King Arthur Movie Tristan

Oklahoma State has one of the most explosive and dynamic offenses in college football. This offense includes the three headed monster that I will look at in detail. They return eight guys on offense and are ready to put up serious points.

On defense, well not quite as good, they gave up a lot of points last year and this year is not looking a whole lot better. But to be honest as long as they can hold their opponents in the 20’s they should be alright.

Jump for the full preview…

At QB the Cowboys have Zac Robinson. Last year Robinson started from game one, and was very successful. Robinson emerged as a terrific passer throwing for 3,064 yards and 25 TD’s. He proved to be accurate as he only threw 10 picks. Robinson also showed off his legs a bit as he ran for 562 yards and eight scores. Robinson has plenty of help on offense and will be the leader of one of the top college offenses.

At WR they have Dez Bryant; Bryant is the best receiver in college football. Last year Bryant led the team with 1,480 yards and 19 TD’s….19 touchdowns, wow. Bryant is explosive in every sense of the word and is a handful for any defense to guard. Bryant will be the go to passing option an will see the ball plenty, if your drafting a fantasy college team this guy is the best available WR, hands down.

The third head is RB Kendall Hunter. Hunter went for 1,555 yards and 16 touchdowns last year. Hunter has a knack for the big play, and is also a decent pass option out of the backfield. With Robinson, Bryant, and Hunter this offense is one of the best. The only thing missing is TE Brandon Pettigrew, who has moved onto the NFL.

DE’s Derek Burton and Ugo Chinasa are back, they did not play particularly well last season and really need to pick it up this year.

Perrish Cox needs to rally the troops in the secondary because he is the only one returning. Without a solid secondary they are in trouble. The Big 12 is all about passing and you need to be able to at least contain it, or just score 60 points a game ala Oklahoma.

Although I think that the Cowboys defense will struggle, it might not matter with the offense that they have this year. They will however need to play solid defense to contend with Texas and Oklahoma.

Players to Watch: “Three-Headed Monster”


Projected record: 10-2


Key Games: Sept 5th Georgia, Oct 31st Texas, Nov 28th @ Oklahoma

This is kind of weird…nice throw though…

(joeslittlepinkbike)

This video is really sick…

(mattadk)

Waiting for the block…underrated

(cowboy10af)

Stats from ESPN, collegesports fan, and okstate.com

art is 'Pandora' by j.w.waterhouse




Happy Monday everyone. I hope you enjoyed your weekend. It's been a busy one for me trying to get the childrens back-to-school shopping finished. Summers always seem to fly by, I can't believe it's time for a new school year.


As far as books go, two new books came into my possesion this week. Here's my
Mailbox Mondays:



The Recipe Club: A Tale of Food and Friendship
from FSB Associates

The Recipe Club: A Tale of Food and Friendship by Emmy winner Andrea Israel and seasoned author Nancy Garfinkel. This book is the perfect blend of food and fiction telling an unforgettable story of Lilly and Val, two lifelong friends who form an exclusive two-person club in childhood. No matter what different paths they take along the way or what misunderstandings threaten to break them apart, Lilly and Val always find their way back together until that fateful day when an act of kindness becomes an unforgivable betrayal.


Compellingly readable, this heartfelt story celebrates the resilience and power of women's friendships. It's a charming pastiche of e-mails, hand-written letters, third-person narration, photographs, illustration, and more than 80 recipes to keep the plot cooking.





I finally bought a copy of
Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 1) by Charlaine Harris. I feel like the only one left who hasn't read this one :)




Any new books arrive at your place this week?

Props go out to California for keeping the LLWS title in the USA.

I really love watching the LLWS for two major reasons.

1.) Those kids have genuine fun out on the field, you see more emotion in one game then A-Rod has shown his entire career...

1a.) Every time the ball is hit in play something crazy can happen...never a sure out in little league

2.) I love watching the "kids" that hit puberty before everyone else and are six feet tall 220 pounds smash HR's...every good team has one of these kids hitting cleanup

2a.) Google " Biggest Little Leaguer"...please do it trust me...

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

So...some Michigan U players recently spoke up about the practice routines being used by head coach Rich Rodriguez. Apparently Rodriguez has the players attending "voluntary" workouts and meetings in addition to the regular practices.



Sounds like a bunch of cry baby's to me...this is D-1 football, suck it up and be happy that you are lucky enough to be playing football at Michigan.



I spoke to three former NCAA athletes about this matter and here is what the had to say.



Names will be left out to protect the innocent...



Athlete A: "well, I think that kind of stuff probably happens everywhere"



Athlete B: "this happened at my school, it is definitely something that is talked about in the locker room, and players do get pissed about it, but it was never anything any of us would of mentioned to the athletic director or anything like that"



Athlete C: "I remember being at meetings until 1 AM, none of us wanted to be there, but I guess we just accepted it as part of being on the team"



Unless something shocking develops with this story in the next couple of days my stance will continue to be the same. Being a D-1 athlete is something special, they basically pay you to play, and some of you will be in the NFL one day. If you don't like the way things are being done, transfer or quit, but stop complaining.



So pipe down and go play football, you guys have some work to do anyway so maybe you do need some extra practice.













Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Hello blog readers, i've got an exciting giveaway to share:



Sourcebooks B&N Heyer Receipt Promotion


This September, Sourcebooks is exclusively releasing The Foundling by Georgette Heyer in Barnes & Nobles stores Nationwide!!





Sourcebooks is holding a fabulous receipt promotion! Send us your receipt/proof of purchase of The Foundling from your local Barnes & Noble to our office or a scanned receipt in an email to danielle.jackson@sourcebooks.com and you’ll be entered to win a $200 Barnes & Noble gift card! Receipts must be dated between September 1 – September 31, 2009, and can be from an in-store or online purchase. Any questions please contact danielle.jackson@sourcebooks.com.





But WAIT—you can win a book from Sourcebooks now! As a thank you to The Bookworm for helping spread the word about our B&N Heyer Receipt Promotion, Sourcebooks is giving away 2 books from the list of books below! Leave a comment about your favorite Heyer moment and you’ll be entered to win your choice of book! 2 winners—US and Canada addresses only please. Names will be chosen on September 14th.





Sourcebooks is so excited about the warm embrace everyone has given the Georgette Heyer reissues! Good luck—we look forward to hearing from you!





Send your Barnes & Noble The Foundling receipts to

Sourcebooks, Inc.


c/o Publicity


PO Box 4410


Naperville, IL 60567





Remember: Leave a comment! Two lucky commenters will be able to choose a book from the following:




1. The Spoken Word Revolution edited by Mark Eleveld

2. Poetry Speaks Expanded edited by Elise Paschen and Rebekah Presson Mosby

3. Letters From Pemberley by Jane Dawkins

4. How (Not) to Have a Perfect Wedding by Arliss Ryan

5. Hundreds of Years to Reform a Rake by Laurie Brown

6. A Chain of Voices by Andre Brink

7. First Lady by Michael Malone

8. The Ultimate Bartenders Guide by Ray Foley

9. Improvisation for the Spirit by Katie Goodman

10. The Successful Novelist by David Morrell




Join our Georgette Heyer mailing list!:

http://www.sourcebooks.com/spotlight/georgette-heyer.html

I'm not a fan of preseason. It's just one long practice. The games' outcomes don't mean much. And teams don't want to risk injury but at the same time want their units to find rhythm and cohesion.

For the first-team starters, this should be happening by the third game of preseason. And it's definitely happening for us. On Saturday, like a 1980s elementary school principal paddling bastard kids who egged their school bus, we laid the wood to the Raiders and scored at will on our first three possessions for a 45-7 ass-whooping.

We were supposed to play into the third quarter. But we were pulled from the game before the middle of the second, with Coach saying "I've seen enough."

As for myself, I can't wait to see more. Everything's coming together and I feel as if I'm on the verge of a breakout season. I've got the best quarterback in the business chunking the rock in my direction; I'm on an offense with more deadly weapons than Uzbekistan has in its entire possession; and I'm developing a rapport with Drew Brees who says we're not only on the same page but we're developing a rapport.
And he's not shy to explain to me the definition of rapport, either.

Anyway, four catches for 48 yards for myself in just three series of work against Oakland and I'm ready to get this Redux mission rolling. If I were to average just that a game this season (56 catches, about 800 yards), I'd nearly match my last very good season -- 65 catches, 891 yards and seven touchdowns in 2005.

Enough about that, though. What's really got me and the rest of the offense excited (and I'm not naming names) is how the defense is showing marked improvement over last season. The defense might not be stifling, but for chrisssakes the turnovers are encouraging. Watching Pearson Prioleau (the best name on the team, by the way) strip the ball from Oakland's Richard Murphy and Usama Young, in his new role at safety, break to the ball for a near interception has got the O-line giddier than a fat boy who hears the ice cream truck jingling down his street. And I'll tell you why: this team is approaching this season with a more-improved running attack, and there's nothing the big men up front enjoy more than pushing some Butterballs off the ball and eating up the clock. Because that's what wins games in the fourth quarter.
 Devery Henderson also had a blow-up game. He's really turning it on, with even more improvement after his much-improved season last year. For chrissakes, what do defenses prepare for with Marques Colston, Reggie Bush, Lance Moore, Devery, Pierre Thomas and myself as threats?

 Get some, JaMarcus, from Bobby McCray!

The Ole Miss Rebels are coming off a season in which they shocked the college football world. They beat the eventual national champion Florida Gators 31-30 in the swamp, and won the Cotton Bowl 47-34 over Texas Tech.

Now that Mississippi is on the national radar they have a chance to prove that their ’08 season was no fluke.

Jump for a closer look at the Ole Miss Rebels…

QB Jevan Snead will be the leader of the Rebels offense and he is out to prove that he deserves to have his name mentioned with McCoy, Bradford, and Tebow. Experts are already saying that Snead might be the most NFL ready QB in college football this season. Last year Snead threw for 2,762 yards and 26 TD’s, he has a lot of talent returning on offense and will try to better these numbers in ’09.

The X-factor for the Rebels offense is Dexter McCluster, he plays both RB and WR and is a dynamic talent at both positions. McCluster ran for 655 yards last season, and also had 625 receiving yards.

While the opposition is busy trying to corral McCluster, Snead will look to WR Shay Hodge. Hodge lead the Rebels in receptions with last season with 44 and tallied 725 yards. Hodge and McCluster form a dangerous tandem that should be able to rack up the points.

A question mark for the offense is who will replace now Baltimore Raven Michael Oher on the offensive line. Somebody will have to step up to make holes for RB’s Cordera Eason and Brandon Bolden. If the line can be effective this offense will be explosive for sure.

On defense the Rebels will look to continue their dominance up front with Greg Hardy, Kentrell Lockett and Marcus Tillman all returning. Hardy is the best player out of these three and will be a key to shutting down the run. Ole Miss had the 4th ranked rushing defense in the nation last year and these guys will be the key to doing it again.

In the secondary Kendrick Lewis is the all everything guy for the Rebels. Last season he led the team with 85 tackles and 4 interceptions. The Rebels pass defense was pretty poor last season and Lewis will have to lead this squad in the right direction this season.

At LB Jonathan Cornell is ready to become a force in the middle for Mississippi.

Mississippi will be putting up a lot of points, Snead needs to continue his sensational career and make this season the exclamation point. The Rebels defense should be solid. If Greg Hardy and the Rebels can shut down the run like they did last year, and Lewis can shape up the secondary the Rebels will be a scary team to deal with.

Projected Record: 10-2

Players to Watch: Jevan Snead, Greg Hardy, Dexter McCluster

Key Games: Oct 10th Alabama, Nov 21st LSU


(rondefs)


(draftparty)


(draftparty)

Stats and info from ESPN, Collegesports-fan, and olemisssports.

If you watch the UFC 102 tonight then look out for Damian Maia, he is the best submission artist in the UFC and will be battling the talented Nate Marquardt. I've got Maia second round via rear naked choke...

(DemianMaia)

As far as picks go...

Thiago Silva over Keith Jardine via punches in the third round

Randy Couture over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (because Nogueira's head is like a bowl of mashed potatoes) via TKO second round

Jahvid Best, Jahvid Best, Jahvid Best. The Cal Bears have the best running back in college football in their backfield. They will need to improve on offense around Best to win the big games.

The Bears defense is pretty stacked and should be a big problem for the opposition all year long.

Let’s see what California is working with this season…

At QB they have Kevin Riley, Riley split time with Nate Longshore last season, and neither one of them was very impressive. Riley is going to need to step up this year and get the passing attack going so that the offense has at least some balance.

At WR the Bears have a slew of guys that all need to step up. Alex Lagemann, Marvin Jones, Verran Tucker, and Nyan Boateng all need to become reliable targets for Riley so that the defense does not only key on the run.

Another issue for the Bears will be the offensive line which lost a couple key players. The Golden Bears lost C Alex Mack, he was one of the best centers in the NFL draft this year, and will be solely missed. Noris Malele is also gone from a line that helped Best explode last season.

Now for the RB situation at Cal. Jahvid Best is the best RB in college football. Last season Best rushed for 1,580 yards and 15 TD’s. If Best can get just little help on offense he will again be able to put up incredible numbers. The offense around him needs to improve if he is going to make a run at the Heisman trophy, if they don’t then Cal’s offense is going to become very predictable.

Now let’s move on to the Bears stronger unit. Yes, stronger then the offense led by Best.

CB Syd’Quan Thompson is the best player on the defense for the Bears, and one of the best corner backs in the nation. Thompson will also have Marcus Ezeff in the secondary to help him out. Passing on this secondary will be very difficult.

At LB the Bears did lose some guys, namely Anthony Felder, and Zack Follett. Those guys will be missed but Eddie Youngis more then ready to step up and fill the holes. Also look out for Mike Mohamed he is also a stud and will move from the role of reserve to starter this season although he did get a lot of playing time and lead the team in tackles. With Mohamed and Young patrolling the middle this defensive is very good.

Cameron Jordan and Tyson Alualu are the two guys that will look to get after the opposing QB, both of these guys are capable of having monster seasons. With these guys up front and Thompson leading the secondary this will be one of the best defenses in the NCAA.

Players to Watch: Jahvid Best, Syd’Quan Thompson

Projected Record: 10-2

Key Games: Sept 26th @ Oregon, Oct 4th USC, Nov 7th Oregon State


(ronenlish1)



Stats, and info from ESPN, collegesports fan, and calbears.com

Carl is once again hosting his fabulous reading challenge. R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril…IV

There are two simple goals to the R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril Challenge:


1. Have fun reading.

2. Share that fun with others.

R.I.P. IV officially runs from September 1st through October 31st.




Peril the First:
Read Four books of any length, from any subgenre of scary stories that you choose.



Here are the books i'm choosing from:


Your Heart Belongs to Me by Dean Koontz

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

IT by Stephen King

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving


anything written by Edgar Allen Poe -
The Pit and the Pendulum

Eleonora


The Tell Tale Heart


Just After Sunset


Dead Until Dark

Beloved

The Darkest Kiss

This kid is an idiot...what did he think was going to happen...

vikasnagle

Welcome to the Weekend...

The LSU Tigers had a down year last year and finished 8-5, but did manage to beat Georgia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Bowl 38-3.

The Tigers offense looks like it could be good this year, and as far as the defense is concerned they have to rebuild up front, but the secondary looks like it can shut some passing attacks down.

Jump for the full preview…

On offense it looks like the Tigers are going to turn to QB Jordan Jefferson to right the ship. Jefferson emerged late last season as the number one quarterback for LSU. Jefferson played decently but certainly has room for improvement. Jefferson has some very strong players returning around him that should help him make as smooth as transition to full time starter as possible.

At RB they have Charles Scott. Scott is one of the top returning backs in the country and is looking to have a big year for the Tigers. Last year Scott accumulated 1,174 yards and 18 TD’s. Scott needs to get off to a strong start to help out Jefferson.

Helping Scott and Jefferson will be left tackle, and beast, Ciron Black. This kid is 6-2 322 pounds, he moves people around. The left side will be a good choice for Scott more times then not.

At WR they have the talented first team all-SEC selection, Brandon LaFell. LaFell is open a lot so if Scott can keep the defense honest Jefferson should be able to get LaFell the ball. LaFell along with Scott will be the two best skill players on offense for the Tigers. They both need to show up every game if the Tigers want to upset some SEC foes.

As I mentioned the defense lost some serious talent up front. Tyson Jackson and Ricky Jean-Francois among others are gone. But returning is some serious talent at LB and in the secondary.

At line backer they have Perry Riley and Kelvin Sheppard, two talented guys that should be able to clog the middle.

The secondary will be led by Harry Coleman. Coleman hits like a ton of bricks and nobody wants to catch the ball around him. With Coleman patrolling the secondary the Tigers defense could be really solid.

I think the Tigers offense will be better then people think this season. The defense does have to fill holes up front, but is solid in many other positions. If LSU can win some key games they will be right back up to the top tier of the SEC in no time.

Players to Watch: Charles Scott, Brandon LaFell

Projected Record: 9-3

Key Matchups: Oct 3rd @ Georgia, Oct 10th Florida, Nov 7th @ Alabama, Nov 21st @ Mississippi




(draftparty with both vids)

Stats, and info from ESPN, lsusports, and collegesports-fan

title: The Other Boleyn Girl


author: Philippa Gregory


genre: historical fiction

pages: 661

published: 2001

first line: I could hear a roll of muffled drums.

rated: 5 out of 5




First off, I need to start by saying that this book was excellent. I enjoyed every minute of it, and it was a real page turner. It is a bit hard for me to review, I think mostly because there is so much going on in the story, but I will summarize it a bit.




Young Mary Boleyn catches Henry VIII's eye and with the plotting of her family, she leaves her husband and begins a courtship with the King. There is much jealousy between Mary and her older sister Anne. The two sisters look as different as night and day, Mary being the fair one and Anne being the dark one. Anne is the one who is in charge of helping Mary seduce the king. She tells Mary how to act and what to say around him. All the while the two sisters have a love/hate relationship. Anne hates being Mary's servant and helper, she has plans and ambitions of her own.





In time Mary has a daughter by the king, then later on a son. Being the king's mistress has it's rewards, her family members and her own husband are granted gifts and power in the king's Court. But, while Mary is pregnant the second time, she is having a rough time, so the Boleyn family appoints Anne to flirt with the King and keep his attention on the Boleyn women. Of course, Anne takes it as far as she can and winds up becoming the King's mistress herself. After that, ambitious Anne decides she wants the king and the throne as well. Anne will stop at nothing to get what she wants, and tries to get the king to divorce his wife, Queen Katherine, and marry her instead.

The lines between Anne and me were now clearly drawn. All our childhood it had been a question as to which of us was the best Boleyn girl, now our girlhood rivalry was to be played out on the greatest stage in the kingdom. By the end of the summer one of us would be the acknowledged mistress of the king; the other would be her maid, her assistant, perhaps her Fool.

This book was full of drama and plenty of backstabbing. I found Anne and Mary's relationship to be the most interesting. These two sisters both hated and loved each other. I though George, the Boleyn brother, was another very interesting character.
I found this book hard to put down and it kept me up late at night reading. I enjoyed every minute of this one and highly recommend it. But before reading this one, I do suggest reading Philippa Gregory's The Constant Princess which is about the Princess of Spain who later becomes Henry's wife. It's not necessary to read that one first, but I think it's nice to get the storyline behind Henry and Queen Katherine's marriage.




The writing in The Other Boleyn Girl was great, the plot fantastic and the characters are well written. The story is narrated by Mary and you can't help but feel bad for her, she is thrown into a life of lies and deceit at an early age. You also wonder how she continues to put up with Anne and be loyal to her. I liked the dialouge between the three Boleyns; Anne, Mary and George. Just when you think the plot can't thicken, it does.




Here are a few of my favorite passages:

There was nothing I could do but take second place and smile. The king might bed me at night, but all the day he was Anne's. For the first time in all the long while that I had been his lover I felt like a whore indeed, and it was my own sister who shamed me.

"I didn't want you to come back to court to be my rival," I said sulkily.

"I was born to be your rival," she said simply. "And you mine. We're sisters, aren't we?"

Anne and father were delayed by spring storms and I found myself hoping, childlishly, that her boat would sink and she would drown. At the thought of her death I felt a confusing pang of genuine distress mixed with elation. There could hardly be a world for me without Anne, there was hardly world enough for us both.

Jane and I kneeled side by side in the queen's chapel and listened to the Mass celebrated before the altar of the church below us.


"Jane," I said quietly.

She opened her eyes, she had been far away in prayer.

"Yes, Mary? Forgive me, I was praying."

"If you go on flirting with the king with those sickly little smiles, one of us Boleyns is going to scratch your eyes out."

The Other Boleyn Girl was made into a film in 2008.

I did see the film version and enjoyed it. However, I liked the book much better. There's many differences between the two.

Well the day is finally here, Michael Vick will suit up tonight against the Panthers in Philly. I have never in my life been so excited for a pre-season game.



I'm sure he will see time later in the game at QB, but I really want to see how Andy Reid uses him within the regular offense.



I'm thinking maybe some time at WR, possibly slot, and who knows maybe some action at RB. Oh and I almost forgot, why not let him return a kick, or even a punt. Maybe I'm dreaming now, but you certainly can't just have Michael Vick as your backup QB.



I realize he has a mixed following in Philly right now, but just wait until he takes an end around 80 yards to the house.



I wish I could time travel because if I could I would go to the future get a Vick Jersey, come back and watch the game.



I think Reid would be smart to use Vick a lot, and at a couple different positions. This way Vick gets the practice he needs , and teams have much more to worry about when game planning.



Game is at 8, let's all pray that he has still has it.













Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

I'm proud to say that I have been nominated for for a Book Blogger Appreciation Week Award in the category Best Romance Blog. Thank you for nominating me! And good luck to everyone who was nominated. A special thank you as well to My Friend Amy and those who make Book Blogger Appreciation Week possible. That is awesome.

Reports are coming in that the Vikings locker room is divided. You get one guess to figure out why. More then a couple of players in the locker room think Favre does not give them the best chance to win.



I don't totally agree but I do fully understand. The Vikings QB battle was between two QB's that both kinda stink. Favre however is one of the greatest QB's ever, but kinda stinks now.



The Vikings are to blame here. Yes Brett Favre is really annoying, and yes I think he might try to play until 2018. But the NFL is a job, and the Vikings could of said no.



I also think I know why the players are so upset. Sweat, and hard work are the building blocks of team unity. I have never met anyone who enjoys training camp, its hot, long, and generally miserable. But when you look at your teammate next to you busting his ass you respect him.



Well guess who decided to sign with the team right after all of this was over, yep. So Favre just strolls in after the two hardest weeks of camp, and gets the starting nod.



If Favre plays poorly the Vikings will start to fall apart. If he plays well then people will begin to forget about this whole I hate Brett Favre thing.



Oh, one more thing regarding the Vikings. If you take anyone besides Adrian Peterson with the first pick in your fantasy draft, your an idiot.













Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Just watch the first 15 seconds, then we can move on...

(mohem)

From the I had no idea department comes this.

The Georgia Bulldogs were the pre-season favorite just a year ago; they did not end up living up to expectations and ended the season 10-3. They did however cap off an underwhelming season by beating a good Michigan State team 24-12 in the Capital One Bowl.

The Bulldogs will have some big holes to fill on offense, and will need some returning players to step up to win the big games.

Let’s take a look at the ’09 Georgia Bulldogs…

The Bulldogs lost three big names on offense that will need to be replaced for success. The first is obvious; quarterback Matthew Stafford will need to be replaced, he was the #1 overall pick in the NFL draft this year and will definitely be missed.

The man replacing Stafford is Joe Cox, Stafford had a stronghold on the position, and therefore Cox comes in with virtually no experience. He did however play well in spring and secure his starting spot.

The next big name who left to play on Sundays was RB Knowshon Moreno. Moreno had a stellar ’08 season and will be hard to replace. The man with the tough task is Caleb King, he does not have a lot of experience but is a talented back. He will be assisted by Richard Samuel. The Bulldogs are hoping this tandem and maybe even one or two other guys can equal Moreno’s output, only time will tell.

The last guy to replace on offense is WR Mohamed Massaquoi. This task is easy as they already have someone who put up slightly better numbers than Massaquoi last season. This will be the perfect year for A.J. Green to breakthrough as one of the best WR’s in the country. Helping to take the attention away from Green is WR Michael Moore.

Defensively the Bulldogs should be strong, and should be good enough to control some games while Cox gets the offense in tune.

Leading the defense is LB Rennie Curran, Curran had a standout season in ’08 were he recorded 115 tackles and three sacks. Curran has a lot of help this year as DT Geno Atkins among others will be returning to help him out. Plain and simple this defense could be dangerous.

Returning to lead the secondary is Reshad Jones, Jones also has some of his key teammates back to form what could be a pretty strong secondary.

Although the offense looks lackluster on paper they have the potential to cause some problems for the opposition. On the other side of the ball on paper and on the field the defense is very good. Look for the defense to play well early as the offense gets into synch.

Players to Watch: WR A.J. Green, LB Rennie Curran

Projected Record: 9-3

Key Matchups: Sep 5th @ Oklahoma State, Oct 3rd LSU, Oct 31st Florida, Nov 28th @ Georgia Tech


(captkool1447)


(captkool1447)

Information and statistics from ESPN, collegesports-fan, and georgiadogs.com

Today the New York Jets announced that Mark Sanchez will be their starting QB. I think we all saw this coming.
Sanchez is young and brings little experience to the table, but he is talented. The Jets played the Ravens on monday and, well he didn't look horrible.

He threw a pick six but did bounce back and throw a TD. Coach Rex Ryan spoke about how he liked the way Sanchez bounced back. To his credit not many veteran quarterbacks have success against that defense.

When you take someone with your first pick and pay him all that money, fans want to see him play, especially when he has the talent to be a starter.

NY is a rough place to play, if he gets off to a good start the fans will get behind him. If not...good luck...

Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder by john william godward

Rehab pool parties on Sundays at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas notwithstanding, Reggie and I occasionally like to relax together at the movies. So with camp winding down this week and starters like us preparing for our last big outing this preseason against Oakland on Saturday, Nos. 88 and 25 found the perfect opportunity tonight to slip away from 5800 Airline Dr. for a few hours and catch Quentin Tarantino's latest beat-down instructional.

Yes, RSVPs at titty bars and Halo on Fridays will have to wait. For it's not the regular season. Until then, it's Inglorious Bastuhds.

Here's what I came away with: I.B. is a good talky. Talk, talk, talk. And then blow a little shit up. Watch The Bear Jew bash a Nazi. But just once. And too quickly.

And that's the problem with this movie. It's too broad. It's too far-reaching. It's without the buddy development that Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson and Jim Brown portrayed in the movie it's supposed to pay homage to. Instead of watching Brad Pitt's Lt. Aldo Raine and The Bear Jew and Hugo Stiletz -- played by that funny drug dealer in SLC Punk! who tried to shoot that floating car on the Great Salt Lake into submersion -- pulverize and tenderize Nazis for a couple of hours in the north and south of France, while maybe fighting amongst themselves ala-Dirty Dozen style, we're directed instead to a cinametheque operated by a Jewess and her black boyfriend. We're directed to a blathering Hitler who doesn't castrate but takes way too long to tell a private not to mention again The Bear Jew.

Tarantino wants it both ways. He gives you pure direction and stiff writing in the opening sequence, then sensation with the introduction of the Bastuhds. And just when you get comfortable with sensation -- you could of gave us more from other Bastuhds characters, Tarantino, at the very least Hugo -- he gives us long scenes of his signature dialogue, albeit with some psychological interplay between a couple of characters who are nearly underscored by the previous schlock.

Let's just say Christoph Waltz, who plays the "Jew Hunter", is by far the funnest to watch here. Col. Hans Landa. Dude is slippery cool. And I loved the way he moved from German to French to English to Italian. Skills like that and a playa not need a NFL contract.

And then there's that trilingual German broad who wears a high-heeled leg cast at the end. I don't speak German, but put her together with the Jewess, and to them I'd say all I know in French: menage a trois.

There's also a good bar scene that's played out during the latter half of the movie. But for the faux pas that apparently gives away a German-speaking British intelligence officer to a German officer, I hold up my forefinger, middle finger and ring finger -- together -- and say read between the lines. Good scene tension but the conclusion took way too long.

So that's my Bastuhds movie review. I don't normally do movie reviews, but I was moved enough by the incongruous stylistic direction of Tarantino's latest to share my piece on the flick. And blogging about it helps keep my mind off of easily had RSVP-gash. Which I've sworn off until I catch a TD in Black and Gold.

And then I'll inevitably begin a run.

Georgia Tech shocked some people last year going 9-4, and this year they could be even better. The ACC is lead by Virginia Tech this year but with RB Darren Evens out for the season the race for the ACC crown is now a serious battle. Georgia Tech is one of the teams that will be pressing for the top spot all year long.

Georgia Tech was the fourth best rushing team in the nation last year, and this year they might improve. As far as the defense is concerned they should also be good, they lost some key guys on the front line but returned everyone else.

Let’s take a look at why the Yellow Jackets will be one of the best teams in the ACC…


Let’s start with Tech’s best player on offense, Jonathan Dwyer. Dwyer is one of the best RB’s in the country and last season he was the ACC player of the year. Dwyer went for 1,395 yards and reached pay dirt 12 times. Dwyer is explosive and can break off a long run anytime he touches the ball. Make sure to keep your eye on #21 as he will be running around in the NFL sooner then later. The scary part is that Dwyer has help as the other parts of Tech’s option attack are also very good.

Roddy Jones is the other RB and also put up good numbers last year going for 690 yards and four touchdowns. Having Jones back there with Dwyer just makes this offense that much more scary.

At QB they have the talented Josh Nesbitt. Nesbitt is a great rushing QB but does make some sloppy decisions at times. Nesbitt should have cleaned his game up in the off season and the Yellow Jackets should be fine. Nesbitt should have some confidence knowing how talented the guys behind him are, if he can settle in for the long haul then this offense will be near impossible to stop.

Tech does not exactly throw the ball all over the place, but when they do throw Demaryius Thomas is the main guy on the outside.

The defense lost some talent on the front line in Michael Johnson. He was a force and will need to be replaced, Derrick Morgan is going to need to step up and help fill the void Johnson left.

I don’t think that Morgan can do this all by himself, so look for other players to get involved in the rotation to help get pressure on the QB. Without pressure on the QB a lot of other things start to fall apart. I don’t care how good your secondary is, if the QB has all day to throw he will find the open man eventually.

At safety they have a phenomenal talent in Morgan Burnett. Burnett led the team in tackles and interceptions. Burnett is one of the ten best safeties in the country and will play a huge part in the success of this defense. Burnett is another guy for the Yellow Jackets that will be playing at the next level very shortly, look for him to make tons of plays this year.

With Burnett roaming around opposing QB’s will need to be very careful with the football.

Offensively the Yellow Jackets will be a dominating force. That being said the defense has some spots to fill up front, if these get patched up then look for the Yellow Jackets to give Virginia Tech a run for their money.

Players to Watch: Jonathan Dwyer, Morgan Burnett.

Projected Record: 9-3

Key Game: October 17th vs Virginia Tech


(jacketbuzz)


(justingt0820)

Teaser Tuesdays asks:

Grab your current read.

Let the book fall open to a random page.

Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

Jane and I kneeled side by side in the queen's chapel and listened to the Mass celebrated before the altar of the church below us.

"Jane," I said quietly.

She opened her eyes, she had been far away in prayer.

"Yes, Mary? Forgive me, I was praying."

"If you go on flirting with the king with those sickly little smiles, one of us Boleyns is going to scratch your eyes out."

-The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

The Mets have had bad luck all year long, and just had an unassisted triple play turned against them. Unassisted triple plays don't happen, unless your the Mets, then they happen in the ninth inning during a rally.

So what's the connection? Well let's just say Tennessee has had some bad luck of their own.

The Vol's top WR Gerald Jones just went down with a high ankle sprain, and will be out 4-6 weeks. Jones is the third WR to go down for the Vol's so far this summer. Now that Jones is out they officially have no one left.

The Vol's starting WR's on opening day will be Quintin Hancock, and a converted TE, aka yikes.

The Rocky Top faithful might be looking at a rough start to the season.

Final thought...is Lane Kiffin's wife so hot that you can't feel bad for him?...personally I vote yes.

Matt Barkley is still the front runner for the starting QB spot at USC, and depending on what happens today he could win the job shortly.

Head coach Pete Carroll announced yesterday that if Aaron Corp could not participate in contact drills today, then he would name Matt Barkley the starter. Corp returned to non-contact drills recently after injuring his leg two weeks ago.

It was about time that Carroll made a move on this issue, guys on the team need to know who the QB is going to be come opening day. This week is pretty much the window of time in which coaches like to make these type of decisions.

My money is on Matt Barkley, this kid is a stud Freshman who could be the QB of the future for the Trojans.

I'd like to welcome senior vice president of the NBA’s Orlando Magic and successful author Pat Williams to my blog today for a guest post. Mr. Williams is on a virtual book tour promoting his latest book Extreme Dreams Depend on Teams. You can read his guest post below then read on to learn about the book.







There was a time in the NBA world that there was such a thing as an off-season, but those days are no longer. From the Finals to the draft to free agency to the summer leagues, fans of the NBA receive a steady diet of hoops to last them through July. This summer’s offerings have been especially tasty.





NBA fans are still trying to digest all of the front office maneuvering so far this summer: Richard Jefferson traded to San Antonio, Shaq to the Cavs, Vince Carter returning home to Orlando, Ron Artest teaming up with Kobe on the Lakers and the Celtics adding Rasheed Wallace to their frontline. The league’s elite teams visited the Golden Corral all-you-can-eat buffet while the rest of the NBA stayed home and had grilled cheese. The question is which of these teams helped themselves enough to be crowned 2010 NBA champions?





The general consensus is that San Antonio, Cleveland, Orlando, the Lakers and Boston are the clear cut favorites to contend for the Larry O’Brien trophy. Because of their off-season moves, each team is deeper, more versatile and, potentially, better equipped to win an NBA title. However, there is one major unknown component here. How will these newly constructed organizations come together as teams?





Team chemistry is a phrase often bandied about but never defined. Sometimes it even takes on another name; for the 2008 NBA champion Boston Celtics it was the African word Ubuntu. Throughout my four decades in the NBA, I have found that team chemistry is based on eight essential factors: playing with top talent; having great leadership, both on the bench and the court; being committed to team goals; playing with passion; thinking “team first”; empowering teammates; building respect and trust amongst players and coaches; and having people in the organization of great character.





I cannot speak for the impact that Richard Jefferson, Shaquille O’Neal, Ron Artest or Rasheed Wallace will have on their new ball clubs; I don’t know their locker rooms all that well. Those teams have talent and they have leadership, and I know that those organizations are made up of great people. I just think that you don’t get any better than the team in Orlando.





In Orlando, we have accomplished all of our goals. General manager Otis Smith has done a tremendous job surrounding our talented core – Jameer Nelson, Rashard Lewis and Dwight Howard – with an outstanding supporting cast. Our team is led by people of great character; players, coaches, staff and ownership are all committed to being champions on and off the court. From owner Rich DeVos to head coach Stan Van Gundy, we have some of the best leadership in all of professional sports.





The team and the fans in Orlando are not arrogant or cocky, we’re just confident. That confidence comes from believing that our staff, our leadership and our players will sacrifice their personal goals for the betterment of the team. In fact, for many of our players, the betterment of the team IS their personal goal. All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson always explains his personal goal as this: “To be the best teammate that anyone has ever had.” That’s the reason Jameer is one of the captains of this team. That’s also the reason Orlando is confident that the Finals will be back in town in June, 2010.







ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Pat Williams is the senior vice president of the NBA’s Orlando Magic. He is a popular motivational speaker averaging over 150 appearances a year. Williams has spent 45 years in professional baseball and basketball as a player and executive. He served as general manager of the 1983 world champion Philadelphia 76ers and managed the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks.



Williams is the author of 55 books. He and his wife, Ruth, are the parents of 19 children, including 14 adopted from four nations. He and his family have been featured in such diverse publications as Sports Illustrated, Reader’s Digest, Good Housekeeping, The Wall Street Journal, and Focus on the Family as well as all the major TV networks. Pat and Ruth recently received an award from the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute for their efforts in adoption. To learn more about Pat Williams, visit www.PatWilliamsMotivate.com.



ABOUT THE BOOK:



Human beings are designed for teamwork, and teamwork is the only way to make seemingly impossible dreams and bold visions come true. Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France seven consecutive times, not by himself, but with the backing of his coaches, mechanic, and teammates. Charles Lindbergh may have been called “the Lone Eagle” because of his 1927 solo flight across the Atlantic, but he assembled a first-rate team to make his dream possible.



In his new book, Extreme Dreams Depend on Teams (Center Street, July 22, 2009), Orlando Magic co-founder and Senior Vice President Pat Williams says that teamwork is the key to making extreme dreams a reality. Named one of the 50 most influential people in the NBA (National Basketball Association) after following his dream and helping to build the Orlando Magic from the ground up, Williams gives inspiring accounts of the power of teamwork—many of them personal—in a book that leadership guru Patrick Lencioni calls “the most comprehensive and interesting collection of wisdom on teamwork I have ever read.”



In Extreme Dreams Depend on Teams, Williams points out that extreme dreams are only fulfilled when teams are led with characteristics like respect, empowerment, commitment, trust and passion. “Once you put teamwork into practice in your organization, these principles will begin transforming everything. They will transform how you view the world, including our society and its problems, and the political and environmental issues we face…you’ll begin seeing the world through a lens of extreme dreams, extreme possibilities, and the power of teamwork,” says Williams.




Special thanks to PUMP UP YOUR BOOK PROMOTION VIRTUAL BOOK TOURS

"We take books to the virtual level!"

www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com



And thank you to Mr. Williams for stopping by today! It's been a pleasure reading about him and his book. Wow, 19 children including 14 adopted from four nations! That is amazing.

Well, that's why you never jump on a mascots back...what exactly did you think was going to happen...he can't see anything

(wowmakaron)
Hit the jump for a couple more vid's you need to see...


Whenever your having a bad day just watch this, hilarious...

(fronz1989)

He is not even really streaking...


This dude gets put to sleep less then five seconds into the match with a crazy right hook...

(nelsaocb)

Boise State almost reached perfection in '08, but lost to TCU in their last game of the season, 16-17. The Broncos will again shoot for perfection as their toughest game is the first one on the schedule, as the Oregon Ducks come to town September 5th.

Boise State has some key guys on both sides returning, but they also had some guys leave that were big time players for them last season. This season will be all about if the Broncos can get these holes filled quick enough to win the first game and try to run the table again.

Let's take a closer look at the Broncos...

QB Kellen Moore will be the leader on offense now that Ian Johnson is gone. Moore has a great freshman year throwing for 3,486 yards along with 25 TD's and 10 interceptions.

Moore will need to put up big numbers again if Boise is going to stay perfect throughout the regular season.

Replacing Johnson at tailback is the very talented Jeremy Avery. Avery is ready to be the number one back for the Broncos as he rushed for 614 yards and 4 touchdowns last year in a backup role. Boise State will need Avery to be very effective, especially against Oregon early in the year.

At WR the Broncos have Austin Pettis, and, well that's about it. With three other key wide outs leaving Pettis is the only WR coming back that was productive last season. Pettis will have to carry the load until the Broncos can find some other guys to fill the void.

Let's switch sides and look at the defense.

The defense lost some guys up front and in the middle, but do return the core of their secondary. Boise state will need DE Ryan Winterswyk to be disruptive up front while others get their feet wet.

As far as the linebackers are concerned, the Broncos will look to replace Tim Brady.

In reality the Broncos only have two games to worry about if they want to go undefeated. Oregon comes to the smurf turf for the Broncos first game, and they see Nevada later in the season on November 27th. If the Broncos can managed to win both of these games, then they will probably win out and look to play in a BCS bowl game.

Players to Watch: Kellen Moore, Jeremy Avery

Projected Record: 11-1

Hello blog friends. I missed you guys and I did have a nice little blogging break. I finished reading The Other Boleyn Girl and loved it! I lived inside that book for a little while. My review will be up this week. I also took my kids to see the new Harry Potter movie.



It was very good, I think one of the best of the HP films so far. I really liked one of the final scenes where Dumbledore and Harry go looking for the Horcrux. The way the film makers did it is just how I imagined it to be when reading the book.

I am dissapointed though that they have just totally done away with the house elves, and I curious to see how the next two films will play out being that Dobby played a big part in the books. I wonder for those who haven't read the books, do they notice that Dobby just goes missing in the films? lol




I hope you all had a nice weekend, as always Monday arrives too soon. Oh well, I did receive some great books in the mail this past week.


Here's my Mailbox Mondays:



Legacy by Cayla Kluver

Legacy was written by Cayla Kluver when she was just 14 years old. It is a YA fantasy novel, and I am looking forward to reading this one.





Let the Shadows Fall Behind You by Kathy-Diane Leveille


Kathy stopped by my blog recently for a guest post and I am also looking forward to reading her book.



That's all for now, what books arrived at your place this week?

What if Mike Bell, who in the second pre-season game juked and jived the Houston Texans for 100 yards on 10 carries, can run like that six or eight times this season? And I'm not talking about having a half-dozen long TD runs, similar to his 46-yard follow-the-blocking-and-cut-brilliantly scamper on Saturday. But really, what if he actually breaks out this year and rushes for at least a 1,000?

Based on what I saw Saturday, why can't he?

Think about it.

Couple that with the expected output from Bush and Pierre, and I get giddier than The Bear Jew anticipating a Nazi bashing. And that's because of all the unmentioned intangibles.

However slightly, the defense has improved. Put that alongside the game's most explosive passing offense with a RB trio that so far promises to improve to at least NFL-middling-quality, and every opposing team's offense will find itself off the field for at least a few more minutes each game, giving QB Drew Brees and Co. plenty of cushion as they pass and catch for about 30 TDs.

Hey, I'm part of that Co. too. And though I didn't catch one of Drew's 34 last season, I'm getting at least a baker's half dozen this year. Who Dat!

But back to you Bell: Here's to you.

As for the rest of you NFC South mofos (Gonzalez, Winslow): Put that in your pipe and smoke it!

Oregon will look to outscore opponents this season as their offense returns some key parts. The first part is QB Jeremiah Masoli. Masoli is very effective through the air, and on the ground. He threw for 1,744 yards along with 13 TD's, and ran for 718 yards with 10 TD's. Masoli will be the key to the Ducks success, with the defense rebuilding they will need to outscore opponents most of the time.