2009 September | Midwest Sports Fans

Titans-Steelers Betting Preview: Odds and Prediction

September 10, 2009 By BetOnline Leave a Comment

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NFL betting players have been awaiting the return of the regular season since an exciting end to the 2008 season, when Pittsburgh edged Arizona in the Super Bowl. The Steelers begin the defense of their title with a home game against Tennessee, one of the biggest surprises of the season, and it should be a hard-hitting game on both sides of the ball.

Titans vs Steelers odds – Thursday, September 10, 8:30 PM ET

The Titans are rolling into the regular season with Kerry Collins at quarterback, but don’t be surprised to see Vince Young at some point this season as he had a very good camp and looks to be past the issues that plagued him in 2008. They still have one of the best running-back duos in the league in Chris Johnson and LenDale White, but the Titans need receivers Nate Washington, a former Steeler, and Kenny Britt to be productive and open up the offense. However, Washington may miss his reunion with his former team with a hamstring injury. Defensively, the Titans lost Albert Haynesworth to Washington, which will hurt their interior defense as well as their online betting chances.

The Steelers have 19 of their 22 starters back from last year, which makes them one of the favorites, especially with the fourth-easiest schedule in the league. Ben Roethlisberger leads an attack that is bolstered by a healthy Rashard Mendenhall, who will look to push Willie Parker in the backfield. Limas Sweed should be able to slot into the No.3 receiving spot held by Washington last year. The defense is just as it was last year, minus corner Bryant McFadden to Arizona, and it’s led by the best group of linebackers in the league. Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison is a menace, and safety Troy Polamalu may be getting better after six seasons in the league.

Betting services have the Steelers as a 6-point favorite in this contest, and they’ve won two of their last three games at Heinz Field against the Titans, including a 34-7 rout in 2005. The key to this will be Tennessee’s run defense, and whether or not the loss of Haynesworth will hurt them. We’re figuring that the Steelers, who are deep at running back, will test this theory, and if they can get a lead, that forces Collins to try and make plays, which suits Pittsburgh just fine. Go with the Steelers in your NFL picks on Thursday.

Herman Edwards Might Like a Few Words With Urban Meyer

September 10, 2009 By Jerod Morris 3 Comments

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The New York Times has an interesting article today about the evolution of offenses in the NFL. Specifically, the article deals with the proliferation of more spread-out offensive schemes and the infiltration of college-style sets like the Wildcat into NFL gameplans. It’s a good read.

What stuck out to me in the article was a quote from the Grand Poobah of the Spread Offense and Football Itself (just ask him): Urban Meyer. Meyer apparently believes that the offense he “perfected” at Utah and now Florida is quite obviously the answer to what ails all struggling offenses in the NFL:

“I think it would have worked years ago,” Meyer said. “No one has had enough — I don’t want to say courage — no one has wanted to step across that line. Everyone runs the same offense in the N.F.L. A lot of those coaches are retreads. They get fired in Minnesota, they go to St. Louis. They get fired in St. Louis and go to San Diego. I guess what gets lost in the shuffle is your objective is to go win the game. If it’s going to help you win the game, then you should run the spread.”

So, to paraphrase Urban Meyer: NFL coaches all run the same offenses as eachother, they hop around from job to job – basically just switching places – continuing to run the same offenses, yet because they lack courage and forget that their job is to win, they refuse to give the spread a try despite it’s obvious ability to lead to NFL victories.

Does that make any sense to you? Me either.

Here is what does make sense: Urban Meyer’s ego is getting waaaay to big and he has clearly lost any sense of perspective.

In fact, a certain former New York Jets coach might like to have a few words with Urban Meyer regarding the latter’s insinuation that a lack of courage to try to the spread is indicative of the objective for winning getting “lost in the shuffle.” Go ahead Herm, tell Urban what you think about that:

Hmm…sounds like Herman Edwards didn’t have a problem with the objective for winning getting lost in the shuffle. Sounds like he is quite clear what the goal is, as I would assume most coaches are. And Herm did happen to be one of those “retread” coaches that Urban Meyer so deferentially (not) refers to in his quote.

Perhaps if Urban Meyer stopped polishing his Purple Heart — awarded in this case, of course, for outstanding feats of coaching courage — and stopped sniffing (and enjoying) his own spread-offense-flatulence, he would realize that there are legitimate reasons why NFL teams have been averse to using a full-fledged spread offense. Here are just a few I can come up with off the top of my head:

QBs are the marquee players in the NFL and typically among the highest paid players on NFL rosters. The spread offense exposes QBs to more contact and thus a greater risk of injury.
Defenses in the NFL are far more sophisticated and athletic than those in college football. One great player can make a spread offense wicked in college, but doesn’t work in the NFL. Having the right personnel to run the spread against NFL defenses is difficult to come by.
What becomes of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Carson Palmer, etc., etc., if their coaches suddenly develop “courage” and straighten out the shuffle in which their desire to win was lost? Perhaps Meyer is alluding more to crappy teams without QBs moving to the spread…but I’m fairly that non-spread compatible QBs have dominated the NFL. If a team wants to win, isn’t that a more likely blueprint than moving to the spread?

At the end of the day, many NFL teams have incorporated elements of the spread into their offense precisely because they know they have to evolve to survive and because they wake up every day understanding that the objective is to win.

The Patriots, as the article explains, set NFL records all over the place in 2007 by spreading out and throwing the ball all over the place. The Miami Dolphins introduced the spread-like Wildcat into their offense last year and used it along the way to a surprising 11-5 season. The Dolphins then “courageously” selected Pat White early in the most recent draft to move their Wildcat capabilities along even more.

urban-meyer So, getting to my primary point, what the hell is Urban Meyer talking about? Ah yes, what Urban Meyer is always talking about: Urban Meyer.

(Note: Click here to see Kevin Spacey channeling his inner Urban Meyer.)

You see, his statement is exactly like all other Urban Meyer statements, which are either explicitly or implicitly meant to serve his ubiquitous objective of self-aggrandizement. Talk about something that never gets lost in the shuffle.

Thanks for your input Urban on why more NFL teams don’t use the spread offense. Perhaps one day everyone will have as much courage and will to win (and one of the greatest players in history who just happens to be perfect for your perfect system) as you do.

Until then, I guess NFL coaches across the league will just keep trading places, content in their cowardice and confused about whether winning or losing is their goal.

**********

* – Urban Meyer photo credit: Gator Bytes

Filed Under: CFB, NFL Tagged With: CFB, Herman Edwards, NFL, Spread Offense, Urban Meyer, you play to win the game

Fantasy Football Week 1 Sleeper Picks

September 10, 2009 By Jerod Morris 1 Comment

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It’s only Week 1, so the reality is that you shouldn’t be scouring for weekly matchup sleepers yet. With only few exceptions, owners should simply be filling out their lineups with their top picks at each position and then waiting for Sunday. (And if you’re not doing this, you may want to check your draft strategy next time.)

However, as we move through the 2009 fantasy and NFL football seasons, identifying available and potentially valuable sleepers — especially those who have favorable matchups — can be an important component in effectively navigating the bye weeks or dealing with injuries and ineffectiveness from your starters.

So, even though the majority of people have no use for this column in Week 1, I’m going to write it anyway. If nothing else, it will get me into the groove for writing it weekly, kind of like my own little sleeper analysis preseason.

Note: The % owned numbers I am citing are from Yahoo. I’d imagine they are pretty similar to what you’ll find on ESPN. And remember, these are deep sleepers. There is no sense in me telling you that Wes Welker is a good play against Buffalo. He’s probably owned in 100% of your leagues. I am only going to look at guys who are owned in 50% or less of Yahoo leagues, because you might actually have a chance to pick them up.

Let’s get right to it:

Week 1 Sleeper Pick: Quarterbacks

Brady Quinn, Cleveland (vs Minnesota)

Don’t laugh.

If you are trolling for a sleeper QB in Week 1, I hope it’s because you are in a league that starts three of them. Most leagues only start one, but even owners in leagues that start two should have their horses ready.

Fantasy Football Week 1 Sleeper Picks at QB, RB, WR, TE, Defense | Sleepers: Mike Bell, Brady Quinn, Martellus Bennett, Isaac Bruce, Saints D That said, if you do need a QB, I think newly minted starter Brady Quinn could put up sneaky good numbers this week against Minnesota, and he’s only owned in 25% of leagues. The primary reason why I foresee a decent fantasy day from Quinn is that, while I expect the Browns to improve to 6-8 wins this year, I see the matchup against Minnesota as being absolutely awful from a team perspective of actually wining the game.

The Vikings have perhaps the best run / stop the run combo in the NFL, and both are severe weaknesses of the Browns. Plus, with all of the offseason drama, Minnesota will be extra amped up to play and to send a message that all is right in the Twin Cities. Add it all up and I see a game that is a 10-14 point deficit at halftime and then the Vikings cruising to victory in the second half.

Why does this matter?

If Cleveland gets behind, smashing Jamal Lewis into the line for three-yard carries isn’t going to bring them back. Brady Quinn will be forced to throw, and the Browns’ one true offensive playmaker is on the outside in Braylon “Hands” Edwards. It may not be pretty, and Quinn may not have a great completion % in his first start, but he should have the opportunity to rack up yards, and possibly even a 4th quarter TD or two against the Vikings backups.

For comparison’s sake, I actually like Quinn better from a Week 1 fantasy standpoint than either of the QBs playing tonight: Ben Roethlisberger or Kerry Collins.

Week 1 Sleeper Pick: Running Backs

Mike Bell, New Orleans (vs Detroit)

As we updated yesterday, Saints starting RB Pierre Thomas is most likely out for Week 1 with a sprained MCL. That means that Reggie Bush will probably get a few more touches, but I think the Saints have wised up to the fact that Bush is not an every down back.

Insert: Mike Bell.

The former Broncos phenom has bounced around the past few years, but has a pretty cushy gig as the backup in New Orleans. And the truth is that if Tony Siragusa was the backup for the Saints, he’d be a sleeper playing against Detroit.

New Orleans will score tons of points, and probably will have at least a few goalline carries to dole out in the midst of their 450-500 yard day. When they do, Bell is the most likely beneficiary. For a guy owned in only 20% of Yahoo leagues, he offers tremendous TD upside. If you own Thomas and don’t have much depth at RB, you could do a lot worse than inserting Bell into your flex spot and then hanging onto him as a handcuff. Even if you don’t have Thomas, I’d play Bell over guys like Darren Sproles or Fred Taylor, at least for Week 1.

Week 1 Sleeper Pick: Wide Receivers

Isaac Bruce, San Francisco 49ers (@ Arizona)

There are actually a lot of WRs owned in less than 50% of leagues that I like. A few of the names and matchups: Steve Smith, Giants (vs Washington); Mark Clayton, Ravens (vs Chiefs); Devery Henderson, Saints (vs Lions); Josh Cribbs, Browns (vs Minnesota).

The name I like the best, however, is an oldie but sometimes a goodie: Isacc Bruce, who is owned in 49% of Yahoo leagues.

The main reason I like Bruce is that I love the matchup. The 49ers are playing the Cardinals, who I believe are ripe to fall victim to the Super Bowl hangover that always seems to engulf the loser of the Big Game. And considering all of the negative reports coming out of Cardinals preseason camp — from the Cards players themselves — I am even more convinced that this could be another season of horrors in Arizona.

Also, consider this, courtesy of Yahoo Sports:

WR Isaac Bruce had 14 receptions of 20 or more yards last season, as the 49ers ranked fifth in the league with 64 plays of more than 20 yards. Bruce enters this season as the team’s No. 1 receiver.

Mike Singletary made the decision to go with Shaun Hill as his starting QB, and I think it was a great decision. Hill is not flashy, nor is he an every-week fantasy starter by any means. He does, however, have a 90.5 career QB rating and an 18-9 TD-INT ratio in 12 career starts. Since he averages more than a touchdown per start, and considering that Isaac Bruce is his #1 target, chances are solid that these two will form a nice Week 1 combo against an Arizona defense that became overrated last year because of a nice run in the playoffs.

From Week 12 on last year, Bruce had only one game in which he caught fewer than five passes. Especially if you are in a PPR league, Bruce is a very good option as a 3rd WR or flex play this week.

Week 1 Sleeper Pick: Tight Ends

Martellus Bennett, Dallas Cowboys (vs Tampa Bay)

My #1 choice as a sleeper pick at the tight end position is actually Vernon Davis. But since I discussed him yesterday in my Start/Sit column, and just talked about why the 49ers’ passing game has a solid matchup, I’ll go in another direction.

Fantasy Football Week 1 Sleeper Picks at QB, RB, WR, TE, Defense | Sleepers: Mike Bell, Brady Quinn, Martellus Bennett, Isaac Bruce, Saints D Straight to MartyB, Mr. Cap’N Crunch himself.

I wrote earlier this preseason about why I think Martellus Bennett is a great sleeper pick for the season at the tight end position. Considering the onus that the Cowboys have placed on getting both of their tight ends involved in the offense this year (with 2-TE sets rumored to be on the menu perhaps as much as 50% of the time) I think Jason Garrett and Tony Romo will give Bennett some opportunities to get involved in Week 1.

Don’t forget, the freakishly athletic Bennett turned four of his 20 catches into touchdowns last year. His ability to go up and get the football makes him a very inviting target in the red zone. While Jason Witten will obviously be more valuable, and catch a lot more balls, don’t be shocked if Bennett ends up the season with more touchdowns and becomes the Cowboys’ #1 threat inside the 20.

Tampa Bay is rebuilding its defense and I expect the Cowboys to have a good showing on Sunday. If you’re not satisfied with your tight end, Bennett is a great name to consider. He’s clearly not as valuable in a PPR league, but in scoring leagues he offers nice upside for a guy owned in just 7% of Yahoo leagues.

Week 1 Sleeper Pick: Defenses

New Orleans Saints (vs Detroit)

I’m really not a big fan of any of the defenses owned in less than 50% of Yahoo leagues, but there are two facing rookie QBs making their first NFL starts: New Orleans and Houston (facing Mark Sanchez and the Jets).

Matthew Stafford has looked pretty bad this preseason, yet he will no doubt be asked to throw the ball a lot in Week 1 as the Lions try to keep pace with Drew Brees and the Saints’ O. New Orleans does not have a great D by any means, and Detroit will most likely get some yards and even some points with Kevin Smith and Calvin Johnson, but Stafford is too young and inexperienced not to throw a few ill-advised picks. I would not be shocked in the least to see the Saints take one or two of them to the house, and to see them pick up a few sacks on the rookie.

And finally, to hell with kickers. They’re all a crapshoot anyway.

That concludes our proceedings here this morning. As always, feel free to chime in with your comments below and I’ll respond as soon as I’m able.

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* – Brady Quinn photo credit: Avoiding the Muse

* – Martellus Bennett photo credit: AP Photo via DayLife.com

Filed Under: Fantasy Football, Fantasy Sports, Featured Column, NFL Tagged With: brady quinn, Fantasy Football, fantasy football sleepers, football, Isaac Bruce, Martellus Bennett, Mike Bell, NFL, week 1 sleepers

Dropping a Link Deuce On a Wednesday Afternoon

September 9, 2009 By Jerod Morris Leave a Comment

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Sports:

Heisman Watch Week 1 — (MoonDog)
Orrin Hatch: “BCS literally violates antitrust laws” — (MoonDog)
Raiders Trade Chart Cheat Sheet — (Ryan Wilson, FanHouse Back Porch)
Giving the Lions a helping hand — (Josh Q. Public)
Billy Gillispie enters rehab — (Busted Coverage)
Who to bench/start in week 1 — (Not Qualified to Comment)
How will Iverson affect the young Grizzlies? – (Barkley’s Mouth)
Why fans love to hate the Irish — (Stewart Mandel, SI.com)
Even if they want to push it, the Illini probably can’t find the panic button — (Not Qualified to Comment)
Is Jim Tressel really Lloyd Carr? — (Waiting For Next Year)
What a long strange trip it’s been (to Brady Quinn starting) — (Cleveland Frowns)

Non-Sports:

Who is better: Bill Nye The Science Guy or Beakman? — (Straight Pinkie)
Digg as a Pie Chart — (Gunaxin)
Ten frontmen who died too soon — (Gunaxin)

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: links

New Browns Beat Writer Terrell Owens Confirms that Brady Quinn Will Start at QB

September 9, 2009 By Jerod Morris 2 Comments

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There are a number of people who I thought might break the news of whether Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson had won the Browns QB derby prior to kickoff of the Browns-Vikings game this sunday.

Perhaps Mary Kay Cabot would do it, I thought, considering that she covers the Browns beat for the Cleveland Plain-Dealer.

Or perhaps one of our good friends over at the Orange & Brown Report would do it, considering they always seem to be out in front of important Browns news.

Or maybe ProFootballTalk would break the news, considering their ever-growing number of league and team sources, plus their obvious ins with agents around the league.

Well guess what…had I bet any money on any of those three options breaking the news, I would have lost. I also would have failed to realize that there is a hot new reporter in Berea breaking the important Browns news these days.

Follow the links to StubHub for great deals on Cleveland Browns tickets and all NFL tickets.

And you can follow him at http://twitter.com/terrellowens.

Yes, ladies and gentleman, the following tweet from the NFL’s most divisive receiver was the first public acknowledgement of what we all already assumed anyway: that Brady Quinn will be the starting QB for the Cleveland Browns in 2009.

Congrats 2 Brady Quinn 4 starting job w/Cleveland Browns!!

And I know this because shortly after Owens’ tweet was posted, ProFootballTalk and the Plain-Dealer (via the aforementioned Cabot) posted the news that Quinn would be the starter:

Brady Quinn has won the quarterback competition and will start Sunday’s game against the Vikings, a league source told The Plain Dealer today.

There is no word on whether or not Terrell Owens was, in fact, the league source that confirmed the news to Cabot, but she does mention PFT’s reference of T.O.’s tweet at the end of her short article. Does that strike anyone else as odd?Â

For the record, I enjoy Cabot’s work and think she does as good a job as she can considering the tight-lipped nature of the current Browns administration, so my observations here are somewhat tongue-in-cheek. Still, it is rare that you see a beat reporter such as Cabot provide attribution to a tweet and a blog, inferring that they are relevant in the breaking of the most important story on her turf this offseason.

Seen another way, maybe it is just a sign of these twitterrific times we live in and an implicit commendation for the rapid rise of PFT from “just a blog” to a legitimate NFL news and rumor site.

Either way, it does amuse me that the identity of the Browns starting QB could not even be kept a secret for more than 24 hours after Eric Mangini reportedly met with Quinn and Derek Anderson to inform them of his decision. Not that I thought it would stay a secret…but I did at least expect it to stay private a little longer than it did.

I actually thought it was a good idea by Mangini to keep it a secret as long as possible. There aren’t many advantages the Browns have going into Sunday’s game against the Vikings, so he might as well hold onto every one he can, regardless of how small or insignificant.

Nonetheless, the cat now appears to be out of the bag, and Brady Biceps can assume complete leadership over the offense.

I think it’s the right move, all things considered, and hope that he begins to fulfill the promise that made him a 1st round selection. Most importantly, I hope the Browns coaching staff is committed to sticking with him. The last thing I want to see is another frustrating game of musical quarterback chairs like we saw last year.

This is Brady’s time, and we should know at the end of 2009 whether we have a franchise QB or a 1st round bust. I’m hoping for the former and think it’s time for the Browns to go all-in and find out.

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* – Terrell Owens photo credit: The Onion

* – Brady Quinn photo credit: The Play in California

Filed Under: Blogging and Social Media, Featured Column, NFL Tagged With: brady quinn, Cleveland Browns, derek anderson, eric mangini, NFL, profootballtalk, Terrell Owens, Twitter

Pierre Thomas Injury Update: Status Questionable for Week 1 With MCL Sprain

September 9, 2009 By Jerod Morris 1 Comment

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Pierre Thomas injury update - sprained MCL - status for Week 1 against Detroit Pierre Thomas has been a trendy pick during fantasy football draft season as a potential first round value that can often be had in Rounds 2-4, depending on your league. Thomas played well last year over the final six weeks of the season and benefits from playing in the most explosive offense in the NFL.

He also, of course, benefits from the fact that Reggie Bush runs between the tackles about as well as Chad Pennington throws the deep out.

Yet, despite all of these positives, the latest injury updates on Pierre Thomas indicate that you may need to sit him in Week 1.

A few days ago, Thomas listed himself as questionable for Week 1 because of an MCL sprain (via Fanhouse) that has hampered him throughout the preseason. He also recently sustained a laceration “from a fence” (via the Times-Picayune) that required him to get stitches, but should not hamper him moving forward.

Follow the links to StubHub for great deals on New Orleans Saints tickets and all 2009 NFL tickets.

The official Week 1 injury report is not out yet, but the news about Thomas is pessimistic enough that I would begin making alternate plans for your running back slots this week. He did not practice on Monday, and I’ve seen no reports yet that indicate he we will be ready to take advantage of the porous Lions’ D on Sunday.

The fact of the matter is that if you gave Sean Payton truth serum, he would probably admit that he doesn’t think he’ll need Thomas to score on and beat Detroit. Thus, if their #1 backfield horse isn’t ready to go, there is no reason for them to rush him back. This is a huge season for Payton and the Saints, and Thomas is the guy they are counting on to provide the Deuce-like thunder opposite Reggie Bush’s lightning.

That said, I wouldn’t panic yet if you are a Thomas owner (as I am).

Hopefully you have a decent option on your bench for Week 1 and his absence won’t kill you. If you own Reggie Bush, he obviously becomes a must-start, pending the reports out of Saints practice this week. Mike Bell should also see increased carries, especially around the goalline, if Thomas is out. In fact, Bell might not be a bad guy to stash on your bench as a semi-handcuff for Thomas as a hedge in case Thomas’ injuries linger.

Just be sure to keep track of the latest injury updates on Pierre Thomas throughout the week, but I’d get him out of your lineup right now — just in case you forget to check before Sunday — and then make a last minute switch on Saturday or Sunday if the news about his knee changes.

I’ll update this post if I see that anything changes.

Update: Via this tweet from Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune, it appears as if you are safe in removing Pierre Thomas from your rosters. Thomas, according to Duncan, is not dressed for Wednesday’s practice.

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* – Pierre Thomas photo credit: Ball St Journal

Filed Under: Fantasy Football, Fantasy Sports, Featured Column, NFL Tagged With: Fantasy Football, Mike Bell, new orleans saints, NFL, pierre thomas, Pierre Thomas injury update, reggie bush, Sean Payton, Week 1 injuries

Fantasy Football: Week 1 Start ‘Em – Sit ‘Em Lineup Advice

September 9, 2009 By Jerod Morris 3 Comments

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The Week 17 start em, sit em lineup advice post is up.

——————–

Welcome to the first edition of what will be a weekly post here at MSF throughout the NFL season: start ‘em – sit ‘em lineup advice for your fantasy football rosters.

We all know how important overall position rankings are for valuing players on draft day. Typically there are pretty clear tiers of players at each position. Making sure that you get players in certain tiers at appropriate draft positions is a key to maximizing value.

But — and it’s an important but — as you go through the season, weekly values can fluctuate based on a player’s injury, a teammate’s injury, and the opponent for that week.

For a guy like Drew Brees, or most guys picked in the first two or three rounds, it will rarely matter. You lock these guys into your starting lineups and count on them to anchor your team.

For mid- and late-round guys, however, the players who may fill out your #2 RB / WR positions or your flex spot, keeping an eye on fluctuations in expected value on a week-by-week basis is important.

That’s the goal of this post and will be the goal every week.

Follow the links to StubHub for great deals on all NFL tickets or College Football tickets.

I won’t tell you to start Drew Brees; you know that. And if you don’t know that, there is a good chance that you are wasting your time doing research because your team is doomed with your Kotite-level leadership.

On the other hand, maybe you waited to get a QB and your choices are Joe Flacco and Eli Manning. Neither is a clear-cut weekly starter, but will have particular matchups throughout the year that you will want to leverage or avoid.

Please take note: Just because a guy is a “start ‘em” doesn’t mean he should necessarily start for your team. If I say that David Garrard is worthy of a start, it does not mean he should play over Tom Brady or Philip Rivers. And just because I say that Matt Schaub may struggle, it doesn’t mean you should start Shaun Hill over him. Everything is relative and dependent on your roster.Â

We’re all looking for an edge that can help us on weekly basis. I have eight teams this year and obviously want to win with every one of them every single week. This post is my way of using the research I’ve done to help you out as well.

So without further adieu, let’s get right to it: a start ‘em – sit ‘em highlight at each position other than kicker. And obviously we can’t get to every player in this post, so feel free to ask follow-up questions in the comments. I’ll respond as quickly as I’m able all the way up until Sunday morning.

Week 1 Start ‘Em – Sit ‘Em: Quarterbacks

Start ‘em:Â David Garrard, Jacksonville (@ Indianapolis)

David Garrard was a major disappointment last year. He threw for only 15 TDs against 13 INTs coming off of his breakout 2007 season during which his QB rating was the third best in the NFL (102.2). I think we may have seen Garrard’s ceiling in 2007, but that does not mean he is not a capable starter in certain spots.

This week is a great matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, primarily because the most important component of the Colts’ D, Bob Sanders, will be unavailable.

I am not a big believer in the Jacksonville receivers, although I do think that Torry Holt will have sneaky good rebound season as the #1 option. Still, despite the Jags’ deficiencies on the outside, Garrard completed 64% of his pass attempts in the preseason and has rumbling bowling ball Maurice Jones-Drew ready to catch 5-6 passes out of the backfield.

I think the Colts will score a lot of points on Sunday and I think the Jags, led by Garrard, will score a bunch too. I don’t think Jacksonville goes into Indianapolis and wins the game, but I do think Garrard is capable of 2 TDs (rushing or passing) and 200+ passing yards. Indy’s D just isn’t that good and Garrard should be able to take advantage and get off to a good start in 2009.

Other guys I like: Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle (vs. St. Louis); Joe Flacco, Baltimore (vs Kansas City); Shaun Hill, San Francisco (@ Arizona)

Sit ‘em: Matt Schaub, Houston (vs New York Jets)

I really like Matt Schaub this year, if he stays healthy. (It is required by law that anyone writing about liking Matt Schaub include the health caveat.) However, I’m not a huge fan of his for this week.

Why? I think the New York Jets’ defense has a chance to be among the top handful of defenses in the NFL with Rex Ryan at the helm.

Certainly we know that the Jets’ D will attack Schaub with a variety of blitzes all game long. This will be a good test as to whether Houston’s offensive line will be up to the task of keeping Schaub upright consistently. If they can, Schaub has a strong enough rapport with Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter to make any defense pay. I am honestly a little worried though that Schaub will get banged around by the Jets and that this could turn into a lower scoring game.

I think Schaub will get a TD somewhere along the line to Andre Johnson, but that might be it. If you have an alternative, this might be a good week to do a little wait-and-see with Houston and Schaub.

Other guys I don’t like: Whoever is starting for Kansas City (@ Baltimore); Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh (vs Tennessee)

Week 1 Start ‘Em – Sit ‘Em: Running Backs

Start ‘em:Â Willie Parker, Pittsburgh (vs Tennessee)

I chronicled in my Titans-Steelers preview the success that Willie Parker has had coming off of long layoffs either due to the offseason or injury. Parker did not have a good year overall last season, but did start out strong and also played well for a few games after coming back from a midseason injury.

Tennessee has a very good defense, but the Titans are now without Albert Haynesworth. This is a guy who dominated the middle last year while playing for a new contract and it may take the Titans a little while to shore up their front line without him.Â The Titans are, however, very good against the pass, forcing two INTs of Ben Roethlisberger in their meeting last year.Â

I think Pittsburgh and coach Mike Tomlin will want to establish their running game early in the 2009 season and will take advantage of Parker’s fresh legs to do so. You may want to think about trading Fast Willie after Week 3 or 4, because he tends to wind down, but this is a week to take advantage of having him on your roster.

Others I like: Julius Jones, Seattle (@ St. Louis Rams); Felix Jones, Dallas (@ Tampa Bay); Beanie Wells, Arizona (@ San Francisco)

Sit ‘em: Chris Johnson and LenDale White, Tennessee (@ Pittsburgh)

I like both of these guys a lot for the season, just not playing at the NFL’s #1 run defense in their home field on the first night of their title defense.

I touched on the Steelers-Titans game yesterday and discussed the game these two teams played in Week 16 last year. Johnson actually scored a TD and the two combined for a 3.8 yard per carry average, which was 0.5 better than Pittsburgh allowed on the season. That game, however, was in Tennessee. Thursday night’s game is at Heinz Field.

Johnson was probably an early round pick for you, and if so, you may have no choice but to start him. For comparison purposes however, I would seriously consider starting a guy like Felix Jones this week because of the matchup. If you can’t stomach sitting such a high draft pick, I understand.Â But at least take a look at your options.

Chris Johnson and LenDale White will have 15 weeks to offer value against teams other than the Steelers. They might get a TD between them, but who will get it? There won’t be much to go around Thursday night and it will probably be split between them. Stay away if you can.

Others I don’t like: Pierre Thomas, New Orleans (vs Detroit…check his injury status leading up to the game and remember that the Saints have lots of options on offense, so they won’t force it to him if he’s not ready); Steve Slaton, Houston (vs New York Jets); All Cleveland running backs (vs Minnesota)

Week 1 Start ‘Em – Sit ‘Em: Wide Receivers

Start ‘em:Â Braylon Edwards, Cleveland (vs Minnesota)

I know that I am often harsh of Braylon on this site, mainly because he killed the Browns and numerous fantasy teams on so many occasions last year. However, while I don’t think Braylon will equal his sterling 2007 stats, I do expect him to rebound in 2009.

This week’s matchup is a good one for Braylon in particular because the Browns are going to struggle mightily to run the ball against the Vikings’ Williams Wall (both are playing) and will obviously have trouble keeping Adrian Peterson in check. The Vikings just are not a good matchup for Cleveland as a team because they are proficient in the areas where Cleveland is weak: running and stopping the run.

I expect the Vikings to get up early and force the Browns, who will most likely have Brady Quinn at the helm, to throw a lot. Braylon Edwards is clearly the #1 option in the Browns passing game, and may be the 1st and 2nd option until another WR or a TE steps up.

He may not catch a high percentage of the balls thrown his way, but I think Braylon will lead the league in targets on Sunday and might even pick up a TD. Braylon will be up and down this season, but the big play capability is always there. In games where the Browns cannot run it he is going to see passes early and often.

Others I like: Desean Jackson, Philadelphia (@ Carolina); Torry Holt, Jacksonville (@ Indianapolis); Derrick Mason, Baltimore (vs Kansas City); Ted Ginn Jr, Miami (@ Atlanta)

Sit ‘em: Roy Williams, Dallas (@ Tampa Bay)

I guess you could call this a case of wanting to see it before I believe it.

As the season goes along, I do think that Tony Romo and Roy Williams will develop a rapport and that Williams can become a decent #2 WR or flex play, but I see Week 1 being much more about Dallas trying to establish an identity as a running team. Plus, with all of the 2-TE sets we’ve heard talked about for this season, I think Jason Witten and Martellus Bennett get their fair share of balls.

Williams has dealt with some injuries this preseason that have hindered his ability to work with Romo. Add to that his extreme struggles last year once he got to Dallas, and I’m just not buying in until I see it.Â

Williams is the Cowboys’ #1 option outside, so he will get targets and could have a decent to solid day. But if you have guys like Braylon Edwards, Chad Ochocinco, Hines Ward, Santana Moss, or others at or right below their class, I would start them and wait for Romo and Williams to prove that they will be the connection everyone thinks they can be.

Others I don’t like: Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City (@ Baltimore); Lee Evans, Buffalo (@ New England); Bernard Berrian, Minnesota (@ Cleveland)

Week 1 Start ‘Em – Sit ‘Em: Tight Ends

Start ‘em:Â Vernon Davis, San Francisco (@ Arizona)

I am really high on Vernon Davis this year, for a number of reasons:

Not unlike myself, he is freakishly athletic.
He seems to have bought into what Mike Singletary is selling.
The 49ers new offensive coordinator has pledged to get Davis more involved in the offense after Davis never saw eye-to-eye with previous OC Mike Martz, for whom he never became a prominent part of the gameplan.

Additionally, I am not a real big fan of Arizona’s defense. Â Remember, the Cardinals did not have that great of a defense in the regular season last year. They are also primed to become the NFL’s annual victim of the Super Bowl loss hangover.

I think the 49ers will run the ball a lot and try to establish a short, ball-control passing game with the underrated Shaun Hill at QB. With Michael Crabtree still being a douchy holdout, and Josh Morgan / Isaac Bruce barely being decent, I think the 49ers have to get the ball into the hands of their most talented, game-breaking receiver. That is Vernon Davis, and I would honestly not be surprised to see him sneak into the top 5 tight ends this year.

Others I like: Kevin Boss, New York Giants (vs Washington); Anthony Fasano, Miami (@ Atlanta); John Carlson, Seattle (vs St. Louis); Jeremy Shockey, New Orelans (vs Detroit)

Sit ‘em: Kellen Winslow, Tampa Bay (vs Dallas)

Call it a hunch, or even call it sour grapes after how Winslow’s tenure in Cleveland ended. Either way, I call it a bad matchup against the Cowboys on Sunday.

Byron Leftwich will be starting at QB, and he scares no one. The Buccaneers brought in Derrick Ward in the offseason, have Cadillac Williams back from injury, and still have incumbent RB Earnest Graham on the roster. I think the Bucs try to run early and often, and when they don’t run I think Leftwich looks to Antonio Bryant much more than he looks to Winslow.

The weakness in the Cowboys’ defense is at the corner spot opposite Terrence Newman and the safeties. If Leftwich is going to have success throwing, I think it will be to the outside. Bradie James leads a decent LB corps that should be able to contain Kellen.

Again, I’d make sure you have a solid replacement before benching Winslow. Just don’t be surprised if he struggles.

Others I don’t like: Zack Miller, Oakland (vs San Diego); Visanthe Shiancoe, Minnesota (@ Cleveland)

Week 1 Start ‘Em – Sit ‘Em: Defenses

Start ‘em:Â New England (vs Buffalo)

Much has been made about the demise of the impending Patriots defense with the losses of stalwarts Richard Seymour, Mike Vrabel, Rodney Harrison, and Tedy Bruschi. Certainly this amount of veteran leadership will be missed, but the Patriots have done a good job of bringing in young guys like Jerod Mayo and Brandon Meriweather whose time to step up is nigh.

In reality though, I don’t consider the Patriots a top 10 D anymore. They are a spot-start this season based on matchups, with a great matchup coming in Week 1.Â

Buffalo is without Marshawn Lynch, T.O. has been dealing with an injured toe all preseason, and the Bills fired their offensive coordinator less than two weeks before the start of the regular season. Add all of that up, plus mix in the brilliance of Bill Belichick, and the Patriots make for a solid start on Sunday.

Others I like: Dallas (@ Tampa Bay); San Diego (@ Oakland); New Orleans (vs Detroit…because playing against rookie QBs making their first start is often a recipe for turnovers and TDs); Houston (vs New York Jets…same reason as New Orleans)

Sit ‘em: Miami Dolphins (@ Atlanta) & Atlanta Falcons (vs Miami)

Yes, I know that the Fins have Jason Taylor back, but I am worried about the Dolphins being able to stop Michael Turner and Matt Ryan at the same time. I think this game turns into a shootout on the fast track of the Georgia Dome and I would want no part of either defense.

For the record, I am also worried about the Bears D playing at Green Bay, which appears to be developing an offensive juggernaut. The only thing that kept me from listing them here is the ubiquitous threat of Devin Hester in the return game. We know that the early weeks in a football season are replete with big plays on special teams. If you aren’t confident in Hester taking one to the house though, I’d sit Chicago too.

Others I don’t like: Tampa Bay (vs Dallas)

So there you have it, the Week 1 Start ‘em – Sit ‘em. Hopefully this has assisted you with some of your lineup decisions, and remember to chime in with a question below if you have a specific decision you need help with.

Best of luck in Week 1 everybody!

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* – David Garrard photo credit: Reuters / Mark Wallheister via theÂ San Francisco Chronicle

* â€“ James Harrison / Chris Johnson photo credit: Getty images viaÂ ESPN.com

* â€“ Braylon Edwards v Cincy photo credit:Â SortsOfSports.com

Email the author of this post: jerod@midwestsportsfans.com

Filed Under: Fantasy Football, Fantasy Sports, Featured Column Tagged With: braylon edwards, chris johnson, David Garrard, Fantasy Football, fantasy football lineup advice, fantasy football week 1, kellen winslow, lendale white, Matt Schaub, roy williams, start em sit em, Vernon Davis, willie parker

MSF Fantasy Football League Game of the Week: F#$K The Bucks vs The Ridiculous Rosenthals

September 8, 2009 By fraschetti Leave a Comment

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[Editor's note: MSF is hosting its first ever fantasy football league this year, pitting several members of the MSF writing team against bloggers from around the Internet. Each week, Fraschetti will preview the Game of the Week. For this week he has decided to be a brown-nosing narcissist, choosing to preview his own battle against MSF's editor. We promise to spread the love moving forward...]

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The Week 1 Game of the Week is a battle of MSF’s own, Fraschetti vs JRod, as their respective teams face off.

Fraschetti is the proud owner of Ryan Russell’s preseason “Most Hated Team Name Award” winner, Ann Arbor F$%k The Bucks, while JRod’s team is named after his favorite crusader against irresponsible steroid speculation, The Ridiculous Rosenthals.

ESPN is predicting a total blowout by JRod’s team.Â Before going into the particulars, just note that JRod’s squad is facing horrible defenses, whereas Fraschetti’s team has nightmare match-ups across the board.

Position Match-ups

QB- Aaron Rodgers (Fraschetti) vs Drew Brees (JRod)Â Advantage-JRod

Plain and simple here, Brees against the Detroit Lions D, Rodgers against the Bears.Â If the roles were reversed, Rodgers would be the runaway favorite.Â I can only hope that Chicago is not focused, and the Lions play out of their minds.Â Both are very unlikely.

RB- Chris Johnson (Fraschetti) vs Ryan Grant (Jrod) Advantage-Push

ESPN is calling Grant the clear cut favorite here, but both are facing top-5 defenses.Â The only advantage here is the QB play from Rodgers to support Grant.Â Johnson is more explosive though with legit home run threat ability.

RB/WR- Darren McFadden (Fraschetti) vs Felix Jones (JRod) Advantage- Fraschetti

Unless something changes in Dallas from last year, Marion Barber will still get the bulk of the carries while Romo, Witten, and Williams will get a lot of touches as well.Â There is only so much ball to go around, which could hinder Felix Jones.Â Dallas has the easier defensive match up, and Jones has big play potential, but I look for McFadden to establish himself as being a worthy first round pick, where many chose him a year ago.

WR-Roy E. Williams (Fraschetti) vs Randy Moss (JRod) Advantage-JRod

No one on Buffalo will be able to cover Randy Moss, period.Â If Tom Brady felt like it, he could go 25 of 32, with 4 touchdowns and 325 yards, all to Randy Moss.Â There is no receiver in football I could put in Williams’ place and gain the advantage here.

TE-Kellen Winslow (Fraschetti) vs Chris Cooley (JRod) Advantage-Push

Both are capable, clear-cut #1 TE’s, and both have average to below average quarterbacks throwing them the ball.Â Winslow is more athletic where Cooley is more opportunistic.

Offensive Flex- Jay Cutler (Fraschetti) vs Matt Schaub (JRod) Advantage-Fraschetti

Schaub, when healthy, puts up big numbers.Â He is playing a Jets team which should be improved on defense from a year ago.Â Cutler will be fired up to play out of his mind to justify the actions that forced a trade out of Denver in the offseason. Â I cannot go against Cutler and his abilities, I just hope his recievers can catch like Marshall and Co. did for him a year ago.

D- Steelers (Fraschetti) vs Giants (JRod) Advantage-Push

This is normally all Steelers, but their match up against the Titans’ powerful running game will not be advantageous for turnovers, whereas the Giants are facing the Redskins, who are known to give opposing defenses one or two interceptions and a fumble per game.Â There is no clear cut favorite here.

K-Nate Kaeding (Fraschetti) vs Mason Crosby (JRod) Advantage-JRod

ESPN is predicting all extra points for Kaeding, where they are giving Crosby a few field goals and extra points.Â If the Raiders defense has improved at all, the Chargers will not waltz into the endzone every redzone opportunity, but the edge still goes to JRod.

Fraschetti will need last year’s powerful defenses to fold in week 1, and the Saints to do all of their damage on the ground. Then he may have a chance.Â

If you have any questions as to who to start going into Week 1, become a fan of profootballinsight on Facebook and log your questions onto the wall for your answers.

Kurt Fraschetti

MSF Senior Fantasy Writer / ProFootballInsight

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1491566048#/pages/ProFootballInsight/87454057557?ref=ts

Filed Under: Fantasy Football, Fantasy Sports, Featured Column Tagged With: Fantasy Football, MSF Fantasy Football game of the week

LOTD: Why The Pittsburgh Steelers and Their Fans Suck

September 8, 2009 By Jerod Morris Leave a Comment

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[Editor's note: This post is dedicated to Ryan Russell and Nick Gerlach.]

Hands down on the best running series in the sports blogosphere is Drew Magary’s incomparable Why Your Team sucks series at Deadspin. No, it is not the kind of material that I would ever forward to my mom or dad to read…but that is precisely what makes it so sublime.

Here is the description that opens up every one of these posts, to give you an idea of their purpose: “Some people are fans of theÂ [insert team name]. But many, many more people are NOT fans of the [insert team name]. This 2009 Deadspin NFL team preview is for those in the latter group.”

Today, Drew finished off the series by regaling Deadspin readers with funny, sophomoric, and expletive-filled prose describing the many ways why the Pittsburgh Steelers, their fans, and their city unequivocally suck.

Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and it is today’s link of the day.

Why Your Team Sucks: Pittsburgh Steelers — (Drew Magary via Deadspin)

6. The Steel Curtain is the worst metaphor ever.Â They’re curtains. They either open in the center, or they can be drawn upwards to allow you to pass through. That is the function of a curtain. It doesn’t matter what material it’s made from: steel, adamantium, chiffon. ALL CURTAINS ARE EASILY PENETRATED SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE THEY ARE DESIGNED THAT WAY. Call it the Steel Wall. Or the Steel Monolith. Call it something that connotes impenetrability. A curtain intimidates no one…

And then there is this, from the smorgasboard of write-in comments included at the end of each Why Your Team Sucks post. This guy is definitely a Browns fan:

Dave V.:

So many Pittsburgh fans are from Ohio, and they are the biggest bandwagon fans in the world. These troglodytes have never even been to Pennsylvania, and yet they adorn their overweight, uneducated bodies with gaudy yellow and black, and call themselves true Steeler fans.

Also published today where the Why Your Team Sucks posts for the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns. Both of these are equally, if not moreso, hilarious as well as surprisingly insightful.

And that we have that out of the way, onto the rest of today’s links.

Sports:

Allen Iverson meets with Memphis Grizzlies — (MoonDog)
Mark May wears ridiculous ties to honor the ridiculous things he says — (Sports Hernia)
The best signs from the first college football Saturday of the year — (College Game Balls)
Another vote for Chris Carpetner for NL Cy Young Award — (But The Game Is On)
Apple gets free advertising at new Cowboys Stadium — (Sports By Brooks)
Bears’ depth chart proves flowers more important than skill — (Not Qualified to Comment)
David Thompson to present Michael Jordan and HOF induction — (Yahoo! Sports)
Why your team sucks: Cleveland Browns — (Drew Magary at Deadspin)
Early look at Bears-Packers — (i94 Sports)
The Week That Was in College Football — (Sparty and Friends)
Good, classy move by Daunte Culpepper — (Pro Football Talk)
BYU students go crazy after OU win — (Busted Coverage)
Random Retro Cubs: Scott Sanderson — (The Friendly Blogfines)

Non-Sports:

15 people who should never be allowed to dance — (Hail Mary Jane)
Dad’s rants become a Twitter hit — (WSJ about @shitmydadsays)

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* – Hilariously-named “Randy Beefsmith” photo credit: The Sports Hernia

Filed Under: Funny, NFL Tagged With: deadspin, Drew Magary, links, NFL, pittsburgh steelers, Pittsburgh Steelers fans suck

I’ll Tell You This: The Meaning of Bradford’s Injury, ND’s Win, and Why the Jets and Lions are Making a Mistake

September 8, 2009 By Big MB 2 Comments

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[Editor's note: This is the second installment of Big MB's weekly post entitled I'll Tell You This, in which he tells us all what in the sports world -- to quote the great Peter Griffin -- is grinding his gears. Enjoy...and stay tuned for an upcoming appearance by Big MB on the soon-to-be resume MSF podcast.]

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1. Sam Bradford

This past Saturday, Oklahoma was upset in new the Dallas Cowboys stadium by BYU. Whatâ€™s worse is that last year’s Heisman Trophy winning quarterback, Sam Bradford, injured his throwing shoulder on his way to the ground. Sooner Nation stopped breathing for a moment, however with recent reports it seems that the Soonerâ€™s Slinger will only miss 2-4 weeks.

Iâ€™ll Tell You This: For all of you skeptics of Mark Sanchez and other athletes coming to pro sports early, and for all of you haters of high schoolers jumping to NBA, this is the case against you. Bradford decided to stick around one more year when he could have been the #1 pick last year. What if this was a career ending injury? Even though it’s not at this point, what if it severely affects Bradfordâ€™s play?Â Bradford would possibly never get to live his dream of playing pro football. And worse, what would be his future profession after dumping all of his time into becoming an A-level quarterback?

2. Saving Weis?

Charlie Weis and all of South Bend (and those who support the Irish) may breathe just a little easier after Notre Dame pitched a shutout against Nevada. Jimmy Clausen finally looked like the quarterback that he has been hyped to be, completing 15 of 18 passes for 315 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Iâ€™ll Tell You This: No coach in sports is under as much pressure as Charlie Weis is right now. Notre Dame MUST win, and look good in doing so. However, this was Nevada. Itâ€™s the first week of the season. The team that should have won did. Next week brings bitter rival the Big Blue of Michigan. Someone shoot Charlie a text and let him know his job is still on the line.

3. Al Davis Strikes Again

Once again, Bill Bellicheck is a genius and Al Davis is a fool. This past weekend the New England Patriots traded DE Richard Seymour to the Oakland Raiders for a first round pick in 2011. Seymour is getting older and has seemingly started to lose a step, but is still an upgrade to a porous Raiders D-Line. However, the question remains: is he worth a first round pick?

Iâ€™ll Tell You This: There is not a soul on the earth that can honestly tell me that Al Davis made a good move, or ever will. Seymour is a â€œright nowâ€ type of guy, and Oakland is FAR from a â€œright nowâ€ type of team. There is no doubt that the Patriots will likely be picking top 5 in the 2011 draft, and that is something that no one in the entire NFL (save for New England) wants to see (and it’s possible that Al Davis wonâ€™t even live long enough to see). Al Davis needs to let go of this historic NFL franchise or they will never succeed. Itâ€™s definitely the black holeâ€¦.a place where NFL players and winning go to die.

4. The Rookies

NFL rookies take the cake this year as both Matthew Stafford of the Detroit Lions and Mark Sanchez of the New York Jets will both get the starting nod at quarterback for their respective teams this season.

Iâ€™ll Tell You This: Although I think both guys are talented and will be good quarterbacks in the NFL, both teams are making mistakes starting them. Yes, some quarterbacks do well when thrown right into the mix (see Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts). However, in many cases it hurls what may have been a talented superstar into the cursed pool of the draft day flops (See Ryan Leaf, Joey Harrington, and David Carr). And some never can turn it around afterwards. Both teams have respectable veteran starters in Daunte Culpepper (Detroit) and Kellen Clemens (NY).Â I can only hope for the sake of these two QBâ€™s that they follow Peytonâ€™s path to success and not Ryan Leafâ€™s path to Americaâ€™s Funniest Home Videos.

5. The Knockout Heard Round the World

LeGarrette Blount held back from going into stands Everyone has seen it. Most of us saw it every hour for 48 straight hours on every sport program on television. And while for a fan of MMA like myself it was somewhat exciting to watch, America was once again taken aback by another sports thug when Oregon standout running back LeGarrette Blount sucker punched Boise Stateâ€™s Byron Hout after Hout spouted a little trash talk to Blount. Blount made things worse by almost going Ron Artest-style on a couple fans on his way to the locker room. It took 4 or 5 police officers and building security to keep him from broaching the stands.

Iâ€™ll Tell You This: Although it is very sad to see a player throw away his career for lack of ability to keep his attitude in control, I do find it funny that the game started with both teams meeting at midfield for a handshake in light of â€œGood Sportmanship Week.â€ What I also find funny is that Blount ran his mouth ALL week before the game and then after getting held in check and to career lows, couldnâ€™t take what he had been dishing out. The senior received a one year suspension, thus ending his college career. What will he do with his time off? Maybe he should give the Winnepeg Blue Bombers a call. He can hang out with Pacman Jones. They would make a cute couple. Canada can have him too.

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You can follow BigMB on Twitter by going to www.twitter.com/mylesb3269.

Filed Under: CFB, Featured Column, NFL Tagged With: Al Davis, Boise State, CFB, charlie weis, detroit lions, Fighting Irish, Jimmy Clausen, LeGarrette Blount, Mark Sanchez, Matt Stafford, ncaa, New England, new york jets, NFL, Notre Dame, Oakland Raiders, Oklahoma, Oregon, Patriots, peyton manning, punch, Richard Seymour, sam bradford, Sooners

Memo To Ohio State: Please End This Matt Barkley Nonsense on Saturday

September 8, 2009 By Jerod Morris 7 Comments

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Matt Barkley - Heisman Candidate? Barkley Quotes Matt Barkley, the pretty boy SoCal freshman who started for USC this past Saturday, is only one game into his collegiate football career.

And after one game, I am already sick and damn tired of him.

Oh come on Jerod, you might say. He’s just a freshman, just a kid, you’ll retort. Why such palpable vitriol for a kid ten years your junior? Are you jealous? Jealous that he has already achieved more athletically than you ever came close to? Jealous that because he’s the starting QB for USC, as opposed to some chubby Midwestern blogger, he will — Â to paraphrase Nate Dogg — get more ass than a toilet seat?

No.

I’m sick and damn tired of him because he’s a cocky kid who has achieved nothing — to this point — as a collegian and yet the Pete Carroll sycophants at ESPN are already discussing his Heisman chances…for this year.Â

Here is an excerpt from the latest ESPN drivel, which is entitled “The Heisman Predictor: Week One” but should be titled “This Article Is Worse Than Mark May’s Tie.”

In fact, a win over Ohio State could put Barkley right up there with Tebow and McCoy. Sure, it would be unprecedented for a freshman to win the Heisman, but it would hardly be unprecedented for a much-hyped Trojan quarterback to walk away with the hardware. Ohio State could prove to be USC’s toughest opponent this season, meaning a win on Saturday would put the Trojans on pace for an undefeated season. If Barkley puts on a show (300+ yards, 3+ touchdowns) against the Buckeyes, he will immediately become a legitimate Heisman candidate.

Matt Barkley - Heisman Candidate? Barkley Quotes So let me get this straight. If Matt Barkley has a good game against Ohio State, the same Buckeye team that — sorry Buckeye fans — allowed Navy’s QB to go 9-13 and 2 TDs, then he’ll be “right up there” with two of the most consistently successful QBs in college football this decade?

You have got to be f’ing kidding me.

(Note: Beano Cook could not be reached for official comment, but sources tell us that had Barkley had gone to Notre Dame, Cook believes he would have trumped Ron Powlus’ three Heisman Trophies by at least one…maybe more.)

I know that Barkley is the quarterback for USC, which gives you automatic inclusion into every Heisman Watch list whether you deserve it or not, but shouldn’t any plaudits for Trojan players be squarely and solely in the direction of Joe McKnight? To be fair, the article does mention McKnight (who popped for 145 yards and 2 TDs on 14 carries in Saturday’s win) but the fact that Barkley’s name is even there is ridiculous.

Barkley went 15-19 for 223 yards and a TD on Saturday. These are good numbers for sure, and certainly an auspicious beginning for a kid who obviously has serious some talent. But he wasn’t even named the starter until just a few weeks ago, and his backup Aaron Corp actually went 4-4 for 45 yards and a TD of his own.

Really says a lot about that vaunted San Jose State defense that USC was playing, huh?

And from the accounts of those who watched the game, it’s not like Barkley was lighting SJS up with a downfield aerial assault. This from Sports By Brooks:

In aÂ first-and-only cram session before his â€˜Shoe debut, Barkley oversaw an offense one could generously ascribe as â€˜basicâ€™ in the Trojansâ€™ trucking of embarrassingly undermanned San Jose St.

…

Dude has played one home game. Against San Jose State. Running three different pass plays over three quarters.

The LA Daily News echoed this assessment:

In reality, USC relied heavily on its running game and asked Barkley to roll out or keep the ball on the perimeter to avoid interceptions. That interception-proof plan worked flawlessly against the hapless Spartans.

Despite the pathetic competition, Barkley actually played better than some observers expected. Â As Brooks noted last week, Barkley strugged as a high school senior (throwing 18 INTs despite being last year’s version The Greatest Quarterback Prospect EVER) and then struggled in the USC spring game. Still, he won out over the “more polished” Corp.

But giving a freshman QB a vanilla game plan against a weak team in hopes that he will minimize mistakes and build confidence is not a bad thing. It’s good coaching. What is annoying is that Barkley apparently thought he and his USC teammates had carved out their yardage against the ’85 Bears and that playing in The Horseshoe would be only a little more difficult than practice.

“We can play in Alaska in the snow, that’s how confident I am in this offense,” Barkley said. “There can be 500,000 rooting against me (next week).”

And Brooks quotes Barkley as adding:

“I donâ€™t think that (Ohio Stadium crowd) will make a difference. The atmosphere will be nuts. I probably donâ€™t even know how it will be. But that wonâ€™t faze me.”

Taken in a vacuum, perhaps we could just chalk these quotes up to a little bit of youthful exuberance coming on the heels of a kid’s first college win. But add the following to the list and we realize that Matt Barkley is an 18-year old kid with no college skins on the wall who is way too full of himself already:

From the LA Times (via CFT):

â€œThat this is fun. This is easy. This is what I was made to do,â€ Barkley said.

I asked Barkley if there was anything that was difficult.

â€œThe run up the tunnel at halftime,â€ he said. â€œThat was brutal.â€

That kind of brash cockiness is probably what endeared Barkley to Carroll, and will make him a Trojan legend if he backs it up with a career befitting such bravado. But for an outside observer like me, and one who respects and appreciates humility in his athletes, I think Barkley just sounds like the immature kid that he is.

Which is why I hope the Ohio State defense plays much better than it did this past Saturday and knocks some humility into Barkley while simultaneously putting this ridiculous Heisman talk to rest. To paraphrase Brooks, who is far more in tune with the USC landscape than I am, it will probably be the best thing that could happen to him.

Oh, and if I haven’t made enough of a case for why you should be rooting for the Buckeyes to demolish Matt Barkley this coming Saturday, he has apparently inspired the orgasmic delight of our favorite FanHouse BLOGGER Jay Mariotti (viaÂ Deadspin):

The afternoon sun was orgasmic, framing the Memorial Coliseum in a California daydream as the USC band played its triumphant post-game march. Yet nothing was more radiant than Matt Barkley’s smile. He was standing at midfield after his debut, engulfed by media wondering if an 18-year-old true freshman can be worthy ofcollege football‘sÂ answer to a Hollywood processional:Â Carson PalmerÂ toÂ Matt LeinartÂ toÂ John David BootyÂ toÂ Mark SanchezÂ to…

While reading Mariotti’s Ode to Matt Barkley, I couldn’t help but wonder whether I should write this post or take the liberty of registering him for NAMBLA.

To be fair, Mariotti does make a valid point in the midst of his contribution to the unnecessary Barkley hype:

The dream, of course, quickly could turn ugly. This Saturday night, the Trojans abandon L.A.’s creature comforts and enter a hostile Horseshoe in Columbus, where Ohio State awaits in a colossal early-season test of two top-5 teams.

Exactly. And let’s hope the Buckeyes are ready, because I know of at least one non-OSU fan who will be decidedly in their corner Saturday night: me, hoping they put a stop to this Matt Barkley nonsense. Of course, if the kid plays well and USC dominates, I will have to eat my words. But I will have no problem doing so. At least then Barkley will have one legit accomplishment on which to base his seemingly endless arrogance.

As of right now, he’s just an 18-year old freshman who is coming off of an 18-INT season as a high school senior, an underwhelming performance in the USC spring game based on expectations, and a solid but unspectacular outing as a game manager against mighty San Jose State.Â

Best of luck in the Horseshoe this Saturday Matt. Something tells me it will be a little more difficult than you think.

Otherwise, it may not be long before Barkley is doing this after a touchdown pass.

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* – Matt Barkley photo credit: Bobak Ha’Eri viaÂ Wikipedia

Filed Under: CFB, Featured Column Tagged With: espn, Matt Barkley, ohio state buckeyes, Pete Carroll, SportsByBrooks, USC Trojans

Scouting Report and Video of Recent 2010 IU Commit Victor Oladipo

September 8, 2009 By Jerod Morris Leave a Comment

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Victor Oladipo commits to IU - scouting report - video of Victor Oladipo and Maurice Creek dunking I know that it’s football season, but please allow me to indulge in a little IU basketball talk.

Caught word on Peegs.com this morning that Victor Oladipo has committed to the IU. Oladipo is a 6’4 guard from basketball powerhouse DeMatha and joins 6’6 wing David Williams of Jacksonville, FL as IU’s two commits thus far for 2010.

Browsing various scouting reports about Oladipo, he is currently on the fringe of being a consensus top 100 player in the nation and is rising because of a great summer. Â Oladipo is described as being in constant motion offensively although not yet a great mid-range shooter, is a defensive-minded player, and has obvious hops (see video below). He is also apparently very academic-minded and once beat up a guy at church because he thought the dude looked like Kelvin Sampson.

Okay, so that last part is not true…but how quickly would he endear himself to the IU faithful if it was?

Follow the links to StubHub for great deals on IU basketball tickets, all Big Ten basketball tickets, and tickets to the 2010 Big Ten basketball tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

To sum up the Victor Oladipo scouting report, it sounds like he is an athletic jack-of-all-trades who, as of yet, is a master of none. But he fits the Tom Crean profile of a high-energy, high-character guy around which Crean can build his up-tempo, attacking style of basketball.

Victor Oladipo commits to IU - scouting report - video of Victor Oladipo and Maurice Creek dunking Anyway, when most people think of Indiana basketball, they think of goofy white guys in really short shorts. Sure, there have been plenty of such players to come through the program, but times have changed. (And for the record, the goofy guy to the right, Brian Evans, was named Big Ten Player of the Year as a senior, so you can stop your snickering…ass.)

Not only do the Hoosiers now wear shorts of a reasonable length, but Tom Crean is putting together what appears to be a pretty athletic roster. Once he arrives at IU Oladipo will join, among others, athletic 2009 freshmen Christian Watford and Maurice Creek, and based on the video below — a dunk-fest featuring Oladipo and long-time friend Creek — there could be some pretty exciting fast breaks in Bloomington in the years to come.

(Hat tip for the Victor Oladipo-Maurice Creek dunking video to Inside the Hall. My apologies in advance for the wretched music.)

Video: Victor Oladipo and Maurice Creek Dunk-Fest

Another reason to like Victor Oladipo if you a Hoosier fan is that, according to the Indiana Daily student, Oladipo claims God led him to commit to IU:

Oladipo, the No. 133 recruit in the nation according to Rivals.com, committed Monday to playing college basketball at IU. His commitment came after a night of prayer and time with his family.

â€œGod had pointed me toward Indiana,â€ he said. â€œHe was giving me signs. I felt like that was where He wants me to go.â€

Well, all I have to say is that Oladipo is like many IU fans in that respect. Of course, the god who led us to IU basketball is probably not the same one to which young Victor is referring.

Oladipo also said that the relationship he developed with Tom Crean, as well as his longtime relationship with Maurice Creek, influenced his decision.

While I would like to see Crean pluck a few more native Hoosiers from the high school ranks as he completes his 2010 and 2011 recruiting classes, Oladipo appears to be a guy that we can all get excited about. He may not be a superstar blue-chipper, but he could end up being the kind of four-year (*cough…AJ*) player that (*cough…Moye*) consistent winning college teams are built around.

Welcome aboard Victor. I can speak from experience and say that you will love Bloomington. And if reports of your effort, hustle, and character prove true, I can definitely say that Bloomington and the IU faithful will love you right back.

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* – Brian Evans photo credit:Â Peegs.com

* – Victor Oladipo photo credit credit: Rivals via Testudo Times

Filed Under: CBB, Featured Column Tagged With: college basketball recruting, dunking, goofy white guys, indiana basketball, IU 2010 basketball recruiting class, maurice creek, tom crean, Victor Oladipo, video

Steelers-Titans Thursday Night Football Preview and Prediction

September 8, 2009 By Jerod Morris 5 Comments

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Steelers-Titans Thursday Night Preview, Prediction, Spread | Steelers-Titans tickets In case football fans needed anything else to get them warmed up for the 2009 season, Miami and Florida State engaged in an epic battle last night that came down to the final play. The U ended up stealing one at Doak Campbell Stadium — and, by the way, did anyone else come away really impressed with Graig Cooper? — putting an exciting capper on a solid first week of college football action.

This week, the big boys get added to the football queue, with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans kicking off the 2009 NFL season on Thursday night.

Tell me that you aren’t just a little more excited this Tuesday than you’ve been on Tuesdays over the past few months. A little over 48 hours, that’s all we have to wait.

Before we delve into any matchups, here are all of the particulars that you need to know for the Steelers-Titans NFL season opener, courtesy of our MSFÂ NFL Week 1 Preview and TV Schedule:

Tennessee Titans (0-0) at Pittsburgh Steelers (0-0)

Titans-Steelers Date: Thursday, September 10th
Titans-Steelers TV & Kickoff Time: 8:30 ET on NBC
Titans-Steelers Location: Heinz Field in Pittsburgh
Titans-Steelers Announcers: Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth
Titans-Steelers Point Spread: PIT -5.5 (as of 8/8 via DocSports’ NFL Odds)
Titans-Steelers Over-Under: 35
Injury Report: NFL.com Injuries
StubHub:Â Steelers-Titans ticketsas low as $170.
TickCo: Steelers-Titans tickets as low as $190.
RazorGator: Steelers-Titans tickets as low as $195.
TicketsNow: Steelers-Titans tickets as low as $169.

(Note: the low prices cited about for tickets are as of Tuesday, September 8th. This could obviously change between now and gameday.)

So, now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about what to watch for and see if we can tease out a prediction that we feel comfortable with.

First, let’s take a quick look at how these teams compared statistically in 2008 (all Titans-Steelers statsÂ courtesy of NFL.com):

Total Offense: Tennessee – 313.6 (21st) | Pittsburgh – 311.9 (22nd)
Rushing O: Tennessee – 137.4 (7th) | Pittsburgh – 104.6 (23rd)
Passing O: Tennessee – 176.2 (27th) | Pittsburgh – 206.3 (17th)
Total Defense: Tennessee – 293.6 (7th) | Pittsburgh – 237.2 (1st)
Rushing D: Tennessee – 93.9 (6th) | Pittsburgh – 80.2 (2nd)
Passing D: Tennessee – 199.8 (9th) | Pittsburgh – 156.9 (1st)

Quite obviously we can see that these two teams were led by their defenses in 2008. So you would think that their one matchup was probably pretty low scoring right? That the Titans’ vaunted 1-2 rushing punch of Chris Johnson and LenDale White probably struggled mightily against the 3.3 yard per carry average the Steelers’ D held opponents to last year, right?

Steelers-Titans Thursday Night Preview, Prediction, Spread | Steelers-Titans tickets Well, that’s not quite what happened. The Titans won their Week 16 matchup against the Steelers last year 31-14 on their way to the #1 overall seed in the AFC playoffs. Chris Johnson and LenDale White carried 31 times for 117 yards (3.8 yard average) and scored 2 TDs. So while the Steelers did hold the Titans to 20 yards below their season average rushing the ball, the Titans were effective enough on the ground to win.

If you just looked at the stats, without knowing the outcome, you might actually think Pittsburgh won the game. The time of possession was even, Pittsburgh outgained Tennessee 374-322, and Pittsburgh converted 46% of their third downs compared to only 21% for Tennessee.

So what the hell happened?

As is often the case in the NFL: turnovers.

Ben Roethlisberger threw two INTs and and also fumbled four times, losing two of them. Tennessee, on the other hand, did not turn the ball over once. Add to that the fact that Pittsburgh carried the ball 25 times for 73 yards, and it balances the scales a bit and makes the Titans’ romp (21-7 in the second half) a little more understandable.

But as we all know, the Titans flamed out in the playoffs while the Steelers righted the ship and did not lose again, all the way through the Super Bowl.

What can we expect this year between the Titans and Steelers in their regular season matchup? I think it will be a game very similar to last year, except that that Steelers will be more protective of the ball, will be at home, and will squeeze out a victory as they begin their defense of Super Bowl #6.

A couple quick reasons why I think the Steelers will win:

1 – Ben Roethlisberger has had another hellish offseason and no doubt wants to put it all behind him and just start making plays on Sunday again. Â The Titans present a formidable matchup, as they are still very sound defensively even without Albert Haynesworth, but I don’t think Ben turns the ball over four times.

Steelers-Titans Thursday Night Preview, Prediction, Spread | Steelers-Titans tickets 2 – Heinz Field is not an easy to place to come into and steal a win. Â The Steelers were 6-2 at home last year with their losses coming to the Giants and Colts. On Thursday night, I think the Heinz Field will be an especially tough place to play. The towels will be waving, the energy level will be extra high, and the Steelers will no doubt be immensely fired up to begin their title defense. I have a lot of faith in Mike Tomlin, despite my hatred for the Steelers, and am not picking against he and the Steelers at home in the team’s first game since winning the Super Bowl.

3 – Willie Parker’s yard per carry average has dropped each of the last three seasons, plummeting all the way to 3.8 yards per carry last season. He does, however, usually play well in the first game of the season or in his first game after a long break.

Case in point: last year Willie Parker had 138 yards on 25 attempts in Week 1 against Houston. He followed that up with 105 yards on 28 attempts against the Browns. Then he got hurt, missed four games, and over his next two starts carried the ball 46 times for 185 yards.

Clearly, Parker is at a stage in his career where he gets worn down when used consistently. The Steelers have already said they will use Rashard Mendenhall more to spell Parker, plus it’s only Week 1…so he can’t worn out yet. Contrary to what happened in Week 16 last year, I think a fresh Willie Parker allows the Steelers to run the ball for better than a 2.9 yard average this year.

Also, I think the Titans will struggle to clear the 100 yard mark on the ground Thursday night. I have Chris Johnson in a bunch of fantasy leagues, so I hope I’m wrong, but that Steelers D is going to be fired up and ready to make a statement that their dominance of 2008 will continue in 2009. Teams will have to wait until later in the season, when the Steelers are a little bit beaten up, to get any traction on the ground. And while the Titans brought in former Steelers Nate Washington to provide a deep threat, the Titans WRs and Kerry Collins’ ancient arm do not inspire me.

I do think that this will be a close, hard-fought game all the way through. However, the 4th quarter will be owned by Pittsburgh, I think Hines Ward and Troy Polamalu will come through big plays late (like they always seem to), and the Steelers will pull away down the stretch.Â

If I were a betting man I’d take the Steelers and give the points. I’m not, so I’ll just sit back Thursday night and enjoy the first game of what should be another awesome 17 weeks of regular season NFL football.

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* – James Harrison / Chris Johnson photo credit: Getty images via ESPN.com

* – Mike Tomlin photo credit: LifesAboutADream.com

Filed Under: Featured Column, NFL Tagged With: ben roethlisberger, chris johnson, lendale white, mike tomlin, NFL, nfl game preview, pittsburgh steelers, tennessee titans, willie parker

Gordon Beckham Injury Update: Strained Oblique, Return Likely This Week

September 7, 2009 By Jerod Morris Leave a Comment

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gordon beckham injury update - strained right oblique - to return wednesday, maybe friday White Sox rookie 3B Gordon Beckham has put his name front and center in the AL Rookie of the Year discussion by leading all AL rookies in doubles (23), RBIs (52), and extra base hits (34).

He is also dealing with a strained right oblique injury that may threaten his ability to battle Rangers shortshop Elvis Andrus mano-a-mano for the award down the stretch.

The injury forced Beckham to leave Saturday’s game against the Boston Red Sox in the first inning, and was originally called a “stiff back.” As I mentioned in a previous post, all White Sox fans have become conditioned to fear our third baseman and the term “stiff back” being placed anywhere near eachother.

Luckily for Beckham and the White Sox, the injury does not appear serious and his return is likely this week. Most likely, Beckham will return on Wednesday, but the White Sox could hold him out until Friday (with an off day mercifully coming on Thursday).

Scott Merkin wrote about Beckham’s injury today at his White Sox blog “Being Ozzie Guillen” and says that the manager is going to err on the side of caution with his young phenom, but that Guillen also wants Beckham back in the lineup when he is ready to both help the White Sox finish strong in September and compete for the Rookie of the Year.

From Merkin’s article updating the status of Gordon Beckham’s injury:

“I want him to finish strong,” said Guillen of Beckham. “Hopefully he can get what I want him to get, that award. He deserved and earned it. It’s our job to make sure we do the best for him to get it. We’ll talk to (White Sox athletic trainer) Herm (Schneider) about it. It’s a day game today and hopefully the long day he’ll get better.”

Let’s hope the kid can come back and find his hitting stroke again. Â Gordon Beckham struggled out of the gate, then got hot, and has cooled off as of late (7 for his last 36 with only 1 2B). When Beckham was hot, the White Sox were playing their best baseball of the season and threatening the Tigers’ hold on the top spot in the AL Central.

Though another AL Central crown and a return trip to the playoffs seems out of reach for the White Sox in 2009, crazier things have happened. No question, the White Sox need a healthy and hitting Gordon Beckham to have even a prayer of a late September surge.

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* â€“ Gordon Beckham thumbs up photo credit: Michael Oâ€™Day via MLB.com

Filed Under: Featured Column, MLB Tagged With: baseball, Chicago White Sox, gordon beckham, Gordon Beckham injury update, MLB, ozzie guillen

College Football Week 2 TV Schedule and Point Spreads for the Week of Saturday, September 12th

September 7, 2009 By Jerod Morris 1 Comment

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THIS POST IS FROM 2009!

The college football TV schedule and point spreads have been posted for Week 2. Click here.

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college football week 2 tv schedule and point spreads - ESPN, ABC, CBS, NBC, Big Ten Network, Mountain Network, SEC Network

It didn’t take long for the 2009 college football season to take an unexpected turn, and for one of the prime BCS candidates to hit a major roadblock.

Oklahoma fell to BYU this past weekend, in large part because the Sooners’ offensive line struggled and allowed Sam Bradford to get flattened. The 2008 Heisman Trophy winner sprained his throwing shoulder in the process, and his return date is till unclear.

The Sooners look to rebound this weekend against Idaho State, and should have no trouble doing so, but now face the daunting task of running the table with no margin for error should they hope to compete for a BCS National Championship game.

Despite its importance to fans in Norman, the OU-Idaho State game is not one of this week’s marquee matchups. Among the most compelling games on the college football week 2 schedule (for the week of Saturday, September 12th) are the following:

Follow the links to StubHub to get great deals on Big Ten football tickets, Big 12 football tickets, SEC football tickets, and all NCAA football tickets.

Clemson at Georgia Tech

Clemson-Georgia Tech Date and Time: Thursday, September 10th at 7:30 ET
Clemson-Georgia Tech TV: ESPN
Clemson-Georgia Tech Point Spread: Georgia Tech -4.5

Notre Dame at Michigan

Notre Dame-Michigan Date and Time: Saturday, September 12th at 3:30 ET
Notre Dame-Michigan TV: ABC
Notre Dame-Michigan Point Spread: Notre Dame -4.5

UCLA at Tennessee

UCLA-Tennessee Date and Time: Saturday, September 12th at 4:00 ET
UCLA-Tennessee TV: ESPN
UCLA-Tennessee Point Spread: Tennessee -7.5
MSF: Tennessee-UCLA Preview and Analysis

South Carolina at Georgia

South Carolina-Georgia Date and Time: Saturday, September 12th at 7:00 ET
South Carolina-Georgia TV: ESPN2
South Carolina-Georgia Point Spread: Georgia -7.5

And, of course, the game of the week, which I am sure that KVB will have a preview of as we get closer to Saturday:

USC at Ohio State

USC-Ohio State Date and Time: Saturday, September 12th at 8:00 ET
USC-Ohio State TV: ESPN
USC-Ohio State Point Spread: USC -7.5

Those are the big games, but there is a complete slate of college football action this weekend and plenty of games to watch on the TV. As always, the complete college football tv schedule and point spread listings are below.

As you know, I do not bet on sports, so I post the spreads simply to give you and I an idea of what the experts think of each game. If college football betting is your thing, and you want detailed, up-to-minute betting information, the good folks at DocSports will take care of you:

College Football Week 2 TV Schedule and Point Spreads - Week of Saturday, September 12th

Date	Game	Time	TV	Point Spread	Tickets
Thu. 9/10	Clemson at Georgia Tech	7:30	ESPN	GT -4.5	Get Tickets

Fri. 9/11	Colorado at Toledo	9:00	ESPN	CU -3.5	Get Tickets

Sat. 9/12	Syracuse at Penn State	12:00	BTN	PSU -28.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	North Carolina at Connecticut	12:00	ESPNU	UNC -4.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Eastern Michigan at Northwestern	12:00	BTN	NU -17.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Western Michigan at Indiana	12:00	BTN	IU -1.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Central Michigan at Michigan State	12:00		MSU -14.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Stanford at Wake Forest	12:00	ESPN360	WF -2.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Fresno State at Wisconsin	12:00		WIS -8.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Duke at Army	12:00		ARMY -2.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Pittsburgh at Buffalo	12:00	ESPN360	PIT -11.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Iowa at Iowa State	12:0 5	FSN	IOWA -6.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Troy at Florida	12:21	SECN	UF -36.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Marshall at Virginia Tech	1:30		VT -20.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Arkansas State at Nebraska	2:00		NEB -23.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Kent State at Boston College	2:00		BC -21.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Morgan State at Akron	2:00		NL	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Texas at Wyoming	3:30		TEX -33.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Houston at Oklahoma State	3:30	FSN	OKST -15.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	TCU at Virginia	3:30	ESPNU	TCU -11.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Brigham Young at Tulane	3:30	ESPN2	BYU -17.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Notre Dame at Michigan	3:30	ABC	ND -4.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Howard at Rutgers	3:30	ESPN360	NL	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Idaho at Washington	3:30		WAS -20.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	East Carolina at West Virginia	3:30		WVU -6.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Louisana Tech at Navy	3:30		NAVY -7.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Southern Methodist at UAB	4:00		UAB -11.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	UCLA at Tennessee	4:00	ESPN	TEN -7.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Weber State at Colorado State	5:00		NL	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Eastern Washington at California	5:30		NL	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Jacksonville State at Florida State	6:00		NL	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	James Madison at Maryland	6:00		NL	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Murray Stat at North Carolina State	6:00		NL	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Idaho State at Oklahoma	7:00		NL	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Florida International at Alabama	7:00	ESPN360	ALA -34.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Vanderbilt at LSU	7:00	ESPNU	LSU -14.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	South Carolina at Georgia	7:00	ESPN2	UGA -7.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Mississippi State at Auburn	7:00	FSN	AUB -14.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Air Force at Minnesota	7:00	BTN	MIN -4.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Bowling Green at Missouri	7:00		MU -17	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Ohio at North Texas	7:00		OHIO -3.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Hawaii at Washington State	7:00		HAW -2.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Kansas State at Louisana-Lafayette	7:00		KSU -7.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Illinois State at Illinois	7:00	BTN	NL	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	New Hampshire at Ball State	7:00		NL	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Memphis at Middle Tennessee State	7:00	ESPN360	NL	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Texas Southern at Louisana- Monroe	7:00		NL	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	UCF at Southern Miss	7:00		USM -15.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Rice at Texas Tech	7:00		TTU -26.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Kansas at UTEP	7:30		KU -11.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	South Florida at Western Kentucky	7:30	ESPN360	USF -24.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Southeast Missouri State at Cinncinnati	7:30		NL	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Western Illinois at North Illinois	7:30	ESPN360	NL	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	USC at Ohio State	8:00	ESPN	USC -7.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Miami at Boise State	8:00	ESPN360	BSU -35.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Prarie View A&M at New Mexico State	8:00		NL	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Tulsa at New Mexico	8:00	MTN	TULS -17.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Southern Utah at San Diego State	8:30		NL	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Northern Arizona at Arizona	9:00		NL	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Purdue at Oregon	10:15	FSN	ORG -11.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Utah at San Jose State	10:30	ESPNU	UTAH -13.5	Get Tickets
Sat. 9/12	Oregon State at UNLV	11:00		OST -7.5	Get Tickets

Email the author of this post: jerod@midwestsportsfans.com

Filed Under: CFB, CFB TV, Featured Column, TV and Betting

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Pierre Thomas Injury Update: Status Questionable for Week 1 With MCL Sprain

Fantasy Football: Week 1 Start ‘Em – Sit ‘Em Lineup Advice

The Week 17 start em, sit em lineup advice post is up.

MSF Fantasy Football League Game of the Week: F#$K The Bucks vs The Ridiculous Rosenthals

LOTD: Why The Pittsburgh Steelers and Their Fans Suck

I’ll Tell You This: The Meaning of Bradford’s Injury, ND’s Win, and Why the Jets and Lions are Making a Mistake

Memo To Ohio State: Please End This Matt Barkley Nonsense on Saturday

Scouting Report and Video of Recent 2010 IU Commit Victor Oladipo

Video: Victor Oladipo and Maurice Creek Dunk-Fest

Steelers-Titans Thursday Night Football Preview and Prediction

Gordon Beckham Injury Update: Strained Oblique, Return Likely This Week

College Football Week 2 TV Schedule and Point Spreads for the Week of Saturday, September 12th

THIS POST IS FROM 2009!

The college football TV schedule and point spreads have been posted for Week 2. Click here.

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College Football Week 2 TV Schedule and Point Spreads - Week of Saturday, September 12th

Support MSF with a +1 vote and a tweet:

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Daily Popular

Most Visited Since 4/1/11

The Week 17 start em, sit em lineup advice post is up.

Video: Victor Oladipo and Maurice Creek Dunk-Fest

THIS POST IS FROM 2009! The college football TV schedule and point spreads have been posted for Week 2. Click here. —————

College Football Week 2 TV Schedule and Point Spreads - Week of Saturday, September 12th

Support MSF with a +1 vote and a tweet:

Choose a Topic

SEARCH MSF

Daily Popular

Most Visited Since 4/1/11

THIS POST IS FROM 2009!

The college football TV schedule and point spreads have been posted for Week 2. Click here.

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