UPI, the BBC, CNN/FoxNews, IMDB (a movie & entertainment site), Yahoo, MSN, ESPN and CBSportsline just to name a few.

Steve Irwin is somebody that this world will sorely miss. The world is a different place when it loses someone like Steve Irwin. While I never knew him or met him I know that he was a caring, conscientious, and devoted man to both his family and the animals he cares so much about. Irwin’s legacy will live on through his television show and his work with Australia Zoo which will continue to be run by his family.

Steve Irwin
Feb. 22, 1962 – Sept. 4, 2006