27 September 2006
Do you believe that lightning strikes thrice?
This is just crazy. The Astros have won seven in a row, while the Cards have lost 7 in a row. That means that the Astros are just 1.5 games back with 5 to play (the Cards have 6 to play).
1.5 games back! It's rather stupefying. But perhaps the Astros just wanted to show the BadSports podcasters, who wrote them off weeks ago.
Posted by Evan @ 09/27/06 11:07 AM | Technorati | Comments (1)
26 September 2006
CUSA replay official suspended after bad call in Houston game
Houston was helped by a little home cooking in its victory over Oklahoma State Saturday night:
Conference USA on Monday suspended an instant replay official who overturned a fumble by Houston's Jeron Harvey in the second quarter of the Cougars' game against Oklahoma State this weekend.
Following a challenge by Houston coach Art Briles, the replay official ruled that Harvey's forward progress had been stopped before the ball was stripped by Oklahoma State's Rodrick Johnson and recovered by the Cowboys.
Four plays later, Houston scored on a 27-yard pass from Kevin Kolb to Vincent Marshall to take a 24-17 halftime lead. Houston won 34-25.
The conference said in a news release that the play should not have been subject to review because "a runner's forward progress may only be reviewed to determine whether or not the forward progress results in a first down."
Further, the conference said the ruling on the field was correct.
It sounded like a pretty fishy reversal, but I wasn't at the game.
The widespread use of replay means we're probably going to have some clueless officials making calls. The teams from Oklahoma can certainly attest to that. To his credit, OSU's coach Mike Gundy wasn't blaming the loss on the bad call:
"That's not why we lost the game," Gundy said. "We couldn't stop them and we turned the ball over late. That's why we lost the game."
After others on the Oklahoma State sideline alerted him of the situation, Gundy said he told the officials on the field that the play was not subject to review.
"My only concerning issue is when we're on the field reminding them this is not something that's reviewable and their response is, 'Well, the guy in the booth has the last say,'" Gundy said.
Gundy said he wouldn't necessarily support a system in nonconference games where officials on the field were from one conference and replay officials came the other team's conference, nor did he have an opinion on an unaffiliated replay crew for all games.
He said he thinks the system "puts a lot of pressure on the officials."
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/26/06 08:28 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
Where was Mario?
ESPN.com's Gregg Easterbrook was paying attention to our own Mario Williams this weekend:
On Washington's first touchdown, a sweep left by Ladell Betts, first overall draft pick Mario Williams, playing right end for Houston, was blocked out of the play and practically off the screen by Mike Sellers, a reserve tight end. On Washington's second touchdown, a flare pass left to Antwaan Randle El, Williams was again at right end and again blocked out of the play and practically off the screen.
It was not a good game for Williams.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/26/06 05:41 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
Bad Sports podcast (2006-09-25)
There's a new Bad Sports podcast available here:
Bad Sports podcast (2006-09-25)
This week, Ethan Glading and I talk about the latest Texans' loss, a nice win by UH over Oklahoma State, a tough week for Rice football, the Astros' late push, and the Dynamo's playoff chances.
We'd still like to include some audio feedback in the podcast. If you want to drop us a brief comment, you can:
Leave a message at this phone number: 775-261-9133
Leave a message for my Gizmo VOIP account (username publiustx)
Email a wave/mp3 comment to publiustx -at- gmail.com
Please identify yourself and your blog/podcast (if you have either) if you decide to leave a comment. We'll try to work 'em in, so long as the technology cooperates.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/26/06 12:48 PM | Technorati | Comments (1)
25 September 2006
Things that confuse me
Hypothetically, if you were designing a defensive plan for a NFL team that was facing a QB known for his very weak arm, would you plan schemes that allowed for lots of short passes and dumpoffs?
I wouldn't. So I'm very confused by the Texans game plan against Mark Brunell. The former Jags QB has never had a strong arm, but Brunell's arm seems to be getting even weaker as he gets older. He can't throw routes that're going to require a strong arm (eg, deep outs), so you can plan for that.
Yet, Brunell completed 22 passes in a row on Saturday. You know how many were over 10 yards? I counted two this morning when they showed every throw on SportsCenter. Lots of his passes were dumpoffs -- ok, maybe that's a smart decision by Brunell, but one you should be planning for if you're the Texans.
Therefore, it seems to me that while of course the Texans lack personnel, maybe they also don't have the coaches.
Posted by Evan @ 09/25/06 11:44 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
Lies, damn lies, and statistics, part 2
Guess who is #1 in QB rating?
Since I'm asking, you already know the answer. David Carr leads the NFL with a 113.6 QB passer rating.
Posted by Evan @ 09/25/06 11:36 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
Mario v. Reggie, week 3
Mario Williams: Two tackles, one assist.
Reggie Bush: 13 carries for 53 yards, over 4 yards per carry. 4 catches for 19 yards. 5 yards per catch.
True or false. The Texans are worse than last year.
Posted by Evan @ 09/25/06 11:31 PM | Technorati | Comments (4)
24 September 2006
Bob and Bob
I guess McNair has another Derby contender coming along up at Stonerside Stable. Why else would Bob Baffert choose to endure a Texans game?
Posted by Ethan Glading @ 09/24/06 04:29 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
Jerome Solomon returns to the Chronicle
I noticed a sports story with Jerome Solomon's name on it a few days ago.
Solomon left the Chronicle last year to cover the Patriots for the Boston Globe.
It's nice to see him back at the Chronicle. Going from covering the winning Patriots to the losing Texans (if that's how the Chronicle plans to use him) must be like night and day, though!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/24/06 03:03 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
How long has he been writing about the NFL?
John McClain just posted this to his blog:
It's just amazing that the Texans are this bad this early in the season.
Why is he amazed?
The Texans were the worst team in football last year.
They responded by firing the coaching staff and general manager and starting over.
They are installing new schemes on offense and defense and are churning the roster hard.
Why would anyone who covers the NFL be surprised or amazed that the Texans look bad at this point?
One just hopes they improve over the season, and at least find a few playmakers heading into next season.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/24/06 02:46 PM | Technorati | Comments (4)
Richard Smith should scream more
Through three quarters, Redskins quarterback Mark Brunell has set a new consecutive completions record (22).
And the Texans defense has also given up over 400 yards for the third straight week.
In only three quarters! Talk about giving Redskins fans their money's worth.
We can only imagine how much worse it might be if the Texans' defensive coordinator didn't scream a bunch.
UPDATE: If the SI.com livestats are correct, the Texans narrowly missed giving up 500 yards for two weeks in a row. They gave up 495 yards, according to SI.com. I bet Smith screamed more in the fourth quarter.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/24/06 02:20 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
23 September 2006
UH basketball right around the corner
I got my UH basketball season ticket renewal form in the mail earlier this week.
That reminded me that we still haven't talked about UH's schedule on the podcast. We'll have to remember to do that Monday.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/23/06 02:52 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
I bet Frank Broyles won't be taking any future calls from Maggard
The Chronicle's Richard Justice includes this little tidbit in a column about UH football today:
[UH AD Dave] Maggard has spoken to University of Arkansas officials about pitching a two-team expansion to the Big 12. He has put out feelers to the SEC as well.
Arkansas officials must LOVE the fact that Maggard has now outed them on a very sensitive matter.
Such ill-advised comments to the press really make Maggard look like a small-time administrator at a small-time program.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/23/06 02:15 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
22 September 2006
It's nothing a little more screaming won't fix
Richard Justice, one of several Chronicle columnists who has seemingly been very impressed with Texans defensive coordinator Richard Smith's screaming, wrote this today:
The Texans have problems that go much deeper than the opposing quarterback.
Maybe that's why Smith began screaming in the locker room during halftime of the Philadelphia loss.
That also may be why he left the field that day and went directly to his office to watch game video.
"I wanted to see what the hell had just happened," Smith said.
It's the same thing that happened a lot to the defense last season. No, check that. It's actually worse so far this season, despite the addition$ of Anthony Weaver and Mario Williams.
But, it's nothing that a little more screaming won't fix, we're sure.
At least, that's the lesson I took from McClain's and Justice's earlier excitement over Smith's sound pressure level.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/22/06 09:31 AM | Technorati | Comments (0)
18 September 2006
Bad Sports podcast (2006-09-18)
This week on the Bad Sports podcast, Ethan Glading and I discuss the Texans' awful start, Rice and UH football, the Astros' disappointing season and the Craig Biggio news, and the Dynamo.
The podcast may be downloaded here:
Bad Sports podcast (2006-09-18)
Also, as referenced on the podcast, the fun Bill Simmons Page 2 column ripping on the Raiders is here.
It's great to have Art Shell (and that guy he picked up from a Bed and Breakfast to be his offensive coordinator) back in the AFC. At least the Texans are better than one franchise.
Also, we're open to voice comments on the podcast. If you want to drop us a brief comment, you can:
Leave a message at this phone number: 775-261-9133
Leave a message for my Gizmo VOIP account (username publiustx)
Email a wave/mp3 comment to klw2005 -at- gmail.com
Please identify yourself and your blog/podcast (if you have either) if you decide to leave a comment. We'll try to work 'em in, so long as the technology cooperates.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/18/06 11:43 PM | Technorati | Comments (4)
Lies, damn lies, and statistics
From Stephanie Spradley, I find this:
And if anyone has any question at all about the value of NFL quarterback ratings, note that for the season Carr's is currently third in the league at 123.7 and Manning's is 103.1
Wow. Has there ever been a more misleading statistic?
Well, I guess there was the score of yesterday's game, 43-24, which actually makes it appear to be a halfway contested battle. It also makes it look like the Texans offense did something.
Posted by Evan @ 09/18/06 03:05 PM | Technorati | Comments (1)
Mario v. Reggie, week 2
This week Reggie Bush was totally ineffective carrying the ball. He only had 5 yards on 6 carries. Yikes. But then, he also caught 6 balls for 68 yards. So, 11 snaps for 73 yards.
Mario Williams? Two tackles. He was an assist short of last week's total. Although I think I did see him pressure Peyton Manning once. Still, of all people, Jason Babin did a better job of getting into the backfield. I still didn't see (m)any double teams this week, although I didn't pay very close attention.
Posted by Evan @ 09/18/06 03:00 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
17 September 2006
Mattress Mack goes out on a limb
via KHOU-11's News Blog:
Furniture impresario Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale is offering his customers a deal they can't refuse - free furniture --if the Houston Texans beat Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts this Sunday, September 17th.
Yeah, that was a stretch, eh? Reminds me of that promo Exxon was running last year where its On the Run stores were offering free coffee the morning after a Texans win. It didn't set Exxon back too much.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/17/06 07:26 PM | Technorati | Comments (2)
Texans defense regresses
Last week, the Texans shiny new 4-3 defense that so many players have said fits their skills gave up 441 yards.
This week, the Texans shiny new 4-3 defense gave up 515 yards! Last year, in comparison, they gave up 419 and 437 yards against Indy. Mario Williams was mostly invisible, although apparently Dwight Freeney's criticism of moving the rookie around struck a nerve, because Williams was ineffective at only one spot today, instead of multiple positions.
Still -- can you imagine how many more yards that defense might give up if they didn't have a defense coordinator who runs around screaming and impressing the local journalists? *sarcasm*
I'm a big Dallas Cowboys fan, and remember well Jimmy Johnson's first season, when most of his players were not of NFL quality and he had not fully implemented NFL-quality schemes. So far, this Texans defense looks a lot like Jimmy Johnson's first Cowboys team.
The Texans should be much better than that one-win Cowboys team on offense because they have more talent, but until that offensive line can function like even a mediocre NFL offensive line, they're going to look more like a one-win team than like a winning team.
My prediction of five wins may have been way too optimistic.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/17/06 06:45 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
Brutal
On the first four Texans offensive plays, all went for negative yardage. Sack, fumble (turnover), run, fumble (recovered).
The Colts scored on three plays.
It's tough being a Texans fan. More and more my prediction of 3 wins is looking right.
Posted by Evan @ 09/17/06 12:18 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
16 September 2006
He'll be the first to complain they don't score next year
The headline of a Richard Justice column says it all today:
Sure. Just like they trusted Bagwell, right?
Trusting that one-armed man only to find out he couldn't play meant there was a huge hole in this roster due to his salary and the fact that his salary displaced what could have been the salary of a productive slugger.
Carrying Biggio on the roster so he can get 3,000 hits in an Astros uniform will come at a cost -- the cost of his salary, but also the cost of those at-bats and chances in the field, which might otherwise go to another player.
It's fine if some people want to put together a roster based on pure emotion, but I sure don't want to hear those same people complaining next year if that roster doesn't produce championship-level baseball. Emotions don't drive in runners and turn double plays.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/16/06 08:35 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
Dinosaur media runs Texans "olds"
The Chronicle runs a Dale Robertson story today with some interesting quotes from various Indianapolis Colts people on Mario Williams.
Here's coach Tony Dungy, sort of comparing the pick of Williams to the Steelers' picking Joe Greene:
"Coach (Chuck) Noll took a lot of heat for taking him, too," said Dungy, the Indianapolis head coach who was a teammate of the Hall-of-Famer's during the Pittsburgh Steelers dynasty of the 1970s. "But that turned out pretty good."
The construction of the Steel Curtain began in 1969 with Greene, already known as Mean Joe for his prowess as a havoc-wreaking defensive lineman at what was then called North Texas State. While it would take the addition of the likes of Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, L.C. Greenwood and Donnie Shell for Pittsburgh's defense to become the stuff of legend instead of merely great, Dungy deserves to be heard out.
"I'm a defensive guy and the cornerstone to most championship teams is defense, if it's not a quarterback," he said. "To me it's a good pick if you're not passing on a John Elway or a Dan Marino. Guys like Lawrence Taylor and Bruce Smith, they become the cornerstones of great teams. (The Texans) think this is a cornerstone guy. I can absolutely see why they did it."
And here's Dwight Freeney criticizing Texans coaches for moving Williams up and down the line:
"I think that puts him at a disadvantage," he said. "I'll flat come out and say that. If you want a guy to get better, you have to have him do the same thing over and over. If he's going to do 20 different things, he's going to be average. If you're not doing the same thing every single day, it's going to catch up with you. You'll be a good utility player, but at the end of the day you have to be put in a position to excel."
The quotes came from the conference call held with media earlier in the week (as noted here in this post). The Texans posted those quotes to their website right after the conference call, on September 13.
It's too bad Chronicle readers only found out three days later.
Dinosaur media is going to have to do better than that in the future if it wants to hold its eroding subscriber base.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/16/06 04:15 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
15 September 2006
Closer By Central Committee
Someone give this man's number to Tim Purpura:
Fidel Castro was "walking, singing" and "almost well enough to play baseball," Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez declared after meeting with the ailing leader Thursday in Cuba during a trip to Cuba for the Nonaligned Movement summit.
"Almost well enough to play baseball" pretty much describes Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens, Adam Everett, Morgan Ensberg...
Posted by Laurence Simon @ 09/15/06 10:09 AM | Technorati | Comments (0)
14 September 2006
Freeney cracks on Texans' handling of Williams
Colts stud defensive end Dwight Freeney was asked by the media about the Texans moving Mario Williams around on the defensive line, and had this to say:
“I think that puts him at a disadvantage. I’ll come flat out and say that. If you want a guy to get better you have to have him do the same thing over and over and over. Think of it as a concrete layer, to become a good concrete layer you have to lay a lot of concrete. You have to do the same thing. If he does twenty different things, he’s going to be average. Sometimes he’ll be below average sometimes he might be a little bit better. If you’re not doing the same thing every single day it’s going to catch up to you. You’ll be a good utility player, but at the end of the day you have to be put in a position to excel.”
Hey, what could Freeney know? I mean, he's just one of the best in the game at his position.
I love him cracking on the Texans' coaching staff at the end, though. Our local media are all still in love with the new coaching staff, so don't expect that from them. The fact that the defensive coordinator yells a bunch is sufficient enough!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/14/06 10:59 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
13 September 2006
Texans trade RB Morency
Pro Football Talk first reported, and now KILT-610 has confirmed that the Texans have traded running back Vernand Morency to the Packers, for running back Samkon Gado. The trade presumably is contingent upon both players passing physicals.
It's likely that Texans assistant Mike Sherman sold Gary Kubiak on the Packers running back, since Sherman obviously would have been familiar with him.
The Texans roster continues to churn. This is definitely a team in full-on rebuilding mode.
UPDATE: The AP reports the following:
Gado was one of the few bright spots in the Packers' 4-12 season last year, advancing from the practice squad to become the team's starting running back near the end of the season. But Gado has struggled to adjust to the zone-blocking scheme being run by new Packers coach Mike McCarthy.
Well, maybe he'll adjust to the zone-blocking scheme being run by the Texans.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/13/06 03:29 PM | Technorati | Comments (1)
Mr. McLane is swell! (cont'd)
The Chronicle's Astros beat writer Jose de Jesus Ortiz says not to despair about this season, because his favorite guy is on top of things:
In defense of the Astros, though, I guarantee you Mr. Drayton McLane cares about the fans' input. Rest assured he will provide a better team next season. Also, remember that McLane's payroll is nearly $106 million. Florida Marlins manager Joe Girardi, whom many Astros fans now want to manage Houston next season, might lead the Marlins to the wild card with a payroll at about $15 million.
Mr. McLane is SWELL!
Mr. Ortiz's constant fawning over him should be embarrassing to the good folks who put together the Chronicle sports pages, though.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/13/06 10:08 AM | Technorati | Comments (2)
12 September 2006
New 4-3 defense just as bad as last year's 3-4 so far
Remember how certain Texans players were whining that the 3-4 defense from last season hindered their productivity, and how much happier some players were that the Texans would be installing a 4-3 defense this season?
The new 4-3 defense that some players were clamoring for sure didn't seem to make much of a difference against Philadelphia, at least not a positive difference (but hey, the Texans' defensive coordinator runs around and screams, which excites the easily excitable). The unit gave up 441 total yards this weekend.
To put that in some perspective, that truly awful Texans defense last year only gave up more yardage three times by my count: 448 yards against Jacksonville, 446 yards against Kansas City, and 459 yards against Seattle.
Maybe it's time for any player who was whining about the 3-4 defense to stop.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/12/06 12:20 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
11 September 2006
Podcast postponed
We had to postpone the podcast that was set for tonight, as I'm fighting a little cold bug that's causing the occasional random coughing fit. The little microphones are pretty sensitive. I don't think that would sound very good. We'll either make it up later in the week or double up next Monday.
I was looking forward to talking about the Texans, but I'm sure there will be plenty more to talk about after Indy this week.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/11/06 09:54 PM | Technorati | Comments (4)
Where's the tombstone?
The Houston Astros have not scored a run in 20 innings.
They also have the worst batting average of any team in Major League Baseball.
If you still think they have a snail's chance in a hurricane, make your case in the comments.
Otherwise, I stand by my position that this season has been over since they got swept by the Cubs.
The sad part of all of this is that Bagwell can't come off the DL for one final at-bat before retiring.
Posted by Laurence Simon @ 09/11/06 09:50 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
Mario v. Reggie
I was going to let Kevin do this one, as it's an easy and obvious cheap shot. Of course, it's way to early to judge, blah blah blah.
Mario Williams: two tackles, one assisted.
Reggie Bush: 14 rushes for 61 yards. 4.4 per carry. 8 receptions for 58 yards.
I didn't see (m)any double-teaming of Mario Williams. Guess that was just a pre-season thing.
On this particular game, Bush would've been very helpful with the Texans' weak running backs. In contrast, Williams was a non-factor. But then again, that's a risk you take when you draft a guy who had 12 of his 14.5 sacks last year against the left tackles of South Florida (1.5), Maryland (4), Southern Miss (3.5), and Wake Forest (3).
I'm sure all those schools are known as left tackle powerhouses.
Posted by Evan @ 09/11/06 08:52 PM | Technorati | Comments (4)
07 September 2006
Coogs release basketball schedule
The Chronicle's Michael Murphy posted a preview of UH's basketball schedule to his shiny new UH blog a few days ago, and UH officially released the schedule yesterday.
We'll discuss the schedule on Bad Sports this week I'm sure, but my initial impression is that this is a good schedule for UH in terms of boosting RPI and getting some exposure, while still giving the team a good shot at 20 wins. Road games at Arizona and Kentucky are potential RPI boosters not to mention good experience. Conference mirror games with UTEP and Memphis should help with RPI. And there should be a lot of wins at home. If there's any disappointment, it's that there are no real nonconference marquee games at Hofheinz.
BLOGVERSATION: UH Sports.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/07/06 09:46 AM | Technorati | Comments (4)
06 September 2006
Ensberg or Huff? Neither!
Richard Justice isn't giving up on 2006, but he's looking forward to 2007.
His first question in rebuilding is: Ensberg or Huff?
Anyway, before we settle on free agents to pursue, before he line up the rotation and deal with that sticky Craig Biggio situation, let's begin with something simple. Would you rather have Aubrey Huff or Morgan Ensberg at third base? I told you this would be an easy one.
And then he totally oversimplifies the situation, ignoring the obvious candidate for third to solve the "Which sucks less: Ensberg or Huff?" problem.
It's like Bill Ford looking at Ford's slumping sales and asking his engineers "Should we build the gas-guzzling SUVs even bigger?"
It's the wrong question to ask. The right one is "Who should be on Third?" And my question for Richard Justice is: What do you have against Mike Lamb and why didn't you even consider him?
If you put Lamb on third, there's no need to move Berkman from first in lefty-heavy lineups. You get power, some decent fielding that will improve with more starts, and the option to rest Berkman in blowouts by shifting Lamb to first and your utility infielder to third.
Unless all you've got is Bruntlett because Bonehead Purpura sent all the other infielders to the minors to protect Jason "Lame Ass" Lane, because Brunt will end up taking off heads in the dugout with desperate throws from third to first.
Posted by Laurence Simon @ 09/06/06 01:48 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
SI thinks Kubiak will have an impact...
Sports Illustrated looks at the 10 new head coaches in the NFL and thinks Kubiak will have an impact on the Texans this season:
Gary Kubiak, Houston: The beauty of taking over for the departed Dom Capers is that nowhere in the NFL are expectations set lower than in Houston. With the Texans bottoming out at 2-14 a year ago, Kubiak almost can't help but produce a turnaround season, in effect guaranteeing himself a lengthy honeymoon.
The Texans gave their fans reason to believe this preseason, winning more games in August (three) than they did in the four-month 2005 regular season. Kubiak's biggest challenge will be dealing with the lingering background noise created by the Texans' selection of Mario Williams ahead of Reggie Bush atop the draft. He'll preach patience on that front, and for the most part he'll get it.
Impact projection: Better off. Plus three wins, to 5-11.
You know your team sucks when 5-11 is considered an improvement.
And not far off from the BadSports podcasters' predictions, either. Correct?
Posted by Laurence Simon @ 09/06/06 11:08 AM | Technorati | Comments (2)
05 September 2006
Focusing on what's important in Texans land
It's always fun when sports journalists obsess over truly important sports news:
Speaking of [Mario] Williams, the top pick in the draft was nowhere to be seen during the Texans' open locker-room period Tuesday. I'm sure he'll have an excuse of course, but ducking the media before the first practice before your first regular-season game doesn't seem too smart to me.
Thanks, John McClain, for that bit of whining. NOW we know more about the Texans chances against Philadelphia this Sunday than we did before!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/05/06 11:15 PM | Technorati | Comments (1)
Did Maggard bribe C-USA for this honor?
File away this headline as proof either that C-USA voters for various football conference honors don't put much effort into the whole thing or that C-USA is a bad football conference:
Second-Half Rally Nets Kolb, Love C-USA Honors
That honor would be C-USA offensive player of the week.
Kolb actually finished with decent numbers, but he missed numerous open receivers that fans in the stands were SCREAMING about. Not just guys who flashed open, but literally guys who went completely uncovered. He disappeared for at least two quarters of that game. Heisman candidates and offensive players of the week shouldn't disappear for such long stretches.
It's difficult to imagine that no player in C-USA had a better, complete game than Kolb this week, but then again, C-USA had kind of a pitiful week. Interestingly, Rice's Quinton Smith accounted for nearly 200 yards rushing/receiving (and three TDs) in that same game, although he had a costly fumble. Tulsa's Paul Smith was 16/20 for 229 yards and three TDs in a blowout win (granted, against I-AA competition). East Carolina's QB had a nice game (in a loss). Apparently UH's win against a C-USA opponent was enough to push Kolb to the head of a lackluster C-USA class this week.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/05/06 11:09 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
04 September 2006
Bad Sports podcast (2006-09-03)
In this edition of the Bad Sports podcast (recorded Sunday), Ethan Glading and I discuss the UH-Rice football game (and some lame animated scoreboard maneuvers), the Texans (who have, since the podcast, picked up running back Ron Dayne), some fun stuff from Chronicle Texans reporter John McClain, and assorted odds and ends. We also introduce a new voice to the podcast, the Lovely Kathy.
The podcast may be downloaded here:
Bad Sports podcast (2006-09-03)
It's another long one. Sorry about that. We're on a roll of late.
We'd like to open up the podcast to listener comments. If you want to drop us a brief comment, you can:
Leave a message at this phone number: 775-261-9133
Leave a message for my Gizmo VOIP account (username publiustx)
Email a wave/mp3 comment to klw2005 -at- gmail.com
Please identify yourself and your blog/podcast (if you have either) if you decide to leave a comment. We'll try to work 'em in, so long as the technology cooperates.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/04/06 10:34 PM | Technorati | Comments (5)
03 September 2006
Texans rework bottom of roster
ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli reports on the Texans' activity working the waiver wire after the most recent cuts:
Six-year veteran defensive lineman Robaire Smith, signed by the Houston Texans just two years ago to be one of the linchpins of the team's defensive line, was released on Sunday as the team continued to tweak its roster in advance of the regular season opener.
[snip]
It marks the second time in six weeks that the Texans have jettisoned a big-money acquisition from their 2004 free agency class. Smith, who spent the first four years of his NFL career with the Tennessee Titans, signed a six-year, $26.3 million contract with the Texans on March 4, 2004. Just a few days earlier, the team had signed offensive tackle Todd Wade to a five-year, $25 million deal. Wade was recently released by the Texans, a team that in its brief history has not derived much benefit from its big-money free agent investments.
[snip]
In addition to Smith, the Texans released veteran defensive backs Michael Stone and Kevin Garrett, and a pair of rookies, tailback Chris Taylor and wide receiver David Anderson. Claimed on waivers were safety Guss Scott (New England), cornerback Roc Alexander (Denver), wide receiver Edell Shepherd (Tampa Bay) and defensive tackle Atiyyah Ellison (Carolina).
There's no coverage of the most recent moves on Chron.com just yet.
UPDATE (09-04-2006): The Texans also signed running back Ron Dayne, who was cut by the Broncos. He's third on the depth chart, but may see time early as the team's short-yardage specialist.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/03/06 04:30 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
Mr. McLane is Swell! (cont'd)
It's time for another installment of "Mr. McLane is swell!" in which we track Chronicle baseball beat writer Jose de Jesus Ortiz's bizarre crush on Drayton McLane, the owner of the team Ortiz is supposed to cover objectively.
Last time we checked in on Ortiz, he had written one of the shortest columns we can ever recall seeing on Chron.com, all of it pretty much an Ode to Drayton (Oh Drayton, My Drayton!).
Today's effort isn't quite as good (or bad, depending on your standards), but it's worthy of excerpt:
It would be an understatement to say Astros owner Drayton McLane was dejected when Carlos Beltran chose the New York Mets over a return to Houston. His sadness was evident on that call he placed to a reporter's home at about 2 a.m. Jan. 9, a little over three hours after he learned Beltran had chosen the Mets.
After about 15 minutes, McLane's spirits were lifted and he ended the call with this prediction: "We'll find a way. We'll be a champion. We'll get to the World Series."
McLane's Astros found a way last year, and they're awakening just in time to find a way again this year. Here's a prediction: If they win the wild card and set up their rotation right, they'll cruise to their second consecutive NL title and subsequent World Series berth.
McLane is as competitive as any of his players, committing millions of his fortune to maintain the Astros as one of the premier teams in baseball. For that reason, it was laughable after the July 31 non-waiver trading deadline when folks predicted McLane could not get a multiyear deal done with ace Roy Oswalt. Oswalt's the perfect McLane type of player: supremely competitive, measured in his words, dedicated to his craft and understanding that he's representing his family's good name on the mound or in the community.
Beltran is the same way, which is why McLane desperately wanted him.
Mr. McLane is swell!
Mr. Ortiz is not, at least as sports journalism goes.
As far as the bolded excerpt -- the Astros just finished a week in which they swept a bad team, and lost two of three at home to a good team (the Mets). Their closing schedule includes St. Louis (twice), Philadelphia (twice), and Cincy, all teams ahead of them in the playoff chase. 15 of their remaining 25 games are on the road. That's not a recipe to climb over the five teams ahead of them in the wild-card standings.
There will be no playoffs, NL title, or World Series berth this year, as your Bad Sports podcasters have been saying for weeks now. Maybe a more realistic (albeit still unlikely) goal would be .500, which has been elusive for most of the season.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/03/06 04:19 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
02 September 2006
Shocker!
Despite having possibly the weakest wide receiver corps in the NFL, today the Philadelphia Eagles cut former Texan Jabar Gaffney.
Anyone who has ever watched the Texans in the last few seasons can tell you that Gaffney is a chronic underachiever.
Who made the Eagles roster ahead of Gaffney? Such notables like Reggie Brown, Greg Lewis, and rookies Jason Avant and Hank Baskett.
Posted by Evan @ 09/02/06 10:41 PM | Technorati | Comments (1)
Bad Sports football pool
Want to participate in the Bad Sports Football pick 'em contest?
It's easy, it's free, and we're planning on coming up with a few prizes for the top finishers at the end of the season to make it more fun.
You sign up through CBS Sportsline, pick the winner (no point spread) of each NFL game and the top 15 college games each week, assign weights to your picks, and the CBS Sportsline site keeps track of the rest.
Our pool is located here:
Link: http://bloghouston.football.sportsline.com/e
Password: worldclass
If you're a local business or blog reader who wants to underwrite our prizes in exchange for a season-long advertisement on Bad Sports (and our goodwill!), please drop me an email ( klw2005 -at- gmail.com ).
Good luck to everyone who participates!
UPDATE: Deadline is this Thursday because of Thursday night NFL action. We probably won't have the pool unless a dozen or so people sign up, so please don't dally in joining if you intend to participate!
UPDATE 2: We passed the dozen mark, so the pool is definitely a go. Thanks to those who have joined up, and good luck!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/02/06 02:24 PM | Technorati | Comments (14)
Wand waived, Davis placed on IR by Texans
The Chronicle's John McClain reports that Seth Wand was released and Domanick Davis placed on injured reserve today.
Reggie Bush sure could fill a need at running back, huh?
Not that I obsess over this, or anything.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/02/06 01:51 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
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