NFL: Colts vs Jags

I already predicted the Jags would beat the Colts this weekend, and now I'm going to tell you how they'll do it. In the NFL's biggest matchup of the week, the Jacksonville Jaguars will beat the Indianapolis Colts by a score of 27-17. No, I don't have Biff Tannon's Sports Almanac from Back to the Future, but I do have a gut feeling and that's worth something isn't it?

A Garrard touchdown pass to Ernest Wilford will put the Jags up by 7 after a tied 17-17 halftime score. The Jags defense will dominate the Colts in the second half giving up only 100 total yards and no scores. The Jaguars will make it a 2 score game by kicking a Scobee field goal late in the 4th. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Although don't put too much into my stock... remember I picked Virginia Tech to completely embarass Florida State? Well, I'm still being served a nice plate of crow with that one.

I'm more confident with my pick here. Even without Brad Meester (the Jaguars star center who hasn't missed a game in 6 years and is the offensive line leader), Byron Leftwich (another team captain gone), Donovan Darius (our defensive team leader and all pro strong safety), Nick Sorenson (our special teams captain), and possibly Fred Taylor (our 4th team captain to hit the injury list). Fred Taylor might play this game, he might not. No one really knows what his deal is. I wish he would play though. Fred has a great history with the Colts including a shoulder to the face of Mike Doss and a cleat to his chest as Fred ran over him on his way to a game winning td last year.

Regardless of how many starters the Jaguars have injured, they still have a solid team and will be able to put up points on Indy. What the Jags have now that they didn't have in September is Khalif Barnes. The Jags played Mr. Turnstyle himself Ephrem Salaam. Barnes is a nasty Left Tackle and plays with an attitude. He's a rookie and will be able to hold his own against Freeney. Garrard will give the Colts something they haven't seen yet. They've never faced Garrard and will be pleasently surprised when they watch him sling bullets to our receivers and burn line backers for a 20 yard run.

I can't wait for this game. I've got my tickets ready. I've got my jersey already layed out. Maybe I'll even paint my face. Let's go Jags !!!

I'll end this with the Fred Taylor quote as he ran over Mike Doss

"I'm going to punish him. If he hits me, fine, but if I catch him, believe me, I'm going to get the better shot."

Aaron Brooks Wants to Quit

News Orleans/San Antonio Saints quarter back Aaron Brooks said “We move one more time and I’m quitting”. What a great message from the quarter back to send his team. Hey Brooks, you’re supposed to be a leader! Not a quitter. No wonder the Saints are in shambles. You can’t blame anymore of this on Hurricane Katrina. Brooks has to step up and take responsibility himself. He is the quarterback. All eyes are on him. He needs to be a leader and bring the Saints some victories.

The Saints can still salvage their season if they win out. They are currently 3-9 and could be 7-9 by the end of the year. Not bad for a team who has had “home” games in 3 different stadiums. Regardless of where they have played (except New York) they are welcomed with cheers and supported by Saints fans. Their terrible season is not a result of playing in a new stadium, it’s a result of poor leadership and the loss of Deuce McAllister, their pro bowl running back.

I don’t know if I have talked about this publicly on the blog or not, but I am in favor of relocating the Saints. This is a franchise that has been around for like 40 years and they have won one playoff game in their existence. It’s time to leave the Big Easy and make a fresh start. This might sound hypocritical to some because I just got done slamming Brooks for wanting to quit. Relocating is not quitting. Relocating is getting a second chance. A new name, new uniform, new stadium, and new fans… it all makes sense for the Saints.

For players who are still bringing in millions of dollars a year, they sure do know how to complain. Instead of whining about how you aren’t living it up at the Plaza or working out in a state of the art facility, why don’t you think about how fortunate you are to be alive. That’s because of your millions of dollars you were able to afford a car ride out of New Orleans and save your lives. I’m sick of people complaining about Katrina. Crap (you know what I mean to say) Happens! Deal with it and move on. Don’t quit! You have to persevere and show your team and your city that you won’t back down when faced with a challenge.

After hearing Brooks say he wants to quit, I would really like him to stick to his word. Bring out Adrian McPherson. He’s got legs and a cannon on his shoulder that’s better than Brooks. Sure Adrian had some off the field problems when he was at FSU, but after watching him at the combine and hearing some interviews, I believe he has changed himself and is ready to lead the Saints. Bye Bye Mr. Brooks. Go home. No one wants a quitter on their team.

Soriano Traded to the Nationals

You would think that most of my posts would be about football this time of year, but it seems over the past week or so baseball has been dominating the headlines. The latest news is coming out of Washington D.C. where the Nationals traded Brad Wilkerson, Termmel Sledge, and a minor league pitcher to the Rangers for Alfonso Soriano. This season has been packed with blockbuster trades and free agent signings.

Soriano's average was down last season, but he still has power and speed hitting 36 home runs and stealing 30 bags. Soriano was acquired by the Rangers from the Yankees for Alex Rodriguez. I guess they weren't happy with his performance? Or maybe its a money thing with the Rangers.

From ESPN.com

"It appears the Nationals would want him to move to the outfield after losing two outfielders in the deal. Plus, they already have a past All-Star at second base in Jose Vidro, though he was hampered by leg problems last season.

Wilkerson can play all three outfield positions, and will likely be a starter at one of the corner spots for Texas. He can also play first base, but the Rangers already have All-Star Mark Teixeira there.

Sledge was limited to just 20 games last season after tearing his right hamstring off the bone while chasing a ball in the outfield May 2, and hit .243 with one home run. He had a promising rookie season with the Expos in 2004, recovering from a 1-for-34 start to finish with a .269 average, 15 homers and 62 RBI."

The Big Hurt is a Big Free Agent

There was a period of time during the 1990’s when The Big Hurt, also known as Frank Thomas, was the most feared hitter in all of baseball. The World Champion Chicago White Sox refused to offer the two time American League MVP salary arbitration. Frank Thomas has been hurt for the better part of the last few years, and with the recent signing of Konerko to a huge $60 million dollar deal, this shouldn’t come as a surprise.

I remember collecting all the Frank Thomas cards I could find when I was a kid. I’m sure most of you remember the famous Upper Deck card that features Thomas in the dugout flipping the camera the bird. That card was worth like $8.00 back then, I can only imagine what it will be worth now.

Everyone loved Thomas in the 90s. He had his own action figures, shoes, gloves, clothing line… you name it. My buddy named Frank used to actually wear the Frank Thomas cleats when we played Little League. Everyone thought he was the greatest player. 400 homeruns and 3 years a nagging injuries later, we can start striking up the debate of whether or not Thomas should be a Hall of Famer. I guess we can also start talking about whether or not he took steroids during the juiced up era we call the mid 90s.

I’d like to believe Thomas is clean. He was naturally a big dude and used to play football and baseball. I doubt he took steroids, but you do have to wonder why his name was called when Congress did their witch hunt. Now should Thomas be in the hall of fame? I guess that will have to be decided when he retires. I’m sure some team will pick him up to DH for awhile. Maybe the Blue Jays will with the way they’ve been spending money. The Orioles perhaps? Thomas is a borderline hall of famer, but now that he has his ring he might have enough to put him over the top.

Good luck Frank Thomas… wherever you go.

Brian Westbrook out for the Season

As if the Eagles camp wasn’t a mess already with the T.O. saga and losing McNabb for the season, the Philadelphia Eagles just learned that the injury Brian Westbrook suffered Monday night will be season ending. According to espn.com “An MRI exam Tuesday confirmed Westbrook has a Lis Franc injury, an injury more common in automobile accidents and equestrian sports.”

This coming after Westbrook signed a 5 year extension with $25 million. Westbrook was quietly having a decent season. He would probably have approached 1600 total yards and 10+ total touchdowns. Not bad numbers in my book. Of course numbers don’t really mean much if they don’t help your team win. The NFC champs from last year are just 5-7 in the East this year and likely out of the playoff picture (barring some miracle in which 7 other teams collapse and the Eagles win out).

This is a blow not only to the Eagles but to fantasy owners as well. With the fantasy playoffs approaching in a week, Westbrook owners will be scrambling to find a replacement. Rookie Ryan Moats will likely become the starter for the Eagles for the rest of the season. He won’t have much value because the Eagles totally suck right now, and on top of that he will probably share time with Lamar Gordon.

It’s sad to see the Eagles go down like this, but their reign at the top had to end some time. You can’t make the NFC Championship every year for a decade. That’s what’s great about the NFL… parity. Every year teams are up and down. Everyone has a chance… that is unless you’re the Lions.

Will the Colts Lose?

The answer is YES. You might be sick of reading all these posts on blogs about the Colts being undefeated, but it is big news in the world of football. I am predicting right now that the Colts will lose the Jacksonville and San Diego. I think they will finish the season with a 14-2 record and home field advantage. The Jaguars, even without Leftwich, Taylor, Darius, and Sorenson (4 team captains all out with injuries), still have a great chance to beat the Colts this weekend.

The Jags are no scared of the Colts. The Jags held Manning to his worst passer rating in years back in week 2. They have beat the Colts in Indianapolis and have the confidence to beat them at home in Jacksonville. This should be an amazing game and I am glad I will be there to watch it.

With a win this weekend for the Jaguars, they will still be in the fight for a division title. Don’t forget the Colts still have to play San Diego and Seattle which are all losable games. If the Colts end up losing those three games and the Jaguars win out, both teams will be 13-3. I’m not sure what the tie breaker will be. It might be victories over common opponents or strength of schedule. I’ll have to look that up.

I honestly believe the AFC Champion will come out of the AFC South. Be it Jacksonville or Indianapolis. If Jacksonville gets some help from San Diego (who will be fighting for a wild card spot and pumped to crush Indy) and Seattle, then we have a chance to win the division.

I’ll have a more in depth look into this weekends Colts vs Jags game later this week. But for now, my prediction is:

Colts 17 Jags 27

Seahawks Embarrass Eagles

Last night on Monday Night Football (with the whole naiton watching), the Seattle Seahawks absolutely crush the Philadelphia Eagles. It wasn't even close. They made the Eagles look like a Pee Wee team. The Seahawks improved their record to 10-2 (an NFC best) while the Eagles went backwards in the standings to 5-7.

The Seahawks had 3 defensive touchdowns in this game (2 interceptions returned by Dyson and Tatupu) and a fumble returned for a touchdown by Dyson. Dyson ended up spraining his ankle on the fumble he returned for a touchdown, but was able to walk off the field and should be fine. The quesiton has to be asked... are the Seahawks that good or are the Eagles that bad? The Eagles had been on a roll (sort of) without T.O. and McNabb, but man did they hit the wall tonight.

The Seahawks are clearly the best team in the NFC and should have home field advantage rapped up in a week. This is great news for Seattle fans everywhere, but horrible news for fantasy owners! Tonight I got a mild scare when Alexander was taken out after halftime. Luckily he still scored 2 tds in the first half which was enough to put me over my opponent. If the Seahawks rap up home field advantage or start scoring a lot, they will be sitting their starters. Remember last year when Alexander was 1 yard short of the rushing title and Holmgren sat him? Well this year Alexander already has the rushing lead and is shooting for the touchdown record. It'd be awful if they started sitting him and ruined his chances of getting the record. I know football is a team game first and you don't want him to get injured, but records mean a lot too (to everyone except Barry Sanders).

Now the Jaguars did beat the Seahawks in week 1. In fact, we dominated them holding Alexander to about 60 yards rushing on the day.. and that was a day he actually played the whole game. Seattle might very well end up in the Superbowl representing the NFC. BUt who will they play? Jacksonville I hope.

Jaguars Beat Browns 20-14

The Jacksonville Jaguars extended their record to 9-3 on the season with a victory yesterday over the Cleveland Browns. It wasn't pretty in the first half, but the Jaguars defense managed to keep it close. We made Charlie Frye look like a probowler for a little while, but he quickly came down to earth when the Jags decided to start rushing.

Normally the Jaguars only need to rush 4 players. When you have Spider, Stroud, Henderson, and Hayward on the line, you're looking at almost 1,000 pounds of raw muscle and strength. You know you have an awesome D-line when you can call them by their last names and you know everyone knows who you're talking about. Every one of these guys could make the pro bowl. They are that good.

Mike Peterson was given the green light to blitz on numerous occasions during the game and boy did he take advantage of them. Peterson ended up playing one of his best games this year with a sack and several tackles for a loss. If he doesn't make the Pro Bowl this year then they need to stop letting fans vote.

It's hard to get too excited when you beat the Browns, but a win is a win right? David Garrard didn't play too hot in the first half, but came out firing after halftime. He ended up with 116 yards and 2 touchdowns. Not spectacular but productive enough to win the game. We knew the Jaguars would be running the ball against the Browns. This is shown by Greg Jones rushing for over 100 yards again. As Garrard gets more playing time, they will allow him to open it up and throw the ball. Garrard stats should have been a lot better, closer to 200 yards. Jimmy Smith had a case of the dropsies once again (with Ernest Wilford joining him). He dropped 2 or 3 clearly easy catches that I could have caught. But Smith made up for it with a touchdown catch to seal the victory.

Next week is the true test for Garrard. If you don't live in Jacksonville you probably aren't aware of the quarterback controversy that clouds over this team. Majority of the people here want Leftwich, but a very vocal minority want Garrard to be the quarterback (I might be in this minority). If Garrard beats the Colts, all hell could break loose. If the Jags make the playoffs, will Garrard stay at QB or will Leftwich come back in if healthy? Only time will tell.

Time to eat Crow

Can anyone please passme my serving of crow? I am man enough to come back on here and post about how I picked Virginia Tech to blowout FSU. I was at the game (and boy was it a cold one). FSU completely dominated VTech for 3 quarters of the game. On offense and defense. The seminole offense still wasn't as potent as it could be, but they were solid enough to put up 27 on a once number 3 team in the country. Florida State 27 Virginia Tech 22.

Don't let the score fool you. The Hokies scored all but 3 of those points in the 4th quarter. They were cursed with dropped passes Saturday night, in what felt like the longest college game ever. The game started at 8:00 and by 12:45 Virginia Tech had about 15 dropped balls. Their receivers (sorry I don't know their names) dropped so many open bombs down the field. The Hokies could have opened it up on FSU.

The Seminoles had a punt return for a touchdown to help pad their lead. The feeling around us in the stadium was that FSU was going to blow this game. They had their warchant going all game until the fourth quarter. Unforuntately, I had to sit in the FSU section and was forced to listen to the same oooohhhhh oh ohhhhh ohhhhhhhhhh ohhhhh ohhh warchant over and over again. Not to mention the idiots behind me kept doing the tomahawk chomp right by my face. All I wanted was for Va Tech to light them up and shut the fans up. Didn't happen.

So there we have it, a 8-4 team winning the ACC Championship and going to a BCS Bowl game to play Penn State. Do we dare write off FSU again in this game? I don't think we can. By listening carefully on the shuttle ride back to the parking lot after the game, I was able to gather that despite the win for FSU, the fans still want Jeff Bowden gone. And he probably will be.

Rafael Furcal to the Dodgers

Former Altanta Braves shortstop Rafael Furcalsigned a 3 year $39 million dollar deal over the weekend with the LA Dodgers. This is a nice pick-up for the Dodgers and will give them one of the better middle infields in the national league with Kent at second base. I never liked Furcal much, mostly because of his off the field problems (read drinking problems), but I will give him credit for being an amazing player. He has a huge arm and is very fast.

From espn.com “A switch hitter, Furcal batted .284 last season with 12 homers, 58 RBI, 100 runs scored and 46 steals in 56 attempts. He hit .279 with 24 homers, 59 RBI, 29 stolen bases and 103 runs in 2004 and .292 with 15 homers, 61 RBI, 25 steals and 130 runs scored in 2003.”

I’m glad Furcal signed with the Dodgers. The Chicago Cubs were in the running for him, and nearly landed the star. That would have been a huge upgrade for the Cubs and would have caused huge problems for all the other National League central teams.

You have to wonder what the Dodgers will do with Caesar Izturis, their all-star short stop. Caesar underwent surgery on his elbow and isn’t expected to return till mid-season. I hope he can play another position (like third base). Possibly Caesar could move to second with Kent moving to third or first. Too bad they won’t be able to practice position swaps during spring training with Caesar sidelined.

Next up for the Dodgers: hire a manager already!