louisville lip

Perhaps in making future wagers involving his beloved OSU against Big East opponents, our PAC 12 apologist should consider that, in the last two such matchups, OSU has been outscored 97 to 30. Of course, we know OSU is awesome, since they beat mighty USC last year. We also know, of course, that based on what the PAC 12 apologist said in a prior segment of this thread, OSU is much better than last year. USC better look out!

My bad. You were right. OSU looked absofreakinlutely awesome!

The last time OSU played a Big East team (in 2005), they lost by 36 points to Louisville, so I'd be careful about laying any points in tonight's game.

As long as Brady is at the helm, New England will be a leading contender. Just look how he played the last two times against Pittsburgh (I believe he completed his last 12 passes in the Pats regular season win at Pitt last year). While Manning is the top fantasy QB, he's a significant notch below Brady on the field. If Brady isn't the QB, Bellicheck will think he's back in Cleveland. Another slant: we've seen the best of Brady; we've only touched the surface with Roethlisberger, and he's 27 and 4 with two AFC championship games and a SB under his belt. Don't forget, when Brady won his first SB, the Pats scored only one offensive TD in each of their postseason wins, and he wasn't in the game on the drive in which NE scored against Pittsburgh in the AFC championship game. So, if you compare Brady's first SB run to Ben's, Ben's was far superior (despite his mediocre performance in the Super Bowl). Prediction: Roethlisberger, not Brady, not Manning, not Hasselbeck, will be the NFL's most successful QB over the next eight years.

What the Steelers do with their QB situation over the next four weeks will tell us all we need to know concerning their view of Ben's prognosis (ie, availability on Sept. 7). If they sign Maddox, it will mean they are confident Ben will be ready (based on everything they know that we will never know); if they pursue Collins, that would signify uncertainty/doubt on their part that he will be ready to go full speed without jeopardizing his future. Pittsburgh can wait up to four weeks to sign Maddox, and unless another team gets hot after Collins, there's no reason to hurry after him either. If they sign Maddox anytime soon, that means they're extremely confident that Ben will play on Sept. 7.

If the attending physicians were both accurate and candid, then Ben will be fine for the regular season. He'll probably miss the first week or two of training camp and the first exhibition game. It wouldn't surprise me if they brought in Touchdown Tommy to help them through training camp, and gave Jacobs a lot of playing time in the first preseason game.

Ben Roethlisberger was hurt today when his motorcycle collided with a car that veered in from of him. He hit the windshield of the car and is in critical but stable condition at a Pittsburgh hospital.

It's remarkable that losers like Bryant and Bonds would be ranked ahead of Peyton Manning. Is the poll always conducted in mid-May, when pro football is furthest from the public's consciousness and the NBA and baseball are at the forefront?

Proceeds from sales of the "Terrible Towel" are not part of the NFL merchandise sales equation. Myron Cope created the towel in the early seventies and owned the exclusive rights for many years. Perhaps twenty years ago, he assigned his rights in the towel to a school for autistic children that was attended by his son. The towel continues to be called "Myron Cope's Terrible Towel."

Last friday, I had the pleasure of attending the "They're Off" luncheon, which annually kicks off the Kentucky Derby Festival. Terry Bradshaw was the guest speaker. He spoke for 40 minutes, did not stumble once, did not say anything he couldn't say in front of his mother, and ABSOLUTELY kept everyone in the audience--young and old--in stitches the entire time. I read his first book and thought it was hilarious. I had no idea he could be so funny, and yet so articulate, in person. I've seen Seinfeld 4 times; I'd pay just as much to see Terry again. If you have the chance, don't miss him.

Colts fans should be thankful Vandershank's kick landed in the next county. Otherwise, had the Colts gone on to win XL, their Lombardi trophy would have been the most tainted in the history of professional sports.

On the assumption that you know a lot about Elway, is it my imagination that he was regularly booed at home during the early 90s? In the back of my mind, I picture him throwing an interception--againt the Jets, I think--and getting booed unmercifully. It also seems to me that there was overt hostility in Denver towards Elway in the early 90s. Am I mistaken?

DID YOU HAPPEN TO HEAR THE SEAHAWK RADIO NETWORK'S CALL OF THE GAME? IF YOU DID, YOU KNOW THAT, AS THE PLAYS UNFOLDED, THE SEAHAWKS' BROADCAST TEAM, WARREN MOON IN PARTICULAR, SAID THE PASS INTERFERENCE AND HOLDING CALLS WERE ENTIRELY PROPER AND THE ONLY CALLS THAT COULD BE MADE UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES. IF YOU'VE HAD A CHANCE TO HEAR THE RADIO CALL, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. MY QUESTION: HAS MOON OR ANY OTHER MEMBER OF THE BRAODCAST TEAM BEEN REPRIMANDED FOR AGREEING WITH THE CALLS AS THEY WERE MADE? I WOULD THINK THAT HOLMGREN WOULD HAVE CALLED FOR MOON'S OUSTER BY NOW, BUT HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING IN THE MEDIA. BY THE WAY, THE ILLEGAL BLOCK CALL ON HASSELBECK WAS A JOKE AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN REVERSED AFTER AN OFFICIALS' CONFERENCE. ALSO, DID YOU NOTICE THE ILLEGAL BLOCK AGAINST ROETHLISBERGER AT THE STEELERS' 38 DURING THE LONG INTERCEPTION RETURN? HAD THAT PENALTY BEEN CALLED, THE SEAHAWKS WOULD HAVE STARTED THAT DRIVE AT THE PITTSBURGH 48 INSTEAD OF THE 20. THE WAY THEIR OFFENSE SPUTTERED THROUGHOUT THE GAME, THEY PROBABLY WOULDN'T HAVE SCORED ON THAT POSSESSION. SO, HAD THE OFFICIATING BEEN TOP NOTCH, THE GAME'S FINAL SCORE MIGHT HAVE BEEN PITTSBURGH 21, SEATTLE 3.

I BELIEVE THE INTER-CONFERENCE ROTATION IS ONCE EVERY FOUR YEARS. FOR EXAMPLE, THE VIKINGS AND STEELERS WILL PLAY AGAIN IN 2009. ALTHOUGH THE STANDARD ROTATION DOES NOT PROVIDE FOR HOME AND HOME GAMES, IT SO HAPPENS THAT THE VIKINGS WILL BE THE VISITORS THE NEXT TIME THEY PLAY.

I HAVE INSIGHT CABLE. THE NFL NETWORK IS PART OF A PACKAGE THAT COSTS A FEW DOLLARS PER MONTH. ALTHOUGH THE NFL NETWORK'S NFL GAMES WILL BE IN HIGH DEFINITION, MY CABLE COMPANY DOES NOT PRESENTLY BROADCAST THE NFL NETWORK IN HD. PRESUMABLY, THEY WILL ADD THAT FEATURE BEFORE THE FIRST GAME, FOR AN ADDED FEE. IN MY VIEW, THE NFL NETWORK IS SUPERIOR TO ESPN OR FOX. THEIR FOLKS ARE KNOWLEDGEABLE AND ARTICULATE, UNLIKE THE MORONS, SUCH AS THE SHARPES, MICHAEL IRVIN, JAWORSKI AND SOME OF THE OTHER CLOWNS, THAT ESPN AND FOX EMPLOY.