smokinandjokin

Two of my buddies are coming into town for the game- one from DC and one from Florida. I am fairly certain we will reserve lodging in the beautiful city of Niagara Falls, ON for Friday night, 9/22. Stops at the 'downer, Seductions, and the Casino are all on the docket.

Seems reasonable.

The Ravens rejected our Ko Simpson and OJ Simpson for Ed Reed offer.

McGahee was the outlet (and probably should have been used) but that was not the play call. Evans said immediately after the game and on his radio show last night that they had the deep ball called on that play. I like the call (Lee said he loved the call) but I would prefer not to see JP taking a 7-step drop from the 8-yard line. Obviously the protection was the problem.

A sign that says: DAMON & AFFLECK FILMED A NEW MOVIE IN FOXBORO: "GOOD CALL HUNTING"

Please don't ask follow up questions. I clearly stated that little-to-no factual evidence would be presented. I really do think the Eagles are going to win their division. A healthy McNabb (and not much else) was good enough to lead them to 4 straight NFC title games and 1 Super Bowl. Granted, the division was not nearly as strong in those years as it is now. But McNabb is back to being healthy now (lots of soup in the offseason.) I think people are too focused on last year, and that team on the field last year was not the Eagles. The Ravens had a nice win over an overrated (IMO) Bucs team. Winning on the road opening weekend is never easy. And I agree, McNair is a step up from Boller. But so is Losman. So is just about everybody. I see injuries decimating this team as the season goes on. McNair is inevitable. The defense is still solid but living dangerously off of their reputation from 3-5 years ago. (They do have an incredible secondary, no disputing that. They must get pressure up front to let that talented secondary make plays.) Baltimore, if they stay healthy, could be above average. But in the division, I see them much closer to Cleveland rather than jockeying with Pit and Cin. Just one man's opinions....

The genius that is Mike Mularkey will counteract any benefit gained from the officials. The refs and meathead cancel each other out. This one will be decided by the players.

My quick opinions, with little-to-no factual evidence to back them up- Overrated- Ravens at #6. I think they suck. Underrated- Eagles at #11. They will win the NFC East.

License is fine for now. They may ask for more, such as a Passport, because starting soon (either 2007 or 2008) you will be required to have a Passport. Therefore, they are trying to get people conditioned to do it now so that when the new law goes into effect, people don't say "Well I never heard about this." You will NOT be declined crossing the border if you only have a photo license. There's a very good chance they will tell you that your Passport is required next time, even if the law doesn't go into effect for a while. They're putting the word out.

Powerful confidence! I saw about half of the 4th quarter of UM's first game, so I don't really know what to make of them. I think they need to ride Hart and get a few plays out of Henne, not the other way around. Does anyone else feel like Steve Breaston has been there for nine years?

Returning punts is the hardest thing to do in the NFL besides play QB. There's a reason why the NFL leaders average about 11 yds per return, and many teams have #1 guys who average 6, 7, 8 yards a return. Catching the ball alone is not a given, and then you have 10 monsters at top speed trying to cut you in half. I guarantee, if Roscoe is back there, he's the best on the team at it. Put someone like Sam Aiken back there who is not used to doing it and you will see what a disaster looks like. Everyone can flame the fact that Chris Watson was a merely a punt catcher, but when an explosive return man misplays one, everyone cries about ball security.

Just tuck it up under the waistband.

Every team has holes. USC has unproven RBs and QB, and their defense is coming off a down year. Ohio St's run defense is highly suspect. Notre Dame's D will continue to be a question mark, although that unit does look much faster. The SEC teams all have the looming question of if it's possible to make it through that treacherous schedule unscathed. Each team will have to win 1 or 2 huge road games just to get to the always-tough conference title game. Will pollsters respect WVU's schedule enough to propel them to the top-2? Can QB Pat White make plays with his arm if a team shuts down White and Slaton's rushing attack? As for the conferences, only the Big 10 and SEC have no worries regarding schedule strength. I agree, the Big 12 and PAC 10 are a step down from those two. But playing Cal and Oregon in the PAC 10 or Oklahoma and Nebraska in the Big 12 is still better than playing Louisville and Pitt in the Big East. The ACC has depth, but the conference is hurt by not having that one marquee contender. I place the Miami and FSU defenses on par with anybody, but the offenses have a ways to go. Clemson was a projected sleeper, and they lost their ACC-opener to BC. Lots of games left, with lots of different ways it can shake out. The playoffs began in Week 1.

Gallery did not have his best game, but he is definitely not a bust. The Raiders threw 19 passes total, and the Chargers had 9 sacks. That's just a complete jailbreak. Merriman had 3 of them, and he did make Gallery look bad on one. But he is one of the best pure pass rushers in the league. No OLineman can truly shut him down, especially when they don't know where the pocket is because their QB is running for his life. By the way, nice job by the Chargers and Raiders to install the high school passing offense: Rivers 8/11 for 108yds Brooks 6/14 for 64 yds

USC's little run of success on the field and in the Heisman race since '02 has overshadowed Texas somewhat. But Texas has consistently brought in some of the best players in the country year after year, similar to what USC has done since Carroll took over. Both schools give freshman a chance to play and always try to make certain that they are putting their best 11 on the field. What UT has been building down there can't be overlooked. I'm a USC alum, but I don't begrudge Texas anything, even after their one-man wrecking crew won the crystal ball last year. They have a remarkable program, and while the Big 12 has been down, I don't fight that battle because the PAC 10 has plenty of weak sisters as well. Had Texas been able to get over the Oklahoma hump at some point before last season, their '02-'05 teams would've been considered among the best college teams in history. It's like BlueFire said, these teams reload rather than rebuild. There's no doubt Texas is the favorite to rep the Big 12 in a BCS game. But they could easily figure into the championship picture by season's end. Look at the teams ranked ahead of them in this week's AP poll: (1)Ohio St has not proven they can stop the run, and they have to play at Iowa, and of course Michigan. Either (4)USC or (2)Notre Dame will have at least one loss, because they play each other. (5)West Virginia will probably not lose, so we'll have to see how the computers and the pollsters rank their season. (3)Auburn and (6)LSU play this weekend. One of them will have a loss. And there's no way (7)Florida makes it through their BRUTAL schedule unblemished. That's it. Next is (8)Texas. We've discussed it before- Texas' loss in Week 2 to a highly-ranked team does not kill a national title. However, assuming they're both still undefeated at the time, the loser of the top-5 matchup between Notre Dame and USC on November 25th would put that team out of the picture. It may not be right, but it is what it is. Texas needs to refocus after that loss and win out. They are still very much in the picture.

And a Buckeye male cheerleader who didn't attend the game hit an OSU exec in the after-game festivities- He must've had a few too many Zimas!

I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.

I hated the Pistons but LOVED Dumars. I had nothing against the Microwave either. It's a shame those two have to be lumped in with that queen Isaiah and the goon squad of Laimbeer, Mahorn, and Rodman.

Can someone fill me in about these fires? Any car tippings and riot police? I love that sh--. By the way, aren't the fans of the #1 ranked school (and national championship favorite) supposed to act like winning is business as usual, and not go buck-wild when their team wins the second game of the season? I'd like to think that type of stuff won't happen WHEN the Bills win a Super Bowl, but who am I kidding...I will probably set myself on fire on that glorious day.

Both of those guys are dweebs. The geek is funny on the Daily Show, and the snot was funny getting hit in the face by a wrench in Dodgeball, but their commercials have worn me out. Apple should just have two super bad bitches get naked and mud wrestle, squash their boobies together a bit, and then have the Mac bodyslam the PC and pin her. I'd buy one tomorrow.

That was a horrible overturn. It only took Bledsoe two more plays to get picked again though... I'm being serious here- not trying to be shallow or crass- I believe the NFL should put a white stripe on the football, a la NCAA. There are a lot of black players in the skill positions who are the guys catching passes and making interceptions. I have seen several replays where you have a less-than-perfect camera angle, and you cannot distinguish what is the player's arm and what is the ball. A player in short sleeves could have the ball cradled but it might not look that way. I hope that doesn't sound horrible...I honestly can remember at least one situation where a stripe definitely could've helped. Not in the example from yesterday that Gavin is talking about, that was just a rediculous overturn. I dunno, maybe it's something to consider, maybe not.

I believe we went through this last year with the Chargers. Since both team's throwbacks are blue, it seems pretty inconceivable that both will wear their throwbacks. Unless somebody wants to jog down to Orchard Park High School to pick up the red mesh pinnies.

Plummer is the modern-day Dave Kreig. He keeps both teams in the game.

I remember hearing about this rule when the changes were announced, and I didn't think much of it. I heard the announcer mention it yesterday during the SF-Zona game, and it struck me as a pretty dumb and pointless rule. Apparently, you must keep a minimum of four players on each side of the kicker (and the football.) Therefore, the most you can have is six guys on the side where you want to send the ball into the mixer. I suppose your four guys on the other side forces the receiving team to line some players up there too, putting less in the mixer, but I don't understand why it's mandated. Let the kicking team decide if that's how they want it. Anybody know the reasoning behind this rule change? We all know the NFL has a motive for everything they do, so what's the deal here- Do they want more kicks recovered, or less kicks recovered? The onsides kick is always one of the most exciting plays, and it's incredibly nerve racking if your team is holding a slim lead. However, I just don't get this rule. Was there a barrage of onsides kicks recovered last year, that they felt they had to change things around? (NOTE- One game I caught the end of, San Fran recovered their onsides kick and had a few heaves at the end zone.) I say, let 'em line up however they want to and let's get nasty.

I agree Pyrite. I mentioned a while ago that it is important for the draft picks to perform- and particularly Whitner and McCargo. Everyone said they were reaches, but if they play well (I'm not talking Pro Bowl here, just play consistent and make an impact) it will give Marv a little lee-way from the fans and media heading into his roster decisions and draft picks for next year. The first two picks were the guys Marv coveted, and if they make him look smart, we'll trust his decisions a bit more in the spring.