Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Bailout Explained


The best read I've found regarding the proposed "bailout" legislation that failed yesterday and sent the Dow down 700 points.
Click Me.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Beleaguered Buckeye

So my sacrilegious prediction was considerably 60% correct. I accurately guessed USC's score and picked the winner. I KNEW I should have made a bet on the 11.5 point spread... At least I would have come out a winner even in embarrassing defeat.

The game was over at halftime. Our team looked defeated on both sides of the ball and honestly, I don't really remember watching much, if any, of the second half. If OSU somehow makes the long FG and makes it 7-6 and keeps it a respectable 14-6 at halftime, you've still got a shot. You're a TD and 2-pt conversion away from tying it up. Instead, that idiot wearing #17 in white throws a pick-six and you're walking down the tunnel down by 18 at the half. Good night.

It's Terrelle Pryor time. Who cares if he hasn't thrown or completed a pass longer than 10 yards in his college career. He KNOWS how to and he DID IT in high school. The media and CFB pundits talk him down like he's never thrown a pass farther than 10 yards down the field. I'm confident that he does it in practice against a decent (once considered) vaunted defense. You still have to make the pass. He's the X-factor. When you play a mobile QB, you can "hide" the indiscretions of what is currently a MAC or Conference USA-level offensive line. If you can run, that means the defense has one less guy in pass coverage because he has to "spy" the QB. By the way, while we're on the page of putting athletes on the field, take Robiskie (who's inevitably injured) off the field and get some guys with speed on the field. Why do we look slow? Because we have all of our slow players on the field. Devier Posey - track star. Lamarr Thomas - track star. I won't knock Hartline because the guy knows how to run a route and you need that. Put our fast guys out in space and let them work. It's pointless if you want your wide receiver to run the same corner and out routes over and over without at least one fly pattern to mix things up. When was the last time we ran a reverse? Or a bubble screen? Or a double underneath crossing pattern?

It was painful to hear USC's defensive players in the post-game telling the reporters that they knew EXACTLY what OSU was doing on both sides of the ball. (Transition - poor coaching rant).

Bollman is at fault for having four inept returning starters who are malprepared for D-lines that are of equal size and speed (or better). He's done nothing to convince me that he knows what he's doing with those guys in the trenches.

Heacock is at fault for failing to utilize the individual skill and speed of the athletes that I know we have on our team. Soft zone, 3-deep coverage? Give me a break. Dantonio beat up The U in 2002 by playing an aggressive man-coverage, 8-in the box, blitz-style defense. Granted, offenses have become more spread in nature, but that doesn't mean you drop seven guys back in zone on every play. It's an awful scheme and it's painful to watch. It was pretty hard for Ken Dorsey to complete a pass off his backside.

Oh, fire these morons for failing to make any positive adjustments at halftime. Going back to the cookie-cutter BS is not an adjustment. It's conceding victory to the opponent.

I don't want to bash Tressel, but I will critique him for his failure to hire a true offensive coordinator. Once upon a time Ohio State was an offensive machine. We have the talent, but we don't have the right coach to utilize that talent to its fullest. Come on. Ohio State has a multitude of athletes STARTING in the NFL today. You mean to tell me they exponentially improved post-college to crack the starting line up in the pros?

Anyway, I'm not convinced that we can or will beat Troy at home this weekend. The drunk & belligerent student section won't be available for another week. The following reasons leave me weary about Saturday's game:
  1. We can't score. 3 points against USC? Not having Beanie means not having a true running game. But again, that falls back on Bollman and the O-Line. Boone embarrassed and talking sh*t? That's three big games in a row. Hmm.. maybe he just sucks? Five turnovers against OU and we only put up 26 TOTAL points. That's 5 points per turnover... sad. Maybe the inability to score in the redzone against Youngstown State should have been a ginormous indicator of things to come (and worry about).
  2. Quarterback. A two-QB system doesn't work. It hasn't worked and it won't ever work. See Stanley Jackson-Joe Germaine. Justin Zwick-Troy Smith. Boeckman-Pryor. Put the #1 recruit out of high school from 2007-2008 in and let him eat. If your 3-wood isn't working, maybe you should take out the driver... Boeckman might be a 5-wood or a hybrid at best.
  3. Dissonance in the locker room. Boeckman is a team captain who I'm sure has his fair share of commited followers in the locker room. Alex Boone extrordinaire included. But for those who are the most competitive, those who hate to lose with the greatest of passions, they must be clamoring for Pryor. I know one guy who's rooting for #2. The other guy on defense wearing the same number. He's also the only guy who showed any visual emotion and heart in the USC game. Needless to say, a divided college locker room may be more viral than an NFL or high school locker room.
  4. Hangover. You just lost 35-3. You just got over your jet lag from flying back from the west coast. Hell, you probably feel like you just lost a few thousand bucks (no pun intended) in Vegas. You've got Buckeye fans who are scratching their heads and beleaguered on all accounts. This was supposed to be a team that would come in and dominate with its 20 returning starters and a fresh Top-5 recruiting class.
My fearless prediction for Saturday...

Ohio State - 24

Troy - 22


Somehow we win in a way-too-close one... .

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Predictions..

..from a rationale Buckeye Fan...

I'm anxious. Not the excited kind, but the nervous kind. The spread is -10.5, but I think it should be -14.5 if we're Beanie-less.

I'm worried because of our outings against UF & LSU (41-14 & 38-24)...

Accordingly, my sacrilegious prediction for Saturday night's game is:

USC - 35
OSU - 22

Prove me wrong, Buckeyes!!!

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Fantasy Football '08 $$ League (Gambling)

"With the 10th pick in the 2008, Fantasy Football League draft, Rice Noodle selects..."

And so it went. 3 hours of a Tuesday night. 14 pitchers of beer. Two large pep & sausage pizzas. 180 players (and/or Defensive teams). $20 a head for the food and beverages... and 10 of the pitchers were Labatt Blue, not Bud Light.


Anyway... This is pre-season, post-draft analysis of my 2008 squad. I have not yet pillaged the waiver wire or offered up terrible trade proposals.

Background: each privately organized fantasy football league has it's own set of rules and scoring parameters. So before I'm castrated for picking Peyton Manning in the 10-slot, I'll paint the landscape.
  • QBs - 1 pt per 20 yds passing. 6 pts per TD. Bonuses for eclipsing the 250 yard passing mark (and other hurdles) and for 'big plays' (i.e. pass play over 20, 30 and 50 yards).
  • RBs - 1 pt per 10 yds rushing. 6 pts per TD. Bonuses for eclipsing the 75 yard mark (and other hurdles) and for 'big plays'. 1 pt per 10 yds receiving.
  • WRs/TEs - 1 pt per 10 yds receiving. 1 pt per reception (does NOT apply to RBs). Bonuses mirror those of rushing.
  • Ks - standard scoring. 3 pts per FG. Bonuses for distance. 1 pt per extra point.
  • Team Defense/ST - 6 pts per TD. 2 pts per INT or fumble. 1 pt per sack. Bonus for points allowed. Special teams scoring is included. (makes Chicago more valuable via Devin Hester)
Other notable notes: no negative points; partial points allowed; must start 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 K, and 1 DEF. No flex position here... and no minuses for Brett Favre's 12 INTs... Payouts to the #1 and #2 in total points and the playoffs. Potential winnings: $800.

The Roster:
  • Quarterbacks - Peyton Manning; Matt Schaub; Tarvaris Jackson
  • Runningbacks - Laurence Maroney; Selvin Young; Maurice Morris; Fred Taylor
  • Wide Receivers - Reggie Wayne; Anquan Boldin; Brandon Marshall; Nate Burleson; Isaac Bruce
  • Tight Ends - Antonio Gates; Owen Daniels
  • Kickers - Rob Bironas; some other guy
  • Defense - SD Chargers; Philadelphia Eagles
The Pros: I'm very content with a positive outlook on my QB, WR, and TE situation. I'm not sure if there will be much drop-off by the Colts scoring machine, but Reggie Wayne is still a gamebreaker, Boldin has the huge upside after the catch, and Brandon Marshall is a 3rd-year WR (which in fantasy-world, means BREAKOUT season). I have to wait until Week 2 to reap the rewards from Mr. Marshall... Nate Burleson is one of the only healthy, experienced WRs in Seattle and therefore should see plenty of passes. Many forget that he was a stud in Minnesota... Isaac Bruce was a 14th round pick out of need, but he's the current #1a in San Fran. He knows the Mad Martz pass-happy system from his days as a Ram (LA AND STL). Antonio Gates was the fourth overall TE taken in the draft behind KWII, Witten, and Tony Gonzo. It was a value pick during the run on TEs and should have another great season. He was rated higher than my 25th ranked WR, so essentially I have four top-25 receivers in the league. Note: Burleson and Bruce are both starters at the top of their respective depth charts. I was the first to steal the Chargers off the board, hoping to couple them with the Patriots DEF, but to no avail. Needless to say, the Eagles should be a good bye-week fill-in and if Brian Westbrook takes a punt to the house, I get 6 points!

The Cons: I didn't draft a RB until round 6 and consequently got stuck with Maroney. All four of my RBs are question marks with big exclamation points behind them. It's just a matter of which one of the four blows up this year. If Brady goes down or sits, Maroney should get his fair share of touches. Young is playing in a system that allows for 1,500 yard rushers. Maurice Morris is playing behind a strong O-Line in Seattle (and Owen Schnittker - the monster from WVA) and held his own when Shaun was out. Then there's Fred "Fragile" Taylor. I had to take him based on historical production and a moderate projection. He was the best available RB after the gentleman in the 9th slot drafted LenDale White leaving me defenseless... and dejected. I think most of these guys should be able to rack up 75 yards and a TD here and there. My sleepers are Young and Morris... but would have preferred to be sleeping on Jonathan Stewart (CAR) or Matt Forte (CHI) instead.

Assessment: I graded out 4th or 5th overall according to our fantasy league guru (who didn't finish in the money last year). I was very pleased with my aerial attack options picking up Gates and Burleson much later than I anticipated. I was also pleased to not be handcuffed with drafting an "old" WR (i.e. Holt, Ocho Cinco, Harrison) or one of those little slot WRs that were popular in 2005 (Santana Moss, Steve Smith, Lee Evans). I admit, I do have an "old" WR in Isaac Bruce, but he's a system WR... Remember Rod Smith? Wayne Chrebet? Plus, who else is JT O'Sullivan going to throw to? Picking up Peyton Manning,Gates and the SD defense will help me sleep at night (and consequently set my rosters on Sunday mornings).

Final Grade: B+. I'm missing a true 2nd tier RB. I really wanted Thomas Jones, but he was snatched up three picks before I would have made the pick in the round that I wanted my 2nd RB. I settled for Selvin Young. I would have also liked to have grabbed the Patriots DEF as well... (perhaps a trade will be offered here..). Toss in Thomas Jones, LenDale White or Brandon Jacobs to complement Maroney, and I bump my grade up to an A-.

I didn't pick a kicker until Round 17 and 18... and didn't lose any sleep last night.