Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Rookie of the Year Debate
Jasmine Moore- And the debate begins on who should be the NFL's rookie of the year. There are two names thrown out there the most and those would be first over all draft pick Cam Newton, QB of the Carolina Panthers and second round pick Andy Dalton. The debate begins with Andy Dalton who has carried the Bengals to a current record of 7-6 after starting the season off with a 4-0 record. Dalton has proven that he is able to win games. A great example would be in Week 4 against the Bills, Dalton got a crucial first down in the last minutes of the game that led to a field goal and a win. Dalton is the kind of QB who gets enough time to sit in the pocket and spot where he needs to get the ball rather than scrambling all over the field and having to throw the ball away. Dalton is the safe pick! Now Cam Newton on the other hand is a record breaking QB. Cam has the most passing yards by a rookie QB in his debut game, in his second career game and both were back to back game with over 400 yards. That debut also made him the first rookie QB to pass for over 400 yards in his first start as a rookie QB; and more recently Cam was named the first QB with the most rushing TD's in a season with 13. He has also thrown for 3722 yards on the season. The Panther's record may only be 5-9 but Cam is a record breaking QB with a gunslinger for an arm. My money is on Cam wining Rookie of the Year.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
The BC-Mess
#1 LSU will face #2 Alabama in the BCS championship game. Again. Many people in the south are loving it, many fans in the midwest are hating it. Each team has a case that they should be playing for the national title game.
#2 Alabama's only loss is to the #1 LSU Tigers. Alabama has destroyed all other competetion. They have the #1 ranked defense (yards, scoring, rushing) and they have Trent Richardson. Richardson is one of the nation's top players & a Heisman candidate. When they faced LSU the first time, they outgained LSU 295-239. Richardson had 23 carries for 89 yards, 5 rec for 80 yards. LSU only forced 2 punts. Many fans feel that while LSU won the game in OT, Alabama dominated the game. They forced 6 LSU punts & forced 2 TOs that lead to all of Alabama's points. They held LSU's WRs to 9 catches and 91 yards. Alabama moved the ball with success & had it not been for the kicker, fans feel they would've won this game. Some Alabama fans feel that the game never happened. Alabama's biggest argument is this. They took the #1 team that was hanging 40 spots on people to OT & only lost by 3 points.
#3 Oklahoma State had a terrible loss to a 6-6 Iowa State team. They can argue that that day, the school suffered one of the most horrific tragedies in their school's history. They can argue that they lost in overtime as well. They can argue that the FG was actually good that they kicked at the end of regulation. Oklahoma State played a tougher schedule than Alabama (7 BCS eligible schools vs 3 with Alabama). While Alabama is at the top of most statistical defensive categories, Oklahoma State is at the top of the turnovers forced category. Alabama boasts a dominant defense, Oklahoma State can boast about their offense. They are amongst the leaders in every statisical passing category, and they can sneak you with the run. Oklahoma State's biggest argument is that they won their conference. The Big XII is a tougher conference than what you hear. 8 out of the 10 teams in the conferencehave .500 or better records. Alabama already had their shot at the juggernaut LSU. They lost at home to LSU & had every opportunity to win that game.
Who's right?
They both are. They are both have valid arguments . While the nation wanted to see if Oklahoma State's offense go up against LSU's NFL caliber secondary, the coaches and voters wanted to see Alabama take another shot at LSU. i think that the Bama vs. LSU game will be a better measuring stick against LSU than Oklahoma State. But my question is this: how did Alabama or Oklahoma State do to distinguish themselves to be the clear cut #2 team in the country when there are other teams that have one loss? How is Alabama #2 with QB & special teams issues? How is Oklahoma State #2 with a suspect defense & a terrible loss?
So to me there is no clear cut #2. Each team has flaws. Each team has its strength. SEC fans don't feel like the Big XII has a chance against their defense. Big XII fans don't feel they get a fair chance to prove they're better.
The only way to prove this is by a playoff. No one can determine this but the players. Oklahoma State could have given each of these teams the fight of their lives that particular day. South Carolina has a dominate defense, Arkansas has a dominate offense. On that day, the offense won. Couldn't that happen with Oklahoma State on that day. No one thought Boise State could beat Georgia either.
The NCAA, the bowl sponsors, & the school presidents should really stop being greedy. Let the players decide who's the better team & not these voters and coaches.
#2 Alabama's only loss is to the #1 LSU Tigers. Alabama has destroyed all other competetion. They have the #1 ranked defense (yards, scoring, rushing) and they have Trent Richardson. Richardson is one of the nation's top players & a Heisman candidate. When they faced LSU the first time, they outgained LSU 295-239. Richardson had 23 carries for 89 yards, 5 rec for 80 yards. LSU only forced 2 punts. Many fans feel that while LSU won the game in OT, Alabama dominated the game. They forced 6 LSU punts & forced 2 TOs that lead to all of Alabama's points. They held LSU's WRs to 9 catches and 91 yards. Alabama moved the ball with success & had it not been for the kicker, fans feel they would've won this game. Some Alabama fans feel that the game never happened. Alabama's biggest argument is this. They took the #1 team that was hanging 40 spots on people to OT & only lost by 3 points.
#3 Oklahoma State had a terrible loss to a 6-6 Iowa State team. They can argue that that day, the school suffered one of the most horrific tragedies in their school's history. They can argue that they lost in overtime as well. They can argue that the FG was actually good that they kicked at the end of regulation. Oklahoma State played a tougher schedule than Alabama (7 BCS eligible schools vs 3 with Alabama). While Alabama is at the top of most statistical defensive categories, Oklahoma State is at the top of the turnovers forced category. Alabama boasts a dominant defense, Oklahoma State can boast about their offense. They are amongst the leaders in every statisical passing category, and they can sneak you with the run. Oklahoma State's biggest argument is that they won their conference. The Big XII is a tougher conference than what you hear. 8 out of the 10 teams in the conferencehave .500 or better records. Alabama already had their shot at the juggernaut LSU. They lost at home to LSU & had every opportunity to win that game.
Who's right?
They both are. They are both have valid arguments . While the nation wanted to see if Oklahoma State's offense go up against LSU's NFL caliber secondary, the coaches and voters wanted to see Alabama take another shot at LSU. i think that the Bama vs. LSU game will be a better measuring stick against LSU than Oklahoma State. But my question is this: how did Alabama or Oklahoma State do to distinguish themselves to be the clear cut #2 team in the country when there are other teams that have one loss? How is Alabama #2 with QB & special teams issues? How is Oklahoma State #2 with a suspect defense & a terrible loss?
So to me there is no clear cut #2. Each team has flaws. Each team has its strength. SEC fans don't feel like the Big XII has a chance against their defense. Big XII fans don't feel they get a fair chance to prove they're better.
The only way to prove this is by a playoff. No one can determine this but the players. Oklahoma State could have given each of these teams the fight of their lives that particular day. South Carolina has a dominate defense, Arkansas has a dominate offense. On that day, the offense won. Couldn't that happen with Oklahoma State on that day. No one thought Boise State could beat Georgia either.
The NCAA, the bowl sponsors, & the school presidents should really stop being greedy. Let the players decide who's the better team & not these voters and coaches.
The Flaws of the Bowl System
The Flaws of the Bowl System
Kerry R. Thompson, Sr.
There have been heated debates all over the country on just how much Oklahoma State deserved to play LSU for the title and not Alabama. But there are other teams that were snubbed out of a BCS bowl game. It’s really a travesty that these schools were not picked based on their football ability, but on how their fan base travels and how much money they can make. The Big East should NOT have an automatic bowl tie in. There were teams that were just far better than the teams in the Big East. No one controlled their own destiny in that conference. The BCS is a joke. It is designed to pick 1 & 2. It wasn’t designed to pick the REST of the games. There were some misses on these bowl games.
AllState Sugar Bowl #13 Michigan (10-2) vs. #11 Virginia Tech (11-2)
Who should play; #8 Kansas State (10-2) vs. #6 Arkansas (10-2), #8 Kansas State (10-2) vs. #7 Boise State (11-1), #7 Boise State (11-1)vs. #6 Arkansas(10-2)
How can you keep Arkansas and Kansas State out of this game? Arkansas’ only two loses of the season come at the hands of #2 Alabama and #1 LSU. Arkansas played an ok schedule including South Carolina, Alabama, Texas A&M, and LSU. Tyler Wilson is the best QB in the SEC and who knows where Arkansas would be if they would have had Knile Davis and a healthy Jake Bequette. While many of you may not know who Kansas State is, they were picked to finish 8th in the conference. They finished second; ahead of Texas, ahead of Oklahoma. They beat a hot Robert Griffin III, they beat Texas A&M, and lost to Oklahoma State on the last play of the game. Colin Klein, the QB, is the team’s leading rusher. He has 1099 yards and 26 TDs. He’s scored more rushing TDs than Trent Richardson. Coach Bill Snyder did a wonderful job with this team this year, making them believe that they could compete in the conference. They were snubbed for a Michigan team that has played a laughable schedule; 2 ranked teams all season long. Virginia Tech played Clemson and Georgia Tech; no one else. They got blown out by Clemson this season twice. Neither of the teams earned the right to play in this game other than the fact that their fan bases travel well with the team. Where is the logic in this?
Discover Orange Bowl #23 West Virginia (9-3) vs. #15 Clemson (10-3)
Who should play? #18 TCU (10-2)vs. #15 Clemson(10-3), #7 Boise State (11-1) vs. #15 Clemson(10-3), or #7 TCU(11-1) vs. #18 TCU(10-2)
TCU Lost 2 games this year. They lost one to Baylor, in which TCU fought back in and almost came back to win the game. They had a bad loss to SMU. TCU won the Mountain West Conference in which 5 teams were bowl eligible. This conference also contained #7 Boise State. TCU beat Boise State in a thriller in which Casey Pachall led the team down the field and scored on the game winning TD. Pachall became a better QB with each game. TCU is a better football team than West Virginia. Bar none. Dana Holgorsen did a great job coaching this West Virginia team, but they should have DOMINATED this conference. The only game they should have lost was the LSU game. If that happens, West Virginia would have had an argument for a national title. They didn’t control their own destiny and had playmakers all over the offense. It was really no excuse for the Big East to come down to the last week. Clemson was one of the hottest teams in the country. But they laid 3 eggs against Georgia Tech, NC State, and South Carolina. They feature a wonderful offense and ACC Freshman of the Year Sammy Watkins. I just don’t believe that they are better than Boise State or TCU. They are the ACC champs, but what other argument do they have? Boise State. What else do we need to say? Boise lost on a FG; so did Oklahoma State, Alabama, and Oregon. Kellen Moore and Boise went to Georgia and beat up on the SEC East Champion Georgia Bulldogs. They are a FG away from possibly playing for the BCS championship game. They finished second in the conference, yet are ranked higher than TCU. So why not rematch? This would be a fantastic game. The first game against Boise and TCU was a classic.
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl Illinois (6-6) vs. UCLA (6-7)
Who should play; Illinois (6-6) vs. Western Kentucky (7-5)
Western Kentucky over UCLA? Are you serious? YES!
Western Kentucky is a good football team that stuck with LSU for the first half of the game. They finished second in the Sun Belt conference behind Arkansas State. They were 7-1 in the conference. They have the best RB you’ve never heard of in Bobby Rainey. Rainey has 1695 yards this season, which is second in the country. He has 3344 yards rushing over the past 2 seasons. He will play on Sunday; trust me. The only reason UCLA went to the Pac-12 championship game because USC couldn’t go to the game. They didn’t win because they were the best, they won by default. UCLA was blasted all season long by multiple teams. They fired their coach. This is the team that gets a bowl game?
Too many teams are being put in games that they do not deserve based on their fan base and not on their play. This is the problem with the BCS as well. They didn’t get all the matchups wrong; but the ones they did get wrong, they were wrong for the wrong reason. These bowl sponsors are more concerned with making their money back for sponsoring the bowl, than getting the right teams in these bowl games. The way you fix this problem is to cut out all these bowl games. Especially if you are not going to let the right teams play. A fan base should not outweigh a team’s play.
Kerry R. Thompson, Sr.
There have been heated debates all over the country on just how much Oklahoma State deserved to play LSU for the title and not Alabama. But there are other teams that were snubbed out of a BCS bowl game. It’s really a travesty that these schools were not picked based on their football ability, but on how their fan base travels and how much money they can make. The Big East should NOT have an automatic bowl tie in. There were teams that were just far better than the teams in the Big East. No one controlled their own destiny in that conference. The BCS is a joke. It is designed to pick 1 & 2. It wasn’t designed to pick the REST of the games. There were some misses on these bowl games.
AllState Sugar Bowl #13 Michigan (10-2) vs. #11 Virginia Tech (11-2)
Who should play; #8 Kansas State (10-2) vs. #6 Arkansas (10-2), #8 Kansas State (10-2) vs. #7 Boise State (11-1), #7 Boise State (11-1)vs. #6 Arkansas(10-2)
How can you keep Arkansas and Kansas State out of this game? Arkansas’ only two loses of the season come at the hands of #2 Alabama and #1 LSU. Arkansas played an ok schedule including South Carolina, Alabama, Texas A&M, and LSU. Tyler Wilson is the best QB in the SEC and who knows where Arkansas would be if they would have had Knile Davis and a healthy Jake Bequette. While many of you may not know who Kansas State is, they were picked to finish 8th in the conference. They finished second; ahead of Texas, ahead of Oklahoma. They beat a hot Robert Griffin III, they beat Texas A&M, and lost to Oklahoma State on the last play of the game. Colin Klein, the QB, is the team’s leading rusher. He has 1099 yards and 26 TDs. He’s scored more rushing TDs than Trent Richardson. Coach Bill Snyder did a wonderful job with this team this year, making them believe that they could compete in the conference. They were snubbed for a Michigan team that has played a laughable schedule; 2 ranked teams all season long. Virginia Tech played Clemson and Georgia Tech; no one else. They got blown out by Clemson this season twice. Neither of the teams earned the right to play in this game other than the fact that their fan bases travel well with the team. Where is the logic in this?
Discover Orange Bowl #23 West Virginia (9-3) vs. #15 Clemson (10-3)
Who should play? #18 TCU (10-2)vs. #15 Clemson(10-3), #7 Boise State (11-1) vs. #15 Clemson(10-3), or #7 TCU(11-1) vs. #18 TCU(10-2)
TCU Lost 2 games this year. They lost one to Baylor, in which TCU fought back in and almost came back to win the game. They had a bad loss to SMU. TCU won the Mountain West Conference in which 5 teams were bowl eligible. This conference also contained #7 Boise State. TCU beat Boise State in a thriller in which Casey Pachall led the team down the field and scored on the game winning TD. Pachall became a better QB with each game. TCU is a better football team than West Virginia. Bar none. Dana Holgorsen did a great job coaching this West Virginia team, but they should have DOMINATED this conference. The only game they should have lost was the LSU game. If that happens, West Virginia would have had an argument for a national title. They didn’t control their own destiny and had playmakers all over the offense. It was really no excuse for the Big East to come down to the last week. Clemson was one of the hottest teams in the country. But they laid 3 eggs against Georgia Tech, NC State, and South Carolina. They feature a wonderful offense and ACC Freshman of the Year Sammy Watkins. I just don’t believe that they are better than Boise State or TCU. They are the ACC champs, but what other argument do they have? Boise State. What else do we need to say? Boise lost on a FG; so did Oklahoma State, Alabama, and Oregon. Kellen Moore and Boise went to Georgia and beat up on the SEC East Champion Georgia Bulldogs. They are a FG away from possibly playing for the BCS championship game. They finished second in the conference, yet are ranked higher than TCU. So why not rematch? This would be a fantastic game. The first game against Boise and TCU was a classic.
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl Illinois (6-6) vs. UCLA (6-7)
Who should play; Illinois (6-6) vs. Western Kentucky (7-5)
Western Kentucky over UCLA? Are you serious? YES!
Western Kentucky is a good football team that stuck with LSU for the first half of the game. They finished second in the Sun Belt conference behind Arkansas State. They were 7-1 in the conference. They have the best RB you’ve never heard of in Bobby Rainey. Rainey has 1695 yards this season, which is second in the country. He has 3344 yards rushing over the past 2 seasons. He will play on Sunday; trust me. The only reason UCLA went to the Pac-12 championship game because USC couldn’t go to the game. They didn’t win because they were the best, they won by default. UCLA was blasted all season long by multiple teams. They fired their coach. This is the team that gets a bowl game?
Too many teams are being put in games that they do not deserve based on their fan base and not on their play. This is the problem with the BCS as well. They didn’t get all the matchups wrong; but the ones they did get wrong, they were wrong for the wrong reason. These bowl sponsors are more concerned with making their money back for sponsoring the bowl, than getting the right teams in these bowl games. The way you fix this problem is to cut out all these bowl games. Especially if you are not going to let the right teams play. A fan base should not outweigh a team’s play.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Can The Baltimore Raves Go All the Way? By Jasmine Moore
Jasmine Moore - It's Week 13 in the NFL with lots of divisional match-ups this week, not to mention some teams facing must win-games in order to keep their playoff hopes alive. This Sunday in Cleveland, Ohio the 8-3 Baltimore Ravens take on the 4-7 Cleveland Browns. This season the Ravens have been favorites over that most consider being inferior opponents, but have fallen to those same teams after big AFC wins. In Week 12 the Ravens took out one of the NFC power houses, the 9-2 San Francisco 49ers. In that Thanksgiving showdown brothers, Jim and John Harbaugh's teams went head to head with the Ravens tying a franchise record of nine sacks along with their 16-6 win over the 49ers. Not only was the defense explosive, but Joe Flacco and the offense did a great job by not turning the ball over. If the Ravens are able to play to that caliber of game for the rest of the season and in the playoffs, it is without a doubt that they could take home the Lombardi trophy. However, will Flacco and his offense crack under the pressure of the #1 pass defense in the NFL? In Week 12 the Browns defense held their own by only allowing 274 yards of total offense in their 23-20 lost to the 7-4 Cincinnati Bengals. The Browns rushing offense will get a spark bringing back the now healthy RB Peyton Hillis. Will the Ravens be able to pull off an away win? Also to note; this may be the third-straight game that the Ravens will not have their inspirational team leader LB Ray Lewis on defense. On the Browns side, they will be without starting LB Scott Fujita and defensive lineman Emmanuel Stephens, who both were placed on Injured Reserve in Week 12. Baltimore controls its destiny right now; they are in the lead of the AFC North having swept the Pittsburgh Steelers in their two meetings this year and one win over the Bengals. The Ravens can only benefit with a win over their divisional opponents the Cleveland Browns. The Baltimore Ravens may have what it takes to end their season at 13-3 with the hopes of home-field advantage in the play-off, but first they have to get through the rest of the season and hold onto their AFC lead.
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