The Big Cat's Blog

UFC 101 Declaration

2009-08-07T09:28:00.000-07:00

UFC 101 is upon us tomorrow night and it seems like just yesterday we were taking in UFC 100. UFC 101 isset to take place in the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia and Dana White is proud of the fact of bringing big fights back to Philly. A decent under card is highglighted by a fantastic double main event. Let's take a look at the main event matchups.

Forrest Griffin vs. Anderson "The Spider" Silva (UFC Middleweight Champion)

This is a non-title bout as it is not in the middleweight class. Phenom middleweight Anderson Silva looking for a tougher challenge steps up to the 205 lbs. weight class to face former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin. Griffin, a fan favorite and the first winner of The Ultimate Fighter is in need of a win after relinquishing his belt to Rashad Evans and going through a shoulder surgery. Griffin will be the first to tell you that he's not the best fighter but he will fight anyone and give it his all. Forrest is my favorite fighter and I love the heart the guy shows. Anderson Silva is a devestating Muay-Thai artist who is a very precise striker. Silva has been untouched in his career with the UFC. In all of his fights the only round he's ever lost was round 1 to Dan Henderson. Henderson was able to take Silva down and punch on him for a round but was then choked out in the next round. Silva has cleaned out the Middleweight division and now looks for a challenge as he steps up a weight class. Griffin isn't being given much of a chance, and as usual is viewed as the underdog and Griffin likes it that way. This should be an interesting fight to see how the technical striking side of Silva mixes with the freestyle brawling of Griffin.

Prediction: My heart is telling me to go with Forrest but my head is telling me Anderson Silva TKO's Forrest in the 3rd round. I would love to be wrong on this and hope I am.

Kenny "Ken Flo" Florian Vs. "The Prodigy" BJ Penn (UFC Lightweight Champion)

I'm not really attached to either of these guys as a fan, but I like watching both fight and this should make for an exciting bout. This is a title fight between an accomplished wrestler/striker/and jiu-jitsu practicioner in Penn and a Muay-Thai/Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter in Kenny Florian. Florian has been undefeated for the last 3 years laying waste to the lightweight division, while BJ Penn is coming off of a dominating defeat at the hands of GSP. Alot of thought is that BJ has been training harder than ever and will come back and continue to reign over the Lightweight Division. This has the makings to be fight of the year (Although I don't know how anything tops Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida). For the fight fans who like to see a technical battle with lots of slick transitions, this is your fight.

Prediction: Alot of people are saying Penn has the stuff to rebound from his loss to GSP and regain his hold on the lightweight Division but I'm calling Florian with a 4th round TKO.

A Look back at UFC 100

2009-08-06T09:11:00.000-07:00

UFC 100 has come and gone and it was every big as the hype intended it to be. For the record I was 1-3 in predictions (Mir over Lesnar 2nd round submission, Alves over GSP 3rd round TKO, Henderson over Bisping 2nd round KO) but I got the Henderson over Bisping correct and that's all I cared about.

Dan Henderson vs Michael Bisping

As I mentioned I recently got into MMA and am now hooked. I started watching the Ultimate Fighter UK vs US with these two representing their countries as coaches. I didn't know much about either but really started to hate Bisping during this show and really became a big fan of Dan Henderson. I wanted Henderson to win this fight if no one else I picked won that night. A lot of talk centered around Henderson being washed up and Bisping being a young up and comer, but as the fight got closer alot of fears about Bisping came out. People discussed how he had been sheltered in his fights to create a wider UK fan base and had not fought anyone of real competition. From the opening bell Dan Henderson dictated the pace and stalked Bisping around the octagon landing punch after punch. Bisping continually circled towards Hendo's big right hand and finally paid for it.

Bisping was out as soon as that punch connected and then Henderson landed a final blow to shut Bisping's mouth for good.

Once Bisping went stiff and hit the mat, Hendo landed a flying forearm that I'm sure Bisping never felt. There was a lot of talk that it was a dirty punch and it might have been a bit, but these fighters are told to fight until they are stopped and Hendo wasn't in time. Henderson re-established himself with a dominating victory and now will face Anderson Silva in a rematch for the middleweight title.

Georges St. Pierre Vs. Thiago Alves

I bought into the hype that Thiago Alves was young and strong and could finally be the guy to take out GSP. I picked against GSP because I just don't like him, but I learned one thing that night...Never again will I pick against GSP. GSP took Alves down at will and dominated him for 5 rounds winning a commanding unanimous victory. It was quite impressive and as much as I don't like "Rush", I respect the hell out of him as a fighter. The guy is definitely the best in the world at 170 lbs. He's been the most complete fighter in the world for a while and I don't know if there is anyone in the world who can best him.

Frank Mir Vs. Brock Lesnar

I was under the opinion that Lesnar would fall victim to the same fate as he did in his first bout with Mir. Lesnar who has not been as well trained in MMA as Mir dominated Mir early in the first fight but got caught by Mir's superior jiu-jitsu skills and got locked up in a heel hook. Lesnar made sure that mistake didn't happen this time. Brock who was a great wrestler in college put his big body on top of Mir and beat his face into hamburger meat. Mir was totally dominated in this fight and I don't know who can take Lesnar right now in the lackluster Heavyweight division. Lesnar made a fool out of himself with a WWE like rant after the fight but proved that he is a beast in the octagon right now and a legit MMA champion.

Tomorrow we'll look forward to UFC 101 and my thoughts on that card.

Time to pay The Bills

2009-08-05T07:50:00.000-07:00

So last time we took a look at the Bills offense as we gear up towards the season, today we will look at a unit who really needs to take a step forward, and that's the Bills Defense.

D-Line:

The need to get better on the D-line and from the pass rush was paramount as the Bills went into the offseason and was addressed when they took Aaron Maybin (pictured above). Maybin is a speed demon off the edge who turned in impact performances in big games when he was at Penn State. Maybin has not yet signed, but once he gets into camp he should add another demension to the Bills front four. Maybin showed to be a real team leader at mini-camps and will work well with the current rotation at ends. Also in the rotation are Chris Kelsay the big, sturdy run stopper, and sack-man Aaron Schobel. Kyle Williams, Spencer Johnson, and Marcus Stroud anchor the center of a line that is trying to get pressure and make plays

Linebackers:

This spot has a few unknowns to it, espescially if injury occurs, but if Kawika Mitchell and Paul Posluzsny stay healthy it will go a long way to solidify this unit. The two big hitters play side by side, and while Posluzsny stalks the field and tackles everything in sight, Mitchell packs a load of dynamite and can make plays in coverage. What's unclear is how the 3rd LB position will shake out. Right now it will be Keith Ellison who has started there before, but former late draft picks Alvin Bowen and Nic Harris look to make some noise and get into the argument for playing time.

Defensive Backs:

This is a really good unit that has the chance to be something special. Terrence McGee and Donte Whitner captain a group of absolute athletes with a lot of big play potential. Former first round pick Leodis McKelvin and Drayton Florence will battle to play opposite McGee. Ashton Youboty looks to assert himself as a player this year and Byron Scott will start the year off opposite of Whitner. The player I'm excited about is rookie Jairus Byrd (pictured above) who will be transitioned to safety. All in all this unit has the chance to be the team's best.

Best Defensive Player - The defense takes a step up this year thanks to pro bowl years from Donte Whitner, Kawika Mitchell, and Paul Posluzsny.

Best Defensive Rookie - I'm gonna have to go with my boy Jairus Byrd as I detailed above.

Yes I'm back (Bills Season Preview)

2009-08-03T09:14:00.000-07:00

Yes I'm back after a long Blog hiatus. I got lazy started catching up on TV shows and playing more video games and let this blog go by the wayside. All that aside the new NFL season is upon us which leads us to a new beginning for the Big Cat's Blog. When I last left you we were in the middle of NFL offseason, with baseball right around the corner. I was prepping for the Rangers season and wondering if they could make it. Fast forward 4 months and the Rangers are right in the race with the Angels and the Big Cat himself was sucked into the addictive world of MMA. With all that in mind we will get into some baseball in the coming weeks, and later this week a re-cap of my thoughts on UFC 100 and looking ahead to UFC 101. Also looking ahead the College Football Season is set to start up so we'll have a look at the national picture as well as the Longhorns season preview. After all I'm just a fan with a public forum so you get to see the teams I love.

So there's a look at what's in my brain right now, and let's hope my ADD doesn't get the best of me and I can continue to blog for my small following. One other note is that not only was I sucked in to MMA, but I'm also a sell out who bought in to my most hated form of social networking...Twitter. So follow me on Twitter under the name @bigcatunplugged.

Let's get it on...

The Buffalo Bills have been at training camp for more than a week at St. John Fisher College and to steal a line from a good friend regarding baseball spring training, "Training camp, where even the Bills fans have hope". Two periods in the NFL yield hope to even the most hopeless fans, and that is the draft and training camp. Usually the reviews from camp are glowing and fans are reading about all the new guys and rejuvenated veterans forgetting every hole in the team. I'm not here to throw a wet blanket on your hopes and dreams fellow Bill-eivers, I'm here to talk about the optimisim I myself am experiencing and the reasons why I think the Bills are on the verge of a breakout year and a possible return to the postseason.

Quarterbacks

Trent Edwards returns for his third season in Western New York, and while his career has been up and down, I think he could be a breakout guy in the NFL this year. Last year Edwards charged out of the gates as a passer throwing the ball all over the field to big play threat Lee Evans. Edwards has always shown good passing skills with great accuracy but needs to stay healthy. In my mind if he can complete a full season, he can show himself to be a more than capable QB of the future. Behind him the Bills made an offseason acquisition of former Harvard grad Ryan Fitzpatrick who had previously been with the Rams and Bengals. Fitzpatrick has had an up and down career, and will hopefully prove to be a capable backup option. Behind him the 3rd QB spot is being battled for by former Frankfurt Galaxy QB Gibran Hamdan and Matt Baker. Hamdan has now been with the team for a couple of years and knows the playbook, but Baker represents more upside and ability.

Runningbacks

The Bills house a crowded backfield this year led by suspended (for 3 games) first round draft pick Marshawn Lynch. I really want to believe Lynch is a good guy, but he's already had a few off the field incidents. Lynch also has really got to get going to improve on the promise he showed in his first year. Once Lynch returns from his suspension he should enjoy an expanded role with a reformed offensive line, and new big play threats on the outside. Lynch is also an accomplished receiver and can hopefully add that dimension to the Bills offense. "Fast" Freddie Jackson is back for another year to reprise his role of change of pace back. Jackson has really come on and proven to be a valuable weapon in both the running and the passing game. Newcomer Dominic Rhodes signed on with the team and will most likely split the duties at running back with Jackson while Lynch is on his 3 game suspension. Rhodes also looks to add a demension to kick off returns as he has done for most of his NFL career. Xavier Omon is hanging on to his job by a thread, but we'll see if there is a need for four running backs. What remains unclear is who will lose more touches when Lynch returns.

Wide Receivers

How could things not be great here? We've got one of the biggest deep threats in the league in Lee Evans, and T.O. "I Love Me some Me" Owens.

Well truth be told I'm still a bit leery about the prospect of Owens torpedoing the locker room, but as he's always done early in his time with a team, he's said and done all the right things. All of that aside, I still believe Owens has enough in him for one or two more big seasons. He's always shown that a change of scenery rejuvenates him and ignites that rather large chip that resides on his shoulder. With Owens and Evans on the outside, the Bills boast one of the best receiving duo's in football and I'm really excited to see what Evans can do with the pressure and double teams taken off of him. Behind him they have sturdy and solid slot WR Josh Reed and a big play threat in his own right with Roscoe Parrish. Parrish has got to get more touches to show his special speed and big play ability, and some talk has centered around Parrish running a wildcat like formation. James Hardy and Steve Johnson round out the crowded WR corps, and James Hardy looks to make a little headway towards moving back up the depth chart after a lackluster performance and a season ending knee injury dropped him last year.

Tight End

This is the black hole in the Bills offense, but draft day could have yielded an answer for that black hole. Derek Schouman and Derek Fine will probably get the first oppurtunity to lock the position down, but neither are big time playmaking threats. On the other hand, rookie Tight End Shawn Nelson (pictured above) from Southern Miss. Nelson is a big, long, fast pass catcher that could really add another dimension to the offense. A former WR, Nelson will have to work on adding weight and blocking but he could be a special player at the TE position.

Offensive Line

The offensive line has seen a lot of turnover and there will be a new player at each position. Langston Walker swings over from the right side to Left Tackle and the mammoth 6'7 330 lbs + monster will have to contend with some great AFC pass rushers. Brad Butler makes the move from Right Guard to Right tackle, while rookies Andy Levitre and Eric Wood are the favorites to man the interior positions at guard. Newcomer Geoff Hangartner will come over from Carolina to play center for the Bills. This unit has to be better at protecting Trent Edwards, but moreso needs to be better opening holes for the run game. The Bills use a ball control offense and will be able to run to set up the pass if this unit is as good as some think it could be.

Breakout player - Lee Evans...With Terrell Owens opening up coverages for Evans, he should become the big play threat we all know he can be

Best offensive Rookie - With a draft loaded with defensive players, I'll go with rookie TE Shawn Nelson to be the breakout rookie on the unit

2 Fast, Real Serious

2009-03-26T17:39:00.000-07:00

2 blogs in the same week? Yeah I'm on a roll. I actually wasn't planning on doing anything tonight until this story surfaced in the metroplex. I'll start by saying this story drew my attention because of the man above who was the center of the story. Being a local kid and a fantastic runner at Louisiana Tech I was high on Ryan Moats coming into the draft. Unfortunately he hasn't been able to completely come through as a pro runner yet I've always been a fan of his. In case you've been under a log recently and haven't heard the story of Ryan Moats being harassed by a Dallas Police officer here it is.

DALLAS (AP) -- A police officer was placed on administrative leave Thursday over a traffic stop involving an NFL player whom he kept in a hospital parking lot and threatened to arrest while his mother-in-law died inside the building.

Officer Robert Powell also drew his gun during the March 18 incident involving Houston Texans running back Ryan Moats in the Dallas suburb of Plano, police said.

"I can screw you over," he said at one point in the videotaped incident. When another officer came with word that Moats' mother-in-law was indeed dying, Powell's response was: "All right. I'm almost done."

Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle apologized to the family and announced that Powell would be on paid leave pending an internal investigation.

"When we at the command staff reviewed the tape, we were embarrassed, disappointed," Kunkle said. "It's hard to find the right word and still be professional in my role as the police chief. But the behavior was not appropriate."

Powell, 25, a three-year member of the force, stopped Moats' SUV outside Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano after Moats rolled through a red light.

Police officials said Powell told his commanders he believed he was doing his job, and that he drew his gun but did not point it. Kunkle said Powell was not necessarily acting improperly when he pulled his weapon out, but that once he realized what was happening should have put the gun back, apologized and offered to help the family in any way.

"His behavior, in my opinion, did not exhibit the common sense, the discretion, the compassion that we expect our officers to exhibit," Kunkle said.

Moats' wife, who was in the car along with other relatives, said Powell pointed his weapon at her.

"He was pointing a gun at me as soon as I got out of the car," Tamishia Moats told The Dallas Morning News.

Ryan Moats told KRLD-FM in Dallas in a phone interview Thursday that after the officer pointed the gun at his wife, he pointed it at him. "I just tried to stay as still as possible to not scare him or do anything to make him react," he said.

He earlier told the newspaper he thought Powell should be fired but backed off that in his radio interview.

"All I know is what he did was wrong," Moats said. "He stole a moment away from me that I can never get back. I'm really not the judge on what should happen to him."

The Moats family did not immediately return messages left by The Associated Press. Powell did not respond to requests for comment through the Dallas police union.

Video from a dashboard camera inside the officer's vehicle, obtained by Dallas-Fort Worth station WFAA-TV, revealed an intense exchange in which the officer threatened to jail Moats.

He ordered Tamishia Moats, 27, to get back in the SUV, but after pausing for a few seconds, she and another woman rushed into the hospital. She was by the side of her mother, 45-year-old Jonetta Collinsworth, when she died a short time later from breast cancer.

"Get in there," said Powell, yelling at Tamishia Moats as she exited the vehicle. "Let me see your hands!"

"Excuse me, my mom is dying," Tamishia Moats said. "Do you understand?"

Ryan Moats explained that he waited until there was no traffic before proceeding through the red light. When Powell asked for proof of insurance, Moats grew more agitated and told the officer to go find it.

"My mother-in-law is dying! Right now! You're wasting my time!" Moats yelled. "I don't understand why you can't understand that."

As they argued, the officer got irritated.

"Shut your mouth," the officer said. "You can either settle down and cooperate or I can just take you to jail for running a red light."

By the time the 26-year-old NFL player received a ticket and a lecture from Powell, about 13 minutes had passed. When he and Collinsworth's father entered the hospital, they learned Collinsworth was dead.

Kunkle said the video showed that Moats and his wife "exercised extraordinary patience, restraint in dealing with the behavior of our officer."

"At no time did Mr. Moats identify himself as an NFL football player or expect any kind of special consideration," Kunkle said. "He handled himself very, very well."

The Moats family, who are black, said they can't help but think that race might have played a part in the white officer's behavior.

"I think he should lose his job," Ryan Moats said.

When the exchange was at its most contentious, Powell said he could tow Moats' SUV if he didn't have insurance and that he could arrest him for fleeing because he didn't immediately stop when Powell turned on his sirens. The pursuit lasted a little more than a minute.

"I can screw you over," Powell said. "I'd rather not do that. Your attitude will dictate everything that happens."

The ticket issued to Moats was dismissed, Dallas police spokesman Lt. Andy Harvey said.

Texans spokesman Kevin Cooper said the team had no comment.

Moats, a third-round draft choice of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2005 out of Louisiana Tech, was cut by the Eagles in August and later signed with the Texans. In three seasons as a backup, he's rushed for 441 yards and scored four touchdowns.

He was a standout at Bishop Lynch High School, a private school in Dallas, rushing for more than 2,600 yards and 33 touchdowns as a senior.

Let me preface saying my dad worked for the jail, my grandfather was a Dallas Police officer and so I've always been raised with the utmost respect for officers and the job they do. With that here is the video and audio breakdown of what happened.

My father and I discussed this today and the things we did agree on was that the cop was that the officer reacted correctly when the car stopped and people jumped out. As an officer that is early training day 1 stuff, these guys have a dangerous job and can never be too careful. From that point on the whole thing was handled poorly. I understand an officer taking control of the situation, but this particular officer was on a power trip and was incredibly disrespectful and lacked compassion. This guy will lose his badge over this probably and I can't say I blame the DPD for that.

American Idol Power Rankings V.3

2009-03-23T18:22:00.000-07:00

And here we go...

1. Allison Iraheta

This is the first week Allison didnt just blow the place away, but it wasn't really her thing. That said she still did very well and didn't do anything in my mind to drop.

2. Lil Rounds

This also was week when it wasn't really Lil Rounds' genre. She still showed amazing vocal talent and like Allison did nothing to move down.

3. Danny Gokey

Danny did another really heartfelt song with Carrie Underwood's "Jesus Take The Wheel." The top 3 is what it is, the cream of this competition in my mind and until one sets themself apart they will be a cohesive top 3.

4. Matt Giraud

So I've probably been more down on this guy than I should have been and there is no denying his vocal talent, but there's just something about him I just don't like. That said I can't deny his talent and he's a fast riser.

5. Anoop Desai

Anoop really put himself back in the competition last week and showed the talent I thought he had. I think you gotta watch out for this guy because of his likeability.

6. Kris Allen

Kris is a real darkhorse in this competition. Like Anoop he has alot of likeability. He's got a good Jason Mraz singer/songwriter feel.

7. Scott Macintyre

When Scott first auditioned I really thought he had a chance to win the whole thing. Since auditions he's really gone downhill. As someone said to me "The only thing he's really got going for him is that he's blind." He really needs to get away from the boring sad piano music.

8. Megan Joy

She's hot but she has a gigantic arm tattoo thats hideous. Last week she had her best vocal of the competition but still not quite good enough.

9. Michael Sarver

See his steady decline on the rankings? Not so much a product of how bad he is, but how badly I overrated him at the beginning. Stop making funny faces and go home.

10. Adam Lambert

About 3 notes into his version of the great Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" I decided he would be at the bottom of this list. Look spare me the commentary I know the guy has range and talent but his flare and his poor song choice downgrade him. Alot of this competition is song selection and he butchered Cash. That cannot be forgiven.

My Bracket

2009-03-19T08:52:00.001-07:00

Short post today but in case you are interested, here is what I've got for first round tournament matchups

Midwest -

Louisville over Morehead State

Siena over Ohio State

Arizona over Utah

Wake Forest over Cleveland State

West Virginia over Dayton

Kansas over North Dakota State

USC over Boston College

Michigan State over Robert Morris

West -

Uconn over Chattanooga

BYU over Texas A&M

Purdue over Northern Iowa

Washington over Mississippi State

Marquette over Utah State

Missouri over Cornell

Maryland over California

Memphis over CSU Northridge

East -

Pittsburgh over E. Tenn. State

Tennessee over Oklahoma State

Wisconsin over Florida State

Xavier over Portland State

UCLA over VCU

Villanova over American

Texas over Minnesota

Duke over Binghamton

South

North Carolina over Radford

Butler over LSU

Illinois over Western Kentucky

Gonzaga over Akron

Arizona State over Temple

Syracuse over Stephen F. Austin

Michigan over Clemson

Oklahoma over Morgan State

American Idol Power Rankings (Week 2)

2009-03-16T19:56:00.000-07:00

Busy week this week but I hope to get my Mock Draft finalized and put out. I decided I would have to get my AI power rankings out before this week kicked off so here we go.

1. Allison Iraheta

Lil Rounds may be the most talented in this contest, but Allison gets the nod because she has blown it away two weeks in a row. I'm really interested to hear what she has in store for us this week.

2. Lil Rounds

As I said Lil Rounds is still probably the most talented in this contest, and she did very well with "The Way you make me feel" last week, but Allison has been impressive both times which is why she got the nod at the top spot.

3. Danny Gokey

Danny was great in week 1 and solid again in week 2. Allison, Lil, and Danny make up the top shelf of this contest and no one is close. I really like Danny and he should be alright as the weeks go along.

4. Alexis Grace

If Danny, Lil Rounds, and Allison are the top shelf, Alexis is just a step behind them. I think she's really a darkhorse to win this whole thing.

5. Matt Giraud

There is still something about this guy I don't like but he's pretty talented. He's really got the singer/songwriter/piano player thing down and has some real soulfulness.

6. Kris Allen

Alot of turnover going on in this part of the list from last week, but alot of people weren't as good and others improved. Kris is a really good showman on the stage and has a good vibe in the Jason Mraz mold.

7. Anoop Desai

I'm a big Anoop fan and last week he was terrible, but I could only drop him this far. I still believe he has a lot of talent, but he has to pick better songs.

8. Adam Lambert

I heard people rave about this guy last week and I still don't get it. He's got talent and range but he over-sings and screams through his songs. To be clear the only reason he moved up is because others that would be here, didn't do well.

9. Scott Macintyre

I was high on this guy at firist but his act is beginning to run old. He's really talented and has overcome alot, but he doesn't pick the right songs and kind of brings the room down with his songs.

10. Michael Sarver

I said last week I probably overrated this guy because he's from Texas and I was right. He's just nothing special, and those faces he makes while singing are very weird and akward. He wont go for a while because people like him.

11. Megan Joy

The only thing Megan has going for her is that she's hot. Other than that she's really not that good and doesn't make smart song choices.

American Idol and T.O.

2009-03-09T13:03:00.000-07:00

American Idol Power Rankings - Week 1

Here is the debut of The Big Cat's American Idol Power Rankings for the top 13

1 - Lil Rounds

Lil Rounds is easily the best singer in this contest. This past week she did a Mary J. Blige song and it was evident from the first note she was the class of the competition.

2. Allison Iraheta

When they first interviewed the 16 year old her personality was terrible and I was bracing for a bad performance. She then stepped onstage and blew the place away with a rendition of Heart's "Alone."

3. Danny Gokey

Danny had one of the most emotional stories at auditions when he talked about how his wife passed away a few months before he auditioned. He sang Mariah Carey's "Hero" but my friend Steven thinks he may have set the bar too high.

4. Alexis Grace

Alexis performed a very bluesy version of an Aretha Franklin song and really took the competition by suprise. She looks to be a strong competitor in the weeks to come.

5. Jorge Nunez

Jorge has an intense annoying personality with an "Aw shucks I'm so blessed to be here I speak Spanish when I get excited" disposition. That said he can really sing and his performance of Elton John's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me."

6. Anoop Desai

Opposite of Jorge, Anoop has an intense likeability to him, and althogh he's been criticized as not having the best voice, but I think he's got chops and was glad he made it in as a wildcard.

7. Scott Macintyre

Scott's got a compelling story being blind and making it into the competition. His voice doesn't totally blow me away, but as we've seen he's a talented musician on the piano.

8. Michael Sarver

I probably overrate this guy a little bit because I'm pulling for him due to the fact he's a nice guy and from Texas, but I think he picked a bad song his first time. I'd really like to see him perform something else and decide where I'm really going to slot him.

9. Matt Giraud

Something about this guy irks me personally but he's got some talent. He was very good in Hollywood week but lost me in week 1.

10. Jasmine Murray

Another 16 year old in the competition, Jasmine made a bad pick with her first week song. That said, she has some talent and will hopefully pick some better songs.

11. Kris Allen

Kris also has some likeability but is nothing special on the mic. He could be the next to go.

12. Megan Joy

The judges rave about her and she seems like she has some underlying talent but she hasn't impressed me thus far.

13. Adam Lambert

Truth be told I don't know how this guy got in. He's charasmatic and a high energy performer, but he basically screamed his version of The Rolling Stone's "Satisfaction". There are easily 5 better singers that didn't get in.

Western New York, Get Your Popcorn Ready

As a Bills fan I'll admit I was shocked when the signing went down. I always said it wouldn't shock me if they did sign him but when the pen went to the paper it did. I was unhappy at first because I've seen up close what he did to Dallas. I've always been a TO supporter and apologist but moreso because he didn't play for my team. Now there is nothing I can do about it so I've decided to embrace it. Here is what Peter King had to say in his Monday Morning Quarterback article.

Bills chief operating office Russ Brandon woke up sometime after midnight Friday morning and noticed there was a text message on his cell phone. So he reached over and looked. It was from Trent Edwards, the quarterback of the Bills. "How about T.O.?'' That's all it said.

Brandon shot back with this: "?''

"T.O. was released. Go get him,'' Edwards texted back.

Brandon still seemed surprised when I spoke to him late Sunday. "I went back to sleep,'' he said, "but I was stunned by it. The next morning, [coach] Dick Jauron and I talked, and he said, 'I think it's something we certainly should take a look at.' I put a call into [owner] Ralph Wilson, and he said, 'Absolutely look into it.'''

And that was it. The only team to seriously kick the tires on Owens got its man a day later for three major reasons:

1. The Bills think Jauron is the perfect coach -- calm but commanding -- to handle Mount Terrell.

2. The organization is sick of perpetually being one weapon away from catching New England (and Miami and the Jets, as it turns out), and it's willing to take the risk of having Owens ruin the locker room so it can have a chance to win the division.

3. The Bills did the one-year deal for a fairly strategic reason, in my opinion. Owens is good when he's trying to make a good first impression. Check out his first years in his three prior stops -- with the San Francisco season being his first without Jerry Rice on the team, when the focus of the offense was clearly on him:

Season G Rec. Yards TD

San Francisco, 2001 16 93 1,412 16

Philadelphia, 2004 14 77 1,200 14

Dallas, 2006 16 85 1,180 13

I have to say that, even though I view Owens as the most divisive force in the NFL today, and even though he drops far more balls than a top player should (12 per year, on average, over the past three years), I understand why the Bills did what they did. It's been 10 years since their last playoff appearance. They're the Washington Generals to the Patriots. And Owens will be on his best behavior in 2009, determined to prove wrong all of us who make a living out of criticizing him (oh, it's sooooo hard to do that), and determined to get one more big-money deal out of the Bills or some other team.

Point is, TO has a lot to offer for a team like Buffalo who needs a scoring punch and in year 1 hopefully he doesn't cause any trouble but things will be interesting in Buffalo to say the least.

Quick Hits

2009-02-17T20:59:00.000-08:00

I know I haven't been around much...Really busy into some things with work and the family and TV on DVD has once again consumed my life...I have always wanted to watch The Sopranos and I'm going through it on DVD now. So blame Tony Soprano for my lack of posts

Time for quick hits...

Alex Rodriguez and PED - Gag me...It's all the fault of the Rangers according to A-Roid as if someone forced him to sign a 252 million dollar deal...Deal with it dude

Texas Basketball - Not very good right now...I'm making the trek to Austin this weekend to see the Horns take on Blowu in basketball...Hopefully they can muster some guts

Ranger Baseball - Watch out MLB, the #1 ranked farm system will start to produce soon as the Rangers make their return to the playoffs...maybe even this year

American Idol - Too many to judge right now but power rankings will start soon when they shake the group down a little

Another top 10

I know this post has no substance, but I'm busy and I'm gonna try to be really in-depth with draft stuff...So onto a top 10 to finish it off because everyone likes countdowns

Tonight's top 10 may be a bit self-serving, but here are the top 10 Led Zeppelin songs as I've been going through my Zeppelin catalogue lately

MMA Stuff -

Saw a very interesting fighter this past weekend and when I talked to a contact at his gym I got some info on him. His name is Azaraiah "The Pirahna" Pattee and he's a 155 lbs. up and comer versed in Boxing, BJJ, and Muay Thai. Right now he's fighting out of Core Fight Academy, be on the lookout for him.

10. Black Dog - From Led Zeppelin IV

I love the way they use the music breaks in this song. Black Dog has no reference in the song, but they named it after a Black Lab that was around the studio. John Paul Jones said he wanted to make this song where people could never really get into a groove with the music breaks. The drums in this song are classic Bonham and it's one of the best portrayals of Robert Plant's vocal skills.

9. Whole Lotta Love - From Led Zeppelin II

This starts with one of the most famous Jimmy Page guitar rifs in the whole collection. It's an instant stop down anytime it comes on and one of the most rockin songs Zeppelin does. It's also one of the bluesy songs Zeppelin does. It's also one of the longest songs when Zeppelin performs live as Page can go on forever with his improvosational guitar skills.

8. Stairway To Heaven - From Led Zeppelin IV

This song is the bread and butter of Zeppelin's collection. Obviously when anyone mentions the band "Stairway To Heaven" is the first thing that comes to mind. On many "Best Song" lists this ranks right up there and it's in my top 10 but not one that's my favorite of favorites. The song goes from easy to hard rock in no time and is led in by the forceful driving drums of John Bonham and Jimmy Page's iconic guitar solo.

7. Rock and Roll - From Led Zeppelin IV

This is the definition of the perfect concert starter song. It comes in with an upbeat tempo and high energy from all instruments from the very start. It's probably between this and D'yer Maker between the most fun songs they do. Not one of their introspective, deep songs, but top to bottom a really solid song that is fun to listen to anytime.

6. Kashmir - From Physical Graffiti

Another one of their bread and butter songs and an iconic guitar riff. It was so iconic in fact that P-Diddy used it for his song "Come With Me" from the Godzilla soundtrack. As a drummer this is another song where you can truly appreciate Bonham's drumming. Most members of the band have said this is in their mind their best song and their best accomplishment as musicians.

5. Over The Hills and Far Away - From Houses of The Holy

This is one inspired from Lord of The Rings. Starts out with an acoustic melody and comes in hard with the drums. It kind of peaks and valleys at points in the song with the tempo but is a pretty hard rocking song if that's what you are looking for.

4. Ramble On - From Led Zeppelin II

Yet another song influenced by The Lord of The Rings. The beat you hear at the beginning of the song is John Bonham actually recording from the top of a staircase beating on a "rubbish pail" or trash can with a stick. Until the 2007 reunion, this song was never performed in it's entirety at a concert, but is obviously one of my very favorites.

3. Babe I'm gonna Leave You - From Led Zeppelin (Self titled)

This song has become a new favorite of mine. Originally it was a folk song that Robert Plant made into a blues track. To me this is Plant's best performance vocally. The range he shows in this song is unmatched in any other song in my opinion.

2. When The Levee Breaks - From Led Zeppelin IV

This song started as a blues song in 1929 and was adapted by Plant into one of their best rock performances. The song was recorded in such an innovative way, with reverse echo effect on the harmonica and guitar and the drumset being recorded from another level of the house to give it a distant echo but force. The drums, guitar, and harmonica are described as "Driving" with a purpose to represent a driving storm.

1. That's The Way - From Led Zeppelin III

It would be weird that as a big fan of John Bonham and the rock Led Zeppelin brings, that my favorite song would be their softest rock with no drums in it at all. I remember the first time I heard the song as it was really the one that actually got me into listening to Led Zeppelin. The song was written one day while Jimmy Page was just playing the guitar and Robert Plant wrote the lyrics in 15 minutes. It's my #1 favorite song of all time and though it may not be the best representation of them to most it is tops for me.

Yes another countdown

2009-01-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

Can you tell I have runout of ideas thus far? I'm not getting into the Superbowl yet and after that we'll get pretty draft intensive since that is my thing. I got some good feedback on my last countdown so I'll be rolling with that for a bit. I must apologize for the time off, but I've been playing Metal Gear Solid 4 on my PS3 and that pretty much dominated all of my time the last few days. So here it is, the Big Cat's list of his top 10 favorite athletes. My last top 10 (favorite movie characters) did meet some opposition when someone questioned my list. So to clarify this is not who I think are the top 10 greatest, they are my top 10 favorites. I cannot even begin to tell people what is the greatest because it's all opinion, so here we go from 10-1.

10. Josh Hamilton - OF - Texas Rangers

I remember when I heard the Rangers had made a trade for a potential game changer named Josh Hamilton, I didn't know anything about him and had to ask my friend Steven about him. He told me a little about his story and I became instantly interested. After reading some articles about his amazing story I was hooked and then came his play on the field. It didn't take long, in the second game of the season, J-Ham hit a game winning homerun and showed the raw power that made him the #1 pick. He also flashed his glove in that game and over the next few months raced out to be the leading RBI man in the league. My man crush came to a full culmination at the home run derby when he hit 28 in the first round. I wont tell his story because it's been told but watch this video. He's at 10 on the list because I've only known about him for a year but I have a feeling he'll be moving up as the years go on.

9. Ryan Howard - 1B - Philadelphia Phillies

The first time I saw this guy play I knew the league was about to see something special. Being a big fan of the over sized, raw-power, left handed hitter I was instantly drawn to him. Howard did not disappoint winning rookie of the year in less than a full season. The next year he followed that up by winning the NL MVP and hitting 58 home runs. It seemed like every night I turned on sportscenter, the Ryanocerous was hitting bombs all over the ballpark. The next 2 years Ryan struggled with strikeouts, but continued to hit near 50 homeruns (47, and 48). The future is certainly bright for Howard.

8. Reggie White - DE - Green Bay Packers

I know he was an Eagle too, but he retired as a Packer, he won a Superbowl as a Packer, and he cemented his legacy as a Green Bay Packer. For some reason growing up I was a big fan of watching defensive ends, and there were none better than "the Minister of Defense." All due respect to my main man Bruce Smith, but Reggie White was definitely the jack of all trades. He was big enough to stop the run, quick enough to rush the passer, and strong enough to overpower an offensive tackle. White was a sure fire hall of famer his whole career and everyone knew it, and White never failed to deliver on that promise. He came to Green Bay when the Packers couldn't get free agents and became the missing piece to bringing a championship to title town. His life was tragically cut short, but he will go down as one of the greatest ever.

7. Ricky Williams - RB - Texas

Sure he smoked a lot of pot and threw away a probable hall of fame bid, but Ricky Williams will go down as one of the greatest players to ever tote the rock in college. One of the most enigmatic characters to ever grace the 40 acres, Williams inspired many Horns fans to rise to their feet and yell "Run Ricky Run." Ricky was the first key cog in the Longhorns turn around in the 90's. The best recruiting job Mack Brown has ever done, was getting Ricky to stay for his senior year after being underutalized by the previous regime. Ricky returned and ran for the single season record, and the Heisman trophy. The other strike that should be against him is that he is part of one of the teams I hate the most, the Miami Dolphins, but that didn't deter my love for Ricky. For a while he was one of my favorite players to ever play for the Horns, but we'll get to that later.

6. Ken Griffey Jr. - OF - Seattle Mariners/Cincinnati Reds

He was "The Chosen One", the one who would break all the records and ascend to the throne as the greatest to ever play the game. He was the quintessential 5 tool player who had the glove, the arm, the speed, the power, he could hit for average, and he had that beautiful, fluid, smooth, unforgettable swing. He's the first player who was real to me in baseball as I was growing up. I wanted to wear 24 in baseball and be like him but sadly I didn't have the glove, arm, speed, or bat of Jr. He's still had a fantastic career and has eclipsed 600 home runs and is a sure fire bet for the hall of fame, but his injuries caused by playing all out and recklessly have stopped him from being the home run king.

5. Michael Jordan - SG - Chicago Bulls

Come on, who doesn't have Michael Jordan in their top 10 favorite athletes? Who here has never dunked on a miniature goal with their tongue hanging out? Hell, when I make a shot in beer pong now I give the famous shrug Jordan gave his opponent after making it rain from beyond the arc. I know its an easy pick to take the greatest to ever play his sport, but Jordan is the reason LeBron James, Marshawn Lynch, and countless other athletes wear the number 23. It may be the most famous number in sports and Jordan made his basketball career into a money making machine. The jumpman logo can be seen on everything from shoes, to mp3 players, to cologne. Nike is joined at the hip with Jordan and all because he was simply the greatest ever to play the game. When I was young I wasn't much of a basketball fan, but if you asked me I was a Bulls fan because of Jordan. When my dad coached my youth soccer team we named it the Bulls, and even though I didn't appreciate the intricacies of basketball at that age, I knew I was watching something special.

4. Muhammad Ali - Boxer - The Greatest of All Time

I'm not a big boxing fan, but after reading stories, biographies, and watching documentaries I was instantly intrigued by the "Louisville Slugger." Ali or Cassius Clay as he was originally named was the center for controversy and the originator of trash talk. Ali spoke his mind and although it ruffled some feathers, he stood behind his words and showed backbone for what he believed in. Ali openly refused to enter the draft for religious reasons, and although I love America and believe in doing what's right for your country, I respect Ali for doing what he believed in knowing they would take everything away from him.

3. Jim Kelly - QB - Buffalo Bills

The first jersey I ever owned was a Jim Kelly jersey. The first game I watched that I actually remember was the infamous Wide Right Superbowl XV against the Giants. I was instantly hooked from that point and that didn't go over too well growing up in Dallas. Kelly doesn't have any championships and is rarely mentioned among the all time greats, but he is a hall of famer and in my mind one of the greats in a great era of QB's. Kelly's onfield leadership and enthusiastic style made him a pleasure to watch. Kelly was one of the first QB's in the modern era of offense to call his own plays from the QB position, and his versatile play caused the Bills coaching staff to make the no huddle offense a part of the regular offense. Their version was called the K-Gun. I no longer own the original jersey my parents bought for me, but a few years ago they did get me an authentic throw back Kelly jersey and it is my favorite that I own.

2. Vince Young - QB - Texas

Remember earlier when I said Ricky was my favorite player from Texas for a while? He was replaced January 4th, 2006. Before that VY was racing up the charts but reached the pinnacle with his herculean effort in the National Championship Game. The first time Young ever played in a Texas uniform, my father and I knew he had a lot of potential, but didn't see the true QB in him. At that point he was a redshirt freshman who knew to just get out there and run. As the years went on Texas fans questioned whether or not VY was the guy to get them where they wanted to be. Fans and pundits said he should be moved to wide receiver, but the Texas coaching staff never stopped believing. They took the reins off of Young and he became the most dynamic player in the country and in my opinion the greatest college player of all time. He's ahd some trouble making the pro transition after winning rookie of the year, but I believe he has enough in him to get off the mat, but even if he doesn't he will remain on this list.

1. Brett Favre - QB - Green Bay Packers

Favre's legacy may have been tainted over the past few years as he's tried to hold on in the twilight of his career. Like many greats he has tried to push his career (Michael Jordan, Joe Montana, Muhammad Ali) and some have criticized his offseason antics. I can't sit here and say he's handled everything the right way, but he has handled everything his way. He's done it like he did his whole career, with enthusiasm, heart, and his own style. He's the last of the QB's of my childhood, and no matter what the task was, Favre always seemed up to the challenge. Many will criticize saying he's blown games and while that is true, anyone who has watched his full career can't say they haven't enjoyed it. The young Mississippi kid who played like every game was his last, and blossomed into a superstar, and then into a larger than life icon who had grown old is the example of how to play the game when on the field. The image of Favre running around the field at Superbowl XXXI excited is forever in my mind, and his toughness is what made him a legend.

Because everyone loves countdowns

2009-01-14T23:55:00.000-08:00

We're going in a little bit of a different direction on the Big Cat's Blog...Tired of sifting through playoff matchups and getting ready to gear up for some great draft info I decided to go with the Top 10 list. Everyone loves a countdown and I'm no different, my roomate and I often discuss the fact that if there was a channel that did nothing but countdowns we would totally watch it. We've watched them all, from the top 10 draft busts to the top 10 celebrity feuds. So with that in mind here is my top 10 list of my favorite movie characters.

10. Gust Avrakotos (played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman) in Charlie Wilson's War

Phillip Seymour Hoffman has played so many great characters and is one of my favorite actors of all time. My favorite though hands down would be Gust Avrakotos the surly, cynical, loose cannon CIA agent who aides Congressman Charles Wilson in ending the conflict between Russia and Afghanistan. Hoffman plays the role very smart and quick witted and really steals the show from Tom Hanks. Every time I see a movie with Hoffman in it, I find myself really liking his character whether it be Sandy Lyle in Along Came Polly or Truman Capote in Capote, he's really a joy to watch on the screen.

9. Rod Farva (played by Kevin Heffernen) in Super Troopers

In one of the most quoteable movies of all time, the character that ties it all together is Rod Farva. The short tempered, gung ho, screw up, who's "not a pro union guy" provides so much comedy. When watching "Broken Lizard" movies Super Troopers and Beerfest, it was tough to pick the greater of "Landfill" and "Rod Farva", but Farva edges it out by his over the top attitude and keystone cop like comedy. "Sing it again rookie biatch."

8. Frank "The Tank" Ricard (played by Will Ferrell) in Old School

Probably one of the most memorable movie characters of all time, Ferrell portrays the completely wheels off Frank The Tank. He's the quintessential party guy who settled down and got married, but lost it all when he relapsed one fateful night. Ferrell is so full unintentional comedy and wheels off behavior he portrays the perfect human train wreck. Everyone has that friend, so he's very easy to relate to. How many times have you watched that movie and thought about one of your friends and said that is Frank The Tank.

7. Cousin Eddie (played by Randy Quaid) in all of the Vacation movies

It's been a while since I've seen the original Vacation movie, and I've never seen European Vacation, but Randy Quaid's portrayal of the crude, white trash, cousin that no one wants around, but always brings a laugh to the scene in Vegas Vacation, and Christmas Vacation, also falls into the category of memorable movie characters. Eddie, who always finds the simple pleasures in life and annoys Clark is one of my favorites.

6. Steve Stiffler (played by Sean William Scott) in the American Pie Trilogy

In my younger days I called Steve Stiffler a top 3 movie character of all time, but as I've grown and seen more movies he's dropped down the list. Still, the abrasive and over the top high school party guy who never quite grows up is full of laughs. He always has a quick remark, but is always loyal and comes through for his friends. He's the typ eof guy no one wants around sometimes, but what would it be like without him?

5. Mickey "The Pikey" O'Neil (played by Brad Pitt) in Snatch

I was a big Brad Pitt hater early in life, maybe because I was jealous of all the chicks who loved him, but also because I felt like he played the same roles all the time. For me his performance in Snatch as the Pikey Irish Gypsy prize fighter Mickey was a step outside of his pretty boy roles. I had to watch the movie a couple of times to understand what he was really saying, but hearing that he likes "Dags" won me over. If you own the movie, try going to the special features and watching with the Pikey subtitles on.

4. Tommy DeVito (played by Joe Pesci) in Goodfellas

When I was young and before I saw Goodfellas or Casino, I thought of Joe Pesci as the guy from Home Alone or My Cousin Vinny, which were funny characters. When I first saw Goodfellas, I saw Ray Liotta as a really believable character, Robert DeNiro as the cool suave gangster who always has everything under control. I loved both of those characters and theres no doubt Scorcese put together a great cast, but Pesci playing Tommy DeVito jumped off the screen at me. DeVito was the badass with a Napoleonic complex who didn't take any guff from anyone. For me one of the best lines of the movie and the quintessential DeVito moment is when he shoots Spider and Jimmy Conway (DeNiro) asks what is the matter with him and Pesci says "I'm a good shot, what do you want from me."

3. Carl Spackler (played by Bill Murray) in Caddyshack

Hands down the best role in the brilliant career of Bill Murray is the greenskeeper at Bushwood Carl Spackler. He plays the absent minded, paranoid, greenskeeper, who has a few screws loose and really ties a talented cast together. The monologue in which he tells the tale of caddying for the Dalai Lama is one of the best moments of any movie for me. I think Carl is one that many can agree is a popular pick for the top movie characters of all time.

2. Kip Dynamite and Uncle Rico (played by Aaron Ruell and Jon Gries) in Napoleon Dynamite

This was really tough for me when I tried to decide between Kiplyn Ronald Dynamite and Uncle Rico, so I figured, why not make it a package deal? Kip plays the dorky cyber nerd older brother who finds true love on the internet, but has the best lines put together in a movie. Uncle Rico plays the overbearing, scheming, uncle who harkens way back to his high school days who could throw the ball "over them mountains" and just knows they would have won state if the coach would have put him in back in '85. For me this movie is great because of the characters written into it and the actors they chose to play those roles. While Napoleon is the focal point, this movie is carried by Uncle Rico and Kip.

1. Walter Sobchak (played by John Goodman) in The Big Lebowski

After prodding from my brother I finally sat down and watched The Big Lebowski. My father always detracted me from it saying it was dumb, and I gotta admit at this point I'm trying to decide if the movie is great or stupid. I can't say definitively if it is good or bad and I really feel indifferent about it, but I did love the character of Walter Sobchak. John Goodman plays Sobchack the scheming, short tempered, gun toting, jewish convert who "doesn't roll on Shabbos." Always citing stories from Vietnam and protecting the American beliefs and the sacred rules of bowling, Sobchak has jumped into the driver seat as my favorite movie character of all time.

Honorable Mention: When putting this list together here are other people that almost made the list. McLovin (Superbad), Andy Dufrense (Shawhank Redemption), Handsome Rob (The Italian Job)

Choke Job Bob Strikes Again

2009-01-09T11:07:00.000-08:00

As I drove home from a friends house where I watched the BCS National Championship Game last night I was listening to some national sports talk radio. What suprised me was the shock that the show hosts were exhibiting about OU losing last night. As shown in the picture above, that's just what Oklahoma does. "Big Game Bob" has now firmly cemented his legacy as "Choke Job Bob." A win last night would have erased everything in the past few years and everyone would say he's one of the greatest coaches he's ever seen. I can't gloat all the way, because last night I texted a friend who's an OU fan and told him "I can't raz you too bad because being a Bills fan I know how it feels." That said I expected this from OU the day it was announced they would play in the national championship game. I don't want to take anything away from Florida, because they deserve it and they won the game, but that said Florida was in control of this game. Geoff Ketchum of Orangebloods.com had a nice write up today about the game.

This is going to be one that haunts Oklahoma fans for a long, long, long time.

Unlike in 2003 and 2004 when I really came away thinking that LSU and USC were just better than Oklahoma, that's not the feeling that I had last night.

Call me crazy, but I thought for three quarters that OU was the team in control of the game, even if they didn't have control of the scoreboard.

If they play this game ten times, I think OU wins 7 times, but this was one of those 30% nights and it'll haunt that fan base for the rest of their lives.

Don't get me wrong, it was a close game and evenly played, but OKlahoma had so many oppurtunities to seperate themselves in the first half and I think their confidence started to trickle away.

I had felt like if this was a one touchdown game going into the fourth quarter, Florida would win and that's exactly what happened. That's the thing we really learned about OU as a team last night. They really cannot play 60 minutes of elite football against an elite program/team.

Texas forced them to tap out in Dallas by taking complete physical control of that game. There was no doubt at the end of the game, which team was better than the other.

Florida did the same thing to OU last night and that fan base learned that the team they thought was a national champion really can't close the deal against big-boy teams.

This 2008 OU team could push around the little sisters of the poor, but in the two big boy games they played this season, they folded up like tents in the face of a four quarter game.

Like a man that's good for 10 minutes and no more than 10 minutes with his old lady, this Sooners team was good for 45 minutes against elite competition and only 45 minutes.

In the 46th minute, their true character was shown. Can't close the deal.

This will make the pain of this game stick forever. To have watched your team move the ball up and down the field, only to waste scoring oppurtunity after scoring oppurtunity.

It reveals the worst about your team to see them crack so many times.

As far as individual players are concerned:

I thought Sam Bradford has some terrible luck and some scared receivers, but he played well enough to win and I think his draft stock is pretty secure. He ws one of the best things they had going last night.

I guess the ACC calls holding because OU's offensive line finally had to play a little honest football and it didn't always go well. Their line played a little like Texas' line played against the Buckeyes.

Gerald McCoy was OU's best player last night. He's a Top 10 NFL Draft pick.

OU's receivers turned in an rotten egg of a performance. Their lack of elite athleticism was really exposed last night and they couldn't get open to save their lives and if they did by chance happen to sneak free for a sliver of open space, they were looking for the nearest Florida safety when the ball was coming to them. They were totally spooked last night by Major Wright's roaming the field.

Overall, the OU defense can feel good about their game. I thought a lot of their guys played really well. Still, they cannot be unhappy with the offense because when the team needed a stop in the fourth, they folded up like a tent, the same as the offense.

Geoff Ketchum
Publisher

Mack vs. Stoops

I was thinking last night as a Texas fan, is the perception that Stoops is light years ahead of Mack Brown true anymore? I've never thought so but what about the national perception? Let's take a look

Bob Stoops 2002 Season

12-2 record

6-2 in conference

Big XII Conference Title

Rose Bowl victory over Washington State

#4 ranked recruiting class in the nation

Mack Brown's 2002 Season

11-2 Record

6-2 in conference

Cotton Bowl win over LSU

#15 ranked recruiting class in the nation

Bob Stoops 2003 Season

12-2 overall

8-o in conference

Big XII Title game loss to Kansas State

BCS National Title loss to LSU

#8 ranked recruiting class in the nation

Mack Brown's 2003 season

10-3 overall

7-1 in conference

Holiday Bowl Loss to Washington State

#10 Ranked recruiting class in the nation.

Bob Stoops 2004 Season

12-1 Overall

8-0 in conference

Big XII Title

National Title Game Loss to USC

#3 ranked recruiting class in the nation

Mack Brown's 2004 Season

11-1 overall

7-1 in conference

BCS Rose Bowl Win over Michigan

#20 ranked recruiting class in the nation

Bob Stoops 2005 Season

8-4 overall

6-2 in conference

Holiday Bowl Win over Oregon

#9 ranked recruiting class in the nation

Mack Brown's 2005 Season

13-0 overall

8-0 in conference

Big XII Title

National Championship win over USC

#5 ranked recruiting class in the nation

Bob Stoops 2006 Season

11-3 overall

7-1 in conference

Big XII Title

Fiesta Bowl Loss to Boise State

#14 ranked recruiting class in the nation

Mack Brown's 2006 Season

10-3 overall

6-2 in conference

Alamo Bowl Win Over Iowa

#5 ranked recruiting class in the nation

Bob Stoops 2007 Season

11-3 overall

6-2 in conference

Big XII Title

Fiesta Bowl Loss to West Virginia

#6 ranked recruiting class in the nation

Mack Brown's 2007 Season

10-3 overall

5-3 in conference

Holiday Bowl Win over Arizona State

#14 ranked recruiting class in the nation

Bob Stoops 2008 Season

12-2 overall

7-1 in conference

Big XII Title

National Championship loss to Florida

#10 ranked recruiting class in the nation

Mack Brown's 2008 Season

12-1 overall

7-1 in conference

Fiesta Bowl Win over Ohio State

#3 ranked recruiting class in the nation

Things have defnitely been back and forth between the 2 coaches but does Bob Stoops really look like he holds the advantage overwhelmingly? The only thing I can stay for Stoops is that he has closed the deal on Big XII titles which Mack has not. This year Mack certainly deserved to play for the Big XII title, but the last few years Mack's teams have folded a bit down the stretch only to finish strong. Texas has 5 straight bowl wins 3 of which are of the BCS variety. Bob Stoops has won 1 bowl game in the past 6 years including 5 BCS losses, 3 of which were shots at the national championship. In that time period Mack has closed the gap head to head with OU and they are 4-3 in the last 7 games including Texas taking 3 of the last 4. Things are swining once again, and if Sam Bradford is to go pro this could really cripple the Sooner program who doesn't have much in the way of QB's. And for all the talk of "Big Game"Bob Stoops, and "Coach February" Mack Brown, The Longhorns have certainly delivered on the big stage recently while OU continues to lay eggs. Just something to think about. I'll leave you with one lasting image from last night's game.

Fiesta Bowl Running Diary 2nd Half

2009-01-05T19:16:00.000-08:00

The Horns looked bad in the first half so let's see if they can get it going in the 2nd half...Colt really needs to return to extending plays with his legs...He's stayed in the pocket alot tonight and the Offensive Line isn't getting it done.

9:19 PM - Horns run game just isn't getting it done and Horns fake the punt...Measurment coming out here....1st down

9:22 PM - Horns go to 4th and 1 again and will go for it...Cody Johnson runs behind Roy Miller for a first...On next play the Horns are aided by another roughing the QB call...Horns looking to draw blood here and Colt runs for a TD!!! Horns offense in gear now let's keep it going.

9:31 PM - Horns force a 3 and out and this looks a little more like the Texas team we've seen all season...The running game has been putrid tonight and they have got to find some heart and gut up and win the battle up front. If The Horns can put one in the end zone here they are comfortably in the drivers seat.

9:35 PM - Colt getting into a rythm here and making things happen, so far he's 27-37 for 259 and 1 TD/1 int...Not a terrible night but uncharacteristic...Horns get called for grounding and just as he gets into a rythm the offense struggles again...3rd and 28 here for the Horns...Running game sucks agains for a loss of 4...They just can't quite get going when they get close

9:39 PM - Horns punt and Ohio State takes over at midfield...This game is way too close for comfort but you have to be encouraged that The Horns are playing as bad as they have all year and Ohio State is playing pretty well, and the Horns are up 4.

9:42 PM - The Horns finally figure out the zone read and stop Pryor for a loss...The Texas D is playing with more aggression as they hold Ohio State to another 3 and out...Ohio State punts and the Horns take over on their own 15...We've got to get something going here...a score here could break this game open...Colt threads the needle to Cosby for a first down...Quan having a big night as usual, very steady for Quan.

9:45 PM - Colt with a big throw to Shipley to get them across midfield and Whittaker gets it going...The Horns running a fast break offense and catch Ohio State offsides. Once again The Horns are rolling now they have to finish. Ogbonnaya busts an option pitch down to the 6 and the Horns have to finish here.

9:48 PM - Horns go high tempo and catch Ohio State not set again and score on a bootleg...Colt is doing what he does and Quan is steady as usual. Horns up 17 - 6...We need a big stop here and put one it again and it's game over.

9:51 PM - Leffel calls in from Steamboat Springs Colorado to report he's watching the game at the bar where there is an albino and a hair lip at the bar...Horns D came to play in the second half and sack Pryor to end the 3rd QTR.

9:55 PM - Ohio State brings in Boeckman and he completes a huge pass on 3rd and 13...Horns defense needs to make a stop here

9:58 PM - Horns cause Ohio State to kick a FG and he connects and it's 17-9 Horns...Let's go offense keep it going.

10:02 PM - Just got a text from my buddy Steven that said "Pryor looked like Donovan McNabb in the 1st half and Tavaris Jackson in the 2nd"

10:05 PM - Colt tries his best Tony Romo impression and luckily the ball goes out of bounds.

10:09 PM - Colt goes deep and hits Malcolm Williams but unfortunately he was out of bounds...That's just what Malcolm does though is stretch the field and I don't know why they go to him more.

10:13 PM - Brian Robiskie made what looks to be the 2nd great catch tonight...It's under review, but it looks like it will stand...and it does...Pryor runs the option and goes across midfield on a 16 yard gain.

10:16 PM - Pryor rambles down to the 21 he is running the ball well right now...Horns have been bend but not break all night and will need it again here

10:18 PM - Horns are getting screwed on a bullshit pass interference call to extend the drive and to go along with it an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to take them down to the 10...Bucks are threatening to make this a one point game and possibly tie if they go for 2.

10:20 PM - Bucks split Pryor out wide and throw him a fade which he brings in for a TD...Blake Gideon please look back for the ball...Bucks go for 2 and can't convert...17-15 Horns and this shit just got real.

10:26 PM - Horns look flat right now and don't look like they want it. They are looking to punt now and the Bucks will try to take the lead

10:30 PM - Boeckman completes a big pass to the TE and Rodderick Muckelroy is not playing very well tonight...Buckeyes cross midfield and for the first time all night I feel like we might lose this game...gotta keep the faith though. Poor tackling continues and this team needs to wake up and win this game.

10:33 PM - Buckeyes score on a 15 yd run to take a 21-17 lead after trying for 2 pts...Time to see Colt McCoy can lead them to a win here.

10:36 PM - I hope Colt has it in him but I'm not sure...The Horns have really disappointed so far.

10:38 PM - Time running down and the Horns trying to put something together. Horns nearing midfield with 1:07 on the clock. I'm not sure if their offense is quick strike enough to get down field.

10:40 PM - The Horns are getting the rythm passing game right now, and have 47 seconds left to go about 44 yards.

10:41 PM - 4th and 3 coming up with the game on the line. Horns throw an out to Kirkendoll and it's close and will need a measurement. Ohio State livid about the spot but so am I because I think it was short. If they convert they will be on the 40 with 38 seconds left. 1st down Horns and we live for one more down.

10:47 PM - Big catch and Cosby takes it for a long TD as he breaks through the secondary and streaks into the secondary for a 25 yard TD...Quan is simply the best player tonight.

10:50 PM - Orakpo comes up with a huge sack and the Horns are one defensive play away from winning this.

10:52 PM - It wasn't pretty but Texas gets the win...I cna't write anymore too much excitement. Another great end to a Texas BCS Bowl Game. When I recover I'll post again but I can't tell you when that will be. Hook 'Em Horns

It's Go Time (Running Diary of Fiesta Bowl) 1st half

2009-01-05T16:34:00.000-08:00

6:36 PM - I'm ready to roll...Decked out in full orange and my roomate Travis just arrived home with McDonalds. Right now it's just me and him but others are coming soon. King of Queens is on and we are waiting for game time.

6:38 PM - My brother John just arrived home from the doctor. Friends John and Trevor are expected shortly. Travis is enjoying a McChicken, a 10 pc nugget, and a Quarter Pounder. On a sad note I return to work after a week hiatus tomorrow

6:39 PM - John just arrived in burnt orange beanie and announced F*ck those Ohio State C*nts. He's definitely in game mode as the excitement mounts.

6:45 PM - Switched over to pregame as Fox is now showing the Longhorn marching band on TV. To me this is one of the coolest part of any Longhorn game, when the Showband of the Southwest takes the field and starts playing. My brother's girlfriend Marie just arrived.

6:52 PM - I have an un easy feeling right now. I've been confident and still am, but I feel like I shouldn't be this confident. Am I in for an ambush? I still feel confident.

6:56 PM - Is it just me or is the "Dotting of the I" the most overrated college tradition ever? I mean what in the hell is so special about it?

6:58 PM - Trevor arrives, everyone expected to be here is here. Let's do this.

7:02 PM - Interesting National Anthem by "The Blind Boys of Alabama"...How did they get out on the field? Were they led by dogs?

7:06 PM - Success isn't measured...It's earned...That commercial seems to be the moral to this year's college football season.

7:14 PM - Texas wins the toss and chooses to defer to the second half.

7:18 PM - Texas finally covers a kick well

7:21 PM - After watching the Big XII all year I didn't know it was still illegal to hold...Horns are mixing their defensive fronts and bringing pressure from different places.

7:23 PM - The Bucks are tricking it up early rotating Pryor and Boeckman, but stall on their first drive.

7:28 PM - Horns start with an 8 yard run but then get nothing their next two plays...A rare 3 and out for the Horns...Justin Tucker to Rugby punt it. Great punt to flip field position.

7:29 PM - My brother seems to be upset on the Taco Bell commercial the Burrito comes with a sleeve and is now portable.

7:34 PM - The Bucks playing right into their game plan of grinding out the clock.

7:37 PM - Mack and Muschamp are hot on the sidelines but the Horns hold Ohio State to 4th down.

7:40 PM - Bucks line up for a 50 yard field goal and they drain it. Horns offense would be glad to trade TD's for FG's tonight so they have to get it going on offense.

7:46 PM - The Horns are employing the short passing game now and Colt is getting into a bit of a rythm. Horns up to midfield.

7:47 PM - I don't know if you readers are aware of this but Colt and Shipley grew up together their dads lived together in college and now they do. Horns drive stalls Ohio State is sending a lot of pressure and playing lock down in man coverage. Horns rugby punt into the end zone for a touch back.

7:49 PM - This just in, Chris Wells is a beast...He's really good...I think he's gonna be an amazing pro running back.

7:54 PM - Ohio State tries another long field goal and he shanks it...Bad snap

7:59 PM - Horns threatening here, inside the 30 at the start of the 2nd qtr.

8:02 PM - Horns convert and are on at the 8 yard line looking to get in the end zone...Offense still looks out of synch, and as I type this Colt gets dropped for a sack...Horns stall after the sack and bring on the field goal unit...Horns tie it up 3-3.

8:06 PM - My superstitous side is getting the best of me...If things dont look good at the half I might shut this operation down.

8:13 PM - Texas can't stop Beanie Wells right now and I don't know why they dont' go to him more. Wells is in beast mode.

8:15 PM - The Horns aren't tackling real well right now and Pryor is looking poised and slippery.

8:18 PM - Ohio State commits their 3rd false start and takes a 3rd and 2 to a 3rd and 7. Ohio State settles for a field goal and makes it 6-3.

8:25 PM - Lots of commercials seems like a pro game.

8:26 PM - During the Domino's oven baked sandwiches commercials my brother is mad that in the commercial the sandwich comes in a sleeve much like the burritos in the Taco Bell commercial

8:32 PM - Horns in hurry up and have strung together a couple of long completions as they cross midfield.

8:35 PM - Horns are going for it on 4th and 7, too far away for a FG but perhaps too close for a punt...Instead Colt takes an 11 yard sack and the Texas offense is reeling right now.

8:44 PM - Horns get a big pass down the sideline to Chris Ogbonnaya and have 22 seconds left to tie or go ahead. Instead Colt throws an INT on the 1. Halftime...we need to regroup and get the ball and do work...I'll be back after the half

Duel in the desert

2009-01-01T18:16:00.000-08:00

I'm back for 2009. It's true I took a few weeks off during the holidays, and wasn't planning on blogging tonight, but I'm in fatass mode on the couch watching football all day long. I decided to start 2009 with a look at the most important bowl game (to me at least). Monday January 5th the Horns will face off against Ohio State in Glendale at the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Ohio State fans have garnered quite the reputation of being drunk, couch burning, jorts wearing, beer drinking, classless, white trash. See the video below.

While this may be the case, I think there is a lot of respect between the two programs and their coaches. Jim Tressel and Mack Brown are both known as the "nice guys" in college football who try to play the game clean and with class. Both programs have a great history and have put many players in the league. Ohio State who was thought to be a great team stumbled against Penn State and USC this year, and Texas lost in a last second battle to Texas Tech leading to a controversial decision that lost the Horns a chance at the national title game. In some respects both programs are disappointed to be playing in Glendale. The Buckeyes thought at the start of the season they would be there, and The Longhorns who held the #1 rankning mid season thought at some point they would be there up until the last BCS rankings were released prior to the Big XII championship game. Regardless I think both teams will still play for great pride and this will be a good game. Of course I'm a Texas fan so this might look a bit slanted, but lets look at the break down of this game.

Why Ohio State will win the game -

Ohio State has a tough defense and that is where it starts. All Americans James Laurinaitis and Malcolm Jenkins anchor a tough and agressive Buckeye defense that plays with tenacity and smarts. Jenkins may be the top corner in the nation, so the Longhorn passing game will be up for a tough test. The Ohio State offense has a dynamic playmaker in Terrelle Pryor, although he's had more promise than production. Pyror who was the top player in prep ball last year has done a pretty good job. Often drawing comparison's to Vince Young, Pryor has shown to be a less than adequate passer and not quite the player with his legs Young was. Still he's young, only a true freshman and has the oppurtunity to have a break out game. The Texas defense has been salty against the run this year, but will face the best rushing offense they've seen in Chris "Beanie" Wells. I'm on record as saying that I think he's the best running back in college football and the big guy will have a productive NFL career in my opinion. Tressel has said he'll line up Pryor and Todd Boeckman who started in last year's BCS Title game. I don't know how imaginaitve Tressel can be, but this could propose problems for the Longhorn defense who's young secondary has struggled against the pass. The Wide Receivers for Ohio State Robiskie and Hartline are very much like Jordan Shipley and Quan Cosby. Solid but not spectacular. Solid may be a bit of an understatement for the group I just mentioned. Although none of the four were thought to be best in the nation, all four have tremendous playmaking ability. If Ohio State is to win this game, it will be in the fashion they always win games. If Pryor can make a few key plays with his arm and his legs and Beanie Wells has a great game coupled with a stingy defensive efforts the Buckeyes can win a grind it out style game. The defense will be keying against the Longhorn passing game considering the Horns running game has struggled.

Why Texas will win -

The Horns have had a fantastic year and look to continue their performance in Glendale. Heisman candidate Colt McCoy has carried the Longhorn offense on his back with help from friends Jordan Shipley and Quan Cosby. McCoy has been the Horns running game this year and is definitely the most valuable player in the nation to his team. The Horns offensive line has been on and off this year and will face a solid but not potent Ohio State defensive line. As mentioned above the Horns will face a good secondary, but Colt has faced them before and has always found a way to beat them. The Longhorn defense may not have the best numbers in the nation, but the Horns have found a filthy pass rush with Brian Orakpo, Sergio Kindle, Roy Miller, and Henry Melton. If they can keep Pryor contained they should do well to stop the Bucks passing attack. As I mentioned the Longhorns have a young group of defensive backs, but they have the potential to be playmakers, and they've only gotten better as the year has progressed. The key to this game will be contatining Beanie Wells and if the Horns can do that they can break this game wide open. I don't believe Ohio State has the ability to come from behind in a quick matter, and the Longhorn defense have been closers this season save for one night in Lubbock. The Horns best chance is to shut the Buckeye offense down and let your offense do it's thing. If the Horns can jump out to a big lead and not look back they should be in control to win this game.

My Prediction: Texas 31 Ohio State 14

Obviously this will look like a homer pick, but I think Texas is the better team. I think if Texas does what they do well and get out ahead, Ohio State doesn't have the power to get back in the game. This will be interesting as it is a rubber match in the series after The Horns took game 1 in Colombus in 2005 and Ohio State won the 2006 matchup in Austin. Ohio State's history in bowl games recently vs. Texas shows an overwhelming advantage to the Horns. Monday I'll have a running diary from the Fiesta Bowl posted on what's happening at our place as the game goes on, so look for that.

Happy Holidays

2008-12-27T23:22:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas even though it's late and a happy impending new year. The Big Cat will be back after the new year to do more blogging.

One Last Hurrah

2008-12-19T00:35:00.000-08:00

One last hurrah for the Dallas Cowboys this weekend as their playoff hopes remain on the line and the last game in the storied history of Texas Stadium will take place between the Cowboys and Ravens. Before we get to the game lets talk about the Stadium itself. For many years Texas Stadium and The Dallas Cowboys have been an icon around the world. The odd stadium with the hole in the roof has become as synonymous and historic as the team itself. Texas Stadium has housed The Cowboys as well as The Big XII Championship and many, many years of the Texas Highschool State Playoffs. For me personally the stadium is kind of a rathole and not fitting of "America's Team", but at the same time the charm of that stadium is what makes it so unique. I can't tell you how many times I've sat in that stadium and watch high school teams do battle on the field for the Texas High School State Title. A Title that may be the biggest honor on the high school level in the nation considering the brand of football played in the Lonestar State. Many great moments have taken place on that field including the Drew Pearson comeback against the Redskins, Emitt Smith breaking the NFL all time rushing record, and the greatest high school game ever played between Plano East and Tyler John Tyler shown below.

The Cowboys will soon move to a new luxury stadium being built right down the street from me in Arlington. Jerry Jones has cut no expense to make this Stadium the suitable home for "America's Team." Come out and join The Talkin Trash Tailgate Bash at the Cowboys/Ravens game this Saturday.

Kickoff is at 7:15 on the NFL Network, but we will be in the Red Parking Lot starting around Noon, drinking, eating and giving a proper send off to Texas Stadium. We will have the game on at our tailgate so come by, say hi, and have a beer and a burger. The Map to where we are is listed below but we are against the railing in Red Parking. Look for our emblem on our grill.

So enough of my own personal plugging, let's get onto to thoughts about this weeks game.

The Cowboys showed a little fight as they defeated the New York Giants last week completing step 1 of 3 to get to the playoffs. This week a suprising Ravens team led by rookie QB Joe Flacco rolls into Texas Stadium. The Ravens have played their usual brand of stingy and agressive defense led by former Hurricanes Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, and Flacco has managed to get them into position to win enough games.

The circus that is the Cowboys locker room right now put itself on hold last week enough for the Cowboys to muster an impressive offensive performance and their every impressive defense clamped down on the Plax-less Giants. The defense led by edge terror DeMarcus Ware who is within 3 sacks of tying the NFL single sack record is going to be the key to the Cowboys continued success. For now the fires in the locker room have been put out but it's time to keep rallying because they are not out of the woods yet. A big win this week would give the Cowboys needed momentum to finish off the Eagles next week and clinch a playoff spot. If I were asked to give the Cowboys a pep talk this week I would harken back to the words of William Shakespeare. Football is often compared to war and even though "Once more into the breach dear friends" from Henry V, I would go to a more inspiring part from the same Henry V.

This day is called the Feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a-tiptoe when the day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall see this day and live t'old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say "To-morrow is Saint Crispian":
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars
And say "These wounds I had on Crispin's day."
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remembered.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he today that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now abed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

The Cowboys are in a state where they really need to bunker down in the foxhole and take an "us against the world" mentality. The Cowboys defense can match up well with a rookie QB and no explosive playmaker on the team, but the Ravens defense will not lie down and let the Cowboys offense roll their helmets out on the field and take home a win. I'm not gonna pretend to be an expert and break down all aspects of the game, so come on out to the tailgate, see for yourself, and help us send Texas Stadium off with a bang!

No Funeral...

2008-12-17T23:38:00.000-08:00

This year my hopes were dashed in the worst way. I really thought The Bills were ready to take that next step and make their way back to the playoffs. I believe in Trent Edwards and still do if the guy can just stay healthy. The Bills came firing out of the gates at 4-0 and Trent Edwards was playing at a Pro Bowl level. Brady and the Pats were down and the Jets and Dolphins were in old form and September was good. Edwards was getting the most out of deep threat Lee Evans, and while Marshawn "Beast Mode" Lynch wasn't racking up the yards he was getting in the end zone. Trent Edwards went down in Arizona and the Bills hopes were dashed. Since then Edwards has gone through a turnover plagued stretch and had some injuries which forced former 1st round pick JP Losman into action. The Bills clinging to a shred of hope for the playoffs rolled into the Meadowlands last Sunday and almost won until Losman did what he did best. He choked. Below is my tribute to JP Losman via Youtube (audio on video not safe for work or children).

Now I did not always think this way of JP, in fact I was a huge fan and had a Losman jersey at one time. I actually said to my friend John on draft day that year, "I will be ecstatic if the Bills just get Lee Evans and JP Losman in this draft." The thing with Losman is that he's got it all, he has a big arm and can make all the throws, he's tough, and makes plays with his legs. The downfall of Losman is that he can't and has never been able to take care of the ball. Many are blaming head coach Dick Jauron, but I can't do that because he was trying to win a game. Losman who was benched last year in favor of Trent Edwards, requested a trade but has since said he will play his remaining days in Buffalo and take his free agency. One thing is for sure, for Buffalo to win they need to find some potion for Trent Edwards to stay healthy, get a quality backup QB, find a center, get someone explosive at the TE and LB positions, and get out of their own way. I don't know why I should be suprised, since the Bills have done this to me all of my life. When I first became football conscious I grew a man crush for Jim Kelly and watched Scott Norwood dash my hopes. The next three years they gave up three more Superbowls including two to my hometown Cowboys. The Music City Sham was next to jade me and the "Monday Night Miracle" last year when the Bills dominated the Cowboys up and down the field and Nick Folk kicked a 600 yarder twice to win the game in the Bills triumphant return to Monday Night Football. one of these days i will get some sports karma and the Bills will make me happy. I can be jaded all I want and vent all over my blog, but the fact is when the Bills return to training camp at St. John Fisher College I will be watching with Bills gear on, reading practice reports, and holding onto the hope my Bills will return to the playoffs and maybe actually win one. In April I will pour over draft reports and take whatever the Bills do as my next shred of hope that "This is the year." Until that time lies another long offseason of disappointment. Circle the wagons Bills fans, we've got to rally at some point.

I'll keep it short, but classy

2008-12-14T00:13:00.000-08:00

I don't have much going on tonight. I'm just watching "Sports Night" on DVD, but I did want to mention the Heisman Trophy. As a Longhorn fan I wanted Colt McCoy to win it and moreso I felt he deserved it. Not to say Tebow and Bradford were less deserving, but all three were grat candidates. As a Longhorn fan I'm ignoring every bone in my body that hates Oklahoma, the state, the university, and the coaches and players. I've come to appreciate Bradford this year. He seems like a very classy guy and a great competitor. He's soft spoken and has driven the Oklahoma offense with precision accuracy. The numbers are all there for all three competitors and I will reiterate that even though I thought McCoy deserved it I will say that I can't argue against Bradford winning it. Congratulations to a great young man, but that's where it ends. I hope Tebow and the Gators pound the Sooners into submission. As I said earlier I hate the team, the state, and most of their coaches and players because I am a Longhorn, but I will be pulling for Bradford once he leaves that god-awful state. The lowlight of the night was that jackass idiot Billy Sims yelling "Boomah!!!" when Sam was announced. Below is the video of the presentation.

Soapbox Time...

Way to go Billy Sims. After Bradford, McCoy , and Tebow and their families brought a lot of class to the Downtown Athletic Club, Sims decided he was not the center of attention and decided he would then grab the spotlight and focus it directly on himself. This from a guy who was a great runner no doubt, but a deadbeat dad who owed so much in child support he contemplated selling his Heisman Trophy. This is a guy who represented the face of Barry Switzer's dirty outlaw program. This is a guy who was so insecure that he needed to jump out and steal the moment away from Sam Bradford. Congratulations Billy, your shining star has faded so much you take every oppurtunity you can to to light it up just a bit. As much as an Okie (Bradford) can bring some class to the situation, it just as quickly was taken down a level by Sims' grandstanding. Please go Kurt Cobain yourself in a remote area.

He Loves Him Some Him

2008-12-12T22:56:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week trouble erupted at Valley Ranch after a group of Wide Receivers led by Terrell Owens allegedly approached Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett about the relationship between Tony Romo and Jason Witten. Considering Owens' past no one is suprised by his antics. T.O. and the team are denying any rift in the locker room, but Ed Werder reported earlier this week there is definitely trouble at The Ranch. This couldn't come at a worst time for The Cowboys as the team has stumbled this season under the pressure of tremendous expectations and face a tough three game stretch against the Giants, Ravens, and Eagles. The Cowboys defense has been playing well, but the offense hasn't hit it stride against a good team since early in the season. Sometimes in some seasons trouble like this can do one of two things. It can unite a team for a stretch run, or totally tear it apart and shoot the wheels off. With the personalities in the Cowboys locker room (T.O., Romo's celebrity, Pacman Jones) I would bet on the latter. One thing's for sure, times have certainly changed since this.

Now I have always been one to speak up for T.O. and be a staunch apologist for Owens, but even he should know not to do this. The always paranoid Owens is a team leader and for the most part has been a good teammate, but if he is a leader as he says he should be mature enough to step up, be a leader, and constructively help the team. Things look dark for America's team but I will remind you the Talkin Trash Tailgate Bash will be at the game this week against the Giants and next week against The Ravens, so come out an join us.

The Heisman...

Tomorrow night the three best players in the nation converge on New York for the Heisman Trophy Presentation. A couple of weeks ago I reported here that I thought it was down to a two man red river shootout between Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy. Tim Tebow raced back in the picture over the last couple of weeks to win our hearts and AP votes. Tebow is the model citizen helping to minister in The Phillipines and leading the Gators to an SEC Championship and a berth in the BCS Championship game. ESPN says there is No Wrong Answer. I tend to agree with the experts here as each player has done enough to to hoist the trophy. Without further interruption here is how my ballot would look for the Heisman if they gave me a vote.

1st Place - Colt McCoy - QB - The University of Texas

McCoy has been the consumate leader for his team and I realize for those who know me it will come off as a homer pick, but I will echo the sentiments of many who say McCoy has done the most with the least. I will give the MVP argument for this one and say no man is as important to his team as McCoy. He has led his team in passing and rushing this year, and did it with a team that was supposed to be in a down year. Following a sophomore slump last year McCoy has shown precision accuracy and a tough blue collar attitude to lead the "Lunchpail Longhorns." The small town QB with a name suited only for playing for the Longhorns has been impressive with virtually no running game.

#2 - Sam Bradford - QB - Oklahoma

Bradford has the most impressive numbers (albeit some of them coming in garbage time with the Sooners running the score up), but nonetheless has been very impressive. Sam has been nearly perfect this year and has really spread the ball around to his high powered offense to lead the highest powered scoring machine that is the Sooners' offense. Despite being a Horns fan I have a very high appreciation and respect for Bradford. He seems like a classy kid and he plays his ass off when on the field. Bradford has led this team as a 3 star QB coming out of high school and he has led them to the top of the mountain. Even though I've always liked Colt McCoy as my QB and team leader, I can't say I'd be upset if Bradford won the trophy.

#3 - Tim Tebow - QB - The University of Florida

I'll admit I was a Tebow critic, not so much as to say I don't believe he's a great player because I do, but I didn't see that "It" factor in him. Mel Kiper suggested this week he's one of the top three players to ever play college football, and I just dont believe that. I will say my tune changed when I saw a feature on Tebow on the Home Depot College Football Awards show about his ministry to The Phillipines. I knew the stories of Colt McCoy and his ministry, but was impressed with Tebow's story mainly because I've always viewed him as the typical college playboy. I admit I'm ashamed that I judged im so quickly and I received a refreshing view of him, but besides the fact he'd make a great neighbor, Tebow is clearly a great football player. As I said before I don't see the "it" factor had by Vince Young, Adrian Peterson, Ricky Williams, Reggie Bush, and many others had, but nonetheless he is a great team leader. After losing to Ole Miss at home, Tebow vowed they wouldn't lose again and he would play his heart out. He doesn't have the numbers of McCoy or Bradford, but he does have some superstar moments including his play in the SEC championship game. To revisit the earlier content about my feelings concering Tim Tebow, my father maintains I resented him because of this...

I would say there could be some validity to that...

And Finally...

Today I made one of the best decisions I've ever made and purchased "Sports Night" on DVD. My dad got me onto this show when it first started in 1998, and I loved it. The show full of quick witted banter seemed to be ahead of its time and was cancelled just two seasons in. For fans of "The Office" this show runs along the same lines with more direct humor. I would love to see this show come back, but it wont and I think it would be funnier if on HBO and not written for network TV. For anyone wondering why I havent had a blog out in the past few days, I've had a bit of writers block. I've been watching this all night and in an episode where the character "Dan Rydell" had writers block it inspired me to get on and write so big thanks to Dan Rydell and Casey McCall.

Playoffs?...Don't talk about Playoffs. Playoffs?

2008-12-08T23:53:00.000-08:00

What's on Mike's Mind today? Playoffs of course. The NFL is nearing the playoffs and the NCAA is in need of a system. Now I know what you're thinking...

Sorry I just wanted an excuse to put that in there...

Let's start off with a couple of my quick hitting playoff thoughts.

Yesterday as I watched Cowboys/Steelers I was very impressed with the Cowboys defense. Actually at one point I texted my friend Steven and told him if they win that game they go to the NFC championship game. I was that impressed with this Cowboys D and have been for the past few weeks. I told him I thought they had gotten their struggles out of the way mid-season and were gearing up into playoff form. All it took was one Tony Romo pass to erase all of that. The Cowboys still have hope but will have to navigate a tough road and beat The Giants/Ravens/Eagles. I don't know if they can do it but come on out and join the Talking Trash Tailgate Bash at the Giants and Ravens games. By the way, after the game Steven who is the biggest Cowboy fan I know texted me with this. (Warning not safe for work or children)

"Danny White is better. I predict huge failures over the next 3 weeks,
Romo is a mental Midget! Put that in your damn blog! Romo is a P*ssy
and a mental midget! I'm trying to have a good night
but F*cking 4 turnover Tony ruined it. Quote me on that one
too. He probably has a broken Vagina...P*ssy 'I'm cold'"
-Steven
Craig Roderick

What happened to Buffalo? 4-0 start 3-6 the rest of the way. It is really not a good time for me to be a Bills fan.

Is Carolina the team that can beat The Giants in the playoffs? The Panthers feature an offense much like the Giants with superstar WR Steve Smith and the two headed rushing attack of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart.

The Answer to the above is...No...The Giants are still the best team in football.

What happened to Green Bay? The NFC North is begging for someone to step up and win that thing and The Packers can look elite at some times and terrible at others. Not a good year for my father The Packer fan.

Who will represent the AFC in the Superbowl? The Titans are still the class of that division, I'm just not sure Kerry Collins leads them there. I predict Steelers/Colts in the championship game.

Onto College Football...

The Big Cat has devised a 16 team playoff system. Before you read you should know that while a playoff would fix some things, there will always be something to complain about. I first devised an 8 team system that would only showcase the top 8 teams in the BCS rankings but then it turns to "Why aren't we in the top 8" and "We won our conference." Here is how a 16 team playoff system looks based on the latest BCS rankings taking the conference champions from the BCS conferences and the other "At Large" bids.

Conference Champions

Big XII - Oklahoma

Big East - Cincinnati

ACC - Virginia Tech

SEC - Florida

Big Ten - Penn State

Pac 10 - USC

At Large Bids

Texas

Alabama

Utah

Texas Tech

Boise State

Ohio State

TCU

Oklahoma State

Georgia Tech

Georgia

At this point you take the top 4 teams according to ranking (Oklahoma/Florida/Texas/Alabama) and seed the teams according to ranking with the top seeds going to the top 4, and the conference winners remaining getting the next highest seeds in the first round. If a conference winner is to face another conference winner the team with the highest BCS ranking (not counting the top 4 seeds) getting the nod with the top seed and play them at the top seed's stadium. The other at large bids will play at the location of the higher ranked team.

1st Round Matchups - And my picks

Georgia vs. Oklahoma - At Oklahoma - Oklahoma Wins

Georgia Tech vs. Florida - At Florida - Florida Wins

Oklahoma State vs. Texas - At Texas - Texas Wins

TCU vs. Alabama - At Alabama - Alabama Wins

Ohio State vs. USC - At USC - USC Wins

Boise State vs. Penn State - At Penn State - Penn State wins

Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech - At Cincinnati - Virginia Tech Wins

Texas Tech vs. Utah - At Utah - Texas Tech Wins

At this point you re-seed according to BCS rank and play these games at traditional bowl sites.

Round 2 matchups - And my picks

Oklahoma vs. Virginia Tech - At The Cotton Bowl - Oklahoma Wins

Florida vs. Penn State - At The Orange Bowl - Florida Wins

Texas vs. Texas Tech - At The Fiesta Bowl - Texas Wins

Alabama vs. USC - At The Outback Bowl - USC Wins

Semi Finals

Oklahoma vs. USC - At The Sugar Bowl - Oklahoma Wins

Texas vs. Florida - At The Rose Bowl - Texas Wins

Finals

Texas vs. Oklahoma - Rotating BCS Site

Ok so I know based the semi final pick on the fact I'm a Longhorn fan, but who cares I'm just a fan with a blog, and we all get what we wanted, a chance for Texas and OU settle it on the field. Past those bowls let all the other bowl eligible teams play in their bowls. It's not perfect but it's a start.

Stay Classy Norman

2008-12-06T23:16:00.000-08:00

Oklahoma wins it's 3rd straight Big XII title in what was called "The JV Bowl" or the "Beat By Texas" bowl. The Sooners also set an NCAA record by registering the fifth straight game in which they scored 60+ points. That is a very impressive record to the naked eye, but having your starting QB in with 4 minutes to go in the game throwing into the end zone with a 35 point lead is not a classy way to win games. But don't tell that to "Big Game" Bob, he's just running his offense. By the way, it seems like such a long time ago that Bob Stoops earned his nickname, but now in Longhorn circles he's referred to as "Choke Job" Bob. Is that Longhorn sour grapes or reality? Let's be honest the Sooners last few BCS Bowls have not been great performances. Let's look at the evidence.

2004 - Sugar Bowl - LSU 21 - Oklahoma 14

The Sooners rolled into New Orleans led by Jason White, Mark Clayton and a high powered Sooner offense. The Saban led tigers had a smothering defense led by Will Muschamp and grounded the OU air attack. Some thought USC should be in this game and the AP awarded a split national championship between Oklahoma and USC. This sparked a discussion of who was the better team and how it wouldn't be decided...or would it?

2005 - Orange Bowl - USC 55 - Oklahoma 19

This was to be a matchup for the ages and the previous year's argument was to be settled. On one side Oklahoma boasted the nation's youngest and best player in Adrian Peterson to go along with Jason White fresh off a Heisman trophy win. On the other USC had the big 3 of Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, and LenDale White to go along with a fast and furious defense. Both teams traded punches for a while and then USC broke the game wide open after an Oklahoma special teams mistake. USC never looked back and embarrassd the Sooners on the national stage. After two straight national title losses criticism begin to fall on Bob Stoops.

2007 - Fiesta Bowl - Boise State 43 - Oklahoma 42

The Sooners started off with a rough year by having starting QB Rhett Bomar kicked off the team for receiving pay. Paul Thompson stepped in and did a pretty good job all things considered even with an injured Adrian Peterson. Due to Texas stumbling down the stretch to Kansas State and Texas A&M, OU backed in to the Big XII title game which they won. On the other side BCS buster Boise State went undefeated and was given a Fiesta Bowl berth. Oklahoma was picked as a sure winner and an example to show why the small schools shouldn't be allowed in the BCS. Instead Oklahoma fell behind Boise but came back to take the lead until Boise State sent it to overtime on the Hook and Lateral play known as "Circus". Adrian Peterson started off OT with a 25 yard TD run and looked like they would put it away. Boise State then executed a direct snap to their running back on 4th and 2 from the 5 who hit Derek Schouman in the end zone to tie. In a gutsy move The Broncos went for two to win the game and ran the famous Statue of Liberty to win the whole thing as "Choke Job" Bob was officially born after a loss to the WAC. Enjoy this

2008 Fiesta Bowl - West Virginia 48 - Oklahoma 28

The Sooners were quarterbacked by the nations leader in passing efficiency in Sam Bradford and an exciting running back in DeMarco Murray. West Virginia missed a shot at the National Title Game by laying an egg against Pitt in the last game of the season. Oklahoma was thought to still be the better team with a hard nosed smash mouth offense. Oklahoma's potent offense was shut down, while Pat White, Steve Slaton, and Noel Devine exploited a slow Oklahoma defense with their speed. West Virginia got out to a quick start and never looked back and once again "Big Game" Bob was relegated to "Choke Job" Bob.

With this in mind, how many points will Florida put on them?

In Conclusion...

We continue with the Big Cat's picks for the major College Football Awards.

Nagurski Award - Brian Orakpo - Defensive End - Texas

(Nation's top defensive player)

This was a tough decision with so many outstanding defensive players in that nation. USC's Ray Maualuga, Ohio State's James Laurinaitis, and Florida's Brandon Spike's are all tremendous players who have had tremendous seasons, but Orakpo has given a little attitude and nastiness to a Texas defense that has struggled in previous years. Call it a homer pick, but Orakpo has been downright unstoppable this year. He's rolled up 10.5 sacks and who knows how many he could have had if Big XII officials called holding. Orakpo has been a great leader of the team and has made so many impact plays this season. He will be the strongest pleyr in this class too as he is amazing in the weight room. He's on record as holding a 515 lbs bench press and runs in the 4.6 in the 40. Orakpo is a tremendous athlete and has played his way into this award. As cited in the picture below, Orakpo certainly passes the eyeball test and has the production to go along.

Sloppy Seconds

2008-12-03T23:34:00.000-08:00

Sean Avery a LW for the Dallas Stars was suspended indefinitely by the league. Avery is a well known "pest" in the league and the John McEnroe of hockey. The comments Avery made seemed harmless, but if it weren't for his past reputation he wouldn't have gotten such harsh punishment by league commissioner Gary Bettman. Avery's comments were directed at his ex girlfriend film star Elisha Cuthbert. Cuthbert a well known hockey fan had a relationship with Avery in the past but broke it off and got with Calgary Flames defensemen Dion Phaneuf. Avery known for mixing things up all the time made the following comments.

Avery's comments were a little distasteful sure but do they really merit an indefinite suspension? What about the rights to free speech or the right to be downright hilarious? The Stars are hurting bad enough with a bad start to the season and the loss of captain Brenden Morrow to a torn ACL. Avery apologized for his comments and is to meet with NHL league officials so we will find out the rest later. One thing's for sure, the Big Cat will be sure to follow this story as long as it goes on.

In Conclusion...

We continue a look at the Big Cat's picks for major college football awards.

Doak Walker Award - Shonn Greene - RB - Iowa

(Nation's Top Runningback)

Greene has flown a bit under the radar but has had a very impressive season. For me it came down to Greene and LeSean McCoy from Pitt. McCoy has had an impressive year also, but Greene has put up great numbers on a mediocre team. If you remember a few posts back I had Greene in my top 5 for the Heisman. I think that highly of the guy. On the season Greene has amassed 1.729 yards on 278 carries for an average of 6.2 yards per carry and 17 TD's. Greene may not win it due to not being a national name, but in the Big Cat's mind he's at the top of the class.

No Quarter

2008-12-01T23:41:00.000-08:00

They hold no quarter

They ask no quarter

The pain, the pain without quarter

They ask no quarter

The dogs of doom are howling more!

-Led Zeppelin

The Texas Longhorns are the nice guy that have been screwed by playing nice. Mack Brown has always gone about things in a classy way and not running up the score on lesser teams for "Style Points." I admire Mack for that as he has represented The University in a great way doing that. It has been stated many times that the reason the dirt burglars from Oklahoma were moved ahead of Texas was due to the 4 games of over 60 points they had. Mack Brown simply will not play that game, but I'm hoping the Horns have a large chip on their shoulder starting in their BCS bowl and going into next season and carry that over with the motto "No Quarter."

This would be a somewhat ironic message but the Horns should issue the Deguello. The Deguello was a bugle song the Mexican army played offering No Quarter to Texas soldiers at The Alamo. It's ironic in the fact that the Deguello was the last song heard by the men who fought so bravely to free our great state from the tyrrany of Mexico.

El Degüello is a bugle call of Moorish origin notable in its use by the Mexican Army during the 1836 Battle of the Alamo. According to James A. Michener's book Texas, the original meaning of the Degüello call was an appeal to an enemy to surrender or else they would die by the sword. General Antonio López de Santa Anna of the Mexican Army used it to signify that no quarter would be given to the enemy.

According to various English-Spanish dictionaries, El Degüello means no mercy. The literal translation is slit-throat. -Wikipedia

The Horns have handled things with dignity and class and I wouldn't blame them if they continued playing the game the way Mack Brown thinks is best and "Dance with the one that brung ya." One thing is for certain, the Texas Longhorns are the nice guys that finished last. One way to stop that is to mudhole every team that they come into contact with.

Plaxico Burress

Turkish: What's a gun doin in your trousers?
Tommy: It's for protection
Turkish: Protection from what? Zee Germans? What's to stop you from blowing your bollocks off everytime you sit down?

Plaxico Burress was arrested on felony weapons charges today. First question? What was Plax doing with a weapon at a club? I know this question has been asked over and over since the story first came out that the Giants star receiver shot himself while adjusting a gun in his pants at a New York night club, but why did he really have a gun? Is Plaxico Burress that sought after a guy on the streets, or was this just another case of "When keepin it real goes wrong"? If you're that rich wouldn't you just hire a bodyguard? I know it aint exactly keepin it real, but it keeps you out of trouble. New York mayor Michael Bloomberg is saying he would like Plax punished to the fullest extent of the law, which could carry a 3 1/2 year prison sentence. With that looming on the horizon and the crack down of tough guy commish Roger Gooddell, many people are wondering if the Giants aren't better off without Burress.

Just like the New England Patriots of the past few years this Giants squad is a team in every aspect of the word. These guys have proven to be the best team in football without a great year from Plax, and the loss of monster defensive ends Michael Strahan and Osi Umienyora. Don't look now but Eli Manning is turning into a quality QB, and the Giants rushing attack behind a good offensive line and on the legs of Brandon Jacobs is making this team a threat to return to the Superbowl and win it once again. Without Plax the Giants still have "Well Dressed" Amani "It's not a" Tumor, Steve Smith, and Kevin Boss who's turned into a pretty good tight end. Plax is a playmaker and there is no denying that, but the Giants have gotten along fine without him and might be better off that way.

In conclusion...

We continue with The Big Cat's pick of the College Football major awards...

Fred Biletnikoff Award - Michael Crabtree - WR - Texas Tech
(Nation's Top Wide Receiver)

With many great Wide Receivers in this nation and many in the Big 12 (Jeremy Maclin, Dez Bryant, Desmond Briscoe, Manuel Johnson, Quan Cosby, Jordan Shipley, Juaquin Iglesias) Crabtree is ahead of the class. He's put up monster numbers this year once again (93 rec, 1135 yds, 12.2 avg, 18 TD's) and propelled Tech to it's biggest win ever against an unranked Texas with his touchdown catch with under 10 seconds in the game. An argument can be made that Crabtree is the best player in the nation, but he probably wont win the Heisman because the voters just wont give it to a wide receiver any more. Crabtree is a lock to go in the top 10 in the NFL Draft and looks like he will be a big time impact player at the next level. Crabtree won this award last year and in The Big Cat's opinion is a lock to take home the honor for the second consecutive year.

The BCS Mess = Hot Garbage

2008-11-30T23:33:00.000-08:00

Black Sunday...

It's been pretty much a terrible day for everything I'm a fan of. The Big XII's bogus tie breaker came down to humans mixed in with computers and in the end they set up a Big XII championship game comprising of two teams my Texas Longhorns beat. Oklahoma as we all know were beaten 45-35, and then waxed Missouri on national TV. I guess we'll have to call this the "We got drilled by Texas bowl." As one poster so eloquently put it on Orangebloods, Mack Brown might feel a little bit like a pimp watching his two Big 12 bitches pillow fight it out Saturday night. But I can assure you that Mack is not amused. He's been visibly and vocally upset at the system. This is a system where it is important to embarrass the other team for "Style Points" and turns and tells us to make sure we keep the rules of good sportsmanship. Right or wrong Mack Brown simply wont play that kind of game. In other news the 45-35 campaign did work because a number of human voters were swayed. Unfortunately the losses around the nation that didn't go the way for Texas strength of schedule wise destroyed any computer advantage Texas may have had.

What's next for Texas...

It looks like Texas is now headed for the Fiesta Bowl barring an Oklahoma loss in the Conference Championship Game. Sources report the most likely opponent for the Horns will be the Buckeyes from "The Ohio State University." I think this is a good matchup for the Horns because playing a mid-major BCS buster like Utah or Boise St. is a lose/lose situation. A win over a team like that is supposed to happen and no one cares and if you lose you are a laughing stock. Ohio State represents a big named team that helps with recruiting and appeal. I also think the Horns match up well with the Buckeyes. Ohio State has a few elite defensive players in James Laurinitas and Malcolm Jenkins. They have a good offensive line and strong running game on behind Chris "Beanie" Wells. Freshman sensation Terelle Pryor has had some bright spots but has shown some trouble running the Bucks offense. I think the speed of the Texas defense matches up well with the Bucks and Colt McCoy is more than capable of leading the Texas offense against any defense in the nation in The Big Cat's opinion.

In Conclusion...

If the Big Cat had an opinion and a vote for some of the major college football awards...This will be the first in the series.

Davey O'Brien Award - Colt McCoy
(Nation's top QB)

The Longhorn QB has been the most efficient this year and has done the best work with the least around him. As a Horns fan I will not discount what Chris Ogbonnaya, Jordan Shipley, Quan Cosby and the rest of the Longhorn offense has done, but McCoy hasn't had a Michael Crabtree, Jeremy Maclin, Manuel Johnson, Dez Bryant, or Percy Harvin around him. McCoy has come a long way since being the small town QB with a name suited for Texas QB.

Sorting out the BCS mess

2008-11-30T00:13:00.000-08:00

Oklahoma held form tonight and Texas Tech squeaked out a close win against Baylor and now it's up to the voters. The first Sagarin Ratings are out and Oklahoma has overtaken Texas in the first part of the computer poll. This was to be expected, and now all hope for the 'Horns lies on the shoulders of the human voters. Tomorrow we will have the full results and a few breakdowns of what the bowl picture might look like. While you wait read up on how SI's Stuart Mandel still gives Texas his vote. We'll talk to you tomorrow.

Poooor Aggies

2008-11-28T19:55:00.000-08:00

Order was restored to the state of Texas as big brother was ready for little brother this year...

Colt McCoy exorcised all of his Aggy demons and put on a show going 23-28 for 311 yds and 2 TDS through the air along with 49 yds rushing and 2 TD's on the ground. If that's not a great way to cap off a Heisman campaign I don't know what is. All eyes now turn to Stillwater where Bedlam will happen tomorrow.

SI.Com's story tells of the Horns win and if it will be enough to keep hold on the BCS #2 spot, while Stuart Mandel discusses the Heisman possibilities.

The Big Cat himself was at the game yesterday and here are some of my observations and stories.

45-35 Campaign

The grassroots movement for BCS awareness that started by members of Orangebloods and then generated into a seperate movement with the start of 45-35.com, was everywhere at DKR-TMS last night.

Fans boasted every type of creative sign they could to remind the whole nation we've already played Oklahoma and how it ended. Signs and fliers were handed out before the game and The Daily Texan pictured a centerfold with the score. Everywhere you looked Thursday night you saw some kind of sign posting the score.

Players of the game

Here is an effort to list a "Hot 11" of the top 11 players from this game for both teams.

1. Colt McCoy - QB - Texas

While throwing 23-28, 311 yds, and 2 TD's through the air, McCoy also mixed in nearly 50 yards rushing and 2 additional TD's on the ground including a spinning out of control jump into the end zone. McCoy has been the top player for the Longhorns all year and maybe the top player in the nation.

2. Cody Johnson - RB - Texas

Sure the big fellow got most of his yards in garbage time, but he was the first Longhorn runner to post a 100 yard rushing game this year other than Colt McCoy. Johnson scored earlier in the game on a run down the sideline, but the banner play of the night came when the Horns had the second team in and tried to run the clock out. Johnson sprinted 62 yards down the left sideline and punished the Aggie tacklers who tried to bring him down at the end. The Big Guy finished with 102 yards and 2 TD's.

3. Sergio Kindle - LB/DE - Texas

The kid from Woodrow Wilson who was ranked as a 5 star difference maker has really come on this year under the tutelage of Will Muschamp. Kindle is an athletic freak who has battled injuries throughout his career, but this year has absolutely terrorized from a pass rusher standpoint. Kindle was all over the place making plays and punctuated his night with a big sack on Aggy QB Stephen McGee. McGee got up and taunted Kindle which I submit is not a good move.

4. Brandon Collins - WR - Texas

Collins stepped up this week and emerged as a 3rd target for McCoy. Collins is not a blazer who will smoke DB's down the field, but he's cat quick and a good route runner. Collins took screens and short slants and turned them into big gains with his run after the catch ability. Collins tallied 6 catches for 103 yards and a TD and really took a step forward this week.

5. Brian Orakpo - DE - Texas

Orakpo came out to shine on Senior night. As one of the most beloved players on the team he was a guy who got one of the biggest ovations when introduced as a Senior. "Rak" lived in the Aggy backfield and made things miserable with his pass rush. Late in the game when the Aggies pulled out all of the stops and attempted a WR reverse Pass, Orakpo never gave up on the play and pursued from the backside...When Aggy WR and former QB Ryan Tannehill stopped to throw Orakpo blindsided him causing a fumble and giving the Horns the ball in scoring position.

6. Quan Cosby - WR - Texas

Quan was another guy who really did his thing in his last game at DKR-TMS. After being a steady hand all year Cosby did nothing but his usual thing. He made tough catches (Except for one on the sidelines he probably should have had) and he got in the end zone. Cosby will be sorely missed next year.

7. Jordan Shipley - WR - Texas

Needing just one touchdown to tie Limas Sweed and Roy Williams for most TD's in a season by a Longhorn WR, I was pretty sure Shipley would get it. He didn't, but what he did do is continue to work the middle for soft spots and get big gains to convert for first downs. Shipley also had a very long pass play where he took a short screen almost to the house but was pushed out on the one yard line. Cody Johnson would score from there a couple of plays later.

8. Earl Thomas - S - Texas

After being heavily criticized at the beginning of the year, Thomas has really come on as a player. Twice he saved TD's last night pushing big time Aggie gains out of bounds. On the verge of completing his freshman year, Thomas will lead a still young but talented Longhorn secondary next year.

9. Henry Melton - DE - Texas

I really wish Big Henry had another year on the 40. After failing to be a runner in college, Melton was changed to DE last year. He struggled to learn the position but this year came out firing. I have no doubt if he had another year here he would be a first day draft pick. Melton made a couple of big plays including stringing out a number of Aggy runs and bringing them down and recovering a fumble.

10. Ryan Palmer - CB - Texas

Palmer is the loud and boisterous DB of the Horns who often talked more than he produced, but last night he was virtually lock down from the corner spot and had a big sack on Aggy QB McGee in the 3rd Qtr.

11. Jerrod Johnson - QB - Texas A&M

I had to put at least one Aggy on here and Johnson threw a TD for the Ag's.

In Conclusion

We really had a great time at the game and I'll post some pictures later, but now the Horns await their destiny. The worst thing that can happen is they trip to the Fiesta Bowl...When you can say that is the worst thing, life is good.

While you wait enjoy this video from the 45-35 campaign

Hook 'Em Horns

Order has been restored

2008-11-28T16:56:00.000-08:00

All is well again in the Lone Star Showdown rivalry as big brother took it's place back on top of the hill and punished the Aggies in a very ho-hum fashion. The baby-faced assassin proved last night after 2 bad games against the Aggies that he was in fact "The Real McCoy." The Big Cat was in attendance and had a very memorable night. Pictures and story to follow.

Previewing The Lone Star Showdown

2008-11-26T19:23:00.000-08:00

The pride and winning tradition of the University of Texas will not be entrusted to the weak or the timid...

Since the blogger erased my long drawn out post I will just post a prediction...

My prediction: PAIN!!!

Seriously though instead of re-doing my original analysis I'll let my friends at The Barking Carnival do it for me...Read the BC breakdown

45-35

2008-11-25T23:27:00.000-08:00

We begin today with the stories surrounding the Big XII 3 way tie between Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma. As it stands right now all teams have one loss and if all 3 win out the one with the highest BCS rank will represent the Big XII South in the Big XII Championship Game against Missouri

My Thoughts: While there is a 3 way tie, Texas Tech effectively dismissed themselves from the conversation when they went to Norman last week and laid a gigantic egg against the Sooners. Mike Leach and his squad aren't near as impressive when they leave Lubbock. Tech will not factor into the high BCS ranking as the loss dropped them too far and they are playing a non bowl eligible team in Baylor this week. to me it seems at this point you should consider the head to head matchup between Texas and OU. Many people whether they are pro BCS or pro playoff want to see it settled on the field.

Many pundit's say that OU is the hottest team right now and the polls are set up to where an OU victory over Oklahoma State will vault them ahead of Texas.

My Thoughts: There is no denying that Oklahoma is playing very well right now and just waxed the #2 team in the country. Many people also point to Oklahoma's non conference schedule. They have 2 wins over top 25 teams in Cincinnati and TCU. Nobody points out the fact their other non conference wins came over Tennesse-Chattanooga and a winless Washington who is the worst team in college football. Texas certainly did not play a world beater schedule in non conference but went through a stretch where they played Oklahoma, Missouri, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech. They went 3-1 in that stretch and the only loss came with 8 seconds left on the road. Look folks it's simple, someone is getting screwed in this whole deal. Oklahoma and Texas may be the 2 best teams in the country and one of them will not play in the National Championship. That's the way it is.

Solution #1: Besides the obvious thoughts of a playoff system I have a solution for the Big XII. If you are going to use the tie-breaker in place right now causing the highest BCS ranking to break the tie then there is one simple solution. Eliminate the divisonal play and send the 2 best teams to the Big XII title game regardless of North or South. Why should Missouri benefit from playing in a shitty divison. Who wouldn't want to see a Texas-OU rematch in Kansas City this year? Tech fans will argue that they factor in since it is a 3 way tie but this is the solution only if you use the current system of highest BCS ranking.

Solution #2: Orangebloods writer Chip Brown wrote this week in "Chip's Corner" the SEC 3 way tie breaker would be perfect in this situation. The SEC's 3 way tie breaker makes alot of sense and goes as follows.

The tied team with the highest ranking in the BCS standings following the last weekend of the regular season shall be the divisional representative in the SEC Championship Game, unless the second of the tied teams is ranked within five or fewer spots of the highest ranked tied team. In this case, the head to head results of the top two ranked tied teams shall determine the representative in the SEC Championship game

The Heisman - It's a 2 man race

Let's go on to the next subject. Here is my current Heisman trophy list...

1A - Colt McCoy - QB - The University of Texas

As it says on the magazine Colt McCoy is the heart of this squad.

Numbers: 268-347, 3,134 yds, 77.2%, 30 TD's/7 INT's. 117 carries, 527 yds, 8 TD's, 4.5 yds per carry.

The Story: On a team that was supposed to not win 10 games and had no explosive playmakers on offense, McCoy has led his team to the #2 BCS Ranking (for now), and at one time they were #1 in the country. He's done it with his arms and legs, minimizing turnovers and completing 77% of his passes. As Kirk Herbstreit once said on a broadcast, "It's hard to do that against air." He's up for many honors including the Maxwell and Davey O'Brien awards.

Why he won't win it: He doesn't have the high yardage and TD numbers of some of the others and isn't flashy enough for some.

Why he will win it: While he may not be flashy enough for some he's been so incredibly consistent. He's not working with the weapons the other guys have and has virtually no running game. To do some of the things he's done this year with all of that considered is amazing.

1B - Sam Bradford - QB - Oklahoma

Numbers: 238/349, 3,710 yds, 68.2%, 42 TD's/6 INT, 35 carries, 42 yds. 4 TD's

The Story: Bradford followed up a tremendous freshman year with an even better sophomore year. Already being talked about as a potential first overall pick, Bradford has shown tremendous accuracy and spreads the ball well to all of his weapons (Iglesias, Johnson, Gresham). Bradford has lit it up all season and in the lone loss of the season to Texas, Bradford still shined going 28/39 for 387 yds and 5 TD's/2 INT's. Bradford once again has this Oklahoma team in position for a possible Big XII title and National Championship berth.

Why he won't win it: Bradford and McCoy have done similar things for their teams and 1 of the 2 will win it. McCoy has also done similar with less weapons.

Why he'll win it: Bradford will top the school record for TD's in a season this week as he just needs 1. Looking at his numbers there is no way to argue against him and the Sooners playing in the Big XII title game might garner him extra attention.

The others: If I was forced to pick the other 3 in the race it would be Tim Tebow, Graham Harrell, and Shonn Greene

Tim Tebow wont win it because: His numbers aren't near as impressive as they were last year (148/225 65.8%, 22 TD's/2 INT's, 121 carries, 427 yds 11 TD's) and the biggest factor is that voters will be reluctant to hand out 2 consecutive Heisman trophies.

Tim Tebow will win it because: Florida is the media darling right now and Bradford and McCoy might split regional votes

Graham Harrell wont win it because: Harrell needed an undefeated season because all Tech QB's put up gaudy numbers and Harrell is no different (365/518 yds, 70.5%, 39 TD's/6 INT's, 6 rushing TD's). Tech QB's will always be defined as system QB's and usually those QB's don't win because Tech has a mediocre season. This year Tech had a great season but got embarrassed and exposed on national TV against Oklahoma. He lost all credibility after that game.

Graham Harrell will win it because: As I mentioned above, he wont for those reasons.

Shonn Greene wont win it because: He plays for Iowa. Greene is one of my favorite players and is having a great season (278 carries, 1729 yds, 17 TD's, 6.2 avg.), but Iowa is 8-4 overall and is 4th place in the Big 10. In today's system many voters dont like a player who's team isn't on the national scene.

Shonn Greene will win it because: He wont