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.

Derek Anderson or Brady Quinn?

Really, the only thing worth discussing with the Cleveland Browns is the quarterback situation. It seems year in and year out that there's always a "controversy" with the Browns.

1999- Tim Couch/Ty Detmer
2000- Tim Couch/Doug Pederson
2001-2003- Tim Couch/Kelly Holcomb
2004- Jeff Garcia/Luke McCown
2005- Trent Dilfer/Charlie Frye
2006- Charlie Frye
2007- Charlie Frye/Derek Anderson
2008- Derek Anderson/Brady Quinn
2009- Brady Quinn/Derek Anderson
2010- ????

You'd think that one day the Cleveland Browns would find a quarterback worth something... But then again, we are the Browns."We're not looking to move Brady Quinn." and "We get calls all the time that we listen to. Brady is a Cleveland Brown and that's not anything we're looking to do."per the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Is it time for college football fans to give Terrelle Pryor a break?

The following article was written by Kurt Mews for The Bleacher Report, a sports blog. While I don’t necessarily agree with everything he says, it’s thought provoking nonetheless. Enjoy . . .

Terrelle Pryor, the highly recruited prize QB recruit for perennial powerhouse Ohio State is supposed to be Superman and the next coming of Vince Young. Of course that's what most College football fans expected after Terrelle delayed his announcement of which college he planned to bless his skills. Most fans are impressed with Ohio State's rugged Defense anchored by their deep and talented line, already taking it to the talented USC line and typical massive Badger line. However, the offense leaves much to be desired and many believe that if The Buckeye's offense were even mediocre at best, they would of toppled USC and be the clear favorites to clinch The rather bland or weak Big Ten. Much of the blame for Ohio State's sluggish offensive performance is being laid at Terrelle Pryor's feet, or should we say arm or head. The 2008 #1 recruit is suppose to be leading an offensive 'Blitzkrieg' that is to leave fans shaking their heads much like Troy Smith's lead explosive Buckeye offense of '06. However, it's time for College football fans, specifically Ohio State fans to be a bit more objective and give him a break!! Let's take a look at some simple facts;

The Cleveland Offensive Mystery

As I sit here and think about the Cleveland Browns win over Buffalo, I wonder "How the hell did that happen?".

Our starting quarterback Derek Anderson went 2 for 17 with 23 yards and an interception, against the leagues 3rd worst pass defense. Not to mention, the Bills were missing 2 safeties and a cornerback, which should have made things easier. After this performance, by Anderson, and his ever so fantastic 3 interceptions in one half of football against Baltimore 2 weeks prior, I can only question what he's doing that is so much better than Brady Quinn.

Brady Quinn struggled in his first 2.5 games, and there is no doubt in my mind that there is a lot of improvements that need(ed) to be made. In his first start against Minnesota, he completed 21 passes out of 35 attempts for 205 yards had a touchdown, and an interception. He struggled on 3rd downs converting on just 25% of his passes, however was a victim to 6 drops in the game. 2 of the drops came on one drive by tight end Robert Royal, while he had another 3rd down drop. Joshua Cribbs had a drop on 2nd down in the 2nd quarter, and Mike Furrey had 2 drops in the game. Another problem was the running game. Jamal Lewis doesn't scare anybody. He dances to the line of scrimmage and doesn't hit the hole like 2003 Jamal Lewis does, which is expected with all of the carries he's had over his career. Minnesota's defense is 10th in the league in points against. They are very good, especially against the run. At halftime, the score was 13-10 Browns and it looked promising. Brady's one interception, it was a mis-communication with Braylon Edwards. Based on the coverage presented, Braylon ran the wrong route (one of many reasons he's a Jet now). He ran a seam despite being covered by the corner and having the safety over the top. The pass was thrown to the outside, where only Braylon could have caught it... had he ran the right route. Because the lack of first downs, however, the defense just could not hold AP any longer. He was held to 26 yards in the first half before exploding for 154 more in the 2nd half. The defense couldn't handle being on the field so much. Quinn's worst play of the game was him trying to scramble and throw on the run, in which he fumbled the ball trying to throw it, counting as a sack, and a fumble. Other than that, for his first start in 2009, against a top defense, his play wasn't as bad, given the circumstances.

Here's the Top 5 All-Time Bad NFL Football Teams. Will the '09 Browns make the cut? God I hope so.

The following list is taken from ESPN.com Page2. I fully expect to be contacted by the World Wide Leader's army of attorney's shortly. Screw 'em.

1. 1976 Buccaneers (0-14)

The Bucs' debut season was football's equivalent of the 1962 Mets -- but without the wit of Casey Stengel to make things a bit more entertaining. The Bucs were shut out five times and averaged fewer than nine points per game. Their defense was almost as futile, and the Bucs' margin of defeat was 20 points per game. Tampa Bay's quarterback, Steve Spurrier, threw only seven touchdown passes all season. His longest completion was 38 yards. The Bucs carried their losing momentum into the 1977 season, losing another 12, to begin their franchise history 26 games in the red.

"The coach (John McKay) stopped talking to us after the third game," defensive lineman Pat Toomay told the Columbus Dispatch in 2001. "During the week, he wanted nothing to do with us. I can't blame him, really. We had so many guys get injured that nobody knew who was hurt and who wasn't. By the end of the season we were getting guys out of the Canadian league and off the streets."

2. 1990 Patriots (1-15)

The Pats had the worst offense and the second-worst defense in the NFL in 1990. How bad was the Pats offense? The most points they scored in a game was 24, in the first game of the season (a 27-24 loss to the Dolphins at home). In five games, they scored a touchdown or less. Their only win came by two points. Not a single win at home.

"The Patriots have out-Murphyed the entire league put together," wrote Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan near the end of the season. "If something bad in the game of football can happen, it will not only happen to the Patriots, it will happen in a new and different way. The way things are going, they would be no better than even money in an intrasquad scrimmage. Each week we ask, 'How can things get worse?' and each week they do."

3. 1973 Oilers (1-13)

It's not easy to figure out which season was worse for the Oilers, 1972 or 1973. Two years running, Houston racked up identical 1-13 records. But we'll give the '73 squad a slight edge. They gave up 447 points, the most in the NFL, and scored only 199. Things were so bad in Houston that the most exciting development was the invention of the first flak jacket for football, to protect QB Dan Pastorini's ribs. (He set an NFL record for being sacked the most times in 1971, broke it in 1972, and broke it again in 1973.)

4. 1971 Bills (1-13)

The 1971 Buffalo lineup was remarkably balanced -- the Bills fielded the worst offense and the worst defense in the NFL. How bad was the offense? The Bills were shut out four times, with QBs Dennis Shaw and James Harris combining for 12 TD passes and 32 interceptions. O.J. Simpson, in his third NFL season, gained less than 750 yards. Meanwhile, the defense's best performance came in game three, when they held the Vikings to "only" 19 points.

5. 1981 Colts (2-14)

Head coach Mike McCormack actually thought, before the season began, that his Colts might make the 1981 playoffs. Baltimore began and ended the season with one-game winning streaks, beating the awful Patriots (who also went 2-14 in 1981) by one point in the first game and by two points in the season finale.

The 14 games in between proved problematic, though, especially for the defense, which was probably the worst in modern NFL history. The Colts gave up a record 533 points, never allowing fewer than 23 in a game. Unfortunately, the offense, ranked 26th in the league, was nearly as bad. After the final whistle, McCormack said, "We had a helluva start and a helluva finish." The next day he was fired.

So there you have it. No Bengal teams to be found. Who knew?

Chalk Talk: Perils of Fanaticism

Celine Dion said it best.

"And my heart will go on...and...on!"

You heard it thousands of times in it's Titanic heyday, and now you hear it again...in a sports blog? The world works in funny ways, and so does my mind; thus, I am using Celine Dion to make a point about what it means to be a fan.

See I was blessed. From the time I graduated from diapers to the toilet, I can remember having a passion within me for being a fan. It started with "big time wrestling." Hulk Hogan was my favorite. When The Ultimate Warrior beat him in their classic Wrestlemania VI showdown, I remember being paralyzed with shock. I had no idea how to react. The only thing that I knew was that it felt like my heart had been ripped out Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom style. I knew that I would never get over this loss, that it would stay with me and haunt my dreams for years. Silently within myself, I vowed to never again watch the WWF so that I could avoid disappointments like this. It was just too unbearable, too life altering. I couldn't stay away, though. Every time I thought I was out, they'd pullllllllll me back in.

I remember the first football game that I really cared about. The year was 1991, and the Giants and Bills were playing in the Super Bowl. It was a spectacle that I had never seen before. The country was just getting into Desert Storm, Whitney Houston sang the National Anthem, and planes flew over the field before the game. My dad being a huge Giants fan, I was naturally inclined to root for them. The game was a seesaw battle which saw lead changes and big plays, finally coming down to Scott Norwood's legendary miss to give the Giants the win. This was my first feeling of utter satisfaction with a sporting event. From there, my life forever changed.

Once you get a taste of something as sweet as a Super Bowl win, you come back for more. Suddenly, I was fanatical about all my dad's favorite teams. The aforementioned Giants, the New York Yankees, our hometown Oak Harbor Rockets, and most of all - the Michigan Wolverines. From that fateful moment where Norwood's kicked sailed wide right, my life has been littered with highs and lows dealing with sports. The 90's domination of John Cooper, Mariano Rivera's blown save against Arizona in the 01' World Series, Shawn Crable's helmet-to- helmet hit against Troy Smith in 07', and most recently the overtime thriller Michigan just played against in-state rival Michigan State.

To try and describe my emotions during this game would be like trying to describe someone high on cocaine, heroine, PCP, and methall at the same time. First, there is the anticipation leading up to the game. For any big game (say, Michigan vs. Ohio State), the week is not measured in "Mondays" and "Tuesdays"; the week is measured in "4 days until gametime" and "2 hours until gametime." When your team takes the field, there is an adrenaline rush as if you were taking the field with them. Emotions are sky high through the first stage of the game. There is the feeling out process, as you gauge how your team may fare through the game. There are certain to be a few "what the hell are we doings'?" thrown in there, along with some "Hell Yeah's!"

At halftime, you have no idea what the hell to do with yourself. Is anyone else with me in thinking that college halftimes are way too long? The NFL has it right with their ten minute intermission. Should I get something to eat? Can I really take a dump that lasts the entire halftime? Should I change seats to get some different mojo? All questions that every fan has probably thought at one point or another. Once halftime is over, it's back to the grind. With every possession in a close game, you eye the clock to see where your team stands. Every third down conversion or failure changes the game and your emotions. Want to feel like you've been kicked in the balls? Watch your team give up 4 consecutive third and longs and tell me how your doing. The 4th quarter is heart attack time. With Michigan trailing 20-6 with 6 minutes to go against MSU, even I was getting a little doubtful. Trademark phrases like "there is still meat on this bone" were turning sour - "There might only be gristle left on this bone." But then you get hope - one big play that vaults your team back into the game. Now you need some defense. Can the defense really force a 3 and out? Why am I sweating like I just filmed a porno in a sauna? When the impossible happens and your team gets the ball back, it is a whole new feeling of apprehension. Can we really drive the length of the field to tie it up? In this case, I watched a skinny freshman take his team on his shoulders and make play after play - with a few heart attack inducing moments (one bad snap turned into a 12 yard scramble and completion, one fluttering ball that managed to fall to the ground around 3 MSU players) - and lead his team to an improbably touchdown amidst a pouring rain that was surely a big middle finger from the football gods to Michigan.

I was on top of the world. The impossible had happened - Michigan had tied it up and was going to overtime. There was no way we were losing this game! Too much momentum was on our side - too much moxie was in that quarterback's heart. But then, it happened. An interception on the first drive of overtime brought that sinking feeling back to my stomach. My positive vibes went out the window as the prospects of losing again sunk back in. Then, on that fateful 3rd and 12 run, Larry Caper broke through a Troy Woolfolk tackle and scampered into the endzone for the winning 6. Those last 10 yards of his run played in my mind in slow motion for a good five minutes after that.

After that comeback, how could this team lose? Why do I do this to myself? Every fan knows that feeling. Michigan fans have felt it against OSU for years - Ohio State fans have felt it against Texas,USC, Florida, LSU. That moment where you are resigned to defeat, where your dreams of victory are officially out the window. The big celebration plans no longer seem very fun and you start to replay key moments from the game in your head. What if we didn't miss this tackle? What if this play was called? This continues for a couple hours until the shock wears off. You can finally turn on ESPN and see what the rest of the football world is up to. When those dreaded highlights come on, there is still a powerful twinge of hurt that runs through your body when you see that final score posted.

This is what being a fan is all about. The highs and the lows - the glorious victories and the gut wrenching losses. When I finally laid down to go to bed that night after the Michigan State loss, I made a mental note to put that loss to bed as well. It was time to move on - time for Iowa. Time for a primetime showcase for with our gutsy freshman quarterback and our spotty defense. My heart had finally calmed down from the days events. Would I change anything? Hell no. There is a trademark shot that ABC uses during it's games: it is of the college campus during the game. I always see people walking around and I wonder to myself, how much would it suck to be these people? To not care about sports, to not go through each Saturday with 110,000+ people on pins and needles as your team wins or loses. Some people say it's only a game, and yes, that is true. However, it is HELL of a game. One that keeps you coming back for more and more. One that has your heart racing every Saturday like Antonio Henton at the Moonlite Bunny Ranch. Like I said earlier, Celine Dion had it right.

My heart will indeed go on.

Never Run The Toss Sweep

Coach Deuce

Even In Defeat, Mangini Gets One Right

I was wrong.

It happens on occasion. My wife thinks it happens more that I do, but I digress.

Derek Anderson is a better NFL quarterback than Brady Quinn. This much was evident Sunday in the Browns’ 23-20 overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Having been a Quinn advocate since the day he was drafted, this is a difficult admission for me to make, but the proof was on the field. The offense was competent…heck it was almost good at times. It was light years from what the Quinn-led offense had been able to muster during the first three weeks. The Browns’ offense actually outscored the Bengals’ 20-16. Were it not for a defensive fumble return for a touchdown (on a questionable no-call from the refs), Cleveland would be celebrating win number one of the Mangini era.

Alas, as is prone to happen at a disproportionate rate in Cleveland, heartbreak reigns again, and the Browns remain winless at 0-4.

Now with that out of the way, there are certainly some other reasons for optimism in Cleveland this season and further down the road.

It appears that a star was born in rookie Mohammed Massaquoi, who caught everything thrown his way (quite an accomplishment when Derek Anderson is your quarterback). Massaquoi caught 8 balls for 148 yards. (On a side note, this was 8 more catches and 148 more yards than Braylon Edwards had.)

On the other side of the ball, it’s amazing what a defense can do when it’s not on the field for two of the first three quarters. Cincinnati went the entire second and third quarters without gaining a single first down, leading me to wonder if the two teams had managed to magically switch uniforms at the end of the first quarter without anyone noticing. The Browns actually managed to win the time of possession battle 38:55-36:01. This can be a solid (dare I say good) defense if the offense can keep them off of the field.

Whatever excuses the Browns have been feeding Joshua Cribbs and his agent as to why they haven’t re-worked his contract need to go away now. This man needs paid. Cribbs is the only player that the Browns have that strikes fear into the hearts of the opposition. This was evident in overtime, as there wasn’t a single Bengal punt that ended up in the same zip code as Cribbs. I know he just got a new deal. I know he is already one of the highest paid special teamers in the league. He needs to be the highest. There is no special teams player in the NFL that is more important to his team than Cribbs is to the Browns, and the club should make sure he has absolutely no reason to want to leave Cleveland.

Now for the bad news. 0-9 looks like a real possibility with upcoming road games at Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Chicago, and home dates with Green Bay and Baltimore.

In the meantime, Eric Mangini has bought a reprieve from me. No one expected the Browns to be world beaters this season, but most Browns fans I know at least expected to field a competitive team on a weekly basis. The Browns finally looked like a team worthy of being called an NFL franchise Sunday, and there was certainly improvement from previous weeks. The Bengals are a miracle fluke play away from being 4-0, and the Browns gave them everything they wanted and more. Even in defeat, there were many positives to be had from this game, and as long as the Browns get better as the season goes on, I will be happy.

I had been giving serious consideration to selling my tickets to the Browns-Steelers game on December 10^th in Cleveland. What I saw Sunday gives me hope that even if the Browns don’t beat the Steelers that night, at least I won’t have to take a brown paper bag to wear over my head.