The Big Lead Breaks Down the 2009 Heisman Race

The article below was posted on The Big Lead, one of our favorite sports blogs. They've linked to us on several occasions, and we thank them for that.

Let’s attempt to break it up this way, since we all know the key names by now: Category 1 will be guys who will get invited to New York, with a likely winner; Category 2 will be guys that deserve an invite to New York, but have no chance of getting there; Category 3 will be guys who never had a chance, but in a more fair world would deserve a look; and Category 4 would be people to keep your eye on next year. Let’s do 4 per category. Here we go now.

The Guys That Will Get Invited To New York

Tim Tebow, Florida QB: No question here. Part of CBS’ special airing before Alabama vs. Auburn this Friday is about Tebow’s legacy at Florida. When a show before a rival’s rivalry game against a different school is in part dedicated to you, that’s big-time.

Colt McCoy, Texas QB: Will get an invite to NYC, and you can argue he doesn’t deserve it, but stats are good, his team is undefeated, he represents the “aw shucks” manner of a down-home Texas boy as well as anyone, his best friend and roommate is his WR, etc, etc. Story is good, he came in second last year, this award loves QBs.

Mark Ingram, Alabama RB: Most valuable player on Bama is McClain, probably. Ingram is No. 2, but depending on game and situation, he can be No. 4. Team is loaded. He trucks guys. No Alabama player has won it (that’s a good storyline for the media).

C.J. Spiller, Clemson RB: My actual inclination is to go with Case Keenum here, because I think it’s more likely they invite a third QB than a second RB. I’m going to put Keenum in the second category. (By the way, Heisman has chosen as many as six, and as few as three, to attend in New York.) Spiller scores from all over the field, in various ways, and with Dabo Swinney at the helm, very few people thought this squad would be a tick away from a BCS automatic berth. Spiller is beast. Gerhart might be more beast, but his team has four losses.

The winner: Whoever plays better in the SEC title game between Tebow and Ingram.

Sad Day in Columbus: Stefanie Spielman Dies of Cancer

From WBNS in Columbus:

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Stefanie Spielman, whose public battle against breast cancer gripped central Ohio for more than a decade, died Thursday. She was 42.

Spielman and her husband, Chris, tirelessly raised breast cancer awareness and helped form Stefanie's Champions, raising millions of dollars for Ohio State's James Cancer Hospital.

In 1998, at 31, a biopsy confirmed her fears, that she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and the couple began their battle.

Without hesitation, Chris Spielman put his career on hold with the NFL's Buffalo Bills to be at his wife's side.

"For me, to leave (Stefanie) in Columbus and go play football in Buffalo would be against everything I stood for," Chris Spielman said.

"It meant the world to me," Stefanie Spielman said. "That's been the hardest part -- seeing him give up what he loves -- the best, for me."

The Spielmans said that they had two options when they learned about the cancer. The first was to quit. The second was to come out and fight the disease.

The couple fought with determination and a deep love.

College Football's Lost Weekend - The Big Lead

The following article was posted on The Big Lead. I find it fascinating because of the "what if" scenarios regarding a College Football Playoff. Sigh.

TCU won convincingly Saturday against Utah. It didn’t matter.


LSU survived a massive scare from Louisiana Tech. Didn’t matter - LSU can’t qualify for the BCS.

Late Friday, Cincinnati held on to beat WVU. So what?

The Rose Bowl - which will have zero impact on the National Championship - was basically decided Saturday afternoon. Ohio State will play Oregon. Whoop-de-damn-do.

The college football season has basically been reduced to two games: The SEC Championship (Florida-Alabama) and the Big 12 Championship (Texas vs. Kansas State/Nebraska) on Dec. 5. You could miss the next two weekends … and miss nothing. (What, you think Florida State is going to beat Florida? Ha.) This coming weekend, there are no games involving two Top 25 teams. Get your Christmas shopping done early. Rake leaves? Unearth a great Thanksgiving recipe that will wow the fam.

Imagine an 8-team playoff based on the current BCS rankings:

1. Florida vs. 8. LSU

4. TCU vs. 5. Cincinnati

3. Texas vs. 6. Boise State

2. Alabama vs. 7. Georgia Tech

Injury-ravaged LSU probably would be replaced by season’s end - perhaps by Ohio State (hell, maybe even Oregon or Stanford). Cincinnati could lose and be replaced by Pittsburgh (doubtful). But here’s the problem with only having 8-teams in the mix: You don’t have a rep from the Pac-10 (which has two teams capable of running the table - Oregon and Stanford), or the Big 10 (which has been mediocre at best this season). Or does that even matter, since neither league has a team that’s been dominant throughout the season?

Would a 16-team playoff - which would only take four consecutive weeks; five if you want to take Christmas week off - be more ideal?

Bengals Defensive Stars Turning Corner

By Thomas George of Fanhouse.com

CINCINNATI -- When an NFL player begins to touch the stratosphere alongside the prized peers in his craft, well, that is an elusive, special time -- a time when, instead of the player solely looking outward, others start to look his way.

A time when a player turns the corner.

For Cincinnati Bengals cornerbacks Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall (pictured), it is that time.

Put aside their similar size, their quick feet and hands, and their youth. For Joseph and Hall, it is playmaking that is primary. Each has become a cornerstone of the Bengals defense -- two men on football's trickiest, most demanding island who are leaving receivers hungry and thirsty.

The Bengals (6-2) lead the AFC North after these cornerbacks choked the Baltimore Ravens' receivers last Sunday -- particularly constricting shifty veteran Derrick Mason -- in a 17-7 Bengals victory. Next up for Cincinnati are the Pittsburgh Steelers' dangerous duo of Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes, along with rookie speedster Mike Wallace.

Of course, Joseph and Hall are in the spotlight, in part, because of what they have already done against this Pittsburgh group. In Week 3 on Sept. 27, Holmes was held to one catch for 18 yards and none of Pittsburgh's receivers reached the end zone in Cincinnati's 23-20 victory. Joseph added a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown in the Bengals' upset win.

At Pittsburgh on Sunday, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis knows that, for Joseph and Hall, the results could be famine or feast.

Lewis is banking on the table his star cornerbacks have already set.

"One play, one game and everything can change, because that is the nature of the cornerback position in the NFL,'' Lewis said. "But they are playing good football. And having been a part of a championship team in this league, I can tell you that a team can't win it without exceptional cornerback play. You have to have that on the edges of your defense to be a special team. It is not an accident that we are getting that now and we are playing good defensive football.''

Joseph is 25 years old; Hall turns 25 in December. Joseph is 5-foot-11, 193 pounds, while Hall stands 5-foot-11, 199 pounds. Each cornerback has four interceptions this season. Joseph has 24 solo tackles, Hall 34.

Joseph was a first-round Bengals pick in 2006. Hall was a first-round Bengals pick in 2007.

Their lockers are side-by-side in the Bengals locker room. Their talents are complementary, too.

"Leon is a tough guy -- great speed and he fits in run support,'' Joseph said. "I spent one year in Division I ball before I got to South Carolina and then here. Leon coming from Michigan came from a bigger school and program. We both feed off each other.''

Both are excelling in man coverage, allowing Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer to be more exotic with the rest of the Bengals defense. Cornerbacks who do not need a ton of over-the-top help are a defensive coach's dream.

And give the Bengals this -- they invested highly in these cornerbacks. They spent two first-round picks on two cornerbacks who are, indeed, becoming first-rate.

"We try to keep receivers off balance, keep them guessing,'' Hall said. "Johnathan is real quick. He has make-up speed he uses on receivers. People don't know how smart he is. He tells me things on the sideline I can use. He wants to be great. We both do.

"We pride ourselves on our work. We work a lot on technique. We do a whole lot of film study, probably more than the norm. It's extreme. We really try to understand what an offense is trying to do. We get along great off the field. It seems like we've played together a lot. It's gone fast.''

It is going faster. The Bengals are tied for first place in the AFC North halfway through their season, and their standout pair of cornerbacks are a key part of their hopes for the second half and beyond.

But Cincinnati has not won in Pittsburgh since 2006 -- in recent seasons, it has been Pittsburgh's Ike Taylor who has been the prominent cornerback when these teams battle. That's no longer the case.

Lewis credits the addition of free-agent safety Chris Crocker in 2008 with boosting the maturation of Joseph and Hall. Crocker spent three seasons with the Cleveland Browns, two with the Atlanta Falcons and one season with the Miami Dolphins before becoming a Bengal.

"I don't think they [Joseph and Hall] knew what hard work was until he showed up,'' Lewis said of Crocker. "He has helped make them better players. He has challenged them.''

Now Joseph and Hall challenge others.

And the league is taking notice.

"We definitely look at other corners,'' Hall said. "But we feel like we are kind of coming into our own.'

Browns Can't Afford to Draft QB

There's much speculation as to who is going in the top 5 and top 10 in the 2010 NFL Draft. As always, there are a few QB's that shoot up the draft boards because the need for QB is so high. This year, junior QB's Jimmy Clausen and Jake Locker are both being hyped up to be top 5-top 10 picks in the 2010 draft, assuming they come out because of the potential situation with the CBA, and with the weak QB draft. With the Browns looking to have a top 5 pick after starting the season 1-7, many people speculate what they need for their team.

I can tell you one thing: We can't afford to reach for a quarterback.

So our quarterback's right now haven't been able to do anything. They turn the ball over 3 times as much as they score touchdowns. Derek Anderson misses a wide open tight end that's 4 yards in front of him, on a regular basis, while throwing at players feet often.

Of course, it's not all the QB's is it. No, it's not nearly all on the QB's, and even as a Derek Anderson hater, I have to be unbiased and see how many drops this offense has, as well as how many fumbles they have. Toss in the terrible passes, and it's just a recipe for disaster. Would a great QB help this team? Sure, but not as much as you'd think. Besides, there aren't any great QB's in this draft. There are just some talented kids who are athletic and have big arms.

But no matter how athletic somebody is, and no matter how far they can throw the ball, it doesn't mean that you have to reach for them. There are so many things to judge quarterbacks on: throwing power, accuracy, touch, intelligence, as well as intangibles. You also like to see QB's have 25-30 starts in college and have a winning career if you're going to draft him in the top 10, which neither Clausen or Locker have. So what gives?

DJ's Quick Hits (World Series Edition)

Well, it looks like the Yankees are well on their way to a 27th World Series Championship...it's currently 7-3 in the bottom of the 7th, Game 6 as I type. Barring a late-inning comeback (which is highly unlikely as Mariano Rivera begins to loosen in the pen) King George will be able to die the happy, hated man he is. Love 'em or hate 'em, the Steinbrenner Yankees of the past 15 years have done everything in the power to give their fans a winning ball club. Not every fan of any team in any professional sport can say that, save maybe the fans of the Jerry Jones Cowboys or the Jerry Buss Lakers. Even though I despise the Yankees and their winter-long free-agent spending sprees, I'll admit if I owned a baseball team I'd do the very same. Alas, I make monthly payments on a goddamn Honda Civic, so we'll just spare the rest of the niceties & move on....

* For every Big Apple hotshot cover boy the Yankees have (Jeter, A-Rod) they have a Hideki Matsui & a Joba Chamberlain. Damn those dudes are f-ugly...

* Baseball managers must be the most stubborn men in sports (save a certain sweater-vested fella in C-bus). Charlie Manuel would not move the right-handed hitting Jason Werth up to hit behind Chase Utley (Ryan Howard hasn't even touched left-handed pitching vs. New York), he would not go to a 3-man rotation (Pedro again??), and Brad Lidge choked once again.

* I really struggled on a personal level with all the hype concerning the Game 6 match up of Andy Pettitte (age 37) & Pedro Martinez (age 38). The old guys out for one more fling...how much gas is left in the tank...yadda yadda. Dammit, I just turned 37 this year and I have feelings too...!

* The best thing about having Joe Buck in the booth during the MLB playoffs has meant that Thom Brennaman assumed the #1 play-by-play slot for Fox's NFL coverage. I like Thom, but only when he's NOT in the booth with Daddy/Marty.

* Who is Brett Gardner and why is he on my TV? With all that money that's the best backup centerfielder the Yanks could muster?

* When will baseball come to their senses and wrest control away from Fox & ESPN? The schedule is horrible. The Yankees have had more days off this post-season than they did the entire year! Should we call Chase Utley "Mr. November" now that he tied Reggie's single Series HR record? Would it kill them to schedule a handful of double-headers during the summer & get this thing over with before the NBA starts? Also, how is MLB going to win over the next generation of baseball fans when they should all be in bed @ what is now 11:45 p.m.?

Finally, I'll end with a non-baseball rant. Fantasy sports...whose idea was this? I've always been a big basketball fan, but never before would I as a mild-mannered chap from rural Southern Ohio have the urge to to seek out and punch Jason Richardson in the neck for throwing up a goose-egg in 20+ minutes vs. Orlando. I'm now obsessed with the assist/turnover ratio of players like Biedrens & Gallinari. Yeah I know, "...is that a vineyard?" grrrr...

(Get ready for the soundbite on Sportscenter of the annoying Michael Kay exclaiming, "Yankees win! Yankees win! Thu-u-u-u-h Yankees win!" Methuselah Rivera grounds Victorino out to second...thank God it's over.)

Jeremi's Journey

The following article was written by Geoff Hobson on Bengals. com. Good stuff.

Bengals-Ravens, 1 p.m. Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium. One of those AFC North games that means everything. A win and the Bengals beat the Ravens in any tiebreaking scenario. A loss and the Bengals are back to the pack.

Heaven or hell.

This is one of the games why the Bengals last year stayed in touch with Jeremi Johnson, the one-time Pro Bowl alternate fullback that has been to both heaven and hell.

SEC Not Living Up to the Hype

The following article is by Gregg Doyel, National Columnist for CBSSports.com. God bless him.

SEC football is overrated, and this is a dangerous position for me to take. Dangerous, because CBS has a working relationship with the SEC. At its highest levels, my company pays a lot more money to broadcast SEC football than it pays to publish me. Between SEC football and myself, one of us is expendable. And it's not Tim Tebow.

That said, I can't do it. Not for a second longer. I can't carry the water for a football conference that can't carry its own jock.

No. 1? Some pollsters might think Terrence Cody's Crimson Tide and the SEC are tops, but not Gregg Doyel. (Getty Images)

SEC football 2009 is not what it once was. It's certainly not SEC football 2008, when it had the best team in the country. That team was Florida, which laid a 24-14 whupping on Oklahoma in the BCS title game.

Browns: Looking ahead to the 2010 NFL Draft

As a Browns fan, October is never too early to look at the next years NFL Draft. In the case this year, it's looking like the Browns are due for yet another top 5 pick.

So first we need to establish the needs of the Browns. We'll start with a roster analysis.

Quarterback: Brady Quinn/Derek Anderson, Brett Ratliff
Runningback: Jamal Lewis, Jerome Harrison, Chris Jennings/James Davis
Fullback: Lawrence Vickers
Wide Receiver: Mohamed Massoquoi, Brian Robiskie, Mike Furrey, Joshua Cribbs, Chansey Stuckey, Ray Ventrone
Tight End: Steve Heiden, Robert Royal, Greg Estandia
Offensive Tackle: Joe Thomas, John St. Clair, Billy Yates
Offensive Guard: Eric Steinbach, Hank Fraley, Rex Hadnot
Center: Alex Mack, Hank Fraley, Rex Hadnot
Defensive Line: Shaun Rogers (NT), Kenyon Coleman, Corey Williams, Robaire Smith, CJ Mosley, Ahtyba Rubin (NT)
Linebackers: Kamerion Wimbley, D'Qwell Jackson, Eric Barton, Alex Hall, David Bowens, David Veikune, Kaluka Maiava, Jason Trusnik, Blake Constanzo
Safeties: Abram Elam, Brodney Pool, Mike Adams, Nick Sorensen
Cornerbacks: Eric Wright, Brandon McDonald, Coye Francies, Anthony Madison, Gerard Lawson, Hank Poteat
K: Phil Dawson, Billy Cundiff
P: Dave Zastudil
LS: Ryan Pontbriand

Bengal's Palmer is All the Way Back

The following article originally appeared on ESPN.com and was written by James Walker.

CINCINNATI -- Warming up on the sideline, Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer threw an errant pass that slipped through the fingertips of teammate Chad Ochocinco. When the ball proceeded to hit a bystander, the receiver quickly pointed to his quarterback and said it was Palmer’s fault the unsuspecting person was plunked in the back.

That pass didn’t count, but the Chicago Bears probably wished that it had. It was the only poor throw Palmer made all evening.

When it mattered on the field Palmer was nearly perfect. He completed 20 of 24 passes for 233 yards, five touchdowns and a career-high 146.7 passer rating in Cincinnati's 45-10 blowout win over Chicago.

The Bengals haven’t looked this good in a long time, and neither has Palmer.