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      Mack Brown complains about new NCAA clock rules

      September 11, 2006 /

      Texas head coach Mack Brown is quoted in a recent ESPN.com article stating that he hates the new college football rules regarding the clock.

      Brown said Monday during the weekly Big 12 teleconference that the new rules, which were designed to limit the time of games, hurt the No. 8 Longhorns in Saturday’s loss to No. 1 Ohio State.

      “They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything,” Brown said. “I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over.”

      So, you’re telling me that you waited until six minutes were left in the game to do anything on offense? It’s not like you didn’t have time to prepare for the new rules – your Long Horns seemed to have no problem putting up 56 points on North Texas two weeks ago under the same game clock.

      Plus, your team took advantage of a technicality in a rule with that helmet-to-helmet hit on Colt McCoy to lead to your only points.

      Sorry Mack, the game was over when you didn’t have a solid plan in place to limit Troy Smith throwing the ball all over your depleted secondary.

      College Football

      Seahawks trade No. 1 pick for Branch

      September 11, 2006 /

      With just a nine-point offensive showing against the Lions yesterday and Darrell Jackson battling with chronic knee problems, the Seahawks traded a first overall pick in 2007 for former Patriots wide out Deion Branch.

      The Seahawks, along with the New York Jets, had fashioned a contract agreement with Branch before the season, agreeing to a six-year, $39 million deal that would have paid him $13 million in combined bonuses and about $23 million in the first three years of the contract. Neither team, however, could satisfy the demands of the Patriots, who were seeking first- and middle-round choices as compensation at the time, and the deadline set by New England passed without a trade.

      This was a deal that both teams had to make in my opinion.

      Jackson has some durability issues for Seattle, but if he can get healthy, the Seahawks have a deep rotation at receiver. Even though Branch took some heat from the media for holding out, he is a strong locker room guy and a Super Bowl MVP. Seattle also has a solid possession receiver in Bobby Engram and acquired Nate Burleson in the offseason from Minnesota.

      The Patriots have been known to let free agents in demand of a new contract walk because they seem to consistently get players who overachieve for less money. New England does a nice job of turning draft picks into starters and since the Patriots weren’t going to fork over a lot of money for Branch anyway, why not get a No. 1 pick? They were never going to get a first and middle-round pick for Branch.

      NFL

      Frank Caliendo: The NFL Predicting Genius

      September 11, 2006 /

      Do yourself a favor and go to FOX Sports’ “Funhouse” page.

      Click on the video feature in the top right corner with Frank Caliendo made up to look like James Brown. After a quick ad, the link will take you to a video clip of Joe Buck prefacing Calindeno’s predictions for four NFL games.

      After hailing Caliendo’s 65% pick rate last year – including 8-1 in playoffs mind you –
      Calindeno goes on to give out these beauties:

      Denver over St. Louis
      Tampa Bay over Baltimore
      Carolina over Atlanta

      Here’s the kicker though: Cincinnati over Kansas City was his “upset special”.

      Upset special? Freaking Cincinnati over Kansas City is an “upset special”? That’s like having the Jets over the Titans in your upset special or Steelers over Dolphins, because hey, the line was even.

      I like Caliendo’s impressions, but come on hoss, you got to do better than 1-4. Plus your upset special is a team that won its division last year over a squad who hasn’t figured out its defense and whose offensive line is in turmoil?

      Wow Frank, way to go out on a limb.

      NFL

      Recapping Manning Bowl I

      September 10, 2006 /

      Indianapolis 26, NY Giants 21
      It’s fair to say that this game lived up to the hype, considering the Giants had a shot to win the game on their final drive. I wrote in my NFL Game of the Week on Bullz-Eye.com that Peyton Manning would limit New York’s pass rush with his quick throws. Despite one sack in the first half, the Colts kept the Giants out of their backfield all night and that proved to be huge with Indy only netting 55 total rushing yards.

      This game came down to the Giants shooting themselves in the foot with penalties and turnovers. The Colts capitalized on New York’s miscues all night and really, Indy was lucky to win a game in which they only got a 2.4 YPC average from its running backs. Twenty-nine yards on 16 carries Dominic Rhodes? Ouch.

      Most impressed with: Eli Manning actually. The interception he threw near the end of the game was hideous (but so was that pass interference call on Tim Carter the play before it), but he looked comfortable for the most part in the pocket and out-dueled bigger brother Peyton as far as QB-rating is concerned. He also distributed the ball around to all of his weapons and threw two touchdowns to go along with 247 yards passing.

      I was also impressed with Tiki Baber. How could you not? All the talk about Barber not being able to be the everything-man again this season just sounds ridiculous now. First game right? I know, I know, but he looked fresh, ran the ball hard, displayed nice hands on dump-offs from Eli and that leap over a Colts would-be tackler in the second half was just down right sweet.

      How about Marvin Harrison too? Nine catches for 113 yards and stays in the game after he gets shaken up late in the fourth. Consummate pro all the time.

      Least impressed with: Dwight Freeney had one assist tonight tackling – that’s it. I know that Freeney was battling with a lower leg contusion, but Giants’ tackle Luke Petitgout owned him all night.

      Hey Mike Vanderjagt, Peyton wants you to see one stat line from tonight:
      Adam Vinatieri: 4 for 4 in field goals with a long of 48.

      How’d you end up today?

      NFL

      The Postgame: Week 1

      September 10, 2006 /

      Well, we’re off and running. There were some great performances Sunday from some very surprising players. “Glass” Chad tore up Tennessee, Gore ran all over the Cards and a new Eagle flew past the Texans. On the other side of the spectrum, some very big names put up some very disappointing numbers. All right, enough with the tease, let’s get right to this week’s Headliners and Flatliners:

      SUNDAY HEADLINERS

      Chad Pennington (319 yards, 2 TD)
      It’s tempting to award this honor to Donovan McNabb, but he’ll make this list again this season. Pennington is so fragile that this might be his one and only opportunity to be recognized. When he’s healthy, he’s an accurate quarterback with great decision skills. He and Laveranues Coles have a great rapport – the duo hooked up eight times for 153 yards, shredding the woeful Titans defense en route to a 23-16 win. Enjoy it while you can, Jet fans.

      ALSO: Donovan McNabb (314 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT), Mike Vick (140 yards, 2 TD), Byron Leftwich (237 yards, 1 pass TD, 1 rush TD, 1 INT), Alex Smith (288 yards, 1 TD)

      Frank Gore (170 total yards, 2 TD)
      When the 49ers shipped Kevan Barlow off to the Jets, it was a huge vote of confidence for Gore, who won the job this preseason after averaging 4.8 ypc last year. On Sunday, he averaged 5.4 ypc against the Cardinals and added six catches for 83 yards. He looks like a good start as long as those knees hold up.

      ALSO: Brian Westbrook (132 total yards, 1 TD), Warrick Dunn (142 total yards), Larry Johnson (140 total yards), Steven Jackson (140 total yards), Reggie Bush (119 total yards), Julius Jones (111 total yards, 1 TD), Ahman Green (132 total yards)

      Donte Stallworth (6 catches, 141 yards, 1 TD)
      Talk about immediate impact. I thought it would take a while for Stallworth to work into the Philly offense, but McNabb sure knows how to make a guy feel welcome. This could spell trouble for Reggie Brown, who was only targeted six times compared to Stallworth’s nine. But McNabb loves to spread the ball around, so Brown should still get his.

      ALSO: Laveranues Coles (8 catches, 153 yards), Larry Fitzgerald (9 catches, 133 yards), Antonio Bryant (4 catches, 114 yards), Drew Bennett (8 catches, 106 yards), Muhsin Muhammad (6 catches, 102 yards), Andre Johnson (6 catches, 101 yards), Donald Driver (7 catches, 96 yards), Terrell Owens (6 catches, 80 yards, 1 TD)

      Tony Gonzalez (10 catches, 81 yards, 1 TD)
      Gonzo went off Sunday, catching six balls for 55 yards and a score – and that was after Trent Green left the game with an injury. Of course, the Chiefs were in full-on catch up mode at that point, which might become a trend if the offensive line isn’t able to protect the quarterback. Still, it doesn’t look like KC is keeping Gonzo in to block – and why would they? He’s clearly the team’s best receiver.

      ALSO: Kellen Winslow (8 catches, 63 yards, 1 TD)

      SUNDAY FLATLINERS

      Jake Plummer (138 yards, 0 TD, 3 INT)
      Surely more fantasy owners were counting on Plummer this Sunday, which is why he gets the nod over Chris Simms and his miserable performance. Plummer was harassed by Jim Haslett’s defense the entire day and, in addition to the three picks, he also lost a fumble. A few more games like this and the fans in Denver will be screaming for Jay Cutler. Not to worry, Skeletor will straighten things out next week.

      ALSO: Chris Simms (133 yards, 0 TD, 3 INT), Brett Favre (170 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT), Trent Green (90 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT), Drew Bledsoe (246 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT)

      Carnell Williams (8 carries, 22 yards)
      The Caddy needs a tuneup. Actually, playing any defense other than the Ravens would probably help. Unfortunately for Williams, he faces Atlanta and Carolina the next two weeks. Fantasy owners that drafted him in the late first/early second are going to need more than 2.8 ypc this season to be successful, but they might have to wait a month before they see a vast improvement in his numbers.

      ALSO: Shaun Alexander (19 carries, 51 yards), Wali Lundy (11 carries, 32 yards)

      Javon Walker (3 catches, 41 yards), Rod Smith (3 catches, 34 yards)
      It’s tempting to give the nod to Roy Williams, who was supposed to explode in Mike Martz’ offense (which mustered only six points against the Seahawks), or Joey Galloway, who put up a goose egg against the Ravens – but collectively, Walker and Smith were bigger disappointments. Walker was able to get open, but had hands of stone, while the ageless Smith couldn’t shake loose like he has in years past. The Rams defense is a lot better than advertised, so maybe a date with the Chiefs at home will be just what the doctor ordered.

      ALSO: Roy Williams (3 catches, 36 yards), Lee Evans (2 catches, 25 yards), Joey Galloway (0 catches, 0 yards)

      Jason Witten (3 catches, 33 yards)
      With nine targets, Witten is still a favorite target of Drew Bledsoe, but he had a touchdown nullified because he interfered with the defender, while two more balls meant for the Pro Bowler were picked off. All in all, it was a tough day for Witten and the rest of the Cowboys.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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