Sean Taylor

All of the NFL is mourning over the death of one of its star players. Sean Taylor of the Washington Redskins was shot early Monday morning and pronounced dead on Tuesday. Taylor was arguably the most talented player on the Redskins, seeing how he had great speed for his position, strong safety, but still had the ability to crush opposing receivers who dared to cross the middle. In the last day or two, there have been a number of discrepancies surrounding his death and his persona.
Many people are blaming Taylor's past for his death, and saying that it had something to do with his "gangsta" ways. I couldn't disagree more because Taylor wasn't raised that way. He did have a criminal record, but his dad was a police chief. I feel like he is being single out because of his race (yes, for once I feel like it's actually happening). A ESPN reporter made the comparison today of how Duke's lacrosse team was made out to be spoiled, rich, white boys who thought they could cheat the system, when they were accused of rape. Until all the facts are out there, I don't think people should be making rash statements about what kind of a person Taylor was or what kind of a life Taylor had. I agree with reporters about the shooting being somewhat fishy, because nothing was taken from his home, but the incident is still being called a robbery. That makes no sense, but I cannot come to any conclusion just yet. When the facts start to come out, then I, and anyone else, can start analyzing the situation surrounding a sad story about an extremely talented young NFL star.

The Weekend In Review

It was a pretty exciting Thanksgiving break for me, and I hope all of you can say the same. I got to see a lot of my family and my friends as well (not to mention Thanksgiving food which is the best ever). Anyways, the sports scene wasn't too bad either. College football had a number of upsets.
This weekend the number 1, 2, and 9 teams all lost in upsets. As if this season hasn't been crazy enough, we get these upsets thrown into play within the last few weeks of the regular season. Now, Missouri sits atop the BCS standings, although that is supposed to change as of Saturday because of a match up with number 9 Oklahoma. I think this game is unfair because it is an ACC championship game, and no other conferences have to deal with this game. Missouri is in a "lose-lose" situation. Missouri winning will do nothing at all because they are supposed to win, but a loss will likely send them deep down the ranking system. I wouldn't mind to see Missouri in the National Championship game, but Hawaii is another team that is getting robbed. They play a weak schedule, but they are undefeated and they still, most likely, will not get into a BCS bowl. We'll see how it plays out in the next couple of weeks.
The Patriots were dangerously close to going down this week as well. Most of the other games were pretty clear cut. Although, my Vikings did blow out the "great" G-men of New York. The performance of Philly's defense and the lack of mistakes by AJ Feely almost did the job in New England, but they couldn't muster enough. Right now I am watching the Dolphins getting dangerously close to a win against Pittsburgh, which would be just plain weird. Maybe I will blog about that next week...until then....enjoy the sports.

Bonds Busted

Barry Bonds has finally been indicted on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. I almost feel bad for Bonds, although I am happy to see him finally charged. Even if he is acquitted, Bonds can kiss any chances of playing again goodbye, as well as his hopes of being in the Hall Of Fame. Bonds ruined his own career by using steroids. Yes, I know it has never been proven, but come on now, just look at the guy. Bonds' weight has ballooned in the latter part of his career, just as much as his numbers have. He was a good players before he used steroids, but upon using them he become a star. Unless, you are blind, you can easily see the growth in Bonds' physical appearance and in his statistics.
The sad thing is, Bonds will probably be acquitted of his charges, because there seems to be very little solid evidence against him, but the charges are enough to tarnish his already tainted career. I am sure that within the next few weeks, there will be a number of accusations that Bonds is only being called out because of his race. I understand that nearly 80% of the pros are supposedly using some kind of illegal substance, but they are not all breaking records by doing it. Does this mean that Bonds should be in the Hall, since many are using, but only a few are putting up big numbers, or should he be ousted because of breaking the rules?? I don't know if I have an answer for these questions, but I am sure that all of these issues will be brought to the forefront as his trial comes closer.

Moss or T.O.??

I have been a fan of Randy Moss ever since he came into the league as a rookie with the Minnesota Vikings. Even then, Moss was breaking records and shocking people with his athletic ability. Back then, the Vikings had a good QB, and Moss had a solid supporting cast in the wide receiver corps. It didn't hurt that the Vikings also had a fairly strong running game. With all of these areas taken into account, Moss was able to provide some impressive stats. Terrell Owens has had a formidable career as well, but I feel like he is below Moss with regards to talent and ability.
Terrell Owens has always had a great supporting cast surrounding him as a player, which is why many people like to think he is a superior wider receiver specimen to Moss. In San Fran, T.O. had Steve Young and then Jeff Garcia, not to mention a pairing with Jerry Rice, which took a lot of pressure off of him. He then moved to Philly where he played with Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook, and a few decent wide outs. Now in Dallas, he has a good QB in Romo and a number of good receivers. Jason Witten, Terry Glenn, and a great runner in Marion Barber surround him. This is why Moss is the better receiver. Every team T.O. has been on has someone else who is just as talented at their position, if not more (Rice, Westbrook, and now Romo). People forget about Moss because he played in Oakland with a bunch of no names. It is hard to be effective when you have no talent, absolutely none, around you. Now that Moss is back to a team with some talent, his numbers are exploding.
Moss has already had an amazing year and he still has 6 games left to play. Owens is having an impressive season as well, but he is not on the same level as Moss. People can argue as much as they want about who is better, but statistics don't lie. When Moss has had the talent around him, like T.O. always has, he is a much better receiver. T.O. stats this weekend against Washington were astonishing...too bad Moss had the same numbers in the 1st half of his game against Buffalo. Think about it.

Turkey Turkey

So after a few more dreadful days of classes, we will get to go home and enjoy a little break from school(and I stress the word little). It should be a good time though. Personally, I love Thanksgiving; you get see most of your family, you get to watch some football, and you get to eat good food. Those are three of my most favorite things to do, and putting them all in one day is like giving me a present. Even though we don't have the longest break in the world, it should still be good to see everyone and be home for a few days.
The upside to our break is that upon our return to Cortland, we only have around 3 weeks of classes left. Time should fly after we get back here, and then the first semester is over. I don't know about you, but overall, I feel like this semester has flown right by. There have been some days that seemed like they would never end, but for the most part, this fall semester has finished up pretty quickly. I'll definitely be missing it when i have to wake up at 8 next semester for the earliest class I have ever taken.

Anyways, there is some exciting news for football on Thanksgiving. The Detroit Lions will actually play in a somewhat meaningful game for the first time in a long time. The Lions are playoffs contenders for the first time since Barry Sanders were there. There should be some exciting games that day and this upcoming weekend as well, although they may not be close. Well, sit back, relax, and enjoy some football with your families and have a great Thanksgiving!

Football Weeeekend

So, I hope everyone had a great Cortaca weekend. I know I did. It did not even feel like I was at school this weekend with all the fun I had, but let's get back to reality. The game itself was a complete joke, because our school was nowhere near being on Ithaca's level. I guess our luck ran out this year, but maybe we can regain the Jug when we play here again next year. Ithaca was just a better team than us this year, but they were last year too and that didn't stop us. Regardless, the weekend was a good one, even if the football game the weekend is based on was disappointing.
The NFL had some games that were much more exciting. Some of these down to the wire games were not exactly what I would call fundamentally sound, but they were exciting. The Bills got a last minute field goal, and the Eagles had to make a comeback. The Steelers showed there ability by coming back against the Browns (Maybe they are better than the Colts). The Colts went down to a mediocre Chargers team who looks nothing like the team they were last year. Even with Manning's 6 interceptions, the Colts still should have won, or at least came back to take the lead, but once again, a kicker blew a game. Sunday was full of great NFL action, and the rest of the weekend was a Cortaca blow out. Overall, that means a good time. I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as me. Stay Safe!!

Weatherrrr

I cannot believe how cold it has gotten in the past few days. Last week, it was perfect autumn weather. People were walking around in shorts, or at least t-shirts. Now, it seems like everyone resembles a marshmallow. The SUNY Cortland students are already being put into a miserable mood for classes (and just walking in general). Soon enough, walking to go get food or go to class will be like visiting the North Pole. The wind is already out of control, and I have seen flurries numerous times in the past few days.

This week seems to be going by really slow, and the professional sports weekend isn't looking to be too exciting. Regular basketball games, hockey and a maybe one nice football match-up between the Cowboys and Giants (Giants win a close one). However, as C-state students we will benefit from our football games this weekend against Ithaca. It should be a good game, but Cortland will surely pull it out. Parties, football, and craziness are what this weekend is all about. It should be a lot of fun, be safe and have a good one.

Sunday's Finest

Well, it wasn't a blow out for the Patriots,but they got the job done. If the Colt couldn't beat them in Indy, then I don't see how they will do it in Foxboro for the play offs. Neither team played at it full potential, Indy let up on defense towards the end and was without Marvin Harrison. Penalties and dropped balls plagued the Patriots for a lot of the game. I was pretty angry because I didn't get to watch the game. I was at the Meadowlands for the Jets-Redskins game which was an exciting game to watch live, since it ended in over time.
I did not get to see my Vikings record-breaking performance against the Chargers. If there is one bright spot for the Vikings' immediate future, it is Adrian Peterson. He broke the single game record for rushing yards, and I think the Vikings should ride this workhorse for all he is worth. Hopefully, if he keeps running well, the Vikes will keep on winning.
While the Pats and Colts get all the attention, there are some teams in the NFC who are making some noise as well. Granted the NFC is no where near as strong as the AFC, certain teams look like Superbowl contenders at the halfway point. The Cowboys are 7-1, although I don't think they are as good as everyone says. Romo has run up the score plenty of times, which makes his numbers look much better. The Cowboys defense is for real, as for the rest of the team, I just don't know. Sunday, I think the 6-2 Giants are going to give them 'Boys a run for their money. They have greatly improved throughout the season, and they are beginning to look like contenders. A more legitimate team, in my book, are the Green Bay Packers. They have shown big play ability, and an amazing defense. If they can figure out their problems at the Running Back position, they can easily run the boards in the NFC, since there is very little competition for them in the NFC. The playoffs are closer than they seem, and the rush for a spot begins now after the season's midpoint. This is when team's are going to start playing harder and when teams are going to be tougher to beat. That means more entertainment for us.