1-Last weekend was entertaining from start to finish, but the obvious highlight was the Bobby Boucher style ass-whooping the Bears laid on Brett ‘I wish I was back fishing in Mississippi’ Favre. Rex Grossman showed the poise and touch that we all imagined he would have if he ever stayed healthy, and his TD strike to Berrian on the opening drive was a complete shock. (I honestly had to rewind the Tivo four times to make sure I wasn’t just dreaming that the Bears completed a 45-yard touchdown pass) The defense was physical and fast, just like they were a year ago. Devin Hester was the game-breaker I predicted he would be (I told anyone who would listen that he would break one for a TD on Sunday. Those were some fun text messages to write after I was validated.) Still, I’m a Chicago sports fan, so I always have some complaints. Three negatives stood out for me. First was the interception Rex tossed on the second drive. They were moving down the field well, and then he goes back to being the old Grossman, where he tries to fit the ball in between two defenders in the back of the end zone. If the Packers, with their lack of quality DB’s, could make the pick, then it’s obviously a bad play. My second complaint was the field goals. No, nothing against Robbie Gould, but I’d like to see the Bears get it in the end zone more. Four field goals of 40 yards or less mean that once the ball gets inside the 20, the offense stops. And last but not least, the running game needs to get better. Yes, defenses will make Rex beat them by crowding the box, but Thomas Jones, Cedric Benson and A-Pete need to do better then 109 total yards against one of the worst defenses in football.2- Elsewhere in the NFL, I was quite impressed by three teams. The Atlanta Falcons, who have always been a solid team, showed they are ready to take the step up to the league’s elite by beating the Panthers in Carolina. Adding John Abraham to an already fast defense could mean some trouble for the rest of the NFC South. The Jacksonville Jaguars, who might be the least appreciated 12-4 team of all-time, played very well in the second half against Dallas, a team who many think are Super Bowl caliber. And the Baltimore Ravens showed they are back in a major way, completely dominating one of my Super Bowl picks, the Tampa Bay Bucs.
3- As for my NFL picks, I went 11-5, pretty good since I was 5-5 when the 3:05 games kicked off on Sunday. My survival team, Arizona, got a scare out of San Francisco, but held on. This week I’m taking Baltimore, New Orleans, Indianapolis, Buffalo, Minnesota, Tampa Bay, the New York Giants, the Bears, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Seattle, Denver, New England, San Diego, Washington and Jacksonville. My survival team for Week 2 is the Baltimore Ravens, who will beat the Oakland Raiders.
4- Turning to college pigskin, I was disappointed in the Texas Longhorns last week. Not that they didn’t win, because I knew it’d be a tough game facing Ohio St. The reason I was disappointed was because they looked dis-interested. They didn’t seem pumped up to be playing in primetime on National TV, which shocks me, because Texas is such a football crazed place. The ‘Horns failed to create a passing game, which ended up limiting their chances of running the ball. They couldn’t cove any of the Buckeye receivers, and Troy Smith absolutely killed them. I still say OSU is going down sometime in the regular season, but they sure did look good on Saturday.
5- While last week was 1 vs 2, this weekend offers a big six pack of games that will be getting my attention (I know there seven games with two ranked teams, but does anyone outside of the Lone Star State care about Texas Tech at TCU?) Here’s how I think they break down:
#11 Michigan at #2 Notre Dame--All week long, I’ve had this feeling that the Irish would absolutely kill UM. But after reading article after article about how Lloyd Carr needs this game, Mike Hart’s rejuvenation and the Michigan D’s phenomenal speed, I may be changing my mind. Brady Quinn and the Irish have a great offense, but I’m still not 100% confident in their D. This one will be close, but with the game in South Bend, I’ll take ND.
#6 LSU at #3 Auburn---This one’s easy. I will guarantee that the Tiger’s will win this one, and it won’t even be a contest. (Sorry, I had to. BTW, shouldn’t there be a rule that two schools in the same conference can’t have the same nickname. And while were on it, the NCAA needs0 to make it a rule that two schools in the same conference can’t have the same colors. The difference between Wisconsin, Indiana and Ohio State’s unis are so small, and eventually it’s going to confuse some quarterback.) Really though, I think Auburn will take this one. I’m not sold on LSU’s offense, and I really like Kenny Iron’s pounding the rock for War Eagle.
#17 Miami at #12 Louisville---I have a secret liking for Louisville because they are one of the few schools that have changed from being a basketball school to a football one. I also picked them to be in the National Title game, so I kind of have to cheer for them. The ‘Canes have a worse offense then Florida State, which is saying something if you saw FSU play. The Cards should be able to put up 30, which is something that Larry Coker’s team can’t do.
#15 Oklahoma at #18 Oregon---A very interesting game, because you rarely see a top of the line, established program head up to the Autzen Zoo. But that is exactly what Adrian Peterson and the Sooners are doing. The Ducks have a good back of their own in Jonathan Stewart, and even though they will lose the uniform match up, I like Oregon to win the game.
#19 Nebraska at #4 USC---The Trojans won 50-14 at an SEC school, yet people are still dis-respecting them. Nebraska has smashed two Division I-AA schools, but have yet to be challenged. This one could be closer then the 18 point spread that Vegas is predicting, only because the key players on both teams have never played in a game with this type of atmosphere. It could come down to coaching, where Southern Cal has the obvious edge. Pete Carroll will be the difference and the men of Troy will take it.
If you haven’t noticed, I’ve taken the home team in each match up. That will end right about…NOW.
#7 Florida at #13 Tennessee---Is this a homer pick? Partially, but I also truly feel that the Gators are one of the three most talented teams in the nation. Chris Leak has been amazing in the first two weeks, and even though they really haven’t run the ball too well, the football has gotten into the end zone. UT has also been very good, but for only one of the two weeks. They dominated Cal in every aspect of the game in Week 1, and QB Eric Ainge was back to his old self after his poor sophomore season in ‘05. But then last week, they were a converted two-point conversion away from being upset by Air Force. While I’m guessing the Vols will bring their A-game into Neyland on Saturday night, I think that Florida’s speed, especially on defense and at the receiver position, will be too much for Tennessee. (Watch for Percy Harvin, the Gators stud freshmen WR, to make a big play doing something other then catching a pass.)
6- Enough football for today, and I will get into baseball deeper next week. But let’s talk hoops for a second. One of my all-time favorite players, and the man who gave me my only reason to find Split, Croatia on a map, just hung up his sneakers. Toni Kukoc, good old #7, the Croatian Sensation, the 1995-96 NBA Sixth Man of the Year winner, retired last week. While in his later years Toni was just a jump shooter, in his prime with the Bulls he was so much more. Never a defender, but Kukoc was one of the most skilled overall offensive players I’ve ever seen. You couldn’t put a big man on him, because he was just too quick off the dribble and a great passer. Put a small guy on him, and his 6-11 frame would just shoot his smooth jumper. He was a better passing Dirk Nowitzk without the range. If it hadn’t been for MJ and Scottie getting all the glory, he could have been a star in this league. I have two great Toni memories. First was in game six of the 97 Finals versus Utah. After Steve Kerr’s jumper with five seconds left, the Jazz called a TO and the ball went to half court with the Bulls up by two.
Byron Russell threw it in, and Scottie Pippen dove in the passing lane and deflected the ball towards the Bulls basket. Kukoc picked up the loose ball, took a dribble and dunked it in. Dennis Rodman then came over and gave Toni a huge hug, officially sealing the game and series for us. I just have that picture tattooed in my mind. The second memory was in game seven versus Indiana in the 98 Eastern Conference Finals. The Bulls rarely played in game seven’s, and had never, in all the games I remembered, faced an opponent as evenly matched as the Pacers that year. Anyways, on this night, Jordan just didn’t have it. The Bulls were down in the third quarter, and it looked like their chance to repeat the three-peat would come to an end. But then Kukoc just caught fire. Three after three, play after play, Toni was doing it all. The Bulls ended up coming back and beating the Pacers, then taking the Jazz out again to win title number six. I still think though that if Kukoc hadn’t been so clutch in that game seven, the Bulls never even make it to the Finals. So long Toni, it was a great run. And if I’m ever coaching and I need a guy to make a shot with only 1.3 seconds left, I’ll give you a call.
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