November 28 podcast

The guys enjoy some snacks and they relish in Boise's defeat.  In other news, Arkansas played like a team headed for a BCS bowl while OSU fell short at home.  Jock Talk has its first Papi Crum story, and someone find out who killed Randy Moss and is pretending to be him on Sundays.

November 26 Podcast

The guys discuss college footballs best rivalries, Mike Vick's Quarterback Boot Camp, and Vince Young's recent issues.

A$$ Whooping of the Week (Turkey Day Edition)

Jock Talk is back from a bye week, which means it is time for an A$$ Whooping.  While I typically don't like to beat someone when they are down, there just isn't any other option for this weeks award.  Without further ado, i give you Kyle Brotzman.

Kyle is Boise State kicker who is now famous for missing two easy field goals, destroying Boise State's undefeated season and Kellen Moore's Heisman campaign.  The purse form Boise State's BCS game was expected to be around 8 million dollars, at this point they will be lucky if they earn 1 million.  Brotzman's first missed field goal came as time expired.  The ball was around the 5 yards line, making the attempt nothing but a glorified extra point.  The Blue Man Group got the ball first in overtime and after failing to get a first down, Boise was forced to send Brotzman back onto the field.  Kicking and Golf are probably the most mentally controlled actions in sports.  Golfers can lose their stroke, and kickers can lose their foot.  On the sideline between his first missed field goal and his second attempt, Brotzman lost it.  I'm pretty sure you look at the replays of him on the bench, he is literally pissing himself with fear.  The attempt in overtime may as well have been from 75 yards out against gale force winds. 

Kyle wanted no part of that second kick.  Considering he removed Boise State from any Title game and most BCS conversation, Kyle is my MVP, but because he sucks at kicking he is also our recipient this week.  Congratulations Kyle, you earned.

Back from the bye Recap

Jock Talk is back from our bye this week.  It may seem like we took several bye weeks this season, and that is because we did.  Unlike Oregon (New Mexico, Portland State), Auburn (Louisiana-Monroe, Chattanooga), and Boise State (Wyoming, New Mexico State, San Jose State, Idaho, Utah State), we decided to fill our schedule with literal bye weeks instead of several figurative byes (James Madison not included). 

Lets recap what we missed:
College football provided weeks of monotony as very few marquee games were scheduled and few upsets occurred.  Heisman contenders played like Heisman contenders.  The only remarkable news made by college football in recent weeks was of course, the Cam Newton accusations.  We have covered his recent misfortunes extensively on the podcasts and the NCAA has ruled Cam eligible for the SEC Championship game.  Oklahoma State was a home win away from the Big 12 Title game and a rematch with Nebraska, but Oklahoma State couldn't handle the aerial assault of Landry Jones an OU.
In the NFL, Peyton Manning has lost his form and Mike Vick has performed so well I offered him an apology during a recent podcast.  Dallas and Minnesota were finally able to shed their dead-weight coaches.  While the Vikings ownership had fueled speculation that Childress was on the chopping block, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had claimed coach Wade Phillips' job was safe for the season just weeks before.  Phillip Rivers has continued his record setting pace and is my MVP favorite to date. 
In the "Association", the mighty Lakers have lost 4 in a row and are no longer the undisputed top team in the NBA.  The Hornets and Spurs have been surprisingly dominant, while the Heat have been and utter disappointment.  The Thunder, despite injuries to several key players, are ahead of last years record thanks to an MVP caliber first quarter of the season by Russel Westbrook.  The Thunder now have two of the best fifteen players in basketball surrounded by a young core. 
I think the NHL started, we will research this before our next podcast.

November 12 Podcast

As always, football and basketball are on the menu as Jock Talk records live from Austin.

Jock Talk's Inaugural Interviews.

JC and Taylor inverview University of Texas Baseball players Mark Payton and Clayton Crum.  The players open up about the experience of playing baseball at UT and finish the interview with a game of would you rather.

A$$ Whooping of the Week (Week 9)

It was a quiet week on the A$$ whooping scene.  There were a few blowouts, a few shut outs, KG vs a cancer patient Charlie Villanueva, but the beat down this week occurred on the sidelines, where several coaches showed a complete lack of stones while making several confusing decisions. 

At the top of the list is Mike Shanahan.  The Redskins coach benched Donovan McNabb for the wildly successful Rex Grossman for the final 2 minutes of the Redskins loss to the Lions on Sunday.  Grossman promptly fumbled and Ndamukong Suh returned it for a game sealing touchdown.  Originally, Shanahan claimed Grossman had a better handle of the 2-minute offense (although McNabb was the QB for the final 2 minutes of the first half), but then changed his tone and said McNabb wasn't enough good enough shape to handle the 2-minute offense.  Isn't it Shanahan's job to make sure his players are in proper shape?  Missing from his explanations is the fact that Shanahan's offensive coordinator is his own son, who was having problems with McNabb.  Benching a player who is not getting along with your son in the final minutes of 6 point football game?  Sounds like someone playing a father and not a coach.  If he can't prioritize his responsibilities as a coach ahead of being a father, perhaps he shouldn't employ his family.

Our second coach is Brad Childress.  As a Vikings fan, reaching the NFC Championship game was very enjoyable.  The season was bittersweet though, as I suspected Childress would be given credit for the success and an extension to his contract.  Brad Childress has done a terrible job as the Coach of the Vikings, even during last years success.  This season, "Chilly" has begun to show his flaws.  He ripped his Hall of Fame QB, then traded draft picks for a player he would cut weeks later.  Was it really a surprise to anyone who has followed football this decade that Moss would only play when he wanted to and create drama off the field?  No?  Well apparently it caught the leader of the Vikings off guard.  Good usage of next years draft picks Coach!  

Our last group of coaches all committed the same crime this weekend:  failing to grow a pair and trying to win the game!  Buffalo is the only winless team in the NFL.  In overtime on Sunday, facing 4th and 7 on the Kansas City 40 yard line, rather than attempt a game willing field goal or a fourth down conversion, Coach Chan Gailey punted.  He punted in the opposing teams territory.  Grow some stones and try to win the game, Chan!  It took Kansas City just two plays to reach the 40 (where they would have started their possession had Gailey gone for it and failed), and they predictably won.  In Los Angeles this Saturday, Lane Kiffin and USC were taking on the number one offense in the country against Oregon.  With the game still close, Kiffin twice chose to punt on 4th and 1.  How can you really expect to win a game against the best offense in the country by punting!  After the first punt, it took the Ducks just two plays to pass the original line of scrimmage, and the second punt was returned past the line of scrimmage.  USC was later forced to attempt a 4th and 9 as the route was on.  Failing to go for 4th and 1s in a close game but going for 4th and 9 in a blowout?  That's gutsy Coach. 

(Despite his faults, Les Miles never has and likely never will fall in the same category as the coaches above.  He may not form complete sentences or know how to use timeouts properly, but he isn't afraid to win a game, instead of hoping not to lose it.)

Best Halloween Costume by an Athlete

3rd place:  Shaq as "Shaqeeta"

2nd place:  Cam Newton as a fairy

And the winner:  Rajon Rondo as Tiger Woods (also pictured are the "Big 3" and Big Papi)

Giants over Rangers in 5

The San Francisco giants made quick work of the Texas Rangers, meaning we are already on to the baseball offseason. Lets have a look at a few interesting storylines coming up in the following months.

• Repeats:  Can the Rangers or Giants duplicate their success?  The Rangers certainly have a roster capable of returning to the playoffs again next year, especially if they are able to sign Cliff Lee.  The Giants appear to be a one-hit wonder.  Its hard to imagine a team anchored on offense by Andres Torres, Aubrey Huff, Buster Posey, and Juan Uribe winning back to back World Series', but with a great pitching staff they are likely to compete in a weak NL West.
• How much will the Yankees spend?  Supporting a line up with Jeter, A-Rod, Cano, and Tex, the Yankees still fell in the ALCS.  They will be in the market for both Carl Crawford and Cliff Lee this offseason, but both will be pricey.  New York will also have to sign Jeter, whom they will likely overpay for his career body of work, despite his sharp decline last season. 
• Big players on the more:  In addition to Crawford and Lee, several big names players will be in the market for new contracts.  Due to the big money they spent on Ryan Howard and Roy Halladay, the Phillies will be unable to resign Jayson Werth.  He could also land in New York if Crawford goes elsewhere.  Two of the best first baseman in the NL could be on the trading block.  Prince Fielder and Adrian Gonzalez are both upcoming free agents.  The Brewers and Padres will likely be unable to resign either player and may be looking to make a deal while their players have maximum value. 

English is Les Miles' second language

The LSU Tigers are face Alabama Saturday coming off their bye week.  In addition to giving the Tigers an extra week to prepare, the off week also gave Coach Miles an extra week to prepare for this weeks news conference.  Given the extra week to prepare, Les opened with this 2-sentence gem:
"We had a nice open week, but it created great anxiety.  As a coach when you sit there and watch a football Saturday, and you don't have a game to play, you wonder where you are at.?

 Later, when asked about the poor blocking by his receivers, Les gave us this incoherent rambling:
"I guess what I'm saying is I'm in the key piece of my season where the big plays have yet to have been made. As I go into the next game, I look for those plays to be more important than anything that we've done in the past, and to say that I have any opinion to this point that would be finite would not. Really, I'm expecting this receiving corps to do the things that they've done in the past, and that is rebound and play like hell and play well. If they do that, that's just what I want to see them do. In many instances there is some developing going on, and there are some guys, in my opinion, who are a little bit nicked and will probably be playing with greatest health this Saturday."

A$$ Whooping of the Week (Week 8)

Despite the upset of a top-ranked team and several Heisman worthy performances, this weeks beat down came from an unlikely source:  Florida Atlantic University.  During Saturday's game against Arkansas State, the Owls' QB Jeff Van Camp took a hit to the helmet while sliding, leading announcer Dave Lamont to go on quite a rant before threatening to fight the people in the press box around him.  While no actual fight occurred, the potential match up between an aging and potentially chemically imbalanced announcer against his producers is clearly worthy of an A$$ Whooping of the week.  Enjoy!

Week 8 College football Recap

Week 9 starts in full force tomorrow, so now seems like a great time to recap the week that was. We will begin with...

• OU.  For the third consecutive week the top-ranked team went on the road and lost to a ranked opponent.  Turnovers and Landy Jones' ineffectiveness hurt the Sooners, but its also pretty hard to win on the road when you give up 486 yards.  Missouri now replaces OU which replaced Nebraska which replaced Texas as this weeks overrated Big 12 school.  OU gets a week off plays Colorado this week, but Mizzou will be challenged in Lincoln against a top-15 Nebraska squad.  I'm not sure the Tigers have the big play running back or receiver needed to score against the Blackshirt defense, and will rely on their own defense holding Taylor "Whitey" Martinez in check.  
• Speaking of Nebraska and Taylor Martinez, the 'Huskers put on an offensive clinic against a hapless Oklahoma State defense in Stillwater.  Martinez threw for over 300, rushed for over 100, and accounted for 5 TDs as Nebraska totaled 540 yards and 51 points.  The Cowboys were able to keep it close thanks to 200 yards from Kendall Hunter and 157 yards form Justin "the DUI" Blackmon.  Blackmon went head to head against the best cornerback in the Big 12 and dominated.  In addition to his 5 catches and 2 touchdowns, Blackmon was the target of pass interference twice.  Unfortunately, Blackmon will be suspended for Saturdays game following his arrest this weekend.  His Heisman chances will probably join him on the sideline as well. 
• Oregon replaced OU as the top ranked team in the AP poll after dismantling UCLA.  The Ducks doubled the Bruins offensive output and dominated from start to finish.  LaMichael James' Heisman campaign remains in full force.  This weekend Oregon will try to end the losing streak for the top ranked team as they travel to Los Angeles to face USC.  Matt Barkley has over 700 yards and 8 TDs with no INTs in his last two games and USC, who is bowl-ineligible this season, will playing purely for pride.  This could wind up being a very exciting West Coast shootout.
• Auburn supplanted the Sooners as the top ranked BCS team after rushing for 440 yards against LSU.  Cam Newton would be the Heisman winner if the season ended today and Newton and Auburn will have a few weeks to pad there stats before ending their season against Alabama.  Jock Talk is hoping the Cam Newton Bandwagon keeps on rolling into December.
• For the first time in history, Iowa State defeated Texas.  After allowing over 50 points in their previous two games, the Cyclones limited the Longhorns to 21 points (6 in the first 3 quarters) and forced 4 turnovers.  Texas seemed poised to put its season back on track following their upset in Lincoln, but after a historically disturbing upset Mack can't be pleased about the direction his team is headed.  Baylor is currently the only Big 12 school from Texas ranked, meaning the MVC has as many Texas teams ranked as the Big 12.  Texas' season is already a disappointment, but the Longhorns do have a chance to regain dominance in the own state by beating Baylor on Saturday.  
• Michigan State will travel to Iowa on Saturday.  Both teams (as well as Wisconsin and even Ohio State) are fighting for the top position in the Big 10.  Michigan State is only undefeated team and title contender in the conference.  Just in case Oregon or Auburn falter, Jock Talk would like to see the Spartys remain undefeatd, thereby blocking Boise's road to a National Championship appearance.  

NBA Prediction Time

At the risk of proving me know absolutely nothing, we are posting our predictions for the upcoming season.

	JC	Taylor
Western Conf.	Heat over Magic	Heat over Magic
Eastern Conf.	Lakers over Thunder/Mavs	Thunder over Lakers
Fianls	Heat over Lakers	Heat over Thunder
ROY	Blake Griffin	Blake Griffin
MIP	Roy Hibbert	Michael Beasley
MVP	LeBron James	Kevin Durant

We will be back to check our progress at mid-season.

NBA Preview Show!!!!

JC and Taylor put on a clinic for how to butcher an NBA preview.  Enjoy!

Week 8 Recap

The guys discuss the Jock Talk curse, Cam Newton's bandwagon, JC sabotaging his flag football team, Justin "the DUI" Blackmon, and waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Sorry Justin

Justin Blackmon, the number one receiver in the country with 1,112 yards and 14 TDs, was charged with a misdemeanor DUI at 3:45 A.M Tuesday morning upon leaving the Dallas Cowboys-New York Giants Monday Night football game.  He supposedly was under the legal limit for blood-alcohol level but since he was underage he was charged with a DUI.  He was clocked going 90 mph in 60 mph zone.  Oklahoma State has suspended Blackmon for one game.  In JockTalk's personal opinion, Justin's biggest mistake was speeding.  Lets examine the situation...  He and 3 teammates were invited to a football game by his good friend and ex-teammate Dez Bryant. He was the only one with a big enough car to drive his friends.  He had a beer and hung out with Dez and friends after the game and knew he was sober enough to drive.  He was speeding, got pulled over, and was asked if he had been drinking. Its sad that people are pegging Justin as a bad guy after this incident, aside from the speeding he appears to have been fairly responsible considering he was hanging out in Dallas with his superstar wide receiver friend.   Should he have probably slept in Dallas for a few hours and left early in the morning?  Yes.  Should he had not been drinking underage?  Yes.  Should he have been going the speed limit?  Yes.  Should an entire Oklahoma State football team be punished for a slightly bad mistake that didn't even count as a felony?  No.  Blackmon shouldn't have been suspended and Gundy knows this.   He had to do it in order to save face in the media. He had to because its a DUI in Texas as opposed to a DWI in Oklahoma. He had to do it because of the stigma that goes with a DUI and the national scrutiny that would occur from other coaches if he didn't suspend him.  Still, without Blackmon Okie State is a 4.5 favorite in Manhattan, we shall see... Go Pokes

NBA preview part 2

If you are looking for part 1, the LeBronicles, click here. In part 2 we'll go discuss a few teams and the state of the NBA in general.

• Lets open up with the Miami Heat, who already lost their season opener.  The LeBrons led the league in wins the last two seasons, going for 66 in one season while losing just one home game LeBron played in.  Putting LeBron on a team with Wade and Bosh and the supporting cast Riley has gathered should be 75-win, undefeated at home lock.  He won 66 without Wade.  Forget about Bosh, just adding Wade to LeBron should give them 75 wins.
• Here Jock Talk we are die hard for the Thunder.  Last season the Thunder showed incredible growth but were also very lucky in the health department.  Kevin "Durantula" Durant will win the scoring title again this year and it won't be close.  He will put up 35 a game and probably win the MVP.  The most intriguing player will be Serge "Chewblocka" Ibaka.  The Thunder lack an offensive threat in the post and need a strong interior defensive presense to offset Jeff Green's lack of size.  Ibaka showed flashes of both in the postseason and could be a real surprise this season.  Heading into the season the Thunder are the consensus no. 2 in the West, trailing only the...
• ...Lakes.  Still technically the team to beat lest just pencil them into the Western Conference championship game and move on.
• The Celtics are the defending Eastern Conference champs but were already an aging team, and adding Shaq doesn't get you younger.  The most exciting thing about this team is no longer the "Big Three", Rajon Rondo is the best player on the Celtics.  The Rondo-Rose match ups will be some of best for several years to come.
• Speaking of Derrick Rose, the Bulls should be one of the leagues most improved teams this year.  Rose could emerge as a perennial MVP candidate this year and the Bulls now have a low post scoring threat in Carlos Boozer as well a high energy forward with Noah.
• Staying in the East, Orlando is one Dwight Howard low post move away from making the leap to serious title contender.  If Kobe can spend a summer working on his post game with Hakeem, why can't an actual center?
• The Spurs and Mavericks will continue to pose a threat despite aging, but it will be interesting to see if the Jazz will compete without Boozer.
• This offseason there was an exodus of talent from the West to the East, as Boozer and Amare shifted leagues.  This season Carmelo and Chris Paul may both be on the move and it seems like each may more East as well.  After years of West domination the shift may be occurring.
• Go Thunder!!! 

New LeBron Commercial

Note the dig at Charles Barkley (role model comments and the donut), the dig at MJ (MJ once refused to endorse a black Democratic candidate saying "Republicans buy shoes too."), and Don Johnson.

NBA preview part 1 (the LeBronicles)

Its the second night of the NBA season, a great time for a Jock Talk Preview.  Everyone and their grandma has given their take on LeBron, now its our turn.

• First, on those who say he is a quitter for taking the easy way out by joining forces with 2 of the top 10 players in the NBA right now: why wouldn't he?  If you told me that at age 25 I would be given the option to move to Miami and work with my two best friends and that because we were working together all of our jobs would be easier I would accept instantly without even thinking, and I'm assuming you would too.  LeBron was criticized for choosing bro-time on South Beach and multiple championships over struggling to win a single title while playing for an absolute maniac in the countries second worst city to live in.  On Dan Gilbert, if you think someone quit during the playoffs in consecutive years why would you want to pay them a max contract, much less be upset if they left your team.
• On the players who spoke against him, starting with Magic Johnson.  Magic said he would never have called up Larry Bird to team up because "that's not what we were about."  The funny thing is, Magic has actually been quoted as saying that if the Lakers had not acquired the first pick in the 1979 NBA Draft he would have returned to Michigan State for his junior year rather than play for the Chicago Bulls.  The Lakers won the toss and Magic won 5 rings.  Quoting Magic, "The only reason I came out was to play with Kareem and the Lakers."  Not what you were about Ervin?  Give me a break.  You could argue that Magic and Kareem were a better 1-2 duo than LeBron and Wade will be. 
  On to Michael Jordan, who claimed he "would've never called up Larry, called up Magic."  In his Hall of Speech he specifically pointed out that his former GM Jerry Krause wasn't in attendance and noted he didn't invite him.  Michael noted that while Krause believed organizations win championships, he "didn't see organizations playing with the flu in Utah."  Over a decade later, Jordan is still bitter that someone else was the true architect of his teams, but when other stars elect to build their own team he says he "would've never" that?  Please.  Jordan wishes he could have been the architect and player, the sole entity responsible for his championship teams.  Why do you think he is involved with the Bobcats?  He must prove to himself he could have done what Jerry did.
  Last but certainly not least is Charles Barkley, who used the word "punk" to describe LeBron and his decision and has stated LeBron will never be MJ.  Barkley spent 4 years in both Phoenix and Houston at the end of his career chasing a title, has a gambling problem, and has proclaimed that he is not a role model, saying "Just because I dunk a basketball doesn't mean I should raise your kids."  Who is the punk?
  The common theme of the previous 3 paragraphs?  Former stars who are so full of themselves they have lost perspective to the point that they are incapable of reflecting on their careers without feeling self-entitled, causing them to make comments contradicting things they said only 20 years ago.  What a complete show of a lack of self-awareness these guys have become.  
• On the decision, it was an epically bad idea and has ruined the image of one of the NBA's brightest stars.  LeBron has carried the NBA for consecutive seasons and Maverick Carter tried to ruin that.  LeBron tore the heart out of a city that really has been a sports wasteland for a very long time.  The Browns may be Cleveland's best franchise at this point.
• And finally, every single team in sports would love to have just one of these guys and several teams were willing to open up their pocketbooks for record setting contracts this offseason.  Pat Riley got all 3 at a discount.  That is truly incredible.

Its World Series Time Baby

As the World Series gets under way, Jock Talk has decided to let ESPN down the match-ups, while we lay out some of the story lines left on each team.  Lets start with a team close to Jock Talk's heart, the Texas Rangers.

The Rangers are full of heart wrenching story lines.  Beginning with their pitching staff, which showcases a 29 year old who just finished his first full season as a starter with 15 wins and a 3.35 ERA after serving as a reliever for the first 4 years of his career who is also a race car driver (CJ Wilson), a 31 year old starter who led the AL in 10+ strikeout games, resurrecting his career in Texas following 2 years in Japan after being released and unable to find work (Colby Lewis) [side note: the 10+ K stat was true in July but I am too lazy to try to find out if it is true in October so lets just assume :end side note], a pitcher with more wins (3) than walks (2) this postseason (Cliff Lee) [side note: in the entire history of baseball, our countries most historic game, there have been eight 10 strikeout-0 walk games thrown in the postseason and Lee has thrown half of them :end side note], and arguably the hardest thrower in the AL (Rookie star closer Neftali Feliz).  Nolan Ryan has done a tremendous job finding solid pitching for a historically pitching inept franchise and acquiring the missing piece in Lee.
Offensively, the Rangers host one of the most well known drug-addict-turn-clear superstar stories in all of sports ("Outstanding Player" Josh Hamilton), a veteran leader to changed positions late in his career to help the team (Michael Young), a host of young fanstasy baseball studs (Elvis Andrus, Ian Kinsler, Nelson Cruz), an aging slugger who is playing like its 2005 (Vladimir Guerrero), and the most interesting of all, a manager who tested positive for cocaine during the 2009 season at age 57 (Ron Washington) [side note: if there is a single person on this planet who believes that a 57 year old man randomly decided to try cocaine for the first time in the middle of the season, you are a fool :end side note].  The Rangers may be the most interesting in all of sports, not just baseball.

The Giants also have several interesting story lines.  Tim Lincecum is a 25 year old back-to-back Cy Young award winner getting his first taste of postseason and world series action.  Lincecum struggled by his standards for most of the year but finished the season strong and has been lights out in the playoffs.  Matt Cain is arguably the most underrated starting pitcher in all of baseball and forms a great 1-2 punch with Lincecum.  Then we have Brian Wilson.  I'll save myself some typing by directing you to this video.  The offense is led by several veterans (Freddy Sanchez, Pat Burrell, Aubrey Huff, Edgar Renteria, and Juan Uribe have a combined 51 years of service between them), an up and coming superstar catcher (Buster Posey), and a player they were given for free who leads the NL in postseason home runs (Cody Ross).  Ross was placed on waivers by the Marlins late in the season.  At the time the Giants were competing with the San Diego Padres for the NL West crown.  The Giants didn't want the Padres to acquire Ross so they claimed him off waivers.  San Francisco told the Marlins they didn't want him but were forced to take him.  He has turned out pretty well for the Giants.

Let the games begin!

Vid of the week!!!

Brain Wilson being...well eh...Brian Wilson?

Week 8 College Football Preview

The guys talk about the great games this weekend, the Rent is Too Damn High Party, and forget the name of baseball.

Week 7 Recap

The guys discuss the Ohio State and Nebraska upsets as Taylor tries to drive the show into the ground.

Week 6 recap on iTunes

The guys talk about Brett Favre's dong and the South Carolina upset. Also, Les Miles has a deal with the devil.

Rent is too damn high

As a Karate expert, I find this hilarious.

Vid of the Week

Dexter McCluster wants you stay alive and not text and drive, enjoy!

Shake up at the top! (Week 7 Recap)

For the second consecutive weekend, college football saw their top team fall on the road as Ohio State lost in Madison 31-18.  Fifth ranked Nebraska was also defeated on Saturday, managing only 202 totals yards of offense at home against an unranked Texas squad.  Lets rundown the weekends action!

• Terrelle Pryor routinely threw balls into the ground when it mattered most on Saturday and his passing ability is still vastly overrated.  He is a supreme athlete but he lacks the passing polish to succeed at the next level.  Jim Tressel has no history of creating star quarterbacks so it comes as no surprise that Pryor's development seems stunted.  Ohio State's defense must also be a concern in Columbus.  In other news, I suspect Wisconsin Athletic Director (and former coach) Barry Alvarez is in need of a history lesson.  Following the Badgers win, Alvarez proclaimed "We play football here; we don't play basketball here" while referring to Ohio State's unsuccessful use of the spread offense.  Apparently Alvarez is unaware Florida won 2 championships in 3 years under Urban Meyer using the spread offense. 
• A week after single-handedly defeating Kansas State, Taylor "Whitey" Martinez was benched at home.  Nebraska managed just 2.8 yards per carry and 3.7 yards per pass attempt without scoring an offensive touchdown in their 20-13 loss to Texas in Lincoln.  Three quarterbacks combined to go 12 of 37 for 139 yards in the game.  Those are Josh Cribbs ratios!  Texas won a game while completing only 4 passes.  I'm no historian but that has to be some sort of record for Texas.  Coach Brown has to be happy with a win against a top-5 foe on the road, but its difficult to be too excited about an ugly performance
• Oklahoma annihilated Iowa State en route to a No. 1 BCS ranking.  DeMarco Murray set the career touchdown record for the University of Oklahoma.  Holding a record like that at a school with that much history is always impressive.  Congratulations DeMarco!
• Staying the Big 12, Justin Blackmon is an absolute machine.  Oklahoma State's defense probably won't win them many games this season, meaning Justin Blackmon will be wholly responsible for this teams success going forward.  Following his 10 catch, 207 yard performance this Saturday, Blackmon made an appearance in the ESPN Heisman top-5.
• The SEC had several tremendous games this weekend, beginning with Cameron Newton's dominance over Arkansas.  Newton ran or threw the ball 39 times for 328 yards and 4 touchdowns.  Newton's ascension on the Heisman list was met with Ryan Mallet's falling as he was forced from the game by injury.  Newton's biggest opposition could be his defense.  The Tigers over 400 yards passing and 5 touchdowns, mostly to the Razorbacks back up who entered the game with a 3-5 TD-INT ratio.  Luckily for Newton and Auburn, the Tigers face passing juggernaut LSU in their next game. 
• South Carolina followed their upset of then top-ranked Alabama by racing to 28-10 lead in Kentucky.  Following the departure of star running back Marcus Lattimore to injury, South Carolina struggled t find a rhythm offensively and was shutout in the 2nd half.  The Gamecock defense couldn't stop Kentucky quarterback Mike Hartline or receiver Chris Matthews.  A late Randall Cobb score and USC interception sealed the victory for Kentucky, the first over Coach Spurrier in school history.
• Florida continued their post-Tebow offensive free-fall, scoring just 7 points while losing to former Offensive Coordinator Dan Mullens.  Mississippi State completed just 4 passes in the victory.  John Brantley is a tremendous dropback passer, but offense will be tough to come by in Gainesville as long as Coach Meyer insists on using Brantley in the spread. 
• Alabama returned to it's winning ways on Saturday, but current Heisman trophy winner Mark Ingram was held to 60 yards rushing, his most in 3 weeks.  After exploding against week defenses at Arkansas and Duke, Ingram has mostly disappointed through SEC play.  It certainly appears that for the 3rd consecutive year a Heisman winner will fail to repeat.  
• Denard Robinson played well against Iowa before leaving with a shoulder injury and a multi-score deficit.  D-Rob's Heisman train appears to have been derailed and he has no shot at the Heisman if he continues to watch Michigan losses from the sideline in the 4th quarter.  
• Boise State, despite early reports suggesting otherwise, did not earn the top ranking in the inaugural BCS polls.  Boise entered the polls ranked number 3.  Of the 12 teams on Boise State's schedule, only 2 are from AQ-conferences.  Those teams are a combined 8-5.  One of the teams lost at home to James Madison, the other let Jake Locker throw for 5 touchdowns, he had 8 in his previous 5 games combined.  Only time will tell if these lovely Boise State cheerleaders can convince the BCS computers to send them to a national championship.

A$$ Whooping of the Week (Week 6)

This weeks whooping was an easy choice.  Following reports that he left desperate voice mails and sent rather crude images to a Jets employee while quarterbacking for the team, Brett Favre's class and character are collectively our winner. 

For those of you who don't know the story, when Brett joined the Jets he saw something he liked:  Jenn Sterger.

Unfortunately for Brett, he is a married man with a family including grandkids, whose loving wife is a cancer survivor and has stayed with him through previous pain killer and alcohol abuse.  Did that stop him?  Of course not!  He's Brett Effing Favre.  Despite having never met Jenn, Brett got her number and started calling her and leaving voice mails asking her to come to his hotel room.  When you are Brett Favre, you don't even need to meet the hot girls you are trying to pick up.  When Jenn didn't return his messages Brett did the most logical thing he could think of, he sent the girl who had been ignoring his desperate phone calls several images of his "Green Bay Packer".  In the middle of a one win campaign, the Brett has apologized to his team for the distraction, although he hasn't officially confirmed or denied that the images and voice mails are authentic.  How many grandpas even know how to sext?  While their is no evidence of infidelity (since he was shut down), this certainly reflects poorly on Brett and unless the Vikings win the Super Bowl, those pictures will probably define the last year of his Hall of Fame career. 

Where did you dignity go, Brett?

Honorable Mention:  Taylor Martinez vs K-State, Alabama's perceived dominance on this blog.

MIdseason and Week 6 recap

We are half way into the College football season and last Saturday proved to be our first real shake up as the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide lost by two touchdowns to South Carolina. I had previously proclaimed the Tide to be an unstoppable juggernaut, in hind sight I may have overestimated their hold on college football. Last weeks games also included a dominating Thursday night performance by Nebraska and Taylor "Whitey" Martinez in particular.  We also saw two very good games in the SEC as Les Miles again proved that luck trumps almost everything in football.  As we are at the halfway point in the season, this week lets rundown the first half of the season to date.

Best Team:  Following 'Bama's loss I think Oregon is now the clear cut No. 1 team in the NCAA.  They kicked their returning senior QB off the team this summer and still showcase on of the most dynamic offenses around while supporting a defense that is great between the 20's and at forcing turnovers.  I'm all aboard the LaMichael James train at this point.
Worst Team:  Texas.  With Nebraska bolting, the Big 12 needed Oklahoma and Texas to remain at the top and another team or two to step up to keep the league competitive.  Instead Texas has faltered, OU has only impressive showing in half a season, and no other Big 12 teams are in the top-15. 
Best Win:  South Carolina's upset over No. 1 Alabama last Saturday was the signature win for South Carolina's program and the best Spurrier win I can remember actually seeing.  After a decade of mediocrity, Spurrier may have a title contender agian.
Worst Loss:  Virginia Tech losing at home to James Madison, and it wasn't even close.  VT has seemed to turn things around, but nobody is forgetting that game anytime soon.
Best Performance:  Denard Robinson vs Notre Dame.  Threw for 244, ran for 258.  No Turnovers.  (Taylor Martinez and Cameron Newton have also had several impressive performances this year.)
Worst Performance:  Ryan Mallett's fourth quarter against Alabama.  Leading the Tide by 6 at home, Mallett had a forgettable performance in the games final 15 minutes and removed himself from any Heisman consideration by throwing 2 INTs and managing just 44 yards in the loss.
Mid-Season Hiesman:  Despite the poor showing against Michigan State, Denard Robinson's stats are unequaled.  A few more bad games and that statement won't be true, but for now it is.  Other Finalists:  LaMichael James, Cameron Newton, Taylor Martinez.


Things to look forward to in the 2nd half:  More upset and ranking mayhem, Boise's loss to Nevada, the SEC sorting itself out, D-Rob's quest for 2000-2000.
Things to avoid in the next 6 weeks:  Another season of stupid BCS speculation and 6-6 teams going to bowl games. 

Vid of the week...Brett Favre gets hit in his packers!

We at Jock Talk find this vid a bit ironic.

Playoffs? You wanna talk about Playoffs?

We are one round into the 2010 MLB playoffs. Round 1 featured absolute dominance by the defending League-champion Yankess and Phillies as they easily swept the Twins and Reds, respectively. The "Phighting Phils" showcased one of the best 3-man rotations in recent memory and let the offense do the rest of the work for them. If there is one question mark with the Phillies, its the bullpen. The Giants are rather offensively inept so expect another quick series for Philly. The American League should offer a much more competitive series between the Yanks and Rangers. Health is always a question with almost everyone in the heart of the Ranger order, but the Yankees had several down seasons in the middle of their order also. Both offenses are capable of exploding at any moment and both teams have questions in the bullpen and the starting rotation. League Divisional Series', here we come!

Week 6 Preview on iTunes

The guys talk about running out of toilet paper, Taylor Martinez and his whiteness, and preview the week 6 games. Also, Brett Favre's dong is on the internet.

Bama lost???

No one expected it.  They looked like they had the talent, leadership and coaching to yet again run the table.  But on October, 9 2010 in Columbia, South Carolina it happened, the Alabama Crimson tide lost 35 to 21 at the hands of Steve Spurrier and a freshman phenom Marcus Lattimore.  Whats worse the BCS has projected Bosie State the number one team in its ranking system(and folks they ain’t losing).  Could Les Miles and his luckier than balls LSU team potentially run the table?  Can Auburn emerge as the strongest team in the SEC on the back of Cameron Newton? Or... God forbid could it be? Is this the year the national championship is decided by a non-SEC team da da duuuunnnnn!!!!!!!!!  Folks this college football season has just gotten a whole lot more interesting.

Randy Moss is a Viking!!!!

Week 4 of the NFL season is complete.  But the biggest news of the week in the NFL is announcement that Randy Moss is rejoining the team that jump started his career:  The Minnesota Vikings.  My father grew up a Vikings fan and passed it on to me.  I will never forget the Thanksgiving game against the lions when Moss had 3 catches for 200+ and 3 TDs.  He was electrifying any time he wanted to be.  It sounds like he wants to be electrifying in his return to Minneapolis.  This season just got so much better.  That said, lets recount the Sunday and Monday that were:

• TO and LT had flashbacks to 2007 and both had big games.  A TD and 222 yards on 10 catches for TO, 133 and 2 TDs for LT.  You can't help but for LT and I personally enjoy watching TO both on and off the field.  
• In the biggest upset of the season, the Jaguars beat the Colt's on a last second 59 yard field goal.  Entering the game, Jaguar teams were 4-14 against Peyton Manning and the 2010 version of the team was coming off consecutive 25+ point losses.  The Colts are a surprising 2-2 following the defeat.
• Four games into the season Chris Johnson may want to rethink his assertion that 2500+ yards was an attainable goal this season.  Following his 53 yard performance against Denver he is no on pacing for a blistering 1416 yards (It is important to note that 1416 yards would have still tied CJ for 1st in the NFL last season).  Johnson started  slow last season and erupted after Tennessee's bye.  Jock Talk predicts similar results in 2010.
• The final noteworthy game of Week 4 in the NFL is tornado that was the New York Giants defensive line this past Sunday.  The Giants recorded a record 9 first half sacks and Chicago needed 3 QBs to get through the game. 

 Ouch.

5 Weeks of College Football are in the books!

It's October, and Jock Talk is pretty certain the past weekend was the best weekend of football thus far.  Conference match ups hit the ground running strong and pretenders were separated from contenders.  Lets review the week that was beginning with the three marquee games from Saturday:

• Alabama embarrassed Florida in Bryant-Denny Stadium Saturday night.  I am convinced Florida is still a top-15 team, and that Alabama is an unstoppable juggernaut that is bound to make a lot of good SEC teams look far worse than they are.  Greg McElroy was able to avoid turning the ball over and let his defense and running game do most of the work as Alabama rushed for 170 yards and forced 4 turnovers.  Jock Talk is pretty sure that anytime a team on the road has a -4 turnover margin and averages half as many yards-per-rush as their opponent they will get blown out. After scoring 30+ in every game and 48 against Kentucky, Florida managed two field goals.  The Gators are still in the drivers seat in the East Division, but South Carolina will add some drama to the SEC divisional races that has been lacking in recent years.  Alabama, on the other hand, has to be a clear cut No. 1 at this point.  Boise State is still receiving a first place vote in the AP poll.  How can an informed football fan really believe Boise is better than Alabama after their victories in Fayetteville and over Florida.  Alabama is so good its scary.  Mark Ingram was held to 47 yards rushing, but two Touchdowns in a blowout win won't hurt his Heisman Campaign.  Is there any other team in the country who could beat a top-10 team by 25 if their best player didn't even get 50 yards?
• The most exciting game of the weekend went down in Eugene, where two top-15 offenses and defenses faced off.  The offenses had the edge as both teams gained over 500 yards.  After watching the game, Oregon seems to be the only serious competition for Alabama.  The Ducks have a tremendous running game and have been nearly impossible to score against in the second half this season.  In their three closest games this season, Oregon finished the game on 45-0, 28-7, and 49-10 runs.  Stanford was up 18 after the first, had 518 yards, and still lost by 3 TOUCHDOWNS.  Stanford has a very good quarterback and a very good team, but Oregon obliterated them in the final three quarters.  LaMichael James solidified his place next to Denard Robinson on just about every Heisman list.  If Alabama is in a class of their, own, Oregon is forming their own class right beneath them.  As with Florida, Stanford is still a top-15 team in my opinion, they were just embarrassed by a far superior team.  
• Despite efforts to blow a 21-7 halftime lead, OU held on to beat Texas at the Cotton Bowl 28-20 on Saturday.  Other than the clinic the Sooners gave to Florida State, OU has struggled to put teams away this season.  Texas is now nursing a two game losing streak and will face a top-10 Nebraska coming off a bye week.  Nebraska is destroying Kansas St. at the moment and will also have a few extra days rest by playing on Thursday.  Say hello to 3-3, Longhorns fans.  While OU is now in the drivers seat in the South, unless they find a way to close the door in the 4th, a surprise team may come of the South this season.  Landry Jones and DeMarco Murray were both effective against UT, but still only managed 28 points, just 7 coming after intermission.  
• There were several enjoyable games in the Big 10 this week.  Ohio State won an ugly game in which Terrelle Pryor needed 16 passes to gain 76 yards.  Someone give him the Heisman, this race is over!!!  Pryor is still a very over hyped and unpolished passer and the lack of a dependable passing game will likely come back to haunt the Buckeyes at some point this season.  The only true Heisman contender in the Big 10 kept his bus rolling:  Denard Robinson went for 277 in the air, 217 on the ground, 5 TDs and no INTs.  The Michigan team continued its disturbing trend of struggling to escape with a win despite D-Rob's unmatched performance.  If he continues to play at his current level, the Heisman is his regardless of the Wolverines record.  He is going to go 2000-2000.  Unbelievable.  Michigan State defeated Wisconsin and looks legit.  The winner of the upcoming UM-MSU game will have an outside shot at the Championship game if they can also get by Ohio State.  In the "battle of overrated Big 10 teams" Iowa demolished Penn State; not much to see here folks. 
• Its "Les Miles sucks at clock management time" kids!  There appears to be no available video of what Les Miles was doing during the 30 seconds his team was stumbling unorganized and disorderly on and off the field in a effort to run a play before snapping the ball 25 yards in the wrong direction but I'm guessing he just stood there like this.  Les has a well chronicled history of clock management woes and eventually it will have to catch up to him, right?  Either way he is the least worthy undefeated coach in college football.  How he won a National Title I will never know.  He is also responsible for this.  <-- The Oil talk is BACK!

A$$ Whooping of the Week (Week 5)

It's time to begin our recap of the week that was in football with the A$$ Whooping for the 5th week of the college football season.  Despite strong performances from most of the top-5, Jock Talk didn't witness a single performance worthy of our exalted A$$ Whooping post.  Instead we will use this space to honor the season of futility put forth by one of Jock Talk's most loyal readers and listeners.  To avoid any sort of legal privacy action he shall remain nameless, but you may recognize him.

So far, his 2010 season has been about as successful as football in New Mexico.  Following a strong finish to the 2009 campaign, he arrived on campus this fall in much better shape and executing with pristine precision.  On campus, expectations grew and some expected this would the season he made the leap and joined his higher ranked rivals.  Unfortunately for our lonely hero, as the calendar hits October his season has been uninspiring to say the least.  In the opening weeks of the season, he was outsmarted by a much older coach leading to an embarrassing loss to a much less talented team.  Following his dismal performance, he used multiple bye weeks to apparently regain his form.  On campus, talk renewed that he would finally "pull the trigger" and upset one of the more talented teams of the opposing division.  But alas, the long period of "bro-time" actually appeared to hurt his performance coming out the bye week.  In back to back games he took big leads in the first half before pulling the wrong trigger and being shutout in the final period of both games.  While the schedule still holds rematches against both teams, he may be the last winless team in his conference before those games arrive.

Honorable mention:  Les Miles' clock management and overall coaching ability, New York Giants defense against Chicago Quarterbacks.

Bonus Video: GOTTLIEB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gottlieb angers Jim Mora. Enjoy.

Vids we Love

Running down week 4 (College edition)

Week 4 is in the books, and with it went Ryan Mallet and UT.  Lets rundown the happenings of this weekend:

• I predicted in the week 4 preview podcast that Mallet would throw for 350 and Ingram would rush for 150 in a 'Bama win (to be fair I also predicted  a win for the Razorbacks).  Oddly enough that is almost exactly what we saw on Saturday in Fayetteville as 'Bama beat the Razorbacks 24-20.  My preseason Heisman winner selection Ryan Mallett made several poor throws, specifically in the final 5 minutes that ultimately buried the Razorbacks.  Heading into the game, Nick Saban's crew had allowed a single touchdown in 3 games.  The Razorbacks scored on the second play of the ball game.  On the first drive, Mallett was 2-2 with 74 yards and a touchdown.  In the remaining 59+ minutes of the ballgame , Mallett was 23-36 for 283 yards with 3 INTs and zero touchdowns.  In the final quarter, he was a pedestrian 4-11 for 44 yards with 2 INTs.  He made several costly throws in both halves that proved costly to the Razorbacks.  In the first half he missed a wide open receiver at the 5 yard line because of an overthrow.  He later threw an INT in the endzone, costing the Razorbacks a scoring opportunity.  For all intensive purposes, the game ended with 90 seconds left when Mallett failed to throw the ball sufficiently out of bounds when throwing it away.  Robert Lester made the pick, allowing the Tide to run out the clock.  Mallett had the absolute opposite of a Heisman moment at the very worst time.  When the Razorbacks needed him to make a play, he was unable to equal the success he had in the first half.  Mallett led the hogs to 20 points, just 7 more than Duke scored a week earlier.  While Ingram tore up the defense, two McElroy interceptions kept the game in hand despite over 200 yards rushing from the Tide.  It's a disappointing finish for the Razorbacks, who were up 13 with 20 minutes to play.  I still think the Razorbacks can run the table and finish second in the SEC West this season but nobody is going to forget the final 5 minutes that killed Mallett's Heisman campaign.  Ingram, on the other hand, has replaced Mallett as my Heisman favorite.  He was incredible in person and nobody is slowing him down this season.
• In other news, UT apparently sucks.  I wrote more in depth on the defeat in the A$$ Whooping of the week this week.  What has to be upsetting for a Texas fan is the upcoming Longhorn schedule.  UT gets OU, bye, Neb in the next 3 weeks.  Texas seems poised for a 3-3 start to the season.  The Horns will still have Robert Griffin, Daniel Thomas, and Kendall Hunter on the schedule after giving up 264 yards rushing to UCLA.  All of 3 of those players and their teams will be trying to run it through Texas in a similar fashion.
• OU struggled at Cincy and now has 1 supremely impressive win and 3 uninspiring victories.  OU appears to be struggling to get into a rhythm and UT may be in a coma.  The 2010 installment of the Red River Rivalry may lack the excitement of previous years. 
• The pride of the Big 12 North also struggled on Saturday, beating SDSU 17-3.  This result is surprising considering the clinic Nebraska put on in Washington last week.
• Boise beat Oregon State by 13.  Jock Talk has nothing more to say about these unbelievably overrated smurfs or their chances of playing in the championship game. 
• Marcus Lattimore entered the Auburn game surrounded by hype following his performance against Georgia two weeks ago.  Lattimore struggled and was outshined by the quarterbacks.  Cameron Newton had a phenomenal performance (158 passing, 176 rushing, 5 total TDs) and was able to lead the Auburn to the victory.  Newton could creep up the Heisman list with continued performances like this.  Auburn still has marquee match ups against LSU, Arkansas, and Alabama, meaning Newton will have plenty of chances to impress voters and the general public.
• Denard Robinson left Michigan's game in the first half, but still managed 100+ rushing yards and was impressive passing in limited action.  He will be fine for Big 10 play.

• Screw Boise.

A$$ Whooping of the Week (Week 4)

This weeks whooping is a unanimous choice by the Jock Talk committee.  The University of Texas Longhorns were absolutely drummed at home this week by the Bruins of UCLA.  On second thought, drummed may not be a strong enough word.   In Saturday's game, the Longhorns allowed more rushing yards (264) than they had in their previous 3 games (239).  The bovine crew also had 5 turnovers, equaling their turnover total in their first 2 games.  The Bruins had allowed over 600 rushing yards in 3 games, yet the Longhorns failed to reach 90 yards rushing.  UCLA's starting quarterback threw the ball 8 freaking time.  8!!!!!!.  I bet 75% of the teams in play on Saturday had drives where they threw 8 times.  On of Kevin Prince's 8 throws, he managed to find the end zone once.  Garrett Gilbert aired it out 45 times, but also managed just one touchdown.  Prince threw a touchdown on 12.5% of his throws, Gilbert reached pay dirt on 2.2% of his throws.  College football is a game run by teams with large, fast athletes spreading the field an airing it out, but Texas lost to a team who threw 36 less passes yet had the same number of touchdowns.  The Landrun cheaters and the remainder of the Big 12 have to feel great about their chances against Texas in the coming weeks.  UT went from a legitimate title contender to an afterthought in 3 hours Saturday.  The College Football landscape is always changing, but UT has been a staple for several years, and Mack Brown looks like his first post-McCoy year may be an utter disappointment.  UT may been caught looking ahead to the upcoming matchups with the Huskers and Sooners, but not the Longhorns are looking ahead to a 3-3 team after week 6.  If Mack leads the 'Horns to a 3-3 record, do the "Step down and let Muschamp take over" rumblings begin?  Nebraska and OU both underwhelmed in week 4 as well, so perhaps the Big 12 isn't as top heavy, or as strong, as originally thought.

Tough times lie ahead Mack, very tough times.

Honorable Mention:  Ryan Mallet's Heisman campaign, Notre Dame's season

Week 3 College Football recap

The guys talk about Crum's dreams, keeping sloths as pets, and the man behind the Ohio mascot mask. 

Andy Reid is fat and confused

Filling in for an injured Donovan McNabb for 2 games at the beginning of last season, Kevin Kolb made such an impression on the Eagles brass they traded away McNabb, who had led the Eagles for over a decade since being taken with the second overall pick in the 1999 draft.  McNabb was traded for future 2nd and 4th round picks to make room for Kolb, the quarterback of the future in Philly, this off season.  Following Kolb's concussion in week 1, Mike Vick made a triumphant return to football and has had two solid weeks filling in for Kolb.  Andy Reid announced this week that Vick will remain the starting quarterback for the foreseeable future. This seems unbelievably short-sighted by Reid.  He is leaving his quarterback of the future on the bench to try and ride a temporary hot streak by 30 year old QB who has a career passing rating of 76.8.  His career passing rating is less then Hall of Fame locks Charlie Batch and Byron Leftwich.  I can't think of another time in sports where I have seen a coach trade away the face of the franchise to make room for the future face of the franchise and then bench him for an aging and average quarterback.  Perhaps Andy is just confused, trying to find which one of the guys below is him.

Wait, here Andy is.

A$$ Whooping of the Week (Week 3)

Week 3's Whooping occurred Saturday in early Saturday evening in Seattle.  In a home game against Nebraska, one time Heisman and top NFL draft prospect Jake Locker laid an absolute egg against the Cornhuskers.  Locker was 4 of 20 with two picks.  Locker may be one of the most over-hyped college football players in the past decade.  He was touted as the prize of this years NFL draft entering the season, despite the fact that he has never finished a season ranked in the top-50 overall passer ratings.  Last year was easily his best season, when he won 5 games and had a 129.75 passer rating.  For comparisons sake, Greg Paulus played PG for the Duke basketball team for 4 years, then entered a graduate program at Syracuse to quarterback the Orange's football team.  After 4 years away from football, Paulus registered a passer rating of 132.6 in his only season.  Locker may have everything scouts like from a quarterback on paper, but he has yet to showcase that his skills can translate to success on the field.  Since Washington's upset of USC early last season, Locker is 4-8 and has not thrown for 300 yards a single time.  Locker has a career record of 9-21 and will likely never play in a single bowl game.  Here's to Jake's chances at any postseason awards and NFL future.

Week 3 Honorable Mention:  Brandon Weeden vs TU's secondary, The future prospects of people who plan for years to attack the Buckeye mascot, odds UNC escapes sanctions this season.

Podcasts!!!!!!

Jock Talk podcasts are on itunes.  You can search Jock Talk with Crum & Kok at the itunes store or find them here.  The guys appreciate the download and any suggestions on things you want us to cover on the air.

College Football Recap (Week 3)

We are 3 weeks into the College football season.  A few questions heading into the season have been answered, a few remain.  Lets have a look at a few of them:

•  Best QB out West?  Jake Locker or Andrew Luck.  Following Locker's 4-20 performance against Nebraska on Saturday, Jock Talk can comfortably declare Luck the Heisman candidate from the Pac-10.   At 1-2, with a terrible team behind him and 5 ranked opponents still on the schedule, Locker seems like a guarantee to graduate without ever playing in a bowl game.  In his teams two losses, Locker is 24-57 with 2 TDs and 2 INTs.  Luck has been on fire to start the season.  He has 10 TDs and 0 picks through 3 weeks and has led the Cardinal to a no. 16 ranking this season.  Luck will get a chance to humiliate the Domers this weekend before visiting Oregon on Oct. 2.  A win against the Ducks could legitimize Luck's Heisman candidacy.  
• Does the Big 10 have any competitive depth behind Ohio State? Kind of.  Four Big 10 schools are ranked behind the no. 2 Buckeyes but none of them has been particularly impressive.  Wisconsin is ranked just outside the top-10 and seems to be the most legitimate contender, but the Badgers barely escaped with a win at home against Oregon State this weekend.  Penn State, Michigan, and Iowa can all be found in the bottom half of the top-25 but neither seem ready for prime time.  Penn State is using a freshman QB with a 3-5 TD-INT ratio.  Michigan game up almost 450 yards to an FCS team this weekend and needed to use Denard Robinson the entire game to pull out a win.  The Wolverines are 3-0, but their wins and defense each look worse by the week.  Denard Robinson can't carry this team through the Big-10.  Iowa was a top ranked team before their road loss this weekend.  A team with a strong pass rush and a good running game always has a chance but there is nothing about this team that makes you think "They could really contend for a Championship".
• Can anyone catch up to Alabama and Florida in the SEC?  You can catch Florida in the East, ask me next Sunday about 'Bama in the West.  Florida seems to have taken a step back this season and the door is open for both South Carolina and a 1-2 Georgia squad when it gets back AJ Green.  In the West, Alabama seems unbeatable with Mark Ingram back.  They pay a visit to the 10th ranked Razorbacks on Saturday.  The outcome of the game will have a big say in how the SEC West unfolds and which Heisman candidate is for real this year.  I wouldn't be shocked if Ingram went for 200+ and Mallett threw for 350.  
• Will someone step up in the top heavy Big-12?  No.  Texas A&M struggled at home against FIU, Oklahoma State has humiliated two teams, but also nearly lost at home to Troy.  Texas Tech managed just 144 yards of offense against Texas.  It seems like every season someone is trying to bridge the gap between UT/OU and the rest of the South, but no other teams can stay at that level consistently.  
• The ACC is still dead, so questions about its merit are irrelevant.  Jock Talk will notify you when/if the conference is brought back to life.  The same can be said for the Big East, which we think died in 2008.  There are 3 teams from non-AQ conferences ranked in the top-15, zero from the ACC or Big East.  
• Oregon looks like a serious title contender to start this season.  Facing a 13-3 halftime deficit at Tennessee week 2, the Ducks turned on the after burners en rout to a 45-0 run in the second half.  Following this weeks 69-0 drumming of some team not worth the time to look up, LaMichael James and Co. seem ready to step up out West.  
• 3 Weeks down and its time to rank the contenders.  Kok's top 5s (ranked 1-5)
  Teams:  Alabama, Oregon, Texas, Ohio State, TCU
  Heisman hopefuls:  Ryan Mallet, LaMichael James, Mark Ingram, Denard Robinson, Andrew Luck

Vid of the Week