BenMaller.com - Ben's Takes

Big Ben on FoxSports.com

This week Ben Maller explains why the Patriots are not the NFL's best team. Ben explains that the Pats 2-0 start is not as impressive as you might think when you break down the numbers.

Get the knowledge you need and the hot sports opinions you can't live without.

Click on: FoxSports.com Keyword: Big Ben permalink

Thursday, September 19, 2002

Big Ben Maller's Five Star Thursday Pick

Auburn (2-1) at Misssissippi State (1-1)

The Line: Auburn -2 1/2

Site: Davis Wade Stadium (52,884) -- Starkville, Mississippi.

Insider Notes: Auburn holds a commanding 51-22-2 lead in the all-time series between these two teams, including 16-14 victory in last season's matchup. MSU leads the SEC in passing averaging 282 yards per game. Auburn running back Carnell Williams was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week following his performance against Vanderbilt last Saturday. Williams scored two touchdowns and rushed for 170 yards on 20 carries against the Commodores

Big Ben's Breakdown: Many consider this an elimination game in the SEC West race. Oregon's Onterrio Smith ripped through the Mississippi State defense for 124 yards. That's not a good sign when Auburn's Cadillac Williams is considered a better player. Look for this to be an ugly battle as the teams play it close until the fourth quarter. I believe that the Tigers are the better team and will use the running game to beat the Bulldogs.

Ben Maller's Pick Auburn -2

BenMaller.com's Final Score: Auburn 24, Mississippi State 20 permalink

Wednesday, September 18, 2002

Interact with Ben Maller!

Have a hot sports opinion? Want to get something off your chest? Have an idea for BenMaller.com?

Check out the "Ben Maller Show" message board on FoxSports.com

You can interact with other listeners to Ben's show on Fox Sports Radio and readers of FoxSports.com and BenMaller.com

Its free all you need to do is get a password. Then start writing away! permalink

Monday, September 16, 2002

Monday Morning Quarterback

By Ben Maller

Experts spend hours and hours trying to predict who's going to win and lose each season in the NFL. This could be the biggest waste of time on earth. The Steelers and Rams picked by some to play in the Super Bowl have each gotten off to 0-2 starts.

I feel good because I predicted the collapse in the Burgh. Kordell Stewart has never had back-to-back good years and it appears Jerome Bettis is either old or distracted and the Steelers are in trouble. Add into that, teams now have the knowledge to attack the black and gold defense and it's gonna make for a long year.

The good news for Bill Cowher and the Steeler Nation is they play in a division with the Bengals, Ravens and Browns.

Oakland appears to be as good as the Patriots.

I guess the Jets won't be 9-0 this season after all. Vinny Testeverde is garbage and the Jets' defense is below average. That's not a good combination.

The most surprising results from the weekend are the Rams losing and the Cowboys winning. It's easy to root against St. Louis, because they should still be playing in Los Angeles and their coach, Mike Martz, seems like a giant dick everytime he talks. Martz is the kind of guy you love to see fail.

Some sports writer said that Michael Vick will be mentioned as one of the all-time greats when his career is over. Another writer said the Falcons are in for a decade of winning with Vick under center. I don't believe he's as good as Donovan McNabb in Philadelphia.

What happens when the "curse of the Benbino" his the "curse of the Bengals"? You get an 0-2 Cincinnati team that has lost to the Chargers and Browns to open the season and looks as bad as any team in the league.

The Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions are playing for the first pick in the 2003 NFL draft. Think Baltimore would like to have Bryon Leftwich under center this season?

Another sign of the power that is the "curse of the Benbino": I wrote a nice column on America's best sports news website, FoxSports.com, about how bad Quincy Carter sucks and how the Cowboys should bench him. So Carter went out and put up big numbers 14-of-24 for 240 yards and 2 TD's in a win against the Titans

Emmitt Smith ran for 59 yards, moving him 414 yards from becoming the NFL's career rushing leader. That means he has an outside chance to set the record this season.

David Carr looked like a rookie against the Chargers. Carr was 6-of-25 passing for 87 yards and was picked off twice. Those are Quincy Carter numbers most weeks.

The grounds crew at Texas Stadium is hard at work installing a new playing surface at the Stadium for the Dallas Cowboys. The new surface, Realgrass Synthetic Grass Playing Surface, was used by the Cowboys during training camp at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The question is will it actually make their offense any good?

College Football

It's hard to say how good Penn State is. They did blow out Nebraska 40-7, but that was almost expected. The Huskers have been blown out, of late, when they play someone not named Utah State or Troy State. Maybe Big Red can move to the Mountain West.

Notre Dame is not a great football team. Someone tell this to the folks at NBC. It's a good story that they are 3-0 and I hope it continues. The fact is Ty Willingham is doing it with smoke and mirrors. The Irish are in HUGE trouble unless Carlyle Holiday suddenly becomes a master of the West coast offense.

USC is a win away on Saturday from being a top 10 team. The Trojans have the talent to play with anyone in the country, this side of Miami and Oklahoma.

UCLA, as usual, is off to a good start. Let's be honest, though, the Bruins were supposed to beat both Oklahoma State and Colorado State. The test of the Bruins team will come in the second half of the season when Bob Toledo's teams normally fade away.

The last college running back to start his career like Ohio State's Maurice Clarrett was a guy named Marshall Faulk in San Diego.

The tradition of Michigan State football continued on Saturday. It seems, every year, that the Spartans blow their season against a team they should dominate.

Jeff Tedford has no chance to win coach of the year honors at Cal; not when all of the cameras in the Midwest and East are on South Bend and Mr. Willingham.

Kyle Boller, of Cal, and Carson Palmer, of SC, are both playing at the level many felt they should be playing at the last couple of years. With every win, Palmer's draft status jumps up. Palmer has the perfect size for an NFL QB.

Baseball

Wonder if Bud Selig still thinks the Minnesota Twins are an aberration now? Congrats to the Twins for coming back from Selig's grave to win the AL Central.

The Angels continue to amaze me with every win. They are winning inspite of Disney and Bill Stoneman.

Boston has no excuse for not winning the Wild Card. The Red Sox have a pair of 20 game winners in Derrick Lowe and Pedro Martinez and had a month of games against the Devil Rays, Blue Jays, Indians, and Orioles.

Seattle is another team that has nobody to blame but itself. Ichiro has fallen apart since the All-Star break. The MVP in the AL from 2001 has hit an average .274 with just 37 runs and 7 steals since the tie at Miller Park.

It's showdown week at Dodger Stadium. I hate the Giants but the Dodgers appear to be out of gas. It looks like they are about to roll over and lose three out of four to the hated one's. Let's hope I'm wrong. It would be more like the Dodgers to win 3-of-4 and then get swept by the Padres. permalink