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Sunday, October 21, 2001
Big Ben's College Pigskin Recap Frenzy By Ben Maller I felt all season that Oregon was one of the most overrated teams in college football. The Ducks defense let them down in the end. It was good to see Stanford pull the shocker. I had a chance to see Tyrone Willingham's club play USC in person and came away very impressed with their offensive and defensive lines especially. RB Kerry Carter took advantage of that o-line to score four touchdowns.  Stanford rallied from a 42-28 fourth-quarter deficit by blocking a punt and intercepting Oregon's Joey Harrington, turning both turnovers into touchdowns. Does Oregon have enough to rebound and still get a BCS slot and $13 million dollars minimum? Or do they lose to UCLA also?  Joe Paterno deserves to go out in style. Penn State is one of the classiest programs in College Ball thanks to Paterno's leadership. Congratulations to Joe Pa for finally tying Bear Bryant's Division 1-A record of 323 coaching victories. You can add Northwestern to the list of most overrated teams in the country. The Wildcats have now lost by 30 to a bad Ohio State team on the road and an even worse Penn State team at home.  DeShaun Foster had a good game with 117 yards and three touchdowns against the worst defense in America the Cal Golden Bears. UCLA beat Cal 56-17 and Foster did nothing to hurt his Heisman chances. Cory Paus had three touchdown passes. Can he do it on the road the next 2 weeks against Stanford and Washington State? Same old sorry-ass Trojans. USC played well at times and had a 13-10 lead in the second half but turnovers killed Southern Cal in a 27-16 loss to Notre Dame. USC's front seven should be whipped. Irish QB Carlyle Holiday rushed for 98 yards and a score and Julius Jones added 95 yards on the ground as Notre Dame racked up 208 yards rushing.  Carson Palmer continues to give out headaches to SC fans. Palmer completed 19-of-30 passes for 230 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. The Trojans at 2-5 have to win all the games left on their schedule to even be bowl eligible. Wait till next year. (Again!) BenMaller.com College Trivia Question of the week: Now that Oregon's 23 game home winning streak is over, who has the longest current home winning streak in the nation? Answer later. Now that Fresno State's clock has struck midnight the Cinderella of College Football is Maryland.  Ralph Freidgen kept the magic going with 59-17 rout of Duke. Maryland scored touchdowns on its first six possessions and amassed 428 yards in total offense. The Terps had 362 yards rushing as a team and are now 7-0 for the first time since 1985.  Tennessee made me look like a genius with a 35-24 come from behind victory at Tuscaloosa. Travis Stephens is going to be a star in the NFL, heck he is a star right now with 162 yards and two touchdowns against Bama. The Volunteers became the first school in history to defeat Alabama seven straight times. Colorado came back to earth after a five game winning streak with a 41-7 loss to Texas. The Longhorns still have a great shot at a BCS bowl if they can win out. Florida State beat Virginia 43-7 and coach Bobby Bowden moved closer to the career victories record. Bowden, moved into a tie with Pop Warner for third place in Division I-A victories with 319, four behind Bear Bryant and Joe Paterno.  Sooner QB Jason White looked good at times in what was more of a scrimmage than a game as Oklahoma beat Baylor 33-17... White gets the start next week in Lincoln, NB. He had 343 yards and a touchdown and also ran for another score. Baylor lost its 25th straight conference game, dating back to 1998. Nebraska beat Texas Tech 41-31 as QB Eric Crouch passed for three touchdowns and ran for another score. A bad sign for the Huskers as they get ready for Oklahoma is this stat: Texas Tech had 440 yards of offense, 75 more than anyone had gained against Nebraska this season. Clemson's Woodrow Dantzler can forget the Heisman Trophy after Julius Peppers and North Carolina held the Tigers QB to 118 total yards.  Washington's Cody Pickett threw for a career high 455 yards with three touchdowns and four interceptions... That's the good news the bad news is Pickett had to run in for a 3 yard score with 13 seconds left to pull out a three point home win against a bad Arizona team. Its good to see that BYU does not try to run up the score on people. Oops I take that back after a 63-33 win against Air Force. The Cougars had 611 total yards, Brandon Doman threw four touchdown passes. Isn't it bad karma at this time of war to run up the score on the military? David Letterman will have alot to talk about Monday Night. Ball State which plays its home games at David Letterman stadium upset (25) Toledo 24-20. That loss ended the Rockets 12-game winning streak Ben Maller.com College Trivia Question Answer: Nebraska has the longest current home winning streak in Division 1-A at 19 straight permalink Saturday, October 20, 2001
TO PLAY THE SHOOT BIN LADEN GAME CLICK HERE **WARNING** It's politically incorrect and you must be over 18 to play. permalink Friday, October 19, 2001
Friday Thoughts, Opinions and Notes  By Ben Maller The Yankees turned on the switch after a 0-2 start to the Division Series against the Athletics. New York plays with so much confidence, it seems like everyone on the roster has been through the playoff grind before. Joe Torre was a poor manager with the Mets, Braves and Cardinals its amazing what Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams and Mariano Rivera can do for a guy. Mo Vaughn made the worst free agent decision in baseball history. Vaughn chose a six year $80 million dollar deal with the Disney Angels rather than staying with the Red Sox. Vaughn was a household name in Boston. More people in Southern California knew who Vaughn was when he played in Boston.  The Dodgers should pick up Jeff Shaw's option for next season. How often can you find a pitcher who saved 43 games at $7 million bucks. John Hart is one of the most overrated GM's in the game. Its amazing to me that the Texas Rangers are so gung ho about him. Hart had 10 years to get the Indians a number-one starter and the best he could do was an over-the-hill Chuck Finley? The Detroit Tigers should be punished for what they did to former Dodger Roger Cedeno. The Tigers benched Cedeno for the season's final 19 games, meaning he missed out $200,000 in bonuses based on plate appearances because of his Sept. 15 benching. Ben Maller.com Trivia Question of the week: Which defense has allowed the fewest points in the NFL this season? $2.5 million just won't get you much these days in Major League Baseball. That's how much Brent Mayne will get to be the backup catcher for the Kansas City Royals next season. Mayne batted .285 with two home runs and 20 RBIs. I wonder if Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio called Larry Dierker to wish him well. The Killer B's killed Dierker's managerial career. The Stros won 4-of-5 Division titles with Dierker but he was forced to quit after a 2-12 record thanks to his stars' poor post-season play. Is it just me or is the NBA exhibition season way too long? How can the league justify having teams play as many as seven preseason games?  Michael Jordan of the Wizards will probably miss around 20 games because of tendonitis and bumps and bruises alone. Jim McIlvaine has 2-years left on a seven-year $33 million dollar contract he signed with Seattle. That didn't stop the New Jersey Nets from waiving McIlvaine. Something tells me some NBA team will swallow up the white stiff. Miami Heat coach Pat Riley who used to lead the Lakers will have a financial interest in the "Lake Show" winning a third consecutive National Basketball Association title, or ``three-peat,'' a phrase he trademarked more than 10 years ago. Riley can cash in on royalties if Shaq, Kobe and company can do it again. Shaquille O'Neal has a new agent, Perry Rogers who is best known as a good friend of tennis star Andre Agassi. I wonder what Leonard Armato thinks about Shaq's decision. I wonder, as many do, how long can the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim exist after just 6,500 fans showed up to watch the Ducks take on the Boston Bruins? Scott Wolf of the LA Daily News is yet more proof that sports writers are idiots. Wolf for the second consecutive AP Poll voted Texas ahead of UCLA in the poll. What a dick.  The Los Angeles Colts sounds good. Many rumors this week that Jim Irsay the Indianapolis owner reportedly has thought of moving his franchise west. I wouldn't mind seeing Peyton Manning, Edgaren James and Marvin Harrison in their prime. Rob Johnson looked like the star he will soon be last night with the Buffalo Bills. Johnson was 23--for-30 passing for 238 yards with a TD pass to Eric Moulds. Once Rob gets his confidence, watch out! Kurt Warner and the Rams play the Jets in a big NFL matchup this weekend. Warner is 26-and-6 as a starter. I wonder what Tommy Maddux record was as Rams' starter. This week's Tennessee at Detroit matchup features 3 Heisman Trophy winners. Titans RB Eddie George in 1995, Lions QB Ty Detmer in 1990 and Lions WR Desmond Howard in 1991. Its hard to believe, but the Kansas City Chiefs have the NFL's best record against the NFC since 1995 at 19-and-7. KC plays Arizona this week.  Bob Stoops made another great coaching decision when the coach of the No.2 Sooners decided to go with Jason White as his starter against Baylor instead of Nate Hybl. Stoops knows Oklahoma is going to need more offense to beat Nebraska. I saw Washington State beat Montana State 53-28 on Fox Sports Northwest Thursday night. QB Jason Gesser looked great. He had three touchdown passes, ran for another score while passing for 374 yards before heading to the bench in the 4th quarter. Robert Thomas of UCLA is the 2nd best defensive player in college football. Safety Roy Williams of Oklahoma is the best. DeShaun Foster of UCLA is the best running back in college football. The NCAA should get rid of weak division-one football programs such as Utah State, Kent State, Western Michigan and Idaho State. I think Major League Baseball, the NFL, NHL and NBA should follow the NCAA's lead. Would anyone miss the Blue Jackets, Warriors, Bengals, Royals, Devil Rays or Hawks? From news of the stupid: The University of Kentucky is setting up a toll-free hotline for its employees, alumni and the public to report any NCAA rules violations by its sports programs. This reminds me of a radio station that I used to work for that had a "Gripe Box." The first time someone put a grip in the box, the program director demanded to find out who it was so he could be fired.  Now a message from our sponsors... A friendly reminder to listen to my radio show this weekend on your local Fox Sports Radio station. It's me and Patrick O'Neal from 2am till 5am(est) Saturday morning. (Now Heard on 940am in Miami) Sunday morning from 4am till 7am, I'll be on with my partner Jason Smith who returns from vacation. We'll breakdown all the college football action and preview the week's action in the NFL. (Now Heard on 940am in Miami) Ben Maller Trivia Question of the Week answer: The Chicago Bears' defense has allowed the fewest points in the NFL (43). The Bears are off to their best start since 1991. Big Ben Maller's Five Star College Pick of the Week   (11) Tennessee (3-1) at Alabama (3-3) The Line: Tennessee -1 1/2 Big Ben's Breakdown: This is a bounce back game for the Volunteers who are coming off a 26-24 last second home loss to Georgia. Tennessee is coming off a bye week and that's a good thing. Phillip Fulmer traditionally prepares his team nicely following open dates, as he owns a 16-4 record in those contests. Fulmer has guided his Vols to a 4-0 mark against the Crimson Tide in meetings played following an open date. Tennessee's defense must bounce back after allowing 371 yards of total offense to the bulldogs. Despite that performance the Vols defense still leads the conference and ranks eighth in the nation in total defense (259.5ypg). Tennessee is second in the SEC and seventh in the country in scoring defense (14ppg). The Vols are at their best against the run allowing just 47.8 yards per game on the ground; that ranks second in the country. This is the key match-up of the game: the Tennessee rush defense against the Alabama running game. The Tide led the SEC and are ninth in the country in rushing offense (229.3 ypg) Alabama is ranked seventh in total defense in the SEC (337.2 ypg). Bama has not been able to stop the passing game allowing 216.7 yards, per game, through the air for eighth in the SEC. Ben's Bottom Line: This is a big rivalry game. Look for Casey Clausen to make some big plays to star WR Kelley Washington. While Bama shoots itself in the foot several times. BenMaller.com's Final Score: Tennessee 31, Alabama 24 Other College Picks: Stanford +7 1/2 at Oregon, Oklahoma -35 1/2 vs. Baylor, Colorad0 +10 at Texas. Big Ben Maller's Five Star NFL Pick of the Week   Carolina (1-4) at Washington (0-5) The Line: Carolina -3 1/2 Big Ben's Breakdown: A matchup of two of the worst teams in the NFL. Washington brings in a five game losing streak and Carolina is on a four game skid. My theory on this game is a simple one: the Redskin players hate coach Marty Schottenheimer and have quit playing hard. Carolina despite their losing streak, could be 3-and-2 right now if Chris Weinke could stop throwing interceptions. The Panthers biggest problem is their running game; ranked 31st in the NFL. I believe the Redskins' rushing defense, ranked 29th, will even the playing field. Heck, if Carolina scores 2 TD's they will win this game. Ben's Bottom Line: The Redskins have been outscored 144-to-32 so far this season. This game will be close much like the game the skins played in Dallas. In the end, if you can't get in the end zone you can't win. Chris Weinke and the Panthers will get a road win and cover! BenMaller.com's Final Score: Panthers 17, Redskins 9 Other NFL Picks: Colts -10 1/2 vs. Patriots, Jets +7 vs. Rams, Cleveland +7 1/2 vs. Baltimore, Chicago +1 at Cincinnati, Tennessee -5 1/2 at Detroit, Kansas City -2 at Arizona. Jeff Biggs has a new home CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS Write Back:Send Ben Maller E mail by CLICKING HERE! permalink Thursday, October 18, 2001
Ben Maller.com Preview   Buffalo Bills (0-4) at Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2) The Line: Jaguars by 9 Did you know? The Bills are tied for second-worst in the NFL with a minus-8 turnover ratio. Their 3.5 turnovers per game lead the league. Ben's Take: The Bills are the last AFC team yet to win a game. Buffalo has not been that bad an offensive team, ranking 11th rushing the football and 18th passing it, with an overall rank of 15th. Rob Johnson will get the start against his former team, Johnson, who has thrown five interceptions and just two touchdown passes through four games. His 65.0 passer rating is worst in the AFC among quarterbacks with at least 90 attempts. This will be the week that the former USC signal caller gets going. A bigger problem for the Bills and the reason they are 0-4 is a Defense that ranks 28th in the league. Jacksonville Running back Fred Taylor, offensive tackle Tony Boselli and safety Donovan Darius are all expected to miss this matchup, while the status of defensive starters Tony Brackens, Hardy Nickerson and Fernando Bryant is uncertain. This will be closer game than many expect look for the Bills to hang around and cover that nine point spread. Ben Maller.com Final Score: Jacksonville 35, Buffalo 28 USC at. Notre Dame preview and UCLA vs. CAL preview plus another BenMaller.com LA radio exclusive all for free by CLICKING HERE permalink Wednesday, October 17, 2001
Big Ben's ALCS Preview  By Ben Maller   New York Yankees vs. Seattle Mariners  Regular Season: Mariners, 6-3. Seattle swept a three-game set at Yankee Stadium in late April, but New York came back to win two of three in Seattle from May 18-20. The Mariners then took two of three in the Bronx, routing the Yankees 13-3 and 10-2 in their wins. Edgar Martinez led the Mariners with a .394 average (13-for-33) against New York, while Jorge Posada went 13-for-37 (.351) for the Yankees. Did you know?The Yankees are trying to become the first team to win four straight World Series crowns since Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle helped the Bronx Bombers do it a half-century ago. Keys for the New York Yankees: 1.) Starting Pitching & Bullpen: The Yankees were able to rally from the brink of elimination and beat the Athletics with pitching. Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina, Andy Pettite and the rest of the bombers had a 2.20era, holding the A's to 12 runs and a .247 batting average, including .093 (4-for-43) with runners in scoring position. Mike Stanton and Mariano Rivera have done a great job shutting the game down into a 7 inning affair. That will be extra important in this series with Seattle.  2.) Derek Jeter the heart and soul of the Yankees made the key defensive play in New York's 1-0 victory in game three of the divisional series. Jeter is the leader of the champs. He hit .444 against the A's and is the spark for the Yankees slow offense. Jeter is the main reason the Yankees became the first team ever in a five game series to lose the first two games at home and then rally to win. 3.) Scott Brosius must snap out of his funk. Brosius has struggled both at the plate and in the field. He finished with more errors (3) than hits (1) in the Division Series and is stuck in a 1-for-28 slump since Oct. 2. At the very least Brosius will have to make the plays defensively and occasionally come up with a base hit against the Mariners. Keys for the Seattle Mariners  1.) Brett Boone, must get out of his playoff slump. Boone had a team-leading 37 homeruns and 141 RBI's with a .331 average during his career regular season. However in the ALDS against Cleveland Boone was just 2-for-21 with a pair of singles. Boone hit .229 (8-for-35) with no homers and none RBI's against the Bronx Bombers pitching staff during the regular season. Brett has had success in the postseason in the past, Boone batted .538 with three doubles and four RBI's in 1999 World Series while with the Atlanta Braves. Boone must drive in runs in the ALCS or the Mariners are cooked. 2.) Carlos Guillen: The Mariners get their starting shortstop back after a fight with Tuberculosis. Guillen missed the Divisional Series and is not expected to be 100% in this series. Guillen batted .323 in the regular season for the M's against NY. Carlos is a key for Seattle's defense he made just 10 errors in 137 games at shortstop. 3.) Aaron Sele and the Starters: Sele gets the ball in game one and must keep the M's in the game. Sele has yet to win a playoff game and many of his playoff woes came as a member of the Rangers against the Yankees. New York is hot and if they win game one of the ALCS they get homefield advantage back. On paper Clemens, Pettite and Mussina... Ben's Take: On paper, this is a very even series. Seattle copied New York's blueprint from 1998 and it worked to the tune of 116 wins this season. The Yanks have the edge in starting pitching and the bullpen. The Yankees must contain Ichiro as best they can and hope that Brett Boone's slump lasts a few more games. My guess, Ichiro will get his hits but he can't do it all by himself.  BenMaller.com ALCS Prediction: The Yankees are still the Champs and in the end the starting-pitching edge will win this American League Championship in Six Games. CLICK HERE for an LA Sports radio exclusive permalink Tuesday, October 16, 2001
Big Ben's NLCS Preview  By Ben Maller   Atlanta Braves vs. Arizona Diamondbacks Regular Season: Diamondbacks, 5-2. Arizona swept a three-game series in Atlanta in August, outscoring the Braves 19-2. Maddux went 0-2 with a 10.03 ERA and the Braves were outscored 22-7 in his two starts. Did you know? Albie Lopez was 9-19 this year in the regular season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Lopez was the only pitcher ever to start a post-season game in a season in which he finished 10 games under .500. The only other pitcher to start a post-season game with at least 19 losses was George Mullin in 1907. He lost 20 games -- and won 20 -- that year. Keys for the Arizona Diamondbacks: 1.) Johnson & Schilling and pray for rain: Randy Johnson who is known around major league baseball clubhouses as the "Big Pussy" must step up for the Diamondbacks. Johnson is a three time Cy Young Award winner during the regular season pitching against the Brewers and Padres. In the post-season, Johnson has lost a major league-record seven straight decisions. He was the loser in game 2 of Arizona's division series against St. Louis, dropping his playoff record to 2-7. The left-hander is just 3-4 with a 5.17 ERA against the Braves. Johnson must win at least one game in this series.  Curt Schilling is a playoff stud. The former Philly shut down the Cards in an impressive fashion. Schilling was 2-0 against the Red Birds with a 0.50 era holding opponents to a .143 average. Schilling who pitched game 5 of the divisional series will pitch game three of the NLCS in Atlanta.  Danny Batista can be effective as a number-two starter but Albie Lopez is a 19-game loser who could start game four. Schilling and Johnson must pitch well to carry the rotation. Arizona pitching limited the Cardinals to just two hits in 33 at-bats with runners in scoring position in the NLDS. 2.) Hit the Damn Ball: The Diamondbacks beat the Cardinals in five games despite scoring just 10 runs in the five games and batting .237 in the series. The only other team in post-season history to win a series of at least five games, scoring 10 or fewer runs, was the 1918 Red Sox, who won the World Series scoring nine runs in six games. The D'Backs used four different fourth-place hitters in five games in the Division Series. Arizona does not have many big bats in their stable of talent. Luis Gonzalez carried this team for most of the regular season. Against the Braves guys like Tony Womack and Craig Counsell must step up for the Snakes to win this series. 3.) Arizona's Bullpen: Closer Byung-Hyun Kim has some of the nastiest stuff in the game, but is not very consistent in big spots. The D'Backs bullpen had 34 saves this season the fewest by any NL playoff team (full season) since the 1979 Phillies. Arizona needs their starters to go deep in the game because they don't have much in the way of setup guys. Keys for the Atlanta Braves 1.) Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine: The Big Two try and lead the Braves back to the World Series. Maddux gets the call in game one for Atlanta. Maddux struggled during the regular season against the D'Backs with a 10.03 ERA against them this season; that was easily his highest against any opponent. Add to that Maddux is just 4-6 with a 3.58 ERA in 13 NLCS games.  2.) You have to score to win: The Braves started the year with Rico Brogna at first and Quilvio Veras at second with Rafael Furcal at shortstop. Brogna and Furcal were released in July and Furcal was lost for the season to injury. So the Braves have Julio Franco,40, from the Mexican League at first, Marcus Giles a light hitting second baseman and an all glove no-hit catcher in Paul Bako and he hits left handed. That's not a hall of fame group of hitters to go against the Arizona starters. Chipper Jones, Andrew Jones and Brian Jordan must all have monster series or the Braves are toast.  Atlanta was an inconsistent offensive team all season but did score 14 runs in the three game ass kicking of the Astros. 3.) Red Hot: The Braves were mediocre for much of the regular season in winning their 10th straight division title, but their three-game sweep of the Houston Astros in the division series gave them 11 wins in the last 15 games. Atlanta has been in this position, a step away from the world series, before and failed many times. Just ask fans in Miami and San Diego. Ben's Take: Much like the ALCS this series is very even on paper. Both teams have a pair of aces in Maddux, Glavine, Schilling and Johnson. Neither team has been very consistent on offense. The Astros did not give the Braves much of a fight in the divisional series. Look for this series to go seven games and Arizona to head to their 1st World Series on the back of Curt Schilling who will start game 3 and then game seven. BenMaller.com Prediction: Bottom line the Diamondbacks are relatively healthy while the Braves are not. Arizona is the better team; the Diamondbacks will win in seven games. CLICK HERE for Ben Maller's Tuesday Night College Football Pick! permalink Monday, October 15, 2001
Weekend Thoughts & Observations
By Ben Maller UCLA is as impressive as any college team in the country. I hope there is room on the Bruins' bandwagon because after the thumping of Washington I'm a believer.  The Associated Press poll was right on in ranking UCLA 4th in the country and ahead of Oregon and Virginia Tech. Washington State is the feel-good story of the Pac-10. The Cougars are for real after a victory over Stanford. Wash State will get UCLA at home on a cold wet Saturday. Steve Spurrier should be embarrassed to lose on the road in Auburn. The Gators had everything going for them and then Rex Grossman lets Florida down.  Oklahoma is the best team in the country. Backup QB Jason White is the key to the Sooners. If White can get the offense moving nobody is going to touch OU. Fresno State had the miracle comeback against Colorado State. Down by three with just 19 seconds left QB David Carr led the Bulldogs back for a game-tying field goal. Then, in overtime, Fresno pulled out the victory to keep the dream alive.  Virginia Tech jumped all over Boston College and then allowed the Golden Eagles to get a cheap backdoor cover! Lou Holtz should be taken out and flogged after his football team lost to Arkansas over the weekend. Didn't Holtz know that he was the BenMaller.com lock of the week?  I watched the Hollywood Stars game a few years back in the visitors dugout at Dodger Stadium sitting next to Tony Womack. At that time Womack was playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates. We had a good time making fun of the models who were "Stars." Tony was a guy you have to pull for; he spent most of his career in the minors before the Bucs gave him a chance. Mark McGwire should not retire from baseball. If McGwire was smart, he would ask the Cardinals to trade him to the Anaheim Angels. Big Mac could live in Huntington Beach close to his son and get four at bats everynight as DH. If he batted .180 nobody at Disney would care.  The pride of the Yankees came out this weekend. I was the only person at Fox Sports that thought the Bombers still had a chance. New York beat the A's twice in their house, where they had won 17 straight. Roger Clemens pitches this evening in the Bronx. Clemens has never been a big game guy, I think the Yanks will overcome the Rockets Woes. Ichiro has lived up to the hype even in the playoffs. The Indians have no clue how to get the Mariners' star out! History is not with the Mariners' to win the World Series. In the last 10 years, only one team that had the best record during the regular season won the World Series: the '98 Yankees. Indians' lefthander Chuck Finley not only has to worry about the Mariners today, he also must battle the curse of the ex-Angel. In addition to that, the 1906 Chicago Cubs who Seattle is compared to lost the '06 world series to the Chicago White Sox. What happened to all those Chargers fans? I guess back to back losses to the Browns and Patriots can spoil your fun. Marshall Faulk is the most important player on the Rams offense. Trung Candidate has the tools to get the job done and will have to at the Meadowlands against the Jets this week. Faulk hurt his knee in the win against the Giants and will be out at least a week and possibly a month.  Giants coach Jim Fassell had the best line of the weekend. Fassell was livid at the refs after the game and screamed at reporters that he can't talk about the officials because he doesn't have enough money. So much for that Baltimore Ravens defense. Packers' QB Brett Favre tore apart the defense for 337 yards and three touchdowns. I would like to thank Elvis Grbac and the Ravens' offense for turning the ball over, helping me have a perfect weekend. Not only did I lose my college lock I also went down the toilet with my pro pick. Colts QB Peyton Manning looks a lot like Jim Everett at times leading the NFL with 9 interceptions. Manning helped the Raiders get a road win with a pair of interceptions. Don't look now but Da Bears are 3-1. If only Chicago can play the Cardinals and Falcons the rest of the season. I was a big fan of Shaun Alexander while he was at Alabama. I'm glad to see him getting a shot with the Seattle Seahawks. Alexander ran over the Denver Broncos for 142 yards and a pair of scores.  Did you notice who the Seattle quarterback has been during this two game winning streak? Trent Dilfer the guy the Baltimore Ravens dumped. Dilfer has won his last 13 starts. After 8 Hours on the Radio Saturday into Sunday and 7 Hours on the Air Sunday into Monday morning my brain is fried. I'm going to sleep! You can hear me Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, I'll be at the Fox Sports Update desk during the J. T. the Brick show on Fox Sports Radio. Write Back:Send Big Ben Maller E mail permalink |
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