Guess Who’s Back? #84


The slate is clean. I control my own destiny. It’s time to start over and start fresh. This is a new beginning to my football career so I’m taking it back to my roots. I changed my number from 87 to my high school number 84. They say “It’s only a number!”, but after 6 years of being number 87 I feel attached to it. Email accounts, phone numbers, my signature, nicknames, and everything else has been attached to a number. I have jerseys hanging on the wall, and countless pictures with me rocking the 87. It’s only been 3 weeks but I miss it already. Changing numbers is kinda like giving Linus from the Peanuts comic strip a new blanket. It would be hard for him until he found out his new blanket was more comfortable than the old one. That is how I felt. The first day I put the 84 on it felt funny but then I looked in the mirror and thought, “Oh yeah, this 8-4 looks good on me”. LOL. All the memories of my high school glory came flooding back and I liked it.

Just the thought of playing for Sylmar High in my navy blue 84 makes me smile. I remember the smell of the fresh cut grass, the band playing, and the Friday Night Lights! Every football player will tell you that high school was the most fun they ever had playing football. I can hear the Sylmar High School fight song in my head as I write. The game was still innocent then and you played solely for the love of the game, dreams of winning a championship, and hopes that your picture would be in the Saturday morning paper. I was dedicated to playing well and earning a scholarship to play in college but that was the least of my concerns. Every Saturday when I woke up, my first move was to check out the sports section of the LA Times and the Daily News. If I didn’t make the paper I was HIGHLY upset and next Friday somebody was in trouble!

I’m back in the number I started with and I will make it back where I want to be – in the NFL, and being considered one of the best. When I close my eyes I see my team winning a Super Bowl and me being the first TE Super Bowl MVP. I still dream and visualize being the best. If you don’t dream it, you will never achieve it. I love this game, but the innocence of playing football is long behind me. Professional football is a business and not for the faint of heart. Now football is about being the best player I can be, winning a championship, and supporting my family. My passion and love for the game never left, but finally all the fun in football is back. I have been blessed to live my dream of being a professional athlete and I will never take that for granted. I have my 84 back and I’m in love with football all over again!

Football Season x2


Ladies, Gentleman, Boys, and Girls it’s that time of year again, tailgates, face painting, flag flying, chest bumping, and end zone celebrations. Yes, it’s the start of the UFL 2010 season… Wait, what??? You mean the NFL right? No, I mean the UFL (United Football League). No it’s not arena football, no it’s not played in Canada and no you don’t need a passport to go to Europe to see it. It’s played right here in the States, with the same rules as the NFL & most importantly it has NFL caliber players. Many of which have had NFL careers and are trying to restart their career after injury or hoping for a rebirth and a fresh start in the UFL.

You may have heard of Jeff Garcia (4 time pro-bowler), Daunte Culpepper (3 time pro-bowler), or even Head Coaches Jim Fassel & Dennis Green, two coaches that have respectively won 177 NFL games as head coaches in the NFL.

Last year was the inaugural season for the UFL that featured 4 teams. This year the League has added 1 more team. The league consists of the Florida Tuskers, Hartford Colonials, Las Vegas Locos (defending champions), Sacramento Mountain Lions, and the newest kids on the block the Omaha Nighthawks.

The UFL is not just a bunch of ragga-muffin players, has-beens and draft busts. It’s a league that has quality talent. Over 40 UFL players have signed with NFL teams in just one season of play and this year it’s looking like even more will take that leap. The UFL prides itself on putting out a great product for the fans. The teams are becoming heavily involved in local communities and games are a great family atmosphere. So in the words of my boys T.O. & OchoCinco “Get your popcorn ready & Kiss the Baby” this season is going to be great!!

UFC 117: I’m torn… Not so much


On Saturday August 7, UFC 117 Silva v. Sonnen, is “supposed” to be the fight that pushes Silva to his limit. Sonnen has been talking a lot of trash in promotion of this fight. Silva has no choice but to leave the gimmicks at home and put on a show and win all his fans back. (Sidebar: While looking up Sonnen’s UFC record I kept wondering why the name Chael Sonnen sounded and he looked familiar. Man this dude went to Oregon, who knew? I root for all Ducks, but Silva is my favorite MMA fighter. I’ll root for him against anyone else.) If this were a war of words Sonnen would have a first round knockout. He said this will be Silva’s “retirement party” and he will “dominate him”. That’s big talk coming from a guy I’ve barely heard of, against a guy who is undefeated in the UFC and hasn’t lost since 2006.

When you look at Anderson “Spider” Silva and hear him talk you get no indication that he is pound for pound the most dangerous athlete on the planet. A squeaky voice and a slim frame without bulging muscles are a perfect cover for this venomous fighter. If you have watched a Silva fight lately, you have felt like you are watching a Floyd Maywheather fight. A one sided, technical master piece, full of showmanship that Silva walks away from without a scratch and barely a sweat. In UFC 112 Silva fought Demian Maia and dominated him from the opening bell, but after he beat Maia to a pulp he literally danced around the ring and even got into a sprinters stance. Spectators wanted a knockout, Anderson did not deliver. These displays of showmanship and apparent lack of a competitive fight have gotten under the skin of UFC President Dana White. White has threatened to kick Silva out of the UFC if the antics happen again. Who believes White would do this to his best fighter? Not me, not anybody. That’s like the NFL banning Favre because he is stringing us along. Yeah Right!!!

I predict a fight that will, when it’s all said and done, will be one sided. Silva will knock Sonnen out before the end of the 3rd round, or get a submission by the end of the 4th. Either way, Silva should emerge the victor and Sonnen will be left bloodied and defeated. However, Sonnen is getting in the ring so he does have a chance. He can win, if he is fortunate enough to connect with a “Tarver Punch” (referring to the eyes closed head down punch that Antonio Tarver knocked out Roy Jones with).

I know fighters have to talk trash to promote the fight, but I think you need to keep it to a minimum when you are fighting THE BEST and your credentials don’t say the same about you. Unless you win of course. If Sonnen does win, what else would you expect? He’s a Duck!!!

And The Oscar Goes To….

And The Oscar for Best Dramatic Actor Goes To…. Brett Favre

He got y’all again. I refused to fall for it the 3rd time again. You didn’t really think Brett Favre was gonna let us off easy this year, did you? Compared to the last 3 off seasons, this year was quiet with Favre talk so everyone assumed he would just quietly come back. “Not so fast my friend” (Lee Corso voice). You have to think about the reason Favre gave us a pass until now; he couldn’t dominate the news all summer because of the LeBron sweepstakes. He knew he couldn’t compete with the LeBron drama. Maybe Favre should have a two hour special on ABC called, “The Decision 2”. But now it’s August and the spotlight is his alone. All he had to do was pull his cell phone outta his wranglers and send a couple text messages to teammates and he was alone at the top! Every news channel and social network is focused on him. I imagine Brett is at home sitting on his couch, with his feet propped up, drinking a beer smiling inside and out while he is listening to “Encore” by Jay Z.

I don’t know if he will retire, but I won’t believe it until he is not under center week 1 of 2011 season. Yes 2011. That’s a long way away but Favre has a flair for the dramatic.

What happened to Onterrio Smith?

Countless people have asked me “What happened to Onterrio Smith?”.
I have heard every “Wizzinator” joke possible. They were funny to so many people, but not to me. Onterrio was my college roommate, good friend, and one of the most talented football players I have ever seen. Now, he is a legend in Sacramento High School football, and infamous for his fall from grace. His is a story we have heard many times, but its different because he is MY friend; star athlete with everything it takes to be a professional athlete falls victim to violence, drugs, or tragedy.
If you ever wonder what football coaches dream about I’ll tell you. They dream about players who are fast, powerful, elusive, strong, hard-working, tough, quick, mentally strong, with great hands, understands the game, leader, and a passion for being the best. They dream about Onterrio Smith. He was the best running back in the 2003 draft (even better than Willis McGahee), but slipped from a high 1st round pick to the 4th round because of “character issues” stemming from drug use. Mike Tice, former Minnesota Vikings head coach and current assistant coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, said Onterrio was the best running back he had ever coached, and that he could have been great. That is high praise coming from a man who played in the NFL for 14 years and has coached for longer than that.
Onterrio came from a broken home in the projects of Sacramento to be a football star at Grant High School. After an illustrious High School career he accepted a scholarship to attend the University of Tennessee. It was clear from his first day at school that he was a star both socially and on the field. The Volunteer fans only got to witness his amazing abilities for one season before he was kicked out for marijuana use.
Onterrio then transferred to the University of Oregon where we met. From the moment everyone met him they fell in love with his magnetic personality. “O- Smith” would light up the room with his smile. He is one of the most likable, giving, caring, and charismatic people I have ever met, and quickly became a loyal and trusted friend. His fall hurts me so much because I know how he grew up. I know his family, his kids, and his story.
I remember the day I realized everything had changed like it was yesterday. Onterrio returned home after being gone for 3 days wearing the same clothes he left in. That same day I got a phone call asking if he was ok because the night before he had been waking up in cold sweats. Something about those events and his behavior just didn’t sit well will me, so I asked both ‘Terrio (as we called him) and our other roommate about it. They both told me I was trippin’, but in my heart I knew I wasn’t. Ladies and Gentlemen, that was the beginning of the end.
Addiction has no socio-economic or cultural bias. It can happen to any family. It can happen to people who may seem to be on the top of the world and have everything to live for. Darryl Strawberry, Stanley Wilson Sr., Ken Caminiti, Michael Irvin, Eddie Griffin, and Len Bias are a short list of athletes who have been victims of addiction. O-Smith, who had the potential to be one of the best running backs in the NFL, is another sad example of how drugs can ruin a life and career.

I watch a show on A&E called Intervention, which is a video documentary about addicts and their struggle with addiction. A camera crew follows alcoholics, drug addicts, and people with OCD, eating disorders, and other addictions. Those featured on the show do not know that they will soon face an intervention by their family. After the intervention, the addicts must either elect to enter a treatment facility immediately, or face alienation from those they love. It is a great show but it’s very sad to see how addiction affects not only the addict, but the toll it takes on their families and loved ones as well. Addiction has struck in my own family, but somehow Onterrio’s struggle hurts worse because unlike my family, I witnessed it happening. I talked to him, prayed for him, and helped him through rehab, but it feels like I failed. One thing I learned from this is for an addict to get clean he or she has to want to do it more than anything else in the world.

No one wants to be a drug addict. People like using drugs and alcohol because of the feeling they get from it or to escape their problems, but no one wants to be like the people on Intervention. Those featured on the show are at rock bottom or near it. When people begin using drugs they never think they will end up meth, ecstasy, crack, heroine, cocaine, prescription pill or alcohol addicts. After watching Intervention, seeing famous people fall victim to addiction, and watching my friend’s life and career tailspin out of control, I have but one thing to say: Just say no!!! However cliche it may sound, fact is that making one bad decision can shatter your dreams, ruin your life, and/or kill you.
One day I hope I can update this story with one of triumph, redemption, and recovery.

The Not So Civil War




Breaking news: It is being reported that Oregon State head football coach Mike Riley will only be able to dress twenty players for the Oregon game. The rest of the players will have to get dressed by themselves!!

Eugene and Corvallis are separated by one highway, but the separation between the Green/Gold and the Black/Pumpkin Orange is much greater. In Eugene we have a saying, if you see a Beaver with a Championship ring, call the Police, He’s a thief!!

The Civil War, Ducks vs Beavers, is not so civil!!! There couldn’t be bigger differences between the two schools that are only about 47 miles apart. The rivalry is like Big Brother vs Little Brother, the Haves vs the Have-Nots, or the popular vs the unpopular kids. The Beavers look at themselves like blue-collar, hard workers who are the meat and potatoes of this country. They feel they earn everything they get, but we get everything handed to us on a silver platter. So when the Beavers play the Ducks they have a big chip on their shoulder, because they live in the humongous shadow of the “O”. If the Beavs feel the Ducks look down on the kids that play for Corvallis, they should. We do! OSU is a team to be respected and never taken lightly, but Duck players and fans feel we should never lose to “little brother”. The guys from Corvallis take our hand-me-downs and left-overs. We didn’t want Orange so they took it. We get the newest uniforms, they get what is left. We get nationally televised games, they get the occasional regional broadcast plus radio. The Ducks are striving higher for National Championships while the Beavers are trying to climb fast to where we currently are.


Why is my disdain for the Beavers so great? Simple. I’m a Duck. During my four years at Oregon the Beavers beat us twice!!! That includes a 45-24 Shellacking in Corvallis my last year at Oregon. Until 3 days ago I had blocked that memory out of my mind. Honestly until I was reminded I really thought we won (I’m blocking, I know lol). It still haunts me. So yes, when we get a chance to knock off the Beavers for a Pac-10 championship and a Rose Bowl Bid, I’m going hard.

Classic Civil War story: One time during the week of the civil war Samie Parker, Onterrio Smith and I were in Red Robin and I saw TJ Housh “Your daddy” (OSU wide receiver) sitting there with his wife and daughter. I had our waitress deliver him a note that said we were gonna beat the breaks off of him. TJ is a friend of mine now and a great guy. I was talking to him about that before the season started and he said, “man, I thought I was gonna have to fight ya’ll with the family there”. LOL, it was all done in good fun. TJ got the last laugh tho, Oregon State won the game.

What makes the “Un”-Civil War so great? You never know who is gonna win. What’s on the line in this game? BRAGGING RIGHTS! Two great programs competing with their whole heart and soul to represent the state of Oregon. If you win no one can say a word to you, if you lose you have a year of heckling to deal with. Both schools alumni have so much pride and love for our perspective schools that a loss is devastating. In addition, we want to be the team to represent the Conference of Champions (Pac-10) in the Rose Bowl.

This is the Biggest game in recent UO/OSU history. Winner goes to the Rose Bowl. The Ducks haven’t been to the Rose Bowl since ’95 (We did go to Fiesta Bowl in 02′ though). The Beavers haven’t been since 1965… That’s a long time for both schools. And the intensity in Autzen Stadium will be nothing less then ELECTRIFYING!!!!

The Man Spa

I love going to the Barber shop (when I call ahead because I hate waiting), the comedy relief and insight you get when you are there is priceless. I go to a shop called Blades (formerly 818) out in the valley and this shop has “characters”. There is Dave my Guy, who is like the cool Urkel (Stephon Urkel, if you watched Family Matters you know the difference). It’s like he wears glasses, but he sags. Then there is Chitown. He is from Chicago and no matter what the conversation is about somehow he will end up saying “so what Michael Jordan is the best ever, say he ain’t”. Umh, Chi-town, we were asking if you wanted something from the store (confused face).

Then there is the Light-skin homie Mo who cuts my sons hair. He is cool, but light-skin dudes with curly tops always remind me of Tobey Bailey & Al B Sure. He does a good job on my little man’s hair (especially his mohawks). Except the time D got a little excited and turned his head 2 quick and ended up w/ a slit in his eyebrow like he was the 3rd member of Kriss Kross. Hey, he’s 3!!

The Barber Shop is the Man’s spa. It’s how we relax. No conversation or topic is off limits in the Shop. If you are looking for insight into a city or a particular community, just make your way into a popular neighborhood barbershop. You will find out the latest rumors in everything from sports to politics to the last story on 20/20. A question or topic is brought to the floor then the debate begins. Topics are discussed with the passion and fervor of a Presidential debate.
“Ok, who would you marry and who would you just want to have a 1 night stand with, Halle Berry, Beyonce, or Alicia Keys?”
“Did you hear President Obama speech about the stimulus package?”
“Man, did you hear about that kid that got kidnapped?”
“You know who looks good…. The Lakers!” This topic always starts here and ends up everywhere.
The barbershop is a place where feelings can get hurt, egos can be bruised and is the epitome of “Free Speech” at its highest level. If someone walks in w/ a fine girl, the minute they leave every barber & customer in there will be talking about “ahhh man, did you see the cakes on her”. Vice Versa if they walk in w/ Lassie on their arms, trust there will be plenty of Barks once the door closes.
On a side note, until a couple months ago my nephew AK had never been to the barbershop, and D always go to the barbershop together, but AK wheres the curly fro. D always walks in to the shop confident and knows what is going on. D is used to seeing all the guys, music, and TVs going on at the same time, but not AK. As he was walking in for his first time he froze, looked around like he had no clue what goes on in there. Everyone stopped and laughed! It was hilarious. You would have thought someone was gonna cut his hair or something! Don’t worry, we didn’t cut his hair.
I won’t say I get all my great ideas from the Shop, but I will say it is definitely one of my places of inspiration. The Shop is a think-tank. You can never get too full of yourself because the minute you walk into Blades you have to check your ego at the door. Not checking your ego will result in a barrage of jokes brought on by everyone holding a pair of Clippers. 20 bucks gets you a lesson in humility, a great time, and a fresh cut. I choose the Barber Shop over the spa any day!

Pac-Man Will Beat Cotto




Reasons Pacquiao will beat Cotto

* Experience- Pacquiao has had more “big fights” and against better opponents. He has stopped great fighters like: Ricky Hatton, Oscar De la Hoya, Erik Morales, and gone the distance with Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez.

*Defense- Pacquiao is one of the most aggressive fighters in the game and lays it on the line time after time, but in his last few fights there has been a noticeable change. Freddy Roach has taught Manny how to control his aggressive nature and minimize his risk of getting knocked out or hurt by a good punch from an inferior fighter. The combination of Cotto’s wide looping punches and average defensive skills will be a recipe for a Pacquiao knockout between the 7-9th round.

*Antonio Margarito- Cotto was fast on the rise when he stepped into the ring with Margarito. Margarito beat Cotto to a bloody pulp that required him to leave the arena in an ambulance. When it comes to boxers, ego and confidence are everything. Once you lose that feeling of invincibility you will never be the same. There has been many questions raised regarding the Maragrito/Cotto fight in light of Margarito being suspended for a year for attempting to use “plaster of paris” in his hand wraps against Mosley.

*Philippines- Both boxers respectively have their entire country behind them and are depending on their hero to bring home a victory. Pacquiao has the most riding on this fight. The Philippines have been ravaged by typhoons and Pac-Man knows the people need a morale boost.

*The Entire Boxing World- This is a big fight, but everybody who loves to see great fights will be rooting for Pac-Man. Why? “Pretty Boy” Floyd “Money” Mayweather. The only chance a fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather will take place is if Pac-man wins. The #1 “Pound for Pound” fighter vs the real #1 “Pound for Pound” fighter. You can pick which one is which, but it’s hard to go against the guy with 0 losses!

Cotto is a great boxer and is worthy of a lot of respect and can win this fight with a well executed game plan and some vastly improved defense. The grumblings amongst Pacquiao camp members is that the typhoons could actually serve as a distraction and open a window for Cotto to get a huge win. I’m hoping this fight will be 7-9 rounds of entertaining action. The “Sweet Science” of boxing needs a great fight that will lead to another Super Fight.

Week 7: The Blowouts

I decided to watch a Fantasy Football show on ESPN for a few minutes while the pre-game shows were on and I have come to this conclusion, they are clueless. I should come out with my own Fantasy predictions, I couldn’t possibly be more wrong than them. After the games were over and all the statistics collected, so many of the players they predicted to have bad games had excellent games, and those who they said would show up big were Fantasy sleepers. There were 13 games this past weekend, 8 of them were decided by 16pts or more. The schedule gave us a lot of lop sided games this weekend. Hey, it happens, but we have to look at the positives. It could be summer time between the end of NBA till football starts, a.k.a. purgatory.
Week 7 Recap:
Jets v. Raiders- Mark Sanchez won easily with another sub 150 yd performance. Rex Ryan must have read my week 6 review, K.I.S.S. (Keep it simple Sanchez). Ryan kept the plan basic and held his young QBs hand so he could not make a mistake. He even let him bring a sack lunch to work with a hot dog in it. Tough defense and running the football wins games, especially against the Raiders. Remember, the Ravens won a Superbowl with NO offense and Trent Dilfer at QB.
On a side note, in a post game interview JaMarcus Russell said, “I really don’t think it’s me personally…I really don’t think it’s me, do you?” ROFLMBO, is he serious? The team is bad but really…”I really don’t think it’s me”? (I’m almost in tears laughing)

Saints v. Dolphins- The Dolphins jumped out the gate like stallions while riding the back of Ricky Williams (Pause). Everyone who thought New Orleans Saints were front runners were silenced. This week they were the comeback kids after trailing for the first time all season. The Saints looked like “sinners” in the first half down 24-3. Everything that could go wrong for the Saints did, until :05 left in the 2nd quarter when the Dolphins called timeout and let Drew Brees talk Sean Payton into going for it instead of kicking the field goal. The score was 24-10 at the half and I was watching the game thinking, “Hmmm, the Dolphins better hope the “sinners” come back out for the second half because if the Saints show up it’s gonna be trouble, trouble.”
And as I predicted, trouble showed up…. Who dat say dey gon’ beat dem Saints??

Bills v. Panthers- Did T.O. play? Buffalo has not been impressive this year and their offense has been awful, but you know who is worse on offense, The Panthers. They have to be one of the top 2 most disappointing teams of the season (Tennessee Titans). There are a lot of teams less talented, that you don’t expect much from, but the Panthers have a dynamic backfield (D. Williams, J. Stewart go ducks) and WR Steve Smith, and they have defensive end Julius Peppers. FYI Bills DB Jarius Byrd had 2 interceptions in the game and is second in the league with 5 (Go Ducks!).
Chargers v. Chiefs- Nickname of the week goes to Vincent “Up Top” Jackson. He is not going to lead the league in catches but he leads the league in deep ball catches. Deep balls require so much athleticism, concentration, and a great pair of hands. If the route is not over 20 yds he wants no part of it. Oh yea, the Chargers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 37-7
Falcons v. Cowboys- Atlanta had a big win last week against the Chicago Bears, but this week didn’t quite go so well. The Falcons are hurting at corner back right now and Romo took advantage of it. Miles Austin made this week look like a carbon copy of last week. He broke tackles and made big catches to get to his second consecutive week over 170 yds with 2 TDs. The Cowboys grounded the Falcons air attack and hogtied Michael Turner. This game was more about the Falcons not playing very good defense than the Cowboys playing great offense.

The Titans did not lose this week. They didn’t play either.

Bengals v. Bears- There was so much commotion due to the launch of the OchoCinco News Network and iPhone application the Bengals were wondering whether they would cancel the game or not. They decided not only to play, but play EXCELLENT and blew out the Chicago Bears. Everybody played well, Carson Palmer 5 TDs, OchoCinco 10 receptions 2 TDs, Cedric Benson 189 yds rushing TD. Which leads me to ask where was the Bears D?
In other news, the Colts played Steven Jackson. We didn’t have to watch this game to know what happened. Manning continued his assault on the NFL record book and ascension to Greatness. Unless the Rams can manage to beat the Detroit Lions this week, chances are high they will finish the season “Defeated” (0-16), and tie the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the longest losing streak of all-time (26). Stephen Jackson could lead the league in rushing on a 0-16 team. How incredible would that be?
Packers v. Browns. Green Bay is quietly playing some really good football. I’m not gonna be the one to let the cat out of the bag and ruin their season. If they beat the Vikings this week the cat will be out of the bag.
In what could turn out to be a rematch of the Superbowl, the Steelers played the Vikings.
*Note to all NFL Players, in case you didn’t know, Adrian Peterson is a Grown Man. If you are going to attempt to tackle him bring everything you got, or you will be left looking “Gay” (Before you start trippin on me, he ran over William Gay).

Back to the game. Roethlisberger…smerger…erger was very accurate and impressive. He showed great touch and fit many passes in small windows. Both Defenses looked impressive, especially the Steelers who scored twice on defense. Neither running game really got too far off the ground but you just have to love the way Peterson plays the game. The game was very physical and very closely contested, the way football should be.
Monday Night: The game looked like a horror film “Attack of the Quarterback” starring Jason Campbell and Donovan McNabb. Campbell was sacked 6 times, and hit countless others. McNabb was sacked 3 times and hit many more. Jason Campbell limped around the field and I felt sorry for him. He has come under much criticism in the past few weeks, but how can anyone deliver the ball effectively when they are getting hit that much?

The Eagles offense didn’t impress much, but Desean Jackson and the Eagles Defense shined. Jackson is a threat to go to the house every time he touches the ball. Punt Returns, Wildcat, Receiving, Reverses, if he can get his hands on the ball, he might just get to the endzone. The Eagles defense was very opportunistic, bringing pressure and forcing turnovers. Where was this last week against the Raiders?
What did we learn this week? If it looks like a blowout on paper, it will be. Please don’t try and use this logic next week. It is for sure to backfire on you in a bad way. I have some games Highlighted for week 8. St Louis @ Detroit, someone has to win, right? Favre vs the Cheese Heads at Lambeau Field. The “Uniforms” vs the Ravenous offense. And the NY Football Giants vs the Eagles.
Please keep Leon Washington in your prayers. He suffered a really bad compound fracture. I’m praying he has a speedy recovery & rehab!! Keep ya head up Bro!!!

Week 6



This weekend of football is EXACTLY why I don’t and would never bet on sports (also I don’t wanna be Pete Rose’d). NFL games are one of the most unpredictable things, but everyone tries to predict them. Every week there are no shortage of office pools, fantasy leagues, and sports books taking bets. This week on paper looked like it would have a few good games, Giants v. Saints, Ravens v. Vikings, and a few locks like Eagles v. Raiders and Bills v. Jets, but “That’s why they play the game”.

I can never just watch 1 game at a time so I’m frantically station hopping trying not to miss anything. I need more TVs!!! I’ve never been home to watch this much football and I don’t want to miss a minute of it. I have friends on nearly every team and I hate missing plays. I loved watching Mike P get a sack on Jay Cutler, I cringed when Brian Williams came down wrong & hurt his knee, seeing “Baby” aka Marcus Stroud bouncing on the sidelines makes me laugh because I know that means he is about to go out there and ball. I must start playing soon or get more TVs.
Week 6 Recap:
I thought the Saints would beat the Giants simply because they were playing at home, but I didn’t expect the game to be so lopsided. The Saints were having a party in the end zone and everybody with a fleur de lis was invited. Every time I changed the channel someone new was scoring a TD.
The Vikings/ Ravens proved to be a very good game. Favre has the keys to a high powered sports car of a team. The Ravens used to have the most feared defense who at times would win games by out scoring the other team without help from its inept offense. Boy have the tables turned. Blame it on whatever you want, the D just ain’t what it used to be! Flacco still managed to lead them back from a big hole to have and opportunity to win the game, but they had a Ray Finkle (Ace Ventura) moment, wide left.
Bills v. Jets- The T.O. show has not gotten off the ground and they have scrapped the “no huddle” offense but some how managed to win in OT. The top passer in the game was Mark Sanchez with 119 yards. LOL seriously? Thomas Jones almost single handedly had more offense than both QBs combined. The Jets defense is looking real good this year (boy do the Ravens D miss Rex Ryan and Bart Scott). Sanchez threw 5 ints (Wow, welcome to the NFL) and they still held the Bills to 16 points. Wait, is the Bills offense that bad or Jets D that good? On the heels of back-to-back weeks of shaky play by Sanchez the Jets know they better find a way to simplify things and slow the game down for him or they will be watching playoff games at home.

Detroit v. Green Bay- I honestly did not watch 1 second of this game! Who did?
Kansas City v. Washington- I did not watch 1 second of this game either. I knew KC would win because the Redskins just have too much extracurricular stuff going on there right now. Coaches, owners, and players are all going in different directions. Washington has way more talent than KC but we all know talent alone does not win games. And anytime you hand your play calling duty over to a guy who was making Starbuck’s runs, you are in trouble.
I had no clue what to expect from the Jacksonville v. St Louis game. I was not sure if the Jags would rebound from the bruising they took last week or let the win less Rams come into D-U-V-A-L and get a victory . Mark Bulger made his return this week, but the Jags got the win. It was not impressive at all considering they were playing the Rams, who after Avery went down early were down to 2 receivers that you have never heard of. The Rams were left with Stephen Jackson, who the Jags couldn’t stop, even though he was the only weapon on the field. The Jaguars players and coaches have been quoted numerous times this year saying “We are looking for our identity as a team”. I Know the Jags Identity! From now on they will be known as the “Hyphens”, because their most effective weapons are Sims-Walker and Jones-Drew. The Jags will only win if they get the ball to the “Hyphens”.

Titans v. Patriots- To the delight of “Hyphen” fans everywhere the Titans where DESTROYED by the Pats during intermission of the Ice Capades. That’s about how long this game was competitive. The Titans lost Haynesworth and went from last seasons penthouse to this years outhouse. I think I saw Jeff Fisher at Snyder’s door trying to write him a check for Haynesworth.

Eagles v. Raiders- How, Why, What Happened??? Russell has a quarterback rating on the season that looks like Albert Pujols batting average, and the Raiders have a pigeon playing special teams defense, but they still managed to win . This game is exactly why I would never bet money on sports. The Eagles have looked brilliant at times this season and made you think they could possibly make a run. How can you possible explain this? Maybe it was the Cali weather.
The Monday Night Football game proved to be a good matchup. The “Uniforms”(Broncos) v. Chargers. FYI, I really like the Uniforms throwbacks, especially the socks. My two standouts of the game were Tony Scheffler and Eddie Royal a.k.a. Eddie Royale “Mc Cheese” (in Paris the 1/4 pounder at McDonald’s is really called that), had a spectacular game. He had a stellar rookie year but has been virtually invisible this season until Monday night where he made special teams “Special”. Scheffler made a couple big time catches. If you didn’t know who he was before this game, you do now. Very impressive. Darren Sproles is not one to be left off the highlight reel and he showed exactly why with his very own special play, a punt returned 71yds for a touchdown. This was a Great Game to watch.

Week 7 is on the way and what did we learn this week about this season? Absolutely Nothing and I can’t wait for next week’s games. I’m looking forward to watching the Terrible towels take on the Unbeaten Purple-people eaters, Bears vs Ocho–Diablo’s Bengals & Drew Brees vs Miami’s wildcat offense. It should be another great week of football.