Well its finally happened. Halleluiah, Joy to the World, Thank the Man Up Stairs, the Chicago Bears have finally benched Rex Grossman. After throwing 14 interceptions with only 4 touchdown passes in his last 7 games, Grossman closed the deal after Sunday night performance when officially became the newest member of the “Career Back Up QB Club” (Established by Ty Detmer, and Joey Harrington). With such thrilling news for Bears fans, I believe there is an even greater internal leap of joy for all 53 players on the Bears roster.

Although players and coaches have never really came out and expressed frustration about Rex Grossman’s play or stated that they have no confidence in the guy, to me it has been plain as day since the Monday Night shellacking they took against the Packers last year that the players lost total faith in their quarterback. Yes, he did contribute to his team’s success in getting to the Super Bowl. However, if you take a hard look at the games against Seattle, New Orleans, Indy and the first three games of this season there has been a sense of nervousness and question in judgment from every player, and even some coaches, each time Grossman would drop back to pass. It wasn’t so much that they did not believe in his abilities it was the fact that every time he would step on the field he always played the game not to screw up, rather than play to win. Anybody that has ever been in athletics knows that the moment you go from playing to win to playing NOT to lose results in a loss almost every time. Unfortunately for Rex, that is the way he plays the game.

Looking at the rest of the season for the Bears I truly believe you will see a big change in the team attitude and demeanor. First, the defense finally has an experienced QB in Greise. He will manage the game in a way to where he will take minimal risks, while at the same time use good judgment when having to make a play. Second, the offense will have a leader they can look up to and believe that their QB has the ability to win games. Finally, Coach Smith has someone that he thought he had in Grossman, a proven winner that is going to gain full confidence of each player on the team.

On Monday evening, sources at ESPN were reporting that Deuce McAllister had torn his ACL during the 1^st quarter of the Monday Night Football game against the Titans. Obviously this proves disappointing for McAllister since he will miss the rest of the season, but worse yet, this could be the straw that broke the camels back for the Saints.

Last year when the Saints were ranked as the most prolific offense in the NFL and ranked amongst the best in almost all categories, many people had attributed their success to Drews Brees or Reggie Bush. The fact of the matter is that offense experienced that level of success by the power running game of McAllister. If you were to go back and look at the games where the Saints had passed for more than 300 yards or had scored more than 30 points a game, Deuce rushed for more than 100 yards or had at least 25 carries. Through his hard, smash mouth running style he would open up the middle of the field for Colston, because it would draw the safeties into the box to play the run. Also at the same time, Deuce could keep the defensive front seven honest in play action situations that would open up Reggie Bush in the flats. All of which would give Brees and the offense plenty of time to dismantle a defense throughout the course of the game.

This season the Saints have had almost no offensive power or explosion like they had experienced in the previous season. Once again critics are blaming the lack of effort on Brees, Bush or the offensive line. However, I believe it is due to their lack of utilization of McAllister. During each of the first 3 games this season Deuce has had less than 20 carries and 100 yards rushing, which based upon the previous paragraph would explain why the Saints offense is struggling so much.

Undoubtedly, after tonight’s loss to the Titans the 0-3 Saints have got to be feeling disappointed and let down. But now that their main offensive weapon may be lost for the season, it may be time to start hitting the panic button.

One of the newest and hottest items to be part of football training has been the incorporation of strength vests. As a featured item at www.touchdownskills.com the strength vest (http://www.touchdownskills.com/products/strengthsuit.html) is a very popular piece of workout equipment that can be incorporated in several phases during your daily workout regime. The vest provides a unique way to increase explosion, strength, and agility while at the same time reducing the risk of injury through an even distribution of weight throughout the entire upper body. As a former NFL player and a current workout aficionado, here are a few ways I would recommend a football player at any level can use the strength vest to better himself or herself as an athlete.

Upper Body Development – One thing I try to do when I work on my punch and upper body explosion is I use the weighted vest in conjunction with variations of the standard push up. First I like to use it when I do the push up and clap (3 sets of 10-20), single arm medicine ball push ups (2 sets of 10) and in combination with stability ball core punches (3 sets of 25).

 Lower Body Development – Instead of doing the standard squat or power clean, which can be very stressful on your back, hips and knee, I like to use the weighted vest as a safe substitute.  I primarily use it to do lunges, single leg step ups, single leg squats and split squat jumps. For each of the lifts I do 3-4 sets of 6-8 repetitions. For each consecutive set I add another weighted vest. During most workouts I can have up to 3 vests strapped over each other, thus giving me enough resistance to increase my strength and explosion.

Core Development – This is where the weighted vest can be best utilized. Since it is made out of neoprene, the vest is flexible and does not provide discomfort. As I result I use it in almost every core lift I perform. My favorites include, stability ball work, stability abs, and hyperextensions.

Even though I did not mention the many benefits the weighted vest can enhance your conditioning regime, it is safe to say it is a very effective, efficient and safe tool increase your strength, power and agility.

You can purchase yours at www.touchdownskills.com and clicking on the following link http://www.touchdownskills.com/products/strengthsuit.html.

The first quarter of the college football season has concluded and up until this point there have not been any big surprise. After watching most of the games of the top teams in the country and observing their potential sustainability over the course of the season, I have put together my TOP 5 teams through Week 3. Enjoy….

#5 California Bears – If it were not for USC, California would be the dominant team of the PAC-10 and the West. They have a solid defensive front four and their offense is lead by running back sensation Justin Forsett. After putting the shellacking on Tennessee at the beginning of the season, the Bears have shown early this season that they are legitimate BCS contenders.

#4 Oklahoma Sooners – At this point in the season, they have got to be everyone’s sleeper to make it to the National Championship Game. After getting embarrassed in last years Fiesta Bowl loss to Boise State, Coach Stoops is on a mission to make a point to the nation that they are contenders. The Sooners have been very impressive thus far in their wins against Miami and lesser DI schools. However, the big test will come in October when they face rival Texas. If they can win that game and take care of business up through the Big 12 Championship they may be facing USC or LSU for the National Championship.

#3 Florida Gators – All I can say is, “WOW!” after the beating they gave to Tennessee this weekend. Although it appears the Volunteers are an over rated team, regardless, the Gators just dismantled a bowl bound SEC team that has some talent. I believe the Gators will hold their 3^rd place ranking throughout the entire season because on November 10^th they will suffer their only loss of the season at the hands of the South Carolina Gamecocks. Sorry Gator fans, there will not be a chance to repeat this year!

#2 LSU Tigers – What an impressive win against Virginia Tech 2 weeks ago! That game proved that LSU is legit. In fact, I have the Tigers and USC as a toss up for the #1 and #2 ranked teams in the country. The problem for LSU, they have to face a dangerous Alabama team in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide are hungry for an upset and it could happen, however, I believe the Tigers will get only a scare and go undefeated through the rest of the season.

#1 USC Trojans – What can I say; they have enough talent and team speed to rival ALMOST an NFL squad. It is scary to see the potential this team has. After witnessing the way the defense totally shut down a fairly decent Corn Husker offense, it will be interesting how USC can handle the LSU offense in the BCS National Championship game in January.

After the complete pounding the UCLA Bruins took this weekend against the Utah Utes, it begs to question whether the Bruins are simply a really bad team or are the Utes really that good. My answer to that question is a resounding THE BRUINS ARE THAT BAD…

1)      The Bruins offense struggled against a mediocre Stanford and BYU defenses. In their first two games of the season the Bruins offense proved to be very below average. They had a meager 350 yards of total offense against the Cardinals then the next week against BYU, Ben Olsen had a terrible performance while throwing for only 150 yards. The offense only survived that game by having enough of a ground game that solidified the win.

2)      The Utah Utes are a depleted and untalented team. After losing their starting running back, quarterback and wide receiver for the all or most of the entire season, the Utes had a bunch of scrubs to fill their shoes. All of which was evident when they played the Air Force Falcons last week. Playing their home opener against a much smaller team, the Utes completely got annihilated 20-12 at home. In that game they got out played, out coached and out hustled. In fact, fans were so embarrassed by the Utes performance the following Monday fans across Utah were calling for the resignation/firing of head coach Kyle Whittingham. Clearly, the Utes were the same team that played against the Bruins this past Saturday, but they played against a much lesser opponent. All of which resulted in an embarrassing loss at home.

3)      Ben Olsen is a bad and untalented quarterback. Although Olsen had been the most recruited and highest rated QB coming into college, he is almost as overrated as Brady Quinn. If you take a hard look at his stats during the course of his career his QB rating is that of Bubby Brister. He has almost as many interceptions as TD’s and his completion percentage is less than 50%. For any QB that is unacceptable especially for someone that runs the West Coast offense.

Although the Bruins were ranked in top 15 in both polls and picked to contend with USC for the Pac 10 title it is evident after 3 games into the 2007 football season, the Bruins are lucky if they can end the season with more than 5 wins. They are that bad!!!

All I have to say is “FINALLY”. After winning 3 Super Bowls and being one of the few dynasties to ever exist in pro football the New England Patriots have now exposed to the world one component of their success. No, I am not talking about their ability to scout talent or Belichick’s unique coaching philosophy (which are undeniably the best in the NFL). I am talking about their ability to “predict” their opponent’s defensive schemes and “skillfully” call the right play to counter attack that defense.  Upon recent revelations, those abilities are neither skillful nor good coaching, they are plain and simple CHEATING!

After years of speculating by opponents and coaches around the NFL, it is now official that the Patriots “uncanny” ability to put their offense in the perfect scheme has been due to the fact they have been taping the defense signals of opposing teams. You may ask yourself, “How is that such a terrible offense that merits one to say that they are cheating?” It is plain and simple; first, the NFL has rules in place that clearly define that an opposing team cannot film the other coaches during the game. The rule is designed to protect integrity and the skillfulness of the game. Much like certain substances are banned from competition for players because they can provide an unfair advantage over the opponent, the same can be applied for this rule. Second, any NFL team with the right support staff can correlate defensive signals with defensive schemes within 2-4 series. That means a team could totally decipher an opponents game plan within a quarter and a half. (In the Patriots case, they could have all the defensive play calls completely translated the next time they play Jets or when they face a repeat team in the playoffs.) All an offensive coach would have to do is call in a personnel group, have the QB line them up in a no huddle, wait for the opposing defense coach to call in the scheme, and then the offensive coordinator would then call in the play to expose the defense with plenty of time for the offense to execute it. 

Clearly by all means what the Patriots have been found guilty falls in violation of the competitive balance the NFL establishes each year. Just as if a player were found to have used steroids or HGH to gain a competitive advantage and is suspended a certain number of games, the same severity of punishment should be handed down to the Patriots. As such if I were Commissioner Goodell and since this was a first time offense I would recommend ONE or MORE of the following punishments to be handed down on the New England Patriots.

1)      A loss of their 2^nd, 4th and 6^th round draft picks for the 2008 NFL Draft.

2)      A suspension of 4 regular season games for Coach Belickick and the Assistant Head Coach (without pay)

3)      Reduction in Salary Cap for the 2008 Season

4)   Loss of a NFL Playoff home game

What an opening week for the 2007 NFL season! Having waited over 6 months since the Super Bowl the opening weekend was jam packed with stellar offensive performances. Starting with Peyton Manning at home against New Orleans, followed by Randy Moss taking on the Jets, and finishing with Tony Romo totaling dismantling the Giants. After watching most of the games throughout the extended weekend and reflecting who most impressed me, I feel the Most Valuable Offensive Player for Week #1 had to be the offensive line for the Patriots.

Some may be wondering why I would select the offensive line instead of Tom Brady or even Randy Moss. Obviously, it is clear that without the protection the line offered for Brady all day against the Jets there would have been no way he could have connected with Moss and the other receivers so effortlessly. If you look at the highlights of the game it seemed the Pats offensive line was giving Brady anywhere between 4 to 6 seconds every time he was in a drop back pass. For example, during their first possession in the first half, Brady had connected two out of his first 3 passes for and average of 14 yards. Then on second down on the Jest 11 yard line, Brady connected with Welker for a TD pass that seemed like 4-5 seconds before the play materialized. The funny thing was the Jets had blitzed 7 defenders during that play and Brady still had a ton of time to find an open receiver.

Clearly, if the Patriots offensive line is going to continue with the dominance they displayed against the Jets it is going to be a long season for opposing defenses and potentially record breaking seasons for Tom Brady and Randy Moss. Only the next 16 weeks will show what will or will not happen…

During the www.touchdownskills.com fantasy football draft this week, I decided to jump on Randy Moss in the fourth round. During that selection my competitors gave me a look like, “why the heck are you wasting a good pick on a washed up receiver” while at the same time others were looking nervously and saying to themselves, “is he going to be a sleeper during this years draft?” Well after today’s performance in the Meadowlands against the New York Jets it looks like the pick was an absolute steal. 

Upon debuting with the New England Patriots, Moss not only looked like a fantasy football stud but he looked like much of the same player he was when he played with the Vikings. At the end of the day he finished with 183 yards receiving with a touchdown. The scary thing is that Moss doesn’t look like he is going to slow down.

In fact I believe he is going to have the best year of his career. Not only does he have a one of the best QB’s in the league throwing to him, but also Moss has a supporting case that he has never had in his career. He has a reliable running back (Moroney) that can hold the safeties in play action because of his running ability, which in result will open up the top of coverage’s. But he also has a solid receiving corp. that has to make the defensive secondary play completely honest every down. With the combination of Watson (TE) and Stallworth (WR) each defense secondary is going to have to play a ton of zone in order to avoid 1 on 1 match ups with Moss. Obviously when an offense can dictate the game plan of opposing defenses you have a formula of domination by the Pats but also for their main playmaker, Randy Moss. Expect more of the same from him for weeks to come!

Times have never been so bad for the Michigan Wolverines. Not only did Michigan make history last week as the only ranked Division I program to lose to Division IAA program but they now they have opened the season at home with two consecutive losses after todays embarradsing lose to Oregon 39-7. It has been 48 years since that had happened. Cleary, panic mode is setting in for the Wolverine faithful and there is only one way to fix that…FIRE LLOYD CARR.

Understand, I have never been an advocate of firing a head coach (NFL or College) during the season, nor am I a huge Michigan fan. Rather, I base my judgment more as a fan of the game and of power football programs.

Michigan is one of a few teams that have helped build college football over the last 100 years. Along with Notre Dame and Ohio State they are one of the storied programs that helped launch college football into being a national past time. As such, the Wolverines are much of the face of the game than anything else. What they do on the field reflects the state of the game and the direction of college football. Therefore, while having lost in embarrassing fashion the past two weeks, and also having struggled through the bowl season over the last 6 years, it is clear there needs to be a change in Ann Arbor.

Not only does a change need to take place, but also it must happen now! If Michigan were to fire Lloyd they would send a message to the college football world that the Wolverines do not accept mediocrity nor do they accept losing. It may be painful for the players and coaches but in order to preserve and maintain its integrality as a national power, Michigan needs to make a coaching change now rather than allow the damage to continue.

This upcoming 2007 NFL season is going to debut a trio of longtime backups who are going to try to prove they belong as a starting quarterback. Unfortunately, for all three of these players, none have ever played a complete season nor have they ever won a playoff game. However, all three have the expectations from fans, management and coaches that they can deliver just the opposite.

Damon Huard (Kansas City Chiefs), Matt Shuab (Houston Texans) and Damon Gerrard (Jacksonville Jaguars) each possess a ton of potential and a high probability of succeeding however, for one of these players I predict will have a sustained career as a starter while the others will return to what they do best and that is sitting the pine….

Damon Huard – I believe he is by far the weaker of all three quarterbacks and most likely to lose his starting position by week 9 or 10 of the season. Much of this reasoning lies in the fact that through all of the 2007 training camp Herm Edwards and Carl Petersen did everything they could to give the starting job to Brody Croyle. They let Croyle play a majority of the snaps during practice and games, and tried to do everything they could to put Croyle in the position to take that job throughout. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, Croyle is a completely over rated talent who couldn’t even capitalize on the opportunity even when Damon got a calf injury.  Clearly the Chiefs are realizing that the 11-year veteran, Huard, is in his last throws and there is a high likelihood he will be more detrimental to the teams success rather than a key attribute.

Matt Shuab – Shuab has to be the biggest gamble any NFL team made in the off-season. Not only did the Texans sign him to be their starting quarterback for a large amonth of money but also they did it without any historical data to ensure their investment was the right choice. Shuab clearly has a lot of talent and ability but it is completely unproven. While being the back up for the Falcons Shuab’s only experience came in preseason games and non-consequential matchups in the regular season. When he did play his statistics were marginal and not more impressive than any other free agent on the market this past off-season. I believe with the lack of offensive talent along with a tough NFL schedule, Shuab is the most likely of the three to be booed by his own fans and return to a back up role in the next three seasons.

David Gerrard – Unlike Damon and Matt, Gerrard has the most upside, experience and talent of the three former backups. As a result I believe he will be the most likely to have a solid future as an NFL starter. First, Gerrard has the game experience unlike the others. While being Brian Leftwitch’s backup for 5 years, Gerrard had a lot of opportunity to prove his worth. It seems like each year that Leftwitch would get injured, he would step in there and put a solid performance together. Second, Gerrard is a smart player. When he had to step in and start, Gerrard would rarely make any mental mistakes. In fact, Gerrard has the highest Passer Rating than the other 2 quarterbacks. And finally, the stat that proves that Gerrard is most likely to succeed as a starter is the fact the he has won more games as a starter than Huard and Shuab combined.