College: I went 4-2 once again in the Six-Pack. However, the Palmetto State came up empty in their upset bids this weekend. Clemson gave The U all it could handle before succumbing in OT, but South Carolina laid an egg at home against Alabama dropping them to 0-2 in the SEC.
Winners:
Michigan St.: Thankfully they beat Notre Dame, and ended any talk of the Irish winning a national championship this season. However, if this Spartans team is to be any different from their past helter-skelter incarnations, they must win this weekend at Illinois.
Virginia: Winning in the Carrier Dome is never an easy task. It certainly wasn't pretty, but the Hoos left upstate New York with a valuable win. This season's ACC race will be very interesting.
UCLA: Handled an out-manned Oklahoma team at home as they should have. After taking them to task in an earlier post, I'll be the first to congragulate them on a big victory. Maybe something is Bruin in Los Angeles.
Losers:
Tennessee: Yep, I had these boys pegged as way overrated in late July. Pythagoras giveth and he taketh away.
Arkansas: No one expected you to hang with the defending champs. But when football scores resemble PGA golf scores, something is amiss in Fayetteville.
NFL: Random Thoughts
1. It appears the Minnesota Vikings bandwagon has crashed in the driveway. But there are still reasons to be optimistic. For starters, the two teams thay have played (Tampa Bay and Cincinnati) are a combined 4-0; and Tampa's defense proved to be just as stingy this past week against Buffalo. Their division is weak (Green Bay is 0-2, Detroit is 1-1, and Chicago is 1-1). The offense may be less potent after losing Randy Moss, but rest assured Daunte Culpepper will not average 4 interecptions per game the rest of the season. I still believe the Vikings have a great shot to win the NFC North.
2. For 55 minutes Monday night, Washington's offense looked as intimidating as Wallace Shawn. And then... Inconceivable... Mark Brunell suddenly looked like his 1998 self in tossing consecutive bombs to Santana Moss. Methinks, the first 55 minutes is more indicative of Washington's offensive prowess than the last 5.
3. Time to lay off the Saints being 'America's Team'. OK they beat Carolina in Week 1, but how is that any different from what they did in Week 17 last season? The Saints are not a good team, they are the same mediocre team they were last season. They pulled an upset. Those occasionally happen in athletic contests. For all intents and purposes, they get no home games this season, so lets dispense with the talk that the Saints will 'rally around each other' and make the postseason.
Final Thought: Here's why the NFL's QB rating formula is utterly lacking in measuring a quarterback's performance.
David Carr's stat line Sunday: 16 completions 26 attempts 167 yards 1 TD 0 INT 92.9 rating
...but, Carr was sacked 8 times for 59 yards
...so in reality, the Texans attempted 34 passes and netted 108 yards for a measly 3.2 yards per pass average, and thus only managed 7 points.
3 comments:
I agree with you about the Saints. Also, how much does them winning in week 1 really affect the victims of Katrina? They still need food and shelter don't they? Their victory did not change any of this. It was a good win and I guess mildly inspirational, but it didn't solve anything for New Orleans. The media beat that to death.
My dear Statistical, you so have a point about the whole quarterback rating formula. It's amazing how sacks and lost of yardage are not accounted for in the formula to begin with. How redonkulous is that? You're so smart!
I could not have said it better crimes.
Post a Comment