JAT (Just Another Team)

- Average. Mediocre. Middle of the road. I don't care how you put it. That what they are.

- Nebraska continues to lack in superior, top-level defensive athletes. It was like I was watching Colorado 2001 again. Running straight north-south right up the middle and no one to be found in the LB area. Just absolutely gashing them.

- Pass rush continues to suck as well. When they weren't breaking off big runs, John David Booty was sitting back there with no pressure picking them apart. I'll stick to my original thought on him - very ordinary and no better than a top 15 QB in the nation. Like Donnie Jones says, any QB in NCAA or the pros can pick you apart if he has all day, they're all good enough to do that.

An attacking, blitzing defense would eat his lunch. But of course, you have the slowest defense in America that lacks a pass rush, so how do you think he did?

- Are we slowly getting stuck into a typical Callahan team? Lots of attention to offense and no difference makers on defense? Watch out.....

- I was wrong in so many ways in my pre-game assumptions/predictions that it's embarassing. This team made me sick and showed its true colors Saturday night. No running game, no pass rush, no run defense, defenders stuck in mud compared to superior athletes, etc just rendered me sick.

- It's time to start playing some of these top recruits like Ricky Thenearse, Phillip Dillard, and some others. They're faster and are closer to being playmakers. This coaching staff needs to start holding some of these seniors accountable for sucking.

- Throw out the 4th quarter, that wasn't anything, USC laid down and made it appear to others who didn't watch that it may have been close. It was nowhere near close.

- So if you throw out that 4th quarter, how did NU's offense REALLY do? If Rey Malauga doesn't go brain dead on that FG attempt by jumping offsides and allowing NU to punch it in from 2 yards out, then NU score 6 points through 3 quarters. 6 points????????????????

- I keep hearing, but they lost to #1, a great team, etc etc. This was not an overly elite team, this was not a #1 team. This was a very good team that should be extremely beatable under the right conditions. At home, in year 4 of Callahan, with a veteran QB, a good RB and O-line. They needed to be competitive and were nothing close to it. Just an absolutely sick performance. Laid down and took it up the ass for 3 quarters, esp on defense. Which leads me to this.......

- I'M SICK OF SLOW, WHITE DEFENDERS. There, I said it. I'm so sick of the constant parade of average, slow, white linebackers. There are no difference makers on defense. This defense is slow, ordinary, and in the bottom 3rd of the conference. Since 2000, every year you can count on there being at least 2 slow-ass white linebackers. This has got to change or NU will continue to look like they're stuck in mud when trying to slow offenses down.

- 2 turning points - 2 fumbles that were there for the taking for NU, and weren't recovered. Up 10-7, USC fumbles a kickoff and recovers it. And the pooch punt that USC fumbled and it seemed that 2 NU players had their hands on and both lost it.

- I'm not saying NU would have won the game, with the way USC bent them over running the ball, a USC win was going to happen 19 out of 20 times. But I would have liked to see what would have happened had those 2 turnovers gone NU's way.

- All in all, not a bad game called by Callahan. He was handcuffed by a shatty run game and a fast, attacking defense. He did what he could. On the other hand, if he doesn't start stocking the defensive side of the ball with athletes, then his time will be short as hell in Lincoln, I don't care if he builds the next 1995 Scoring Explosion on offense.

- Keller did what he could. Yes he threw a few INT's, but it was basically him vs. the world. The running game sucked. The O-line was getting manhandled. And he did what he could. He has talent, he just doesn't have enough around him. He'll be fine, like I've said all year. Sam Keller is not the problem. He got Zac Taylor'ed all game, getting put on his ass and getting hit play after play. But yet he kept slinging, threw for 360, and made no excuses after the game. I love the guy. He'll end up being one of my favorite Huskers before it's all said and done.

- D-Coordinator Kevin Cosgrove is on his way out. The lack of superior defensive performance (outside of the magical 2003 year of Bo Pelini, the best D-Coordinator since Charlie McBride, and who now has LSU playing kick ass defense) year after year is becoming old. Nebraska won't challenge teams like USC until this aspect improves. The athletes, while not that great, are still good enough to warrant a good defensive performance. Cosgrove continues to be poor in his play calling, execution, and inability to put guys in positions to succeed.

- Final Thought
I'm disappointed and concerned. I overrated this team. I overrated some of the defensive players, and I overrated the offensive line. I thought Cosgrove was capable of calling a good defensive game. I thought the WR's were better than they were. I thought they were finally able to wear teams out with the running game. I thought they were on the cusp of beating a top 5 team. I though a lot of things about NU this year. And now I know, they are what they are. A top 15 team at home and a shatty one on the road. An 8-4 team with a decent offense and an unathletic defense that can be worn down and gashed with good RB's. MEDIOCRE.

They are just average. They're nothing more than Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Minnesota, Boston College, Oregon, etc. They're just a middle of the road team. And this infuriates me. I demand excellence. I demand greatness. I've seen it done there in the past, so I don't want to hear it can't be done. Nebraska football should be held to a higher accountability level than any other program in America. And to see the program sink into mediocrity just infuriates me. Heads need to roll if they can't become competitive in games like these, especially at home, very soon. This is unacceptable.

I can accept losing, and losing to top teams. What I can't accept is losing the way in which they did. Totally inept on defense, unable to even get 2 yards running the ball on offense, and showing a total lack of intensity and will. I don't expect to win all of these games, but I expect to be a hell of a lot more competitive than 42-10.



- Big 12 Rankings


1) Oklahoma 3-0 - Another week, another 50+ points, another blowout.
2) Texas 3-0 - Survived and got lucky on the road. This team's clock is ticking.
3) Missouri 3-0 - You know why I put them at #3? I can't put anyone else above them in the Big 12 because it sucks so bad after Oklahoma and maybe Texas.
4) Nebraska 2-1 - Even losing badly to USC can't convince me to put TAMU here.
5) Texas A&M 3-0 - Vaults past Nebraska next week if they beat Miami on the road Thursday.
6) Texas Tech 3-0 - Still waiting to judge them when they play someone.
7) Kansas 3-0 - Have yet to go on the road, or play anyone of substance.
8) Kansas State 2-1
9) Oklahoma State 1-2 - What the hell happened to them?
10) Colorado 1-2 - Offense looks pitiful.
11) Baylor 2-1
12) Iowa State 1-2 - Is Iowa that bad? How did ISU beat them?



- National Top 10


1) LSU - Is there any doubt? Head and shoulders above anyone else in the country. Another shutout.
2) Oklahoma - Looking damn good, although I'll know a ton more about them Oct. 5 against Texas.
3) USC - Regardless of how overrated I think they are, and how overrated of a team Nebraska was, they still went on the road and looked impressive in winning.
4) Florida - Pretty impressive win over Tennessee. How worried must Phil Fulmer be? Giving up 48 and 52 points in big games vs. Cal and Florida?
5) West Virginia - Still not impressed, just waiting for them to get upset.
6) Texas - On borrowed time. Just a matter of time for this team.
7) Cal - Setting up nicely for a USC showdown.
8) Penn State - Either them or Ohio State or Wisconsin here. No way I'm putting 2 Big 10 teams in the top 10.
9) Ohio State - Good win on the road against a pretty decent Washington team. Even I have to admit that. Could be better than I thought.
10) Boston College - A new team to the top 10. My preseason prognostication about this team is on the money so far.

- Dropped out

UCLA - So long you bastards. I thought I had something here. You can lose on the road to a decent team, just don't do it 44-6.
Wisconsin - Winning, just not impressively.
Louisville - See ya, I knew I'd be kicking you out soon.

- On the cusp

Wisconsin
Penn State - If they keep winning.
Rutgers
Alabama - Beat Georgia and you leap frog someone into the top 10.
South Carolina - Can they survive the SEC slaughter house?
Oregon



- Dining Review - Silver Fox Steakhouse



Was able to check this place out last Thursday. A review.

- Very quiet, laid back, cool place. A place you can definitely go to and be left alone and actually hear the other person talk.

- Kind of cool, 50's style look/feel to it. Sinatra playing, lots of wood in the design of the dining area. Felt as if I was in New York City.

- Crab cakes were probably the best I've ever had. You only get 2 of them, however. Very disappointed in this. Give me at least 4.

- Lobster bisque was great as well. However, they shaft you on the lobster. Would have liked more meat in it. But the soup overall tasted great.

- Ran out of porterhouse steaks. A little disappointed here. But I guess this proves that they keep fresh meat on hand and don't buy in bulk. I can appreciate that.

- The Blanton's bourbon and water was phenomenal. Maybe I'm used to tap water ice, but the mix was better than my mixes. It tasted great. Convinced me to use store bought ice next time I mix a drink. No more tap water involved. Makes a huge difference.

- Bone-in ribeye was great. Asked for medium rare and it came out perfect. Was pink and tender, but not bloody. This is a hard thing to do, but they did it. Unbelievable flavor and spices. Not overbearing, still made the meat the main attraction.

- Banana's Foxter was excellent. One of the best desserts I've ever had. Carmalized bananas, great vanilla ice cream, and unbelievable cookie shell.

- Wait staff was great, kept my whiskeys full, helped out with menu, gave great suggestions. Owner very nice as well, made sure everything was perfect.

- Overall, a little pricey but still outstanding. I thought it was pricier than Bob's, which I still rate over Silver Fox. But all in all, a very good experience. Not crowded, quiet, calm, good dining experience. Docked for the lack of lobster in the soup, lack of quantity in the crab cakes, and overall price. I didn't think it should be on the Al Biernat's/Bob's/Nick and Same's level going in, but I guess maybe it is. It definitely could compete as far as taste goes.

Grade - B+



- Rangers


This guy is a nut. His teammates have to hate him. Rangers win 11-9.

Slam! Pow! Rangers beat A's 11-9


09:53 PM CDT on Sunday, September 16, 2007
By EVAN GRANT / The Dallas Morning News
egrant@dallasnews.com

OAKLAND, Calif. – The Rangers already have a long enough list of things to do this winter. After Sunday, though, they may have something else to ponder:

Can they afford to bring Vicente Padilla back for another season?

Wielding a 96 mph fastball, Padilla decided to play vigilante again Sunday afternoon. It ignited a bench-clearing incident between the Rangers and A's that rendered the rest of the Rangers' 11-9 win meaningless. And it did nothing to eliminate questions about his commitment to his teammates.

"Sometimes you just don't know what you are going to get from him," said outfielder Marlon Byrd, who played with Padilla in Philadelphia. "But when he's out there dealing, you sure do love having him out there."

But there are a lot of other days, too. There are days when he seems to get quickly frustrated and hits batters without remorse. There are days when he is knocked around early and heads quickly to the showers, only to be gone by the time his teammates come up from the dugout after the last pitch. Those kinds of days have been far more frequent this season in the first year of a three-year, $33 million contract.

Just 10 pitches into a game in which the Rangers desperately needed some innings from a starting pitcher, he hit Oakland's Nick Swisher in the ribs with a full-count fastball. After hitting homers in the first three games of the series, getting plunked twice and having two pitches in the first at-bat back him off the plate, Swisher wasted no time charging the mound. He tackled Padilla, and the benches emptied on to the field to break things up.

It seemed to be a carryover from the latter stages of Saturday's game. In that game, Swisher homered in his second at-bat, doubled in his third and took a pitch of his leg in his next plate appearance. After he was hit, the umpires issued warnings, which brought Oakland manager Bob Geren out of the dugout for an argument. But the game concluded without incident.

In the top of the first Sunday, Oakland lefty Lenny DiNardo allowed a walk but didn't come close to hitting any of the four hitters he faced. In the bottom of the inning, Padilla, who is 6-9 with a 5.77 ERA, allowed a leadoff walk to Daric Barton, then worked the count full on Swisher. Two of the balls were inside, forcing Swisher to back off the plate. The 3-and-2 pitch, however, left him no escape route.

"There is no doubt in my mind at all that was a purpose pitch," Geren said. "The first pitch he threw was right over him, the third was right at him and then he hit him."

Padilla offered no defense for his actions. He has once again stopped talking to the media. On Sunday, his locker was empty moments after the game.

The Rangers' defense was lukewarm, at best.

"I have no comment on Swisher's reaction, but I do know you need to throw inside," manager Ron Washington said. "Did I put a hit out on [Swisher]? No."

Said shortstop Michael Young, who earlier this year was hit by a pitchas retaliation for a Padilla beaning: "I can't say I was shocked by [Swisher's] decision. ... I wouldn't be happy about that at all. Not at all."

Outfielder Frank Catalanotto, who did not play Sunday, leads the Rangers in getting hit by pitches with 10. He said, under the same circumstances, he'd have thought an opposing pitcher was throwing at him, too.

Byrd, who was due up first in the top of the second, said he assumed he'd be hit in retaliation. Byrd said he would have simply gone to first base if he had been hit; such an action is usually an acknowledgement that being hit was fair retaliation.

The umpiring crew, headed by Rick Reed, declined to comment about the incident after the game. They will file a report to Major League Baseball. If they deem that Padilla was throwing at Swisher on purpose, a suspension becomes more likely.

Padilla, who leads the majors in hit batsmen since 2002 with 75, six more than his closest competition, was suspended last year for throwing at Los Angeles Angels players in an incident that helped ignite another brawl.

"That guy isn't even worth talking about," Oakland second baseman Mark Ellis said of Padilla. "He has a bad reputation around the league. I know that decision didn't come from the manager. [Washington] has too much respect for the game and too much respect for [Swisher]. You want to know you gave that kind of order, you have to talk to the pitcher."

On Sunday, Padilla wasn't talking. His actions, however, seemed to speak louder than words.


- Picks O'the Day

Weekend Record - 11-8-1

YTD FB - 31-21-2

1) Philadelphia +105
2) Chicago Cubs -140
3) Milwaukee -140
4) NY Mets -125
5) Boston -125
6) Cleveland -130
7) Philadelphia Eagles -7
9) PHI/WASH over 38.5