Wednesday, September 30, 2009

2010 Top 100 High School Football Recruits


ESPNU 150 - Class of 2010
Top 100 High School Football Recruits
1 Jackson Jeffcoat 88 None DE 6'5" 225 Plano West H.S. (TX)
2 Jordan Hicks 87 None OLB 6'2" 210 Lakota West H.S. (OH)
3 Ronald Powell 87 None DE 6'4" 224 Rancho Verde H.S. (CA)
4 Seantrel Henderson 87 None OT 6'7" 295 Cretin-Derham Hall H.S. (MN)
5 Jeff Luc 87 None ILB 6'1" 241 Treasure Coast H.S. (FL)
6 Michael Dyer 86 None RB 5'9" 200 Little Rock Christian Academy (AR)
7 Jonathan Dowling 86 Florida S 6'3" 180 Southeast H.S. (FL)
8 Darius White 85 None WR 6'3" 195 Dunbar Senior High (TX)
9 Tony Jefferson 85 UCLA ATH 6'0" 195 Eastlake H.S. (CA)
10 Marcus Lattimore 85 None RB 6'0" 214 James Byrnes H.S. (SC)
11 Demar Dorsey 85 Florida S 6'1" 180 Boyd Anderson H.S. (FL)
12 Lamarcus Joyner 85 None CB 5'8" 165 Saint Thomas Aquinas School (FL)
13 Chris Dunkley 84 None WR 5'11" 170 Pahokee H.S. (FL)
14 Taylor Bible 84 Texas DT 6'3" 280 John H. Guyer H.S. (TX)
15 Ahmad Dixon 84 Baylor S 6'1" 190 Midway H.S. (TX)
16 Mack Brown 84 Florida RB 5'11" 185 Martin Luther King H.S. (GA)
17 DeMarco Cobbs 84 Tennessee ATH 6'1" 200 Tulsa Central H.S. (OK)
18 Jordon James 83 None RB 5'10" 188 Corona Senior H.S. (CA)
19 Demarcus Milliner 83 Alabama CB 6'0" 185 Stanhope Elmore H.S. (AL)
20 Lache Seastrunk 83 None RB 5'11" 190 Temple H.S. (TX)
21 Ian Silberman 83 Florida OT 6'5" 256 Fleming Island H.S. (FL)
22 Robert Woods 83 USC WR 6'1" 180 Junipero Serra H.S. (CA)
23 Antonio Goodwin 83 Auburn ATH 6'1" 170 Booker T. Washington H.S. (GA)
24 Sean Parker 83 None S 6'1" 186 Narbonne H.S. (CA)
25 Matt Elam 83 Florida ATH 6'0" 205 Dwyer H.S. (FL)
26 Christian Jones 83 None OLB 6'4" 215 Lake Howell H.S. (FL)
27 Martavis Bryant 83 Clemson WR 6'3" 185 T. L. Hanna H.S. (SC)
28 Xavier Grimble 83 USC TE 6'5" 241 Bishop Gorman H.S. (NV)
29 Justin Hunter 83 LSU WR 6'4" 172 Ocean Lakes H.S. (VA)
30 Gerald Christian 83 Florida TE 6'3" 220 Dwyer H.S. (FL)
31 John Fulton 83 None CB 6'1" 180 Manning H.S. (SC)
32 Alec Ogletree 83 Georgia S 6'3" 214 Newnan H.S. (GA)
33 William Gholston 83 Michigan State DE 6'7" 250 Southeastern H.S. (MI)
34 Da'Rick Rogers 83 Georgia WR 6'2" 205 Calhoun H.S. (GA)
35 D.J. Morgan 83 USC ATH 5'10" 175 Woodland Hills-Taft H.S. (CA)
36 Phillip Sims 83 Alabama QB 6'1" 218 Oscar Frommel Smith H.S. (VA)
37 Owamagbe Odighizuwa 83 None DE 6'3" 235 David Douglas H.S. (OR)
38 Storm Johnson 83 None RB 5'11" 210 Loganville H.S. (GA)
39 Markeith Ambles 83 Tennessee WR 6'2" 185 Henry County H.S. (GA)
40 Shaun Lewis 83 Oklahoma State OLB 6'0" 197 Hightower H.S. (TX)
41 Dominique Easley 83 Penn State DE 6'3" 260 Curtis H.S. (NY)
42 Joshua Shaw 82 None CB 6'2" 181 Palmdale H.S. (CA)
43 Kyle Prater 82 USC WR 6'6" 195 Proviso West H.S. (IL)
44 Ashton Dorsey 82 Texas DT 6'2" 275 John Tyler H.S. (TX)
45 Trovon Reed 82 None WR 6'0" 172 Thibodaux H.S. (LA)
46 Corey Nelson 82 Texas A&M OLB 6'1" 195 Skyline H.S. (TX)
47 Jaylen Watkins 82 Florida CB 6'0" 171 Cape Coral H.S. (FL)
48 Nick Dew 82 Virginia Tech S 6'2" 190 First Colonial H.S. (VA)
49 Todd Chandler 82 Miami (FL) DT 6'1" 283 Miami Northwestern H.S. (FL)
50 Christian Green 82 None ATH 6'1" 190 Tampa Catholic H.S. (FL)
51 Alfy Hill 82 Alabama DE 6'4" 240 West Brunswick H.S. (NC)
52 Dior Mathis 82 None CB 5'9" 165 Cass Technical H.S. (MI)
53 Brandon Willis 82 Tennessee DT 6'2" 260 James Byrnes H.S. (SC)
54 Gabe King 82 None DE 6'5" 240 South Eugene H.S. (OR)
55 Mike Davis 82 LSU WR 6'0" 176 Skyline H.S. (TX)
56 Jesse Scroggins 82 USC QB 6'2" 189 Lakewood H.S. (CA)
57 Roderick Smith 82 Ohio State RB 6'2" 220 Harding H.S. (IN)
58 Travis Dickson 81 LSU TE 6'3" 230 Ocean Springs H.S. (MS)
59 Robert Crisp 81 North Carolina State OT 6'7" 302 Cedar Ridge H.S. (NC)
60 Anthony Barr 81 None ATH 6'4" 223 Loyola H.S. (CA)
61 Chaz Green 81 None OT 6'5" 286 Tampa Catholic H.S. (FL)
62 Demetrius Wright 81 None CB 6'1" 185 Corona Senior H.S. (CA)
63 Brent Benedict 81 Georgia OT 6'5" 280 The Bolles School (FL)
64 Eric Reid 81 LSU S 6'2" 190 Dutchtown H.S. (LA)
65 Jake Matthews 81 Texas A&M OT 6'5" 270 Lawrence E. Elkins High (TX)
66 Blake Bell 81 Oklahoma QB 6'5" 212 Bishop Carroll H.S. (KS)
67 Khairi Fortt 81 None ILB 6'3" 226 Stamford H.S. (CT)
68 Leon Orr 81 Florida DT 6'5" 315 Gulf H.S. (FL)
69 Brian Vogler 81 Alabama TE 6'6" 245 Brookstone H.S. (GA)
70 Dakota Royer 81 Penn State DE 6'3" 220 Manheim Central H.S. (PA)
71 Malcolm Jones 81 None RB 6'1" 217 Oaks Christian H.S. (CA)
72 Chris Jones 81 Texas WR 6'0" 175 Daingerfield H.S. (TX)
73 Sharrif Floyd 81 None DT 6'3" 309 George Washington H.S. (PA)
74 Solomon Patton 81 Florida WR 5'10" 175 Murphy H.S. (AL)
75 Cody Riggs 81 None CB 5'8" 154 Saint Thomas Aquinas School (FL)
76 Curtis White 81 Oregon TE 6'5" 245 Sheldon H.S. (OR)
77 Tai-ler Jones 81 Stanford WR 6'0" 182 Gainesville H.S. (GA)
78 Chad Lindsay 81 Alabama OG 6'3" 307 The Woodlands H.S. (TX)
79 Quentin Hayes 81 Oklahoma S 6'1" 176 Lancaster H.S. (TX)
80 Evan Hailes 81 Penn State DT 6'1" 315 Oscar Frommel Smith H.S. (VA)
81 Eric Mack 81 South Carolina OG 6'4" 318 Calhoun County H.S. (SC)
82 James Louis 81 Ohio State WR 5'11" 180 Atlantic Community H.S. (FL)
83 Tharold Simon 81 LSU S 6'4" 185 Eunice H.S. (LA)
84 Kolton Houston 81 Georgia OG 6'5" 265 Buford H.S. (GA)
85 C.J. Fiedorowicz 81 Illinois TE 6'6" 230 Johnsburg H.S. (IL)
86 Luke Joeckel 81 Texas A&M OT 6'6" 280 Arlington H.S. (TX)
87 Corey Miller 81 Tennessee DE 6'4" 231 James Byrnes H.S. (SC)
88 T.J. Stripling 81 Georgia OLB 6'5" 202 Southwest Dekalb H.S. (GA)
89 Keenan Allen 81 None ATH 6'2" 185 Northern Guilford (NC)
90 A.J. Cann 81 South Carolina OG 6'3" 260 Bamberg-Ehrhardt H.S. (SC)
91 Corey Lemonier 81 None DE 6'4" 221 Hialeah H.S. (FL)
92 Keiwone Malone 81 Alabama WR 5'11" 168 Mitchell H.S. (TN)
93 JaWuan James 81 None OT 6'6" 305 North Gwinnett H.S. (GA)
94 Kenny Shaw 81 None WR 6'0" 170 Dr. Phillips H.S. (FL)
95 Cam Feldt 81 Arkansas OT 6'5" 290 Pilot Point H.S. (TX)
96 Kadron Boone 81 Texas Tech WR 6'1" 197 Trinity Catholic H.S. (FL)
97 Ken Malcome 81 Georgia RB 5'11" 212 Southwest Dekalb H.S. (GA)
98 Shaun Kitchens 81 Auburn ATH 6'3" 213 Benjamin E. Banneker H.S. (GA)
99 Reggie Wilson 81 Texas DE 6'4" 235 Haltom H.S. (TX)
100 Louis Nix


Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel added a two-way athlete in Pennsylvania's Corey Brown.

Corey Brown doesn't come from a traditional region that produces blue-chip talent but that didn't stop the 6-foot, 186-pound Philadelphia athlete from becoming one of the nation's top recruits. Two weeks ago, Brown committed to Ohio State, adding yet another versatile player to a strong recruiting class for Coach Jim Tressel.
"Everything about Ohio State was perfect," said Brown. "I loved it -- the facilities, the stadium, the school. I knew it was right for me."
Drawing attention since his sophomore year, the Cardinal O'Hara (Springfield, Pa.) running back has been a playmaker in every meaning of the word. Despite an injury which knocked him out for much of last year, Brown's recruitment hasn't slowed down much. He received offers from elite programs, ranging from Alabama and Florida to Notre Dame.
Florida intrigued Brown for awhile as he says the defending national champions were among the hardest after him. What grabbed his attention the most wasn't the rabid fanbase at "The Swamp," the facilities or the football prestige in the tradition rich SEC. Rather, it was how the coaching staff wanted to use him.
Brown is a tweener, capable of being utilized in multiple positions -- both on offense and defense. He originally garnered headlines as a running back. At nearly every combine event he attended, he displayed good hands and the ability to get open in the flat. There was even talk about him playing on defense as a shut-down cornerback. Florida, however, had plans to use Brown in a hybrid position on offense.
According to Brown, Tressel agreed that his ability to line up in several areas -- as a running back or even in the slot -- was an asset. Brown went on to say that Tressel doesn't envision him in any one position. In fact Tressel's willing to flip the table. "I get to choose where I want to play," Brown said. "Right now, I am focusing on high school ball and what I need to do there."
Offense, defense -- it doesn't matter much to Brown.
After visiting Columbus for the USC game, Brown committed to Ohio State before going home. What clinched it for Brown was the response of the crowd during the 18-15 loss. Saying that he wanted to play in front of such passionate fans, he said, "[Columbus] is where I want to be. I'm home."

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

NHL 10 PS3 Review



NHL2k10 received a 6.7 review, so obviously NHL10 is the one to get!

NHL 10 Review
www.gamespot.com
While it isn't as big of a leap forward as last year's game, NHL 10 is still one fantastic hockey sim.
The Good
Still an outstanding simulation of hockey Adds exciting first-person fighting and realistic grinding along the boards Smoother multiplayer than last year's game New tough-guy player type lets you rough it up Hockey Shop adds player customization options.
The Bad
Just an incremental advancement over NHL 09 Offensive play still needs a little work None-too-bright computer GMs and coaches. Making an arcade hockey game as superb as NHL 09 created one big problem for EA Sports: sky-high expectations. Last year's game was so good that it created an almost impossible act to follow. Good luck trying to top revolutionary improvements made to the on-ice action, controls, and modes of play. Still, NHL 10 sure tries. This is undoubtedly a better game than its predecessor, thanks to a handful of gameplay tweaks, first-person fighting, and a new Be the GM option, but in the grand scheme of things, this is more of a refinement than a full-blown sequel. Anybody who can name the Original Six without checking Google should still buy this outstanding hockey simulation, although owners of NHL 09 might not feel the need to put it at the very top of the shopping list.
You can tell right away that this is a new game on the ice, although the differences between last year's model and this one are limited to a general tightening up of the defense and goaltending, along with a little better offensive flow. As before, you need to understand how hockey works to have any hope of success. Suiting up is a lot like hitting the ice for real, especially when you lock to one position. Positional play is vital in all zones, so it's important to stick to your lanes, cover your man, and so forth. Serious work is required to put the biscuit in the basket because computer defensemen and goalies are always at the top of their game. And since this is not rock-'em-sock-'em arcade hockey, trying to line up a jaw-rattling hit is more likely to land you on your behind or spring a three-on-one going the other way. This really comes into focus when playing online with a full team of friends, because you can do just about anything here that you can do on real ice without the game getting in the way. It may be a bit of a letdown that there are no big-ticket advancements this year, but the game remains an outstanding simulation that just about perfectly blends arcade action with hockey authenticity.
All the developers really need to work on is offense. Right now, computer players are still a little slow on the uptake in the transition game. This causes you to get bottled up in your own end too frequently when you're playing locked to a forward position. Offensive creativity is great once you cross the enemy blue line, with computer players whipping the puck in and out, using the point, driving the net, setting up give-and-go scoring attempts, and so forth. It is a lot of fun just watching them play. But your computer-controlled teammates always sit back a bit when you're on the ice, waiting for you to headman the puck. This is a lot better than having them race forward and forever get caught offside, although right now forwards spend too much time hanging out around the red line. You really notice this when playing a center, because you can't fly up the ice and hit a winger with a quick outlet pass. Well, you can, but it most often turns into a lateral, because your linemate is usually directly across from you or a step or two behind. Another issue is not being able to properly cycle the puck. Right now, play down deep in the offensive zone is a bit slapdash. You can set up in the corner just fine, but you never get much help to cycle from computer players, which leaves you stuck driving the net or looking for a pass into the slot or back to the point. None of these options are great, though, as the defense is so on the ball that you either get steamrolled and stripped of the puck or have a pass picked off.


Modes of play are very similar to last year's. All of the main game options are back, but they have been joined by Battle for the Cup, where you play a one-shot series for Lord Stanley's mug, and Be the GM, which turns everything into a management sim. Only the latter is interesting, and yet it isn't everything that it could be, given the issues that a mostly text-based management simulation faces when dealing with a gamepad. Games like this just work better on the PC, largely due to the ability to sift through data with a keyboard and mouse. Simply lining up a trade takes a lot of futzing around with the D pad and various buttons. Also, too many weird things happen for Be the GM to be totally satisfying for the serious hockey nuts who would be interested in playing this way. Computer trades, for instance, can be incredibly goofy. Teams have a weird tendency to dump franchise players at the start of the season. We've seen Anaheim ship future Hart Trophy candidate Ryan Getzlaf to Detroit for picks and Minnesota practically give away Martin Havlat just a couple of weeks after signing him. Depth signings are also strange. Teams will spend big bucks on players they don't need. Montreal, for instance, sure doesn't need another goalie in Martin Biron, yet they seem to ink him every summer regardless. Minor moves, however, are realistic. A lot of second-tier players rumored to be on the move in the real NHL tend to get traded. It was kind of nifty to see a rumor-mill staple like Drew Stafford sent from Buffalo to Vancouver, for instance.
Other modes of play have just been tweaked. The outstanding Be a Pro game where you create a budding superstar and guide him into the big leagues has been altered only slightly. Perhaps the most noteworthy addition is the Hockey Shop, a one-stop-shopping experience where you can alter your player (for use in both Be a Pro and online play) with the purchase of brand-name skates, sticks, helmets, and gloves, along with skill booster packs. There's kind of a role-playing vibe here. You first buy some cool piece of hardware like an old-school Titan stick that has a boost slot or three and then load these up with purchased booster packs. If your stick has three open slots, for example, you can add three booster packs that increase stick skills like slapshot shooting power or wristshot accuracy. All of this gear is unlocked through gameplay achievements or bought with actual money, which takes the shine off those magic CCM skates you've been eyeing.
As appealing as it is to be able to custom-fit your player, it's a little disconcerting to see such a core part of the game so thoroughly integrated with pay-to-play downloadable content. Some of the goals needed to unlock the better booster packs are crazy, too. It's a lot easier to just buy them than play 40 games a season for three straight years and win the Selke Trophy along the way, for instance. And it's also a tad annoying that EA saw fit to add this feature while ignoring issues with player ratings and skill types that lead to some bizarre line combos. Too often, players are classified wrongly, so you'll see the likes of a shot-in-the-dark reclamation project like Rickard Wallin bizarrely rated as a sniper and slotted into the first-line-center role in Toronto. This can be frustrating in Be a Pro, because you can easily wind up playing with incompatible linemates.
At least you don't have to pay extra to create a hulking tough-guy type of player for use in Be a Pro and online. You can now unleash your inner Derek Boogard and play a guy who gets paid big bucks for pounding on people for three or four minutes of ice time a night. Fleshing this role out is a new first-person fighting feature where you pull sweaters and launch haymakers from a camera angle so close to the opposition that you can count his missing teeth. Being tossed into the trenches like this and throwing punches with the right stick has a real visceral impact, especially in games where you're controlling an entire team. It feels right to be able to pummel some visor-wearing pest annoying one of your star players, too. But this feature sounds like more fun than it is in practice. Although it's great to beat people up when you're playing an entire team, when you're locked to a position you pay for your 15 seconds of fisticuffs with at least five minutes of game time in the sin bin. At least this isn't the only way you can play physical. You can now get tough without dropping the gloves by working the boards. An all-new board physics system lets you throw the puck carrier up against the glass and hold him there to create a scrum. From there, you can maneuver up and down the boards and maybe even kick the puck to a teammate. This is very realistic, and it's more challenging than it seems since it can be very hard to angle those agile NHL players into the boards. About the only negative here might be the presence of scrums at all, since it does slow play down a bit, and this rugby-style battling has been deemed verboten by the NHL in the post-lockout era.
Multiplayer has been spruced up, too. All of the modes remain pretty much the same as they were last year, with Versus one-on-one play, team play with up to six players per side going head-to-head, a shootout, and EASHL leagues back for more. But the online performance is considerably improved over last year, when frequent lag was a problem. NHL 10 is as smooth as glass even in six-on-six online play with full squads of human players.
Lastly, the interface has been redone in a more user-friendly fashion. About the only thing that keeps you guessing is where to edit an existing player, because going into the new Hockey Shop isn't the first place you look when thinking about changing your power forward's hairstyle. In-game graphics seem to be mostly held over and are virtually identical on both the 360 and PS3. Player art might be a touch better than in last year's game, especially when it comes to facial detail, although you have to look awfully close to see any real improvement. Animations are definitely smoother, though, and there are no more slowdowns during after-whistle replays. Audio quality holds the line. The EA Sports Trax soundtrack once again consists of a mix of old and new rock-pig anthems ranging from the Scorpions' classic "Rock You Like a Hurricane" to a fresh new Nickelback atrocity. And commentators Gary Thorne and Bill Clement still seem to be in dire need of espresso. Both practically snooze their way through games. This is probably better than overcaffeinated screaming, although it would be nice if Thorne could raise his voice an octave or two when somebody rings a shot off the post, or at least come up with a more exciting catchphrase than "Scoring opportunity!" and say it only when someone actually has an opportunity to score. Thorne also mispronounces player names. And not just some of the crazier Finnish and Russian ones, either. Toronto's Matt Stajan, for instance, is frequently called "Stay-on."
The bottom line with NHL 10 is that if you have NHL 09, you don't absolutely, positively need it. But there are enough new features and little adjustments and fixes both online and off that any self-respecting hockey fan should probably still go for it. EA Sports has once again done an absolutely tremendous job of simulating shinny.

GameSpot Score
8.5



NHL 10 Review
www.ign.com
When making a sports game, or any game for that matter, developers are trying to build the best experience possible. And while winning prestigious game of the year awards is all anyone can hope for their creation, the bar is then set almost impossibly high for the next iteration in the series.
Such is the case with NHL 10, a title that must live up to the twelve sports game of the year awards that NHL 09 garnered. While I won't say that NHL 10 is a step in the wrong direction for the series, it doesn't bring as much innovation as last year's hockey offering from EA Sports and will likely be met with malice from naysayers because of that fact. That withstanding, NHL 10 is still a worthy successor and one that makes slight changes and additions to the established formula.
The core gameplay and game modes have remained largely unchanged, which is a good thing as anyone who played last year's game knows. When you first step onto the ice in an exhibition game you'll swear you're playing NHL 09, but that will quickly change as you spend more time with it. For starters, you have the new ability of board play (i.e. sandwiching another player into the board and grappling for the puck) that helps bring the look of the on-screen action closer to reality. There were times when I felt as though my player was being sucked into the board play and it wasn't happening all that naturally, while other instances made total sense and flowed well with the rest of the game. As I got better at the game I was able to steer clear of unnecessary board play by angling my skating away from the outer edges of the rink, so that helped lessen the feeling of being sucked in by the mechanic.
Fighting has also been revamped into a first-person melee with another skater. Since I first saw this mechanic back at E3 I haven't been much of a fan. Fighting from a first-person vantage point in a hockey game simply feels unnatural and the experience, though improved from what I originally saw, is still too forced. Punches don't have much of an impact and the fact that there's no bruising and bloodying (knocking helmets off is as close as you'll come) because of NHL restrictions is a real bummer.
Other changes on the ice are more finite but not all are for the betterment of the gameplay. This year players have the ability to hit pucks out of the air for highlight-reel goals. They're tough to score, but when you do it'll be a video you'll want to save and upload to EA Sports World. Post-whistle play allows for players to jaw and check each other for a few seconds after the whistle blows (this is how most of your fights will start). The AI (artificial intelligence) does a good job of sticking up for their teammates, but if you skate around and ruffle feathers for just a few seconds everything on the screen degrades to a free-for-all. What you get isn't so much aggressive hockey as it is a street brawl on ice. Occasionally there will be roughing penalties handed out, but more often than not the refs turn a blind eye to your shenanigans.
Probably the biggest change to the gameplay is the addition of preset game styles. While it's true that the new styles don't inherently change the way you play NHL, they do change the type of hockey that you'll be playing in order to suit your tastes. There's casual, default, normal and hardcore styles. They change the hits you'll see, they change the speed of the game significantly, they change passing accuracy and how often penalties will be called. You can go beyond the preset styles and create your own through the use of sliders, but what's already on the disc provides for a good starting point to craft your own brand of hockey.
Problems from last year's game also infect NHL 10 when on the ice. The first and most notable is the issue of artificial intelligence. I had several instances of opponents making passes back and forth when the two players are three feet apart on the ice. I'd just sit back and watch as the puck was traded back and forth three or four times while the players are an arm's reach from one another. Defensive play could also use more tuning. I once had a defenseman make a pass across the face of my goal, but wound up hitting the goalie in the skate. All I could do was watch as the puck went sliding into my own net. Goalies will also make ill-advised trips out of the goal area even when the other team is looming. My first goal with my created player was an intercepted pass from the goalie and a quick wrister straight into the wide open net.
I don't mean to harp on the negatives with NHL 10 because the fact remains that this is still the best hockey you're going to see on any system, but the lingering issues are tough to take. Most of the time what you'll see closely resembles real life pros, but there are instances of inaccuracies that really should've been corrected.
In the way of new game modes, there really aren't many to talk about. Rather there are less substantive additions that have been tacked on to pre-existing modes. Battle For The Cup is a prime example. Essentially it lets you jump ahead to the Stanley Cup Finals with any two teams you like. This is in addition to the standard Playoff Mode and the "new" Season Mode – the latter of which now allows you to play with up to 30 total players. All of these "new" modes aren't really new at all, instead they present elements that should've been included in past NHL efforts but weren't.
Thankfully there are a few new trinkets to modes that were in last year's game that are worthy of discussion. Be A GM and Be A Pro – probably the meatiest modes in NHL – have both seen some nice revisions and improvements. Be A Pro now has Be A Tough Guy which allows you to take the reins as one of your team's toughest players. It doesn't change the core Be A Pro dynamic in any substantial way – you're still playing as one player on the ice and trying to complete goals to advance your attributes – but now you'll have added incentive to lay the hurt on key opponents and defend your superstars.
Be A Pro also has the all-new hockey shop where you'll be able to either purchase new and enhanced pieces of equipment or earn them through on-ice achievements. I'm glad that these boosters weren't pay-only as we've seen from other EA Sports games. The ability to set goals like scoring three times in a period and then earn attribute boosts through fancy new equipment is definitely a welcome change.
GM Mode – now called Be A GM Mode – has some new managerial elements that pan out well as you progress in your career. There's new trade logic and a reputation system that is designed to stop you from trying to screw over teams with shoddy trade offers. Even if you sneak one by the AI your reputation with that team will falter if the traded player doesn't meet expectations. The reputation system and GM Tracker work well with the mode, but you'll occasionally be forced into a bad trade so you don't lose reputation points.
The Tracker supplies goals for you to complete throughout your career and you'll earn new hockey cards and milestones as you progress. Elsewhere in Be A GM you'll hire staff, put players on the trading block, and scout upcoming stars. Every AHL team is in the game and you'll have total control over that club as well, including the option to play their games. Be A GM is well-rounded and includes small additions that help push things forward nicely.
One aspect of Be A GM Mode that disappointed me was the storylines that were supposed to work their way into gameplay. My team once went through three straight games that all ended in shootouts and yet none were called out by the announcers. Granted you will get quips from the duo in the booth if you injure an opposing player in the playoffs, but the depth of storylines could've been better in order to up the ante in terms of presentation authenticity.
EA Sports Hockey League is making its triumphant return in NHL 10 and it performs just as well as it did last year. You can join up and play with five of your friends just as easily as last year and the on-ice performance is identical. Sadly that means that you'll also get moments of slowdown when the puck works its way into the corner and on pretty much any instant replay. Thankfully lag was never an issue and your coach's insight to your play made sense for the most part and should help keep nomadic players in line. Other online options include the ability to play standard twelve-player games along with regular one-on-one contests.
The presentation and graphics elements have also remained largely unchanged from last year. You will see nice additions such as towel-waving fans during playoff time and more rambunctious crowds that help up the intensity, but not much has changed in terms of user interface or broadcast-style presentation changes.
Visually the game looks fantastic with awesome player model details and animations. There has clearly been several new moves added, namely in the way of goalkeeper leaps and swats. You'll now see keepers spinning around, flopping around on the ground, slapping at pucks in the air and attempts at making other stylish saves. My biggest complaint with the graphics is that the framerate is still subpar. In Be A Pro you'll notice significant drops whenever the puck is dealt to the corner and instant replays have a tendency to resemble slideshows.
On the audio side you'll find the same solid commentary from Gary Thorne and Bill Clement as have been in past years. They occasionally fall behind when trying to keep up with the action, but for the most part the two handle things admirably. On-ice effects are solid as well with checks delivering an adequate amount of crunch and crowds that sound nicely authentic. My one complaint with the sound effects is that hard slapshots don't echo through the arena like they should. The soundtrack is standard EA Sports fare, but the fact that you can add your own custom music to different scenarios in the game is an awesome bonus.


Closing Comments
NHL 10 is a great hockey game, don’t get me wrong. The action is as good and as authentic as I’ve ever seen from a hockey outing and fans of the sport who didn’t pick up last year’s game have no reason to miss out this time. This package is as complete and all-encompassing as any sports game out there with great multiplayer and single-player modes. The biggest problem that fans of the series will have is that it just isn’t all that different from NHL 09. There are “new” modes that are tacked on pieces from things that we’ve seen in the past and the gameplay refinements are a mixed bag that feel as though they could have been tuned just a bit better before launch. Nothing is a bad or poor choice that even comes close to ruining the experience, but there could have been more done to expand the core gameplay and offering of modes.


IGN Ratings for NHL 10 (PS3)Rating Description
out of 10 click here for ratings guide
8.5 Presentation
Easily negotiable menus throughout every mode help manage the influx of information. On-ice things are identical to last year less the new crowd reactions to playoff hockey.
8.0 Graphics
The framerate problems are starting to get a little ridiculous. Player details look awesome and animations are varied and nicely detailed.
8.5 Sound
The soundtrack is serviceable but custom music is cool. Effects are solid; namely the thunderous checks. Slappers could be better. Duo in the booth is entertaining and informative.
9.0 Gameplay
Everything from skating to checking to blocking shots feels great. It’d be nice if things were more different from NHL 09, but if it ain’t broke then it clearly doesn’t need fixing.
8.5 Lasting Appeal
There’s really no headlining mode to lead the troop into battle and the package suffers because of it. There’s still a ton of great gameplay to be found for sixty bucks even if most of it is old hat.
8.7
Great OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)

Monday, September 28, 2009

College Football Week 4 Recap and Rankings



COULD THIS BE THE PLAY OF THE YEAR????

The AP Top 25 Rank
1. Florida (55) 4-0 1,490
2. Texas (1) 4-0 1,420
3. Alabama (4) 4-0 1,400
4. LSU 4-0 1,225
5. Boise St. 4-0 1,203
6. Virginia Tech 3-1 1,190
7. Southern Cal 3-1 998
8. Oklahoma 2-1 979
9. Ohio St. 3-1 957
10. Cincinnati 4-0 946
11. TCU 3-0 896
12. Houston 3-0 844
13. Iowa 4-0 788
14. Oklahoma St. 3-1 591
15. Penn St. 3-1 470
16. Oregon 3-1 462
17. Miami 2-1 452
18. Georgia 3-1 418
18. Kansas 4-0 418
20. BYU 3-1 349
21. Mississippi 2-1 340
22. Michigan 4-0 271
23. Nebraska 3-1 256
24. California 3-1 206
25. Georgia Tech 3-1 185



Buckeyes defense earning respect with shutouts
www.cbssportsline.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- This was supposed to be an Ohio State team that needed its offense to carry the burden until the defense was on its feet.
That couldn't have been more wrong. In fact, the reverse might be true.
The Buckeyes (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) are playing like they haven't missed seven departing starters, including three-time All-American linebacker James Laurinaitis, cornerback Malcolm Jenkins and linebacker Marcus Freeman.
"It starts with we've got great players," coach Jim Tressel said. "Our defensive guys do a fabulous job preparing. They spend lots and lots of time. They take a lot of pride in making sure that they can uphold that tradition. They play hard."
The defense never permitted Illinois -- a team that scored 48 points on the Buckeyes the last two years with Juice Williams at quarterback -- to get inside the Ohio State 29 in a 30-0 pasting on Saturday. It was the Buckeyes' second shutout in a row, the first time that's happened in 13 years.
Sure, it was raining hard for most of the game. But holding the Illini to just 2.7 yards per play and 170 total yards was impressive. The Buckeyes climbed four spots to No. 9 in the latest Associated Press Top 25.
The loss led to some serious introspection by the Illini, who mustered just nine points in a lopsided loss to Missouri to open the season before walloping Bowl Championship Series opponent Illinois State two weeks ago. Judging from their meager attack, it's hard to imagine that the Illini had two weeks to prepare for Ohio State.
No wonder wide receiver Arrelious Benn was at a loss to explain his unit's anemic effort.
"I'm just clueless. I don't know what it is," he said. "We chip and chip our way down the field and then [have] a costly penalty or interception. It's really frustrating. We didn't even put up a field goal."
Tressel said everything starts up front with his defense, but the back seven are also playing exceedingly well.
"When you can control the trenches, which thus far we've done a pretty good job with that, you've got a very good chance," he said. "[Then] you've got guys in the back end that are very disciplined and do what they're supposed to do. They know that the other guys are going to be putting some pressure on the opposing quarterback."
The Buckeyes registered five sacks. When the Illini tried to pass, the primary receiver was seldom open and there were seldom other places to look.
"We knew the rain would affect the passing game," Ohio State safety Kurt Coleman said. "The key to our defense against Juice was to limit what he could do. We wanted to get on him as quickly as we could."
Williams was 13 of 25 for 77 yards with two interceptions, while McGee was 2 for 4 for 11 yards with one pick. The running game wasn't a threat, mustering just 82 yards on 34 carries.
"We wanted to make them one-dimensional," said linebacker Austin Spitler.
Spitler spent the last three years in the shadows, occasionally getting in for a play at linebacker when Laurinaitis would take a break.
"It has to do with a mindset of being scrappy," the graduate student said. "[The opponent] can drive, but we never give in."
No one in the Buckeyes locker room was getting ahead of themselves. It was only the Big Ten opener; the bulk of the season is still ahead.
But with games at Indiana, home with Wisconsin, at Purdue, home with Minnesota and nonconference foe New Mexico State the next five weeks, the Buckeyes have plenty of time to fine-tune their offense if the defense keeps playing like this.
Then come games at Penn State, at home against Iowa and the annual season-ender against Michigan, this time in Ann Arbor.
"We owe our defense," Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor said. "They're really something."

Week 4 What We Learned
www.espn.com

ACC
Virginia Tech is still King of the Coastal. Miami had a chance to unseat the defending conference champs and couldn't do it. The Hokies were the ones who played like a top-10 team, not Miami. Now the Canes, Georgia Tech and North Carolina all have a division loss. The Hokies still have to play Georgia Tech and North Carolina, so that can change the hierarchy in that division, but Virginia Tech will hold the tiebreaker over Miami if it's necessary in November. The Hokies have won three out of the past five ACC titles and can win another if they continue to play complete games like they did on Saturday against Miami.


Big 12
Texas A&M's defense is improved, but still untested. It would be hard to imagine a more valuable player for them than hybrid linebacker/defensive end Von Miller, who has produced a nation-leading eight sacks after three games. The Aggies lead the nation with 14 sacks after producing 16 in 12 games last season. Despite that strong early start, the A&M defense will get a heavy dose of reality Saturday when they face Ryan Mallett and Arkansas in Arlington, Texas, their toughest challenge to date.

Big East
South Florida is back in the national picture. Here we go again with the Bulls. Another undefeated September, another marquee nonconference win. It remains to be seen whether South Florida can get through the grind of a Big East season. But with young players like quarterback B.J. Daniels and receiver Sterling Griffin, this team has a lot of room to grow offensively. And if the defense plays the way it did in a suffocating 17-7 win at Florida State, South Florida can beat just about anybody.


Big Ten
Iowa is for real. Some Hawkeyes fans might have misinterpreted my postgame commentary. True, Penn State made mistakes Saturday night, but Iowa forced them with terrific defense and special teams. The Hawkeyes put themselves squarely in the Big Ten title mix with Ohio State by stunning the Nittany Lions for the seventh time in eight tries. Defense and special teams are the formula for success on the road, and Iowa executed both areas to perfection in the first of four challenging Big Ten away games. It's hard to imagine a defensive line in the country playing better than Iowa's.


Pac-10
Oregon might get the last laugh. How good a weekend did Oregon fans have? The Ducks rolled sixth-ranked California 42-3. Oregon State lost. Washington lost. Both sets of rival fans had been taking shots at the Ducks ever since they went rear-end-over-tea-kettle at Boise State. Even after a pair of quality victories, the latter one ending No. 18 Utah's 16-game winning streak, some were grumbling about new coach Chip Kelly and quarterback Jeremiah Masoli. The guess here is there will be no grumbling this week, at least on the Ducks' side of things. Of course, Pac-10 front-runners haven't been terribly secure of late.


SEC
Overrated until proven otherwise. LSU and Ole Miss are both overrated. There's no other way to say it. The difference between the two teams is that LSU is overrated and still unbeaten. Ole Miss is overrated and coming off a loss in its SEC opener. LSU coach Les Miles called the Tigers "vulnerable" following their 30-26 escape at Mississippi State, and he's right. I'd go as far as to say they're very beatable unless they find their running games and start playing with more consistency in all areas. And until Ole Miss gets its issues straightened out on offense, namely its pass protection and a passing game in general that's gone south thanks to Jevan Snead's slow start, the Rebels are also a team that looks extremely beatable and nothing like a top-10 team nationally.


Non-AQ
Houston's not a pretender. Even going into Saturday's game against Texas Tech there were questions about whether Houston was a fluke. The Cougars proved themselves to be contenders with a come-from-behind 29-28 victory. But the Cougars aren't out of the woods yet. Now, they go on a three-game road stint that includes games at UTEP, Mississippi State and Tulane.


Notre Dame
These guys sure aren't boring. You can certainly question whether Notre Dame's ability merits the attention it receives. But you can't argue that the Fighting Irish aren't entertaining. For the third straight week, their game came down to a play in the final minute, this time after a hobbling Jimmy Clausen led them on a touchdown drive that culminated with a pass to Kyle Rudolph with 24 seconds to go. There's no leaving a Notre Dame game early to beat the traffic.

Friday, September 25, 2009

NFL Power Rankings for Week 3


Power Rankings WEEK 3
according to www.cbssportsline.com
1 Giants · Trends 3
Seeing how the passing game played in Dallas has to give this team hope for the rest of the season. Those young receivers came up big. Eli Manning was sharp. The defense needs to play better, especially against the run.
2 Colts · Trends 5
They showed Miami what's important in the NFL: Scoring points, not ball control. They've played two close games, but 2-0 is still 2-0, right?
3 Falcons · Trends 6
We'll know if they belong here when they go to New England next week and face an angry Patriots team. They better hope the defense tightens up. The offense can be explosive.
4 Saints · Trends 10
They play with their foot on the pedal all game long. It's a treat to watch. Drew Brees is on fire and Sean Payton doesn't let up. The defense is still iffy.
5 Ravens · Trends 11
The best thing to come out of the first two weeks is how well Joe Flacco has played. He has five touchdown passes in two games. But that didn't look like a Ravens defense in San Diego.
6 Jets · Trends 16
Defense, defense and more defense. Watch out when Mark Sanchez gets even better. This team is better than I expected.
7 Vikings · Trends 13
They've defeated two bad teams on the road, which was to be expected. The jury is still out. What happens when they have to throw to win?
8 Patriots · Trends 1
Where has the offense gone? What has happened to the big play? This isn't what we've come to expect with the Patriots. Tom Brady looks jumpy.
9 Steelers · Trends 2
At some point, they need to get the running game going. Ben Roethlisberger is taking too many big hits. It's a huge game this week at Cincinnati. Do the champs fall to 1-2?
10 Cowboys · Trends 12
Talk all you want about how poorly Tony Romo played, but if they don't improve on defense it won't matter. That unit has given up too many big plays in two games in the passing game. That needs to be fixed quickly.
11 Eagles · Trends 4
It's hard to gauge their loss to the Saints because Donovan McNabb didn't play. But he doesn't play defense. That unit was shredded.
12 49ers · Trends 14
They are playing some impressive defense, which we might have expected with Mike Singletary as the coach. Don't you still wonder if they can stay up here? Frank Gore is a beast.
13 Chargers · Trends 8
They have a ton of injuries already, which could impact their season. They will still win the division, but what about after that?
14 Bengals · Trends 19
That just might have been a season saver at Green Bay. The defense will be something to watch as the season progresses. It's pretty good. Are they ready for the champs? They better be.
15 Packers · Trends 9
The offensive line is an issue. Aaron Rodgers is getting hit and dumped way too much. The defense also didn't play well against the Bengals. Maybe they aren't as good as we thought.
16 Broncos · Trends 17
Josh McDaniels has his team at 2-0. You have to give him credit for that. The big shock has to be how well the defense is playing.
17 Cardinals · Trends 18
Kurt Warner and the offense played well against Jacksonville, with Warner doing what he wanted, and now might have to get in a shootout with Peyton Manning. Lots of passing that night will make for a fun game.
18 Texans · Trends 21
If they can play offense like they did against the Titans they will be tough for anybody they play. But that defense needs work.
19 Bears · Trends 20
So Jay Cutler isn't that bad after all. He played well in beating the Steelers to hush some critics. The better news is the improved play of the defense -- even without Brian Urlacher.
20 Seahawks · Trends 15
That was a tackling disaster in San Francisco and now Matt Hasselbeck has a broken rib. Ouch. Why does he always seem to get hurt?
21 Titans · Trends 7
They opened last season 10-0 and are staring 0-3 in the face with a trip this week to play the Jets. What happened to the defense? Where has all the nastiness gone?
22 Dolphins · Trends 24
They controlled the clock against the Colts, ran the ball for over 200 yards and did what they intended to do. But they didn't score enough touchdowns. That's what not having big plays does to a team, and the Dolphins now must go to San Diego.
23 Redskins · Trends 25
They aren't scoring points and just haven't looked that good on offense. They could have made a lot of survivor pool people angry if they lost to the Rams.
24 Bills · Trends 26
They've played well in their first two games, especially on offense. Fred Jackson might keep Marshawn Lynch on the bench. Can they slow the Saints?
25 Raiders · Trends 28
They could easily be 2-0. They just might be better than some expected. JaMarcus Russell now has two big fourth-quarter drives in two games.
26 Panthers · Trends 23
Even when Jake Delhomme doesn't throw it to the other team, they have issues. They can't stop anybody. The defense has become a major issue.
27 Jaguars · Trends 22
How far have they fallen since 2007? The real problems are on defense. They can't rush the passer, so the opposing quarterbacks have a field day. Just ask Kurt Warner.
28 Buccaneers · Trends 27
Remember when the Bucs were good on defense? They sure aren't now. They can't stop anybody. The pass defense is terrible.
29 Rams · Trends 29
Where, oh where is the offense? They just don't score. They have seven points in two games. Ouch.
30 Chiefs · Trends 30
They got Matt Cassel back and played better. But it's going to be a tough first season for Todd Haley.
31 Browns · Trends 31
They just don't do anything on offense. That's an issue that will carry on all year long. It's going to be a tough year for Eric Mangini and his gang. Still like him as a coach, Randy Lerner?
32 Lions · Trends 32
It was better against Minnesota, which is progress. Stop asking who should play quarterback. No matter what happens, it has to be Matt Stafford.




2009 Power Rankings: Week 3
according to www.espn.com

1 (10) Ravens 2-0-0 They're balanced on offense and tough on defense. (Chadiha)
2 (3) Giants 2-0-0 Mario Manningham might not be Plaxico Burress, but he's becoming an Eli Manning go-to guy. (Clayton)
3 (5) Colts 2-0-0 The first of two back-to-back prime-time road games went just fine in Miami. (Kuharsky)
4 (7) Falcons 2-0-0 Taking care of business within the division is key, but the Falcons can take another step if they win at New England on Sunday. (Sando)
5 (8) Vikings 2-0-0 So far, so good with Brett Favre in charge. (Chadiha)
6 (1) Steelers 1-1-0 They have got to find a running game. (Chadiha)
7 (12) Saints 2-0-0 Scoring 48 points at Philly isn't easy. Drew Brees is completing 75 percent of his passes to lead the MVP race early.(Sando)
8 (16) Jets 2-0-0 Rex Ryan has blitzed his way into first place in the AFC East. Division, beware. (Clayton)
9 (4) Eagles 1-1-0 Kevin Kolb put up great passing numbers, but the Eagles can't fly without Donovan McNabb. (Clayton)
10 (2) Patriots 1-1-0 Bill Belichick must go back to the drawing board for a November rematch against the Jets. (Clayton)
11 (6) Chargers 1-1-0 Might that home loss to the Ravens become an outcome that places a playoff matchup in Baltimore? (Kuharsky)
12 (11) Packers 1-1-0 Where was the Packers' pass protection (six sacks) and discipline (11 penalties) against the Bengals? (Chadiha)
13 (18) 49ers 2-0-0 The 49ers want to run the ball and they are, but don't overlook Shaun Hill. He's 9-3 as the 49ers' starter. (Sando)
14 (15) Bears 1-1-0 The Bears need more of the Jay Cutler who showed up to beat the Steelers. (Chadiha)
15 (13) Cowboys 1-1-0 Two problems don't go away: critical turnovers by Tony Romo and giving up big plays on defense. (Clayton)
16 (9) Titans 0-2-0 Mistake-filled first two weeks are fueling those critics who predicted a big drop-off after a 13-3 season. (Kuharsky)
17 (23) Texans 1-1-0 Everyone is wary of saying too much about the great victory in Tennessee, because historically the Texans have had some duds for follow-ups. (Kuharsky)
18 (17) Cardinals 1-1-0 Beating the Colts at home in Week 3 would validate the Cardinals' blowout victory at Jacksonville while potentially forcing a tie atop the NFC West. (Sando)
19 (19) Dolphins 0-2-0 The Wildcat dominated the Colts but Miami lost the game by four. Maybe the "Cat" isn't that wild. (Clayton)
20 (24) Broncos 2-0-0 Their two remaining games against the AFC North aren't likely to produce the same results their first two did. (Kuharsky)
21 (21) Bills 1-1-0 He's lost two offensive tackles and an offensive coordinator, but Trent Edwards is hanging in there as a no-huddle quarterback. (Clayton)
22 (14) Seahawks 1-1-0 Injuries always seem to be the big story for Seattle. Matt Hasselbeck's ribs aren't going to feel good any time soon. (Sando)
23 (20) Redskins 1-1-0 Playing St. Louis and Detroit in back-to-back weeks is a gift that buys time for the offense to start clicking. (Clayton)
24 (26) Bengals 1-1-0 This team would be 2-0 if it hadn't blown the final minute of its season opener. (Chadiha)
25 (22) Panthers 0-2-0 Jake Delhomme was much better in Week 2, but his two-game pace works out to eight touchdown passes and 40 interceptions. (Sando)
26 (27) Raiders 1-1-0 Better than many expected, but how long can they endure the poor play of JaMarcus Russell? (Kuharsky)
27 (25) Jaguars 0-2-0 It's time for the rookie wide receivers to see some action and make some contributions for the struggling Jags. (Kuharsky)
28 (29) Buccaneers 0-2-0 The Bucs have allowed 900 yards in their first two games. They even made the Bills look good. (Sando)
29 (28) Browns 0-2-0 Two blowout losses to open the season don't bode well. (Chadiha)
30 (30) Chiefs 0-2-0 Two turnovers, other miscues undid a lot of stat advantages in loss to Oakland. (Kuharsky)
31 (31) Lions 0-2-0 Even with two defeats, they already seem better than last season. (Chadiha)
32 (32) Rams 0-2-0 The Rams desperately need more punch from their passing game. Donnie Avery has been a nonfactor so far. (Sando)


NFL Power Rankings Week 3
according to www.si.com
1

Last Week: 4 Baltimore Ravens (2-0)
It was a real debate on whether to elevate the Ravens or the Saints to the top spot this week. Both have featured dynamic offenses thus far, with defenses giving up about 25 points per game. But the Ravens get the nod, based on the quality of their Week 2 win. They won at San Diego against a healthy Philip Rivers. The Saints won at Philadelphia, with an injured Donovan McNabb playing spectator. And if you're wondering, I checked and the Ravens and Saints don't play this season. Unless it's in Miami in early February. Can I get a mulligan on my Super Bowl pick?

2

Last Week: 5 New Orleans Saints (2-0)
The Saints are averaging 46.5 points per game, which is more than a touchdown per game higher than the record-setting 2007 Patriots, who put up 36.8 points per game en route to a 589-point regular season. So, by my math, if the Saints average 35.5 points per game from here on out, they score 590 this season and break New England's two-year-old mark. Not that that's a necessity or anything. The last three teams to hold the one-season scoring mark didn't win the Super Bowl: 2007 Patriots, 1998 Vikings, 1983 Redskins.

3

Last Week: 6 New York Giants (2-0)
Circle Week 6 on your calendar, then pinpoint the Giants-Saints matchup at the Superdome. Why? Because my hunch is we'll be watching 5-0 New York versus 4-0 New Orleans in an early-season showdown for NFC supremacy. All that stands in the way of the Giants reaching that game undefeated are trips to Tampa Bay and Kansas City the next two weeks, followed by a home game against Oakland. See? Like I said, 5-0.

4

Last Week: 13 New York Jets (2-0)
Yeah, OK, I've bought into Jets mania. New York jumps up nine spots this week, tying it with Cincinnati for the biggest leap of the week. Now it's a New York-New York doubleheader at the No. 3 and 4 spots in our rankings, and you know that kind of convergence always sparks dreams of a Giants-Jets Super Bowl. But the next two weeks will tell us plenty more about young Mark Sanchez and his first-place team. New York plays host to the desperate Titans this week, and then travels to New Orleans in Week 4.

5

Last Week: 11 Indianapolis Colts (2-0)
I swear it looked like Peyton Manning didn't even perspire in 85-degree Miami the other night. Suzy Kolber was sweatier. That's how little the Colts had the ball in a game that put the lie to the time-tested axioms that big rushing totals and dominating the clock leads to victory. Miami had the ball for 45:07 and ran for 239 yards, becoming the third team to lose this season among the six who have rushed for 200 yards-plus.

6

Last Week: 10 Atlanta Falcons (2-0)
The Falcons took care of business at home to start the season, beating both Miami and Carolina. But four of their next five games are on the road, and it's a grinder of a stretch: at New England, at San Francisco, at Dallas and at New Orleans, sandwiched around a visit from Chicago. If Atlanta can keep its nose above .500 at 4-3 through Week 8, the second half of the season sets up for another run at the playoffs.

7

Last Week: 12 Minnesota Vikings (2-0)
The Vikings are the league's only 2-0 team that has accomplished it on the road and you have to figure that bodes well. They didn't win their second road game of the season last year until Week 12, and they still managed to go 10-6 and win the NFC North. But road wins are no rarity so far this season. Visiting teams were 16-16 in the first two weeks, going 7-9 in Week 1 and 9-7 in Week 2.

8

Last Week: 2 Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1)
Look, there's no shame in losing at Chicago. I read somewhere the Steelers are 1-12 there against the Bears, so they've had some practice at it over the years. And the trip to the Windy City wasn't a complete lost cause, because the Steelers rushing game looked considerably better than it had against the Titans, even getting a rare contribution from Rashard Mendenhall.

9

Last Week: 1 New England Patriots (1-1)
I'm trying to imagine what would happen if Patriots owner Robert Kraft asked head coach Bill Belichick to record one of those fire-up-the-fans voice-mail messages for New England's season ticket holders, like the one the Jets' Rex Ryan did for New York before the Patriots game? While he's at it, Kraft might as well ask Belichick to release a detailed New England injury report.

10

Last Week: 7 Philadelphia Eagles (1-1)
Without McNabb in the lineup, I'm not of a mind to downgrade the Eagles too severely for that blowout loss at home to the Saints. But the whole quarterback contingent in Philly is a fascinating sub-plot that might extend all season, and it's as if QB collector Jon Gruden has taken control of Andy Reid's body -- now there's an image -- and can't stockpile enough arms.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Week 4 College Football TV Schedule Good Read on Tressel and Carroll


Tressel outshines Carroll in college football's location nation
good read from www.cbssportsline.com

This story is going to do things you didn't think possible. It will compliment Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel in a way that insults the OSU football program. It will compliment Southern California in a way that insults USC coach Pete Carroll.
How is that possible? It just is. Trust me. I know how this story ends.
And I know how it begins, too.
It begins with a football game on Sept. 28, 2003. It begins on that day with this score: California 34, USC 31.
Cal was unranked. The Trojans were No. 3. That was the first of six losses to unranked Pac-10 teams the Trojans have suffered under Carroll, a trend that continued Saturday when No. 3 USC lost to Washington. Given how good USC has been under Carroll, that's a staggering number of losses to unranked teams.
Still, Carroll usually gets a pass from critics. He's a great coach. Almost everyone says so.
Meanwhile, at Ohio State, Tressel gets no such free pass. His teams mangle the teams they're supposed to mangle, but the Buckeyes have lost six consecutive games to opponents ranked in the top five, and the country laughs while the locals cry. Just last week, after Tressel's Buckeyes lost to Carroll's top five Trojans, OSU fans dumped their misery into Tressel's e-mail account, causing Tressel to mock them as being "already miserable ... there's no way they're happy."
Tressel is mostly ripped while Carroll is mostly left alone, which means something has been lost along the way: Common sense. Perspective. An understanding of what those two programs are, and just as important, where they are. Use some common sense on the matter, have some perspective, and you'll see the obvious:
Jim Tressel is a better coach than Pete Carroll.
I know what the numbers say. Carroll has won 84.9 percent of his games compared to 81 percent for Tressel. Carroll has won two national titles to one for Tressel. And just nine days ago, Carroll beat Tressel head-to-head. In Columbus, no less.
The numbers say Carroll is better than Tressel, but numbers lie. Numbers say Tim Tebow is the best college quarterback of all time, and that's a lie of Nixonian or Clintonian proportions.
When it comes to Tressel and Carroll, this is the absolute truth:
At a football goldmine like USC, Carroll is supposed to win 84.9 percent of his games. He's supposed to win two national titles in eight or nine years. And he's supposed to beat Tressel head-to-head. Why? Three reasons: Location, location, location.
Look at the consistently dominant programs -- the national champions, the near-champions -- in today's college football: Florida. Southern Cal. Texas. Oklahoma. LSU.
And Ohio State.
What school doesn't belong in that group, from a geography standpoint?
Ohio State.
The Buckeyes have no business beating USC or LSU or Florida, and so bless their heart, they don't. They get smoked when they play a top five team, one usually from the Deep South or from Southern California, because they aren't just playing against USC or LSU or Florida.
They're playing against a stacked deck.
Kids don't want to play for Ohio State because kids don't want to freeze their ass off. You'll find exceptions to that statement, obviously, but save it. Don't give me a recruiting list that shows how a handful of top recruits every year pick Penn State or Notre Dame or, yes, Ohio State. Don't bother. Those are the exceptions, not the rule. Most great players pick a college where it's warm, in part because they live where it's warm. The best players come from Florida, California and Texas. And where are the best college programs located? Florida, California and Texas (and Oklahoma). What a coincidence.
That stuff is obvious, but don't tell me it's obvious. Tell yourself. You're the one who insists Pete Carroll is a better coach than Jim Tressel because he wins more than Jim Tressel -- even as you conveniently forget that Carroll should win more than Tressel.
Yet Carroll doesn't win the games he should. Not every time. About once a year his team loses a game it has no business losing. Carroll got the choke shock out of the way early this season against Washington, but I'm disagreeing with Dennis Dodd on one thing: He suggests Carroll's dynasty is teetering. Not me. As long as he's there, Carroll will win 84.9 percent of his games and the occasional national title. He's the perfect fit for USC because he knows how to attract future NFL talent. Does he know how to coach it, how to maximize it? No. He does not.
Tressel coaches. Tressel maximizes. His teams don't choke or get shocked. Do they lose to the best opponents on the biggest stages? Yeah. They do. All things being equal, the more talented team wins, and Ohio State hasn't been more talented than LSU or Florida or USC or Texas. And Ohio State should never be more talented than LSU or Florida or USC or Texas.
But Tressel does get the most out of his teams. I'm sure of that. Carroll? I'm not so sure about him. The only thing I'm sure of, when it comes to Carroll, is this: He signs guys like Leinart and Bush and White and Sanchez and stud after stud after stud, but it's wrong to say Carroll signs great talent and then just rolls the ball onto the field and lets them play.
Because if he just rolled the ball onto the field and let them play, the Trojans would have beaten Washington.

Thursday, Sept. 24 Network Time (EST)
Mississippi at South Carolina ESPN 7:45 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 25 Network Time (EST)
Missouri at Nevada ESPN 9 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 26 Network Time (ET)
Indiana at Michigan ESPN2 Noon
Michigan State at Wisconsin ESPN2 Noon
Southern Miss at Kansas FSN Noon
South Florida at Florida State ESPN U Noon
Minnesota at Northwestern Big Ten Noon
LSU at Mississippi State SEC 12:21
San Diego State at Air Force The MTN 2 p.m.
Miami (Fl.) at Virginia Tech ABC 3:30 p.m.
Illinois at Ohio State ABC 3:30 p.m.
California at Oregon ABC 3:30 p.m.
Arkansas at Alabama CBS 3:30 p.m.
UTEP at Texas FSN 3:30 p.m.
Pittsburgh at NC State ESPN U 3:30 p.m.
Western Kentucky at Navy CBS CS 3:30 p.m.
Florida at Kentucky ESPN 2 6 p.m.
Colorado State at BYU The MTN 6 p.m.
Arizona State at Georgia ESPN U 7 p.m.
Arizona at Oregon State Versus 7:30 p.m.
Louisville at Utah CBS CS 7:30 p.m.
Iowa at Penn State ABC 8 p.m.
Notre Dame at Purdue ESPN 8 p.m.
Texas Tech at Houston ESPN 2 9:15 p.m.
Washington State at Houston FSN 10 p.m.
New Mexico State at New Mexico The MTN 10 p.m.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

New Dallas Cowboys Stadium




click here to go directly to videos, pictures, descriptions and interesting facts and figures on the new Cowboys Stadium.


DALLAS COWBOYS STADIUM
What Fans Need to Know


Access
One of the great assets Arlington has is accessibility to the entire metroplex. There will be 14 approaches from major highways into the new stadium in Arlington, compared with three at Texas Stadium.

From a regional standpoint the new stadium will be one of the most accessible venues ever planned. The Arlington Entertainment District is the beneficiary of $270 million in improvements to the area highways that will directly benefit the new stadium. This infrastructure investment will provide new and improved access to the venue from three exits off of I-30 and upgrade the interchange at Hwy 360 and Division.

Parking
There will be plenty of parking at the new venue. It is estimated that between parking owned or under control of the Dallas Cowboys as well as the entrepreneurial lots in and around the stadium area, that there will be 30,000 parking spaces available to fans on game day.

Plaza Area and Open End Zones
The stadium design incorporates two open end zones with glass retractable doors measuring 120 feet high and 180 feet wide, making them the tallest glass retractable doors in the world. These doors open in 18 minutes. The plazas outside these doors, one in each end zone - along with the three party decks in each end zone - create over 420,000 square feet of entertainment space, or approximately 10 acres. This space gives the stadium great flexibility with its capacity. These areas will be great spaces for people to gather before, during and after events to socialize and experience a unique interactive experience.

The field is actually 50 feet below ground level, so fans entering on the plaza level will have a panoramic view over the field. The end zone area will have the flexibility to convert from standing-room only to seating, based on specific event needs. Media boards and large-screen monitors add entertainment to the area, and create a festival atmosphere.

Suites
The new stadium will have 200 suites in eight different locations on five separate levels. The suite sections have been decentralized and positioned at different areas throughout the stadium, rather than having all suites on one level. With the new stadium, there are suites on the field-level sidelines and field-level end zones, and suites on higher levels for a different vantage point. Just 20 rows up from the field will be the Hall of Fame suites. These will be the lowest suites in the NFL in relation to the field. All of the suites will also have access to club areas. The building will have eight different clubs spread throughout the various levels.

Club Level
The stadium will have 15,000 Club Level seats, accessible to field-level suite patrons as well as club members. The clubs will feature large-screen monitors and multiple entertainment venues, such as restaurants and concession areas. Prior to kick-off, the Dallas Cowboys players and coaches will walk through the Field Level Sideline Club on their way to the field.

Video Boards
There will be eight video boards in this facility. The most unique being the four board cluster that will be suspended 110 feet directly over the center of the playing surface. The board will run from the 20-yard line to the 20-yard line -- measuring 180 feet in length and 50 feet in height - making it the largest video board installation in the world. The video center will allow fans on all levels to view the game in crisp, clear images during the game. This will create a premium on the value of the upper-level seats and make the game more exciting for all fans.

Amenities and Restrooms
The stadium features 286 concession points as well as more than 1,600 toilets. Some of the restrooms will be reversible based on the needs of the event.

Ring of Honor
The Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor will be a featured part the new stadium. Plans are being made to ensure the Ring's members are similarly honored in the new facility.

Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame and Pro Shop
The Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame will be one of the finest attractions of it kind anywhere. The Cowboys are fortunate enough to have a great history and tradition and plans include many new an innovative ways to display that history in an interactive, hands-on environment. Included in the display will be a gallery of images from the world of sports in many different mediums: paintings, photography and video to name a few. With the ability to incorporate technology in many different ways, fans will be able to immerse themselves in Dallas Cowboys history.

The Hall of Fame will be located on the concourse level and open to the public year round as well as be available for special events and gatherings. Adjacent to the Hall of Fame is a Dallas Cowboys Pro Shop.


Somehow seven years ago I didn't forsee 5-star bars equipped with back-lit chandeliers and littered with HDTVs.
The Facility

Date Opened May 29, 2009
Ownership
(Management) Arlington, Texas
(Dallas Cowboys)
Surface RealGrass Matrix
Cost of Construction $1.15 billion
Stadium Financing City sales tax increased by one-half of a percent, the hotel occupancy tax by 2 percent, and car rental tax by 5 percent. The City of Arlington provided $325 million in funding, and Jerry Jones covered any cost overruns. Also, the NFL provided the Cowboys with an additional $150 million.
Stadium Architect HKS, Inc.

Tenants Dallas Cowboys
(NFL) (2009-Present)
Texas High Schools
Population Base 3,500,000
On Site Parking 11,500 / 30,000 Vicinity
Nearest Airport Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)

Ring of Honor

#74 Bob Lilly
#17 Don Meredith
#43 Don Perkins
#54 Chuck Howley
#20 Mel Renfro
#12 Roger Staubach
#55 Lee Roy Jordan
#HC Tom Landry
#33 Tony Dorsett
#54 Randy White
#22 Bob Hayes
#GM Tex Schramm
#43 Cliff Harris
#70 Rayfield Wright
#8 Troy Aikman
#88 Michael Irvin
#22 Emmitt Smith

Championships

1st
VI
1971 2nd
XII
1977 3rd
XXVII
1992 4th
XXVIII
1993 5th
XXX
1995

Seating Football 80,000
Average Ticket $84.12(2008)
Fan Cost Index (FCI) $435.49(2008)
The Team Marketing Report FCI includes: four average-price tickets; four small soft drinks; two small beers; four hot dogs; two game programs; parking; and two adult-size caps.
Luxury Suites 300 Suites
Club Seats 15,000

Season Total Capacity Change
1993 510,068 97% 0.7%
1994 516,628 98% 1.3%
1995 518,167 98% 0.3%
1996 513,794 98% -0.8%
1997 511,767 97% -0.4%
1998 510,438 97% 0%
1999 513,295 97% 0.56%
2000 504,360 96.0% -1.7%
2001 2002 2003 2004
505,501 504,717 511,224 510,892
2005 2006 2007 2008
505,258 506,308 508,278 506,944

When the Dallas Cowboys move from Texas Stadium, they'll leave behind 35 years of history, but the signature hole in the roof will go with them.
Their new stadium, scheduled to open in 2009, will include two quarter-mile-long steel arches and a retractable roof that mimics the famed feature. As the Cowboys faithful would say, God would still be able to look down on America's Team and watch the games on Sunday afternoon – even in Arlington.
"We want this stadium to have our traditional hole in the roof," Mr. Jones said, noting that it's just as much a symbol of the team as the Cowboys star.
But that hole is one of the few design elements making the trip from Irving to Arlington, as fans will learn tonight when team officials formally unveil the design at a gala in Arlington.
The new $1 billion stadium, the largest and most expensive in the NFL, will be the Cowboys' home, but it will be built with a bigger world in mind.
It will feature more than twice the square footage of Texas Stadium and cost nearly 30 times more. The stadium will also seat 80,000 fans on an average day and accommodate up to 100,000 for special events, such as the Super Bowl.
The new stadium, which has yet to be named, also will feature the world's largest movable glass walls, field-level suites and open-air end zones.
Team owner Jerry Jones and Bryan Trubey of HKS Architects said during an interview Friday that the team's new home was designed as a great building – not just a football stadium – and as a world-class sports and entertainment venue.
The stadium could host a World Cup soccer match or Olympics opening ceremony just as easily as an NFC East rivalry game.
"We made sure there really isn't any event it can't handle," Mr. Trubey said.
This new, grand stadium is something Mr. Jones said he has wanted ever since he bought the Cowboys in 1989 for $150 million. Although he said that at the time, he couldn't have imagined the advances in technology, such as the 60-yard-long video screen in the new stadium, or that the price tag for a stadium would soar this high.
Long time in the making
The work on the stadium also started much earlier than most outside of the Cowboys organization realized. Mr. Jones said Friday that he has been working with Mr. Trubey for nearly eight years on plans for a new stadium – even though Arlington voters approved the public financing only two years ago. The city's share of the cost is capped at $325 million – an amount that was originally expected to be half the stadium's cost.
Mr. Jones and his family closely studied the new NFL stadiums – more than 15 have opened in the last decade – but they didn't feel hamstrung by just football or even just U.S. sports venues.
The Jones family visited London's Wembley Stadium three times and studied Bloomberg Tower in New York City, the airport in Nice, France, and the Sydney Opera House in Australia.
"We didn't want it to just be a fine stadium," said Charlotte Jones Anderson, Mr. Jones's daughter and an executive with the team. "We wanted it to be a great piece of architecture that would reflect character and reflect the strength of sport, but at the same time, the living, the moving, the changing environment that happens when you put sports and entertainment in a venue."
Mr. Jones said he was looking to build a stadium that would inspire awe, illustrating his point with a story about his first visit to New York City.
The first order of business was a taxi ride to the Bronx.
"I had the cab take me out, and I put my hand on Yankee Stadium. That's all I want – just to touch it," he said.
That's the type of wonder a world-class stadium could inspire and what Mr. Jones has been seeking.
And that's what led the Joneses to agree on a modern design for the stadium.
Just down the street is the Texas Rangers' traditional, red brick Ameriquest Field, which was also designed by HKS and architect David M. Schwarz. The nearby Wal-Mart Supercenter took its architectural cues from the Rangers; the Cowboys did not.
The new stadium will be glass on the exterior with a glazing that will give the perception that the glass changes color, including shades of silver and blue from the Cowboys' helmet, from the top to the bottom. It was described as luminescent, elegant and strong: a limestone base "rising out of the earth" with great horizontal expanses of glass on top.
Comparison shopping
Jerry Jones Jr., team vice president and son of the owner, said the team benefited from the building boom in the NFL and seeing what other teams have done.
"As much as we compete on the field, we don't compete off the field," he said. "Everybody is very open-minded about sharing."
Mr. Trubey said he avoided the standard "racetracks," as the circular, bland stadium concourses are often called. Instead, the areas will be dotted with team gift shops and clubs.
The team also included field-level suites, which were first introduced by the Seattle Seahawks as the "red zone suites."
Stephen Jones, another son and team vice president, said many NFL executives regretted not building big enough. The new stadium's end zones will take care of that. Each will feature the glass doors, which are expected to stay open during most games.
That creates 210,000-square-foot plazas that can accommodate standing-room-only fans or could be used for temporary seating. Each end zone also has a three-level party deck inspired by Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Fla.
"There's really no end to the party," Mr. Trubey said about the plazas, which extend beyond the stadium walls.
While the Cowboys aren't playing, Mr. Jones said he wants to see his new stadium attract top-level bowl games and other college match-ups. There has been talk about whether the New Year's Day Cotton Bowl game or the Texas-Oklahoma game during the State Fair of Texas would eventually move to Arlington, but no public commitments have been made.
He said the magnitude of the stadium will give teams big enough paydays that it's worth giving up a home game.
"When a kid is in Louisiana or playing at a school in Minnesota, we want them to be hollering, 'We've got to go play in that stadium,' " Mr. Jones said.
Even in the off-season, the stadium is expected to be a draw. The team plans a football Hall of Fame that will be open 350 days a year and feature a pair of Norman Rockwell works as well as an extensive collection of football memorabilia.
The stadium – which also will offer tours year-round – could even become a destination for schoolchildren on field trips, said Gene Jones, Mr. Jones's wife.
Mr. Jones said this effort in Arlington goes beyond building a new stadium. It's intended to be a monument to one of the world's great sports franchises and had to be done right.
"This is a part of the franchise, the legacy of the Dallas Cowboys," he said. "We don't think we own the Dallas Cowboys. The fans do."

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Winners and Losers from Week 3 of College Football


WINNERS AND LOSERS
This is a great article on the week in review from the college football week!
Tom Dienhart
Rivals.com College Football Senior Writer

One week, Washington ends the nation's longest losing streak. The next week, the Huskies shock the world by knocking off No. 3 USC, 16-13.
Jake Locker drove the Huskies 63 yards for to set up the game-winning field goal.
It's the kind of win on which Washington coach Steve Sarkisian can build a program. And there is a lot of construction to do at a school that hasn't been to the postseason since a trip to the 2002 Sun Bowl.
The win is even sweeter for Sarkisian, who took the Washington job after serving on the USC staff from 2005-08, with the last two as offensive coordinator.
The Huskies' Erik Folk booted a 22-yard field goal with three seconds left to help UW secure the improbable triumph. It is the second year in a row USC has lost its Pac-10 opener a week after beating Ohio State.
Now, the question can be asked without fear: Has USC underachieved under Pete Carroll ?
Think about it. Since the Trojans lost the BCS title game to Texas after the 2005 season, USC has failed to get back to the championship game despite arguably having the most talent of any school in the nation.
In 2006, USC lost at Oregon State (33-31) and at UCLA (13-9).
In 2007, USC got dumped at home by 41-point underdog Stanford (24-23) in arguably the biggest upset in college football history.
In 2008, USC was clipped at Oregon State (27-21).
Now, this: a humiliating loss to a Washington team that entered the season with a 14-game losing streak that was the longest in the nation.

The Heisman 5
1. Tim Tebow, Florida
2. Colt McCoy, Texas
3. Jahvid Best, California
4. Daryll Clark, Penn State
5. Case Keenum, Houston


Credit Washington defensive coordinator Nick Holt, who was the defensive coordinator at USC before joining Sarkisian at Washington. The Huskies held the Trojans to 360 yards, but only 110 of those came in the air. It was the worst passing game in the Carroll era.
Make no mistake about it: This is a one-dimensional USC offense that is all-run and no pass. Redshirt freshman quarterback Aaron Corp started for an injured Matt Barkley, who missed the game with a bruised shoulder.
Corp completed just 13 of 22 passes for 110 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. USC also lost two fumbles and was 0-for-10 on third-down conversions. Unless USC's passers improve, the Trojans might be in peril of not winning at least a share of the Pac-10 title for the first time since 2001, Carroll's first season. USC still has games at Cal, at Notre Dame and at Oregon.
Conversely, Washington is rolling behind quarterback Jake Locker, who completed 21 of 35 passes for 237 yards. The victory over the Trojans is Washington's second in a row (it opened with a 31-23 home loss to LSU but rebounded to beat Idaho, 42-23, last Saturday) and has the Huskies thinking about being a Pac-10 contender. Washington plays at Stanford next Saturday before traveling to Notre Dame.



Winners
Oregon: Credit Chip Kelly for keeping his team together after the Ducks debuted with a thud in a 19-8 loss at Boise State. Oregon rebounded to squeak out a 38-36 win over Purdue last week and dumped Utah today, ending the Utes' national-best 16-game winning streak. Now, Oregon has a big showdown vs. Cal next Saturday.

Virginia Tech: Quarterback Tyrod Taylor looked awful all day vs. Nebraska. He had minus 14 yards rushing and completed just 12 of 27 passes for 193 yards with one touchdown. But he hit Danny Coale for an 80-yard gain to the Nebraska 3-yard line with less than two minutes to go and followed with a touchdown strike to Dyrell Roberts with less than 30 seconds remaining to lead Tech to a 16-15 win over Nebraska and keep the Hokies' faint national title hopes alive.

The Mighty MAC:
First, Toledo whips Colorado. Then, Central Michigan dumps Michigan State. This week, Northern Illinois tops Purdue. This is further proof of what we always knew: The top-tier MAC teams are as good - or better - than the middle of the pack and lower-level Big Ten teams.

Colorado: Much-maligned Dan Hawkins earned a reprieve for at least one week by posting a win over Wyoming. Trips to West Virginia and Texas are next, followed by a visit from Kansas.

Landry Jones: The Oklahoma quarterback is doing his best impression of injured Sam Bradford. Jones completed 25 of 37 passes for 336 yards with six touchdown passes (an FBS freshman record) in a 45-0 win over Tulsa. OU is off next week before going to Miami. The Sooners are still in the national title hunt.

Charlie Weis: Some feel this 33-30 win over Michigan State was the biggest of his tenure. No doubt, it quells some of the pain of last week's defeat at Michigan. But the temperature of Weis' fanny only has gone from "inferno" to "blazing hot."

Jahvid Best: The Cal star is the nation's top running back. Best may be the top player in America. His latest gem: 132 yards and five TDs in a 35-21 win at Minnesota.

Georgia QB Joe Cox. He tied a school record with five touchdown passes in a 52-41 win at Arkansas, leading the Bulldogs to a second shootout win in two weeks following a wild, 41-37 victory over South Carolina. How did Georgia lose to Oklahoma State ?

TCU/Boise State/Houston:
BYU's loss to Florida State and Utah's defeat at Oregon means these are the three non-Big Six schools with the best shot of being a BCS buster.

Florida State. Did the Seminoles really just edge past Jacksonville State last week, 19-9? The Seminoles looked like a national title contender in dismantling BYU, 54-28.

Washington State. You can call the Cougars a lot of things, but you can't call them "losers." At least not on this day, as Wazzu toppled SMU, 30-27, in overtime in what likely will be Washington State's lone win of the season.

Gene Chizik. Yes, he was 5-19 in two years at Iowa State. He is now 3-0 at Auburn.

Big East: Led by Cincinnati's 28-18 win at Oregon State, the Big East posted a 6-2 mark. The losses were tough as Louisville (at Kentucky) and West Virginia (at Auburn) fell. The impressive wins: Pitt 27, Navy 14; UConn 30, Baylor 22; Syracuse 37, Northwestern 34.



LOSERS

Florida: Yes, the Gators beat Tennessee, 23-13, but Florida was supposed to stuff it down Lane Kiffin's mouth and make a massive statement as the nation's best team. It didn't happen. Credit Kiffin's smart play-calling and a strong effort by the Vols defense.

The national title aspirations of Max Hall and BYU were squashed by Florida State.
BYU: National title aspirations disappeared. And any BCS bowl hopes ended. The Cougars' ugly 54-28 home loss to Florida State means it's time to start dreaming about the ... Las Vegas Bowl?

Utah: Just like that, the Utes' national-best 16-game winning streak ended in a 31-24 loss at Oregon. Oh, and any dreams Utah had of playing in a BCS bowl also are finished.

Nebraska: It was right there for Bo Pelini, his first signature win as Cornhuskers coach. But the Big Red defense broke down late to allow Virginia Tech to score the game-winning touchdown with less than two minutes to go to escape with a 16-15 home win. It was Nebraska's 21st loss in its last 22 games to top 20 teams.

Purdue: The Boilermakers' rebuilding job under rookie coach Danny Hope took a big step back with a humiliating home loss to Northern Illinois. Will 1-1 Purdue win another game? Maybe not.

Louisville: This 31-27 loss at Kentucky hurts Cardinals coach Steve Kragthorpe, whose team was driving for the winning score in the waning minutes when Louisville quarterback Justin Burke was intercepted. UK has now won three in a row over U of L. Up next is a trip to Utah followed by a visit from Pitt.

Baylor: The Bears got dumped at home by Connecticut, 30-22. That Baylor win at Wake Forest seems like it happened 100 years ago. The Bears are trying to end a bowl-less skein that stretches to 1994.

Big Ten: Purdue got beat by Northern Illinois; Northwestern became Syracuse's first victim; Minnesota got whipped by Cal and Michigan State was tripped up by Notre Dame. The most impressive Big Ten win? Iowa's 27-17 triumph over Arizona.

The ACC: This week's pratfalls: Middle Tennessee 32, Maryland 31, and Southern Miss 37, Virginia 34. Ten of the ACC's 12 schools already have losses, as Miami and North Carolina are the league's lone unbeaten teams. Good thing Virginia Tech survived at home against Nebraska.


HOT SEAT

Al Groh, Virginia. The Cavaliers blew a 27-10 halftime lead and lost 37-34 at Southern Miss. Virginia is now 0-3. There will be a coaching change in Charlottesville.


TOP 5 STORY LINES FOR NEXT WEEK

1. Miami's March: So far, so good. The Hurricanes are successfully navigating a fearsome foursome of season-opening opponents. Florida State and Georgia Tech have been handled. Next up: a trip to Virginia Tech. There is no time to exhale after that with Oklahoma coming to Miami.

2. Is Penn State Legit? After opening vs. three walkovers (Akron, Syracuse, Temple), the Nittany Lions will unofficially open the season when Iowa comes to State College, Pa.

3. Bear Down, Cal: The Golden Bears roll into Oregon as one of the nation's hottest teams. Win here, and Cal will be sky high with USC coming to Berkeley on Oct. 3. But the Ducks are rolling, too, with dreams of a Pac-10 crown.

4. TCU's Time to Shine: Some feel the Horned Frogs are the most talented non-Big Six team in the nation. Alas, the Horned Frogs' trip to Clemson is their last chance to score an impressive (well, at least a semi-impressive) non-conference victory.

5. Can Ole Miss survive South Carolina? The Rebels' Thursday night trip to Columbia will be a stern test for a program that has dreams of winning the SEC West. Can Ole Miss handle the Gamecocks' suddenly deadly offense? Will Rebel quarterback Jevan Snead navigate a rugged South Carolina defense?


Dienhart's weekly awards
AWARDS
Wish I were him: Steve Sarkisian, Washington
Glad I'm not him: Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
Lucky guy: Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech
Poor guy: Steve Kragthorpe, Louisville
Desperately seeking a clue: Al Groh, Virginia
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Brian Kelly, Cincinnati
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Pete Carroll, USC
Desperately seeking ... anything: Danny Hope, Purdue


TEAMS
Thought you'd kick butt, you did: Alabama
Thought you'd kick butt, you didn't: USC
Thought you'd get your butt kicked, you did: Boston College
Thought you'd get your butt kicked, you didn't: Florida State
Dang, they're good: Penn State
Dang, they're bad: Vanderbilt GAMES
Play this again: Georgia 52, Arkansas 41
Never play this again: Oklahoma 45, Tulsa 0
Are you kidding me? Florida State 54, BYU 28
Oh ... my ... God: Washington 16, USC 13
Told you so: Connecticut 30, Baylor 22

NEXT WEEK
Ticket to die for: Miami at Virginia Tech
Best Non-BCS vs. BCS matchup: TCU at Clemson
Best non-BCS matchup: Colorado State at BYU
Upset alert: South Florida over Florida State in Tallahassee
Must win: Penn State over Iowa in State College, Pa.
Offensive explosion: Texas Tech at Houston
Defensive struggle: Rutgers at Maryland
Great game no one is talking about: Arkansas at Alabama
Intriguing coaching matchup: California's Jeff Tedford vs. Oregon's Chip Kelly
Why are they playing? Grambling at Oklahoma State
Plenty of good seats remaining: Vanderbilt at Rice

Monday, September 21, 2009

Deconstructing: The grisly demise of 'Tresselball'

Deconstructing: The grisly demise of 'Tresselball'
this is the best article I have found yet that perfectly describes Jim Tressel and his coaching. I got this from firejtressel.com. This is an excellent read with photos to back up everything that is being stated. Enjoy!!!





There's no sugar-coating this: Jim Tressel and his staff were outcoached against Southern Cal and Pete Carroll, . Again. Particularly on offense, Ohio State's gameplan against the Trojans was utter rubbish, and it failed to meet the number one requirement of every gameplan: put your players in position to succeed.

When I watched the game live, I was struck by what I considered poor playcalling and mediocre execution. But after watching the game again in detail, going over replays and studying all the players, I'm convinced the situation in Columbus is nearly hopeless. For all the talk of Tressel's buttoned-down, conservative approach, and how his teams don't make mistakes, the most basic and fundamental errors permeated throughout Ohio State's offensive plan like cancer in its late stages, and the only conclusion I could draw from this game is that Tressel -- whatever he may be as a motivator, a recruiter, a teacher of technique or as a disciplinarian -- is not up to the challenge of leading his team past others that equal his in talent. He is not good enough of a tactician to win against the national elite who, unlike practically everyone he schemes against in his conference, have the talent to match Ohio State's, and those are the only games where coaching really matters. With his facilities, talent, and resources, winning the Big Ten is not the test.

Look at the numbers. Ohio State's failure to beat a quality opponent since defeating Michigan to punch a ticket to the national championship game in 2006, Tressel's teams have been outclassed, outsmarted, outplayed and outprepared in every big game they've played.

Yet the saddest part about the Buckeyes' 18-15 loss to the Trojans is that, for the first time in the last few tries against similar opponents, the Buckeyes were not outplayed. That's what made Saturday night's performance almost disgusting: OSU's players played a hard, fast and determined game; the crowd in Columbus seemed nothing short of unreal; and the pomp and majesty of playing there more than drowned out USC's exotic traveling road show, known to transform opposing stadiums into home venues. No, this loss falls squarely on the coaching staff. And the fissures run deep.

Note that I had no stake in this game. I don't really follow either team that closely, and to be honest I can have a kind of sterilized, academic approach to football that focuses (maybe too much) on schemes, coaches, and the overall structure and flow of a game. Sometimes this leads to my undervaluing the importance of a gutsy or amazing performances by players that change how a game turns out, but my view also lays bare the raw injustice when players and fans commit everything to their team, only to have their efforts undermined and them made to look foolish simply because the plan of attack lacked any insight or creativity or was just generally too insipid to be overcome by any individual effort. Against USC, although the final score was close, the Buckeyes never really had a chance; 15 points will never get you a victory against Southern Cal. (Imagine if Mark Sanchez had started for the Trojans?) Football might merely be a game, but seeing the talent gone to waste through the insipience of their superiors will always be too much to bear.

Tragicomic. As I said, when I watched the game live I simply thought OSU could have deployed Terrelle Pryor better than it had. But re-watching the game exposed a lot of tactical mistakes by the Buckeyes, almost all of which made it exceptionally difficult for them to move the ball.

First and most obviously, OSU never once called the zone-read play. Never mind that last year it was the Buckeyes' only effective play against USC, averaging more than 6.8 yards per attempt; Saturday, the Buckeyes averaged a gangrenous 2.7 yards per carry, a number that infected the rest of the the simple-minded affair that the Buckeyes called a playbook, especially considering that the number is inflated by Pryor's third-and-long runs against umbrella coverage. Ohio State tailback Boom Herron averaged a mere 2.4 yards, and his longest gain was eight yards.

When I previewed this game, I said that mobile quarterbacks presented Pete Carroll with a math problem: How do you cover all of a team's receivers, guard the box for the run game, and account for the mobile quarterback? Fortunately for Carroll, he didn't have to solve this tricky arithmetic problem because Jim Tressel can't count.

Indeed, the overrated Senator Sweatervest essentially gave away one of his most important tactical advantages by not understanding the concept of constraint plays. Routinely, the Buckeyes lined up with two or three receivers. USC managed to play their preferred two-deep defense much of the game, which should have meant that OSU had a favorable box to run in. Except OSU forgot to make USC care whether it had its receivers split out.



USC literally lined no one up over the slot receivers, and yet not once did Tressel instruct Pryor to immediately take the snap and throw the bubble screen. For most teams this is an automatic check or sight-adjustment, and it is by no means difficult (every high school runs it). Unless you force the defense to care that you are spreading the field, then all you're doing is hurting yourself; Tressel would have been better keeping an extra fullback in the game. Thus the rushing results were obvious. In the diagram above, USC has only one safety back and eight guys in the box, compared to seven blockers for OSU, not counting Pryor. Tressel called an inside handoff that was stuffed -- USC had more guys than OSU could block.

But when OSU wanted to go to the bubble screen, boy did you know it. OSU used the most idiotic formation, where they split one running back/slot out wide but kept him back at six yards deep in the backfield, where he was a threat to do nothing but run a bubble screen.



Were the intended receiver lined up near the line he would be a threat to run a normal route or get vertical, but instead OSU preferred to announce its intentions ahead of time. Pryor never threw the bubble because it was always resoundingly covered. And, even worse, this let the defense completely eliminate one receiver for one offensive player; a bad tradeoff for the offense, when the Trojans still have a defensive counterpart for the quarterback.

Booted. One of the most perplexing things to me when I rewatched the game is why Southern Cal's backside pursuit was always making the tackle on Ohio State's running backs on their straight-ahead power plays from traditional, I-formation sets. I thought, shouldn't they be worried about the bootleg threat from Terrelle Pryor? But as I watched closer ,I realized, "No, not at all." The reason is because Pryor was not coached to make a bootleg fake at all. Instead, he would hand the ball off to the running back and, as if he was Dan Marino, stand there and watch the play. How insane is that? You take your most talented runner, and ask him to hand it off and then stand there to ensure that the defense knows it need not worry about him? And not worry about him they did; OSU's power plays were overwhelmed with Trojan defenders. The bootleg fake is one of the keys to making the power stuff go; that's why the zone-read stuff was invented, to better control that backside defender. Quarterbacks from Fran Tarkenton to Joe Montana -- guys with sensible coaching -- paved the way for this for years.

Indeed, compare Tressel's use of Pryor with Rich Rodriguez's use of freshman quarterback Tate Forcier. Against Notre Dame, Michigan had some issues with Notre Dame trying to gum up its zone reads by crashing the defensive end to always take the running back while a linebacker would "scrape" to take the quarterback -- a common defensive adjustment to the zone read. To counteract this, Rodriguez would line up with an H-back who would run counter to the direction the play was to go and simply block that defensive end, thus opening the hole for the running back. See the image below, which is from Michigan's game against Western Michigan, but the alignment is the same the Wolverines used Saturday against the Irish.



This was a good adjustment, but there's more. When Notre Dame reacted by using the linebackers to attack the quarterback, Rodriguez then called the adjustment off the play: the bootleg pass to the H-back, who faked blocking the end and then released into the flat. On the play the quarterback, Forcier, had a run-pass option, where he could throw it to the H-back or cut upfield for yards himself. Several times in the game the H-back was wide open in the flat. But Forcier could also take off and run; this was the playcall on his 31-yard scamper for a touchdown on fourth and one. The linebackers overplayed the H-back, and he cut upfield.


The point is not that Pryor should be in the spread, necessarily. But Forcier is nowhere the talent Pryor is, and has succeeded wildly because he isn't stuck in an offense that refuses to play to his strengths. Against Southern Cal, the bootleg and roll-out passes Tressel called for Pryor were not the well-designed counters to looks they had shown previously, but brand new designed-just-for-this-play formations that gave away the whole game to USC. In the post-game press conference, linebacker Chris Galippo began his description of the first quarter interception that set up the Trojans' first touchdown by saying, "We talked about it all week. I saw them get into their roll-out formation ..."

And yet, OSU's offense was poorly organized even when going to their base looks, the stuff they should be decent at. Ohio State's abysmal two-minute drill (if it can even be called that) aside, Tressel and Pryor played right into Carroll's hands on defense. When Southern Cal kept two safeties deep Pryor often audibled to a run play, yet either the defense still had extra guys in the box because they ignored Ohio State's receivers, as shown above, or Carroll would rotate a secondary player down at the last minute to serve as another run stuffer. On one particularly savvy call, Carroll called a cornerback blitz from the weakside and stunted his defensive front away from the blitz, and completely cut off a Buckeye run play.

But the upshot is that Tressel got outschemed, outplanned, and outmaneuvered. He has a lot of talent on his roster, and used barely any of it. And while much credit must go to the Buckeye defense for holding the USC offense in check, OSU was lucky to even have 15 points. The Buckeyes' first 10 points were set up by good throws by Pryor that were only possible because of egregious errors by USC's safeties. On the first, safety Taylor Mays made a bonheaded play trying to get in position for a killshot on a slot receiver and completely overran him; on the second, Pryor threw a nice post route while the safety turned his back and got out of position.

This was a giveaway game, one the Buckeyes absolutely should have won. But it wasn't the kind where the quarterback makes a boneheaded play at the end of the game, or where the runningback fumbled, or the cornerback slipped and fell, or the kickoff coverage broke down. It was a game where the coaching staff let everyone down by asking its team to execute a rubbish gameplan. Many of the mistakes were subtle and maybe not evident to most fans. Indeed, one of the problems with a plan that relies on fitting square pegs into round holes is that it makes the players look really bad -- the line doesn't look like it can block, the quarterback is always running for his life, and the running backs never have a hole.

And make no mistake, this was the game for OSU to win. This USC team is very vulnerable. For three and a half quarters, freshman quarterback Matt Barkley played exactly like a freshman; as of this moment, I do not see this USC team winning at Cal. But the problems for the Buckeyes run much deeper. They go to the past and future of the program.

It would be one thing if these problems were limited to just one game, but Tressel has shown a systematic failure to adapt. "Tresselball" might have been enough in 2002, but football has evolved, and I don't just mean the "spread" offense. Tressel is apparently convinced that "conservative" playcalling is synonymous with not understanding the percentages, and consistently playing suboptimally -- he has clearly never read his David Romer. And, even more fundamentally, his brand of football is a relic, for good reason. As the great Bill Walsh explained in the L.A. Times after Pete Carroll's Trojans demolished the Oklahoma Sooners to win the 2004 BCS title:

We're witnessing the evolution of offensive football. Anyone who says you have to establish the run before you can do anything is fooling themselves. They’re living in the deep dark past. It’s just not the way the game’s played now. ...

We're never going to see that Woody Hayes-, Bo Schembechler- style of football again, that run-first mentality. The game has totally changed in a matter of eight to 10 years, and especially in the last three or four.

Walsh wrote that in 2005. And he's right. Jim Tressel is the closest thing we have to that Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler style. This is not to say power running is gone, but the absolutely ridiculous idea that you can beat Southern Cal by running the same power play -- what Tressel calls "dave," with a pulling guard and a fullback who kicks out the defensive end -- over and over again, is to "live in the deep dark past." Jim Tressel is a dinosaur, and like all dinosaurs, not like for this world. And if I was the multi-talented Terrelle Pryor, stuck in the straitjacket of the OSU offense, I'd be thinking long and hard about where I might transfer to.