Eli

Apparently, he's not the next coming. Man, Eli Manning has not only hurt my fantasy team, he has not helped his real team, the NY Giants. He's barely holding a TD to Int. lead at 17-15, after 1 TD and 2 INTs today against the Titans. Wow, what a collapse. They had a 21-0 lead agaist the Titans and rookie QB Vince Young. What do they do with that? Lose it and the game, 24-21. Tiki and Jeremy should have plenty to say after this week's collapse.

College Football

They continue to have no answer for finding a true champion. How does a team with 1 loss end up being worse than the next team with 1 loss? How does a team who played in the Big X automatically be better than a team in the Pac 10 when they never even played? How can you say USC is better than Michigan just because USC played more ranked teams? Excuse me, beat more ranked teams. Who is going to play the Buckeyes in the championship? USC? Michigan? Norte Dame? If the Irish beat USC do they go? Michigan dominated them earlier in the season. Does USC take it if the beat Nortre Dame? Does Florida and Arkansas have something to say about all of this? Seeing that they played in the toughest conference in college football, SEC. NCAA needs to fix this problem and get a playoff system. You will truly see a champion once that happens. Man, if they played this way in the NFL Pittsburgh wouldn't have even had a chance to suit up last season.

Scavengers

Fantasy football can really suck sometimes. I won't talk about that though. Let's talk about the scavengers. The Marion Barbers and Brandon Jacobs of the NFL. You have the workhorses doing all of the work then they come in and get the payoff. They're like the manager taking credit for all of the good work being done in his department. You know, the work being done while he's out playing golf, drinking it up with clients. Ok, back to the scavengers. Julius Jones just drug 3 players to the 1/2 yard line and Barber gets to walk into the endzone. Tiki Barber has the same issue. He gets the carries, does the work then here comes Jacobs taking the glory. Forget them being small backs, give 'em the rock. I need them to have the ball. I don't care about what's need in the "real" league. My fantasy team needs TDs from the stars. Someone needs to contact the league to end this madness. No wonder Tiki is retiring.

Houston drop UCF 51-31

The good news is the Cougars rallied and scored 20 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Houston jumped out to a 10-0 lead, then engaged the UCF Golden Knights in an exchange of body blows. Houston finally landed enough in the fourth to take the lead for good.Jackie Battle rushed for 70 yards and 3 scores and Anthony Alridge added 131 yards on the ground and one score. Kevin Kolb meanwhile added a 22 for 34 effort yielding 304 passing yards and three TDs one each to Vincent Marshall (6 rec/39 yds), Biren Ealy (4 rec/85 yards), and Roshawn Pope (2 rec/76 yeads).

The bad news, Cougars had to rally and score 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. The Mad Dog D allowed 248 yards of rushing, and 282 yards through the air. Fortunately, the Golden Knights helped the Coogs and gave up two fumbles and two interceptions. They were also penalized 8 times for 70 yards.

Overall, while it was nice to see them fight back but it was a pedestrian effort vs a weak Golden Knights. I'm not fired up about this one. The Coogs will need to get it together on defense if they want to defeat the CUSA West leading 7-1 Tulsa Golden Hurricane.

Yaaaawn

Man, is the World Series on? Did someone win? Wait, who is playing? I'm not even here to talk about the World Series. St. Louis has it in the bag.

Something that bothers me to no end is the announcements of the league MVP. It is game 5 of the World Series with the Cards up 3-1 and we have no idea who the MVP is for 2006. Is it just me or is this ridiculous? No winners of any kind, Cy Young, rookie, or Manager. This is ridiculous. How do you announce season winners after the World Series? It's stupid. I can't understand and baseball needs to correct it. The votes are supposed to be in before season's end so why are the winners left a secret for so long? I don't know. Someone help me out.

S Web's Week 8 NFL Picks

Now we're rollin'. Well my two underdog picks panned out, but my lock didn't. Arizona knew who Chicago was, but couldn't figure out Oakland. Green Bay took care of business in Miami, and the Texans as projected rose to the occasion against the Jags.

Let's see, that puts me at 6-7 for the season, I'm making up for a shaky start. Let's get to it.

Saint Louis (10-106)
I don't see it, I don't see St. Louis getting beaten this week. This one should be a nice shootout.
I'm taking STL and the pts.

Philadelphia (-4-106)
Yeah, Philly has lost two straight on the road, they're back home and s/b nice and angry to get back on the winning track. McNabb is the real deal and Leftwich, while a trooper, can't hobble around forever. I'm taking Philly and giving the points.

Indianapolis (2.5-110)
Indy an UD, just doesn't sound right to me. They're looking to go 7-0 and keep it rolling to the playoffs. Denver has a pedestrian passing attack with Plummer, and have to rely heavily on the running game making them basically one dimensional. I'm taking Indy and the points here.

Let the games begin.

Texans win convincingly...27-7

The Texans revisit the win column against what I consider their best rival in the AFC South. They have always played tough against the Jags. Tough enough that I went homer on them in my Week 7 picks.

It all started on the ground, Houston finally put together a ground attack with Wali Lundy leading the way with 19 rushes for 93 yards. Houston on the afternoon put up a total of 131 yards. It wasn't a pretty 131, they only averaged 3.9/carry, but it was effective.

David Carr provided the arial attack, launching 34 and connecting on 25 of them for 218 yards. One of them, an arcing scud missle attack connected with Andre Johnson between two defenders for a TD. Johnson had 8 catches for 106 yards...how sweet it is.

This is what we've wanted this team to be. A team that moves the chains and makes plays, the Texans rolled up 21 first downs in the game, mainly b/c they didn't have the third down and quarter mile to go. They were only penaized 17 yards during the game. They played a good game, not a great game, but a good one against a Jag team that was supposed to contend for the AFC South title.

Though it was nice to see all of the rookies, Lundy, Mario Williams, DeMeco Ryans, and Owen Daniels, who added a TD, get into the game...I'm handing out the game ball to Wali Lundy in this one...as Coach Kubiak stated in an AP interview:

"I was worried about him after the first couple of weeks that the overload had
slowed him down and he wasn't reacting," Kubiak said of Lundy. "Sometimes you
have to let players sit back and watch a week or two so that they calm down. He
played with great presence today."

We needed a running attack and he brought one.

Coogs win 34-17...

The Coogs got a much needed conference win yesterday, defeating a solid UTEP team 34-17. Houston spotted UTEP 14 points to begin the game but it was all Cougars for the rest of the game. Remarkably, the Mad Dog Defense held UTEP scoreless in the second half allowing the offense to put up 24 unanswered points.

Miner head coach Mike Price noted four three and outs in the second half in the El Paso Times:

"Well it kind of fell apart in the second half," said UTEP head coach Mike Price, whose attempt at his 150th career victory fell short. "We had four three-and-outs in the second half. We played hard on defense, but we kept putting the defense in such bad position and giving Houston such great field position. And I think that is what drove the nail in the coffin for us."

This was a good win for the Coogs, who had a balanced attack of 208 through the air and 204 on the ground. Interestingly, the Coogs only punted once during the game. Kevin Kolb connected on 20-30 for 208 and two TDs, while Anthony Alridge provided two scores on the ground.

The Cougars get to take on UCF next week at home. Then they get Tulsa...if they can get past the Golden Hurricane, there's no reason they can't run the table.

LOLOLOL

Beltran strikes out...


Ahh, think I'll watch it again. Ahhh, that does feel good....wait...that guy looks familiar...Oh it is just Mr. Wilson wearing that ridiculous cap.

Caption contest...what's that Met's fan thinking as he chews on his finger?

"Well, this is most disturbing."
"Wait, that's it? But we're the Mets."

Someone's praying Lord....kumbaya....

Houston Cougars take the field today against UTEP at Robertson Stadium, they're trying to stop sliding down the slippery slope to mediocrity. After losing to Miami....the ULA-LA, then Southern Miss, they look to right the ship and get another conference win.

It won't be easy, UTEP has a lot of players from Houston on the team and they'll be up to play this game. According to an interview in the El Paso Times, Sr. QB Jordan Palmer is looking to break him off a piece too.

"We have a lot of guys on our team from Houston, and they're going to be fired
up," senior quarterback Jordan Palmer said. "So I'm going to hop on that
bandwagon with them. If we want to win the conference, we have to win the West.
And if we want to win the West, we have to beat Houston. So there's a whole
different feeling about this game. I'm more fired up than I've been (all year)."

The Coogs are in a must win situation in this game, they absolutely have to beat UTEP if they want to win the West and play for a conference title. Willie Gaston says:

"The only game we have circled on our calendar is Dec. 2, the conference
championship game," he said. "So it's one game at a time. We're not overlooking
anybody. It's a good game. And, hopefully, we'll start a rivalry with these
guys."

Please, don't look past UTEP....please, I'm praying...

S Web's Week 7 NFL Picks

Dang, bad week last week, Grossman, geez he looked inept. But they did reinforce my love of D.... Let's see where am I at here...I was 3-3 last week now I'm 4-6...man, okay refocus and let's get it done.

Green Bay (4 -110)
What? Green Bay the underdog? Ain't no way against Miami...come on...Miami is horrible. Green Bay gets Ahman Green back and will crush Miami. So, yeah, I'm picking this as my underdog play. I'm taking Green Bay and the points....and laugh about it.

Arizona (-3 -117)
Ohh, Arizona gave one up...Denny Green was furious, did y'all see that tirade? I liked it...I liked it a lot. Bears did a rope a dope on them and Arizona let it slip away, like sand through an hourglass. Guaranteed they'll be good and lathered up for the horrible, horrible Oakland. I'll take Arizona and give you some points on this one.

Houston (9.5 - 112)
Don't laugh at the homer pick. Texans always play well against the loudmouthed Jags and the UD is 6-2 ATS in their last 8 meetings...It wouldn't surprise me if the Texans won straight up...but I'm not that big of a homer. I'm taking the Texans and the points.

Houston rookie DeMeco Ryans leading the charge.

The Houston Texan's second round pick of the 2006 NFL draft, DeMeco Ryans, is putting the shine on this year's dismal and dull season. Despite all the furor and talk over first round pick Mario Williams, it is Ryans that could possibly win 2006 Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Ryans, the 6-1 235 lb. LB from Alabama is currently tied for 4th in the league in solo tackles with none other than lean mean Ray Lewis from the Baltimore Ravens, despite being considered undersized for a middle linebacker.

He's showing an ability to grasp the scheme and put himself in position to make the tackle. Mario will be good, maybe even great, but Ryans is making an impact now.

Now, where can I get his jersey.

Texans game prep....

Keep those feet moving!


The Texans line and running backs should be shown this over and over....and over again prior to this weeks game vs the Cowboys. Barry Sanders, none better...Love how he runs past #75 Tony Casillas before big boy can turn around. Dallas eventually gets blasted in this game 38-6 by the Lions...Remember, keep your feet moving. Oh, and it ain't over until the whistle blows.

T Mac

Man, he brought the game we all love in the first half last night. 17 points, 5 dimes on 5-10 shooting in 18 minutes. He looked good and showed no signs of the back problems that derailed his season last year. T-Mac can truly be one fo the best in the league, dominating, but injuries to his back keep him grounded. I hope he elevates his game to heights none of us has seen and guides us to the championship.

Yao's big toe is one that troublesome. They want him to get a softer shell but then it'll get stepped on and cause more problems. What's the solution? Tell him to get his punk ass out there and play ball. Call Mario Williams and get some of his ointments, remedies, or whatever he used.

S Web's Week 6 NFL Picks

Okay, I've made up some ground with a good week, ripping off two good wins and moving to 50%. I finally got bucked by the bird, and found out Blow beats Suck. So let's get to it:

Cincinnati (-5.5-110)
The opening line on this one was 6 and it's moved to 5.5, I liked it at 6, now I really like it.
Bengals come off a bye week and are rested and ready to take on a horrible Tampa Bay team.
Look for Rudi to romp and Carson to hit Chad over and over. Take Cincy and give the points.

Chicago (-10.5 -120)
Chicago is legit and they travel to Arizona to take on a Cardinal team missing Larry Fitzgerald. The Cardinal O-line is abyssmal, and Leinart will start his second game against a mean defense...did I mention I likes me some D. The Chicago D gets it done, I'm taking the Bears and giving the 10.5.

St Louis (3-105)
My underdog pick of the week, I like St Louis at home vs a beatable Seahawks team missing Shaun Alexander and a questionable Bobby Engram. St Louis has done what it takes to get the job done so far this season. I'm taking St Louis and the points in this one.

That's it S Web's Week 6 Just for Fun NFL Picks.

Kolb gets national recognition...

Houston Cougar quarterback Kevin Kolb landed on ESPN's Bruce Feldman's Midseason Hot 100 list. The 6-3 225 lb Senior from Stephenville, TX has put up some impressive numbers so far this season. Kolb leads Conference USA with 1756 yards passing, 14 TDs and one interception, and earning a 168.9 QB rating. Good enough to land him at #20 on the list and the nickname "Mr. Efficiency."

The 4-2 Cougars travel to Hattisburg, MS to face against the 3-2 Southern Miss Golden Eagles in a bid to get back on the winning track after tough losses to Miami and Louisiana-Lafayette. Houston is currently a 2.5 underdog in the matchup.

Look for Kolb's numbers to keep growing, and hopefully moving him up that list.

Cougars stumble late...

Cougars jumped out to an early 21 - 0 lead, but stumbled late allowing 15 unanswered points in the 4th quarter, losing 31-28 to the Ragin' Cajun's of Louisiana Layette at home.

Abomitable defense allowed 401 yards to get hung on them. Allowing 254 yards on 42 attemtps, that's 6 yards a carry. On the flip side, the Cougar offense showed they couldn't get the ball rolling on the ground only garnering 35 yards on 22 attempts.

A case of taking an opponent too lightly? Perhaps looking down the road at the next conference game in Hattiesburg, MS against a tough Southern Miss team? Cougars got punched in the mouth by a team they were supposed to beat.

S Web's Week 5 NFL Picks

Alright, alright, not the best start. 1-2, that's cool, I'm just starting to warm up. Who'd have thought that the Bengals would get blasted by a Laurence Maroney galloping through the vaunted Jag D, that Brunell would play out of his mind two weeks in a row, scoring 3 TDs and 329 yards. . .But you have to admit, I nailed that Baltimore pick.

Anyway, on to this weeks, picks:

Baltimore (4-110)
I said it before, I likes me some D. The Ravens are rolling along, and it is a Monday Night game. Granted they've played a weak Tampa Bay, Oakland, and Cleveland team...but they beat a good San Diego team. Plus, again Steve McNair is the better QB. He does what it takes to win and the team is responding to it. I'm riding this bird till it bucks me. I'm taking Baltimore and the points.

San Diego (-3.5-110)
Speaking of San Diego, they just lost a tough one, Steve McNair and Todd Heap took it from them, and they've got to be bitter. I like them at home versus a vunerable Steeler team that looks very beatable now. I'm charging it up and taking San Diego and giving the points.

San Francisco (-3.5-110)
Basically, this is a game of Suck vs Blow....San Francisco has put up some points this season averaging a sweet 17.5. However, Oakland averages a paltry 9 points per game. Last week the 49ers rolled into KC and got manhandled 0-41. Now they return home with what little pride they have and look to beat up on Oakland. Neither team has a QB, niether team has a RB, the smart play may be the under, but I'll take San Fran and you can have the points in this one.

That's it, S Web's Just for Fun Week 5 NFL Picks.

University of Houston Cougars

Houston Cougars take the field against the University of Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns at home. Let's Go Coogs!!!


Video I found on YouTube.com to get all fired up.

Texans lay the wood on the Dolphins

Well, not really. I'd hardly call a 17-15 victory, laying the wood on a team, but hey, it is a win.
On top of the first win by Kubiak as a head coach, we've got first round draft pick Mario Williams rolling up his first sack. . .ending the game with 1.5. But most importantly, it was Williams who threw a big paw up to tip the two point conversion pass of Daunte Culpepper.

"He threw it and I just reached up and tipped it," Williams said. "I was in the right place at the right time."

I was glad to see everyone get fired up about Mario's first sack and the Texans roll up in the win column.

Cougars fall in close one. . .

The Cougars suffered a disappointing 14-13 loss to the "U" in Miami Saturday night. Initially, the Cougar "Mad Dog" D shut down the Miami offense, intercepting Kyle Wright twice on back to back drives. They then held the Miami offense to drives of -12, 6, & -1 yards in a row.

For a team that averaged 486 yards and 38 points per game, the Cougar offense looked like it never got clicking. Kolb went 18 for 28 for 196 yards and the rushing game was 25 rushes for a grand total of 82 yards. On the seventh drive of the game, they drove 72 yards only to fumble, which Miami turned into a TD...and that was the end of the Cougars...punting on the last two drives of the game.

"It was frustrating," Kolb said. "A 14-13, one-point loss to Miami. We let opportunities slip away. We drove 80 yards two times and got three points out of
it."

Between the interceptions and the penalties on the Miami side, the Cougars should have had this one. But on the bright side, the Coogs are 4-1, and this loss appears to have left a bad taste in their mouths. . .

"I don't see any validation for us," Houston coach Art Briles said. "This was all disappointing. We just did a good job of getting close."

Hopefully, they can take some frustration out on the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns, who are coming off of a 33-14 win over Eastern Michigan.

Rockets Get Bonzi

In a move that could help bring the coveted trophy back to Houston for the first time since Dream and Glyde embraced the hardware, the Rockets landed Bonzi Wells. Bonzi had already declined a long term contract from the Kings. He also passed on the "opportunity" to take large sums from the Bobcats. He came to the Rockets for a "mere" $4.5mil over 2 years with the second being a player option. I believe Bonzi realizes coming to Houston is a very real opportunity to get a championship.

Bonzi brings something sorely missed in our line up....rebounds. Yes, rebounds from a guard. He averaged 7.7 rpg last season. Let us not forget that he can score when needed. This was displayed during the first round of last season's playoffs when he poured in 22 ppg.

People will talk about his past indiscretions but I say we need someone with an edge. We haven't seen a player in Houston with some attitude and fire since Mad Max was driving down the streets of H-town waiving his gun. I love the move. Rockets are set for a championship run and I will be front row and center and driving down Richmond celebrating for the first time since '95.

S Web's Week 4 NFL Picks

I'll admit it, I've used a sports tout. You know, the guy on the radio offering his Sunday Night 5 Star can't miss, guaranteed, super-duper lock, if you'll only call 1-866. . . I've had someone give me the picks from a service that they use, and I've bought picks. . .I've won...and I've lost...but mostly lost.

But you know I've decided, you don't need those guys, especially if you are a fantasy football nut like myself. In my fantasy league we use individual defensive players (IDP's) so we all get to know defensive positions as well as offensive positions pretty closely. I'd wager being active in a couple fantasy football, or baseball if that's your ken, can serve you pretty well.

We expect these guys to have some type of magical insight into the NFL game. . .after as much as I've paid and lost, I don't believe it. So here's what I did. I started clicking around to see what these guys actual winning percentages were ATS and SU (Against The Spread and Straight Up respectively). And I found that they pick around 50 - 55 percent of the games. About half the time. So just for fun, I decided to forgo the plunking down of 45 dollars for a service each week, and have a go at it myself.

So I decided just for fun, I'd make three picks each week and see how well I do. Feel free to agree or disagree...

Here are my plays:

Baltimore (3 - 110)
I likes me some D. Sure both have good defenses, but Baltimore is back to being the class of the league, and San Diego has played some soft competition terrorizing the Oakland Raiders 27-0 and giving rolling over a terrible Tennessee Titans team 40-7.
Baltimore won a tough game on the road last week, and should boost their confidence. Plus, in my opinion Baltimore has the better QB in McNair. I'll take Baltimore and the points.

Jacksonville (-2.5 - 120)
Let's get this straight, the Texans made Washington look good and Jacksonville lost a tough one against the hated division rival Indianapolis Colts. I'm taking Jacksonville in this one and giving the points. They should be nice an pissed off after losing to the Colts.

Cincinnati (-4 -110)
Cincy, dueled well and defeated the Steelers in Pittsburgh, no easy feat. They should start clicking again with a healthy Houshmanzadeh and Johnson, and Rudi will roll in this home affair.
Carson Palmer is back and getting better each week. I'll take Cincy and give the points.

Check back to see how we stand, right now I'm perfect.

Saban says, sacks not important...

Nick Saban, head coach of the Miami Dolphins, who face off against the Texans this weekend has decided that sacks are, per the Miami Herald, "not a crucial factor in winning or losing." They've evidently done some research into the matter.

From the Miami Herald -

The Dolphins, you see, have done a study of factors
critical to winning and losing NFL games, and Saban disclosed perhaps the most
interesting aspect of the findings Monday when discussing Miami's
sack woes.

''I'm not saying [sacks are] over-hyped,'' Saban
said.``I'm just saying that things like how you run the football, big plays you
giveup which are explosive plays, turnovers, how you play in the red area,
andthird-down efficiency, seem to have more of a factor in winning and losing
the game than sack ratio.''

I wonder if they've expanded the research to include the Houston Texans, or was that data thrown out as an anomaly. Indeed the Texans should be experts at sack stats. Take 2005 for instance, David Carr was knocked down at a rate of 4.25 times per game...losing 424 yards or 6 yards/sack. . .That's horrible, and the Texans were 2-14, but I'm sure sacks had nothing to do with that.

Washington 31, Houston 15

Let's face it, Texans are horrible. 2-12 in 2005, and on pace for 0-16 in 2006. New coach, new GM, new everyone. But hey, they did go 3-1 in pre-season, something to hang our hats on.

Sunday, Texans made Brunell look like an All-Pro and Ladell Bets like well, Clinton Portis. Something I can't abide, NO DEFENSE. At least with some defense, you can keep it close and hopefully get lucky. With out it you have to abandon your game plan and play from behind. Texans have no secondary past Dunta Robinson, no LBs past DeMeco Ryans, and no defensive line at all. First round draft pick, Mario Williams looks confused and slow. Like he can't figure out why everyone is running into him and treating him all mean. Someone please show this guy film of LT and Bruce Smith. Someone make him mad.

Brunell tied and set the game record for consecutive passes. Granted they were short yardage dump passes, but still, totally unacceptable. Ladell Betts galloped freely, first through the D-line, then the secondary for 124 yards. All in all Texans surrendered 495 yards of total offense, and dominated in TOP.

However there is a positive, ALL HAIL DEMECO RYANS. I'll start chanting "ROOKIE OF THE YEAR" now and get my shots in early. He's third in the league in total tackles and first in solo's..that's better than Ray Lewis, Brian Urlacher, Zach Thomas, all the big names. He's trying to tackle everyone, sadly he can't do it alone, no one has his back. If the guy gets the other 10 guys to show up, he'll be free to mete out punishment with impunity.

0-3, and a long way to go. Texans face the staggering Miami Dolphins next week and maybe they can pull it together and scratch out a win.

Cougars 34, Cowboys 25

Houston Cougars took took it to the OSU Cowboys Saturday night at Robertson Stadium moving their mark to 4-0. Kevin Kolb tossed four TDs and 313 yards. Kolb is the active career leader in Div 1-A completions, passing yards, and total offense. Kolb is 6th in the nation in QB rating, second in passing yards with 1193, making the Cougars 5th in the nation in passing yards.

The Coogs look impressive this year and should start getting some nods for the TOP 25. They are first in the nation in 1st downs with 101, second in 1st downs/game, third in the nation in yards per game with 498.3/game and tied for 10th in the nation (with Texas) in points per game with 38 pts/game.

It is time to start getting some votes...I'd think. Sure they've played Rice, Tulane and Grambling State, but the win Saturday vs. an undefeated OSU Cowboy team, should get some attention.

Next week, the Coogs take on a beleaguered 1-2 Miami Hurricane team in Miami.