Help Wanted: Titans Playoffs

The Titans beat the Chiefs yesterday to get to 8-6, matching last season's win total. 9 wins and some luck made the playoffs in the AFC last season. This year, its going to take 10 wins and some luck, by my estimation. Here is the simple breakdown:

• There are 3 teams in the hunt for 2 playoff spots. The Jaguars (10-4), the Browns (9-5), and the Titans (8-6). The Jaguars are in with one more win or a loss by either of the other teams. The Browns win their final two and they are in.


• The Titans must have the Browns lose to the Bengals this weekend, or 2 losses by the Jaguars, combined with winning the final two games against the Jets and Colts.


• Most likely playoff scenario is the Browns losing to the Bengals and beating the 49ers in their final game, while the Titans win the final two games. Jaguars finish 1-1 or 2-0, and are in the playoffs most likely. The Browns and Titans would be in a tiebreaker situation, as there would be no head to head matchup to use.


• As posted below, the tiebreaker between the Browns and Titans would be AFC Conference record. The Titans are at 5-5 with 2 AFC games remaining, while the Browns are at 7-5 with 1 AFC game remaining (the other being the 49ers)


• If the Browns beat the Bengals, they would be finished with their AFC slate at 8-4. They would clinch a tiebreaker over the Titans if both finished with a 10-6 record, since that would mean the Titans went 7-7 in AFC play.


• Plain and simple, if the Browns beat the Bengals this weekend and the Jaguars win 1 of their final 2 games, the Titans are out of the playoffs. Both are likely to happen.

There is hope for Titans fans, as the Bengals host the Browns in Cleveland this weekend. Also, this is Cleveland, a town that has a history of big time choke jobs and losses. Tennessee has had a lot of good things happening the past two seasons, but making the playoffs would top that list.

The Titans should have no trouble with the Jets this weekend, setting up a New Years Eve must win with the Colts. Sounds tough right? But here is the good part. Indianapolis with a win this weekend against the Texans, will have nothing to play for against the Titans. They will have a first round bye with either a win or a Jacksonville loss. And the Patriots have already sealed up home field advantage and the #1 seed. The Colts will be etched with the #2 seed and will have no need to win, which possibly will give the Titans the edge they need to get into the playoffs.

I have a feeling that we won't be in the playoffs. But if we do make it, we will make some noise, I can guarantee that. By "noise" I mean a win, an upset. Something like going into Pittsburgh or San Diego and winning, then giving the Patriots the game of their lives. Might be wishful thinking. But, its good to know that our QB is a big game player and has been there before in big games.

Slow Posting Season

The Pope has been busy and has not posted as much as he would like. I have quite a bit planned for posting today through Wednesday, so please check back for my thoughts on the Titans, Grizzlies, and Notre Dame recruiting.

Titans - Playoff Push

The Tennessee Titans ended a 3 game skid on Sunday beating the divisional opponent Houston Texans 28-20. The Titans got some big plays, and the offense finally put a running and passing effort together. Haynesworth needs to get and stay healthy on defense, which would really allow us to be a top 5 type defense in this league.

Where does this put us with the Playoffs?

The win keeps the Titans in the playoff hunt at 7-5. Its likely going to take 10 wins, maybe even 11, to win the wildcard. With 4 games remaining (Chargers, Chiefs, Jets, @ Colts), the Titans are going to have to win 3 of these 4 games to have a chance realistically, and here's why:

• There are 3 teams right now in the hunt for the 2 wildcards - the Browns, Jaguars, and Titans.


• Check out the tiebreaker procedures for NFL teams in the playoffs here. The Titans likely will not hold the tiebreaker over either, as the Jags will likely have a better divisional record, assuming the Jags beat Houston and the Titans lose to the Colts. If the Jags lose to the Steelers and the Titans go 4-0 then the Titans would have the tiebreaker with a 4-2 divisional record. Titans beating the Colts would give the Titans that tiebreaker over the same record Jaguars. If the Titans go 3-1, losing to the Colts, and the Jags go 2-2, then one of those losses would have to be to Houston for the tiebreaker to go to the Titans. If the Jags beat Houston but lose to Carolina and Pittsburgh, then I believe they would have to go to strength of schedule in a tie with the Titans for a tiebreaker at 10-6. Crazy.


• The Browns have an easy finishing slate, with Jets, Bills, Bengals, and 49ers. If they win out, they would have the tiebreaker over the Titans with a better conference record at 8-4. The Titans would finish 8-4 in conference if they win out, but they would have to defeat the Colts to do so. Lucky here, though, this tiebreaker of 11-5 would also go to strength of schedule. Likely the Jags would be here in a huge 3-way tie. Messy.

Plainly said, the Titans are going to have to win 3 of their final 4 games to have a chance. If they go 3-1, they are also going to need some timely losses from the Browns and Jaguars, so much so that even 4-0 for the Titans could have us on the outside of the playoffs.

Winning against the Chargers this weekend is a must, as the Chiefs and Jets the following two weeks are hopefully winnable games at home. We dont want to go into the final game of the season having to beat the Colts. I will be at the game cheering them on . . .

Holy Wagers Update

Not a great weekend, going 0-3 in College Football and 2-1 in Pro Football. Still up for the year at 55%, with some weeks up and some down. What a crazy year in College Football eh? Check out my updated yearlong picks here, or by clicking on the perma-link always in the upper left hand corner.

Holy Wagers - Turkey Edition

These picks are for the games for Thursday through Sunday of Thanksgiving week. You can always view my season long track record in the upper left hand corner using the link. I have a 57% winning percentage with a +8 betting units for the year. Remember, all wagers should be for 1 unit, with the exception of 2 units on the Most Blessed Wager. Now for the picks.

COLLEGE

Memphis -7.5 vs. SMU - [Most Blessed Wager of the Week] The Tigers have hit their stride, and will be playing an awful Pony defense in their fired coach's last game. Prediction - Memphis 42 SMU 21

Kentucky -3 vs. Tennessee - This game is important and on the road for the Vols. Not good, since their best player is Neyland stadium. I think this will be close but a late score ruins the Vols hopes for Atlanta. Prediction - Kentucky 28 Tennessee 24

UConn +17 @ West Virginia - WVU is playing for a shot at the National Title game, assuming the Big 12 eliminates itself. I think they will be playing a bit tense against a solid UConn team. Just too many points. Prediction - WVU 42 UConn 28

PRO

Seattle -3 @ St Louis - The Rams only scored 13 last week against the 49ers, and I just dont think they have the guns to outscore the Seahawks. Prediction - Seattle 27 Rams 13

Titans -1.5 @ Bengals - Despite losing Monday night, the Titans had their strongest passing performance of the season and moved the ball all up and down the field on Denver. A few costly turnovers and three plays given up over 50 yards were the only difference. I expect the Titans D to return to form with Haynesworth back. Prediction - Titans 34 Bengals 27

Chicago -1.5 vs. Broncos - Denver is just not that good away from home. They were largely outplayed by the Titans, yet their win will probably give them some false confidence. The Bears will sling it around and get a turnover or two, not unlike Denver's trip to Detroit earlier this year - Prediction - Chicago 31 Denver 21.

Good luck, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Guarded Optimism

The Irish rolled to victory for only the 2nd time this season, disposing of Duke by a score of 28 to 7. Yes, this was Duke football, but yes, a win is a win for this season's Irish edition. The Irish played well in all aspects of the game, which represented a baby step at the beginning of a long journey to the top. Hopefully the Irish can finish the season on an uptick with a visit to Stanford this weekend.

The real story of this game were the true freshman that not only played, but shined. Robert Hughes (pictured in middle below) had 110 yards on 17 carries, including 60 yards after the first contact. He had one TD (click for video) and numerous runs that elicited the crowd to cheer "Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuughes!". He reminds some of a Jerome Bettis, with the ability to shake and bake a little in a big mans frame. I love the way this kid plays, and have been saying all season long that I think he is better than James Aldridge, the other big Irish RB that has gotten the most carries this season.

Duval Kamara (on right) had 2 catches for 32 yards, including 1 TD on a "box out" reception over a 5 foot 9 defender. The 6 foot 4 Kamara is a carbon copy of Maurice Stoval, who had a fantastic season in 2005 and is with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers currently. There doesnt need to be a complex play when you have a 7 inch advantage at WR over a CB. Get him in 1 on 1 coverage, and throw lob passes. Thats what Clausen did with Kamara on the second touchdown pass of the game - an easy lob into the endzone, letting Kamara use his size and go get the ball.

Finally, Jimmy Clausen (on left), quarterback. Irish fans have seen his poise all season long, despite our teams record. Very few true freshman look comfortable and in control on the field. Clausen is the exception. While he made mistakes and was never perfect or even great, he just looked like he belonged. Once he was injured in game 5 at Purdue, he needed to have a seat on the bench. Since he has returned healthy from the bench, he has been nothing short of great, throwing 6 TDs and no INTs in two games against Air Force and Duke, amassing about 500 yards. If it weren't for a combined 9 drops the pass two weeks, Jimmy's pass completion % would be near 70%. He has moved better in the pocket, made better passing decisions, all while maintaining the same poise that he showed early in the year. He has even completed passes to 10 different receivers. View his TD passes against Air Force and Duke by clicking here and viewing the list of individual plays.

Its hard not to like this kid. He has a solid arm, even better accuracy, and appears to have the pedigree to be a Notre Dame quarterback. He must get in the weight room, and become the warrior that Brady Quinn became after his first and second years at ND. I think we have found our QB for the next 3 seasons, assuming he works hard in the film and weight rooms.

Armando Allen didnt necessarily have a big game on Saturday, but he has been the most consistent and biggest impact player of all the freshman for the course of the whole season. Kerry Neal, Ian Williams, and Brian Smith on defense have also performed fantastically for true freshman. More on those guys after the season with the Pope's season recap. Lets finish off the season right this Saturday with a win against the Trees.

Holy Wagers Update

Good week for the Pope, going 2-1 in College Football (winning the 2 unit Most Blessed Wager), and going 2-0-1 in Pro Football. That brings my season long record to 57% picks correct, but +8 betting units. Check out the details of my season long picking record here, or by clicking in the ever present link in the upper left hand corner.

Thanksgiving week picks will be up on Wednesday afternoon.

Holy Wagers - November 17th Weekend

Check out the Pope's record in the upper left hand corner of this webpage. Now onto the picks:

COLLEGE

Cinncinnati +6.5 vs. West Virginia [Most Blessed Wager of the Week] - Cinncinnati stops the run very well, especially at home. They also have a QB that doesnt make many mistakes, with a very good ball control offense. I think this game will be like he South Florida game for West Virginia, as a little bit of pressure causes some turnovers and the more patient team (Cinncinnati) wins outright. Prediction: Cinncinnati 28 West Virginia 24

Indiana +2 vs. Purdue - The Oaken Bucket game for pride in the state of Indiana. At home, the Hoosiers have played very well, staying close with both Illinois and Penn St but falling late. This team needs another win to be a solid bowl team, on top of the already huge rivalry that this game is. IU has some athletes on offense that will score at will against Purdue, who will also make one too many mistakes on offense. Prediction: Indiana 41 Purdue 35

Rutgers -11.5 vs. Pittsburgh - Rutgers is going to run all day on the Wannstache. Prediction: Rutgers 35 Pittsburgh 14

PRO

Rams -3 @ 49ers - The 49ers are awful, and the Rams are going to improve with Stephen Jackson back and healthy. This one won't be close, even since Trent Dilfer is now starting for San Fran. Prediction: Rams 35 49ers 13

Eagles -10 vs. Dolphins - McNabb is healthy and they are on a confidence high after last week's big win against the Redskins. The Dolphins are awfula and starting a rookie QB. Prediction: Eagles 31 Dolphins 10

Cardinals +3.5 @ Bengals - This will be a close football game. The Bengals dont know how to win close games, and the Cardinals have a lot to play for. The Cards had a big win last week and their talented WR corps will have a field day. Prediction: Cardinals 38 Bengals 31

Good luck this week. I'm feeling good about these picks.

What now?

Notre Dame football is in a very poor position right now, obviously. A few streaming thoughts about the state of our program following a beat down by the Air Force Academy this past Saturday:

1. "Things are never as good or as bad as they seem." Lou Holtz

We have young talent, and more coming in with this recruiting class. A lot of young players need an offseason or two before things "click". I certainly hope that is the case with our talented freshman and sophomore classes. I expect them to get better this offseason, significantly better.

2. Firing Charlie Weis is not an option. Think about it, then move on. Nothing to see here folks. Firing Weis would set back our program 10 years, and dissolve quite possibly the greatest recruiting class in the history of Notre Dame. We inked him to 10 years, and whether we like it or not, we are tied to him as a football program. As he goes, so will we.

3. Jimmy Clausen is improving. Hard to point that out with the state of our offense. Against a subpar Air Force defense, Clausen completed 55% of his passes, which didnt include 5 drops that were WR miscues. He had 260 yards, 3 TDs, and no interceptions or fumbles. At the end of this year, he is starting to look like what we expected. I think he is more poised and accurate than Brady Quinn was at the same age. Above I said that our program is tied to Weis. We are also tied to Jimmy - if he's not playing or not playing well, so will be the state of our program.

4. Weis has messed this season up considerably, and gets the largest slice of the "blame pie". He has been teaching calculus to kids that need addition and subtraction learning. He did not transition his coaching to a style thats better for younger, more inexperienced players.

5. This is only Weis's 4th year as a head coach at any level, and his first with a "young" team. Weis has been served a boat load of the Patriots famed "Humble Pie" this season; lets hope that he has learned and will adapt with all the lessons he hopefully has learned this season. For example, I hope that he realizes that in college football, its more about talent and execution than it is at the pro level, where talent and experience are relatively even. In the pro game, X's and O's are much more important with the playing field more even. Not so in college.

With an easier schedule in 2008 (remove Georgia Tech, Penn St, UCLA, & Air Force, add San Diego St, Pittsburgh, North Carolina, & Syracuse), and young talent that should improve, there is no way Weis shouldnt win 7 games next year. If he doesn't win 7 next year, fire him. That wont happen though, as I think you can take 8-4 or better to the bank next year. Mark it down.

Holy Wagers Updated

Holy Wagers didn't go great this past weekend. In college I went 1-2, and 1-1-1 in pro. Arkansas decided not to show up, but that probably wasnt the greatest bet given Arkansas's inconsistency. East Carolina inexplicably got pummeled by the worst team in Conference USA also, which was perplexing. Gotta love college football!

Check out my updated record for the year in the upper left hand corner.

Holy Wagers - November 10th Weekend

After a one weekend Sabbatical to rest my picking prowess, the Pope is back and ready for "dough"vember. Check out my season record here, or by clicking the updated link in the upper left. I still have a 15-10 record in college, so I have done well overall. Remember, all bets are one unit except for the 2 unit Holy Wager. Now for the picks:

College

Arkansas -0 @ Tennessee - What happens when the top rushing team in the conference plays the #9 rush defense in the country? Throw in the fact that Arkansas is hot and coming off its best season performance last week against South Carolina, as well as they have a Heisman contender in a wide open race for the trophy, I don't see Arkansas playing poorly. The only chance for Tennessee is a wild shootout, like the Alabama vs Arkansas game. I think Arkansas will pile it on early and then coast to the finish line with their running game, despite how much Tennessee has to play for (the East title). Prediction - Arkansas 42 Tennessee 31

Texas -6.5 vs. Texas Tech - Tech has trouble with Texas year in, year out. Texas is playing well offensively and will certainly have one of the most athletic defenses Tech has seen all year. Typically this game is a blowout. I doubt it will be that, but I do expect it to be a decisive win. Prediction - Texas 35 Texas Tech 21

East Carolina -7 @ Marshall [Most Blessed Wager of the Week] - Marshall is awful, and East Carolina is a solid football team. ECU played a very close game at Virgina Tech earlier this year, and their offense has gotten much better. Last week they hung 50 on Memphis, who beat Marshall decisively. I dont see this one being close with Marshall's season over essentially and ECU still playing for CUSA championship. Prediction - East Carolina 56 Marshall 28

Pro

Buffalo -3 @ Miami - Buffalo is actually playing some decent offense, while Miami is not doing anything respectable or decent. Traditionally Buffalo plays well at Miami, and I just dont see this won going well for the Dolphins. Prediction - Buffalo 28 Miami 21

Detroit +1 @ Arizona - Detroit is playing very well, but Arizona plays well at home. This might be a trap bet, but then again, Detroit embarrassed Denver last week by 30 points. I think it will be close but this is Detroit's season - Prediction - Detroit 31 Arizona 24

Dallas -1.5 @ New York Giants - Another tough one. The Giants are 6-2, but they really have been barely beating some mediocre teams. Certainly they have won 6 in a row I believe, but none of those wins have been impressive. I see this being a low scoring game except for one quarter of Dallas offensive explosion. Prediction - Dallas 28 New York 17

This weekend is definitely the one of the road teams. By this point in the year, I feel I know these teams pretty good. Lots of the these teams have something to play for, while many have nothing to play for. Those type of matchups make picking the spread much easier.

Throwback Football

The Titans are 6-2 and off to a great start for the season. So far this season my boy at ESPN, Merrill Hodge, who is known as a Vince Young hater, has been in some ways correct in his assessment of the Titans QB. He predicted that Vince Young would continue to have passing trouble that would stall the Titans offense. Vince Young has had a few good games, but overall, his passing stats are not great, with a passer rating of 61.5. While he has run for a few TDs and has completed 62% of his passes, he hasn't been consistent. Merrill said that Vince Young would have a bad year, and that the Titans would be lucky to win 5 or 6 games. This is entertaining:



While Vince Young has had trouble passing as Merrill predicted, the Titans overall offense and team play have not. Merrill looks a bit dumb right now, as there have been a few surprises for the Titans at the season's midway point. Tennessee's ranks in team for the entire NFL (AFC)categories are as follows:

Rushing Yards (Offense) - 3rd (2nd)
Rushing Yards (Defense) - 1st (1st)
Defensive Yards Total - 2nd (2nd)
Defensive Points Allowed - 2nd (2nd)

You can see the updated rankings through this week by clicking here. Quite simply, the Titans are running the ball and stopping the run, which is the definition of throwback football.

Today's game is very different in that you typically must have a passing attack to go along with this formula to consistently win. Many would argue that our weakness in the passing game will be this team's fatal flaw. While we do rank last in the AFC and second to last in the NFL in passing yards (to the 49ers), I think that our playcalling and gameplanning has really taken the pass out of the arsenal in favor of running the ball with a few short, safe passes for VY.

The Titans "passing game" should be measured not by passing TDs and yards in the air, but rather a combination of VY's passing and rushing yards, as well as passing and rushing TDs. This is the most objective and comparable estimate to a traditional QB, as most of VY's rush yardage are on plays where he is not designed to run. Here is a stat line for VY, that I would say would be a fantastic game:

175 yards passing, 75 yards rushing, 1 pass td, 1 rush td

Adding his rushing and passing yards together is a much better measure of his ability as a QB. The above stat line would give him 250 yards and 2 td, although some of them were with his legs and not his arm. While everyone claims that you cannot have a running QB in the NFL, I question what their definition of a running QB is. VY is a dual threat QB that makes plays in the passing game - both with his arm and his legs. Many NFL analysts will cringe at this, but a yard is a yard. Certainly VY's health could be an issue long term, but for the present, he needs to play his way to be most effective.

Vince Young should have very very few plays designed for him to run as the first option - but short passing plays where he checks one read and then either passes or runs for 5 yards are the bread and butter plays for Vince Young. If the defense doesn't leave a spy, then you run. If the defense does leave a spy, find the open WR. An offense designed around simple passing reads will work best for VY, and that appears to be what Norm Chow is doing.

Kudos to the Titans so far this year. The defense has been spectacular, as has been the running game. IF VY joins their level of production, this team can win a few playoff games.

Out of Hibernation - Memphis Grizzlies

The NBA 2007-08 season kicked off in the middle of last week, starting a very long 82 game season that will go through April 2008. The Memphis Grizzlies are the Pope's hometown NBA team, and had their home opener on Wednesday night against the San Antonio Spurs.

Opening night was exciting, despite the Grizz losing by 3 points to the defending world champions. Now the Grizz sit at 0-2, which has fizzled any initial excitement, and put fans in Memphis back to their expected, "wait and see mode". I am hoping fans stay excited but more importantly, stay patient and realistic. Improving our win total by 50% would be great right? Yet this would still not get us into the playoffs. We need to make strides and contend nightly before we can get into the playoffs and do some damage. Now on for the off-season review.

Off-Season Review

Coming off the worst record in the league last season, the Grizzlies are seeing season season ticket sales and attendance drop tremendously. Another season like last year could really hurt the financial viability of this team, already in a small market. This offseason was probably the most important ever for this franchise, which needed to replace a coach, GM, and draft a lottery pick, on top of signing a few players. Now on for the Pope's "grades". Take this with a grain of salt and some holy water, because obviously the scores are very premature at this point.

New Coach --> Marc Iavaroni - I love this guy. He is disciplined with his players, but at the same time, he is not an old school tough guy thats all hot air. He is very well liked by his players, but still a disciplinarian, which is a difficult combination. It will take time to get this team more organized on offense, more capable of pushing the ball upcourt, and more disciplined defensively, which seem to be his three tenants thus far. A former assistant from Phoenix, he seems to have what it takes to be a successful coach. Pope's Grade: A-

New GM --> Chris Wallace - He seems fine. Im not overly excited or disappointed with him, just lukewarm. I think he will largely be defined by Darko and Mike Conley Jr, as well as other players he signs in his first two years. He came from the Boston Celtics, who have been awful for a long time. Hopefully he was learning what decisions not to make. Pope's Grade: B-

Lottery Pick --> Mike Conley Jr - He was a good consolation prize after Memphis lost out on the draft pick lottery and fell to the #4 pick, despite having the best chance in the league for the top pick. Mike is a very in control and classic point guard - pass first, shoot second. His complete game is going to need the addition of more physical play and better shooting. Right now, he has the quickness, vision, and passing skills needed to be an elite point guard. We'll see. Pope's Grade: B+

New Big Man --> Darko Milicic - Darko is a big fella, and a much different player than my initial impressions of him coming out in the 2003 NBA Draft at the #2 overall pick. I thought he was another Dirk, a big guy who could handle the ball and shoot. In reality, he is a big body that is much thicker, bigger, and stronger than Pau Gasol, and gives us the physical prescence we need. I think if he gets 10 pts and 10 boards a night, as well as a block or two and some defensive stops, we will be getting what we need from him. He played great defense on Tim Duncan on opening night, but has an issue with taking plays off apparently. Hopefully he will mature and know his role, which is to be a defender and rebounder first. Pope's Grade: B

In short, I think the offseason was a success. Questions remain about our team defense, which has been not much better than last year's disastrous effort. We need more consistency offensively, as we certainly have scorers. However, I think its going to take a season for everything to come together, and this team to really learn how to win. My prediction is 35-47 as the Grizz record, improving by about 50%. I think we are one player an maturation of a few young guys away from being a contender. But isn't every NBA team?

I'm sorry Seaman

The Navy Midshipmen (Seamen) finally ended their 43 game losing streak to Notre Dame, defeating the Irish in triple OT on Saturday, 46-44. You can read a nice recap of the long and actually very entertaining game here. Entertaining for a non-Irish fan, that is.

Every year we play Navy, I do not enjoy it. We have everything to lose and nothing to gain, and every time they have the ball on offense I feel uneasy at my stomach. They inch and crawl their way down the field with the same running plays. 2 yards here, 3 yards there, 5 yards next. One scoring drive was 19 plays! You feel like you might not ever get the ball back. Then when you do get the ball back, the pressure is that you might not see it for another quarter!Certainly we had a physical advantage over Navy, but those guys executed perfectly and got the yards when they needed. Kudos to Navy. Now on to the Irish . . .

Three edicts the Pope has about this game and the Irish:

1. Our passing game was very disappointing. 4 dropped passes, 2 at critical times in the 2nd half. Evan Sharpely failed to connect on a deep ball. Evan also overthrew a few open WRs. Heck, two of our receptions were bobbles that were luckily caught on the second attempt. I was disappointed in the QB and WR play against the weakest secondary we will see all year, and quite possibly the worst in Div 1-A.

2. I felt that our defense was rarely aggressive enough. I understand that defending the triple option takes incredible discipline and assignment football. I also understand that if you do not disrupt the play early on, then the triple option can work very well. The times when we got Navy for a loss was when our LB got into the backfield the fastest, and/or the CB took a chance and got into the backfield early. Brian Smith and Darren Walls had solid games, but I felt too many of the other defenders were waiting for Navy to run at them as opposed to being attacking. A defense that is thinking too much about assignments is just as bad as a wild, uncontrolled one.

3. Kick the damn field goal. With 40 seconds the play, and the game tied 28-28, the Irish decided to go for a 4th and 8 instead of attempted a game winning 41 yard field goal. Yes, 41 yards. And yes, a made attempt would have won the game. Instead the Irish were sacked as Navy player "Ram Vela" (whom I have nicknamed 'Club Vela') was shot out of a cannon over our RB and into Evan Sharpely.


The game went into overtime, which put too much on the Irish that eventually cracked our defense. We needed a win bad. I know the wind was against us, and our kicker had been horrible all week in practice and even in the game up to that point. But a measely 41 yard field goal would have ended the game - shouldnt we have taken a chance? Especially considering Navy's inability to move the ball downfield in quick chunks, even if we missed it they still would not have had enough time and a good enough kicker to beat us.

This has been a trying, frustrating season. Im glad the streak ended this season, as we might as well get it out of the way and take our lumps this year. Im sorry to the Navy Seaman, as we did not put up our best fight this season. The Irish play this season has been as frustrating as the worst video game ever, which I played often in college, Seaman for the Sega Dreamcast. Read up on this game here. The review for this game is far nicer than mine will be for the Irish football team this season.

Busy Work Week for the Pope

Last weekend was a rough one for the Pope, as I went 1-2 in college and 1-2 in pro. Check out my season long record in the upper left hand corner of the page at the Holy Wagers link. For the season I am still up 6 betting units and doing well.

This week has been a busy one so I havent been able to post my thoughts on the Titans scraping one by, and the fantastic (almost perfect) opening night for the Grizzlies. More to come on both of those after another game for each team next week. Also more to come on the Irish, who begin a very different stretch of our schedule - against teams with little or no defense. It will be interesting to see what we can do.

I also haven't had loads of time to look at wagers, so Im going to pass on making picks this week. The only games at my quick glance that I really like was Michigan -4 @ Michigan St, and Tennessee -4.5 vs. the Panthers. Im not going to make picks at all this week though, as I will just take a week off.

GO IRISH BEAT NAVY!

By the way, Im heading to see Indiana play Ball St. in Bloomington tomorrow. It should be a tough game as the Hoosiers try to become bowl eligible for the first time since 1993.

Holy Wagers - October 27th Weekend

Check my season long record here of 61% and up 11 units for the season. All bets are 1 unit, with the Most Blessed Wager of the Week being 2 units. Now on to the picks:

College Games

Tulsa -14 vs. SMU [Most Blessed Wager of the Week] >> SMU is horrible, and Tulsa can score points. I dont see this one being close at all. Check out SMU's season long record and who they have played and you will like this game even more. Prediction - Tulsa 42 SMU 17

Hawaii -27 vs. New Mexico St >> This game is in Hawaii, and the Rainbow Warriors need to keep pounding the opposition for a chance at a BCS bowl bid. This game should be high scoring and I think Hawaii will win big and cover. Prediction - Hawaii 55 New Mex St 24

California +3 @ Arizona St >> Its time to see how good AState is. Its also time for Cal to stop their 2 game losing streak. Tedford is a good coach and the Cal speed will be on display and win this game straight up. Prediction - Cal 35 Arizona St 21

PRO GAMES

Saints -3 @ 49ers >> This is a tough one, but I think the Saints are finally playing up to their potential. Throw in Trent Dilfer for the 49ers and you have an inept offense against a good offense. If the Saints defense and special teams play well they will win by a touchdown, which is what Im predicting - Saints 24 49ers 17

Bucs -3.5 vs. Jaguars >> The Jags will likely have a beat up David Garrard or possibly Quinn Gray (who?) playing QB for them. The Bucs are undefeated at home, and the Jags are coming off a tough defeat. MJD for the Jags will be a bit banged up also. Prediction - Bucs 24 Jaguars 10

Giants -9.5 vs. Miami (in London) >> I think the Giants will run the ball and score at will against the helpless Dolphins. I just dont see Miami being able to score more than 17 on the Giants tough defense, and I dont see the Giants scoring less than 28. Prediction - Giants 35 Dolphins 14

Best of luck this week.

"We're Better than Yall"

Let me start my brief rant with this: I think the SEC is the best, most traditioned and storied conference in the country. It has the most quality teams, the most intense rivalries, and the best fans, period. I have grown up in the south and been around SEC football my whole life, so I can make that statement on steady ground.

But I have also been to stadiums of the Big 10, ACC, Big 12, Big East, and Pac 10. I went to school at an Independent University in football. I have a horse in the race for college football supremacy no doubt, but I also likely have the most unbiased opinion that an average college football fan can have.

Down south especially here in Memphis, my home, all I hear on the radio, as well as in the undertones of conversations with many of my friends is that every team outside of the SEC plays "no one". Also prevalent is that these teams are all "soft". SEC fans criticize every program and conference not of their own and that essentially tells me that they think that college football is no good outside of the SEC. Of course this is a stereotype, but here goes - I think SEC fans are overly confident/delusional and ignorant to college football outside of their world.

A few scrambled notes/thoughts on this topic (pardon my lack of organization):

In this past offseason, you hear "Pac10 is soft" from all USC hating SEC fans, and even from LSU coach Les Miles. I dont hear those people as loudly now with Cal, Oregon, USC, and Arizona St all solid teams performing mostly better than expected.

For all mentions of teams like Michigan, Ohio St, Boston College, USC, Cal, and Penn St - SEC fans will say something bad typically from the following choices:

a.) they have no speed
b.) they play no one
c.) a reference to the Ohio St vs Florida national championship game
d.) a cocktail of the previous 4

People fail to mention that USC, Cal, and Penn St have all embarrassed SEC teams in the past two years, or that the Big Ten is 6-5 against SEC teams over the past 4 years. Excuses follow for all of these counter points, of which many more exist.

My favorite excuse of SEC fans is in response to the USC over Arkansas blowouts in 2005 and 2006 (yes, I know about Trojan beatdowns): "Arkansas wasn't ready last season because they didn't have a QB yet and Mcfadden didn't play." I guess Felix Jones is chopped liver. Also of note is that McFadden was on the bench most of the game because of a bar fight injury. Of course, despite his serious injury, Mcfadden had 9 carries in the game and people forget to mention that also. And I'm sure there is also an excuse for Wisconsin and PJ Hill (200 yards rushing) pounding Arkansas last year in the Capital One Bowl.

On the flip side, Ohio St got embarrassed by Florida in the championship game last year. Embarrassed. And this was a telling game to the country, revealing the ABC overhype of the Ohio St team. The only unfortunate part of that game, is that more fuel was added to the "SEC is better than yall" fire.

That game will be the undertone of what I am predicting now - a Florida vs Ohio St rematch in the national championship game. I will take a hungry Ohio St and the points all day against an overconfident SEC team, much like the 2002 national championship game.

I'm sure within a week Ohio St will lose or Florida will get beat again and my prediction will be moot. Ohio St still has a lot to prove, but they definitely have the easiest road to the championship game of any one team. Oklahoma has an easy road also, assuming someone slips up.

SEC fans fight back against my argument online with a vengeance. My favorite websites with these voices are here, here, and here. Oh, my bad, I guess its the SEC Conferance. But my favorite website is here, the "Old School Nasty" Blog.

There, my rant is done. I guess opinions like this is why college football is king.

Crazy 8's

The Titans looked great for 3 quarters, and then for 50 seconds.

Somehow the Titans beat the Texans 38-36, after blowing a 25 point 4th quarter lead. The game was won on the foot of journeyman Rob Bironas, who kicked an NFL record 8 field goals from distances of 29, 52, 43, 25, 21, 30, 28, and 29 (for those of you keeping fantasy points scored at home, thats 27.5 for a kicker!).

The Titans looked better than the two previous weeks, which is a good sign. They have not really played well after the bye week 3, but they did on Sunday mostly. The defense continues to pressure the QB and be extremely aggressive, getting turnovers to help our offense sans-Vince Young. Kudos to Kerry Collins, who made some fantastic throws all day, especially in the game-winning drive. Also kudos to the long snapper and field goal place holder, who gave Bironas the 8 opportunities to score.

Beating the Texas and the Jags losing puts us at 4-2, holding the 2nd place spot in the division with tiebreaking wins over the Jags and Texans. We have a few easy games coming up at home that we need to win. I think 10 wins gets us in the playoffs, assuming we are second place in our division of course. That means 6 more wins out of our last 10 games. Definitely doable.

Recruiting Help

Too bad Notre Dame is struggggglllllling a bit. Instead of blabbering about excuses and discussing how we played, I think stepping back is the only way to digest this season.

So I will start with a question - how does a program recruit new players to come play for a 1-7 team that ranks dead last in nearly every offensive category, and not much better in defensive categories? You sell playing time, and simply ask the recruit, "Well you tell me, do you think you can get out there and make a difference next year?" Recruits are listening.

The Irish picked up our #WR target recruit over the weekend (Michael Floyd), and can likely land 3 more top 100 recruits. This recruiting class, if it keeps going and holds together, will be the greatest recruiting class in the history of Notre Dame. Scout.com and Rivals.com both have the class firmly entrenched at the #1 ranking. Its really amazing considering how the season has gone. The recruits responding the way they have tell me that Charlie does know what he's doing, and these kids and their parents recognize that.

Eventually the tide will turn, and I think that historically this season and maybe a part of next season will be remembered as the fire that forged our program into the future. I really hope that I'm right . . . certainly something good must come out of this season, which has been nothing but a disaster. To take the big picture view is the only hope for this team, and for Irish fans.

Holy Wagers Results Posted

You can see them by clicking the permanent link to the left, or by clicking here

The Pope had his best week ever, going 3 for 4 in college (winning the Most Blessed Pick so being up 3 units) and 3 for 3 in pro football. On the season, an average record just got bumped up a bit.

Holy Wagers - Pro Football October 21st

Nice pick by the Pope last night with the Rutgers victory. Now on to the Pro football games this weekend (Check out the Pope's record for the season by clicking on the link to the left near the top of the page):

Colts -3 @ Jaguars - Monday night special. Yes, the Jags were all over the Colts last year. Yes, the Jags are 4-1 now and looking pretty solid. But also yes, the Colts have Peyton Manning. I just dont see the Colts making similar mistakes this week, despite how well the Jags are playing. Peyton thrives under the lights in big games traditionally, with the exception of two teams: the Patriots and the Florida Gators. This aint them - Prediction: Colts 33 Jaguars 24

Detroit -1 vs. Tampa Bay - Detroit has a great offense at home, and Im not sold on Tampa Bay. The Titans played awfully last week against them, and the Bucs needed a questionable pass, an injury to Vince Young, and a last second field goal to beat the Titans. Prediction: Detroit 28 Bucs 17

Bears +5 @ Eagles - Everyone is against me on this one. I just think the Bears are not going to let the Eagles score lots of points, not that the Eagle offense could anyways. I think this will be a close game, with a huge defensive play for the bears being the difference - Prediction: Chicago 24 Philadelphia 21

Holy Wagers - October 20th Weekend

Here we go with this week's College picks. Check out the full season of Holy Wagers by clicking here. The Pro picks will be up tomorrow.

College

Rutgers +2 vs USF (Thursday night special!!) - Rutgers is at home, they have a very good running game. I am not sold on the turnover prone USF Green Knights and dont see how they escape this game. Prediction: Rutgers 24 USF 21

Florida -6.5 @ Kentucky [Most Blessed Wager of the Week!!!] - Just another day in the SEC where the good teams beat each other up. Kentucky cannot possibly top the top two SEC teams in consecutive weeks can they? Florida might even be better than LSU and I think they will show it this Saturday - bigtime. Prediction: Florida 48 Kentucky 28

Louisville -3 @ UConn - Louisville has no defense, but they certainly have an offense. And while they may not be a top ranked team anymore, they are definitely not chopped liver. I expect UConn to fear the previous version of Louisville and the Cardinals to win a close one. Prediction: Louisville 41 UConn 31

Michigan St +17.5 @ Ohio St - Most Spartan teams meltdown this time of year. This new coach is a strict disciplinarian, and has the Spartans running the ball very well and playing hard. I expect Ohio St to win comfortably, but the best running back duo in the big 10 will control the clock a bit and allow 17.5 points to be close enough. Prediction: Michigan St 20 Ohio St 31

Pro picks will come out tomorrow, Friday morningish.

Notre Dame vs. USC Week

Its a special week for Notre Dame and USC football fans. Yes, records up to this point are thrown out the window (much to the delight of the 1-6 Irish fans) in what many call the greatest Intersectional Rivalry in all of college football.

There is a great summary/history of the rivalry here, straight from the gurus at Wikipedia. For instance, Knute Rockne's wife was a main reason the Irish play USC every year as a rival instead of Nebraska. She wanted to hit up some warm weather and convinced Knute to play USC instead of Nebraska.

This is a very big game for both teams. It might not be as bitter as the regional rivalries of Auburn vs Alabama, or Ohio St vs Michigan, but a win for either team is a very big deal. USC has beaten the Irish 5 straight games, and have never beaten Notre Dame 6 times in a row. The series record still favors the Irish (42-31-5); although lately, its hard to remember the days when the Irish were favored over the Trojans.


(The Obvious) Keys to Victory for the 2007 edition of the rivalry, for Notre Dame of course:

1. Win the Time of Possession Battle - Pretty simple, we need to get a ground game and sustain some drives. Their offense is cold right now but its still USC.





2. Win the Special Teams Battle - Our special teams have been awful this season. We need stops on all punt and kickoff returns, and we need to give ourself a few huge pickups in field position.





3. Execute more screen plays (no run game, must execute these on all out blitz) - We have no sustainable ground game this season. Screen plays have always been Weis's way of stopping over-aggressive defenses that prevent us from running. However, our O-lineman this year are young and look like monkeys trying to hump a football when we call a screen play. We need at least a few screen plays to work in this game.





4. Complete at least 3 passes of 30 yards or more - Completing these gets us yards in a hurry, and it keeps the defense on its heels a bit more. This will protect our QB and open up what little running lanes there might be.





5. Win turnover battle (at least 2 for us and 1 or none for them) - Obvious obvious obvious


6. Wear these throwback uniforms >>> The Irish have already announced that they will be wearing yellow pants and kelley green jerseys like to the right, to honor the 1977 National Championship team. Also, Adidas has it in their contract with us that we need to introduce a new special jersey every few years. I dont mind them but would prefer suprise I guess.
   
   


7. Dont let either of these happen again

The Pope also wants to give a special blessing to Sacred Heart Catholic Church in South Bend, for using fantastic discretion on this church signage:

The Pope's prediction: USC 28 Notre Dame 31

Yes, Im predicting a victory, despite the low chance of the Irish being successful on #2 and #3 of the keys to victory (not to mention the others!). I am not sure USC's offense is going to be able to score 30 on us, and I think we can score 20 on them. There will be a play or two go our way and we'll win.

GO IRISH BEAT TROJANS!!

Holy Wagers - Updated Results

You can find the full season stats for the Vatican by clicking here.

Week 4 (October 13th Weekend) Roundup >> The Pope had a subpar week in college football, going 1-3 and losing the "Most Blessed Wager" of the week as the Central Florida Knights could not even remotely hang with the South Florida Bulls. In Pro football, the record was 2-1 to gain a betting unit back that was lost on Saturday.

Week 5 looks to be solid, as the third week of Locktober is always a fertile betting field. Check back late on Thursday.

Titans Wrapup

Yes, the Titans lost to the Bucs. I was pretty emotionally spent from the ND game on Saturday to feel too down, but I couldnt help but remember my fear going into the bye week in a post two weeks ago - that we would go flat and lose some of the offensive chemistry we had. It appears that has come to fruition, as our offense performed very inconsistently and is turning the ball over.

The bright spot is the defense, which continues to hold teams in the teens. Certainly we have only played one high power offense (the Colts), but the Titans defense has performed admirably.

Yes, we gave up a 70 yard drive for the game winning field goal on defense. However, two things come to mind there:

• Our defense played great the whole game, so 13 points by the other team should be low enough bar for our offense
  
• Jeff Garcia through a critical pass on the drive when he was arguably across the line of scrimmage

I've searched YouTube and cannot find video footage of the play. It was so close that it at least should have been reviewed, being in the last minute of the game and on a critical third down conversion. No replay occurred, and the Bucs were in position to kick a game winning field goal.

The offense was largely stagnant the entire game, but having Vince Young out with an injury most of the second half didnt help either.

Next week the Titans play at Houston in a huge game for both teams. Winning this game will give the Titans a legup over all division teams except the Colts, as winning the AFC South is likely impossible and a wild-card birth is more likely this teams goal. With the game being in his hometown, I bet Vince Young will play and play very well.

Dirty Laundry

"Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down
Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down

You dont really need to find out whats going on
You dont really want to know just how far its gone
Just leave well enough alone
Eat your dirty laundry "

Thank you Don Henley for that magical song, "Dirty Laundry".

In a game that the Irish were going to need some breaks to win, the Irish got very few and came up short, losing to #5 ranked (now #2 in the BCS) Boston College 27 - 14. A flag happy officiating crew certainly didn't help either.


A few notes from the game, which the Pope attended:



- Our defense played well, especially given the short field our offense gave them on two drives (more on that later). Matt Ryan took the checkdown receiver on nearly every pass, and handled our blitz very well. We gave up very few big plays, and even scored a TD. More pressure on Ryan would have been the only realistic improvement our defense could have made in the game, but certainly they were blitzing and at least trying to rattle the QB.



- It might just be bad karma from the 4th and 9 play in 2005, but its time for Ambrose Wooden to see the bench and not the field. The guy continues to be around the play and make tackles, but on receivers that he failed to cover. I might be picking on him too much, but I get an awful feeling whenever I see #22 on the field or around the ball.



- The stadium was loud in the second half. I was happy to see Irish fans cheering and feeling that a victory was never in doubt until 5 minutes to go in the game.



- A few huge officiating calls that proved to be the difference between an overtime game or even an outright win for the Irish:

• Geoff Price's knee being called "down" during a low, botched snap on a punt. The punter was never pressured and booted a solid 45 to 50 yard punt, only to have the ball marked where he caught the snap. The drive for BC resulted in a TD, given the very short field they had due to the play. Ive said time and time again, the NFL rule of being down only when another player on the defense tackles or touches a player while down needs to be applied to college. This was ludicrous as he was simply trying to balance himself to catch the snap, which he did. The real problem might be with the rule, but none the less Price's knee touched the ground for just a split second, and the call never should have been made.


• Excessive celebration after the Irish closed the gap 20-14 after a defensive touchdown on an interception return by true freshman Brian Smith [Note: After the game the Pope saw Brian Smith and Gary Gray at Buffalo Wild Wings on Grape Rd. The Pope gave Brian a blessing for his big play and noted that he liked the "Asian Zing" buffalo sauce.] The Irish team piled up in the end zone, celebrating the score as a team. However, the officials saw this as excessive. They should have seen the Pope in the parking lot before the game, who would have been penalized for excessive drinking. Either way, we gave BC the ball on our own 40, promptly resulting in another TD out of their 3 total.


• 4th & 1, 5 minutes to go in the game, the Irish score a touchdown on a play action pass to Robby Parris. The gutsy call pulled the Irish to 27 to 21 after the extra pt . . . but no, holding was called on the play by LG Mike Turkovich. Thats a tough call to make on a play that certainly was the play of the game. I haven't been able to see the replay, but I hope it was a blatant tackle/hold, because anything less likely would not have affected the play and thus should have not changed the game. The Irish would have kicked off to BC with 3 timeouts in a 27 to 21 game with 5 minutes to go - and the stadium would have been rocking. Instead, the Irish had to go for a 4th down and 10 and came up short.


• 3rd and 12 one play before the call above. Evan Sharpely amazingly escapes pressure to deliver the ball to Carlson for what looks to be a 12 yard gain and a first down. The spot is then reviewed up in the booth, which was the first booth review of a spot of this type I had ever seen in a college game. The officials move the ball back a half of a yard, setting up the 4th and 1 mentioned above. This was only wild because a) it happened back to back with the above terrible call and b) Ive never seen a spot review that the other team or an official on the field did not request.


• My favorite officiating move of the game was in many ways the most telling. Irish Tight End John Carlson stepped back from the line to go into a standard motion in the backfield, which tight ends do probably 40% of the plays on the Irish offense. The flag-happy referee immediately through a flag, jumping the gun on what he thought was a false start. He then picked up the flag and corected his mistake. Despite his correction, he still looked like a complete idiot that was obviously throwing flags at everything.
• Referee quote of the day on the stadium loud speaker: "Please put Nyinne Teeehnn on the clock." I'm from Tennessee so I guess I cant make fun.

To be fair, the Irish had a few roughing the passer penalties in our favor that were very likely bad calls. The officials did not blow this game, but they certainly didnt provide the Irish much of a chance given how ineffective our offense and especially rushing game performed.

I wish the officials would eat their dirty laundry after that game.

Holy Wagers - October 13th Weekend

You can see the Pope's record to the left. I have had a solid run in college football, so lets keep it going tonight and this weekend! On to the picks:

College

Florida St - 6 @ Wake Forest (Thursday night special!!) - FSU is 5-1 and the one loss was on a Monday night ESPN game at Clemson. They appeared to be the better team for 3 quarters but got behind early and couldnt come back. That experience will help them tonight against a solid but not great Wake team. FSU will play defense and win, 28 to 17.

Central Florida +12 @ South Florida [Most Blessed Wager of the Week] - The South Florida train takes a hit in this game. South Florida has athletes. They also have the ability to turn the ball over, and Im not sold on their QB. I think 12 points is too many against a Central Florida team that has dominated the little guys and hung with Texas for 4 quarters. They also have one of the top 3 rushers in the nation in their backfield. I just feel a South Florida let down here. Central Florida 28 South Florida 24 [Upset Special!!!!]

Baylor +25.5 @ Kansas - Kansas is undefeated, but they left it all out on the field last week in a big win over Kansas St. Baylor and Kansas have played very close games the past three years, and while Baylor is bad, they aint 26 points behind Kansas, no way. Prediction - Kansas 35 Baylor 21

Kentucky +9.5 vs. LSU - As you can see in my post below, Les Miles gambled and won quite a bit last week against the Gators. LSU is a great team, but playing a Kentucky team that likely is much better than its turnover ridden game at South Carolina last week is definitely a trap game for the Tigers. They have not played in a tough road game since 2006, and I think these Kentucky fans are going to rise to the occasion and keep this game close. LSU will make some mistakes by switching QBs too much, never allowing either QB to get settled into the game. UPSET SPECIAL OF THE WEEK!! >> Kentucky 24 LSU 21

PRO

Browns -4.5 vs. Dolphins - The Dolphins are awful, and the Browns can score some points. I expect the Browns to run away with this one, especially with the Dolphins having no QB with Trent Green retiring. Cleveland 35 Miami 17

Texans +6.5 @ Jaguars - The AFC South is turning into one of the toughest divisions in football. I expect all of these games to be close as Houston is much tougher and Jacksonville can be inconsistent. Remember, Houston beat JAX twice last season, so I will take the points in this close game. Jaguars 21 Houston 17

Giants -3.5 @ Falcons - Eli and Plaxico come to play on Monday night, but the real work is done on the ground by Brandon Jacobs and the Giants big play defense. I think it will be high scoring and not close - Giants 35 Falcons 27

Best of luck to those of you out there. Remember, betting one unit on all games and two units on the most blessed pick of the week is the Pope's recommended strategy.

Holy Wagers Results - Week 4 (Oct 6th Wkend)

Week 4 record > 3-4 (2-2 in College, 1-2 in Pro)

Net Betting Units Week 4 > EVEN (+1 in College, -1 in Pro)

And that brings the overall season record to . . . 14 - 10 - 2 , and + 5 betting units.

College record is now 10 - 4 with a +7 betting units net, and Pro is 4 - 6 - 2 with a -2 betting units.

Remember, we are in the month of LOCKTOBER. This week's picks up on Thursday. Hopefully the College picks by the Pope can continue.

Saint & Heretic of the Week - October 6th Weekend

Saint of the Week - Maurice Crum Jr

This guy is in his third straight year as an Irish starting middle/inside linebacker. He has always been a solid player, but never one that was off the charts with his play. Against UCLA on Saturday night, that changed, as Mo Crum had 2 interceptions, 2 fumbles recoved, and a touchdown on one of the interceptions. Wow. See the highlights below, highlights that feature Crum Jr. Maurice has a 5th year of eligibility, and I certainly hope we use it. Congrats on a huge game. Hopefully he will use the UCLA game as a springboard for his confidence and leadership the rest of the season.

Heretics of the Week - UCLA Bruins DE Bruce Davis and CB Trey Brown

These guys talked some smack, and then got beatdown. I'm sorry, but you just dont trash talk to a team that hasn't been close to winning all season. Because then, when you lose to this team, people like me get to openly make fun of you in the blog world. I doubt anyone is listening, but kudos to you two knuckleheads for motivating the Irish and looking stupid.

A recap of the bulletin board material last week before the game:

Bruce Davis > "Jimmy Clausen is one of the better true freshman quarterbacks I've seen [since] I've been here," DE Bruce Davis told the Los Angeles Daily News. "Unfortunately, his O-line is falling apart. They can't block a soul. That's going to hurt your team. That's going to hurt your offense. That's going to get you to 0-5." Thanks for the compliment to our QB, Bruce. We blocked you well enough.

Trey Brown > "I don't like the green," Brown said at a Monday news conference, evidently unaware the Irish were wearing their normal blue and gold colors last year. "I don't even like money this week. Before I came in here, I threw my wallet in the trash. I don't like those guys and they don't like us, that's what it is." Thanks Trey, very insightful. I got two questions for you - what garbage can did you use? And, did you rip that money/green quote out of the rap lyrics to this 3-6 Mafia song? Nice work Trey.

If only these two guys knew the motivation they provided the Irish:

ND coach Charlie Weis said his offensive line performed well.``Number 44 (Davis) helped them out,’’ Weis said. ``You don’t think they noticed when someone says you’re a pile of crap?’’

Thanks again Bruce. You played well (3 sacks - actually played quite well), but not well enough.

Snake Handler of the Week - Les Miles (new feature)

This guy went for 3 fourth downs in the 4th quarter, and got them all. Gutsy playcalling. He also had a flag or two that was very beneficial in the late stretches of the Florida win this past weekend. LSU is darn good, trust me I know. But I think this past weekend's cajun cooking is a sign that sometime soon, something will go wrong for LSU and cost them a win and a shot at the national title. We'll have to see how things play out.

Winning Ugly

Despite the big first win for the Irish, I certainly did not fail to notice another big win by my Tennessee Titans. In years past, the Titans would never have won that football game yesterday against the Atlanta Falcons. Read here for a good summary of the game.

After the way the Titans played in weeks 2 and 3, nearly beating the Colts and thumping the Saints on MNF, I wished out loud that the Titans did not have a bye week in week 4 - we were playing too well to take a week off. I was correct, and we certainly looked rusty out there against the hapless Falcons. Vince Young was not all there, and the offensive line did not have the power they showed in weeks 1-3. The defense picked up the offense though, and made enough big plays and key stops to give us a W in a game that would have been an L to 75% of NFL teams. Very very very rarely can you win any football game in which you turn the ball over 5 times. Just ask UCLA.

We have to be pleased with a 3-1 start at the quarter mark of our season. The only issue with early byes is that there will be a week later in this season where we are tired, and could use a rest. Hopefully we have used our bye week and gotten good rest and can stay focused the next few weeks.

Hitting Refresh

It has been 322 days since the Irish last experienced the feeling of victory. Let that sink in . . . the last win was November 2006 against Army at home. This game certainly wasn't pretty (from what I hear - more on that in a minute), and the stat line was atrocious, but the way college football is going this season, we'll take it.

This was the first Irish football game that I was unable to watch on live TV in quite sometime. ABC opted to regionally televise the Irish, preventing most of the country from getting the game broadcast without pay per view. My thumb is still sore from hitting refresh on my blackberry countless times, on a night that saw a refresh of the Irish Football season.

Yes we had 140 yards total offense. Yes, we beat up on their third string walk on QB after we knocked out their starter. Yes, the Irish forced 7 turnovers. And yes, I was utterly confused when refreshing the play by play sequence on my blackberry, especially when we recovered a fumble at the UCLA 1 yard line, and then had 3 offensive plays for a loss of 7 yards (certainly UCLA had the ball and was advancing right?)

I don't care. A win is a win (El Kabong doesnt care either).

The reality is that the Irish are a 1-5 football team that doesn't do anything great and certainly will be favored in only a few more football games this season. Right now, par for the course would be 5-7, which might even be a longshot right now. Despite all this, I can only name a few victories more satisfying than this one, and certainly no victory more satisfying since maybe Pittsburgh or Purdue in 2005.

Beating Boston College or USC would be huge upsets, and the Irish are going to need some bounces in our favor to contend in either game. But the way this college football season is going, nothing will surprise me. Congrats to the Irish on avoiding tying the longest losing streak in Notre Dame history, and knocking the "monkey" off their back.

Enjoy highlights of the game from Oldie, via youtube: