Trojans invade Texas Stadium

The Cincinnati Bengals may be in a competition to prove they are the worst in the NFL, but seeing them play in Texas Stadium easily held my interest. The Bengals showcased 3 USC Trojans against the Dallas Cowboys, playing on what may be the brightest stage of any in the NFL.

Carson Palmer’s day began on a bad note, throwing a pass that would be tipped and intercepted on the first play of the game. The former USC Heisman Trophy winner spent the entire game appearing to be bothered by the lingering effects of an elbow injury, dropped passes and poor route running, and mostly an aggressive Dallas defensive front. He finished with 217 yards and 2 touchdowns, as his now 0-5 Bengals showed some fight before falling 31-22 to the Boys.

It was only 9 months ago that we saw Keith Rivers cracking heads and making plays in the Rose Bowl. On Sunday, we saw the first round pick of the Bengals intercept a Tony Romo pass and return it 39 yards to give his offense great field position and the opportunity to hang another trey on the board. Rivers had 3 tackles to go along with his pick ,and has clearly adapted quickly to the speed of the NFL game.

During the Trojans Championship runs of 2003 and 2004, defensive end Frostee Rucker made it a habit to chase down opposing quarterbacks. The second quarter of yesterday’s game showed Rucker chasing down Romo and causing a fumble that would be recovered by the Bengals. In all, the Trojans accounted for 3 of the 4 turnovers in the game, recorded as an interception thrown by Palmer, a fumble caused by Rucker, and an interception grabbed by Rivers. I appreciate any opportunity to see guys that I’ve followed from the lower levels perform in the NFL, regardless of the colleges they attended. But to see a group of young Trojans playing on a single field, brings back memories and hits a little closer to home.

Fight On!

Matt Cassel to the Cowboys?

After spending his college career backing up Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart, and then thrust into a position to back up New England’s Tom Brady, Matt Cassel may possibly be on the move again. The situation in New England has changed. Matt Guitterez is impressive, a third-round pick was invested in rookie Kevin O’Connell, and Cassel is in the final year of his contract, which would allow him to walk in 2009.

According to Adam Shefter of the NFL Network, likely destinations for Cassel may be the Cowboys or Giants. New England may dangle the trade bait, looking to be compensated with a late round pick. Quarterbacks that may soon be on the market for back up roles may be Tampa’s Chris Simms and Miami’s John Beck, which would generate more interest than the seldom played Cassel. Schefter reports that the Dallas Cowboys have already offered a second-round pick for Beck, which is considerably high. They could probably pick up Cassel for a 6th or 7th rounder.

Cassel started no games as a Trojans quarterback, and spent some time playing tight end. He was developed under quarterback guru Norm Chow, and was believed to be the heir to Carson Palmer, until Matt Leinart made a push and won the job in 2003. Despite never starting under center, the New England Patriots drafted Cassel in the 7th round of the 2005 draft. He immediately secured the No. 2 spot, and held the role for 3 seasons.

Pearlman arrived today!

Well, he didn’t physically arrive, but a quick check of my mailbox revealed a package containing an autographed copy of Jeff Pearlman’s book. I’ve become quite a Pearlman fan, as would be most aspiring writers. The book I received today is “Love me, Hate me”, a biographical look at Barry Bonds, and I expect to be digging into these pages soon.

It shouldn’t be long before I’m ready to turn the pages on his newest release, “Boys will be boys”, which places the Cowboys of the 1990s under a microscope, giving the public a look at the antics and egos of the players beneath the uniforms. Anyone interested in an opportunity to win an autograph copy of this new release can go to Pearlman’s blog here, and provide the best answer to his question. The question alone is a reflection of his personality.

I wonder if I can talk him into scribbling words and binding a book about USC football and the personalities of the Pete Carroll era? It would sell, wouldn’t it? Los Angeles, 6th largest economy in the world, and no NFL franchise, plus the fact that so many people have hate that they can’t help reading anything that may outline a “dirty program”. But the most likely case is any book about college football would begin with Notre Dame. After all, from a media stance, don’t we all take a second seat to the Fighting Irish?

If It Looks Like A Rat...

Anytime I see photos of Carmella DeCesare, a few things come to mind. I’ll exclude my personal desires, for the sake of this piece, and touch on the memory of a then 49ers receiver, Terrell Owens, and his questioning of the sexual preference of quarterback Jeff Garcia. To put it not so nicely, T.O called Jeff gay.

A Quarterback/Receiver feud is neither new nor uncommon, but T.O took it to another level in his Playboy Magazine interview, when he made references to Garcia’s lifestyle (never seeing him with girls) and the way he carried himself. To quote Owens’ exact words, “Like my boy tells me: if it looks like a rat and smells like a rat, by golly, it’s a rat.”

Of course, there was a quick fallout to the statements, and one day later, Owens has clean up duty and says he didn’t know if Garcia was gay or not. Although his “misinterpretation” claim brought his saga to an end, it only marked the beginning for Jeff Garcia. Gay and Lesbian groups quickly came to Garcia’s defense and made him their poster boy, to which he wasn’t happy. He spent months defending his sexuality, and those groups spent months hammering away at T.O’s homophobic claim of keeping a distance from gay players, and plastering Garcia’s face as the victim.

The quarterback and receiver pair recently hooked up for another touchdown in last month’s Pro Bowl. But this time it wasn’t the single Jeff Garcia, who is never seen with girls, but the newlywed Garcia, who is married to Carmella DeCesare. Garcia married the former wrestler turned playmate last year, and anyone that’s seen her umm…”spread” in Playboy, knows she’s 100% woman. Unless this is one of those marriages of convenience, I would say Garcia has more than cleared his name. And if it is a marriage of convenience, I could only wish things could be as convenient for myself.

Since the marriage, I don’t believe the 2004 war of words between old 49ers has been revisited. It’s mostly all but forgotten, until I come across one of her photographs (or maybe 3 or 4). Who knows what Jeff’s bride would say about those old accusations, but the teary eyed Carmella would probably tune in with something like this:

“Y’all leave Jeff Garcia alone. That’s my soul mate. That’s my quarterback".

The 2008 NFL Fashion Show

It’s time for that annual gathering of NFL stars in Hawaii again. As usual, it’s supposed to act as the climax to a long season. But as usual, it won’t. If you can find an all star game in any league that’s packed full of expectation and excitement, let me know, because maybe I’m missing out on something. The last time I found myself intrigued by any of those all star affairs, I still hadn’t sprouted a single pubic hair.

Baseball tried to give something to play for. The winning league receives home field advantage in the world series. And just as quickly as they added this new incentive, is a quickly as no one cared. It’s a popularity contest, and I don’t care which league it is, someone deserving always gets snubbed for someone less deserving with more national recognition.

The theme for this year’s fashion show is "South Western wear". You know the saying, “that everything is bigger in Texas”, and this includes the number of cowboys on the Pro Bowl roster. I can certainly say that many of the Boys are deserving, but can anyone tell me how Roy Williams got there? Besides for a recognizable face and name, what were his achievements of 2007? All I’ve managed to see him achieving is a lot of resentment by his own Dallas following, wondering why he’s on the field and who they can possibly trade for him in the offseason.

One Texas Star is noticeably missing, and he doesn’t play in Dallas. I guess it’s going to take a long time before the league and fans give Houston’s Mario Williams any respect. The Texans were criticized for drafting him first, and analysts were critical of his first year play. But in 2007, Mario emerged as everything he was expected to be. He leads the AFC in sacks, yet he’s not on the AFC pro bowl roster. He’s hit and hurried QBs all season, and plugged running backs for short yardage. In other words, he did his job to the point where he was demanding double teams. But doing your job, and being the best at it, isn’t enough. This Texan parades the fashion show in Winter wear, left out in the cold with a face hidden beneath a hood, still a virtual unknown in the football world.

And what about Wes Welker? You don’t have to like the Patriots, but how could you not make a case for Welker’s snub in Hawaii. Sure he plays opposite Randy Moss, which is supposed to add to his production, but T.J. Houshmandzadeh plays opposite Chad Johnson, and T.J’s going to Hawaii. Welker has more receiving yardage than T.J, and was detrimental to his team’s success. With each having 112 receptions, Houshmandzadeh and Welker tied for the league lead. Welker was also the leading receiver for the Pats in the postseason.

I know Pro Bowl selections are made before the playoffs begin, but substitutions can come at any time. Randy Moss pulled out, and the AFC had the perfect opportunity to display both receptions leaders on the Pro Bowl roster, but again skipped over Welker, choosing Braylon Edwards instead. Again it comes down to which is more fashionable for wearing, and which garment will most impress your friends. You have Edwards, the 3rd pick in the first round of the 2005 draft (first receiver taken overall), and you have Welker that you managed to pick up at a Miami Dolphins yard sale. Which of the two would you wear to an NFL formal gathering?

Is the Pro Bowl a display of the NFL’s best talents? No. It’s a fashion statement, and the recognition of the brand is more important than the quality of the fabric. Is there any wonder to why it’s slowly falling apart?