"Ochocinco's"

I'm not surprised Chad formerly Johnson would want his face and name on a cereal box. I am surprised that a someone would make a cereal just for him, even for charity. And I think it's hilarious that the charity number listed on the box actually is the number for a phone sex line. Everyone involved claims it's an error, which would seem likely unless you have a particularly disgruntled printer, but I still think it's pretty funny. It does make his Twitter post from Wednesday, "Start your day with a lil suga!!!", particularly unfortunate though.

Comic Cover of the Week: Action Comics #893

War Machine

Iron Man 2 was released today on video. Here's a little somepin' somepin' to get you geeked.

Robin Hood

Saw it this weekend. Crowe looked like a beast.

I knew Stack had posted the trailer for it awhile back, so when I went to the search bar and typed "Robin Hood," it said no post exists. Yet there is an exact post titled "Robin Hood" on Tuesday, December 15, 2009.

NFL Rules

Is there something in the NFL coaches rules that states you have to name your starting QB by a certain day of the week? We discussed this last week. Why would Coach Reid name his starter so soon? Wouldn't it make more sense strategically to wait until...NEVER? Make the other team prepare for two QB's.

Also, I heard Tim Tebow was dropped to 3rd string last week. They made it sound like you actually have to name your QB depth chart, as if you'll be fined by the league if you let the 3rd string QB play before the 2nd string QB (Quinn in this case, I believe).

Can anyone shed light on this?

Faster

Finally, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is doing another action movie:

"Uh-Oh"

I just logged into espn.com. The main page has a "scorecenter" box score of the BGSU/Michigan game. The score is 37-14. I see Robinson isn't the leading Michigan passer. No big deal, he probably shouldn't be playing with that score.

But, I look to the bottom of the box score under the tab "Headlines" and it says " Michigan's QB Denard Robinson injures his left knee."

What?!?!?!

I haven't read the story yet, so I'm crossing my fingers.

?

I don't see a lot of highlights or hit a lot of message boards, so I don't know the answer to this question: Is there a nickname for the Spartan RB tandem of Le'Veon Bell and Edwin Baker yet? Baker is 5'9" and 199 lbs., Bell is 6'2" and 230 lbs., so I don't know that there's enough of a size difference to go with "Thunder and Lightning," which is somewhat overused anyway. Here's a few ideas:

The Killer Bees
The Terror Twins
The Dynamic Duo (not Batman and Robin)
Flash and Zoom
The Warriors Two
or
Baker and Bell

Ed Hochuli

Did anyone catch the Jets/Pats game Sunday afternoon? Did you see the time where Ed Hochuli dropped his flag and his explanation that there was no flag because the TV put up the yellow flag graphic? Anyway, they showed on the replay Mark Sanchez getting behind center ready to call the play and yelling three times at Hochuli that he dropped his flag. (I'm actually not sure if it was Ed's because normally the referee stands behind the offensive line, but in the explanation Ed referred to himself.)

Before the explanation, I could see this situation developing. It didn't look like there was a penalty on the particular play, but yet the TV put up the flag graphic, however the officials didn't have that look about them as if there was a penalty that needed to be administered. So I waited even more eager because I knew Hochuli was the referee (and his reputation for explaining calls) and was salivating at the possible ways he was going to clarify the tiny confusion.

The reason I was so excited was because 90% of referees would just pick up the flag (wave it above their head) and say "there was no flag on the play" and move on. But this is an Ed Hochuli game. No way he's going to let it go that easy.

So, to the best of my memory, it went something like this:

"There was no flag on the play. My flag fell out of my pocket when I was................................Screw it. I can't do it justice. I found it on You Tube.





From Wikipedia: One of Hochuli's notable explanations came during a 2007 regular season game between the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots. While nullifying a holding infraction, he announced through his microphone, "There was no foul on the play. It was not a hold. The defender was just overpowered." Awesome.

Even more awesome is this: I found it!

Rome Take - 9/22/10

Andy Reid Flip Flops

Andy Reid’s flip-flop on his quarterback may be stunning, but his decision’s not. Stunning, because Reid had reiterated just a day earlier than Kevin Kolb was his starter. Something he shouldn’t have done. His mistake is not giving the ball to Michael Vick now, but rather in continuing to say Kevin Kolb was his starter. He shouldn’t have done that. But, starting Michael Vick over Kolb is the right call.

I’ve never understood this notion that guys can’t lose their job to injury. Why not? You go with the guy who gives you best chance to win, not the guy who was supposed to be the guy and then got his bell rung. Is there anyone anywhere, who doesn’t think Vick, who clearly has gotten his freak back, doesn’t give them a better chance to win than Kolb right now? Vick’s explosiveness has returned, he’s making much better decisions with the ball and beating people with his arm as well as his legs. For the first time ever, the guy looks like a quarterback… a quarterback who can run, as opposed to a runner who can sometimes throw. Credit to Reid for not doing what we all thought he would do, the thing he’s always done. Bad break for Kolb but this is the right call. And no, Reid has not lost Kolb because of the way he handled this.. Sure, he should have handled it better, but Kolb’s not going to Pippen Reid if and when he does come back to him. Kolb’s nice but he has three career starts: its’ not like Reid is jerking around Joe Montana in his prime. Kolb will be ready if and when Reid comes back to him. And if he can’t get beyond this, then they were wrong about him in the first place.

Shameful Metaphors

"It's a trap!"

I saw this the other week and thought it was awesome:

Thoughts from Saturday

A few thoughts, observations, and anecdotes from Saturday's MSU-ND game (yeah, I know it's late):

-There was a drunk student in my seat. Not a little drunk, completely blitzed. I don't think he really knew where he was, or even his name. Security did eventually get him to move. I just wanted to make sure I didn't end up standing in vomit all night.

-Joe Montana was sitting a few rows down across the aisle. Lots of people were trying to snap pictures, but as far as I could tell everyone left him alone. I have no idea why he didn't have better seats.

-MSU's secondary is awful. Horrendous. And ND seems to be the only team that can figure that out and keep throwing the ball.

-I expected the game to pick up in the second half after little scoring in the first half.

-Cousins needs to stop showing flashes of being a great QB and just be one. The inconsistency is really frustrating.

-I think both Edwin Baker and Le'Veon Bell are the real deal.

-I expected MSU to blow the game late in the 4th and again in OT. So did most of the MSU fans. Probably the Domers too.

-No one saw the fake coming. Everyone started screaming then praying Gantt wouldn't drop the pass because he was so wide open.

-The look on the Domers' faces after that TD was priceless. I wouldn't even call it shock, it was more like they couldn't even comprehend what had happened.

-I didn't hear that anyone was questioning the clock until Monday. As far as I can tell no one in the stadium though there was any issue, including the Domers.

-3am is late to get in from a football game.

Comic Cover of the Week: Deadpool Team-Up #889

My Thoughts On Michigan

1. Do I think they are over rated? Yes. I do wish the polls waited two weeks/games before releasing any rankings. Michigan certainly didn't deserve to start the year ranked, heck, may still not deserve to be ranked. But, if the rankings didn't come out until mid-September, after the first two games, Michigan would certainly be in the talks of the Top 25. Because after last season, I don't think anyone expected to see what has taken place from the team or Robinson. But when you have a homerun threat every time he touches the ball, that puts your team in a new category. He's a game changer. And when you have a game changer, he's better than the average team.

2. Did I agree with the predictions before the season that Michigan would probably finish 6-6? Yes. After the first two games, the expectations have changed and 6-6 would not be acceptable. But, I'd still only put them at 7-5 or 8-4 based on the first two games. After the 3rd game and what UMass did, I'd say they are back to 6-6 or 7-5.

3. I don't think I'm going out on a limb nor being a Big Ten or Michigan honk if I say Michigan will beat Bowling Green on Saturday. That puts them at 4-0. Then I'd have to say my expectation or prediction is now 7-5 or 8-4.

Short Skirt/Long Jacket (or the Chuck theme)

Rome Take - 9/15/10

Rainey Not Easy On Urb

Florida Gators burner Chris Rainey is the guy Urb is trying mold into Percy Harvin 2.0. He shows up everywhere; the backfield…the slot…out wide…and in his new position, the slammer. Rainey was arrested on a charge of aggravated stalking after he sent a woman a text that said…wait for it…. “Time to die.” What? That’s illegal now? You can’t do that?

Seriously, you actually looked down at that text after thumbing it out and still hit send. Time to die?! You shouldn’t be sending women text messages that sound like Steven Seagal movies. You didn’t send her…. “Trust me, you’re not hard to kill,” you’re on ‘deadly ground’ and you’re “Marked for death” follow up texts, did you? Your problem now, Rainey, is the police are ‘out for justice.’ Especially after you reportedly sent her a text while she was with them, saying, “Wait and see what happens when they leave.” What happens is, they go to right your apartment and throw on the silver bracelets. That’s what happens. Pretty smooth start for the 2010 Gators; they can’t execute a snap in the opener. They struggle again in Week 2. And then their biggest game breaker gets tossed in the cooler. Time to update Urb’s scorecard in Gainesville; 2 National Titles…3 BCS appearances…one cheesy SI cover…and 29 players facing charges during his tenure. You had already blown by Mark Richt on the field and now you’re trying to run him down off it as well. Winning the BCS title good; winning the SEC criminal title bad. I can’t imagine players send women ‘Time to die’ texts is going to be good for Urb’s ticker.

Rome Take - 9/16/10

Lucky Number 30 For Urb

We covered Florida Gator Chris Rainey’s arrest earlier in the week. That’s the 30th arrest of the Urb Meyer era in Gainesville. And Urb has just about enough of his players getting hammered by the heat, “I’m real upset about it.” Real upset that your guys can’t stay down, or real upset that people are cracking on you for running a dirty program: “We do our best to win games. Dirty program? It’s not a dirty program. We follow the rules and some guys make mistakes and we gotta correct those mistakes. We follow the rules and we do it the right way at Florida and we have to do a better job of correcting some of the people making mistakes.” Look, you may follow the NCAA rules, but your players aren’t following the rules of society.

Not if 30 of them are getting arrested in 5 years, they’re not. Fine, you’re not running a dirty program; would you prefer rogue or are we just splitting hairs now? And stop calling arrests, mistakes. A mistake is forgetting to set your alarm clock, or getting off on the wrong off ramp. An arrest is an arrest. And 30 of them in five years is about 25 too many. Mark Richt thinks this has gotten away from you Urb, and the people cracking on you for it aren’t the problem, the guys getting arrested are.

Happy 25th

Mario is 25 years old. Wow.

The Light House

It was only a matter of time in my opinion. The "Big House" is finally getting lit up. They will copycat the Sparty's and play under the lights against the Irish next fall.

Still the Man

Sam Merrill

Rooting for #5

I hate to admit it, but I'm rooting against Shaun Hill in his first start for the Lions on Sunday. I am an unabashed Drew Stanton fan and want him to get the snaps. Heck, I'd trade Lions wins, as rare as they are, for Stanton's success. So let's hope for a heavy blitz package from Philly.

Comic Cover of the Week: 25 to Life #1

Rome Take - 9/10/10

NFL Players Show Solidarity

I understood the players show of solidarity on the field before the game. Just don’t expect the fans to, because most of them don’t. The players were looking to send a message to the owners, we’re unified, we’re strong, we’re focused, we’re informed and we’re ready to battle. They were also looking to let the fans know, there’s a problem here, but we’re not it. We’re not looking to strike; they’re want to lock us out and break us down. Good idea. Too bad it backfired.

You can be “Right” but in the fans eyes, you’re almost always wrong. They don’t want to know the issues. They don’t care about the issues. In fact, there’s nothing they hate more than Millionaires v. Billionaires fighting over something they themselves will never see in a million lifetimes. They want to know one thing that after another crummy week, punching the clock, having their boss and their better halves ride them that they can settle in for few pops on Sunday and enjoy the game. And after grinding through the entire offseason, the last thing they want is for you to remind them, on the field, in the first game of the year, of what they’re about to get ripped from them next year. The players may think the fans should care, but they don’t. I don’t begrudge the players what they make, if I could do what they do, I’d want mine too, and trust me so would every single one of you listening. But that’s the problem; the fans can’t do what the players can do, which is causing the resentment. And the only thing they hate more that what the players make is thinking the players are complaining they don’t make enough. Bottom line; fight for what you think is right; just don’t expect the fans to understand, because they don’t. And never will.

Blue Man Who?

Well in case you are not aware the 2010 America's Got Talent finals are tommorow night. Here is your winner (my prediction). If you like a blue man group or just something different, check them out

And the Magician who should have finished 2nd but somehow couldn't crack the top 4 seen here. Both are worth your time and and as they say...a headline show in vegas.

RE: Two Thoughts

How badly did NBC want Nick Montana to lead a comeback over Michigan? You see, Nick Montana is the son of Joe Montana, who played for Notre Dame about 30 years ago. (Joe went on to the NFL and won a Super Bowl or two.) You know the media would have loooooooooved that story. Too bad he sucks.

I could have handled a UM loss, but not if it meant Montana would be the story.

Observation

It's a bad sign when the entire crowd yells in pain at the replay of the play you were injured on. Just ask Leonard Weaver.

Awful

If what Calvin Johnson just did isn't a TD catch by rule, then the rule is garbage.

Fairy Tales

A few days ago, with the USA-Russia FIBA quarterfinal game approaching, Coach K had some smack talk of his own:

"You know, he coaches the Russian team, so he probably has that viewpoint, and his eyes are clearer now because there are no tears in them," Krzyzewski said.

"And we've addressed that that game was played 38 years ago, and five of these guys are 21. So I don't think they remember it as well. It is what it is. It'll be a negative from the way the U.S. looks at it forever, and should be. And it'll be in some ways a positive for those who believe in fairy tales," Krzyzewski said.

Nice Rack!!!

With the football season starting that also means hunting season is right around the corner. I finally broke down and bought a digital trail camera, way better than the previous trail camera that took that thing we called film. Nothing like some nice racks to get the buck fever started.

If you are having trouble seeing it, you will get a closer view on my wall this winter.

Two Thoughts

1. Why does everyone play such soft coverage in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter when up by less than a TD? ND against UM is a perfect example. ND had held UM scoreless for seven consecutive possessions. So with a little over three minutes left and up by four they back off UM's receivers and let them march down to the red zone and eventually score the winning touchdown. Obviously Denard Robinson was playing well, but he didn't have to stretch himself much to hit WRs who have five yards (or more) of space around them. But everyone does this. I wish I had some numbers to work with, but I'm sure that approach greatly increases the likelihood of the opposing team scoring versus playing straight defense (based on many hours of observation). So why do it?

2. I get that being a color commentator can be a challenging job, and it's easy to talk about star players, but I think these guys are getting out of hand. Yes, Denard Robinson is making big plays. Yes, Terrelle Pryor is good. I get it. I'm watching the game, I can see the guys playing. No need to sound like you're running down to the locker room after the game to get a signed jersey. Is that too much to ask of a professional?

Seriously?

I have to call foul on the Notre Dame color commentator. He claimed that one of the ND players was so good he'd be seeing regular action on a Big Ten team, but was struggling to get snaps at ND. Really? Notre Dame's talent is far above the level of Big Ten teams? Is that why they fired their last coach? Is that why they regularly lose to Michigan and Michigan State? Come on.

VT Falls

VT needs to retire those uniforms pronto after following up a loss to Boise State with a loss to James Madison. Not just the one guy, the whole team, not that it's much more embarrassing. Probably isn't a great development for Boise State either.

UPDATE: Okay, the picture I saw online lied, the Hokies were wearing something close to their traditional uniforms today, excepting a white helmet, so I suppose the only offense was wearing white at home.

Craig Ferguson's 2009 9/11 Monologue

Top 10 Plays in Michigan Stadium History...

as voted by fans.



I'm proud to say I witnessed 3 of the top 5 plays at "The Big House."

Kickoff

The NFL season kicks off tonight with a rematch of last year's NFC Championship game, the Saints versus the Vikings. As Brett Favre is approximately 150 years old and is now serving as my starting fantasy quarterback, do you think he'll last more than four plays?

Comic Cover of the Week: Amazing Spider-Man #641

Labor Day Weekend errr Draft Weekend

I haven't heard anyone else saying the draft party is somewhere else so here is the details...

6:30PM - My Place
There will be a nice assortment of MAN FOOD, if you would like to bring something you are welcome to do so however, make sure it is in the MAN FOOD category. 2 examples that will be there...Hot Wings & Jalapenos filled with cream cheese wrapped in BACON. Don't Let me down men.

Also on a less man theme the women and children are welcome. Also if you have/want computer access and have a labtop bring one. One will be on site.

Finally, don't forget your Matt Millen Skills.

Prepared

I've sent out the draft information to a few of you so it's available. I'm also bringing hard copies of some of the resources so we have something to pass around. See you on Sunday.

Divided

I think I was right that the Big Ten was going to screw up the divisions. Here they are, as announced yesterday:

Division 1
MSU
UM
Iowa
Minnesota
Nebraska
Northwestern

Division 2
Illinois
Indiana
Ohio State
Penn State
Purdue
Wisconsin

UPDATE: My first impression of this was negative, and after dwelling on it all it's still negative. Swap MSU and UM with Wisconsin and Illinois and you have two perfect divisions. As it stands now, both Michigan teams are at least 300 miles away from every other team in the division. And I hate that MSU is in a division with Nebraska. Hate it. At least MSU plays OSU and Wisconsin in 2011 and 2012, so they're maintaining some games I really like to see. But no Penn State. This could have been much better.

Comic Cover of the Week: Iron Man: Legacy #6