Trent Richardson is a great football player playing in the best college football conference in the country.  He’s a great player having a very good season and deserves some recognition.  The qb at Boise St has put up great numbers for years now and is a great player.  Nobody though is having a season like Brandon Weeden of Oklahoma St and it’s time that people started to recognize the season he is having. For all the pro teams that love Andrew Luck, he still isn’t have the season of Weeden.

Oklahoma St still has it’s toughest game to go with having to play Oklahoma but 2 weeks ago OK st was playing a very good Kansas St team.  All Weeden did was throw for 500 yards and 4 touchdowns.  He’s completed 73% of his passes for the year, but that number is over 80% for the month of November.  That’s Aaron Rodgers like.  He has 31 td’s and only 9 picks in 428 attempts.  His team is undefeated and has a legit shot to play for the National title in January.  He’s the real deal folks and deserves some credit.  His season compared to LUCK isn’t even comparable at this point while playing in a very good conference week after week. 

If I voted today I’d vote for Weeden.

You’ve all heard by now that Joe Paterno has been fired at Penn St.  The coach who has been there my entire life is gone as coach of the Nittany Lions because of his failure to report something in a timely manner.  It’s crazy for me to even think about.

Last night I sat there and listened as Sandusky decided to speak during an interview with Bob Costas.  By all accounts this was a nightmare as Sandusky pled innocence while only admitting to showering and horsing around with the boys.  He admitted to possibly touching a boys’ leg but nothing else.  Then Costas asked him if he was ’sexually attracted’ to young boys.  Sandusky repeated the question then spoke about how he loved young people before answering ‘no’ that he wasn’t attracted to young boys.  Nobody could’ve believed him at that point.  The whole interview felt creepy and in no way did Sandusky do himself any favors in any arena.  He has issues and came across as detached in some way.  It was as if he felt we were the ones that were messed up for thinking him showering with boys is ok.

Let me ask this question of anyone who played team sports:  Did any of you ever shower with your coaches?  I never played a game or practice and worried about showering with a coach of mine.  Also, I would never want to nor would I ever feel a need to shower with my nephews in an open setting.  To Sandusky that is normal behavior.  What 10 year old boy would feel comfortable showering with an older man like that?  None.  I think back to being that age and I would have been mortified. 

To these poor kids Sandusky tried to tell them that it was normal behavior that everyone engages in and now to us he’s trying to deny the severity of what happened.  Sandusky was able to manipulate these kids in a way that, I think, he felt indestructable and that he could talk his away out of anything.  I think it was his idea to speak to the press, not the lawyers.  I think Sandusky is trying to manipulate us the same way.  Jerry, it won’t work on us….

Raise your hand if you would let your son go to Penn St now if Jerry Sandusky was still coaching at Penn St.  Could there be anything worse for a program that what has happened the last couple days?  Not only is the former coach going to be convicted of sexual assault but we will find out that several people knew about the incidents and lied about them.  This is bad news. 

Sandusky has been accused of assaulting 8 boys during a 15 year period of time and police are trying to get anyone else to come forward who may have been assaulted.  Sandusky was a very successful defensive coordinator for years under Joe Paterno, who seems to be like the rest of us.  He says that he did his job and reported it to the people above him but is that really doing your job?  If I sit in kids living rooms and promise parents that I’ll take care of their kids I had better make sure that I do whatever I can to protect the kid first.  Reporting this to the right people without following up or asking more questions isn’t doing the right thing.  The nature of the offense is heinous and deserved immediate and proper attention, not just telling someone and then turning around and washing your hands. 

If true, Sandusky deserves to be put away for a long time and Joe Paterno needs to be put out to pasture.  Reportedly, Sandusky never abused a player but does that really matter.  I would never want or let my son go to Penn st where they knew and allowed this to go on.  That’s why I continuosly push for coaching background checks and for higher standards for those who work with our children.  These kids went to a football camp and had this stuff happen to them.  It makes me sick.

The Colts are sitting 0-7 right now and don’t look at all like they are even capable of winning a football game.  The got beat on Monday by the score of 62-7 and it was a complete beatdown.

I know they haven’t had Peyton Manning all season and that he is one of the best quarterbacks of all time.  However, what I want to discuss is if the COlts end up with the worst record in the league, will they take Andrew Luck of Stanford?

Luck is the clear cut best prospect in the coming draft.  He is supposedly a sure thing to succeed at the next level with the ability to make all the throws and have some mobility to boot.  We’ve even heard speculation all year that the Dolphins may just lose the rest of their games so they can get Luck.  Who knows about that, but what would the Colts do?

Manning was signed to an extension before the season that really has him locked up for the next few years.  We know that most NFl contracts are not guaranteed so Manning could be cut but could the Colts really cut him?  No chance.  Manning is the Cal Ripken of the NFL in that he’s played his whole career there and he is the Colts.  Ripken was the Orioles and was able to go out on his own terms.  Manning will be allowed to do the same.  Is Andrew Luck worth being drafted if he isnt’ going to play for a few years?

It worked for the Packers didn’t it?  They got to sit Aaron Rodgers until they felt he was really ready to run the show.  When he was ready they made the move and it was clearly the right thing.  Will the Colts be able to do what the Packers did?  That is what got the Packers back to the top so quickly and made the transition so smooth.

Donovan McNabb has been horrible this year.  If you look at his stats then you’ll see that is right on par with his career numbers or even a little better, but they don’t tell the whole picture.  Anyone who watched the Bears game on Monday saw a player who was just out there but not really leading his team.  Several of the missed throws were just horrible passes and even the completions were rarely smooth.  McNabb looked like a player just living out his time and situation instead of a player fighting to win the game and the Vikings reflected their qb.  Because of that, Christian Ponder will get his first start this Sunday.

In the NFC East, Rex Grossman showed that he is once again Rex Grossman.  I have all daughters and I tell them that they can’t change a man or anyone.  The change has to come from within that person on their own.  I tell them that when someone shows them who they are to believe them and then decide if you want them in your life.  Rex Grossman is that for me.  He has shown several people and teams who he really is.  He’s a talented quarterback who is either good or bad.  When he’s bad, he is bad.  On Sunday he was bad and I’ve watched him enough that after that first interception I would’ve been ready to bench him.  It’s like watching a rerun in that you already know what is going to happen next.  John Beck is slated to start ahead of Rex after getting the Redskins back in the game vs the Eagles last week. 

Ponder will have a longer leash than Beck as the Vikings are practically out of it right now and they want to see what they have.  Beck will have to play well to keep his job and it won’t be easy in one of the toughest divisions in football.

I don’t shy away from the fact that I love Illinois and I’m ecstatic that they are sitting at 6-0 right now.  What I also can’t shy away from is how average the conference is from top to bottom right now. 

Normally you have Ohio St sitting in the top 5 range with Wisconsin, Penn St., Nebraska and others all solidly in the top 25.  This year you have Ohio St reeling after the firing of their coach and the suspension of some players.  They are nowhere close to the top 25.  Wisconsin is legit this year and is a real contender for the National Title.  They are solid up front and have a great quarterback leading them.  Outside of that you have just some average teams.  Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska, Michigan st and Penn St are all or would be middle of the road teams any other year.  This year they all have a shot to win the BIG Ten somehow.  It’s a great year to be Illinois or Michigan because they have a chance when normally, the teams they’d be putting on the field would be lucky to get any national attention.

Having said all that, all a team can do is beat whoever is on their schedule.  Michigan beat Notre Dame.  Illinois has beaten Arizona St.  It just isn’t the same dominant football that we are used to seeing and I’m actually glad about it.  I love to see Ohio St struggle and to give other teams a chance.

I write for a number of different websites and I love it.  Recently I wrote a short blog about the importance of conditioning and the role that the coach plays in conditioning.  The article was written for any sport in general but football is one of those sports that you have to get in shape or you will wind up getting beaten and probably injured.

Every year we read about players who show up to camp out of shape or they need to lose 30 pounds and they expect to do it while practicing.  Sure they will lose the weight but they ALWAYS end up behind the other guys who were prepared. 

When we talk about conditioning for football you have to consider weight training, flexibility and endurance.  You must be strong, flexible and able to play hard the entire game.  Some guys are just naturally going to be stronger than others.  I played with guys who never lifted a weight in their life and then all of a sudden were able to bench 225 without blinking.  Then there was me who still can’t bench 225 consistently.  The point is that you have to be willing to put in the time before the season starts and during the season to stay in top shape. 

That’s not to say that you can’t get by being out of shape but when the time comes and you are playing against the best competition and you have scouts watching or anyone watching you then you will be wishing the whole time that you would’ve spent more time preparing for that situation.

The SEC is from top to bottom the best conference in football.  I’m not going to say that from top to bottom any conference can rival them.  However, what I can say is that Oklahoma and Oklahoma St can play against Alabama and Lsu right now and do just fine.  In fact, I believe these 4 teams would make an incredible final 4 should be ever have a playoff.  

LSU is playing great right now.  They started off the season thumping Oregon and haven’t stopped since.  They’ve literally ran over a number of teams on their way to the number 1 ranking.  Followed close behind is Alabama.  They feature a defense with possibly 8 nfl players that are starting with many more probably on the bench right now waiting their turn.  Alabama has a great running back who be a beast at almost any regular school but is used marginally for the Tide.  These two are set for a Nov 5th matchup with the winner the clear cut favorite to represent the SEC in the National title game.

Meanwhile in the BIG 12 you have Oklahoma and Oklahoma st.  I’ve seen them both play a number of times and they both look incredibly good right now.  Oklahoma went to Florida st and beat them rather easily in front of an incredibly hostile crowd.  Oklahoma st is just punishing teams with their offense.  They feature arguably the best wide out in the country in Justin Blackmon and he causes issues all the field for the defense.  I have a hard time seeing this offense get slowed down very much.  Currently the big 12 has 5 teams that haven’t lost yet but that will all change this coming week as a number of them play each other. i expect both of these two teams to remain undefeated until they play on December 3rd.  Texas may pose a bit of a problem for St but I still think they survive the test and make an even bigger statement.

Athletically, the BIG 12 has the players to compete with the SEC schools and I would love to see these 4 play in a playoff.

I’m not dumb enough to think that nobody in the history of the NFL has ever faked an injury.  When teams go into the hurry up offense and the defense can’t come off the field then players get tired and when that happens then players will fake an injury to get a little break and to slow the pace of the game down.  I know it has happened a lot in the college game but I have never paid attention enough to find it happening in the NFL.

Football is a very violent sport and it is getting more and more violent.  Defenses are getting smarter and smarter and with more passes being thrown more players are going to be hit harder and in more vulnerable spots.  When I watch highlights of games I see at least 10-20 hits that I don’t know I would ever get up from.  My point is that why would you have to fake an injury when one seemingly could happen on every play.  Instead of flopping to the ground when nobody touches you like a soccer player would, why not wait until at least there is a collision?

My point is that I don’t want to think of NFL players as flopping to the turf to get a break or to make the other team look like they should get a penalty of some sort.  I want my NFL players to be tough and unbreakable.  I don’t want to read again about the NFL warning teams about faking injuries because it really draws attention to the sport in a way that it shouldn’t.

I wake up Sunday morning to find out that Syracuse and Pitt are leaving the BIG EAST for the ACC and I was shocked.  Syracuse is the team that, to me, is what the Big East is all about.  I’m not talking just football, but basketball with them.  Pitt has been good in both sports for a long time and both are staples to that conference.  This has to just be a sign of what is to come.

Texas A &M is heading to the SEC so the Big 12 looks like it is going to shrink or go away.  The Big Ten picked up Nebraska so are they trying to stick their nose in the game with Texas or Oklahoma?  Probably.  We heard that Iowa St and Baylor were looking into the BIG East but is that any sort of trade for the Big East?  Which conferences will be left standing in the end?

It appears the Big Ten, Acc, Pac 12 are all alive and well.  The Big Ten has a great conference leader and a strong tv presence with the BIG TEN network.  It’s my favorite channel lineup on saturdays.  The Pac 12 expanded last year to 12 and appears strong enough to easily add a couple more football powerhouses.  The ACC added 2 great schools to it’s list of teams so they aren’t going anywhere.  This leaves the Big 12 and the Big East.  Are these 2 just going to shrink into one conference eventually?  I actually think they are but it won’t be the way they want.

I think that schools are behind the scenes working all kinds of angles to ensure they are in a safe spot in a welcome conference with funds coming in.  None of them want to be left out of the BCS.  Baylor would never consider going to the Mountain West because that would eliminate opportunity for them.  Then you have teams like TCU who left the Mountain West for the BIg East.  They did that so they could get their shot at a BCS game easier than having to go undefeated in the Mountain West.  Now they might be in a conference that is clearly losing ground and power and wondering what is really going on.

The landscape is changing daily, it reminds me of player free agency but with schools.