a one-win Cal team putting up 43 points in a beatdown of UCLA.
I've got to stop going over to my brother's house to watch games: both times that I have, UCLA has been pounded (Oregon St. and Cal)...
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In the NFL, I watched a lot of the Indy/Green Bay game. Andrew Luck is the real deal. Yes, he made some rookie mistakes and was fortunate several of his passes weren't intercepted, but he showed poise, leadership and clutch play in the Colts' upset of the Packers. The big question with him is will the Indy organization over the next few years be able to surround him with adequate personnel--both on offense and defense--so that he can contend for a Super Bowl. Right now their very best players--Wayne, Freeney, Mathis, Vinatieri--are on the downside of their careers.
Reggie Wayne didn't look like he was on his downside at all: he made some incredible catches yesterday.
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Peyton Manning is doing fine--his problem is the Denver defense which has some individual stars but collectively is not very good.
I thought their D was better than what I've seen... Looks like Manning's going to have to dig them out of holes a lot this season.
Re: Reggie Wayne. True, he had his best single game ever statistically and made some spectacular plays. But he's going to be 34 years old next month; while he put a beatdown on the Packers' DBs, he can't beat Father Time. He's had an excellent career, but it would be hard to imagine him playing at this kind of level a year from now.
Watching the Jets play last night reminded me of the acronym, SNAFU. I'm not talking about the players, I'm talking about their coaches. Most high school teams manage their personnel packages better than the Jets did last night.
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12121 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 2:47 am Post subject:
Alex Karras dead at 77
DETROIT (AP) -- Alex Karras was one of the NFL's most feared defensive tackles throughout the 1960s, a player who hounded quarterbacks and bulled past opposing linemen.
And yet, to many people he will always be the lovable dad from the 1980s sitcom ''Webster'' or the big cowboy who famously punched out a horse in ''Blazing Saddles.''
The rugged player, who anchored the Detroit Lions' defense and then made a successful transition to an acting career, with a stint along the way as a commentator on ''Monday Night Football,'' died Wednesday. He was 77.
Karras had recently suffered kidney failure and been diagnosed with dementia. The Lions also said he had suffered from heart disease and, for the last two years, stomach cancer. He died at home in Los Angeles surrounded by family members, said Craig Mitnick, Karras' attorney.
''Perhaps no player in Lions history attained as much success and notoriety for what he did after his playing days as did Alex,'' Lions president Tom Lewand said.
His death also will be tied to the NFL's conflict with former players over concussions. Karras in April joined the more than 3,500 football veterans suing the league for not protecting them better from head injuries, immediately becoming one of the best-known names in the legal fight. Mitnick said the family had not yet decided whether to donate Karras' brain for study, as other families have done.
Born in Gary, Ind., Karras starred for four years at Iowa. Detroit drafted Karras with the 10th overall pick in 1958 and he was a four-time All-Pro defensive tackle over 12 seasons with the franchise.
Just my own .02, Alex and Roger Brown made one of the best defensive tackle combinations in NFL history. If you can find a copy of the book "Mad Ducks and Bears" by George Plimpton, which talks a lot about Alex, pick it up, an excellent read.
DETROIT (AP) -- Alex Karras was one of the NFL's most feared defensive tackles throughout the 1960s, a player who hounded quarterbacks and bulled past opposing linemen.
And yet, to many people he will always be the lovable dad from the 1980s sitcom ''Webster'' or the big cowboy who famously punched out a horse in ''Blazing Saddles.''
The rugged player, who anchored the Detroit Lions' defense and then made a successful transition to an acting career, with a stint along the way as a commentator on ''Monday Night Football,'' died Wednesday. He was 77.
Karras had recently suffered kidney failure and been diagnosed with dementia. The Lions also said he had suffered from heart disease and, for the last two years, stomach cancer. He died at home in Los Angeles surrounded by family members, said Craig Mitnick, Karras' attorney.
''Perhaps no player in Lions history attained as much success and notoriety for what he did after his playing days as did Alex,'' Lions president Tom Lewand said.
His death also will be tied to the NFL's conflict with former players over concussions. Karras in April joined the more than 3,500 football veterans suing the league for not protecting them better from head injuries, immediately becoming one of the best-known names in the legal fight. Mitnick said the family had not yet decided whether to donate Karras' brain for study, as other families have done.
Born in Gary, Ind., Karras starred for four years at Iowa. Detroit drafted Karras with the 10th overall pick in 1958 and he was a four-time All-Pro defensive tackle over 12 seasons with the franchise.
Just my own .02, Alex and Roger Brown made one of the best defensive tackle combinations in NFL history. If you can find a copy of the book "Mad Ducks and Bears" by George Plimpton, which talks a lot about Alex, pick it up, an excellent read.
Mad Ducks and Bears is one of the best sports-related books I have ever read. It was George Plimpton's follow-up to his seminal Paper Lion and, imo, is an even better read than Paper Lion which itself was an immensely influential and wonderfully written book. In Paper Lion (written in the early 60s), Plimpton--who had already established himself as an important literary figure--tries out as a QB for the Detroit Lions. What results is an intimate revealing look at what goes on in an NFL organization. Among the many Lion players Plimpton wrote about, Alex Karras was one of the featured figures. A few years later Plimpton again tried out, this time for the Baltimore Colts, and the result was Mad Ducks and Bears which, in addition to revealing the inner workings of the Colts organization, also brought back figures from Paper Lion in examining what had happened to them in the intervening years. Karras again was featured prominently in the narrative.
You know, in an earlier post I mentioned Johnny Unitas and how his legacy has unfortunately diminished over time. If you want to know just how great a figure he is in the history of the NFL, read Mad Ducks and Bears.
Re: Alex Karras. Like Bubba Smith who passed away a little over a year ago, Karras was probably better known to those under the age of 40 as an actor rather than a football player. That's a shame because he was a terrific player. A bit undersized as a defensive tackle, he used his quickness and power to wreak havoc on offenses. He, Merlin Olsen, and Bob Lilly were the preeminent defensive tackles of that time; Olsen and Lilly are both in the pro football HOF; Karras should have been inducted as well.
gaijinmark: I suppose you already know this, but Roger Brown was part of two great DT tandems; besides teaming up with Karras, he later was part of the L.A. Rams Fearsome Foursome which meant he played beside Merlin Olsen. Quick quiz--whom did Brown replace when he joined the Rams?
Unfortunately two more deaths in the football community.
Beano Cook, long-time college football commentator passed away at age 81. He probably knew more about the history and traditions of college football than anyone else on the planet. His passion for all things college football was overwhelming, and I loved to hear him talk about all aspects of the sport: players, coaches, fans, schools, bands, uniforms, fight songs, rituals, games, etc. Cook did orally and through the written word for college football what NFL Films did cinematically for pro football.
Tom Coyle, a 3-year starter at right guard for the University of Michigan back in the early 70's, passed away at age 62. Outside of Michigan, he was not a well known player--I don't think he ever played pro football, being an undersized offensive lineman--but he was a heckuva college player, fitting in perfectly with Bo Schembechler's grind-it-out, smack-you-in-the-face offense. He played alongside tackle Paul Seymour, who garnered more publicity as an All-American and went on to play tight end for the Buffalo Bills, but I thought Coyle was just as effective a run blocker. Michigan went 30--3 during the time Coyle started for the Wolverines.
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12121 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 4:13 am Post subject:
bmwracer wrote:
Interesting factoid: I was reading the bio on Robert Griffin III and found out he was born in Okinawa...
Speaking of which, during one of the games yesterday for some reason Rick Upchurch popped into my head so I looked him up on Wiki and found this:
Upchurch dated and was briefly engaged to the future Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in the 1970s. She left him because, according to her biographer Marcus Mabry, �gShe knew the relationship wasn�ft going to work.�h
Just think. We came THIS CLOSE to turning Condi Rice into a football wife.
The Pats' secondary continues to be bad. Are they told not to turn their head around and look for the ball? The offense once again struggled in the second half and failed to put the game away. Next week it's the Jets, beating the division opponents seems to be the only way to make the playoffs.
The Pats' secondary continues to be bad. Are they told not to turn their head around and look for the ball? The offense once again struggled in the second half and failed to put the game away. Next week it's the Jets, beating the division opponents seems to be the only way to make the playoffs.
I didn't think anyone could stop that hyper-no huddle offense of the Pats... Guess I was totally wrong.
I just found out this morning that my cable company, Time Warner, has been broadcasting the NFL Network for almost a month now. How the heck did it take me this long to find out?
Cool, now I can watch tonight's Seahawks/49'ers game. Oh wait, ESPN is broadcasting the Oregon/Arizona St. game at the same time. What to do, what to do.
On another cable TV note, I also found out this morning that my Fox affiliate no longer carries the simulcast of the Dan Patrick Show, which I watch on a regular basis, even if it's only for a few minutes.
Ah well, the Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away.
I just found out this morning that my cable company, Time Warner, has been broadcasting the NFL Network for almost a month now. How the heck did it take me this long to find out?
Cool, now I can watch tonight's Seahawks/49'ers game. Oh wait, ESPN is broadcasting the Oregon/Arizona St. game at the same time. What to do, what to do.
On another cable TV note, I also found out this morning that my Fox affiliate no longer carries the simulcast of the Dan Patrick Show, which I watch on a regular basis, even if it's only for a few minutes.
Ah well, the Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away.
Thing is, are you getting the Pac-12 Network?
My brother is pretty upset that it's currently not supported by Verizon: he can't watch the UCLA games.
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The offense once again struggled in the second half and failed to put the game away. Next week it's the Jets, beating the division opponents seems to be the only way to make the playoffs. 
