All Day Sports Talk

Diaster avoided

Sam Bradford re-injured his shoulder on the second drive of the game, when Aaron Williams came off the edge and tackled him in a hit that was nearly identical to the one that sidelined him against BYU.

At that point, Longhorn nation probably felt a collective sigh of relief. Their beloved 'Horns would get to take on the Sooners with their star gunslinger sitting on the sidelines. Unfortnately for them, Ryan Reynolds, Gerald McCoy, and the rest of the Oklahoma defense decided to try and steal the show.

Colt McCoy and the Texas offense once again looked out of sync early. However, there would be no second half renaissance this week. The OU defense was simply too talented for Texas to crack.

New heroes emerged for the Texas offense as the game progressed. Fozzy Whittaker and Marquise Goodwin provided Mack Brown's team with just enough spark in the second half to pull a three point victory out of the Cotton Bowl.

Credit must be given to the Texas defense too. Will Muschamp's unit gave up yards in the air, but made big plays and forced turnovers to keep the game within striking distance. Two second half interceptions by Aaron Williams and Earl Thomas helped to seal the game. Another forced fumble in the first half killed an OU drive that made its way into Longhorn territory. 

This victory will not be enough to jump the 'Horns up in the standings (unless Alabama or Florida lose), but it does keep their destiny in their own hands. Missouri and Oklahoma State will both be tough games for the Longhorns, but if they survive then they will be in position to play whoever wins the SEC. Texas fans just need to hope that Colt McCoy loses the turnover bug by then.

Time for the 'Horns get back on track

The Texas Longhorns may be 5-0, but they have hardly looked like a dominant team this season. The 'Horns have let teams with inferior talent like Wyoming and Colorado hang in there until halftime, before Texas ultimately pulled away. Meanwhile, Heisman hopeful Colt McCoy has not been as sharp as he was last season. The lackluster play has finally been reflected in the polls, with the Associated Press dropping Texas to third.

Alabama has leapfrogged Texas in the AP and Harris polls, but the Horns could score major style points and leap back into the second spot with a strong showing in the Red River Shootout this weekend. With Sam Bradford back, the Oklahoma offense will be the strongest that Texas has faced this season. However, the offensive line for OU is still a work in progress, which should allow Sergio Kindle to pressure Bradford into some bad throws. Bringing the heat will certainly help the young Texas secondary make some plays against a group of OU receivers that were forced into action because of injuries.

Ultimately, the game will come down to McCoy playing like the '08 version of himself. The Sooners are far more talented than the defenses McCoy has seen this year. Star DT Gerald McCoy will need to collapse the pocket. Colt has been turnover prone this season, and some pressure up the middle might force him into some more of the interceptions that were so uncharacteristic of him last year. Colt McCoy will undoubtedly look to Jordan Shipley, his most reliable target when the heat comes. However, McCoy also needs to make a few more plays with his legs. He only has run for 58 yards this season, compared to 561 in 2008. The threat of McCoy running in the zone-option will put more pressure on the opposing defense, and with the ends playing wider to stop McCoy, the middle may open up for a big Vondrell McGee run.

The weakness of the OU offensive line should propel the Longhorns to victory, but if Jordan Shipley is the only person on the Texas offense that comes to play this week, then the Sooners could very easily derail Texas' National Championship dreams, and put themselves in the driver's seat for a berth in the Fiesta Bowl.

Busch and others look to Richmond to clinch spot

If you told Kyle Busch at the beginning of the season that he would win four races this season and still miss The Chase, he probably would have told you that you're crazy. On the eve of Chevy Rock & Roll 400, that is exactly the situation we are in. Busch has won four races, but sits 14th in the standing and 37 points out of The Chase.

The Busch team has been inconsistent all year, and Kyle has constantly had in-race meltdowns that have prevented his crew from properly adjusting the car. In a year where Kyle was suppose to mature and develop into a threat to win a Sprint Cup title, he has regressed and now finds himself fighting for his Chase life.

Luckily, Richmond is one of Busch's best tracks on the circuit. He won here earlier this year, and his a track record of running up front. He pulled off a big win in Bristol when he needed one, and he's more than capable of taking Richmond to leapfrog Brian Vickers and Matt Kenseth to get into the much coveted 12th spot.

Kenseth has fallen off the map after winning the first two races of the season. With a consistently subpar car, he has still managed to stay in The Chase, and a decent showing Saturday night would normally be enough to get him in. Unfortunately for him, Vickers is one of the hottest drivers on the circuit and Busch is capable of winning any week. Another finish inbetween 10 and 18 might not cut it for the 17 team's quest to make another Chase. The Roush Ford might have to run near the front for Kenseth of have a spot, and I'm not convince it can do that.

Roush teammate Greg Biffle also needs a good showing tomorrow night to clinch his spot in the Chase. Biffle has had several top 10s in the past month and a half, but he hasn't had strong showings at Richmond in the past two years. If Vickers and Busch have fast cars, then Biffle will likely join his Roush teammate on the outside looking in when The Chase starts.

Time for OSU to step up

The Buckeyes already came into this season under the microscope. An embarrassing loss to USC last year, followed up by two other high profile defeats to PSU and Texas have continued the recent tradition of Ohio State losing in big games. The reputation of the school and the Big Ten as a whole has greatly suffered because of OSU's failures, and a good showing on Saturday night will help change the perception people have of the conference and the Buckeyes.

However, many are rightfully skeptical over the Buckeyes' chances against the Trojans, even if they are in Columbus. Last week saw the Navy Midshipmen come a two-point conversion away from tying the Buckeyes and sending the game to overtime. There's no reason a service academy should give a high profile, power conference opponent like OSU any trouble. But they did. Navy looked tougher and quicker than OSU, and  RIcky Dobbs gave the Midshipmen a passing threat they haven't had in years. What should have been a laugher became a nail biter. Was OSU merely looking ahead to next week, or was the game an omen of things to come in '09?

The defense of OSU needs to step up. If they couldn't stop the run against Navy, then they'll have no chance against USC. The Trojans have one of the best offensive lines in the nation, and a stable of running backs that could start for most programs across the country. On top of that, Matt Barkley looks like the real deal. He has a big league arm, and the potent running game of USC should open up big plays down field off of play action.

There is hope for the Buckeyes. Terrelle Pryor gives Ohio State the biggest X factor in college football. If he's on his game, the true sophomore has the talent to takeover and dominant on his own. Running quarterbacks have given the Trojans problems in the past, and Pryor will need to his best Vince Young interpretation to give his team a chance. His running ability is often talked about, but Pryor can throw the ball to. If his offensive line can keep him clean, then Pryor is capable of making plays down the field and opening up some running lanes for the OSU tailbacks.

It's time for Pryor to come into his own, or the Buckeyes might be staring at their first BCS-less season in awhile.

Colangelo in a tough spot

It looks like Chris Bosh is setting himself up for a 2010 exit from Toronto. All season various media outlets have speculated that Bosh would want a trade or just leave when his contract expires, and the Raptors front office has continually tried to dispel any rumors surrounding their star player.

Bosh's announcement yesterday that he intends to let his contract expire in 2010 certainly has to make General Manager Bryan Colangelo at least consider the possibility of trading their all-star power forward.

Trading a talent like Bosh, who is entering the prime of his career, will certainly bring the Raptors a big package in return. The team needs toughness up front, a scoring SG/SF, and a backup point guard. Two of these needs could potentially be fixed by trading away Bosh. Will any of the players coming back be a perennial all-star like Bosh? Probably not. The closest thing the Raptors will probably find is a player like Tyrus Thomas who has big time athletic ability, but has not quite developed into a big time player yet, and a steady, but unspectacular, forward like Luol Deng. It doesn't seem like the sexy move to make, but with the right draft choice, the Raptors could be a deeper and tougher team to play next year.

There's also the likelihood that Bosh resigns after next season. The Raptors would be able to offer him a max contract and an extra year in the deal that he will not be able to find in free agency. In this scenario, Colangelo needs to ask himself if he really believes that Bosh is an elite player worth max money, or simply a guy who fills the stat sheet on a bad team. Looking strictly at the numbers, Bosh is a 22 and 10 player who would make any coach happy. However, his spotty defense and lean frame do not give the Raptors the interior precense a team needs from a big money big man. Year in and year out, the problems on the Raptors are the same. Bad defense, bad rebounding,  no toughness, too willing to settle for jumpshots. Does the culture change if they give Bosh max money, or would the Raptors be destined for six more years of mediocrity?

Bosh is a fine player and there is a good chance in the short term the Raptors take a step backwards without him. He's probably better suited as a number two option than being the go-to guy like the Raptors expect him to be. Giving him max money would make him the franchise and that isn't necessarily a good thing for Toronto. Colangelo should look at this as a blessing in disguise and attempt to reshape the Raptors this summer.

Can anybody in the NL West overtake the Dodgers?

With Manny Ramirez serving a 50 game suspension, the Dodgers may not be quite the division lock they were two days ago. While their lead is big, the NL West isn't that good, and the roster is still talented, opportunity does exist now for a division rival to rise up and overtake them.

San Francisco Giants - The pitching on this team is legit. Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain are studs in the making. Meanwhile, Barry Zito hasn't embarrassed himself to date. If Randy Johnson can get going, then this starting rotation could carry this team to the playoffs, in what is an incredibly weak division.

The concern with this team is the offense. Right now, Bengie Molina has been carrying the load. However, Molina probably won't maintain his current pace. His career high in homeruns is 19, so far this year he has 7. His pace will inevitably slow down, and somebody else on this Giants roster will need to step up and replace that production, or else the lowest scoring team in the majors will just get even worse. If Pablo Sandoval starts hitting for more power, while Edgar Renteria and Randy Winn play to their career averages, the Giants could hang around.

San Diego Padres - Them being 3rd is a testiment to how bad this divsion is, and not reflective of how bad the Padres are. Over the long haul, this is potentially a last place team. Jake Peavy, Heath Bell, and Adrian Gonzalez are top-end talents. Unfortunately, the rest of the team just isn't very good. After Gonzalez, most of the regulars on this team can't hit for average, can't get onbase, and can't hit for power. The pitching will probably get worse too, since Jake Peavy is still likely to get dangled at the trade deadline.

Arizona Diamondbacks - This is the wildcard of the division. They're argueably just as talented as the Dodgers. Great pitching, great offense, but the youth on this team has plateaued, and even regressed, over the past year.

Justin Upton still looks like a star in the making. However, Conor Jackson, Stephen Drew (injured), and Chris Young have entered the realms of irrelevancy. Collectively, this unit has been a huge disappointment this year. Drew and Young were suppose to be stars in the making, and any run at the division will require these two players realizing their potential.

The pitching remains solid, despite not having their ace. However, 105 runs scored over the first month a bit of the season keeps this team from winning games.

Colorado Rockies - Not a chance.

While losing Manny will hurt the Dodgers, it doesn't look like anybody in the NL West will be able to step up and dethrown them. The Diamondbacks may have the raw talent to contend, but until that potential turns into production, they're just another also-ran like the rest of the flawed teams in this division that can only dream of catching LA.

Stafford to become a Lion

The debate over the number one pick has ended. The historically bad Lions will select Georgia QB Matthew Stafford to become the face of their franchise.

Not only will Stafford be the first pick tomorrow, but he'll immediately become one of the highest paid players in the league. He will join Albert Haynesworth as one of two NFL players with 40+ million dollars guaranteed on their contracts.

This money will bring even greater expectations on Stafford, who will undoubtedly be compared to last year's rookie sensations at QB, Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco.

The Lions skipped on a safer pick. They could've followed the Bill Parcells model and draft an offensive tackle. Either one of Jason Smith or Eugene Monroe could've came in and started next year. Or the Lions could've gone with star linebacker Aaron Curry, who would team with Julian Peterson and Ernie Sims to give the team a lethal second level.

They went with Stafford, and showed faith in their current bookend tackles (veteran Jeff Backus and youngster Gosder Cherilus), because they feel he can be the same type of leader and playmaker that somebody like Matt Ryan is for Atlanta. Maybe nobody is expecting him to take Detroit to the playoffs, but certainly the expectations of more high-octane offense will emerge in Motor City over the next few months. Stafford has all the physical tools and he'll be airing it out to one of the best packages of raw talent in the entire league, Calvin Johnson.

Now the Lions just need to address the defense and they might win a game or two next year.

Weis and the Irish will rebound in 2009

                 Yards     CMP%    YPA     TD-INT    Rating

Player A      2586      54.1     7.33     17-10    125.87
Player B      3172      60.9     7.21     25-17     132.49

Looks like the Irish are right on track. Player A is Brady Quinn before his breakout junior season, while Player B is Jimmy Clausen from last year. The yards are skewed because Clausen threw more, but we can see at this stage in his development he is about where Quinn was at the same point. The YPA and TD-INT differential are the same, while Clausen completes almost 7% more of his passes.

Clausen, Weis, and the Irish have taken a lot of flak over the past two years, but the struggles should not have come as a surprise. Not every young QB is going to come in and put up big numbers from the get go like Sam Bradford in Oklahoma. With that said, Clausen has shown improvement from his freshmen to sophmore year, and there's no reason to believe he shouldn't continue his development in 2009.

He has emerging threats like Golden Tate and Michael Floyd at wide receiver, while Armando Allen and Robert Hughes are improving players in the backfield. In total, 10 of the 11 offensive starters will return for Notre Dame in 2009. This should give the Irish offense enough firepower for Clausen to put up big numbers in his junior campaign.

Now, I know what you're all thinking. What about the defense? It's a unit that will be young and inexperienced. That isn't necessary a bad thing. The Irish defense hasn't been anything to write home about in years, and maybe some young blood will bring some speed and aggression back to that side of the ball.

The unit also switches to a 4-3, but the players are young. This isn't Weis and his staff asking a bunch of seniors to change schemes. Manti Te'o will give the linebacking corps a big boost and the defensive line will be anchored by junior Ian Williams. If Ethan Johnson can tap into his potential, then the front seven will look good. A key to the secondary will be Harrison Smith making a smooth transition from linebacker to safety to replace David Bruton.

The schedule, aside from USC, is full of winnable games for the Irish.  If Clausen and the offense improve and the defense gets even marginally better, this team can win 9 or 10 game next year.   

Should the Bears try to grab Holt?

Orlando Pace certainly thinks so.

It's natural that Pace would like to see his former teammate in Chicago. Do the Bears feel the same way? I think they should.

Torry Holt may have had a rough year last year, but that does not mean he's regressed into a has been. The Rams had a horrible team last season, and most receivers would find a hard time trying to put up numbers there.

Just look at the one year turnaround Randy Moss had when going from Oakland to New England. With Holt's age, his resurrection probably won't be that pronounced, but I still feel he has a few 1000 yard seasons left.

In Chicago, he'll have Jay Cutler throwing him the ball, Matt Forte keeping defenses honest, and an emerging threat at TE in Greg Olsen. If the line can keep Cutler upright, then Holt could have a great season.

Maybe Chicago is not at the top of Holt's list, but the Bears should still call and give it a shot. Finding receivers in the draft to start as rookies is no guarantee. Holt could be plugged into the lineup immediately, and make the Bears offense look pretty solid going into training camp. 

Gordon finally wins!

Jeff Gordon has been consistent all year, leading the points race, but he has yet to have a truly dominant performance.

Early in the race, it looked like Gordon was going to follow the script of the previous races this season. After starting on the front row, Gordon dropped back several spots. His car didn't look great, and an unprecedented green flag run to start the race prevented his crew from doing anything other than changing the tires on his first pit.

As the race went on, and the yellows came, opportunity came for Gordon and his teammate Jimmie Johnson. There cars got better as the race went on, while silly mistakes by Kyle Busch and David Reutimann left them out of contention.

The turning point of the race came on the final pit stop. It was looking like Carl Edwards' 99 car was going to roll into victory lane for the three-peat. However, a bad pit stop kept Edwards from doing backflips and fire off six shooters in Fort Worth.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. looked like he was be in the running too, but a crucial mistake on pit road also kept him from making up ground in the standings. He finished a lap down, and will need a good showing next week in Phoenix to get into the top 12.

With seven races finished, the cream of the crop is certainly emerging. After a slow start, Jimmie Johnson is starting to assert himself, and looks like a good bet to repeat in Phoenix next week. The key for him and crew chief Chad Knaus is to get the car right from the beginning. This week, and last week in Martinsville, they needed about 3 pit stops before Johnson really started to go.