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Saturday, November 17, 2001
Big Ben's Boxing Breakdown  By Ben Maller I have become a fan of Hasim "The Rock" Rahman over the last few months. I'm not a huge boxing fan but one thing I love is attitude. Boxing is a sport that needs more guys like Rahman to be on top. Infact, I think one of the biggest problems in sports is that we don't have a lot of guys you love to hate. Rahman is a guy you either love or love to hate but you have an opinion on him. Rahman shocked the world on April 21 when he landed a picture-perfect right hand in round five that knocked champion Lennox Lewis to the ring floor and made Rahman the new World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation heavyweight champion. I'm not going to spend the money for Pay Per View to watch this world heavyweight championship rematch. I have never believed in the concept to sit home and pay to watch a TV. That said I will see the fight at the Fox Broadcaster center with Rupert Murdock paying the dime.  While I respect Don King as a promoter and would hire him in a New York minute, that dosen't take away from the fact he is human slime. Boxing insider Burt Sugar, a regular on the Fox Sports Radio Network, says that Rahman must win this fight or be thought of as a fluke. I think that Hasim will get the job done, and continue to talk the talk and walk the walk. Big Ben's Boxing Pick: Hasim Rahman in a 7th round TKO.  BEN'S TALE OF THE BOXERS Lennox Lewis (38-2-1, 29 KOs) vs. Hasim Rahman (35-2, 29 KOs). Lewis is a 7-2 favorite to win the rematch. Each fighter is to make a minimum of $10 million.  permalinkFriday, November 16, 2001
Friday Thoughts, Opinions and Notes  By Ben Maller Commissioner Bud Selig should be taken to downtown St. Paul and have his ass kicked. How can he with a straight face tell the fans of Minneapolis that they should look themselves in the mirror for the possible elimination of the Twins. Is it the fans fault that owner Carl Pohlad has put a minor league product on the field for most of the last eight years? Roger Clemens won his sixth CY Young award yesterday for the Yankees, Clemens should have never left the Boston Red Sox. I'll always remember him as a Red Sox and he should go into the hall with a "B" on his cap.  If anyone questions Bill Bavasi's ability to make trades, just ask Kevin Towers and the San Diego Padres who signed 3B Phil Nevin to a 4-year $34 million dollar contract extension. Nevin has 96 homers and 318 RBI during three years in San Diego... Andy Sheets was the man the Halos got from the Pads in return for the slugger, played one year in OC putting up all-star like numbers .197avg, 3 HR's and 29 RBI's. Who got the best of that deal? Former Dodger Dave Stewart was off base in ripping major league baseball because he didn't get the Toronto Blue Jays GM Job. Stewart has to realize that he was passed over for a more qualified man. Stewart said ``They think the only people capable of doing these jobs are white people, not minorities,''  J.P. Ricciardi got the Jays GM Job after a three year run as director of player personnel for the Oakland A's. Stewart's' best qualification was that he did a great job as pitching coach for the Padres. Stewart quit the Jays after not getting the gig and was hired as pitching coach of Davey Lopes Milwaukee Brewers. Orel Hershiser a man with no front office experience was hired by the Texas Rangers as an associate to new general manager John Hart. Basically Hershiser will be the assistant and learn from Hart. The even better news is that we won't have to watch Hershiser in the broadcast booth anymore. It was painful A high ranking person in the San Diego Padres organization told me 3 years ago that Ken Caminiti had a drinking and drug problem. I find it odd that he was allowed to continue playing ball without treatment until he got caught this week with crack cocaine. Teams have been calling the Montreal Expos trying to get Orlando Cabrera or Javier Vasquez for some crappy prospects. The Expos have a freeze on their roster according to what I have been told. Eddie Murray who played for both the Dodgers and Angels, went back to the Indians this week as hitting coach. Murray's job is going to be tough with Kenny Lofton and Juan Gonzalez former Tribe members. New Dodgers GM Dan Evans must have really been impressed with the Mid 90's Angels, In the last few days he has hired their former Halo GM Bill Bavasi and skipper Terry Collins. No word on Evans plans to change "Think Blue week" to "Think Periwinkle Week" It's good to hear that former Dodger coach Rick Dempsey is going to be back in baseball. Dempsey was hired as a coach for the Baltimore Orioles this week. Good move by the O's. Dempsey is a good guy and should be a manager someplace. The Detroit Tigers actually did a good thing this week hiring Merv Rettenmund as hitting coach. Rettmund was let go by the Atlanta Braves last month. I got to know Merv when he was hitting coach for the San Diego Padres and he's a great guy and an even better hitting coach. It was like the early 90's all over again this week for the "Bash Brothers." Tuesday Mark McGwire's retirement became official with an interview on ESPN. While Jose Canseco was in a south Florida jail with his brother Ozzie for a bar brawl! This piece of Baseball history could have been very different... Did you know that Mark McGwire was originally drafted back in 1981 by the Montreal Expos, McGwire chose to go to USC instead of Canada. Mike Piazza who should still be a Dodger told the NY Post, he wants the Mets to sign Barry Bonds. Piazza said that Bonds is the greatest player he has ever seen. I guess Piazza hasn't watched Bonds try and hit a curveball in late October.  Larry Bowa the man most responsible for Jim Edmonds being a former Angel was named skipper of the year in Philadelphia. This is normally the kiss of death. I'm actually happy that Dodger manager Jim Tracy who did a better job then Bowa didn't get the gig. Ben Maller Trivia Question of the Week: Which NFL coach played running back at Yale and still holds the school's career rushing mark? With Keyon Dooling out for a while with a bum ankle, Elgin Baylor made a good move picking up veteran point guard Vinny Del Negro from the Phoenix Suns for a 2nd round draft pick in a three team deal with the Suns and Magic. Phoenix ended up with former Clips good guy Bo Outlaw.  Shaq told the Lakers traveling beat writing scum Thursday, that he's unhappy with Phil Jackson's criticisms of his play. I agree with Shaq to a point, The Lakers don't win either of their rings if it wasn't for the "Big Graduate." I wouldn't want to work for a boss that always ripped me, I've done that and it wasn't any fun! Many people who follow the Lakers felt that forward Dickey Simpkins would rejoin the Lakers at some point this season. Simpkins was in camp with the champs and outplayed Samaki Walker but lost a roster spot for salary cap reasons. Simpkins signed with the Atlanta Hawks this week. Don't miss your flight or it could cost you $10,000 dollars. That's the fine plus a games pay that the Milwaukee Bucks handed down to forward Jason Caffey who missed the teams charter this week. Caffey missed practice yesterday to seek treatment for anxiety. Make sure to support the Memphis Grizzlies. After a loss to Portland last night, the Grizzlies are off to an NBA worst 0-8 start with no relief in site. The Knicks off to slow start are close to a roster blow up. New York is talking about bringing Charles Oakley back to the Big Apple from the Bulls and getting Damon Stoudamire from the Trail Blazers. Mike Krzyzewski got a lifetime contract from Duke this week. I wonder when Fox Sports Radio will give me my lifetime package. My agent is trying to work out the details. I have already gotten the lifetime package to work for BenMaller.com, the money is crap though! Titans' RB Eddie George has to be embarrassed this week after his mom was charged with a DUI this week and child endangerment involving George's 4-year old son. That should make for an interesting future Mother's Days. Dennis Green is in serious trouble as Vikings' coach after owner Red McCombs said that Green's job is safe. That's the kiss of death.  The Colts can officially be left out of the NFL playoff party now that RB Edgerrin James is done for the year with a Torn ACL. The Colts are banged up and without a good defense are in big time trouble. Peyton Manning has a broken jaw, Jim Mora is about to be out of work.  Julian Peppers told 790am, The Zone, in Atlanta, a station that carries my radio show, that he's heading to the NFL next season. Peppers believes that he has a great chance to be the first pick in the draft. I think that Houston will draft a QB possibly Chris Simms if he comes out. Former Ohio State coach John Cooper says he's interested in the Kansas job. Cooper would be a great hire to help turn around the sorry ass Jayhawks. As long as the folks in Lawrence don't schedule Michigan or expect to win bowl games, they'll be happy. San Diego State has a great chance to turn around their sorry-ass football program. Ted Tollner was long in the tooth and needed to get the boot. The Aztecs should spend the bucks and hire Mike Stoops, the brother of Bob Stoops, the head coach at Oklahoma. Steve Bellisari, the starting QB for Ohio State has been suspended by coach Jim Tressell for getting a DUI this week. I wonder if Bellisari started drinking before the season or after he started putting up crappy numbers. Bellisari by the way was not just a little buzzed, he had a blood alcohol level of 0.22 percent. That's hobo drunk! College football is alot like the NBA when it comes to tattoos The winning numbers in BOTH midday and evening New Jersey Lottery pick-3 numbers games Monday matched the flight number of the crashed plane- the flight was 587, the numbers were 578 in midday and 587 at night. The sick part of this story is that the payout was very low because many sick bastards played the numbers. Hats off to the LA Times for their in-depth story exposing local television stations for hiring women for their looks. Next the "Times" will tell us that cheerleaders are hired for their looks also. I want to pass on my cCondolences to the family and friends of Norman Baer a regular at the Dodger Stadium press box over the years who is a legend at CBS RADIO SPORTS. BAER passed away this past week. Norman knew everyone in the game of baseball and was well liked. Thanks to everyone who has become a regular reader to BenMaller.com. The Website has been blowing up the past few weeks with record number of hits. BenMaller.com reader E mail...  Ben, Loved your take on McGwire...I'm sick of the media canonizing this jack-ass. Nice to see someone tell the truth. I do agree with Jason. The only reason this dick is getting into the Hall of Fame is because of his record breaking year he had in '98, so he might as well wear a Cards' hat. Great web site. It's as much a part of my morning as a big "cup of Joe." Jay Craven ____________ Hi Ben, It's good to still hear you on Sunday nights. I missed you since KXTA made their changes. I like you much better than any local show 1150 currently runs. Regards, Bob Bartholomew. ____________ Ben: I apologize for thinking that you would have picked Tom Lasorda as baseball's savior...Rudy Giulliani would be a fantastic choice!! By the way, Bob Page just wrecked my day with his prediction of a lifetime of terrorism for the US. (This guy makes Lee Klein sound as cheerful as Richard Simmons!!) Bimbo Bruce  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 along with Bob Page at the Fox Sports Update desk from 5am till 8am(est) Saturday morning. Sunday morning from 4am till 7am I'll be back again. (Now heard in Kansas City & a rocking FM in Fresno) Sunday night listen to my new program from 10pm till 2am along with Jason Smith on your local Fox Sports radio station. (Now heard in Kansas city and rocking FM in Fresno) Ben Maller Trivia Question of the Week Answer: Bears' coach Dick Jauron played at Yale from 1970-72 and holds the school's career rushing mark with 2,947 yards.
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Big Ben Maller's Five Star College Pick of the Week   (14) Syracuse (8-2) at Miami(8-0) The Line: Miami -21 Ben's Pick: Syracuse and all those points. Last Meeting: Miami has won three straight in this series, including a 26-0 shutout in the Carrier Dome a year ago. Did you know? The Orangemen have been red-hot with an eight-game winning streak, that included big wins over Auburn, East Carolina and Virginia Tech. Big Ben's Breakdown: This is an interesting matchup with a Miami team that has played a weak schedule against a Syracuse team that can do no wrong. After scoring just 16 points in the first two games combined, the Orangemen have gone on a tear, upping their season average to 26.9 ppg. On the year, Syracuse is getting over 330 yards of offense per game (331.1), with a solid mix of the run (166.9 ypg) and the pass (152.4 ypg). The key to the Cues turn around? Coach Paul Pasqualoni, benched starting QB Troy Nunes for sophomore R.J. Anderson. Anderson simply wins games, with an 8-1 record as a starter. RB James Mungro has been a solid back just 62 yards from 1,000 yards on the year. Mungro has averaged 4.7 ypr. On the other side of the ball, defensive end Dwight Freeney is a lock to be an All-American this season, setting a new NCAA record each time he gets to the quarterback. Freeney, one of four finalists for this year's Lombardi Award, has 16.5 sacks in the first 10 games, breaking the record of 15 set by North Carolina's Julius Peppers just last season. Feeney has been a beast with 26 TFL's this season tying the Big East record. Syracuse has recorded a Big East best 38 sacks this year, just three sacks short of the school record set in 1985. The defense has forced 29 turnovers on the year, ranking fourth nationally in that category. free safety Quentin Harris leads the team in tackles (107) and interceptions (four). As for the Hurricanes the story in South Florida is an offense that is putting up 40.6 points per game, on 455 yards of total offense. The leader of the offense is QB Ken Dorsey who has completed nearly 60 percent of his passes on the year (136- of-233), for 2,004 yards and 15 TDs. How will Dorsey bounce back after tossing four interceptions in a near loss at Boston College last week. Tailback Clinton Portis is an underrated rusher. Portis is one of the top tailbacks in the Big East, averaging 104.9 yards per game on 5.4 yards per carry. Freshman Frank Gore gives the team another look on the ground, with an amazing 8.8 yards per carry and 43.0 yards per game. The offensive line is the best in the nation, allowing just one sack on the year. The Hurricane defense is as strong as the offense this season, allowing a mere 9.0 points per game, on just 281.9 yards of total offense. CB Edward Reef is the leader of the defense from his secondary position with seven INT's Ben's Bottom Line: Syracuse is playing great football right now and I expect that to continue in this game. The key for the Cuse is RB James Mungro, Miami will fill the box with 8 and 9 guys trying to force the Orange to pass the football. If the Canes are sucsesfull in forcing Soph QB Anderson to make the big play late in the game then Miami will survive. Look for Dorsey to struggle again against a very tough Syracuse defense. This should be an "Instant Classic" BenMaller.com's Final Score: Miami 35, Syracuse 34 (Hurricanes to win, Orangemen to cover) Other College Picks: Oklahoma - 7 1/2 at Texas Tech, Fresno State -19 1/2 at Nevada, Cal +24 at Stanford, Virginia Tech -14 1/2 at Virginia, Kansas State -21 vs. Louisiana Tech, North Carolina -27 1/2 vs. Duke, Tennessee -18 at Kentucky. Washington +1 vs. Washington State. Big Ben Maller's Five Star NFL Pick of the Week   St. Louis Rams (7-1) at New England Patriots(5-4) The Line: Rams - 8 1/2 Ben's Pick: Patriots and the points! Did You Know? St. Louis has outscored opponents its 153-56 in first half this season Did You Know 2? The Patriots have matched their win total from all of last season and are above .500 for the first time since Bill Belichick became coach two-years ago. Last Meeting: Rams, 32-18 back in 1998 Big Ben's Breakdown: If you had told me before the season that my week 10 NFL lock would be the Patriots to cover against the Rams I would have said I had lost my mind. After watching the season playout I have become a believer in Bill Belichick's team. New England is one of the least talented teams in the NFL, yet they play hard and have been able to make just enough plays to get five wins. The Pats rank 21st in offense and 19th in Total defense. While the Rams are the best offensive team and 4th in total defense. Tom Brady will get the start again at QB for New England having lead the team to wins in five of the last seven games, Brady has completed 63% of his passes for 1,426 passing yards and 11 touchdown's this season with just five interceptions. The Pats have been helped by the running of Antowain Smith of late who is coming off a 100 yard game against the Bills and has gotten better just about everyweek. The reason I really like the Pats to cover is this is a night game in New England and the weather figures to be cold and damp. That's not the best enviroment for Marshall Faulk and Kurt Warner to run wild on the scoreboard. BenMaller.com Final Score: Rams 31, Patriots 24 (New England an the points) Other NFL Picks: Seattle -3 at Buffalo, Indianapolis +5 1/2 at Saints, Tennessee -1 at Cincinnati, Atlanta +10 at Green Bay, Cleveland +8 at Baltimore, Tampa Bay -5 vs. Chicago, Oakland -9 vs. San Diego, Washington +8 1/2 at Denver. Jason Smith of Fox Sports Radio, NFL Pick of the Week   New York Jets (6-3) at Miami Dolphins (6-2) The Line: Dolphins -6 By BenMaller.com contributer Jason Smith So, Ben Maller writes on this inane drivel of a web-site he'd rather have 7 other running backs than Curtis Martin? Well, I'd rather have 7 other co-hosts than Ben Maller! 1) Rose McGowan 2) Harry Potter 3) Lee Klein 4) Joe Namath 5) Ricardo Montalban 6) Art Bell 7) John Black That said, how about my lock of the week last week? I said Jets 31, Chiefs 14 and the final was Jets 27 Chiefs 7. Now, the Jets head out to take on their arch-rival Miami Dolphins with first place in the AFC East on the line. The Jets have won the last 7 against the Dolphins, and are in the heads of the Fish (see Thomas, Zach). Look for Miami to try to establish the ground game with Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick, and then go to the air with David Woodley looking for Nat Moore. But the Jets will prevail in the end, as this script is very familiar. Maybe this time the Jets will start playing in the first half, rather than wait until the 2nd half to show up against Miami (see 40-37, 2000 and 21-17, 2001). Curtis Martin runs for a tough 100 yards and Santana Moss lights it up in his NFL debut as Vinny hooks up with Wayne and Laverneaus for scores, making the Jets the LOCK OF THE WEEK again, over the Dolphins. Suicide watch in Miami is on high-alert. Jason Smith's Final Score: Jets 28, Dolphins 20 Write Back:Send Ben Maller E mail by CLICKING HERE! permalink Thursday, November 15, 2001
Cowboys News  Valley Ranch, Texas: Dallas Cowboys football practice was delayed on Wednesday for nearly two hours at Valley Ranch. One of the players, while on the way to the locker room happened to look down and notice a suspicious looking, unknown white powdery substance on the practice field. Head Coach David Campo immediately suspended practice while the FBI was called in to investigate. After a complete field analysis, the FBI determined that the white substance unknown to the players was actually the goal line. Practice resumed when FBI Special Agents decided that the team was not likely to encounter the substance again. Thanks to Mark from Shreveport, LA a regular listener to Fox Sports Radio and reader of BenMaller.com for this joke. permalink Wednesday, November 14, 2001
LA's Dirty Little Secret  By Ben Maller Having grown up in Southern California, I pride myself in this area's sports fans. When a team puts a good product on the field or court, we will support it. Well, that's true for the Dodgers, Lakers, Clippers, Kings, Ducks, Angels, UCLA Basketball & Football and USC Football but not the basketball program! I had a chance to watch Southern Cal play hoops last night against Wyoming lon ESPN. I was flat out embarrassed at what I saw. It had nothing to do with the play on the court. The Trojans played well, not great, their first time out in a 68-55 win over the Cowboys. Instead, I was sick looking at camera shots of a nearly empty Sports Arena. USC's a team that made the "Great Eight" a year ago. The Trojans had never won three games in any tournament and never before had they gone as far in the draw's current format. SC went 24-10, tying the school record for most wins in a season and were ranked at the end of the year for the first time since 1992. After getting as close as you can get to a Final Four appearance, USC opened up in front of a high-school-like crowd of 3,136 at the Sports Arena or Mausoleum, as ex-Clipper Brian Williams used to call it.  Its not like this is a boring team to watch, Forward Sam Clancy passed up being a lottery pick to come back to the Men of Troy and juco transfer Jerry Dupree looks like a star already. Dupree had 13 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots in the season opener. The Trojans start the year ranked 20th in the nation. Coach Henry Bibby, now in his sixth year , and the players deserve better than this. What is the point of putting a good product on the court if Mater Dei High is a bigger draw? I realize that Southern Cal needs an on-campus arena but if you can't draw more than 3,000 people in your season opener what's the point? Trojan alumni and Southern California sports fans should be embarrassed! Its Los Angeles' dirty little secret, USC BASKETBALL! BEN MALLER BREAKS DOWN THE DODGERS LATEST MOVE--CLICK-- HERE ***NOTE*** THE WEBSITE WAS DOWN DUE TO MAINTENANCE TILL 12pm on 11/14/01*** permalink Tuesday, November 13, 2001
No Air in McNair  Ben Maller After watching Steve McNair stumble through Monday night's 16-10 loss to the Tennessee Titans, it brings up the question, yet again, why is he a starting quarterback in the National Football League? McNair was 27-of-48 passing the ball for just 256 yards and was sacked six times. I counted at least 10 times McNair made the wrong decision. Heck even Dan Fouts was taking some cheap shots at the Titans QB. The Tennessee offense is a joke and most of that has to do with McNair's inability to make a big play--heck to make any play. As for the Monday night loss, as it turned out, the officials made the right call on the final play. You would have thought that Kevin Dyson would have learned his lesson in the 2000 Super Bowl against the Rams. Late in the game when your team needs a touchdown go into the damn end zone and then look for the ball!  Coach Jeff Fisher backed up my argument on McNair with the Titans down by six and just one play left instead of passing the football and trying to make something happen. Tennessee had McNair try to run a quarterback sneak against the NFL's best rush defense. Nice Call! The Titans' 2001 season is all but over now. They fell to 3-5 -- behind 12 teams in the AFC standings. (As Tony Bruno Would Say... The Tennessee Titans are on the clock.")  I loved watching the Ravens defense kick ass, though I must admit the 0-0 first half was a major league bomb. Is it just me, when I see the Ravens playing football I think I'm watching "Hard Knocks" again on HBO." permalink
New England's Brady Bunch  By Ben Maller Patriots' coach Bill Belichick will have one of the toughest decisions of the NFL season to make in the next few weeks. Quarterback Drew Bledsoe is expected to be cleared to return to practice this week, and he could be ready to play Sunday night against the Rams. But will he? Bledsoe hurt his chest when he was hit by cheap-shot linebacker Mo Lewis of the New York Jets in the second week of the season. The Patriots were 0-2 at the time when backup QB Tom Brady became the starter. Since then, New England has gone 5-2, coming out of the NFL toilet to make a playoff run. Brady has completed 140 of 221 passes for 1,426 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. (Four of those INT's came in the 4th quarter of a loss in Denver)  On paper, this is a no-brainer: Brady remains the starter and Bledsoe goes to the bench. Here's the problem: Bledsoe just signed a 10-year, $103 million contract extension back in March--more than 15% of the Pats salary cap. When you add in the fact that there is an expansion draft after the season to stock the Houston Texans, it brings all the more pressure on the Patriots to play Drew over Brady. Because of the salary cap, Bledsoe is locked to the Patriots for the rest of his career. Before the season, I considered the Patriots one of the 5 least talented teams in the NFL which makes this 5-4 start all the more amazing. We will see in the coming weeks how much power Bill Belicheck really has. The Pats next three games are against St. Louis, New Orleans and at the Jets. New England should play Brady the rest of the season. THE DODGERS HAVE A NEW TV STATION. CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS permalink
To play the latest Kill Osama Bin Laden, click here. BEND OVER BIN LADEN permalink Monday, November 12, 2001
Big Ben's Monday Morning Quarterback
 By Ben Maller The Raiders' defense won't forget Shaun Alexander's name anytime soon. After all, the Seattle running back ran for 266 yards a franchise record in a Sunday night upset of the Silver & Black.  Randy Moss, Chris Carter and Daunte Culpepper are now known as the "Three Stooges." How horrible have things gotten for the Vikings? Marshall Faulk's 71-Yard Touchdown run for the Rams was the play of week 9, until Alexander had an 88-yard TD run for the Seahawks.  The Rams looked like the greatest team in pro football history against the Panthers. I think much of it had to do with the fact Carolina didn't show up. St. Louis still has some work to do. The Rams have committed two or more turnovers in four straight games and six of their first eight contests in '01. Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers made a statement in their 20-12 victory over the Chicago Bears. The NFC Central belongs in the Cheese State. Chicago is 84-72-6 against Green Bay (including the playoffs), but the Packers have prevailed in 15 of the last 18 meetings. Jeff Garcia continues to eat up teams, running the Niner's west coast offense to near perfection. Garcia looked like Joe Montana with his four touchdown performance against the Saints.  How good has Garcia been? Jeff has thrown two or more touchdown passes in five straight games and 15 of his last 24 contests. Terrell Owens of the 49ers was voted the best receiver in the NFL on the BenMaller.com poll question of the weekend. Surprisingly, Rod Smith of the Broncos was voted second best. Ahead of Tim Brown and Randy Moss. Even with the New Orleans loss to the Niners, under second-year head coach Jim Haslett, the Saints are 4-7 at home and 10-3 on the road. (Whats wrong with Louisisana?)  Payback is a bitch, Antowain Smith of the Patriots ran for 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns against his former team the Bills. I love when guys who get fired get revenge. It's a wonderful thing! How about this for the odd note of the NFL Season: The Cleveland Browns have lost back-to-back games to the Bears and Steelers in overtime and a guy named Brown beat them each time. Mike Brown with a 16 yard TD return for the game winner in Chicago and Steelers K Kris Brown the GW field goal this week. The Browns play the Baltimore Ravens next week; they don't have a player named Brown. Defense is the story in Pittsburgh. The Steelers, who have allowed a league low 90 points, have allowed 17 or fewer points in each of the past seven games. The Detroit Lions will not go 0-16. I say they'll lose this coming week to the Cardinals and bounce back to upset the Green Bay Packers at the Silverdome Thanksgiving day!  Detroit at 0-8 has more talent than the Cardinals, Cowboys, Redskins, Chiefs and Panthers among others. The Main reason for the recent troubles has been the lack of a running game. The Lions have been limited to fewer than 100 yards rushing in four straight games. The Buccaneers are 4-4 for the fourth straight year, thanks to a game winning field goal by Martin Gramatica with 4 seconds left. I don't think that Tampa Bay will turn things around as easily this time. Jim Mora is a lock to be fired as coach of the Colts after the season. The biggest difference between the Miami Dolphins of this season as compared to last season is the receiver position: Chris Chambers (3 catches 113 yards 2 TD's) and James McKnight give Jay Fiedler a pair of potential big-play guys.  Miami's defense isn't that bad either. The Dolphins have totaled three or more sacks in five straight games. Jacksonville embarrassed the Bengals 30-13. I keep hearing that Jaguars" coach Tom Coughlin will step down after the year. So much for the Cincinnati offensive line. QB Jon Kitna, sacked just 10 times in the first seven games, went down four times against the Jaguars. Curtis Martin, of the Jets, is leading the NFL in rushing with 917 yards and a touchdown, yet I can think of 7 running backs I would rather have than Martin.  Big Ben's Fabulous 7 1.) Marshall Faulk, Rams 2.) Edgerrin James, Colts 3.) Ahman Green, Packers 4.) Fred Taylor, Jacksonville 5.) Jerome Bettis, Steelers 6.) Corey Dillon, Bengals 7.) Sean Alexander, Seahawks Someone explain this stat to me: RB Priest Holmes, who rushed for 181 yards on Nov. 4 against the Chargers, managed only 71 on Nov.11 against Jets, who entered the game with the lowest-ranked run defense in the league. WHY?  Loser should be stamped on Cowboys QB Ryan Leaf's head. The guy is a giant zero: he starts for your team and you lose. Dallas lost to the Falcons and has now lost nine straight road games dating back to last season. Something to keep in mind as you watch tonight's Monday night football game with the Titans and Ravens. Tennessee RB Eddie George has not run for 100 yards in nine straight games. He last topped the century mark with 176 yards against the Browns on Dec. 17, 2000. Big Ben's 3 Bum's of Week 8 in the NFL 3.) Lorenzo Bromell DE, Dolphins hit Colts' QB Peyton Manning with a cheap shot helmet-to-helmet shot midway through the fourth quarter -- a hit for which Bromell was penalized. 2.) Vikings Defense, allowed the Eagles to score 48 points and six straight possessions, including its last five in the first half. 1.) Doug Flutie Chargers' QB, 12-of-31 passing for just 165 yards and 4 interceptions, stinking up the mile high city. Other Random Weekend Thought's  If Michael Jordan has many more 5-of-26 shooting performances, look for the Wizards' guard to retire from basketball. The Wizards are an even bigger joke than last season with MJ trying to lead a group of never- was and never-gonna-be's to the promised land.  Watching Shaquille O'Neal score 38 points and grab 18 rebounds against the Orlando Magic last night, I'm starting to wonder if this could be the season the Lakers break the single season win mark. They sure look like a 70-win team on paper.  Despite what Jason Smith says on Fox Sports Radio, QB Rex Grossman of Florida has not won the Heisman Trophy yet. I'm not forgetting his horrible four interception performance in a 23-20 loss to Auburn in October; plus Grossman is a sophomore and that's going to hurt him.  Bob Toledo, the coach at UCLA, must have taken his Chuck Knox, Jim Mora, Tony Dungy pills before Saturday's 21-20 loss to Oregon. Watching the Bruins' conservative offense in the final seconds was disgusting. CHECK OUT THE BEST OF NFL WEEK 9 PHOTO'S HERE!! Mark McGwire Retires From Baseball Click Here for Ben Maller's Thoughts!! permalink |
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