Jeremiah Masoli, was he holding Oregon back?

Yesterday Ole Miss and former Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli might have shown the sports world that he was holding back the University of Oregon Ducks football team. While his former team in Oregon rolled over the New Mexico Lobos 72-0, Masoli and the Rebels put up a weak performance against FCS Jacksonville State that ended up in disappointment during a 49-48 double overtime loss.

Before enrolling at Mississippi Masoli, now a 5th year senior, had quarterbacked Oregon to a Pac- 10 championship and Rose Bowl appearance last season where they were smothered by a ready Ohio State team. Masoli, then one of the Heisman Trophy favorites for the 2010 season was suspended for the year when he was convicted of breaking into an Frat House and stealing laptops as well as other items. Even after that he didn't seem to learn his lesson when he was caught speeding and possessing marijuana and Masoli was dismissed from the team. Because he had graduated, Masoli used a little know rule to get around having to sit out a year after a transfer season and was practicing with the Rebels almost immediately. Then a couple days ago, the NCAA decided that Masoli's transfer wasn't in the spirit of the rule, but after appeal, NCAA decided that they couldn't punish him for a loophole he found, they allowed him to play once again this year.

The season was supposed to start with an easy win for Ole Miss, but after a disappointing performance by their new quarterback (7 completions, 109 yards, 1 Int) all of that opening game optimism was sapped. While the Rebels felt the pain of defeat the Ducks optimism for a repeat Pac- 10 title coming into the season has just been multiplied many times and we might have a new Heisman Trophy Candidate in sophomore running back Kenjon Barner who rushed for 147 yards and 4 Tds, had 60 yards through the air and another touchdown. While Masoli didn't impress in his opener against a cupcake team, his replacement quarterbacks combined for 351 passing yards and 2 touchdowns. This proves that Masoli, no matter how well he can play a spread, might have held the Ducks from their full potential last season and cost them a Rose Bowl Championsip.

-A

College Football Preview

Here's How I think the conferences in college football will pan out.

ACC

Atlantic

Florida State
Clemson
N.C. State
Boston College
Maryland
Wake Forest

Coastal

Virginia Tech
North Carolina
Miami
Georgia Tech
Virginia
Duke

Big East
Pitt
Rutgers
UConn
Cincinnati
West Virginia
South Florida
Syracuse
Louisville

Big Ten
Iowa
Ohio State
Penn State
Wisconsin
Northwestern
Michigan
Michigan State
Indiana
Purdue
Illinois
Minnesota

Big 12

North
Nebraska
Mizzou
Kansas
Colorado
Kansas State
Iowa State

South
Texas
Oklahoma
Texas Tech
Texas A&M
Oklahoma State
Baylor

Pac- 10
Oregon
USC
Oregon State
Stanford
Arizona
Washington
Cal
UCLA
Arizona State
Washington State

SEC

East
Florida
Georgia
South Carolina
Kentucky
Tennessee
Vandy

West
Alabama
LSU
Arkansas
Auburn
Ole Miss
Miss State

Other Notables
Boise State
TCU
Utah
Middle Tennessee

BCS Champion
Alabama

Heisman Trophy
Mark Ingram (Alabama)

Davey O'Brian
John Brantley (Florida)

Feel Free to comment and tell me what you think


-A

Brett Favre to Return to Vikings for 20th season in NFL

Brett Favre, Quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings has announced that he will return to the NFL for a twentieth season. Favre, who turns 41 in October is coming off of off season ankle surgery and was heavily contemplating retirement, but since his ankle is holding up he feels he owes the Vikings another season. A season he says will be his last. That's when I cracked up. Everyone knows that Brett won't retire until he decides his ego has been fed enough, so if he doesn't win a Superbowl I am sure we will see this exact same thing next season.


Favre led the Vikings to the NFC Championship game last season but nobody should expect the same because he had one of the best years of his career. He passed for over 4200 yards and 33 touchdowns. He also had a career low 7 interceptions and shattered his own mark for quarterback rating with an amazing 107.2. Vikings fans have very high expectations coming into this season for both the team and Favre but there is no reason to expect a season anything like last year. Favre is an old man first and foremost, let alone an old man that is coming off of major ankle surgery. Also last season he had major surgery before training camp. So what the Vikings have is a beat up quarterback who thinks he has something left in the tank.


All I have to say that expect a big disappointment Vikings Fans.


-A

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Brett Favre to Retire... Again????

According to multiple reports, 19 year NFL veteran quarterback Brett Favre is set to retire from the NFL for the third time.  Favre is argueably the greatest Quarterback in the history of the NFL and is definatly the the best player in the history of the Green Bay Packers.  Although he is no longer the posterboy for the franchise and many Packer's Fans still feel betrayal over his backing out of retirement to join the rival Minnesota Vikings, we will all have a small place in our hearts for what he did to turn around the team when he took over the reins in 1992. 


Favre every significant career passing record and no one is even close to him in any of the categories.  He retires with 69,329 passing yards, 6,083 completions, and 497 career touchdown passes.  His longevity in the game and his gunslinger mentality has done one bad thing for him, he holds the NFL record for career interceptions with 317.  He won a Superbowl with the Green Bay Packers in 1997 but failed to win another, but came close many times including the next season where th Pack lost to the Broncos in the Big Game.  What is most suprising about this retirement is that Favre is coming off of his best player in years with 33 TD passes, over 4200 passing yards, and a career low 7 picks and this loss hurts the Viking's playoff hopes consideribly.  This comes as ahuge shock to everyone that follows the NFL but lets all just hope the third time's the charm and he finally hangs it up for good.


-A

Jets Revis Misses first day of camp

The Contract Dispute between All- Pro Corner Darrelle Revis and the New York Jets the superstar to hold out of the first day of camp. After being told in the off-season by Coach Rex Ryan and GM Mike Tannenbaum that he was the best corner in the NFL Revis decided that he wanted to be the highest paid. After receiving a contract extension himself Tannenbaum stated that he had made two large offers that would have made Revis the "Jet for life" that he wanted to be. As it’s easy to tell, Revis rejected both, but rumor has been floating around that the contract would pay only 5.3 million this year and had no guaranteed money in it all. Although I am not a big fan of guaranteed contracts I do believe that he should be paid more than that [5.3 million] and defiantly more than the one million he is set to make under the rookie contract he signed four seasons ago.

On this case I agree with and I encourage him to continue to hold out until he gets part of the money pie. He is one of the best players, let alone defenders in the league and he should be compensated as such, not be one of the lowest played defensive backs on the Jet’s roster. So Darrelle, continue to hold out, get your money, or at least until after the Jets play Green Bay in week eight.


-A

Rookie Salaries in the NFL, How Ridiculous will they Get?

Just yesterday Sam Bradford, Rookie Quarterback for the St. Louis Rams and the number one overall pick in this past year's NFL Draft signed a 6 year 78 million dollar deal with a chance for it to be worth as much as 86 million. That’s way too much to be paying any player let alone a guy who missed his last college season with a shoulder injury and who also has never thrown a pass in the League. The worst part though isn't just the amount he is going to be paid over the short span but that 50 million of that is guaranteed. Sam Bradford now can have a career ending injury 2 games in and be set for life and what can the team do about it? Nothing! Look at WR Dez Bryant, the number 24 overall pick by the Dallas Cowboys. He signed a 5 year deal worth 11.8 million dollars, 8.3 mil of that guaranteed and now just a couple of days into camp he is out 4-6 weeks with an ankle injury.


I think everyone knows who the financial burden for these huge contracts fall on. The Fans of Course! What type of penny pinching owner would even think about digging into their own pickets to fuel a championship contender? Not any that I know. Ticket prices have increased at an extremely fast pace and player salaries have done the same. I don't know anybody that needs to be making 14 million a year. If I had their talent I actually wouldn't want that, so my team could go and spend the extra cap space to bring in players to make the team a championship caliber team. What needs to happen in the next CBA is a set salary for rookies at each draft spot.


In no way should an unproven QB such as Bradford or even last years number one pick, Matt Stafford ( 5 year, 72 mil 41.7 guaranteed) be making as much, or more in a lot of cases as some of the better signal callers in the NFL. Joe Flacco, QB for the Ravens took his team to the playoffs in both of his first two seasons while becoming one of the best in the game. His salary, 5 years 11.9 million dollars seems like nothing when you compare it to what these kids are going to make. You never see him complaining though because he is a class act and he knows that he is getting paid more than fairly to play a game.


The NFL and commish Goodell needs to come up with a set system for rookie pay days because before long we will see a 100 million dollar rookie turn into a bust and send a franchise into disaster status for years to come because of one bad investment.


-A

Where Will T.O. play next season

Free Agent Wide Reciever Terell Owens, known more commonly as T.O. is looking for a new team after not reupping with the Buffallo Bills after having his worse season in years.  Most people would think that Owens, a pretty much a surefire Hall of Famer would have every team in the league ringing his phone off the hook.  Unfortunately for him his ego is well known throughout the NFL and country so even though he is still a very good reciever he would be a locker room cancer, a turn off for a lot of fans, and he wouldn't be a very good influence on the young players on the team.  Luckily For him though there are still two teams that are reportedly interested in him, the St. Louis Rams who are desperate for talent at all positions, and the Cincinnati Bengals, who seem to sign every troubled player in the NFL. 

Yesterday the Bengals seemed like they had all but locked up Owens from the Rams when TMZ reported that they were "very close to a deal," but after two sources "very close" to the situation falsified the reports the negotiations, if there are any are  back up in the air.  After the reports were denied, the Rams showed that they were extremely interested by intesifying talks and a  high ranking official with the Rams said a contract could be offered to Owens as early as Monday.  This huge push from the Rams comes from the fact that although Owens could end up as a bad influence, there is a lot he could teach to the Rams young recieving corps.  Also adding T.O.'s presence will take pressure of te running game and will give rookie Sam Bradford a clear cut number one reciever to throw to.

The Bengals are still very interested in Terrell tough and Starting Quarterback Carson Palmer who when healthy is one of the best in the NFL is pushing hard for the Bengals to bring Mr. Owens in.  The Bengals though, before they bring in anyone want to see how their young recievers cando and how Antonio Bryant's knee holds up.  If they do add T.O. though they will have a very dangerous vertical game, adding Terrell's speed to home run threat Chad Ochocinco.

Right now though, I believe Owens will be in St. Louis next season teaching and preaching to the young guns while helping Sam Bradford's adjustment to the NFL be a smooth one.

-A

NCAA needs to change the way they handle violations

About a month ago powerhouse college football program and perennial BCS contender USC was smashed with sanctions that included a two year postseason ban and  loss of 30 scholarships.  Now there are incestigations against another BCS contender, Florida, and an ACC team that is ready for a breakout year, in University of North Carolina.  This is all because of interactions players had with agents and other people not even involved with the schools.  Right now Florida is is looking at a loss of this past year's Sugar Bowl win all because one player, Maurkice Pouncey, allegedly accepted $100,000 from an agent.  The whole school is facing embarassment because a student that ditched them as soon as he could for the NFL decided he wanted to make some extra money.  In USC's case players that had absolutly nothing to do with Reggie Bush, who moved on to the NFL years ago, or his former coach Pete Carroll, who bolted for the NFL's Seahawks after this season ended, are getting punished.  Even worse for them new coach Lane Kiffen has to try to recruit new kids with the fact they will play in no bowls for two years.  Also most violations are found after the player leaves the school so whats the incentive for them not to take the money?


Coaches like Carroll if he returns to the college game he will be hit with nothing while Tebow might lose his last college victory and Matt Barkley can't play in the post-season for the next two years.  Instead of having to hit every other team with violations the NCAA should allow players to be paid.  Not a  lot, but something like $150-$250 per week just so they can go out and have some fun.  I know it isn't a solve all solution but it would help cut down on the number of violations and actually give some of the multi billion dollar industry of college sports back to the athletes.


-A