Ouch-O Cinco and Others...

Ouch-O Cinco

Chad Johnson looked terrible yesterday. He was a non-factor in the game and dropped one of the most important passes for the season. Cinci basically moved themselves out of the playoffs by losing this week. They have a tougher schedule and will not run the table or at least win all but one. Johnson was injured, but not on the play that everyone gives credit for. Donte Whitner did NOT hurt Johnson on that play. I'm not even convinced that Whitner made significant contact with Whitner. I'll tell you the play that Johnson was injured on. The planting forearms of George (Hey Mr.) Wilson forced Johnson to smash his face off of the unforgiving turf. After that play Johnson did not catch a pass. He looked shaky and his face told the story of someone that had suffered a concussion. He looks bad this season and his tears on the sidelines were a sad sight of a former game breaker. I guess this opens the door for T.J. Who's-Your-Mama.



Manning Up

The Colts/Pats game did not really prove much in my mind. I guess it showed that both teams can score points despite sub par offense. The Colts were without Tony Ugoh and Marvin Harrison and that is bigger than ANY players that the Pats were without. With Ugoh in the game Manning doesn't see half the pressure that he did and takes significantly less number of hits. Harrison goes without saying. There's a reason why he and Manning are the top tandem in history. When/if they meet in the playoffs I see a different outcome. The Pats are human.



L.A.'s New Look

Joe Torre and his crew of Bowa and Mattingly are going to do great things in L.A. I see the playoffs in their immediate future with a great batting coach and the best infield coach in the game. Robinson Cano owes his success in the field to Bowa and his relentless tips and techniques. Torre looked great in his press conference too. Handling questions just as one would think, but mixing in a fair amount of comedy too which seemed forbidden by the Emperor.

Frank Yallop decided to leave the L.A. Galaxy today in favor of coaching the expansion San Jose Earthquakes. That used to be my favorite team before they moved to Houston and now are looking poised to grab me again. My personal choice of replacement is Bruce Arena who also left his coaching post today. His ties with Landon Donovan are very strong and he would salivate at the opportunity to coach David Beckham. Look for a MLS Cup run next season if this all works out.



Sunday Night

Don't look too far ahead or the Dolphins could get their first win of the season. While it's exciting to see the Bills/Pats on Sunday night next week, we shouldn't look past this weekend's match-up against the winless and hopeless Dolphins. We just need to take care of business and allow what we do best (run the ball) to dictate the play. I agree though, Sunday night football will be nasty.


Long Live Sports,

DG2