Rose Bowl @ MindSay

How 'bout those Penn State Nittany Lions Penis State Nits?

 

You can still make the Rose Bowl BigTen-Pac10 Boobie Prize Bowl, so...go Nits.

I am not a huge sports fan, but I get into it whenever Michigan has a big game.  I've gotta say it, I'm disappointed.  I fully expected them to beat USC, and it just didn't happen.  Both teams started pretty slow, and the USC exploded in the second half.  Michigan just couldn't keep up, I guess.

 

To put it in perspective, though, it was only Michigan's second loss of the season.  Not many other teams can boast that.  :)

 

I'm watching the Rose Bowl right now, and I hope you are as well.  I'm going to stay true to my Midwestern roots and root for Michigan, but it's not looking too good right now, especially since Jarrett just scored a big touchdown.

 

THOUGHTS ON WEEK TWO IN THE NFL
Chargers win 40-7!
I knew Tennessee was bad, but can the Bolts' be this good?? Michael Turner has more yards rushing than LT. Phillip Rivers looks like a 3 year veteran rather than 1st time starter and the only TD scored against us was in garbage time in the second half. Be afraid AFC, be very afraid.

Just when I thought Philly looked like they were back, they blow a 17 point lead at home in the 4th quarter and lose in OT. G'Men are still the class of the NFC East . . .
. . . speaking of which, to go on the road, in overly hostile Philadelphia and pull out that kind of a win late in the game when most of us had switched the channel already, he's no longer Peyton's little brother. Call him Eli.

Is September too early for Raider Nation to go into hibernation until next season?. They can't really go 0-16 can they?? I hope so.

Good guys, Bad guys
Good guys
Marvin Harrison; 7 catches, 127 yards in easy win over Houston. Colts 2-0
Chad Johnson; 6 catches, 78 yards, 1 TD dance. Bengals 2-0.
Bad guys
Terrell Owens; 3 catches, 19 yards, 1 broken finger. Cowboys 1-1
Randy Moss; 2 catches, 32 yards and Raiders still have 0 TD's. Oakland 0-2

REGGIE BUSH v. MARIO WILLIAMS. Week Two Comparison
Reggie Bush v. Green Bay Packers;
6 carries for 5 yards, 8 catches for 68 yards, longest for 23.
Nothing spectacular but continues to impress and show his versatility. Opposing Defenses have to account for him making his teammates better; QB Brees, RB Mc Callister, WR Horn and TE Colston all contributing. Saints overcame 13-0 deficit to win 34-27 on the road in Green Bay, improving to 2-0 on the road this year. Showing the twin hallmarks of all good teams, ability to come from behind, able to get it down on the road. Return to Superdome for first time since Hurricane Katrina Monday Night.
Saints 2-0, tied for first place in NFC South

Mario Williams v. Indianapolis Colts;
2 tackles, 0 sacks, 0 forced fumbles, 0 interceptions.
Helped Houston little in (not) getting to Peyton and (not) slowing Colts down en route to surrendering 43 points in one-sided defeat.
Texans 0-2, last place in AFC South.

SUNDAY TRIFECTA
3 games to follow this week
(1) Cincinnati Bengals @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Storyline: The first encounter between AFC North rivals and face-to-face matchup between QB Carson Palmer and Pittsburgh Defense since crushing injury ended Palmer's season (and Bengals) in playoffs last year. We all know the Steelers can play D and the Bengals can move the ball. Steelers must look more like the team that beat Dolphins (w/Batch) in season opener and less like the team that was shutout in Jacksonville (w/Roethlesberger) last week. Do I smell a QB controversy? It doesn't matter who throws for Steelers, Bengals have something to prove.
My Pick: Cincinnati by 10.

(2) Denver Broncos @ New England Patriots
Storyline: Rematch of last year's playoff game, where Broncos ended Patriots Super Bowl 3-Peat. I still think the Pats outplayed them in that game and would have won if not for 5 turnovers. Poor execution beat NE, not the Broncos. For whatever reason, Denver has had the Pats number the past couple years, the only team in the NFL to have a clue how to beat them. Those games however were all in the Mile High air of Denver. This one's in Massachussetts, and I'll bet on Belicheck and Brady every time.
My Pick: New England by 7.

(3) Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints
Storyline: Game of the Year (so far). What you say?? Pick your matchup. RBs Reggie Bush v. Warrick Dunn. Playmakers Reggie Bush v. Michael Vick. NFC South divisional rivals. Battle of 2-0 teams. All the hype and electricity takes a back seat to the real winner here, the people of New Orleans and South Louisiana. I remember a year ago at this time serious people were writing the Superdome's obituary and moving the Saints franchise to San Antonio, or LA*. Amazing what a new coach, new superstar and most important a new attitude can do to a team. The Saints have sold out every game for this season for the first time in their history. That's not a big feat in most other NFL cities but remarkable considering the circumstances since Hurricane Katrina. Atlanta isn't coming for a revival service, but to win a football game and considering how good their defense has been so far, the Saints have their work cut out for them. Matchups are about more than size and statistics though and the reason sports can be so compelling is because they are about people and performances. Numbers simply calculate the drama.
My Pick: Saints by 3.

* = Given the perpetual back and forth between the NFL and the City of Los Angeles on finding the right location to house an NFL team here in sunny SoCal (the historic Coliseum? the Rose Bowl in Pasadena? next to Hollywood Park? across the street from the Big A in Anaheim? Irvine??) don't start your countdown to regaining an NFL franchise anytime soon. Has it been 12 years since the Haiters and Lambs left town?? Much as I want a team to call our own it shouldn't be the Saints. They belong to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.

I know owner Tom Benson wants out of the Superdome and a more cash-friendly stadium, complete with luxury boxes that does in to the NFL revenue sharing fund but his pocket. His financial self-interest is legitimate and cannot be dismissed as Dr. Scroogelike. He had issues before Katrina. He has a right to have them now. It is his money that purchased them and his money that rises and falls with their franchise value. One cannot ask him to lose money simply because of the uncertainty of the Saints franchise, or because he is a very rich man able to shed a few millions for the sake of New Orleans. The NFL however has a larger interest than Benson, and does have a duty and an obligation to stick around in the wake of Katrina and do its part to rebuild and revitalize New Orleans. If Benson still wants out, or to sell, buy him out and keep the Saints there. Let the people of New Orleans buy an ownership stake much like the people of Green Bay own the Packers. If it's a new stadium he wants that will make the Saints more fiscally competitive with other NFL franchises then subsidize the creation of a new stadium. It's not like the Saints were a recent expansion team or relocated from another city themselves. The Saints are the oldest sports franchise in Louisiana, and New Orleans has hosted several Super Bowls. And we all know the NFL likes to host its gazillion dollar corporate bashes on Bourbon Street Super Bowl week rather than oh, say frigid and dour Detroit.

Rumor once had it that the Seahawks were thinking about leaving Seattle, and then that the Cardinals were abandoning Arizona to come here. Neither relocations came about and both of those franchises have built new stadiums and seem to be doing just fine where they are. There's no reason the Saints can't make a go of it in New Orleans. I don't want the Los Angeles Saints.

They're nuts.

 

It was not one of the best performances in college football history.

 

It was two of the best performances in college football history.

 

What Young did should only be portrayed by poets and painters, but since none seem to be available on such short notice — I guess they are watching the game film — let me give it a shot.

 

He outdid the last two Heisman winners at their own game, in their own city, on the national championship field.

Matt Leinart was excellent: 29-for-40, 365 yards, one touchdown and one interception. But Young was right there with him: 30-for-40, 267 yards and no interceptions.

 

Reggie Bush, despite an awful lateral attempt (genius isn't always perfect), had 177 combined rushing and receiving yards. But Young ran for 200 — on just 19 carries.

 

Oh, and he ran for three touchdowns, too ... including the game-winner ... on fourth down.

 

Four hundred sixty-seven yards from scrimmage. Let's put this into perspective. The national leader in total offense, Colt Brennan of Hawaii, averaged 371 yards per game. Only 12 teams averaged more than 467. And Young went out and got that by himself — against a team with a 34-game winning streak.

 

Obviously, USC's defense is not on the same level as its offense. But it is still plenty good. And Young chewed it up like Juicy Fruit.

 

Look at what Young did in just the last seven minutes of the game. Down 12 points, he led Texas on a 69-yard touchdown drive — and he ran or threw for every yard.

 

Then, down five, he led the Longhorns on a 56-yard touchdown drive — and ran or threw for every yard again (except for one five-yard penalty against USC).

 

Then he ran for a two-point conversion.

 

This wasn't about one amazing play, either. Only three plays went for more than 10 yards and none went for more than 20. Young simply grabbed real estate in medium-sized chunks, however he felt like it.

 

His most amazing attribute is not his arm (which is excellent) or his feet (which are incredibly quick). It's his size. Young is a legit 6-foot-5, and you just don't see 6-foot-5 guys making these kinds of moves. And you sure don't see them follow it up by flipping a spiral 40 yards down the field.

 

By the fourth quarter, it was clear that Pete Carroll and USC had no clue how to stop Young. You would think that a defensive mastermind like Carroll could take something away — either Young's passing or his running. But when receivers were covered, Young took off. And when the Trojans tried to lock down Young, he passed to an open receiver.

 

USC blitzed a few times, but Young is big enough to A) flick pass rushers away like they are ladybugs and B) keep looking downfield for receivers.

 

I hate to mention the NFL at a time like this, because that league hasn't produced a game this compelling since, well, ever. But at some point — either next week or next year — Vince Young is going to jump into the NFL draft pool. And if some team can't design an offense to capitalize on all his skills, the league needs to hand its TV contract over to the CFL.

 

NFL types go on and on about new blitzes, new blocking schemes, new ways to play the cover-three in second-half third-down situations when the wind is favoring the offense and the cheerleaders are overbleached. Why can't they figure out a way to properly use a guy like Vince Young?

 

Again: this guy just put together two of the greatest performances in college football history, and he did it in one game. Who was better on a stage this big? Red Grange? O.J. Simpson? Johnny Rodgers?

 

You keep looking. Maybe you'll find somebody. But you better come up with a really, really good argument — because I know a hundred guys from L.A. who will be very hard to convince.

 

-- Michael Rosenberg