Do College Football Games Take To Long?

• On Saturday, I watched the Rutgers-West Virginia game and the game took 4 hours.
• It was a relatively entertaining game as the game was played in the snow and it was a high scoring back and forth affair.
• Still, 4 hours is ridiculous for a game that did not go into over-time.
• Then, on Sunday, I watched the New Giants-Miami Dolphin game.
• This was a close game and relatively entertaining game.
• The Giants-Dolphin game took under 3 hours.
• Some time back, the NFL took some steps to speed up the game as games were starting to approach 4 hours.
• Except near the end of halves, when you go out-of-bounds, the clock does not stop.
• In college, the clock stops when you out-of-bounds.
• I also believe the clock stops, at least momentarily, when you get a first down.
• Even though NFL games are now taking less time, I never watch an NFL team and feel cheated because there was not enough football as the game has been shortened.
• In fact, the NFL is more popular than ever.
• College football should adopt some of the NFL rules in order to speed up the game as 3 hours is plenty of time for a football game.

Should the St. Louis Rams draft Andrew Luck?

• The St. Louis Rams could end up with the worst record in the NFL and therefore in position to draft Andrew Luck.
• However, the Rams already have drafted their franchise quarterback in Sam Bradford.
• So what should the Rams do?
• I think Sam Bradford is going to be one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL.
• Still, most scouts consider Andrew Luck to be the best quarterback prospect since John Elway.
• If the Rams scouts believe that Andrew Luck is going to be the next John Elway, then they need to draft him.
• Then, they Rams can trade Sam Bradford.
• The Denver Broncos traded Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears for 2 first round draft picks.
• Sam Bradford should have more trade value than Cutler as he does not have the same baggage that Cutler had.
• Teams like the Washington Redskins and the Miami Dolphins would probably give up an entire draft for Bradford.
• By drafting Luck and trading Bradford, the St. Louis Rams can have both the best quarterback prospect in 25 years and enough young talent around him to build a perennial Super Bowl contender.

Should the Indianapolis Colts draft Andrew Luck?

• If the Indianapolis Colts are in position to draft Andrew Luck that means that they are the worst team in the NFL.
• If they are the worst team in the NFL, the Indianapolis Colts are more than a few players away from winning the Super Bowl.
• Therefore, even with a healthy Peyton Manning and whatever the Colts would receive for trading the rights to Luck, will not be enough to make the Colts Super Bowl contenders.
• If the Colts are in position to draft Andrew Luck, they should do it.
• The Colts should play Peyton Manning for 1 year to prove that he is healthy and to have Andrew Luck learn from Manning.
• Then, once Manning proves he is healthy, the Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning should both agree the Manning should be traded to a contender.
• Then, the Indianapolis Colts can begin the process of building a team around Andrew Luck for the next decade.
• Peyton Manning can compete for a Super Bowl in his last couple of years.
• Remember, the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers both won Super Bowl by replacing Joe Montana and Brett Farve with the next franchise quarterback.

Will the Philadelphia Eagles be a Dream Team in 2012?

• The Philadelphia Eagles created a lot excitement for the 2011 season with their off-season moves.
• However, at 2-4, the Eagles are a major disappointment and will struggle to make the playoffs.
• Still, when you look at the team’s roster, the Eagles look like they are in good shape for the 2012 season.
• First, the Eagles were already stacked at the offensive skilled positions.
• One of Philadelphia’s weaknesses going into 2011 was offensive line.  Now, they have two rookies starting who look like they will be good players as they gain more experience.
• Also, the Philadelphia Eagles addressed their issues on the defensive line by signing Jason Babin and Cullen Jenkins to play with Trent Cole.
• The Philadelphia Eagles have the most talented defensive backfield in the NFL with Asomugha, Samuels, and Nate Allen.
• From a talent perspective, all the Philadelphia Eagles need to add in the off-season is linebackers.
• The big question is Andy Reid the man to lead the Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl next year with all this talent.

Will the Green Bay Packers win the 2012 Super Bowl?

• Clearly, the Green Bay Packers have been the best team in the NFL so far this season.
• They are the odds-on favorite to repeat as Super Bowl Champions.
• Aaron Rogers and the Green Bay offense have been like a machine.
• However, I would not crown the Packers as Super Bowl Champions just yet.
• The Green Bay defense has not been that strong.
• The Minnesota Vikings, with a rookie starting quarterback making his NFL debut, moved the ball up and down the field and scored 27 points.
• Time and time again teams have peaked too early in pro sports and the best team in the regular season has not become the champion.
• The New England Patriots were the best team in the NFL last year during the regular season.
• Yet, the Packers, who struggled during the season and just barely made the playoffs, won the Super Bowl last year.

When will the NBA lockout end?

• When the NBA superstars feel enough pain.
• If the majority of NBA owners are losing money under the current system, then the majority of NBA owners are losing less money by not playing.
• The NBA owners see that the NFL and NHL owners have done better under their systems.
• Not only are most NBA owners not making money on annual basis, they are not making money when they sell their teams.
• The Philadelphia 76ers recently sold for only $280 million.  The Sixers are in a large market in a city with a great basketball tradition.
• There is no reason for the NBA owners to settle until they change the revenue split and the system.
• The NBA superstars will not settle until they start losing their paychecks.
• And even if the players were starting to cave, the players’ agents do not want the system to significantly change.
• It’s only after the players start losing big paychecks week after week will the lockout end.

Will Donovan McNabb have a starting job in the NFL next year?

• Yes.
• Donovan McNabb has stated that he has a lot of football left.
• Therefore, I doubt he is going to retire.
• I do not think that there will be a team in the NFL that will target Donovan McNabb to be their starting quarterback for the 2012 season.
• However, NFL quarterbacks are always getting injured.  See Peyton Manning and Jason Campbell.
• If Donovan McNabb is willing to wait for his opportunity, at some point, he will get a chance to be a starting quarterback next year.  See Kerry Collins.
• And if Donovan McNabb is willing to be a back-up, he could stick around for a long time.  See Vinny Testaverde.

 

Who are the winners and losers of the Carson Palmer trade?

• The Cincinnati Bengals are winners.
• The Bengals did not give in to Carson Palmer’s demand to be traded until they received great value.  So the message has not been sent to players that you can demand your way out of Cincinnati.
• The Bengals appear to have found their quarterback of the future quarterback with Andy Dalton so they have not been left in bad position by Palmer’s demands.
• The Bengals received a first round pick and a first or second round pick for a guy who has not had a great season in about 5 years.
• The Oakland Raiders look like they are losers, but time will tell.
• Even if Palmer plays well this year, it is unlikely they are going to win the Super Bowl this year.
• Through various trades, they have almost no draft picks in 2012 and therefore it is going to be a challenge for them to get to the next level and make the Palmer trade worthwhile.
• Carson Palmer is the biggest winner in this deal.
• Palmer demanded a trade and got his wish.
• Palmer is going to a pretty good team in the Oakland Raiders.
• Palmer is from California and therefore gets to go home.
• The Oakland Raiders are going to pay Carson Palmer a lot of money as they have committed to him as their franchise quarterback.
• And the biggest loser is Jason Campbell.
• Finally, Jason Campbell seemed to have found a home in Oakland.
• Now, he gets hurt right before the trade deadline and instead of being the Raider’s quarterback for the next few years, the franchise has been turned over to Carson Palmer.
• Jason Campbell will now be going into free agency coming off an injury and having to start from scratch again.
• Of course, his old team, the Washington Redskins, still need a quarterback.

Who will win the Andrew Luck sweepstakes?

• The Indianapolis Colts, the Miami Dolphins, and the St. Louis Rams are all winless.
• So who will end up with the first pick in the draft and Andrew Luck?
• The Indianapolis Colts have a recent history of winning and too many veteran players with pride to finish with the worst record.
• St. Louis has their franchise quarterback in Sam Braford.
• The Rams have young players who had high expectations going into this year.
• The Rams’ coach, Steve Spagnuolo, is not going to get fired so most likely his players are going to play for him and find a way to win some games.
• The Miami Dolphins’ coach, Tony Sparano, is not going to come back next year.
• The Dolphins do not have a recent tradition of winning.
• The Dolphins play in a tough division with the Patriots, Bills, and Jets.
• The Dolphins now have Matt Moore as their quarterback.
• The Miami Dolphins are the favorite to have the worst record in football and draft Andrew Luck.

Is Jim Harbaugh the best coach in the NFL?

• It certainly looks that way.
• Prior to Jim Harbaugh, nobody could win with Alex Smith.
• Now, the 49ers are 5-1.
• And they are nearly 6-0 after losing a lead to the Dallas Cowboys.
• First, they came East and beat the Eagles.
• Then, they destroyed the Tampa Buccaneers.  The Bucs have a winning record and just beat the Saints.
• Now, the 49ers just beat the previously 5-0 Detroit Lions in Detroit.
• Even when Harbaugh ”screws up” by over exuberantly shaking the Lions Head Coach’s hand after a win, it will work out well.
• His team is even going to further have Harbaugh’s back.