The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

I know that a lot of sports radio shows do their version of the Good, the Bad and the Ugly; so I thought that I would do the same thing based on what I saw this weekend. It was a fun weekend for football fans.

The Good

1. SEC football...for the second week in a row 3 of the top 4 teams in the AP poll, with 2 more in the top 25. Florida remains the top seed despite losing Tim Tebow for a short time after a big hit. Tebow's concussion did not keep him in the hospital long, and Urban Meyer hopes he will return to the field in the next game against LSU on October 10.

2. University of Oregon's tight end, Ed Dickinson...the Ducks devastated #6 California this weekend 42-3. Dickinson was never quarterback Jeremiah Masoli's favorite receiver. But this weekend he lined up in multiple spots and had a career day. He caught all three of Masoli's touchdown passes, a total of 11 passes for 148 yards. In Oregon's previous 3 games, Dickinson caught 4 passes for a total of 58 yards. Keep an eye out for Masoli and Dickinson the next couple of weeks against Washington State and UCLA.

3. NFL Undefeated Teams...there remain 7 undefeated teams in the NFL: the Jets, Colts, Vikings, Giants, Ravens, Saints and Broncos. The Jets and Ravens are led by young quarterbacks, Mark Sanchez and Joe Flacco; the Broncos are led by a under-appreciated Kyle Orton and the Colts, Saints, Vikings, and Giants are led by veteran success stories, the Mannings, Brett Favre, and Drew Brees. The victories in week three came in different ways including great defenses (Baltimore, New Orleans, NY Giants, Denver), good quarterback play (NY Jets, Indianapolis) and a great comeback led by none-other-than Brett Favre.

The Bad

1. Cleveland Browns...in the last nine games they have only score ONE touchdown. You read that right and by the way they have not won any of those games. It would be in Mangini's best interest to decide on a single quarterback. Flip-flopping from Brady Quinn to Derek Anderson and back again does not do anything for the Cleveland locker room or the Dog Pound. While everyone in the media is paying close attention to the Lions and their misery (see Washington Redskins), no one is paying attention to the Browns. they have lost 11 of the last 12. In the nine in a row, they have had four different passers...Quinn, Anderson, Bruce Gradkowski, and Ken Dorsey. While the QB is the focal point on the field, the Browns have let their running game slack. In the AFC North, teams play hard-nosed offense and defense. The run game is the most important part of the offense. With teams like the Steelers and Ravens who are historically running teams, the Browns fall well short of expectations. Jamal Lewis used to be a part of that run attack in Baltimore but in Cleveland he is struggling. It is plausible that the Browns could lose 16 in a row. Their coming games: Bengals, Bills, Steelers, Packers, Bears, and Ravens could all conceivably be losses. This would make their 16th opponent none other than the Detroit Lions. Could be an interesting wrinkle.

2. Washington Redskins...they lost to the Detroit Lions. That is the team that has lost 19 games in a row. Is Jim Zorn to blame? I don't think so...Daniel Snyder, you are. Is it amazing that the teams that the owner has too much control are not successful? I don't think so. The Redskins and the Raiders seem to have it worst. The Cowboys seem to win in the regular season but the playoffs are another story. The Redskins defense is on paper one of the best in the league. The first score for the Lions was a 99 yard drive that took 13 minutes. The Lions then made field goals on their next two possessions. That is right the Lions scored on three straight possessions in the first half...ended the half leading 13-0. And finally, the defense had a 47 yard pass interference penalty in the 4th quarter on 3rd and 9. This could have ended the drive and given them a win. Defense bad for Washington.

3. Mississippi State play calling...you are playing at home against conference foe LSU with a chance to pull the upset win. The second to last series for Mississippi State was in LSU territory...including four plays on the LSU 2 yard line. Rush for 1 yard, rush for no gain, incomplete pass, and rush for no gain. Wow. Four plays to get two yards. Quarterback Tyson Lee could have extended his arms for a TD but he did not. Coach Mullen...please find a new way to score or teach your players to have desire to win. You are in the SEC it is a tough conference, wins are at a premium, home wins are a must.

The Ugly


1. Seattle Seahawks...Seattle gets this place for two reasons. To stay true to my blog title...Olinde Mare missed two field goals in the game. At the end of the first half, Mare missed a 43 yarder. And in the third quarter, he missed a 34 yard field goal. Your profession is to kick a ball through the uprights...you are paid to do it. Don't miss. Don't miss inside 35 yards. In the post game interview, Coach Jim Mora was ruthless about Mare's misses and said that he was willing to look for a new kicker. Since he has recanted his statements and Mare will be kicking in the next Seahawks games. I will give Mare a pass on the misses, he is a 80% kicker for his career (he is not Grammatica who tore his ACL celebrating a kick) but I also believe that he must make the kick.

The second ugly side for the Seahawks were their jerseys. Just look at the pictures...enough said. Most people believe that the northwest has ugly uniforms because of the University of Oregon. But the Seahawks fluorescent lime green uniforms trump all the Oregon jerseys.