College Football 2011 - Week 4.....

Notre Dame fans rejoiced as I went with Michigan State last week, which of course meant an Irish win. Well, sorry ND fans, but I am back on the wagon, although I am only holding on by a couple of fingers. Four match-ups this week are involving ranked teams, with three of them being conference games.

Week 4 games (Home team in CAPS)

Notre Dame over PITTSBURGH - Notre Dame still turned the ball over last week, but they overcame those problems and look to be back on track. Stop groaning Irish fans.
Oregon (#10) over ARIZONA - The Wildcats had Stanford with Andrew Luck come to town last week and now they get the high octane Oregon offense. No rest for the weary and the Ducks roll.
ALABAMA (#3) over Arkansas (#14) - Do we have a ranked SEC matchup every weekend? Arkansas has pulled off this upset before, but not this year as they travel to Alabama and don't have the comforts of home.
Oklahoma State (#7) over TEXAS A&M (#8) - It is so strange to talk about the demise of the Big 12, but then see five ranked teams within the top 25. Everything tells me to take A&M, but I think the Cowboys win a high scoring road show.
Florida State (#11) over CLEMSON (#21) - Tough loss for Florida State last week against top ranked Oklahoma, but now it is time to concentrate on the ACC Title and that means taking care of business on the road against the Tigers. Death Valley is a tough place, but the Seminoles have too much talent for Clemson.
Louisiana State (#2) over WEST VIRGINIA (#16) - Another road game for LSU against a ranked opponent and this time they visit a Big East opponent in the Mountianeers. Mountaineer Field is a tough place to play, but Les Miles' Tigers will show the SEC mettle and get another victory.


Week 3: 3-3
2011 season: 10-8

College Football 2011 - Week 3.....

What a game Saturday Night in The Big House between Michigan and Notre Dame. That was exciting and a great college football atmosphere. As for my pick of ND, well that wasn't as good. Couple of Top 25 match-ups this week, including top ranked Oklahoma visiting #5 Florida State.

Week 3 games (Home team in CAPS)

Louisiana State (#3) over MISSISSIPPI STATE (#25) - Would have been a more interesting match-up if MSU had not tripped up last week against Auburn. Will be good test for LSU.
Michigan State (#15) over NOTRE DAME - I hope not to hurt my legs jumping off the Notre Dame bandwagon. Of course this will be the week the Irish shine.
Texas (#23) over UCLA - The Longhorns go out west, but get a very down UCLA team. Texas likes that Rose Bowl turf.
Stanford (#6) over ARIZONA - Nice Pac 12 match-up, but this is a good Stanford team and should get a tough conference win on the road.
Ohio State (#17) over MIAMI - Game of two troubled universities. Ohio State looks like they have put the distractions behind them, while I am not sure the same can be said of Miami.
FLORIDA STATE (#5) over Oklahoma (#1) - Last time in Norman, the Sooners trounced the Seminoles, but I think it will be a much closer game this year in Tallahassee. That home field advantage gives Florida State that extra boost to sneak a victory over the nation's top ranked team.

Week 2: 4-2
2011 season: 7-5

College Football 2011 - Week 2.....

It was an interesting first week of the college football season as LSU showed that the distraction around losing their starting QB was not going to be a distraction at all. In Texas, TCU gave up 50 points to Baylor, which is more than they gave upon the road all last season. While in Atlanta, Boise State again showed they are serious about making the BCS boys sweat.

Week 2 games (Home team in CAPS):

USC over Utah - Trojan receivers dropped 8 passes last week against Minnesota. That doesn't happen again.
TEXAS (#24) over Brigham Young - Texas kicks off their season with positive highlights for their Longhorn Network.
South Carolina (#12) over GEORGIA - The two top teams in the SEC East meet early in the schedule. I'm a South Carolina believer and think they take control of the division with a tough road victory.
Alabama (#3) over PENN ST. (#23) - A tough way for Joe Paterno and the Nittany Lions to start the year by hosting Alabama. Penn St. may be a Top 25 team at year's end, but will look weak on Saturday.
Notre Dame over MICHIGAN - Notre Dame changed QBs after only one week. That is not a good sign, but just for Brian Kelly's blood pressure the Irish need to get the win. Michigan won easily last week, but gave up lots of yards.
Mississippi State (#16) over AUBURN - Another early SEC match-up, but I think we saw last week that Auburn will not put up much fight in defending last year's National Championship.

Week 1: 3-3
2011 Season: 3-3

College Football 2011 - Week 1.....

The college football season starts tonight and for college sport fans and the NCAA it could not come soon enough after this "summer of scandal". Add the conference movement going on and it is just too much noise for college sport fans. Unfortunately, they will be the stories throughout the year, especially with many of the top teams being a part of this stories.

As for on the field, the consensus seems to put Alabama and Oklahoma in the BCS Title Game. Can Alabama keep the Championship in Charles Barkley's home state for a third straight year? Will Oklahoma give one last boost to the Big 12, before it possibly goes away? What about the BCS Buster in Boise State? I don't know the answers and look forward to seeing it played out each Saturday.

Now onto the field for the week one match-ups.

Week 1 games (Home team in CAPS):

NOTRE DAME (#16) over South Florida - I'm buying into the ND hype and expect to see them in a BCS game in January. Skip Holtz leads USF into the place where his dad coached, but will come up short in his upset bid.
South Carolina (#12) over East Carolina University (Charlotte) - The Ol' Ball Coach has a team which is getting some buzz to get out of the SEC and possibly be a championship contender. Stephen Garcia is back at QB, while Marcus Lattimore stars at running back to lead this offense for the Gamecocks. Game is in Charlotte, but could feel like a SC home game.
TCU (#14) over BAYLOR - Texas Christain may not be as good as they were the last two seasons, but they will still be a force and could work their way into the BCS mix. Gary Patterson is considered one of the best coaches in college football and after last year's graduating losses, he will show his mettle and get the Horned Frogs back to a big bowl game.
MARYLAND over Miami - Too many distractions down in Miami and the Terps will take advantage of those problems in their ACC home opener. Randy Edsall gets his first ACC coaching win on Labor Day night.
Oregon (#3) over Louisiana State (#4) (in Dallas) - The marquee match-up of the opening weekend has a bit of tarnish on it due to the investigation at Oregon, but more so because of the legal troubles of some of LSU's best players, including starting quarterback, Jordan Jefferson. The Ducks will be lead by sensational running back LaMichael James and the rest of their high powered offense.
Boise State (#5) over Georgia (#19) (in Atlanta) - Boise State is back for another shot at the crown jewel and their first, and possibly biggest test, will be against the big, bad SEC representative in the Georgia Bulldogs. The Bulldogs are ranked, but that may be a bit of a "SEC boost" helping them into the early Top 20. The game is in Atlanta, but the Broncos showed last year that they don't shy away from a hostile "neutral" crowd when they faced Virginia Tech in Washington, DC. Kellen Moore is back at QB for Boise and will lead the Broncos to the victory.

Weekend Chase - The SFB Podcast (11/19/2010).....

NASCAR must wish the calender said 2005, instead of 2010 as they have the last race of the season with its 4 time champion, Jimmie Johnson, chasing the upstart in Denny Hamlin, while Kevin Harvick sits behind both of them with a chance to win it all and nobody is noticing the excitement. Well, I'm noticing (albeit late in the season) and will look at the final race for the NASCAR championship. Plus there will be college football games in both Yankee Stadium and Wrigley Field this Saturday and a look at the awards given out so far this baseball off-season. Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: November 19, 2010 (right click to "save as target)
You can find and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.
Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

Stress Levels - The SFB Podcast (9/20/2010).....

Saturday night, Michigan St. coach Mark Dantonio made a gutsy decision in calling for a fake field goal in overtime against Notre Dame. The play worked, MSU won and Dantonio was a hero. Two hours later he was in the hospital after suffering a heart attack. This comes nine months after Urban Meyer's collapsed following the SEC Championship game. What is going on here and is it all worth it? I'll give my thoughts about coaches and the health scares that have occured. Plus, I'll look at some of the college action from the weekend.

Also, there was baseball action, including a very scary episode in Miami involving a broken bat. Plus, yes, I was wrong and surprised in Mark Sanchez and the Jets ability to bounce back. Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: September 20, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

College Football 2010 (Week 3).....

No real "heavyweight" games this weekend, but any Saturday with college football is a good Saturday. Last week's games looked good on paper, but were disappointments with so many blowouts.

Week 3 games:

Notre Dame over Michigan State - The Irish defense were exposed as still a bit slow, but I think Brian Kelly gets them back on track against the Spartans.
Iowa (#9) over Arizona (#24) - Only match-up this week of top 25 teams. Iowa will have a tough test traveling west, but this is a good football team that will get the job done in a hostile environment.
Nebraska (#8) over Washington - The Cornhuskers travel up to Washington to face an improving Huskie team. The Husker defense is very good and is able to control quarterback Jake Locker.
LSU (#15) over Mississippi St. - A tough loss for MSU at home last week against Auburn and it doesn't get any easier with the Tigers coming to town. LSU needs to take advantage of a MSU team that may still be upset by that loss.
Arkansas (#12) over Georgia - Tough SEC game with the Razorbacks traveling to Athens. Georgia already lost one SEC game in dropping last week's contest to South Carolina. Ryan Mallett leads Arkansas to road SEC victory.
Florida (#10) over Tennessee - Florida has looked shaky in their first two victories, but I think they get healthy against a Volunteer team that will keep the game close, but doesn't have enough talent to beat the Gators.

Week 2: 5-1
2010 season: 10-2

Thanks for Nothing - The SFB Podcast (9/13/2010).....

Last week Boise St. was set-up to make the BCS Championship game after their thrilling victory over Virginia Tech. Fast forward to today and the Broncos are no longer BCS darlings after not playing this week and Virginia Tech losing to James Madison at home. Huh? Makes no sense and that's what makes the BCS and also pre-season polls ridiculous. Plus, more troubles around college campuses highlighted by Tennessee's Bruce Pearl admission of giving misleading questions to an NCAA investigator. Good grief. Oh yea, there was actually some good college football this weekend. Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: September 13, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

College Football 2010 (Week 1).....

While I love watching college football, predicting the end of year Bowl match-ups in August is not on the top of my list of favorite things to do, as depending on 18 and 19 year olds to do what you think they will for a whole season is virtually impossible. That said, here are some of the teams I am keeping my eye on as the season gets started.

Alabama - Can they repeat or will Mark Ingram's knee injury be enough to hurt the Tide in the tough SEC ?
Florida - How will life be PT (Post Tebow)?
Auburn - Will they be the team to sneak up on league and make the Iron Bowl interesting again.
LSU - Again, they need to find offense to go with the defense. Les Miles on "hot seat"?
Ohio St. - Can Terrelle Pryor step up and show everyone what we saw at season's end?
Wisconsin and Iowa - Two teams who are going to be very good again this year.
Penn St. - Joe Pa without glasses?
Texas and Oklahoma - The "Big 2" will again battle it out for supremacy of the Big 12 South.
Nebraska - Will the Cornhuskers represent the Big 12 as its BCS champion in their swan song season?
Florida St. - The Jimbo Fisher era starts. Will the ghost of Bobby Bowden hover over it?
Miami - Is this the year they put together a whole season?
Virginia Tech - Will the Boise St. game define their season?
North Carolina - How will the off-field questions effect a team that was poised for good things before the NCAA came calling?
Oregon - Seemed to clean out the "problems" on the roster and look like the head of the Pac 10 class. December 4th OSU match-up could be for the state and Pac 10 titles.
Oregon St. - See December 4th match-up above. Who scheduled TCU & Boise St. in first 3 weeks? Will they bust the "BCS Busters"?
USC - Did Pete Carrol leave at the right time? Will Lane Kiffin get his players to forget the bad taste of NCAA sanctions?
Boise St. - If they can't beat Virginia Tech in Washington, DC Labor Day weekend (a virtual VT home game), will the "I told you so" chant be deafening?
TCU - Open with Oregon St, then it is "who are they" for the remainder of the schedule.
Notre Dame - Will it be different with Brian Kelly at the helm? The schedule is again a brutal and may lead to a record not reflective of their improvement.

Week 1 games:

NOTRE DAME over Perdue - The Kelly era starts well.
USC (#16) over HAWAII - USC's Bowl game as they get a trip to the Islands.
TCU (#6) over Oregon St. (#24) - TCU takes advantage of being at home.
LSU (#21) over North Carolina (#18) (in Atlanta) - The off field distractions hurt the Tar Heels.
Virginia Tech (#10) over Boise St. (#3) (in Landover, MD) - Best game of the opening weekend. "Home" game for VT gives them slight edge.
MICHIGAN over Connecticut - Just a hunch that Michigan gets back on the winning track.

Triple Crown Affair - The SFB Podcast (8/26/2010).....

It has been 73 years since a National League player has won baseball's Triple Crown and with 35 games to go we have two players, the Reds' Joey Votto and the Cardinals' Albert Pujols, with a shot at it and to add to the excitement their teams are battling for the Central Division crown. Sadly though you wouldn't know it unless you are a baseball fan. Will the chase get more play with only twenty games to go, or because it involves Cincinnati and St. Louis and not New York, Los Angeles or Boston, will this get lost until it actually happens at season's end?

Plus, thanks to others the Blue Jays' Jose Bautista is guilty until he proves his innocence, Notre Dame wants to cut commercials from its games and Jim Furyk needs a better alarm clock. Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: August 26, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

Coaching Carousel Turning Stomachs.....

The USC and South Florida coaching jobs have been filled by Lane Kiffin and Skip Holtz which means that the Tennessee and East Carolina jobs are now open because these coaches have left for “greener pastures”. It is quite possible those jobs will be filled by current head coaches, which will leave those schools without a head coach and just start the merry-go-round up again.

Yes, this seems to happen every year in college football, but this year just feels different. Maybe it is because the jobs available since early December were at schools that we are not used to seeing open, or thought we would not see open for quite some time. If on December 1st I was to have told you that the following head coach positions would be available, you would have laughed me out of this column, but look what schools have had the “help wanted” sign up these last six weeks.

Notre Dame
USC
Tennessee
Texas Tech
Cincinnati

Plus, let’s not forget that for 24 hours the Florida coaching job was vacant. You could have had three of the top ten, maybe even top five football universities with different head coaches next year. Crazy.

Add in the other “name” schools that have replaced coaches since the season’s end (Virginia, Kansas, and Louisville) and then a dozen or so smaller schools, and that is a bunch of coaches moving around.

But this isn’t about the coaches leaving and who replaced them, it is about the process surrounding these coaching changes and how this “coaching silly season”, and especially this week’s events, have really brought into focus the need for change in how and when coaches change jobs and that the NCAA, which is supposed to be looking out for these “student athletes”, actually turns their back on them during these times.

While some like seeing this game of “move a coach here, place a coach there”, I for one am getting tired of it, especially after seeing what has gone down these past couple of days with USC and Tennessee recruits. Because of the timing of these changes, eighteen year old kids have to play games with the schools they committed to if they now decide they don’t want to honor that commitment, and that just stinks. On Wednesday, some had to resort to not attending classes at the school of commitment, just so they can transfer without having to sit out a year. Does the NCAA think it is a good idea for these kids to skip classes just to keep from losing that year of playing time?

So coaches come and go as they please, but a player, who may have been highly influenced to attend a certain school because of the coach, will get punished if he wants to leave to follow said coach, or just attend another school that he had previously considered. While I am concerned about the player who already has attended the school for a year, I am more bothered by those kids who are ready to commit and attend the school for the upcoming year / season. As shown this week, some of these kids are being tugged every which way when a coach leaves a school, and besides thinking about just staying with the school they committed to, if they decide to change their commitment, they must do so in quick fashion.

Look at four star recruit defensive tackle Brandon Willis who was committed to Tennessee. On Tuesday he was on his way to Knoxville to start classes when he heard the news of Kiffin leaving. The coaches leaving with Kiffin tried to persuade him to go to USC, but he was having nothing of it. On Wednesday, he decided to attend North Carolina. How fair is it for this kid to have his mind made up, then have it swept away because the coach that recruited him leaves before he even gets on campus, then he has to make another decision on where he should attend school? If Willis had stepped on campus, and attended a class, he would have been stuck at Tennessee, or if he wanted to transfer would have had to sit out a season at the other school.

By the way, if you are wondering how coaches can just up and leave their contracts they have with a school, it is because in most cases these coaches have buyout clauses that allow them to buy their way out of the contract, so in most cases it is the school that puts themselves in this position by allowing those clauses.

While I don’t want these kids moving around from school to school just to follow a certain coach, or chase playing time, I think the NCAA needs to make it available to them as a one-time exemption during their years of playing eligibility. Yes, I know it is supposed to be about their education, but let’s be adults here and know that for a few it has absolutely nothing to do with education, and all about playing football, or basketball, etc. Brandon Willis is a perfect example of someone who wanted to play for Lane Kiffin, but once Kiffin left, Willis wanted nothing to do with Tennessee and also nothing to do with Kiffin because he felt betrayed by him.

The feeling of betrayal or being deceived by coaches who tell these kids and parents that they will be at a program is not even a part of this discussion, and can be a whole new column for another day.

My idea would be to allow each student/athlete one free transfer, without having to sit out a year, if the coach that recruited them to a school leaves that school, whether on their own or because they were fired. Any other transfer attempt following the first one would play by the current rules and the student would have to sit out one season before being eligible to play for their new school. Not all players on a team would use this “out”, but it would make it fairer for the athletes, instead of them having to watch that coach who promised them everything walk away from them and go onto to a different place without any consequences, while the same could not be the same for them. Personally, I don’t think too many players would use this “escape clause” because most of these kids get comfortable with their college surroundings and would not want to “start over” again at another school.

While not a perfect solution, and maybe addressing the coaches’ buyout clauses maybe the solution for some, it would at least give a little something to a player who made a commitment to a coach, but whose coach truly didn’t make a commitment to the player.

The SportsFan Buzz Podcast (11/23/2009).....

Today's The SportsFan Buzz podcast is a late night production. Deciding sleep means nothing to us, I am joined by Mike Tricarico (Twitter mtrico) as we discuss a variety of topics. All taking place after we finished watching the Titans/Texans Monday Night Football game.

Among them in part one is Notre Dame football and whether the ND job is still a good job, LSU's clock management problems, and Mike going to the premier of the New York Yankees' World Series DVD.

In part two, we discuss NFL Week 11 and the upsets that occurred, and a glance at what the playoff picture is shaping up to look like with 6 weeks remaining.

Enjoy the late night ramblings.

The SportsFan Buzz: November 23, 2009 (Part A)

The SportsFan Buzz: November 23, 2009 (Part B)

This & That (Monday 11/9/09).....

A Podcast of this column with an expanded take on events can be downloaded here.

The SportsFan Buzz: November 9, 2009


--- What a difference a week makes in college football. After praising Oregon for its big win over USC and how they could play with anyone in the country, they come crashing to earth with a 51-42 loss to Stanford. Add to it #4 Iowa losing to Northwestern 17-10, and you have two "National Title" dreamers awakened from their sleep.

What about Charlie Weis and Notre Dame? Losing to Navy, 23-21, for the second time in three years, and both in South Bend. Besides knocking them from a any possible BCS bowl game, it could been the final nail for Weis' time at ND. Not sure that an upset win over Pittsburgh this weekend would do anything to sooth over these wounds.

TCU moved up to fourth in the BCS standings, with Cincinnati and Boise St. sitting behind them and all three hoping that the top three (Florida, Texas and Alabama) will fall to upsets in the next week or two.

--- Normal hockey schedule this past weekend, and there were no unusual uniforms were on display. The Capitals are still playing well with Alex Ovechkin sidelined (7-1-2 in last ten games), while the hottest two teams over that same time period are the New Jersey Devils (8-2) and San Jose Sharks (8-1-1).

The biggest story coming out of the weekend was the Carolina Hurricanes losing goalie Cam Ward for the next 3-4 weeks when a skate (either Rick Nash's or one of his defensemen) accidently cut him on his upper left leg. While it looked like a "normal collision" in the crease, Ward sprawled on all fours, before trainers arrived and helped him from the ice. That was when the small pool of blood was noticeable on the ice.

This is the second time in the past three years Ward has suffered a cut. The last time came in 2007 against the New York Rangers at MSG.

With bodies flying around and players falling to the ice in corner piles, the NHL is lucky that more of these injuries do not occur on a regular basis.

--- In the NBA, The Boston Celtics are still off to their hot start at 7-1, with a point differential of 14.1 in their eight games. That is over six points better then the next best team, the Miami Heat (at 5-1), and just shows how important Kevin Garnett is to the Celtics, and how his presence greatly helps their team defense.

The Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers are pacing the Western Conference at 6-1 records.

Seems like Allen Iverson is upset with his playing time with the Memphis Grizzlies. Iverson, averaging over 12.3 a game, but playing only 22 minutes a game. Iverson, who knew he would be coming off the bench when signed by Memphis, would like more playing time. Not even ten games in and AI is already causing headaches.

--- Discussion that came up on my Facebook page. Joe Namath, Hall of Famer or overrated?

My take is that if he was playing in any other city, we would not be discussing his greatness, or lack there of. Style and charisma, and being in New York, helped boost this above-average, at best, quarterback into the superstar status.

What do you think?

--- Buccaneers are the last team to get a win as they beat the Packers 38-28. Aaron Rodgers again sacked a half dozen times in the loss. Good for Tampa Bay, as no team should go 0-16 (said same about Detroit last year). I feel sorry for the punishment Rodgers has endured this season, and there is still eight games to go. Packers need to get this settled soon, or it will be another lost season.

Excuse me Bengal fans, but is there room on your bandwagon? Cincinnati impressed in their 17-7 win over the Ravens. Cedric Benson again went over 100 yards rushing against that Baltimore defense, and the Bengals defense bothered Joe Flacco all day. I thought the defense was in trouble when they lost Antwan Odem, and they have been fine. We will see now that they lost WR Chris Henry how the offense responds, but all signs this year point to them chugging along. Up next for them will be Pittsburgh.

And yes, I like Chad Ochocinco's "bribe" attempt of the referee. While I thought he talked too much when the team was losing and he was not doing well, I do enjoy his playful antics and his having fun.

Excuse me Bear fans, but I am leaving this wagon. A 41-21 loss at home? The Bear defense was awful, plain and simple, and Tommie Harris getting ejected a minute into the game did not help. Bears problem on offense is that they need a top notch wide receiver. Kurt Warner goes from five interceptions last week, to five TD passes this week. Cardinals winning on the road, which is a turnaround from last year.

Colts hold off Texans 20-17, as Kris Brown misses a 42 yard FG to tie the game. Peyton Manning through 40 first half passes in the game, but Houston hung tough. The Texans and had the 4th quarter lead, but could not put the game away, allowing the Colts to come back and win. That is the difference between a veteran team that knows how to win, and a younger team learning how to get victories.

Vince Young and Chris Johnson lead the Titans to a 34-27 win over the 49ers. San Francisco still needs more time, but I do like the core of their offense. They just need to sure up the defense, and get a little "older". This two game winning streak is making people ask if Young can be the future of the Tennessee franchise. I say he can be as long as he has big #28 running the ball behind him.

The Saints are sloppy on offense (2 turnovers), allowed rushing yards (182), and fall behind again (down 11 at halftime) for the third week in a row, this time to Carolina, but right the ship in the second half to beat the Panthers 30-20. The New Orleans defense scored for the 7th time this season, which is one more TD then the Browns have scored all year. Next up are the Rams and Bucs, who have 2 wins combined, so a 10-0 start for the Saints is a real possibility.

The Cowboys took control of the NFC East with a 20-16 win over the Eagles. Dallas executed a few more plays, including the winning 49 yard TD pass from Tony Romo to Miles Austin, in getting a tough road win against a division rival. Neither team was able to run, but the Philadelphia being on 4 for 12 on third down, while Dallas went 7-15, was a big factor in the Eagles loss. Both teams have tough games ahead as the Cowboys go to Green Bay, while the Eagles go to the west coast to play the Chargers.

Speaking of the Chargers, they drove 80 yards in 1:46, capped off by a Philip Rivers to Vincent Jackson touchdown pass, to stun the Giants 21-20 in the Meadowlands. That is the fourth loss in a row for New York, and puts them behind the Cowboys and Eagles in the NFC East standings. The Giants picked off Rivers and returned it to the Charger 4 yard line with 3:14 to go. After a holding call on first down (a game killer), and a no gain pass after the penalty, Giant coach Tom Coughlin decided to play it safe and run Brandon Jacobs twice to force San Diego to use their timeouts, and set up a field goal that put the Giants up 20-14. Too much time for Rivers & Co. The Giants played well, but this loss will sting more then the previous three because the game was theirs for the taking.

The Giants will be off next week for their bye, along with the Texans, so we will have an almost full slate of games back in the NFL. Thank goodness, as I do not like bye weeks. Also, weekly Thursday night games start this week, when Chicago goes to San Francisco.