Week 16 Picks

Browns -3.5

Packers -14

Chiefs +14

Bills +9

Fins -3

Panthers +7

Saints -14

Jags +7.5

Steelers -2.5

Broncos +7

Cards -14

49ers -12.5

Colts -5.5

Cowboys -7

Vikings -7

Week 13 Record:8-6

Week 14 Record:8-7

Season Record:97-60

10 WORDS ABOUT THE NFL SEASON

IT'S CHRIS JOHNSON. AND DESEAN JACKSON.

AND THEN EVERYONE ELSE.

Picks

Broncos +6.5

Vikings -6

Bucs +4

Chiefs +2

Packers -4

Saints -10

Ravens -14

Dolphins +2.5

Panthers +13

Texans -7

Titans -13

Raiders +1

Cowboys -3.5

Eagles -1

Cards -3.5

WEEK 13 IN THE NFL

"THE BEST WAY TO PREDICT THE FUTURE IS TO CREATE IT." -PETER DRUCKER

"THE ENTREPRENEUR ALWAYS SEARCHES FOR CHANGE, RESPONDS TO IT, AND EXPLOITS IT AS AN OPPORTUNITY. " -PETER DRUCKER

I hear Notre Dame has genuine interest in Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald. He's a young talented young coach who fits the Notre Dame image pretty well. His teams also lose 4-5 games a year in a crappy conference, which also fits with ND's recent image. But I digress. There is no question that Fitzgerald should be on the list of coaches for Notre Dame to interview. This should be a very long drawn out process in my opinion. You have to interview a lot of coaches, and make sure that the guy you hire is going to put the whole football operations on a solid foundation for years to come.

My hierarchy would look something like this. Bob Stoops is not interested in the job. I don't know why people keep perpetuating that he's interested. He hasn't been from the second they asked him. And he's vulernable now in my opinion anyway.

1. Urban Meyer-- Bottom line, the interviewing and selection process doesn't start until he has time for an interview. Nothing matters until he agrees to spend a day in South Bend and sit in a room with the important people at the University to discuss what he is going to need. This is the guy. Until he is on the campus, and after long night of thought and consideration says "thanks I really appreciate you thinking of me, but I will not be accepting the job position at Notre Dame at this time" you owe it to the fans of Notre Dame to wait on him.

The space represents the difference between Urban and everyone else.

2. Jim Harbaugh-- This is another special guy, an Urban Meyer like presence who I would immediately try to reach the moment Urban decides not to take it. He's close to an extension with Stanford, and his alma mater Michigan is going to need a football coach perhaps as early as this summer. But this guy is charasmatic. He hates USC. He hates what Michigan has become over the last 5-10 years. He's sharp. He recruits his butt off. He's the total package. His academic standards are harder than Notre Dame's standards. And he's still getting better players in, and it has shown on the field. And they are only getting better. He's an offensive technician who is able to evaluate and procure the right kind of talent that builds a football team. This is the guy if Urban doesn't have interest. THIS IS MY GUY.

separation

3. Brian Kelly-- I wrote in September, after Cincy beat up on Rutgers so bad that I thought Rutgers might have to cancel the season, that Cincy was going to go undefeated and win their BCS game by 2 touchdowns. I also wrote how right about this time, BK would be wearing a navy Notre Dame sweater at a presser. Still could happen. I loved Kelly, and I thought he would be a slam dunk for the Irish. I have kind of cooled off on him a little. Frankly, I am getting too much Chaz Weis outta him lately. Arrogant. Fat. His team's can't play defense. Boom boom boom. But I also realize that this guy has built an empire of talent in a very short time. Very Urban Meyer like. He's great with alumni. He's great with boosters. He's a catholic guy, who WANTS the job. It's his dream job and he wants it. So I think you have to slot him very high on the list.

4. Bo Pelini

5. Pat Fitzgerald

6. Kirk Ferentz

7. Randy Etzall

Jon Gruden, obviously would be tough to pass on and would be a lot of fun to watch. Kind of a long shot though, so I am not really figuring him into my look.

I don't really root for a ton of teams or games. But I'll tell you this much: I am really rooting for the Titans today. I want this streak to stay alive. I saw the post game when Chris Johnson said "we're gonna win 10 in a row," and I left that moment thinking he might be serious. But how sweet would it be if they get by today? After today, it really becomes possible. Huge challenge today, and I wish them luck. God forbid it would fucking be on TV. If you're in Cleveland, you are going to have to suffer through Bengals-Lions instead.

Chargers -13.5

Chiefs +6

Steelers -14.5

Jags +2

Titans +6.5

Eagles -5

Bengals -13

Saints -9

Panthers -5.5

Rams +9

49ers -1

Cards +3.5

Cowboys -2.5

Fins +4.5

Packers -3

Money May v. Pac Man

I have never been the Las Vegas. I have really been itching to take a trip there. I love gambling. I am a very lucky guy. Vegas and I are a good fit. It's only a matter of time until I get there. The challenge is finding the right time and opportunity to pop my Vegas cherry. I think we may have found it, with the announcement that Floyd Mayweather has agreed in principle to the parameters of a deal to fight Manny Pacquiao.

Now I know what you are thinking. There are a lot of drawbacks to being there on the weekend of that fight. The place will be a mob scene. A scene filled with scumbags and terrible people. Everywhere you go would be flooded with morally bankrupt jerks, more so than any other weekend in a long, long time. Some of the things on the Vegas checklist will have to be put on hold until the next visit, cause it is gonna be so hard to move around and do the kind of things you do in Vegas.

But the energy and electricity on that Friday night and all day Saturday would be epic. It would be mind-blowing. I have heard Tony Kornheiser say on a couple occasions that (paraphrasing) "there is nothing better and stronger in the world of sports then the electric feeling in the air and anticipation of a big fight night." That's not the case anymore. And hasn't been the case for probably 20 years. But this fight might live up to his old saying. This fight might be boxing's last hurrah. I would be interesting to see if there was some truth to that statement.

So when that fight date gets announced, it will immediately go up on my wall. It'll be something that I am gonna try and make happen. I would like to be part of boxing's last great fight. My trip in March for the first 3.5 days of the NCAA tourney might have to wait until next year. This fight and the energy and mystique that it could bring to me and a couple of my friends might be too good to pass up.

Rajon Rondo v. Chris Johnson

The Rondo-Johnson war of words just came across my desk this afternoon, and instantly I became very intrigued. For those unaware, the Celtics Marquis Daniels is friends with Chris Johnson. And he has relayed that Rondo has bugged him on occasion that he wants to race Johnson sometime. In fact, he wants to take some money off Johnson at the same time. Well, wind of this got back to Chris Johnson, and he tweeted:

"My bradda @lambo6 called me and said they point guard rondo want to race me for 2k that's easy money set it up on espn."

Good God, yes, please set this up. This is the kinda stuff that I want to see. Why can't we see a lot more of this? I want to see the best of the best in all sports, call each other out, flap their gums, talk some noise and make propositions like this. Are you telling me that you wouldn't be interested in seeing Terrell Owens play Rudy Gay 1 on 1 for 50K of their own money? What about Paul Pierce and Dwayne Wade playing a million dollars? It would be off the charts intensity.

Rondo claims he runs a 3.9 40 yard dash. We know CJ runs a 4.25 40, the fastest electrically timed 40 ever at the NFL combine. And he's probably closer to a 4.1 when he gets adrenaline going when he's on a football field. I think CJ would smoke Rondo. I don't think it would even be close. But at the same time, you can make a case for Rondo too based on some of the things he does during an NBA game. That's the whole point. This is a topic you can go back and forth with. This needs to happen.

Week 11 Picks

Back at cha after a bye week from picking games--Gonna try to bring it strong this week talking NBA--among other things--late

Lions -3.5

Jags -8.5

Chiefs -10

Ravens +1

Giants -7

Packers -6.5

Vikings -10.5

Skins +11

Bucs +11

Rams +9

Pats -10.5

Raiders +9

Bolts -3.5

Eagles -3

Titans +4.5

Week 9 Record 7-6

Season Record 81-47

TV SHOW POWER RANKINGS

Welcome to the first installment of the YOUGOTJC TV show power poll. I will give you the rankings of the current best shows on TV. Seasons and episodes of great TV shows go in and out frequently. So this list will be pretty volatile. For example, Mad Men season 3 just ended. That would have been the number 1 show last week and for the last 13 weeks, but since it is done until August will not be part of this list. A show like Entourage as average as this last season was, still would have found itself in the top 3 every week. To keep this list short, I will not give any breakdown, but there will be some breakdown in the weeks to come. And also let me be clear in saying that I do not watch a lot of these shows live. I record them and watch them when I am bored. The DVR is really one of the seminal inventions of our time. Usually now, unless it's a hoop game or a football game, I only watch TV of shows that I have recorded. For example, the sleepy Sunday morning is usually used very poorly. Waiting for the NFL football games can be much more efficient if you got a quick workout in while at the same time knocking out 2-3 of your favorite, quality 22 minute sitcoms, instead of pounding your head with NFL pregame show analysis. Or at least that is what I have found. Here are the current rankings of shows I currently have on my DVR schedule.

1. Curb Your Enthusiasm

2. 30 Rock

3. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

4. How I Met Your Mother

5. The Office

6. Modern Family

7. Community

8. The Ruins: Real World Road Rules Challenge

9. Southpark

10. The League

11. Parks and Recreation

12. The Soup

13. The Big Bang Theory

Falling out of the lineup this week: Mad Men (season over) ESPN's 30 for 30 (Returns December 12th)

A BROWNS PRESS CONFERENCE I WOULD LIKE TO SEE

I was talking to my buddy Josh and he brought up the Browns weekly press conference, where the "pear shaped loser" Eric Mangini did what he likes to do best: to keep what he is doing with his shitty football team as secretive as possible, botch personnel decisions, and give the loyal fans in this city nothing to be optimistic about.

If I was advising the owner of the team, Mr. Lerner, here is what I would do: I would plant questions in the audience, and have a charasmatic assistant who has some presence in the room answer them on behalf of Mr. Lerner. Since I just described myself as the perfect press conference rep(I forgot great with women), just pretend it is myself who will be handling the questions and presentation.

Question # 1--Is Brady Quinn going to be the starter for the remainder of the season?

Answer: "You can bet your sweet ass he is. He's gonna take every rep in practice and every rep in the game. And were gonna try to build some comraderie and play to win. And were gonna throw it down the field. A LOT. Our line is gonna protect him, and were gonna cut it loose 35-45 times a game for the next 8 games. I don't care if we have to sign WR's from the Tremont flag football league, the ball is gonna be in the air a lot for the next 8 weeks. We gotta see if Brady Quinn can play football in this league. We gotta see if he can throw the ball with some pace in the middle of the field. We gotta see if he can throw the deep comeback route from the other hash. We needs to see if he develops the accumen to read and adjust to what defenses are doing to our offense. We gotta see if he can be accurate with the football. We gotta see if he has some balls, and isn't gonna be hurt like the pussy he's proven to be so far in his career. Bottom line, these next 8 games are gonna determine if he has a future with this organization. And if he proves he cannot play the game at an NFL level, we're gonna take long hard looks at Jimmy Clausen, Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy and Jake Locker. All those guys are really good. And we are gonna need a quarterback who can lead us to another level in the coming years. So bottom line, Brady is gonna have to play pretty fucking good. Cause the guys Mr. Lerner has in his ear now don't think Brady is worth a shit. So it's all on Brady.

Question # 2--What is Bernie Kosar's role in this organization?

Answer: Bernie doesn't know a lot of things, but he knows more about offensive football than 99.9% of this world. And he loves Cleveland. And he loves the Cleveland Browns. The Miami lifestyle has been a thorn in his side for decades. We are trying to give him a role in which he can focus on and take pride in what he knows best, and that is the offensive side of the ball. Bernie was a genius with the ball in his hands. Everyone in this press room knows that. Many of you had the privilege of watching him play back when we the Browns had it going in the late 80s early 90s. Currently, we want to place him in a role where he oversees the football operations. He is going to report to me and to me only. He will be involved in all the offensive meetings. He will be involved in all the meetings leading up to the NFL draft. We hope to give him the autonomy to help us schematically with our offensive philosophy. We all know Bernie liked to challenge defenses vertically down the field. And he was good at it. And he's still good at it, this time not as a player but in a coaching role. He sees the game as a player and always will. And we want to harness that strength. We hope he can make us good at it. Time will tell whether we are going to consider him for an upper management position within our organization. I am sure a lot of you will be delighted if he was overseeing our day to day operations as general manager or director of player personnel. But for now, we are gonna keep him in a role where he has a wide lense view, reports to me and we'll move forward when I see fit.

Question #3--What kinda grade have you given our top 5 draft picks this season, and what kind of things will you want to see out of them in terms of progression in the next 8 weeks?

Answer: There's no question that the guys we drafted in the first five rounds are great kids and great football players. But the bottom line is they haven't performed at the level it takes to be successful in this league. So if you're asking for a grade right now, the answer would be incomplete. We have to keep in mind that they are young players still trying to get accustom to this league, but we also have to take a hard line and make sure they develop to be players that can help this team going forward. We have thrown Alex right into the fire. He plays a tough position, arguably the second hardest position on the field. Luckily he has been surrounded by some leaders who have helped him. But the stats don't lie. We cannot rush the football. And we're having a tough time protecting the QB. And he has been a part of that. We are gonna challenge him to continue to make the right protection calls and move his feet better. He will also have to deal with a lot of shot gun snaps. He knows that he will have to have a very productive offseason doing the things that are gonna make his feet better.

Mohamed Mass has a lot of talent. He has shown signs of being able to make plays down the field. He drops way too many balls. We haven't made it easy on him changing quarterbacks, and calling inefficient plays. We hope that changes. He's gonna be playing almost every snap for us. We would like to see him catch the ball consistently. We are going to try to design plays that isolate him with a coverage he can deal with. The one thing that bothers me is he keeps making the same mistakes he has always made. We want to see consistent improvement.

Same way with Brian. We want him in on a lot of snaps. We want to see if and when he gets one on one coverage, he can win the matchup. If he can't, we might have to move forward. He's gotta play really hard, and make the plays that he should make every time.

Veikune, Maiava and Francies are gonna be involved in several levels of special teams, and we are going to look to plug them in on our defense consistently. We want to see if those guys can make some of the plays necessary to be part of our defense going forward. Coye has to prove he can cover and make plays in space. The other two have show they have the strength and presence to be part of an NFL front 7. So far, we have seen none of that.

Question #4--Has Mr. Lerner been taking his football advice from the bum that sits outside the restaurant he eats lunch at everyday and the school crossing guard at a local school he lives by?

Answer: Haha. We have been getting that question a lot. And the answer is no. Mr Lerner is doing everything he can to surround himself with people that know football. In the past, I think he would admit he's been lazy. Currently, he is working around the clock to communicate with people that could be good for this organization. I know you have all heard Mike Holmgren's name being thrown around. He is just one of several men we are talking to. We want to re-work our organizational setup. We want a President of operations that has been part of successful football. We also want a general manager, and a director of player personnel. We want those 3 positions, as well as a head coach. The model for this organization will be built by those 4 positions, with the President having final say. There are going to be established roles, and decision making on personnel decisions will be given to our general manager. Our organizational behavior has to change. And it has to change immediately.

Question #5--Is Eric Mangini's job as head coach safe?

Answer: Absolutely not. Have you seen the guy? He's a pear shaped loser. Have you heard him talk? He sounds like a slow 5th grader whose in the bottom reading group. I can't believe he was on the Sopranos. We will critically evaluate him, and what he has done over the last 18 months at the end of the season. But make no mistake, his job is not safe. We want a coach this town can BELIEVE, and BELIEVE IN. Period.

John Carroll at Cleveland State

"I try not to think with my gut. If I am serious about understanding the world, thinking with anything besides my brain, as tempting as that might be, is likely to get me into trouble." -Carl Edwards Sagan

The John Carroll basketball team plays Cleveland State downtown tonight. It is the first exhibition game for both teams. Carroll has a lot of good players, and if a couple things go right for them, they might be in a good position to possbily beat a CSU team that lost a lot of its leaders and good players from their NCAA tournament team of last year. I expect Carroll to improve on their effort from last year and be ready to play hard. They gotta be patient and work hard to get great looks on every offensive possession and slow down Cleveland State in transition.

For me, are a lot of unknowns for the Cleveland State team, so I can't really go too in depth on the matchups. I know that if the Vikings are trotting out Joe Latas and Tim Kamchick anywhere near the court, Carroll's chances are getting better by the minute. Carroll's first unit can match up pretty competitively with whoever the Vikes put out there. Carroll has to make sure they get great looks, and attack the basket under control and with confidence. They have to slow the ball down when CSU gets it and not allow them to dominate athletically, going from point A to point B without resistance.

It really depends on how into the game CSU will be. This is usually a "go through the motions" game for them. But I am sure they have a lot of guys who are trying to win playing time and spots in the rotation. So that can be good and bad for Carroll. Good because they won't have great chemistry and will struggle doing some of the things that make them good. Bad because there might be some dominant athletes on CSU, who are sick of 4 hours practices, who will be ready to prove their worth and get busy.

For Carroll, it would be great to win, but more importantly it is just the first step in what could be a very fun and exciting year. This is a game that puts you between the lines with some really good players who are playing at the highest level. It allows you to measure yourself, and also see what it's like to play against some of the better basketball players floating around this country. But Carroll's focus should remain on playing with max effort, communicating well with each other, being unselfish and preparing for a long day in and day out journey. Win or lose, the journey begins tonight. And it is important that for the guys at Carroll to appreciate the opportunity to play these guys and take advantage of the opportunity to propel themselves on the path to being a winning basketball team.

WEEK 9 ON THE SPOT PICKS

FIRST TIME ALL WEEK I HAVE LOOKED AT THE LINES--BEEN HOTTER THAN JANUARY JONES THE LAST TWO WEEKS SO I'M GETTING A LITTLE COCKY--NEVER A GOOD THING WHEN PICKING A HARD LEAGUE

JAGS -6.5

RAVENS -3

TEXANS +8.5

SKINS +9

BEARS -3

FINS +10.5

PANTHERS +13

HAWKS -10

BUCS +9.5

49ERS -4

CHARGERS +5

EAGLES -3

STEELERS -2.5

Last Week 9-4

Season Total 74-41

STREAM OF CONSCIOUS THOUGHTS

"I BELIEVE, AS LONG AS THERE IS PLENTY, POVERTY IS EVIL." -BOBBY KENNEDY

Browns

George Kokinis is a smart man, that came from a great organization in the Ravens. He agreed to leave his nice position with the Birds, where he was rising fast, based on the belief that he would have FINAL say on the players that would be drafted and play for the Browns. But from the very second he stepped on the Browns campus, he was completely kicked to the curb and had no say in anything that involved football operations. GK might not have been the right guy for the job, but he was never given the opportunity to show his skills, because the big fat loser named Eric Mangini was too busy running this great organization into the ground. From the very beginning, the big fat loser has mismanaged every facet of football operations and organizational behavior. From not saying hi to people in the hallways, to hiring imcompetent coordinators, the laundry list of errors is too long to talk about. And unfortunately for Browns fans, it seems like this nightmare might not be over just yet.

Eric Mangini missed his career move big time. He should be making millions of dollars, not coaching football, but teaching MBAs and business students how to sell themselves in the interview chair. I mean the guy could sell ice to eskimos. Why isn't this guy doing marketing for a hedge fund? This is a guy who stepped into a Jets board room, and duped them after his stint as a defensive coordinator in New England completely deteriorated. A tenure that saw the Pats D get worse and worse, to the point where BB had to take over the play calling. That didn't stop the Jets from welcoming him aboard with open arms. A Sopranos cameo, and several shitty seasons later, his next stop was Al Lerner's office. In his greatest moment, he delivered an oscar worthy performance and yet again duped a shy private man, who will not do live interviews.

NBA

You look at a guy like Leoul Deng, and you just see this tin man who is constantly hurt. You see a guy who is overpaid by many many millions, and wonder how and when this guy was EVER worth 80 million. But then he has a night like he did the other night, with 24 points on 70% shooting and brings down 20 rebounds. And a game like he did last night against the Cavs, where he just checked LeBron like he was just another guy in the league. A fantastic defensive display by Deng last night. Bron finished with 24, but 6-8 of those were in transition, and 6-8 were in situations where Deng was out or on a stone cold switch. Every time I picked my head up, I saw Bron settling for a bad look, and I think you gotta credit Deng with a solid effort.

I have a very soft spot for Jo Noah. I was a huge fan of his game coming out of Florida, and thought he was gonna be a great pro. I would have taken him inside the top 10 if I had a shot at him. And I have ended friendships with those who don't think he's good. There's been many occasions of that. He played pretty shitty last night, but he gives you just a ton of value at a low price. I watched him in the first quarter when they beat the Spurs and it was just a clinic. Hard wide ball screens. Hard rim runs. Deflections. Assists. Offensive rebounds. Hard helps. Runs the floor. Talks on D. Energy. Focus. Hustle. He's a beast.

Here is where I would put the power rankings after a week and a half of games:

1A Lakers

1B Celtics

2 Magic

3 Nuggets

4 Spurs

5 Cavs

Brandon Jennings has brought the League to it's knees early in the season, as I predicted earlier this summer. He's doing whatever he wants, albeit on a crummy team, and making guys like Donnie Walsh and other guys that passed on him want to slit their wrists. I mean, if you're Donnie Walsh, how are you justifying this to your stakeholders. You gotta team going nowhere, that can't afford to miss a guy like BJ and he totally whiffs and takes a bum like PJ Hill, who can't even get on the floor for one of the shittiest teams in the league. OUCH. Jennings is gonna hit that rookie wall, but the guy lives in the key, and does anything he wants to do with no jump shot to speak of.

Rajon Rondo might be on steroids. His chest is starting to look like Derek Smith's and John Reese's.

The Houston Rockets, one of my favorite teams in the league, are off to a hot start. They don't have a blue player on the roster, but are built with players who have tremendous intangible value. Darryl Morey, one of the best GMs in the league, continues to amaze me with his ability to find guys who are undervalued, and plug them into a team. You gotta give Rick Adelman a lot of credit as well. Hopefully, they will be able to get a contribution from Tmac somewhere down the line, and keep enough juice to sneak into the playoffs.

I feel for CP3. His situation is bad. They'll struggle to make the top 8 in the west. Good for my fantasy team because I have Paul, but bad for his morale.

WEEK 8 SPREAD SELECTIONS

RAVENS -3.5

PACKERS -3

49ERS +13

FINS +3

COWBOYS -9.5

EAGLES +1

CHARGERS -16.5

RAMS +4

TITANS -3

PANTHERS +10

BEARS -13

BILLS +3

SAINTS -10.5

Last Week 10-3

Season Total 65-37

THE MIKE BROWN WATCH IS ON

The YOUGOTJC writing team is officially putting Mike Brown on notice. It's amazing that we are two games in, and talking about blowing the Cavs up and firing the coach, but it's the reality that we live in. It's sports in 2009 folks. The Cavs are a billion dollar entity. They have a superstar who has played at a very high level the first two games, only to lose bad both games. For the player in question to play at that high of a level and lose calls for very big concerns and borderline panic. Yet again, the Cavs have failed to focus on what's urgent and important.

Just thinking about it for a second, I can only think of really one name who the Cavs can bring in on short notice that will be able to handle the job: Doug Collins. Jeff Van Gundy is another guy, but his style and the way he handles and procures personnel are things that would have had to be assembled in July, not November. Collins fits the mold. LeBron gushes about the guy. He's beloved by all the best players. He's a player's coach who knows plenty about the NBA game at both ends. He's a competent coach, who hasn't gotten to the top of mountain, but has done enough to warrant serious discussion. He'll have LeBron's attention in a big way, and that will echo throughout the whole team. He has had a front row seat and access to every NBA team for the last several years. He is in no hurry to coach, but if he got a phone call and an opportunity to coach LeBron, I think he would be in Cleveland tomorrow. He would be my guy, and I imagine Dan Gilbert is in contact with him as we speak.

Some buzz about Captain Jack, Stephen Jackson, being back in the Cavs discussion this morning. Although he might be a good fit, we would have to give up Z to the Warriors in exchange. That's a tough proposition for Danny Ferry. Him and Z are very close and I understand this. But at the end of the day, it's a business. And if you're Danny Ferry, your job is on the line in a very big way. It's not like Z is gonna be out on the street. At worst he'll sit on the Warriors bench for the next couple months. The Warriors could very well buy him out and he can come back to the Cavs. I mean, shit Z has made well over 120 million dollars throughout his career. It's not like you're sending your fellow steel mill worker to the breadlines. He's gotta retire soon, and he can come work for you after Bron signs an extension next summer.

Hot stat of the day: Shaq plus minus rating last night -25

ONE AND DONE

I didn't see much of the Cavs game last night because I had a night class. I got home and caught the last 6 minutes of the 4th quarter. And as I expected, that last 6 minutes was all I really needed to see. It was quickly apparent to me that the Cavs are in very big trouble, and we're only 1 game into the season.

Those last 10-12 possessions were a microcosm of what always goes wrong for the Cavs and showed yet again that there are errors in the way the team is constructed. It's the same problems, the players just change. It's a perpetual deer in the headlights position, with LeBron at times shining through and providing unforgettable moments.

Everything I needed to know about the game happened on back to back possessions. I picked the game up with the Cavs down 5. The Cavs got a stop on defense, grabbed the board and got nothing in transition. Mo Williams got involved with a high ball screen from Shaq and couldn't get anything going off of it (shocking huh?). The ball eventually got swung to LeBron, who, (and get ready for this suspense folks) pounded the ball into the hardwood 11 times in a row (how bout a post game?) with the shot clock getting into single digits and settles for a 23 footer off the dribble (never seen that before huh?) Brick. Rebound Celtics. Paul Pierce walks the ball up the court, gets a high ball screen from KG, walks to the key untouched, to the elbow and nails an 15 footer that he is going to make 9.5 times out of 10 in the clutch. Timeout Cavs. Ball game. The camera flips over to Danny Ainge whose talking to some drunk slob probably saying something like "I would rather have PP in the last 2 minutes than any other player in the NBA." And there you have it. A microcosm of game 1 of 82 in 2 possessions. A tale of 2 elite teams. The Celtics being in complete control. The Cavs being in a constant state of uncertainty.

It's hard to bury to Cavs and put them way behind the curve after one game played and 81 left, but at the same time, for me it is very easy. It is clear to me that they have not changed many of the urgent and important things necessary to get the Cavs playing at a championship level. They have a lot of work to do and moves to make as we enter this marathon season. They are clearly the 5th best team in the league, and will have to make a lot of changes in their approach if they want to get back into the discussion of potentially playing in the NBA finals.

WEEK 7 PICKS BABY

Not exactly a great day of games from where I am sitting. You're not selling me on Cowboys/Falcons. Nor the Giants/Cards. Minny and the Steelers is a good game. I like the Steelers there. Hopefully the Browns can get something going and stay in this game for a while. Because other than that, it's gonna be a long day until Mad Men at 10.

P.S. Take the time to appreciate what Josh Cribbs does today. He is one of the best players in the NFL.

Packers -8.5

Bolts -5

Colts -14

Bengals -1

Steelers -6

Pats -14.5

Texans -3

Jets -6

Panthers -7

Fins +6.5

Falcons +4.5

Cardinals +7

Eagles -7

Last Week 7-7

Season 55-34

COUPLE IRISH AND NFL THOUGHTS

"FROM THE ERRORS OF OTHERS, A WISE MAN CORRECTS HIS OWN." -SYRUS

"SOMETIMES WHEN YOU WIN, YOU REALLY LOSE AND SOMETIMES WHEN YOU LOSE YOU REALLY WIN, AND SOMETIMES WHEN YOU WIN OR LOSE, YOU ACTUALLY TIE, AND SOMETIMES WHEN YOU TIE, YOU ACTUALLY WIN OR LOSE. WINNING OR LOSING IS ALL ONE ORGANIC MECHANISM, FROM WHICH ONE EXTRACTS WHAT ONE NEEDS." -WHITE MAN CAN'T JUMP

Pretty interesting week of football in both college and the pros. The Saints are channelling the 2000 Rams' best show on turf. Notre Dame still can't get over the hump, in a year where they had to grind out a win over USC. The Browns cannot play offense at an NFL caliber level even OTA's the longest training camp out of all 32 teams, 4 preseason games and 6 regular games. Talent level aside, there is no excuse that they haven't created a scheme that can move the ball at least a little bit against other teams. It's a complete joke. I feel bad for all the guys.

Notre Dame

Despite a hell of an effort by Robby Parris aka John Stamos 2.0, the Fighting Irish came up short again against USC. What a bummer. In a game they had to have, Notre Dame had a tough time competing against the Trojans and their talent level. The game was teetering on a blow out several times, only to see USC keep Notre Dame in the game with un-excusable dead ball 15 yard penalties, with several extending Notre Dame drives. It was just a complete lack of discipline by Pete Carroll's guys.

A lot of USC honks have been out this morning clamoring that they were getting homered to death by bad calls and spots. Absolutely not. It was USC player stupidity. All those personal fouls and un-sportsman like conduct penalties were justified to me. Taylor Mays, everybody's All-American, is very overrated. I dunno what he has done or proved. I think he's very average. He's nowhere close to Tennessee safety Erick Berry's level. I realize Mays weighs a lot and still runs a 4.3 40, but I have never seen him make a good play. I have seen him hit guys late. I have seen him spear guys after his teammates have safely dragged them to the ground. I have seen him take cheap shots like the one he took on Robby Parris late in the 4th quarter. But I have yet to see him make a big play in a big game. And he was very much absent when Notre Dame got it going in the 4th quarter.

A good game might have won Jimmy Clausen the Heisman Trophy Saturday. Unfortunately, he didn't play well enough in the first half and got too far behind. He continues to show though, that he has a lot of skills. He stood in there Saturday through continued heat and pressure better than I have ever seen him. He made some big time throws in that second half. I was bummed though cause that was a big game for him being a California kid. He had a chance to stick it to a bunch of guys he grew up with a came up a little short. And on top of that, he got really tight and didn't make great throws the last two plays on the goal line. That first throw seemed a little rushed, and it wasn't clear whether Golden Tate cut the route or Clausen didn't read it right. That last play with one second was where I was shaking my head. I don't understand why he didn't take his chances with Kyle Rudolph. It was coming open too. It was a great high-low read route combo. He had that linebacker sitting in no-man's land. And for some reason, he chose to throw the out to a scrub whose only in there because Robby got hurt. And of course he slipped out of his break. He's a backup receiver for Notre Dame. I thought he should have waited for Rudy to clear one more step and put it on him high and hard where only he can catch it. O well.

Golden Tate is a terror after the catch. It is really unbelievable. He just cannot be brought to the ground. He is so strong and powerful. I mean the guy has a lot of bad moments--drops, fumbles, hot dog tendencies, but all that aside--when he gets the ball, you better be ready to go if you want to tackle him. The whole season you have seen guys just fail to get him down. There will be 3 guys trying to handle him and all 3 guys will fall trying to get him out of bounds and Tate will still be standing after the play. He is a beast.

Matt Barkley got my "best player in the gym" award. Not bad for a freshman. Pretty solid effort. Aside from the panic interception, he was very sharp and threw it well at every level of the field. Always a little easier when you're playing the Notre Dame paper-machey secondary.

For the Notre Dame fans, here's the crux of the situation. It was a great game. The guys played really hard. BUT--you were at home. You had the most talented team you have had in a very long time. You were playing the worst USC team they have had in the last five or six years. Missing their best receiver and goal line running back. With a true freshman quarterback. And only two horses on defense. You have all that going for you, and you look up to see that you're down 20 in the 4th quarter? Really? And if it wasn't for a complete lack of focus and discipline by USC, you get blown out of the stadium. It was a great effort and a great fight. But you're still barely in the top 40 teams in college football, and though progress is being made it is still very hard to take your playing ability as a team seriously. There was not any point in that game where anyone being objective thought you might have a chance to win.

But let's end this rant on the positive. Rob, great effort man--great game. 9 catches for 90 yards. Several clutch 3rd down pick-ups. Ballsy catch on 3rd and 13 with the game on the line. It was the best game of your career. I hope your knee is okay.

NFL

It's amazing how quick fortunes and futures change in the NFL. There is nothing like it. It is a zero-sum game.

Coach Rex Ryan was the toast of the league. 3-0, a genius, they were carving his name into the coach of the year trophy. Three weeks later, he's 3-3. The last two games, he has ended games with timeouts in his pocket, and has exposed himself as a coach who needs to take game management 101.

And my guy Matt Sanchez isn't doing his coach or more importantly me any favors. WHAT THE HELL MAN? STOP EMBARRASSING THE "YOUGOTJC" BLOG! YOU'RE IN THE FRICKKIN NFL MATT! 8 PICKS IN 3 GAMES? REALLY? WORK ON YOUR CRAFT. PLAYING QUARTERBACK IS HARD, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE A ROOK. STOP TEXTING THE BIMBOS THAT STALK THE STREETS OF NEW YORK. HOW BOUT SOME FILM STUDY? WHAT A JOKE. AND DON'T CRY IN THE PRESS CONFERENCE. YOU'RE BETTER THAN THAT.

WEEK 6 IN THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE

RAVENS +3

STEELERS -14

CHIEFS +6

TEXANS +5.5

RAMS +9.5

GIANTS +3

BUCS +3

LIONS +14

EAGLES -14

HAWKS -3

JETS -9.5

PATS -9.5

FALCONS -3

BRONCOS +3.5

LAST WEEK 9-5

SEASON 48-27

Fins Jets Thoughts

Dolphins/Jets

I wanted to go back to the Monday Night Football game a couple nights ago. That wasn't the greatest game ever to watch, but I thought it had some good things in it.

Dan Henning and Mike Price of the Fins continue to amaze me with their scheme and play calling. When they played the Colts three Mondays ago, they put on an offensive show albeit in a loss. Monday was no different. They had it going again, beating the Jets in dramatic fashion, (and covering the 3 point spread) and continuing to cement the wildcat formation in the NFL. I love what they do with it. I dunno what it is, but I have been locked in on both the Fins Monday night games. And on top of that, Chad Henne really showed up and played hard. He was impressive. In that last drive, he made some big time throws, namely the touch pass he made on 3rd and 4 to Greg Camarillo and zip throw he made rolling right on 3rd and 10 to Greg Camarillo. Those were huge plays that propelled them to the win. Ronnie Brown just has a knack for running that thing man. Where does he go if we re-drafted our fantasy leagues today? Probably top 5. But I like Tony Sparano, and I think we gotta slot the Dolphins a little higher in the power rankings going forward. 2-3 going into their buy week, keeping in mind that they had the 2nd best team in the league, the Colts, on the ropes only to choke and completely fall apart right at the end. But I think that Henne is an upgrade, and with that cool scheme they aren't gonna be a team I would look forward to preparing for late in the year.

I wasn't surprised at all to see Braylon play well for the Jets. He's a high level talent with all the tools. He got out of a toxic situation here in Cleveland, and now has to focus for the next 11 weeks and earn himself a second contract. He made some great plays in that game. There's just more there on that team. You gotta respect more guys. Cotchery, Keller and Leon Washington aren't exactly Randy Moss, but you can't just blantantly roll your coverage all over Braylon like you could when he was in Cleveland. And Thomas Jones and that line can dictate some tempo and make you stop the run consistently. Those little things add up. Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer is an up and coming guy, and has some good ideas with play calling and formations. He isn't gonna put Braylon in spots where he struggles. He's gonna shift him around and put him in positions and matchups where he has the advantage to get open or draw flags. My guy Matt Sanchez has hit a little wall these last 2 weeks, with the league starting to get better film on his tendencies. He was good Monday night, but still at times locks on guys is forced to throw balls into the tuba player. Braylon will surely make Sanchez better. Rex Ryan is a great guy but he looked like a rookie ending the game with two timeouts to spare. Game and time management seems like such a simple thing, but it takes so time to get a good grasp of. He'll have to get better as he goes, as the Jets seem to be in the discussion for making the playoffs.

Monday Morning

" I WANT WINNERS." -Mike Singletary, on billboards all over San Fran and neighboring cities

"DO YOUR JOB." -Only sign in the Browns building when Bill Belichick was in Cleveland

"Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit at home and think about it. Go out and get busy." -Dale Carnegie

Fantasy

I would like to start this post out by ranting about how unfair fantasy football is. This is my first fantasy football league I am undertaking this season. And so far, the experience has been horrible. Talk about a crab shoot. I can't believe how much luck is involved. It's all luck. There is absolutely no skill involved in this fairy tale football league. I dumped Miles Austin this week, after 3 nice weeks of 1 point, 0 points and 0 points. Nice effort, you realize you're a fringe receiver in this league right? You realize you're making 500 grand and almost none of it is guaranteed right? Might wanna start playing a little harder. Give poor Tony Romo a target out there. In my league, he had 46 points yesterday. Cut Nate Burleson this Thursday and replaced him with Hakeem Nicks. Hassleback comes back, throws 4 touchdown, 2 to Nate, and despite Hakeem Nicks' 10 point week (solid), Nate had a nice 30 point week. You just can't win. Look I'm all about showing off my having a good feel about the NFL and its players chops, which I thought I would be able to do in this league, but that's the exact opposite of what this is. It's like the lottery.

Browns

Hats off to Eric Mangini and the Cleveland Browns for racking their first win of the season yesterday. They should be 2-3, are we all clear on that? Isn't that funny. For how horrible and bad they are in every area, management, staff, coaching, players they could be 2-3 going into the steel city this week. When you're rebuilding, like the Browns are trying to do, it's about momentum and small victories. And yesterday was probably the smallest victory in league history. But you can't take it away. It's a start. They aren't gonna go 0-16. The owner for the Bills is a pioneer. A great guy. A hall of famer. But I would have fired Dick Jauron in the tunnel after the game last night. What a travesty. Then I would have sat at the biggest exit with a suitcase full of money and given every fan in that stadium their money back, tickets to the next home game and told them the Buffalo Bills will be ready to play next week.

Broncos/Bengals

I made 2 nice calls this weekend. Bengals to win outright. Broncos to win outright. Cedric Benson, who knew? This goes back to my fantasy qualms earlier. Guy is having a hell of year. Probably didn't go til round 10. Now if we re-drafted he'd be a top 8 pick. Just a first class win by the Bengals. On the eve of a tragedy in the sudden death of Vikki Zimmer, wife of defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, the Bengals pieced together a ballsy performance. My thoughts and prayers are with the Zimmer family. Same goes for Josh McDaniels and the Broncos. It must have felt pretty good to beat your mentor. Brandon Marshall, a pariah all spring and summer is being the beast he has shown himself to be the last two seasons. When the game starts, he's blue. It's as simple as that. You can't tackle him. Isn't it amazing how open guys are on the Broncos every play? Middle of the road players by the way. Running wide open. Every play. With a marginal quarterback throwing them the ball. They are so well coached on offense. Would be pretty cool if the Browns were like that.

NBA

Memo to David Stern: jokes getting old with freezing out the NBA officials. I realize that the NBA isn't the NFL. And not every team is worth a billion dollars if they were sold tomorrow. And a lot of your teams are in trouble financially. But fucking pay the refs already. This is a joke. Sack up. Swallow your pride. And give your guys the money they deserve. I don't know what they are asking for. I don't care to know. But get them under contract. And let them do their jobs and make a living. Because if this doesn't get settled soon, it's gonna be big trouble. I watched the first half of the Suns and Warriors the other day. Talk about slop fest. Absolutely no flow. Bad calls left and right. These jokers had no clue what they got themselves into. Channing Frye is a unbelievable fit on Phoenix though. Pick and pop player. Knocked down a couple 3's. Let's Amare control the paint and gives him ton of room. Unselfish. A nice pickup for the Suns. And did anyone catch Captain Jack's effort the other night? 9 minutes, 5 fouls, 1 technical--and on top of all that excused himself after the technical by walking into the locker room. Where do we think that guy is gonna land? Any leaders? Mavs?

JOSH MCDANIELS

The Broncos are 5-0 folks. And surprise surprise, the guy who writes these posts had a feeling they might be a pretty good team. He was laughed outta the bar by a few of his friends. Other friends questioned his eyes and brain through text message or email. But I tried to stay positive and stick with my belief. And they have rewarded me with the chance to send a lot of very arrogant and sarcastic text messages back to friends.

I am a big Josh McDaniel honk. I think he's a really good young coach. He knows a lot about offense. His organizational plan has paid big dividends so far. He has hired a lot of great assistants. Mike Nolan has made that defense aggressive and sound. He is batting .1000 so far. He was laughed off of every NFL Live show, every local radio show, everything imaginable this summer. But it's the fall baby. It's football time. And he has been a great leader and put his team in a nice position so far in their very winnable division. He has the attention of the 53 in the room. And that's all that matter. The players respect him and trust him.

WEEK 5 NFL PICKS

PEEPS WHAT'S HAPPENING--BEEN A WEEK SINCE I WROTE ABOUT ANYTHING. SORRY A LOTTA WORK CAME ACROSS MY DESK THIS WEEK. I WILL BE AROUND TO WRITE ABOUT SOME OF THE WEEK THAT WAS LATER TODAY. I AM HOPING TO REDEEM MYSELF THIS WEEK PICKING NFL GAMES.

IT WAS A REALLY SLICK MOVE BRAGGING ABOUT HOW HOT I WAS PICKING NFL GAMES AGAINST THE SPREAD. IT'S NEVER A GOOD IDEA TO ADVERTISE YOUR FORESIGHT TO THE GAMBLING GODS. BECAUSE IF YOU DO, THEY'LL REWARD YOU WITH A 7-7 WEEK, AND YOU'LL BE LUCKY TO GET THAT. LOOKING AT THESE LINES THIS WEEK IS A TELLING SIGN OF HOW BAD SOME TEAMS ARE, INCLUDING OUR BELOVED BROWNS. I THINK THIS IS A YEAR WHERE YOU'LL SEE SOME 20 POINT LINES. I CANT REMEMBER A TIME WHEN THERE WAS THIS MANY TEAMS, NAMELY 4-6 TEAMS THAT WERE SO MUCH WORSE THAN EVERYONE IN THE LEAGUE. I MEAN, THE BROWNS COULD GO 4-12 AND HAVE THE 6TH PICK IN THE DRAFT. THE RAMS, BUCS, CHIEFS, LIONS, RAIDERS ARE HORRIBLE. THE PANTHERS MIGHT BE TERRIBLE. THE JAGS MIGHT BE BAD. AND THE BROWNS ARE BAD. WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.

BROWNS +6
VIKES -10.5
CHIEFS +8
PANTHERS +4
EAGLES -15
GIANTS -15.5
BENGALS +9
STEELERS -10.5
NINERS -2.5
BRONCOS +3
TEXANS +5.5
JAGS +1
TITANS +4

FINS +2

LAST WEEK 7-7
SEASON 39-22

SPREAD PICKS (ON NO SLEEP)

Bengals -5.5
Texans -9.5
Titans -3
Ravens +2.5
Giants -8.5
Lions +10
Bucs +7
Colts -10
Jets +7
Fins +2
Niners -9.5
Cowboys -3
Chargers +6.5

Vikes -3.5

Last Week 10-6
Season 32-15

RULES OF THUMB

If you can't sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there worrying. It's the worry that gets you, not the lack of sleep. -Dale Carnegie

First ask yourself: What is the worst that can happen? Then prepare to accept it. Then proceed to improve on the worst. -Dale Carnegie

“You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” -Christopher Columbus


The Hills

Sadly, and by sadly I mean one of those moments where you lay in bed and really start evaluating your life and how you are approaching it, I watched the season premiere of the Hills early Wednesday morning. I caught the 1:30am repeat and was hooked immediately within the first 2 minutes of the show. And during this show, 2 major things came to mind. Number one, Kristen Cavallari is SMOKING hot and during this 22 minute show was probably one of the top 5 hottest girls walking around this Earth. The second thing I thought of is I could have thought of and written this show over the last X amount of years and still had time to do other projects. Are the creators of this show swimming in a pool of money in their mansions in Malibu or do they just have a hot tub filed with 100's as opposed to a pool? It's easy to see why so many people are addicted to this show. It's aestetically beautiful. There is something in the way they shoot it that just draws you to it. And what a simple concept. You take one of the hottest chicks in the game right now, and you just write her a character and is freaking hot and nuts. Within 5 minutes of the show starting, Kristen had to be physically separated from a verbal altercation with Audrina (smokeshow). It was edge of your seat theater. I am gonna try my best and hardest not to get into this absolute waste of time and life series, but I gotta say it's gonna be tough. Kristen is gonna go after Audrina's old dude. It's gonna be quite the season with Kristen back as the alpha dog of that fabricated creation that they try to sell as real life drama. Sit back and enjoy!

Delonte

Delonte West in training camp today on day 3. Nice to see. Like my buddy Josh said the other day--that guy has to be on a basketball court. That's the only place he can ever be. The Cavs will have their hands full again this year trying to keep that guy on an even keel.

Tim Tebow

I made a huge omission on Monday with my review of the football weekend not mentioning the Tim Tebow hit. I cannot believe I didn't cover that as I proclaimed it "the biggest moment in college football of the last 5 years" when it happened. You got a steady dose of the sappy Florida fans in the house looking very concerned. Coeds were crying. Mothers were crying. I think new born babies in Gainesville were crying. But that was a seminal moment in what has been a shitty college football year. My immediate reaction, and I am still holding onto this belief is that he is not going to be ready for at least 2-3 games. I think this is the kinda thing that is gonna linger longer than they anticipate and Tim Tebow is not going to be himself for at least a month maybe more. It seems like he kind of dodged a bullet and is recovering nicely. Urban Meyer has been pretty mum on the issue. He has said a couple positive things, but even if he knew he was in trouble he would be saying the same things. Meyer is very Belichick-ian, and he's not letting anything get outta his camp. But this definitely creates a nice little wrinkle. It will be interesting to see where the top teams go from here. I hope he can come back and play at a high level with no cobwebs or rust. But quick side note here: let's go ahead and make this guy from Kentucky pee in a cup this week right? Is it just me? I know he had a free crack at a guy looking downfield. But we're talking about Tim Tebow here. A 6'5, 260 pound mountain. The greatest college player of his generation. One of the strongest guys in college football, who was in a balanced drop back position. And this guy hit him high and put him horizontal like he was some guy from intramural flag football. Maybe it's just me. Obviously his adrenaline was running high, but even he had to be surprised at that pop.

Tyler Thigpen

I wrote a hand written letter to Bill Parcells yesterday discussing that I had championed Tyler Thigpen as a guy who can play quarterback in the NFL at a high level in my blog before the draft and once during the summer. I told him I urged the Browns to trade for him. I told him I think he's a good prospect who needs someone like Bill Parcells to believe in him and put him in the right system. He has shown flashes of spinning it all over the field at a high level. I told him since I was on the same page with you, and you're the frickkin Tuna, that you should offer me a job in your scouting department as soon as possible and pay me a lotta money to make personnel decisions for the Fins. I will keep you updated on his decision.

Rules of Thumb

I really enjoyed making my way through this book called RULES OF THUMB by Alan Webber. Instead of giving you his background, I am just gonna say this: go check it out of your library. It's setup so you don't have to read it all, you can just take bits and pieces from it. Here's a few couple quick hits with my analysis.

Rule #36--Message to entreprenuers: managing your emotional flow is more critical than managing your cash flow.

-The biggest threat to starting your own shop in something isn't running out of cash, it's going out of your mind! The emotional ups and downs of starting your own business are like The Magnum circa 1996. Every day matters. Every decision matters. Your first job is staying sane. Your second job is making money. There is nothing more difficult than trying to create something that doesn't exist yet. Think team, team, team, and always remember that nothing is so serious that you can't laugh, especially at yourself.

Rule #41--If you want to be a real leader, first get real about leadership.

-Amazon offers 284, 928 titles in its leadership library. Let's not get confused about leadership here. It's not men in high places. It's not the 3 shmucks at some investment bank. It's not the guy who ran GM into the ground. It's people who are demonstrating real leadership qualities. People who don't know all the answers, but are asking all the right questions. The company with the most leaders at all levels wins. Check your ego at the door. Be authentic. Listen. Lead by example. Knowing it ain't the same as doing it.

Rule #43--Don't confuse credentials with talent.

The paradigm right now, at least to me, is everyone is going after and recruiting the same guy or girl. This person has an MBA from Harvard or Wharton. It doesn't make much sense. The hungriest people usually don't go to those business schools. Same way with hoops or college football if you wanna think about that way. Not everyone can be USC football or North Carolina hoops. It's the coaches that have staffs and assistants with good eyes for talent that are having great success. Hire for attitude. Talent matters. Reward grit. Reward character.

NFL, NBA TRAINING CAMP

“Never interrupt your enemy when he's making a mistake.” -- Napoleon

"So we living life like a video, where the sun is always out, and you never get old, and the champagnes always cold, and the musics always good, and the pretty girls just happen to stop by in the hood..." --Jay-Z

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” -- Scott Adams

What's going on everybody. Sorry for the delay. I have been stuck in LA. Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian's wedding was quite an affair. Those two kids are silly in love. I really think they are going to make it. Anyway I had to take the red eye back this morning and was anxious to talk about the football weekend. We also have NBA training camps opening today. Always exciting.

1. It's Tuesday afternoon, and Jim Zorn is still employed. I thought he would be fired on his way to the tunnel after he shook Jim Shwartz's hand. Then I thought for sure during the Sunday night game. Then I thought for sure 9am Monday morning. Then I thought for sure during the first half of the Monday night game. O well. It's safe to say that his seat is blistering hot. I gave him some love last season, but he has not performed at a high level so far this season. He and his team have to run off a very nice streak and make the playoffs in the NFC in order for him to keep his job. Not an easy task. One thing's for sure, The Daniel will be very busy in the next couple months finding his next football coach.

2. Little blurb on the bottom line last night about how Kevin Garnett has been running and playing with his teammates over the last week at the practice facility. Talk about an under-reported story! I know the Boston media guys love the Red Sox, and it's all Red Sox all the time until they are eliminated, but KG is a big deal too. Where was this question all spring and summer: "Mr Ainge, have you seen Kevin Garnett run in the last 6 months?" "Have you seen him jump?" "Has you seen him do anything explosive with any amount of confidence?" Might have been worth noting. As for me, I think he is in trouble. Just from watching his 10 second soundbyte last night during media day, he spoke with a lot of uncertainty and worry in his voice. I don't think that thing ever gets right. And I think he misses games frequently with chronic aches and tendinittis. KG holds all the big cards in the eastern conference. I think we'll know pretty quickly where the season is headed once we see KG.

3. A couple player's grievances filed against Browns coach Eric Mangini this week. That's never a good thing. A tough week last week for the Mangenius as the $1700 dollar fine he chucked on a guy got huge press, and an unnamed agent was quoted as saying that there is growing dissent among players around the league and Eric Mangini and the Browns organization. To top it all off, The Browns got waxed by the Ravens and are headed for a top 2 pick, as they are getting votes for the worst team in football. The sad part for Browns fans is that this isn't gonna go away any time soon. Eric Mangini is gonna have the keys to this castle for a little while. As I told my buddy Bub this morning, Randy Lerner likes Eric Mangini as much as you and I like Leighton Meester and January Jones. Lerner is enamored with Mangini's vision of how a football organization should be run, and is gonna give him some time to make that vision real.

4. I took a huge beating from a couple of my good friends when I routinely talked about trading Delonte West and Mo Williams this summer. I am not gonna name the friends. But here we are Day 1 of training camp, and a guy who makes 5 million dollars a season and is slated to start on a team that is gonna contend for a title is not at training camp. D West is a colorful guy, and I know he has had to battle demons I couldn't even imagine. But this a reason why you trade a guy like him when you can. If Ron Artest didn't play in the NBA, West would be the craziest guy in the league. This situation that happened recently is obviously a little more severe, but I think guys close to the Cavs organization have seen similar issues on a day to day basis. I know this seems like a small blip. And I hope that it is. But not a great Day 1 if you're Danny Ferry or Mike Brown.

5. I am hotter than Drake and Kid Cudi with my picks against the spread in the NFL. The Panthers screwed me in that second half or it would have been a great NFL picking weekend. I'm bound for a couple bad picking weeks soon, but so far so good.

6. The Golden State Warriors are the biggest mess in the NBA. For being possibly the most talented team in the league in terms of individuals, I do not see this ending well. Clueless owners. More clueless management. A coach who just shows up 10 minutes before the game starts. Low character guys who make a ton of money. Hang around with that team for a little while, and you'll stop watching the NBA. I expect Captain Jack to be traded, as well as Monta Ellis. Steph Curry is in a tough spot. Good thing he seems to be a great guy with a good support system.

7. I am really hoping that Manu Ginobli has healed from all his injuries. He's a no questions asked top 12 player in this league when healthy. For the Spurs to matter, he has to avoid injury and keep working his way back into shape throughout the season and be ready for the playoffs.

8. This Stafon Johnson accident is unbelievable. It looks like he going to be okay. Thank God. But geese what a freaky thing. I can't even imagine how that went down, even though if you have ever been a weight room before you know how easily that could have happened. When you think about it, it's amazing that it doesn't happen more often. But hopefully, he will make a full recovery and be able to use his voice again. Fight on SJ.

9. O hey NBA junkies, probably should touch on this: the potential NBA referee lockout. Yea, that's not a big deal, it's a HUGE DEAL. Let's hope both sides can get their act together in the next month. Haha, thinking about it, maybe replacement refs wouldn't be so bad. It would definitely be better for the fans. For the players though, that's an entirely different story. And the players are gonna be none too happy if this contract dispute doesn't get resolved before they get going in November.

10. Under the Radar NBA teams I am most excited to see play:

1. Thunder
2.Rockets
3.Wizards
4. Clips
5.Wolves

Week 3 Picks

Ravens -13.5
Jets -2.5
Texans-3.5
Eagles -8
Giants -6.5
Skins -6.5
49ers +7
Patriots -4.5
Bears -2
Saints -6
Chargers -5
Steelers -3.5
Broncos -2
Cards -3

Panthers +8

Last Week 10-6
Season 22-9

Football Fix

1. The Browns are in serious serious trouble. They isn't enough space on the internet to talk about how poorly positioned the Browns are. They hired the wrong guy. They picked the wrong quarterback. It would hard for it to get any worse. There were multiple reports last week discussing how agents are steering their players away from the Browns for the distant future. A lot of you probably read the quote from an anonymous agent stating that "he would have his client sign on another team's practice squad before he would have them sign with the Browns." That's an unbelievable quote. The sample size is still small, but the Mangini-Kokenius has been brutal so far. I wrote in April how you had to take Rey Maliuga when you traded back into the second round. Really hard to see him causing chaos for the Bengals D in an epic win for them, while at the same time seeing Brian Robiskie in sweats and a t-shirt on the sidelines. He's not even hurt. He's just not good enough to be one of the 53 guys who dress. Incredible. Mangini is a smart but very shy man. He has to learn how to deal with the important decisions better and get his organization back on track.

2. Jacory Harris is emerging as one of the best guys in college football. That guy is scary good. And how good are the Canes? They have a huge game this week in Blacksburg that is really gonna dictate where their season goes from here. They also have Oklahoma coming up on the schedule. If they beat both of those teams, I would love to see them hanging around with a shot to play in the big game. A Florida-Miami would be fun. But back to Harris. He has been lights out in the two big TV games. He was poised down the stretch of Fla St. game and put on an absolute clinic in the Ga Tech game last Thursday. He's so comfortable back there, it's like watching Rudy Kirbus order dinner at Pizzazz. Hats off to offensive coordinator Mark Whipple, for creating a system that allows his guys to be comfortable. Whipple has been tremendous and creating mis-matches, and Harris has been great at recognizing them, and hitting them.

3. Mario Manningham is getting his shot, and in typical Manningham fashion he is not missing it. That guy can play. He has always been able to play. Ever since he was freshman in high school. I used to annoy the crap outta people watching Michigan games just constantly saying "no one can cover Mario." "No one can stay in front of this guy." He just runs by whoever he wants. I know he was playing in the Big Ten, but he made a couple 50 yard + plays every game. He's played in probably 8 career NFL games, and he might already be the best double cut route runner in the league. That's his calling card. If you looked at all his career TDs at Michigan, I bet 33% of the were off double cuts. He's dominant with those routes. It'll be interesting to see if he can keep this momentum going. He's not very fast. So the film could reveal how to stop his double cut dominance. But he showed a ton of moxie in that second half. He has great quickness and balance.

4. How bout Rex Ryan and the Jets? Pretty impressive win on Sunday. I love a lot of things about Coach Rex Ryan. He's an arrogant guy, but he can really get through to his players and he can really coach defense. Every highlight they showed of that game, you just saw what seemed to be 5-6 Jets guys coming with a free shot at Tom Brady. It was one of those days where Rex Ryan's scheme could do no wrong. There will be times, when you look at his play calls and just say "wow, that's some unsound shit." But not on Sunday. That was a clinic. Darrell Revis threw his name in the ring as the best corner in the league. It's always nice when you have a guy who check Randy Moss without help. And of course, Matt Sanchez played very nicely. Watch out for the Jets. They are playing with a ton of confidence.

5. JerryWorld, the new Cowboys stadium is impressive. That seems like a really cool place. Bummer his team spoiled the debut. Eli had a hand in that too. But that's a destination that you gotta put on your list of places to see a game. I know my buddy John Reese has checked it out a few times. I'll have to get his review on it. But how bout the 30,000 capacity worth of just standing room? Yea, you can buy tickets where you just stand in respective standing room areas. Unbelievable. And of course the screen is just mesmerizing for players and fans. But that's definitely on my list. It's actually been on the list. I am shooting for NBA All Star Weekend in February. Should be a treat. Mark Cuban and Jerry in charge. I dunno how they fuck that one up.

6. One of my favorite players in the league, Tony Romo, can't get over the hump. It's such a bummer. He's gotta get something going in big games. It's becoming harder and harder to defend the guy. The defense that he's a good guy, decent golfer, and good at pulling talent can only take the apologists so far. Everybody is quick to pile on him. He threw that bad pick 6 in the game on Sunday night, where he had to know it was cover 2 and just made a bad play. Collinsworth was all over him, talking about how he got confused. He wasn't confused. He knew he had cover 2, he just made a shitty play. But he has to start coming into his own soon. STEP UP AND PLAY GREAT FOOTBALL IN THE CLUTCH. EARN YOUR MONEY.

7. David Lee and Dan Henning are geniuses. Those guys are of course, the Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator and quarterback coach. I watched the first half of that game, and every single offensive play the Fins ran in that first half were incredibly good. Their wildcat formations were popping for about 10 yards a crack. The play action plays had guys running wideeee open. It was an impressive performance. They are revolutionizing the game. I realize that they didn't win, but what they are doing with their personnel talent level is really good. They are using everything they have to about full capacity. And how bad is Ted Ginn Jr? He makes Brian Hartline look like Calvin Johnson. He dropped 2 touchdown passes that could have won them the game. 2 touchdown catches that good WR in high school make. It's amazing that he hasn't learned how to be a player yet with all his speed and quickness. And yea, the 11 for 105 is great if you're a fantasy dork and need 10 points to win. He was a big factor in them losing that game. And he stinks.

8. I don't care for Lane Kiffin much, but he's pretty funny with quick hitter and funny comebacks. After Urban Meyer backhanded him with the quote about how Tennessee wasn't trying to win, so that's why FLA was conservative with their playing calling, Lane came right back with an arrogant slap at Urban. If only Lane was a better coach, this could really turn into something. He's just comic relief until he learns to keep his mouth shut and coach his guys.

9. My fantasy squad got crushed this weekend. I am so disappointed in who I picked. I can't believe how bad I was. I thought Ray Rice was gonna get the goal line snaps in Bmore. So far, it's Ray Rice 0 touchdowns, Willis Mcgahee 4. Greg Jennings and Eddie Royal haven't found their mojos yet. Deangelo Williams is in purgatory in Carolina right now. He's averaging about 5 yards a pop, but he's not getting the rock. Romo has to cut down on his picks and start throwing some touchdowns. Team Marlo Stanfield is a mess to say the least. I am confident however, that I am gonna get some guys in my lineup that are ready to get busy.

10. Sad day for Plaxico Burress. Only in New York. Only in New York.

Week 2 Picks Against the Spread

The lines are a little puzzling this week. I think a lot of them are off base. I dunno. I think there is some opportunity to beat some here. I don't have the time or the inclination to find the holes. Week 2 is a very hard week to gamble though in my opinion. I think a lot of people can get screwed. Lotta good games this week though. There are several teams who are already in a must win situation in week 2. That's the beauty of the NFL.

The JC Super Lock of the Week moved to 3-0 yesterday, as Cincy went into Oregon State laying 1.5 and came out by 10. On Tuesday morning, I looked at that line thinking Cincy would be a 2 touchdown favorite. It opened with them getting 1.5. That's always a good thing. Here are my 3 previous Super Locks:

BYU (-17) vs. Tulsa last weekend: BYU 54 Tulsa 3
Miami Hurricanes (-4) vs. Georgia Tech: Miami 33 Tech 17
Cincy Bearcats (-1.5) vs. Oregon State: Cincy 28 Oregon State 18

Some of my buddies have known about these games and have been able to win some good money. I will do my best to post these early in the week, when I have a good handle on them. Here are some considerations for this week. A lot harder this week with the spreads. Like I said, I don't agree with many of these lines.



Ravens +3
Steelers -2.5
Texans +6.5
Vikes -9.5
Saints Pick
Skins -10
Jets +3.5
Chiefs -3
Carolina +6
Hawks +1
Cards +3
Bills -4.5
Cowboys -3
Bengals -9
Broncos -3

Colts -3

Last Week 12-3
Season 12-3

THINGS I SAW WATCHING FOOTBALL THIS WEEK

Coming off a feel good weekend like the one we just had, I wanted to come in and talk about the football weekend that was. It was another exciting weekend in college football, highlighted by a couple of classic rivalry matchups in ND-UM and USC-TOSU. It is great to have the NFL back in action as well. There is really nothing like the NFL. It's the undisputed king of sports in this country. It's a 21 week marathon but most of the time it's a do or die sprint. And this is a season that has incredible potential, as there will be many teams with the potential to be a factor as the season begins to take shape. There are storylines all over the league, and those storylines all began to stew yesterday. Browns fans were blessed with an unbelievable morning to tailgate with friends and family and a perfect day to watch a ball game. Unfortunately, aside from our guy Josh Cribbs' brilliance, it was clear fans are going to have to be patient and enjoy the journey that is the 16 week season. But it's hard not to be excited for what's in store this season. Here are some things I saw this weekend.

1. I know I was very much not alone in my unending and annoying praise of Matt Sanchez. I wrote about it several times on YOUGOTJC, and used the phrase "I'm putting all my chips in the middle with this guy" several times at bars and among friends. But, I think I am gonna be right about this guy. I feel good about it. I get these feelings about players and can just see when guys have that IT factor. And I think he showed some people his skills and intangibles this weekend, as the Jets came in to Houston and knocked off a sexy sleeper team like the Texans. His numbers were nothing special, and his defense came to play. But he was poised as hell, and was a great leader. And his biggest stat was that he was 10 of 16 on third down (7 of his first 7). That's a Peyton Manning or a Big Ben type number. That's a great stat. And that really shows the kind of skills he has. If you wanna be a great quarterback in the league, you gotta get it done on 3rd down. He is gonna have some bumps in the road, no question. But I think he is the type of guy that you can really build a franchise around if he stays healthy and keeps the swagger that makes him tough.

2. When are we start locking Big Ben into the top quarterbacks in the league discussion? Because he's the 3rd best quarterback in the league. End of discussion. The guy is an incredible player. He's clutch. He makes every big play. And he does it consistently. He's 300 pounds and he never gets sacked. It's incredible; you can't tackle him, you can't touch him. When the money's on the table, like it was late in that Titans game and in overtime, he is a beast. He had to play lights out or the Steelers were gonna lose, and he was incredible in that second half and OT session. I was drinking a little during that game, but from where I was sitting, the Steelers are gonna be in the Final 4 again this season, with a great chance to get back to the Super Bowl. The Steelers have 22 outta 22 starters back on their team. They are tough and nasty and have a blue chip coach. It will be a nice battle between them and the Ravens this season.

3. Tate Forcier--my new favorite player! How bout his performance against the Irish Saturday. That guy has some juice huh? He had a great game, and locked in and torched Notre Dame in that 4th quarter. Ran the ball hard in the middle of the field. That Notre Dame scrub defensive end is still laying in the backfield after Tate shook him off his feet and ran 35 yards right down the middle for a 4th down touchdown in the fourth quarter. He made all the throws he needed to make. Converted the tough 3rd and 4th downs. And of course made that great touchdown throw to end the game. He was a monster at least on this day. Gotta remember he's playing against Notre Dame. Wesley Matthews, one of the stayovers from the Lloyd Carr era ran a great route on that TD. Did anyone else see that? He ran my favorite route. That 8-10 yard, I'll call it a "switch route," where you sell an in route and then shuffle it to an out route. It's a great pattern. You're seeing it more and more cause its hard to cover. But I feel very good for Rich Rod. Guy was taking shots from everyone. No love. Really was getting a raw deal because everyone and their mother breaks that 20 hour rule. Hell, John Carroll breaks that 20 hour rule. Just bombarded by retrarded people from Michigan. And he just compartmentalized it, beat the crap outta the first team he played, and scored a HUGE win Saturday. He called a great game (he calls the plays, and did at WVU too), trusted his guys and let them make the plays to win the game. He's gotta keep digging in and getting his kinda guy (legally and ethically) and he'll be in good shape. The Big Ten is in trouble if he gets a couple more horses in there.

4. On the other side of that coin you have Notre Dame. Tough loss. That was a much bigger loss for them than it was win for Michigan. It sets them back again as they try to get back in the picture in college football. And yea, I know that's a silly thing to say. "JC, they're Notre Dame, the most popular and famous college football team ever." But that said, they are not even in the college football discussion, and haven't been since they lost to Ohio State in that Rose Bowl. Chaz Weis has done a terrible job. His style has turned everyone off. His model is bad. I don't care what you say. He has been there for 5 years. And the only success he has had has been with players he didn't recruit. I expect him to be shown the door after this season. His arrogance hasn't allowed his teams to achieve what they might achieve with a better leader. This is a long argument for another time. Here's what I do know. They cannot consistently beat anyone in the top 40 of college football. Period. Jimmy Clausen can spin it. He can really zip it. ALL OVER THE FIELD. Every level. He can really throw the ball in the middle of the field. Michael Floyd and Golden Tate are great players, with Floyd being far and away better. Have you guys noticed how those guys don't run routes? Floyd runs zero routes. His terrorizing week last week and this week have all come by just jogging down the field awaiting a jump ball. Tate usually just runs that 9 route or a simple hitch. I think that's a weird thing to see. I think that's kind of an NFL trick though. I can't really figure it out. My dad and I have talked about it. But look for that next time. Floyd just runs out there down the field and waits for the ball.

5. Cincinnati, when it's all said and done is gonna be top 5 in the country and beat whoever they play in their BCS game by 2 touchdowns. They are a really good team, and have a very good coach. They eviserated Rutgers last week. I know that's not saying much, but the way they did it showed me that they can matchup and compete with some of the more elite teams. Look for them to be undefeated and look for head coach Brian Kelley to get the next big head coaching opening.

6. The Ohio State Bucks dominated the line of scrimmage all game against USC, and were in a great position to win that football game. Gotta tip your cap to Matt Barkley and the offense of USC on that last drive. That was a ballsy clutch 90 yard performance. Joe McKnight woke up and performed to his talent level, hitting on some huge plays and crucial 3rd down conversions. As usual, Pete Carroll had the biggest stones in the room, and went for and converted big 4th down plays. I thought it was interesting how alert and active Pete Carroll was in the offensive play calling down the stretch. In years past, he has let Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisan, (two pretty good coaches by the way) do their thing and make the decisions. You saw a different Pete Carroll, as he was very active in the timeouts and on big downs with Jeremy Bates, the new OC. Hats off to them. Pete Carroll does stuff like this all the time it seems. Keep an eye on the name Jeremy Bates. I have been watching him pretty closely the last few seasons. He is an up and coming guy. Knows a lot about offenses. Don't be surprised if he has his own gig within the next 3 seasons. Very bright and good.

7. Donovan McNabb cracks a rib. Just a classic situation. Wouldn't have it any other way huh? Who plays QB in Philadelphia again? Note to self: If this thing is painful for Donovan and he has to sit a game, do not watch Sportscenter for the next 3 weeks.

8. The Ravens can really play. Joe Flacco can really play. John Harbaugh can really coach. Man, the Browns live in a tough neighborhood and it's gonna be a tough block for a long time.

9. The only college football game I liked betting this week was BYU. I liked this game last Monday morning. Getting 0-1 Tulane after a program changing win, only laying 17. I pushed this game hard to some of my gambling friends. I hope they listened and won some money. BYU 54 Tulane 3.

10. My vaunted fantasy team, Marlo Stanfield, comprised of Tony Romo, Deangelo Williams, Greg Jennings, Ray Rice, Cadillac Williams, Eddie Royal, Brett Celek, Mason Crosby, Fins D, cruised to a 130-88 victory. This is my first NFL fantasy league. I intend to skate to an easy league victory.

PICKS AGAINST THE SPREAD QUICKLY BEFORE 1PM

Vikings -3.5
Falcons -4
Ravens -12.5
Eagles -2.5
Broncos +4.5
Jets +4.5
Saints -13
Jags +7
Cowboys -5.5
Cards -6
Skins +6.5
Hawks -7.5
Pack -4

Pats -11
Chargers -9.5

Just my first crack at the NFL spreads this season--just split second reads--no study or brainstorm--I'll do a little of that for next week.

BROWNS, CAPTAIN JACK

“He often quoted from Robert Frost -- and said it applied to himself -- but we could apply it to the Democratic party and to all of us as individuals: The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep. And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.” -- Robert F. Kennedy, tribute to John F. Kennedy, Democratic National Convention, Atlantic City, N.J., Aug. 27, 1964

“Everyone sooner or later sits down to a banquet of consequences.” -- Robert Lewis Stevenson

“I dream my painting, then I paint my dream.” -- Vincent van Gogh


BROWNS

YO YO. See ya at the Super Bowl baby. The Cleveland Browns. Here we go. Very nice win over the Titans Saturday night. I am sure it was fun for the fans that were there. Alex Hall pick 6. Couple great goal line holds to 3. Some nice down field throws by both quarterbacks. Braylon's Touchdown dance. I actually tried to emulate that dance but couldn't. It's a lot harder to slide up on your toes and hold it then it looks. But all in all, I think there has been a lot of improvement from week 1 of the preseason til now. Guys are starting to buy in a little harder. Guys are starting to get a better feel for what they are trying to accomplish on both sides of the ball. Bottom line, guys are playing harder. You can't be happy with the rate of penalties they are have been getting. I know its the preseason, which means it's the preseason for the referees as well. They are trying to get their feel back too. But Mangini's Jets team have routinely been in the bottom 3 in penalties every year. So I am hoping that the Browns can become one of the least penalized teams in the league as well. That is a big part of why you like Mangini, hoping that he is gonna provide a much more disciplined football team and manage the game efficiently. The Browns are gonna need every advantage they can get.

Alex Hall made that nice play in the 2nd half. There was a couple good defensive holds in the red zone. But I think we would be fooling ourselves if we were not worried about the Browns defense. They have gotten shredded. Think about how many times Justin Gage and Alge Crumpler were running unimpeded down the field in the first half when Kerry Collins was in. Drags. Outs. Skinny posts. Sitting down in the Browns shit zone. It was a clinic when the Titans were on offense. They did a great job of stopping Chris Johnson. Atamba Rubin, #72, is a great player. They need to find a way to play him and Sean Rogers at the same time, assuming that Sean Rogers is going to come back and be effective. If they hadn't done up CJ it would have appeared much worse. But I am worried about back 7 depth and talent. It's really no one in partcular. It's everyone. The corners. The backers. The nickels that come in on 3rd down. I love Eric Wright and think he's an above average corner. But above average corners get beat in the NFL if the front 4 and blitzing linebackers aren't bringing heat. That's just a fact. Safety is also a big concern. Abe Elam has done some good things for the Jets, and is supposed to be a good player this year. He is gonna have to be very good this year and so far he has just been another guy. Let's hope Brodney Poole can get back healthy and start to make some plays. I wouldn't be surprised to see them go out and pick up a safety this week.

2 Sundays from now, the Vikings are coming to town and the Browns are gonna send them packing 0-1. The question is who is gonna be playing quarterback for the Browns. Another question is who is going to be playing running back for the Browns. And to be honest I don't know the answer to either question. Let's start with running back. I texted a couple buddies last week during the Lions game when we had huge momentum in the passing game. I said, "The Browns should be talking like hell to teams to try to get a quality running back." I didn't really have any realistic names. Giants aren't parting with Ahmad Bradshaw. Raiders aren't parting with Michael Bush. But I have since backed off that text a little bit, because I am becoming a little more comfortable with James Davis. I think he is beginning to get more comfortable being a Brown and a NFL running back. He is showing good signs and making some good hard runs. I in no way think that he's gonna be an all-pro this season. I just expect solid solid play and production. I dunno what they are going to do with Jamal. I think they may have to end up releasing him. As funny as that sounds.

I think the quarterback race is very close. A lot closer than most Browns fans think it is. I know the majority think that Brady Quinn made strides to make himself the favorite Saturday night, but I don't think that's the case. I think it is very very close. And I think, that the Browns have a lot invested in both guys. But they have more invested in Brady Quinn. Fucking Trent Dilfer has been all over ESPN banging on the table that Derek should be the starter. He cites the many times they hung out over the summer, stating that Derek is very relaxed and has learned from his mistakes of last season. That's probably right. I'm sure he has. I like the idea of starting Brady Quinn because the NFL doesn't have any film on Brady Quinn. They don't have enough to analyze on Brady. He is just as much of a mystery to the rest of the league as he is to our fan base. Derek Anderson, you kind of know. Good player. Big arm. Streaky player. Makes silly mistakes. Throws interceptions. 1 Pro Bowl caliber season to his credit. I don't expect Coach Mangini to make a decision for a long time. Possibly not until the Saturday before they play the Vikings. The thing you have to understand is Mangini doesn't give a shit what anyone thinks. He is gonna do things his way. And that might mean stretching this out for another 2 weeks. This might mean playing both of them in the first 4 regular season games. This might mean naming Derek the starter tonight for the 6pm Sportscenter. This might mean naming Brady the starter Thursday. We will just have to wait and see.

JAX

I was laughing the other night when the bottom line blurb said that Stephen Jackson wants to come to the Cavs. Of course he wants to come to the Cavs now. It's funny cause he was the only guy I wanted this off-season. I was banging on the table for him early in the process. Well, he was the number 1 guy I wanted. We of course needed to add 7 or 8 other guys if we wanted to give ourselves a chance to win the NBA championship. But I just thought it was funny that in late August he 1. came out and said he wanted to be moved and 2. later said he wants to come to Cleveland. I made the case early this summer in my June 16th blog writing. You can look at it if you want. It's kinda funny looking back at it. I talked about how he knows how to play, is a mean guy and takes the game very seriously. Exactly the kind of piece we need. Has been a pivotal player on a championship Spurs team. He's a clutch shooter and isn't afraid of the big moment. I also touched on that he's psychotic and crazy.

I am sure Danny Ferry is a little ticked off, cause this assertion by Captain Jack has probably screwed up his remaining golf schedule before he gets really busy getting ready for training camp. He had to come in and do a little due diligence to see if Jackson could possibly come to the Cavs. For all intents and purposes, you cannot bring Jax in. It's tempting and it's fun. And there are 100 reasons why it would be great. But I think at this point, there are alot more reasons why it wouldn't work. He's a great player. And I am sure you are gonna watch this season and see his box scores of 30, 10, 5 every other game. I am sure if he gets dealt to the Mavs or another contender he is gonna do a good job for them. I think it would be a tall order for him to exist on the Cavs though. And here's why:

You don't want to do this deal for the same reason that you're psyched as a Cavs fan that the Lakers and Celtics made their off-season deals. Cause I think you can lump Sheed, Ron Ron and Jax in the same boat. Those are 3 guys who are in that dangerous zone of "guys that used to be really really good, who are not as good now, but still think they are as good as they used to be." And when you are in that zone, you still think you can do things that you can no longer do. You are not a 43 % 3 point shooter anymore. Youre 36.5%. You can't go to the front of the rim and rise over 85% percent of the guys in this league anymore. Only 65%, and 0% of the guys who are gonna be defending you in the playoffs. Those kinda big things coupled with a bunch of other little things. And you can take this to the bank: Artest and Sheed are gonna take big shots that they shouldn't take for their new teams because they still think they are the guy who should be taking that shot. And I think Jackson is the same guy. Captain Jack is awesome. But I don't think the Cavs are gonna wanna go anywhere near him. The Cavs are plenty good enough to win a title. They just have to play like it. And get really really lucky.