1162010 view from the sideline

8/8/2019 1162010 View From the Sideline

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L A N

C E Z I E R

L E I N

Catch Lance with John Granato 6 -10 amCST on 1560 The Game. Listen to John withSean the Cablinasian Pendergast from 3 -7PM in the afternoon. www.1560thegame.com

Sure, there will always be traditional

powers atop thefootball world, a team

like Alabama or theNew England

Patriots.But, this is the time

of year whensurprise teams go beyond being a surprise team

and become

true, legi tcon tende r sfor titles. Example #1 is theBayl or Bear s . Art Bri le s

program hasnt been to a bowl game since the mid -1990s. At7-2, the Bears are assured of a bowl bid and could play themselves into more than that. The Bears control their destiny in the Big 12 South. Yes, theBaylor Bears.

How about at themid - way point inthe NFL wherethe Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay

Buccaneers areboth 5 - 2. TheChiefs are atopthe AFC West and

dont look as if theyre ready toquit playing football in early January. This is a young, toughand aggressive squad that hasdrafted pl ayers that hate losi ng. The Buccaneers have takensome chances with players whohave had off -the -field issues inpast years - LeGarrette Blount,

Mike Williamsand Aqib Talibto name a few.But, in bothsituations its worked and

turned twosurprise teamsinto 2010contenders.

J O H N H

A R R I S

2010 WEEK TEN

Lance and John have joined forces withOrangebloods.com this season, the University of Texas home on the rivals.com network.Check out their work at orangebloods.com

Surprise, Surprise!

H o w a bout a t the mid- w a y point in the N F L w her e the Chief s a nd

Bucs a r e both 5-2.
http://www.1560thegame.com/http://www.1560thegame.com/http://www.1560thegame.com/http://www.1560thegame.com/


2/6

San Diego (3 - 5) vs. Houston (4 - 3)

R 2010 Ranking

111.6 ypg - 15th Run Offense 136.0 ypg - 6th

315.2 ypg - 1st Pass Offense 231.0 ypg - 13th

426.9 ypg - 1st Total Offense 367.0 ypg - 7th

26.2 ppg - 5th Scoring Off. 24.3 ppg - 9th

83.1 ypg - 2nd Run Defense 104.7 ypg - 14th

176.9 ypg - 1st Pass Defense 299.4 ypg - 32nd

260.0 ypg - 1st Total Defense 404.1 ypg - 32nd

21.8 ppg -

19th Scoring Def. 28.1 ppg -

29th

November 7, 2010 - CBS 12 PM CST

Vegas Says: San Diego -3/51

When the Chargers have the ball ... The Chargers are lighting it up through the air, but that doesntmean that they completely abandon the run. This year, the Chargers are averaging 4.2 yards per carry andare rushing for 112 yards per game, but their offense runs through QB Philip Rivers when it is all said anddone. Antonio Gates is as devastating as hes ever been with Vincent Jackson off the field and the Texans wont be able to matchup with at all. That isnt an opinion, thats a fact. How much damage can a tight end do? Well find out because Rivers will wear that matchup out. The Texans pass rush isntbothering QBs much and probably wont bother

Rivers, but he can be rattled into making somemistakes if you do a good job of blitzing him. TheChargers lead the league in plays 20+ yards.

When the Texans have the ball .. . Gary Kubiak has felt the heat this week for the lack of touches that Arian Foster received against theColts after Foster buried the Colts in the firstmatchup. Matt Schaub hasnt been the same QBthis year that he was last and at some point,Kubiak is going to start leaning more heavily on what is working best which is a running game that averages 5.2 ypc. The Chargers defense allows just 3.5

ypc and they wont just roll over for Foster and the Texans. The Texans offense needs to be balancedagainst the Chargers since their 3 -4 front can limit the outside zone. Foster needs a good game in thiss p o t , but finding the middle of the field with a controlled passing attack would help as well.

Prediction : The stats look great for the Chargers but the win totaldoesnt. The biggest problem for the Chargers all year long has beentheir pathetic special teams units. If the Texans can outplay theChargers on teams, they can make this game much easier.

Last Meeting: San Diego - 35 vs. Houston - 10 (10/28/2007)

Fantasy Scoop The Texans piss -poor pass defense combined with the leagues leading pass offense equals a start for most of the Chargers with theexception of Ryan Mathews who only gets a RB3 rating from me. For the Texans, look forArian Foster get a ton of touches whileSchaub gets an average start rating. Be carefulstarting Owen Daniels who is nursing aninjury.

Oct 31, 2010 W 33-25 TennesseeOct 24, 2010 L 23-20 New EnglandOct 10, 2010 L 35-27 OaklandOct 3, 2010 W 41 -10 Arizona Sep 26, 2010 L 27-20 Seattle

2010 ATS Record3 - 5 - 0

2010 Over/Under5 - 3 - 0

Last 5 gamesNov 1, 2010 L 30-17 IndianapolOct 17, 2010 W 35-31 Kansas CitOct 10, 2010 L 34 -10 NY GiantsOct 3, 2010 W 31-24 OaklandSep 26, 2010 L 27-14 Dallas

2010 ATS Record3 - 4 - 0

2010 Over/Under4 - 3 - 0

Last 5 games

HOUSTON - 27 VS. SAN DIEGO - 24 (OT )

Chargers Special Teams vs.

Texans Special Teams

The Z Key


3/6

When the Bucs have the ball ... Youve got to love the Bucs. They are no better than 18th statistically on offense and yet they come into Sundays game at 5 -2. One of the primary reasons for their success hasbeen the steady play of QB Josh Freeman . He has 8 TDs to only 3 INTs and he is making plays when itcounts. The Bucs have rushed for over 100 yard in 3 of their last 4 games and will try and keep theirrunning game going in this spot, but Atlanta has encountered much better rushing offenses than what they will see Sunday. The Falcons are a better team and will outclass the Bucs unless Freeman and rookie WRMike Williams can hook up for a big day. Williams reminds me of Falcons WR Roddy White and willneed to play like it Sunday.

When the Falcons have the ball .. . TheFalcons come into this game knowing that the Bucsdefense is stuck one way or another. Tampas rushdefense is allowing 5.2 ypc and has given up over 100 yards rushing in all seven games that theyve played. Atlanta will bring Michael Turner all day long and when he gets tired, Jason Snelling will get to eat. At some point, Tampa will decide to sell out andkeep 8 in the box with a single high safety shaded to whichever side Roddy White is on. CB AqibTalib is very talented, but hell need help with White and when he gets it, Matt Ryan will haveopportunities to light the Bucs up with Michael Jenkins and Tony Gonzalez as the benefactors. If Tampa succeeds on defense, it will be because they win the battle in the trenches.

Prediction : Both teams have lost to the Steelers and Saints, but theFalcons lost close games on the road while the Falcons were blown outboth times on their own turf. Simply stated, the Bucs arent as good astheir record and Atlanta is.

Fantasy Scoop Mike Williams is in a must -start spot herefor Tampa and I would probably look atstarting LeGarrette Blount if you are a little weak at RB. Cadillac Williams has to sit.For Atlanta, start all the usual suspects andlook for Mike Jenkins to be a good waiver wire pickup for at least this week.

Oct 31, 2010 W 38-35 Arizona Oct 24, 2010 W 18 -17 St. LouisOct 17, 2010 L 31-6 New OrleansOct 10, 2010 W 24 -21 CincinnatiSep 26, 2010 L 38-13 Pittsburgh

2010 ATS Record4 - 3 - 0

2010 Over/Under3 - 4 - 0

Last 5 gamesOct 24, 2010 W 39 -32 CincinnaOct 17, 2010 L 31-17 PhiladelphOct 10, 2010 W 20 -10 ClevelanOct 3, 2010 W 16 -14 San FranciSep 26, 2010 W 27-24 New Orlea

2010 ATS Record4 - 3 - 0

2010 Over/Under4 - 3 - 0

Last 5 games

ATLANTA - 27 VS. TAMPA BAY - 14

Tampa Bay (5 - 2) vs. Atlanta (5 - 2)

R 2010 Ranking

104.9 ypg - 18th Run Offense 137.4 ypg - 5th

216.9 ypg - 18th Pass Offense 233.4 ypg - 11th

321.7 ypg - 21st Total Offense 370.9 ypg - 6th

19.4 ppg - 20th Scoring Off. 24.1 ppg - 10th

149.4 ypg - 30th Run Defense 95.9 ypg - 6th

210.4 ypg - 13th Pass Defense 260.3 ypg - 27th

359.9 ypg - 25th Total Defense 356.1 ypg - 23rd

23.3 ppg -

25th Scoring Def. 19.0 ppg -

10th

November 7, 2010 - Fox 12 PM CST

Vegas Says: Atlanta -9/44.5

Last Meeting: Atlanta - 20 vs. Tampa Bay - 10 (1/3/2010)

Bucs CB Aqib Talib vs.

Falcons WR Roddy White

The Z Key


4/6

NFL News and NotesPeyton Manning is the best QB I've ever seen

and I'm pretty sure that he'll stand up to any and all challengers from generations past orgenerations to come. There will be some haters who try and knock him for potentially having "only"

one Super Bowl win, but it is hard to blame Manning for that. Manning can beat teams with rookies likeGarcon and Collie or he can beat you with anundrafted free agent like Blair White. Peyton willtake his 3rd string RB and get maximum productionout of him and this is all while working behind one of the least talented offensive lines in all of pro footballover the last decade.

Winning in the NFL becomes much easier if you are making explosive plays. If you can'tmove the ball down the field in chunks of 20 yards or

more, it forces the offense to extend drives longer andtake better care of the ball on a "per touch" basis. Quarterbacks like Drew Brees, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady can operate their offenses masterfully andmove down the field with long, sustained drives, butthere aren't too many other teams/QBs who can dothe same. So who are the most explosive offensesout there? I counted each team's 20+ yard rushing and passing plays and gave an extra point for every rush or pass of 40+ yards. I took that number anddivided it by the total games played. Here are themost and least explosive teams in football with theircorresponding record next to them.

Most Explosive Least Explosive1. San Diego ( 3 - 5 ) 1. St. Louis ( 4 - 4 )

2. New York Giants ( 5 - 2 ) T2. Carolina ( 1 - 6 )3. Denver ( 2 - 6 ) T2. Miami ( 4 - 3 )4. Oakland ( 4 - 4 ) T4. Baltimore ( 5 - 2 )

T5. Pittsburgh ( 5 - 2 ) T4. Buffalo ( 0 - 7 ) T5. Houston ( 4 - 3 ) 6. New Orleans ( 5 - 3 )7. Philadelphia ( 4 - 3 ) T7. Seattle ( 4 - 3 )

8. Tennessee ( 5 - 3 ) T7. Cincinnati ( 2 - 5 )

It is awfully early to proclaim a draft class a

hit or a miss, but the top two picks are playingreally well right now. Sam Bradford's season which includes 11 TDs / 8 INTs and 209 yards per game has been nothing short of stellar considering how badly his WR corps has been beat up. It's hardto knock the Rams for taking Bradford at this time. The same can be said for the Lions who resisted theurge to take tackles Trent Williams or Russell Okung and stuck with the best defensive player in the draft inNdamukong Suh. Suh already has 6.5 sacks, aninterception and a fumble recovery for a TD. I thinkSuh is playing just as well as Kevin Williams at this

point and a Pro Bowl appearance could very well be inthe rookie's future this year.

The first half of his game against the Steelerslooked like more of the same, but Drew Brees

snapped out of his funk in the 2nd half.

Defenses have clearly thrown Brees out of rhythm formuch of the year and his accuracy and confidence hasstruggled because of it. In the 2nd half against theSteelers, you could see Brees begin to pick upconfidence and by the end of the game, he looked likethe Brees of old.

This year the Patriots have won with an All -Pro guard missing, with undrafted free agentsgetting the carries at RB and with theirsupposed top WR option doing very little

before being traded.

The Colts are on their 3rdstring safety and they have had injuries across theboard on offense at different times of the year. TheSteelers came out and started 3 -1 without BenRoethlisberger. These teams are going out andplaying to win no matter who is missing and theGreen Bay Packers stopped worrying about who wasmissing and went out with that same mindset andbeat the Jets 9 - 0. Was it picture perfect? Obviously not, but stealing games like that when youare depleted due to injuries is what will win thePackers a division title.

This year's crop of QBs in the 2011 NFL Draft will be a very tricky group for teams toevaluate. On one hand, Andrew Luck looks thepart of the next Peyton Manning, but he doesn'talways play with the consistency that you would liketo see. He's clearly the top QB in the draft, however. Jake Locker is athletic, tough and able to make mostof the NFL throws, but he's more of an athlete than a QB. Ryan Mallett has great size and a big arm, buthe doesn't move around outside the pocket well andhis accuracy tends to break down at inopportune

times. Blaine Gabbert had all kinds of momentumuntil his last outing against Nebraska. ChristianPonder doesn't dominate the competition as often ashe should and Cam Newton has to prove that he canbe a consistent NFL passer because he won't berunning the zone read on the next level.


5/6

Alabama (7 - 1) vs. LSU (7 - 1)

Alabama - 23 vs. LSU - 14

R 2010 Ranking186.9 ypg - 30th Run Offense 179.1 ypg - 34th

253.9 ypg - 36th Pass Offense 138.8 ypg - 113th440.8 ypg - 23rd Total Offense 317.9 ypg - 101st34.3 ppg - 24th Scoring Offense 25.5 ppg - 73rd113.4 ypg - 17th Run Defense 128.1 ypg - 38th178.0 ypg - 16th Pass Defense 149.5 ypg - 4th291.4 ypg - 11th Total Defense 277.6 ypg - 7th12.5 ppg - 2nd Scoring Defense 15.6 ppg - 10th

Trent Ingram is not Cam Newto n - Two weeks ago, the Tigers possessed one of the best run stopping defenses inthe nation. Drake Nevis and company were holding offenses to 83 yards per game on the ground. Then, CamNewton happened. Sure, Newton is a sublime talent and

hes without question the most dynamic singular offensivetalent in 2010, but the Tigers still gave up nearly 200 yardsto guys not named Cam Newton. So, LSU had a week off to ready itself for the two headed monster named TrentIngram - Trent Richardson and Mark Ingram. Dealing

with the two stud backs is one thing, but the prevailing thought coming out of the Auburn game was whetherLSUs defensive front could handle the punishing Auburnoffensive line at the point of attack. If Newton accountedfor all of the rushing yards against LSU, you might be ableto rationalize that it was one transcendent player playing

great. But, it wasnt. That is the biggest worry fordefensive coordinator John Chavis - can his front handle

William Vlachos and company to just be in position tomake tackles on Richardson/Ingram? If not, itll be a massively long day as Trent Ingram may roll for 275+ inBaton Rouge.

7 for 60 - The most valuable and most important player wearing a yellow LSU helmet on Saturday afternoon will bePatrick Peterson. He was instrumental in shutting down

wide receiver Julio Jones in last years game, but when heleft the field due to an injury, Jones took a short screenpass 77 yards to the house for the game changing TD.Peterson has struggled with cramps this year and missedkey moments in big games ( UNC and Florida come to

mind )

. He cant miss one play against Alabama; he mustplay the entire 60 minutes.

Make a Play - The LSU offensive troubles have been wellchronicled throughout this season, but in the mostimportant games of the season, key players stepped up tomake big plays at the right time. Except against Auburn.If LSU has a shot to win this game, Terrence Toliver,Russell Shepard, Stevan Ridley must make something happen to put pressure on the Bama defense. Or else.

Conclusio n - If Alabama is going to make a move in the BCS rankings, nows the time. With games against LSU, MississippiState and Auburn down the stretch, Alabama controls its own destiny as it pertains to a national championship game visit.

Thumping LSU in Baton Rouge is hurdle number one for the Tide and Alabama will take care of that business this weekend.

November 6, 2010 - CBS 2:30 PM CST

Vegas Says: Alabama -6.5/44.5

Proj. Offensive Starters

Proj. Defensive Starters

Keys to the Gam e



QB 12 Greg McElroy Sr.RB 22 Mark Ingram Jr.H 85 Preston Dial Sr.

WR 8 Julio Jones Jr.WR 4 Marquis Maze Jr. TE 89 Michael Williams So.LT 77 James Carpenter Sr.LG 65 Chance Warmack So.C 73 William Vlachos Jr.

RG 75 Barrett Jones So.RT 52 Alfred McCullough Jr.

DE 92 Damion Square So.NT 99 Josh Chapman Jr.DE 57 Marcell Dareus Jr.LB 55 Chavis Williams Sr.LB 30 Donta Hightower So.LB 35 Nico Johnson So.LB 41 Courtney Upshaw Jr.CB 21 Dre Kirkpatrick So.SS 4 Mark Barron Jr.FS 37 Robert Lester So.CB 28 DeMarcus Milliner Fr.

Sep 4, 2010 W, SJSU 49 -7Sep 11, 2010 W, Penn St. 24-3Sep 18, 2010 W, Duke 62 -13Sep 25, 2010 W, Arkansas 24 -20Oct 2, 2010 W, Florida 31 -6Oct 9, 2010 L, S. Carolina 35-21Oct 16, 2010 W, Ole Miss 23 -10Oct 23, 2010 W, Tennessee 41 -10Oct 30, 2010 BYENov 6, 2010 @ LSUNov 13, 2010 Mississippi StateNov 20, 2010 Georgia StateNov 26, 2010 Auburn

QB J. Jefferson/J. LeeRB 34 Stevan Ridley JWR 10 Russell Shepard SoWR 2 Reuben Randle SoWR 80 Terrence Toliver Sr. TE 19 DAngelo Peterson JrLT 78 Joe Barksdale SLG 68 Josh Dworaczyk JrC 64 P.J. Lonergan So

RG 53 T-Bob Hebert JrRT 72 Alex Hurst So

DE 94 Kendrick Adams JrDT 95 Pep Levingston SrDT 92 Drake Nevis SrDE 89 Lavar Edwards SLB 23 Stefoin Francois JLB 11 Kelvin Sheppard SLB 22 Ryan Baker SCB 17 Morris Claiborne SoSS 15 Brandon Taylor JFS 37 Karnell Hatcher JrCB 7 Patrick Peterson Jr

Sep 4, 2010 W, UNC 30 -24Sep 11, 2010 W, Vandy 27-3Sep 18, 2010 W, MSU 29-7Sep 25, 2010 W, WVU 20 -14Oct 2, 2010 W, Tenn. 16 -14Oct 9, 2010 W, Florida 33 -29Oct 16, 2010 W, McNeese 32 -1Oct 23, 2010 L, Auburn 24 -1Oct 30, 2010 BYENov 6, 2010 Alabama Nov 13, 2010 ULMNov 20, 2010 Ole MissNov 27, 2010 @ Arkansas


6/6

TCU (9 - 0) vs. Utah (8 - 0)

TCU - 27 vs. Utah - 20

R 2010 Ranking270.9 ypg - 9th Run Offense 191.5 ypg - 27th214.8 ypg - 60th Pass Offense 258.1 ypg - 33rd485.7 ypg - 11th Total Offense 449.6 ypg - 21st40.8 ppg - 9th Scoring Offense 45.3 ppg - 3rd98.3 ypg - 9th Run Defense 102.8 ypg - 14th119.0 ypg - 1st Pass Defense 165.0 ypg - 10th217.3 ypg - 1st Total Defense 267.8 ypg - 6th8.7 ppg - 1st Scoring Defense 14.1 ppg - 6th

Gamechanger #1 - Every head coach throughout thecountry would love to have a player the caliber of TCUs Jeremy Kerley. Sure, everyone would love to have a great player, but Kerley is so much more than just a contributing player. Hell return kicks and punts. Hellplay in the slot at receiver and be one of the best catchand run threats in the MWC. Hell line up at running back when the Horned Frogs get into scoring range.Quite frankly, hes the crutch for QB Andy Dalton andthis Horned Frog offense. Hes averaging 134.4 yardstotal offense, nearly 13.9 yards per play, on just undernine touches per game. Against Utah, though, Kerley might need to push that number to 12 to 15 to putsignificant pressure on the Utah defense. The Utesdefense hasnt been tested this season, but Kerley will bea quantum physics mid -term if he gets the touches heshould.

Gamechanger #2 - Kerley isnt the only game changeron the field. Utahs uber player is Shaky Smithson andhis ability to change field position or put pressure on the

TCU defense equates to what Kerley can do for theHorned Frogs. Smithson has two punt returns fortouchdown this season and has the opportunity to turnthe field position in favor of the Utes. This is the typeof game in which field position is that much moreimportant. These two teams are accustomed to flying up and down the field, but not against defenses likethese. That being said, field position is paramount;Smithson can slip one tackle on a punt return and putthe Utes in scoring position at a time when Utah truly needs it.Unsung hero - Utah left tackle John Cullen has been a pleasant surprise for the Utes offense this season. In thefirst game of the season, Cullens first start of his career,he was faced with slowing down pre -season All -

Americans Greg Romeus and Jabaal Sheard. No worries.He was instrumental in shutting them down. Cullen

will now face one of the MWCs best this week, TCUsWayne Daniels. Itll be the biggest test of Cullenscareer to this point and he must survive for Utah to win.

Conclusio n - Utah QB Jordan Wynn experienced a nightmare last season in Fort Worth and needs to eradicate that from hismemory with a strong game at home in this one. Unfortunately, TCUs defense is still good enough to give him huge problems.

November 6, 2010 - CBS College 2:30 PM CST

Vegas Says: TCU -5/51



Keys to the Gam e



QB 3 Jordan Wynn SoRB 4 Matt Asiata SrWR 1 Shaky Smithson SWR 85 Jereme Brooks SrWR 11 Luke Matthews So TE 81 Kendrick Moeai SoLT 75 John Cullen JLG 72 Caleb Schlauderaff SC 77 Zane Taylor S

RG 54 Tevita Stevens SoRT 70 Tony Bergstrom Jr

DE 96 Junior Tuione SrDT 98 Sealver Siliaga JDT 44 Dave Kruger SoDE 94 Christian Cox SrLB 52 Matt Martinez JrLB 32 Chaz Walker JLB 18 Chad Manis SCB 27 Brandon Burton JS 2 Brian Blechen FS 33 Justin Taplin-Ross S

CB 21 Lamar Chapman S

Sep 2, 2010 W, Pitt 27 -24Sep 11, 2010 W, UNLV 38-10Sep 18, 2010 W, New Mexico 56Sep 25, 2010 W, SJSU 56-3Oct 2, 2010 BYEOct 9, 2010 W, Iowa St. 68 -2Oct 16, 2010 W, Wyoming 30 -Oct 23, 2010 W, CSU 59 -6Oct 30, 2010 W, Air Force 28 -Nov 6, 2010 TCUNov 13, 2010 @ Notre DameNov 20, 2010 @ San Diego StatNov 27, 2010 BYU

Sep 4, 2010 W, Oregon St. 30 -21Sep 11, 2010 W, Tenn Tech 62 -7Sep 18, 2010 W, Baylor 45-10Sep 24, 2010 W, SMU 41 -24Oct 2, 2010 W, CSU 27 -0Oct 9, 2010 W, Wyoming 45 -0Oct 16, 2010 W, BYU 31 -3Oct 23, 2010 W, Air Force 38 -7Oct 30, 2010 W, UNLV 48 -6Nov 6, 2010 @ Utah Nov 13, 2010 San Diego StateNov 20, 2010 BYENov 27, 2010 @ New Mexico

QB 14 Andy Dalton Sr.RB 34 Ed Wesley So.H 85 Jeremy Kerley Sr.Z 88 Jimmy Young Sr.X 13 Antoine Hicks Jr.

TE 84 Evan Frosch Sr.LT 61 Marcus Cannon Sr.LG 55 Kyle Dooley Jr.C 76 Jake Kirkpatrick Sr.

RG 78 Josh Vernon Sr.RT 70 Zach Roth Sr.

DE 90 Stansly Maponga Fr.NT 57 Cory Grant Sr.DT 94 D.J. Yendrey So.DE 96 Wayne Daniels Sr.MLB 35 Tanner Brock So.SLB 43 Tank Carder Jr.SS 28 Colin Jones Sr.FS 3 Tejay Johnson Sr.

WS 9 Alex Ibiloye Sr.CB 27 Jason Teague Sr.CB 7 Greg McCoy Jr.

1162010 view from the sideline

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