Saskatchewan beats the Eskimos in a close game
55-9.
Saskatchewan scored seven touchdowns, including a 54-yard fumble return by linebacker Kitwana Jones, to move into second place in the Canadian Football League’s West Division ahead of B.C., which hosted Toronto later on Saturday.
It wasn’t all good news
But Saskatchewan isn’t without its problems. First and foremost, head coach Ken Miller is probably no closer to deciding on a starting quarterback for the post-season.
Steven Jyles, who relieved a struggling Darian Durant in last week’s 30-29 win over Hamilton, got the nod against Edmonton — the Riders’ third starting pivot in as many weeks.
But he gave way to Michael Bishop after completing seven of 13 passes for 99 yards and throwing two interceptions. Bishop connected on nine of 10 passes for 148 yards with two completions for majors.
Despite the big win, I am not liking Saskatchewan’s chances going into the post-season with Michael Bishop as our quarterback. He was mediocre in Toronto and he has been mediocre here.
NCAA ignoring widespread cheating at big programs
Dan Wetzel is at the NCAA again
It’s gotten to the point where Jerry Tarkanian’s legendary line about the NCAA’s selective enforcement habits – “the NCAA was so mad at Kentucky, it gave Cleveland State two more years of probation” – has become outdated.
It’s worth reading even if you aren’t a sports fan but rather is an indictment on our sports obsessed culture and how even major universities are driven more by money than by actually providing an education to their student athletes. Before you get on me about being anti-NCAA (I am a Notre Dame fan), I have heard stories about my beloved CIS doing similar stuff to keep athletes eligible.
Emergence of the gambling man
Michael Silver (who has become one of my favorite sports writers) has a good article on the return of Mike Shanahan.
The true significance of Sunday’s game was Shanahan’s gutsy decision to go all in and play for the win – a course that he and Cutler plotted as the Chargers went up by 7 with 4:22 remaining.
Strip it all away, and this was an "I’m Back" statement from a coach nearly a decade removed from his last Super Bowl victory who is coming off a losing season he found untenable.
It was a power move by a play-calling savant who knows he finally has the quarterback who can help the Mile High City get over its collective post-John Elway hangover.
And, let’s be honest, it was the act of a man who, despite recent rumblings to the contrary, is secure in his environment. Now in his 14th season, the league’s second-longest-tenured head coach was willing to risk the backlash that would have accompanied a failed conversion. Given that only six other coaches had pulled a similarly risky move (going for two while down a point in the final two minutes) since the advent of the rule in 1994 – and only two of those six had been successful – Shanahan had to be feeling mighty exposed.
Let’s be honest: He’s been waiting for a chance to expose himself in good conscience for a long time. And even in those tense moments before he knew how the outcome would play out, Shanahan loved every second of it.
"I think so," said Cutler, who completed 36 of 50 passes for 350 yards and four touchdowns in a performance that we may remember as the day he became a big-time NFL passer. "I think he’s comfortable being aggressive. We’re attacking a lot more this year. We’ve got so many weapons. Our receivers are stepping up, our tight ends are exciting and our backs are so versatile. And with the way our line’s playing, we feel like we can attack you any way you want."
Most of all Cutler, in his third season, has progressed to a point where Shanahan wants nothing more than the ball in his quarterback’s right hand with the game on the line.
"That’s why you go for it," Shanahan said afterward as he sat in the coaches’ locker room at Invesco, his face still flushed from the excitement. "I’ve always believed you get a good feel for a quarterback in his third year, and I knew going into this offseason that Jay was capable of doing what he’s done these first two games. If he keeps on playing at this level, good things will happen."
Week One
While my fantasy team is disarray, at least the Denver Broncos won big.
Cutler threw for 299 yards with long touchdown passes to rookie Eddie Royal and Darrell Jackson that helped the Broncos beat up on their AFC West rivals in a 41-14 victory over the Oakland Raiders on Monday night.
“There were a lot of questions about us, but we felt good about what we have,” Cutler said. “You have that little bit of doubt about what’s going to happen with the young guys when the lights come on, but they came through time and time again.”
Cutler showed why the Broncos made him a first-round draft pick in 2006, completing 16 of 24 passes and confidently picking apart Oakland’s rebuilt defense despite missing its best offensive playmaker to a one-game suspension.
How did the Raiders new acquisitions do?
The Raiders went on an offseason spending spree to try to reverse five straight seasons of double-digit losses. The early payoff was not good.
Receiver Javon Walker, who got $16 million in guaranteed money, missed the game with an injured hamstring. Hall, who got $24 million guaranteed, was frequently beat by Royal in coverage and committed the two personal fouls. Defensive tackle Tommy Kelly, who got $18 million in guarantees, was part of a line that failed to get pressure on Cutler all night.
The Jordon Cooper Voodoo Curse
It doesn’t matter who I pick in a hockey or football fantasy draft… they get hurt bad. My starting QB in the jordoncooper.com fantasy football league is… Tom Brady. Yeah, that Tom Brady. My apologies to all of the New England Patriot fans out there.
The legendary Jon Kitna
If Jon Kitna passes for at least 3,000 yards this season (he threw for more than 4,000 last year) will move ahead of such QBs as Joe Namath, Ken Stabler and Terry Bradshaw. Yeah you heard me right. Jon Kitna
The soap opera that is the Detroit Lions
According to a report from the AP.
Detroit running back Rudi Johnson said Wednesday that the player who was waived to make room for him on the Lions’ roster—Tatum Bell — took his luggage from team headquarters.
“All this happened when he got released,” Johnson said. “He came in to get some stuff out of his locker and that’s when he scooped up the bags.”
After being cut by the Cincinnati Bengals, Johnson came to Detroit to work out for the team and meet with Lions president Matt Millen on Monday. During the meeting, which ended with Johnson agreeing to a free-agent contract, the two Gucci bags that he had received as a Pro Bowl gift were taken from inside the team’s headquarters.
A message seeking comment was left Wednesday with Bell’s agent, Kennard McGuire.
Johnson met with the Detroit media for the first time Tuesday, and talked about Bell in a positive manner—saying they had discussed the Lions and that Bell, also a running back, had given him advice on the team and the city.
However, shortly after Johnson praised Bell, team security director Ricky Sandoval showed him footage from the team’s surveillance system.
It’s a rather odd story and how fitting that it happened in Detroit. Do you ever hear stories like this coming out of New England or Indianapolis? The Detroit Lions can’t even cut a player properly.
Giving Up in Cincinnati
I have always like the Cincinnati Bengals. Blame it on Boomer Esiason or even Herb Tarlick, I have had a soft spot for the Bengals. I also like Marvin Lewis as a coach and today I was feeling kind of sorry for him getting embarrassed by his owner when he signed troublemaker Chris Henry to a 2 year deal. As I was feeling sorry for him I realized that it is his choice to give up control of his locker room to his boss.
"Not interested," Lewis said a week ago, after Henry’s agent said he’d had talks with the team regarding his client. Lewis’ terse response came without qualifier. He didn’t say "Not interested, unless Chad messes up his shoulder.” He didn’t say, "Not interested, unless the owner says we are and cuts my legs off to bring back a guy as reliable as a 1979 Chevette.” Nope. Marvin was not interested.
Only now, he is. He’ll have to coach a guy he openly and forcefully didn’t want. He has to deal with a locker room that knows who’s boss, and it ain’t Coach.
If I was Marvin Lewis I would walk into the owner’s office and hand him my resignation. Could you imagine Bill Belichik taking a player he didn’t want? Don Shula? Tom Landry? Vince Lombardi? Of course they wouldn’t and players know that. Marvin Lewis is in a no win situation today. He could have taken a stand and gotten fired and walked out with his head held high instead he backed down and will be a coach of a talented team that will back down again and again and again this season until Lewis is fired.
Then, he brought him back despite the objections of coach Marvin Lewis, who had no interest in giving Henry another chance. The move reminded players who’s in charge of the Bengals.
“It’s the organization’s team,” quarterback Carson Palmer said after practice Wednesday. “It’s their team. They’re going to make decisions that they think are best, and Marvin and the players and all the coaches do the best with what we’ve got.”
It’s started already.
The jordoncooper.com Fantasy NFL Draft
Ahoy. I am thinking of playing a little fantasy football and since I have to beat someone, why not invite the readers of jordoncooper.com to get beat each and every week by me. If you are interested, it’s free and you can sign up at http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/league/jordoncooper. The ID # is 441945. You do need a password and it is the name of the greatest NFL QB of all time, stevedeberg. There is only spots for 11 other teams so sign up soon.
The 24 Hour Favre Network. All Favre, all the time.
So Brett Favre got traded to New York. Normally this would make someone really happy but I don’t know of any New York Jet’s fans so I can’t verify anything. Actually does ANYONE out there know of a New York Jets fan?
The bad news in all of this for me is that Favre gets traded to the world’s biggest media market. Wonderful. I get to hear more about a quarterback that I didn’t really like in the first place and respect even less right now. All I know is that someone at the NFL network hates me. Oh well, it will give me a chance to cheer for the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, and Buffalo Bills even more this year.
I hope the New York Jets know what they are getting, a 38 year old who has a reputation for contributing nothing to the locker room, who has a questionable commitment to the game, and could be setting back the organization’s young quarterbacks another season. My question is where does Chad Pennington end up? Miami? San Francisco?
This is our league
Roughriders win again. Now 5-0 for the first time since 1934.
Running back Wes Cates scored his eighth touchdown of the campaign with three minutes left in regulation to allow the Roughriders to improve to 5-0, their best start to a season since 1934. Toronto fell to 2-3, but remains in a tie with the Montreal Alouettes for first place in the CFL’s East Division.
Quarterback Darian Durant started for Saskatchewan, but left the game in the first quarter after taking a heavy hit on a failed passing play. Jyles came on in relief and had a solid outing, throwing for one touchdown and one interception, and completing 14-of-18 passes for 201 yards.
Again the Riders did it with their second on third string QBs.
Our Cabin Weblog- Recently listened to music
- David Gray – Be Mine October 19, 2008
- David Gray – December October 19, 2008
- David Gray – Knowhere October 19, 2008
- David Gray – Real Love October 19, 2008
- David Gray – Last Boat To America October 19, 2008
- Recently additions to my library
- Rediscovering Church: The Story and Vision of Willow Creek Community Church by Lynne Hybels October 26, 2008
- The Teeth of the Tiger, A Novel by Tom Clancy October 26, 2008
- The Agenda Inside the Clinton White House by Woodward Bob October 26, 2008
- The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You by John C. Maxwell October 26, 2008
- The Sum of All Fears by Tom Clancy October 26, 2008
-
Search
Recent Photos
