The Daily Live Blog

The Ultimate Fan

2009-11-13T16:10:16Z

The opinions on what to do with the three Tennessee players charged with armed robbery are coming in fast and furious. Many are demanding strong action, like kicking the players off the team. That may or may not be a little extreme, at least before they are officially found guilty, and it's also the exact opposite of what the victim wants.

Corey Zickefoose, one of the three victims of the armed robbery attempt, doesn't believe the players should be kicked off the team:

"I think they should still be able to play football, regardless," he said. "Tennessee is my place. It's my football team."
"Even after they put a gun in your face, you say let them play football?" 6 News asked.

"Yeah, it's Tennessee. That's the way it is sometimes," Zickefoose said.

Now that's supporting the team (but not a ringing endorsement for tourism in Knoxville).

Guess Who Matt Millen Liked Thursday Night?

2009-11-13T15:00:38Z

With Cris Collinsworth having moved on to announce Monday Night Football, the NFL Network rolled out its new announcing tandem in last night's game, Bob Papa and Matt Millen.

Millen, if you don't remember, was the Detroit Lions GM who amassed a horrible record and was chastised for poor drafts and picking too many wide receivers in the first round; particularly drafting busts who didn't always grasp the mental part of the game.

Well guess which player Millen gushed over every time the 49ers had the ball? Yep, Michael Crabtree.

You might think Millen would want to avoid frequent compliments on a rookie WR, especially one who held out well into the regular season, right? Nope. Millen seemed intent on breaking down Crabtree's strengths and repeatedly saying what great potential Crabtree has. Millen likely tried to draft him before the game and probably had to be reminded frequently by the NFL Network not to try and draft him while on air.

Now, to be fair, Millen was very complimentary of several players on both teams throughout the night, despite the sloppiness of the game, not just Crabtree. And also in his defense, he did finally get it right with his many WR picks when the Lions took Calvin Johnson in 2007. But still, he probably could have avoided lavishing quite so much praise on the upside of a young, but possibly troubled wide out.

NFL Week 10 Fantasy Studs & Duds

2009-11-13T00:00:30Z

Each week Studs & Duds will take a look at the best and worst match-ups from around the NFL and choose four players that could mean the difference between fantasy success or failure.

Based on the scoring system established by Yahoo!'s Flames and Lames, Studs and Duds just can't seem to get back to its winning ways. After going 3-5 in last week's picks, S&D's season record now stands at 33-39 Do you have some of your own Studs and Duds in mind? If so, put your picks and predictions (no explanation for picks necessary) in the comment section below and see if you can beat us at our own game.

Studs

Joe Flacco / QB / Baltimore Ravens- (vs. Browns) In his last game against Cleveland, Flacco threw for 342 yards and a touchdown. You can expect him to improve upon those numbers in week 10, as he'll likely throw for multiple scores. With the Browns allowing just under 30 points per game during their last three contests, it's not hard to imagine this being a high scoring day for Flacco and the Raven offense. If you're regular starter has a tough match-up this week and the former Delaware QB is available, then plug him in as it will definitely pay off.

Prediction: 29-37, 301 passing yards, 2 total touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 3 rushing yards

T.J. Houshmandzadeh / WR / Cincinnati Bengals- (vs. Cardinals) Houshmandzadeh was expected to be a top fantasy receiver this year, but has yet to live up to those expectations. He's only managed to reach 100 receiving yards once, and has only three touchdowns on the year. For those of you waiting for his breakout game, this week's match-up against Arizona's 28th ranked pass D is just what the doctor ordered. From here on out the Seahawks have a relatively easy schedule, so it's not hard to imagine Housh being a top 15 receiver the rest of the way.

Prediction: 10 receptions, 97 receiving yards, 1 touchdown

]]> Ricky Williams / RB / Miami Dolphins- (vs. Buccaneers) In his last three games, Williams has managed to tally four rushing touchdown's. Those are solid numbers that will continue in week 10. This week is likely to be a cake walk for the Dolphins' offense. It's unlikely that the Bucs will replicate their week nine form that saw them beat the Packers. Their 30th ranked rush D will not be able to contain the wildcat, and although Williams is the secondary back he should get somewhere in the range of 12-15 carries. If that's the case he could reach pay dirt multiple times.

Prediction: 14 carries, 85 rushing yards, 5 receptions, 31 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns

Zach Miller / TE / Oakland Raiders- (vs. Cheifs) Miller has only managed to post three stud-worthy performances this year despite having arguably the best year of his career so far. He's not going to be the most consistent guy in terms of finding the end zone, as he only has three touchdown's in his career, but week 10 could easily see him log number four. Kansas City has the 30th ranked pass D and that bodes well for Miller. Although he has the unimpressive QB JaMarcus Russell throwing the ball his way, Miller will still dominate in week 10 since Kansas City's defense is simply terrible.

Prediction: 9 receptions, 100 yards, 1 touchdown

Duds

Matt Ryan / QB / Atlanta Falcons- (vs. Panthers) A lot of owners will look at Ryan's last game against the Panthers and automatically assume he has to be a must play in week 10. Well, we all know what happens when you assume. The reason he's going to be a dud this week is a matter of how Carolina's defense has improved as the year's gone on. They're ranked sixth in pass D, and more importantly they haven't allowed a stud-worthy game to an opposing QB since Ryan had his in week two. It's likely that Atlanta will rely heavily on RB Michael Turner to carry the Falcons this week, and that's bad news for Ryan owners. A few QB's that are better plays in week 10 that are available in over 50% of Yahoo! Standard leagues include Mark Sanchez and Chad Henne.

Prediction: 15-35, 179 passing yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions, 8 rushing yards

Vincent Jackson / WR / San Diego Chargers- (vs. Eagles) The Chargers are coming off a huge win against the New York Giants, but that's no reason to think they'll carry over their success into week 10. Jackson's string of four straight games with a touchdown will come to a halt against the 11th ranked Eagles pass D. It's likely Philly will lock down on Jackson considering he's been QB Phillip Rivers' main option for the entire year. If you can avoid starting him, then do so as the entire Chargers offense will likely struggle in week 10.

Prediction: 2 receptions, 27 receiving yards, 0 touchdowns

Marshawn Lynch / RB / Buffalo Bills- (vs. Titans) Lynch hasn't done quite as well as many people though he would since his return. The Bills' offense is spinning its wheels, and does not look like they're close to turning it around any time soon. The Titans offense has been playing much better since QB Vince Young took over the play calling duties, and as a result their defense has looked better too. Their 18th ranked rush D is by no means a dominate force, but they're getting better each week. Considering that Buffalo has little to no balance in their offense, the Titans should have no problem holding Lynch and the rest of the Bills to meager fantasy numbers.

Prediction: 13 carries, 61 rushing yards, 2 receptions, 16 receiving yards, 0 touchdowns

Heath Miller / TE / Pittsburgh Steelers- (vs. Bengals) Although Miller is the ninth ranked TE in terms of fantasy points per game, he hasn't been as consistent as many may think. Other than his solid point totals in weeks 4-6, he's yet to notch a stud-worthy performance in '09. Considering that this week's game against the Bengals is a battle for first place in the AFC North, Miller is likely to play the role of a blocker more than the role of receiver. Even though Miller has been solid in the red zone, there are just too many other strong receiving threats on the Steelers for him to have much value in week 10.

Prediction: 2 reception, 23 receiving yards, 0 touchdowns

Dock Ellis & The LSD No-No, Now In Animated Form

2009-11-12T22:00:41Z

And really, it is fantastic.

In 1970, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Dock Ellis threw a no-hitter while high on LSD. 29 years later, No Mas brilliantly animated his story for a whole new generation to enjoy. As Ellis would later recount:

"I can only remember bits and pieces of the game. I was psyched. I had a feeling of euphoria. I was zeroed in on the (catcher's) glove, but I didn't hit the glove too much. I remember hitting a couple of batters and the bases were loaded two or three times. The ball was small sometimes, the ball was large sometimes, sometimes I saw the catcher, sometimes I didn't. Sometimes I tried to stare the hitter down and throw while I was looking at him. I chewed my gum until it turned to powder. I started having a crazy idea in the fourth inning that Richard Nixon was the home plate umpire, and once I thought I was pitching a baseball to Jimi Hendrix, who to me was holding a guitar and swinging it over the plate. They say I had about three to four fielding chances. I remember diving out of the way of a ball I thought was a line drive. I jumped, but the ball wasn't hit hard and never reached me."

Without further ado:

Ochocinco Is the Gift That Keeps on Giving

2009-11-12T21:30:44Z

Chad Ochocinco is so good. How good is he? He's so good he's rewriting the NFL rulebook.

Ochocinco tweeted that picture on Wednesday. I think some WRs like Reggie Wayne, Larry Fitzgerald, and Randy Moss might have something to say about that, but he is one of the top wideouts in the league and lucky for us, it wasn't just his skills that came back. His entertaining ways are in top form as well.

The rule change isn't the only thing Ocho has been up to this week. As you might have heard, last week he sent deodorant to the Ravens prior to their game because "it's the only thing that can cover me."

This week he tweeted, "I got a nice present for the Steelers---sending them some mustard since they'll never ketchup when we play Sunday." Unfortunately though, not everyone shares his sense of humor. His coach Marvin Lewis played the role of Lt. Harris (Police Academy anyone?) and put an end to his hijinks by not allowing him to send his little gift. Interestingly enough, the Steelers were actually a little offended. "He sent something to the Ravens, so that shows he respects them. So he'd better send something to us," said safety Ryan Clark. The Steelers have a sense of humor, why can't Marvin Lewis?

Marvin Lewis won't let Chad Ochocinco send condiments to Steelers - Associated Press

Hornets Fire Coach Byron Scott

2009-11-12T20:55:32Z

After a disappointing start to the season the New Orleans Hornets have fired coach Byron Scott. The move comes following Wednesdays 124-104 loss to the Phoenix Suns. After winning the coach of the year award back in 2008, Scott started this year on the hot seat after a somewhat disappointing season that ended with an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs.

ESPN's Marc Stein reports:

Hornets vice president of basketball Chad Shinn said accountability was the team's watchword over the summer -- and that the Hornets were not measuring up with Scott at the helm.

As for who will take over the reigns:

Scott will be replaced by general manager Jeff Bower, with Tim Floyd as his top assistant, the team said. Floyd formerly coached the Hornets and the Chicago Bulls in the NBA and most recently at USC.

Pay Homage to Gamblor - Week 10

2009-11-12T18:45:15Z

It's Week 10 and Gamblor is coming a day early with his prediction because this is the week that Thursday night games start up. I do have the NFL Network, but I also have mixed feelings on Thursday games.

On first thought, extra football to watch! Awesome! But then I look at most of the stink bombs on the schedule and realize I am going to spend three hours each week watching either one or two worthless teams besmirch the name of football. Also, it will cause two days of people talking about how their fantasy team is in trouble, or how they have a big lead based solely on one game. Listen, your matchup isn't settled because of what one player did or did not do, lets hold off on making judgments based on that, or at least hold off on talking about them all the time.

Last week I got back to winning and put that abysmal 3-10 record behind me. Unfortunately, thanks to the Packers, I lost my lock pick for just the second time thus far.

Last week: 8-5
Season: 67-61-1
Lock of the week: 7-2

Home team in CAPS

Bears (+3) over 49ERS

Don't get me wrong, the Bears are not very good. But the 49ers are just worse. Alex Smith is not the answer at QB. He has small hands, like circus folk, but as far as I know he doesn't smell like cabbage.

JETS (-7) over Jaguars

In the Jags last four games they barely beat the Chiefs and Rams and got blown out by two 2-6 teams. Also, they've worked on establishing themselves as one of the most boring teams in the NFL. Does anyone ever look at the TV schedule and say, "Oh boy, a Jaguars game!" No, not even the people in Jacksonville.

Broncos (-3.5) over REDSKINS (LOCK OF THE WEEK)

Um. What? I get that the Broncos have been soundly beaten the last two weeks, but the Redskins have been soundly beaten all season AND they'll be without Portis. I'll be at this game hoping to prove myself wrong, but LOCK OF THE WEEK.

]]> Bengals (+7) over STEELERS

The Bengals continue to get disrespected by the oddsmakers. The Steelers deserve to be favored, but not by 7 points.

Bills (+7) over TITANS

Titans are still just 2-6, let's not get crazy favoring them by this much yet. Also, the Bills are due for a win to keep on their normal 7-9 pace.

VIKINGS (-16.5) over Lions

In situations like this, in which the outcome of the game is a foregone conclusion, instead of playing the game they should stage a grand battle between the team namesakes. Who wouldn't rather watch a Viking battle a lion than this football game? The spread would be much smaller, I'll guarantee that.

Saints (-13.5) over RAMS

The Rams have their one win; they've accomplished all they can this season. Time to pack it in until next year.

Falcons (-1.5) over PANTHERS

I think I hate Mike Smith. He seems like a guy who likes to yell a lot just for the sake of yelling. I get it, he's intense and what not, but it's a little over the top.

DOLPHINS (-10) over Buccaneers

No way the Bucs can repeat anything close to what they did last week, when most everything went their way. Ronnie Brown's corpse should be exhumed against a weak Tampa run defense.

Chiefs (+2) over RAIDERS

Over the last two years the road team is undefeated in this atrocity of a football game.

CARDINALS (-9) over Seahawks

I was wrong about the Jaguars; the Seahawks are the most boring team in the NFL. They are also completely incapable of playing good football outside of the state of Washington.

Eagles (+1.5) over CHARGERS

Don't get fooled into thinking the Chargers are good, it's a classic misstep, happens all the time.

Cowboys (-3) over PACKERS

After fooling and confusing people for half a season, the Packers proved last week that they are the same Packers team from last year, not very good, unable to come through when it matters, and prone to mistakes.

Patriots (+3) over COLTS

The Colts are due to fall sometime right? If the Pats win this game their fans will be super cocky and annoying again, that is, until they lose in the playoffs. In South Philly I heard some people talking the other day about the elite QBs in the league, and they all agreed they liked Peyton Manning best, because he seemed like a guy you could go have some beers with. Apparently Drew Brees and Tom Brady were deemed less likely to enjoy beer for some reason.

Ravens (-10.5) over BROWNS

Back to Brady Quinn! I hope Mangini switches QBs at least twice more this season. Even Lions fans are laughing at the Browns.

Three Tennessee Football Players Arrested

2009-11-12T17:30:07Z

Three freshman from the University of Tennessee football team were arrested early Thursday morning for attempted armed robbery. Per the AP:

Knoxville police say wide receiver Nu'Keese Richardson and defensive backs Janzen Jackson and Mike Edwards were arrested after the incident early Thursday.
The victims told police they were in a parked vehicle near Tennessee's campus when two men, one brandishing a handgun, approached. The suspects demanded whatever the victims had but left empty-handed when victims showed they had no money.
The suspects drove off with a third man in a Toyota Prius. Police located the car and the victims identified Richardson and Edwards.

Well, at least their getaway was environmentally friendly. From the incident report:

The victims stated that a black male then approached, wearing a black hoodie, brandished a black semi-auto handgun, opened the drivers door and stated, 'Give me everything you have.' The victims stated that a black male then exited from the passenger side of the Prius, wearing a black hoodie, walked around to the front passenger door of their car, opened it, and stated, 'Give us everything you've got.'

"The victims stated that they all presented their wallets to the suspects and showed them that they did not have money. The victims stated that a third black male then approached and told the other two black males, "We've got to go." The victims then stated that the three got into the Prius and that it was last seen traveling southbound on Volunteer Blvd West.
" ... The victims positively identified Edwards and Richardson as the two who approached their vehicle and demanded everything."

But wait. How could the victims possibly recognize them as Tennessee football players. It was at night, they were wearing dark, hooded sweatshirts ...

A Volunteer TV News photographer on the scene captured the suspects while they were being identified. At least one of them wore a black University of Tennessee t-shirt with an orange Adidas logo and the phrase "impossible is nothing."

Oh.

Somewhere, right now, Lil Wayne is already in a recording studio, spittin' 30 bars about the whole incident.

November Madness

2009-11-12T15:30:45Z

I'm the guy who just yesterday posted about the possibility of Iverson making the All-Star team. I'm the guy who predicted every NBA's team record BEFORE the season started. I'm the guy who gets excited to check out Yahoo!'s "Absurdly Premature Playoff Picture" for the NFL. I'm the guy who loves ridiculously early predictions. If someone projected a medal count of the 2072 Olympics, I'd read it word for word. Who saw Texas seceding and taking the bronze in pole vaulting?? And as far as absurdly early forecasts go, it's tough to beat predicting the 2010 NCAA Tournament seedings.

The season began Tuesday night, so why not let the predictions begin? What else is Bracketologist Joe Lunardi going to do. But someone has upstaged Lunardi! Why just predict the brackets? Why not predict the outcomes as well. This is what Jeff Goodman of Fox Sports did.

Check out Joe Lunardi's first crack at Bracketology and Jeff Goodman's prediction of the entire 2010 bracket.

Keep up the good work boys!

Quick! To the Local Sports Bar!

2009-11-12T14:45:27Z

If you're like me ~~you're going to Disney World on Thursday!~~ you don't get the NFL Network. At this point it doesn't matter if it's the cable providers being stubborn or the NFL being greedy -- bottom line is that most people don't get the Network and they will be missing out on its slate of NFL Thursday/Saturday night games.

Their schedule begins tonight, with the Bears and 49ers. Both teams started out strong -- 3-1 -- but now the Bears have lost three of four and the 49ers have lost four in a row. It's almost a must-win for both of these teams to remain in the Wild Card picture. The 49ers still have a shot at the division if the Cardinals falter. What's especially promising for the 49ers is their last two games of the season are against the Lions and Rams. But what do I care, I actually AM going to Disney World tomorrow! Unfortunately, I won't be at the Happiest Place on Earth for the rest of the games slated for the NFL Network.

Here's a look at the other games you are probably going to miss this season:

11/19 - Dolphins @ Panthers - Two mediocre teams more likely fighting for draft position than playoff position.

11/26 - Giants @ Broncos - To this point they've lost a combined six games in a row. That's after both teams won their first five games. Maybe they will tie and continue choking away their hot starts.

12/3 - Jets @ Bills - In Week 6 the Jets rushed for 318 yards against the Bills and LOST. Now they'll be playing in Toronto where the Jets can gain 290 meters on the Bills and lose.

12/10 - Steelers @ Browns - It's cute when the Browns fans call this a rivalry.

12/17 - Colts @ Jaguars - It's a long way off but it's possible the Colts will be looking to improve to 14-0 on the season. But let's see if they get past the Patriots on November 15 before talking about all that.

12/19 - Cowboys @ Saints - It's a long way off but it's possible the Saints will be looking to improve to 14-0 on the season. But let's see if they get past the Patriots on November 30 before talking about all that. Whoa.

12/25 - Chargers @ Titans - Titans might be looking to play the spoiler. Can Vince Young's magic continue?

What is the Worst-Case Scenario for the BCS?

2009-11-11T22:20:39Z

In a short answer, this:

National Championship - TCU vs. Boise State
Rose Bowl - Oregon State vs. Wisconsin
Orange Bowl - Pittsburgh vs. Duke
Sugar Bowl - LSU vs. Georgia Tech
Fiesta Bowl - Kansas State vs. Alabama

Amazingly, it could happen. Yes, it's extremely unlikely of course, but it still COULD happen, as Sean Keeley at Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician points out.

And of course, the other thing we don't like to admit is that these situations usually have a way of working themselves out. Boise State will lose a game they're not supposed to, TCU will lose to Utah, Cincinnati will run into a wall against West Virginia or Pittsburgh and then it's just a matter of who wins the SEC Championship in order to find out who plays Texas for the title.
Some a-hole will write an article about how the BCS got it right (as if the BCS did anything other than simply exist), Beano Cook will get to use words like "pageantry," TV ratings will be solid and all will be "right" with the world.
But what if...
What if just once all of the tumblers fell into place? Or in the case of this discussion...out of place. What if every single thing that could go wrong for the BCS went wrong over the next couple weeks? What if the BCS Doomsday Scenerio happened?

Duke playing in a BCS game? TCU and Boise State for the title? That'd probably be enough for college football to rethink the whole BCS thing.

Nerds Try to Get Involved in Sports

2009-11-11T22:00:37Z

At the beginning of this NBA season, Dwight Howard said everyone had been trying to give him advice about how to shoot free throws. If Howard had been perfect from the free throw line last season he would've averaged 4.3 more points per game. Howard couldn't listen to everyone but there might be a couple engineers at NC State he should give a few minutes of his time. These engineers spent a lot (too much ...) time determining the perfect free throw.

The engineers used hundreds of thousands of three-dimensional computer simulations of basketball free-throw trajectories to arrive at their conclusions ... shooters should launch the shot with about three hertz of back spin. That translates to the ball making three complete revolutions before reaching the hoop ... you should aim for the back of the rim, leaving close to 5 centimeters - about 2 inches - between the ball and the back of the rim ... the ball should be launched at 52 degrees to the horizontal.

I can just hear Syracuse's Jim Boeheim now, "No, THREE hertz! Three hertz, Onuaku! Aim for the back of the rim. No! Don't throw it as hard as you can!"
Onuaku: "Why can't they just let me dunk it?"

H/T: The Dagger

Saints Firmly Atop RCS NFL Power Ranking Averages

2009-11-11T21:20:08Z

The Saints are the top team in the RCS NFL Power Ranking Averages for the fourth week in a row, earning a first place ranking from every site but CBS, who ranked the Colts first. While the Saints continue to hold down the top spot, the bottom spot has been active.

The Rams got themselves out of the cellar last week and this week, thanks to their win over the Packers, the Bucs have moved from 32nd up to 29th. Taking hold of dead last is the team that I believe to truly be the worst in the NFL, the Browns, who are unanimously ranked 32nd.

Top Matchups:

1:00 PM on CBS - No. 5 Bengals @ No. 4 Steelers
Sunday Night on NBC - No. 6 Patriots @ No. 2 Colts

Two great matchups this week. If the Colts can put together an impressive performance against the Patriots, they may be able to steal away some of those number-one ranking votes from the Saints, who can do nothing but hurt their chances by playing the lowly Rams. Meanwhile, the Bengals and Steelers will battle it out for the upper leg in the tough AFC North (and 4th place in the Power Rankings).

Division Overall average rankings:

1. AFC North - 13.75
2. NFC East - 14.88
3. AFC South - 15.01
4. AFC East - 15.63
5. NFC South - 15.72
6. NFC North - 17.41
7. AFC West - 18.29
8. NFC West - 21.35

The AFC North remains the top division, despite the fact that they have the unanimously 32nd ranked Browns.

Sioux Say 'Fighting Sioux' Nickname Is ... OK?

2009-11-11T20:45:23Z

The North Dakota Fighting Sioux are in a legal battle over the school's nickname. Isn't it about time these archaic universities give up on exploiting Native Americans and get rid of these offensive nick...I'm sorry, what? A judge has actually blocked the school from changing its nickname? Well this is a new twist on an old classic.

In 2005, the NCAA declared that North Dakota's nickname and logo should be abolished. From what I've read, it seems UND was in the process of changing their nickname so they could move into the Summit League and renew a rivalry with North Dakota State. And now there is a group of Sioux Indians who support the nickname and they are the ones that convinced the judge to stop the name change process.

I'm not particularly offended by the nickname, and if the Sioux are in support of it, then it's cool by me. At least their logo doesn't look like Chief Wahoo. Now THAT'S offensive.

Grand Forks Herald
Associated Press

I Knew He Wasn't Human

2009-11-11T18:15:46Z

LeBron does things on a nightly basis that don't seem humanly possible. Now we finally know why. He's an alien. He's also an egotistical alien - I mean making crop circles of yourself? Someone needs a little attention.

This is actually the MAiZE at Darby Creek. It's a farm in central Ohio where for the past eight years they've done a corn maze. This year they chose LeBron. Now how can NYC compete with that??

Actually though, their plan is probably to get The King to go in the maze and hope that he can never make it out. Ohio loves LeBron. Ohio would do anything to keep LeBron. Ohio is never letting go of LeBron no matter how much he struggles.

H/T: Basketbawful