LongLiveRalph

I agree, it's going to be very interesting to watch what happens when 80% of the college game is scripting some version of the spread offense and all of the QBs are operating the vast majority of the time out of the shotgun. Will it have a detrimental impact on pro-style quarterbacking in the NFL? Texas QBs in particular will struggle because of their run-pass option, but there are very few QBs who were in a predominantly shotgun offense in college- regardless of school- who made a successful adaptation to the pro game. Steve McNair is one of the few I can think of immediately. However, with Vince, he has never in his football-playing life been forced to consider the possible outcomes of his decision making. He's been able to outrun and outthrow pretty much every defender he's ever faced. Do you really think he single-handedly won two straight Rose Bowls over Michigan and USC because of the relentless film study he did leading up to those games?? Hell no! He saw green grass, and he ran to it faster than anyone else could. Now, for the first time, he's dealing with not being the most athletic player on the field, game-in-game-out. I was immediately thinking- off the top of my head when I wrote it- of Ricky Williams, Mike Williams, and Vince Young...Three incredibly talented top-5 draft picks who turned out to be pretty flakey dudes. That's a pretty impressive list of current Longhorns in the NFL, and I wasn't trying to say that Texas only produces busts...But let's be real, a 5th round pick doesn't have the financial luxury to decide "I'm not sure I want this" when it comes to their pro career. Texas has had three recent, top-5 picks who seem to have questionable heart.

I think he is an incredibly great college player, one could argue top-5 all time in the NCAA game, and possibly the best to not win a Heisman. In today's NFL, he is a below-average QB and doesn't seem to grasp the same concepts that had scouts worried before he was drafted. He struggles reading zone defenses and adjusting at the line of scrimmage. He looks to run at the first sign of trouble and often runs to his right. However, instead of parading down the sideline on a 76-yard TD run, he is smashed by a linebacker after a gain of 4. His sidearm release and poor footwork lead to inaccurate passing. He is not what you would call a student of the game (largely because he has always been an athletic freak.) Those were worries before he was a pro, and they have manifested themselves to be true in his third season. Now, with some adversity, he is showing some signs of mental weakness as well. Vince asking to leave the game is just strange. Sounds like a bruised ego to me. What is it with these Longhorns??? There are MANY people out there (and possibly a few in the Titans locker room) who wonder if Kerry Collins is a better fit for their team right now.

Pioli knew Tom Brady was the greatest QB in history but he picked 5 other players first and let Brady fall to #199. Pioli finally drafted an LB this season while waiting for the average age of their existing LB corps to hover around 45. It's VERY premature to call Larry Maroney a bust, but he's widely considered by the Pats to have underperformed in his short career thus far. He came from a two-back set in college and there are durability and toughness questions. They have continued to play with fire by employing a backup QB who hasn't started a game since high school in 1999. Relying on the graces of God to keep Tom Brady healthy couldn't possibly last forever. Now, that decision could undermine what used to be the most explosive offense in history. Roosevelt Colvin was a big time bust free agent. Injuries did him in, which is tough to blame on a GM. They wasted a two full seasons in Brady's prime without ANY talent at wide receiver. Brady even took less money in an attempt to save cap space for some offensive weapons, which didn't come until 2007. That is inexcusable. Brady was still putting up big time passing yards, and you saw what he could do last year when the Pats finally acquired some WR talent. Corey Dillon for a 2nd rounder was a fleecing and you have to give him credit on that one...And Welker for a 2nd and Moss for a 4th. Hopefully they came gift wrapped. You have to say Harrison was a good pickup also. Generally, they have drafted well...But their draft props from the media have generally focused on their offensive line, which was schooled in the Super Bowl. His team also played for seven seasons under his watch while knowingly breaking rules for video taping opponent's signals. The size of the advantage gained from such tactics can be debated, but it is undebatable that SOME advantage was gained...Otherwise they wouldn't have done it. Is it easier to "draft talent" when your "talent" knows what defense the other team will be running?? I'm as interested as anyone else to see the "genius" of Belichick and Pioli without their golden boy.

Don't forget that ESPN conducts power rankings, and might have an upcoming matchup on Monday Night Football that they want to promote.... Similar to the college basketball polls, history matters and high profile teams get the benefit of the doubt...Just like UNC would likely be ranked above Clemson in a basketball poll, a 3-0 Dallas Cowboys will likely be ranked above a 3-0 Arizona Cardinals... Just the way it goes...It's for fun and the playoffs are the true measuring stick....

Where were the NY Giants after week 2 last season?? Probably low 20's? Maybe 30th? Eli was a waste and Coughlin was a lame duck. Power rankings are like NCAA basketball polls- they're opinion based and they're for fun. The beauty is, there's a tournament at the end of the season to which makes the power rankings irrelevant and the trophies are handed out on the field. Hear that, NCAA football???

Must be a new designer steroid out that cannot be tested for...Hence the return of Lance from his McConaghuey bike rides and Olson cannoodling. Didn't Barroid himself never fail a drug test also?

Shall we leave Scott Norwood and Drew Bledsoe out of the #11 in Buffalo thread???

Hmmmm....So a Jags fan on a Jags board tried to rally his troops by saying the Bills are young and are in for a big test? Seems reasonably true. The unhealthy Jags are still a much bigger test then an unhealthy Seahawks team from the cupcake NFC West, who travelled 3000 miles and can't win on the road even when they are healthy. This will be a good test for the Bills, Edwards, and Jauron, who all still have to prove they can beat a good team on the road. The Vegas line at 6 seems a little heavy, but I'm still not about to pretend the Bills going on the road deserve any credit just yet. They don't. It's hard to win on the road in the NFL, whether you are playing a bottom feeder in Detroit or a playoff squad like Jacksonville. If the Bills win this, they will have a 2-0 record (vs. two '07 playoff teams) with a favorable next three games. Hopefully at the end of September, we will have a squad that is a legit contender. As of today, they have only won a game they were favored to win anyways. If a 1-0 Arizona Cards team was coming into Buffalo, with an inexperienced QB, and the Bills were banged up, you know that similar posts would appear here about how "Arizona doesn't know what they're in for, etc. etc." It's just the way it is. The Bills haven't done anything in eight years that is worth respecting, so that's why they get no respect. You change that on the field, not on an opposing team's message board.

Brady wasn't moving well in the Super Bowl, and that was behind the O-Line that allowed him to play most of the year in a La-Z-Boy recliner in the pocket. Now, their line is patchwork, has suffered injuries, and hasn't looked solid at all in the preseason. I think Steve Grogan could step in this Sunday and quarterback them to a win over the Chiefs, but this could be VERY interesting throughout the season.

Didn't a Yankee bench warmer get caught stealing Derek Jeter's glove a few years ago to sell for profit??? That's a dirty move. I could see stealing a bat, or a jersey, but a guy's glove is sacred...It takes seasons to get a glove broken in to where it feels "right"... I guess some people can't help themselves.

I'm okay with the way Ralph has paid players, traditionally. And I don't fault them for taking a stance with Peters. It would've been nice to extend Evans about three weeks ago, to send the message that "Get your ass to camp and we'll talk." My beef with Ralph is the way he always seems to be looking for the low-ball head coach, which in turn results in bottom-of-the-barrell coordinators like Pendry and Fairchild. Allowing Mularkey to bring in "his guy" when they already had Rusty Jones was a major gaffe also.

It's hard to say they went wrong with Mario. He's been dynamic, especially last season. It's easy to knock Bush because he's not averaging the 8.7 yds/carry that he did in college. But in the two-back system his rookie year (coming from a two-back system in college) he was legit...His 80+ catches out of the backfield was record-setting. He's not going to be a 25-carry smashmouth guy, but I don't think any NFL team expected him to be. He can add a dimension that drives DC's crazy, we'll see if he can be more explosive again this year with McAllister back. (Also, watching Bush struggle makes you appreciate just how good Brian Westbrook is in Philly.) Vince Young continues to confound...Somehow winning while having some disgusting stretches of quarterbacking. I thought Williams was a good pick (though I probably would've gone with Bush if I was the Texans) and I'd say today that Williams is the right choice.

Hard to argue with ANYTHING T-Gill has done thus far, or the AD Manuel for that matter. What a huge turnaround. Buffalo is a great football town, that's been proven...Hopefully they can make a Bowl this season and continue to build their fan base. We shall see. Tough to criticize when they got up to #6 in the nation last year with a very young team. Too young to handle that hype at the time, but they should be mature enough to handle that pressure this season. If not, I agree it's on the coach (especially a coach who knows what it's like to have a team at the top of the polls.) They definitely have the talent, and a 34-0 win in the opener against a BCS-conference team, where some sloppiness might be expected, is a good start. SEC will continue to claim their conference schedule makes them the best, which is hard to dispute. However, the only team that is willing to leave the southeast and actually play a non-conference road game, Tennessee, continues to lose to middle-of-the-road PAC 10 teams. Makes you wonder. The Big 12 isn't the best conference, but definitely legit. By far the best quarterbacking, across the board. Sam Bradford could throw for 4,000 yards, complete 70% of his passes, and not make 2nd team all conference. That's crazy. Nobody is scared of a team's uniform. The reason teams fear USC is because they bring a BIG TIME effort every game. It is easy to hate them, and say what you want about Pete Carroll, but his team is consistently the most well-prepared and plays with as much intensity as anyone. They perhaps overlooked Stanford last season (Booty did break his finger and throw 4 INT's in the game) and that's really the only time in Carroll's reign that I can remember where they didn't quite bring 100%. Their big question mark was going to be Sanchez and the WR's. If they can play with ANY similarity to the Virginia game, they may go undefeated to the title game. Seven TD's to seven players, with total domination on defense, in a 52-7 win 3,000 miles from home, is a decent start....Looking at their schedule, if they get past OSU at the Coliseum, most of their other "tough" conference games (Oregon, ASU) will also be at home...

In a related story, Stephon Marbury- due $21M in his final contract year with the Knicks- just bought himself a private jet. I'm sure he has some money, but let's be real...What's his next contract going to pay a shoot-first, career-loser point guard? MAYBE $4M per year? And what the hell does he need a private jet for??? I know he started a Starbury sneaker line, but I don't see his businesses requiring him to be the jet-setter type. Marbury should take a page from Diddy (who I GUARANTEE has truckloads more money than Marbury) and fly coach. I can't imagine the convenience is worth all that money.

In general, "experience" to me is something that can be very overrated. You are not going to find much more political and foreign policy experience that you had with Dick Cheney, Don Rumsfeld, and Colin Powell....And look at where their vast "experience" took us...A misguided "big picture" plan that was fumbled along the way by hundreds upon hundreds of poor decisions and incorrect assumptions. I just don't understand how McCain could choose such an inexperienced candidate for VP, when there are legitimate concerns about his age and health. It is not extremely far-fetched that whomever he selected as VP would be called into action, just based on US male mortality rates alone. It's sad that he made his selection (of a woman he's known for six months) while looking more at voting demographic rather than the best interests of the nation.

Hahahaha! Classic. They were a two-team NFL market, and both split town...Including one leaving for the greener pastures of Oakland!! And the NFL STILL believes that LA is a two-team town?? Are they counting USC as one of those teams?

ACC had a disgusting showing on opening weekend. Va Tech went down to Eastern Carolina...Clemson was non-competitive...Virginia didn't belong on the same field as USC...Maryland only beat Delaware 14-7....NC State got rolled 34-0 by South Carolina...UNC squeaked by McNeese State 35-27... The signature win was Wake Forest holding serve 41-13 against Baylor... Not pretty....

It must've been fun not watching Bills games in '06 and '07. Kiwaukee was a 1st down machine for opponents.

Holy jeez! McCain won the election?? Wow, short term for Obama! He only held the presidency for one day after being awarded the win Thursday night....I can't wait to see who's going to win tomorrow!! I hope it's Charles Barkley.

This is not my opinion. You didn't ask for my opinion, you asked why McCain might not hold the respect of foreign governments. He is affiliated by party with the current administration, shares many of their policy beliefs (particularly foreign policy), and the current administration is not trusted or respected throughout the world. I said before that perception is everything, and while it's not true that McCain = Bush, it is a FACT that the perception exists, especially internationally where they simply see the party affiliation. As for the Democratic message, why would they NOT try to paint McCain as Bush??? They are trying to win an election. If ties to W were a good thing, he'd be hand in hand with McCain on the campaign trail. Bush's absence speaks volumes about the current state of the nation. Taking "liberties" with the truth as a tactic to win an election is nothing new (see: Swift Boats). Listen, Obama hasn't sold me on anything, other than his ability to "play the role" of President. I think he could do quite well in that arena. As for McCain, if age isn't an issue for you, that's fine. It is for me. I love my 80-year old grandfather to death, and he is sharp as a tack, but he should NOT be president.

Who the F are you dude? Some 20-year old who apparently knows everything, chastises all comments, and falls back on the "parroting" line whenever you can? Spends all day on an Internet message board making anonymous snarky comments? Good for you. As for me, I haven't watched one second of the DNC, nor will I watch one second of the RNC. I am already well-read on both candidates. I am unaffiliated with any party. I am able to think for myself, and I have my own views on what I feel are the real issues, as opposed to what is just media-driven b.s. My bachelor degree is in poly sci, went to GWU in D.C. for an MBA, am a homeowner, taxpayer, work full-time at an engineering firm, and have served on my local village board for 6 years, winning two elections as the only independent on the board. I have learned more in 5 minutes at ANY of those places than I would watching any political bonanza on televison. Frankly, I don't post much in this section because I get all the politico hogwash I can handle in my day-to-day life. But these are fairly exciting times and should be an interesting build up to this election, so I've been snooping around more often here. I hope I meet your stringent criteria for this board and I hope you will continue with your sarcastic, uniformative "additions" to these threads.

Impressions are everything. A connection to Bush is a tumor for a politician at the moment. President Bush does not carry respect on the world stage, as a person. He is respected because he has the most powerful military in the world behind him. McCain will be seen as "more of the same" and connected to the same regime that has made a complete bumble!@#$ of foreign policy, even with their boatloads of "experience."

Here you go

I simply fail to see how continuing to be ignorant about the Muslim religion is helpful on the world scale and in the fight against terrorism. A rudimentary understanding of the religion's teachings should be looked at as a positive for a potential American leader, not as something suspicious. A fanatic in ANY religion is dangerous. A person who can understand various points of view and beliefs is educated. I'm not necessarily surprised that people are making a much bigger deal out of Obama's schooling that it really is. Of course, nothing surprises me here, in the country that had Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela on the terrorist watch list.

any UB cheerleader sightings? Sexy, drunk Buffalo girls? Or disinterested, large-nosed Long Island girls?