Watching Steve Spurrier coach South Carolina makes me sad. The brilliance for playcalling is still there, but he doesn't have a soul on his roster who can do anything with them. Neither QB can throw downfield consistently, and the five star recruit he got at the position went nuts and was nearly kicked out of school altogether. Once Kenny McKinley got hurt in the second quarter last night, SC was done because there isn't another reliable receiver on their team. The Gamecocks allegedly had a great signing class at the position two years ago - yet another example of how ridiculous the hype and hysteria is about that every year - and none of them are worth a darn except for Dion LeCorn (and he's a third or fourth receiver at best). Vandy's 2-0 - Bobby Johnson is a heck of a coach.
I'll look forward to seeing some actual quality football this weekend. Driving through the side of tropical storm Hanna won't be too fun, but it beats the possibility of encountering Ike. This storm looks very scary - if you are in the potential window for it please do not screw around. I remember how congested I-95 was all the way up in Jacksonville when people were fleeing Floyd - give yourself enough time to get away from south Florida if this thing's coming.
As for the game, UF is clearly the better team and should win. The key item to watch for will be tackling - Miami will look to control the clock if at all possible using their ground game. Florida was sloppy with its takling in the first half against Hawaii. As long as guys make tackles when they have the chance, they'll be able to get the Canes off the field and put up around 45. The Gator Nation Tailgate show will be from 5 to 7 on the Star 99.5 if you want to tune in.
Daunte Culpepper says he's done with the NFL. When you have people offering you backup jobs that you don't accept, they tend to stop asking eventually. Culpepper's never recovered from the combination of a serious knee injury and the horrible PR he got as part of the Vikings "sex boat" scandal. I suspect we'll see him again despite the "retirement", but he's got to accept that no one is going to hand him a starter gig ever again.
Tampa Bay has a tricky game this weekend with New Orleans, one I suspect they will lose. Jacksonville has a tough opener at Tennessee, particularly with the Richard Collier shooting an enormous distraction all week. I feel like a loon for saying this, but the Dolphins might have the best chance of the three at winning this weekend. Since they're facing Favre and the Jets, I hope they're able to do that.
Dennis Green's NFL coaching career is likely done, thanks to his inept performance with the Arizona Cardinals and his screwy reputation. With the free time he has now, Green's still trying to cash in on his bizarre Bears postgame rant. Just a helpful hint in case you're looking for some early Christmas presents. Have a good weekend.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
All right, Heath! We'll welcome you on the Dolphins bandwagon for this week. I actually like their chances Sunday. For the first time in YEARS, I feel good about the Dolphins' o-line. If Thomas holds up as a rookie RG, the other four positions are filled with big-time guys with a lot of talent. I really think the Dolphins can hammer the running game down the Jets' throat with Ricky and Ronnie and get just enough play-action plays downfield from Pennington to score some points. I'm still real worried about our secondary and getting burned by Cotchery and Coles, but if the Dolphins control the clock, maybe Favre will spend most of the game on the sidelines thinking about his tractor and Wranglers.
As far as the Gamecocks go, I'm just amazed at how ordinary they are at every offensive position. They look like a really easy team to defend, and if the defense gets lazy with their gap control and tackling like they did last night, they are not going bowling this year, either.
Post a Comment