Saint & Heretic of the Week - September 29th Weekend

Saint of the Week - Golden Tate (True-Freshman WR for the Irish)

Golden made a few plays in the game that changed our offensive look in many ways. After really having zero passes that would be considered "deep" passes, Golden made 3 in one game. Two of his catches were nothing short of spectacular, showing fantastic timing, great leaping ability, and nice hands. The only way one can really explain how a true freshman can do what a lot of upper classman cannot is talent. He barely knows the offense and certainly doesnt know much about the nuances of playing WR in college. I'm excited to see what Coach Weis can do with this cat once Golden develops more of an understanding of the position. Enjoy his Purdue highlight clip:

Golden Tate . . . what a name. A Notre Dame name. Hopefully his progress the rest of this season will continue, as we desperately need a deep threat at WR. Who's next to breakout? The 6 foot 4 Duval Kamara, who some might argue already has. In reality, we've seen some great short routes from him, but nothing deep yet.

Runner up for Saint of the Week - Mike Gundy. Hilarious and awesome. I enjoyed this guy's rant. His passion was unquestioned and so was his loyalty to his team and players. Lots of sportswriters (not all) are arrogant academic liberals that twist facts to their own tune, creating a story out of nothing. Gundy may have gone a bit overboard, but sometimes a bit overboard is exactly the best way to send a message. Enjoy this video as well:



Heretic of the Week - Urban Meyer

This guy made a play that I absolutely despise in football. The timeout right before a field goal for the opposing team is kicked, yet the kicker is not stopped and kicks a meaningless kick anyway.

This rule is stupid, and has to go. Too many times you see the first kick go through, but then nerves or a bad snap or whatever mess up the second kick. The Cleveland Browns in week 2 made a kick that was ruled a time out play, only to miss the second kick and lose the game. Allowing this is stupid and its up to the NCAA and NFL rules committees to make the change. I cannot totally fault Urban I guess, but as an Irish fan I dont like him for obvious reasons. This play gets me madder and madder each time I see it occur and hurt a team trying to win a game, on the road especially.

Saint & Heretic of the Week - September 22nd Weekend

This week, we had a few good candidates for Saint & Heretic of the

week. Here are the proclaimations of a Pope:

Heretic of the Week - Donovan McNabb

A few points for Donovan to consider:

1. The QB position is scrutinized more than any other.

2. Big cities have tougher fans, especially in the northeast.

3. Philly has a history of playing African American QBs (Cunningham, Rodney Peete, etc.)

4. Donovan McNabb is a super star with high expectations

5. McNabb has been injured and has not performed well in over a year, for the most part

There is a lot of pressure on McNabb, being a star player in a big town with a team that has gotten far but not all the way. Fans are frustrated and they want Donovan and the team to take the next step. Yet, instead of digesting why he is criticized or ignoring it altogether, McNabb then explains that its his color that has a role in how the fans react to his play:

"There's not that many African-American quarterbacks, so we have to do a little bit extra," McNabb tells HBO. "Because the percentage of us playing this position, which people didn't want us to play ... is low, so we do a little extra."

"I pass for 300 yards, our team wins by seven, [mimicking] 'Ah, he could've made this throw, they would have scored if he did this. We get criticized differently. That's all I've said."

Fans are reacting at inconsistent and poor QB play on the same scale as if McNabb were purple, yellow, white, whatever. Its comments like these that set our country back because of their polarizing nature. Blacks come to the defense of Donovan because he is a great guy, whether they believe him or not, and whites feel insulted that race was brought up. Its a lose lose situation for everyone.

Despite his great game this past Sunday, I think his time is up in Philly. He is a great player and role model but his comments were childish, thoughtless, and ignorant. Seriously, does Peyton Manning (pre-Super Bowl victory) or Rex Grossman get it easy because they are white?? Please.

Now on for the Saint of the Week:

Saint of the Week - Tennessee Titans Defensive Line

Wow. These guys are good. They single handedly pressured Drew Brees and caused most of his 4 INTs and 1 fumble. Consistent pressure to the QB, causing turnovers, as well as completely shutting down New Orleans' rushing attack, as awesome to watch on Monday Night Football last night.

Kyle Vandenbosch (pictured), Albert Haynesworth, Randy Starks, Travis Laboy, Antwon Odom, and Tony Brown - This Bud's for you.

Saint & Heretic of the Week

Heretic of the Week - OJ Simpson

Why? >> Wow, what more can be said. I mean, maybe he was setup like this guy says OJ was. I doubt it. When you are charged with 7 felonies, likely you did something wrong. At the absolute minimum, this guy is a complete idiot and certainly a bad person. The most pessimistic view (and a more common one), is that this guy is a murderer, liar, and now robber.

Remember OJ, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

Saint of the Week - Jeff Fisher

Why? >> He is the most tenured coach in the NFL, in his 13th season with the same team. His teams play hard, and typically play defense well. Lucky for Titans fans, the franchise resigned Coach Fisher to a 4 year deal on Monday. He is certainly the coach that is most capable of keeping his team afloat no matter what the circumstances.

Early leaders for next week's awards >> Not sure about the Saint of the week, but this guy is certainly the leader in the clubhouse for Heretic of the week.