Review of Week 6 in the SEC

Well, this last week in the SEC saw a couple of interesting match ups.  LSU and Bama both proved that they are a contender.  Florida is giving it one heck of a go by trying to win with a MASH unit.  South Carolina was fighting for their life in the East.  UGA and Tennessee were smelling blood in the water and trying to make a run for the East crown.  Arkansas is still trying to prove that they can play with anyone in the SEC.  Auburn's defense proved that they can't cover a pass.  Mississippi State still not looking like the team they were early in the season and Ole Miss even lost on their off week.

Mississippi State (-18.5) at UAB:  Well, I had State winning and covering in this one and I was almost right on both accounts.  State missed covering the spread by a point.  MSSt 21, UAB 3  WRONG!

Kentucky at South Carolina (-21):  I thought this one was going to be a blowout and it was.  SCar 54, UK 3  CORRECT!

Florida at LSU (-13.5):  Really wish that Florida would have been at full strength for this one so that we would have gotten a better read on LSU but called it.  LSU 41, Fla 11  CORRECT!

Georgia (-2) at Tennessee:  I really thought this one would come down to a field goal with UGA pulling it out.  With Bray going down, that helped them out a little more.  UGa 20, Tenn 12  CORRECT!

Vanderbilt at Alabama (-29):  I was actually really impressed with Vandy early on in this one.  They didn't look like the Vandy of old but Bama was just too much.  Ala 34, Vand 0  CORRECT!

Auburn at Arkansas (-10):  I figured that Arkansas would come out slinging it and they did.  I thought that Auburn's secondary couldn't handle Arkansas' air attack and I was right there also.  Also thought that the razorbacks would win by at least two touchdowns...and they did.  Ark 38, Aub 14  CORRECT!

This week in Scubajack's Pick 'em, we had BamaBoy83, Rising Eagles and Red Catcher winning the week, correctly picking 15 out of 22 games against the spread.  Overall, I'm still in first with 76 points but not by much cause You're Gatorbait and RollingTide14 are dead on my heels with 75 and 74 points, respectively.  It's still not too late for you to get in on the pick 'em fun since the weekly winners are what we look at as much as we look at the overall lead.  Sign up!  See ya in a couple of days with the Week 7 Preview in the SEC!

Preview of Week 6 in the SEC

This weekend brings a couple of intriguing match ups in the SEC, with one of them having HUGE implications in the SEC East.  With South Carolina losing to Auburn, the SEC East is wide open.  If Florida hadn't lost Brantley last week against Bama, I would make the Gators my top choice at taking advantage of the Gamecock stumble.  Having that been said, the match up between UGA and UT in Knoxville puts the winner of the game in prime position in the East and possibly get them a trip to Atlanta in early December.  Now, let's look at all the games:

Mississippi State (-18.5) at UAB:  The Blazers have no chance in this one.  I think the Dawgs find that offense from the first of the season.  Mississippi State wins and covers the spread.

Kentucky at South Carolina (-21):  Let's face it, the Kentucky Wildcats are not good this year even when compared to past Kentucky teams.  Even with the benching of Garcia at South Carolina and Connor Shaw getting the nod at QB from the Old Ball Coach, it won't matter who is taking snaps for the Gamecocks.  Lattimore goes nuts and the Cocks win easily!  They cover.

Florida at LSU (-13.5):  This would have been an intriguing match up if Florida hadn't lost Brantley last week but they did and it's not going to be close.  As Coach Lou Holtz said last night on ESPN when talking about Florida's ability to run the ball "can't run the ball against Alabama, LSU and the Green Bay Packers...in that order".  Florida's "leading SEC rushing attack" managed to get all of 15 yards last week and look for more of the same this week since UF depends on being able to get to the outside and then up field.  They aren't going to be able to beat LSU to the corners.  I look for this one to be more of the same that was seen in the Swamp last week.  LSU wins easy and covers the spread.

Georgia (-2) at Tennessee:  This should be an awesome game.  I've went back and forth on this one cause I really like the UT QB, Tyler Bray.  I also think that UT is better coached but UGA has the better athletes and I think that will be the difference in this one.  UGA wins a cloooooose one by a field goal and covers the spread.

Vanderbilt at Alabama (-29):  If Bama can hang the points on Arkansas and Florida then lookout Vandy.  The only thing that is going to decide whether or not Bama covers the spread or not is when Saban pulls the starters.  Bama wins and covers the spread.

Auburn at Arkansas (-10):  This is another great match up this weekend.  The Tigers just know how to lose right now.  With the exception of the Clemson game where they forgot how to tackle, they have been able to squeeze out a win in all the tight ones.  I don't think that it going to happen this weekend.  Auburn's secondary is not good at all and Arkansas is going to come out slinging it.  I think Arkansas wins by at least two touchdowns and covers.

Preview- New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers

After Monday night's come from behind win for the Buccaneers over the Colts, the Saints remain tied with the Bucs atop the NFC South with both teams being 3-1.  This coming weekend, the Saints can help their cause in the South with a win against the Carolina Panthers and new up and coming QB, Cam Newton. 

First a look at the Saints.  Offense is not the problem with the Saints.  Offensively they rank 2nd in the league with 454 yards a game, 5th in points with 31.8 a game, 2nd in pass yards with 335 yards a game and 10th with 119 yards a game.  Coach Payton has been using Mark Ingram sparingly but has been giving him touches in some key moments to ease him in to the game.  Ingram's 3.5 yards per carry average will only get better when he sees more consistent playing time.  Darren Sproles has been spectacular so far with not only his rushes, averaging 8.9 yards a carry, but also with his receptions (26 receptions for 224 yards and 1 TD) and Pierre Thomas is also averaging 5 yards a carry.  Right now, defense is the weak spot for the Saints.  Rated 15th in the league with overall defense, 9th against the rush and 19th against the pass wouldn't be that bad but the Saints aren't forcing turnovers with only two interceptions and three forced fumbles (with only one being recovered) so far this year.  The defense has to improve and be more consistent.  I know that the Saints have had to deal with injuries and suspensions to defensive starters so far this year but who in the league hasn't had to deal with something?

Now, looking at the Panthers.  The faithful up in Charlotte have been running out and buying anything they can find with Cam Newton on it.  If nothing else, he has brought a spark to not only the team but the fans.  Cam and the Panthers offense are rated right behind the Saints in most offensive categories being rated 17th in points (with 22.2 a game), 3rd in total yards (with 440 yards per game), 3rd in passing yards (334.8 yards per game) and 17th in rushing yards (105.2 yards per game).  Meanwhile on defense, the Panthers are allowing 143.8 rushing yards a game and 203 yards through the air with the only QB comparable to Brees that they have faced is Aaron Rodgers.  The Panthers are good on third down defense, only allowing 33.3% of third down conversions.

When you look at these two teams on paper it looks like a pretty close match up but one glaring difference between the two is third and fourth down conversion.  The Panthers are an atrocious 17 for 52 on third down conversions and 1 of 4 on fourth down.  The Saints meanwhile, are 32 of 58 on third down and 2 of 3 on fourth down.  Cam Newton is also only ten yards behind DeAngelo Williams for being the team's top rusher and has all four of the team's rushing TDs.  Why?  Cause Cam likes to call his own number when he is inside the opponents ten yard line.  If you don't think that the Saints defense sees that....you are smoking crack!  Jonathan Vilma has seen limited participation in practice this week for the Saints so that it seems that knee injury may still be an issue.  Looking at the defenses, I'll give you a push with neither defense really giving you the upper hand but as far as offenses go, the Saints have the advantage and I think that is what will win the game for them.  When looking at the special teams, I also give the Saints the edge there.  Look for the Saints to come out slinging it and trying to get a quick two score lead.  If that happens, look for running of Sproles and Mark Ingram with more touches than they have had so far this season and possibly pushing over that 100 yard mark for one of them.  I think that the Saints will win this one by about 10 points.

Conference Expansion

I don't know how many of you out there listen to Sports Radio but I listen to my fair share while I'm on the road or if I'm in the office.  If you do, you know that one of the main topics for the last 3 or 4 months has been Conference Expansion.  With Texas A&M definitely coming to the SEC and Pitt and Syracuse heading to the ACC, it seems that the Conference Realignment toward "Super Conferences" has begun.  With the Big 12 seemingly floundering because of all the infighting over the Longhorn Network and mismanagement at the Conference level, Missouri has begun to explore their options outside the Big 12 as well as Texas and Oklahoma listening to the occasional suitors.  So, here is what I'd like to hear from you...what do you wish the SEC and ACC would look like?  Tell me who they should add for the 14 or 16 team league.  I look forward to hearing what you have to say and I'll be following up with what I wish would happen.  Make them somewhat realistic (i.e. don't say that you wish the SEC would add Southern Cal and UCLA).  Let's get those comments going!

Review of Week 5 in the SEC

Well folks, it's official...I suck!  I wasn't able to get my preview for this week in nor was I able to get anything done for the preview of the Saints-Jaguars game.  Sorry to those of you that actually enjoy reading the blog.  The good news is, I did get my picks in for the Scubajack Pick'em and therefore my predictions can be verified.  This is what I was thinking:

Mississippi State at Georgia(-7) :  Early on this year, I was drinking the Miss. State Bulldog kool-aid.  Part of the reasoning for that is because my wife is from Starkville (and NO she is NOT a Miss. State grad, she is a Bama grad) and her family still lives there.  I also thought that Dan Mullen had righted the ship somewhat.  After the loss to Auburn though, the air seemed to have left the sails of the Dawgs.  On the other hand, UGA seems to be gaining a little momentum (not much...just a little) so in this one, I had UGA winning the game and covering the spread.  UGa 24, MSSt 10  CORRECT!

Texas A&M(-3) vs. Arkansas (in Dallas):  This one was actually kind of a cool match up I thought since this will be an annual meeting with A&M coming into the SEC West next year.  I knew that Texas A&M had an offense and not much defense and I saw the same with Arkansas so far this year.  I figured this one would be a shootout but I really didn't think that either would get a lead like A&M had at one point.  If the Aggies hadn't self destructed, I would have gotten this one wrong.  I had Arkansas winning the game outright.  Ark 42, TAMU 38  CORRECT!

Kentucky at LSU (-30) :  I figured that this one would be a runaway but with the large spread I almost picked LSU to win but not to cover.  I said ALMOST.  I had LSU to win and cover the spread.  LSU 35, UK 7  WRONG!

Buffalo at Tennessee (-28) :  In this one I figured that Tyler Bray would have a monster game against a second tier secondary and I was correct.  He once again passed for over 300 yards.  The kid can sling it!  I ad UT winning and covering.  Tenn 41, Buf 10  CORRECT!

Auburn at South Carolina (-10) : Even though South Carolina is a train wreck when it comes to the QB position, I figured that "Pour me another Drink" Garcia would show up big in this one just like he did against Bama last year since Auburn is the defending National Champion.  I thought that USC would maintain a good lead and then use Lattimore to wear down Auburn's defense in the 4th.  I had South Carolina to win and cover.  Aub 16, SCar 13  WRONG!

Alabama (-4) at Florida : I honestly though that this was one of the easiest to pick this week because of the spread.  I honestly thought that it would be a 7-10 point game which would easily cover the spread.  I did think that it would be much closer than the Arkansas game.  Guess I missed that one.  I did have Bama winning and covering.  Ala 38, Fla 10  CORRECT!

Ole Miss at Fresno State (-3.5) : On this one, I have absolutely no confidence in Ole Miss unless they are playing Alabama State and even then, I think I'd take State.  I also figured that with the long flight to Cali, these boys would be a little jet lagged but once again, I was wrong.  I had Fresno State winning and covering.  Miss 38, FrSt 28  WRONG!

So for this week, I was 4-3 against the spread and 4-2 picking straight up.  Not my best week but I guess in Vegas it'd get you by!  In the Scubajack's Pick 'em this week, I actually came in 1st with 14 of 20 correct with 5 different folks tied for 2nd with 12 picks correct.  Those teams were Jansen, Rising Eagles, BamaBoy83, Redcatcher and RgbyRob.  Crowedaddy's still remain in the top spot but his days there maybe numbered!

This coming weekend, I was initially thinking that we would have three key match ups but with the injury to Florida QB, John Brantley, the game between UF and LSU has lost some of it's luster.  The Georgia-Tennessee game has actually gained some attention now that Florida is dealing with injury issues at the QB position and with South Carolina losing to Auburn.  The Arkansas- Auburn match up has also gained some attention and may be the difference in Auburn having a winning season and not.  I'll explain more on this game and the Auburn season in my preview for week 6.  Hit me up with you comments!  Love to hear back from you and be sure and check out the videos of this week's highlights from the SEC at the bottom of the page!

Just checking out the mobile post capability of this new phone. Thanks for reading the blog and check back this week for the week 5 SEC preview and my look at the Saints vs Jags!

Review of Week 4 in the SEC (and Bama-Arkansas Tailgate)

I hope everybody had a great weekend.  The Jackson Clan did.  We started off the weekend with a Alabama Tailgate and Crimson Tide victory.  Caught up with some good friends and then capped it off with a birthday party (and Who Dat viewing party) for Connor!  I'll talk more about the tailgate at the end of this post.  Here is how I fared this week:

Georgia (-9.5) at Ole Miss - I picked UGA to take this one and cover the spread.  UGA 27-Ole Miss 13  CORRECT! x2

Arkansas at Alabama (-12) - If you read the preview, you saw that I picked Bama here to beat Arkansas in a close one but to not cover the spread even though, as I said in the preview, if you are picking against me in the Scubajack Pick 'Em on Yahoo! you know that I picked Bama to cover there cause I think it is bad luck to pick against my team in pick 'ems.  Anyway, Bama 38- Arkansas 14  CORRECT x1

Vandy at South Carolina (-16) - This one had me sweating the spread there for a little bit.  I had the Gamecocks to win and cover the spread.  USC 21- Vandy 3  CORRECT x2

Florida Atlantic at Auburn (OFF) - This one was actually closer than I thought it'd be.  Chizik must have called off the dogs in the 4th Qtr.  AU 30- FAU 14  CORRECT x2

Louisiana Tech at Mississippi State (-20) - Well, I picked the Bulldogs to win this one but I didn't think they'd have to go to overtime to do it!  MSU 26- LA Tech 20  CORRECT x1

LSU (-5.5) at West Virginia - This was a great game and LSU is looking STRONG.  I had LSU winning and covering.  LSU 47- WVU 21  CORRECT x2

Florida (-19) at Kentucky - I didn't see this one being close and I was dead on.  I had Florida winning and covering.  UF 48- UK 10  CORRECT x2

So this week, picking straight up, I went 7-0.  When picking against the spread, I went 5-2 (6-1 if you go off the Pick 'em).  In Scubajack's Pick 'em for Week 4, I was able to pull off first place by picking 16 of 22 correct against the spread.  Crowedaddys, the Rising Eagles and You're GatorBait were right on my tail with 15 of 22.  Not too bad this week.  Overall, Crowedaddys is still leading with 65 correct, RollingTide14 in second with 63 and Big Dog, You're Gatorbait and I tied for third with a 62.  We are really starting to see Bama and LSU get going and Florida is sort of flying under the radar over there in the East.  This next week in the Swamp is going to be interesting between UF and Bama.  I think this game will be ALOT closer than the Arkansas- Bama game was.  With Garcia still floundering at South Carolina, I would not be the least bit surprised to see Florida pound that gamecock tail and take the East either.  I'll be coming out with my predictions for Week 5 later in the week!  Look forward to your comments.

As far as the weekend had by the Jackson Clan, I have to start with the tailgate.  First off, every time we get up to Tuscaloosa, it's like getting to see our family.  We are fortunate that we attended a University where something like football brought all different generations together year after year, for years and years.  It's kind of funny to see all of us that went to college together now raising that new generation of Bama fans when we all remember (what we see as the not too distant past) when we were that new generation.  Matt Albertus flew in from Kansas, along with Gary and Rebecca Brock.  Kevin Hull took the short trip over along with Brian and Shanon Jarmon (don't know if we can really count Brian since it is his parents' place we use to tailgate) and of course Shane and Julie Hill.  Kate and I brought Connor this week.  Not his first Bama game but it was his first SEC game and he did awesome.  Now that ain't all the people that were at the tailgate...that's just the ones of us that went to college together.  On any given game weekend at the tailgate you can find three to four generations of Bama fans and grads at the tailgate with all of us talking about when we called the University home.  Just about every week during football season, I tell you guys about our buddy Shane Hill who we were in college with, and his tailgating exploits.  To say that this boy can cook is an understatement.  In addition to making all of us fat for the last few years, Shane has published a book on tailgating entitled "The Alabama Tailgate Cookbook" which is filled with his recipes from the tailgates a couple of years ago.  If you are interested in purchasing one of the books, check it out at amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/Alabama-Tailgate-Cookbook-Recipes-Review/dp/1461104521/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1306085672&sr=8-1 .  I just have to talk about the food this weekend though.  Every time I go to a game, I wonder how Shane is going to top the last home game.  Well, this week he got me with my weakness.....BACON!  Shane unveiled the Baconator (stuffed with pepperjack cheese, bbq sauce and spinach) and a bacon wrapped pork loin, stuffed with blue cheese and spinach, stuffed with smoked sausage link and stuffed with a pork tenderloin!  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  Made my tongue want to beat my brains out!  If you don't get the cookbook, you have to check out some of his recipes at http://www.alabamatailgate.com/

.  Can't wait to see what he breaks out for the next home game and rumor has it that our tailgate has been invited down to Auburn for the Iron Bowl and Shane'll be cooking it up on the Plains!

Saints wearing throwbacks this weekend vs. the Texans

According to Dave Cariello with the Canal Street Chronicles, a tweet from Greg Bensel reports that the Saints will be wearing their throwback uniforms this weekend against the Texans.  Last time they wore them was 1 December 2002 against the Bucs.

New Orleans Saints vs. Houston Texans Preview - Week 3

Looking at the NFC South this week, the game between Atlanta and Tampa is sure to be a good one and will really start to separate contenders from pretenders in the South.  Even though the Saints will be taking on the Texans from the AFC South this week.  I think that we can all agree that the AFC South has a totally different look these days with Peyton Manning watching from the sidelines wearing a ball cap.  The Texans have started off the season with a 2-0 start with one of those victories being over a Manning-less Colts team.  That 34-7 win over the Colts started them off right and with a 10 point win last week in Miami over a Dolphins team that is looking a little unbalanced.  Right now, I think the biggest question is, are the Texans for real?  I think that we can honestly say right now that yes, they are for real in the AFC South just for the simple fact that the Colts are not the Colts we are used to seeing week in and week out and with the Jags and Titans rounding out the division, it pretty much looks like it's going to be a two team show in the South with the Texans and the Titans (once they get Johnson back to 100%).  The big thing is, can the Texans consistently compete with the elite teams in the league?  This weekend will tell us alot.

The Texans secondary is going to be tested against the gunslinger Drew Brees and his stable of receivers.  The Saints also have some fresh legs in the backfield.  They have been platooning back there with Thomas, Sproles and Ingram and all three seem to be feeling fine and are all fresh.  The Texans are right the opposite.  Arian Foster has been plagued with a hamstring injury and is keeping him watching from the sidelines mostly but Ben Tate has been more than capable of filling his shoes by racking up 219 yards on 47 carries so far this season. 

This is how I see the game.  The days of Ben Tate running up large numbers rushing are going to end this weekend.  The Saints defense is very good against the rush.  I see three keys to the game:

1. The Texans Defense- they have to first be better against the run.  They have allowed an average of 110 yards rushing per game by two teams that are second tier rushing teams.  They will see three running backs this weekend that are better than what they have seen so far this season.  Their secondary has allowed 162.5 yards per game passing.  That again has been against second tier QBs.  Drew Brees is NOT second tier and he will get his completions.  The Texans have to force him to dump it off short and force the Saints into some 3rd and long situations.  Right now the Texans are allowing a stingy 23.8% in third down conversions.

2. The Saints rushing attack- The Texans are giving up an average of 108 yards rushing a game to second tier running backs.  The Saints have to take advantage of that and if they can, combined with the arm of Brees, they could make this a long day for the Texans.

3.  Third Down Conversions- Right now, the Saints offense is converting 54.8% of it's third down conversions with the Texans offense converting 38.9%.  That ain't gonna cut it if you are a Texans fan.  When you look at the defenses, as I said before, the Texans are only allowing 23.8% of third down conversions where the Saints have allowed 41.7%.  Last week however, the Saints only allowed the Bears to convert 2 of 12 opportunities of third down and 0 of 1 on fourth down.  The Saints obviously made some adjustments after week one in Green Bay and it seems to be working.  Bottom line here, I think whoever can win this conversion battle on both sides of the ball, wins the game.

My prediction is that the Saints pull this one out in probably about a 10 point game.  I'm thinking a score of 31-21 is about right.  Now that's assuming that the Texans protection of Matt Schaub holds up.  If they continue to put themselves in third and long situations, the blitz packages that the Saints will dial up could make this one ugly early.  I think the Saints defense will continue to look good and will take advantage of some of those third down opportunities that are going to be caused by the Texans failure to get early first downs because of their reliance on running the ball.  Will Smith will be back on that defensive line for the Saints and will help to put some pressure on Schaub in those critical third down situations.  Brees will continue to be Brees and I think will put in another 300+ yard game.  I also think that the Saints running game will start to catch fire this week and wouldn't be surprised if we have a 100 yard rusher this week.  It's also in the Superdome and that alone with all the crazies down there will be enough to pull the Saints through.  WHO DAT?!?  GEAUX SAINTS!

AP Photo/Mike Roemer

Preview of Week 4 in the SEC

Well, we should learn alot this week as far as the SEC West goes.  With the Bama vs. Arkansas game we're going to see the first big matchup of supposed contenders for the SEC West title.  LSU doesn't have a easy game themselves travelling up to West (By God) Virginia to take on the Mountaineers in an out of conference game.  So, here is what I'm thinking:

Georgia (-9.5) at Ole Miss - It don't get any better than this!  NOT!  In the battle of the most irrelevant coaches in the SEC, I'm seeing UGA take this one and covering the spread.

Arkansas at Alabama (-12) - This one is tough cause it's pulling at my heart strings.  I'm taking Alabama but don't think that they will cover the spread.  If you check out my picks on the Scubajack Pick 'em, yes, I picked Bama to cover.  The only reason I did that is because I think it's bad luck for me to pick against them in a pick 'em.  Call me crazy! 

Florida (-19) at Kentucky - This one won't even be close.  Florida is starting to get it together and they are going to make a statement in Lexington.  They win and cover.

Vandy at South Carolina (-16) - Great win for Vandy last week over Ole Miss but welcome back to the SEC Commodores!  The Cocks take this one and cover the spread.

Florida Atlantic at Auburn (OFF) - Auburn is reeling after that loss last week to Clemson and they are going to open an old fashioned can of whoop ass on the Owls this weekend! 

Louisiana Tech at Mississippi State (-20) - The Bulldogs are going to take out their frustrations on Tech and chalk up a win against at least one team from the state of Louisiana!  They win and cover.

LSU (-5.5) at West Virginia - The Mountaineers are no doubt gonna be fired up but I think that the LSU defense is just too freaking good.  I see LSU winning by probably 10 to 14 points.

Tennessee will be taking the week off and licking them wounds leftover from "The Swamp" last week!  I hope all of you have a great weekend and get to see your favorite team take to the field.  The Jackson Clan will be up in T-Town this weekend and be tailgating with our resident published author, Shane Hill.  Be sure to check out his blog at http://www.alabamatailgate.com/ and you can also check out his book there too!  If you happen to be in Tuscaloosa, give us a holler and we'll give you directions and you can sample some of these vittles (I know it's spelled wrong but if I spelled it right, half the people reading this blog wouldn't know what the heck I'm talking about) I've been telling you so much about!  RTR!

Review of Week 3 in the SEC

So, for week 3 in the SEC, I stunk it up.  The spread killed me.  Read further to see what I mean.

LSU at Mississippi State - I had LSU winning but I figured they wouldn't cover the spread.  WRONG!

Auburn at Clemson (-3.5) - I figured that Auburn would win this one outright.  WRONG! Clem 38, Aub 24

Ole Miss (-1.5) at Vandy - Had Ole Miss getting the ship right with this one.  WRONG!

Vand 30, Miss 7

Coastal Carolina at Georgia (OFF) - I had UGA in this one.  Guess they wanted to score all them points they should have scored in the first couple of games!  RIGHT!  UGa 59, CCU 0

Tennessee at Florida (-9.5) - I thought that Tyler Bray would keep this one close but Florida pulling it out.  NOPE!  WRONG AGAIN!  Fla 33, Tenn 23

Navy at South Carolina (-17) - Seriously Spurrier?  I had South Carolina winning and covering.  WRONG!  SCar 24, Navy 21

Louisville at Kentucky (-6) - I had Kentucky winning and covering.  WRONG! Loui 24, UK 17

North Texas at Alabama (-45) - I had Bama covering and winning.  WRONG!  Ala 41, UNT 0

Troy at Arkansas (-23) - I had Troy keeping it closer than 23 points but had Arkansas winning.  RIGHT! 

Ark 38, Troy 28

So overall against the spread for week 3, it's a good thing I didn't go to Vegas with these picks cause I went an awesome 2-7!  When just picking the games straight up, I went 6-3.  Not too bad.  The spread busted me up though.  Hopefully this week I can get the ship righted.

In the Scubajack Pick 'em this week, 'ol Gary Brock and the RollingTide14 came out on top with 19 correct and Mayor Crowedad from Troy nipping at his heels with 18 correct.  Good job gents!

Apology

For those of you that actually read my blog, I apologize that I didn't get anything up last week.  Was staying pretty busy and then was in the field (that's an Army term for being in the woods) all weekend.  I'll be releasing an overview of how BAD I did with my picks last week and then do my preview of this week.  Look forward to you input!

New Orleans Wideout - Out with a Broken Collarbone

Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported earlier tonight via twitter that New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marques Colston will miss approximately 4 weeks of the season with a broken collarbone, which he suffered late in last night's loss to the Green Bay Packers.

                                           Mike Roemer- AP

SEC Week 2 Predictions

Week 2 in the SEC brings us at least three intriguing match ups.  Mississippi State at Auburn at 12:20pm EST, Bama at Penn State at 3:30pm EST and South Carolina at Georgia at 4:30pm EST.  Miss State looked really good against Memphis last week, at least on offense and look like they may actually be the dark horse in the SEC West.  This week on the Plains will tell the tale.  Bama at Penn State is another one of those match ups between two traditional powers.  Some of these games in the past were defensive slobber knockers.  While their might be some slobber knockin' going on.  I don't think we are going to see one of those 6-3 games like we saw in the mid 80's.  This is the week that Saban is really going to get a good look at who is going to be his full time signal caller.  Meanwhile, between the hedges the Head Dawg is on the hot seat and he knows it.  The Gamecocks are coming into this one with some cockiness and swagger and they can smell blood in the water.  A win here for South Carolina and they see they are in the driver's seat in the SEC East.  A win for UGA and the "will he stay or will he go" discussions will continue to eat up the airwaves on sports radio for at least another week.  Without further ado, Week 2:

Kentucky (-11.5) vs. Central Michigan - I've got this one as an outright win for Kentucky with them covering the spread.
Mississippi State (-6.5) vs. Auburn - I've got the Bulldogs getting a little revenge for the game they felt they should've won last year.  They cover the spread.
Alabama (-10) vs. Penn State - I think the difference here is going to be the Bama defense.  Bama covers the spread.
Tennessee (-5) vs. Cincinnati - I'm actually pretty interested in this one just to see if Tennessee gets consistent QB play.  If they do for the second week in a row, I may change my opinion on who is the best QB in the SEC.  Tennesee gets the win and covers.
South Carolina (-3) vs. Georgia - This one has been close for the last few years.  I think South Carolina more than covers the spread and sets the pace in the SEC East.
Ole Miss vs. SIU (OFF) - Ole Miss gets the win and hopefully they enjoy it cause it might be the last one they see for awhile.
Florida (-23) vs. UAB - Florida continues to improve in this one.  Don't look now Gamecocks but somethings brewing in the Swamp!  Florida gets the win and covers.
Arkansas (-36) vs. New Mexico - Even the Arkansas water boys and trainers are gonna get some receptions in this one!  Arkansas wins big and covers.
Vandy (-1.5) vs. UCONN - Fortunately for Vandy, UCONN isn't as good as the were the last couple of years.  Vandy squeaks one out here but still covers.
LSU vs. Northwestern State (OFF) - The Mad Hatter has more than enough time to sample the fine taste of the grass in Red Stick as his boys roll in this one.

Well, those are my picks for Week 2 of SEC action.  If you are curious who I'm picking against the spread for the other Top 25 games, sign up for our Scubajack College Football Pick 'em on Yahoo!  (Details in the top right corner of this page)  Have a good weekend and see you in a few days when I review this weekends action!

SEC Review- Week 1

Last week I didn't put my picks into a preview blog other than my season predictions for the SEC.  As most of you know from reading the blog, I'm running a pick 'em this year through Yahoo (details here on the page) to give the readers more of a chance to get involved with the blog.  It's my hope to offer the opportunity throughout the season to some of our participants in the pick 'em to add their two cents to some of the week previews.  So, in the pick 'em, we pick all the games with SEC teams and then all top 25 teams.  This year, to add a little spice and difficulty, I'm picking against the spread.  Now, in the weekly preview, I'll tell you who I think is going to win, but I'll also tell you if I think they will cover.  Last week, of the 24 games listed in our pick 'em, I got 18 right (against the spread).  That was not only good enough for tops in the league but would've placed first in the entire country.  As a matter of fact, the best in the Yahoo public groups was a 16 out of 24.  We had a total of six participants in the pick 'em that were at 16 or better overall.  That's awesome and looks to make for a fun year of some smack talk.  Coming in 2nd in week 1 with 17 correct was Mr. McKee from AUM.

Looking at the SEC games last week I had them this way against the spread:
Utah State over Auburn (-23)   CORRECT
Alabama (-38) over Kent State  CORRECT
BYU (-3) over Ole Miss  WRONG
Tennessee (OFF) over Montana  CORRECT
Florida (OFF) over Florida Atlantic  CORRECT
South Carolina (-20.5) over East Carolina  WRONG
Arkansas (OFF) over Missouri State  CORRECT
Vandy (OFF) over Elon  CORRECT
UGA over Boise State (-3.5)  WRONG
Oregon (-3.5) over LSU  WRONG
Although Miss. State was not in the pick set due to them playing earlier in the week, I had them also to cover.  So basically against the spread, I was 7-4 in the SEC for the week.

If you take the spread out of it, it changes a couple of them.  I believed that Auburn would beat Utah State, just not cover the spread and I thought South Carolina would of course win.  I also picked BYU to beat Ole Miss.  So without the spread, I went 9-2 in the SEC.

Now some observations from Week 1.  Let's start with the defending National Champs the Auburn Tigers.  Michael Dyer only rushed for 56 yards against the Aggies of Utah State.  Looks pretty bad until you look and see he only had 14 carries.  While still not stellar against a "inferior" defense, it's still 4 yards a carry.  According to my Alabama Public School math, if you get four yards a play on your first three downs, you reset the chains!  Hello Coach Chizik...HE CAN'T HELP YOU IF YOU DON'T USE HIM!  I'm kind of wondering if 'ol Gus Malzahn was just tinkering was some different schemes and trying to save Dyer's legs for the State game this week.  If that's the case, he almost tinkered Auburn right into their first loss of the season.  This week will tell the tale on Auburn when they see the Dawgs from Miss. State.

The quarterback controversy still isn't settled if you listen to Coach Saban but it was pretty obvious who had the better grasp on the offense and who had the timing necessary for the college game and that's AJ McCarron.  He finished at 14 of 23 for 226 yards, 2 TDs and an interception.  He looked really good before we started the swapping of QBs every three series.  On the other hand, Sims' timing was WAAAAY off.  He was slow on every delivery that he had, even the completions.  He did the same thing in the A-day game in the spring and it looks like he is still not there.  He finished 7 of 14 for 73 yards and 2 interceptions with no TDs.  I guess this week against Penn State will be the litmus test for the QBs.  Hopefully someone on the Bama staff saw the Auburn game and we don't screw with what works too much and walk out of Happy Valley with a loss.

LSU might be the best team in the country right now.  Their defense is as advertised and Jarett Lee, while not being too spectacular with a 10 of 22 for 98 yards and a TD, didn't do anything to get his team beat.  What really caught me off guard a bit was the rushing of LSU.  They had two backs that almost broke 100 yards!  This ain't Kent State or Utah State that we are talking about on defense either.  Spencer Ware finished the game with 97 yards (averaging 3.7 yards a carry) and Michael Ford finished with 94 yards (averaging 6.7 yards a carry).  That is pretty freaking impressive in the first week and kudos to that offensive line!

Mississippi State is looking pretty good in romping over Memphis but will get their first real test this Saturday also when they take on Auburn.  The Bulldogs averaged 9.3 yards a play on offense and set a school record for 645 total yards of total offense.  I got it, it was Memphis but they are still a Division I FBS team.  I guess that Dan Mullen has finally arrived and the boys from State are going to be looking at proving a point when they travel down to Auburn this weekend.

Arkansas is slinging the rock in Fayetteville!  28 of 35 for 364 yards passing for the two Razorback QBs.  They are sharing the wealth too.  11 different receivers caught a pass this past weekend!  Their running game, even with the loss of Knile Davis before the season, seems good enough to mix up their offensive attack.  The west should get really interesting when the Razorbacks start mixing it up with the other teams in the SEC West.

Ole Miss is still a disappointment.  I have no idea what's going on in Oxford but old Houston Nutt better start looking for another job.

That brings us to UGA.  Another big game, another loss for the Dawgs.  There just doesn't seem to be a whole lot of bite in those guys anymore.  If you look at the stats from the game with Boise State, the game seems to be almost even.  One turnover a piece and 373 yards of offense compared to Boise's 390.  UGA was atrocious on third and 4th down conversions however going 2-13 on third down and 1-4 on fourth down.  They also committed seven penalties that cost them 50 yards and stalled scoring drives.  They have to get more disciplined and have to play with some fire to turn this thing around.

How about old Rocky Top?  Well if you just look at the score and see a 42-16 win over the Montana Grizz then it seems pretty convincing right?  To borrow a line from Lee Corso, "not so fast my friend"!  While ending the game with no turnovers, Tennessee fumbled 6 times.  More specifically, starting RB Tauren Poole fumbled three times.  He finished the game with 97 yards rushing but in bigger games, if he can't hold onto the ball it'll be a game changer.  QB Tyler Bray looked outstanding finishing 17 of 24 for 293 yards and 3 TDs.  Does UT have the best QB in the SEC?

The Ol' Ball Coach and the Gamecocks took care of business against ECU and hung 56 points on the Pirates with Marcus Lattimore starting his Heisman campaign with a 112 yards and 3 TDs on the day.  Stephen Garcia managed to stay out of jail long enough to pass for 110 yards and completing 7 of his 15 attempts.  The Cocks ran a clean game too with no penalties but they did lose all four fumbles that they had.  Turnovers will kill ya when they get to that SEC schedule.

Down in the Swamp, the Gators took care of business against the FAU Owls.  Brantley looked pretty good at the QB spot going 21 of 30 for 229 yards, 1 TD and 2 interceptions.  Jeff Demps had a good day rushing for 99 yards on 12 carries (8.3 yards a carry) and the Gators looked pretty clean on their first game of the season.

Kentucky fought their way through a sloppy win over West Kentucky on the opening night of the season.  The 14-3 win was pretty anti-climatic with their top two running backs rushing for 35 and 36 yards and Morgan Newton, the starting QB finishing the day 7 of 18 for 97 yards, 1 TD and 3 interceptions.  The Kentucky defense also allowed 234 total yards with 103 of them going to the Hilltopper's starting RB, Bobby Rainey.

To wrap it up, congrats to Vandy on their win over Elon.  That may be half their wins for the season.

For those of you that haven't signed up for the pick'em I encourage you to do so.  I think we are going to have some fun with it.  Details are in the upper right corner of the Blog.  Also wanted to remind you to check out my buddy Shane's tailgating blog at www.alabamatailgate.com .  Since last season, Shane has become a published author by releasing a cookbook for tailgating!  Like I've said before, this boy can cook and he's got some pretty interesting stuff in his book and on his blog.  Check him out and if you are interested, buy his book!  See ya'll tomorrow with my predictions for this weekend in the SEC!

SEC Preview 2011

Alrighty folks..."it's the most wonderful time...of the year"!  Yep, we might not agree on who is going to win the East or the West or the Conference for that matter but one thing we can all agree on is the fact that all of us have been looking forward to this season since the Auburn Tigers raised that crystal football at the end of last season.  There are the side bets on how much grass the Mad Hatter is gonna eat this year, how many times will the 'Ol Ball Coach throw that visor, how many times will Saban spank his starting QB and how many fines will Mississippi State pay for the so called "new" cowbell ban?  It's all part of what makes our conference great and all reasons (along with our streak of National Championships) that makes everyone else in the country love to hate us.  Don't know about you but I'm loving it!

I actually started writing this post about two weeks ago and have come back and revised....and then re-revised...and then re-revised.  I will start out by saying that I think that this year is much easier for me to pick the strongest teams in the league as opposed to when you look at next year.  I personally think that next year (based on looking at what all the different teams SHOULD return and what everyone is losing) is going to be a bloodbath in the SEC and predict that we will see more parody next year in the conference that we have seen in at least the past five years.  I will say right now, that I don't see how we will be able to put a team in the National Championship next year barring some very young players really stepping up and needing some of the best coaching that we have all needed in recent memory.  I don't think that we will have an undefeated team winning the conference next year.  With that said, I feel that we have probably four teams this year in the conference that with a little luck (no injuries or suspensions) and some great players performing as they are expected to, that could go undefeated.  We all know though that there will only be one (if that) make it through the crucible with an undefeated season and find themselves once again playing for the right to lift that crystal football for the SEC once again.

Before I get to my predictions this year, I'd like to once again congratulate the Auburn Tigers on a magical season and finally bringing that National Championship back to the plains.  To some of my fellow Bama fans that care to point out allegations of wrongdoing and all that crap, I say, "Get over it!".  As a Bama fan, I don't ever want to be able to look at a victory, especially over Auburn, and have to say that we beat their second best because for some reason they couldn't put their best on the field.  If you are a Bama fan and you think that Auburn fans have been talking too much crap, I ask you, "Why shouldn't they be?".  As a Bama fan, we like to point at our National Championships, Conference Championships and our overall record against our cross state rivals.  As a college football fan, everyone should be able to realize that college football is all about what you have done for me lately.  So let's take a look at it Bama fans.  If you look at the last 20 years, Auburn holds an edge in the head-to-head matchup with 11 wins and 9 losses.  In the last 10 years, 7 wins and 3 losses and the last 5 years, 3 wins and 2 losses.  Give 'em their props, they've took it to us.  These last few years have brought some pretty memorable battles between the two and I don't think this year is going to be any different.

So, here we go.  First, we'll look at the SEC East.  With the recent decline of the power in Gainesville, the SEC East has somewhat opened up in the last couple of years.  Newsflash to the rest of the SEC East...you better get it this year cause the Gators are on their way back!  Mark Richt is on the hot seat in Athens and the 'Ol Ball Coach has himself one heck of a team at South Carolina.  Richt is banking on the strength and smarts of his sophomore QB Aaron Murphy and what some might argue is the best special teams unit in the nation to buy him at least another year as the head Dawg.  Meantime, Coach Spurrier is just trying to control his delinquent QB in the form of Garcia.  If he can keep him out of trouble and keep his head in the game, it could be another big year for the Gamecocks.  Here is how I see it shaking out.  I see South Carolina finshing the regular season with one loss, to Arkansas.  This would be enough to win the SEC East.  In second, I see Florida taking second by pulling off a minor upset over Georgia and finishing the regular season with a 8-4 season.  I see the Dawgs also finshing with a 8-4 overall record but with all four of their losses coming in conference with one of Florida's losses being to cross state rival Florida State.  Rounding it out I see the Vols coming in fourth, then Kentucky followed by Vandy.

Now the West.  This is the one that kept me coming back to the drawing board.  The Dee Hart injury at Bama, the drama with LSU and their QB, the Knile Davis injury at Arkansas....it all was messing with my mind.  Finally, I just went back to square one.  Just looking at what the teams are putting on the field.  When we look at pure talent, the SEC West should be a three team show.  I think that those three are LSU, Arkansas and Bama.  At first, I thought that it was going to be a two horse race between Bama and Arkansas but the injury of Knile Davis is huge.  That would be the equivilant of Bama losing Trent Richardson.  With that said I like Bama and here is why, I know Bama lost Mark Ingram.  Got it, and they replaced him with a guy that in my opinion is even better.  They lost Greg McElroy.  Yep, while not a stellar passer his leadership qualities will be missed and Bama will feel that some, especially early on but AJ McCarron does have playing time and if he can get over himself and get a little humble, which I'm sure Saban has worked on this off season, I'm sure that the QB spot will be fine.  If Bama had a younger or less experienced offensive line, I would completely change my prediction on the SEC West.  This one point about Alabama is the one that swung me in the direction of picking Bama in the West.  That line is rated by most as the best offensive line in the country and having a back like Richardson sure helps to put a new QB at ease a bit.  The loss of Julio Jones also will hurt immensely but with the current crop of "possession" receivers, Bama has enough to keep the offense balanced and develop some of the younger wide outs at the same time.  You can't talk about Bama without talking about defense and this year should be interesting to watch.  This could rate as one of the best defenses Bama has seen in years and that's saying something.  More than anything, I am looking forward to watching Courtney Upshaw and his development.  That dude is a beast and some of the hits he was bringing in the bowl game, after he got healthy, should be illegal.  Barring any injuries at running back or at offensive line, I see Bama going undefeated in the regular season and going to Atlanta to strap it up against the Gamecocks.  Before the injury to Knile Davis, I had the Hogs coming in second with their only loss coming to Bama.  I've had to change that.  I see LSU coming in second in the West for the sole fact that they have a little easier schedule in conference.  I see LSU finishing with a 9-3 record with one of those losses coming at the hands of Oregon with conference losses against Bama and Arkansas.  With Arkansas, I see them also coming in with a 9-3 record but with all three losses in conference, to Bama, South Carolina and Mississippi State.  That's right, I said Mississippi State.  I believe that they will beat either LSU or Arkansas and quite possibly might even spoil the title hopes of Bama.  I swayed toward them beating Arkansas strictly off the timing of the game in the schedule.  State plays Arkansas the week before the Hogs play LSU and the week after they play Bama.  I think that the Dawgs will come close to beating the Tide and will get just enough taste that they will take down Arkansas.  So Bama #1, LSU #2, Arkansas #3 and Mississippi State coming in at #4 with a 8-4 record with all four losses coming at the hands of SEC teams, UGA, USC, Bama and LSU.  Behind them I see Auburn.  I looked at the Tigers hard and even talked to my closest childhood bud who is an Auburn fan and got his take.  We agreed that we see Auburn looking at about a 6-6 record.  Having that been said, Auburn has one heck of a coaching staff and if anyone can get the most of their team, it'll be those guys.  I'm gonna give Auburn a 7-5 record because of that coaching staff with losses to Miss. State, South Carolina, Arkansas, LSU and Bama.  The games with Clemson, Florida and UGA are going to be close also and if the ball don't bounce for the Tigers the way it did in a couple of games for them last year, it could get REALLY ugly on the plains.  Behind them, I see Ole Miss competing with Vandy for the worst record in the league.

I'm sure I'm going to get a rise out of some of you (especially Auburn fans) and I hope to.  I want to see what you have to say!  Just a couple of reminders, sign up for our college football pick 'em (details in upper right corner of the front page).  I'll be highlighting each week's winner in the blog every week and don't forget to visit my buddy Shane's blog for some awesome tailgating recipes at http://www.alabamatailgate.com/ and heck, if you like what you see, buy his book!  Looking forward to you comments and hope everyone's team has a healthy year and we see the best we have to offer on the field all year and hopefully, with a little luck, they'll be another SEC team hoisting the crystal football in January!  Later.  RTR!

SEC Preview coming tomorrow!

Alrighty folks, I've been revising and relooking my original look and I'll be posting my SEC preview tomorrow!  Look forward to what you have to say and what you see the conference looking like.  Be sure to sign up for the Scubajack College Football Pick 'em through Yahoo!  See the details in the upper right corner of the blog front page!  Sign up and we'll be talking about who our resident handicappers should be and spotlighting those superstars throughout the season!  See ya tomorrow.

New spin on this year's College Football action!

Ladies and gents, for this year I'm going to try something a little different.  I'll still be running the blog as usual and doing my weekly SEC previews and reviews but this year instead of me just doing my picks on the blog, I'm also running a College Football Pick 'em on Yahoo!  Every week, I'll add a part to my blog to identify who in our pick group dominated the competition.  It should be interesting to see how the readers are seeing the season shape up.  In order to sign up for the Pick 'em, just go to http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/college .  Once there, click on "join an existing group".  Then you'll have to sign in with your Yahoo ID and use the Group ID# and password below to find our group and get your picks ready to go.  Look forward to seeing you sign up!

Group ID#:	1424
Group Password	kickoff

SEC Predictions (from the readers)

Alright ladies and gents.  It's that time of the year again and on the eve of the SEC Media Days in Birmingham, I wanted to get a couple of polls posted on the blog to start getting your votes on who you think will win the SEC East and West.  I'm going to save my predictions for another week or two but I wanted to see which way you guys were leaning.  I'd like to see you back up your vote by some posts to this blog entry but if your only reason to vote for a school is the simple fact that you bleed orange and blue, crimson and white, red and black, etc., then I can buy that too.  Don't know about you but I'm getting pretty freaking excited and looking forward to another great year of SEC Football and hopefully giviing you guys an entertaining read throughout the football season!

I'm still looking for some cowriters to the blog for all the SEC teams except for Bama.  I'm especially looking for an Auburn and UGA writer since I know I have several of you guys reading the blog.  Let me know if you are interested and I'll get you started.

What's next Atlanta (in professional sports)?

Well loyal readers, after the recent demise of the Atlanta Thrashers and seeing the Flames leave the ATL back in 1980, I've been doing some thinking.  I've tried to take my feelings of the game of hockey(which I REALLY enjoy) and put them on the shelf for a few minutes so that I could think from the business standpoint.  With these two failed ventures in trying to bring hockey to Atlanta I'd have to say that if I were an independently wealthy soul that was in the market for a professional team, would I try to bring hockey back to Atlanta?  Probably not and here's my train of thought.

(1) Look at the other professional teams in Atlanta; the Braves, Hawks and Falcons.  Of the three, if you look at overall attendance the Falcons lead the way and have for years, even when they sucked.  The Braves of course have probably the most loyal fan base of the three but attendance during the weekday games is pretty dismal.  The Hawks could say much the same, weekday games=poor attendance.  So why is this?  Is it only because of the south being a football crazy region that the Falcons enjoy attendance "success"?  What about Baseball?  Doesn't the south consistently produce some of the best professional prospects year after year because of the ability to play the sport down here year round?  I would argue that baseball also has a huge following in the south.  So why do the Braves see a decrease in attendance during the week and places like Boston, New York and Chicago continue to pack 'em in?  Two words.....MASS TRANSIT.  While Atlanta does have MARTA is does not directly service Turner Field.  You have to take MARTA to Five Points station downtown and then hop a bus to the game.  Most folks view this as a hastle (even when there is free beer involved).  The only other option is to hop in your car and drive to the game.  Unless you live like 10 minutes from Turner Field like Kate and I do, that is probably not an option for you when you have to deal with rush hour traffic during the week and have to work the next day.  Friday-Sunday games are usually packed at Turner Field.  I would also be curious to see the results of a study that showed where the most loyal Braves fans commute from.  I would venture to say that the biggest portion of overall attendance at the Braves games come from outside the perimeter (for those of you not from Atlanta, that means outside the I-285 loop).  I for one believe that if MARTA had a stop within walking distance of Turner Field, and I'm talking Blue Lot distance and not King Memorial station, that the Braves would see a drastic increase in the weekday games.  For those of you waiting for me to get to my point, don't worry, it's coming!

For years, people outside Atlanta have always said that Atlanta has a "fair weather" fan base.  I believe that some draw that impression from the attendance when they don't understand the transportation challenges in the city and also, that you can sit on your couch at home and see the Braves any night of the week!

(2) You have to look at the regional loyalties when it comes to sports.  In the south, football is definitely king, especially college football.  As the Falcons continue to draft southern college players into their ranks, like Julio Jones from Alabama, they are going to continue to draw from that market.  Secondly, is baseball.  Baseball has always had and always will have a large following in the south due to the fact that you can play it all year long down here and what kid hasn't got a bunch of friends together and played a little game of hardball or just pitch and catch?  Basketball, in my opinion runs a close third.  In the deep south, we haven't had the success in basketball like our friends up the road in Chapel Hill, Raleigh-Durham and Lexington but the Hawks continue to draw off that fan base.  So, what is the fourth most popular sport down here?  Hockey?  Yeah right!  And monkeys might fly out of my arse!  I would argue that if you are talking a team sport, that it would be soccer.  Yep, I said soccer.  Now when I was growing up in Alabama, you pretty much had to go to the bigger cities like Birmingham, Montgomery, Mobile and Huntsville to have you kids play in a league.  Today, that has changed.  You can find soccer all over the south and in many of the high schools.  A couple of years ago in Atlanta, we had the Mexican National Team face the Venezuelan National Team.  One would think that they had to pretty much give away tickets to get people to the game right?  I mean, the Thrashers have tried that for years and still couldn't get 17,000 in Phillips Arena.  Not the way it went down folks.  51,115 in attendance at the Georgia Dome on a Wednesday night!  Supposedly, it was a pro-Mexican crowd but do we think that all those fans drove or flew in from Mexico?  Come on man!  Really?  Get out from under the rock you have been living under.  The Hispanic population here in the south has been growing for years and these hard working folks love themselves some soccer!  Not only do the Hispanics love it but judging from the excitement I see around Atlanta when the World Cup comes around, I'd be willing to say that it's pretty freaking popular outside the Hispanic population too.

OK.  For all of you that have been waiting for me to get to my point, here it comes.....WAIT for it.....wait for it......MLS Soccer!  That's right folks, MLS soccer.  Now, I know that some of you out there are probably thinking that I need to step out of the opium tent and clear my head a little but check this out.  I've been fortunate to have been stationed in Europe and been able to see leagues like the German Bundesliga and the English Premiere League first hand.  The skill in those leagues, still amazes me today.  When I came back to the states and watched my first MLS game, I thought I was watching a high school team or something.  Today, the US has closed the gap and there are some teams in the MLS that you could argue could be competitive in either of the above mentioned leagues.  In 2003, the LA Galaxy were the first MLS team to become profitable.  FC Dallas followed in 2005 after they moved to their new home in Pizza Hut Park and almost all the MLS teams have since followed.  MLS has also continued to work it's relationship with it's local regions by their "Game First" initiative which came about in the off season of 2006-2007.  Within this initiative is a requirement for all teams in the league to provide a developmental league for it's local talent.  The hope is that by being able to sign up to two of its own youth players to the senior team each year that the league's teams will have an incentive to improve the quality of the league's talent in an organic way that will also benefit the league through transfer fees for outgoing players.  How's it working?  Not too bad.  Ever heard of Jozy Altidore?  He was probably the first example of our home grown talent fetching a hefty transfer fee when he went to Villareal in 2008 for 10 million duckies.  For those of you that aren't familiar with how that works, it is where a MLS team agrees to "loan" a player to another league for a certain price tag for each season.  He also was "loaned" to Hull City of the English Premiere league in 2009 for $11 million.  MLS also plays most of it's games on the weekend.  I'll use the schedule of the Chicago Fire for this year.  30 of it's 41 games have been during the weekend!  Folks, that's 73 percent of your games, during the weekend.

So, while I'm not independently wealthy nor do I have any experience in running a professional sports team, if I were spending my money, I'd be bringing MLS to the ATL but keeping in mind, LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION for the stadium and it's ability to get folks from OTP into the perimeter to the games, or vice-versa.  Come on Atlanta, let's quit crying about the Thrashers and move on!  Bring on the MLS!

Come on guys!  Let me know what you think.  Did you like the article?  What do you think?  Post your thoughts here to the blog!

(Another) Sad day in Atlanta sports!

Well ladies and gents, as most of you know, it was announced today that the sale of the Atlanta Thrashers to True North Sports and Entertainment is final assuming that the sale is approved by the NHL board of governors on 21 June but let's face it, when you have the NHL Commish there with both parties involved on the announcement of the sale, smiling like a cheshire cat, what are the chances of the sale not going through?  Atlanta becomes the only city to lose two NHL teams to other cities during the modern era.  I have prided myself in being a supporter of the Thrashers since my family and I have lived in Atlanta.  Heck, my little boy's first sporting event was a Thrashers game and if you know Kate and I, that is saying something!  I have also prided myself in never being an avid supporter of the ownership of the Thrashers, the Atlanta Spirit.  Frankly, I always thought that the name for the ownership group was such a joke considering the "spirit" they put into putting quality players on the ice and KEEPING them in a Thrashers uniform.  These jerks basically went into this business venture to either, (1) make money, which let's face it folks if you've ever spent more than a couple of minutes looking into sports ownership and your prime reason for getting into it is profit, you'd be better served opening a hot dog stand at the corner of 10th and Peachtree!  Secondly, if it wasn't for profit I'm guessing it was to woo those of the opposite sex (or maybe same sex/ or both) by getting their Glamour Shots photos put into the program as one of the owners.  "Hey honey.  Ya know, I'm one of the owners of the Thrashers.  Wanna go back to my place?"  I don't know.  Maybe some of you might can shed some light on it for me? 

While watching the actions of ownership was like watching the actions of the clowns at a three ring circus, the players gave us something to be proud of.  We have had some of the top players in the NHL play for our franchise.  While they were here, they gave everything they had on the ice to make this team a winner.  This team has never been deep but from night to night, they could go toe to toe with any team in the league.  Especially when Blueland got to rocking and unfortunately, the longer the Atlanta Spirit had the team, the less and less of those "rockin'" nights came along.  If you look at our team right now, you have some great young talent and I'm just guessing that it won't be but a couple of years and we will be hearing about the Winnepeg franchise making a push in the Stanley Cup playoff.  While I really hate to see the Thrashers go and hockey leave Atlanta (AGAIN), these players that we have called ours deserve better than what they had gotten here in Atlanta.  The loyal fans might have been few, but they laid it out there every home game.  Sadly, without ownership being as dedicated to the players and the fans as they were to themselves, the end to the Thrashers was inevitable.

I hope that I am not the first Thrashers fan to say this but if I am, so be it.  I'd like to wish the players good luck in their move to Winnepeg and I hope to see them in the playoffs next year with an ownership group that is dedicated to winning and a fanatic fanbase that will be there to lift them up when they think they have nothing else in the tank.  We (your Thrasher fans) will be watching and we will STILL be proud of you!

University of Alabama "A Day" Preview

Well, we are just a few days from the Alabama A-Day Spring game and here are the two biggest things that I'll be looking at:

#1- Starting QB
My main focus is going to be on the quarterback battle between A.J. McCarron and Phillip Sims.  In the second scrimmage of the spring, which most will argue shows alot more than A-day itself, McCarron went 19-40 for 255 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions, while Sims went 19-34 for 214, one touchdown and one interception . The completion percentages of the two are pretty dismal but we can only hope that it's just the timing between them and the recieving corps.  The interception by Sims was returned for a touchdown by Will Lowery, but even with that miscue, McCarron was still unable to distance himself as the front runner for the job.  Coach Saban continues to speak highly of both QBs and I highly doubt that we will find out just who is going to be the primary signal caller until well into fall practice.
#2- Our defensive secondary
Our secondary is a walking MASH unit right now.  It looks like the demotion of Robert Lester got his attention, as he responded with six tackles, a tackle for loss, and a broken up pass during the second spring scrimmage. Aside from that, most of the secondary is sporting the black "non-contact" jerseys.  Mark Barron participated in the last scrimmage, but Dre Kirkpatrick was held out due to a thumb injury, and Jarrick Williams and Nick Perry remain in black jerseys. Unless things have changed drastically in the last few days and we've gotten some of these guys healed up, I'm really not seeing how we are going to get a good read on what our secondary is going to look like in the fall.

For any of you wondering, YES, the Jackson Clan will be making it to A-day again this year.  Connor will be sporting the black "tailgating" jersey and assuming the tailgate signal calling!  Our friend Shane Hill will be "cooking it up" as usual and I invite you to visit his blog at http://www.alabamatailgate.com/ and check out what's coming up this weekend.  Also, be sure to check out the store that he has added to his site was some of his favorite spices and tailgating supplies!  If ya'll are in T-town, be sure to stop by and share in some good 'ol fashioned tailgating, Bama style! 

By the way, I'm still looking for one of my Auburn friends (that's in the know) to volunteer to help me out on the blog and be the primary writer for Auburn Football.  If you are interested, hit me up with an email or a post and I'll get you setup!

The Blog is Back!

Well ladies and gents.  After a little siesta after football season, the blog is back.  With the start of baseball season right around the corner, I'll be adding some posts to the blog covering the Atlanta Braves (of course) and the Montgomery Biscuits (Tampa Bay Double A affiliate).  When looking at the Biscuits I'll try and focus on some of the young players that most of you don't get to see but probably will get to know pretty well in the next few years when they hit the bigs.  If there are any of you out there that might want to be a co-writer of the blog and cover another team or division in the Major League, hit me up with an email and we'll get you setup.  I look forward to getting it fired back up and hearing your comments!  Go Braves!