ESPN Fawning Over Cowboys

Jaworski & Kornheiser are falling all over themselves to crown the Cowboys... One problem, they have been tagged for 37 points by a team that I don't even think is close to the best offense in the league.  The Cowboys will not win a playoff game again if their defense can't make stops against the better teams.  

Lane Kiffin Still Head Coach... We Think?

Nothing official has come out of the Raiders in regards to Lane Kiffin's status.  That can mean one of two things; they haven't decided yet or they're leaving him twist in the wind as punishment.  Supposedly Kiffin and Davis met yesterday and were planning to talk again today.  The Raiders did post Kiffin's Monday press conference on the website.

Again, I don't think a coaching change is a good thing right now, but Kiffin does have to fix the things he said last week.  The more I reflect on his comments, the more I am convinced that he crossed the line.

If nothing is announced on Tuesday, you can assume the status quo for another week.  The Raiders depart on Friday for their road game in Buffalo.

What Do I Think I Learned on NFL Week 2 Sunday

• You must check your fantasy football teams when a hurricane hits an NFL city.  oops!
• Darren McFadden is every bit as good as we thought he was.  164 yards rushing and a TD in shared duty.
• The Raiders are going to see a lot of blitzes being run at Zach Miller.  Those blitzes will keep the only receiver JaMarcus Russell has confidence in as a blocker instead of a receiver running his route.
• Mike Shannahan's deal with the devil is paying dividends again.  First the replay system failed at the most opportune moment and then the premature whistle on the Cutler fumble.
• Guess the NFL hasn't stopped all of the electronic cheating Denver.  Strange how the replay system works when it's -20 and snowing in Green Bay, but can't work on a nice clear day in Denver?
• The Seattle Seaturkeys fooled all of us. They really suck.
• Reggie Bush still has a little growing up to do as a football player.  I bet the wave seemed really stupid while sitting on that charter flight back to the Big Easy.
• The Marvin Lewis coached Bengals have re-taken their position as the Bungles.
• Rob Ryan learned blitzing bad teams works really well.
• Michael Bush is going to be a stud, 90 yards in short duty.
• Justin "Huggy Bear" Fargas while always be a part time player.  I mean no knock on him, but he takes a pounding and breaks his body.
• Someone outside of the Raider Nation remembers that Ray Guy was a great punter.  Thanks Deion Sanders.
• Ocho Cinco is only making news for his botched name change, not his play on the field.
• People who said Miami was now seven wins better sound a lot like the same people who picked them to win the AFC three years ago.
• I think Matt Ryan learned it may not be as easy as he thought it was last week.
• LT is the league MVP.  The Chargers without LT look like a quite average team.
• Brett Favre completed 18 of 26 for 181 yards and 1 TD and 1 INT.  Not scintillating.  3000 overeager Jets fans are trying to get refunds for the plane tickets that they bought from Newark to Tampa on the first weekend in Feb.
• Since you might be curious... Aaron Rodgers threw 24 completions on 38 attempts, 328 yards, 3 TDs and no INTs.  The Packers offense looks as crisp as ever.  Happy now Packer fan?
• The two stud QBs from the '05 Rose Bowl game between SC & Texas are going to have a hard time getting their starting jobs back.  Leinart is going to be seeing many snaps when Kurt Warner goes 19/24 for 361 yards and 3 TDs.  Young's challenges are well documented and while his fill-in Kerry Collins didn't light up the stadium on a windy day, the Titans did win and you're momma was fibbing when she told you it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game...  it's all about the wins.
• Rams coach Scott Linehan is ready for a job on Fox or CBS.  Not ready for his job with the Rams though.
• You have been sitting pretty comfortable betting the over on games involving the Rams.
• I found a market in Sacramento that sells Coopers Sparkling Ale from Australia.  It's brewed in Adelaide, where it gets screaming hot in the summer and has a wonderfully crisp flavor on a warm day.  I'm not telling you which one, because I don't want them to run out, but if you're a foodie in Sacramento, you know where I am talking about.
• When I think I have the Bears figured out and am ready to put them back into the chase, they show me I have no frickin' clue.
• Dan Patrick & Keith Olbermann on NBC have gotten old & boring compared to the Big Show days.
• Detroit Lions president Matt Millen, great linebacker, shit personnel guy.  How do you have all of these first round draft pick wide receivers and Jon Kitna at QB?
• DeAngelo Hall got all the guaranteed money and Nnamdi Asomugha got the dreaded franchise tag.  Which one is playing better?  Asomugha.
• Hey Buckeye Fan... you think Beanie Wells would have made any difference Saturday Night?
• Regardless of the 35-3 ass whooping that Ohio State got handed, they will still win the Big Ten.  Seeing Wisconsin escape by their fingernails in Fresno last night and the disaster in Ann Arbor, OSU will still finish 11-1, win the conference and have a better shot at the BCS Title Game than an 11-1 USC team would.  That's why the BCS is a fuck-up.
• It must take a lot for Kirk Herbstreit's head to explode, because it should have been while he was in the press box at the LA Coliseum last night.
• All teams that play in stadiums with retractable roofs should be required to have the roof open on game days unless there is precipitation or sub-freezing weather.  If the roof is closed all the time, why did you bother with the extra-millions for the retractable roof?  And we're supposed to be sympathetic to the owners complaints that building these
  new stadiums is really expensive when they add an extra $100 million to the cost of the building for a feature they don't use?
  
  
• NBC must be considering Michael Phelps for a prime time show of his own.  A new meaning to Must See TV.  Tomorrow, MSNBC will helicopters up over Cleveland covering his drive home to Baltimore.  Phelps will also be doing a segment with financial news hottie Erin Burnett & Jim Cramer on CNBC.

TOUCHDOWN! Michael Bush 32 Yard Run!

Michael Bush's atonement for his 4th quarter fumble is complete as he rumbled 32 yards to put the icing on the cake of the Raiders road win in KC.  

The Raiders rushing stats are downright dominating and show the potential to mask the other deficiencies in their game.  

• McFadden 21 carries for 164 yards and a TD
• Bush 16 carries for 90 yards and a TD
• Fargas before his injury collected 43 yards on 9 carries
• Total Raiders rushing yards-- 300!

Michael Bush Is Learning How To Win Now

Bush is ripping off some nice runs with TWO hands around the ball.  Not inclined to make the same mistake twice.  KC just used their last timeout.

Raiders  16   Chiefs   8   1:48 4th Quarter

Kirk Morrison Knows How To Win

Morrison intercepts Thigpen on a third and long.

Raiders  16  Chiefs  8  3:05  4th Quarter

So Much For Wrapping This Up

After going into prevent defense and yielding a quick TD, Michael Bush coughed up the ball on the Raiders first offensive play.  We went into the prevent defense WAY TOO early.

Do the Raiders know how to win?  We'll see in the next minutes.

Raiders   16   Chiefs   8     3:48  4th Quarter

Gotta Love That Prevent Defense; KC Scores

The Raiders go into prevent defense with a 16 point lead and 6:53 to go and KC does something it hadn't done all day, drives the down the field and scores.  The score was a 2 yard TD pass to Tony Gonzales with 4:04 to play.  It was TOO early to get passive on defense.  The Chiefs converted the two-pointer on a roll-out pass to the FB.  

Raiders   16   Chiefs   8  4th Quarter  4:04

Raiders Score Again, 16-0

Admittedly it has been ugly, but the Raiders are now up 16-0 in the 4th Qtr.  Darren McFadden is emerging as a real force, gashing the Chiefs defense.  Chiefs linebackers are literally running into one another to try to get to him.  The Raiders are punishing the Chiefs defense with their running attack.  McFadden now has 164 yards rushing, plus 9 more yards receiving.  Down the line, I'd like to see Oakland use him more on passes out of the backfield.  That will be especially helpful given that our WRs flat out suck.

Raiders  16    Chiefs   0   6:53 4th Quarter

TOUCHDOWN! Darren McFadden!

Darren McFadden caps a great series for himself with his first career TD run on a quick pitch play.  The drive was all McFadden with runs of 50 and 21 yards by the rookie putting the Raiders into scoring position.  On the TD, he made spectacular dive for the cone.  

As we expected, McFadden is showing blazing speed when he turns the corner.  Ball security is still something he has to work on, he fumbled again on the 50 yard run, but the ball went straight out of bounds with no chance for KC to recover.

Raiders 13  Chiefs  0    8:22  3rd Quarter

First Possession After The Halftime Break: UGLY!

OK, that crappy three and out was UGLY!  No rhythm between Russell and his receivers.  Russell is 3 of 14, so much for his 111 QB rating.

Raiders  6   Chiefs   0   14:30 3rd Quarter

Halftime; Need A Red Bull For This Game

Raiders   6    Chiefs   0

What have we learned so far?  Even with a top flight RB, the Chiefs can not run the ball on the Raiders defense.  Are we getting better at run-D?  This game should not be the measuring stick to say that.  

One learning that is certain, you mess with Nnamdi Asomugha, you're going to regret it.  KC has been challenging Asomugha and he has been making them look bad for it.  

Two Minute Warning, First Half

The Chiefs offense is finally showing some signs of life.  Thigpen has hit a few of his receivers and a lucky bounce save the possession after a Larry Johnson fumble.  I don't think they'll be trying the WR screen again after Nnamdi Asomugha sniffed it out and stepped right in front of the pass.  The Chiefs have shown no fear of Asomugha though.  Let's hope he makes them pay.

Raiders   6   Chiefs   0    2:00  2nd Quarter

Raiders Go Three & Out; Fargas Pulls Groin

I'm no doctor, but I can tell from a replay that a guy who is laying on the ground holding his nuts either got whacked in the nuts or pulled his groin.  

It's Darren MacFadden time.

Raiders  6  Chiefs  0  5:16  2nd Quarter

Another Backbreaking Mistake!

The Raiders were finally efficiently moving the ball with the run when Darren MacFadden, at the end of a very nice gash, coughed up the ball on the Chiefs 28.  The Chiefs recovered and the drive was stopped.  

The Chiefs did nothing with the ball and were forced to punt.

Rich Gannon said it best on CBS, "good teams take advantage of other team's mistakes and neither KC nor Oakland are doing that right now."

Raiders 6  Chiefs  0   5:56  2nd Quarter

Three & Out For The Chiefs

Oakland's solid DB play stoned the KC offense leading to a three and out.  Both Michael Huff and Asomugha nearly had picks.  

Raiders  6,  Chiefs  0  10:27 2nd Quarter

Raiders Offense Sputters At Mid-Field Again

After an ugly, but effective looking drive, the Raiders offense petered out on the Chiefs 42.  Russell was good at throwing the ball away when there was nothing there, but his receivers are doing nothing to help him.  KC also ran edge blitzes on the string side in an effort to keep the most reliable receiver, Zach Miller, in for blocking.

Raiders  6,  Chiefs  0   10:57 2nd Quarter

QB Change For Chiefs

After the INT, the Chiefs go to Tyler Thigpen at QB.  Sorry, the name makes me think of Pigpen from the Peanuts.  He completed a 2nd down pass to Dwayne Bowe for 6 yards to end the 1st quarter after a run blitz stuffed a first down attempt by Larry Johnson.  

Raiders 6, Chiefs 0  end of 1st Quarter

Great INT, Raiders Ball on the Nine, Settle For Field Goal

A tipped ball interception on KC's next possession gave the Raiders the ball on the Chiefs nine yard line, but after an indecisive play by Russell on first down and a stuffed run on second down and an errant throw on third down the Raiders settled for a 25 yard Sebastian Janikowski field goal.

If Oakland loses this game by less than one score, this missed TD opportunity will loom large.

Raiders 6, Chiefs 0  1:19 in the 1st Quarter

Raiders Take Early 3-0 Lead

A promising drive fizzled after reaching midfield thanks to a false start and a botched running play, but JaMarcus Russell connected with Zach Miller on a long third down play to get the Raiders into range for a long field goal.  Sebastian Janikowski drilled the 56 yard field goal right down the middle, setting a personal best and a Raiders team record for longest field goal made.

ESPN Reports Kiffin On Cusp Of Being Sacked

ESPNs Chris Mortensen, who has a frighteningly bad streak of mis-reporting lately, is saying the Al Davis is ready to drop the hammer on Lane Kiffin.  All trouble started there when Kiffin mis-read the internal politics and tried to dump D-Coordinator Rob Ryan.  The team was definitely better and demonstrated a change in attitude from the 2-14 team the year prior.  

Last week though, Kiffin demonstrated great immaturity with his halftime remarks to Suzie Kolber and his comments later in the week where he basically disavowed the defense.  The first of these incidents could be played off as frustration, but the comments about the defense later in the week demonstrated a lack of leadership that could serve to be his undoing.  

How does a Nnamdi Asomugha or Derrick Burgess get fired up playing for a head coach who disavows what their unit of the team does?  How's it going to go down when Kiffin has to get in DeAngelo Hall's grill for doing something dumb like oh, say getting two unnecessary roughness penalties on the same drive?  "Hey coach, I thought you only coached the offense?"

These are legitimate questions to be asking and even though coming into the season I would have said firing Kiffin was not what the Raiders needed to do, Kiffin has now put himself in a win or else position and he has a lot of work to do in his locker room to demonstrate that he's a leader.

Ravens-Texans Update

The Ravens-Texans game in Houston had been moved to Monday night due to Hurricane Ike. Unfortunately, Reliant Stadium, the Texans home in Houston suffered damage in the storm and will not be ready to host a game Monday night. The NFL is trying to find an alternate site to will have to postpone the game. Expect an announcement from the league later today.

Warren Sapp May Not Embarrass Himself After All

You have to admire Warren Sapp, he's getting paid to dance with this Australian hottie Kym Johnson. I would have done it for free (and looked like an ass).

Warren Dancing (02)
by AA111

Lane Kiffin to Rob Ryan: Not My Fault, It's Yours

Worst case scenario with the feud over Lane Kiffin wanting to sack Rob Ryan has occurred.  It took Kiffin until week 1 to throw Rob Ryan under the bus.  

"Rob and the owner (Davis) are always in communication," Kiffin said Wednesday. "For the most part, I let Rob do his thing over there. He has a belief in certain things and he has a conversation with the owner about that. So, that wasn't the way the game plan ended up the other night."

Ouch! But Ryan had something to say too.

"I meet with Mr. Davis in the offseason," Ryan said. "That thing is just (wrong), and I want to make sure you got it right. I meet with the owner in the offseason. He's the boss, he's the man that hired me, and that's been well-documented. I don't meet with him on game plans or come up with all this. It's amazing when things like this come out when we have a bad week. Put it on me, that's where it belongs. I'm the man that runs the defense.

"That's what I'm up here for. We have to bounce back. It's not one of my players. It's me right here, all on me."

Uh oh!  Here's what I do know... Rob Ryan gets some credit for putting a prideful defense on the field while Art Shell and Tom Walsh rolled out an unmotivated stink ass offense.  Last season, the Raiders had trouble against the run and regressed some on defense, but were still a shit ton better than the offense.  This year the offense has young, but inexperienced weapons, and we should have seen something better than the turd that got laid Monday night.  Defensively, the linebacker play wasn't there and DeAngelo Hall got smoked and lost his composure.  

In summary... there's plenty of blame to go around and the head coach can't go to the media and throw the defensive coordinator under the bus.  It's an immature move and not one likely to make Lane Kiffin popular in his locker room.  Leadership is about motivating people to get in the game together.  That wasn't leadership.

NFL Week 2: Time To Recoup Some Funds

Last week, I had seven winners against the spread, so not really a money making weekend, but picked 10 winners straight up so better than .500 there.

So how about this week?

• Oakland goes to KC and is getting 4 points.  I love the Raiders, but after Monday night I need to see something before I put my money where my mouth is.   At Arrowhead I'd be laying on the points on KC.
• The Packers are giving 3 points at Green Bay.  I think they'll win by at least a TD so give the points on that one.
• The Titans go to Cincy in a state of disarray.  Cincy is perpetually in disarray though.  Jeff Fisher will get it straightened out there even if he's saddled with Kerry Collins.  The spreads range from even to Titans -3.  I'd take the Titans up to that -3 number, but no further.
• Chicago goes to Carolina and I am convinced the Bears have found whatever it was they misplaced last season.  Carolina was solid in San Diego last weekend, but they are giving -3.5.  I like the Panthers, but not enough to lay points on them so I am going with the underdog Bears.
• Jacksonville hosts Buffalo.  I have a rule about betting home teams in Florida in September (Dolphins excluded until they are respectable again).  The conditions with the heat and humidity are stifling and difficult for visitors to adjust to, so even though Jacksonville is giving 6 points, I'll take them.
• The Saints head north to play the Redskins.  The game is even, which is surprising because the Saints impressed me last weekend and the Redskins didn't seem to have much fight in them.  Take the Saints up to -2.5.
• Minnesota hosts Peyton and the Colts.  One game doesn't make a trend, but I really didn't like what I saw from the Colts Sunday night.  They didn't seem crisp and I am wondering if they have jumped the shark.  The Vikings are +2 in this one so I am taking the points.
• The Giants get a bye week as they travel to St. Louis to play the Rams.  The Giants are giving a big number (-9).  The Giants offense really didn't show me much even though they won.  I generally don't like road teams laying a TD or more, but I don't like the Rams at all.  I wouldn't bet this one, but if I did it would be on the Giants.
• Seattle hosts San Francisco and is laying a big number at home (-9).  I don't like San Fran, but I don't see myself laying 9 points on Seattle.  I'd the 49ers and the points, but that doesn't mean I think they'll collect a W in the standings.
• Tampa hosts Atlanta and is giving a big number (-8.5).  I have no frickin' clue what to make of either of these teams yet.  If you're betting this one, you're the kind of person who splits a pair of Jacks in blackjack when the dealer is showing a 7.  Save your money, but take Tampa if you must.
• Miami goes to Arizona and the Cards are giving 7.  That's a gift that should be taken.  Take the 'fins because despite beating SF, I did not like what I saw from Arizona, very undisciplined and seemingly unfocused, the kind of team that would let a team they should clobber hang around.
• The Jets are suddenly a favorite at home against the Pats (Jets -2.5).  I would spot the Jets the videotaping of signals, electronic interference to the Pats helmet communications and still take the points on the Pats.  As Rome would say "Jet Fan, you beat the 'Fins which isn't exactly like being Tiger Woods, it's more like putting past the windmill when you're trying to show off to your kids.  You're not there yet Jet Fan so put your money back in your wallet and save it for the trip to Scores."
• Denver is getting 2 points at home against San Diego.  I think the Bolts will be angry after chunking their home opener.  Give the points and take the Bolts to bounce back.
• Cleveland thinks that they are going to bounce back at home against Pittsburgh.  Ummm...  No.  Take Pittsburgh laying all the way up to 6.5 points.  At 7, walk away.  I like the under at 45 as well.
• For some reason the scheduled Monday nighter is more attractive than the Sunday night game, what's up with that NBC?  Philly goes to Dallas and is getting a TD.  Dallas to win, Philly to cover and pick the over up to 47.
• Houston is hosting Baltimore and you may know that parts of Houston are being evacuated this evening in advance of Hurricane Ike, so the NFL has moved the game to Monday night.  We all wish the best for the folks in Houston all the best in weathering Ike.  The logistics will be screwy and at best they'll be playing in a depressed half-filled stadium, if they can even get the game in on Monday.  The game is off-the board, so no pick in this one.  Watch for the impact on these teams in week 3.

NFL Cheerleader Twins

I have to give it to the Texans on this one.  Cheerleaders Larisa and Marisa are TWINS!!  How frickin' cool is that!  TWINS!!

Javon Walker: I'm Still Pissed

As you may have noticed last night, Javon Walker didn't suit up, didn't do a damned thing.  How does any player with heartbeat for football skip a home opener on Monday night against his former team who trashed him?  That shows no heart.  A sore hamstring?  Skip practice, put some Ban-Gay on the damn thing and take some Advil and MAN THE FUCK UP!  

Shawne Merriman, not one of my favorite people in the league, had two blown ligaments and really needed to shut it down and get his knee re-built.  What did he do?  He said no, I'm going to risk everything to see if I can go.  He rolled it out there for a game, played as hard as he could and then after having a chance to evaluate that performance concluded he didn't have it, he wasn't doing himself or the team any good and then he shut it down.  You know why?  Because he has cajones and he has heart.  He wants to be a football player, not some punk who hoses crowds in Vegas nightclubs with $1,000 bottles of champagne.

The Javon Walker situation presents Lane Kiffin with an opportunity to lead.  Sit his ass down, leave him inactive, wearing street clothes and a towel over his head on the sidelines.  Make him declare that he wants to play, that he's ready to man up and send a message to everyone in that locker room that guys who don't want to play won't play.  Then you'll find out who the football players are.

What The Hell Happened Last Night?

Clearly the Raiders last night failed to even achieve the lowest of expectations that were set for them.  How did this happen?  I've had 24 hours to collect myself and I think I have some more reasoned thoughts behind this.

1.  The Wide Receivers

The Raiders wide receiver corps is a group that neither Lane Kiffin nor JaMarcus Russell have any confidence in and they demonstrated why when the team got down.  We saw guys giving up on plays, we saw guys not selling out to catch passes, basically doing nothing to help their sophomore QB out.  The guys with 80 numb

ers on their jersey need to play with some heart.

2.  Execution

We saw last night time after time when the Raiders had a chance to make a positive play, someone did something dumb.  False starts, dropping passes, whiffing on blitz pickups, fumbling the exchange on a double reverse.  It wasn't a talent or motivation issue, it was a between the ears issue.  False starts in a home game are unacceptable, that's gotta get nailed down.

3.  Composure

As the game went sideways, instead of being able to climb back into the game, Raiders players lost 

their composure and compounded their mistakes.  An example I give you is DeAngelo Hall drawing 2 unnecessary roughness penalties on a single drive.  He gave them that score.  There's no getting around that.  When they still had a chance, guys lost their 

composure and bad stuff happened.

4.  Not Doing What You Do Well

When the Raiders got the ball on that second drive and they started pounding the rock I think it looked to all of us like they were going to be able to drive the ball and play power football.  What happened?  They got down quick on the scoreboard and got away from doing what they do well.  Another area was pass defense.  We know that Raiders are a stout defense against the pass, two shutdown corners, power rush lineman yet Jay Cutler never got his jersey dirty and some guy named Royal made an all-star CB look like burnt toast.  No press coverage.  No pass rush.  No creative blitzing.

Disgusting Comments On ESPN Radio This Morning; Boycott ESPN Radio

Driving to work this morning, I'll admit I was still pissed off from last night's game as I listened to ESPN blowhard Colin Cowherd spewing hot air this morning.  I was appalled by how he seemed to revel in the Vince Young story this morning.  If you don't know the story, Monday night someone close to the Titans QB contacted Titans Head Coach Jeff Fisher and said that they were concerned about his emotional state and that he had a firearm.  Fisher contacted Nashville police who looked for Vince Young and late in the evening Fisher made contact with Vince Young and got the QB to meet him.  The police were there when they met, the coach and player talked and everyone decided the concerns were unfounded.  Thankfully, nothing bad happened and the people who care about Young stepped up took care of him when he might have needed it. 

The story is a news story to be sure and is fit for the sports talk radio airwaves.  But the story is one of a tragedy averted, not something to be treated lightly.  Cowherd in reading this story said no less than four times by my count "wait, it gets better!" as if he was reveling in the possible emotional meltdown of a young man with a very promising future.  I think these comments and the conduct of the radio host were completely lacking class and more obscene than someone going on the air and saying the F-word and having a wardrobe malfunction.  Cowherd demonstrated himself to be one of those no-class media slime who salivate over the chance for someone to fall from grace, like those hordes portrayed in Tom Wolfe's Bonfire of the Vanities.  

ESPN is a part of the Walt Disney Corporation.  In fact, it is the revenue engine for the House of the Mouse.  Given the legacy of Walt Disney, of which they are a part of, the standards have to be higher and Cowherd's disgusting comments this morning failure to meet up to the standards expected of the Walt Disney Corporation.  Cowherd should be reprimanded and forced to apologize on the air.  Until then I will be boycotting ESPN Radio as a whole and will never listen to Cowherd again.  I hope you'll join me in taking a stand against this disgusting conduct being broadcast on ESPN.

I guess having to listen to that crap what I get for forgetting to bring my iPod down to the car this morning.

OPENING DISASTER!

I had to turn this disaster off at 34-7.  Not one wide receiver stepped up in this game.  Offensive line play was undisciplined and porous.  The defense got worn down and lost their composure (seriously, DeAngelo Hall, what the hell?)  And Johnnie Lee Higgins, you tease me and then you crush me.

Let me try to find something good about this game.  I guess the Leile and Curry TDs are something, even though they came in BS time.  Fargas and McFadden looked great and run blocking looks like something our O-Line can handle.