What people seem to forget is that Brandon Marshall’s “character issues” started occurring after his best friend Darrent Williams was gunned down in his car by some Denver gang members. Gang members, who, presumably told Brandon that the same thing was going to happen to him, either implicitly or explicitly.

Can you blame him for wanting to get out of Denver?

It’s true, he’s had some other brushes with the law, but he can really catch the ball. He’s unguardable. Considering you have to pay these draft picks about the same amount of money (before they have even played one snap of NFL football), yeah, I think BM is a no-brainer. Especially if you can get him for the #14 pick.

We didn’t talk about Charlie Weis kind of accusing Pete Carroll of banging grad students in Malibu; Jake Locker staying or going; or, whether or not Cal is dumb enough to fire Tedford.

We did talk about Washington embarrassing Cal, the upcoming bowl games, and how BYU going to Las Vegas seems like a poor fit.

Click the link below to enjoy!

12.08.09 Pac-10 Football Podcast (full show)

Was the Apple Cup particularly well played? No. In fact, WSU was ridiculously awful. Washington honestly should have scored more, but I’ll take the first rivalry shutout of my lifetime happily. Fuck you, Cougars.

But who cares about those two losers? We had bowl eligible teams playing games! USC and UCLA pretended like they wanted to fight, Arizona State gagged on a rivalry upset in the desert, and Toby Gerhart raised a crazy question for America:

“What if a white, non-quarterback, won the Heisman? Don’t answer right away. Just, like, think about it…”

They call them fingers, but I’ve never seen them fing….wait, there they go.

Click the link below to enjoy our first show to exceed the half hour mark, as well as our first ever December effort. Next week: Bowl preview. Woot woot!

12.01.09 Pac-10 Football Podcast (full show)

Fuck this sport.

Does UCLA have what it takes to upset a closer-to-average USC team? Can Notre Dame find enough time away from their busy getting-punched-in-the-face schedule to put up a fight against Stanford? Washington has to win, right?

Before they play ‘em, we pick ‘em. Click the link below to enjoy.

11.24.09 Pac-10 Football Podcast (full show)

When Stanford went for two with the game out of reach in the Coliseum, I couldn’t help but think: “See Neuheisel? THIS is how you shut USC up.” When Oregon State obliterated Washington, I couldn’t help but think: “This is how teams with confidence and scheme embarrass teams lacking both.”

I kind of feel like Arizona are pretenders to the throne. Why? Because they lost to Washington. As USC has shown, if you lose to Washington you aren’t that good. The Wildcats have their shot this week at home against the Ducks, though.

Can Ohio State beat any of the top half of the Pac-10? How emphatically will the Beavers completely destroy the confidence of both Washington teams in advance of the Apple Cup? Can Cal capitalize on the Arizona win to give Stanford a game?

That’s right. Rivalry season begins. Defenestrate the records!

Also, Britney Spears makes her podcast music debut. If she’s going to keep cranking out the hits, I’m putting her in there. Click the link below to enjoy!

11.17.09 Pac-10 Football Podcast (full show)

That Jeff Tedford sure mails it in a lot, huh? That Steve Sarkisian sure hates to call second half timeouts, huh? Do those new spectacles make Paul Wulff look smart or what?

This formerly two-part show is now one not-quite-half-hour delight. Click the link below to enjoy it!

11.10.09 Pac-10 Football Podcast (full show)

Is Stanford a trap game for Oregon? Should Jeff Tedford be fired for that halfback pass call with less than a minute to go against ASU? Is Vegas daring me to bet the Cougs +33 at Arizona?

All that and we pick this week’s games against the spread. Click the links below to enjoy!

11.03.09 Pac-10 Football Podcast (part one)

11.03.09 Pac-10 Football Podcast (part two)

If I’m a UCLA fan, at what point am I allowed to voice my frustration that Rick Neuheisel has yet to find a way to consistently score? If I’m a Washington fan, is it blasphemous to wonder whether or not Jake Locker’s play is being influenced by NFL Draft whispers? If I’m a WSU fan, shoot me.

All that and we pick next week’s games. Hint: We like favorites! Click the links below to enjoy.

10.27.09 Pac-10 Football Podcast (part one)

10.27.09 Pac-10 Football Podcast (part two)

I really am passionate about the football played in this conference. I think it’s the best. The SEC is nice, but the Pac-10 has always had more innovative/effective offenses. Florida’s 23-20 win over Arkansas was alright, but there’s something about West Coast teams throwing haymaker after haymaker.

It is indeed possible to have well played football where both teams score the shit out of the ball. Skeptics look at the 81 total points and say, “No defense.” Wrong. Both Stanford and Arizona have shown themselves to be solid defensive teams this year. That was just transcendent offense. That was the Pac-10 doing just the fuck it do.

Was the USC loss a moral victory for Charlie Weis? Masoli or Costa for Oregon? Does it matter? Vontaze Burfict: crazy or really fucking crazy? (And to be clear: yes I would want him to play for Washington.)

All that and we pick next week’s games vs. the spread. Then we never talk about how we did because it’s usually poorly. But our hearts are in the right place. Click the links below to enjoy!!

10.20.09 Pac-10 Football Podcast (part one)

10.20.09 Pac-10 Football Podcast (part two)

The line on the Arizona State v. Washington game this week opened at ASU -3.5.   As of this morning, it is ASU -6.5 .  So a lot of action on the Sun Devils in this one.

Additionally, Ted Miller picked ASU to win the game 24-20, based largely on their talent on defense.  Miller states that ASU has a “huge advantage” on defense. 

Nick Daschel also picks ASU in this one 23-20, saying that ASU’s defense might be the “nastiest” that UW has faced all season (implication that ASU’s D is nastier than LSU’s, and USC’s, and Arizona’s, and Notre Dame’s). 

So, that’s the consensus in this game I guess.  ASU over UW.  Vegas has been on that and the two guys who pay the most attention to the Pac-10 believe that as well.  I have to be honest, I am a little perplexed.  I realize that I am a husky fan, so take everything in this post with a grain of salt, but here’s why I am confused with the predictions for this game:

ASU’s schedule.  I checked out the Sun Devil’s schedule and it is shocking.  They have beaten Idaho State, the University of Louisiana Monroe, and Washington State.  Those schools have a combined record of 5-13.  ASU’s two losses have come at Georgia, and at home to Oregon State (combined record of  7-5).  That’s 12-18 (winning percentage of 40). 

ASU’s defense.    Both Miller and Daschel mention the ASU defense when making their picks.  I checked and it is definitely the case that ASU’s defense has had some monster games.  Against Idaho State the ASU D surrendered only 37 total yards.  They got 4 INT’s and 2 fumbles and had 2 sacks as well.   Against WSU, ASU had 12 sacks (seriously).  This led to -54 yards rushing for WSU.  The Sun Devils also had 2 INT’s and recovered 2 fumbles.  Thus, in those 2 games, ASU’s D came up with 6 INT’s, 4 fumbles, and 14 sacks.  Obviously those numbers are staggering.  However – so is the quality of the opponent against whom those statistics were compiling. 

However, if you look at ASU’s defense against Georgia and Oregon State, the numbers are different.  Against those 2 squads, the Sun Devils came away with 3 INT’s, 2 Fumbles, and 1 sack.  I would attribute these differences to the fact that Georgia and OSU are decent D1 teams.  Georgia gained 334 total yards on ASU ( 92 rushing, 242 passing) and OSU had 295 total yards (79 rushing and 216 passing).  In total, that’s an average of 314.5 yards a game (85.5 rushing and 229 passing).   Those statistics put the ASU defense on par with Cinncinati or Boston College.  When you combine in the games against WSU and Idaho State though (along with the ULM game, 262 yards given up), ASU’s defense goes WAY down in yards to 221 a game.  This puts them on par with some of the best defenses in the Country. 

S0 my question is this:  What should I make of the ASU defense?  Should I assume that it doesn’t matter who the opponent is because every team plays some weaker teams at some point during a season?  I’m not sure.  Personally, I’m inclined to believe that ASU’s schedule has probably helped out their defensive stats.  Getting Idaho State and Washington State – 2 offenses that are not Pac 10 caliber – has really bolstered the ASU D. 

ASU’s offense.  Against WSU, ASU turned the ball over 6 times.  Their starting Qb Danny Sullivan is completing just 53.5 percent of his passes, with 5 INT’s to only 4 TD’s.  Yet, that being said, the ASU offense has put up a fair amount of yardage this season.  3 times this season ASU has put up more than 400 yards (Idaho State -   407,  Oregon State – 406, Washington State – 410).  Are we to attribute that to the competition?  Oregon State is supposed to have a good defense.

Washington Schedule.  Almost the exact opposite of the ASU schedule, has been the quality of the opponents that UW has faced.  To date, UW’s opponents are a combined 25-8 (75%).  They all have winning records.  Arizona is the worst at 3-2.  Idaho may be the weakest team that UW has faced, although the vandals are 5-1. UW’s 3 victories are Idaho, USC, Arizona.  All home wins for the Huskies.  Perhaps it is UW’s road woes that has contributed to the notion that ASU is the comfortable favorite.

Jake Locker.  I don’t think there is any argument that in Saturdays match-up, Jake Locker is going to be the best player on the field.  I know ASU has a stud freshman linebacker in Vontaze Burfict, but I think Locker’s play this year has elevated him the level of being one of the best players in the conference.  When I pick games, I generally look at 2 things as being extremely important.  Defense and Quarterback play.  Interestingly, in this matchup, each team has 1 and is completely devoid of the 2nd.  UW has a great QB and a questionable (read: bad) Defense, and ASU has a solid defense and a troublespot at Qb.   What fascinates me about this week’s game is that Vegas and the analysts have apparently weighed the play of Locker against that of the ASU defense, and unanimously determined that ASU’s defense will have the upperhand.

Anyways, this is one of those posts that has the potential to come back and make me look real dumb (not much of a feat, but nonetheless).  I’m not really trying to make the case of why I thought UW would get more respect in this match-up, but I did want to point out a few stats that fascinated me about this game, compared against the unanimous opinion that this is ASU’s game to win.  The Pac 10 experts think so, and so does Vegas.  I think this fact illuminates that while UW may be a great story this season – when push comes to shove, they are still not looked upon as a team to be reckoned with.   When it comes to predictions and gambling, UW is still a marked program. 

Ultimately, when it comes to UW football these days, picking them as a favorite on the road is a stretch no matter who the opponent.  They simply have not won a meaningful road contest in too long.  I suppose more than anything else that could be the most important factor.     I was just surprised at how fast this game went from pick ‘em (hometeam -3.5), to a consensus ASU win.   We shall see.

That leaves Washington, Stanford, Arizona, USC, Oregon State, and Arizona State all with one conference loss. Obviously there is a lot left to shake out.

Can Washington keep things rolling this week in Tempe? How can anybody think that Notre Dame has a chance against USC this weekend? Jahvid Best is about to bust out of his slump, right?

All that and we pick next week’s games. Click the links below to enjoy!

10.13.09 Pac-10 Football Podcast (part one)

10.13.09 Pac-10 Football Podcast (part two)

Oh yeah, WSU lost by a lot at Oregon.

Washington was unable to move the ball forward three feet despite numerous opportunities.

Is Stanford a legitimate challenger for the conference title? Is ASU the team that took Georgia to the wire, or the team that Oregon State easily dispatched? NBC has some suspicious policies regarding which replays they show on Notre Dame telecasts, huh?

All that and we preview next week’s games. Click the links below to enjoy!!

10.06.09 Pac-10 Football Podcast (part one)

10.06.09 Pac-10 Football Podcast (part two)

The Class of the League

Columbus Crew: Last year’s champions still haven’t lost their edge. With Sigi Schmid gone, former assistant Robert Warzycha has stepped in seamlessly and will likely net the Crew their second consecutive Supporters’ Shield for best regular season record. The biggest difference between last year’s team has been the goal scoring of Guillermo Barros Schelotto, who has been at or near the top of the Golden Boot standings for most of the year.

Houston Dynamo: Houston’s success starts with their defense, which thankfully looks healthy and intact in time for the playoffs. All Star Geoff Cameron is one of the premier two-way threats in the entire league. Their record could be a lot better, but injuries and international absences really took their toll in midseason. However, USMNT stalwart Brian Ching teams with young gun Stuart Holden to provide enough offensive firepower in just two players to grab at least a goal a game, which is often all they need.

They also have Brad Davis, one of the best left-sided players in the league

Strong Teams:

Chicago Fire: Brian McBride’s return from injury vaults Chicago to the top of this group. Solid individual defenders (Wilman Conde, Bakary Soumare) but not always solid team defending, but you can never count out a team with Cuauhtémoc Blanco.

God I love running this photo

Los Angeles Galaxy: Say what you will about Bruce Arena, but he has made the Galaxy competitive in every game. Arena’s crawl-before-you-can-walk ethos and emphasis on defending have transformed the Galaxy into a reasonable pick to win it all. If any games come down to a breakaway (Landon Donovan) or a free kick (David Beckham), it’s good to know L.A. has the two best players on the field.

Teams With Serious Flaws:

Seattle Sounders FC: You can’t win if you don’t score, and Seattle hasn’t shown the ability to do this with any consistency. Summer signing Leo Gonzalez has yet to make any tangible contributions to the attack while Freddie Ljungberg is not as dangerous in midfield as, say, Toronto FC’s Dwayne De Rosario. The opposition has found success by mercilessly hacking down Ljungberg and Fredy Montero – and the referees don’t put a stop to this cynical behavior with yellow cards. Expect even more of this as the play gets more physical in the playoffs.

Oh Leo…when will you make a goal?

D.C. United: Too many games. They’ve been playing in Champions League in addition to their run to the U.S. Open Cup final – the league’s salary budget really restricts them from having the depth to handle this workload. As such, the players are falling apart physically. Additionally, two rookies (Chris Pontius, Rodney Wallace) all play key roles and they may start to lose focus in the latter stages of the playoffs.

New England: A great team with a history of success, but who will score goals for them? That giant Lithuanian? Steve Ralston’s ACL tear (which will likely end his MLS career) drops the Rev to the status of also-rans. A great defense and excellent coaching but I don’t see them doing anything in the postseason. Shalrie Joseph is a huge talent but can’t do it all himself.

I MAKE GOALS! UFF DA!

Chivas USA: Quick, who plays for Chivas besides Sacha Kljestan? Ha, I don’t know either. They have really cooled off after a dream beginning to the season. Apparently Paulo Nagamura isn’t the scoring threat he appeared to be after his crazy start, huh?

Dark Horses:

Colorado Rapids: May have the league’s best striking tandem in Conor Casey and Omar Cummings. Either one of them is capable of making a goal out of nothing – which they will need to do more than once, considering Colorado’s suspect defense. Still, a team to keep an eye on.

Toronto F.C.: Oooh I really like this team.  With the exception of Landon Donovan, De Rosario is the best player in the league. Interim coach Chris Cummins has this team playing loose and free – they could be dangerous to any team in the playoffs, especially in the first round where one match will be played at BMO Field.  But they may not even make the playoffs.

But really nobody was where we thought they were last week. Fig Jam and I picked every game wrong against the spread. Every single game. This week? Wholesale changes to our picking process to hedge against a similar outcome!

Should WSU have burned Jeff Tuel’s redshirt? Is Charlie Weis humble enough to just keep running power plays at UW? Can Stanford keep it rolling against UCLA?

All that and USC @ Cal. Click the links below to enjoy!

09.29.09 Pac-10 Football Podcast (part one)

09.29.09 Pac-10 Football Podcast (part two)

I buried this on purpose but Oregon is looking damned impressive all of a sudden.

Jake Locker came up with two throws on that final drive that Husky fans will talk about for years. UW’s previously maligned kicking game found a new Folk Hero (thanks Dr. Fig Jam) as young master Erik came of age in a major way. And that linebacking corps never let USC’s pyrrhic ground success get to them – coming up with play after play when it mattered. Butler, Foster, Savannah. Immense.

Did WSU’s fans really rush the field after beating SMU? Will Arizona survive losing Rob Gronkowski for the season? Can I beat the rush and pick up Jahvid Best on my fantasy team now?

All that and we pick next week’s games against the spread. Click the links below to enjoy!

09.22.09 Pac-10 Football Podcast (part one)

09.22.09 Pac-10 Football Podcast (part two)

Say who said Dawgs ain’t bad motherf#@!ers

Here’s the link.

The bittersweet spoils of victory, but good for Jake.

USC had just enough to take down the Buckeyes in the Horseshoe. UCLA went into Knoxville and shocked the Vols. Oregon State survived their annual self-inflicted trap game at UNLV.

Can the Dawgs take advantage of USC’s inevitable Ohio State hangover? Will we be anything but entertained when Cincinnati comes to Corvallis in a matchup of two of the country’s best coaches? And is WSU really a home dog to SMU? (Yes. Yes they are.)

Click the links below to enjoy!

09.15.09 Pac-10 Football Podcast (part one)

09.15.09 Pac-10 Football Podcast (part two)

You can throw out the records when these two teams get together.  When the Texas Longhorns come to War Memorial Stadium on Saturday it’s going to be a slugfest, a matchup featuring hated rivals as the Cowboys seek to corral the Horns in what should be one of the biggest matchups in this early college football season.

So – ummm – does anybody have any idea what I’m talking about?  Cowboys (Dallas??).  War Memorial Stadium (D.C.??). 

Is this ringing any bells?  It probably shouldn’t and you will be interested to learn that for some reason this weekend the Texas Longhorns will be playing a footbal game AT the University of Wyoming.   That’s right, fresh off their home opener against Weber State, the Wyoming Cowboys (the team, the students, the faculty and the alumni = all cowboys as far as I know) are set to welcome the #2 team in the country into town.

How did this happen?  Did Mack Brown sign off on this?  Did he think he was signing up for a fishing trip or something when this game was scheduled?  Also – what is the point?  If you’re going to schedule a patsy (Texas being the 33.5 road favorites in this one) shouldn’t you just go ahead and do it at home like Tennessee did last year when they played Wyoming in Knoxville? 

Does UT feel like it’s going to gain something valuable out of playing in front of 33,500 riled up Wyoming fans?    I guess Mack Brown thinks so, although I question his focus based on this quote, “Every coach I have talked to said that you better grab a hold on now, they are going to be ready to play and their fans going to be rowdy. I’m really excited about going up there. I’ve never really been to Wyoming, it will be fun to go.”  Yes – grab a hold on now indeed. 

Interesting Wyoming “Facts” from Wikipedia:

• Wyoming’s stadium is the highest elevation division I stadium at 7215 feet. 
• It also cost 1.5 million dollars to construct.  (Someone please confirm that it is possible to construct an entire stadium for $1.5 million.  I don’t care if it was built in 1950 – if that thing cost $1.5 million then it is a death trap).
• Former Alumni include Dick Cheney and Todd Skinner.
• Wyoming has 6 sororities and 10 fraternities.  One of the fraternities is called “Farmhouse.” Their motto is that they are the ”builders of men.”  There used to be 11 fraternities but the Delta Chi chapter was closed in 2002 for failing to pay its rent.  This caused the cancellation of the yearly Delta Chi easter egg hunt – which was a pretty big deal.

Should we be impressed with Arizona’s defense or disappointed in their offense? How is WSU a 2 point underdog to Hawaii in Seattle? Who needs the win this week in Knoxville more: Rick Neuheisel or Lane Kiffin?

All that and I’m not sure we said the name “LeGarrette Blount”. We should get a medal. Click the links below to enjoy!

09.08.09 Pac-10 Football Podcast (part one)

09.08.09 Pac-10 Football Podcast (part two)

Image: nydailynews.com