Now is where we find out where the Trojans really stand: USC at OSU

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

So what did we learn from USC's game last week against San Jose State?

The Trojans aren't immune from growing pains.

At first glance, it looks like a dominating laugher of a game, with a final of 56-3. But for nearly a quarter and a half, the USC offense was held scoreless. In the first quarter, the Trojans had five possessions, picked up 67 yards, fumbled twice and punted three times. Over that span, true freshman Matt Barkley completed two of four passes for 20 yards and was sacked once. Remember, this game was against San Jose State.

But this game also should remind you of just how talented and multi-faceted USC is. First of all, Barkley was amazingly efficient over the next three quarters, connecting on 13 of his 15 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown. The USC running game dazzled with three players averaging double digits in yards per carry. As a team, they rushed for six touchdowns and averaged better than 7.5 yards per touch. Defensively, the Trojans, who graduated their entire front seven, allowed just nine yards on the ground and just 121 for the game.

Yes, it was San Jose State and yes, it took a while, but USC remembered that it was, in fact, USC.

Now a real team comes calling, or more like it, the Trojans go calling on it.

Ohio State comes into this game with perhaps even more to prove. USC has to prove it can be consistent. The Buckeyes have to prove they even deserve to be in the same conversation.

The Buckeyes faced a much stronger opponent than USC in week one and won, but it was far from easy. Navy made things very hard on Ohio State in its own house, coming oh, so close to actually winning. Navy overcame a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit and nearly tied the game with just over 2:30 remaining in the game, but Brian Rolle played the Buckeye's savior, intercepting the two-point conversion attempt that would have knotted it up and returned for a touchdown.

Navy is a decent team. They went to a bowl last year and are very likely to go to another one this year. But still, a team that wants to be taken seriously in talks about BCS championships should not be leaving any doubt in these sort of games.

What should worry Ohio State isn't Barkley, nor the USC defense. Both are talented, but are also young and raw in spots. What should concern the Buckeyes is the Trojans on the ground. Navy's top two rushers both averaged close to five yards per carry and neither have the explosiveness a Joe McKnight has. Pete Carrol was very conservative in the use of his quarterback with 19 pass attempts, a stark contrast from his approach to last season when Mark Sanchez averaged 28 attempts in13 games, including the Rose Bowl.

Featuring what could could be one of the nation's best secondaries to keep Barkley honest, the Buckeyes should expect to see heavy doses of the running game and with some questions remaining in their linebacking corps, it could be the X-factor.

Prediction: USC wins, 28-17

Stafford starting is a terrible move by the hapless Lions

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Well, it looks like the Detroit Lions don't want to win many -- if any -- games this year, too.

The Lions, under first-year coach Jim Schwartz, have decided to play for the future right away by naming No. 1 pick Matthew Stafford as the team's starting quarterback.

Yes, time to get your head bashed in Stafford. Lucky you.

For a team that's not very good -- OK, real bad -- at least last year, you can't tell me this team has vastly improved enough to believe that Stafford playing gives the Lions the best chance to win.

Hey, it' s a popular pick for the fans who want to see their rookie play, but is it a great move from a winning standpoint?

No, it's not. Remember, they've got this guy named Daunte Culpepper. Ever heard of him?

While he's no Tom Brady or Drew Brees, Culpepper is a veteran that has been a winner, has seen virtually every defense a team can throw at him and he knows how to lead a pro football team.

Does Stafford? No, not yet. Not to say he's bad, but he's got no pro experience. It's scary and a lot of pressure to put on a rookie.

He's not even getting a chance to hold a clipboard to learn the system and how to be a professional. Instead, he's getting thrown into the fire. 

It's sink or swim, baby.

No doubt he's going to get exposed. Hey, he's a rookie, what do you want?

If he fails and fails hard, how will Stafford respond in future years? That's a tough question but one that I wouldn't want to deal with right now. I say let him wait a year or even half the season to play, but right now is way too soon. 

I think it's a real bad decision, but the Lions have proven over the years they know what they're doing.

Right!

You can't blame Matt Millen for this move.

Bradford's injury highlights weekend for the Big XII

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

The questions about the Sooners' offensive line proved to have true merit and just like that, Oklahoma's BCS hopes could be gone.

After getting taken out - literally - by BYU late in the first half, Sam Bradford will miss at least two more weeks and maybe up to a month with his shoulder injury, leaving a lot of doubt about just where the Sooners will end up come season's end. They were lucky enough to find their Heisman winning signal-caller won't need surgery, but by the time he returns to game action, it could all be moot.

Tulsa and Idaho State are not exactly marquis opponents, which works in OU's favor, but if the Sooners have to go into Miami without Bradford, they could be in a world of trouble. Quite possibly, Oklahoma could have two losses before even entering conference play, which includes very losable games against Texas and Oklahoma State, not to mention pretty decent Nebraska and Kansas squads.

The weak schedule in the upcoming weeks has Sooner fans thinking better now than in October, but let's not forget, that this is an injury to his throwing shoulder. First of all, who knows if it will actually be healed in four weeks. Second of all, even if it is strong enough to play with, you can pretty much bet on the fact that it won't be 100 percent until he is able to give it a full offseason to recover. Bradford is a competitor and will want to get out there and play, especially if it looks like his team is in danger of missing a chance at the national championship. But can a 75-80 percent Sam Bradford be able to navigate a Big XII schedule like the Sooners have?

One thing working for OU is the fact they have something a lot of teams in the Big XII don't - a defense. Now more than they ever thought they would need to this season, the Sooners will have to lean on its defense to win games. That may work early on, but they'll need Bradford back if they want to have a chance once the Big XII schedule comes along.

Sure, it's not USC, but Notre Dame will take the win

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Jimmy Clausen picked up right where he left off last season.

After having the expectations raised even higher by his near-perfect Hawaii Bowl performance to end last season, it would not have been a surprise to see Clausen fall on his face in the season opener against Nevada. After all, it's when expectations have been at their highest that Clausen has choked in the past.

But such was not the case this week, as the Fighting Irish took it to Nevada on both sides of the ball in convincing fashion, 35-0.

Clausen posted an astounding 303.67 quarterback rating, completing 15 of 18 passes for 315 yards and four touchdowns. Sure, it is Nevada, who has a less than stellar defense and he's not going to play WAC teams all season long, but Clausen did what you'd expect your quarterback to do against bad defenses.

Maybe the best sight offensively for Notre Dame was the return of Michael Floyd. After Floyd got hurt last year, Notre Dame's passing attack dropped nearly 100 yards per game and the tailspin began. Floyd made his presence known in his 2009 debut, catching four passes for 189 yards and three touches.

But the story of the game just might have been the defense. Nevada, which returned its two top scorers from a team that was 12th in scoring offense and fifth in total offense last season in Colin Kaepernick and Vai Taua, was held scoreless throughout and the Irish forced three turnovers, something they failed to do on a consistent basis a year ago.

While it's not at all time to start the Clausen for Heisman or Notre Dame for BCS championship talk, this was the start the Irish needed. Too fresh in people's minds was the way they opened the season with a near loss to San Diego State, which cast doubt over the entire season. This year Notre Dame came out and took care of business in its opener. One in the books and a tough test at the Big House next week.

Stay tuned.

Pats say see ya to Seymour

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots are known for bold moves and surprises in the NFL, and that is exactly what they did this morning by trading former All Pro Richard Seymour to the lowly Oakland Raiders. Adam Schefter is reporting the Patriots will get a 2011 first rounder in return for the defensive lineman. Seymour used to be known as one of the best defensive lineman in the game, but his production has slipped the past few years. Actually you can look at his production dropping right about the time he signed a big deal prior to the 2006 season.

There are many football "experts" that will tell you his production has slipped because of the defensive scheme the Patriots run. They'll say the Patriots are asking Seymour to do different things than just rush the passer. While there is some truth to those statements, you can also use the eyeball test. When he is in a pass rush situation, he has not produced. I do have to say that I am very surprised this deal was done, and if you look around the NFL, many others are surprised as well. Bill must be very happy with depth and potential of the remaining defensive lineman for him to make this trade. They still have Vince Wilfork, Jarvis Green, Ty Warren, Ron Brace, Myron Pryor and Mike Wright. Add in Derrick Burgess and you still have a pretty good, deep line. It had looked like the Patriots were going to run a good amount of 4-3 this season because of the depth on the line and lack of depth of the linebackers. I still think the Patriots will run the 4-3 and have a very good d-line, but an already shaky defense just got a bit worse for the 2009-10 season.

What will this mean going forward? Now that the Pats don't need to resign Seymour after the year, they can work on keeping the likes of Vince Wilfork and Logan Mankins. Both are very good, young players who deserve a nice pay raise and should stay on the team. There are no excuses now for not signing both of these players and anyone else up for renewal. The New England Patriots are now in line to have the 1st overall pick in 2011 draft. Wow! Can you imagine the Patriots having the top pick, or top 5 at worst, in what could be the first season without a salary cap?

Overall, I think this is a good trade for the New England Patriots organization. While it will hurt them this season on the field, it provides payroll and roster flexibility in the long run. After all, "In Bill We Trust".

The "Lawfirm" needs a roster spot

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

BenJarvis Green-Ellis has to be on the 53 man roster in my opinion. I know he put up 125 yards rushing last night against the scrubs of the NY Giants. It's the way he plays the game and attacks the line of scrimmage that make him an option for the Patriots. I am sick and tired of seeing Lawrence Maroney pitter patter to the line of scrimmage. If I wanted to watch a man dance, I'd tune into So You Think You Can Dance. The bottom line is I never want to see a man dance, unless it's Chad busting out to Vanilla Ice!

In case you didn't know, Green-Ellis totalled 249 yards in the 4 preseason games. That's pretty good, but it's the 5.1 yards per carry that get my attention. Once again, this needs to be tempered by the fact he played the bulk of the time during backups. Once again, I'll point to his style of play that will help him make this team. Based on Bill Belichick's comments after the game, it does look like the "Lawfirm" will make the team. It now appears the Patriots will carry 5 tailbacks again like they did last year. Maroney still has a relatively low salary, so there's now way you cut him. If the Patriots do decide to cut a back, watch out for Sammy Morris, but from everything I've seen and read, it looks like all 5 will remain with the team. Watch out this afternoon for the final roster cuts and see how I fare.

Byrd not the word. Sox staff could strenghten itself from within

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Paul Byrd was pretty awful last night in Chicago as the Red Sox lost 12-2. Byrd lasting a scant 2 1/2 innings while giving up 7 earned runs on 10 hits. Ouch! Luckily for the BoSox, the calendar said it's September 4th and that means expanded rosters. Still, it wasn't good to see Junichi Tazawa only last 3 2/3 innings himself. To me, the real story is how Byrd fared against a real major league lineup. He impressed last week against the Toronto Blue Jays, but really he faced a team that had given up on the season. The White Sox brass may have given up on the season, but so far the Sox roster hasn't. That was evident last night as Paul Byrd may have made his final, or next to final start for the Sox this season.

Tim Wakefield takes to the bump this afternoon in a very important start for him and the Red Sox. In addition to Wake's return, Dice-k had himself a strong start last night for Pawtucket. If Wake and the Japanese enigma can make a decent return to the rotation, then a recent Red Sox weakness flips itself into a potential strength. With the return of Wakefield and Matzusaka, they round out the rotation after Lester, a struggling Beckett and suddenly consistent Bucholtz.

If Wake and Dice-k can return and be productive, maybe it's time to give Josh Beckett a rest. The Big Texan has been awful over his past 4 starts. He's already eclipsed the 180 innings pitched mark and looks like he needs to rejuvenate himself for the playoff run.

I think the Red Sox may now be poised to create some breathing room in the Wild Card Race. When they do that, they can start getting Beckett, and a few other players some much needed rest.