Heisman: RGIII, No Luck, Montee and his TDs

By Dan Rodgers

Tonight, less than an hour ago, was the Heisman Trophy ceremony. QB Robert Griffin III won the prestigious award, the first Baylor player in history.

Below is the list of the first, second, and third place finishers for the award and their season statistics:

1. Robert Griffin III, QB 9-3 Baylor 3,998 p-yards 72.4% 36 TD 6 INT - 644 ru-yards 9 TD
2. Andrew Luck, QB 11-1 Stanford 3,170 p-yards, 70.0% 35 TD 9 INT - 153 ru-yards 2 TD
3. Trent Richardson, RB 11-1 Alabama 1,583 ru-yards 20 TD - 27 rec 327 rec-yards 3 TD

It appears that RGIII has the best statistical season of the three top vote-getters. However, for much of the season, Luck was playing with a few walk-on receivers and his tight end. Trent Richard "led" his team to a more-than-likely berth in the BCS National Championship game and had over 160 total yards in the team's only loss: 9-6 OT to LSU (the kicker missed multiple FGs). Take a look at two other players I feel were deserving of consideration:

Russell Wilson, QB 11-2 Wisconsin 2879 p-yards 72.5% 31 TD 3 INT - 320 ru-yards 5 TD
Montee Ball, RB 11-2 Wisconsin 1759 ru-yards 32 TD - 20 rec 255 rec-yards 6 TD

Wilson had a comparable season to RGIII, and the only reason his passing yards are so long is because Wisconsin often pulled him from the game when they were killing their opponent. They also would be playing for the National Championship had they not lost on a hail mary in back-to-back games. Even more impressive is the job Ball did carrying to load when Wilson need a pick-me-up. It is even scarier to think of what Ball's totals would be like if he did split some carries with James White, who stole over 600 yards and 6 TDs.

I am probably not as educated as I should be in Heisman voting, how they choose the top candidates, etc. I would like to think that each player is evaluated similarly. I would have expected the fact that RGIII didn't lead his team to a conference championship to hinder his chances. Baylor was blown out twice and RGIII was completely outplayed in one of the games. I guess the voters didn't feel as if the other players had a good enough season statistically speaking, for that to come in to play.

Look out tomorrow for NFL picks...

Rodgers That

NFL Week 7: Bouncing back

By Dan Rodgers

Just as I suspected, last week I bounced back fairly well from my dreadful week 5. If you're not yet convinced of my talent, I'm going to try to find the numbers for my previous seasons so you can see my consistency.

NCAA: Rough week for Top 25 as seven teams went down, including four to unranked opponents and two top 10 teams. Unfortunately, I was hit by a few of those because I didn't expect Wisconsin to only play in the first and fourth quarters

Chi 1.5/TB (in London) No home team, the Bucs got up last week for New Orleans and Chicago is playing better
Was/Car 3 Should be able to take care of business at home assuming Philly showed Washington's true colors last week
SD/NYJ 1 Weird spread and movement all week, Jets play well at home
Sea/Cle 3 Seattle still sucks and is a road team...
Hou/Ten 3 Curious spread, I think Houston is just the better team
Den 1/Mia Crazy movement in this line, and rightfully so...Denver should kill them
Atl/Det 3 This line dropped but I still like Atlanta, Detroit SU
KC/Oak 4.5 Who knows what the Raiders are getting from their QB, possible upset, Oakland SU
Pit 4.5/Ari Pittsburgh should be more than 4.5 points better than Arizona, weak SB rematch
GB 12/Min Aaron Rodgers is amazing (it comes with the last name)
Stl/Dal 14 Rams are defeated, so that allows me to take Dallas here SURVIVOR (5-1)
Ind/NO 13.5 Even though Indy is defeated, I think they'll cover, wish I had the extra half point though... NO SU
Bal 10/Jax There is a time and place for EVERY rule to be broken and this is it... There is no reason for the Ravens to not win this game by 30+ points

Week 1: 7-9 ATS 10-6 SU
Week 2: 10-6 ATS 13-3 SU
Week 3: 11-4-1 ATS 10-6 SU
Week 4: 9-7 ATS 13-3 SU
Week 5: 6-7 ATS 7-6 SU
Week 6: 10-3 ATS 10-3 SU
Total: 53-36-1 ATS 63-27 SU

I just realized I took nine out of 13 road teams to cover, that's pretty wild. Of course I'll probably go 16-1 with survivor but who cares because I screwed myself!

Anyway, this is an interested week because there are a lot of double digit spreads (4) and spreads of a field goal or less (7). I think it's about time we see some separation and the good teams rise to the top. I hate letting mediocre teams (Buffalo/Washington) hang around.

Week 7 bold prediction: The Broncos, Packers, Cowboys and Ravens all win by at least three touchdowns.

@dhrodgers52

Rodgers That

NFL Week 6: Paying the bills

By Dan Rodgers

OK, well that warning in the last post about a last week was coincidentally in reference to last week. It was one of the worst football weeks of my entire life.

The Giants started the party by sucking against a team that is so terrible on the road, it's ALMOST a guaranteed win for their opponents. The Seahawks this season, before the Giants game, were 2-0 ATS at home and 0-2 ATS on the road. But that trend isn't just this season, they have been known for being terrible on the road and competitive at home. But of course, since I picked the Giants in every way possible, they lost...

Joining the party were the two backdoor covers in the late games. New England and San Diego both kicked late field goals in their respective games to cover the spread, if you got it late in the week. The Pats opened at -9.5 and won by 9, but they closed at -7. The Chargers were -6 to open the week, but closed at 4.5 and they won by 5. So basically, it was just a whole big mess.

In terms of the headline, "Paying the bills," is in reference to my need to pay my bills. Usually, I am beyond against it, but I am working during the early games this Sunday. The Ravens (girlfriend's team) don't play until 4 and the Jets play MNF. *I know, bring on the boos

So you'll get a video right now for Sunday and I'll throw in some college:



These are my picks for now, but I'm going to review them tonight or tomorrow and possibly make some changes so check back.

Stl/GB 14 I have a new rule to always take the underdog in a double-digit spread, but the exception is if the favorite is undefeated...
Jax/Pit 12 The Steelers aren't undefeated (see above)
Phi 1.5/Was I have to give the Eagles a shot... they lose here and they're done
SF/Det 4 San Fran is playing very well, but I think the Lions can take care of business at home
Car/Atl 4 While Carolina covers all the time, I think Matty Ice will get back on track at home
Ind/Cin 7 The Bengals are way more than 7 points better than Indy... especially at home
Buf/NYG 3 I hate the Giants, but they should rebound at home
Hou/Bal 7.5 The Ravens catch Houston without Andre and Mario...plus Schaub is banged up SURVIVOR (4-1)
Cle/Oak 6.5 Oakland had an emotional win last week and they will have another one at home this week
Dal/NE 6.5 Dallas has a good enough offense to keep up with New England...possible upset but not likely
NO 4.5/TB I LOVE THE SAINTS IN THIS GAME! Tampa might not be as good as everyone thought... the Saints will show that
Min/Chi 3 Interesting game...if Chicago's defense can't get back on track Minnesota can take this SU and AP will have a field day
Mia/NYJ 7 The Jets must win to stay alive and they will cover if Brandon Marshall stays true to his word on getting ejected

Week 1: 7-9 ATS 10-6 SU
Week 2: 10-6 ATS 13-3 SU
Week 3: 11-4-1 ATS 10-6 SU
Week 4: 9-7 ATS 13-3 SU
Week 5: 6-7 ATS 7-6 SU
Total: 43-33-1 ATS 53-24 SU

Survivor: I know I got knocked out because of the stupid Giants, but if you're still in, now is the time to take the Ravens. They are a solid favorite and facing a Texans team that is very beat up and missing two of their best players. Baltimore should be able to capitalize in a big way.

Week 6 bold prediction: Should be a big week for the favorites...at least 10 of them cover

Twitter: @dhrodgers52

Rodgers That

Auburn slips by Oregon

By Dan Rodgers

Well, the much anticipated BCS National Championship is over. The Auburn Tigers defeated the Oregon Ducks 22-19 with a last second field goal. The game wasn't the shootout that some people were expecting, and both defenses showed up.

Both teams were averaging over 30 points per game coming into the game, but turnovers played a large factor in the low-scoring game. Cam Newton threw one interception and lost a fumble, and Darron Thomas threw two interceptions.

However, a huge point in the game was when Auburn was stopped at the one yard line in the second quarter. LaMichael James was then tackled in the endzone for a safety, and Auburn scored a touchdown on their next drive for a 16-11 lead.

After an Auburn field goal, an Oregon touchdown and two-point conversion the game was tied. The very next drive is when Auburn kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired, but the pivotal play on the drive was a 37-yard run by RB Michael Dyer. He was tackled on top of a player and was never down, so he got up and scampered to the Oregon 23. The field goal was a chip-shot 19 yarder.

A fun fact about the game is that it is the first NCAAF National Championship game between two teams that weren't ranked in the top 10 to start the season.

Rodgers That

Carolina not so LUCKy

By Dan Rodgers

Stanford QB Andrew Luck has declared that he will be returning to school for his senior season. This decision is said not to change after Luck learned that his coach, Jim Harbaugh, signed a contract to be the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers.

Harbaugh signed a five year deal on Friday, worth approximately $25 million. It was speculated, especially by me, that he would choose San Fran because of the proximity to Stanford.

Back to Luck, who was said by many to be the consensus No. 1 overall pick of the 2011 NFL Draft. The Carolina Panthers have that pick and it was widely speculated that they wanted to take Luck even though they drafted Jimmy Clawful in the second round of last year's draft.

Carolina will now have to completely rethink their draft strategy because the other QBs available (Mallet, Newton, Locker, etc) aren't considered to be No. 1 status.

I respect Luck for his decision while other people have been ripping him a new one for it. One guy called in on 105.7 The Fan and said he would tell his son to go pro and get the money while he could.

I guess I understand why it would make sense to go pro. If Luck tears his ACL his draft stock will plummet. However, even a bad season could hurt him since he is already the consensus No. 1 pick there is nowhere to go but down. However, you have to respect a kid who knows he will probably be the first overall pick and is staying in school even though his coach has already left as well.

Good luck Luck...

Rodgers That

The Way the World Works

By Dan Rodgers

Okay, so this post is going to a be a short description letting you know how the world works as of December 2010. Ready, go.

• Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera are Yankees
• Red Sox trade for Adrian Gonzalez in attempt to keep up with Yankees
• Troy Tulowitzki overrated? No sir, best shortstop in the big leagues

• Virginia Tech Hokies are ACC Champs having won 11 straight
• Oregon and Auburn stay unbeaten and head to BCS National Championship, sorry TCU - not this year...better luck next year in the Big East
• Cam Newton is a lock for the Heisman Trophy
  

• Jets and Pats battle Monday night for AFC East supremacy
• Ravens and Steelers battle Sunday night for AFC North supremacy
• The whole NFC is a complete mess and a .500 or sub-.500 team may win their division

• UNC Men's BBall is a joke even though they beat Kentucky by two at home
• On the other hand, Duke is playing at the level they are ranked, No. 1

• The Heat don't look too hot with their "Big 3"
• Why is the Western Conference so much better than the Eastern?
  
• Anyone surprised by New Orleans(13-6) and Utah(15-6), I sure am...

• Caps, Pens tied for most points in NHL - surprise surprise...
• Why is the Eastern Conference so much better than the Western?

As you can tell, quite a bit is going on in the sports world. Some eyebrow-raising, some not. The point is, it's unpredictable. I love it and I love that Jeter and Mo re-signed. It's no surprise that the Sox gone Gonzalez, but I was hoping SD would keep him. The NFL is beyond nuts and don't get me started on NCAA Basketball. The NHL seems to be the most predictable with the NBA being somewhat surprising. We'll see where we're at in a month or so.

Rodgers That

BCS proves stupidity

By Dan Rodgers

The next BCS poll was released, 2 Oregon jumped 1 Auburn. Both teams won this week by about 20 points over their respective opponents. Why would Oregon then jump them? The BCS calculates a bunch of random crap that I don't feel like stating. This poll is completely worthless and the No. 1 ranked team just lost their top ranking after winning by 20 and staying undefeated.

Clearly, college football needs to just adapt college basketball's system and just use one set of rankings. This is getting ridiculous. I'm so upset I don't even know what to say, and because of that I'm done. I'm tired and sick, good night to all.

Rodgers That

Surprising Saturday

By Dan Rodgers

Today we experienced just about everything except the NFL, which of course, is saved for Sundays at this point in the season. Some of the exciting headlines

MLB:

• Texas showed no hangover from the heartbreaking loss in game one, dominated game two with a 7-2 victory. The series heads to New York, with Cliff Lee set to pitch...it's getting interesting. Series even at 1-1
  
• Surprisingly enough, this game went over the six runs predicted by the odds makers. More surprisingly, San Francisco came away with a huge upset victory in Philly to take away home-field advantage. San Fran leads 1-0
  

NCAAF:

• 1 Ohio State knocked off by 18 Wisconsin. Second consecutive week the No. 1 ranked team has lost.
• Un-ranked Kentucky upset 10 South Carolina, un-ranked Mississippi State upset 22 Florida, un-ranked San Diego State upset 23 Air Force
• 5 Nebraska get completely outplayed and throws away their National Championship hopes with a loss to un-ranked Texas.
• Will 3 Boise State jump to No. 1?
  

NHL:

• Caps have early season magic, come back from 2-0 to win 3-2 in OT.
• Blackhawks show no sign of slowing with 4-3 win over Sabres.

NFL:

• Get ready for some crazy week six action tomorrow.

Rodgers That

The BCS sucks

By Dan Rodgers

It is no where near time for college football, and nothing in the news has even happened to relate to it. That doesn't mean we can't talk about it thought, right?

I want to let the world know what the NCAA should do at the end of the season.

1. Get rid of the BCS
2. Get rid of the BCS
3. Possibly end the season a week early
4. No time off, playoffs start immediately
5. 64 team bracket, just like March Madness
6. There are 34 bowl games, so the NCAA will lose two sponsorships
7. 32 different sponsors can sponsor each game just like the bowl games
8. The early round playoff games will be sponsored by the lesser known sponsors
9. The late games, quarters/semis/championship will be the Tostitos Fiesta/Sugar/Rose etc.
10. This will allow teams like TCU, Boise State and Cincinnati will all have a chance at the championship. There were five undefeated teams last year and two got a fair chance to win it all
11. Umm, I think that's all...

Summary:

• Playoff bracket instead of BCS games
• Sponsor each game in playoff instead of bowl
• Every team has fair shot to win it

College football would be so much more popular and could compete with March Madness if they had something like Jolly January...

Rodgers That

This Week's Down and Dirty

By Dan Rodgers

Week 2:

The Down

Tim Tebow - QB NFL Draft Prospect

There was a report earlier this week that Tim Tebow was at Palm Beach Autographs in Florida to sign autographs. They were priced at $160 per autograph and an additional $75 if you wanted a picture with the University of Florida legend. If you do the math, with the approximate 1,500 people that showed up, over $240,000 was raised. It is said that a portion of this will go to Tebow's foundation, but I personally think it's ridiculous to charge anything but especially that much. Unless all the money goes to charity of course. Tebow is a national icon and is about to get drafted in this year's NFL Draft. This is ridiculous.

The Dirty

Dallas Mavericks - 11 game win streak

I don't see how Dallas can't be mentioned. I understand it's only for this week, but the Mavs are clearly the hottest team in the NBA. They have stampeded all the way back to second place in the Western Conference, only three games behind the L.A. Lakers. Look out for the Mavs to challenge the Lakers for the one seed if L.A. can't get their act together (three game losing streak).

Rodgers That

A first for the Crimson Tide

By Dan Rodgers

Just a quickie here folks.

Not a surprise to many, but to some...Alabama Crimson Tide running back Mark Ingram has won the 2009 Heisman Trophy. His performance in the SEC championship game against Florida certainly helped his cause, 113 yards and three touchdowns. He finished with over 1,500 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. He added 30 receptions for over 300 yards and three more touchdowns, including a 69-yard screen play in the game against Florida.

Ingram received 1,304 points, just above the 1,276 that Stanford running back Toby Gerhart. Gerhart had a phenomenal year for the Cardinals, over 1,700 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns.

Longhorns QB Colt McCoy came in third with 1,145 points, Nebraska DL Ndamukong Suh received 815 points and Florida QB Tim Tebow finished off the ballot in fifth with 390 points.

The biggest part of Ingram receiving the honor is that of Alabama's historic program, he is the first player to win the Heisman. The Crimson Tide's history includes players like Broadway Joe Namath, Ken Stabler, and Ozzie Newsome.

Congrats to the running back and good luck to Alabama in the BCS National Championship game against Texas.

Rodgers That

NCAAF Conference Championship Review

By Dan Rodgers

ACC - Unfortunately, my VA Tech Hokies were not apart of this game this year but that doesn't mean that a good show wasn't put on. C.J. Spiller went to work on his Heisman case but it wasn't enough to stop Josh Nesbitt and the Yellow Jackets. Spiller had a ridiculous game, rushing for 233 yards and four touchdowns. However, Nesbitt rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown and passed for 136 yards and another touchdown. To be honest, I wasn't expecting it, but hats off for GA Tech even though I still wish it was VA Tech was apart of it. Good luck to the Yellow Jackets in, most likely, the Orange Bowl against Iowa or Penn State.


Big 12 - Well this was just an absolutely ridiculous game. It wasn't exactly the smartest play that I have ever seen a QB make, but Colt McCoy got lucky that after he rolled out and threw the ball away there was still one second left on the clock. Game winning 46-yard field goal, boom...game over and the Longhorns are going to the BCS National Championship. End of story, there is no question about it. On a personal note, even though I love McCoy, his three interceptions probably destroyed his Heisman hopes due to the stellar day that many others had. No worries, he gets his shot at a ring.

Big East - This game is the definition of a heartbreaker for Pitt. They were ahead by as many as 21 and took a touchdown lead with less than two minutes play. However, a botched snap/hold on the extra point proved to be the difference in the game as Cinci put together a great drive to win the game on the extra point. Dion Lewis' 47 carries for 194 yards and 3 touchdowns was not enough. Cincinatti, though undefeated, will most likely be playing Florida in the Sugar Bowl.

Big Ten - Ohio State already clinched their birth into the Rose Bowl against Oregon. Woo woo, congrats.

Pac-10 - Oregon defeated Oregon State two days ago to clinch the title and face Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.

SEC - If you know me at all, I have been all over Alabama this entire season. This game tells you why: Bama 32 Florida 13. If you ask me, this is the only stat you need, but I will also give you that the Crimson Tide rushed for well over 200 yards which is obviously most the this season. Bama got some revenge from last year and earned their birth in the BCS National Championship game in Pasadena. Best of luck boys, you will probably face Texas. Note: Mark Ingram was responsible for 189 yards and three touchdowns, and he deserves the Heisman.

Rodgers That

(9) Oklahoma State @ (2) Texas Tech

Alright guys, here is just a quick bit about the Ok St. @ T-Tech game that could possibly decide which team has an opportunity at the national championship. In case you didn't know, both teams are top 10 in the nation in total offensive yards and points per game. However, Ok St. has an unbelievable rush offense (Kendall Hunter/1200 yds. 11 TD) while TTech has the second best pass offense in the nation. It is most likely easier for TTech to adjust to stop the prolific rush offense of Ok St. (who averages over 270 yds. per game) then for Ok St. to stop the aerial attack of TTech who averages over 420 yards per game. Given this, I don’t think that Ok St. will be able to stop Graham Harrell, Michael Crabtree, and the Red Raiders.

Rodgers’ Pick: Texas Tech 34 Oklahoma State 27


Unlike Rodgers on this one, I am willing to admit that I am 100% on Texas Techs Offense’s nuts. The only thing that I am going to tell you about Ok St. is that the only solid team they have beaten to get to their beloved #9 spot in the questionable BCS standings was Chase Daniel and the Mizzou Tigers. The only other ranked team that they have played was the previously #1 Texas and lost. Remember last week the team that beat those Longhorns, THE TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS. Now I am going to force feed you my opinion of how TTU is one of the top 3 most explosive offenses in all of college football. Graham Harrell has proven that he can pass for 400 yards against any defensive unit. Texas has an elite defense, and when put to the challenge, Harrell threw for 474 yards and 2 touchdowns. One of those touchdowns coming with 8 seconds left to win it. Michael Crabtree, the freak of nature who caught that touchdown, is an all out playmaker. I would say that this sophomore’s performance would be a factor in this game, but honestly, who can stop him.

Price’s Pick: Texas Tech 48 Oklahoma State 24
(RAPE)

Leatherman’s Pick: Texas Tech 38 Oklahoma State 20

Quote of the Post: “Hop off”
(Rodgers referring to Price being all over Michael Crabtree and Texas Tech’s nuts)


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