Texans fans should be proud and upset at the same time

After a 20-13 loss to the Ravens today, the Houston Texans wrapped up the best season in team history after winning the AFC South title for the first time in team history, winning the team's first ever playoff game and making it two games away from playing in the Super Bowl. Yet, today's loss seems to should leave a bitter taste in your mouth if your a Texans fans. For the record, I am not trying to bash the Texans on losing today, I am simply pointing out why fans have the right to be frustrated and proud at the same time of their hometown team.

Let's point out the negatives first. If you watched this game from start to finish, you realized that the Texans SHOULD have won this game today. However, as in any sports, mistakes will cost you games and that's what did the Texans in today. When a friend of mine asked me the other day in my opinion what would it take for the Texans to win I said a few things had to happen: Texans needed to rush for 140 yards (they gained 131), the defense needed to stop Ray Rice from making big runs (he had 60 yards on 21 carries), you had to win the turnover battle and T.J. Yates could not have too many mistakes. As I predicted to my friend I said I thought the Ravens would win but I think it would be close and I was right on the nose with my predictions. 1 fumble and 3 interceptions did the Texans in today plain and simple. Jacoby Jones, who in all likelihood played his final game as a Texan, got the moment of the game shifted after his inexplicable attempt to return a punt that turned into a fumble and a gimme touchdown for the Ravens. But like I said before, if you watched the entire game, you can't put all the blame on him even though he is an easy scapegoat to do so. After the Ravens kicked a field goal that made it 10-3 late in the 1st quarter, the very next possession for the Texans, rookie T.J. Yates threw an interception that turned into a Ravens touchdown after it set Baltimore up in prime position to score. At that point, the Texans were doing absolutely nothing on offense and in my mind I thought the route was on for Baltimore. But the Texans would jump on the back of Arian Foster and Andre Johnson on the offensive side of the ball and climb back in the game.

But after the Texans would come out of the locker room from halftime, the game was theirs to take and the offense didn't, or should I say T.J. Yates didn't. If your reading this your probably thinking, how can you bash a 5th round rookie, that was the third string QB, who never thought in is wildest mind that he would be in this game when the season started? And your right I shouldn't, but I have a problem with this theory to an extent. If T.J. Yates wasn't capable of being in the game, then why was he instead of Jake Delhomme? The answer to that is because Gary Kubiak knows what he has in Yates and sees him everyday at practice and knew it was the best option for the Texans to possibly win, and I get that. But that doesn't mean that he doesn't deserve a hint of criticism? Here's the deal to me, the person that cost the Texans a trip to the AFC Championship game was T.J. Yates plain and simple. He is a professional; he earned his way into the league and rookie or not he made terrible decisions today that hurt his team and I bet nobody feels worse about it then he does. He tried to force too many passes today when he didn't need to especially in the 4th quarter. Yates was capable of taking the Texans down to score the game-tying touchdown after the 2 minute warning but he blew it. He had to take his team 36 yards down the field and he blew it by trying to force a pass on 1st down that he didn't need to that was intercepted and then again trying to throw a ball into the end zone with :20 seconds left on 4th down from midfield instead of trying to pick up a first down and keep any hopes of their chances to tie the game up alive. But I get it, he is a rookie and he made rookie mistakes, but is that truly an acceptable excuse for fans that truly get football? I will come back to that later.

Now to the positives and why Texans fans around should be proud. Once Matt Schaub, Mario Williams, Arian Foster and Andre Johnson went down due to injuries all throughout the season, this team was resilient and stepped up when they needed to. In many eyes that exceeded expectations because of these injuries and they brought playoff football back to Houston in nearly 20 years. The team all around won over the city of Houston and the buzz about this team is something this town hasn't seen since the Astros made the World Series in 2005. The scary part about this, not for the city of Houston but for the NFL, is that this team has the potential to be good for a very long time. Obviously there will be moves made, people let go, draft picks made and with what GM Rick Smith did this off season, the future looks bright for the Texans. The best news overall was that DC Wade Phillips decided to comeback to the Texans next year to keep on improving what is one of the top 3 defenses in the NFL right now. If you were to look at all the teams in the AFC the day after the Super Bowl, the Houston Texans has to be the one of the favorites to make the Super Bowl along with the Patriots. The worst part about the entire situation is that you can begin to play the what if game if Matt Schaub were in at QB instead of Yates. In my honest opinion, if Schaub didn't get hurt, the Texans probably would have finished 13-3 or 12-4 and would have been playing the Ravens at Reliant instead of on the road. If you don't believe me go read some local media members tweets during the day and see if you agree with them. They could have easily finished with the best record in the AFC and could most likely be looking at a trip to Indianapolis for the Super Bowl and with the Packers and Saints both losing in this round, one could only think the chances of them winning it could have been if he was in. But injuries happen and you have to play on and that's what they did all season and they did that very well.

Now let me go back to the point about Yates and him being a rookie. If you don't agree with me and you have a Twitter account, look up former Houston Texans cornerback Marcus Coleman on there and see his thoughts from the game and his insight as well. As Coleman said in a tweet, "Real talk, the rookie card does not apply. This situation was no newer to him than to the rest of the team who's never been in the playoffs." The fact is he is dead right. This was new to everyone on the team for the most part and he played poorly. The defense known as #BullsonParade did everything to win the game and the group as a whole deserved a win the way they played; so did Arian Foster and Andre Johnson, but it just wasn't the case. Again I'm not bashing Yates, I just pose a question to people that read this, are you satisfied that the Texans got to where they did, or did you want more? If you say more, your thinking the logic I am. To me, if your a team it is championship or bust and you have to have those expectations as players. As fans, we have a better understand of how are team may be in a season but if we know our team as a chance to win a championship, we should want it as bad as the players on team does. That's why I think this loss today is not only upsetting to the players of the Texans but the fans of the Texans as well. When I read a friend of mine's tweet today after the game, he put this into perspective better than any expert. He said that winning 10 games next year is not a foregone conclusion and repeat success is very hard in the NFL, which is very true. The best analogy I can think of with this is Dan Marino. Hall of Fame QB that goes to a Super Bowl in his second year in the league, then never makes it back again. The truth of the matter is the Texans had an opportunity to give themselves and the city of Houston a chance at the Super Bowl and they blew it. I do expect the Texans to be back and better next year, but the problem is we have to wait for next year.

To make this clear once again, I am not bashing T.J. Yates for losing the game, I am being a realistic observer of what happened in this game today. Yates did something this year that not many QB's in the history of the NFL have been asked to do and he did a commendable job at it. Was he great? No. Was he good enough? Absolutely. The future is bright for Yates with a lot of room to grow and will be a solid No. 2 QB next year behind Matt Schaub. Yates will have his time to shine once again and compete for a starting job in a few years, but again that time is down the road or unless Schaub becomes brittle again. In 2002, Houston officially got football, but in 2011/12, big time football returned to Houston. Be proud Texans fans, we all deserve it, but if your still a little pissed and feel like this game is hard to swallow, it is ok because it is. See you at Reliant in September.

Why Tim Tebow is the best thing for football and what he is really doing for fans

Many things in the sports world get me very opinionated, the BCS, steroids in baseball, NFL/NBA lockouts; but now, the one thing that has me so fired up, it is making me have to share my thoughts with the world is the coverage of Tim Tebow. Whether it is Facebook, Twitter, or many sports websites, Tim Tebow has been one of the main focuses that people have been looking at since he was drafted in April of 2010. But the problem is not Tim Tebow, the problem is the media and the hell storm that it has caused for people to become sick of this man for no good reason

I have two problems with this Tim Tebow saga; the football side and the spiritual side of the story.

Let's start with the football side.

First of all let me get it out there, I am a Tim Tebow fan. I became a fan of Tebow's whenever I was in high school and I saw a documentary of him on ESPN and I thought to myself this guy is a machine. However, I don't believe for one second he is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL right now. I do believe though, he is one of the best football players in the NFL. Let's see his track record: 2 National Championships at Florida, a Heisman Trophy (when his team didn't even play for the National Title), SEC Player of the Year, Maxwell Award winner and the list goes on and on in his college days. Then Tebow was picked in the first round in 2010 by the Broncos, which nobody thought would truly happen, but then Broncos Head Coach Josh McDaniels thought he might be good in the system that they ran. In his rookie year, Tebow would play sparingly but would have a couple of starts at the end of the season due to the fact the Broncos were out of the playoff run and Tebow would lead his team to a few victories.

But when it came to this season, many questions were out there about who would lead the team, Tebow or Kyle Orton. Orton got the nod and was 1-4 and then "Tebow Time" it was. Tebow would go 7-1 in his first 8 starts and completely turn the season around for Denver, while Orton was eventually released.
Once it was announced that Tebow would become the starter, it was as though Watergate had broke out again and that is all the media wanted to talk about. Then he won. And he won some more. Eventually it seemed ESPN turned into a 24/7 Tim Tebow channel, but the sad thing is what was the only thing they could talk about? How bad he was and how "lucky" he was getting. Many commentators were right by a few things as the Broncos defense hardily get enough credit, if not any because of Tebow. Their running game, which ended the season as the No.1 run team in the NFL, didn't get much buzz because of Tebow. But was it Tim Tebow's fault. Absolutely not. The media kept feeding us Tim Tebow like we hadn't eaten in a week and the nation got sick of it and so did everyone in the media. But for what? For one guy winning a football game?

Now let's get to the spiritual side.

First off let me say this: I am a Christian. I believe in God and I do believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins. But I am not here to turn this into a spiritual debate. The main reason why the media is/has had such a field day with Tim Tebow is because of who he is; a spoken out Christian believer. If this was ANY OTHER Joe Schmo quarterback coming out of Florida or Texas or Alabama, the media wouldn't care as much. But because Tim Tebow has been upfront about who he is and what he believes, the media is trying to blow him up to watch him fail. And while the media is blowing up "Tebowmania," fans across the country are getting sick of Tebow; and that is the real shame. Fans are getting sick that an average quarterback is getting so much attention because of who he is, rather than how he plays, and I can see that argument and I do believe it is fair.

But the problem now that lots of people have because of Tebow is the comparison with him and God; and that is starting a huge uproar. As a Christian you are thought that God is perfect and that we should live our lives through Him and give all the praise and glory to Him in victory and defeat. The problem with this started back when EA Sports put him on the cover of the NCAA 11' video game and had to take off the Bible verse that was on his eye black because it was "too controversial." It got worse as soon as Tebow was drafted and before he threw one pass his jersey was the number one selling jersey in the NFL. It became comical when Tebow started pulling out 4th quarter comebacks when he started off games worse than a 7th grade "B" team QB could. But after he rallied Denver against teams like the Dolphins, the Jets, and the Bears, people began to label him as the "2nd coming," mostly all in fun. Even Saturday Night Live had a nice skit about Tebow's success (or luck has some think) he had pulling out 4th quarter comebacks. Media outlets began to pose the question is God behind these victories because Tebow is a strong believer and fans whether Christian or not started getting tired of hearing about this and it is a valid grip, but to a small extent.

Here is my ultimate opinion after seeing Tebow have his best game of his career in his first playoff game ever, a 29-23 overtime victory over the Steelers in which he threw 3 touchdowns and threw for 316 yards (remember that stat):

If you don't like the Tim Tebow story, if you are sick of hearing about how terrible he is or how much of a winner he is or the fact that he is the next Messiah, then turn off the television or radio, delete your Facebook and Twitter account and go live in the 19th century time period. Because guess what, that is the only way you will get rid of this guy. This is a new age that we live in where we revolve around the media to get all the information in our lives in the fastest way possible because nobody can live without it.

If this were the 1950's, Tebow would be the face of America. He would be the "All-American Boy" that every parent would want their son's to grow up to be and their daughter's to marry. But the fact is he is still that same guy, but everyone loses that in hindsight. Everyone is tired and pissed off about hearing about Tim Tebow or seeing pictures of people "Tebowing" or people getting Broncos jersey's made with the #15 and Jesus at the top. Even now with Tebow throwing for 316 yards last night, the comparison to John 3:16 is out there being either a strong coincidence or a true sign from God. My question is, would you rather hear more about the Penn State scandal? Would you rather hear about Ryan Braun getting caught using PED's last baseball season? The reason I say no is because, in our country we have to deal with terrible news everyday; frankly the news is the most depressing thing I have ever seen. Whether it is a political issue or an economy issue, there is nothing that to put your finger around most of the time in the news as something that is uplifting. But in this case, you have Tim Tebow to get around.

Tim Tebow is not Jesus Christ reincarnated, nor has he said he was. He is a believer and is doing what he believes is God's work by giving all the glory to Him and by trying to teach what it is God wants people to learn. What the Tebow-haters and media members that are trying to tear down Tebow because he is an average quarterback that gets too much television time, is that he is doing more for our country now then people could imagine. For one, he is making people talk about him, and with that talk comes a talk around religion. Whether someone is a Christian, a Muslim, or an Atheist, he can get you to express what you believe in and why; and that is the best thing that is coming out of this. It's not to try and get people to side one way or another, it is to get people to talk about it, and that is what this country is missing. Too many people don't go to church (myself included) for many reasons and one is the way lots of churches teach things these days. But the case with Tebow, if he can get you to talk about him, then pose the question to another person what they believe in and why, isn't that doing God's work?

The Denver Broncos are more than just Tim Tebow; the NFL is more than just Tim Tebow. But the thing is Tim Tebow is hopefully starting a trend in the right direction for people to see what is right in sports. Does God and football go together? Technically no, but how many guys do you see pray after they score a touchdown? Or how many guys do you see pray before they take the mound to pitch during a baseball game or do the cross symbol before they step up to the plate to bat? Many. Spiritualness and sports go hand and hand and everyone is guilty of it, because in everyone's right mind they can't say they haven't prayed someone miss a kick or hit a home run during a given game.

There are way too many negative stories involved around sports than there are good ones and that needs to be fixed. Whether you are a Christian or whether you are a non-believer or whatever you are, the Tebow saga should be something that you see and be thankful you see something that is good with sports for a change. The most important thing that can come out of this is it teaches the younger generation that is following my generation and see what Tebow is doing and follow in his footsteps. I'm not preaching they have to be a Christian and be a believer in Christ, but to do what is right in this world and stay away from the bad. Tebow isn't going anywhere for a long time folks, so I suggest you sit down and buckle up for the ride, or I suggest stop watching sports and get rid of your Facebook's and Twitter's, because this story is going to be around for a very long time; and in the end your going to thank him for it.

Ok, I will get off my soap box now and go buy a Tebow jersey.


 

The depression that is the Houston Astros and Gary Blair does all the right things

It's been a while since I have wrote on this thing, have I missed much?

Ok I have, but honestly I couldn't pass up the opportunity that lies before me. That's right it is finally baseball season! However, for Astros fans that only means the official countdown to football season in Texas is finally on. The 2011 Astros are only 5 games in to this young season, but already they have given ALL fans reasons not to show up to the ballpark this year. But doesn't anybody want to see the new HD scoreboard? Sadly, that might be the only thing that would be worthy of going to see the Astros play at Minute Maid Park this season.

Even on Opening Day, the Astros found a way to blow not only the game, but any hopes to get behind this team this season. Obviously fans are going to have certain expectations of the team they cheer for going in to each season, and Astro fans clearly weren't having high hopes for this team in the first place. But with baseball being the funny game that it is, you never can count any team down and out the first week of the season; unless it is the Pirates.

The few things the Astros have going for them is that they are going young and they are sticking to it. Brett Wallace is getting the every day role at first base and we finally will get a chance to see how Chris Johnson can handle a full year at third. But when Jason Castro went down with a torn ACL during spring training, that should have been a sign that the curse continues for our beloved Astros. It would have been great to see a young guy like Castro that the team was trying to start building around have this year to get accustom to catching a full big league season but now we have to rely on watching J.R. Towles and Humberto Quintero one more year. No thanks.

The pitching staff gets no better. Sorry Brett Myers your excluded from this. Minus him what do you have to look forward to on the mound? Oh yeah, the inconsistency of Wandy Rodriguez, Bud Norris, J.A. Happ, and Nelson Figueroa. Can Ed Wade please make the call already and get Jordan Lyles up? He would be a reason to go to Minute Maid and watch these Astros.

I don't even want to get started on Carlos Lee and Hunter Pence; I can save that for another venting session.

But the Astros will win some ballgames this year, I guarantee it. I mean they can't go 0-162 can they? This team has pieces, but that is it. Bill Hall is not the answer and neither is Clint Barmes, whenever he gets off the DL of course. Brandon Lyon is not a closer, but he is a good fit for the bullpen as a set up guy. But the problem is for fans is it is going to be this bad for a while and we have to live with it. Drayton can't sell this team fast enough.


Ok now to a MUCH brighter note.

How about that Fightin' Texas Aggie women's basketball team? Who would have ever thought that the next National Championship that came to Aggieland would come from their women's basketball team? Well if you followed Gary Blair any, you probably would have guessed right.

With the resurgence, or at least Aggie fans hope, of the football team last season and how well the men's basketball team has played making the NCAA tournament the last 7 years, the women's basketball team takes a bit of a backseat to these teams in College Station. Ok your probably going to read this and say why am I so excited about women's basketball and care this much about it. Ok that is understandable, because lets face it, not that many people do, but the true story is how Gary Blair turned this program from nothing and turned into something in such a short period of time.

Blair should be the model for new coaches and even current coaches on how to run their program. This is the guy who started off his coaching career at South Oak Cliff high school in Dallas before later becoming the head coach at Stephen F. Austin where he became a household name. After SFA, Arkansas was the next destination for Blair for 10 years, which including heading to the Final Four in 1998 as a number 9 seed, which at the time was unheard of in women's college basketball. In 2003, Texas A&M come calling and Blair hasn't looked back since.

Much like the men's program, the A&M women's basketball team was the doormat of Big 12 hoops and it took Blair to drag it out of the grave and back to recognition. He got fans to start to come to the games again, he got good recruits to want to come to A&M instead of Texas and Baylor. He did what he had to do, and he did it the right way. Blair is the kind of guy you would want your daughter to play for. He treats his players with the up most respect and treats them as his own instead of someone else's kids.

Even when time's do get bad for Blair, he looks down at his hand where he draws a small plus sign to remind him to stay positive at all times. Forget the fact that he is one of a handful of coaches that have taken 3 teams to the NCAA tournament, or 2 different teams to the Final Four, and now being the oldest coach to win a National title, Blair is what is good for not only women's basketball or college basketball, but for coaching in general. He is a player's coach and in this day and age you don't have many of them. Blair doesn't need all the attention on him, he rather it be on his players and assistants instead. After the winning the biggest game of his career he wanted to thank before anybody else each place that gave him a chance then put all the attention on his players before describing how he felt. Who wouldn't want Gary Blair coaching their team whether it be women or even men? All I know is that the same guy I saw drinking a beer and having fun at the Cotton Bowl being just a regular guy, is the same guy I would want running my team. 

Urban Meyer resigns, Mike Vick leading in Pro Bowl votes, and Berkman as a Cardinal? Say it isn't so!

The hot topic of the day is Florida Head Coach Urban Meyer stepping down after 6 seasons at the helm of the Gators. Meyer, who won 2 National Championships in his 6 years in Gainsville, sited that he was stepping down to spend more time with his family and see his kids play their sports. The real question that everyone is asking Meyer is why now? Last year, around the same time period, Meyer resigned as coach of the Gators claiming health reasons at that time. Meyer had collapsed a day after the Gators loss in the SEC Championship game against Alabama and claimed the reason for him stepping down was to get his health in check. So what's different this time of year that made Urban want to give it all up? Take this into consideration:

1. Meyer is coming off his worse season at Florida going 7-5 and 4-4 in the SEC and getting drubbed by in state rival Florida State 31-7 to end the season
2. No TEBOW! Meyer had to replace Tim Tebow for the first time in 4 years, who helped lead Meyer and the Gators to the 2 National Titles in his 4 years at the school, and is considered one of the all-time greats in college football history
And lastly 3. Cam Newton? That's right Cam Newton. For those who don't remember, Newton started his career as a Gator and decided to transfer when "the" Tebow decided to come back for his senior year, and Newton got himself into some trouble at the school. But could Meyer possibly have anything to do with leaking information out about Newton to stick it to his former player? In my opinion it is highly unlikely, but stranger things have happened before and maybe Meyer is getting out before everything is unveiled (i.e. Pete Carroll).

The real question is he done for good as a coach. My thinking is no. Meyer is going to step aside for a few years, see his kids blossom like he hasn't before, and then when the right job opens, cough cough Notre Dame, he will take it. Meyer is too good of a coach and recruiter to be completely done with coaching at the age of 46. Plus, besides football and his family, what other interest could this guy possibly have? He will be back before you know it and he will be winning in grand fashion just like he did with the Gators.

Here's a thought: back together again?

To all the people that are Michael Vick haters: how do you like him now? For all of those dogs lovers that wanted Vick nowhere near a football field when he got out of jail, they must be hating life right now. Vick is the number one vote getter for the Pro Bowl and is basically giving everyone the middle finger in the process. Yes Vick seems to be a changed individual, but that's not the only thing that has changed. Ever since Vick got out of the clank, his game has gotten even better than it was when he was playing like his Madden character on XBOX. Not only is Vick putting Pro Bowl numbers, he is putting up MVP numbers. Vick has thrown for 15 touchdowns, 2200 yards, and the biggest stat of the year by any QB, only 2 interceptions. So just the pure fact alone that he is starting in the NFL, leading his team to a playoff run, and in contention to be the MVP proves that Michael Vick is back and everyone has forgiven him throughout the nation. Where are you at now PETA?

Finally, Lance Berkman is now a St. Louis Cardinal. Is this a dream? No Astros fans it isn't; it is all too real. Yes Berkman is not the player he once was, but even still, when he comes back to Minute Maid Park this year hitting behind the Astros most feared and hated, and damn well respected, players in franchise history (Albert the Machine) it will be like seeing your ex with someone else. It just won't seem right. Berkman is an Astro thru and thru and it will be Astros fans worst nightmare when he comes back to town the first time. It will be like if we saw Bagwell or Biggio come back with a different uniform on and the worse thing is he has a chance to get the ring he always wanted with the team the Astros lothe the most. I guess this is what it is like when a Yankee or Red Sox's player goes to the other team. I can do nothing but cheer for the Puma when he comes home because it is the right thing to do, same when Roy O comes back with the Phillies. Lance has done nothing but positives for the Astros organization and he deserved to get traded last year because the Astros needed to turn the page. This should add a little spicy to the rivalry this year between the Cards and the Stros. Let's just hope the games actually mean something this year; unfortunately they will for the wrong team.

Stevie Johnson wants to blame God...That's smart

So you would figure that today's biggest headline would be TCU going to the Big East or the fact that the "Man Beast" Andre Johnson and the douche of douche's Courtland Finnegan were only fined and not suspended, but when this story was posted today, I just figured it was too good to be true.

And I thought Kyle Brotzman had it bad.

Stevie Johnson will go down in Buffalo Bills history for the dubious honor of dropping the game winning touchdown pass in overtime this past Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. But Johnson believes in his heart that it wasn't his fault at all; he believes it was a "higher power" that is to blame. That's right sports fans Johnson is blaming God for his drop. Really? You're going to blame God?

First, that's get to know Stevie Johnson. Johnson was a 7th Round draft pick out of Kentucky for the Bills in 2008 after having 13 touchdowns his senior year as a Wildcat. He really hasn't been a world beater in the NFL in his 3 seasons in the league up until this year where he has 59 catches for 796 yards and 9 touchdowns. Johnson was also coming off a career game the week before against Cincinnati where he had 8 catches for 137 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 49-31 win over the Bengals. But the instant success seems not to be enough for Mr. Johnson.

Let's rewind now back to Sunday. Johnson had a decent day at the stadium hauling in 7 receptions for 68 yards. Johnson dropped what would have been the game winning touchdown from 40 yards out and seemed to have lost his mind completely after that. After the Steelers knocked in the game winning field goal, you could seem numerous camera shots of Johnson sitting alone against the wall behind the Bills' sidelines looking like someone just shot his dog right in front of his eyes. During the postgame press conference Johnson was still beside himself for dropping the ball, (dubiously named "The Drop") saying "I had the game in my hands and I dropped it," over and over again like a broken record and saying that he will never get over this in his life. But after a day to get over it you would think cooler heads would prevail. Not Johnson's. Johnson would then decide that Twitter was the best place to keep pouring out his frustrations; this time on God. He went on to Tweet, "I PRAISE YOU 24/7!!!!!! AND THIS HOW YOU DO ME!!!!! YOU EXPECT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS??? HOW???!!! ILL NEVER FORGET THIS!! EVER!!! THX THO..." Oh no he didn't! But seriously he did and the fact that this guy had enough balls to go on Twitter and do this blows my mind.

Let's all play the REAL blame game with Stevie Johnson: First, go back to the five drops you had in the game. That's right 5 DROPS. Second, lets blame Ryan Fitzpatrick for throwing the best ball in his career to you and you just letting it slide through your hands. Third, blame the cold, frigged weather of Buffalo for playing with you mind and causing you to drop the ball. We might as well blame the Buffalo Bills for drafting you and even giving you a career to begin with. But the last person that we need to be blaming Stevie is God. I'm not the most spiritual person, but I do have my own beliefs in God and He is the last person I would blame for anything. You should be on your hands and knees every night praying and thanking God that he gave you a career in the NFL and the ability to play football when millions of people around the world would kill to be in the position you are in. Instead of blaming God, you should be blaming yourself. It is one pass bro, it's not the end of your life, you will live. You have turned into the second biggest jackass in the NFL now behind Mr. Finnegan of the Titans for your stupid comments. Think before you Tweet next time Stevie, because He may forgive you, but nobody will forget your stupidity. It's just a game; leave it on the field not on your Twitter.

Johnson goes Beast Mode, The "U" might be dead, and why Thanksgiving weekend is the best weekend of College Football

Well it has been a while since I have done a post, almost a year to be exact, but boy this past weekend sure has given everyone lots to talk about. Fights in football, firings after terrible loses, and a great weekend of football that most fans didn't want to end. Lets get started in Houston:

In case you missed it, Andre Johnson went straight WWE/UFC on the biggest douche bag in the NFL, Titans CB Courtland Finnegan. Finnegan, who wants to be proclaimed the "dirtiest player in the NFL," pretty much got what he had coming to him, a Texas-sized ass kicking by the best receiver in the NFL. The best thing about the whole thing was the fact that of all people Andre Johnson, who is probably the quietest and most likable wide receiver in the league, decided he finally had enough of Finnegan's antics and decided to lay the smack down on him. Not one, not two, but THREE Johnson punches connected with Finnegan before being separated by the teams during the scram. Yes Johnson and Finnegan were both ejected, and face suspension time from the ever popular "sheriff" of the NFL, Roger Goodell, but it was probably the best thing that ever happened for the dullness that is the Houston Texans. Finally fans saw some fight in someone on this team and it couldn't come from a better player than the best player on the roster. Fans will disagree that it doesn't help because he will probably miss the next game against the Eagles, but if we are lucky, this fire will retain until Thursday and the spark will still be there in time to slow Mike Vick and the NFC East leading Eagles down for 60 minutes on Thursday. As for Finnegan, the his resemblances and annoyance of UFC fighter Josh Koshchiek is eerily similar. So do us all a favor, just shut up and quit showing your ass week in and week out. You have been to one Pro Bowl since you have got into the league in 2006, so if I were you, I would stop talking trash and getting owned on the field and worry about actually learning how to defend.

Oh and if you missed the fight, or beatdown, enjoy: http://deadspin.com/5700702/heres-video-of-a-texan-fighting-a-titan

Now on to the "U." The University of Miami parted ways last night with head football coach Randy Shannon after a four year run where he went 28-22. The firing came hours after the Canes embarrassing 23-20 loss in overtime to in-state, not even rival, South Florida. The most embarrassing thing about the situation is that Shannon is not to blame for Miami's recent wows on the football field, it's the last ditch effort of the school to build up this once storied football powerhouse. Since Miami won their last National Championship in 2001 and their last appearance in the game in 2002, things have seemed to go downhill for the Hurricanes. Not one conference title, not one BCS appearance, and most of all no National Championships. The facts are the "U" has lost it's luster. Things aren't the same as they were in the 1980's and 90's when everyone in Florida wanted to go there. Recruiting has caught up to Miami because quite frankly other schools can offer better situations than the once heralded school. The fan base, which generates maybe 28,000 a home game at Dolphin Stadium in Miami, is not there; the facilities are better at Florida State and Florida; so who really wants to go there anymore? Because there is a orange and green U on the side of the helmet? The luster is gone in Coral Gables and not even Jon Gruden, who is speculated to be up for the job, can bring it back, right now. Many things need to happen to the program before the glory days of Irvin, Lewis, Testaverde, Johnson, and Shockey are back, but for now, the people that want the Miami of old back just have to wait. So for now, this symbol of "U", is just a figment of the past.

Lastly, what can you truly be thankful for on Thanksgiving? How about three days of some of the best college football we have seen all year. Sure maybe Saturday wasn't too exciting, but really what more could you ask for. Thursday night started off with a bang with a desperate Texas team trying to avoid a losing season for the first time under Mack Brown, but couldn't deny one of the hottest teams in college football right now in Texas A&M. Then Friday we get the upset of the year when Boise State let a chance at the National Championship slip out of their hands with an overtime loss at Nevada. Oh, and before that we had some guy named Cam leading his team from 24 points behind, AT Alabama to beat the Crimson Tide to stay unbeaten. Saturday was capped off with LSU and Les Miles finally running out of luck against Arkansas and possibly falling out of a BCS game and into a possible Cotton Bowl matchup with A&M now. What we learned was this: Boise is not overrated, they just finally came down to earth. If their kicker makes ONE kick, they are in the Rose Bowl if not BCS title game. They still have a great team, but I agree that their schedule doesn't do them justice as to how good they can actually be. The fact is they played one half of football against a good Nevada team and the Wolfpack came to play in the 2nd half and wanted it more. We also learned was LSU was a fraud. Les Miles didn't have a enough magic beans up his ass to save him from Ryan Mallett and the Razorbacks this time. I mean an 80 yard touchdown pass to end the first half? That can't happen Les! But I think LSU fans were just waiting for this to finally happen as the "Mad Hatter" kept Tiger fans on the edge of their seats all season. LSU is still a dangerous team going into their bowl game, but the offense will always be shaky with Jordan Jefferson at QB and when it comes down to clock management there is no better team to play in the country than LSU, because frankly, nobody in the country thinks that coaching staff knows what the hell is going on in that time period.

This past weekend gave us many great things, so with Championship Saturday coming up, hopefully more things we pan out as we get ready to the most wonderful time of year: Bowl Season! Can Auburn and Oregon stay unbeaten? Will Nebraska win the final Big 12 Championship game? Can UCLA knock off USC? Wait...nobody really cares about that last one. It should be a great weekend of football and everyone should be tuned in to watch (expect of course for the last one).

Oh and Obama...learn how to play basketball so you don't get smacked in the face and get 12 stitches and come across the ESPN Bottomline ever again!!!