Preston's Perspective

Beltway Basketball Bonanza-- Hearts will never be practical...

2012-02-14T08:21:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day... a celebration of love and hopes and dreams that every so often ends in a less than awesome manner. A day where a line is drawn in the sand between couples and singles. A day where what ifs become never weres. As the Wizard told the Tin Man, "Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable." Over the next few weeks, plenty of hearts (and bubbles) will be broken as the line between finding an NCAA Tournament partner and being single in the NIT (or worse) will be drawn... with a few still hoping for that one big thing.

Georgetown (19-5, 9-4) bounced back from a tough overtime loss at Syracuse by gutting out another matinee victory over a Big East Bruiser. The 71-61 win over St. John's saw a nice buffet effort from Nate Lubick: 7 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocks. The Hoyas owned the glass again...and shot 61% in the second half. The team's ability to generate half-court opportunities-- like they did in rallying to tie #2 Syracuse at the end of regulation-- bode well for March. Call their chocolate box more than half-full.

Alma Mater Update-- before I get into the latest pair of cardiac conclusions... let me set the record straight: bad weather and traffic prevented me from going to The Sign of the Whale for the Syracuse-Georgetown game last week. I am not a turncoat nor Benedict Arnold nor Brutus nor Nina from 24. But let me also say that the BLAZING HOT WINGS at the Greene Turtle are beyond napalmish. The key is knocking back two or three to get your mouth accustomed to the fury-- and loading up with bleu cheese dressing. That said, the Orange are fortunate to have held on in overtime against Georgetown and in regulation against Louisville (let the record show that Rick Pitino's white suits are a tonsorial turnover in and of themselves). And like true love, its tough to view this team objectively. Kris Joseph scores 29 against the Hoyas and only 7 against the Cardinals. The defense gives up way too many offensive boards. Halfcourt can be a nightmare. But they can turn you over like nobody else (4th in the nation in steals) and nobody runs the lanes better than this oh-so-deep Orange squad. So this chocolate box is all filled with really cool flavors (coconut, tangerine, cherry, walnut).

Favorite Couples I-- nobody lives in a vacuum. And our perception of life and love is built upon what we've grown up watching. The first couple I openly rooted for was Han Solo and Princess Leia-- their bickering during Star Wars injected spice into a dry script, and their fatalistic get-together in Empire provided one of the best exchanges EVER ("I love you"-"I know). Sadly, there had to be a Return of the Jedi where their relationship was reduced to she mopes, he mopes... and even the rehashing of the money line. Lesson learned? Sometimes it's cool to call it a day after the carbon freezing.

Maryland (14-10, 4-6) isn't in the class of North Carolina or Duke-- although coach Mark Turgeon's team can stay with the Tar Heels and Blue Devils for stretches, they just don't have the talent or depth to go toe to toe for 40 minutes. And that talent and depth goes from half full to half empty with guard Pe'Shon Howard's torn ACL. The Terrapin point guard wasn't a stats dynamo but was essential to the team's ACC success-- he logged 30 minutes or more in all but one of the team's conference games. Howard's loss means more minutes for Nick Faust and Mychal Parker-- and the duo combined for almost half of the Terps' points in the 73-55 loss at Duke. Unfortunately three-point shooting (1-14) and rebounding issues (outboarded 48-33 by the Blue Devils) reared their ugly heads as well. Now with six games remaining the Terps have just two matchups against teams with losing ACC records: Boston College and Georgia Tech are a combined 5-16 in league play. Other than that? Trips to #5 North Carolina and #22 Virginia plus home games against the Cavaliers and surprising Miami. Chocolate Box Status-- loaded with flavors you're not digging, but you'll eat them anyway.

Cruising the Commonwealth-- Yes, Virginia... there is a second half. The Cavaliers led North Carolina by 3-- IN CHAPEL HILL-- before the Tar Heels went on a 22-5 run that spelled the Cavaliers' 64 loss in 70 tries at UNC. Mike Scott scored 18 points... but the rest of the team shot 11 of 38. Revenge may be a dish served early and often over the next few weeks... as UVa plays three teams they've already lost to this winter-- UNC, Florida State and Virginia Tech. Hopefully the Cavs and Hokies will each score more than 47 points in the rematch. Virginia Tech's chocolate box was accidentally dropped in the early ACC season (with 5 losses by 5 points or less)...and then stepped on with double digit losses to Duke and Miami. Three games against ranked opponents in the next two weeks could revive a run to the NIT (at 14-11, it's time to be honest Hokie fans) or bury this bunch. When does spring football start?

Favorite Couples II-- "Dallas" was a family saga filled with conflict between old cattle and new oil as well as good brother Bobby against evil brother JR. One casualty of the show was the marriage of Bobby and Pam... a couple that if you watched the show you enjoyed their affection for one another amidst a landscape of dysfunctional pairings- from JR and Sue Ellen to Mitch and Lucy. The whole original premise of the show was how a Ewing married a Barnes and there was no way they'd last. Even after scheming from seemingly every character over four plus seasons tore them apart... you couldn't help but root for the duo. Mark Graison? Jenna Wade? We recognized the real deal and it was Bobby and Pam. They finally got back together much to our delight. Until Katherine Wentworth ran Bobby over with her car (yes, in my mind Dallas ended that day. NO DREAM SEASON). Lesson learned-- if you're not in a car, get off the damn driveway!

George Mason (21-6, 13-2)-- get ready for two games over two weeks (with maybe a third in the CAA Tournament) with VCU that should be incredible. While the case could be made that they're playing for second place (neither has been able to defeat Drexel this season)... the late season home and home will feature two solid teams in the at-large discussion with outstanding forwards: Ryan Pearson (18ppg, 9rpg, 37% from 3) has placed the Patriots on his back on more than one occasion while Bradford Burgess after a midseason slump (6 of 7 games scoring in single digits) appears to have picked up steam (46 points and 11 of 20 from three point range over the last two games). Get to the Patriot Center early on Valentine's Day- one can only wonder what sort of love songs Doc Nix and the Green Machine will be belting out. Chocolate Box- filled with awesome candies you don't want to share.

George Washington (9-16, 4-7) -- the Colonials ended a five game slide by beating Richmond 69-67... as Dwayne Smith has come alive this month (three straight games in double figures after scoring in double figures three times in GW's first 22 games of the season). That's nice relief for Tony Taylor; being a point guard who's often the #1 option means you get double teamed, hacked and downright mugged with numbing regularity. The Colonials have a one and a half game lead for 12th place in the Atlantic Ten-- and of their five remaining regular season games have just one matchup against a school currently with a losing league record (Charlotte- a team they beat by 8 in Foggy Bottom last month). Chocolate Box???? A different kind of bubble-- you open this one and wind up with celery and carrots-- plus raisins (Nature's Candy?!?).

Maryland Womens' Window-- the Terps are a very good team. They rallied against a tough Georgia Tech squad in Atlanta to complete a season sweep of the Yellowjackets. They blasted a subpar Clemson team on the road (Clemson on the road is never easy; just getting there is a logistical nightmare). But Sunday the Terrapins turned the ball over 21 times against #6 Miami- and missed 10 free throws in a 76-74 loss to the Hurricanes. Maryland remains #8 in the newest polls... and has three tough games ahead with a trip to Virginia plus home tilts against Duke and North Carolina. The margin between very good and great is minor... the margin between great and phenomenally incredible is even smaller. This team is close. Two keys down the stretch will be the play of Laurin Mincy and Anjale Barrett.

Favorite Couples III-- Sam and Diane. Who didn't like "Cheers"? I gravitated towards the show during its first season when Carla convinced a drunk Diane that Sam fathered one of her kids. I was hooked when Diane told Sam she'd never believe anything he said and Sam responded "then I think I'm falling in love with you". I recognized the chemistry the two had-- despite being so wrong for one another they were so right. Sam telling Diane "I think you're neat"-- when prompted why he liked her. Their combustible relationship leading to despair in season three (Sam back on the bottle, Diane in an assylum). More than one almost reconciliation... and their near-marriage followed by Sam saying "Have a Good Life". Lesson Learned-- do not pick up recently dumped English Lit Teaching Assistants in Boston bars. Don't even offer them "employment".

American (16-9, 7-3) saw its midseason momentum take a break with a 59-52 loss at Holy Cross; shooting 32% while being outrebounded by ten dooming the Eagles. While Charles Hinkle is able to score even when not shooting well... Troy Brewer has had troubles being a solid second option lately-- take away the game against Lehigh and the senior is on a 7 for 28 shooting slump in his last four games. AU closes the regular season with games against Navy and Army before battling Patriot League leading Bucknell; the Eagles' regular season finale against Lafayette could be for second place and home court for two rounds in the conference tournament. Chocolate Box-- a mixed bag. Be wary of what you choose-- and no "taking one bite but then placing back in the box!"

Howard (7-19, 4-9) fell at home Monday night to Bethune-Cookman 73-67... before the defeat the Bison took three of their previous four games. Two of their three remaining regular season games are against the MEAC's upper echelon, so another double digit conference loss season appears likely. One wonders about the future-- as senior Greg Andrews is the only player averaging more than 10 points a game on this roster. Hopefully Kevin Nickelberry's second true recruiting class will pay dividends. Chocolate Box--return to sender.

Danny Departs-- breaking up is definitely hard to do. Maryland football loses its face-- as junior Danny O'Brien transfers after a difficult 2011 season. The 2010 ACC Rookie of the Year lost his starting job last fall-- and then broke his upper arm against Notre Dame. When did a future so bright suddenly have an expiration date? I look at the West Virginia game-- he threw a pick-six and a fourth quarter INT in the red zone. For the first time since he came to College Park, Danny could look at a game and say "I LOST THIS ONE". Confidence is a tricky thing for anyone of any age, let alone a college student trying to succeed in a new offensive system (after learning the old one for basically two and a half years). The nightmare 2-10 season saw injury added to insult when he broke his arm. I wish the classy kid well-- and know he'll be successful down the road in whatever he decides to do.

Favorite Couples IV-- "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" features Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet playing doomed couple Joel and Clementine. They break up badly (to paraphrase Bryan Brown from "Cocktail": everything ends badly... otherwise it wouldn't end) and she decides to erase her memories of the affair. He finds out and wants to do the same... but halfway through the process realizes that amidst all the madness and hurt there are actually really good memories he wants to hang onto. He tucks away one. They meet again-- and then learn they each erased the other. Do they start again on a similar road that probably ends the way the previous one did? She tells him she'll get bored of him and feel trapped while he'll find things he doesn't like about here. He replies "Okay". Lesson Learned-- I forget... but it has to be something important.

Beltway Basketball Bonanza-- scoring ends at 40?

2012-02-07T13:25:00.000-08:00

While college hoops heats up into "February Frenzy", aka "Moving Month", aka "Cliched Alliterative Phrase Here"... I've been wondering what has happened with the preponderance of 40-somethings. Now, I have more than a few friends in their forties... and I have no issue about reaching 40-- but when a Division I college basketball team from a major conference can't get to 50 points in the shot-clock era there's something wrong. I thought getting to 50 was like the SAT's-- sign your name... roll out the balls and get a half century. Maybe college basketball is converting to the ACT. Damn that test! Even the ACC isn't immune-- witness Virginia Tech's 47-45 win over Virginia a few Sunday's ago. I want to think "Doug Flutie to Gerald Phelan" when I hear 47-45, not "1 for 14 from three point range". The Big Ten had a 37-33 game recently-- and sadly with Nebraska in the league we could see more depressed scores (technically it would be a recession though).

Georgetown (18-4, 8-3) has held consecutive opponents to less than 50 points... limiting South Florida to 20% shooting in the first half (although the game began at 11am-- even the kids on HANG TIME! had issues shooting on Saturday mornings). The Hoyas have a nice 8-man rotation that features a rebounding bulldog in Otto Porter (four double digit efforts in league play)... a clutch shooter in Hollis Thompson (last second baskets his specialty) and a center who can pass (Henry Sims leads the team in assists). Lost in the shuffle may be Jason Clark- who leads the team in scoring and rebounds well for a guard. With this bunch they head to Syracuse to face the #2 team in the nation.

Alma Mater Update-- while the Orange have Fab Melo back and I answered more than a few "somebody finally weaved the basket for him" texts... many questions come about entering Wednesday's war with the hated Hoyas (not me-- I am super objective as always about everything... the exception being Ray Pruitt's singing). Can the vaunted 2-3 zone contain the Princeton Offense (I remember raining threes at Verizon a few years ago)? Will the Orange be able to run a semi-cognizant halfcourt offense (not the one featuring two passes, bad one on one moves and a last second off-balance jumper that misses)? And where will I watch the game? I've been enlisted as a helmsman in the SU Alumni Group of DC's gatherings at Sign of Whale. I even have my "Ishmael Card" for discounts (sadly, no such card actually exists. Major missing the boat there SOTW) and have tried to get the bar to put a "44 Wing Salute" on the menu. But this week a few friends (one of which has been named "Nice Guy of the Year" three times in the last decade) are organizing a gamewatching event down the street from where I live. No car. No metro. I've been asking both places to send bleu cheese dressing samples for comparison.

Maryland (13-8, 3-5) had a chance to upset then #5 North Carolina... and actually led the Tarheels by nine in the second half before foul trouble handcuffed coach Mark Turgeon's rotation... UNC started to own the offensive glass and Harrison Barnes knocked down enough long-range jumpers to bury the Terps 83-74. Lost in the loss was improved play by Nick Faust off the bench (taking the ball to the rim instead of shooting bad jumpers) as well as the fine effort from Alex Len (holding his own against fellow 7-footer Tyler Zeller) off the pine. Halfway through the ACC season, Terps fans are wondering if they can get to .500 in the conference; they can, but have little margin for error. Home games against Georgia Tech and Boston College have to be slam-dunks. They have to steal one away from Virginia (who lost at home to Va. Tech) and if they beat Clemson Tuesday night (Tigers are tied with the Terps at 3-5 in the league)... that would give them seven wins, meaning the eighth has to come from topping Duke in Cameron (stop laughing), UNC at Chapel Hill (please get back in your seat), sweeping Virginia (Kippy and Buffy aren't laughing for some reason) or topping a Miami team in College Park-- the same Hurricanes the Terps took to double overtime in the Sunshine State. But they have to begin with a Clemson team that torched #17 Florida State by 20 and was within 3 possessions in all 5 of their league losses. Maybe sweeping the Cavaliers may just be the way to go.

Cruising the Commonwealth-- Virginia lost a chance to move into the ACC's penthouse... instead the 58-55 loss at Florida State means the Cavaliers are in a three-way scrum for 4th place in the league with North Carolina State and Miami. The Seminoles defense of Mike Scott further underscored the fact that UVa needs another scorer-- Scott was held to 3 shots after halftime and every run was truncated by the fact their big gun wasn't firing. They'll need more than one gun for this Saturday's showdown with North Carolina. Virginia Tech got a season-saving win over Clemson and enters the second half with confidence that maybe they've turned the corner- but 2-6 is a tough ACC hole to climb out of.

George Mason (19-6, 11-2) bounced back from a tough loss at Delaware to defeat Old Dominion 54-50 (despite shooting 28% from the field)... moving into a tie for first place tie of the CAA. First year Patriots coach Paul Hewitt hopes February doesn't turn into a Ram... as Mason meets VCU twice over the regular season's last four games while Drexel watches from the wings.

George Washington (8-15, 3-6) are fighting for a spot in the Atlantic Ten tournament (only 12 of the 14 schools in the Atlantic 10 go-- irony aside) after a fourth straight loss... after close games that could have gone either way at Fordham and against Xavier the bottom dropped out in an 86-75 loss to UMass. And GW is done playing with bottom-feeders Fordham and Rhode Island: 5 of their 7 remaining A-10 foes have winning league records (but that have beaten Richmond and Charlotte- the two other schools).

Maryland Womens' Window-- after routing Boston College 86-44, the Terps struggled at Georgia Tech (a team they've always had trouble with)... before prevailing 64-56. The double-whammy of Tianna Hawkins (23 points and 9 rebounds) and Alyssa Thomas (23 points and 5 assists) set the tone for a team which remainder shot under 25% for the game. Terps took this one because they owned the glass-- outrebounding the Yellowjackets by 15... while holding GT to under 40% for the night. With six ACC games remaining Maryland's tied for third with North Carolina... two games behind Miami and three games behind league-leading Duke. The Terps play all three of these teams-- in College Park-- over the next three weeks. Get your popcorn.

American (15-8, 6-2) remains in the thick of the Patriot League race thanks to a Charles Hinkle three pointer with 33 seconds left that gave the Eagles a 59-58 win over Colgate. Unfortunately, Hinkle was the only AU player to score in double figures-- and while that might work against the 7th place Raiders... it might not be as effective against Bucknell and Lehigh (or even Lafayette). Good news for Eagle fans-- four of the remaining six regular season games are at Bender Arena. Bad news for Shamrock Shake fans-- my sources tell me the McDonald's next to the arena has been shut down... just before the minty green goodness makes its annual appearance near Nebraska Ave. For shame!

Howard (6-18, 3-8) after ending an eight game losing streak has all of a sudden taken two of three... the latest a 54-46 victory over Morgan State (sadly, even the MEAC isn't immune for scores in the 40's). Freshman Prince Okoroh scored 14 points for the Bison... who held the Bears to 30% shooting and held an 18 rebound advantage. With five games left, coach Kevin Nickelberry's team's already equalled last year's victory total.

Super Bowl Sunday-- bring on the wing dip...

2012-02-05T07:25:00.000-08:00

The NFL season began with an offensive extravaganza in Green Bay-- and ends with a showdown for the ages in Indianapolis. Can the New York Giants continue their incredible run from 7-7 to title game? Can New England avenge its midseason loss to the G-Men... and would a win even make a dent in their loss four years ago? Plus, what will one eat during the big game?

Friendly Fans-- the Boston-New York dynamic takes another turn as the Big Apple battles Beantown for the title. It's not Yankees-Red Sox... Celtics-Knicks or even Pats-Jets... but there are enough fans to make the hatred year-round. I feel for the Jets fan... who has to choose between the team that's dominated his division or the old school bluebloods who've looked down their noses at the AFL upstarts for a half century. Jets fans are pulling for a measles outbreak in the stadium.

Havin' a Good Time-- I've been going to the same SB party the last few years... usually hosted by the guy who asks you every fifteen minutes if you're having a good time. As the evening progresses he has more beverages and you're being asked every five minutes if you're having a good time. This year it's not at his house-- but he'll still be asking me if I'm having a good time.

Neutral Site? Technically Indianapolis is a neutral city-- but the city of the Colts justifiably hates Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots for knocking them out of the playoffs repeatedly. The city that embraced Peyton Manning naturally would love to see little brother Eli hand the hated Pats another Super Bowl defeat.

Buffalo Wing Dip-- my friend Doug's wife makes this incredible dip with chicken puree... Tabasco and cream cheese. Topped with cheddar, this intestinal monstrosity looks ridiculously nasty-- but is ridiculously delicious. If it were socially acceptable to eat the dip with a spoon, I would.

Halftime a step back?-- I thought the NFL was finally moving into the 21st century by having the Black Eyed Peas performing last year... and now we're given Madonna-- perhaps 15 years too late. I'm not saying Beyonce or Franz Ferdinand... but maybe someone born after the first Super Bowl was played? I thought that John Mellencamp would be a good compromise in Indianapolis... just like I thought the Eagles would have been a decent halftime act in North Dallas.

Butter Bars-- Once one recovers from the Buffalo Wing Dip... Doug's wife also makes these butter bars that consist of 47% butter... 36% shortening and 20% sugar. I know the math doesn't work out-- but after about five of them you'd understand.

Rematches and Rematches-- this isn't the first time there's been a rematch of a regular season game in the Super Bowl... it actually happened four years ago when the Giants reversed the regular season result between the two teams. With the divisional rotation now (crossover games now once every four years) the chance of interconference matchups is a little less than it was from 1978-2001. All three New York Giant Super Bowl wins had them defeating the team they met in the regular season. The Patriots are 1-2 in Super Bowl rematches... falling to the '85 Bears and '07 Giants while topping St. Louis after the 2001 season. This is also a rematch of Super Bowl XLII... if you haven't heard the 100 or so times it's been mentioned.

The Actual Game-- at first glance it appears the New York Giants have the edge... their strengths (high flying wide receivers) able to take better advantage of the Patriots' weaknesses (31st ranked defense) than vice versa (Brady against a bigtime pass rush). But it's tough to get up for a team that resembles the kid with the 1400 SAT's who didn't study all semester. And it's tough to go against a team with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady both on a mission. And it's tough to discount the Pats winning this one for the late Myra Kraft. New England 26, NY Giants 21.

Beltway Basketball Bonanza-- Where do we go from here?

2012-02-01T00:21:00.000-08:00

College basketball's version of "Show Me Month" wraps up with with a few area schools on track for the tournament... others wondering where exactly their ceiling is... and a few hoping the floor isn't as low as it appears.

Georgetown (16-4, 6-3) continues to sail through the rough seas of Big East play-- slipping on the road at previously-on-the-mat Pitt 72-60. The Hoyas don't necessarily live by the three-- but in all three Big East losses Georgetown has struggled from outside the arc (14% against West Virginia, 31% against Cincinnati and 29% against Pitt). And things don't get any easier for coach John Thompson III's team: consecutive games against UConn, South Florida and Syracuse loom before the schedule lightens up.

Alma Mater Update-- Syracuse escapes a nail-biter with West Virginia... a non-goaltending call allowing the Orange to edge West Virginia 63-61. The team tries to find its way minus center Fab Melo... in his three game absence... SU's been outrebounded by double digits twice and barely outrebounded Cincinnati (36-35). And in the Big East there's always that tight turnaround/2 losses in 3 days possibility-- even if you're playing well. And then there's the Bernie Fine elephant in the room.

Maryland (13-7, 3-3) got a necessary win over Virginia Tech at home (73-69)... ending a three game losing streak and improving to 3-3 in the ACC. Terrell Stoglin proves to be the primary producer (21 of 28 points coming after halftime against the Hokies) while Sean Mosley comes up huge when it matters (5 free throws in the last 70 seconds of regulation). How healthy and more importantly how productive will Alex Len get during the upcoming stretch of four games out of six on the road? There are wins to be had against the ACC's underbelly... but you have to win on the road- and the Terps haven't done that yet this winter.

Cruising the Commonwealth-- a tale of two campuses: it's definitely the best of times in Charlottesville as Virginia is off to a 5-2 start in league play...Mike Scott a major force (23 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Clemson) for the Cavaliers. What remains to be seen is how they'll do against a very tough back end of the schedule—from here on UVa plays both North Carolina and Florida State twice. Virginia Tech plays Duke twice and has two more games against teams currently ranked—and the Hokies are 1-5 in league play with four losses coming by four points or less. This smacks of Virginia a few years ago during Sean Singletary’s senior season—when the close losses mounted early against a talented team before everything collapsed.

George Mason (18-5, 10-1) takes a six game winning streak to Delaware February 1st… and an at-large berth is not out of the conversation for the Patriots. Coach Paul Hewitt’s team still has to play VCU twice and Old Dominion once—and faces Lamar in the Bracket Buster.

George Washington (8-13, 3-4) remains offensively challenged (301st in scoring) and unable to win in the Atlantic 10 away from the Smith Center (0-4). And up next for coach Mike Lonergan: three straight games against A-10 contenders Xavier, UMass and Temple. February might get rather cold in Foggy Bottom.

Maryland Womens' Window-- a tough loss at Duke is one thing; slipping to Virginia Tech at home is another thing. Alyssa Thomas' thumb injury turned a tight rotation tighter-- and the question over the second month of conference play is how a bench long on quality but short on quantity (Lynetta Kizer and Brene Moseley provide punch off the pine—but that’s it).

American (14-8, 5-2) is halfway through Patriot League play and has only lost to the two schools ahead of it in the standings (Bucknell and Lehigh). Charles Hinkle has taken the mantle of primary point producer… as he and Troy Brewer are both shooting higher than 40% from three point range. Sadly, my sources in and around the program report the McDonald’s at Bender Arena is being shut down. Where can I get my Shamrock Shakes come March?

Howard (5-17, 2-7) snapped an eight game losing streak by beating South Carolina State 82 to 76… Brandon Ford led a balanced attack with 14 points. Can the Bison put a few W’s together with 4-16 Maryland-Eastern Shore and 5-14 Morgan State on deck?

Beltway Basketball Bonanza-- Winter Exposure...

2012-01-23T12:02:00.000-08:00

You can run but you can't hide who you are-- or how you can be beaten. Mid January in college hoops means one can't hide behind a cupcake filled non-conference schedule; actual road games on enemy campuses have been played... and coaches who recruit and gameplan against your team 12 months a year are preparing to exploit your weaknesses.

Georgetown has won ugly more than once this January-- a 52-50 slugfest against Rutgers will not be used in shooter's camps-- but 6-2 in the Big East is still 6-2 in the Big East. While Jason Clark outside and Henry Sims inside get most of the attention... players like Otto Porter (15 rebounds against DePaul, winning FT's against Rutgers) do the little things to help the Hoyas contend. After seven days to prepare for massive mystery Pitt (from #1 seed last year to 0-7 in the conference?) Coach John Thompson III's team has a tight turnaround to prepare for UConn.

Alma Mater Update-- it had to happen sooner or later... Syracuse took 21 games to stumble for the first time this season (67-58 at Notre Dame) amongst the backdrop of a player leaving (Mookie Jones) and a player with academic issues (Fab Melo). They won't miss Mookie's 27% shooting over 5 minutes a game... but they will miss Fab's 6 rebounds and 3 blocks a contest. And 7-0 in the Big East can become 7-3 in a hurry: Cincinnati and West Virginia look like tournament teams... and SU hasn't even gone through facing Georgetown, UConn and Louisville over a six day span. Look for Sign of the Whale to be ordering extra bleu cheese next month.

Maryland finds itself in a 5-team rugby scrum separated by a half game in the race for 5th place of the ACC. Turnovers and poor free throw shooting doomed the Terps at Florida State (welcome to the grownups' table, FSU, after beating UNC and Duke on consecutive Saturdays) and at non-league foe Temple. Terrell Stoglin has the misfortune of being the best shooter and scorer in an offense that is at its best when there are multiple options. Alex Len's ACC fade (after notching a double-double against NC State, the Ukrainian has scored 8 points over 4 games on 2-8 shooting) was accelerated with an ankle injury against Temple. The University officially renames the court at Comcast after Gary Williams Wednesday-- against a Duke smarting from a tough loss to Florida State. No sweat.

Cruising the Commonwealth-- Virginia had a chance to make Virginia Tech 0-5 in the ACC and came up short. Shooting 1 for 14 from three-point range does that sometimes. The 47-45 loss to the Hokies means that Virginia may be ranked... but the Cavaliers are more pretender than contender right now. The win also keeps coach Seth Greenburg's team from officially being buried-- although they still have a lot of work to do.

George Mason finds itself atop the CAA after eight games at 7-1... and has a chance to get fat with four straight games against schools with non-winning conference records. And the Patriots are more than merely Ryan Pearson-- although the forward leads the team with 17 points and 8 rebounds a game there are more than a few interchangeable parts capable of doing damage. Sherrod Wright scoring 22 points off the bench against Towson just one example. Although his name doesn't sound like a fancy shirt.

George Washington finds itself 3-2 in the Atlantic Ten-- but 8-11 overall. Their ability to continue the current January storm hinges on a two game roadtrip-- while LaSalle and Fordham are gimmes both schools do have losing records in conference play-- because GW faces tough tests in Xavier, Massachusetts and Temple back to back to back.

Maryland Womens' Moment-- the Terps tumbled at #5 Duke Sunday 80-72... despite a career high 29 points for Alyssa Thomas. Unfortunately the team shot 36% after halftime and was outrebounded by ten. Home games against ACC bottomfeeders Virginia Tech and Boston College are next-- followed by a trip to Georgia Tech (the team they rallied from 20 points down to beat January 6th). The question as the team nears the second half of league play-- how deep are they? While Lynetta Kizer and Brene Moseley provide punch off the bench... Kim Rodgers and Whitney Bays have been used sparingly the last few weeks.

American is one of three schools appearing to separate themselves from the rest of the Patriot League. AU's lone league loss is to Lehigh-- and battles Bucknell Wednesday. Gone is the hammer-sickle duo of Vlad & Lumpkin-- instead Charles Hinkle provides the bulk of the scoring while the team is much better shooting from the perimeter (38% from three point range).

Howard had reason for optimism last March-- there appeared to be a young nucleus returning that would only get better. Optimism? No more. The Bison have already clinched a losing regular season-- dropping seven straight games and 11 of 12 after a 3-5 start (in Howard terms, 3-5 is red-hot). The team's had problems offensively-- they're near the bottom of Division I in more than a few categories: 340th in shooting, 338th in assists and 314th in scoring. The only player who averages in double figures shoots less than 30% from the field. But help is on the way: after Savannah State January 28th, the Bison won't face a team currently with a winning record for the rest of the season. Woe are the Bisons and woe is the MEAC.

Beltway Basketball Bonanza-- Mourning Mornings...

2012-01-14T07:06:00.000-08:00

It was going to happen sooner or later. We're used to late night tipoffs... especially with Pac Ten and west coast games... but a regular morning basketball window? For the second straight week a ranked team has an 11am tipoff. I'm the first to admit I keep a consistently uneven schedule-- but 11am? On a Saturday? Isn't that when youth leagues hold games and NBC shows really bad live-action programming like "Hang Time"? Once again I'm thinking about the students. My dorm's dining hall didn't open for Saturday and Sunday brunch until 11. I've got to get to the arena at 10:30? On an empty stomach? When the omelet bar is calling? Decidedly not awesome. In other developments, I just ordered my 2012 Girl Scout Cookies-- and have learned they've trimmed their options from 11 to 8. Smart move to get rid of "Shout Outs", "Thanks Alot" and both lemon cookies... although they've added "Savannah Smiles". Dave frowns.

Georgetown coach John Thompson III told me before the Marquette game that the Big East is a very unforgiving league-- and the Hoyas have learned just how rough things can get. In consecutive games Georgetown was tormented by turnovers (a season high 17 against Cincinnati, 10 in the first half against West Virginia) and lost winnable games. Henry Sims had a pair of rough outings (a combined 7 of 19 shooting) as well. But help is on the way-- in the form of a four game stretch against schools currently 5-12 in league play: St. John's, DePaul, Rutgers and Pitt.

Alma Mater Update-- still the #1 team in the nation. Syracuse is doing it with depth so far this winter-- six players average between 8 and 14 points a game and the Orange run ten deep. Four of their five Big East wins have come by double digits (although DePaul and Providence are hardly world-beaters this winter) and the team's win at Villanova was not as close as the score indicated. Today they play Providence for the second time this month-- Exhibit B why I'm okay with SU going to the ACC. Home and home with the Friars and no Georgetown game in DC? At least Sign of the Whale will have a good crowd-- although they've yet to put my suggested "44 Wing Salute" on the menu.

Maryland is 1-1 in the ACC with Georgia Tech coming to Comcast Sunday. One major bright spot in the Terps' 70-64 win over Wake Forest: the play of Ashton Pankey (9 points and 9 rebounds). One area for concern: 34 minutes played by Terrell Stoglin... and no assists for the second straight game. Russian center Alex Len had his roughest outing of the season (1-3, 5 points in 28 minutes)... and the schedule tightens up with 5 of the next 8 away from College Park.

Cruising the Commonwealth-- Virginia led Duke in the second half at Cameron before the Blue Devils went on a 21-12 run... a tough 61-58 loss that will have the Cavaliers stewing over a seven day break. Virginia Tech's 0-2 ACC start doesn't have panic buttons being pressed... but Wake Forest is one year removed from 1-15 in the league. Bring on the Bubblicious.

George Mason came up short at Drexel 60-53 Thursday night-- the lowest point performance for the Patriots this season. The offense appeared to hit the proverbial wall-getting outscored 10-2 in the last 3 and a half minutes of the game. Credit the Dragons with doing a decent job defendign Ryan Pearson-- the senior was held to 1 of 9 shooting in the loss... continuing a CAA trend: Pearson is shooting 11-of-34 in conference play...and has had either three or four personal fouls in every league game. And unfortunately Vertrail Vaughns looked like Denise Huxtable's Gordon Gartrelle shirt (1-7 FG, no rebounds or assists in 27 minutes) against Drexel.

George Washington scheduled more than a few ranked teams during the non-conference season... Cal, Syracuse and ... Harvard? Yes, the Tommy Amaker led Crimson are #25 this week... although only in the coach's rankings. GW is coming off a 69-61 win against Rhode Island (13th in the Atlantic Ten)... and the Rams are the only other A-10 team with a losing non-conference record. So the first winter for Mike Lonergan at the Smith Center may get worse before it gets better-- especially with just one player (Tony Taylor) scoring in double figures.

Maryland Womens Update-- a nail-biter at North Carolina followed by a tough loss at Miami. The #5 Terps finished regulation with a 7-1 run to send their game at Chapel Hill into overtime... and the 78-72 victory sent them to South Beach unbeaten in league play. Unfortunately they committed 19 turnovers and were outrebounded by the Hurricanes by eight. Now they try to bounce back from a 75-63 loss Monday night against Virginia (14-4, 2-2 in the ACC)... a team on the precipice of the rankings.

American tries to right the ship against a Holy Cross team that's won two straight.

Howard has a five game losing streak entering today's contest against North Carolina A&T.

Beltway Basketball Bonanza-- let the (conference) games begin!

2012-01-07T08:56:00.000-08:00

Wading through the remnants of the 35-game bowl marathon giving 6-6 schools a chance at a trophy... hey, it's the college basketball season! The two month rehearsal for conference play gives the diehards (or fans of schools with not so awesome football teams) a chance to check in from the opening tip... while giving casual or easily distracted fans the opportunity to lazily join the party midway through- with a 10 to 15 game resume.

Georgetown enters today's tilt with West Virginia having won 11 straight... and after being picked by many not to make the top ten of the Big East owns a #9 ranking in the nation. They've won conference games by surprise (at Louisville)... won ugly (Providence) and miraculously (the second half rally against Marquette). While Jason Clark outside and Henry Sims inside remain the axis upon which the offense revolves-- Hollis Thompson has shown the knack for making clutch shots down the stretch. A 3-0 start in an unforgiving league is huge.

Alma Mater Update-- Syracuse is #1 and although nobody finishes the season unbeaten anymore the ride's been pleasant. The team has depth I haven't seen in some time. Unfortunately, there's no SU-Georgetown game in DC this winter. Exhibit A on why I'm not bummed the Orange are moving to the ACC: Syracuse-Georgetown is one of the if not the signature Big East rivalry. They play just once... and haven't squared off in a regular season finale for as long as I can remember. Further proof the people currently in charge of the Big East just don't get it.

Maryland enters ACC play having won seven straight-- although the team has been consistently uneven during the streak. The six game stretch at Comcast has allowed a team still finding its way to solidify and Alex Chen and Pe'Shon Howard to get their feet wet before conference play. The ACC campaign tips off with three games against underbelly schools: North Carolina State and Georgia Tech both have new coaches while Wake Forest is coming off a 1-15 last place finish (and they weren't even that good).

Cruising the Commonwealth-- Virginia's ranked 23rd after wins over the likes of Michigan and LSU... and Mike Scott has recovered well from injury (16 points and 9 rebounds a game). A January 12th date with #3 Duke looms. Virginia Tech's bubble residency is already underway as the Hokies are 11-3 with two wins over Oklahoma State but losses to the other big names on their slate. CBS is already setting up camera positions for Selection Sunday.

George Mason is another school that's 3-0 in conference play; the 11-4 overall start involves two losses in overtime and a defeat at Charlottesville to Virginia. Ryan Pearson has grabbed the headlines averaging 19 points and 9 rebounds while Vertrail Vaughns is the sophomore making the leap from peripheral Patriot to primary contributor. Although I still swear "Vertrail Vaughns" was the name of Theo Huxtable's shirt on the Cosby Show. Tonight the Patriots play Georgia State for first place in the CAA.

George Washington began Atlantic Ten play with a 66-56 loss at St. Bonaventure... the Colonials were actually overachieving under first year coach Mike Lonergan until a seven game losing streak blew up their non-conference slate. The offensively challenged (302nd in scoring) bunch has reached 60 points just twice in the last month... and Tony Taylor is the only player averaging in double figures.

Maryland Womens' Moment-- the Terrapins are 15-0 and 2-0 in ACC play after a thrilling 77-74 win over Georgia Tech. The Yellowjackets have long been a team that's caused problems for Maryland-- and with 17 minutes to play the Terps trailed 56-36. But then sophomore Alyssa Thomas scored the game's next nine points... and a 17-1 run was underway. A tight turnaround has the Terps taking on #25 North Carolina Sunday afternoon-- followed by a trip to #12 Miami.

American finished non-conference play with four straight losses-- two of them to Big East teams Georgetown and Villanova. Charles Hinkle's play has been one of the highlights of the season... but a banged up Troy Brewer gives coach Jeff Jones cause for concern.

Howard has played four ranked teams in the early going... and is 4-12 the first weekend of the new year. Coach Kevin Nickelberry hopes Tulsa transfer Glenn Andrews can make a difference as the Bison get into MEAC play.

Redskins Rehash: 5-11... not too good...

2012-01-04T12:05:00.000-08:00

So ends an incredible journey from lockout to fadeout. For the second straight year the Redskins stood atop the division after week one and in the cellar after week seventeen. Another double digit losing season -- the sixth in nine years. Four straight last place finishes in the NFC East -- first time that's ever happened for any team in the division's storied history. How did the Burgundy and Gold get here? And how do they get back to respectability? If only the season ending 34-10 loss to Philadelphia was the topic.

Turnoverasaurus Rex-- the beast was quiet through the first quarter... but Mr. Grossman responded on the team's first possession in the second quarter with an interception-- giving him 20 for the season to go with 5 fumbles. One can only wonder what sort of numbers he would have put up had he not been benched for John Beck midway through the season.

Eternal Optimism-- before the season began, Grossman said he thought this team could win the NFC East. Given the sad state of the division-- maybe that wasn't too much of a stretch. But during the freefall from contender to pretender Grossman and even coach Mike Shanahan's comments have been rather interesting-- both brimming with confidence that this team is almost there despite the fact that they were closer to the #1 draft pick than the #6 seed. I'm all for feeling good about being on the road to greatness... but when you're last for the fourth straight year-- just say you'll try to get better.

Cue the Benny Hill Theme-- if one listens to "Yaketty Sax" while watching the games... the Burgundy and Gold are that much more easy to deal with. The last four drives of the first half involved Rex's INT, a blocked Field Goal attempt, turning the ball over on downs, and a keystone coplike special teams dash on the field to try a field goal attempt as the clock ran out.

Running with the Royster-- the rookie from Penn State notched his second straight 100 yard game on the ground while leading the team with 5 catches... giving the Skins two intriguing options heading into next year with Roy Helu posting three century efforts plus a 14 catch day. And he scored the lone touchdown for the Burgundy and Gold on a 47 yard pass play. On this front... even with a banged up offensive line-- maybe this is what coach and Rex are focusing on when they're ridiculously over-optimistic.

Fourth Quarter Flameout-- no, this wasn't the Jets game all over again. Or maybe it was. Trailing 13-10 early in the fourth quarter the Skins defense allowed three touchdowns in four drives... tallying 185 of their 390 total yards in the final stanza. We've seen this happen all season -- where the defense will play well for stretches and then put together four or five drives where they just can't stop anybody.

Offensive Offense-- of course when you can't get first downs, the defense always suffers. After drawing to within 3 points early in the fourth quarter, the Skins gained 5 yards on 11 plays before getting the ball back down 24 after the two-minute warning.

Past is present-- the year began as if the Skins were partying like it was 1999... the last year they won the NFC East. Instead, we were treated to a 2003 replay: where a big name coach was in his second year... the team started 3-1 before losing to a hurting Philadelphia team... the Skins imploded with a losing streak that included falling to 3-5 at the hands of the Buffalo Bills... and a 5-11 campaign that ended with a loss to the same Eagles that started the slide. Still no word if we'll have a resignation via fax from the golf course.

Dissecting the Division-- the Giants win over Dallas gave them the NFC East at 9-7... the worst record for a division winner in NFC East history. In a division known for dominant defenses, this year's champion allowed 400 points during the season. Ouch. The Cowboys fall to third at 8-8 because they were swept by Philadelphia. And the Redskins bring up the rear again.

Conference Contests... and North Stars-- the NFC won the intra-conference contest, 33-31. This is the first time since the 90's that this has happened. With three of the last four Super Bowl winners hailing from the old guard, does this represent a pendulum swing? As for best division, the AFC North posted the best record (37-27) and brings three playoff teams to the fold. But remember, last year the NFC South had the best regular season mark only to go 0-2 in the playoffs. Division of depression? The AFC South won just 26 games ... the only division to fail to reach 30 victories.

This one goes to '11...

2011-12-31T06:55:00.000-08:00

Where did the last twelve months go? 2011 is about to get into our rearview mirror. Great! A time for lists! One quick spin through the last 365 days in the most shallow of ways-- by hitting 11 random stops while trying to make sense of the year gone by.

Super! Bowled-- let's face it-- we are an NFL Nation and once again pro football's championship game didn't disappoint. Unless you had purchased tickets to seats that didn't exist and had to stand outside Cowboys Stadium in the freezing cold. Far from the Super Bores of yore-- last year's 31-25 Green Bay victory was the 6th decided by single digits in the last ten years (and only Tampa Bay's trouncing of Oakland in 2003 would qualify as a blowout).

Lucky with Lockouts-- unfortunately the NFL and NBA offseason delivered unnecessary daily drama ("Day 13 of the Lockout...Day 132 of the Lockout..."). Thankfully only Canton's Hall of Fame Game was cancelled-- and a ten year deal is in place for the NFL. And thank goodness the NBA and its players woke up to realize that as a league they are a luxury item and not the need pro football is for the public. See you when the deals expire. On the Wizards front, a rebuilding 66 game season is much less miserable than a rebuilding 82 game season. And at leas the uniforms are cool again.

A March with Thrills, Chills and Spills-- the NCAA Tournament provided grand theater with all #1 and #2 seeds getting bounced before the Final Four... VCU going from the "First Four" to the national semifinals... and the NBA guys on TNT waxing on about how much college basketball they watch and know. Even referring to the round of 64 as the "second round" and pushing Sunday tipoffs to after 8pm can't ruin my favorite three weeks of the year.

College Coaching Carousel-- after years of relative calm in and around the beltway... major ripples locally with Gary Williams retiring, Jim Larranaga moving to Miami and Karl Hobbs getting fired. While the Terps and Colonials look to be reloading, the Patriots are primed for another solid season in the CAA.

Cap-itulation and regime change-- what will we do now that the Bruce Boudreau commercials are no longer gracing the area? After an impressive first round series win over the New York Rangers (the only one in the Eastern Conference that didn't go seven games) the Caps were broomed out of the playoffs by Tampa Bay. Then after a 7-0 start the team hit the wall and Boudreau hit the road. Despite being unable to lead the Capitals into the conference finals, Boudreau elevated the expectations from the mess he inherited Thanksgiving weekend of 2007. One could make the case that if he had flopped as a then-interim coach... George McPhee would have followed him out the door back then. Instead, Dale Hunter tries to provide a midseason transfusion.

Toothless Tiger... and the next big thing?-- Tiger Woods went another year without winning a major tournament. As he approaches his late 30's one wonders what sort of window he has for catching Jack Nicklaus...but for every Tom Watson that stops winning in his early 30's there's a Mark O'Meara who experiences a resurgence in his 40's. While I once thought he had a "true slam" where he won all four majors in one season... the possibility remains for him to pickup four more championships within the next ten years. Meanwhile, fans at Congressional Country Club were treated to Rory McIlroy's run at the US Open... let's wait for the kid win two before we elevate him to the level of even Padraig Harrington or Angel Cabrera.

No Joking-- Tennis saw Novak Djokovic grab dominance by the throat... the Serb won three majors to scale the heights previously claimed by Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. After a somewhat democratic era where dominance meant two majors(1989-2003)... we've seen a triple-play five times in eight years. Between Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and everybody's English hope Andy Murray... majors are compelling after the Andy Roddick flameout.

Terrapin Fall-- nobody saw the 2-10 Maryland football season coming. Fresh off a 9-4 season with the ACC rookie of the year everything went wrong for the Terrapins... with more than a few players transferring. View the first year of coach Randy Edsall as the clearing of a site for the placement of a foundation-- construction sites are rarely pretty during their first year. With the return of Mike Locksley as a primary recruiter, expect an instate talent upgrade.

Baseball's Crazy Finish-- the final month of the regular season saw legendary collapses by Atlanta and Boston... with the Braves and Red Sox trying to outdo each other in tripping right before the finish line. Meanwhile, St. Louis and Tampa Bay did the right things down the stretch and entered the playoffs in spectacular fashion. Some are calling it the best night ever in baseball and that you can't get that anywhere else in sports. Umm... the final Sunday of the NFL's regular season? The final weekend of conference tournament play with bubble teams bouncing every which way?

Skinsationalism-- another strong start (3-1) proving to be merely a mirage. Another quarterback situation implodes. The defense gets better but still not good enough. Suspensions rock the offense. And somewhere in a season that was honestly over before Halloween the Burgundy and Gold mattered because they were so irrelevant.

The Sad End of Happy Valley-- for years State College, PA was more than just about wins and losses... bowls and Heisman candidates. It was about the team before the individual. No names on the back of the jersey. Doing things with class. Graduating players. Never a whiff of an NCAA scandal. Even the "Grilled Stickies"--a breakfast roll that can't possibly be healthy in any way--had an image of innocence. But it's a different world now that the Gerry Sandusky revelations have come out... and continue to come out. You wonder exactly who knew what and when. And why nothing was done-- again and again. The quote I first thought of last fall...: "All that is necessary for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing"-- from all I know Joe Paterno is a good man. And from all I know-- he did nothing. So the victims try to heal. The accused stands charged. And the future of Penn State football arrives in a manner nobody could have envisioned.

Redskins Rehash-- Last at Christmas...

2011-12-25T08:02:00.000-08:00

Last Christmas the Skins showed us Rex... but then the very next fall--the job was all Beck's. Next year... to save fans from tears-- the Skins will do something special (like draft a QB in round one). WHAM! like that another last place finish (more on that later). Wake the Burgundy and Gold fans when the losing seasons go-go.

Turnoverasaurus Rex-- the beast once again rampaged through Landover... losing a fumble on the second possession of the day... while tossing an interception in the fourth quarter. Both miscues led to Vikings field goals. Mr. Grossman has turned the ball over at least once in every game he's played in this season. In today's NFL you can't have that from your quarterback and be successful.

Little Red Royster on the Run-- at least the running game didn't miss a beat. Evan Royster stepped in for the injured Roy Helu and rumbled for 132 yards. Nice to have options at runningback...

Gaffney getting it done-- for the third straight week Jabar Gaffney caught 6 passes... this time for 77 yards and a touchdown. The 31 year old is one catch shy of his career high of 65... and stands 81 yards away from his first 1000-yard season.

London Calling-- the veteran inside linebacker notched 17 tackles to push his league-leading total to 163. Monster season in what's been a losing cause more often than not. Does he stay and continue to be a bridge to where this team is good again... or move on and contribute to a contender?

Underestimating the Understudies?-- Vikings runningback Adrian Peterson tore knee ligaments on their first possession of the second half. On the next play quarterback Christian Ponder suffered a concussion. But despite having backups in the game, Minnesota scored on its next four possessions...tallying 239 of its 389 yards on those four drives.

Dissecting the Division-- the New York Giants retake first place with their win over the Jets... while Dallas drops to second thanks to their loss against Philadelphia. The Eagles move into third place by beating the Cowboys and will take over second place with a victory over the Redskins January 1st due to the division record tiebreaker. Once again the Skins begin the season in first place and finish in last.

Last at Christmas-- a new Burgundy and Gold tradition-- this is the fourth straight last place finish for the Skins... and the first time since the NFC East was created in 1970 that a team has finished last four straight years. Not even the Cardinals finished last four straight years-and they had stretches where they were bad in two separate time zones! Now my crack research staff checked out the standings since the merger and found seven other instances of back to back to back to back last place finishes: New Orleans 1970-73, San Diego 1972-75, Houston 1983-86, Atlanta 1987-90, LA Rams 1991-94, Chicago 1997-2000, Cleveland 2003-06. Nice company to be in and around.

Division Duels and Conference Contests-- congratulations to the NFC... taking the interconference competition 33-31 for the first time since the 1990's. The NFC East finds itself tied for 6th place at 28-32... the only division with a worse record was the AFC South (24-36). Best division honors this fall go to the AFC North (35-25) as the final weekend of the season features all intra-divisional games.

Last thoughts about "Last Christmas"-- the WHAM! song is now a holiday staple... and the video brings more than a few thoughts. It's premise has George Michael taking his girlfriend on a ski weekend with other friends... only to see his ex-girlfriend on same weekend with Andrew Ridgeley. He's haunted by the ex... as he and his friends have a festive celebration he can't shake her from his heart. And then he goes home. First, I feel bad for the new girlfriend-- completely oblivious to the emotional minefield she's walking into. I blame George for taking his new girlfriend where he went last year probably knowing his ex would be there. I blame his ex for taking up with Andrew Ridgeley... the ultimate in-your-face move. And I blame Ridgeley for getting with George's ex-- great bro-move, buddy. The three of them deserve each other.

NFL Gameday-- the Playoff Picture develops...

2011-12-24T07:24:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays everyone on the penultimate weekend of the NFL season. With 22 of 32 teams still in contention 10 of today's 13 games have playoff ramifications (sorry, Skins). And with Indianapolis finding itself all of a sudden even the undercard has meaning in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. Let's try to sort things out from a league and yuletide standpoint...:

I prefer to open presents Christmas morning. Something magical about having your parents telling you to stay in your room until 8am...oh the anticipation. And after so many Christmases... the anticipation often trumps the eventuality.

Three teams are alive for the NFC East title: Dallas clinches with a win over Philadelphia plus a New York Giants loss to the Jets... while the Eagles need a victory plus a Giants loss to remain in contention. The Giants take the division with a win today and January 1st over the Cowboys.

I'm all about ham instead of turkey at Christmas. It's all about brand identity-- and lets load up on tryptophan on Turkey Day... ham on December 25th... and lamb on Easter.

Dallas isn't the only team that can wrap up a their division today. Baltimore takes the AFC North with a win over Cleveland plus a Pittsburgh loss to St. Louis. New Orleans clinches the NFC South by beating Atlanta. Denver wins the AFC West with a win over Buffalo plus losses by Oakland and San Diego.

Claymation Category-- although I'm all about the Island of Misfit Toys ... I prefer "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" for several reasons. First-- Santa Claus is kind of a shortsighted tool in "Rudolph". I mean if he's the rebel Mickey Rooney makes him out to be... how can he turn his nose down on Rudolph's predicament? Second-- the Burgermeister remains a badass and has no redeeming qualities. He BURNS TOYS. And unlike the Abominable Snow Monster-- he stays bad. Third-- the Kris Kringle romance with the schooleatcher trumps the puppylove storyline of Rudolph-Clarice. I won't even mention Keenan Wynn as the Winter Warlock.

Playoff possibilities-- both NFC wildcard spots can be wrapped up this afternoon. Detroit and Atlanta clinch berth with victories. They're also in if Seattle, Chicago, Arizona and the New York Giants all lose. The New York Jets and Cincinnati remain in a lockstep for the AFC's final spot; neither can clinch this week.

Christmas Movies-- who doesn't like "It's a Wonderful Life"? More than a few money scenes... from "George Bailey I'll love you til the day I die" to "We serve hard drinks to men who want to get drunk fast-- and we don't need any characters her to liven the atmosphere". On the musical front-- I like "Holiday Inn" more than "White Christmas"... despite the similarities the B&W 1942 classic is in my opinion the superior film. First, Fred Astaire easily has the advantage over Danny Kaye... and his character is much smarter. Second, the holiday songs in "Holiday Inn" actually advance the plot... while in "White Christmas" they seem to be filler. Lastly, there are more twists and turns in the story. Plus Walter Abel as the hyper agent.

Drafting for Draft Position-- Two straight wins by Indianapolis have the Colts previous stranglehold on the number one overall pick in doubt; Minnesota and St. Louis can tie for first/last with losses today. The Rams' path to #1 is a little easier: they face Pittsburgh and San Francisco (combined 21-7 record)... while the Vikings battle Washington and Chicago (combined 12-16) and the Colts meet 4-10 Jacksonville next weekend. Smacks of the 1986 season when the Colts began the season 0-13... fired coach Rod Dowhower and new coach Ron Meyer turned things around in a miraculous way. Indy upended Atlanta 28-23 after outscoring the Falcons 14-3 in the fourth quarter... then beat Buffalo 24-14 after trailing 14-0. The Colts then rallied from 17 points down to defeat Oakland 30-24. Meaning Tampa Bay (finishing 2-14 by losing its last seven games) would get the #1 overall pick. And choose Vinny Testaverde. After trading Steve Young to San Francisco because he was a bust. If the Colts don't wake up... who knows how Testaverde would have prospered under run-first Meyer? And would things have ever gotten any better for Young under a new coach in Ray Perkins? Do the Colts then even trade for Eric Dickerson (#2 overall pick Cornelius Bennett was a part of the deal)?

Redskins Rehash-- Playoff picture developing...for others.

2011-12-20T12:50:00.000-08:00

"It's the most wonderful time of year". Andy Williams aside, December is a fantastic final lap in the NFL regular season where destiny is determined... and pretenders are separated from contenders. Sadly for the Redskins, the last three weeks of the season will do little else except determine the Redskins' draft order (more on that later). Great time to start winning!

A few questions about Sunday--who are these people? What was this team that we saw play their best 60 minutes of the Shanahan era? And why can't they play the Giants all the time?

Defense the difference-- Jim Haslett's D earns an A for shutting down Eli Manning in the first half: two three and outs... an interception... and two drives not crossing midfield the first five times they had the ball. Even after heating up after halftime-- the Skins intercepted two passes and forced the Giants to settle for a field goal attempt. The last possession that allowed a touchdown but chewed up clock was simply moot.

Turnoverasaurus Rex-- at least he got the miscues out of the way early in this one. Two interceptions on the first three drives meant that for the first quarter Grossman had more completions to the Giants than Eli Manning. Thankfully he settled down to post a workman-like 15 of 24 for 185 yards and a touchdown.

Helu held in check-- after three consecutive 100 yard efforts the Rookie Roy was limited to 53 yards rushing on 23 carries. The Giants D made things tough all day-- his longest gain was 8 yards. But Helu helped the team in the passing game--notching 3 receptions for 16 yards.

Ground Game quality from quantity-- at first glance it's not that impressive. Forty carries for 123 yards... just over 3 yards a pop. But FORTY clock-killing plays are huge when you have a lead. The key drive was their 11th possession-- 9 plays for 34 yards but 3 minutes and 50 seconds worth of clock... making the Giants TD too little too late.

Gaffney gets it done-- quietly the Skins have found their go-to guy in the passing game. Six catches for 85 yards give the 31 year old 58 for the season--a career high-- and 842 yards for the year-- 33 off his career best. While this is his third team in four years... can this be his final stop?

ILB not MIA-- London Fletcher and Perry Riley combined for 20 tackles... 13 of them solo stops. Fletcher forced a fumble. One key to the 3-4 is setting up your inside linebackers in space to make plays-- and that's been the case the last few weeks.

Gano gettin' it done-- the Skins kicker of the moment made all three attempts-- including a 43 yarder. Which means he'll be shaky against Minnesota.

Dissecting the Division-- Dallas' win over Tampa Bay propels the Cowboys into first place and the #4 seed... as the Giants fall to 10th in the NFC. With a 4-7 conference record a wildcard is out of the question; they need to beat the NY Jets Saturday and then defeat Dallas in week 17 to win the division. Philadelphia remains in the hunt at 11th in the conference... but division champs if the following occurs: 1-- wins over Dallas and Washington...2-- a Giants loss to the Jets...3-- a Giants win over Dallas. All are possible to set up the worst ever NFC East Champion. The Redskins can actually finish tied for second with wins over Minnesota and Philadelphia-- although tiebreakers keep the ceiling at 3rd place. There's always next year.

Playoff picture still fuzzy-- 22 of 32 teams are alive with two weeks remaining: 3 NFC and 4 AFC berths are already locked up though. In the NFC the race between San Francisco and New Orleans for the #2 seed currently reads advantage 49ers as SF has a better conference record; the wildcard jumble has Atlanta and Detroit within wins of locking up spots while Chicago, Seattle and Arizona all look to finish strong and get help. The AFC race reminds one of 1980 when all 5 playoff teams finished 11-5 and tiebreakers sorted out division winners in the Central and West... as well as home field for the wildcard game and the rest of the playoffs. Losses by Houston and Baltimore placed Pittsburgh in position to move into first-- but the Steelers loss on MNF means New England is in the driver's seat. While Baltimore owns tiebreakers with Houston and Pittsburgh... the wild AFC West has all four teams in contention. The second wildcard? The NY Jets and Cincinnati... with plenty of drama from Rex in the Big Apple.

No more perfection... or pure imperfection-- on the same day unbeaten Green Bay lost at Kansas City, winless Indianapolis topped Tennessee. I know, any given Sunday...

Feeling the draft-- the Skins win keeps them tied for the 7th worst record in the league with three other clubs. So a marquee quarterback isn't out of the question... especially with St. Louis and Minnesota likely not looking to draft a QB two years in a row. Stranger things have happened though.

Division Duels and Conference Contests-- the AFC North has a one game edge over the NFC North at 32-22. Even a win by Indianapolis couldn't lift the AFC South-- still the division of depression at 22-34. A 3-1 week by the NFC East brought some respectability... but at 26-30 they're assured of a composite losing season. Meanwhile, the NFC leads the AFC 31-29 with four games remaining in interconference play... and could win the annual challenge for the first time since the 90's.

Redskins Rehash-- Tis the Season... to look towards next season.

2011-12-12T09:24:00.000-08:00

Elimination always stings... even when it's been a foregone conclusion for a month. And a ridiculous thought after last week's loss. But there was a slim possibility that evaporated in yesterday's 34-27 loss to New England. Now officially on to next year. Wow-- with these players... that's going to be just great! But don't worry-- help is on the way in the form of a top ten draft pick... and whatever other picks Vinny didn't trade away before he left.

Turnoverasaurus Rex-- Mr. Grossman gave us plenty of good, bad and ugly Sunday: 252 yards passing and two TDs! Two turnovers again! Two very costly turnovers, mind you: the fumble was recovered for a Patriot score and the interception killed a last chance drive. But at least he looked downfield.

Holy Helu Batman!-- the rookie Roy rushed for 126 yards... his third straight century effort. He's proving to be a keeper... it's a shame it took this long into the season. What I also like is Evan Royster producing 44 yards on 6 carries... it's nice to have two backs who can do damage. Even with Tim Hightower on the shelf and Ryan Torrain in the doghouse.

Minus Fred... recycled receivers reel em in-- so no big target at tight end. Instead, Jabar Gaffney notched 6 catches for 92 yards and a touchdown while Dontae Stallworth added 4 grabs for 96 yards. Both outshined Santana Moss... although he gave the Skins a brief lead with a 49 yard catch from Brandon Banks. Hopefully Hankerson heals for 2012.

Third and Lukewarm-- one reason why the Skins were able to stay in this game was owning third down-- converting 50% (feels like they should give the offense ice cream and cake for this one) while holding the Patriots to 5 of 11.

Defensive doughnut-- strong at both ends but a hole in the middle. Meaning: on the Pats first three possessions the Skins forced two punts and on the last three New England drives the Redskins defense forced a punt and an interception.... but in between the Patriots had four possessions resulting in 20 points. Four drives where they gained 70 or more yards. Proving that while this defense is much better than last year... they still have a ways to go.

Flags flying-- 8 penalties for 73 yards is no way to stay toe to toe with a division leader... especially when you're the second least whistled team in the league (6th by yards). That stat bears noting-- because although this team is 4-9 and out of the playoffs... at least they're not making blatantly bad decisions (Deangelo Hall excluded).

D Hall gets an F-- Mr. Hall has ridden a rollercoaster this fall... from "cut me" to defensive player of the week honors to last Sunday. Standing around while Gronkowski broke two tackles. Throwing a flag in disgust. Whatever he adds to the team's success, he takes away. And the Skins would be well advised not to have him around next fall.

Networking well-- despite being 4-8 the Skins had CBS's #2 broadcasting team of Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf... a far cry from Ron Pitts and the Jim Mora not known for "playoffs!". Next week with FOX having regional coverage the schedule looks to have the Skins game with the Giants as the #1 or #2 game. So Buck-Aikman or Albert-Moose-Goose. Sadly, th Giants being on at 1 means the Jets are on at 4... so Jets-Philly won't get the audience it would against a weak slate of CBS games (Indy-Tennessee, Cincy-St Louis)-- instead playing second fiddle to New England-Denver.

Dissecting the division-- the Giants' victory over Dallas means they currently hold down first place in the NFC East... the two teams tangle again January 2nd in the New Meadowlands. NYG gets the #4 seed while the Cowboys are 8th in the conference. Still alive at #11 is Philadelphia... if the Eagles win out they'd take the divisional tiebreakers at 5-1. So if the Giants and Dallas go 1-2 in their remaining games (not a stretch, given these two team's late-season track record), the NFC East is still there-- scarily. The Skins are a lucky 13th in the conference... but now eliminated from getting the #1 draft pick in 2012.

Drafting deal-- Indianapolis is 0-13 for the first time since 1986 when Ron Meyer stepped in for Rod Dowhower and guided the Colts to three straight wins and out of the Vinny Testaverde sweepstakes. This year Indy has a 2 game lead with 3 weeks remaining... and no team has made me more confidence they can lose than this bunch. In previous years the Colts mailed in Decembers when they were actually good! St. Louis and Minnesota also appear to be in good shape to finish 2nd and 3rd in the sweepstakes. Then it gets tricky: the Redskins are tied with five other teams for 4th... so based on the next three weeks and strength of schedules the Skins could pick anywhere from 3rd (I have faith in the Rams overachieving when it doesn't mean anything) to 12th (I believe in the Bills' and Chiefs' as sinking stones).

Divisions of Destiny... and Conference Contest-- the AFC North has a one game lead at 31-21 over it's NFC counterpart. Blame Marion Barber for stepping out of bounds against Denver. That win also gives the AFC a 27-25 lead with 12 games remaining on the interconference slate. Woe is the AFC South: despite 3 wins the albatross that is the Indianapolis Colts sinks that quartet to the cellar at 21-31. Give the NFC Least time, though...

Redskins Rehash-- Jet Crash...

2011-12-08T13:21:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had their seatbelts on Sunday in the fourth quarter... as another season of rough sailing runs aground. Although there's still a minor chance this team makes the playoffs... and I stress minor. One has to suspend belief-- and lets just say suspensions are the last thing this fan base needs now.

Starting strong before fading fast-- at least the first two drives went well. 133 of the team's eventual 304 yards came on their first two possessions... and over half of their points came from their first two drives. The second half saw fourth straight possessions of three and out or a fumble... setting the stage for the eventual come from ahead defeat.

Turnoverasaurus Rex-- a fumble and an interception were the exclamation points on a 19-for-46 afternoon where he averaged under 12 yards per completion. We've seen the ceiling and although it's higher than Beck's it's rather low. We've seen the floor and that's rather low as well... making one wonder if Grossman is the wily veteran the Burgundy and Gold wants to mentor next April's first round pick.

Roy on a rampage-- Mr. Helu reached the century mark for the second straight week on the ground... his 100 yards on 23 carries came in fits and spurts, with only 37 of those yards coming after halftime. On a day where the air attack was severely handcuffed. Hmm...

Feeling Fredtastic takes a new meaning-- Mr. Davis continues his sky-high season... catching 6 passes for 99 yards and lighting up another secondary in the process. With 59 catches for 796 yards already... #83 looks to be baking up a 1000 yard receiving season- unless he notches four straight 4-20 performances. Yeah, it's been a nice run... from oversleeping as a rookie to being the best of the famed Triumvirate (with apologies to Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly). Finally a breakout year turns into a bake-out year. And now Davis is done for the season as well as franchise cornerstone Trent Williams thanks to a drug suspension. Did we see this coming? Not since the Saved by the Bell episode where actor Johnny Dakota was exposed as a pot-head while trying to shoot an anti-drug PSA at Bayside has there been something like this.
Or maybe I just wanted to get a Bell reference in there.

ILBs get an A+-- London Fletcher notched 17 tackles while Perry Riley added 8 stops. That's what you want to see from your linebackers... getting to the ball and making plays. Sadly, no sacks for either Ryan Kerrigan or Brian Orakpo.

Dissecting the Division-- despite the Cowboys overtime loss to Arizona, Dallas remains in front at 7-5... followed by the sinking stone that is the New York Giants- who almost upset unbeaten Green Bay. Philadelphia's win over Washington means the 4-8 Eagles don't occupy the NFC East Cellar and are 11th in the conference... while the Skins are a lucky 13th.

How can they get this done again? So-- if the Giants go 1-0-1 against Dallas in their two meetings and both teams lose the rest of their games they both finish 7-8-1. If Philadelphia loses to Miami then the Eagles will be 7-8 when they play the Skins January 1st. And if the Burgundy and Gold beat New England, the Giants and Minnesota they'd be 7-8. With a winner take all battle for the NFC East.

Best Division and Conference-- entering week 14... the AFC North has the best composite record (29-19)... one game better than the NFC North (28-20) Major props to the NFC West... 10-6 over the last four weeks after starting 12-20. The weakest link? Sadly Indianapolis' 0-12 helps sink the AFC South at 19-29. On the interconference front-- the AFC holds a 24-22 edge.

College Football Corner-- Deja Vu all over again...

2011-12-06T14:32:00.000-08:00

An underwhelming ACC season ended with a thud Saturday night in Charlotte. Virginia Tech-- what happened? Nothing like being rewarded with a BCS Bowl though. Instead of being in the national title conversation-- the Hokies are in a different conversation. One that has them not deserving a trip to New Orleans.

Virginia Tech (11-2) lost to Clemson 38-10... coughing up the customary first quarter touchdown before getting blown out in the second half 28-0. Ouch. Hokie Highlights-- DJ Coles caught 7 passes for 116 yards and the team's lone touchdown... Danny Coale averaged 46 yards a punt. BEAMER BALL! Hokie Humblings-- three turnovers and nine penalties have you fighting uphill. After being lights-out for seven straight games, Logan Thomas turned back into a sophomore. David Wilson was held to 32 yards on 11 carries... making Thomas' task all the more difficult. Next Up-- the Sugar Bowl against Michigan.

Nationally--
So the SEC gets a rematch in the BCS National Championship Game. So we have a month to wait around and catch semi-interesting matchups of middling schools before a bloated New Year's weekend... followed by more trickles of games that don't mean anything followed by a strokefest for SEC football. Fine. Whatever. The most interesting regular season always gives way to the most frustrating postseason.

Will there ever be a true playoff? One can say we're in the cocoon period... where the old bowl system was the caterpillar and the eventual playoff format will be a butterfly. People have been pointing to its eventuality for the last 30 years... and still nothing. I'd be fine with a four or eight team field... while a 16 school tournament might not be feasible-yet.

So I joust windmills and trot out my bracket again this December... giving all 11 conferences automatic bids and padding the field with 5 at large schools (highlighted)... bracketing conference winners closer to home and sending second teams from conferences to other regions.

SOUTH
1-LSU--Arkansas State
8-Kansas St--Clemson

LSU faces a nearby nemesis in the first round while the Tigers punch their ticket to the dance by blowing out Virginia Tech.

WEST
5-Oregon--Louisiana Tech
6-Arkansas--TCU

A nice turn back the clock to the Southwest Conference matchup... with all four teams west of the Mississippi River.

MIDWEST
3-Oklahoma State--Northern Illinois
4-Stanford--Wisconsin

Red on red in the undercard... with the Cowboys rewarded for finally beating Oklahoma.

EAST
2-Alabama--Southern Mississippi
7-Boise State--West Virginia

If Boise State's bummed about being shipped across the country... then win your league. Like Southern Miss did.

Presto's Picks-- break out the brackets... over my head.

2011-12-03T08:19:00.000-08:00

I love how college football proponents tell us all the time how their sport doesn't need a playoff because every week is a playoff in and of itself. "Every game means something!" is the mantra... and while it makes for a great T-Shirt logo it doesn't ring true this December. Conference championship weekend has #1 LSU virtually assured of reaching the BCS Title Game-- win or lose-- with #2 Alabama unlikely to be leapfrogged by #3 Oklahoma State or #5 Virginia Tech. So what are we playing for, exactly?

Under one of my many proposed playoff formats ... these conference championship games would determine automatic berths. Instead they set up the 35 bowls. 35! There aren't 50 teams that deserve to play in Division I-A... let alone the 70 needed. It's like watching air come out of the tire of a tense 13-week journey. Whatever. Bring on basketball.

Alma Mater Update-- Syracuse remains in postseason contention despite a four game losing streak--and having gone from paper tiger to paperweight to waste paper over the course of the season. So if they beat Pitt... they get to play again? Don't SU fans deserve not to see any more football than absolutely necessary?

#5 Virginia Tech can avenge its only loss of the season as the Hokies face Clemson in the ACC Championship game. VT had a rude awakening that afternoon in Blacksburg-- and since then Logan Thomas has tossed 14 touchdown passes while running for nine more scores. Clemson has done their part to take whatever excitement was in this rematch by losing two straight games by 20+ points. Two teams moving in opposite directions continue the trend. Hokies cough up the customary first quarter touchdown en route to a rout, 36-13.

Last Week: 2-0 (nobody cleans up Thanksgiving leftovers better than Presto's Picks!)
Season: 64-29.

Redskins Rehash-- so you're telling me there's a chance?

2011-11-28T22:39:00.000-08:00

So much for six weeks of slumber before the season ends... can you believe that FOX had the Skins listed as "in the hunt" this past Sunday? And a 23-17 victory over Seattle puts the team in position to get into position for the 2005/2007 late season playoff runs we've grown to know and love. What's helpful is that despite a 4-7 mark the team is 4-5 against the NFC-- so there's a chance to hold tiebreakers at 7-5 in the conference and 9-7 overall. As difficult as it sounds... a win over the consistently uneven NY Jets would place this team within striking distance of being within striking distance. So you're telling me there's still a chance? Drink up the burgundy and gold kool aid.

Turnoverasaurus Rex-- two interceptions? That was it? No pick sixes? No fumbles lost or safeties allowed? I'm so there it's not even fair. Grossman isn't the longterm answer for a playoff team-- that is obvious. But he's gives this team a chance to win more than any other QB on the roster. Like a restaurant makes room for spoons that get thrown in the trash in their budget-- the INTs are merely an accounting move. Except when they really cost you.

Channeling Jack Bauer-- 24 remains one of my favorite shows... taking the proud mantle from Seinfeld, The Simpsons, Dallas, Cheers and Happy Days. Last week Rex Grossman said that their goal was to match the 24 points scored against Dallas each and every week. If that were the case-- Skins scoring 24 points in every game-- they'd be 9-2. Granted, this is with opposing offenses putting the game plan in the freezer after jumping out to seemingly insurmountable 19-3 leads.

Finishing with a Flourish-- for an team that has had problems producing points this fall... it was nice to see the Skins come up huge in the fourth quarter. Trailing 10-7... they outgained the Seahawks 151 to 61 yards and put 16 points on the board. That outburst was more than 4 complete games since the bye week.

Holy Helu!-- one month after setting a Redskins record with 14 catches against San Francisco, rookie Roy Helu rumbled for 108 yard and a touchdown. He also led the team in receiving with 7 catches for 54 yards. Will he remain the primary producer from here on out or simply fall back into the runningback rotation like Ryan Torain?

Feeling Fredtastic-- Mr. Davis found the endzone for the first time since week two. His four catches for 58 yards keeps him on pace for 75+ catches and 1000+ yards... and he began with a bang-- notching 3 grabs for 53 yards and a score on the team's opening drive. But on that drive an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty while not costing the Skins certainly slowed them down... and after that possession #83 notched just one 5 yard reception.

Flags Flying-- talk about airing dirty laundry. The Skins were whistled for 10 penalties and 115 yards... as the Seahawks were flagged 9 times for 91 yards... leading to a day that was rather disjointed.

Safety in lack of numbers-- it's been nice to see Laron Landry and Reed Doughty make big plays and tally impressive tackle totals... but any coach will tell you they don't like it when their safeties are making a lot of stops. Not so the case against Seattle--linebacker Perry Riley led the way with 6 tackles and 8 assists while London Fletcher added 4 solo stops and 11 total tackles. One big reason Seattle went 6 of 16 on third down and saw 5 of 8 second half drives go three and out or end in a turnover.

Third and lost-- 3 of 10 when trying to move the chains isn't a way to take control of a game... and at 35.1% on the season the team ranks 22nd in the NFL. Now let the record show that the Skins second and third touchdowns of the day came on third down... so maybe there's progress.

Dissecting the Division-- Dallas takes over sole possession of first place (#4 NFC) after a Thanksgiving win over Miami... the New York Giants drop to second (#8 NFC) following their Monday Night loss to New Orleans... Philadelphia's third in the division and ninth in the conference after losing to New England... followed by the Skins in fourth place/tenth place thanks to their week six loss to Philly. They need to leapfrog the Eagles (with Vince Young at QB a definite possibility) and the Giants (slumping with 3 straight losses)... plus two of the following: Detroit (a definite possibility with the Suh suspension)... Atlanta (not likely with an easy December for the Falcons) and Chicago (with Bobby Douglass now a QB option--anything is possible).

Losing out in the Luck Lotto-- the win over Seattle does provide a major setback in the race to get a franchise quarterback... as the Skins would be drafting anywhere from 7th to 14th. Indianapolis remains the leader/loser in with five games remaining-- and a two loss advantage. St. Louis (2-9) has Sam Bradford and Minnesota (2-9) has Christian Ponder...(recent first rounders at quarterback)..so conventional wisdom says they pass on Andrew Barkley and Landry Jones (isn't that the kid from "Friday Night Lights" who hooked up with Tyra and then killed her stalker?). How far will those two fall? And does Indy once locking up the number one pick (it could happen as early as week 14) reverse it's previous post-clinching behavior and try not to "not to win"...?

College Football Corner-- Destiny and Density...

2011-11-27T11:10:00.000-08:00

I've often said that November is Closing Month. Legacies are determined... seasons are salvaged or lost... and champions if not crowned are weeded out to a handful of contenders. In Closing Month some schools find their destiny-- while others find their density (thanks George McFly). No exception this fall with the three area schools... and the post Thanksgiving weekend has leftovers of celebration (pumpkin pie and sweet potato souffle) in Blacksburg, consolation (mashed potatoes and stuffing) in Charlottesville, and desperation (very dry turkey... even drier lima beans and wet mushy canned peas) in College Park. Eat up.

Championship Fever? First Clemson has killed whatever buzz there may have been for the upcoming ACC title tilt by losing to South Carolina. This after getting thrashed by NC State a week before. Nothing like advancing to a title game after two straight defeats. But there's worse: UCLA at 6-6 wins the Pac-12 South by default (USC on probation) and plays Oregon (who at 10-2 isn't even the highest ranked team in the North) for a shot at the Rose Bowl. The Big Ten's first title game has Michigan State and Wisconsin... although I don't know if who won the Leaders Division and who took the Legends Division...although I can imagine the pride of hanging that banner. Conference USA has unbeaten Houston asking itself if they want to be officially snubbed by the BCS or lose their way out of the conversation. And the crowning jewel? The SEC Championship game has #1 LSU not really needing to beat Georgia to advance to the BCS. What do the college koolaid drinkers tell me--every game's important?

Alma Mater Update-- the Paper Tigers continue to crash to earth on a weekly basis. This time SU fell to Cincinnati 30-13... and there are grumblings around coach Doug Marrone's job status. This one year after he guided a rebuilding roster to a bowl berth (albeit the Pinstripe Bowl-- next year I hope for the Seersucker Bowl in Savannah, GA)... the first postseason play for SU since 2004. It took Dick MacPherson five years to get the Orange to the Cherry Bowl. Some patience, please. Meanwhile my worst fears came to light regarding Bernie Fine-- and his wife. Hopefully the University will continue to handle this situation the right way.

Maryland (2-10) closed this season with a mammoth collapse-- one that I'm still attempting to get my head around. 41-14 with 6 minutes to play in the third quarter? Gone? Wha' happened? I thought the collapse to Clemson was where the worm completely turned on this fall (the first sign of a rough season coming against Temple)... but at least the Tigers were nationally ranked. A 56-41 loss to North Carolina State puts a sour exclamation point on the 2011 campaign. Terrapin Triumphs-- for 39 minutes, quite a few positives... 2 defensive touchdowns... 91 yards rushing and a touchdown for Davin Meggett in his final game as a Terp. Terrapin Troubles-- a defense that allowed touchdowns on five straight possessions in the second half...265 of the Wolfpack's 439 yards came in the game's final 23 minutes. An offense that after taking a 27 point lead went three and out twice... followed by a fumble and an interception... another three and out... and then a pick six. Major ouch. Also, the uniform combo looked rather Steeleresque.

Coaching Carousel Firing Up... with a hair-trigger-- Memphis... Illinois... Arizona State... who's next? With Ohio State being filled by Urban Meyer and Penn State currently radioactive... what other jobs will open up? I was caught off-guard by the Tigers... only two seasons despite a 3-21 mark is not nearly long enough to give a coach's new regime a chance. If an AD fires a coach after 1 to 2 years... he/she should follow him out the door.

#5 Virginia Tech (11-1) entered its annual showdown with #24 Virginia (8-3) with more than commonwealth pride on the line-- and once again the Hokies dominated from the opening kickoff to the final gun. The 38-0 rout sends the Hokies to a rematch with Clemson for the ACC title... and the Cavaliers back to the drawing board. At least Kippy and Buffy went with Port on their final tailgate... a Taylor Fladgate 20 year tawny when paired with Monterrey Jack on Captains Wafers. Hokie Highlights-- David Wilson rushed for 153 yards and two scores... a turnover free 60 minutes... and how about starting strong while finishing with a flourish? VT held somebody scoreless in the first quarter while pulling away with 17 fourth quarter points. Hokie Humblings-- four three and outs kept the Cavaliers around early... and a missed field goal? Where was BEAMER BALL! this fall? Cavalier Congrats-- Kris Burd caught 7 passes for 100 yards... wrapping up a fine career and senior season by reaching the century mark for the fourth time this fall. The defense held the Hokies to 6 of 13 on third down. Cavalier Concerns-- 30 yards rushing and 3 of 11 on third down... four turnovers... and a fourth quarter fold that saw UVa get outgained 99 to 11 in the final fifteen minutes.

Presto's Picks-- Commonwealth Clash plus a State of Disarray...

2011-11-26T06:47:00.000-08:00

College football's closing month concludes with the best of times and worst of times in the region. While Virginia Tech finds itself in a familiar place-- one win away from playing for another ACC title... and Virginia tries to wrap up a Cinderella stretch that saw the Cavaliers go from pretenders to contenders... Maryland tries to figure out what went wrong and regroup for 2012. Each school has had moments this fall-- and while coaches will say each game counts equally, some are more equal than others. For VT, the signature moment was an October game against Miami where the Hokies bounced back from a loss to Clemson-- Logan Thomas threw for 310 yards and three touchdowns while running for two more scores... including the gamewinner with under a minute to play. From that point the Hokies were no longer a shaky team that feasted on cupcakes in September but a solid team that was on the road to a top ten ranking. UVa's hallmark moment was a Thursday night game at Miami-- the Cavaliers up to that point were consistently uneven and one whisker away from dropping out of ACC contention. Three big play touchdowns and 60 minutes of sound football later, postseason wasn't just a dream but an eventuality. Maryland's moment of truth was the Temple game-- a 1-1 club that almost beat nationally ranked West Virginia felt they could still have a special season... only to learn an undersized defensive line wasn't going to stop anybody and the high-octane offense was going to misfire early and often with dropped passes... missed assignments and a revolving door at quarterback.

Alma Mater Update-- SU takes on Cincinnati... needing a victory this Saturday or next to wrap up a second straight bowl berth. I'm not confident. For whatever reason, after lurking as a paper tiger (first four wins coming by a combined 20 points) the Orange played their best game of the season against West Virginia October 21st-- and apparently went into hiding immediately thereafter. At least SU hoops won the NIT Tipoff... as Orange Nation waits for the other shoe to drop in the Bernie Fine case.

Maryland (2-9) tries to avoid a second ten-loss season in three years... making the trip to Raleigh to face North Carolina State. Can they contain Mike Glennon? They've allowed 32.3 points a game this fall-- most in the ACC. Can CJ Wilson continue his growth at QB-- despite a wide receiving corps that never established itself this fall? The Wolfpack pace the conference in takeaways and are fourth nationally in turnover margin. Terps tumble, 30-14.

Virginia (8-3) plays Virginia Tech (10-1) for bragging rights, the Commonwealth Cup and the Coastal Division title. The two schools have long been viewed through the prism of establishment and upstart...with UVa owning the traditional moniker and VT the new kid on the block status. Not so in football--especially now with Mike London trying to construct something similar to what Frank Beamer has built. VT has plenty of firepower with Logan Thomas throwing and David Wilson running-- and you'd have to think the Cavaliers will have to contain the Hokies as Michael Rocco probably can't keep pace in a shootout. Still, there's a definite window of opportunity: VT has had problems beginning games all season-- if UVa can jump on them early with a big play or two... Wilson's not as much of a factor. I'm still waiting for the Hokie special teams to steal a game this fall. Is this the week? Hokies allow two touchdowns in the game's first five minutes-- before rallying... taking the lead for good on a blocked kick (BEAMER BALL!)...27-24.

Last week: 3-4. During Closing Month? Put that coffee down!
Overall: 62-29.

White Album Trimmed...

2011-11-24T04:50:00.000-08:00

Wasting time has always been one of my specialties. So when The Beatles White Album celebrated its 43rd birthday this past Tuesday... I turned to producer George Martin's long-held statement that he wished they could have released it as a stronger single record.

What do you keep? Which songs go to the dustbin? And how much do you change the sequence? Because years of listening has trained the ear to think "Dear Prudence" after "Back in the USSR" and "I Will" after "Why Don't we Do it in the Road?".

Now I set about the revamped White Album with a few guidelines:

1-- Balance between the writers. That means 5 songs each for John & Paul... 3 for George and 1 for Ringo. Also in sequencing the songs the goal was to have no back-to-back songs by the same primary writer.

2-- Post positions-- the Beatles took great care in the sequencing of the albums they had control over (all UK releases and all US releases from Pepper onwards)... and that meant beginning with a bang... finishing with a flourish... and building a bridge between the sides.
"Taxman"sets the tone for Revolver..."Ticket to Ride" makes you want to flip the side on Help!... "Here Comes the Sun" opens Abbey Road's side two with ease and "Twist and Shout" ends Please Please Me with an exclamation point.

3--Single spotlight-- I took the liberty of removing "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" from the pool because with a 14- track album they probably would have looked to release another song as a 45... and Paul had been pushing this one like nothing else (much to the others dismay). But it's catchy in a "Hello Goodbye" way-- George Martin would have pushed for it-- and having "Everybody's Got Something to Hide, Except for Me and My Monkey" follows the trend of John's earthier stuff backing Paul's commercial fare ("Walrus/Goodbye", "Revolution/Hey Jude").

So here we go...

Side A--
1-Back in the USSR
2-Dear Prudence
3-Piggies
4-Don't Pass Me By
5-Glass Onion
6-Blackbird
7-While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Can't shake the starting sequence that's been ingrained for 43 years... the plane's engines are like the opening chord on "A Hard Day's Night". I also wanted to bring George and Ringo in early on side one. I tried to balance the rockers and ballads as well as sarcasm and idealism (Glass Onion/Blackbird). Plus-- "Guitar" is a nice Side A closer in the same vein as "She Said She Said" or "Michelle"... you felt fulfilled but your appetite for more is in play.

Side B
1-Helter Skelter
2-Julia
3-Rocky Raccoon
4-Savoy Truffle
5-Cry Baby Cry
6-I Will
7-Happiness is a Warm Gun

From the harsh to the soft to the sublime (Paul's narrative is memorable but George's recounting of different chocolates that Eric Clapton likes is pure gold). John goes from reflective to haunting to the final song that's literally helter skelter-- three different styles and tempos somehow stitched together. Their better finishing tracks summed up the album's tone while also letting the curtain come down. After hearing "Tomorrow Never Knows" or "A Day in the Life"... I was cool with silence for a little bit. One reason I think the double album suffers is by placing "Happiness" at the end of side one the listener gets completely sucked into the song-- it takes a while to get back into things on side two. I'd mentally go to lunch until about halfway through "Blackbird".

Easy Cuts-- "Honey Pie" and "Revolution #9"... opposite ends of the spectrum-- one could have been released in 1938... and the other maybe in 2038.

Tough Cuts--"Why Don't we do it in the Road?" is a fantastic track but has B-Side written all over it like "I'm Down".

Redskins Rehash-- Turkey Drop...

2011-11-23T03:44:00.000-08:00

If you have a chance this Thanksgiving season, check out "WKRP in Cincinnati" on youtube or hulu. There was a first-season episode titled "Turkey's Away" where the station decides to hold a Thanksgiving Turkey giveaway-- only to drop a few out of a helicopter. Evidently the station manager thought that "God as my witness-- I thought turkeys could fly". And obviously they "hit the parking lot like sacks of wet cement". Welcome to the Redskins 2011 season. The optimism of a 3-1 start has long crashed to the earth like sacks of wet cement. The notion of John Beck as a starting NFL QB now as valid as turkeys flying. Oh the humanity!

Turnoverasaurus Rex-- Mr. Grossman threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns while running for the team's other score. Still... a 4th quarter interception nearly cost his team in regulation. More thrills, chills and spills on the menu next Sunday in Seattle.

Third and out... with multiple drops-- the Skins converted 6 of 15 third downs... although they began disastrously in the first half: 0 for 5 with three fumbles-- one recovered by the Cowboys... one recovered by the Skins... another reversed by instant replay.

Secondary Seams-- Dallas retook the lead in the fourth quarter with a 59 yard pass from Tony Romo to Jason Witten on a broken play. Romo also found Dez Bryant on a 26 yard strike on 3rd and 15 in overtime to move the ball to the Redskin 23... setting up the gamewinning field goal.

Feeling Fredtastic?-- #83 tallied 6 catches for 49 yards with a long of 24... meaning he averaged 5 yards on his other 5 grabs. Davis' total of 49 receptions and 636 yards prorates to 78 and 1017. So why does his season feel so underwhelming?

London Bridge-- Mr. Fletcher recorded 16 total tackles and a sack... proving that he is the heart and soul of this defense. One wonders how much longer the 36 year old will maintain this level... and will he be able to contribute when this team finally turns things around (whenever that will be).

Ryan the Rookie-- Kerrigan tallied one sack and two quarterback hits... giving him six on the season. The Skins need more picks like him-- and soon.

Ganoing ganoing gone?-- the Skins kicker missed a pair of field goal attempts... from 49 and 52 yards. He leads the league in misses with 8... and that is never ideal. Will the Skins do some Christmas shopping for a new kicker or stand pat on PATs and FGs for 2012?

Dissecting the Division-- Philadelphia's win over the Giants drops New York behind Dallas... as the Cowboys take the division lead thanks to a better NFC East record. The two teams tangle twice between now and the end of the season. While Dallas takes the #4 seed... the Giants are in 8th place. The Eagles hang onto hope in 10th while the Redskins are 12th... officially still in the hunt but you know the deal.

College Football Corner-- of turkeys and trimmings...

2011-11-21T09:38:00.000-08:00

College football and Thanksgiving go hand in hand. Everybody comes home from school to brag about how well their school did... or play down how poorly their school played. While the NFL rules Thursday, there's plenty of pigskin helpings Friday and Saturday with rivalry games on tap-- and more than a few of them carry division, conference or national championship implications. While Virginia Tech is thankful for a soft September schedule and minimal growing pains for quarterback Logan Thomas, Virginia's thankful they're playing meaningful games in late November. Maryland, meanwhile, is thankful the autumn nightmare is coming to a close-- with work already underway on 2012.

Alma Mater Update-- Syracuse had the weekend off with games against Cincinnati and Pittsburgh pending. At 5-5 they need a split to make postseason play... but with 3 straight losses where they've allowed 30+ points a game, I think we might be looking forward to basketball. Oh yeah, that. Longtime assistant coach Bernie Fine has been accused of molesting a former ball-boy in the 1980's and 90's. I covered the team while I was a student and never heard anything sketchy about Fine-- but my minimal exposure to SU hoops during that time obviously counts for nothing. You just don't know people. If the claims are true I hope appropriate action is taken. If the claims are true I hope my university didn't cover anything up or turn a blind eye when they had the chance to do the right thing. If these claims are false, I have no mercy for those who have lied and slandered... and hope a longtime coach gets his reputation back.

Maryland (2-9) enjoyed a tale of two halves against Wake Forest... playing the Demon Deacons even for 30 minutes before allowing 4 scores in the first five possessions after intermission-- slipping 31-10. Once again there were bright spots with more than a few breakdowns. Bring on 2012. Terrapin Triumphs-- CJ ran for 110 yards while throwing for 186 and a touchdown... Demetrius Hartsfield tallied 14 tackles while Andre Monroe notched 2 and a half sacks. Terrapin Troubles-- 514 total yards allowed... 340 after halftime. Two missed field goals from 32 and 36 yards. And another double digit defeat. Next up: Saturday at North Carolina State.

Virginia (8-3) somehow survived a last-chance Florida State rally and won for the first time ever in Tallahassee... 14-13. Any time you win for the first time in a conference foe's building, it becomes a big season. Kippy and Buffy got into the pre-Thanksgiving celebration by enjoying Louis Jadot Beaujolais with Port Wine Cheese on Wheat Thins. Now Saturday's Commonwealth Cup also means a ticket to the ACC Title game. Cavalier Congrats-- 238 yards passing for Michael Rocco against the best defense in the ACC... and a turnover free game for the offense. The UVa D held FSU to 3 of 13 on third down and allowed the Seminoles to cross midfield just twice after halftime. Cavalier Concerns-- 7 penalties is never ideal... and going 5 of 14 on third down is one way to keep the opponent in the game.
Next Up: Saturday against Virginia Tech.

Virginia Tech (10-1) continues to rule Thursday night with the clarity of a Bill Cosby sweater. Despite a late North Carolina rally, the Hokies hold on 24-21. Now the overachieving little brother once again faces his instate rival-- with a trip to the ACC Title Game on the line. Hokie Highlights-- Logan Thomas threw for two scores while running for a third... VT moved the chains on 9 of 16 third downs... Jarrett Boykin tallied 10 catches for 106 yards. Hokie Humblings-- another sluggish first quarter resulting in an early deficit... that I'm used to. But now a fourth quarter where the defense allowed 179 yards and two scores? Special teams saw a field goal missed/-1 punt return yards/under 20 yards a kickoff return. BEAMER BALL?Next Up: Ray and Louann square off with Kippy and Buffy in a tailgating tilt... as the Hokies visit Virginia.

Presto's Picks-- tournament time? Or bowl of confusion...

2011-11-19T04:58:00.000-08:00

Every year I basically write the same thing. About how college football needs to decide its championship on a field instead of by voters and computers. Let the candidates decide their fate in the open! I've had 4-team, 8-team, 12-team and 16-team fields. And the band plays on. I've incorporated the bowls and gone to neutral sites. I've sent automatic qualifiers to different regions. I've made January 1st the day for the Final Four and the Elite Eight. And the band plays on. So I'll draw up my pretend bracket after this weekend's games and write about how a tournament actually makes November games meaningful for more than the top 5-7 teams... and how the lower level bowls really do nothing but reward mediocrity (yes, Syracuse-- I know last year's 7-5 mark deserved some celebration... but a trip to the Bronx and a Banner?). I watch the SEC self-perpetuate its perch atop the college football landscape while unbeatens like TCU and Boise State get the shaft. But the bowl band plays on.

Maryland (2-8) visits Wake Forest-- a team that needs a victory to wrap up a bowl berth. The Demon Deacons are led by Tanner Price-- who has a pair of wideouts (Chris Givens and Michael Campanaro) to stretch the field. The Terps' defense has had problems recently stopping anyone and everyone (40ppg in last five weeks). Offensively, what was a quarterback rotation is now simply CJ Brown and hold your breath-- walk-on Troy Jones and punt returner Tony Logan are the backups. Read that last sentence again. Terps tumble 44-27.

Virginia (7-3) turns to Tallahassee-- a place they've never won-- and needs to beat #23 Florida State in order to stay alive in the Coastal Division race. Perry Jones and Kevin Parks have powered the Cavalier ground game effectively this fall-- but haven't run into brick wall like the first in the ACC Seminole defense. Do you feel confident putting your Orange Bowl hopes in the hands of Michael Rocco? But if there's been one team that's been predictably unpredictable this fall- it's been Kippy and Buffy's alma mater. Cavs come up short 23-20.

Navy sinks San Jose State, Howard defeats Delaware State, James Madison falls at Massachusetts (they're not losing on Thanksgiving week), William & Mary beats Richmond.

Last Week: 6-1.
Overall: 59-25 (12-2 in closing month!)

Presto's Picks-- Thursday Night Thriller...

2011-11-17T12:48:00.000-08:00

What is it about the Hokies and Thursday Night Football? Fried Turkey Legs... BEAMER BALL!... and Maroon and Purple rule like Cheers and ER. I initially wasn't a fan of the Thursday night game but have warmed up to it on the college front (still not a fan of NFL games on Thursday night... but whatever). And Virginia Tech seemingly has been at the forefront of Thursday night action from the beginning.

#9 Virginia Tech tangles with North Carolina and can wrap up the Coastal Division with a victory plus a Virginia loss at Florida State Saturday. While the Hokies boast the ACC's leading rusher in David Wilson, the Tar Heels are ranked third in the league in stopping the run. Bryn Renner doesn't throw for a lot of yards but is extremely effective when he does air it out (#1 in the ACC in passing efficiency). Logan Thomas has grown from a raw product to a quarterback with plenty of polish-- and UNC may be a more inviting target (last in the league in stopping the pass while rating 9th in pass defense efficiency). And oh my those Turkey Legs taste good. Hokies hang on, 30-24.

Coming up tomorrow-- full slate of picks with the "playoff bracket" you've been waiting for...

Redskins Rehash-- Are they on the clock yet?

2011-11-15T21:39:00.000-08:00

Okay-- I've tried to avoid the obvious. Each week I try to dissect the Redskins' game with snarky comments and witty repartee... but we all recognize the obvious. This team is bad. This team won't be a contender or even a pretender this year. And there's a chance that next year might not be much better. Things are that bad. I didn't think that 5-11 ("not too good"--Steve Spurrier, before faxed resignation-2003) was a possibility... now 3-13 is mentioned with all seriousness after a 3-1 start.

So the Skins lost 20-9 in Miami. To a very bad team that was winless two weeks ago and will probably finish last in the AFC East (although Buffalo could fashion a classic second half collapse-- "nobody circles the wagons to finish under .500 like the Buffalo Bills!"). This was another game that was there for the taking and wasn't taken.

Turnoverasaurus Rex... still better than Beck-- Mr. Grossman threw two interceptions... including one on the supposed go-ahead drive in the fourth quarter. This after connecting on 7 of his first 9 passes in the first half. But at least he's throwing the ball more than ten yards downfield. John Beck is also the name of the actor who played "Mark Graison" on Dallas-- he was Pam's love interest after her divorce with Bobby-- and although you didn't mind the guy, you knew he just wasn't Bobby. I don't mind this John Beck, but I just know he's not an NFL quarterback.

Torain goes off the rails-- somehow the Dolphin defense knew how to stymie Ryan Torain: 10 carries for 20 yards... and a first half sequence from the 5 that lost three yards over five plays. Let the record show he did have a touchdown wiped out by a holding call-- but Roy Helu was introduced as an option a little too late.

Backup Plan? Ha!-- Don't be so quick to roast Mike Shanahan, because the fruits we are tasting were planted during the Vinny Cerrato era. With the recent injuries we learn further about the complete lack of depth developed over the last decade. A good organization's backups are almost good enough to be starters-- a bad organization's backups are almost bad enough to be out of the league.

Hankering for the IR-- rookie Leonard Hankerson tallied 8 catches for 106 yards in what appeared to be his breakout game. Unfortunately the game during which he went off on a tear also was the one where he tore the labrum in his right hip. So the Skins go to plan H or I at wideout.

Feeling Fredtastic... dropping-- okay, so everybody's favorite tight end dropped a pass in the numbers. Still, Mr. Davis recorded 3 catches for 28 yards-- and his prorated numbers are 76 grabs for 1043 yards. But he hasn't found the endzone in some time (second three game stretch without a touchdown); on a team desperately needing a go-to receiver in the red zone... he's not it.

Red-faced-- three trips into the red zone with no touchdowns to show for it. What's worse... the 0 for 3 or the fact that they got inside Miami's 20 just three times (one aided by a interception return)?

Grading the D on a curve--the Skins allowed just 20 points... but allowed 8 of 14 third down conversions. Jim Haslett's unit did provide a pair of takeaways that led to points... and Ryan Kerrigan continued his promising rooking campaign with a pair of sacks. But the leading tacklers were safeties Reed Doughty and Laron Landry: any time your DBs are making a lot of stops-- it's not necessarily a good thing.

Dissecting the division-- Despite the Giants loss at San Francisco, New York remains atop the NFC East as the # 3 seed. Dallas is alone in second place and their 4-2 conference record puts them ahead of Atlanta for 7th place in the NFC. Philadelphia stays in third place of the division but drops to #12 in the conference with their underwhelming loss to Arizona. And the Redskins remain in last place... now 13th place in the conference. Much closer to last place than the last playoff spot in the NFC.

All signs point North... with a West Surge--- both North Divisions continue their dominance-- the NFC is 23-13 while the AFC is 22-15 after ten weeks. Major props to the much-maligned NFC West-- going 4-0 to improve to a pedestrian 16-20. Not ideal, but decidedly better than the AFC South's 15-23.

College Football Corner-- the Confounded Confluence...

2011-11-14T09:16:00.000-08:00

The middle weeks of November always make me shrug. As the excitement of Closing Month focuses on teams playing for conference or national championships-- or simply trying to become bowl eligible-- college hoops tips off its regular season. Isn't there enough going on? Can't they push back opening weekend one week? Not to pull my "old codger", but when I was young they'd wait until the weekend before Thanksgiving for games-and we liked it! It doesn't help now that just about everybody plays through the last week of November-- this isn't 1985 when the Big Ten was wrapped up before Turkey day. Instead, you have non-conference games that get shoved to the side because 1/12 of a football season (usually a conference or rivalry game) takes precedence over 1/30 of a basketball campaign (usually against a non-conference foe on a lower level). Which brings me to the Maryland-Georgetown womens showdown. Has the feel of a Saturday December tilt, right? The perfect appetizer to conference play? No-- the Terps and Hoyas get shoved into a Sunday slot where the Redskins and Ravens have meaningful games (okay, Skins fans-- humor me here). I know the audience for womens hoops and the NFL isn't exactly the same demo-- but if you schedule that game for early November you're almost asking for it to be buried under Skinsationalism and Ravens coverage (working on a Ravens hybrid word...I will take suggestions). Meanwhile, the college football season still has two more regular season weeks to sort out.

Maryland (2-7) punted four times in the first quarter allowed Notre Dame to score on four of their six first half possessions... and the second half wasn't much better: the Irish scored on their opening drive...and then returned a pick six. A broken arm would then end Danny O'Brien's year as the team falls 45-21. With two games remaining in the 2011 season, one wonders what happened to a 9-4 team-- and what will need to happen between now and next Labor Day to get this program on the right track. Terrapin Triumphs-- DJ Adams saw his most serious action since the West Virginia game, tallying 55 yards rushing and a touchdown while catching two passes... Alex Twine tallied 12 tackles with one sack... Nick Ferrara averaged over 40 yards a punt. Terrapin Troubles-- 3 of 12 on third down while allowing the Fighting Irish to move the chains on 10 of 16 opportunities... the run defense allowed almost 6 yards a carry when adjusted for sacks... and no turnovers generated against a Notre Dame team that has had trouble hanging onto the football. Next Up: Saturday at Wake Forest.

Virginia (7-3) made a team bowl-ineligible for the second straight week, defeating Duke 31-21 in a game that had every inkling of a letdown. Kippy and Buffy raised the bar once again for their tailgate: Mollydooker "Blue Eyed Boy" Shiraz with pepperjack cheese on triscuits. Cavalier Congrats-- Michael Rocco threw two touchdown passes while the defense held the Blue Devils to 34 net rushing yards. Cavalier Concerns-- 6 of 15 on third down led to 6 three and outs in twelve possessions... 6 penalties... and the lack of a first half knockout punch won't help UVa as it transitions from lambs to lions on its November schedule. Next Up: Saturday at Florida State.

#9 Virginia Tech (9-1) owns Closing Month and usually owns Thursday Night: the two forces collided in VT's 37-26 victory over Georgia Tech. This matchup has played like an ACC Semifinal since divisional play began: either the Hokies or Yellowjackets have played on the first Saturday of December. Hokie Highlights-- Logan Thomas threw three touchdown passes while running for two more scores... David Wilson ran for 175 yards... VT converted 10 of 16 third downs-- and on two non-conversions followed with moving the chains on fourth down. Hokie Humblings-- Guess who scored first? Yes, VT was blanked in the first quarter 7-0. I can't think of a better team worse in the opening period. And the start of the college basketball season already has me thinking about how Seth Greenberg's team is on the bubble. Next Up: Thursday against North Carolina-- bring the Turkey Legs.

Presto's Picks... from under the rubble at State College.

2011-11-12T08:20:00.001-08:00

I grew up liking and following Penn State. In the northeast during the 70's and 80's, the Nittany Lions were the only major football program who consistently mattered on the national stage. Yes, Pitt won a national title and Boston College had a Heisman Trophy winner... but Penn State every year took on the bullies from the big conferences (this was the era of the Independent)- beating the USC's, Alabama's and Nebraska's. They did things the right way-- in an era of everybody in the SWC going on probation, never a whiff of impropriety in the program. The team was always more than the sum of its parts: there was a stretch where they beat Marcus Allen, Herschel Walker, Doug Flutie and Vinnie Testaverde the year each won the Heisman. And Joe Paterno represented what was good-- steering the ship through the unseemly waters of college athletics. Even when I didn't attend Penn State (going to a rival Eastern Independent), I still respected what the program stood for and what it meant to college athletics.

And now it's gone. Paterno fired? For off the field issues? Surely you mean some renegade coach paying players? Something so far off base that it possibly couldn't be true-- you mean Paterno's former longtime assistant coach was molesting kids while running a children's charity? If you haven't read the Grand Jury transcript, sit down before you do.

But it's not what Jerry Sandusky did... as much as what Joe Paterno didn't do that caused everything to tumble down. The famed quote: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing". For at least 12 years, a lot of good men in and around State College did nothing-- or not enough. One wonders how long Paterno knew of this behavior. If there was one thing you felt you knew about Joe Paterno-- whether his team was 11-1 or 7-5 he was always doing the right thing. Somewhere the right thing was replaced by the bare minimum.

We like to think the best of people... and give people the benefit of the doubt. We can't imagine the horrors evil men do... because you ask yourself, how can a heart be that dark? You curse Sandusky for his ruining the lives of at least 8 young people... and setting in motion the toppling of all Paterno created. You look at what the people in charge did and didn't do-- and hope that you would have done the right thing if you were in that spot. You feel for the at least 8 people irreparably harmed by a predator-- and hope that they are in some way able to cobble together a decent life... even as those buried traumas come back to haunt them.

I work in the "toy department" of journalism. The Maryland-Notre Dame game is important to some but not as crucial as a jobs bill or hurricane or election. Sports is supposed to give people refuge from the ills of the day. Unfortunately at State College, it's going to be a while before Happy Valley has reason to be happy again.

Maryland meets Notre Dame-- the Terrrapins are in a tailspin... having dropped five straight. They've put together drives and quarters here and there-- but not the consistency they need to beat a team like the Fighting Irish. Terps come up short, 38-16.

Virginia faces Duke-- November begins like a Lamb and ends like a Lion for the Cavaliers (Florida State and Virginia Tech conclude the UVa slate). One more W for Kippy and Buffy, 29-17.

Navy comes up short against SMU, Georgetown slips at Lehigh, Howard defeats Delaware State, James Madison edges Rhode Island, William & Mary falls to Old Dominion, Richmond loses to Delaware.

Last Week: 6-1.
Overall: 53-24.

Redskins Rehash-- Fools' Gold and playing the hits...

2011-11-07T08:17:00.000-08:00

So much for 3-1 and a potential playoff appearance. This is a crazy league and I've seen 3-6 New England teams go to 10-6, but does anything this team has done since opening day against the New York Giants inspire confidence? A 19-11 loss to San Francisco (and that's with the sluggish 49ers kicking off at 10am West Coast Time) generates the question of not "how are they going to turn this around" to "how far can this team fall"?

There's been quite a bit of dysfunction with the Redskins in the last 20 years-- from the Pettibon one and done to the Zorn "Maroon and Black" era-- so anytime things go wrong, there's a recent example to say "Deja Vu!". The only question is which year do we turn back the clock to. At first I was going to draft my "Bobby Gold!" persona from Rock 101-WGIR-FM... but he played the 70's and 80's in the 90's... good Redskin years and good stuff. This DJ plays everything from the Goo Goo Dolls to Plain White Tees... with the Gibbs II era sounding like latter day Lame REM. Nostalgia's awesome only when it's good.

Underwhelming afternoon-- at least the weather was nice. The Skins never led... and never really threatened... not reaching the SF red zone until their 12th possession of the day. Reminds one of the 2004 Skins that was massively offensively challenge... allowing opponents to post 15 to 20 points and then run clock.

Beck Lite-- if you look at #12's numbers, 254 yards doesn't seem like a bad outing... until you realize he needed 30 completions to get there. Makes one yearn for Jason Campbell's "Captain Checkdown" era of 2007-09.

Torain off the tracks... or "helluu...Roy"-- with Ryan Torain no longer the main engine in the ground game--after gaining 135 yards on 19 carries against St. Louis, Torain's been held to 33 yards on 21 tries over four games-- rookie Roy Helu was the meal ticket against San Francisco. And the Penn State product shined with 14 receptions (a Skins record) for 105 yards while running the ball 10 times for 41 yards.... but what's not awesome is he was targeted 17 times in 47 Beck attempts (over 33%) and they only ran the ball 15 times. Fifteen! That's not just a bad Nickelodeon 90210 knockoff with Ryan Reynolds in the cast... but a lack of commitment to the run. And they weren't necessarily in a pass-only mindset until the fourth quarter. Makes one recall the glory days of pitchin' and catchin' as well as droppin' G's under Steve Spurrier in 2002-03.

Feeling Fredtastic... ankle and all-- now #83 knows what it's like to be the lone threat on a banged up offense. Minus Tim Hightower, Chris Cooley and Santana Moss the open seams tighten up a little bit-- but Mr. Davis grabbed 4 passes for 42 yards. The prorated totals for the season are now 72-1034... but he hasn't scored in some time. Effective use of a tight end means he gets plenty of red zone chances-- and that's not happening here. This time we look to 2008 when Chris Cooley caught 83 passes for the Maroon and Black but scored just once.

Third and out-- both teams had problems moving the chains Sunday... with the Skins converting 5 of 12 and the Niners getting the job done on just 3 of 12 attempts. So a lot of punting (10 on 23 non-kneedown possessions) gave the Skins a chance to get back into this game early and often.

Quick Kicks-- sustained drives even when you don't generate points is a quiet stat: you're able to control clock and generate better field position... setting yourself up for success over the entire half. In the Skins 12 possessions, they had 3 three and outs-- with a fumbles on the first or second play of two other drives. Two more drives generated generated one first down and then a punt. An eighth possession came at the end of the first half and resulted in a 59 yard field goal.

Graham not cracking-- so much for a kicking controversy. How about a franchise record 59-yarder? The kicker's now 12 of 16 on the season with one miss since the end of September.
Feels like the good old days of Mark Moseley and Chip Lohmiller? Not exactly.

Secondary the primary tacklers-- three of the four leading tacklers against the 49ers were defensive backs... and that's not necessarily a good thing when your DBs are making most of the stops. That means your front seven's either getting blocked out of the way or not making plays. The OLB combo of Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan did total a combine 11 stops with each notching a sack-- two of the better personnel moves made by this and the previous regime. Nice to see solid linebacker play on a day where the Skins honored Chris Hanburger's Hall of Fame enshrinement.

Dissecting the Division-- the Giants win at New England places Big Blue atop the NFC East; the Giants would own the #3 seed if the playoffs began today. Dallas thanks to a win over Seattle and a 4-2 NFC mark owns the #8 spot in the conference, while the Redskins currently rate 11th in the NFC. Philadelphia can move up to 7th with a win over Chicago; a loss drops the Eagles to 10th.

Changing of the Conference Guard?-- since the late 1990's, the AFC has been the better conference: taking 9 of 12 Super Bowls between 1997 and 2009 and annually taking the interconference series (although one year it was tied at 32 wins apiece). Now back to back Super Bowl wins... the declining Colts and Patriots... and a midseason 15-12 edge by the NFC may mean that turnabout is on its way.

College Football Corner-- thank goodness for shrimp dip...

2011-11-06T08:36:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Kippy and Buffy. My UVa tailgating friends--popped collars with woven sweaters, argyles with Doxides and all-- can lord over their Terrapin counterparts on the gridiron for the next year... and enjoy their clinching a postseason berth to boot. It's kind of odd that Virginia Tech was idle this weekend-- it only magnifies the Maryland-Virginia matchup for all the right and wrong reasons.

Alma Mater Update-- Paul Pasqualoni gets his revenge win as UConn rallies past the Orange 28-21. Thanks for recruiting a decent QB after McNabb, Paul. And thanks for always finding a way to lose to the East Carolinas and NC States from out of nowhere... and oh yes... Temple. My cousin Liz went to that fine institution, but losing to Temple in 2004 still stings. Unless John Chaney is threatening me. Then I'm cool with that. So now not only is the air officially out of the season, the SU bandwagon is ruining its tires by driving on the rims. Pinstripe Bowl here we come! Unless they add another bowl to be played at CitiBank.

Virginia began with a bang against Maryland-- returing a kickoff 47 yards and then scoring from 47 yards out on its first play from scrimmage. After a Terrapin rally, the Cavaliers owned the third quarter: grinding out 207 yards to 65 for the home team, scoring 14 points while being en route to a field goal as the quarter ended, and holding the Terps to a pair of 3 and outs with an interception on the other drive. The final wasn't as close as the 31-13 score would suggest. For the Cavs it means a bowl-- and for the Terps it means 2012 or bust... as 2011 is already officially a bust.

Cavalier Congrats-- Perry Jones gained over 6 yards a carry (139 yards on 22 tries) while setting the tone with a 47 yard scamper for a score and had a game-changing touchdown on 4th and 1 to put UVa up 8 after its first drive of the second half... Kris Burd and Tim Smith tallied 100+ yards receiving... and Rodney McLeod notched three interceptions. Cavalier Concerns-- after a strong start the defense allowed the Terps to score three times in four possessions...
both lost fumbles occurred well within field goal range... and Kippy Cavalier makes a pretty lame mascot. Easily the least threatening I've seen on the sidelines this fall. And that includes the Temple Owl (who fears a nocturnal animal in the afternoon?) and Miami's "Sebastian the Ibis"-- really. "Sebastian the Ibis"? Legally, you can't be intimidated by anyone named "Sebastian". Or "Kippy". Next Up: Saturday against Duke (don't worry, November begins like a Lamb and ends like a Lion-- Florida State and Virginia Tech wrap up the UVa schedule).

Tailgating Tandem-- truth be told my UVa pals Kippy and Buffy brought it big time-- breaking out the Cain Five 2007-- an incredible blend with 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 6% Malbec, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Cab Franc (the vanilla extract of grapes)... paired with a nice dose of Jarlsberg (Nowegian swiss-type cheese) on Keeblers "Toasteds" snack crackers. Still, I had a better time in the non-popped collar land with the Nobles: Matt and Stacia offered a pregame spread of crabdip and breakfast quiche (Stacia's Mimosa recipie calls for Triple Sec), and postgame Bubba Burgers with shrimp dip and frito's... with cans of Coors Light (raised in honor of my cousin David Watson's birthday) and Pumpkin Ale (I forget the brand; we were holding a "production meeting" for the womens' basketball broadcasts). I was given the leftover shrimp dip and let's just say it was gone within 24 hours.

Terrapin Triumphs-- Quentin McCree notched 7 catches for 117 yards in his final home game... Darin Drakeford tallied 11 tackles, a forced fumble and an interception... and the weather was really nice for the first time in seven home games this fall. I'm the sideline reporter for the Terrapin Sports Radio Network-- and I've seen rain, snow, sleet, slush and even a hybrid I politely title "snushleet". Terrapin Troubles--five turnovers on their last seven possessions (the other possessions failed to gain a first down)... 3 for 14 on third down (all 14 third down plays were 3rd and 6 or longer)... a defense that allowed two huge plays in the first half (a 47 yard run and a 35 yard pass). Next Up: Saturday against Notre Dame.

Presto's Picks-- Closing Month Opens.

2011-11-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

While September is Show Me Month and October is Moving Month, November is Closing Month in college football. Seasons are won or lost; champions are determined (okay, I throw the first week of December into November here) and legacies are established. The definition of a successful season depends on the school and the situation: for Virginia Tech, nothing short of an ACC Championship Game appearance will suffice. For Virginia, a win over the Hokies would make the season-- even with a 7-5 or 8-4 finish. For Maryland, four straight wins may seem unlikely against a fourpack that's 19-13... a 2-2 closing month wouldn't be ideal, but an 0-4 would be beyond disastrous.

Alma Mater Update-- Syracuse tries to clinch bowl eligibility this weekend with a game against Connecticut. One thing I'll miss about not being in the Big East is my friend "UCONN JAMES"-- the loudest Huskies fan on the planet-- and a guy I only see during the hoop season. I don't believe he actually exists otherwise. SU's path to the postseason is littered with also-rans... as only Big East leading Cincinnati has a winning record. But if there's one thing I've learned from following the Orange-- they will make this interesting for everyone watching.

Virginia visits Maryland in the annual Potomac posturing... and recently the road team has fared rather well: 5-0 since 2006. The two schools recruit in each other's backyards (11 Cavaliers are from Maryland, 11 Terps hail from Virginia) and there's always a sneer from Charlottesville ("academic institution") towards the more Salt of the Earth College Parkers. Let the record show my tailgating pals Kippy and Buffy don't look down on their Terrapin counterparts-- because to look down on someone you have to acknowledge their existence.

UVa has been consistently inconsistent this fall, barely beating IDAHO in overtime before upsetting unbeaten Georgia Tech... then losing to then winless in the ACC North Carolina State before beating Miami in their house (alas, not at the defunct OB). The Terps are injury ridden and even healthy have had problems defensively... and offensively the weekly quarterback question has to be taking its toll at some point. Cavaliers come through, 25-22.

Navy tops Troy, Howard slips at Hampton, Georgetown rips Fordham, James Madison falls at New Hampshire, William & Mary loses at Rhode Island, Richmond falls to Old Dominion.

Last Week: 6-2.
Overall: 47-23.

Redskins Rehash-- Spooky Indeed...

2011-10-31T19:20:00.000-07:00

While most people wear Halloween costumes October 31st (or the surrounding weekends), evidently the Redskins 2011 outfit was as a playoff contender-- worn in September. Does anyone remember 3-1? Does anyone recall first place in the NFC East? Can anyone remember what it was like to be a Rex Grossman fumble away from defeating Dallas? No...I'm waking up to a 3-4 team that's losing altitude in the same vein as Steve Spurrier's second team that went from beating Super Bowl bound New England in September to getting a faxed resignation around New Year's. That's what's scary.

Beck Bland-- 20 of 33, 208 yards and two picks in his second start. Not completely awful (the 2 interceptions came in the fourth quarter when the Skins were in passorama mode) yet not what the team needed. Just two completions longer than 20 yards won't stretch defenses... although the record should show he had the highest yards per carry of any Redskin.

The Joy of Sacks-- of course it's very difficult to throw the football when you're lying down on your back (trust me, I've tried). Beck was dropped nine times (!) by a defense that had four sacks in six games entering yesterday's matchup. A patchwork line, covered receivers and a quarterback still feeling his way around the pocket all contribute-- but nine?

Running aground-- obviously not having Tim Hightower was going to hurt... but 26 yards on 12 carries? The Bills outgained the Skins for the day on the ground in the first quarter.

Byes are a bummer-- Sunday's plate was rather lacking for good football... but that's what you get with bye weeks. This past weekend saw more than a few compelling teams on the sidelines: all have winning records and three reached the conference championship round last year; even Oakland and Tampa Bay were playing relevant games in December. That left us with just two marquee matchups: Pittsburgh-New England and Dallas-Philadelphia. This next week looks front-loaded: Giants-New England, Green Bay-San Diego, Jets-Buffalo and Pittsburgh-Baltimore just to name a few. Couldn't the NFL have evened things out a bit?

Third and Forever-- when you can't run and your quarterback gets sacked twice per quarter, you're going to have quite a bit of trouble moving the chains. The Skins converted just 4 of 14 (29%) on the afternoon. For the season the team is ranked 23rd in the league-- with the entire NFC West behind them in that category. So glad I'm not following football in Phoenix.

Cardinals Clocked-- about Arizona. The Pacific Time Zone team struggled while playing a 1pm EDT game. Why couldn't they have flip-flopped that matchup with Redskins-Bills? Were they that wrapped up in how Central NY would split with the Giants game on CBS? This week there are two West Coast teams playing at 1. San Francisco at the Skins and Seattle at Dallas. Sluggishness as they kick off at 10am West Coast time? Set your clock to it.

Feeling Fredtastic... except for his foot-- eight more catches for 94 yards... pacing the team in both categories. #83's 36 catches for 517 yards translate into 82-1182 for the season... and with Santana Moss and Chris Cooley on the sidelines with injuries, once could expect that might increase. Unless as reported he was actually wearing a protective boot at Redskins Park Monday-- meaning he may be sidelined as well. At least he's playing better than Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly.

London Fog-- the Redskins linebacker tallied 12 solo stops and 8 assists to tally 20 tackles against the Bills. He also notched an interception. This was after he was a question mark for the contest. Even in a season turning sour, Mr. Fletcher's play is certainly sweet.

Dissecting the Division-- the New York Giant's close win over Miami gives them a two game cushion; and Philadelphia's win over Dallas means the Eagles own the second place tiebreaker and the Skins descent from first to worst only took three games. Now that is impressive. As of now the Giants would receive the NFC's #3 seed... Philly's 9th... Dallas is 10th and the Skins are 11th. But midseason is a volatile time: if Kansas City loses its Monday night matchup with San Diego, the Chiefs fall to 12th place in the AFC while a win moves them to 4th.

Divisional Highs and Lows-- the AFC North has a half game (19-10 to 19-11) lead over the NFC North. Six of the eight teams could conceivably make the playoffs. Meanwhile, the race for worst division has the AFC South percentage points behind the NFC West (in the topsy turvy race for last, that means the West is worst). And the Colts 0-8 has that four-pack weighed underwater like no tomorrow (11-19). The NFC west is 10-18 with a 5-1 San Francisco being complemented by a 5-17 everybody else. Smacks of the NFC Central circa 1986.

Past is present-- a few weeks ago, I remarked how similar the situation was to 2003. A second year coach, a 3-1 start... a tough loss to Philly... and then it all came down. Who did the Skins play in their seventh game of 2003? THE BILLS. I'm not saying things will end 5-11 with Shanahan faxing in a resignation from the golf course, but this is a strange start.

College Football Corner-- is your costume ready?

2011-10-31T12:32:00.001-07:00

Halloween wraps up the month of October with people masquerading as someone else. Area schools may have tried to make us think they're something else in September-- but after 4 or 5 more games the snapshot becomes a portrait. While some enjoy a bagful of candy-- others are stuck with a rock.

Alma Mater Update-- thanks, SU for once again killing whatever football buzz that was built in a win over West Virginia by playing poorly in a 27-10 loss to Louisville. Four games remain for the 5-3 Orange to reach the magical 6 victory plateau and assure another low to mid-level bowl game. I'm just getting excited about which banner they'll unveil next year!

Conference Calamities-- the ACC lost its last unbeaten when Clemson collapsed in the October night... meaning no National Championship talk again in November for a league that swiped three football schools from the Big East a decade ago. While the Atlantic Division is down to a three team race (with Clemson currently holding all of the cards)... every team remains in contention in the Coastal (albeit a few by the skin of their teeth). While the Coastal barely has the better league record (15-14 to 15-16), the gap widens for all games: 33-18 to 26-23. And that's with Duke in their membership.

Maryland (2-6) fell behind early against Boston College, and despite a late rally came up short 28-17. Where the team began October hoping to right the ship after a surprise loss to Temple, they begin November needing to win four straight games against teams that are a combined 19-13 to qualify for postseason play. Terrapin Triumphs-- Davin Meggett rushed for 99 yards, and the team finished with just 3 penalties. Terrapin Troubles-- four takeaways resulting in zero points...372 yards allowed on the ground... multiple drops ending drives. Next up: Saturday against Virginia.

#15 Virginia Tech (8-1) started slowly against Duke with an interception in the endzone... before bouncing back to post a 14-10 victory over the Blue Devils. Style points taking the week off. Hokie Highlights-- 148 yards rushing by David Wilson... four takeaways by the defense... and holding the Blue Devils to 4 of 16 on third down. Hokie Humblings-- VT had problems moving the chains as well, converting just 5 of 14... nine (9! IX!) penalties... and thank goodness Duke couldn't kick straight (2 missed field goals in second quarter) or they would have trailed at intermission. Next Up: Thursday November 10th against Georgia Tech.

Virginia (5-3) all of a sudden is in the postseason conversation after a 28-21 win at Miami. The Cavaliers aren't supposed to win those games, weren't they informed? And UVa can take the Coastal Division if they win out. Easier said than done: after Maryland and Duke (5-11 composite record), coach Mike London's team takes on Florida State and Virginia Tech (combined 13-4 mark). For the record, Kippy and Buffy enjoyed a bottle of Colores Del Sol Malbec while feasting on multi-grain Rice Thins. And both collars were popped at all times. Cavalier Congrats-- a running game that pounded out 207 yards at 4.7 a clip... a defense that held the Hurricanes to 2 of 9 on third down... no turnovers and just three penalties. Cavalier Concerns-- moving the chains just 6 of 15 times... allowing over 70% completions and 347 passing yards... losing the kickoff return war by about 15 net yards per kick. Next Up: Saturday at Maryland.

Presto's Picks-- Looking out for #1.

2011-10-28T14:14:00.001-07:00

Do you root for your league or your school? Clemson plays Georgia Tech tonight... and for those not with a rooting interest who follow the ACC-- you'd think they'd be pulling for Orange and Purple. Late October means in addition to anticipating the quickly arriving college basketball season one focuses on the slowly shrinking list of unbeaten teams... and for the first time in recent memory, there's an ACC team in the mix. To have an unbeaten in November gets additional attention towards your conference beyond the divisional races...and recently the likes of Virginia Tech have dominated the league after stumbling in September while former title picture fixtures Florida State and Miami have been spectators instead of participants in the November sprint. When the Big East gets pub for having an unbeaten Rutgers or Cincinnati or Louisville after Halloween (sorry, Syracuse-- the Orange haven't been unbeaten past Columbus Day since I think 1987)... you see how key it is for your favorites to stay unblemished late. That's why the best thing that could happen for the ACC is for the Tigers to triumph... and stay on the fringe of the conversation as other teams (Wisconsin, Oklahoma) in front of them stumble.

Alma Mater Update-- will there be a letdown? It's tough managing the emotional roller coaster of just one college student-- let alone 100. The Orange are fresh off blasting a ranked rival in West Virginia and now play the Cardinals-- who no matter how good they've been in recent years will never be in the pantheon of SU rivals on the gridiron. Word is the wing sauce at Sign of the Whale will have a tiny extra bit of Tabasco to get things going.

Yes, Virginia! There is a Thursday night-- Kippy and Buffy were so busy getting their Halloween costumes in gear, they didn't notice that the Cavaliers were playing in Miami Thursday night. (They're going as Captain John Smith and Pocahontas-- again) Still, they plan on enjoying the usual snacks while watching the Tivoed game. If you see them around and about, don't spoil the score-- although it's okay to joke about their popped collars.

Maryland battles Boston College-- and the Eagles are the only team in the ACC without a league victory. BC ranks 11th in the ACC offensively... and last in the league in total defense. Obviously they're placing too much emphasis on moving the football. This will be a fulcrum game for the Terps-- win and there are still hopes (albeit slim) of reaching the postseason. Lose and they're on the precipice of elimination with four remaining opponents all possessing winning records. Terrapins triumph, 20-16.

#15 Virginia Tech visits Duke-- oh, to be in the ACC's Coastal Division. In the 7+ years of divisional play Duke has posted a 7-52 league mark-- by far the worst in the conference. For decent programs having the Blue Devils automatically on the schedule is an extra boost towards getting a better bowl (much like the SEC Least that gets Vanderbilt and Kentucky on its docket every fall). The question for the Hokies: can they avoid the first quarter blahs... and against Duke will it matter? Sean Renfree is off to a so-so season... but when he's on he can create a bunch of points quickly-- and VT isn't exactly Air Coryell. Hokies after allowing 2 first quarter scores grind out another victory... 34-21.

Navy slips to Notre Dame, Georgetown beats Holy Cross, Howard falls to South Carolina State, James Madison edges Old Dominion, William & Mary loses to Rhode Island, Richmond comes up short against Massachussetts.

Last Week: 5-3.
Overall: 41-21.

Redskins Rehash-- Burgundy and Gold now Black and Blue after a beating...

2011-10-24T09:48:00.000-07:00

Different starter, same finish. Reminds me of the early part of the sixth season of Beverly Hills, 90210 when they gave Luke Perry's character a story arc that would see him get married to the daughter of the man who killed his father-- only to see her get killed the next day (I called that twist 15 minutes away- like Mandy Moore having cancer in A Walk to Remember). The focus on this arc took one's attention away from other issues and B-plots that once Perry's character rode off into the sunset you couldn't help but avoid. The "Rex or Beck?" question was resolved, if only for the moment-- but now one can't help but notice the other deficiencies on the team. The shine of the 3-1 start is gone and we notice that the leap from rebuilder to pretender (let alone contender) may not happen until the leap year. It's not exactly Steve Sanders dating Claire Arnold, but it'll be an interesting ten games.

Beck's Debut, or the Temporary Longterm Solution-- the new starting quarterback threw for 279 yards and a touchdown while running for another score. He also threw an interception and lost a fumble...proving that losing the ball wasn't just a Rex thing. Just one three and out with reasonable movement on half of his drives (Skins had 11 possessions- we won't count his end of first half kneeldown). Not a bad first effort, but the NFL doesn't grade on a curve... and coach Mike Shanahan was asked in the postgame press conference if Beck would start against Buffalo. Can we give the guy a little bit more of a leash?

Running aground, or Injury Part I-- after tallying 83 yards on 18 carries in the first half, the Burgundy and Gold ran the ball just 5 times after intermission for 9 yards... and no rushing attempts in the fourth quarter. Part of the reason behind the move was Tim Hightower going down with a knee injury-- an MRI is pending with concerns it may be an ACL tear.

D earns one, or Injury Part II-- another reason why the Skins abandoned the run was the fact that they were trailing by double digits for most of the time they had the ball after halftime. The Panthers produced three touchdowns on their first three possessions of the second half and had the ball for over 18 minutes. Cam Newton was tough to contain, passing for 256 yards and a touchdown while running for 59 yards and a score. It didn't help that defensive linchpin London Fletcher went down with a hamstring injury.

Feeling Fredtastic, or Injury Part III-- Mr. Davis represents the famed triumvirate in fine fashion (he's the only one to have a catch since 2009) with 6 grabs for 80 yards and a touchdown. Now he did get some flak for celebrating his score that made things 30-20... but claims he was trying to get his team pumped up-- and with the crazy comebacks we've seen this year, a ten point deficit with 5:05 left is by no means a hopeless cause. Don't look now, but #83 is slowly putting together a monster season-- his current numbers prorate to 75 catches for 1128 yards (he entered the season with 72 career catches for 853 yards). Good thing Davis is playing well... because Chris Cooley won't be back anytime soon and now Santana Moss has a broken hand. Moss is currently second on the team with 25 receptions... with Jabar Gaffney the only other WR to have more than 5 catches this fall. So much for single coverage from here on out..

Slipping into the Time Zone-- San Diego jumped out to an early lead before the New York Jets rallied in the second half. I was impressed that the Chargers played well at all. You see, the game was slated for 1pm Eastern Time-- meaning San Diego was playing at 10am local time. ESPN did a full fledged report in 2008 about how over time Pacific Time Zone teams don't do well when playing that early. My problem is you're expecting their fan base to get up and watch football at 10am. I've been to California. It's a fun state. There's a lot to do late out there-- and by having games kick off at 10am you're killing the guys who want to take their girfriends out to Sunday Brunch before ignoring them for the rest of the day. I know the league likes to have the Giants and Jets play at different times on Sunday (same with Baltimore and Washington as well as San Francisco and Oakland) to maximize viewership, but can't they just as a rule have Pacific Time Zone teams play no earlier than 4pm EST? How tough is this?

Dissecting the Division-- the NY Giants' bye paired with Philadelphia's week off keeps the NFC East leader and cellardweller the same... and Dallas' win over St. Louis propels the Cowboys into second place ahead of the Skins. Big picture: the Redskins are currently 10th in the NFC... with the Cowboys, Tampa Bay, Atlanta and Chicago standing in their way of the last playoff spot.

Norths Rise Again-- the bull market for the AFC and NFC North continues... heading into the Monday Night game Baltimore's bunch is 16-8 while Green Bay's gang is 17-11. With both divisions currently supplying both wildcards in their respective conferences. Now there's plenty of football to be played, but still...

Colts past is present-- Indianapolis' collapse reminds me of the late 70's when the Baltimore Colts were coming off three straight AFC East titles but a little wobbly and getting older...and needed help to make the 1977 playoffs. Then Bert Jones injured his shoulder and he missed 13 games in 1978... and the Colts collapsed, finishing 5-11. Move ahead to 2011-- and that's the end of the run we're witnessing in the Circle City. Take away a franchise quarterback, and blemishes become faulty cracks in the foundation. Franchise QB's are something special. That's why Mike Shanahan wanted to trade up to get Sam Bradford. That's why Vinny Cerrato wanted to trade up to get Marc Sanchez. And why 90210 completely blew once Dylan left.

College Football Corner-- Perception and Connection...

2011-10-23T07:20:00.000-07:00

“There is a destiny That makes us brothers: None goes his way alone: All that we send into the lives of others Comes back into our own.”-- (Edwin Markham).

College football is often a collage: a September victory changes over the course of the fall depending on how they play. Although the gridiron doesn't have an RPI per se; the transitive property of winning and losing takes different shades from Labor Day to Thanksgiving. A few recent examples? One week after allowing 56 points to Clemson, Maryland fans woke up to see the Tigers put 59 on the board against a 5-2 North Carolina team. Two weeks after coming oh so close to upsetting unbeaten Georgia Tech the Terps realize the Yellowjackets could be had bigtime after they lost to Virginia and Miami in less than stellar fashion. Virginia Tech's loss to Clemson doesn't seem that bad... while Virginia needing a missed extra point in overtime to nip a 1-6 Idaho team gives fans plenty of concern.

Alma Mater Update-- still basking in the afterglow of a serious smackdown of West Virginia. SU's 26-point victory over a ranked opponent comes after four wins by a combined 20 points over the likes of Wake Forest, Toledo, Rhode Island and Tulane. Unfortunately the Texas State Armadillos had to cancel? All of a sudden, the Orange find themselves thinking Big East championship (1-1 in league play does that to a school that hasn't been a factor for some time).

Maryland (2-5) fell behind early against Florida State... and after CJ Brown went down to injury rallied against the Seminoles behind Danny O'Brien before falling 41-16. The margin of error for reaching the postseason gets ever so smaller; three road games remain and the combined record of their final four opponents is 17-11. Terrapin Triumphs-- a turnover free day on offense... while two wide receivers had stellar Saturdays: Quentin McCree notched 9 catches for 177 yards, and freshman Marcus Leak tallied 8 grabs in his first career start. Terrapin Troubles-- seven penalties. The defense allowed 5 yards a carry and over 10 yards per pass attempt. Kickoff disparity (over 10 yards) between returns and coverage is a silent killer... 80 extra net yards for the Seminoles. Next Up: Saturday against 1-6 Boston College.

Virginia Tech (7-1) fell behind Boston College in the first quarter before rallying past the hapless Eagles 30-14. One wonders not so much how good VT will be this fall... but how low BC will fall. Hokie Highlights-- David Wilson tallies 134 yards rushing while Danny Coale notches 8 catches for 118 yards. The defense holds the Eagles to 91 yards rushing and 13 of 30 passing. Plus two in the turnover margin. Hokie Humblings-- is anyone concerned about the slow starts the last two seasons? It's almost getting comical watching VT cough up early leads before rallying. Perhaps they should stay away from the smoked turkey leg as a pregame meal-- with that tryptophan thing and all. Next Up: Saturday at Duke.

Virginia (4-3) lost whatever momentum it gained from topping Georgia Tech by slipping at home to winless- in the ACC North Carolina State 28-14. Kippy and Buffy chose a bad week to make the switch to red wine for their tailgating... a Chateau O'Brien Cabernet Franc may be a local offering (exit 18 on I-66)-- but the brie was left outside and sadly went bad. Cavalier Congrats-- two interceptions by the defense and only three penalties on a less than stellar afternoon. And that's it. Cavalier Concerns-- four turnovers... 11 of 35 passing while averaging just over 11 yards per completion... 5 if 17 on third down...
Next Up: Thursday at Miami.

Presto's Picks-- Behave!

2011-10-22T05:50:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness the NCAA has tightened up celebration policies. Did anyone see the melee at the end of the first half of Thursday's UCLA-Arizona game? I know there was a streaker disguised as a referee... and anytime that happens all bets are off... but that set the stage for a midfield scuffle between the Bruins and Wildcats? Ten players get suspensions from the fight. Meanwhile ESPN's College Gameday airs a feature on dirty play. I thought the excessive celebration penalties was supposed to end all of this, right?

Alma Mater Update-- Syracuse left its paper tiger ways in the cage with a Friday night beatdown of #11 West Virginia. I never saw that coming. Nassib passing effectively? Special teams throwing an uppercut after the Mountaineers reached the endzone for the first time? A halftime order of 44 wings? We asked for more bleu cheese dressing and they gave us a vat...allowing one to let the next wing sit and soak. All ingredients to an excellent evening at Sign of the Whale.

Maryland at Florida State-- the Terps try to snap a two game losing streak by attempting to win in Tallahassee for the first time ever. A defense with a lot of issues (last in the ACC, three freshmen starting at linebacker) meets another mobile quarterback in E.J. Manuel. An offense in transition (CJ Brown starting at QB) takes on the team that leads the ACC in defense. And then there's that whole Chief Osceola riding a horse onto the field and throwing a spear into the turf. Terps come up short, 35-20 while Chief Osceola records a 7.8 for his dismount.

Virginia plays North Carolina State one week after scoring a major upset over Georgia Tech-- and the Wolfpack are one of two ACC teams that are winless in conference play. Turnovers could tell the tale-- UVa leads the league with 14 giveaways... and the Pack pace the conference with 18 takeaways. But the larger issue will be if this is the weekend Kippy and Buffy go from white to red at their tailgate... Cavaliers come through, 17-12.

#16 Virginia Tech tangles with Boston College-- the Eagles are the other winless team in ACC play... and at 1-5 have that "Maryland 2009" look about them where nothing goes right. David Wilson by ground and Jarrett Boykin by air... early and often. Hokies ground the Eagles, 38-14.

Navy edges East Carolina, Georgetown beats Colgate, Howard slips to North Carolina A&T, William & Mary tame Towson, Richmond slips to Maine.

Last Week: 5-2.
Overall: 36-18.

Redskins Rehash-- Bumpy Landing...

2011-10-17T11:07:00.000-07:00

What, you expected a smooth ride this fall on Burgundy and Gold Airlines? A tough loss to a wounded division foe always brings one back to earth. And while the Skins are better than 2010... which was better than 2009... they remain a work in progress. Truth be told, I was a little sluggish coming out of the bye week myself... and needed extra editing as I'm the ultimate progress in work. Just keep the tray table up and your seat belt on until-- what...Buffalo's 4-2? San Francisco's 5-1? Flight Attendant? Can I have a top for my coffee cup?

Turnoverasaurus Rex-- FOUR INTERCEPTIONS. Mr. Grossman's 9 of 22 performance earned him a seat on the bench in the third quarter. One had a feeling a game like this was out there; and now it's up to #8 to prove that Sunday was an abberation as opposed to a growing trend.

Is Beck the Answer, or just the beginning of another question?-- the backup came in and directed the offense to a fourth quarter touchdown on a clock-consuming drive (Sonny Jurgensen was railing at the slow pace despite being down two scores). And while his wheels got him in the endzone for the team's only touchdown, naming him the starter for Carolina might be a little rash. But not unprecedented.

Ground to a halt-- of course, when your running game nets 42 yards on 14 carries it's going to be tough sledding. Ryan Torain two weeks after reaching the century mark averaged 2.2 yards a carry on 10 tries. Thank goodness John Beck was able to garner 14 yards on 2 tries.

Third and forever-- the Skins converted just 1 of 10 third downs... not moving the chains on that crucial down until the fourth quarter. Grossman's first INT came on 3rd and 16... and his final pick came on a 3rd and 9. While 7 of the 10 third down situations were long distance (3rd and 7 or more), the Burgundy and Gold went 0-3 on 3rd and 3 or less. Not good.

Feeling Fredtastic and the Cold Autumn of Mr. Cooley-- Mr. Davis led the Skins in receiving with 6 catches for 95 yards... increasing his total to 22 for 343. A 70-catch pace that used to be the norm for Chris Cooley, who after catching one pass for -1 yard finds himself banged up again. A broken hand will sideline #47 for six weeks, and a knee injury has limited him to 8 catches for 65 yards with a long of 17.

Feeling Defensive-- after forcing a three and out on the Eagles' first possession, the Skins D allowed three straight drives of 10 plays for 69 yards or longer... resulting in a 17-0 deficit. On the two touchdown drives, the Eagles faced four third downs: converting 3rd and 1, two 3rd and 2's and a 3rd and goal from the 7.

Safety in numbers?-- Oshiomogho notched 6 tackles with 2 assists while tallying an interception as well as a sack. Laron Landry led the team with 8 solo tackles. Many a coach will tell you it's never ideal when your safeties are leading the team in solo stops.

Hoping Past isn't Present-- a second year Redskins coach had the chance to bury a 1 win Eagle team and create some distance in the division with his NFC East leading 3-1 squad... only to come up short. I'm talking about 2003, when a Patrick Ramsey incompletion on a two point conversion sealed a two point loss that would have made Donovan McNabb and company 1-4... and Steve Spurrier's bunch 4-1. Instead, the Eagles would wind up winning the division and the Skins would finish the Ballcoach Era on a 2-10 run that wrapped up with resigning via fax from a golf course. But that was then, right? This is a much different organization with a lot more sanity in charge, right? Buckle up.

Aint Missing You At All-- it could be said that Rex Grossman didn't have as bad a day as his two predecessors: Donovan McNabb was benched in Minnesota's loss to Chicago after completing 19 of 24 passes for 177 yards while getting sacked 5 times. And Jason Campbell? A broken collarbone in Oakland's win over Cleveland.

Really Not Missing You-- Albert Haynesworth's autumn in New England continues at an amazingly nonproductive pace. No tackles, sacks, forced fumbles, fumble recoveries or interceptions tallied against Dallas this past Sunday... leaving his total at 2 tackles for 2011. He hasn't made a play of note since tallying two stops over a month ago on Monday Night Football against Miami.

Dissecting the Division-- the Giants' win over Buffalo propels Eli Manning and company into first place by a half game. Dallas remains a half game ahead of Philadelphia for third place (although the Cowboys are 2-3, they're 2-1 in the NFC).

Go North-- In the early division scramble, the NFC and AFC North Divisions have established superiority. Green Bay's gang is 15-9 while Baltimore's bunch is 14-8. Again, a major caveat: last year the NFC South boasted the best record in the league yet New Orleans and Atlanta went 0-2... both getting blown out of the postseason.

College Football Corner-- what a sack of...

2011-10-16T09:41:00.000-07:00

I follow both college and pro football. And while I can appreciate some differences, a few have aggravated me for some time. One such difference is how colleges compute sack yardage. In the NFL, it's taken away from the net passing yards because you are attempting to pass the football. In college, it's taken away from the net rushing yards total. Which would be okay, except that there are a lot more running quarterbacks who pass a lot in today's college game. And rushing totals should reflect how one runs-- instead of how one runs and avoids getting sacked. Say Tyrod Taylor last year ran the ball 5 times for 40 yards but was sacked 3 times for 25 yards... all of a sudden his "rushing totals" become 8 for 15. A complete misrepresentation of how he actually played. This change won't happen anytime soon... but stat-junkies, make the adjustment at home.

Alma Mater Update-- the Orange took the week off from their Paper Tiger run through 2011... and even in an off week they managed to make things interesting by having just enough detergent to wash the uniforms and just enough bleu cheese dressing for wing night. Somehow these are related. SU plays West Virginia Friday night... and that means a big night at Sign of the Whale in DC, before said location turns into "Club W" where neck-chains for men and hairspray for women are required.

Maryland (2-4) jumped out early against #8 Clemson... leading the unbeaten Tigers 35-17 early in the third quarter before the Tigers used a CJ Brown interception to jumpstart a ridiculous second half where the Orange and Purple paws put 39 points on the board... topping the Terps 56-45. Terrapin Triumphs-- CJ Brown passed for 177 yards and two touchdowns while running for 162 yards and a score... Matt Furstenburg emerged as a a major threat with 5 catches for 104 yards and two touchdowns... and two first half takeaways led to 14 points (a muffed punt and a pick six). Terrapin Troubles-- Missed tackles contributed to the 576 yards allowed while dropped passes and holding penalties stalled second half drives. Next Up: Saturday at Florida State.

#19 Virginia Tech (6-1) spotted Wake Forest an early double-digit lead before rallying to rout the Demon Deacons 38-17. Beamer's bunch has a few tuneups on tap before a Thursday night showdown against Georgia Tech. Hokie Highlights-- David Wilson rumbled for 136 yards and a touchdown while Logan Thomas ran two two scores while throwing for two more... the defense held Wake to 59 yards rushing on 31 tries (but how many sacks?). Hokie Humblings-- have the first quarter blahs of 2010 come back? Better to start slow than finish slow. Next Up: Saturday against Boston College.

Virginia (4-2) held on for dear life in the fourth quarter against #12 Georgia Tech... escaping with a 24-21 win. The Cavaliers first ACC win since last October... and to celebrate Kippy and Buffy popped open a bottle of Conundrum (incredible white blend with 11 grapes in the mix) with Muenster on toast points. Cavalier Congrats-- holding the Yellowjackets to 24 yards passing was a key... while UVa ran at will (272 yards on 47 carries) and controlled the ball for the final six minues of the game. Cavalier Concerns-- the passing game was somewhat flat (9-19, 135 yards with a touchdown and a pick-six). And I'm running out of wines and cheeses to give my pals each week. Next Up: Saturday against North Carolina State.

Presto's Picks-- dissecting the divisions...

2011-10-14T04:05:00.000-07:00

They've been around for 20 years... but divisional play remains a fairly new animal in the college football kingdom. Some conferences do it right... and others need help dividing their schools into halves that make sense. The SEC and Big XII (when it had 12 schools) set the standard by splitting up east-west and north-south; unfortunately the ACC decided to name its divisions "Atlantic" and "Coastal" and instead of splitting north-south went with a hodge-podge. With Pitt and Syracuse joining the league, a north-south alignment should have the two new schools with Boston College, Maryland, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest in the north: and everybody else in the south (splitting up the Carolina schools but keeping the research triangle intact). But it could be worse: The Big Ten begins its first season of divisional play with the "Leaders" and "Legends" Divisions, both of which sound "Lackluster".

Alma Mater Update-- Syracuse continues its reign as Division I's paper tiger with an off week... preparing for next weekend's Friday night clash with nationally ranked West Virginia. If there was ill will from Rutgers regarding SU's departure to the ACC-- just wait: the Mountaineers have been spurned by the SEC and ACC... although we don't know if they've tried to go Big Ten. And on the divisional thing... at least the ACC named its divisions-- for a while the Big East went with "Big East 7" and "Big East 6". Although unlike the Big Ten, the number actually matched the membership.

Maryland entertains #8 Clemson. For some reason over the years the Terps always play the Tigers tough-- even in their 2-10 season Maryland's one league victory came against the Atlantic Division Champion Tigers. Last year the despite dominating the stats Maryland was mauled 31-7. This week the buzz around College Park is all about a quarterback question: Danny O'Brien's the better passer but has been shaky this fall (6 interceptions after being picked off just 8 times in 2010)... while CJ Brown can motor (77 yard touchdown run sparked a second half rally against Georgia Tech) he isn't the best pure passer (41% this fall). They say if you have two starting quarterbacks, you have no starting quarterback. Terrapins tumble, 31-16.

Virginia hosts #12 Georgia Tech. The Yellowjackets triple-option was slowed down in the second half last week by Maryland... and one can be sure the Cavalier coaches have looked at that gamefilm early and often this past week. Do the Cavs have a Joe Vellano though to make 20 tackles? Meanwhile the offense that staggered to 14 regulation points against Idaho doesn't will have problems producing against a Georgia Tech defense that held Maryland to 6 of 24 passing. At least Kippy and Buffy are back at Scott Stadium after closing the Hilton Head cottage last weekend. Cavaliers crumble, 34-14.

#19 Virginia Tech visits Wake Forest. While the Hokies have staggered to a 1-1 ACC mark the Demon Deacons are 3-0 in league play. But like everything Wake's strong start comes with a few caveats: 1--they blew a double digit lead and lost to Syracuse... the Orange being the Paper Tiger of Paper Tigers this fall. 2-- three conference wins by a total of 20 points come against three schools that are a combined 0-7 in the ACC. Logan Thomas played out of his mind against Miami-- was that an aberration or the beginning of something special? Wake's a team that has trouble running the ball... and that might let the Hokie D tee up on WF QB Tanner Price. This has the feel of one of those grinding games where BEAMER BALL! generates the necessary winning points. Hokies hang on, 24-21.

Navy sinks at Rutgers, Georgetown handles Howard, James Madison tops Villanova, William & Mary falls to New Hampshire.

Last Week: 5-3.
Overall: 31-16.

College Football Corner-- Moving Month...

2011-10-09T16:24:00.000-07:00

If September is college football's "Show Me Month", then October qualifies as "Moving Month". Contenders are exposed as pretenders... and suspect schools emerge as participants in conference races. Even though Georgia Tech and Clemson have established themselves as division favorites, anybody with the exception of Boston College could play their way into contention.

Alma Mater Update-- Syracuse somehow escaped New Orleans with a 37-34 victory over Tulane. So the Orange have won four games this year by 7, 7, 3 and 3 points... with two coming in overtime. The reign of the paper tiger continues!

Maryland (2-3) rallied at #13 Georgia Tech but couldn't get past the Yellowjackets, falling 21-16. And now there's a quarterback question in College Park. Terrapin Triumphs- Joe Vellano notched 20 tackles. 20 TACKLES! CJ Brown ran for 124 yards and a touchdown to give the Terps a second half spark... and just one penalty. Terrapin Troubles- 6 of 24 passing... combine that with Georgia Tech's 6-21 and you've been placed in a time machine bound for the 1970's Big Ten. Allowing the Yellowjackets to convert 13 of 20 third downs. And I just can't get past the failing passing game. Next Up: Florida State.

Virginia Tech (5-1) watched a double digit lead dissolve before squeaking out a 38-35 win over Miami. Still, barely beating a 2-3 Hurrican team just isn't what it used to be... and Show Me Month may have been inflated by the opposition (or lack thereof). Hokie Highlights-- Logan Thomas completed 23 of 25 passes while throwing three touchdown passes and running for two more scores. David Wilson ran for 128 yards while Jarrett Boykin caught 7 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown. Hokie Humblings- 519 yards allowed is no way to chart a course for the ACC title. Next Up: Wake Forest.

Virginia (3-2) had the week off, and although the Cavaliers face Georgia Tech this Saturday, they won't play a team with a winning record for another month-- and that'll be against Duke. Kippy and Buffy are already getting the Cab Franc and Malbec ready for a late season run.

Presto's Picks-- Pumpkin Patch Potential...

2011-10-07T13:43:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't like pumpkin? During October and November we're bombarded by pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice latte (trademarked by Starbucks), pumpkin milkshakes, pumpkin ale...and the best thing about pumpkin is that it's in limited form. One only has to deal with it for two months and then mercifully it's gone. College football's conference season in earnest lasts just eight weeks and for some teams it's over right after it begins.

Alma Mater Update-- Syracuse visits New Orleans to take on Tulane. Now from what I understand the Crescent City is a happening place... my concern is the Orange continue to slide towards the level of Big East bottom feeder with a tough road loss to the Green Wave. Even good SU teams lose to Tulane (homecoming 1990). SU tries to bounce back from a home overtime loss to Rutgers-- not enjoyable any way you look at it. Well... there's always the Sign of the Whale Buffalo Wings- which, next to pumpkin, has been the only thing worth looking forward to in November as a SU football fan.

Maryland visits Georgia Tech-- the Yellowjackets lead the ACC in scoring and the nation in rushing. They have a quarterback with off the chart numbers who averages over 15 yards per attempt... and two of their runningbacks average over 10 yards a carry. Meanwhile, the Terps have a small defensive line... their best player is banged up (Kenny Tate) and may get even younger in the secondary if freshman safety Titus Till isn't 100%. Offensively Maryland appears to have one heck of a runningback rotation now that Justus Pickett has found his groove... but can they keep pace? Terps tumble, 38-24.

#21 Virginia Tech meets Miami in a matchup of ex-Big East brethren: one that's adapted well to its new league (Hokies have more than their share of ACC titles) and another that's been stuck in neutral (Hurricanes haven't even reached the championship game). Logan Thomas has a lot to learn at quarterback... but how good is a Hurricane defense that coughed up 28 points to Kansas State and 14 to Bethune-Cookman? Miami actually hasn't been that bad of a road team lately (8-5 since 2009)... but can you go against Beamer's bunch in Blacksburg? Hokies handle the Hurricanes, 23-11.

Virginia has the weekend off... and that leaves Kippy and Buffy the opportunity to head down to Hilton Head to shutter up the cottage. Traditionally they open and close the summer getaway with a nice bottle of Piper-Heisdick champagne... accompanied by Cambozola (a combination of French Camembert and Italian Gorgonzola).

Navy slips to Southern Miss, Georgetown rips Wagner, Howard falls to Florida A&M,
James Madison edges Maine, William & Mary defeats Delaware, Richmond loses to Towson.

Last Week: 6-2.
Season: 26-13.

Redskins Rehash-- Ramming into the Bye...

2011-10-02T16:46:00.000-07:00

There are hot and cold ways to enter one's bye week. This was kind of lukewarm. Yes, the Redskins beat St. Louis 17-10. But they got a lot of help from the Rams in this one. After three quarters of dominant play they tried to politely hand back their blowout-in-progress victory with a sad sack fourth quarter. But somehow the early Christmas gift offered by Skins was turned back. This teaches us two things: the Rams are really bad, and the Redskins are really fortunate. But the third thing we need to know is "fortunate wins" count as much as "deserved wins" in the standings-- and the Skins are 3-1.

Defense the Difference-- the Skins D earned an A and set the tone in the first half: holding the Rams to 103 total yards, 3.0 yards a carry, Sam Bradford to under 50% passing while sacking him three times. The third quarter then yielded two three and outs-- and minus four yards. Even with prime opportunities in the fourth quarter (average starting position of a Rams drive was the Redskins 45) the D kept the Rams at bay. Of the 13 Ram possessions, only 2 netted 25 yards or more.

Turnoverasaurus Rex Lives-- Mr. Grossman began the game with a bang (a six yard touchdown pass to Santana Moss on their second possession) but ended the game on a major whimper (1-5 in the fourth quarter with 2 interceptions). And this was against a Rams defense that came into the game allowing 32 points a contest. Thankfully there were no lost fumbles.

Third and maybe-- after a Washington Post article focused on the Skins 18th place ranking on third down efficiency, the team converted half of their third down opportunities Sunday (9-18)
with Grossman converting more than a few third and longs (5-9 on third and 6 or longer). Unfortunately, just 1 of 4 in the crucial fourth quarter when moving the chains became more of a priority against a rallying Rams team.

Taking the Torain-- this time the running game was in the hands of Ryan Torain... who responded with 135 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. It's nice to have a rotation with the bulk of the carries going to the hot hand (or perhaps it should be hot legs). Shades of Shanahan football at its finest.

Selling Short-- it was a day of checkdowns as the Skins averaged under 10 yards per completed pass... with a long of 20. This coming one week after the Rams were roasted by the Ravens and Torrey Smith (5-152 with 3 td's). So maybe St. Louis worked overtime to lock down the deep passing game. Or maybe Santana Moss may be losing a step-- each year since 2004 he's averaged less yards per catch than the year before; so far this season he's tallied 11.7 yards per reception.

Feeling Fredtastic-- Mr. Davis caught 4 passes for 34 yards against the Rams...increasing his total to 16-248 with one touchdown (only five catches away from matching last season's tally). Meanwhile, Chris Cooley caught a four yard pass and has less than half the receptions Davis has this fall. While there's no official changing of the tight end, it certainly seems that way as Cooley was targeted just twice Sunday.

Rookie on the rise-- Ryan Kerrigan continues his impressive autumn with five tackles, one assist, one sack and a forced fumble... increasing his early numbers to 12-6-2.5-1. And that doesn't include his interception return for a touchdown in week one. Each game he's provided one "impact defensive play" (sack-interception-fumble forced or recovered)... and it's nice to have a defensive difference maker. This from a Big Ten defensive end. Drafting has been called both science and art... but the idea is to see things in players nobody else does. And for the Skins braintrust to anticipate they could have this kid change positions and be the impact player he is has been a major plus.

I aint Missing You at all... since you've been gone, away-- Donovan McNabb completed 18 of 30 passes for 202 yards plus two touchdowns and an interception in Minnesota's 22-17 loss against Kansas City. McNabb's season numbers: 58%, 170 yards per game, 4 touchdowns with 2 interceptions and an 0-4 record. Meanwhile, Albert Haynesworth was inactive for the second straight week-- keeping his line for the Patriots at 2 tackles.

Dissecting the Division-- due to their week one victory, the Redskins are in first place over the 3-1 New York Giants... who rallied past Arizona 31-27. Dallas's ridiculous collapse from 24 points ahead places the Cowboys in sole possession of third place, because Philadelphia wasted a 20 point lead against San Francisco-- falling 24-23.

Unbeaten and Winless-- Buffalo slips from the ranks of the unbeaten... 23-20 at Cincinnati. Three of the Bills' four games have been decided by a field goal. While Green Bay seemed in control for most of their 49-23 rout of Denver, Detroit's 34-30 rally past Dallas was the stuff of legends. In the winless world, Kansas City leaves the club with a 22-17 victory (if you will) over now 0-4 Minnesota. St. Louis and Miami are also 0-4: while the Rams are getting routed by an average score of 28-12 the Dolphins are falling by a much more respectable 25-17 count. And Indianapolis aims for its first win of the season Monday against Tampa Bay. Curtis Painter helped end the Colts unbeaten run in 2009-- can Painter end their winless 2011?

College Football Corner-- Underwhelming exposures.

2011-10-02T06:19:00.001-07:00

Moving month in college football began with conference clashes... and more than a few schools getting exposed as less knocking a few schools from the ranks of the unbeatens. Number eight Nebraska? Welcome to the Big Ten, buddy (48-17 loss at Wisconsin). Tenth rated South Carolina? Be thankful you play in the SEC Least (16-13 defeat to unranked Auburn). And #14 Texas A&M? Arkansas is probably the fourth strongest program in your future division (42-38 loss to the Razorbacks). Saturday was a less than ideal day for the area schools... as even those that won didn't look impressive. Thankfully, there's only one October.

Alma Mater Update-- Syracuse began a Napoleonesque 27-month retreat out of the Big East by dropping its conference opener to Rutgers 19-16 in overtime. Ryan Nassib proves to be more Billy Scharr than superstar with three interceptions. A fourth quarter collapse kicks off a conference season against schools that outright hate SU's guts for jumping to the ACC. Prepare for a fun fall, Orange brethren. At least we have Sign of the Whale wings.

Maryland (2-2) was outgained by 114 yards in the first half of their game with Towson... but bounced back and topped the Tigers 28-3. The two game losing streak is snapped-- but which half does this team resemble more? Terrapin Triumphs-- the defense forced three turnovers while the kickoff team recovered a fumble in the second half. Davin Meggett rumbled for 102 yards while Justus Pickett rumbled for 79 yards and a score after intermission. Joe Vellano continues to fly all over the field, notching 9 tackles plus a sack and a half. Terrapin Troubles-- how do you let Towson control the clock for 21+ minutes in the first half? How do you not score on two of four second half takeaways? Next up: Saturday at #13 Georgia Tech.

Virginia (3-2) needed a missed-two point conversion to seal a 21-20 victory over Idaho. Kippy and Buffy almost coughed up their Canyon Road Chardonnay and bleu cheese on melba toast. Cavalier Congrats-- Perry Jones rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown while adding 7 catches for 41 yards and a score. The defense notched two interceptions. Cavalier Concerns-- up 14-0 after one quarter UVa turned on their reverse lights for the game's final 45 minutes. Three turnovers and seven penalties. A special team breakdown that allowed the Vandals to return a blocked punt for a touchdown. Next up: October 15th against Georgia Tech.

Virginia Tech (4-1) learned a soft September maybe didn't mean much against a top 20 team, even if it was Clemson (longtime friend and South Carolina grad Steve Rohan claims the "N" stands for "knowledge"). A 23-3 loss has the Hokies wondering exactly how good they are. Hokie Highlights-- David Wilson rushed for 123 yards...and the turkey legs were pretty good in Blacksburg as always. Sixty return yards (BEAMER BALL!). Hokie Humblings-- Beamer's bunch converts just 4 of 16 third downs. Two turnovers. Getting burned by the big play (Tigers tally touchdowns from 31 and 32 yards out). Logan Thomas averaged under 10 yards per completion. Next up: Saturday against Miami.

Presto's Picks-- Ray Pruitt= Red Sox... REMembering and other ramblings...

2011-09-29T22:39:00.000-07:00

We don't exist in a vacuum. Everything around us colors what we do in some way, shape or form. That's why in this week's college football picks preview, I'm talking 80's alternative rock and the parallel between a collapsing baseball team and a strummin' construction worker with anger issues.

REM called it a career after thirty years of pushing the musical envelope-- although many had written them off after Bill Berry left the band 15 years ago. I became aware of this foursome while at summer camp in 1986... and "Fall On Me" opened up a musical world in a universe dominated by heavy metal hair bands. Michael Stipe was the point guard of this team, pushing tempo with his voice and lyrics-- even if you couldn't understand what he was saying, you felt you understood him. Peter Buck's jangly guitar seemed smack out of the Beatles "If I Needed Someone"-- never overcrowding Stipe's voice, but always providing punch and momentum when necessary. Bill Berry's crackerjack drumming provided the foundation. And Mike Mills melodic bass (it felt like he channeled Jack Bruce at times) plus his occasional vocal turn gave the songs another dimension even most good music lacks. I read a post this past week saying it was a shame REM retires while Night Ranger still tours. I think it's par for the course. NR was a working band that is okay grinding out an existence-- while REM was something special that didn't want to overstay its welcome.

Red Sox as a 90210 character-- I guess the only way I can deal with the Red Sox historic collapse (9 game lead in September) is to paint it within the context of Beverly Hills, 90210. Some therapy. I take you back to the mid-90's, when the gang entered their sophomore year at California U. (go Condors!). Dylan was more of a mess than he usually was, Brandon and Kelly were an uninspirational item, Steve was not yet bald... and Donna (Tori Spelling) was showing her acting chops with a new love interest: Jamie Walters as Ray Pruitt. The down on his luck construction worker who sang lame acoustic tunes that would make Plain White Tees blush. Much like the Red Sox 2011 season, Ray began auspiciously as an angry construction worker. But after a 2-10 dramatic start, the Sox and Ray turned things around. Although one never felt comfortable with the Sox in the playoff cast or Pruitt in the Beverly Hills bunch, we accepted their upside (the lineup! He turned down Mrs. Martin's money to go away!) and played down their gaps (wow-- Lackey kind of sucks, and for a musician Ray seems to have a temper)... until the final month of episodes. Then the Sox stopped hitting and Ray started hitting. It wasn't an immediate collapse... but it was painful to watch. And it all ended on a Wednesday night in prime time. Just as I was glad to move on to a Peach Pit without Pruitt... I'm relieved I don't have to watch the 2011 Red Sox play another inning.

Alma Mater Update-- Syracuse after disposing of heavyweights Wake Forest, Rhode Island and Toledo over the last month (how did the Demon Deacons sneak onto this schedule?) prepares for the meat of its Big East schedule by hosting Rutgers. Now while I can imagine there's ill will from the conference brethren the Orange are abandoning, Rutgers is one of those schools that hopes to eventually make the jump to the ACC (UConn the other name bandied about)... making things kind of uncomfortable.

Maryland tries to turn its season around with a home game against Towson...fresh off a major drubbing by a school everybody thought wasn't in the Terps' class. Instead of gassing up for the meat of the ACC schedule, Terrapin Nation is wondering how low the floor is on this team. The Tigers are 3-0 and have outscored opponents on average of 38-10 this month-- but the Terps have the size advantage up front and that should be enough. Terrapins triumph, 28-13.

Virginia tries to end a two game losing streak as well... Idaho comes to Charlottesville Saturday. My mother is an alumnae of that fine school in Moscow, Idaho-- and gives me this sage advice: "the Vandals defense is ranked 102nd in points allowed (32+)... qb Brian Reader's been sacked 12 times this year and probably won't hold up against a Mike London defense... and whatever happened to that girl you sat next to in third grade? She was cute. You should call her." Thanks, Mom. Cavaliers come up huge, 40-17.

#11 Virginia Tech tangles with #13 Clemson in what serves up as the early season battle royale in ACC... Georgia Tech being the only other school still unbeaten. How good are the Tigers? They surrendered 27 points to Wofford and their two wins over ranked teams were against Auburn (who's looked shaky all September) and Florida State (who looks like they were overpriced at the beginning of the season). Frank Beamer's bunch, meanwhile, has staggered to victories over underwhelming opposition --apologies to Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Marshall and East Carolina, but the Mountaineers are an FCS school while the other three are a combined 4-7. While the Hokies have been able to run the ball effectively, Logan Thomas has looked so-so. Tough to be confident he can beat Clemson. Hokies fall on a last second field goal, 19-17.

Navy tops Air Force, Georgetown slips to Bucknell, Howard falls at Savannah State,
Richmond tops James Madison, William & Mary over Villanova.

Last Week: 3-4.
Season to date: 20-11.

Redskins Rehash-- How long of a Hangover?

2011-09-28T12:52:00.000-07:00

For three Sundays Redskins fans enjoyed victory kool-aid. The crazies that still wear their Rod Gardner game replica jersey naturally went full bore after beating the Giants in week one. The moderates began sipping the burgundy and gold beverage after rallying past Arizona. Even the fatalists who have a sky is falling calendar in their office began chugging the Hope Float when they learned Tony Romo had a punctured lung. Sadly the winning whiskey wasn't enough to propel the Skins to their first 3-0 start since 2005. And now with a tight turnaround (nothing worse than a road Sunday 1pm kickoff after a Monday night road game)... coach Mike Shanahan's team has to ready themselves for St. Louis. While the fans sleep it off.

Footing the Bill-- Nine field goals and one touchdown with an extra point totalling 34 combined points Monday night. Not the worst showing by the Skins and Dallas on MNF (it remains 2001's 9-7 debacle between 0-4 teams). But frustrating nevertheless for fans of both teams.

Turnoverasaurus Rex-- Mr. Grossman did throw for 250 yards and a touchdown... but tossed an interception that led to a Cowboys field goal and lost a fumble in the fourth quarter that sealed the victory for Dallas. Which has been what you've expected and received from the Florida product since he entered the NFL.

Second Half Whimper-- after scoring on their first possession of the second half, the offense somewhat went into the tank. Four possessions gaining 72 yards... after gaining 76 yards on their touchdown drive.

Third and over and out-- one reason why they weren't able to hang onto the ball longer after halftime? The Redskins converted 3 of 12 third down opportunities... and didn't move the chains on three chances after their touchdown. Dallas only converted one third down after halftime-- but it was a biggie.

Hall Hell-- Deangelo Hall was beaten for a 30 yard pass on 3rd and 21 where the Skins rushed eight. Despite the fact that mega-blitzing in that situation might not be an ideal move, Hall was unable to keep up with a banged up Dez Bryant... and then facemasked him. A nice 45 yard play to set up the Cowboys game-winning points. This isn't even taking into account his jabbering before the game and passing the buck after the loss.

Hightower lowering the bar-- While he scored the game's lone touchdown on a 1-yard play action pass, 14 carries for 41 yards is not an ideal way to establish the run. Although he's contributing to the passing game (3 catches for 25 yards against Dallas- and 9-74 for the season), the Richmond product is averaging just 3.5 yards per carry. Not enough to feed a 2011 offense as the primary back.

Tight End Tandem-- while Fred Davis caught just one pass for 23 yards... Chris Cooley came through with four grabs and 41 yards. On a team where there's not a "we have to get this guy the ball" number two receiver... hopefully we'll see plenty of double tight formations this fall.

Graham not cracking-- despite having a 36 yard field goal attempt blocked, Gano successfully made his other three attempts. Why is it though one feels he's a bad miss or two from becoming the former Skins kicker?

Youth served-- the magical rookie season of Ryan Kerrigan's continues: 4 tackles and a sack against the Cowboys. Talk about a smooth transition from DE to LB as well as a relatively easy adjustment from college to pro football.

Dissecting the Division-- thank goodness for tiebreakers. The Cowboys leapfrog into first place (1-0 NFC East record) while the Skins get the second place tiebreaker over the New York Giants due to their week one victory. Philadelphia, predicted by many to walk their way to a division title, finds itself in last place at 1-2. The fact that it's a long season is encouraging for some; the fact that it's a long season will be discouraging for others.

Looking at the league-- how about a shout for the remaining unbeatens? While Green Bay isn't that much of a surprise, Buffalo and Detroit carving out 3-0 marks is quite a shocker. Especially since both teams had to rally from 20 point deficits Sunday. Instead of drafting wide receivers, the Lions have built a stout defense that's allowing 15 points a game. And let's be honest, is anyone amazed that Detroit would actually improve after Matt Millen stopped stealing money as General Manager? The Bills are a bigger one for me-- this team hasn't been able to get out of it's way since they went with Rob Johnson over Doug Flutie at quarterback. Can they sustain great play for 16 weeks?

Woe is the winless-- the pursuit of the 2008 Lions continues with Minnesota, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Kansas City and Miami all 0-3. And the Chiefs play the Vikings this week. FOX's legendary broadcast team of Curt Menefee/Brian Baldinger will be called out of retirement for that one.

College Football Corner-- point of no return...

2011-09-26T23:30:00.000-07:00

When I was a student, there was no better season than the honeymoon at the beginning of every semester-- a chance to view the possibilities of each class and the opportunities for learning without actually reading or even buying books. But then there's that first exam or paper that turns the semester from fun into focus. For some teams, the first bad grade has them studying at all hours while others have that first exam coming up quickly. Kudos to LSU for having an ambitious first month-- three big road games against ranked opponents. And justifiably so, the Tigers are the early valedictorians.

Alma Mater Update-- Syracuse somehow is 3-1 after four less than impressive games... the Orange rank 75th in scoring and 79th in points allowed (and there are only 119 schools in FBS). Three wins-- two in overtime and a third a seven point victory over and FCS school. I don't know how long this mirage will remain... but SU is halfway to postseason eligibility. One can only imagine the excitement if one year from now the Carrier Dome faithful get to see a second Pinstripe Bowl banner get raised to the rafters.

Maryland (1-2) got manhandled by Temple in a game that felt decided after just one quarter... the Owls dominated from the opening kickoff to the final gun-- handing the Terps a 38-7 trouncing that readjusts the ceiling and floor for this unit. Terrapin Triumphs-- the pregame tailgate at Matt and Stacia's was pretty nice: breakfast quiche with muffins and juices. On the field, Demetrius Hartsfield notched 17 tackles and one sack. Terrapin Troubles-- where to begin? Temple scored on all five first half possessions... sacked Danny O'Brien three times and ruined his timing throughout... and the Owls blocked a punt to set up the touchdown that made the score 21-0 in the first quarter. The Owls had possession for over 41 minutes. Of the 14 third down opportunities the Maryland offense had, 11 were of five yards or more; Temple in its 15 third down chances only had four such instances. And did I mention the average starting field position was the Terp 20? Next up: Saturday against Towson.

Virginia (2-2) was in position to notching three wins in September after being held to 3 victories in all of 2009 and 4 wins last year. Unfortunately, the Eagles wouldn't cooperate as the Cavaliers fall 34-24. On the bright side, the St. Supery Moscato is the perfect pairing for provolone... as Kippy and Buffy ease toward popped collar underneath the sweater season. Cavalier Congratulations-- Perry Jones rushed for 82 yards while notching six catches... the run defense held the Eagles to 61 yards rushing. Cavalier Catastrophes-- three interceptions by Michael Rocco is hardly ideal... and he wasn't even stretching the field (!) once again averaging under 10 yards per completion. The defense saw more than a few big plays-- two of the three Southern Miss td's came by 20 yards or more. Next up: Saturday against Idaho.

#11 Virginia Tech (4-0) wrapped up a successful September with a 30-10 road victory at Marshall. Before you get out of hand, remember that this year's Hokie edition is much like that smoked turkey leg-- more time is needed on the grill for it to properly cook. Hokie Highlights-- the defense holds the Thundering Herd to 6 net yards rushing, 3-15 on third down and how about keeping the opposition scoreless in the first quarter? David Wilson led the ground game with 132 yards rushing (Jared Oglesby providing the lightning to Wilson's thunder with 75 yards and two touchdowns). Hokie Humblings-- two turnovers... and Logan Thomas is experiencing the usual learning curve. Also, given the opposition-- VT hasn't pulled away the last three weeks by any stretch of the imagination. Next up: Saturday against #13 Clemson.

Presto's Picks... scaled down version.

2011-09-23T23:54:00.000-07:00

Maryland meets Temple-- the Terps try to move on after a tough loss at home to West Virginia. After the recent conference shuffle, the Owls remain in the Mid-American Conference for football... and the Atlantic Ten for everything else. I'm still getting my head around that one. Terps triumph, 27-10.

Virginia tangles with Southern Miss-- can the Cavaliers bounce back from a loss where they actually outplayed North Carolina? And what will Kippy and Buffy bring to this week's tailgate-- I'm waiting with baited breath. Cavaliers come through, 24-10.

Virginia Tech at Marshall-- the Hokies conclude a quiet September on the road. How good is this team that is 3-0 for the first time since 2006? Just good enough paired with a schedule that isn't the most ambitious. Hokies hold on, 21-9.

Georgetown edges Marist, Howard falls to Morgan State, William & Mary nips James Madison, Richmond rolls past New Hampshire.

Last Week 5-4. Season: 17-7.

Redskins Rehash-- feasting on a sandwich...

2011-09-19T11:19:00.000-07:00

These were precisely the games the Redskins from 2000 to 2009 lost. Sandwich game in between tilts against NFC East foes... against non-playoff teams from the year before... and in that 1pm regional timeslot. It's not a big game in the fans eyes... and often it would turn out to be a big loss. Not so under the Shanahan Regime: three scoring drives in the fourth quarter led to a 22-21 victory over Arizona... and kept the Skinstock high for another Sunday.

Fourth and Awesome-- trailing by 8 in the fourth quarter and facing a 4th and 3 from the Cardinal 18 yard line... Rex Grossman found Santana Moss in the right side of the endzone for a revitalizing score: their first touchdown since the second quarter gave the Skins momentum they wouldn't lose when their two-point try failed.

Turnoverasaurus Rex-- Mr. Grossman was picked off on the Skins' first two drives... one ended a possession in the red zone while the other set up the Cardinals first score. But QB1 settled down and led the Skins to a pair of fourth quarter drives... something we haven't been accustomed to in recent years.

Setting the Tower Higher-- Tim Hightower failed to reach 100 yards against his former team... but his yards per carry (4.8) was two full yards more than his debut against the Giants. And he also caught a pass. Meanwhile, Roy Helu (10-74, 3 catches for 38 yards) turned out to be a solid second threat.

Feeling Fredtastic-- Mr. Davis led the Redskins for the second straight week with 6 catches for 86 yards with a touchdown... pumping up his totals to 11-191-1 for the season. Meanwhile, Chris Cooley went without a catch for the first time since his rookie year... perhaps a changing not of the guard but of the tight end?

Call from the Booth-- Chris Myers and Tim Ryan announced Sunday's game; and while they may be the #4, #5 or #6 team...the duo are an easy listen.

Flags Flyin'-- Only 3 penalties for 15 yards... contrasted to the Cardinals getting whistled for 97 yards on 10 infractions. A net gain of 82 yards is often the unseen difference in a one point win.

Rise of the Rookie-- Ryan Kerrigan tallied three tackles plus one sack against the Cardinals... continuing to make his mark on the defense.

Donovan and Albert-- the Vikings quarterback completed 18 of 30 passes for 228 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions in Minnesota's 24-20 come from ahead loss to Tampa Bay. McNabb's now 0-2... while Haynesworth's new team is 2-0. The big man played against San Diego but failed to register a tackle in New England's 35-21 victory. No word on if he had free reign at the fried dough stand after the game.

Dissecting the Division-- the perfect Skins stand atop the NFC East, with Dallas (1-0 conference) currently in second place followed by Philadelphia and the NY Giants (the 0-1 division mark pulling Big Blue back). The NFC East is one of two divisions without a winless team (AFC North the other). Seems like old times.

College Football Corner-- ACCepting change.

2011-09-18T21:25:00.000-07:00

Having covered college football and basketball for the better part of the last twenty years, and having attended Syracuse during the heyday of the Big East, it's with a heavy heart I accept the Orange's move from the Big East to the ACC. Yeah, Pitt's going along as well... but SU was a founding member and cornerstone of a pretty fantastic basketball league and occasionally relevent football conference. It will be tough going from founder to tenant... especially in a league that pillaged the Big East--setting things in motion for the current situation. How do you go to cocktail parties and mix with Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College-- knowing they left you high and dry when they had the chance? I'll miss the "old days"-- but I'm sure there were those back in 1978 refusing to think of baskeball being played inside a domed football stadium. There may have even been those who thought Syracuse was idiotic to abandon it's interweaving home and home rivalries with Colgate, St. Bonaventure, Canisius and Siena to join a group of Catholic schools- most of which didn't field a football team. So as we think fondly of the 1980's and 90's... there's an exciting new world to think about. I'm just hoping they have the divisions make sense.

Alma Mater Update-- as the athletic department was embarking a new direction... the football team was getting waxed by USC 38-17. On the bright side we had a great gamewatching crowd... although my wings to drumstick ratio was 5 to 7 (to be expected after last years ridiculous run). Unfortunately the inability of the first hitter to bring down the ballcarrier proved detrimental. The Orange are on their way- but not there yet. And wasn't it great to have Gus Johnson on the FX broadcast? He's enthusiastic-- but come on.

Maryland (1-1) fell 17 points down at the half before allowing an opening drive touchdown in teh second half to West Virginia, before storming back only to come up short 37-31. Over the first two games the team's seen its ceiling, but also has learned what it needs to do to reach that ceiling. Terrapin Triumphs-- Davin Meggett rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown... Matt Furstenburg continues to be a move the chains threat with 7 catches and 70 yards...the defense tallied three takeaways. Terrapin Troubles-- 7 penalties for 75 yards... Danny O'Brien threw three interceptions--one a pick-six and the other a game-sealer. The defense didn't force a Mountaineer punt until the third quarter... and after tightening things up allowed a 14 play, 65 yard drive to set up West Virginia's final points of the day. Next up-- Saturday against Temple.

Virginia (2-1) came up short in Chapel Hill... turnovers tormenting Mike London's Cavaliers in a 28-17 loss to North Carolina. This week's Kippy and Buffy Tailgating reccomendation: Kung Fu Riesling with Horseradish Cheddar on Triscuits. Cavalier Congrats-- Kevin Parks nets 98 yards rushing on just 14 carries.... Kris Burd tallies 7 catches for 110 yards... the defense held Tar Heels to 3-12 on third down. Cavalier Concerns-- three turnovers allowed a UNC team that was outgained by 67 yards to win by double digits... 6 penalties for 58 yards wasn't helpful either. Next up-- Saturday against Southern Miss.

#13 Virginia Tech (3-0) won its first three games for the first time since 2006... after allowing the customary opening score the Hokies staggered their way to an underwhelming 26-7 triumph over Arkansas State. But an unbeaten Show Me Month is what a program that has national dreams like VT needs. Hokie Highlights-- David Wilson remains the breadwinner on the ground... rushing for 88 yards and a touchdown... the defense held the Red Wolves to 64 yards on 31 carries... sacked Ryan Aplin three times and held them to 4 of 15 on third down. Hokie Humblings-- what is it with sluggish starts and the Hokies lately? This is cute now against non-league teams, but one would think there'd be different consequences come ACC time. Thirty-three yards per punt? Beamer Ball?!? Two interceptions thrown by Logan Thomas continues to show he has a ways to progress during his career-- and this season. Next Up--Saturday at Marshall.

Presto's Picks-- Conference Carousel and Confederation...

2011-09-16T04:32:00.000-07:00

Thank you, university presidents and athletic directors for making my life quite a bit easier. Instead of having to scour college football for relevant topics and show actual creativity, I'm able to refer to conference's merging and breaking apart with numbing reality. Texas A&M's impending departure from the Big XII has already run its course (although I like Kenneth Starr trying to rally the Lonestar State against the outsider SEC-- DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS, even if it's in the form of Baylor) with the Aggies becoming the lucky 13th member of the best league in the land. This week the Pac-12 has been in the mix with Oklahoma, Texas and to keep geographical balance, Osaka Tech. Last winter the Big East announced that Texas Christian (!) would join the league as the 9th football and 17th basketball school--although Oxford and Cambridge will make perfect travel partners for future expansion and give the conference a head start in cricket. There are those who wonder how the NCAA could let this happen... think of college athletics as the US before the constitution-- a held together by string and Articles of Confederation group of 13 where individual states held reign over their destiny instead of being subject to a strong central government. Where's James Madison when you need him? Fittingly this weekend, playing Liberty. So stay tuned for a world with four 16 team leagues; then we might have a playoff (but don't count on it).

Alma Mater Update-- Syracuse takes its 2-0 record westward to face USC... and I head into the district for my first gameday visit to Sign of the Whale since SU Lacrosse lost in overtime to Maryland last May. The place has been great to the Alumni group since we started going there on recommendation from dynamic duo Major D and McLovin... the Batman and Robin of good times at SU Alumni events. I'm hoping for a good showing on the field, at the bar and in the wing basket-- let the record show that last year's drumstick to wing ratio was consistently off the chart (8 to 4) and I'm prepared for bounceback.

Maryland meets #18 West Virginia-- the Terps haven't beaten the Mountaineers since 2003 when they topped them twice. The Mountaineers run a 3-3-5 stack defense that limits the long pass and clamps down on the run- it seems every time you turn around there's that extra defensive back unaccounted for making a big play. Danny O'Brien's concern isn't as much the 3-3-5 as 1-7 (I-20): the Terps were inside the Miami red zone 7 times and came away with just one touchdown. The Terps try to contain Geno Smith-- more of a passing quarterback than Pat White-- and build off of their four-takeaway effort in the opener. Terrapins triumph in all-black uniforms that make David Prowse proud, 28-24.

Virginia visits North Carolina-- for old school Cavalier fans, this is the rivalry. Not the Hokies. And certainly not Maryland. Problem is, UNC's rivalry pecking order has UVa third at best. One of the reasons why the Cavs have started 2-0 is pass protection: only two sacks allowed with 66 passes thrown. A Michael Rocco under pressure is not what coach Mike London dreams about. Meanwhile, the Tar Heels are vying for first place-- with Miami for the "Coastal Division Volatility Award". Butch Davis' departure hasn't kept the Tar Heels from going 2-0... but the Tar Heels haven't won a conference opener in about a decade. The trend holds while Kippy and Buffy have unbeaten argyles--Cavaliers come through, 19-13.

#11 Virginia Tech plays Arkansas State-- it's hard to imagine this is the Hokies first 2-0 start since 2006... and last Saturday's rally past East Carolina was another sluggish September showing by Beamer's bunch. The Red Wolves beat Memphis by 44 last weekend... 44!... which reminds me of a beer we carried at Shorty's in Litchfield, New Hampshire 17 years ago titled "Red Wolf" (not to be confused with Red Dog; I believe one was appointed while the other was elected). I would list the beers (Corona, Bud, Miller, Anchorsteam...) and when I'd get to Red Wolf I'd become magically possessed by the wolf itself, saying "RED WOLF!". I moved more of that crappy beer than anybody else at the Litchfield location or any other (although I don't have the Nashua, NH numbers readily available)-- I didn't control the wolf, THE WOLF controlled me. Hokies harness their inner wolf, 34-12.

Navy falls at #10 South Carolina, Georgetown tops Yale, Howard nips Norfolk State, Richmond rips VMI, James Madison over Liberty, William & Mary smacks New Haven.

Last Week: 7-0 (show me month indeed!). Season: 12-3.

Redskins Rehash-- Everyone Remain Calm...

2011-09-12T13:00:00.000-07:00

What's amazing about week one of the NFL regular season is that although the games are count in the standings (as opposed to the August mirage)... it takes a while for reality to shake out. Now I'm not saying that the first Sunday is meaningless (many a year one has seen a weak week one Redskin effort en route to a season of double digit losses)... but there's a long way from 1-0 to 11-5 or even 8-8.

But didn't they look good? Wasn't it nice for Redskins Nation to have a victory by more than a touchdown (first double-digit win over a division foe since 2007)? Wasn't it nice to win inside the NFC East for the first time in almost a year? Didn't it feel good to have faith in the franchise's brain trust regarding both long-range and short-term situations? Yes, Redskin Stock is ridiculously high-- but at least it feels like there's a foundation in place.

Maximus Rex-- so I guess it looks like coach Mike Shanahan made the right call? Mr. Grossman completed 21 of 34 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns... despite under pressure where he was sacked four times. Will every week be this incredible? Likely not-- but it's a nice ceiling to have.

Taking the Third-- on the Skins game-clinching drive, they converted 3 of 3 third downs (granted one was via penalty, but still...)- something they weren't able to regularly last year. Defensively they shut the door on the Giants... who moved the chains on just 1 of 10 tries. That is how you win consistently in the NFC.

Rise of the Rookies-- first year linebacker Ryan Kerrigan put the Skins ahead to stay early in the third quarter by returning an interception for a touchdown-- so much for my concern that changing a position and a formation in wake of a lockout would hamper the Purdue grad's growth-- while 7th round pick Chris Neild tallied two sacks and forced a fumble.

Lowering Hightower-- Tim gained less than 3 yards a carry... not ideal. But the team had enough confidence in the ex- Cardinal to continue to call his number in the fourth quarter.

Who Needs the Triumvirate?-- with Malcolm Kelly cut and Devin Smith playing for the Giants... Fred Davis posted 5 catches for 105 yards- a total that all three would have been proud of in 2008-09. The tight end says he lost about 12 pounds in the offseason to be in better shape for what the team wanted of him this fall. I know Chris Cooley has been a fixture in the passing game since 2004 (averaging at least 4 catches per game played)-- but Davis is a more traditional, at the line of scrimmage lineman-receiver hybrid. Here's two plenty of double-tight formations this fall.

Reining in the run-- after allowing allowing the Giants to rumble for 63 yards on 13 carries in the first half, the defense held Big Blue to 12 yards on 7 tries after intermission.

Winning the flag fight-- the Skins were penalized 3 times for 25 yards, with none of the infractions resulting in a Giants first down. The Giants? 8 penalties for 63 yards and a crucial first down on the Skins game-clinching fourth quarter possession.

Donovan's Debut not dominant-- the former Redskins quarterback completed 7 of 15 passes for 39 yards with a touchdown and an interception in Minnesota's 24-17 loss at San Diego. 39 yards? I thought it was a typo or a computer glitch at first-- seeing how McNabb gained 32 yards rushing. The Vikings gained just 26 yards after halftime and wasted a 10 point lead... Purple and Gold fans are settling in for a long winter.

What's a Haynesworth?-- the ex-Skins defensive line and stone in the shoe notched two tackles for New England in the Patriots 38-24 win at Miami. The ten year veteran is already on pace to double his 2010 totals-- although he played just 8 games last season. No word on how many days off he would need to recover after a Monday night in South Florida.

Dissecting the Division-- technically the Skins begin the season in first place as their victory over the Giants give them a 1-0 division record (first tiebreaker after head-to-head)... Philadelphia's dream team stands in second after a 31-13 thrashing of St. Louis. Dallas for the first time coughed up a 14 point fourth quarter lead in a 27-24 loss to the New York Jets... and the Giants bring up the rear at 0-1. Before we start wondering what font the banner will be in, remember they began 2010 in first place after an opening night win over Dallas-- only to finish the season in last.

College Football Corner-- Counting Cupcakes...

2011-09-11T08:51:00.001-07:00

College football for some schools is about winning it all-- premiere programs like Alabama and Nebraska have clocks built in by their fan bases reminding coaches of the last national title. Others focus on winning their conference and/or getting to the BCS-- Virginia Tech and Boise State recent regulars in January play. For a great many schools though, it's all about getting to postseason play. That means 6 victories (or 7 if you schedule two FCS teams like Syracuse did last year). That often means padding an eight game conference schedule with cannon fodder. Hello, cupcakes. (cupcake moment of thought: I wonder if the famous Georgetown Cupcake in DC sells "St. Leo" or "Hawaii-Loa" as flavors). September's non-conference slate has marquee matchups like Notre Dame-Michigan but also Michigan-Western Michigan. Now I have no problem with padding the 12 game slate with a gimmee, but can we vary things up a little bit? Ohio State faced Mid-American Conference schools Toledo and Akron in consecutive weeks ...is OSU is looking to qualify for the MAC title as a safety school if the Big Ten thing doesn't pan out this fall?

Alma Mater Update-- one week after looking lackluster in a 36-29 overtime win against Wake Forest, the Orange needed a career high 318 yards passing from Ryan Nassib plus a fourth quarter touchdown pass to a walk-on to edge Rhode Island 21-14... and Jim Harrick isn't coaching these Rams. Cause for concern? Could this be the weakest 2-0 team in Division I? After spending a decade just dreaming of 2-0, it's nice to be a paper tiger as opposed to a paperweight.

#11 Virginia Tech (2-0) held turn back the clock day in Blacksburg: the ongoing 2010 storyline was the ability to bounce back after allowing first quarter scores... and Saturday was no different as the Hokies allowed a token East Carolina score before rallying past the Pirates 17-10. A much better gage of where this team needs to improve than Appalachian State. Hokie Highlights-- VT ran for 241 yards with David Wilson providing the thunder (26 carries for 138 yards) and Josh Oglesby providing the lightning (two touchdowns)... the defense allowed -15 yards rushing and held ECU to 2.3 yards per offensive play. Hokie Humblings-- Logan Thomas ran well (11-66) but struggled passing (8-20 for 91 yards with an interception)... 12 penalties gave the Pirates almost an entire football field of free yardage and set up their lone touchdown. Next up: Saturday against Arkansas State.

Virginia (2-0) rallied on the road to give coach Mike London his first Cavalier conquest away from Charlottesville; 11 points in the final two minutes gave UVa a 34-31 win at Indiana (Kippy and Buffy braved the trek to Bloomington, arming themselves with a surefire road victory trio: Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, Port Wine Cheese and Wheat Thins). Cavalier Congrats-- Perry Jones provided 78 yards rushing, 85 receiving and scored the game-tying touchdown... Cam Johnson's forced fumble set up the game-winning field goal... Jimmy Howell averaged 45.3 yards a punt. Cavalier Concerns-- four turnovers-- one of which was a fumble run back 54 yards for a touchdown. 21 points allowed in the 4th quarter turned a double digit lead into a near-defeat. Next up: Saturday at North Carolina.

Maryland (1-0) had the weekend off: now there's always the question if a team burns its bye week this early in the season-but I think in the aftermath of a Monday night game one needs to unwind-- witness Virginia Tech last year. Next up: Saturday against West Virginia.

Presto's Picks-- Show Me Month!

2011-09-09T11:05:00.001-07:00

I've long maintained that September is "Show Me Month" in college football... a time to get your first sampling of the new starters and schemes. Will your longtime backup quarterback be able to build on what last year's starter did? Or will you wind up going through plan B, C, D and E? Show Me Month is a time to find out what new wrinkles your team added (uniforms included) and what sort of ceiling (or floor) your squad has this fall. Can the Hokies be in the National Championship mix? Will Maryland build off last year's 9-4 mark and contend for an ACC title? How many Coastal Division teams can the Cavaliers climb past? September's month of possibilities always has the chance of a loss to William & Mary or a rout at California or an 0-2 start to torpedo respective dreams... but even then you're shown something.

Alma Mater Update-- Syracuse kicked off the season by rallying past Wake Forest in overtime; a thrilling finish that saw the unveiling of the Pinstripe Bowl banner. Now after five years in the wilderness I'm not going to sell short any postseason appearance... but it's tough to jump up and down over a bowl that was tacked on to last year's schedule (at least they won this one though-- unlike the 1985 Cherry Bowl). Saturday the Orange face Rhode Island-- as ghosts from the 1988 Chapel Hill Subregional awake.

Virginia Tech at East Carolina-- three years ago the Hokies were ambushed by the Pirates in a 27-22 loss thanks to a blocked punt of all things. BEAMER BALL? The sharp focus that mowed down Appalachian State continues for the Hokies... although ECU put up 37 points on South Carolina last Saturday. Somehow I have a feeling that the ol' ballcoach didn't really focus on getting the Gamecocks defense ready for opening night as it would've interfered with his golf game. Hokies harness a road victory as the Pirates prepare for another crazy Halloween... 27-16.

Virginia at Indiana-- two schools better known for basketball try to live down recent tough times by facing off on the football field. And as IU hoops emerges from the crater created by Kelvin Sampson, their football program has another coach in place: Kevin Wilson's the fifth hire since the removal of alltime winningest coach Bill Mallory in 1997-- and even Mallory won just 38% of his Big Ten games. How bad have things been in Bloomington? You have to go back to 1951 to find a coach who won even 40% of his conference games. Cavaliers with their superior gridiron legacy handle the Hoosiers, 20-14.

Navy tops Western Kentucky, Georgetown leaps past Lafayette, Howard gets by Morehouse, James Madison nips Central Connecticut State, Richmond rolls past Wagner.

Last Week: 5-3.

College Football Corner-- Uniformally Different...

2011-09-07T10:55:00.000-07:00

Jerry Seinfeld once said that with free agency and trades in pro sports fans are really rooting for laundry nowadays. College football fans have a laundry list of colors to get excited about this fall... and it's not just Notre Dame's "wearing the green jersey to psyche themselves up for USC" look. Week one gave Oregon fans the green highlighter look (par for the course, honestly-- the NikeDucks are going to have to do something really crazy to register on the meter)... as well as the first ever meeting between the Mercury State (Georgia) and the University of Hoth (Boise State). Maryland got into the act Monday night with the state flag on its helmet and white unis (with the flag helmet that looks like it belongs to Biggs or Wedge, the uniform combinations now number 75 in College Park). All splashing and exciting, to be sure. Now I'm not the 15-18 year old being recruited by Division I programs-- so the massive uniform explosion is obviously not geared towards me. What's interesting about today's world of alternate jerseys, helmets, pants, shoes, and I'm sure supportive cups-- today's "uniform" is anything but uniform.

Maryland (1-0) kicked off the Randy Edsall era in the rain by topping Miami 32-24. Danny O'Brien took ACC offensive back of the week honors by throwing for 348 yards and a touchdown... while Cameron Chism and Joe Vellano were honored after returning turnovers for touchdowns. Terrapin Triumphs-- one turnover and four penalties... a nice mistake free opening night. Davin Meggett turned in a workhorse performance with 92 yards rushing plus 4 catches. An opportunistic defense generated three takeaways and two touchdowns-- with defensive tackle Joe Vellano providing a big boost heading into halftime with his return for a score. Terrapin Troubles-- seven trips into the red zone with just one touchdown for the offense... the defense allowed 172 yards rushing and a few big gains on land and in the air. Next up-- September 16th against West Virginia.

Virginia (1-0) avoided upset on Labor Day weekend by blasting William & Mary 40-3 in front of the usual festive Charlottesville crowd (Kippy and Buffy's tailgate brought to you by Chateau St. Jean Chardonnay with a healthy dose of pepperjack for those Ritz Crackers)... as UVa gained momentum as the game progressed. Cavalier Congrats--Kevin Parks ran for 114 yards and three touchdowns... the offense went turnover free and controlled the ball for over 37 minutes... the defense held the Tribe to 2 of 14 on third down. Cavalier Concerns-- Michael Rocco did complete 21 of 29 passes... but for under ten yards per completion. That might work against the CAA, but not against the ACC longterm. Eight penalties isn't ideal, either. Next up--at Indiana Saturday (one week before facing North Carolina; was hoping they'd play LSU later this month to complete the 30-year reunion of the 1981 basketball Final Four).

Virginia Tech (1-0) won on opening day for the first time since 2007... smacking Appalachian State into submission 66-13. The biggest issue was how one pronounced "Appalachian"-- is it "ay" or "ae"? I went with how the Hokie Network said the school's name, and although WTOP reporter Hank Silverberg correctly reminded me the proper way to pronounce the mountain rage, I'm going with Bill Roth on the is one. Although Hank knows how to "Do The Freddie" (60's pop group Freddie and the Dreamers-- you tube it and you'll be amused as well as scared). Hokie Highlights-- BEAMER BALL! Fumble recoveries, interceptions and punt returns set up short fields for touchdowns-- and the exclamation point came in teh form of a blocked punt for a score... BEAMER BALL! David Wilson ran for 162 yards and three touchdowns-- averaging ten yards a carry. And unlike the 2010 team, the defense didn't suffer a first quarter hiccup. Hokie Humblings-- what negatives can be drawn from a 53 point victory where you led by 38 at the half? Did the Smoked Turkey Legs have too much taragon? Next up-- Saturday at East Carolina.

Presto's Picks- a game without tradition is as shaky as a football on the roof...

2011-09-03T00:39:00.000-07:00

Tradition! College Football celebrates it with tailgates, school songs and ridiculous trophies like Oaken Buckets and Rusty Hatchets. Tradition! But as much as the game heralds its history, college football is always changing. From conferences merging (Big Eight and SWC in the dustbin of history) to bowls sprouting up and withering away (Bluebonnet Bowl, anyone?)... to rules about players (freshman eligibility, non-medical redshirts) and teams (non-repeat rule in Big Ten, television appearance maximums)-- college football is as fluid as any sport. Tradition! I grew up following the college football of the 70's and 80's... where the national championship was decided on New Year's Day by four or five bowls with strict conference affiliation. Tradition! Not knowing that ten years before the national title was decided by Thanksgiving's final regular season ballots... the SEC wasn't locked into the Sugar Bowl... we knew the Heisman winner before the dinner... and Chris Schenkel was the Keith Jackson of college football. Tradition! Today the game is morphing again-- and I don't know what we'll see ten years from now: perhaps a playoff? 16-team superconferences? Paying players percentages of jersey sales? Just like the last 30 years, the only tradition in college football is change. Tradition!

Maryland kicks off the Randy Edsall era with a Monday night matchup against a mess in Miami. Player payoffs, yacht cruises, escort services-- what happened to the simpler times of the 100 dollar handshake? The Hurricanes will be minus quarterback Jacory Harris-- but backup Stephen Morris led the 'Canes to a last-minute touchdown against the Terps last year. Danny O'Brien has had a whole spring and summer to digest the new offense-- while Kenny Tate is entrenched in the similar role of X-factor... albeit a little closer to the line of scrimmage. Terps open the Edsall era in style, 24-20.

Virginia faces William & Mary-- the rebuilding era enters year two for Mike London...and the Cavaliers are still smarting over a loss to the Tribe two years ago. The only thing more unsettling to the Charlottesville faithful than losing to an in-state FCS opponent would be running out of Pinot Grigio and Brie. Cavaliers pour on the points with a sharp cheddar, 34-18.

#13 Virginia Tech opens the season against Appalachian State-- and after last year's 0-2 start one would think the Hokies wouldn't overlook a local high school. They lost to James Madison! In Blacksburg! And they welcome a school known for one of the biggest opening day shockers of all time-- Appalachian State struck a blow for the little guy by beating Michigan in the Big House four years ago. Logan Thomas takes over for Tyrod Taylor at quarterback-- and one must have patience with the new signalcaller as Taylor took time to grow from a raw talent into the 2010 ACC Player of the Year. Hokies make molehills out of the Mountaineers, 37-14.

Navy defeats Delaware, Georgetown falls to Davidson, Howard slips at Central Michigan, James Madison shocks North Carolina, Richmond loses at Duke.

Last Year: 51-24... the tradition of winning continues.

Redskins Rehash... really?

2011-09-02T23:17:00.000-07:00

Does one really have to break down all of the minutae after the fourth preseason game? Can't I lift my starters after one paragraph and rest up for the regular season opener? Sadly, fans are charged regular season prices for sodas and parking-- so we'll tough it out. Once again, this is the preseason-- and even though the Redskins 29-24 win over Tampa Bay took place September 1st, it's still August.

Rex & Beck's Battle Royale-- Grossman took the week off while John completed 10 of 21 passes for 108 yards and an interception; nothing beyond awesome that would propel him into the starting role. Still, the mantra remains that Beck was playing with backups-and at least he was better than Matt Gutierrez (signed off the scrap heap and returned in mint condition). Does Beck's subpar performance mean Grossman's got the #1 job locked up? If coach Mike Shanahan could let you know the day after the Giants game who would start it-- he would.

Taking the Torain-- the ground game gained 123 yards... primarily in the legs of Ryan Torain (17 carries for 73 yards) and Evan Royster (11-44). With Tim Hightower and Roy Helu on the shelf but ready to go on opening day... it appears as though the running game is in good hands (or feet) once the regular season kicks off.

Turnovers with frosting-- it's preseason! Who cares if the Skins lost a fumble plus two interceptions... those were backups as well as players who will get cut by Labor Day.

Third and Forever/Third and Never-- while the offense converted 6 of 16 third downs, the defense held the Buccaneers to 1 third down conversion in 14 attempts.

Triumvirate takes another hit-- now two thirds of the Redskins' famed 2008 second round is gone. Devin Thomas was waived last year, and this week the Skins released Malcolm Kelly. The oft-injured Oklahoma product just could never get healthy enough for a long enough period of time to live up to his potential. Now tight end Fred Davis shoulders the burden of the Class of '08...

Tough Choices-- while Kelly's injuries made his departure an eventuality... there are a few shades of gray decisions pending. Does Mike Sellers have a spot on this team as a fullback, tight end or solid locker room presence (unfortunately that is not a position on the field). Is Horatio Blades on his way out of town? And given the team's talent (let's not kid ourselves, this was a 6-10 squad in 2010) how active are they on the waiver wire this weekend?

Redskins Rehash-- dress rehearsal needs a new final curtain...

2011-08-27T08:34:00.000-07:00

So a regional rivalry that wasn't saw both teams win. The Redskins looked sharp on both sides of the ball in carving out a 21-14 halftime lead... and the Ravens reserves rallied their way to a last-minute touchdown and win that nobody will ever forget. The score was 34-31, right? The dress rehearsal went well for the Skins-- and with no OTAs in the offseason one wonders how much the coaching staff feels they need to play the starters next Thursday against Tampa Bay.

Big Play Bang-- all three first half touchdowns came from more than 20 yards out. One running (nice cutback from Tim Hightower)... one passing (a sweet throw by Rex Grossman) and one on defense (DeAngelo Hall getting the Skins on the board with an exclamation point). It seems as though the last couple years have been devoid of the home run ball-- and it's always nice to shorten the field.

Rex & Beck's Battle Royale-- Mr. Grossman completed 8 of 15 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown while John connected on 6 of 10 throws for 108 yards and a score. The duo's difference-- Beck threw an INT. The key stretch for Grossman was late in the first half when he went 6 of 8 for 85 yards and the go-ahead score just before intermission. That drive didn't save his job-- but it keeps #8 in the conversation. Beck's interception may keep the contest alive a little longer... but conventional wisdom has #12 with the upper hand; not only is he going to have to lose the job- Grossman has to emphatically win it.

Ground game keeps lifting me Hightower-- after a 37 yard scamper for a score, Tim Hightower continued to lay claim to the starting runningback job by leading the Skins in rushing (9 carries for 56 yards). And although the Skins were held to just 103 yards rushing, they averaged a robust 4.5 yards a carry. Can Ryan Torrain return before Labor Day to provide a legitimate challenge to the ex-Cardinal?

Ask and Ye Shall Receive-- Terrence Austin caught 5 passes for 71 yards and a touchdown while Santana Moss added 3 grabs for 51 yards and a score. Anthony Armstrong and Jabar Gaffney also got into the act; potentially providing whomever plays at quarterback this fall with more than a few options. Leonard Hankerson remains a peripheral project.

Walking Wounded-- Big blow for the Skins growth into a 3-4 defense as Jarvis Jenkins left the game with a torn ACL-- the rookie defensive lineman is done for the year. Tight end Chris Cooley remains in the land of limbo with a sore knee... how important will his absence be once the games are for real?

Third and Forever-- Despite moving the football again, the offense had issues moving the chains... 3 of 11 not the most inspiring.

Grading the D-- four sacks... two interceptions and a fumble recovery give one reason for optimism. And allowing 13 fourth quarter points doesn't have the ultimate sting because a lot of the players on the field at the end of a preseason game aren't going to be around much longer.

Flying the flag-- eight penalties is not ideal-- although only two resulted in a first down for the Ravens.

Gano gets it done-- the Redskins kicker continues to stay safe by making a 48 yard kick and converting on all four extra points.

Redskins Rehash-- Sizzle and Steak both shine...

2011-08-20T08:08:00.000-07:00

During the NFL Preseason, fans are drawn to the sizzle of a quarterback competition while sometimes the substance of the team's rebuilding goes under the radar. That's been the case since the Sonny/Billy days... and although the focus over the past year has been the line of succession from Jason Campbell to Donovan McNabb to Rex Grossman to potentially John Beck, the state of the Skins is much more than that. And although it's only August and these are just preseason games... the feel is this franchise is on the right track. Is this a contending year? Not necessarily-- but it looks to be better than last year's evaluation and housecleaning season. After 2010, transition year never sounded so good.

Rex & Beck's Battle Royale-- Friday's 16-3 victory over Indianapolis saw a tale of two halves; John Beck completed 14 of 17 passes for 140 yards and directed the Skins to four scoring drives- while Rex Grossman had less success: 7-12 with an interception... and no points (Skins gained just 122 of their 415 yards after halftime). Advantage-Beck.

Setting the bar Hightower-- the Skins ran for 215 yards against the Colts... on a clip of 6.1 yards per attempt. Tim Hightower set the early tone again with a 58 yard scamper on the team's first possession and scored the games lone touchdown to wrap up that drive. Tim's tally through two preseason tilts: 114 yards on 16 carries.

Youth served again-- Just like week one against Pittsburgh... Hightower's rookie replacement outgained him. This time it was Roy Helu's turn: 14 carries for 101 yards-- with a 51 yard run setting up a second quarter field goal. He also paced the team with 4 catches. After 2010's ground game ran aground-- it's always nice to have multiple options in the backfield.

Catch as catch can-- does one focus on what was or what wasn't? Leonard Hankerson tallied 3 catches for 46 yards but had a drop. That's been an issue this preseason. Meanwhile, Mike Sellars continues his adjustment to the tight end position with a pair of catches.

D earns an A-- Okay... Peyton Manning didn't suit up. Austin Collie did not play. But the Skins defense went out and shut down the opposition for the second straight week- limiting the Colts to 1 yard rushing in the first half and 12 of 27 passing (one week after holding Pittsburgh to 11 of 27) with an interception for the game. Darrion Scott notched two tackles, three assists and a sack. Kedrick Golston added two tackles plus two assists. On the night the defense allowed just 150 yards- and with a unit that ranked 31st in the league last year, back to back outings of under 200 yards allowed has to be somewhat encouraging.