Playoffs!

As a long-time Cardinals season ticket holder, I am annoyed by all the pundits. Virtually all of them are picking the Falcons over the Cardinals. I agree that the Cardinals' biggest problem will be containing Michael Turner. If (a big if) the Cardinals can somewhat contain the run, I see them pulling this game out.
Branch has been a big DL disappointment but he made a few good plays last week and may rise above his current "semi-bust" status.

Warner has been woeful the last month, but last week he put together a great game after an awful first quarter and set the Cardinals team record for TDs in a season (30). Edgerrin James is well-rested and coming off an impressive 100 yard game last week. While this isn't monumental, I think the Cardinals running game could be at least adequate. If so, the Cardinals will be in a great position to win as Warner throws to his THREE 1,000 yard receivers (Fitz, Boldin, and Breaston). Arrington has found his niche as a good, speedy third down back and KR. I don't think you'll see much of Hightower. Also, insiders have told me to expect to see Leinart for certain play packages --as a wrinkle. If so, that could be fun. All in all, as a homer, I'll take the Cardinals to win (plus the points, thank you very much).


Other games:
Eagles come off their impressive win over the Cowgirls to beat the Vikings.
Colts dominate the Chargers.
I'll take the Ravens over the Dolphins, though I really think the Dolphins are a solid team that could win by playing havoc with rookie boy Flacco.

9 1/2 Points

Well Arizona, your Cardinals have arrived. With a three game lead in the NFC West, they head into an MNF showdown at home with the 49'ers. The spread: Cardinals by 9 1/2. However this game turns out -- and, let's face it, we could easily lose by 9 1/2 points or more -- the boys in Vegas and their mob backers are finally starting to show the respect that a faithful cadre at the stadium have shown all along. Let's hope for another sellout crowd in red on Monday.

Are you ready for some football?

Welcome Back Bruce

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have announced that they will start a "Ring of Honor" next year and that they are going to wear their throwback orange uniforms at least once. Story HERE. I think it is a great idea. The world is a better place with good ol' Bucco Bruce. Tampa didn't win much, but those unis were certainly unique.

WTF?!

My fantasy football team is in trouble, in part because Fast Willie Parker (RB Steelers) has been injured. Word was that he would be playing this weekend against the Bengals. But not so fast my friend! The latest update (read HERE) is that he is injured again.

"How?" you ask. At practice he stepped in a hole and reinjured his ankle. Now we have all probably twisted our ankle by stepping in a hole or an indentation while hiking or working in the yard. But Parker wasn't out hiking. He was practicing with his pro-team on a multi-million dollar practice field designed specifically for football. Is it really that hard to avoid HOLES that might injure a million dollar player? What kind of clowns do the Steelers have running their lawn and garden program, Carl Spackler?

Not Even Close

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced today that they will not receive a roster exemption for kicker Matt Bryant. Instead they will have to cut a player, sign a one-week kicker in order to accomodate Bryant's absence. This is outragious. Why? Because Matt Bryant's INFANT SON DIED this week. The NFL will not make an exception for him despite the obvious tragedy. Absolutely stupid. This is one that easy regardless of your team affiliation, party affiliation, gender affiliation, race affiliation, etc.

The NFL blew it and I hope they change course right now.

Defending Vince Young

The Sport-o-sphere portion of the internets is going boffo over the plight/performance of former "can't miss" superstar and Heisman trophy winn... err... runner-up QB-from-Texas stud, Vince Young. Seems the pressure is getting to him and it looks like he tried to quit on the Titans this past weekend vs. the Jags --before head coach Jeff Fisher persuaded Young to get back on the horse and go back into the game. Luckily for all involved, Young was injured on the next series and has an excuse to sit out a few games while he nurses his wounds and gets his act together.

It has been so bad that Young's mother spoke out on his behalf. Read about it HERE. The Titans were so worried about him Sunday night that they called the police to hunt him down when they couldn't reach him by phone.

Meanwhile AM Sports Radio hacks and football bloggers of all stripes (example HERE) have been criticizing Young, calling him a "baby", "quitter", and telling him to basically "sack up." In a sense they're right. He needs to get over it and get on his feet. When they point out that all NFL players face pressure --particularly QBs, they're also right on the mark. Young is making amazing money to play a game and there is a ton of pressure on him to perform well.

The problem is that Young has never had to face adversity or criticism in his entire life. He had lazy habits in college, but his astounding athleticism carried him through --to the Heisman trophy and a national championship. But the NFL is full of outstanding athletes and his half-hearted work habits aren't cutting it.

Though all top NFL players are under pressure, they aren't all wired the same. Some find the pressure inspiring, but others (Ricky Williams anyone? --he made it back only after a long trek through drugs, suspension, and the CFL) find it overwhelming. These folks aren't necessarily weak, but they face a much harder time dealing with anxiety because their bodies and minds are simply different. It seems clear that Young is going through an emotional crisis the likes of which many of us have not had to face. He is facing absolute failure on a national stage --and he doesn't have the tools to cope with it or bounce back. He may have a bigger need to please or super ego than others in his situation; his body chemistry may go haywire by over-reacting to anxiety --so much so that he can't function well. It sure appears that way. So to label him a loser or quitter may make you feel better, but it is overly simplistic and doesn't do much to solve the problem.

What Young needs is a few months off (preferably the whole season) to watch Kerry Collins and/or Chris Simms (both of whom have had their share of challenges) and to learn the offense and the fundamentals of the QB position. He also needs to see a real shrink and probably get some serious anti-anxiety medication. Young has the physical tools to succeed in the NFL. What he needs now are new mental skills to deal with stress and adversity. Telling him to "buck up" is a joke. Its time to get him some real help --so that we can all benefit from watching him perform at a top level and learning from his story about how to deal with anxiety and failure. Here' hoping Vince Young can make it back to the top.

No QB Controversy Here

After tonight's debacle against the Oakland Raiders, are there any Cardinals fans who really think Matt Leinart should be the starting QB? Anyone? Leinart showed that his summer of beer-bongs with underage girls did not prepare him for the "tough" Oakland Defense. Three Interceptions in the first half is no way to inspire confidence Matt. Worse, his passes just looked terrible. They fluttered and floated and he really seemed to be just throwing the ball up for grabs. "Go Long!" may work in backyard football, but it clearly doesn't cut it in the NFL.

Kurt Warner is an experienced pro who proved last year that he "still has it." He may not be the "QB of the future," but he is the QB of now because he is the one who has demonstrated he can lead the Arizona Cardinals to a win.

UFL for Justice

There have been some interesting columns in the past year about the high-profile failures of certain quarterbacks in the NFL. In particular, Byron Leftwich, Duante Culpepper, and other black quarterbacks met with huge success, but then when injured or less effective were quickly demoted and then cut. Now they stuggle to find jobs as back up QBs. Their plight was contrasted with the plight of oft-injured, weak-armed, but likable white guy Chad Pennington. As soon as he was cut by the Jets (after they landed Brett Favre) Chad was quickly snapped up by the Miami Dolphins.

So some are wondering "what gives?" Read the column by the National Sports Review HERE. It raises a number of valid points. Though Culpepper hasn't looked that great since he came back from his knee injury.

The UFL suddenly emerges as not only an alternative to the NFL, but a new opportunity for black quarterbacks who find themselves on the outside looking in. NFL Hall of Fame QB Warren Moon had to start his career with Edmonton of the CFL. It was only after he had stellar success there that he was able to play QB in the NFL. UFLAccess.com posits that perhaps the UFL will provide the same opportunity to guys like Leftwich. Read the UFL column HERE.

Woo Hoo!

The NFL Season is upon us (finally!)

I'll be attending the Cardinals-Saints game tomorrow (inexplicably set for a Thursday night) along with a bunch of Cowboys fans who were forced to buy this pre-season ticket to get their precious Cowboys tickets. I'm the guy who will be cheering for Warner to beat out Leinart. Regardless, it should be fun.

Other NFL Stuff-

My take on Favre? I understand he changed his mind. That's fine. But how can he think that the Packers would or should let him go to Minnesota. What a prima-dona. Let them trade you to Tampa and be done with it!

A Blueprint for UFL "success"

Something called the United Football League (UFL) has announced it will be playing professional outdoor football in the FALL of 2009 in cities that do not have NFL teams. What sets the UFL apart from this history of failed NFL rivals is that it has a number of experienced NFL folks at the helm and a number of big-money backers set up as owners --including Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks.

UFL Commisioner Michael Huyghue has recently announced some of the league plans including 4 West Coast teams (out of the 8 the league plans to have at opening kickoff). (UFL Access has everything you could want to know about the UFL and more.) The UFL plans to play on Friday and Saturday nights --so as to avoid direct competition with the NFL. Allegedly, several networks are interestedin televising games --and clearly a legit TV contract is the make-or-break aspect of this league.
But the most intersting and promising factor to me is Huyghue's statement that they plan to recruit MLS owners and use MLS Soccer specific stadiums for the UFL teams. In order to succeed, the UFL must create demand for tickets. This requires a good product (and the UFL plans to go after NFL 2nd stringers and the like --so the players should be better than, say, what the XFL had), good promotions, good community ties. But it also means that tickets should be worth something and that season tickets should actually benefit the purchaser. This means that tickets should be scarce. In a start up league, playing in huge stadiums is a losing proposition. It means tickets have no scarcity and the atmosphere is dead and empty. This is what hurt the NASL and the XFL (to some extent) that the WLAF's attempt to play in the USA back in '91.

Playing in MLS Stadiums achieves two important goals: 1) Fans get a state-of-the-art stadium experience (which delivers a message of a quality product); and 2)Tickets will be limited to the size of the smaller MLS stadiums. No cavernous 50,000 seat holes here. Just 16k-25k stadiums --which means sell-outs and a demand for tickets (is possible). This is essential, because sold out stadiums create excitement which breeds a fun, festive atmosphere.

Given the unserved NFL market goal, Los Angeles and Las Vegas (to be owned by Mark Cuban) are obvious picks. Huyghue said markets would also likely include San Francisco and Salt Lake City, Utah. Orlando is a strong East Coast contender, while San Antonio, Texas, appeals to the Hispanic fans that the UFL plans to court aggressively. (thanks to UFL access)

The XFL's Las Vegas Outlaws did well at Sam Boyd Stadium and the UFL will play there as well. But the other teams should look to the MLS stadiums.

Here's a list of MLS Soccer-Specific Stadia. The UFL should look there as a starting point for Utah, L.A., and other non-NFL markets.

Crystal Ball: The Toronto Bills?

Big news is that the Buffalo Bills will be playing one regular season game and two pre-season games in Toronto beginnging this year when they "host" Miami in Toronto on December 7.

Buffalo fans fear that the Bills will eventually move to Toronto. They are bitter. But Buffalo fans good news: I doubt that will happen because the CFL will fight that tooth and nail (and probably be backed by the Canadian government). Far better to work with the CFL and share games between Toronto and Buffalo. This allows the Bills to enjoy fan support in both Western New York and Ontario (where they already have some support). By playing late NFL season games in Toronto, the Bills get a huge revenue boost, the opportunity to play December home games in decent weather (Toronto has a domed stadium), and stay out of the CFL's dog house. This is because the CFL regular season ends in early November and the Grey Cup championship game is before USA's Thanksgiving.

So long as Buffalo plays half their games in Toronto (in the future) they will enjoy a huge revenue boost. They can play all of the Toronto games in November and December to maximize their weather benefits and avoid hurting the Argonauts as much as possible. The Argos are actually working with the bills on this, and co-hosting youth clinics and the like with the Bills. Check it out here. Argos season ticket holders get first shot at the very expensive bills seats too.

This split schedule worked for another small market team --the Green Bay Packers-- who play 2 games a year in Milwaukee. It should work for the Bills and actually serve the bitter Buffalo fans by ensuring the team won't move (completely) away and will stay long term in Buffalo (for half the year). Hey Bills fans: half a piece of candy is better than nothing at all.

BROWNS 33/ SEACHICKENS 30

A ha ha ha ha ha.........I was a little torn going into this game yesterday as to who to root for since the Browns are in the same division as the Steelers.

In the end, my disdain for the Chickens of the Sea won out over divisional concerns.

I can't wait to hear the lamenting of the Seachicken fan base.

Boo hoo.