The Riddle of College Football

“Don’t call it a comeback/ I’ve been here for years/ Rockin’ my peers and puttin’ suckas in fear…”

Yes, ladies and gentlemen it is the return. The return of your blogger’s favorite blogger, Tha Weatha Report. I know it has been a while, but I’m sure you haven’t forgotten the drill by now. I’m Tha WeathaMan here today to take the temperature of the world known as college football. Without further ado, shall I proceed? Yes indeed!

We are almost to the beginning of November and let us go over what we know about college football. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING OF IMPORTANCE! We know that the computers love the SEC, but we already knew that. This year we have Alabama and Florida #1 and #2 respectively in the BCS standings, even while preseason top 5 team Oregon has done nothing but demolish their opponents.  We know that Notre Dame has a defense that can keep just about any offense out of the endzone. We also know that LSU still hasn’t found a quarterback, longing for the days of some guy by the name of JaMarcus Russell. So basically, it is more about what we don’t know versus what we do know. 

We don’t know how Notre Dame’s defense is going to stand up against a top tier offense. We don’t know if Florida will keep it up through their tough SEC slate of games, and we have no clue if any team in the Pac-10…er…..12 can keep up with Oregon’s breakneck tempo. Ah, but have no worries by confused college football friends. This week starts the clearing of the fog as we will start to discover who has what it takes to make it to the big game. Just look at the schedule:

Colorado at #4 Oregon

#2 Florida vs #10 Georgia

#14 Texas Tech at #3 Kansas St.

#5 Notre Dame at #8 Oklahoma

#11 Mississippi St. at #1 Alabama

#7 Oregon St. at Washington

I don’t know about you guys, but Saturday I’m taking the battery out of my phone and throwing it away. I shall not be disturbed with that slate of games. Colorado shouldn’t challenge Oregon, but at least the Ducks will face another conference opponent. In the “artist formerly known as the World’s Largest Cocktail Party” Florida will face Georgia in a game that should tell us plenty about both Florida’s offense and defense. Kansas St. has a defense that smothered West Virginia last week and this week they’ll have another chance to suffocate another offense. Let us not forget that Kansas St has a quarterback that might be leading the Heisman Trophy race at this point. Collin Klein has completed 70.5% of his passes and accounted for 7 touchdowns last week. On Saturday, Notre Dame will take a defense that is only allowing an average of 9.4 points per game this season to Norman and they will try to outshine an Oklahoma offense that is averaging 44.7 points per game. Obviously, something will have to give. Dan Mullen and Mississippi St has a chance to go into Tuscaloosa and make a statement by knocking off the top ranked Alabama. While Oregon St playing Washington doesn’t sound exciting, do not sleep on the Beavers as they are hanging around on the peripheral ready to take advantage of any slippage by a top 5 team. So, what is the moral of all this? If you don’t know which team has what it takes to be a champion, don’t worry. The sky will be clearer come Sunday morning. 

Heisman Rankings: 

Here are my top 5 Heisman favorites as of right now: 

1.       Collin Klein – Quarterback – Kansas St: 98-139 for 1,397 yards, 10 TDs and 2 interceptions; 110 rushes for 551 yards and 14 TDs.

2.       Geno Smith – Quarterback – West Virginia: 216-291 for 2,414 yards, 26 TDs and 2 interceptions

3.       AJ McCarron – Quarterback – Alabama: 106-154 for 1476 yards, 16 TDs and 0 interceptions

4.       Matt Barkley – Quarterback – USC: 140-213 for 1773 yards, 22 TDs and 6 interceptions

5.       Manti Te’O – Linebacker – Notre Dame: 69 tackles, 4 interceptions, 2  fumble recoveries

Collin Klein is playing out of his mind, plain and simple. Geno Smith is coming back down to Earth, but his numbers are still very good. AJ McCarron is a steady hand leading the best team in the country. Matt Barkley could have never lived up to the preseason Heisman hype, but he has had a great season for the Trojans. Te’O is the best player on possibly the best defense in the nation. He’ll never win the award, but at this point he deserves to be in New York. 

Thanks for reading folks, as it does feel good to be “back in the saddle”. I hope you enjoyed the read, and share with your friends. You know you want to…..right?

Witnessing a Catch-22: The conundrum that is Kobe Bryant

29, 484 career regular season points - 5th most in NBA history

5, 640 career playoff points - 6th most in NBA history

5 time NBA champion

2 time NBA Finals MVP

1 time NBA MVP

Kobe Bean Bryant

Kobe Bryant is a legend, plain and simple.  He is unquestionably one of the top 10 NBA players of all time and without a doubt the second greatest shooting guard. All of these statements we know to be true. So why does it seem that Bryant’s career always has the “yeah, but…” syndrome attached to it?

“Kobe is great, but he isn’t Michael Jordan.”

“Kobe scored 81 points? Wow. But how many points did the team score?”

And most recently, “Kobe scored 42 points, but he had zero assists and that’s why the Lakers lost.”

This is not to say that anyone should feel sympathy towards Kobe or that he is above criticism. But it is to say that maybe instead of focusing on what Kobe is not, we should focus on the fact that what we are witnessing is the last few seasons of one of the greatest players to ever grace the hardwood. Take a few minutes, put aside your dislike for the Kobe Bryant that you “know” or think you know about based on media reports. Instead let us focus on the only part of Kobe Bryant that we, as fans, should care about and that is the PLAYER that is Kobe Bryant.

It is common knowledge that Bryant measures himself by the jewelry that he will end up with at the end of his career. It is also common knowledge that Bryant wants at least six rings to equal the number that Michael Jordan accomplished. Kobe has made it a point to take the Jordan template and model is career accordingly. From the on court walk, the measured responses to questions, to the moves that both utilize to confound their opponents, Kobe has taken the “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” saying to heart. However, this is one factor that causes Bryant to be disliked by some. Why is that? Clearly, there will never be another Jordan, but are we to believe that no one will come along and be close? Should no one use Jordan as the standard and strive to be like him on the court? It seems foolish to me for someone to dislike a player simply because they are striving to be like the G.O.A.T. The same people that criticize Kobe for trying to be like Jordan also criticizes LeBron James because he is not more like Jordan in their eyes. Appears to be a catch-22, either you lose or you lose. We all should strive to be the greatest in our field of work, and I will not penalize someone for doing just that.

After 15 pro seasons, Kobe Bryant is who we know him to be. We should know what to expect from him. He is a player that will not admit defeat and would rather blame himself for a loss rather than giving credit to his opponent. He will sit at a podium and call out his teammates. We loved it when Michael Jordan was on the other end of that microphone, but with Kobe it is viewed as smug and arrogance. It is that smugness and ego that separates that greatest players of all time from those that are just happy to be in the league. The Dream Team was the greatest collection of NBA stars ever assembled (except for you Christian Laettner, I applaud you for riding the wave to a gold medal). Each one of those great players had egos and believed that they each had a claim to being the greatest player in the game during that time. Without that edge you would be stuck with a team full of Dwight Howards. Players that are spoiled and believe they are entitled to being treated like greatness, but without actually achieving that greatness. Kobe is arguably the greatest Laker of all time, has scored the 5^th most points in NBA history, and has been to the NBA’s mountain top on more than one occasion. If he’s not entitled to be arrogant then who exactly is? 

Bryant is not without his faults. Maybe he shouldn’t be so vocal in calling out his teammates after losses. It definitely gives the appearance that Kobe is trying to place the blame on others while trying to escape the wrath of the media. But if you listen to what Kobe says it is the truth. The truth hurts sometimes, but someone has to say it. Maybe Kobe should get his teammates more involved. Although looking across the board, it is clear that the other Lakers did not inspire much confidence with the way they performed when it mattered the most. In any event, every player has faults. It is what makes them human. Because sometimes we forget that the people we watch on television are still just people. 

We are in the last seasons of Kobe Bryant’s career. This is not an obituary to that career, but it is a reminder that witnessing a top 10 player that can still dominate a game and an entire season after accumulating so much mileage is a rare feat. Instead of continuing the trend of focusing on the negative, take the time to focus on the fact that we are seeing pure greatness. No, it isn’t Michael Jordan but it is quite possibly the next best thing. It is Kobe Bean Bryant.  

The Extremely Early Forecast of the NFL Season

It is said that baseball is America's pastime. While that may have been true 20 or so years ago, it is now clear that the NFL is the sport of choice for most of the country. Everything the league does is news regardless of if it occurs in season or during the off season. The league had another holiday a couple of days ago with the release of the schedule. It is the time of year where fans go through and count the winnable games for their teams. It gives people a chance to either get a good feeling for how their team might do, or in some cases a sinking feeling that the season may be lost even before it starts. As I did last year, I am going to give you a forecast of how I see each team doing in the upcoming season. There are still plenty of moves left to be made. Teams still have to draft their future stars, training camp, players will get signed and cut, and there will inevitably be a major injury or two before the season kicks off on September 5. Remember, it is the extremely early forecast of the season.

How did I do last season? Well, Giants fans are always quick to point out that I struck out on the NFC East. I had the Eagles winning that division and the Giants finishing 7-9. We all saw how that one worked out. I did accurately predict the AFC East winner, calling for the Patriots to finish 12-4 while they actually finished 13-3. I also was correct with the NFC North although I grossly underestimated the dominance that the Packers would display. I had them at 12-4, they went 15-1. I also got the AFC North correct, and correctly predicted both 12-4 records for the Ravens and the Steelers. However, I was incorrect for the AFC and NFC Wests, while being correct for the NFC and AFC Souths. In all, I did a decent job in predicting how the season would turn out. So, here is the extremely early forecast of the NFL season. 

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys	10-6
New York Giants	9-7
Philadelphia Eagles	10-6
Washington Redskins	4-12

This is not an indictment on what I think Robert Griffin III will be as a NFL quarterback. I actually think he will be better than Luck. However, the schedule is brutal and as good as RGIII will be, he will still take his lumps. Giants fans will be happy to know that I have their team missing the playoffs this year, and they will surely point out what happened last year when I predicted the same thing. Consider Tha WeathaMan a good luck charm if that is the case. The Giants' schedule is the toughest in the league, and if they manage to make the playoffs they will have earned it. I'm putting faith in Michael Vick (always a risky proposition) and Tony Romo (ditto) to get it done. 

AFC East

Buffalo Bills	11-5
Miami Dolphins	5-11
New England Patriots	13-3
New York Jets	8-8

If any of you can figure out the New York Jets, please let me know. They are a pure case of an enigma wrapped inside of a riddle encapsulated by a conundrum. I have them going 8-8 but they have an equal chance of going 11-5 or 12-6. The Buffalo Bills are my surprise team as I truly feel that they will turn a corner this season. This division still belongs to The Hoodie and Mr. Brady until someone comes along to change that, and I do not see that happening this upcoming season. 

NFC North

Chicago Bears	10-6
Detroit Lions	10-6
Green Bay Packers	13-3
Minnesota Vikings	6-10

 I see this being an extremely competitive division. Green Bay should repeat as champs, but it should not be a runaway like it was last year. Even Minnesota will be competitive, but with their rebuilding project in full swing it will take them a couple of seasons to get back on the winning side of things. 

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens	10-6
Cincinnati Bengals	7-9
Cleveland Browns	4-12
Pittsburgh Steelers	11-5

I see the Steelers doing just enough to squeak out the division by a game over the Ravens. I think the Bengals will come back to Earth a little bit as they have only qualified for the playoffs in back to back seasons once in their franchise's history (1981 & 1982). Cleveland will have a tough go of it as they determine whether Colt McCoy is the answer behind center or not. Their difficult schedule does them no favors. 

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons	10-6
Carolina Panthers	6-10
New Orleans Saints	10-6
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	4-12

Count me as one of the few individuals that do not think the "bounty-gate" scandal will single the end for the Saints. They still have Drew Brees, whose contract situation will be settled before training camp, and the rest of that dynamic offense. Brees is essentially the coach on the field, and the Saints will be fine. However, if the rest of the NFC South is going to overtake New Orleans this is the season to do it. 

AFC South

Houston Texans	11-5
Indianapolis Colts	4-12
Jacksonville Jaguars	3-13
Tennessee Titans	5-11

This division now belongs to the Houston Texans. The rest of the division will be in competition for high draft picks in the 2013 draft. I do believe the Titans will be a better team than last year's edition, but their schedule is brutal. Their first four games are against the Patriots, at the Chargers, the Lions, and then their first division game at Houston. That's a 0-4 slate that is staring them in the face. Andrew Luck will steadily improve throughout the season, but the cupboard is bare in Indy. As far as the Jaguars are concerned, at least Tim Tebow will visit Jacksonville as a member of the Jets in week 14. That's something to look forward to right? 

NFC West

Arizona Cardinals	5-11
St. Louis Rams	6-10
San Francisco 49ers	12-4
Seattle Seahawks	7-9

Just as the Houston Texans owns the AFC South, the San Francisco 49ers appear to be the class of the NFC West. Matt Flynn will help the Seahawks, but a lack of play-makers will doom the team. I'm not sold Kevin Kolb can make Arizona winners, while in St. Louis Jeff Fisher will have the Rams heading in the right direction. 

AFC West

Denver Broncos	9-7
Kansas City Chiefs	8-8
Oakland Raiders	7-9
San Diego Chargers	11-5

If you have any idea on what is going to happen in this division please raise your hand. Now put it down because it is clear that you are lying. This is arguably the most confusing division in the NFL. Which San Diego team is going to show up from week to week? Is Peyton truly back? What is going on in the always eventful land of Oakland? Is Kansas City contenders or pretenders? All of these and many more questions pop up when thinking about the AFC West. I believe all these teams will be competitive week in and week out, and the division will not be clinched until week 15. Then again, who knows when you are talking about these four teams?