Peace On That

There is no excuse to losing 3 games in the final minutes. There Bears should be 6-0 but to date all of their losses has come with defensive collapses in the final minutes of the game. Coming into the season my figured that the defense would carry the load with the offense but the offense is doing much better then many expected. Hopefully, my beloved Bears will turn things around for the final 2/3 part of the season. We have an opportunity to make a move towards the playoffs. C'mon guys. LETS GO!!!

Over the past two weeks, our beloved have sought scourge our loyalty with putrid performances oh so worthy of our disdain. I, having forsaken good judgment and commons sense, tapped into cumulative greatness of Bears history and crowned this the year that we return to our rightful place as lord and overseer of the gridiron.

My first week prediction of victory was like the discovery of a Minority Report from a Pre-Cog and with the hubris of Odysseus, I laid claim to my greatness. To my despair, such boastfulness is rarely reinforced with continued success and my “Mission Accomplished” sign was met with the cruel resemblance of the Bush Doctrine.

Having spat upon the glory of Red Grange, Walter Payton and Gayle Sayers, our beloved placed before us an indigestible feast of iniquity. For two weeks victory was at hand with only a competent display of fortitude necessary to secure glory. But they failed us and retreated into the filthy bowels of Soldier Field, adorned with the fragrance of hot steamy human feces, soiled in their sackless jockstraps.

With the mighty green winged men coming from the east to devour their rotting carcass, the Monsters of the Midway had to dig deep and find the strength to bring victory to the City of the Wind. So when the winged men from the east came calling, lead by the one they call McNabb, our Bears stood and took a bold swipe and beheaded the vermin in such a way that made King Henry VIII take note. Though we take no joy in what happened to Anne Boleyn, there will be no peace in the NFL kingdom until the Bears have produced a rightful heir to throne. The lineage of George “Papa Bear” Halas must be preserved. And with the victory over the Eagles, we consummated once again with our bride while the sultry sounds of the Super Bowl Shuffle played in the background.

And now we march on to greet the lowly Lions, the ghastly Falcons and repulsive Vikings with a renewed determination to destroy these teams and burn their existence in such a way that not even their pathetic, puny souls will emerge from the ashes.

THIS IS CHI-TOWN!!!!!

So the BCS standings are out and I am not impressed. I love Big Ten football but Ohio State is not the best college team in the country. In fact, I would place OSU no higher than 4th in the rankings. The BCS is crap and should be done away with. This would be my rankings of the top ten teams in the country.

1. LSU: They lost to a very good Kentucky team that played a flawless game unlike USC that lost to Stanford. Reward Kentucky but I give LSU a pass.

2. California: I still believe this is the best team in a very competitive PAC Ten conference.

3. Oklahoma: They still have to prove something but I think they could be most teams in the country.
4. Ohio State: They are a good team but their schedule is too soft for me to think they are a number one team.

5. South Carolina: The defense is crazy and they’ve shown they that can play with the best.

6. South Florida: If they beat Rutgers and Cincinnati, I will bump them up in the poll.

7. Kentucky: This is a great team and if you take away the loss to South Carolina you could make the case for a higher ranking.

8. Oregon: I like this team and they have the talent to beat anyone in the top 25.

9. Boston College: Haven’t played anyone. I’m a wait and see with this team.

10. West Virginia: I have no feelings regarding this team. They’re ok but probably not much better than the next 7 teams ranked below them.

11. Virginia Tech: See West Virginia.

12. Arizona State: How the BCS got them in the Top Ten I’ll never know. The next two games will show us exactly what’s going on out their in the desert.

13. Thru 25: Who cares? Put any of the next ranked 30 teams in any order from here and a case could be made.

This is one of the most important days of the year. Right now,

1 1 Oakland Russell, JaMarcus QB 6-6 263 Louisiana State
This is a good pick. JaMarcus is by far the superior QB and I think he should be very good.

2 2 Detroit Johnson, Calvin WR 6-4 237 Georgia Tech
I’m not sure if they will keep this pick because they’ve drafted several wide receivers over the past couple drafts, but they could package Mike Williams with someone else and get a defensive guy.

3 3 Cleveland Thomas, Joe OT 6-6 313 Wisconsin
I thought they would take Brady Quinn but they couldn’t run the ball last year so maybe this is a good pick.

4 4 Tampa Bay Adams, Gaines DE 6-5 260 Clemson
I don’t know much about him, but they say he is a little lazy on the run but is a great pass rusher. He will have to improve if he plans on staying in the league past his rookie year.

5 5 Arizona Brown, Levi OT 6-4 328 Penn State
They had to do this. They have the receivers, they have the quarter back, they have the running back. Now they need to protect them with an offensive line.

6 6 Washington Landry, LaRon FS 6-2 205 Louisiana State
Washington has a lot of holes to fill. This is a start but they will need a good free agent session to get that team in position to win.

7 7 Minnesota Peterson, Adrian RB 6-2 218 Oklahoma
The Vikings had a decent running game last year, but with this pick they are looking for a franchise-type running back.

It's 10:38am, I have to get in the shower, will be back. Atlanta is on the clock.

UPDATE

Ok, I ran out of time so I'll just look at some of the more interesting moments in the draft. The big one being Brady Quinn's fall to pick 23 by the Cleveland Browns. I thought BQ was an ok quarterback but there was a lot of hype around him this past weekend. He doesn't have a strong arm and when he wasn't play cream puffs, he was an average QB. The Browns were smart to deal with their most pressing issue - the line, figuring that BQ would be there later in the draft.

I don't think it was a bad thing for him to fall to 23. Hell, the number 1 pick in the draft will have to prove himself just as well.

Trades: New England is stocking their receiving corp and there is no bigger stock than Randy Moss. This is a perfect move for Oakland and New England. Moss is not the type of receiver you want with a rookie QB. However, Tom Brady needed a deep threat after the loss of D. Branch. It will be very interesting.

Bears: They continue to piss me off. But at least they are working on bring Briggs back and I think picking up Archeletta. My beloved is in chaos and will need to do some things to get the situation under control.

Ok, that's it. Sorry Diane... I have to discuss football. We'll hit the Bush boys later.

The biggest game of the year will take place this weekend: Michigan vs. Ohio State. I'm torn because I love both of them. I'm sure my heart will be with Michigan but not completely.

I do wonder how this will impact the BCS. If Michigan loses, will they be given a chance for a rematch in the national title? If Michigan's only loss comes at the hand of the number one team in the nation that would me that any team with a loss will rank below them... that's my logic. USC is not a number two team and neither is Florida.

Michigan beat the hell out of Notre Dame so they can hang it up. And can we seriously consider Arkansas or Rutgers for the national title? I think not.

The coaches and writers might drop Michigan far enough to ensure that there is no rematch for the national title, but that would not be fair to Michigan.

Now, what if Michigan wins? Is there anyone out there that thinks USC, Florida or Arkansas is better than Ohio State? Not if you're a real football fan.

In conclusion, tomorrow's game should be a preamble to the national title game unless one team blows out the other. It will be a beautiful Saturday afternoon. But to ensure both Big Ten teams make it to the national title, I need Cal to beat USC, then USC beat Notre Dame. Then I'll need West Virginia to beat Rutgers. That game will take place in a couple of weeks.

Let's get together and cheer on the greatest football conference in the country.

GO BIG TEN!!! GO BIG TEN!!! GO BIG TEN!!! GO BIG TEN!!! GO BIG TEN!!! GO BIG TEN!!!



RIP BO (Greatest of all time) :(

Michigan football coach Bow Schembechler is shown in this 1975 file photo in Ann Arbor, Mich. Schembechler, the winningest coach in Michigan football history, died Friday. (AP/Richard Scheinwald)

It was a good weekend of football. The Bears returned to dominant form - albeit against the hapless 49ers, but a win is a win. Below is my new rankings and some comments.



The Pigskin Challenge is getting really close now. I'll post the ranking after tonight's game. It will be very close from here on out.

Football talk:

1. What team has surprised you the most thus far?
2. What is the most disappointing team thus far?
3. Rookie of the year candidate?
4. Midseason MVP?
5. What team is most likely to turn it around in the second half?
6. Super Bowl picks?

Week 6 of the football season and my Bears are KILLIN’. I didn’t present my picks from last week but just know that I picked 12 out of 14 games, losing only four points on the week. But mad props to “Outside the Box” who picked 13 out of 14 games correct, losing only 3 points.

Get you picks in.

Here are the standings:

1 Outside the Box 429
2 The Master 423
3 Timmer the LieDowns Fan 412
4 Panthers Rule 388
5 Unstoppable Flow (Rell) 218
6 Big Cliff 165
7 indigo's winners 110

Nuff Said...

How about something funny that I found on You Tube.

Ok, it is week 4 and we're off to a good start. The Bears are 3-0 and are favored to win against the Seahawks. It will be a good game and I am going with my Bears.

As always, I have to pick a few upsets. My upset picks of the week are:

Minnesota over Buffalo
49ers over Kansas City
Detroit over St. Louis

I was dead wrong about Atlanta beating New Orleans. Man, the Saints came out fired up and never let the Falcons get anything going. I'll adjust my power rankings after this weekend. We'll see.

It was not a very good week for most folks. Robert won the week and a few people forgot to pick. Not to worry, there are 13 weeks still left so a lot of ground can still be made up. Just make sure you get your picks in. I may drop by their blogs to remind them.

Here are the standings thus far.

1 The Master (me) 259
2 Timmer the LieDowns Fan 242
3 Outside the Box 239
4 Panthers Rule 226
5 Unstoppable Flow (Rell) 213
6 indigo's winners 110
7 Big Cliff 85

MY PICKS WEEK 4

Ok, get your picks in folks. I have a league set up and you can join or you can enter your picks in the comment area. You can join by going: HERE

The name of the group number is 32256 - and the password is: dabears

Monday Update:

Well, just like I thought, my Fantasy football team got their butts kicked up and down the gridiron this past weekend. I'm sure Nikki will talk some trash - but I'm 2-1 and in good shape to at least make the post-season.

Surprises:

#1: The Jets are a better team than I expected. I had them ranked 31st but clearly they are better than that.

#2: The Bengals are either that good or the Steelers are in trouble. Either way, the Bengals are a very good team and I think only the Ravens will challenge them for the division title.

#3: How bad is Houston? If you watched the game, or saw the highlights, then you saw Portis run right down the middle of the defense for a TD. Was that sad? If you're a Texan fan - then you should run down to your local sporting store and pick up a Bears jersey.

You Still Suck:

#1: The Redskins won, but you still suck.

#2: I was excited to see what you were made of... but after three weeks of looking, I can say that the Arizona Cardinals still suck.

#3: Call me an elitist - but detroit has always been the Chicago wanna-be's of the Midwest. The inhabitants of that city are beneath me. The detroit lions is a garbage can operation not even worth of capitalization.

----------------------------------------
Damn, my Fantasy team sucked today. Not one offensive player scored a TD and not one single defensive player recorded a sack or INT. However, the Bears did win so life is pretty good.

I am now convinced that Arizona is a cursed franchise and Bills are not worthy of my selecting them. But back to the Bears. The Vikings were a big test for them and they proved that they are the best team in the NFC North. Seattle showed a couple of things and the Eagles bounced back as I expected they would. The Giants are for real but the schedule has not been in their favor.

So what are your thoughts on week 3 thus far?

Update Monday: It was an outstanding weekend for football. My fantasy team killed. This is the first time I've played a league where the defensive players are just as important as the offensive ones. Generally, I would just pick a team defense and not individual players. I revamped my team and went from 55 point in week 1 to 111 points in week 2.

The Pigskin Challenge is fired up and my picks came through. The confidence points adds a little more to the game and as it stands now, I have 111 points with only 5 points on the line in tonight's game.

Arizona didn't pull off the upset but San Francisco did. I believe both teams are much better this year and are on the road to improvement. I thought about going with Buffalo but I chickened out. Miami needs some help.

The Giants, wow, what can I say about that. Philadelphia went to sleep in the 4th quarter. That was surprising. I don't expect that to happen again and look for Philly to smash from here on out.

We have six players in the Pigskin Challenge. I'll post the results of this past weekend on Friday. Happy football folks. Y'all have a great Monday, because I sure am.

GO BEARS!!!

Update: It is a great weekend to be me. First, Michigan dogged Notre Dame and now the Bears kill the Lions.

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It is 11:04 am, Los Angeles time and I am loving it. The Bears are killing the Lions. The passing game is looking good. The running game is looking good.

Around the league: The Colts and Bengals are doing what I expected but the Saints... well, they're just being the Saints.

Atlanta is smashing the Bucs as I expected.

Robert, what the hell is going on with your Panthers? The ar just not doing it for me in these first two games. I had to bench Steve Smith.

THE BEARS JUST SCORED AGAIN!!!!! YEEEEESSSS!!!!

Welcome to Football Friday. There are some good games happening Sunday. Week 2 is always a hard one for picks because teams have yet to establish themselves. It isn’t until week 4 when you can feel confident with most of the picks.

With that said, let us look at the most compelling games for week 2 that are worthy of the DVR.

Seattle vs. Arizona: Seattle was a dog last week. Arizona looked as though they were ready for the playoffs. Seattle traded a draft pick for Deon Branch and now have one of the best receiving corps in the league. Arizona’s offensive looks as explosive as any in the league but the defense could use some upgrades.

Philadelphia vs. NY Giants: Both teams have playoff aspirations, as they should. McNabb is healthy and Manning has some experience under his belt. The only reason I’m going with Philly is because they are playing at home. Giants have what it takes to win; we will see if they can pull it off.

St. Louis vs. San Francisco: After watching the 49ers last week, I picked up Frank Gore (RB) for my fantasy team. I was also impressed with Alex Smith. The 49ers just might have something going good for them. They’ve at least graduated from being an automatic dog to dangerous.


OK, there it is. Of course I will watch the Bears smack the Lions around but I’ll keep my eyes open to what is going on around the league.

There are some great college football games on this weekend as well, most notably, USC vs. Nebraska, Michigan vs. Notre Dame, and LSU vs. Auburn. Head over the Dave Miller’s blog. He previews all of the college game and has his Top Ten selection.

The Pigskin Challenge

Ok, get your picks in folks. I have a league set up and you can join or you can enter your picks in the comment area. You can join by going: HERE

The name of the group number is 32256 - and the password is: dabears

Current Standings

1 Unstoppable Flow (Rell) 107
2 The Master (Me) 84
3 Outside the Box 75
4 Timmer the LieDowns Fan 71
5 Panthers Rule 62

Ok, have a good weekend of football.

Discussion Starters:

1. Talk about football
2. Open - talk about anything you want.

Damn if my Bears are looking like they are ready for the Super Bowl. I know it is Green Bay, but Grossman is looking good and our running game is on point. The defense is doing what I expected the defense to do.

First on the list for the Rudd award is Kurt Warner. While on their own 6 yard line, he fumbles the damn ball and San Franscisco was able to pull within 3 points. Jerk.

What the hell happened to Carolina... Robert... you need to explain yourself son. They cost me major points.

I may have to take another look at Baltimore. The offense moved the ball well and the defense looks good.

Back to Arizona. They are going to scare a lot of teams this year. I'm happy for Dennis Green.

Finally, Kansas City should get rid of their franchise. They are a garbage team.

Ok, I'm going back to my Bears.

UPDATE

I'm watching Arizona work the clock and I start shouting at them, run the ball. If Arizona want to make it to the next level, they will have to learn to use James more effectively. On the drive that put the game away, they ran the ball as many times as they passed. They will have to do more of that.

I did like the way the 49ers offense worked and it compelled me to pick up Frank Gore as an alternative running back for my fantasy team.

***Denver, Denver, Denver... what can I say of thee? You sucked!!!

***Reggie Bush had a nice day. I'm happy for him. I'm not sold on the Saints. They always start the season off well then fall apart by week 6. I see no reason to think that this year will be any different. Holla at me around week 10 and I'll let you know if the Saints are better or just being what they've always been.

***The Jets surprised me. I still think they suck but now I realize that the Titans suck even more. If they don't improve then you can expect to see Vince Young starting by mid-season.

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL!!!!

I am. I’ve been waiting all summer for this moment. Come Sunday, breakfast will consist of hotdogs, chips, leftover beef stew and the Chicago Bears. I love it. There are a few games that I am interested in seeing outside of my Bears. The beauty of the NFL Ticket is that I actually get to watch any game that I want. It’s a wonderful.

The following are my highlight games of the week.


The Rivalry
Bears vs. Packers: Two storied franchises start the season off and I suspect my Bears will prevail. What is interesting about this game is that I really don’t know the capabilities of the Bears offense. The preseason was a wash because the QB didn’t do much and the running backs were hurt. We will see.

The Future
Arizona vs San Francisco: Dennis Green is making some moves in Arizona and I think this year could be the one where the Cardinals elevate their status from laughing stock to respectability. With the addition of Edrin James, an up and coming QB and a receiving corps that is one of the best, Arizona could be just a defense away from the playoffs.
Does anyone care about San Francisco?

The Question Marks
Pittsburg vs Miami: What are the Steelers like without the Bus in the backfield and Big Ben under center? Can Daunte lead the Dolphins to the promise land? How much will the Steelers miss Antwaan Randle El? After Booker and Chambers, who is left to catch a pass?


The Pigskin Challenge.

Ok, get your picks in folks. I have a league set up and you can join or you can enter your picks in the comment area. You can join by going: HERE

The name of the group number is 32256 - and the password is: dabears

Talk About It
1. What games will you be watching and why?
2. MAKE YOUR FORCAST FOR WEEK ONE

We're going to have some fun with the upcoming football season. I've created a group for the Pigskin Challenge. It will be much easier to track then last year. Make sure you guys join it.

The Pigskin Challenge

If you were around last year then you know how it works. Each week you will submit your picks for the games. You will get a point for ever correct pick. To make it easier, I created a Group on Yahoo. You can join there by clicking HERE

The name of the group number is 32256 - and the password is: dabears

But for those that don't go through the trouble of joining the group, I'll post the games and on this blog and you can put your picks in the comment area.

The Weekly Rudd Award Nomination

Recap of Dwayne Rudd: In the 2002 season opening contest against the Chiefs, the Browns held a 39-37 lead with time enough for one Kansas City play from about mid-field. Rudd rushed QB Trent Green, and tackled him for an apparent sack to end the game. Rudd removed his helmet in jubilation, but Green fumbled before he was down. The Chiefs recovered the fumble, and Rudd was penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct. The penalty put KC in field goal range, and the Chiefs won the game, 40-39.

Every week there is someone that makes a bonehead decision. Well, we're going to track those plays and at the end of the year present the Rudd Award. I can't watch every game so I'm counting on you guys to help me with the nominations. If you see a bonehead play that defies logic, let me know and we'll vote on them at the end of the season.

Football 101

I often hear people say that they can't get into football because they don't understand the game. That excuse will no longer work as I will present some basic elements of the game as well as an understanding the strategies that make football the greatest sport in the world. Stay tuned.

Ok, if you guys have any ideas feel free to present them. This is going to be a great season of football. Get those grills ready gents. It's on.

GO BEARS!!!

Football season official arrived yesterday with the opening of the Chicago Bears training camp. I would like to remind you that I do expect the Bears to win the Super Bowl this year – although if I had to bet a million bucks I’d put my money on the Steelers if Ben is ok or Seattle.

But to properly prepare you gents for the season, I just want to remind you of a couple of rules of engagement as it pertains to attending football functions and tailgate parties.

Rule #1: You are not allowed to eat or drink anything that 25% more expensive than what you brought to the party. For example, if you bring hotdogs, then you are not to eat steak. If you brought Grade A Angus beef, then pork chops and links are available. It is the same with the beverage.

Rule #2: It is perfectly acceptable to hate an individual that is a fan of a team that you hate. However, if a fan of you hated team offers you a beer, all hatred of said fan is to cease until you have paid your debt to society by offering that fan a beer.

Speaking of Hate

I was going to put this list out last week but I’ll do it now. The following is a list of football teams, college and professional, that I can’t stand.

1.Dallas Cowboys
2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
3. Air Force
4. New York Jets
5. Oklahoma State
6. Florida Gators
7. BYU
8. Oakland Raiders
9. Colorado Buffalos


I still have to present my preseason power picks. And of course for you fantasy players, I’m going to give my top fantasy players.

You may not be aware of this but one of the greatest events of the year will take place. That’s right, the Chicago Bears open training camp for the 2006 season.

FOOTBALL!!!

Damn if I’m not excited about this upcoming season. The Chicago Bears will once again dominate on defense and we actually might put an offense together. The experts are having a hissy-fit because the Bears focused on defense in the draft. Bull! How many rookies actually make a difference on the offensive end? Very few rookies have been impact players and I’m sure the number is smaller if you narrow it down to offensive linemen.

I expect nothing short of the Super Bowl for my Bears. Check the schedule and you will see why. *Bold games are predicted wins

Sun., September 10 @ Packers 3:15 pm FOX
Sun., September 17 vs. Lions Noon FOX
Sun., September 24 @ Vikings Noon FOX
Sun., October 1 vs. Seahawks 7:15 pm NBC
Sun., October 8 vs. Bills Noon CBS
Mon., October 16 @ Cardinals 7:30 pm ESPN
Sun., October 29 vs. 49ers Noon FOX
Sun., November 5 vs. Dolphins Noon CBS
Sun., November 12 @ Giants Noon* FOX
Sun., November 19 @ Jets Noon* FOX
Sun., November 26 @ Patriots Noon* FOX
Sun., December 3 vs. Vikings Noon* FOX
Mon., December 11 @ Rams 7:30 pm ESPN
Sun., December 17 vs. Bucs Noon* FOX
Sun., December 24 @ Lions Noon FOX
Sun., December 31 vs. Packers Noon* FOX

I’m looking at my Bears to go 11-5. The Black and Blue division may turn out to be a competitive one but I have a feeling that the Vikings and Lions will struggle. The Vikings because – well, because they jacked their team to hell by not keeping Moss and Culpepper. The Lions will struggle because that’s just what the Lions do. Anything else would be uncivilized.

Here are my predictions for the winners in each division

AFC East: Miami Dolphins Dante - Culpepper, a running game and a weak division.

AFC North: Cincinnati Bengals – This rides on the health of the Steeler’s Big Ben.

AFC South: Indianapolis Colts – Giving up James was silly but their in a division with Tennessee and Houston

AFC West: Denver Bronco – This division will be interesting but I can’t expect too much for the Chargers and Oakland. But they may surprise me.

NFC East: Dallas Cowboys – It hurts but I have to keep it real. Philly had their chance now it’s ‘Hoe go sit down’ for them.

NFC North: Da Bears – Because they’re the Bears

NFC South: Carolina Panthers – These cats are going to wreck shop. Might even challenge my Bears for the Super Bowl.

NFC West: Seattle Seahawks – A very weak division but Arizona will be fun to watch.

Tomorrow, I’m doing my preseason power rankings. Politics, war and religion will be off the table for a few days as I plan to indulge myself with my love of the greatest sport man has created.