A few quick-hitters:
1) Boise State opened with a win over a good team. Nice goin', guys. Unfortunately, you'll still miss out on the BCS. Sorry, NCAA politics come first. The bigger story, as the press always manages to make it, was Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount punching a Boise State player post-game. (Blount's stat line: 8 carries, negative five yards rushing.) Blount was the one talking smack before the game, but now he's the one being talked to. Blount was suspended for the remainder of his senior season, virtually nullifying his chances of being drafted into the NFL next year. I'm a little surprised that the punishment was so harsh, but if that's what it takes to maintain sportsmanship and healthy banter at the NCAA level, so be it. It's a sad story, but someone had to be the goat they made the example.
2) The Pittsburgh Steelers have solidified their place as "Peskiest Team in Football." They have a propensity for being able to come back and win the game, especially when given the ball with under two minutes to play. Ben Roethlisberger has an uncanny ability to do one of two things on each passing play of the two-minute drill: A) Slip out of six tackles while buying roughly sixty seconds with which he can inevitably find an open receiver, or B) become hopelessly engulfed by a swarm of tacklers, only to fling the ball wildly as he is on his way down and INEVITABLY FIND AN OPEN RECEIVER. See the pattern here? It's very annoying. I wanted to laugh at Hines Ward sooooo badly, but now I can't. Why do we have to share a division with those guys? Baltimore teams have the worst luck in terms of opponents, at least this year: it's the Red Sox and Yankees in the spring and the Steelers in the fall. Give us a break! It makes me sick.
To end on a happy note, here are my two fantasy lineups for Sunday. (I picked the Ravens to beat the Chiefs in my Survival Football league. Don't let me down, boys.)
League 1
QB Kurt Warner
RB Michael Turner
RB Leon Washington
WR Derrick Mason
WR Jerricho Cotchery
WR Mushin Muhammad
TE Anthony Fasano
K Jason Elam
DEF Baltimore
Bench: QB Matt Hasselbeck, WR Bernard Berrian, RB Pierre Thomas, WR Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR Earl Bennett, Washington Defense
League 2
QB Phillip Rivers
RB Michael Turner
RB Ronnie Brown
WR Andre Johnson
WR Wes Welker
RB Leon Washington (flex position - WR or RB allowed)
TE Greg Olsen
K Jason Elam
DEF Pittsburgh (19 points already)
Bench: QB Jason Campbell, QB Jake Delhomme, RB Felix Jones, WR Derrick Mason, WR Anthony Gonzalez, San Diego Defense
Wish me luck!
