Less Than Epic Fail… and Stamps win.

I really hoped to blog about the obscure football (compared to the NFL and NCAA I-A/Bowl Championship Watchamahooseits Subdivision) leagues that I followed. Unfortunately, well for this blog, I’m no longer a twenty-something goober willing to invest far too much time to watch the Division III Playoffs or keep track of goings on in the Arena League. The fact that I used to do such things, and remember it, has some limited value as a party trick and as I result I know more than the average American football fan on the street. However, I’m not up to that task anymore, not without money, and no one is likely to pay me to stay up to speed on whether the Tennessee Valley Vipers are getting a new arena. Note: that was a hypothetical. I’m not paying any attention to the Vipers, I have no idea if there is anything happening with their playing home. Though I see they won the Arena Cup (af2 Championship) this past summer.

Barring some weird change where I care about obscure football again enough to check in on it more than every couple of months, the best I can do is look back and issue a “oh hey, how about that?”

So here’s my first mea cupla, coming from the “I like you, I just don’t love you” Canadian Football League. The 2008 Grey Cup was a week ago, 23 November in Montreal. The West Division champion Calgary Stampeders, beat the hometown Alouettes representing the CFL’s East Division, 22-14. Stampeders QB Henry Burris, not quite six years removed from his pathetic appearance as a late season emergency starter for the NFL’s Chicago Bears, was the game MVP.

I only watched the game highlights and it’s hard to say much from them. Burris looked excellent; he’s had six years to get better and is going against the CFLs not quite as ferocious talent. This was the first time I’ve seen longtime CFL QB Anthony Calvillo. Maybe he’s playing hurt, but his arm strength looked bad in this game. Apparently the game had the second highest attendance ever for a Grey Cup at 66,308. Jermeaine Copeland, who I thought would develop into a good NFL receiver, but has instead bounced around NFL Europe, the XFL and finally in the CFL, had a respectable 7 catches for 53 yards for the Stampeders. And there we go….

Speed

Against my better judgment I decided to watch Michigan-Ohio State 2008 over lunch at the Irish pub that serves as my general purpose sports bar. The result was as expected, but my dismal opinion of this year’s Wolverines kept me from getting depressed about it. As the Buckeyes pulled ahead to 21-7, I took the opportunity to take in the other games on at the time. Once upon a time, it would have been unthinkable for me not to fully lock myself into a Michigan-Ohio State football game. Of course once upon a time, the University of Michigan wouldn’t get beat by both Northwestern University and the University of Akron in the same year.

So while the Big Shame Game was becoming a laugh fest for the Buckeyes and their fans, I watched West Virginia vs. Louisville and Harvard vs. Yale on the neighboring televisions. I always knew that the average on-field speed of the players increased with the level of the program. However it was surprising to see this difference simultaneously. Only some of the guys playing in West Virginia vs. Louisville (both just above average I-A schools) would be fast enough to start for Ohio State or (even this year’s) Michigan, though Rich Rodriguez wishes he could have brought Pat White and the Mountaineer OL to Ann Arbor. Moving over to the next television set, likely nobody playing in Harvard vs. Yale (Harvard is #19 in the I-AA poll right now, though I generally consider the Ivy League in the lower half of I-AA schools) had the speed to start for West Virginia or Louisville. Also evident was a marked difference in QB arm strength. While there are many examples of various gun-armed wonders playing outside of the NCAA’s I-A/BCS schools, in general the speed rules apply here as well: Bigger School, Higher Pass Velocity.

Other Notes from the “All Your Bowls Are Belong to Tressel” Game:
As both a true freshman and a running QB, Terrelle Pryor is a typically sloppy passer. He’s a very smooth runner for a guy his size, but a ways off from being even Troy Smith, let alone Michael Vick or Vince Young.

While I didn’t like how he ended up with the big office at Schembechler Hall or the way the Michigan offense has failed to adapt to his spread option, the rumbling about arranging a buyout for Rich Rodriguez is foolish. I would think this level of change can only be fairly judged after three years.

Brandon Minor looks promising as a RB. I’m not smart enough to figure out of his skills are appropriate for a RB in a spread option.

Speaking of Michigan RBs, I haven’t been paying close enough attention as to why Sam McGuffie lost the starting RB job to Minor and has steadily seen his playing time decrease. I couldn’t find any indication he was hurt, so maybe he hit a “Freshman Wall” or Rodriguez had to discipline him? I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these high school phenoms who become internet sensations need some humbling in college.

I was looking to set up some kind of joke about The Ohio State University team being dependent on the relatives of public figures, but RB Chris Wells ruined it by not being the brother of his back-up Maurice Wells or previous Buckeye RB Jonathan Wells. Chris Wells was coached in High School by Ted Ginn, Sr, but I can’t do anything with that.

Ohio State WR Brian Robiskie, son of veteran NFL assistant (and two time interim HC) Terry Robiskie had a down year. I had some hopes he might end up in the NFL, and with his height (6′3″ allegedly) and heritage (coaches’ sons are considered to be disciplined and have football smarts) he still might, but probably not as high as he could have had Pryor not taken such a big role in the Buckeye offense.

I’ve watched only minimal college football this year, so I can’t personally say what kind of season Ohio State LB James Laurinaitis, son of veteran professional wrestler John “Road Warrior Animal” Laurinaitis has had. However ESPN.com/Scouts Inc. still has him listed as the 23rd best player on it’s draft board. Buckeye CB Malcom Jenkins (sigh… not the brother of former Ohio State CB/WR and Atlanta Falcons WR Michael Jenkins) is listed as 5th best player on that board.

Halfway remembered

It’s been two and a half months since my last post.  I’ve relocated to Brooklyn, NY, where the radio in my apartment, on my wrist or in my office delivers WFAN, and a lesser extent ESPN 1050 on a continual basis.  Now that we’ve reached the halfway point for the NFL season and the three-quarters point for the NCAA BCS/Division I-A season lets take a quick look at my favorite squads:

James Madison University Dukes (8-1, 6-0 in CAA) – The Dukes have been ranked #1 in FCS/Division I-AA for like seven weeks in a row.  They’ve snowplowed a good number of their opponents; QB Rodney Landers is now a legitimate Payton Award hopeful and S Rodney Landers a legitimate Buchanan Award hopeful.

Washington Redskins – After being hopelessly confused in the season opener against the Giants, Jim Zorn has largely figured out how to be a NFL head coach.  He got the team playing over its’ head and in second place in the vicious 2008 NFC East.  My years of barstool and couch-based experience tell me that running a West-coast offense with two short WRs shouldn’t work at all, but here it is working.  RB Clinton Portis is having his best post-Denver year.  QB Jason Campbell still looks confused at times, like he’s thinking a bit too much, but overall has been very efficient.  All this despite a shaky punting situation (rookie Durant Brooks proved to be worse than the embittered Derrick Frost, now ex-Seahawk Ryan Plackemeier has the job) and a mere ten sacks (poster boy Jason Taylor has only one) by the defense.   I won’t be surprised if these good times don’t last, but I hope they do.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – The Bucs are treading water in the game, if sloppy NFC South.  Earnest Graham has been a steady featured RB, with Carnell WIlliams nowhere in sight.  Jon Gruden created a little bit of QB drama early in the season, resting Jeff Garcia in weeks 2-4 for Brian Greise, before benching Greise for Garcia in week 5.  Healthy and perhaps disciplined by Gruden, Garcia has been in good form.  The defense is still very good, rookie CB Aqib Talib has 3 INTs, DE Gaines Adams has 2 INTs and 4 sacks.  Though at this moment they’re losing to the not quite CFL talent level Kansas City Chiefs.

University of Michigan Wolverines (2-7, 1-4 Big Ten) – My hazy memories tell me that HCs with radically different systems unsuited for the present roster usually go one of two ways in college football: Overachievement or flaming disaster.  Michigan under Rich Rodriguez is going with the latter for 2008.  Given the shady circumstances of Rodriguez recruitment by Michigan, the results look like just desserts for both the Wolverines and their coach.  Anyway, Michigan is guaranteed their first losing season in like 40 years and their 33 year bowl attendance streak is broken.  They’ve even made ESPN’s Bottom 10 list.  Again.

On the upside, RBs Brandon Minor (from Richmond!) and Sam “One of them YouTube stars” McGuffie have looked good.  McGuffie’s got that Warrick Dunn thing going.