All Football Issue

(Note: special photo bonus for those who read the entire post)

My loyal readers have been pestering me to comment on myriad football topics.  And Yes MSG has to say he was pretty happy knowing that the NFL started tonight.  And was even happier to see that ESPN counter-programmed with what turned out to be a super entertaining ACC matchup between the Ramblin’ Wreck of Georgia Tech and Clemson.  When you can hit the recall button and the DVR to flip between games, well, some might call that heaven!

So let’s get down to business:

College Football Addendum

My Mormon readership, which is pretty healthy actually since for each reader you gain like five family members, were disappointed that my preceding post only mentioned the Bradford injury and did not compliment the Cougars.  So let me cut and paste from Stewart Mandel of SI fame to atone (click here for the article)

There are games when a quarterback or other star player gets hurt, and suddenly the momentum changes completely. Oklahoma-BYU was not one of them. Obviously, the Sooners’ offense would have stood a much better chance in the second half if it hadn’t lost the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, but it’s not like the unit was trucking along with Bradford in the lineup. BYU’s defense was dominating the line of scrimmage early, and continued to do so throughout the second half.

Would the game have turned out differently had Bradford not gotten hurt? Quite possibly. But how different might the game have been for BYU had the Cougars not been without star running back Harvey Unga? BYU won despite rushing for just 28 yards. You could argue Oklahoma probably would have scored more than three points in the second half with Bradford, but I’ll counter that the Cougars might have scored more points, too, if they hadn’t been forced to play such one-dimensional football.

The Pros

To be honest, I have not given the NFL too much thought as everyone else does.  But stream of consciousness:

• My Niners will suck as they have no Quarterback.  Other than the SUPER CALI FRAGILISTICLY Defensive Ravens of 2000, and the almost as awesome Bucs of 2003, no team has really won without a least a reasonable QB.  And I am not certain that Shaun Hill or Alex Smith could hold Trent Dilfer’s or Brad Johnson’s jock anyhow
• Turk Schonert was not fired as OC for th Bills because he refused to dumb down the offense; he was fired because the first team did not score in 3 preseason games
• I wanted to Steelers to lose.  Just a bit tired of them, and, well, that is it
• You have to pull for the Classy Cal Bear Aaron Rodgers-led Green Bay Packers in the NFC North.  How can you pull for the Vikings with Diva-Traitor Farv-ruh, or the Bears with Whiner Cutler?  You may pull for the Stafford-led Lions, but that would be futile.  Btw, Bears at Lambeau on Sunday Night Football (Football Night in America I believe is the official name)

Futebol

[This is Soccer to most of you, but I also have a high percentage of international readers (like 1 of the 9 of you)]

Next year is the World Cup in South Africa and qualifying is getting down to the wire.  Now I don’t care much for CONCACAF, the USA group, since we play the likes of Trinidad and Tobago, El Savador, etc.  If we cannot get through this group, then what is the point.  I am talking about CONMEBOL, the South American qualifying group. [Note, I have no idea who makes up these soccer acronyms, but they really should be replaced with the team that did the Mac ads!]

Anyway, Argentina, 2 time winner and 3 time finalist, is in danger of missing the World Cup.  My Brasilian “Selecao” and it contrabandito neighbors, Paraguay have already qualified.  Chile has two games to do so and should not choke, and Ecuador controls its destiny in fourth.  Conversely, Argentina is in fifth, where, if it remained, would have to play a playoff from the 4th place team in CONCACAF (currently Costa Rica — Spanish for ‘free fall.”)

Uruguay only trails Argentina by a point and gets them at home in October.  Argentina not in the World Cup (would be a first since 1970) would be like the USA not making an international basketaball tournament.  We might not win, but not qualify? 

Very very exciting!

The Lingerie Football League

Hey, the title is All Football, and since my adopted city of Seattle has replaced the Sonics with a lingerie football team, who am I to make a value judgment?  And if I did, this part of the post would have been item 1.

The team names alone in this league is worth buying the jerseys:

• San Diego Seduction
• Dallas Desire
• Philadelphia Passion
• Miami Caliente (HOT for those who don’t speak Spanish)

A very progressive league that shows its games online — no blackout dates — so click here to subscribe.  [Note, Yes MSG receives no promotional compensation for linking to this site, but if anyone from the Lingerie Football League reads this, I would gladly accept it!  I could even become the official blogger perhaps; but only if this College Football thing does not work out.]

Anyway, I cannot do the league any more justice than these photos depicting the combatants and the intensity of the competition!

Lends new meaning to the words “Fantasy Football.”