Random Thoughts...

Some football and non-football related subjects for the traditional Random Thoughts before gameday....

Maybe the university should have the games under a cell phone tower?

I guess maybe my age is showing some, or maybe I'm behind the times.  I thought you went to games to watch football and root for the team, not pick crops on Farmville.  The littany of postings about how there was no AT&T coverage was well noted as I saw it 100 times by Monday afternoon.  Number one, get Verizon and enjoy cell phone life that much more.  Number 2, shit on a bunch a 3G and be a fan, not a preppie snob.  I still listen to the radio during the game to catch scores, and to hear Eli and Snake tell me what is happening on the sideline.  Are radios taboo now?

What to do with the Blue?  Do I boo?  No Rammer Jammer?  Says who?

Here's the long and short of the week long brain fart:  when you aren't running around hunting a bar to make a call, don't boo the opponents or their fans coming in, but do what you do otherwise.  You can boo if they score, you can boo if they flip you off, but don't boo just to boo something.  As to Rammer Jammer, it is as much a Bama tradition as JoePa is to PSU.  I think it insults his status more to not do it.  With that said, singing it after beating UTC or some pansy, well that doesn't sit as well with me as it does if Bama beats a quality opponent.  Just think, Ole Miss would like to just be able to sing right now.....

Basking in the glow of Jacksonville State's glory still...

I watched the full game on the CSS replay this week.  What a great game from so many levels.  The fact they were beaten and should have given up, but didn't is a great lesson to pass on to your kids if they play sports.  The fact that they didn't panic or flip out when faced with 4th and what seemed like forever, priceless lessons there.  The fact that when they had to make a choice, play it safe and win or lose later, or win or lose now and choosing the unconventional bet and cashing in, great lesson there too.  You can fuss at me, I don't care, but the best catch last Saturday was Jax St's 4th down TD in the back of the endzone.  Why?  While it lacked the pizazz of Julio's catch, it had more meaning in the world of football. 

Looking at Penn State...

They are the prototypical Big 10 plus 2 team now a days.  They are physical, they play smash mouth ball on both sides, and they are slow.  Their running back is fast and their QB is fairly fast, but their defense is more of a lumbering defense than a swarm defense.  That's where the keys to victory start- speed.  Bama must flush the Lions out of their comfort zone and confuse them.  On offense, they need to attack them and display the speed and have the defense on its heels going backwards fast.  On defense, they just need to contain the outside and collapse the middle.  PSU is not going to out throw Bama to victory.  Bama has to force a freshman to play like a senior.  There will be a lot of smoke on this gameplan and they will fake pressure to confuse him, they will blitz from places he cannot see in his pre snap reads (ask Tebow how it felt), and they will have to push the pocket back fast and fluster the guy.  The other key is no turnovers.  PSU is a team that will beat you if you give them that chance.  If McElroy and the running backs, Lacy this is you, keep it clean and keep the ball control offense in full effect, this is a win without doubts.  If they toss picks and drop the ball on the ground a couple of times, I can't say that is what will happen. 

Mike Marrow Transfers....Donna Martin Graduates....

Here's kinda the way it is.  If you did not make the participation chart on Saturday, and you do not have a redshirt available, you might be processed sooner or later.  Is that fair to all?  No.  Is that the way big time football is now?  Yes.  Can Marrow play somewhere else and be good at it?  Probably.  Could he have ever played at Alabama and been a big contributor?  No.  Like I said pre-season, it is hard for tweeners to survive in this program. 

Damn you dirty Braves!!!!

It was easier to watch them stumble when Murphy was there, but they've teased at being special all year and now they're fighting to stay in it.  Letting the nasty whore Pirates beat you with their rookie league pitching is just embarrassing.  I still don't know what Derek Lee does for the Braves...other than get out 3/4ths of the time.  The biggest thing is that the pitching is tired.  Lowe's body is starting to betray him, he looked better last night but still, Hudson looks out of gas, Hanson's not been right all year, Jurjens is only worth a home start, and Kenshin Krappywalki couldn't pull a win out of his poop hole with tweezers.  They have 3 foundation players for the future in Prado, Heyward, and Infante.  That gives hope, but they may be too young for this moment. 

Pickem...

The point spreads are courtesy of MGM Grand.  Here are some games of interest and my guesses at the spread.  Note- I don't say take these to the bank or put your life savings on them, but I do take time to think these through:

Auburn v. MSU- AU -1.5  Auburn.  I know that the heart strings tell you otherwise, but MSU is improved and all, but they do not have the speed on defense to handle Auburn yet.  The game will be tight, but I see Auburn coming out of this one. 

UGA v. USCar- SC -3.  South Carolina.  Granted this is a pickem game on a neutral site, but USCar has a good defense and UGA doesn't.  Look for Spurrier to expose the Dawgs often as they did last year.  The new defense isn't broken in good yet, and it won't help that a veteran Gamecock offense is waiting on them at the door. 

USF v. UF- UF -15.5.   USF by points.  While I think they improve on the issues Florida had, this is not the team that will help them show that.  USF will come in wanting to show they are a player in Florida sports. USF has the talent to pull off the upset, but I don't think they can. 

FSU v. OU- OU -7.  FSU by points, maybe straight up.  Chokelahoma is such a bad team to play the spread against.  I'm not sold on FSU's revival under their new coach, but I do know that when you struggle to put away Utah State, you have issues.  Florida State's speed and quarterback will beat the spread. 

Michigan v. Notre Dame- ND -4.  Michigan.  Notre Dame didn't impress me much beating a Bama reject and a group of neverwillbes.  Michigan's QB issue may be over and they probably shock the Irish again. 

The U vs. OSU- OSU -8.5.  OSU.  While I won't be surprised if I missed this, OSU looks like a team ready to march to the BCS again.  This is a great statement game for them.

Oregon v. UT- OU -12.  Oregon.  Even if the spread were 17, I would take the Quack attack.  UT has very little in the quality athlete department, and Oregon has shit loads of it. 

Penn St v. Bama- Bama -12.  Bama.  Like OSU, won't be surprised if they don't beat spread, and Bama is horrible against the spread, but I think their experience and talent overwhelms PSU.  The poor recruiting starts to rear its head Saturday.  

The non-football/sports commentary on VH1s 100 greatest artists...

Or as it is probably better known as Top 100 artist found commonly on For the Love of RayJ or Flava of Love contestants iPods.  A truly poor list if ever conceived.  Click here to see the list.  Some don't shock me, but can you explain to me how in the country that we live in and the influence they have had on music, how the hell the Eagles or at least Don Henley is/are not on the list?  Yet, Alicia Keys is?  What has she done over 3 decades?  My favorite is that Justin Timberlake is there.  You know, the next song he writes will be his first....

I will commend them for at least having Johnny Cash, Fleetwood Mac, John Lennon, and Iggy Pop on there.  How Lennon was as low as he is baffles me too.  The guy was a genius.  I wonder how Nirvana is so low?  When I hear them on the radio, I can still hear Kurt talking to me as a 15 year old high schooler.  If you are 15-22 now, you just don't get the music the same way.  In 1992-4, when Kurt sang, he sang the song of a generation and the feelings we had.  U2 had every right to be higher as well, they've made hits since the 80s and heck Bono gets to see the Pope when he wants.  When did Justin Timberlake do that? 

I hate growing old.....