Walker's Rants On a Special Occasion

Wow, a full year has gone by who would have believed it? Nonetheless, we are here and ready to work even on what should be a holiday. But with the week in sports we just witnessed you can best believe that Walker has plenty to say. So let’s get it started with the special edition of Walker’s Rants.

How in the hell did the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Broncos? I guess that Denver defense really does suck…

Al Davis is a pimp, firing a coach over the phone and then refusing to pay him the rest of his money. I guess Al remembered his old New York roots on that one…

So far my prediction of Oklahoma winning a national title is accurate, but I wish they weren’t in first place this early in the season…

The New York Mets should fire their entire front office. Consecutive years with the same results are unacceptable.

Nice to see that Brett Favre still has something left in the tank. However, those throwback jerseys are horrible…

Glad to see USC lose…

Fire Al Groh, worst move for Virginia Football since Beta and Seal died as the schools mascots…

The race for this years Heisman will be very interesting, McCoy, Teabow, Daniels, Bradford, Moreno all come to mind off the top of my head…

Happy Birthday Dumont Walker, you are getting old…

The Cowboys have to get back to running the ball. 11 carries on Sunday is not enough when you have Jones and Barber in your backfield….

The bye week in the NFL means you may get fired. I guess Herm Edwards saved his job at least for another week…

Actually maybe it’s Marvin Lewis who should be in the crosshairs. The Bengals are once again horrible…

If you want to get an understanding for rugby and its culture go check out Forever Strong…

How did the ACC become so awful so fast? Seriously this is just sickening…

I need a drink, way too sober on this holiday…

The best part about rugby is, destroying your surgically repaired knee, biting through your lip, and getting kicked in the head, all in one day. Then going out to a Fijian Lovu and eating fresh pork…

Lane Kiffen is Fired

Alright, so I know we rumored about this last week, and to be honest, it does not come as much of a surprise to anyone who watches the NFL, but the Oakland Raiders have fired head coach Lane Kiffen.

According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN, Raiders owner Al Davis fired Lane Kiffen over the telephone. Furthermore, Davis also informed Kiffen that his contract would not be honored. Guess, it looks like Al Davis still has plenty of fire left in the tank.


In a one-paragraph release, the team said "Lane Kiffin has been released as head coach of the Oakland Raiders for cause. "

Reports are that Davis is already interviewing potiential candidates to repalce Kiffen and he is looking in house for the replacement. One thing that is for sure, is the Oakland Raiders are still in for a world of trouble as they try to figure out what in the world is going on with their franchise.

Walker-Sports Top 25 Poll:Boomer Sooner

Alright so last weekend may have been the best weekend of the college football season to date, and that is saying a whole lot. But really it is hard to beat, six unranked teams knocking off ranked opponents in one weekend. One thing that is for sure is with this entire shake up, you can bet your last dollar that the Walker-Sports College Poll will be changing. Let’s check out where you favorite team landed.

1) Oklahoma: Bob Stoops tried to keep this year’s Sooners team his dirty little secret. Well the secret is out now, with them sitting atop every poll in America. The Sooners are good, very good and now the whole country will be gunning for them. Let’s see if Stoops can hold his troops together and get them into a BCS Championship game.

2) LSU: The SEC is very tough, just ask Georgia and Florida. LSU snuck out a 34-24 win over Mississippi St this weekend to remain undefeated. Unfortunately for the Tigers, the SEC is just getting started they will have a very long way to go to complete this repeat journey.

3) Missouri Tigers: Sitting idle last weekend the Mizzu got to watch the train wreck all around them that was the Top 5 in the country. Now that Mizzu is in the mix of the national title scene it will be interesting to see how they handle the pressure. More importantly they are ready to start the Big 12 schedule. This will be the first time they have played actual Div I level talent all season, it could be a shock to the Tigers system.

4) Texas: The Longhorns defense is alive and well down in Austin. Last weekend the smothered Arkansas and held them to 11 yards rushing. The arrival of this stout defense may be the best thing to happen to UT. A great defense will take pressure off Colt McCoy and keep him from having to make all the big plays. Two weeks, the Red River Shootout is right around the corner. That is when we will exactly how far this Texas club has come.

5) Alabama: Nick Saban has arrived. Well I guess he never went anywhere, but the Tide is right in the hunt in the SEC and the national title scene. However, Bama is thin at every position, so the key will be staying healthy which can be very difficult in such a physical conference.

6) Penn State: It’s strange watching the spread offense in Happy Valley, but it works very well. PSU was held under 50 points for the first time all season on Saturday. Too bad they still beat Illinois by 14. The next month will be a long stretch for the Lions, at Purdue, at Wisconsin home against Michigan and on the road at Ohio State. With the sudden emergence of the Wolverines, the race for the Big 10 could be very entertaining.

7) Texas Tech: I’m not even sure how this team ended up here. They have played competition that could not compete for the Texas High School State Championship more or less in the Big 12. This may be the best Red Raiders team ever. However, this bubble is about to burst, despite improvements on defense and in the running game, this is the same ole Texas Tech and the Big 12 has enough QB’s to keep pace with their high scoring and high flying ways.

8) South Florida: The South Florida offense is back. The Bulls trounced NC State on Saturday 41-10 and scored on five out of its first six possessions. This could be the year that USF makes it to a BCS game. The Big East is anyone’s conference for the taking. WVU doesn’t want to step up and own it, so why shouldn’t USF be able to.

9) BYU: After consecutive shutouts in their last two games all BYU has to do is stay focused. Which shouldn’t be too hard for a team loaded with upperclassmen that all have loads of experience? BYU just has to maintain and they will be crashing a BCS game near you very soon.

10) Georgia Bulldogs: They went on the road two weeks ago, and then had to come home to the SEC buzz saw that is Alabama. The Bulldogs just did not have enough firepower to keep pace. Actually the 41-30 final is pretty impressive considering the Dog were down 31-0 at the half. The Georgia defense just let this team down.

11) Auburn: If this team had anyone who could play QB they would be dangerous. Auburn used three different players under center Saturday, and their offense was still only able to find the endzone once. Auburn is a good team, they just need to figure out how to score more than 14 points and take some of the pressure off that defense. I do love the way things are setting up for the Iron Bowl.

12) USC: What happened? That has been the question asked around the country. They only thing that has saved USC are the fact that two other top 10 teams lost over the weekend. The Trojans laid an egg on Thursday night. They let a freshmen run all over them, and Sanchez was not accurate when it was needed. The Pac 10 will get easier for them, but at this point they are a wrap for the Rose Bowl so who cares?

13) Florida: Talk about gagging up a perfect opportunity. The Gators had a chance to put their stamp on the National Title hunt, and they blew it against Ole Miss of all teams. Who would have thought? The Gators were sloppy even down to blocked extra point. The Gators are a good team, but they did not deserve to win that game Saturday.

14) Ohio State: The Buckeyes have Beanie Wells back and the offense has its spark once again. However, OSU will have their hands full this season. The Big 10 is shaping up to be an impressive conference. The Buckeyes had better be careful or they may end up in the Capital One Bowl rather than Rose Bowl.

15) Utah: Much like their cross state rival BYU, Utah needs to remain focused as they work their way through their schedule. The Utes are playing all unranked teams from here, and even the mighty Oregon State should not poise a threat to them. The end goal is a showdown with BYU and then sees if the BCS invite comes their way.

16) Kansas: The Jayhawks enjoyed an off week before they embark on a tough Big 12 schedule. Unfortunately for Kansas they fall into a similar boat as Texas Tech, while they are much improved from their past they are still far from being amongst the Big 12 elite.

17) Wisconsin: Who knew there was still life in the Big House? Without a doubt, dumb penalties can be blamed for the breakdown Wisconsin experienced. However, the Badgers will need to put Saturday’s lost behind them as quickly as possible. They still have a lot of football left, and I am sure they want to avoid another trip to the Capital One Bowl.

18) Fresno State: On the road against a BCS division team (well UCLA kind of is one) and Fresno State took care of business again getting the win. It is very difficult to say where Fresno will end up when it comes to bowl games. They are a great team and by far the best in their conference, an 11-1 record could prove to be very interesting to selection comities.

19) Boise State: America’s favorite upset team will open its WAC schedule on the blue turf on Wednesday night. You can be assured the Broncos are eager to regain their WAC title and shake up some BCS standings once again.

20) Vanderbilt: They will get two weeks in the Top 25 thanks to last week’s bye week. Vandy is a solid team, but they are Vandy. They end goal for this team and the true measure of their success will be if they can reach a bowl game. Remember this same Vandy team went 4-0 with Jay Cutler at QB and still managed to miss out on a bowl game, so don’t get too excited just yet.

21) UConn: Are the Huskies the team to beat in the Big East? I won’t go that far just yet, but one thing is for sure, they do know how to win football games. They scrap and fight and find away. I also like the way their defense is able to force turnovers. While they may not be a serious contender for a BCS bit, they can definitely play spoiler to more than a few teams.

22) Oregon: The Ducks showed the world exactly how you bounce back after a gut wrenching upset at home. You go on the road and rout the first team you see. In this case that happened to be Washington State. And they were ripped 63-14. It was because of that impressive performance the Ducks get to stay in the poll.

23) Oklahoma State: OSU is in the national spotlight and this time it is not because of Mike Gundy yelling at reporters. This team has great play at the QB position, and Gundy seems to have his players fired up. I have a feeling they will play spoiler to some team in the Big 12.

24) Virginia Tech: After bouncing back from an opening weekend lost to one time thrillers ECU, the Hokies have climbed back into the Top 25 by playing and winning ugly football games and capitalizing on penalties and mistakes. Sounds like things are just they way they like them down in Blacksburg.

25) Wake Forest: Oops where did Navy come from? Perhaps Wake was still basking into the glow of their second win against Florida State. Nonetheless, lucky for Wake Forest Navy is not in the ACC (although they could knock off half the teams that are). Wake needs to regroup and just focus on making the ACC Championship; it’s a very attainable goal.

The Boss Will Play The Super Bowl

The halftime show at the Super Bowl has become as important if not more important than the actual game depending on who you ask. And in recent years, the NFL has pulled out all the stops to get the biggest names to headline their biggest event. The 2009 Super Bowl will be no different. Bruce Springsteen The Boss will headline this years Super Bowl.

There may not be a more appropiate act to headline this show. The All American man headlining the ultimate American Showcase.

St. Louis Rams Fire Scott Linehan

The St. Louis Rams have fired head coach Scott Linehan, and defensive coordinator Jim Haslet will step in as the head coach for now.

The Rams have looked like the worst team in the league to this point of the season. Even the Chiefs got a win on the weekend. All the Rams managed to do was blow a 14-0 lead on Sunday and lose to the Bills 31-14. There is no question that a coaching change was needed with this team. The players were ready to revolt. QB. Marc Bulger has already voiced his opinion and let it be known that he was not interested in being coached by Linehan.

Jim Haslet has head coaching experience from his days in New Orleans. Hopefully he can bring a new spark to the Rams and get them back on track.

Walker-Sports NFL Week 4 Preview

Alright so week four of the NFL season is right around the corner and that means it’s the bye week, and we are nearly a fourth of the way through the season. Damn time flies when you’re having fun. So, let’s take a quick look at the league, make some predictions, and see what the best games are on the upcoming weekend.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Chicago Bears: Yes we are talking about the 1-2 Kyle Orton led Bears. The record is not strong, but they Bears actually are not as bad as the record indicates. What the Bears have is a great running game with Matt Forte at the helm, and a reliable passing game with Orton. Granted Orton won’t burn the stat sheet up throwing the deep ball, but he handles the rock fairly well and minimizes mistakes. That could be enough. As we saw last week, the Eagles can be dragged into playing an ugly football game. The key for the Bears will be they need to dictate the tempo with their running game. Their offensive line will need to be strong against the rejuvenated Philly blitz schemes. On defense, the Bears have to be in attack mode. McNabb is practicing and will play, but there is no doubt his chest is hurting. A couple of good hits early in the game could really affect his performance. In the backfield, Westbrook is still day to day. If he is not 100% the Eagles offense is a wrap.

The Philadelphia Eagles played in one of the most exciting games two weeks ago, and apparently they left all their offense in Dallas. Last week they scratched out a game against an ailing Pittsburgh team. Sunday night they will have their hands full once again when the Bears take the field. The key to Philadelphia will be the health of Brian Westbrook. Yes McNabb is important, but they have won without him in the past and they can do it again, the one constant has been Brian Westbrook. When he was banged up last year, the entire team suffered. Even if he can go and he is not 100% having his versatility is vastly important, especially as the Eagles continue to look and attempt to develop a threat at wide out. On defense the name of the game will be pressure. The Eagles must get a lead early, and then bring the heat on Orton. Make him uncomfortable in the pocket. If they were able to rattle a Super Bowl winning QB like Big Ben last week, they can get into Orton’s head on Sunday.

Philadelphia 20 Chicago 17

Tennessee Titans vs. Minnesota Vikings: Much like the Chicago Bears, the Minnesota Vikings 1-2 record can be very misleading. It is especially misleading now that the Vikings have made the move to pull Tarvaris Jackson as their starting QB. Last week old man Frerotte got the job done, and got the Vikings won for the first time this season. This week, the task at hand will be a little more difficult. Tennessee has an outstanding pass defense. The key for Minnesota will be their ground game. Adrian Peterson has to be healthy and have a big game if the Vikings want to win. Throughout his career, Peterson has a history of disappearing a bit in some games. This cannot be one of those for the Vikings. They will need a healthy dose of AP to slow the Titians pass rush and to keep the chains moving on offense.

The Tennessee Titians are the top team in the AFC South. Raise your hand if you saw that one coming? Because I will admit that while I thought they could contend, going 3-0 was not on my blueprint for the season. Nonetheless the Titians are rolling and they are doing it with Kerry Collins at QB (will this guy ever go away?) Collins is playing controlled football. Something, the Titians desperately needed. They needed someone who could manage the offense and just give them a chance to win games with their defense. Vince Young was too inconsistent with his throws to give the Titians a chance. Too often the takeaways the Titans forced on defense were negated by Young’s turnovers. Now the Titians have a chance, and they also have one of the best defenses in the league. They are currently ranked third in the league against the pass, and they have a secondary full of playmakers that are hungry to get their hands on the ball. They will be ready to challenge Frerotte when he drops back to pass, and the passing windows will close quickly on the veteran QB.

Minnesota Vikings 24 Tennessee Titians 16

Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: Once again the battle for the AFC North will come down to the Steelers and Ravens. The winner of the division will be the team that is still healthy come December, and that could be difficult for the Steelers at the pace they are going. The Steelers lost a gutsy game against their cross states rivals the Eagles on Sunday. More importantly the Steelers lost the services of Willie Parker during this game. Parker suffered a sprain knee, and will be out against the Ravens on Sunday. It will be up to rookie back Rashard Mendenhall to handle the bulk of the carries on Monday night. This could be trouble for Pittsburgh, during the preseason Mendenhall had problems holding onto the football. And with the way the Steelers OLine is blocking he could get banged around early and often if he is not careful. Another concern for the Steelers is the health of Big Ben. It is known that he has a separated shoulder and he is fighting his way through that. He was punished last weekend by the Eagles, and in the process injured his hand as well. In his current state of health there is no question that he is not able to perform at his peak levels which could be trouble for the Steelers.

The Baltimore Ravens are a strange team. What I mean by that is they have convincing wins over the Browns and Bengals on the season, I think that speaks for itself. Those two teams could be combined into an Ohio All Star team and would still probably be unable to win the AFC North. Nonetheless, the Ravens seem to playing with a lot of pride and a chip on their shoulder after the debacle of last season. That is good for the Ravens and bad for whoever they are playing. Bad because the Ravens defense once though to be too old to factor into most conversations has come out with a vengeance this year. Ray Lewis has his troops fired up and they are attacking and hitting anything that comes into their sites. After seeing how bad the Pittsburgh frontline is against the blitz, you can bet the Ravens will blitz early and often to test the health of Big Ben. On offense Joe Flacco is proving why he is the future of the Ravens offense. He has done just enough in his first two outings. Monday night will be his first true test on the football field, but if he can handle the pressure it could be the first turning point in his career and the opportunity he needs to prove himself as a starting QB in the NFL.

Baltimore Ravens 17 Pittsburgh Steelers 14

Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins: The greatest rivalry in football renews itself on Sunday evening and this could be one of the biggest years for this rivalry in recent history. The Washington Redskins are arguably the hottest team in football right now. They stunk up the joint on opening night against the Giants and since then they racked up a come from behind victory against the Saints, and last week they handled Arizona with relative ease. The Jim Zorn offense is in place and as the players become more familiar with it, it is working better and better for everyone involved. To this date Jason Campbell has yet to throw a pick. Clinton Portis has talked trash about his teammates, but he has shown up and performed well on the field. Washington Redskin football is back. On Sunday they will have their hands full, and their defense will need to step up and play its best game to date. Lucky for them playing against Bolden and Fitzgerald last week is a good warm up act to the offensive fire power the Cowboys will look to showcase.

The Dallas Cowboys are the best team in football, and that is not coming from a biased opinion, it’s just the truth. Last week they got their running game going, and showed some old school talent by running over and pounding the Green Bay Packers into submission. The combination of Felix Jones and Marion Barber III is a lethal weapon, even more so than the Romo to T.O. connection. The Cowboys have the second largest offensive line in the NFL and those big boys love to block and punish opposing teams. All season long they have grated four lane highways for their backs. The Redskins are thin on their defensive front, look for the Cowboys to take advantage of that. The Dallas offensive line is also outstanding against the pass rush. Romo has had seemingly unlimited time in the pocket all season. With Jason Taylor out for Washington, the Skins are down to one serious pass rusher in Andre Carter. The key to the Cowboys success will be Tony Romo’s performance in the redzone. So far this season Romo has had several costly picks in the redzone. Sunday he will need to minimize those turnovers and allow his team every opportunity possible to capitalize on scoring chances.

Dallas 34 Washington 27

Rugby Finds the Mainstream in the USA

September 26, 2008 marked a memorable day in U.S.A. Rugby history. It was the day the movie Forever Strong was released to the public for viewing. Forever Strong tells the true story of one mans journey for identity and redemption both on and off the rugby pitch.

Now don't worry, Walker-Sports is not turning into movie review site, because frankly no one here watches enough movies to do that. However, everyone involved at Walker-Sports loves rugby, myself included.

I began playing rugby eight years ago, and it provided a network of friends like no other. It gave me a place when I did not belong and it gave me something to believe in. Corny? I know, but all very true. Granted I was not some wayward kid sitting in jail or anything like that. I was actually attending a well respective university in the states, but I needed a group of friends and rugby gave me that. And I am pretty sure, I am not the only rugger who has found security within the touch lines on the pitch or within the walls of a clubhouse.

It is for that reason that Forever Strong is not only a good movie, but it is a great movie for the rugby community. Is it Hollywood? Yes. Is it hoaxy at times? Yes. But does it show the positive of rugby? Does it show how a sport can unify men like no other and bring them together in life altering ways? Without a doubt yes. Forever Strong highlights all the positives about the rugby lifestyle and the rugby community. For this reason it is a movie that all high school and college rugby players should see. Even non players need to watch so they can take a glimpse at the inside of the rugby community. They need to see and experience what it is like to be a member of a club.

Okay, I think I am done preaching for today. It was just surprising at how accurate this movie was when it comes to the club. Because the heart of rugby is the club, and the binds between teammates and friends.

USC Loses on the Road

The USC Trojans were ordained to have a cake walk to the BCS Championship. I will admit that after watching the Trojans in person against UVA, I was not sure if any team(other than OU) could beat Pete Carols squard. Well on a Thursday night game on the road, the PAC 10 opener. The Oregon State Beavers came up with an upset that will be known as The Giant Killer III.

Defending their home turf the Beavers knocked off what was considered the greatest USC team ever. The key to the Oregon State victory was a great rushing game. They played a small version of power football attacking the heart of the USC defense.

The other key to the OSU victory was the inaccuracy of USC QB Mark Sanchez. Sanchez was considered the best of the long line of USC QB's however on Thursday night, he just didn't seem to have it. Even when trying to engineer a late drive to tie the game, Sanchez would throw a pick that would ultimely cost his team the game.

Nonetheless Congrats to Oregon State the Giant Killers part 3.

Walker-Sports Proudly Announces our New Partneship

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Walker-Sports College Football Pick'em Week 5

Here we are again, at the start of another great week of college football. That means it’s time for Walker-Sports College Football Pick’em. Now anyone who is a follower of this blog knows that last week was not our best performance, but we are looking to put that behind use and move ahead with some solid picks this weekend. The biggest rule learned, never bet on West Virginia.

Nonetheless we are calling this the week of the underdog. That’s right I am riding the underdogs back to the top of the College Football Pick’em poll.

There is no question that the game of the week this weekend is a SEC battle with the Georgia Bulldogs taking on Alabama. Both teams are ranked inside the top 10 in the country, and Saturday’s game will give the winner a leg up on making the trip to Atlanta for the SEC championship as well as keeping them in the national title hunt.

For Georgia this will be their second big test in as many weeks. Last week they put up an impressive performance on the road in Tempe Arizona, this week they will return home between the hedges, and will look to use their 12^th man advantage. The Bulldogs have the best running back in the country in Knowshon Moreno and you can expect to see a very healthy dose of him Saturday night. He is quick explosive in the hole, and has great feet. Even Alabama’s talented defense will have trouble keeping pace with this speedy back. However, while Moreno is an obvious threat, the key to Georgia’s success may actually come from a wideout. A.J. Green is emerging as an extremely talented player with great hands and deep threat ability. If he can force his hand on Saturday, get open, create space and stretch the defense it will do a world of good for the Bulldogs. Green’s emergence as a threat means teams cannot stack the box and take away running lanes for Moreno.

This may be Nick Saban’s most impressive turnaround job to date. Alabama is in the top 10 once again and they are a serious threat in the SEC. The key to Alabama’s success has been a smothering defense. The frontline on defense has played at an out of this world caliber all season long. The front four are getting pressure on the QB; this allows the LB’s to stay back in coverage. This also explains why the Tide was able to take two interceptions to the house last weekend. The Bama front four will have their hands full on Saturday clogging up the running lanes. However, if they can put some pressure and toss in a couple blitzs and cause some confusion with that young OLine at Georgia, then the Bama defense can do some damage.

The spread has Georgia as a 7 point favorite on Saturday. That feels a bit hefty to me. I like Georgia to win, but watch Bama to cover.

Other Big games on the weekend:

Illinois vs. Penn St: There is a massive 10 point spread on this game. And that is problem driven by the fact that Illinois did not look good at all in their last outing against Louisiana Lafayette two weeks ago. Not to mention Penn State has been running the score up on every St. Mary’s of the poor they have played in the past month. This is a very good Penn State team, but a 15 point win even at home during a night game could be a bit much to ask. Take Illinois to cover, and maybe look at betting the over to secure your self just in case.

North Carolina vs. Miami (fl): Butch Davis is taking his UNC boys to challenge his old team and a program that he helps to build and feed the legacy of. One problem, Butch is missing his stud QB who is out 6 weeks with an injury. That means, the Tar Heels are back to being a mediocre team in a mediocre conference. Expect the Baby Canes to beat UNC and handle the 8 point spread easily.

Oklahoma Sooners vs. TCU: The Sooners are arguably the best team in the country (yes I’ve heard of USC). They are just playing amazing football right now, and that is in large part due to the efforts of Sam Bradford who may be the best QB you still have not seen throw a pass. Nonetheless there is a massive 19 point spread on this game, and I just have a sneak feeling about it. Oklahoma wins the game, but in typical OU fashion they won’t make it easy on themselves. So I like TCU to cover the 19 point spread.

Wisconsin vs. Michigan: The Wisconsin Badgers are playing the best football I’ve seen them play in years. On the other side of the field, the Michigan Wolverines are playing some of the worst football I’ve ever seen them play (hang in there Big Blue help is on the way). There is a six point spread on this game, and with the way Wisconsin is focused right now, I believe they will cover the spread and take home another victory.

Virginia vs. Duke: I know this is a bottom feeder game, that all of 12 people will watch. Nonetheless, I’m a UVA boy, there’s a reason Walker-Sports has the color scheme they have, so I’m going to talk about the game. The Cavaliers are in the midst of the worst season in school history. Saturday Scott Deke will take the reigns of the Hoos and try to salvage anything out of this season (yeah it’s that bad this early). A noon game at Duke means a quiet stadium unlike the night game two weeks ago at UConn. Duke also doesn’t have a Heisman Trophy sleeper candidate on their team. If the UVA defense can hold, I like the Hoos to make the upset, cover the +7 point spread and win out right. Damn, a 7 point dog to Duke? Al Groh what have you done to us?

Walker-Sports College Football Pick'em Week 4 Results

Week 4 of the college football season is a wrap, and now it’s time to look back and see how we did in on our picks in our weekly College Football Pick’em.

Last week we were horrible with our picks. I hate to say it, but it’s the truth, the mojo was not working. Nonetheless we have learned from our mistakes and you can rest assured, the disaster that was week four of the college football season will not happen again.

Florida Gators 30 vs. Tennessee 6: The Gators looked great against the Vols. Tennessee also showed why they need a coaching change. Nonetheless Florida covered the 7 points spread easily.

Colorado 17 vs. WVU 14: This is the absolute last time I every pick WVU again. They have burnt me twice this season, and blowing what should have been an easy three point cover does not help at all.

Wake forest 12 vs. Florida State 3: fsu could not find the endzone, so you know they had no chance to cover the three point spread. Wake took care of business and the Noles are back looking at the drawing board.

Georgia 27 vs. Arizona State 10: Well at least I was partially right on this one. Georgia got the win which was good, but the Sun Devils were unable to even come close to covering the 7 point spread.

LSU 26 vs. Auburn 21: Auburn put up one helluva fight, but they just were not able to put it all together. The Tigers were unable to get a first down in the fourth quarter and eventually they gave up the go ahead score to LSU.

Walker-Sports College football Pick'em Season Totals

Straight Up:11-10

Against the Spread: 7-12

Walker Sports Would Like to Welcome Limitless MMA

Walker-Sports continues to grow and as we work to grow we will meet and make new friends and acquaintances from around the Internet. Today is no different. I am proud to be able to announce to all our fans at Walker-Sports our new affiliate program with Limitless MMA. Your one stop shop for all things MMA related. Check out what's going on in the world of MMA and read their blog. Also be sure to stop in and check out the great MMA gear they have available in there store. Oh and be sure to tell them Walker-Sports sent you.


Welcome aboard Limitless MMA, I hope you find Walker-Sports comfortable.

Daily Erin Andrews:Move Over Erin and Meet Kelli Johnson

Okay so everyone and their brother knows who Erin Andrews is. I know we have done our part to make her as famous as possible (like she needs our help). However, she is by no way the only hot sideline reporter out there. Here in the Washington D.C. area we are bless to have Kelli Johnson. Washington Redskins reporter, she also follows the Capitals. And best of all she actually knows what she is talking about. Check her out and let us know what you think.

Matt Millen Out as Lions GM

After years of complaining, head scratching and some of the worse draft picks seen in NFL history, the Detroit Lions may finally be free. Matt Millen has reportedly been removed from his position with the Lions organization. This report is coming from Jay Glazer of Fox Sports.

It is unsure if Millen was fired or if he removed himself from his position, but there is no denying that the seat he normally occupies has gotten even hotter in recent days after Bill Ford Jr. stepped forward and said he would have fired Millen if it was his call.

The Lions have won only one playoff game (I don't even remember that) and are an NFL-worst 31-84 since Millen took over in 2001. They have also been a model of futility on the road and Millen has gone through three head coaches, none of whom have been able to turn the Lions into a winner.

Most people will remember Millen for taking wide outs in three consecutive years when he had top five draft picks. Out of all of those wide outs taken none have developed into a top level receiver and none have made the the Pro-Bowl. There is no doubt that Matt Millen is the Isiah Thomas of the NFL.

Week 4 NFL Wrap Up:Seperate the Pretenders From the Contenders

With another week in the books, we find out a little more about who is a contender and who is a pretender in the NFL. The number of unbeaten teams is shrinking, and oddly enough when you look at the standing it kind of has a flashback to 1993 feel. Nonetheless, let’s take a quick look around at some of the impact games from week 3 in the NFL.

Philadelphia Eagles 15 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers 6: The Philadelphia Eagles had no time to mourn over Monday night, and needed to figure out how to bounce back from an emotional lost last Monday against Dallas. They found the answer to all of their problems inside of Jim Johnson’s defensive scheme. The Eagles remembered what made them such a dangerous team for much of the last decade and returned to basics. That meant blitz packages that would confuse any QB. The Eagles defense got to Big Ben nine times and would him injuring him late in the fourth quarter. While watching this game, it was mind boggling to try to figure out where the pressure was coming from, because it seemed like the Eagles were sending the house on every down.

However, not everything was great for Philadelphia. They did suffer a couple injuries during this defensive struggle. Most notably is Brian Westbrook who was shaken up during the second half after trying to hurdle a teammate. While X-Rays were negative, and the MRI revealed he only suffered an ankle strain. The Eagles have him listed as day to day, but for many Philly fans this is all too familiar territory. In addition Donovan McNabb was also shaken up during the game. This could potentially be big news for the Eagles. A major reason for their resurrection in the early part of this season was due to the health of McNabb and Westbrook. But if the Eagles have to depend on Kolb for heavy minutes all that talk of returning to a Super Bowl is out the window. The NFC East is far too good for the Eagles to be able to have one bad week more or less two or three.

Denver Broncos 34 vs. New Orleans Saints 32: The football God’s must be smiling upon Jay Cutler and company because this makes back to back weeks the Broncos have slipped out of a game by the skin of their teeth. Last week it was the blown call that gave them an extra down when it should have been San Diego ball, this week Automatica Gramatica blows a chance at a game winning 34 yard field goal. However, even the best teams need a little luck on their side.

Denver is very hard to gage at this point of the season. They have gotten away with a couple lucky wins, but there are some things that make me smile when I see this team. The maturation of Jay Cutler could not make me happier. He is a player who I have touted since his senior year at Vanderbilt and now he has grown into his own. Cutler had another superb game completing 21/34 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns. His understanding of the offense is shining through and right now he seems to be able to guide his team downfield at will.

The downside to the Denver Broncos is they have one of the worse defenses in the entire league. Their front seven is soft. They have no fight in them and all and fail to generate any sort of a pass rush. Drew Brees pass for 421 yards on Sunday and that was with out the services of Shockey. Currently the Broncos have scored 109 points and given up 84. Those are not the stats of a Super Bowl caliber team. What Denver does have going for them is the second worse division in football. The AFC West seems to be falling apart around them. The Chargers just got their first win of the season, and it will take time for them to make up for their 1-2 start.

On the other side of the field the Saints find themselves in a very difficult position. Sitting at 1-2 the Saints have lost back to back close games. More importantly the same flaw that sunk the Saints last season is back and worse than ever. New Orleans does not have a feature back. Yes, Reggie Bush totaled 148 yards and 2 TD’s on Sunday but when his team needed him on the goal line in the second quarter he could not punch one in. And again in the second half on a 2-point conversion the Saints had no one to rely on to punch the ball in from two yards out. The Saints need a player who can run the ball between the tackles and get that tough yards. It bit them last week when they couldn’t get a critical first down in the second half and it killed them on Sunday. Deuce is not on the injury report yet he has seen limited to no action on the season. I’m not sure what Sean Peyton is trying to pull but right now he his hurting his own team if he is just holding Deuce back simply because.

Jacksonville Jaguars 23 vs. Indianapolis Colts 21: I don’t want to say it’s time to push the panic button if you’re the Colts, but the rocky start they have gotten off to cannot have anyone feeling comfortable with the state of this franchise. They Colts are 1-2 and both losses took place in their home stadium. At first look the biggest difference in the Colts has to be Peyton Manning. His knee was more injured than he led us to believe during the preseason. This can be seen in the way Manning is moving in the pocket when he plays. Granted Peyton was never a threat to take off running down field, but he had to be mobile to run the Colts play action oriented offense. Currently he is unable to move laterally well enough to carry out those fakes and as a result a staple in the Colts offense is taken away. Due to Peyton’s lack of movement he also has a difficult time running the stretch play that the Colts have made famous over the last decade. The result is the Colts offense is becoming very one dimensional and easy to defend.

Another factor in the Colts fall from greatness is the health of their offensive line. The injury to Jeff Saturday cannot be understated. He is back on the field but he is playing hurt. Saturday is the Peyton Manning of offensive linemen. Every time Peyton makes an audible, it is Saturday who has to come up with the correct blocking scheme. However, due to his injury he is later in making his call. In addition opposing teams know he cannot move as well as he once did and they are sending pressure right up the middle and getting into Peyton’s face.

The one thing the Colts can look at as a positive is the Jacksonville Jags are only 1-2 as well. This leaves the Tennessee Titians in first place in the AFC South (the Houston Oilers in first place? Told you this is a flashback year). It took the Jaguars till week 3 of the season to get their first win. Now that they figured out a formula to win ugly, look for the Jags to find their stride going forward.