CSI: Zippity Doo-Dah, Akron Falls to PSU

There is a pretty obvious reason why Beaver Stadium on the campus of Penn State is the biggest and arguably toughest stadium to play in when it comes to college football. The sheer passion of the fans, aged from infants to senior citizens, makes the atmosphere that much more unforgettable.

And to think this is only the first of about 30 Penn State football games I will see in this hallowed palace!

Penn State ran out to a quick 17-0 first quarter lead en route to a 31-7 romp of the Akron Zips Saturday afternoon.

Upon the conclusion of this game, there were many positives that I drew from the game in terms of the way the team is playing. However, there are still some minor flaws that will need to be addressed before the big name games like Ohio State.

Penn State established an air attack in the first few quarters, as Daryll Clark hooked up with his new receiving corps of Chaz Powell, Graham Zug, and Derek Moye on a regular basis. Clark would finish the game 29-40 passing the ball, throwing 3 touchdowns in the process, to the aforementioned Powell, Moye, and Zug, respectively. Even though the stats say that Clark only threw one interception, Akron narrowly missed at least two other pick opportunities.

Penn State's rushing attack did not produce the major results that you come to expect from a Joe Paterno offense. This was probably due to the fact that the coaching staff wanted to see how Clark would fare working with new receivers. Evan Royster only got 14 touches for 61 yards, and backup Stephfon Green had a rough go, with only 17 yards on 7 carries.

Perhaps the biggest surprise in the game was a fake punt Penn State ran to perfection midway through the second quarter. Andrew Dailey took the direct snap and as Akron ran around wondering why punter Jeremy Boone didn't have the football, Dailey scampered for 37 yards deep into Akron territory.

The Penn State defense left little room to worry, as they once again flexed their muscle in holding Akron to 28 rushing yards the entire ballgame, while sacking Akron quarterbacks four times and holding them to 3-14 on 3rd down conversions.

So one in the bag for the Nittany Lions, and next week, myself and Chris are sure to have some conversations about pre-game with the Lions hosting Greg Paulus and the Syracuse Orange from Beaver Stadium.

A footnote: A Zip is in no way associated with a kangaroo, so why is Akron's mascot just that, a kangaroo? If anybody can explain that to me, I'll be thoroughly pleased to hear it.

Adam Schefter a Great Hire for ESPN

I have been critical of ESPN for a couple different reasons in previous posts. I was critical of some of their personalities, and the way they selectively covered stories. However, this is a post that will praise them for their newest acquisition. NFL reporter Adam Schefter started his tenure with ESPN on Monday, and I can already tell that this is a home-tun hire.

Adam Schefter's most recent gig was on the NFL Network. While a part of NLFN, Schefter established a reputation for being one of the top NFL reporters in all of the country. Some stories he would break well before anyone else had a beat on it. I remember a couple years ago, before a Thursday Night game, Schefter reported that Raiders coach Art Shell would be fired at the end of the season. Raiders owner Al Davis immediately denied this report, and called Schefter a "false rumor monger". Schefter already built the reputation among NFL fans as, "if Schefter says it, it must be true". And what do you know, he was right again. Art Shell was fired at season's end.

Ever since then, I considered Adam Schefter the most reliable NFL reporter. Now, he joins the ESPN roster, working along side one of his former rivals Chris Mortenson. It will be interesting to see how ESPN utilizes both of these "insiders". They both do pretty much the same thing, break stories and give us information from inside the team's front office. Schefter did a great job on his first day of work on Sportscenter and Monday Night Countdown. He gave interesting information nuggets, and did a solid job on reporting the alleged punch by Raiders coach Tom Cable (it always comes back to the Raiders). Similar to Vick with the Eagles, and Favre with the Vikings, Adam Schefter gives ESPN a better roster. ESPN will likely continue to be The Worldwide Leader in Sports.

CSI Syracuse: Paulus Named Starting QB

Although I am a week away from being on the Syracuse campus, there is already big news regarding the Syracuse football team. If you remember from a previous post, we mentioned that we were doing a segment once we arrived on campus called CSI or College Sports Insiders. This is where Steve, Ryan, and I report on the sports stories surrounding our respective Division 1 colleges and give you opinion and reaction. Well, here is the first CSI post. Syracuse football coach Doug Marrone has decided that QB Greg Paulus will start opening day.

Many of you are familiar with Paulus as the point guard for Duke. At Duke, he was a 3 year starter at point guard, and graduated in May 2009. With one year of athletic eligibility still available, Paulus decided to tap into his high school greatness and retry football. At Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse, NY, Paulus was the 2004 Gatorade High School National Football Player of the Year. Early in the summer, Paulus signed with Syracuse as a graduate student in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. He has now reached the top of the QB depth chart, and will get the start September 5th at the Carrier Dome against Minnesota.

Throughout the summer, Paulus was in a battle for that starting QB spot. Last year's starter Cam Dantley and redshirt freshman Ryan Nassib all had hoped of claiming the opening day start. Paulus and Nassib separated themselves, and looked to be in a dead heat for the spot. Both QB's have had significant reps with the first team offense.

This move will surely bring some national attention to Syracuse football, something they have been lacking for most of the decade. That is something that I'm sure 1st year coach Doug Marrone took into account when making this decision. Another fact that helped Paulus was that this is Paulus's only year of eligibility at Syracuse, while Nassib has another 3 years left after this year. Therefore, this is Paulus's time to shine, and we'll see if he does just that.

Vick and Eagles Could be a Great Match

I was going to write this post about Bronson Arroyo and his borderline idiotic comments. Then, all hell broke loose, and Michael Vick signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. Yes, those Philadelphia Eagles. Hopefully all the dust has settled from the initial chaos of the Michael Vick signing last night. Say what you want about Michael Vick, but he's coming back to the NFL this year, and coming to a stadium near you. I feel like as much negativity as there is surrounding Michael Vick right now, he has the potential to truly endear himself to the city of Philadelphia in his NFL Debut Part Deux, for two reasons.

One: Think back to last year, do you remember how putrid Philly's offense was in short-yardage situations? Keep your mind geared towards last year: remember how well Miami's Wildcat offense worked in short yardage situations? There's so much to defend against in a situation where the Defense is already on its heels. You've now added the most versatile QB in the NFL-- the QB who was basically born to run the Wildcat-- to the mix in Philadelphia. Don't you think that their short-yardage offense immediately becomes five times better than it was last year, with Mike Vick, Brian Westbrook, and DeSean Jackson on the field (and don't forget the addition of solid fullback Leonard Weaver)? I certainly do. I think that a lot of the people who are "shocked and appalled," by this move are going to be drinking the Michael Vick Kool-Aid the first time he punches one in from inside the 5 yard-line.

Two: Philadelphia is a city with a serious dogfighting problem. One of Michael Vick's main objectives after having been released from prison is to speak to youths about the evils of animal cruelty. A lot of the time kids fall into the dogfighting scene as youths, because it's part of the culture that they've been brought up in. Having a role model athlete speaking, from first-hand experience about the evils of dogfighting. I think that Michael Vick can truly have a positive impact on Philadelphia's dogfighting problem. Call me crazy.

You can act outraged and disgusted all you want about this signing. If you're going to let this change how you feel about the Eagles or the NFL in general, then that's up to you. However, I feel like there's a man with a second chance to turn himself into a quality human being, and resurrect himself as an athlete playing right in our back yard. You can hate Michael Vick all you want, but you cannot deny that this has added another element to what was already planning to be an interesting 2009-10 NFL season. I can't wait to see how this all turns out, and look forward to seeing how an offensive mind like Andy Reid chooses to utilize the weapon that is Michael Vick. It may be Pre-Season, but to me the NFL is already in full-swing.

Not So Slick Rick Pitino

Add one more to the list of disturbing sports stories. This time, it's a high profile college basketball coach that seems to have done wrong. Louisville's mens basketball coach Rick Pitino admitted that he had consensual sex with a woman named Karen Cunagin Sypher (the woman accused of trying to extort money from him) at a restaurant. Two weeks later, Sypher received $3,000 from Pitino because she said she didn't have health insurance and needed an abortion. Clearly, this issue has some heavy elements to it. The people of Kentucky happen to be generally very passionate against abortion. Although Pitino has said that the money was for health insurance, not abortion, the reaction to this story has been substantial.

For some perspective about this story, Rick Pitino is a married father of 5 children. He has been a staunch Roman Catholic who's contract has dishonesty and "moral depravity " as grounds for firing. Louisville President James Ramsey issued a statement saying, "Several months ago, Coach Pitino informed me about the alleged extortion attempt. I've now been informed that there may be other details which, if true, I find surprising,"

This issue has certainly caused an image hit to Rick Pitino. In a profession where the coach's imagine is important in convincing recruits to play for a certain school, something like this can be damaging and devastating. As someone who is around the age of a typical recruit, I would be truly influenced by this story. I would have a hard time taking Pitino seriously as the man I'm supposed to look up to and respect. He would seem like the stereotypical sleazy college basketball coach that I wouldn't want in my house sitting down for dinner with my family. Usually, when a player is good enough to play for Louisville, that player is good enough to play for many other top level programs. Why would I want to commit to playing for him when I have equal or better other options?

I think, or at least hope that this situation hurts Rick Pitino as a college basketball coach. Stories like this give all of college basketball a bad reputation. It brings more spotlight to the coaches with shady character, and I would hate to see those coaches succeed.

The 2009 NFL Preseason is Here

Last night was the return of live NFL football with the Hall of Fame game between the Titans and Bills. Count me in as one of the people who watched every second of that game. It's a celebration, of Hall of Fame players and the return of football for another season. I was just happy to be watching a live NFL game on NBC, because the last time we could do that was in January. Not only that, but the game was entertaining. There was Terrell Owens's Buffalo debut to start, then it was the Vince Young experiment that kept my attention through the third quarter. Oh yeah, and that tremendous fake punt fake reverse by the Titans on their first drive. There was also a nice ode to John Madden on NBC at halftime. All in all, a fun debut for the 2009 NFL season. So, with the preseason underway, I'm giving my list of one questiom I'm looking forward to seeing answered from each team.

AFC East

Miami Dolphins: What crazy plays can they run with Pat White in the wildcat?

New England Patriots: Is Tom Brady ready to return to elite form following a torn ACL?

New York Jets: Is Mark Sanchez more than a Hollywood QB?

Buffalo Bills: How will T.O. adapt to Buffalo, and vice-versa?

AFC North

Pittsburgh Steelers: Super Bowl Hangover?

Baltimore Ravens: Who will fill Bart Scott's shoes next to Ray Lewis?

Cleveland Browns: Will Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson emerge to become a starter?

Cincinnati Bengals: Can Carson Palmer's shoulder hold up to energize this offense?

AFC South

Tennessee Titans: Where will Vince Young end up on the depth chart?

Indianapolis Colts: How will the new regime balance keeping things the same while adding their own touch?

Houston Texans: Is Matt Schaub good enough to lead an otherwise talented offense?

Jacksonville Jaguars: Is Del Rio's off-season overhaul genius or a last ditch effort?

AFC West

San Diego Chargers: Is this finally the year they avoid key injuries to make a Super Bowl?

Denver Broncos: Does new coach Josh McDaniels actually know what he is doing?

Oakland Raiders: Can Jamarcus Russell hold off fiery backup Jeff Garcia?

Kansas City Chiefs: Can Todd Haley turn this offense into the one that got Arizona to the Super Bowl?

NFC East

New York Giants: Which receiver will step up to fill the void left by Plax?

Philadelphia Eagles: How will they deal with the adversity facing their defense?

Dallas Cowboys: Does "Romo friendly" equal playoff wins?

Washington Redskins: They tried and failed to get another QB, how will Campbell react?

NFC North

Minnesota Vikings: Did their failed pursuit of Favre hurt the confidence of their current QB's?

Chicago Bears: Is Jay Cutler the QB Bears fans have been dying for?

Green Bay Packers: Can Aaron Rodgers turn nice stats in year 1 into wins in year 2?

Detroit Lions: How long will it take to get a win?

NFC South

Carolina Panthers: What can Jake Delhomme do to make fans forget about that awful playoff game?

Atlanta Falcons: How much will Matt Ryan improve with more weapons this year?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bucs management wanted a coach like Mike Tomlin, is Raheem Morris it?

New Orleans Saints: Will Reggie Bush finally show he is an NFL RB?

NFC West

Arizona Cardinals: Will the coordinator changes hold this Super Bowl team back?

San Francisco 49ers: Will Mike Singletary's coaching style be successful at this level?

Seattle Seahawks: Does a healthy Hasselbeck + Houshmanzadeh and a new coach good enough to reclaim division?

St. Louis Rams: What can Spagnuolo do with that defense?

Feel free to post your predictions for the answers of these questions in the comments section.

Steven's Scattered Sentiments

It's been a while since I've given you all my opinion on the way things are going in the sports world. Since it's been such a long time, I'm going to address a few issues that I've been meaning to write about: Cliff Lee, Fantasy Football, and as of the other night, Prince Fielder. I'll start with Cliff Lee.

You'll notice that in one of my older posts, I called for the Phillies to do whatever it took to go after Blue Jays Ace Roy Halladay, even saying that if they had to give up Kyle Drabek and JA Happ that they should. However, at the same time, it was rumored that the Indians were asking for Drabek also, so I didn't even consider them an option. When it came out that they could have gotten Lee for the package that they ended up getting him for, I was amazed. They kept their most prized prospects in the system, while adding a Cy Young winner to the rotation. This deal is almost if not better than going out and getting Roy Halladay. Your playoff rotation right now comes out to: Lee, Hamels, Blanton, Happ, and that's quite possibly better than any top 4 they'll face. Add to that the fact that the Phillies have an absolutely lethal batting lineup, and you may be looking at a repeat as World Champions. Great move by Ruben Amaro Jr, if they win the title he should be sainted.

Fantasy Football: Once, Scott Van Pelt could be heard saying "If you play Fantasy Football, you should just put on your Darth Vader mask, and move into your mom's basement." Some people just don't get it. Fantasy Football is a way of friends to get together and challenging each other's managerial skills against one another in a format that was not always available for them to do so in. You're drafting a team, making week-to-week roster decisions, managing injuries, and at times even working under a salary cap. Not everyone gets to be a General Manager in the professional sports world, but Fantasy Football has allowed those who aren't a glimpse of what the GM's life is like. I will always love Fantasy Football, for the experience, for the camraderie it builds among friends, and for the fact that it promotes a venue for trash-talking beyond the field of play. It never gets old, no matter what Scott Van Pelt says.

Prince Fielder is an absolute disgrace to professional sports. Call it hyperbole all you want, but this was the biggest "hold me back" (for those of you who are unfamiliar with "hold me back moments," they are instances where any athlete or person picks a fight in which they know someone around them will try to stop them, never really going one on one, trying to appear tough, but truly showing shameless cowardice, instead,) moment I've ever seen. Is he really that much of a thick-headed twit, that he actually thought he'd be able to get past security into a room full of bats, cursing and screaming? Honestly? I don't expect all professional athletes to be rocket scientists, but I do expect a certain degree of dignity, and Prince Fielder shredded all of his that night, in one fell swoop. He knew he was going to be held back, he knew he wasn't getting to Guillermo Mota, and he should very well know, that if Bud Selig has a single fiber of honesty or integrity left in his body (and there's a very good chance he doesn't) that he'll be facing a suspension in the very near future.

I apologize for having waited this long to update, and promise another one before monday.