Well, it's that time again. The time of year that we all look forward to. You know what I'm talkin' about.....are you ready for some footballllllll?
I meant that as more of a rhetorical question, but my vote is yes, I AM ready for some football. And not just any football. We're talking PSU Nittany Lion football.
Now, the question that remains is this.....Is this the year I finally get to see my team hold a championship trophy? Unfortunately I think that the answer is no. However, I don't think that we will be too far away. The only way to do this is to break is down logically, so here we go.....
Quarterback: Well, I know that I'm not going out on a limb or anything, but it really starts and ends with the quarterback position. I'm not completely sold on which Anthony Morelli is going to show up this season. The Anthony Morelli who couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, or the the AM who looked crisp in the Outback Bowl. I was shocked to learn that last season he broke the school's single season records for pass attempts and completions. Never would have guessed that. I think the best that we can hope for is that he pulls a "Chris Leak" and becomes the highly touted recruit who finally lives up to the hype and leads his team to a great record in his final season. Worst case scenario is that we are clamoring for Daryl Clark or Pat Devlin by the 4th game. That's why it's so hard to read this season. We simply don't know which one is going to show up.
Running Back: The highly touted recruit needs to finally live up to the hype and shine in his senior season. Wait, didn't we just go through this? Well, we did but this time I am referring to Austin Scott. I can remember how excited we all were 4 years ago when we "stole" this touchdown machine from high school because other schools were scared off by his knee injury. Again, Scott has shown flashes of brilliance before. We need look no further than his performance in the Orange Bowl vs. Florida State from 2 seasons ago. His stats from that game, 26 carries, 110 yds, and 2 TDs. If we get this kind of production from him on a consistent basis, I think that the offense will take on whole different personality.
Receivers: This is actually one area where I'm not worried. Kind of. For the first time in a while, I think that we have sufficient depth at the position. We have a core group of guys who can stretch a defense, actually catch the ball, and make plays in the open field. The one wildcard here is Derrick Williams. Again, which one is going to show up? The dynamic playmaker from 2 seasons ago, or the sophomore slump from 2006? Quite frankly, I don't think that he can regress much more so I am quite hopeful here. Deon Butler, Chris Bell (assuming he's getting his fair share of chicken cosmos) and Jordan Norwood give us one of the best receiving corps in the nation. Also, I was prepared to say that Andrew Quarless was ready to have a breakout season as the tight end. Well, that was before he got cited for underage drinking recently. I still think that he'll play and do well though.
Offensive Line: A lot of inexperience here. Gerald Cadogan moves over to LT to protect Morelli's blind side. Blue/White Illustrated has the other starters listed as Dennis Landolt, A.Q. Shipley, Lou Eliades, and John Shaw. I know this is redundant, but all they need to do is give Morelli time to make plays and open holes for Scott.
Defense: I know less about the defense so I am going to group them all together. Von keeps telling me how dominant the front 4 guys to be. Personally, I am pulling for Josh Gaines to have a breakout year. This is because he is the guy that I control when I am playing PSU on NCAA Football 2007. I'm pretty sure that he would have been an All-American, but my subpar performance skills have definitely hurt any chances he had of being drafted and making it onto my Madden roster. Ok, I'm babbling.
I think that the LBs might be the best trio in the country. I believe that Connor needs 98 tackles to break Poz's record for most in a career. I don't think that he'll have any trouble getting it. However, if he comes short by a few tackles, we can all look at the 3 games that he missed 2 seasons ago because of that prank phone call BS.
The secondary should also be solid again. The one question mark is Anthony Scrotum and whether or not his legal problems will affect his ability to be in the starting line-up and not worrying about being sold to the a biker gang for two cartons of cigarettes. Anyway, even if he can't go I have full confidence in his back up, Jason Ganter. Ok, scratch that......we're screwed.
Record: Well, I've said it before and I'll say it again....if we beat Michigan the season is a complete success. That being said, I don't see it happening this year. If the game was at home, I'd feel much better about it. The bright side of this argument is that I think that this will be our only loss for the season. Now, I think that we'll have some close calls but I see the record being 11-1, and a trip to the Sugar Bowl vs. LSU.
So, no BCS championship, but there's always next year.....
~Kevin
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Ann Arbor is Still a Whore..........
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I wasn't sure what to write about this week, and then I saw the comment that was left on the previous posting regarding Michigan wanting to kick Penn State out of the Big Ten. Well, I am certainly not one to let this kind of thing slide by. So, here are my thoughts.
First, Ann Arbor is still a whore. (Actually, I just found out in the last 20 minutes that there wasn't a lady named Ann Arbor. Regardless, we've been staying it for the last decade and I see no reason to stop now.)
Next, what a dumb ass poll that was. First of all, Michigan has beaten us the last 7 or 8 times we've played. Why would you want to kick out an opponent that you've had so much success against in the recent past? Exactly. Also, I have to question the validity of any poll where one of the responses isn't even possible. I had no idea that we have been playing Toronto all these years. Michigan public schools....yeah!
I've said this before, but I consider any season where we beat Michigan to be a total success. I don't care if we are 1-10. As long as that one win is versus the 'maize and gold' that's fine by me.
And, I'm still a little pissed off at the fact that Chad Henne picked Michigan over PSU. However, if you think about the reasons why he did it, it has played out exactly how he thought it would. He's been a 4-year started at a Big Ten school. He's now projected to be a high pick in the upcoming NFL draft. Anthony "I'm schmmmart" Morelli has been a disappointment since the day he set foot on campus.
One other note about adding teams to the Big Ten. I think that this is actually going to happen. I have read a couple of good articles about how and why this will play out. And, as always....it boils down to dollars. The Big Ten will be launching its own cable network in the near future. Adding a 12th team will allow the Big Ten to split into two divisions and have a Championship game that would be a ratings bonanza to a fledgling network. Also, by adding another team in a new state, it would make the network more marketable. So, I think that they would love to add a Notre Dame, but they already have a presence in Indiana. Teams that I have seen mentioned include Missouri, Syracuse, Rutgers, and.......Nebraska. As crazy as that sounds, I think Nebraska would be a good fit. They have been struggling as a program lately. So, it wouldn't be like they are adding another powerhouse that would be hard to beat every season. Also, the former Big 12 commissioner, a man named Kevin Weiberg, just left the conference to join the Big Ten Network. Just something to think about. Also, here's a link to the article.
Till next week....
~Kevin
Soul Bowl Update (08/15/07).........
Ladies and Gentlemen:
A quick housekeeping note before we get to the really important business.
New York philanthropist Brooke Astor died unexpectedly on Monday at the age of 105. Luckily, they were able to save the baby.
Because she was over the age of 100, the scoring on her was simply 1 point times the slot factor. And since MJ was the only person to have her, she counted as 5 points. So, the new standings looking like this:
1. MJ: 403 pts. (Tammy Faye, Lady Bird Johnson, and Brooke Astor)
2. RS: 363 pts. (Art Buchwald, Benny Parsons, Don Herbert)
3. KH: 350 pts. (Tammy Faye)
4. CWG: 240 pts. (Boris Yeltsin)
5. Kevin: 140 pts. (Tammy Faye)
6. The Chad: 24 pts. (Lady Bird Johnson)
It's been an interesting year so far. I just hope that everyone is starting to think ahead to 2008. I know I already have some potential additions to the pool.
Oh, and make sure to read the article on why Michigan sucks.
~Kevin
A quick housekeeping note before we get to the really important business.
New York philanthropist Brooke Astor died unexpectedly on Monday at the age of 105. Luckily, they were able to save the baby.
Because she was over the age of 100, the scoring on her was simply 1 point times the slot factor. And since MJ was the only person to have her, she counted as 5 points. So, the new standings looking like this:
1. MJ: 403 pts. (Tammy Faye, Lady Bird Johnson, and Brooke Astor)
2. RS: 363 pts. (Art Buchwald, Benny Parsons, Don Herbert)
3. KH: 350 pts. (Tammy Faye)
4. CWG: 240 pts. (Boris Yeltsin)
5. Kevin: 140 pts. (Tammy Faye)
6. The Chad: 24 pts. (Lady Bird Johnson)
It's been an interesting year so far. I just hope that everyone is starting to think ahead to 2008. I know I already have some potential additions to the pool.
Oh, and make sure to read the article on why Michigan sucks.
~Kevin
Monday, August 06, 2007
Breaking out the Thumbs! Dunmore addition.......
I was looking for just the right topic to bring me out of self-imposed semi-retirement. OK, it was more like two weeks, but you get the picture. Anyway, DWB provided me with the perfect answer.
It has been nearly a decade since the now elite PSU Dunmore House was formed. At that time we were just a rag-tag bunch of misfits from various parts of the United States. We drank too much, looked at pictures of boobies on the Internet, and and hoped for better days ahead. Fast forward ten years and you find an astute group of young professionals. Well, young professionals who drink too much, looks at pictures of boobies on the Internet, and hope for better days ahead.
In honor of this momentous occasion, I had to break out the thumbs once again to take a trip down memory lane to freshman year. At least 5 people out will understand what all these things mean. If not, we'll explain it you later. Feel free to add your own.
Thumbs up: To the Dunmore House crew. To me, the Chad, Von, DWB, CWG, and Jonboy. We stuck together and remain a tight group till this day. However, we definitely need to work on getting together more frequently than once every two or three years.
Thumbs down: The oppressive dorm rooms. I can't believe that two people are able to fully function in such a small space. You have to try an get a whole apartment's worth of stuff in there so you get some sense of normalcy. It's actually pretty amazing what you can accomplish with a little bit of ingenuity. However, its more or less a glorified prison cell. In fact, Michael Vick would be well served to be taking some notes here.
Thumbs up: Clorox. It cleans and disinfects. Let's just leave it at that.
Thumbs down: The shadiest of all the kids on our floor, our neighbors Dave and Alex. I still say that something wasn't quite right about them. Their holier than thou attitude got to me. I'd believe anything about them. You could tell me that they were an al Qaeda sleeper cell and I'd probably believe you.
Thumbs up: Grillers and dollar nachos. Listen, when you are a freshman and don't have a ton of money, the little things mean a lot. Grillers had the loaded nachos for a $1 that we would get on a Friday or Saturday night. Those were the days.....
Thumbs down: Day old turkey. By law, all I am allowed to say is that there was a phenomenal gentlemen's club that was open to anyone over the age of 18. I don't want to say that it was a dump, but have you ever seen a strip club that was completely empty on a Saturday night except for a few socially awkward exchange students? I didn't think so. In fact, the place did such great business that it was shut down and replaced by a laundromat.
Thumbs up: "Me piss on the door....." Look, having to clean up the aftermath was not pleasant but it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. I'm pretty sure that the recipient of that golden shower is currently a drunken caddy hustling at the local public course.
Thumbs down: Yuengling, Johnny Walker Black label, Goldschlager, and other various alcohols. We probably lost more days of productivity to these substances than we care to mention.
Thumbs down: Buy-ee. OK, I know that's not how you spell the name, but its close enough. To the best of my knowledge he still owes Jonboy $70 and McCrone a pair of dress shoes.
Ok, its getting a little late, and I could go on doing these things for the next 8 to 10 hours. Like I said before, feel free to add your own and I might add some more as we go along.
~K
It has been nearly a decade since the now elite PSU Dunmore House was formed. At that time we were just a rag-tag bunch of misfits from various parts of the United States. We drank too much, looked at pictures of boobies on the Internet, and and hoped for better days ahead. Fast forward ten years and you find an astute group of young professionals. Well, young professionals who drink too much, looks at pictures of boobies on the Internet, and hope for better days ahead.
In honor of this momentous occasion, I had to break out the thumbs once again to take a trip down memory lane to freshman year. At least 5 people out will understand what all these things mean. If not, we'll explain it you later. Feel free to add your own.
Thumbs up: To the Dunmore House crew. To me, the Chad, Von, DWB, CWG, and Jonboy. We stuck together and remain a tight group till this day. However, we definitely need to work on getting together more frequently than once every two or three years.
Thumbs down: The oppressive dorm rooms. I can't believe that two people are able to fully function in such a small space. You have to try an get a whole apartment's worth of stuff in there so you get some sense of normalcy. It's actually pretty amazing what you can accomplish with a little bit of ingenuity. However, its more or less a glorified prison cell. In fact, Michael Vick would be well served to be taking some notes here.
Thumbs up: Clorox. It cleans and disinfects. Let's just leave it at that.
Thumbs down: The shadiest of all the kids on our floor, our neighbors Dave and Alex. I still say that something wasn't quite right about them. Their holier than thou attitude got to me. I'd believe anything about them. You could tell me that they were an al Qaeda sleeper cell and I'd probably believe you.
Thumbs up: Grillers and dollar nachos. Listen, when you are a freshman and don't have a ton of money, the little things mean a lot. Grillers had the loaded nachos for a $1 that we would get on a Friday or Saturday night. Those were the days.....
Thumbs down: Day old turkey. By law, all I am allowed to say is that there was a phenomenal gentlemen's club that was open to anyone over the age of 18. I don't want to say that it was a dump, but have you ever seen a strip club that was completely empty on a Saturday night except for a few socially awkward exchange students? I didn't think so. In fact, the place did such great business that it was shut down and replaced by a laundromat.
Thumbs up: "Me piss on the door....." Look, having to clean up the aftermath was not pleasant but it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. I'm pretty sure that the recipient of that golden shower is currently a drunken caddy hustling at the local public course.
Thumbs down: Yuengling, Johnny Walker Black label, Goldschlager, and other various alcohols. We probably lost more days of productivity to these substances than we care to mention.
Thumbs down: Buy-ee. OK, I know that's not how you spell the name, but its close enough. To the best of my knowledge he still owes Jonboy $70 and McCrone a pair of dress shoes.
Ok, its getting a little late, and I could go on doing these things for the next 8 to 10 hours. Like I said before, feel free to add your own and I might add some more as we go along.
~K
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