Who Do You Have Going to Miami?

With the college season less than three weeks away it seems Alabama, LSU, and USC are the only schools being talked about when it comes to who will be this year’s national champions.

What about some of the Underdogs? What about the schools who can make an impact and make a running to win it all for themselves; like Michigan or Michigan State, Louisville, USF, or even West Virginia.

In the Pac 12 it seems USC is all anyone can talk about. USC is a well balanced team on both sides of the ball even more so with running back Silas Redd transferring from Penn State. But let’s talk about the Pac 12 teams that seem to have fallen off the radar since last year’s football season.

Oregon is coming off a fantastic 2011-2012 campaign winning the Rose Bowl. Stanford finished their season losing a tough game coming down to an overtime loss against Oklahoma State. Both teams though are expecting to come back faster and stronger. Oregon and their high tempo offense has replaced the two impact players LaMichael James and Darron Thomas, with two very explosive running backs Kenjon Barner and De’Anthony Thomas while filling the quarterback position might be a little more difficult while a quarterback competition is underway in Eugene.
Stanford though as arguably one of if not the best defense in the Pac 12 with 7 returning starters and the defense finally understanding the level of play Defensive Coordinator Derek Mason is wanting to run.

Out of the Pac 12 and into the Big 12. Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas State all can all enter this year’s season with high hopes of competing for the opportunity to play in the National championship.  Along with the ACC led by Florida State and Virginia Tech their powerful defenses and fast paced offense can really do some damage across the country. Georgia Tech and Clemson are coming off strong years and shouldn’t be over looked by any means.

The SEC is a powerhouse in itself. Last year for the first time ever the National Championship had two SEC team’s play that weren’t only in the same conference but also in the same division. So of course we can see that they will be in the front running in being crowned national champions once again for a 7th consecutive year.

Some of the teams that are not talked about as much in the SEC but can make a serious run for the National Championship would be South Carolina with Marcus Lattimore coming off a season ending injury. Georgia with Heisman contender in Aaron Murray, and not to mention one of the Nations’ top defenses that is returning 9 starters. Arkansas can also be in the mix with their Heisman candidate Tyler Wilson and his unbelievable play making skills.

Ranked or Not anyone can win on any given day that’s the beauty of college football.

The Change Nobody Wants

Post #2                                                                                               Cameron Boehning

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, has declared big hits violent and degrades the game of football that we play today. Recently Ed"too tall" Jones former first round draft pick overall by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1974 draft said " I haven't figured out the rules yet"talking about the new no big hit policy. Ed also went on to say "Today people are getting fined a lot of money for a rule I just don'tunderstand." A question was then asked to Ed "Too Tall" Jones asking, "Did a referee ever come up to you and ask you to stop hitting someone that was borderline illegal?" Ed replied while laughing saying"No, Everything goes." Did you hear that? Everything goes!

Another former NFL great was defensive end for the Los Angeles Rams Deacon Jones who was quoted on the new rules saying, "I wouldn't make a dime" Talking about the fines that go with big hits. Deacon also went onto say "I don't like it ,and I don’t think no lineman on the defensive side of the ball likes it. I was taught to take the quarterback out, send him to the hospital and to start with his head and work down. I won't take out the knee but I will stop you from thinking, rattle you."

Deacon Jones went on to talk about this upcoming Super Bowl and how if you sack Tom Brady, quarterback for the New England Patriots five times he will still score 40+ points. Deacon said" what the Giants need to do is hit him EVERY down, four man rush, playing hard every down. This game could be 44 to 40 and I don’t like that. I would rather have a 0-3 victory"- Deacon Jones. I think the same as Deacon Jones. I played on the defensive side of the ball and if we didn't make big hit then the opposing offense would never get rattled and they would have the confidence to score on will, and that is not how the game should be played.

The NFL adopted the helmet-to-helmet rule in 1996. The rule is as follows: A 15-yard personal foul penalty will be called when a player “us(es)any part of a players helmet (including the top/crown and forehead/hairline parts) or facemask to butt, spear, or ram an opponent violently or unnecessarily; although such violent or unnecessary use of the helmet is impermissible against any opponent, game officials will give special attention in administering this rule to protect those players who are in virtually defenseless postures.”

Roger Goodell took that rule to a whole new level in myeyes. In the NFL today you are fined for playing your heart out, playing as if winning is the only option. I agree that a defenseless Wide Receiver, Quarterbackor anyone that has the ball in their hands and is not able to brace for the hit should be flagged, but not fined. James Harrison, linebacker for the PittsburghSteelers has been fined six times in his nine year career. Those who are fans of the defensive side of the ball love James Harrison and how he hits and plays defense.

James Harrison this past season laid on big time hit on Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy. The Hit was given a 15' yard penalty James Harrison was fined a full paycheck and was suspended for the following game against the San Francisco 49ers. Was this right? I will admit it was a big hit,but I also think the league acted UN justly. As the week progressed we found out that Colt was never checked for a concussion or any kind of injury. The officials are walking around on egg shells on the field waiting to make a callon a big hit. I just don't think that is right.

(James Harrison fineable hit on Colt McCoy)

The saying goes "Offense wins games but Defense wins championships." Deacon Jones and Ed "Too Tall" Jones made that very clear through their words and to me that saying still reigns true. We look atthe past Super Bowl champions, just to name a few teams who have won multiple Super Bowls would be the Steelers, Cowboys, Packers, 49ers. All these teams had something in common other than Super Bowl bragging rights. They had great defenses and they knew that was and still is needed to win. Fining someone for making a big play at a big time is not right and never will be.

Let’s look at other sports for a second. When people watch hockey what do they like to see during the game? "Fighting" When we watch basketball what do we like to see? "Big Time blocks, and huge embarrassing dunks on the opponents" NASCAR? "Wrecks" Am I thinking what you'rethinking now? That when we watch sports we want to see action, big plays and close games. Players shouldn't be fined for performing the way they have been playing their whole lives. If the quarterbacks, wide receivers, and running backs don’t like it then go do something else because Professional football is for men and is played by men. So to all those whiners out there who cry because you've been hit to hard. It's time to reconsider your career choice or grow up and play the game how it is supposed to be,with passion, intensity, and heart. 

Downfalls Of the NFL Pro Bowl.

Post #1
Cameron Boehning

The Pro Bowl happened last night Sunday Jan 29th 2012 in Honolulu, HI. It was the traditional AFC's best against the NFC's best where exactly 100 combined points were scored. This was the second highest scoring Pro Bowl game since the 2004 Pro Bowl where a total of 107 points were scored. To me the Pro Bowl is a complete joke. No one wants to watch it; it's a meaningless game where the athletes take a vacation to Hawaii and it's an offensive showdown. The athletes don't play hard for fear of injury and a lot of the Pro Bowl selections turn down the invite for that reason alone.

I propose that the NFL just recognizes the athletes that have been chosen and give them some type of reward instead of making us watch a horrible game of football. The NFL has become soft all-together fining the players for playing how the game was designed and played from the very beginning of time which is tough hardnosed, big hitting football. Commissioner Goodell is fining everyone that makes a big hit. Then we praise those who can't play defense by sending them to the Pro Bowl that is supposed to represent the best professional football players of that year.

With the NFL Draft approaching what message is the NFL sending to those upcoming athletes? That the big hitters and best blockers will only make it if they know how to score? In recent news Hines Ward was announced as the dirtiest player of the 2011-2012 season. Why? Have you seen his highlights? Is it really his fault that the linebackers and defensive backs don't know how to be alert when trying to make a play and will get lit up if they don't keep their heads on a swivel. Hines Ward just puts everything he has into the game and makes impact blocks that help his team win games and even Super Bowls.

Ndamukong Suh is another so called dirty player. I have watched him play since his college days at Nebraska his rookie year and this year. He plays with heart, passion, and energy. He doesn't care about the stats or the records all he wants to do is win. He plays with a chip on his shoulder wanting to get to the Super Bowl. He throws Lineman around like rag dolls and gets punished for making big plays. Before Ndamukong Suh came to the Detroit Lions the team went 2-14. Since then they have won the hearts of America and made the playoffs for the first time since 1999 when they went 8-8. You might ask why that is, but I am here to tell you it is because the players brought physicality to the field and played that way every down. Detroit did not just an offensive showdown each game they had defensive stops and made defenses turn the ball over allowing the offense to score.

We arrive back at the Pro Bowl. If it was a defensive game with big hits the best against the best making plays and earning points instead of scoring on will more fans would go and more people would watch, but until that day the Pro Bowl will always be a joke game that nobody cares about.

My Story

Introduction

My name is Cameron and I am a sophomore at Brigham Young University-Idaho. I am Majoring in Communication with an emphasis in Journalism and I am Minoring in Political Science. My aspirations in life are to become a corporate lawyer and eventually becoming a politician to help make a change.

I have always dreamed of doing something sports related and this is a great opportunity to express my thoughts and opinions on the topics of my choice. See I envision myself as a sports writer if plan A falls through. Sports have always been my passion since I was really young. I played football through high school at Lovejoy and Jonesboro High School and into college at West Virginia Tech University.

After my first year in college I left to serve a religious mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Yes I am a Mormon. I served in the Salt Lake City South Mission in Utah Spanish and Tongan speaking. I am fluent in Spanish not so much Tongan. After my two year mission I returned home and I started back up at school at Brigham Young University-Idaho.

I decided to choose my career path based on life experiences. I want to be a lawyer to defend those who can't defend themselves and later a politician because I know I can make a change in the world for the better and people will listen. I am a true believer in doing what makes you happy and Politics and Sports make me happy. So I encourage you to follow my writings and make comments and suggestions because each and every day I am trying to become a better writer and journalist.