Sam the Ram needs to take 5 this year.

I've never seen a franchise that needs to go 5-11 more. But that's how I feel about the 2010 St. Louis Rams. The last 3 years have been horrible. Unwatchable. Depressing. But....I trust GM Billy Devaney and Head Coach Steve Spagnolo. I believe in 39 Steven Jackson as he has matured into a leader of this team. And from the pre-season I believe that Sam Bradford will make enough plays to get yards and touchdowns from broken plays. That alone will get us into each game and at least make each game interesting. And maybe win some of those games.

I see the Rams going 5-11 with wins over the Cardinals, Seahawks, Lions, Buccaneers, and Browns. That would do enough to show me the Rams are moving in the right direction. It won't be pretty, but at least it is football.

Here are my lovely pre-season predictions:
AFC: New England, Baltimore, Indianapolis, San Diego, Cincinnati, NY Jets

NFC: Washington, Green Bay, New Orleans, San Fransico, Minnesota, Dallas

Superbowl: Indianapolis over Green Bay

Many of the picks I read online are raving about the Ravens. I disagree. All winter leading up to the draft we heard about how this is a quarterback league and how much of a passing league this is. Yet, the "trendy" picks of Baltimore, NY Jets, even Cincy and Atlanta were all running teams last year. Everyone naturally assumes that young quarterbacks get better each year. That is too large of an assumption for me.

Aaron Rodgers looks great. And since I feel the NFC is wide open I find it hard to believe the Saints will just march back to the Superbowl. I feel if Green Bay focuses on defense they will make up for the shootout in Arizona and let their offense shine in the playoffs.

Then there is my doomed pick of the Colts.

Historically, Superbowl losing teams fall apart. Losing the big game has an effect the next season. The team either falls apart mentally, or one injury breaks everything apart (Brady '08, Warner '02). What is different for me is Peyton Manning. All he does is win. He leads. He doesn't allow for a letup. And I've heard from several experts that with a healthy Bob Sanders and other improvements the defense is actually better.

Improved Defense and Peyton Manning equals a Superbowl for me. Hard for me to think anything otherwise, even with the Superbowl letdown.

NCAA: Change you can scratch your head about.

The NCAA is starting down a path that I feel could be a very bad precedent for College athletics. Let's review the NCAA post season practices for my two favorite college sports: Football and Men's Basketball.

The BCS: NCAA Football currently uses the BCS to determine the 2 teams that can play in the National Championship game. To be one of the two teams you pretty much a) Have to be from one of the BCS Conferences and b) Have to be a "football powerhouse" to get the votes to get that high in the rankings. It is a flawed system that most coaches and media feels needs to change. Yet, the experts say that this will NOT happen.

NCAA Tournament: I consider this the crown jewel in college athletics where every single teams has a shot at winning the tournament and National Championship. Although it is usually won by a "BCS" Conference, the possibility for smaller conference teams (Memphis) exists. However, the idea that the tournament should expand to 96 teams is gaining momentum. I am against this because I think you should earn your way into the tournament and it's ok for good-not-great teams to be left out. From what I can tell all the media and most of the coaches feel this way too. Yet, the experts say that this expansion WILL happen.

Even though it is March, STOP THE MADNESS! Why would you take something that is not broken and fix it yet leave the broken system in place?

There's an answer. The same answer for almost every bizarre decision in life. Say it with me:

Money.

The BCS makes too much money to change, and the NCAA Tournament can make more money by changing their system to a 96 team field. This sickens me, and I feel it will set a terrible precedent for college athletics.

Why do college fans enjoy the college game more than the professional game? My answer has always been the integrity of the competition. The players are not professional athletes. Yes they receive scholarships and easier course loads, but in the end it makes their life comfortable, not luxurious. They still only have at most 4 years to live out their dreams on the playing surface or there will be no tomorrow. I love the NFL, but I dislike the NBA. Why? Because I feel the entire NBA comes down to only a couple players on every team. College basketball relies on the whole team, and that's what I love.

If the NCAA continues to make decisions based on money, not the product on the field they will start to lose fans. I can't tell you how or why, I just know it will happen. The NFL is possible the top league in the world because they emphasize protecting the product on the field. MLB started gaining respect again when they focused on eliminating steroids to help their integrity on the field.

If the NCAA keeps making decisions based on money, I just have a gut feeling they will lose the passion of the fans. Something nobody; fans, players, or coaches, wants. So please, stop the madness. Think of your fans and athletes, not your pocketbooks.

Super Bowl Ads and other thoughts

Aint Nobody Better.

The Super Bowl is a special time for me. With an advertising background and a love of football I literally watch the entire game start to finish. Add on a great half-time show and thank God for DVR or I would never get to pee. So here are my thoughts on the ads, entertainment and the game.

The Ads:
First off, they were disappointing to me. I felt that most ads had a good idea that never got developed. Take the Griswold's checking into a hotel for Home Away. I would totally watch a whole movie of that, but the ad just didn't pack enough punch. Even the Clydesdale commercial was completely predictable. In the end my taste in ads vastly differed from what I consider the official rankings from USA Today. I thoughts Denny's did a great job promoting their free give-away. Who knew chickens screamed like girls? My favorite Doritos ad was the one where the boy tells his mom's date "Don't touch my mom, and don't touch my Doritos." That one made me laugh. Otherwise, two ads really left an impression.



The Simpsons and Coca-Cola:
The Simpsons have been around 20 years and in my opinion represent Americana. They tackle all issues, they guest star sooooo many of the best pop figures of the last 20 years. I view them as a classic that has still got it going on. Which is why pairing them with Coke was genious, as they both have the same selling points. "Remember how we were awesome 20 years ago? Still Awesome!" Plus....Burns losing his money and the town not appreciating his collection was just funny. I think in time we will see the beauty of this ad.



Flo TV Ad:
I think this ad aired during half-time so it didn't "count" in the standings, but I loved it. This ad took the biggest TV moments of the last oh 50 years and put them into one ad to the tune of "My Generation" by The Who. I can't begin to describe how genius this is. But I will try. First, props for using The Who when they were playing half-time. Second, what better way to drive home the idea of a hand held TV then to remind people of the "Where were you when" moments of the last 2-3 generations??? Think about it. I mean, this was a history lesson in 1 minute!! It even carried all the way to the present with the Haiti earthquake. Total brilliance, and again the more we see this ad the more we will appreciate it.

The Winner: Snickers Tackles Betty White
I must say, I was surprised that a) Anheuser-Busch lost for the second straight year and b) this is what beat it. I know that seeing Betty White getting slammed was funny, but really that was it. I mean of course seeing old people getting tackled is funny! I guess I felt that ad was too easy of a joke. Maybe that's the beauty of it.

The Who at Halftime:
Ever since Justin killed Janet's career the halftime show has been aging artists who the networks need not worry about doing anything naughty. And while it's fun to sing along to great hits, some of these artists just don't pack the punch they used too. (cough Rolling Stones cough)

Not The Who. They brought it. Roger has his voice, Peter has his windmill. I was really entertained. I was more impressed by how loud the fans were singing along. I had never heard that before and it really added to the performance. Add on that amazing stage and it was definitely the best performance since U2 in '02 and in my opinion a top 5 halftime show up there with Michael Jackson and the Mo-Town tribute.

Special points for almost every song promoting the CSI series which just so happens to air on CBS. Clever.

The Game:
I loved this game. I picked the Saints and was rooting hard for them. I truly felt it was a perfect game up until the Manning interception. Sure there were some drops and a stopped 4th down, but honesly those plays happen. I really felt both teams went and executed their game plans and in the end the Saints made two big plays with the Pick-6 and the onside kick. Those plays literally made up for the difference on the score board.

I think Manning played great. Turns out the Saints defense is really good. Manning made a ton of top notch throws just to put points on the board. He had to be perfect, and most of his completions were perfect. Give credit to the Saint Defense who just made one big play at the right time. I think Drew Brees kept his head and made so many smart decisions. He made safe throws and let his receivers get the yards. That's great football.

How to build a franchise:
I think the St. Louis Rams can learn a lot about how to build a a championship team. Both the Colts and Saints built themselves in impressive manners and here is how I view them.

Indianapolis Colts "The Model" That roster is littered with players who have never played for another team other than the Colts. That means that the Colts have made a killing on great drafts after great drafts. It helps that they drafted future hall-of-famer Peyton Manning early in this development, but still they make the most of what they have in house year after year. This takes some time to build, but once you do you become the winning-est team of the decade. This is what every franchise tries to do.

New Orleans Saints "The Best of what's around" The Saints went out and signed great free agents at key positions and built around them in the draft. This is probably where the Rams are headed since we have drafted so poorly in recent years. I actually think the answer will be in between for the Rams. Find your "franchise" players in the draft and fill in need with quality free agents. At least we have two models to learn from.

The Future:
The Saints have a ton of free agents, and Super Bowl players tend to get money thrown at them. The good news for the Saints is they won, and other quality players will want to get in on this action while the Saints still have a core of great players.

The Colts have a different problem. Losing the Super Bowl hurts. A Lot. Like try forever. Who is the last team to lose a Super Bowl and return? (Answer: The Giants took 7 years to return, the Patriots took 5 and the Steelers took 10. The Bills....lets not talk about the Bills.) Even past Super Bowl winners have troubles recovering from a loss (New England and St. Louis). So keep your chin up, Indianapolis. Keep Peyton Manning protected in the pocket and I think you will be fine. I think he is durable enough that they won't suffer the same fate as the Patriots and Rams.

Finally, I believe I predicted 7 of the 10 Super Bowl winners last decade (before the game, not the season. I didn't get any of those). That's not a bad stat! I missed The Giants/Patriots, the Seahawks/Steelers and of course the Rams/Patriots.

St. Louis Rams: 10 players to watch

This will prove to be a crucial off-season for the St. Louis Rams. While I don't expect the Rams to have a winning record in 2010, history has shown that if you make the right moves your team can drastically improve in one off-season. With so many needs the Rams could go in many directions. So here is my watch list for the Rams 2010 off-season.



1: Michael Vick QB Philadelphia Eagles
One year ago it was a risky move to sign Michael Vick. Nobody knew how the public would view his return to football, and I'm sure people were wondering how Vick would conduct his own behavior. To me those questions have been answered. The Rams need a QB with some mobility, and there's nobody with more mobility that Vick. He would add a much needed playmaker to this offense. Sure he's not the greatest passer, but the Rams aren't going to sign a great passer. Vick might give the 2010 Rams the best chance to win.

Also, if the Rams were to acquire Vick we would instantly become a talking point and relevant to the NFL, something we were not in 2009. Now, he won't come free. The Rams would have to trade for Vick from the Eagles. And if I read between the lines correctly the Rams are interested. The only problem might emerge if other teams desire Vick's services as well. The Rams aren't exactly a desirable place to play right now.....

My prognosis: Make it happen. 60% chance.



2: Ndamukong Suh DT Nebraska
Suh is regarded as the best talent in the 2010 NFL draft. The St. Louis Rams have the first pick in said draft. The Rams had the 4th worst defense in the NFL and 6th worst rush defense. All signs point to drafting Suh. Two reasons why: one is that Suh is being touted as a "special" player that doesn't come around that often. After watching him in college, I agree. Second point is to win in the NFL you need to win the battles on the line both offense and defense. This would go a long way in securing our defense. Let's put it this way, only if the Rams trade down would I be happy if we don't draft Suh.

My prognosis: Please do this. 90% chance.



3: Jimmy Clausen QB Notre Dame
I really think the Rams need a new QB, and Clausen is the best QB in the draft. Drafting him would make the Rams relevant to the national media with everyone looking into his development. Also, the Rams would gain the attention of the loyal Notre Dame alumni which would help our attendance and overall interest.

However, is Clausen the right QB to draft number 1? I don't think so. Sure he's good, but he's no slam dunk. And great QB's don't have to be drafted in the first round, they often get drafted in 2nd and 3rd rounds. However, Clausen will gain lots of media attention especially with the Rams need at QB. In fact, I will say now that if Clausen gets drafted number 1 it's because another team trades up to get him!

My prognosis: Not my choice, but I could see it happening. 10% chance.



4/5/6/7: McCoy/Tebow/Bradford/Pike
As I mentioned before, the Rams need a QB. If we take Suh with the first pick I fully expect the Rams to pick up a QB in round 2 or 3. The real question is who will be available? I like Colt McCoy the best. I like his accuracy, mobility and leadership. Sam Bradford has much to prove, but if he is healthy again he has promise to be a great passer in the NFL. Tim Tebow may not be the prettiest passer available, but his heart and leadership and determination to improve makes him a viable candidate. Tony Pike could move up the boards with some good workouts, but so could other QB's. My point is that there will be some QB's available in this draft. The question is who will still be on the board?

My Prognosis: 90% chance a QB is taken. I rank them McCoy, Tebow, Bradford, Pike.



8. Reggie Bush RB New Orleans Saints
Bush is one of the most electric playmakers in the NFL. At least of the players who are free agents this off-season. Think about what Bush could offer to the Rams. He's a great compliment to Stephen Jackson. He's a playmaker both in the running game and the passing game. In fact, his pass catching ability would help make up for our lack at wide receiver. But I wonder if Reggie would choose to come to St. Louis if he receives multiple offers. (which I think he will) And how much would he cost? How much can the Rams afford for a number 2 back?

My prognosis: A boy can dream. 20% chance.



9. Osi Umenyiora DE New York Giants
Osi made it clear he is unhappy with the Giants. And the Rams just so happen to have his former Defensive Coordinator in our head coach Steve Spagnoulo. Plus think about if we have Umenyiora combined with Suh and Chris Long? Tell me our defense wouldn't be better! The problem is how much would it cost the Rams to trade for him? With all the needs the Rams have it would not be shrewd to give up too many picks on trades this off-season.

My prognosis: Osi will have a better chance to win in NY. 10% chance



10: Danario Alexander WR Missouri Tigers
Fans of Mizzou know about Danario. They know about his speed, his hands and his overall explosiveness. We've heard him compared to Randy Moss and know he could be a first round pick. What puzzles me is how the rest of the nation doesn't seem to get it. I've seen him listed as going in the 4th round! The Rams have great need at the WR position and really need a tall receiver to compliment Donnie Avery. The trick is if he is still on the board in the 3rd or 4th round. I'll say this right now, if Danario does fall to the 4th round the Rams take him with the first pick of the 4th.

My prognosis: Just the luck of the draft. 20% chance.

So there's my watch list. In the end I expect at least 3 of these 10 players to be on our team next year. And frankly, any combination of 3 players should lead to better play on the field next season.

BCS Playoff Plan - 2009 Edition (Updated)

The end of the college football season means another bowl season of questions. In previous seasons the question was "Which 1 loss team deserves to play for the championship?" This season we have FIVE undefeated teams, three of which cannot win the title. For shame.

Last year I wrote an extensive blog articulating a BCS playoff format. You can read it here. The goal of this model is to give every team a chance to win the championship every year via a playoff system. To summarize, it calls for a 16 team playoff including the 11 conference champions and 5 at-large bids based on the BCS rankings. Seed the tournament based on the BCS rankings as well. Use existing bowl games to play the tournament, half the bracket on Thursday nights and half on Saturdays. Play the semi-finals on New Years Day and the Championship a week later.

Since this is the second season I've been using this model, some interesting facts came forth putting this together. We have 11 returning participants with only five newcomers. I thought there would be much more turnover than that. The highest ranked newcomer is Oregon with the 7 seed. It just goes to show you how hard it is to win a NCAA Football Championship. I will also point out that in creating my fictional outcomes only three teams from last year returned to the Elite Eight with only one team (Alabama) returned to the Final Four. That seems very likely.

The teams who qualify by winning their conference championship are Alabama, Troy, Ohio State, Georgia Tech, TCU, Boise St, Cincinnati, Central Michigan, Oregon, Texas and East Carolina. Wild Cards are Florida, Penn St, Virginia Tech, Iowa and LSU.

Here is this season's playoff schedule. Results are chosen for scheduling purposes.

First Round:
(1)Alabama (SEC) v (16)Troy (Sun Belt)
in the St. Petersburg Bowl Thurs Dec. 17th

(8)Ohio St (Big 10) v (9)Georgia Tech( ACC)
in the Little Caesars Bowl Thurs Dec. 17th

(5)Florida (Wild Card) v (12)LSU (Wild Card) SEC Showdown!
in the Meineke Bowl Thurs Dec. 17th

(4)TCU (Mountain West) v (13)Penn St (Wild Card)
in the Las Vegas Bowl Thurs Dec. 17th

(6)Boise St. (WAC) v (11)Virginia Tech (Wild Card)
in the New Mexico Bowl Sat Dec. 19th

(3)Cincinnati (Big East) v (14)Central Michigan (MAC)
in the Music City Bowl Sat Dec. 19th

(7)Oregon (Pac 10) v (10)Iowa (Wild Card)
in the Poinsetta Bowl Sat Dec. 19th

(2)Texas (Big 12) v (15)East Carolina (C-USA) Rematch from last year.
in the New Orleans Bowl Sat Dec. 19th

Round of Eight:
(1)Alabama v (9) Georgia Tech
in the Sugar Bowl Wed Dec. 23rd

(5)Florida v (4)TCU
in the Emerald Bowl Wed Dec. 23rd

(11)Virginia Tech v (3)Cincinnati
in the EagleBank Bowl Sat Dec. 26th

(7)Oregon v (2)Texas
in the Rose Bowl Sat Dec. 26th

Semi-Final Round:
(1)Alabama v (4)TCU
in the Orange Bowl Friday Jan. 1st

(3)Cincinnati v (7)Oregon (the Cinderella Story)
in the Fiesta Bowl Friday Jan. 1st

National Championship:
(1)Alabama v (7)Oregon
BCS National Championship game Thursday Jan. 7th

Using these bowl games would eliminate 14 of the current 66 teams set to play bowl games this season. I have already stated that 6-6 teams should not qualify for a bowl game, so the following 6-6 teams would be bumped this year: Wyoming, Texas A&M, UCLA, Minnesota, Iowa St., Florida St., Michigan St., and Marshall.

This leaves us needing six 7-5 teams to be cut. Since the bowl committees love big schools that can travel, I would imagine the following teams would be cut as well: Southern Miss, SMU, Bowling Green, Idaho, Air Force, Northern Illinois. While losing these schools is sad, I think the end result of a true national champion is worth it.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. As a parting note, I want your opinion on something. The only tweak I am considering is making it a 14 team tournament. This would eliminate two wild cards (this year would be Penn St. and LSU) and would give the 1 and 2 seed a first round bye. So I ask you, which would be better? 16 seeds with more wild cards or 14 teams and rewarding the top 2 seeds?

UPDATE:
Turns out 14 of my 16 playoff teams played another playoff team in a bowl game. Although it wasn't a true tournament it gave a little insight as to who might be good enough to advance. Just for fun, using my seeds here would be the match-ups of those teams who won their bowl games.

(1)Alamaba v (14)Central Michigan

(8)Ohio St v (10)Iowa in a regular season rematch

(6)Boise St v (11)Virginia Tech....which was a first round match-up. whatever.

(5)Florida v (13)Penn St

So I'd say it was a good showing from the Big 10 who has three teams on this list. Also, only 2 non-BCS schools made it. But that is a misleading stat because of the 5 non-BCS schools in the tournament, four of them played each other in bowl games. Also, four of the five Wild Card teams won their games. Not much I can read out of these stats except that it seems the Wild Card teams showed their quality and gives me something to think about for next season.

My Top 10 St. Louis Sports moments of the Decade

It has been a crazy decade for St. Louis sports. For the Blues and Rams it has been the best of times (2000) and the worst of times (2007). For the Cardinals it has been the decade of Pujols and La Russa and has been constantly great. Mizzou Football started as a floor mat to the Big 12 and has emerged as a consistent North contender. And Mizzou Basketball has survived Ricky Clemons and Coach Q to rebuild itself under Mike Anderson. With all that said, here are my top 10 "moments" of the last decade in St. Louis sports.


1. The Tackle '00: In the most exciting and probably most underrated Superbowl, the Rams defeated the Titans by 1 yard. When Mike Jones made the tackle, I was in disbelief. We didn't blow it. The clock struck midnight, but Cinderella still danced. This is my number one moment because of the excellence the Rams gave all season. The '99/2000 season was as special as we'll ever know, and it was all preserved by "The Tackle."


2. Wainwright wins the World Series 'o6: Wow. Clutch. Huge. Just some words of how great Adam Wainwright was in the '06 postseason. The Cardinals limped into the playoffs and when Izzy got injured we turned to a rookie starting pitcher as our closer. Not only did he buckle Carlos Beltran's knee, but he got the job done in the World Series. It is an image I will not forget.

3. Warner to Bruce '00: You know, watching the second half of the Superbowl in 2000 was REALLY distressing. The Rams weren't scoring touchdowns and Eddie George had rushed his way back into the game. Late in the 4th quarter the Rams needed some magic. And got it. Warner took a huge hit delivering the ball, and Isaac Bruce made the adjustment to make the winning score.

4. Yadi's home run '06: With the game tied 1-1 in the ninth I was getting nervous. I was really afraid the Met were gonna hit a walk-off home run. Especially because I didn't think the bottom of our lineup was gonna score. Then Yadi hit a long fly ball. My first reaction was "It's just a fly out." It turned into "I swear on everything Holy if Endy Chavez catches ANOTHER homer I will break a wall!!" When it cleared the wall it was jubilation. Out of the entire '06 playoff run this play made me yell the loudest.


5. Eat Turf Kansas '07: What turned out to be the height of Mizzou's football program this decade gave us a lasting image. In 2007 Mizzou came into the Border War the ranked #4 team with the Kansas Jayhawks ranked #2 on a nationally televised game (ESPN Gameday was there too!) It was a great game, but the defining moment was when KU's quarterback Todd Reesing was sacked for a safety, only to emerge with the turf still in his grill. Mizzou won the game and woke up on Monday the #1 team in the land.

6. Touchdown Rams: Ricky Proehl '00: The road to the Superbowl wasn't a total cakewalk. Although we demolished the Vikings, the Buccaneers and their dominant defense posed a great challenge. In fact, late in the 4th quarter the Rams found themselves trailing 6-5. A strange place for the greatest show on turf to be. Until Warner threw one up and Ricky Proehl came down with it. I was at that game, and it still is the greatest moment I have ever been in attendance.



7. Jim Edmonds walk-off '04: Despite how the '04 ended, the NLCS was classic. The Cardinals and Astros had battled often in previous years and this was the first meeting in the playoffs. After Jeff Kent hit a walk-off in Houston, it was easy to think the 'stros would finish the job in St. Louis. In extra innings game 6 remained tied until Jimmy Ballgame came up big. We all knew it when it came off his bat. A great moment in Cardinals history.

8. Pujols shocks Houston '05: It was looking depressing in game 5 of the '05 NLCS. The Cardinals were going to lose in Houston, losing a chance to give Old Busch one last game. 2 outs and Eckstein hits a gritty single. Ok. Edmonds works a great walk, to bring up Pujols. If only hit could hit one. CRACK. Silence. The best silence you will ever hear. I personally was running around the house about to explode because I was trying not to wake up my wife. It was a great moment, but it would be one of the greatest in baseball history if the Cards could have won the series. Turns out the mojo was lost and all Pujols gave St. Louis was a proper good bye to Busch. A great gift indeed.

9. Great 8 in '02 and '09: Ok, not so much a moment but an accomplishment. Mizzou basketball had two Elite 8 seasons this decade, but they couldn't have looked different. In '02 the Tigers were ranked high in the pre-season polls, but stumbled out of the gates and snuck into the tournament as a 12 seed. Well Kareem Rush and company put it together to make a run that nearly ended with a Final Four. In contrast, the '09 season was a "make it or break it" season for Mike Anderson in his third year. A team that got better as the season went on, nobody wanted to play the Tigers in the tournament. It took a tree in Thabeet and UCONN to take out the Tigers, but not after revitalizing a long historic program.

10. USA vs Mexico '02 World Cup: Alright, it's not technically a St. Louis team. But when US Soccer plays we should all be fans you know? US v Mexico is as great of a rivalry as there is. Cards/Cubs, MU/KU, it is just as passionate. Add to it that these two rivals met in the World Cup and extreme bragging rights were up for grabs. A great performance by the US put them into the quarter finals against Germany (and if it weren't for a non-call on a handball we might have made the semi's?) Here is a clip if you don't remember.



Honorable Mention: Presidents Trophy 2000: What a long, difficult decade for the Blues. It started with such great promise. Captained by Chris Pronger, the Blues had the best record in the NHL in 2000, only to be knocked out in the first round. It was a painful end to the season, and while the Blues did make the Conference Finals the next season it really wasn't the same after that. Hopefully the current management and roster will make this next decade more memorable!

Ok, those are my moments. Comment on the order or if I left any out! I will admit up front, I left out some of the more painful moments so I could include the success of the Blues and US Soccer. That's why you don't see anything about the '02 Superbowl. Still too painful.

2009 NFL Predictions

Last year I wrote a blog warning Rams fans that if we didn't support our team they would move.

I still stand by that statement, but this time for whole new reasons.

Last year was bad. I am a pretty die-hard fan and I didn't watch several games. It wasn't football. The Rams were taking up space on the field. I wasn't watching competition, I was wasting my time. So went the 2008 Rams to a 2-14 season. It was hard for me to convince people to care.

Start caring again. The Rams did everything right this off season. We promoted the right guy Billy Devaney as our GM. We hired the absolute best available head coaching candidate in Steve Spagnuolo. Together they have made tons of smart decisions for this franchise. We may not win this year, but it is time to pay attention. We will look like a different team.

I have the Rams going 5-11 this year. I feel our defense will be much improved and keep games close. I think our offensive line is improved and Steven Jackson and Marc Bulger will sneak out a couple games maybe we shouldn't win. It will be painful, but at least it will look better this year.

NFC picks: Philadephia, New Orleans, Minnesota and San Fransisco with Green Bay and the New York Giants as wild cards.

AFC picks: New England, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, San Diego with Baltimore and Houston as wild cards.

New England over Philly in the Super Bowl. Wow, how original of me.

The Spirit in St. Louis

What a time to be a St. Louis sports fan. We've been through some tough times recently. The Rams went from the Greatest Show to "now selecting with the Number 2 pick in the Draft" territory. The Blues got screwed during the strike and haven't seen the playoffs since. The Cardinals have been solid, but aren't the dominating team they were for most of the decade. But things are looking up....way up for all of St. Louis sports.

St. Louis Cardinals: It has been only 2 seasons since we won it all, but it hasn't been all that great since. Although we won more games last season than in '06, watching the Cubs (briefly) in Oct. still hurts. But hope isn't just at the horizon, it's at the front door. Young pitching (Motte) and young hitting (Rasmus) is showing that we are in for a long term overhaul, not just patching up with free agents. And our minor leagues look great too (This Wallace guy sounds like a power hitting 3B...can't wait to see him.) If the kids learn on the job we could win this year. I think it will come down to who gets more injuries between the Cubs and Cards. But whether it is '09 or '10, Cardinal baseball will yet again be a joy to watch.

As for my predictions, I have the Yankees, Red Sox, Indians and Angels in the AL. The Phillies, Cubs, Dodgers and Mets in the NL. Give me the Red Sox over the Dodgers in the series. I know it isn't original, but it's not my fault the Sox are solid. As for the Cards, I will say a second place finish with 89 wins. 94 wins if Carp gets 30 starts and Motte is the real deal.

The St. Louis Blues: It is true. I have yet to recover from the strike. The Blues had made the playoffs every year of my life before the strike. We were a shell of ourselves when the NHL restarted, and I am still bitter. However, I hear about the Blues everyday on the radio. About the work ethic and smart drafting. Now, without our best defensemen the Blues are almost in the playoffs against all odds. Frankly, the Blues have been playing like it is the playoffs for the last month. So even though they might not make it, they have shown great integrity for a young team. A young team that will make some noise next season.

The St. Louis Rams: How craptastic was it to watch the Rams last year? I am a solid fan, and even I didn't bother to watch most games on TiVo. But then we promote Billy Devaney to GM and hire Steve Spagnuolo, and anything is possible. Think about it, our blundering Rams hired the number 1 head coach prospect. Huge. He then hires staff based on talent, not friendship. Huge. He then gathers players based on heart, not name. Huge. My only regret is we cut Holt and Pace. But I think that regret will be short lived. We will win 5-7 games this year, and compete for years to come. This will be a dynasty for the Rams. We may not win Superbowls, but we will make playoffs.


St. Louis Athletica: So the WPS started up this month with the St. Louis Athletica being an inaugural team in the 7 team league. While it is hard to judge one expansion team, let alone 7, I am excited for the Athletica. We have the best keeper in the world in Hope Solo, a world class defender in Lori Chalupny and 2 up and coming strikers. And then some Brazilians including the Brazilian coach. I expect the Athlectica to make the playoffs and truthfully they should be in the finals.

MLS? Yeah, I could tell a sad story about how St. Louis has been passed up for 4 expansion spots now since we passed a stadium plan in Collinsville. But here is why I am still hopeful: They are looking at using Soccer Park for the soccer stadium plan. This would be awesome, because most soccer fans think of 2 places in St. Louis to watch soccer: SLU and Soccer Park. If this happens we should get an expansion team for 2012. But even beyond that, St. Louis is coming up as a possible relocation destination for some troubled MLS squads, including the 4 time champs DC United. While I would hate to get a relocated team, it would be super awesome to watch the quality of DC United for years to come. It could happen!

BCS Playoff Plan

I am of the opinion that the current BCS system is not a fair system. There will always be a handful of teams that deserve a chance to win the title, but for various reasons do not get a shot. I used to think that a 4 team or 8 team playoff would solve the problem. And it would. But it would still not be fair.

Every college sport outside football has the same format in essence: Every school has a chance to win when the season starts. In basketball if you win your conference you go to the big dance. You may not win, but you have a chance (Memphis). In football, unless you are a BCS conference you don't have a realistic chance unless you go undefeated two years in a row. THIS GOES AGAINST THE HEART OF COLLEGE ATHLETICS! My proposal is fair to everyone.

16 Team Playoff: Every Conference champion gets in, plus 5 wild cards to be determined by the current BCS format. Seed the tournament by their BCS rankings as well.

The teams that would get in this year by winning their conference would be Oklahoma, Florida, Penn St, Utah, USC, Troy, Boise St, Cincinatti, East Carolina, Virginia Tech and Buffalo. the 5 wild cards would be Texas, Alabama, Texas Tech, Ohio St, and TCU. I know that TCU might come as a surprise, but it is better than the next team Oklahoma St which would give the Big 12 South 4 entries.

Eliminate the "12 Team Rule" and make each conference play a championship game. First, I would do this for the fairness of the conferences without title games currently. It would give a clear winner on the field, which is what we are looking for. Also, it evens the field between teams who have extremely challenging games at the end of their calendar and the teams with easy games to finish the season (SEC, Big 12 versus the Pac 10) This also makes every conference championship game EXTREMELY exciting if it means going to the tourney.

We would see better non-conference games. This is probably debatable, and we wouldn't know for sure for a few years. But if a team could lose a non-conference game and still make the BCS tournament, you would have more incentive to play better teams to better prepare your team for the conference schedule.

Use current bowl games as playoff games. This is where things get hairy. There is too much money in bowl games to eliminate them, so I propose using them (like has been said many times before.) The biggest challenge to this in my mind is getting the fans of participating teams to each game, especially if they go deep into the playoff. Although I bet they work that one out just fine. The alternative is to scrap these bowl games altogether and have the higher seed host the game, but again I bet the bowl games commitees would veto that.

Play the games on Thursdays and Saturdays. One half of the bracket on Thursdays, one half on Saturdays with the semi-finals on new years.

Here is my playoff schedule for this year. I am picking winners just for scheduling/matchup purposes.

(1)Oklahoma(Big 12) vs. (16) Troy (Sun Belt)
in the Insight Bowl Thursday Dec. 18th

(8) Penn St. (Big 10) vs. (9) Boise St. (WAC)
in the Motor City Bowl Thursday Dec. 18th

(5) USC (Pac 10) vs. (12) Cincinatti (Big East)
in the Papajohns.com Bowl Thursday Dec. 18th

(4) Alabama (Wild Card) vs. (13)Virginia Tech (ACC)
in the Independence Bowl Thursday Dec. 18th

(6) Utah (Mountain West) vs (11)TCU (Wild Card)(also in the MWC, but too bad)
in the New Mexico Bowl Sat. Dec. 20th

(3) Texas (Wild Card) vs. (14) East Carolina (C-USA)
in the St. Petersburgh Bowl Sat. Dec. 20th

(7) Texas Tech (Wild Card) vs. Ohio St. (Wild Card)
in the New Orleans Bowl Sat. Dec. 20th

(2) Florida (SEC) vs (15) Buffalo (MAC)
in the Poinsetta Bowl Sat. Dec 20th

ROUND OF 8
(1) Oklahoma vs (9) Boise St
in the Fiesta Bowl Friday Dec. 26th

(5) USC vs (4) Alabama
in the International Bowl Friday Dec. 26th

(2) Florida vs (10) Ohio St
in the Orange Bowl Saturday Dec. 27th

(6) Utah vs (3) Texas
in the Liberty Bowl Saturday Dec. 27th

SEMI-FINALS
(1)Oklahoma vs (5) USC
in the Rose Bowl Thursday Jan 1

(2)Florida vs (3)Texas
in the Sugar Bowl Thursday Jan 1

FINAL
(1)Oklahoma vs (3) Texas (I know we've seen it before, but the hype would be amazing)

15 bowl games would be used in the playoff, which eliminates 14 teams (of the current 68) from having a bowl game. But do 6-6 teams really deserve a bowl game these days? Even some 7-5 teams don't deserve it with their cupcake non-conference schedule.

The following 6-6 teams would miss games this year: Vanderbilt, Kentucky, NC State, Northern Illinois, Florida Atlantic, Notre Dame, Southern Miss, Memphis, Colorado St. I would also pass on the following 7-5 teams: UConn, USF, Wisconsin, Minnesota and LSU.

And for those schools not in the tournament, we still have the following 19 bowl games still on the schedule: Cotton, Gator, Capital One, Outback, Chic-Fil-A, Music City, Sun Bowl, Armed Forces, Holiday, Texas, Alamo, Emerald, Champ Sports, Meineke, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Eagle Bank, Humanitarian, and GMAC Bowls.

So there it is. Thanks for reading it all, I got a little excited about this. But I really do think this is the most fair way to decide a championship on the field by student athletes.

Please add comments on what works, doesn't work. And if you like it and know anyone in sports broadcast, journalism or someone that works for the BCS be sure to pass it on. Because for real, once someone reads this you can't go back!

Coach Linehan, step into your office. And bring your playbook.

I think we can all safely say that this is a good move. I predicted we would fire Linehan before we won a game, and I was right. Linehan may end up with a great head coaching gig, but it wasn't here and now. He was just beat: by the opponents and by his own squad. I feel the team had quit on him.

Or at least Jim Haslett hopes so, cause now he wears the big head set. Which kind of worries me because he is in charge of the lifeless defense. My only hope is that Linehan played guys who lacked hustle and discipline, and Haslett can insert personel that will play 4 quarters of football.

Something else to mention. Chris Mortenson of ESPN mentioned today that despite what ownership is saying, the Rams are definitely for sale and are being shopped around. Lets hope Rams fans can rally behind these coaching moves, because I am still nervous that this team will be in LA in two years.

NFL Preview

IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO ST. LOUIS RAMS FANS: If we want to keep our team, the time to support them is now. Here is the deal. We all know that the dome is a dump. I know personally that the Rams have done nothing to improve the stadium experience.(They still use the same graphics from '95) But if we don't start supoprting our franchise they will be the LA Rams again. That means watching games even if we suck. That means going to games even if we will probably lose. Anything. Because if the city/NFL sees no reason to get a new dome built the Rams will be moved and we will never see the NFL again. I urge any and all Rams fans to find a way to make a difference. If you can't go to games, encourage those who can. I know STL is a baseball city, but we are smart enough to be great football fans too.

My picks for the season. I don't like how many teams I have returning to the playoffs, but this is what I got.

AFC: New England, Cleveland, Indianapolis, San Diego. Wild Cards: Jacksonville and New York Jets

NFC: Dallas, New Orleans, Green Bay, Seattle. Wild Cards: New York Giants, Minnesota

Superbowl: New England over New Orleans

In my mind New England can do 2 things. 1)Live in disbelief about how close they came to the perfect season and blow this one (eg 2002 Rams) or 2)Go out and show what kind of champions they are. I believe the Patriots are like any true champions that hate to lose and will destroy you to prove it. In the NFC I like Dallas alot but Romo looks like a choker to me, so i go with the talented Saints. We shall see how poorly these picks are come playoff time.

EDIT: What a difference a day makes. I forgot to blog that I think the Rams will finish 6-10 and finish third. Now I am predicting Linehan gets fired before the Rams win a game. Rams front office better start investing in the fans, cause even this die-hard is getting annoyed.

Tom Brady is out for the year. Not only my superbowl pick, but my #1 fantasy football pick. I still like the Pats to make the playoffs, but if I get a mulligan on my Super Bowl pick I would like to take San Diego now please.

J-E-T-S Jet Favre!

The soap opera is over. The divorce is finalized. Brett Favre is a Jet. While I truly thought he would end up in Minnesota in the end the Jets get their superstar QB they have been looking for since Broadway Joe (sorry Boomer Esiason).

I feel for the Packer faithful: You lost your all-time great over.....well we're not sure why. I also feel for EA Sports, who probably never dreamed that their cover boy would be with another franchise!

Cheaters Proof?

I fully planned on blogging today about how the Patriots completed the Playstation season by going undeafeted and setting records on the way.

Now I bet they wish they could hit the reset button.

Going into the Superbowl I really thought the atmosphere was the same as the Rams/Pats game. One team was destined to win, the other had to play a perfect game to get the job done. Well, congrats to the Giants whose defense was amazing and offense got enough done. They won a Superbowl that will be remembered for all times.

So where does this leave the Pats? To be honest, before this weekend I really admired the Patriots. It's about the system, not the player. They take scrub players and make them better. They take superstars and make them one of the guys. They win without a lot of talk and flash. To me, they represented what was right in sports. They were a true team.

Until Spygate 2 broke this weekend. Now, it might all change.

I speak of the allegations of the Patriots video taping the Rams final walkthrough before the Superbowl in '02. I think it's fair to ask if they used illegal videos from the regular season game too. Either way, there is a question as to whether the Patriots had a illegal advantage before entering that Superbowl.

This should be a massive investigation. I'm talking Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens huge. Why? Because that game changed the shape of the NFL. The Rams and spiraled, and save one season haven't had a winning record in any one season since. The Patriots have become the crown jewel of the NFL, winning two more Superbowls. They set records on the way. If the result had been different......lets just say the league would be different.

Listen, I hope they are innocent. Just like I hope that Roger is innocent. (Barry admitted he took "the clear" but didn't know what it was. He may not be guilty in court, but he isn't innocent in my book either). But I want a thourough investigation of the Patriots, just like Roger is getting a full shake-down. This is too big to let go unturned.

I predict the Patriots will have evidence against them, but it will be left up to interpretation as to how much damage it caused. I also predict Roger will come up clean. But I tell you this, I am very skeptical and very troubled about all this until all the dust has settled in both cases.

The State of the Leagues

I should note that I was inspired to write about this after Mike and Mike in the Morning brought this point up on monday.

MLB and the NFL couldn't be in different situations this week. Football's greatest players are getting set to battle for a spot in the Superbowl. Baseball's greatest players are gearing up to testify in front of Congress. The NFL is clearly the most popular league in the nation. Howie Long put it best during his Hall-of-Fame speech "Baseball is the national pastime. But football is its passion."

It's like the fans were Baseball's date to the dance for years, but one year Baseball called in sick with the flu. No sooner did the fans hang up the phone when Football showed up at the door, dressed in a tux. The fans haven't been returning baseball's calls.

Both football and baseball have had stars busted for steroids and HGH, yet only baseaball is taking the heat. How did we get here? I believe it can be traced to 1994.

Baseball was clearly hurting. The players strike damaged the image of the sport. It seemed to be "all about the money." I think if they could have salvaged a World Series the pain would have been less, but that hole in baseball history will always exist.

Football was reaping the benefits of their frugalness. They were expanding for the first time in 20 years. They were moving franchises out of shaky markets and planning to keep teams in solid markets. They had branded themselves world-wide so that Europeans at least knew what American Football was. And, probably the biggest point, they became the No Fun League. They had rules. Lots of them. If you didn't follow them you were suspended or fined. If you were too much trouble, teams could cut you. This helped keep the focus on the game and not distractions. These eliments have lifted the NFL to one of the top 3 leagues in the world, if not number 1.

The results carry on today. Baseball's "dirty laundry" is out for all to see. Since the players and owners can't agree, every dispute is out in the open. Which means when the steroids/HGH stories break the media sees everything. There is no sympathy towards players, maybe because they have guarenteed contracts and don't fear getting cut. Still, even if a player wants to apologize they are persecuted.

The NFL's problems are veiled behind their rules. They have drug testing in place and players could lose their jobs at any moment. Does the NFL have an HGH problem? Who knows? Because the NFL has a steroid policy we assume they are hard on HGH. That makes it so when NFL players get busted and make an apology we are glad the system worked and can learn to forgive the player.

To me, it is all about the commishioner. Paul Tagliabu and Roger Goodell have been strong and proactive. Bud Selig looks like the type of guy that has troubles ordering his lunch. Is it fair the way we treat the NFL and MLB? I don't think so, but baseball has noone to blame but themselves.

The Feel of Cotton.

It's a little late, but I wanted to give my response to the butt-whooping we dropped on Arkansas. The SEC has played well this bowl season, but we dominated the Razorbacks. Tony Temple set a rushing record, not Run DMC. This win didn't help Chase Daniel's career, but helped cement Mizzou as a team to reckon with next season. But what I REALLY want to talk about.......

THE ANNOUNCERS! When the coverage started and I saw Pat Summerall and Brian Baldinger I said "This is going to be terrible." These two are bad at NFL games, let alone college. Pat can't see and Baldy can't think. Here are the worst/funniest moments I can remember.

Summerall: "I beg your pardon." He couldn't get the names right. Couldn't see the numbers, and when he did he was calling defensive players when we were on offense. It's like he just showed up that day to prepare. Also, he is an Arkansas alumn and called it like it was an Arkasas home game. "No big plays today....except if you are a Mizzou fan...."

Baldy: (while talking about the new Cowboy stadium) "Those Arches are bigger than the one in St. Louis that crosses the Missippi River." No way that just happened. Fire him. Immediately. Besides the fact that the stadium "arches" were NOT as big as the STL Arch, if the real Arch DID cross the Missippi it sure as hell would be bigger than the stadium arches!!!!!!

Combined effort: "Tony Temple has 180 rushing yards which is good for second all time in Cotton bowl history." This had me scratching my head. I said to my dad that with all the Running Backs in Cotton bowl history there had to be a 250 yard rusher. My dad said "I bet number 1 does have 250, and there was just a gap in between." Well, he was right. Later in the game they showed a graphic when Temple held the record. The top 5 had 280, 250 all the way down to number 5 with Ricky Willams rushing for 202 with Texas. Which of course means that Temple was NOT number 2 at 180. I don't like to rip on announcers(i prefer to rip on refs), but this was a joke for the biggest bowl game of my life time.

National Championship is tonight, I think LSU will beat Ohio State. To me these are now legitimately the two best teams. If there was a 4 team playoff this year, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma would have both been killed. (both lost bowl games.)

Good news is I think Mizzou will finish at #3!!!!

EDIT: Looks like Mizzou will only get to #4 in the AP. I forgot that the BCS doesn't give a final standing. Even better, Mizzou is being projected to open at #4 next season.

The BCS are bum-lookers.

The BCS is set and clearly this season didn't end for Mizzou fans the way we wanted it to. Last week we were headed to the National Championship, this week we are not in a BCS bowl. But everything is not as bad as I first thought they were. I like that the Rose Bowl kept their tradition and picked Illinois out of the Big 10 to play USC in the Rose Bowl. I hope Illinois upsets USC just like they did with Ohio State.

The Orange Bowl has no excuse. If they can't see through Kansas like Mizzou fans did they will get what they deserve. Virginia Tech will kill them, and Mizzou fans will have a good time watching it. I hope KU fans travel as well as they think they do, cause I wouldn't expect their team to show up.(yeah, I said it.) On the other hand, Mizzou v. Arkansas is a good matchup for Mizzou. We play a bowl on New Years day in a game that will feature two Heisman finalists. If we win we finish the season in the top 5. Not so bad in the end.

As for the BCS itself, I am in favor of a playoff. There are 3 options in my mind.
1) 4 Teams. This is my favorite. Keep the current BCS rankings and have the top 4 teams play 2 games to decide the championship. In any given season there are only 3 teams that would have a claim to be in the championship game, and this format gives them a chance. This year would be Ohio State v. Oklahoma, LSU v. Virginia Tech. Pretty good games if you ask me. Also, it would make teams play hard each week, because any loss would most likely push you out of the top 4.

2)8 teams. I don't like this one so much. 8 teams could mean alot of things. 2 or 3 teams in a conference qualifying(SEC and Big 12). Teams who have easy schedule making it (KU). Would teams like Hawaii make it? Would there be a selection commitee? Could a team take it easy in the final weeks because they have "qualified?" Too many questions for me.

3) 11 teams. 11 teams? Yes, one for each conference champion, both major and mid-major. This is the most fair option: it gives absolutely every FBS school a chance at the national championship (much like basketball) Also, each game is still meaningful because most of the time one loss will lose you a conference. The problem is it makes the non-conference schedule less important. But maybe that's good. Maybe teams will play other teams for experience and not just an easy win.

The NCAA will probably go with a "plus 1" format which means they will pick the 2 teams after all the "normal" BCS bowls. It's better than what we have, but until football lets the student-athletes win on the field (like every other sport) there will still be flaws.