A Different Kind of Story...

As this weekend was the last Sunday in October, I think that I should recognize something that has been going on for the last month in the NFL and in other sports. As all of you know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the color pink is prevalent in every day life but also in sports. It has been pretty interesting to see the show of support for this great cause. Each team has had hats, shoes, gloves, wristbands, and Gatorade towels all in pink. It was fun to watch the Steelers game yesterday and see the pink Terrible Towels. Even the self-centered Chad Ochocinco has worn the pink gear...

The NFL is not the only sports organization to help with breast cancer awareness, NASCAR has also supported the cause. Throughout October, NASCAR teams have donned pink paint jobs for their cars including Carl Edwards, Bobby Labonte, Juan Pablo Montoya and Kyle Busch.



While thinking about this post, my wife told me to make sure that it was not a sad one. I think that October and pink will always be synonymous but I don't think that the tendency is to necessarily think of the sad part of breast cancer or overall cancer. The power of pink brings to light the great success stories in life and in sports with regards to overcoming cancer and succeeding. Everyone immediately thinks of Lance Armstrong and Livestrong as a symbol of overcoming cancer. But there are other great stories of success and accomplishment...

Mark Herzlich was the 2008 ACC Defensive Player of the Year and had the potential to play in the NFL. He forwent the NFL draft to play his senior year at Boston College. In May, Herzlich was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer, Ewing's sarcoma. In the first week of October Herzlich announced that he was 99% cancer free. Currently, Herzlich is finishing his college degree and coaching at BC. Fans can be seen wearing gold t-shirts with the slogan "Beat Cancer" on the front. Students, coaches and even opponents have been with Herzlich throughout his fight; Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis has even spoken directly to him. Herzlich looks to return to drills later this month with the football team.

Jon Lester was diagnosed with cancer in the middle of 2006 Boston Red Sox season. In December of '06, Lester was diagnosed cancer-free. Lester returned to the Red Sox line up in 2007 and pitched very well. He even started and won the final game of the 2007 World Series against the Rockies. Lester has gone on to throw a no-hitter in 2008 and continues to be one of the Red Sox top pitchers.



Kay Yow and Jim Valvano were coaches for NC State basketball. Each of them publically battled cancer and rallied many other coaches around the cause. Jim Valvano is best known for two things: the 1983 National Championship and his Espy Speech in 1993. In 1993, Valvano gave a speech at ESPN's ESPY Awards after receiving the Arthur Ashe Courage Award...he told everyone that cancer would never define him, "Cancer can take away all my physical ability. It cannot touch my mind; it cannot touch my heart; and it cannot touch my soul. And those three things are going to carry on forever." Shortly after his speech, Valvano passed away and the V Foundation was started to aid in the research for a cure. Kay Yow passed away in January 2009 after decades of battling. She coached at NC State for 34 seasons and was very successful. In 2007, Yow established the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund in partnership with The V Foundation. NC State has seen two great coaches live and love and fight this disease. It is only right to remember them and their contributions to the fight against cancer.

With all that said, the power of pink remains strong, but try not to let October be the only month that we continue our fight against cancer.

Pass or Fail...

I would like to think of the next couple of weekends as the midterm exam for a lot of teams. In weeks 6, 7, and 8 most teams know which direction they are headed for the season. So which teams or players passed and which failed...

New Orleans Saints = PASS...this week's win over the New York Giants was very definitive. They have two good running backs, a great quarterback, a strong offensive line and big wide receivers. The question mark is their defense, but if they keep on winning they can ensure home field advantage which is a great advantage for the playoffs...i.e. no cold weather. Next week they have a trap game in Miami who is struggling but can be a difficult team to defend. Atlanta in two weeks should be a great conference match up. (oh and by the way, they have beaten all three teams from the state of New York)

Atlanta Falcons = PASS...they defeated the Chicago Bears. The Falcons are 4-1 and beat a good Bears team. The addition of Tony Gonzalez has allowed Matt Ryan to continue to grow and avoid a sophomore slump. Wide receiver Roddy White and Gonzalez are big targets for a very good quarterback. their exam continues with Dallas in week 7 and New Orleans in week 8.

Washington Redskins = FAIL...I am not going to join the bandwagon and blame Jim Zorn. I am going to blame Daniel Snyder. The decision to take play calling away from Zorn is a bit premature. Zorn was hired to be the offensive coordinator, a position he had never had before, but soon was named the head coach. Snyder is a good business man but doesn't know how to run a football team. The decision to change the play caller in the middle of the season will not bring victories but confusion. Consultant Sherm Lewis doesn't know the Redskins offense...in fact he doesn't know the blitz protections. Maybe Snyder could have looked to offensive coordinator Sherman Smith but rather went outside the organization to a man who was calling bingo games in a senior center. All 6 games they have played have been against win less teams and they have lost four of them...Redskin fans will have to wait and see if this new experiment works.

Tennessee Titans = FAIL...the Titans started 2008 with a record of 10-0 but have gone 3-10 since. The 59-0 loss the Patriots this weekend was disgraceful for the organization and could mean the end of Jeff Fisher's reign in Nashville. Fisher has the longest running tenure of any active coach in the NFL. The Titans have a bye week and then face the struggling Jacksonville Jaguars, maybe they can turn it around and get a few wins.

Minnesota Vikings = PASS...Some may say that the Vikings have been lucky on a few of their wins. They beat the Ravens because of a missed field goal and played some terrible teams (Rams, Browns, and Lions). The defense has been giving up a lot of points in the second half and making the offense play really well, which they have been. As long as Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson are running on all cylinders this team will be tough to beat. Their upcoming games against at Green Bay and at Pittsburgh could be a good challenge for them.

Denver Broncos = PASS...In their last three games the Broncos have beaten the Cowboys, Patriots, and Bears. The Broncos under new head coach Josh McDaniels have been great. Kyle Orton is not being asked to do anything as quarterback that he cannot do and the play of Brandon Marshall has been brilliant. The Bronco defense has been outstanding and could help them keep on winning. It is great to see a head coach with emotion. After their bye week they will face the Ravens and Steelers (both of which will be coming off their bye weeks).

Late game missed field goals = FAIL...The Vikings' Ryan Longwell kicked a field goal with more than 3 minutes left to play to go ahead by 1 point. The Ravens were able to drive down the field and gave kicker Steven Hauschka a chance to win the game. From 44 yards out and with 2 seconds left to play, Hauschka missed.

The Jets/Bills game was pretty ugly. At the end of regulation, the Bills' Rian Lindell missed a 46 yard field goal that could win the game. The game went into overtime and here is were things got interesting. The Jets drove the field and were in field goal range. They lined up for a field goal, the snap was bobbled and they could not get it done. Lindell then got another chance to win the game and was able to make one from 47 yards.

The next couple of weeks will show if these kickers still have jobs, if the failing coaches still have jobs, and if the passing teams can keep on their winning streaks. With Bill Cowher, John Gruden, and Mike Shanahan available for coaching jobs...all "hot seat" coaches should be looking over their shoulders.

Techs, Texas, and Texas Tech...a bonus review of Saturday's games

Hey it's my birthday weekend and I am taking the free time to watch as much football as possible, so decided to write an extra entry this weekend. There were a lot of close games (a few interesting calls), some upsets, and just some good old-fashioned football.

Techs...Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech clashed in Atlanta. Though I have a definite dislike for VT, I can honestly say that this was a very fun game to watch. Back and forth with displays of good offense and defense. The first half was very defensive and somewhat slow. Georgia Tech's defense looked completely different than the one that struggled against Florida State last weekend. I love watching the triple option (as it was the first offense I truly understood from my time at Sewanee) and the control that Paul Johnson's squad had against the Hokies. GT completed on pass for 51 yards and rushed for more than 300. It should be interesting to see where the Hokies fall in the first BCS rankings...guess they aren't the best one-loss team anymore.


Texas played a close game with Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout (I don't like saying the R.R. Rivalry). I was saddened to see Sam Bradford knocked out in the first quarter. I think that he is a classy player and great competitor. This game was a great Big 12 defensive battle with the defensive lines controlling the tempo. Colt McCoy struggled: throwing for less than 150 yards and a really poor interceptions. Overall offense was not great for either team, with only two touchdowns in the game and 8 total turnovers. It was a sloppy game very much like the LSU/Florida game of last week. But with this game I am a little more accepting because Big 12 games are not always high scoring while I expect that in the SEC.

Texas Tech...beats #15 Nebraska.

The other games of note:

Florida/Arkansas...for the second straight week, Florida has failed to impress me. They looked to struggle offensively with the Razorback defensive line disrupting Tim Tebow a lot. The Gators had four turnovers and gave up 6 sacks and huge plays to a not so great Arkansas team. But Tebow could have tied up the Heisman with his last minute drive leading to the game winning field goal. And of course special teams come into play...Arkansas misses two field goals, Florida misses one. After the last two games, I believe Florida is susceptible to an upset, though the rest of their schedule is pretty easy, except for the SEC championship.

USC/Notre Dame...I did not think this was going to be a close game, but I was wrong. Notre Dame had chances at the end of the game to tie and send it into overtime. I think that Clausen did not manage the clock correctly. With 4th and 10 on the 29 there were :42 seconds left. After 2 plays there were only 4 seconds left in the game. I think that this was a miscalculation on ND's part. They did have two plays from the four yard line and could not score. Can't wait to see USC v Oregon in Eugene.

Cincinnati/South Florida...yes this game was on Thursday night but I thought it was a fun game to watch. The Big East is definitely not a football conference but they have had some talented teams in the past few years. The problem: it is never the same team and it is never consistent. So the up and down of the programs lead to an unimpressive conference. Cincy's Tony Pike was injured in the first half and sophomore Nick Collaros came in ran for a 75 yard TD and led the #8 Bearcats to victory. I would also like to talk about Eric Schwartz...he is the kicker for South Florida and in only his third made field goal of his career kicks one from 50 yards. Awesome.

Alabama/South Carolina...I need to apologize to my friends Megan and Joe who are avid SC fans but I found this game intriguing despite the Gamecock loss. Alabama did not control the game as much as I thought and it was rather close. The end of the first half was amazing...SC kicked a field goal with about 3 minutes left and it looked like Bama was content with running the clock out for the half. But Mark Ingram rushed up the middle for 51 yards and put them in scoring position. Bama kicked a field goal and SC got the ball back with under a minute to play. Immediately I thought that little would happen and Bama would be up 13-3 at half. Three big rushes by Sc put them in field goal position and they kicked a field goal before the end of the half for a 13-6 score.

With all these close games and upsets I am really interested in seeing the BCS standings for teh first time this year...my thoughts or should I more say my hopes:
1. Alabama
2. Texas
3. Florida
4. USC
5. Cincinnati
6. Boise State
7. TCU
8. Iowa
9. Miami
10. Oregon

Highs and lows...

This weekend had a number of highs and lows for me as a football fan, both Saturday and Sunday.

I have to admit that I am a college football fan first and an NFL fan second. So Saturday was a good day for me because there were great games and unbelievable moments.

Saturday's Highs

Florida State v Georgia Tech...this was a great game despite the 75 minute lightning delay. There have been talks about firing Bobby Bowden and that he has lost his ability to lead a national powerhouse program. Though they lost in the end, Florida State scored 5 touchdowns in the first half on five possessions. Bowden is a great coach and the board of trustees should not be talking about the coach's future in the middle of the season. Georgia Tech was not so shabby either, they scored 14 points each of the first three quarters. I have to say that Florida State and Georgia Tech show that the ACC still has a lot to play for...I look forward to the game between Tech and Virginia Tech next weekend.

Texas and Alabama...they continued to show their dominance. Texas was behind at the half against Colorado but score 28 points in the second half to win. And Alabama won big despite only 1 touchdown. I love these two teams for #2 and #3. I would love to see this as the national championship...sorry Gator fans.

Sam Bradford made his return for Oklahoma. His arm strength looked like it took a hit from his shoulder injury. This weekend's game was a good testament to his will and his work ethic. His technique looked great and he threw for one touchdown against a competent Baylor team. It is great to see this Heisman Trophy candidate get back for the season especially with the game against Texas next.

I cannot go without saying that my beloved Vols beat up on the Georgia Bulldogs. That's right...Lane Kiffin's struggling squad showed their ability with a 45-19 win. Go Vols!!

Saturday's Lows

The lowest for me was the Florida/LSU game. I had high hope for this game. Tim Tebow returned to the field after that terrible concussion. But I think that Urban Meyer played it a little safe with Tebow and the Gator offense. Though they were able to hold onto the game and the victory I think that Florida showed a little weakness in this game. LSU did not look like the #4 team in the country. The offensive line could not hold the Gator defense from getting to their sophomore quarterback and he looked a little tentative in the pocket. To go further, when the Tigers were driving in the second half, the offensive line had two motion penalties to go from 2nd and 5 to 2nd and 15. You cannot do this against any team when you have a young quarterback; you definitely cannot do this against Florida, one of the fastest defenses in the country. The Gator secondary is spectacular and long yardage makes them even better. I was hoping to see a good offensive game but rather I saw a low scoring, mistake ridden game.

Sunday's Highs

My highs for the NFL are probably the same for most analysts. Cincinnati has shown that a good, healthy quarterback is important. Carson Palmer has looked great so far this season. The Bengals have beaten the Packers, Browns, Steelers and the Ravens so far this year. They have tgaken charge of the AFC north by beating all three of their competitors. The next four games look to be difficult...Houston, Chicago, Baltimore and Pittsburgh. The impressive Bears could be a great challenge for the Bengals and the playing the Ravens and Steelers for a second time could mean more barn burners for the AFC north.

The Broncos are my other high. As I spoke about Brandon Marshall last week, I think that his 2 TDs this week really showed his teammates that he cares about the success of the Broncos. This 5-0 team is showing that they have something that can challenge the rest of the league. Coach Josh McDaniel was elated to defeat the Patriots and his former boss, Bill Belichek. I think that the passion McDaniel shows is great to see, rather than the stoic personalities of Belichek, Tony Dungy, and other head coaches. I also think that the post game interview with Marshall showed his maturity and love of Denver. He was interviewed wearing a Colorado Rockies jersey and hat...I would not have said this prior to the season but I think that is a class act.


My final high for Sunday would be Owen Schmitt of the Seattle Seahawks. I am biased in that Schmitt is from Fairfax, VA, but I love his intensity even though his pregame ritual ended in some blood...his own. For those of you who don't know (or haven't watched any football highlights) Schmitt hits himself in the forehead with his own helmet, this is something that he has done since his days at West Virginia. And you must realize that the Seahawks did shut out the Jaguars.

Sunday's Lows

The Broncos would also have to be on my lows as a special teams player. I thought the Broncos would be out of the game because of one drive. The Patriots were punting from inside their own 5 yard line and the Bronco punt defense ran into the punter and allowed the Patriots a first down. The defense then stopped the Pats again and once again the punt defense committed a penalty and allowed a first down for the Pats. Luckily for the Broncos, the defense held again but the Patriots then punted to the two-yard line. Kyle Orton did lead the Broncos on a 98-yard drive for a touchdown to Brandon Marshall (see highs).

Dre Bly of the San Francisco 49ers would be another low...after intercepting a pass from the Falcons' Matt Ryan, Bly started to high step and celebrate when the Falcons' Roddy White chased him down, forced a fumble and the Falcons got the ball back. I understand that some players will high step into the endzone and may have some other touchdown antics...but Bly was not even over the 50 yard line. He was at the 40!?! Mr Bly: your team is losing 35-10 in the third quarter and you are not getting a touchdown, please don't do that. Coach Singletary is going to hurt you...

The final low would be the Buffalo Bills. I had hope that the Cleveland Browns would be on track to lose 16 in a row with their final game against the Detroit Lions. But alas the Bills are worse than the Browns and in a dreadful game fall 6-3. That is disgusting and makes one ask why the Buffalo fans are so die hard?

Hopefully things will continue to be good with rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez and the Jets against the Miami Dolphins tonight...

Like the Phoenix, he will rise again...

It's a little late to be Monday morning but better late than never...I wanted to write about those that I think many thought would not amount to much this year but so far have come out to prove something.

I think that I am kinda making the first one unfairly. Most thought this player would struggle more this year than in his past glory...Tom Brady. After last year's season ending injury many thought that his adjustment to full speed play would be difficult. There were a few (very few) doubters out there who wondered if he still had it after ACL surgery at the age of 32. Well he has thrown for 4 touchdowns and 1100 yards. I know that this is not the 50 TDs of two years ago but this is more on the track of the high 20s that he is expected to throw. Brady is one of the most consistent tossers in the league; and it is why he is considered one of the best today. Oh and by the way, with that knee injury he still has a rushing touchdown.

The second player to rise from the ashes is also pretty recognizable, not because he is a great player or because everyone is a big fan. He is recognizable because of his preseason antics...Brandon Marshall of the Denver Broncos. In the preseason, Marshall showed his dislike for his contract and his ownership by not practicing and acting up in workouts (including punting balls and batting others down). But this weekend Marshall tried to win over the Denver fans with his play. He had 4 receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown. This TD came with less than 3 minutes to play in the game and to go ahead of the Cowboys. After the catch, Marshall ran up the sideline and hugged coach Josh McDaniels (whom he would not speak to in the first few weeks of the preseason). It looks like he has the opportunity to turn it around and be a valuable part of the Bronco offense.

The third person I will not talk about too much because he is the news enough. But it does seem that Brett Favre has risen again from the retirement ashes. Stats: 4-0, 8 TD passes and QB rating of 104. Enough said.

The last person may be rising but may fall in the end because he chose to rise too late. Final rookie hold out Michael Crabtree signed with the 49ers this week. After months of holding out, I guess Crabtree realized that the Niners were winning and that he would not get any better offers next year after more than 12 months without football. So for now I am going to say that the top of his Niners helmet is poking out of the ashes and we will see how things go the next two weeks of practice and his first games in the NFL.

There are also those who seem to be falling away...

Matt Cassel was the savior for the Patriots last year and many thought he would challenge Brady for his job this season, until the Pats looked to trade him away and then many thought he would be their team's savior (ie the Washington Redskins). Well the Chiefs are 0-4, Cassel playing in 3 of those games. They have not had the easiest schedule to start but have not managed more than 16 points under Cassel. Luckily games against Washington, Cleveland and Jacksonville could mean wins but the rest of the schedule doesn't look good.

The Cleveland Browns and their quarterback competition have become a dreadful story this season. Their lack of consistency under center and lack of offense have put them at the bottom with very little hope of coming up for air. This could be a long season for them.

And lastly, the Madden Curse continues and puts people in the ashes. This year it is my beloved Troy Polamalu. One of the fiercest competitors in all of football, a Tazmanian devil on the field, and a smart player has been the latest of the players to fall victim to this curse. Polamalu is starting to practice again but his knee injury could change his game a little for the next couple of weeks after being out for a couple. The Steelers would love him back to firm up their pass rush and overall defense. Let's look at the past players on the cover for Madden and tell me why anyone would want to be the cover man for this game...
2003: Marshall Faulk--his career began to slide in '03 leading to his eventual retirement.
2004: Michael Vick--broke his leg in preseason.
2005: Ray Lewis--injury held him to only 6 games...he did not make the Pro-Bowl (only season he did not).
2007: Shaun Alexander--fractured his toe, has been marred with injuries ever since.
2008: Vince Young--started season suspended and has since struggled emotionally.

We will see who rises more this year and who begins to fall...