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      Week 2 College Football Primer

      September 3, 2008 /

      Time to check out the big games, top matchups and potential upsets as college football heads into Week 2.

      Top 25 Action:
      None. Nobody in the top 25 plays each other this weekend, which must have the television networks really, really excited.

      Chris Keep your eye on:
      Ohio (0-1) at No. 3 Ohio State (1-0)
      The Buckeyes should have no problem with instate rival Ohio this weekend, but it’ll be interesting to see if head coach Jim Tressel plays injured running back and Heisman hopeful Chris Wells. With a trip to Southern Cal on the docket, there’s no reason to play Wells this week against a cupcake like Ohio. (Although I’ll be the first to note that the MAC deserves more attention than what it gets. See the “Upset Watch” section for proof.) A running back-by-committee of David Herron, Maurice Wells and Brandon Saine should be more than enough for OSU to roll the Bobcats, so there should be no reason for “Beanie” to even dress.

      Upset Watch:
      No. 8 West Virginia (1-0) at East Carolina (0-1)
      While it’s true that I wouldn’t even have mentioned this game had it not been for the Pirates knocking off VA Tech last week, East Carolina has proven that it can hang with top programs. ECU will be looking for its third straight win over a ranked opponent, although West Virginia has won seven straight over the Pirates coming into this contest. Oddsmakers clearly feel that ECU can hang with the Mountaineers given that WVU is only an 8-point favorite.

      Dan LeFevourCentral Michigan (1-0) at No. 2 Georgia (1-0)
      Yes, outside of the MAC last year the Chippewas got smacked by Kansas (52-7) and Purdue (45-22). But as Bowling Green proved by beating PITT last week, the MAC has some talented teams and CMU is currently the class of the conference. They have a Hesiman candidate at quarterback in Dan LeFevour and a playmaker at running back in Ontario Sneed. There’s no doubt Georgia has better and deeper talent and it’s tough for any team to win between the hedges (let alone a MAC team), but could UGA overlook little ol’ CMU with a trip to South Carolina on the schedule next week? Obviously oddsmakers don’t think so as they’ve made the Dawgs a 24-point favorite.

      Other notable games:
      Miami (FL) at No. 5 Florida – Saturday, Sept 6, 8:00pm ET
      No. 15 BYU at Washington – Saturday, Sept 6, 3:00pm ET
      Mississippi at No. 20 Wake Forest – Saturday, Sept 6, 3:300pm ET

      College Football

      Does Tom Brady have broken bone in foot?

      September 3, 2008 /

      Rotoworld.com (via WEEI) is reporting that New England Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady might have a broken bone in his foot.

      Tom BradyWEEI in Boston says that they are “hearing” that people familiar with an MRI taken on Tom Brady’s foot says there is a crack in Brady’s foot.

      Before everyone gets excited, consider that the radio hosts admit in the preamble that they have no way to confirm that the news is remotely true and that it’s third-hand information. Then they also point out Brady will play this week and if the Patriots were more concerned, they would have signed another veteran quarterback. Another foot injury is a concern for Brady, but a salacious “report” on WEEI isn’t.

      I too agree that nobody should get crazy with assumptions regarding Brady’s possible injury. And like the radio hosts on WEEI said, it’s easier to break into Fort Knox than it is to get injury information out of Bill Belichick and the Patriots, so drawing conclusions on this would be silly.

      But usually when there’s smoke, there’s fire, so something tells me this story might grow some legs.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Rudi Johnson stole Tatum Bell’s job; Tatum Bell stole Rudi Johnson’s luggage

      September 2, 2008 /

      After bolstering their backfield by signing former Bengals running back Rudi Johnson, the Detroit Lions informed Tatum Bell of his release. Shortly after that, Johnson informed Matt Millen that someone had made off with his bags:

      Tatum BellJohnson left his bags outside CEO Matt Millen’s office while he met with team officials and, ultimately, worked out a deal with the team.

      So when Johnson came back to get his bags, they were nowhere to be found. Johnson and Millen were stumped.

      Enter the eye in the sky.

      The team checked the videotapes generated by the team’s in-house surveillance system, and they quickly identified the culprit.

      So who might it have been? None other than Tatum Bell, who lost his gig with the Lions after Rudi arrived.

      Per the source, Bell took the bags to the house of a female acquaintance. When confronted on the matter, Bell offered up some cockamamie story that he thought the bags belonged to someone he knew. The girl, however, said that she hadn’t seen Bell in several months and he showed up out of the blue and asked her to keep the bags for a while.

      Johnson eventually retrieved his bags and, reportedly, charges were not filed.

      Times are undoubtedly tough for Bell right now. Jobless and with a reputedly poor work ethic, it may be quite some time before he lands another NFL gig. He was understandably desperate. And pissed. But the silver lining here is that Bell solidified his legacy with this one brilliant decision. He’ll no longer be remembered as an over-hyped, underachieving fumbler. Now, he’s the guy who stole Rudi Johnson’s luggage. How sweet is that?

      Meanwhile, Lions fans should be grateful that Rudi didn’t have to pursue Bell on foot, since recent history suggests his hammy wouldn’t have survived the chase. In which case the Lions may have once again been in the market for a running back, and since Tatum Bell already knows the system….

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Bills linebackers healthy, show plenty of promise in ’08

      September 2, 2008 /

      In the weeks leading up to the kickoff the 2008 NFL Season, I’ll take a look at position groups that could potentially lift teams to new heights, or bury them and their postseason hopes. Today I break down the Buffalo Bills and their promising linebacker corps.

      When the Buffalo Bills drafted Paul Posluszny in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft, they had hoped they found their middle linebacker of the future. After averaging over 8.5 tackles in his first three games as a rookie, Posluszny was making the Bills’ hopes turn into reality.

      But in late September, Posluszny went down with a broken forearm and missed the rest of the 2007 season. Fellow ‘backer Angelo Crowell suffered a similar fate last year, tearing a triceps muscle in the final game of the season.

      With both Posluszny and Crowell on the mend, as well as adding productive free agent Kawika Mitchell formerly of the defending Super Bowl champion Giants, the Bills’ linebacker corps appears to be the strength of their defense heading into 2008.

      Even though he only played in three games as a rookie, many believe that Posluszny is on the cusp of a breakout season. He’s not the most athletic linebacker in the league, but he’s physical at the point of attack and plays with a mean streak.

      The same can be said for Crowell, who is perhaps the most underrated linebacker in the AFC. Even though his main responsibilities are to stop the run, Crowell has also shown a knack for getting pressure on the quarterback and has shown above-average skills in pass coverage. In 2007, Crowell led Buffalo in tackles with 126 total stops.

      Even though Mitchell might be a more natural fit at strong-side linebacker given his size (6’1”, 253 pounds), he should fit Buffalo’s defensive scheme well. Mitchell is fast, athletic and can be a sideline-to-sideline player.

      While there is plenty to like about the Bills’ linebacker corps heading into 2008, obviously both Posluszny and Crowell have to stay healthy. Given that neither suffered an injury that would take a long recovery time (i.e. a knee injury), both should bounce back in ’08. While the Bills’ young offense will be a focal point in whether or not this team can make the playoffs this year, the defense is slowly starting to come together. And at the core of the unit is a talented trio at linebacker.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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