Bleacher Report - Articles by Teddy Leroux

The Action in the NHL Is Just Heating up

Teddy Leroux — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 22:57:23 -0400

Following a great Stanley Cup Finals, the NHL and its followers gear themselves up for the transfer season. Among the big 2009 UFA's are Marian Gaborik, Marian Hossa, Joe Sakic, Saku Koivu, and Nikolai Khabibulin.

First of all, the Minnesota Wild are expected to be busy with two players in the above list. Slovakian winger Marian Gaborik is expected to seek greener pastures but with the new coach and GM—along with the likelihood of Saku Koivu to join his brother Mikko on the Wild—could also be a factor to possibly lure Gaborik back to Saint Paul.

Marian Hossa decided to sign a one-year deal with Detroit over a long-term lucrative deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins and now he could be out of Detroit. The Red Wings don't want to sign Hossa short term again so the Wings are going to go big or go home when it comes to Marian Hossa. If Hossa signs a long term deal with Detroit, he will retire in the Motor City but if he does test the market he could get offers from one year to seven years in length.

There could be many teams interested for Hossa's services, some of which consist of of: Boston and Calgary. Both the Bruins and the Flames could finish off their first lines with a great sniper at winger.

Nikolai Khabibulin is at a good but young team in Chicago. Offensively, the Blackhawks have guys like Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews locked up but Kris Versteeg and Martin Havlat could be free agents this season. My personal opinion is that if Versteeg and Havlat sign long-term deals, Khabibulin will follow them with a long-term contract to remain the man between the pipes at the United Center.

Also, NHL stars Ilya Kovalchuk and Rick Nash will be entering contract years and if they choose to play out the year with only one year left on their deal they could have two options: The teams could shop them for more young talent or the clubs could wait until the end of the year to re-sign them. Either way it will be very interesting to see how these stars perform in contract year.

Last of all, Detroit will either make or break their future with this offseason because if they keep on signing older players they could be in for an instant collapse pretty soon. They should be able to learn that young teams like the Penguins succeed because of their depth, which Detroit has, and their ability to skate hard and scrap, which Detroit does not have.

It should be an interesting offseason but keep one thing in mind: Just because you win the offseason doesn't mean you will win the Cup; just ask the Red Wings.

Arizona Cardinals Need Edgerrin James In Order To Succeed

Teddy Leroux — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 15:04:30 -0500

If you watched the Arizona Cardinals' 30-24 playoff win over the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday night, you have to admit that the Cardinals screwed up by playing Tim Hightower more this season than Edgerrin James.

Dennis Green lost his job in Arizona not only because he went 5-11 in his final year but because he failed to utilize the biggest free-agent acquisition in the history of the Arizona Cardinals: Edgerrin James.

In Green's final year as head coach, Edgerrin James rushed for over 100 yards only twice, and that didn't exactly float Bill Bidwll's boat. Because of the lack of effort to run the ball by Dennis Green and his staff, the Cardinals were forced to make a change.

The Arizona Cardinals were looking for a coach who would be able to pound opposing defenses with the running game but still be able to utilize the great receiving corps in Arizona.

Enter Ken Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm.

Whisenhunt took over as head coach for the Cardinals after being offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers who made a living by pounding the rock. Also coming with Coach Whisenhunt was the best offensive line coach in the NFL, also know as Russ Grimm, who eventually got the Assistant Head Coach tag.

In 2007, James ran over 100 yards only three times. But it was mainly the result of a young and inexperienced offensive line. James ended up rushing over 1,000 yards for the season. Arizona expected big things out of Edgerrin James this season, but because he was supposedly "outplayed" by undrafted rookie running back Tim Hightower, he didn't see a whole lot of action.

There are two positives for the Cardinals entering next week's game against the Carolina Panthers. First of all, the defense has shown the ability to stop the running game after shutting down the NFL's leading rusher.

Second of all, the ability to utilize the play-action pass because of the threat of James running the football keeps defenses literally on their heels, even ask Keith Brooking when he was fooled on a key 3rd-and-16 play in the fourth quarter by biting on play action.

Even though the Cardinals have not won a game on the East Coast this year, I still firmly believe that they have a fighting chance to knock off the Panthers because of their new found running game and the ability to utilize play-action.

Also, one last message to Edgerrin James that I would like to extend. Please come back next season. Without you, we are just like this years Texas Tech Red Raiders, a team built for the passing game, which only helps you in games in September-November, not when it counts in the stretch run for the playoffs and the playoffs themselves.

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl Preveiw

Teddy Leroux — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 09:25:56 -0500

If there is a bowl game that defined the term "toilet bowl" in past years, it has been this one.

The first two Poinsettia Bowls were good, old-fashioned beat-downs. Navy beat Colorado State 51-30 in 2005 and TCU beat Northern Illinois 37-7 in 2006.

Last season started the trend of good, explosive teams meeting in this bowl game as Utah beat Navy 35-32.

This year's game will definitely be the best game in the brief history of the Poinsettia Bowl, and could also be one of the best games of the bowl season as No. 9 Boise State meets No. 11 TCU.

The Boise State Broncos started the year with hopes for a BCS at-large bid. They did their part by remaining undefeated throughout the regular season.

In fact, they played in just two close games all season. The Broncos held off the Oregon Ducks in week three, 37-32 in Eugene. Late in the season, they beat a good Nevada team 41-34 in Reno.

Boise State was dominant all season long, as they averaged 39.4 points-per-game on offense and only allowed 12.3 points-per-game on defense.

The TCU Horned Frogs gave up 35 points to Oklahoma in an early season loss, but their stingy defense didn't allow opposing teams to score more than 14 points in any other game this season.

To say this is a dominate defense would be enough. The Horned Frogs only gave up 10.9 points-per-game and are ranked second in the nation in scoring defense.

The offense wasn't too bad either, as they scored 35 points-per-game.

TCU did lose two games, both to BCS bowl teams. They had an early season loss in Norman, 35-10. The Horned Frogs also lost a defensive struggle late in the year to the Utah Utes, 13-10.

Boise State does have an explosive offense, despite having running back Ian Johnson's production decline since that Fiesta Bowl win. Johnson has 738 yards rushing, along with 12 touchdowns this season.

Although the running game has declined, the passing game is still effective.

Freshman Quarterback Kellen Moore has not played like a "true freshman," as he has thrown for 3264 yards passing and 25 touchdowns while completing an amazing 70 percent of his passes this season.

The match up that will decide this game is clearly going to be Boise State's offense against TCU's defense. As I said before, TCU is giving up only 10.9 points-per-game and Boise State is scoring 39.4 points-per-game—something has got to give.

Prediction

Since Kellen Moore is a freshman, he could be vulnerable to making mistakes under pressure in his first bowl game. Speaking of pressure, TCU defensive end Jerry Hughes is the best pass-rusher in the nation as he leads the NCAA with 14 sacks. Because of the pressure from TCU's front four, I believe its going to be tough for the Broncos to move the ball.

TCU will get great pressure on Moore and rattle him all night long. Ian Johnson will not be able to run at all,—I would be surprised if he gets over 80 yards rushing.

Final Score: TCU 20, Boise State 13

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Preveiw

Teddy Leroux — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:16:28 -0500

This years R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl features two teams that have won the New Orleans Bowl in recent years. The Southern Miss Eagles won this bowl game in 2004 and in 2005. While the Troy Trojans won this bowl game in 2006 over Rice. Now these two teams meet in the 7th annual New Orleans Bowl. The Eagles of Southern Miss enter with a record of 6-6 and the Trojans enter with an 8-4 record.

The Troy Trojans enter this bowl game having won two straight games over Louisiana-Lafayette and Arkansas State both of which were blowouts. The Trojans started the season off with two straight wins before losing to Ohio State and Oklahoma State.

They went on to then win three straight games before getting knocked off in a 31-30 loss to conference rival Louisiana-Monroe. They would then blow a big second half lead to No. 20 LSU and lose a game they should have won. The Trojans now enter this bowl game facing a tough challenge in the potent Southern Miss offense.

The Southern Miss Eagles started off the year 2-2 with losses to Auburn and Marshall. The Eagles then ended up losing four straight games following the Marshall loss and had to win out to qualify for a bowl game. They did exactly that. The Eagles ended up winning their last four games with the closest win being an 11 point victory.

Both squads feature potent offenses but I would have to lead toward Southern Miss in terms of having a better all around offense. The Eagles feature freshman quarterback Austin Davis who has performed like an experienced signal caller for the Eagles. Davis has thrown for 2852 yards, 21 TD's and eight Int's.

They also have a good rushing attack led by junior tailback Damion Fletcher who has rushed for 1235 yards and nine TD's. But the offensive firepower doesn't stop there for the Eagles. They also feature a great freshman wide receiver in DeAndre Brown. Brown was highly recruited out of high school and he has lived up to the hype. The 6'6 Brown has 66 cathes, 1108 yards receiving and 12 TD catches.

The Troy offense isn't too bad either as they score 33.3 points per game on offense. They are led by quarterback Levi Brown who has 1775 yards passing and 14 TD's through the air. They are not limited to the passing game though. They have running back DuJuan Harris who has 1025 yards rushing and 11 TD's on the ground.

Now, time for my prediction. I think that Southern Miss has been on a roll as of late by winning four straight games. One factor that I think will be key in this ball game is the sometimes over aggresive play calling by Troy because they have thrown the ball 45 times or more three times this year including a game where Levi Brown threw 70 passes.

In the end I think that Austin Davis will out-duel Levi Brown and pick apart the Troy defense. Troy doesn't have a great cover corner like former Trojan, now NFLer Leodis McKelvin to man up on the 6'6" Brown.

Final Prediction: Southern Miss is able to force turnovers and score off of those turnovers. The combination of Austin Davis and DeAndre Brown will be too much for Troy.

Final Score: Southern Miss 31, Troy 21

BYU-Arizona Football: Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl Preview

Teddy Leroux — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 06:40:50 -0500

Coming into the 2008 season the BYU Cougars were ranked 16th in the AP poll and had very real aspirations to get a BCS at-large bid. The Arizona Wildcats had received only three votes to be in the Top 25, so to say these two teams came from opposite ends of the college football bowl spectrum would be about accurate. Regardless, the BYU Cougars (10-2) will face off against the Arizona Wildcats (7-5) in the 18th annual Las Vegas Bowl.

This season the BYU Cougars finished where they started—ranked No. 16. This season was expected to be a launching pad for BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall and his Cougar team to national prominence. BYU started the year with six straight wins, including a controversial, 28-27 win over the Washington Huskies.

The Cougars then faced a tough TCU team lead by their ferocious defense. That defense ended up shutting down the Cougar offense in a 32-7 win for TCU. BYU ended up winning its next four games before losing in the "Holy War" to arch-rival Utah, 48-24, a loss that cost the school a shot at a BCS bowl game.

Arizona started off 5-2 and if you ask many of the members of Wildcat Nation they would tell you that they should have started 7-0 because of losses to lesser teams in New Mexico and Stanford.

The rest of the season they played Pac-10 powers like USC, Oregon, and Oregon State and played them tough as they lost all three games but only by a combined 19 points. The Arizona season was salvaged by winning over arch-rival Arizona State 31-10 in the final game of the regular season.

When it comes down to it in the Las Vegas Bowl the outcome of the game will be which quarterback plays better. BYU quarterback Max Hall has thrown for 3,629 yards and 34 touchdowns and leads a potent offensive attack with the passing combination of Hall to Austin Collie, who is one of the best receivers in the nation.

Arizona quarterback Willie Tuitama has 2,763 yards and 21 touchdowns this season but lacks a go-to receiver like Hall has. One factor that does favor Arizona is its ability to run the ball with Nic Grigsby, who is a 1,000-yard rusher, a dimension that BYU lacks.

In the end BYU will be able to pass for only so long. The Arizona defense is very opportunistic and can force turnovers. The one dimensional passing attack of BYU will not be able to over come Arizona's defense as Max Hall as struggled with pressure this season.

Final prediction: Arizona puts a lot of pressure against the one dimensional Cougar offense and Willie Tuitama makes enough plays to win the Las Vegas Bowl.

Arizona 30, BYU 24.

Magic Jack St. Petersburg Bowl Preveiw

Teddy Leroux — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 14:35:10 -0500

Like the Eagle Bank Bowl, The St. Petersburg Bowl is new to the schedule in the 2008 bowl season.

The last time a championship game was held on Tropicana Field the team from Florida was victorious. That was Game 7 of the World Series and the Rays advanced to the World Series.

This is the first time any game has been held at Tropicana Field since Game 7 and the South Florida Bulls hopes the team from Florida wins once again.

The Magic Jack St. Petersburg Bowl features the South Florida Bulls (7-5) and the Memphis Tigers (6-6). The Bulls entered 2008 ranked 19th in the AP Poll and had high expectations for the season.

South Florida was led by quarterback Matt Grothe, who had been successful the last two seasons but had a problem. He had thrown 28 interceptions in his first two seasons as the starter.

In 2008 that problem didn't go away. He ended up throwing 14 interceptions, and South Florida suffered because of it.

The Bulls started off winning their first five games, including an overtime win over then No. 13 Kansas. The Bulls rose as far as 10th in the AP Poll.

But after their 41-10 win over North Carolina State to go 5-0, the Bulls lost four out of their next five including a 49-16 annihilation at the hands of Rutgers.

In the end, after the NC State game, they ended the season losing five out of their last seven games, including a 13-7 loss to West Virginia.

As for the Memphis Tigers, they started the season by losing to Ole Miss, Rice, and Marshall. People in Memphis were second-guessing the entire team and coaching staff.

In those first three games, Quarterback Arkelon Hall threw three TDs and three interceptions, but he passed for a whopping 896 yards in those games, including a 76.3 completion percentage against Rice in a 42-35 loss.

The Tigers ended up winning six of their last nine games and ended the year with a lot of momentum.

The St. Petersburg Bowl features two players on each offense who will either carry their team to a victory or will restrict them from getting a win.

First, South Florida has Grothe, the leading passer and rusher for the Bulls this year. Although he has regressed in his performance this year, he is still a dangerous threat.

The Memphis Tigers have their own offensive threat too. Curtis Steele has rushed for 1,175 yards and seven touchdowns in his first year as a starter and is developing into a star at Memphis.

Now, time for my prediction. If Steele runs wild against the South Florida defense, the Tigers can play with the once-ranked Bulls, but as long as Jordan Selve is still making plays on defense for the Bulls, the Tigers are going to lose their second straight bowl game.

Final Prediction: The Bulls will make Memphis throw the ball by stacking the box against Curtis Steele. The Bulls defense and Matt Grothe make enough plays to run away with it.

South Florida 31, Memphis 16

New Mexico Bowl Preview

Teddy Leroux — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 12:39:43 -0500

The first game New Mexico Head Coach Mike Locksley will see inside University Stadium will not be a game played by his Lobos. But instead it will be the 3rd annual New Mexico Bowl between the Colorado State Rams(6-6) and the Fresno State Bulldogs(7-5). It will also be the first time New Mexico will not not play in the bowl game that bears its name.

First of all the Rams of Colorado State are playing in their first bowl game since 2005 and they haven't won a bowl game in their last three attempts. The last one they won was the 2001 New Orleans Bowl.

The Rams are coming off two straight wins over New Mexico and Wyoming but it hasn't been that simple this year for the Rams. They faced a tough schedule with loses to Colorado, California, TCU, Utah, BYU and Air Force. Those teams have a combined record of 53-19 and five of the six are in bowl games.

Colorado State does have one intriguing win on their schedule. That was their 28-25 win over the Houston Cougars who are playing in the Armed Forces Bowl versus Air Force.

As for the Fresno State Bulldogs, they are coming off a 61-10 loss at the hands of Boise State and enter the New Mexico Bowl having won four out of their last five bowl games. The regular season for Fresno State had its ups as well as its downs. The Bulldogs had two good wins early in the year against Rutgers and UCLA both of which were were away from Fresno, California.

In this game neither team will have a clear home field advantage but their will be several factors that will affect the outcome of the 2008 New Mexico Bowl. First of all, Colorado State will depend on Senior Running Back Gatrell Johnson who has 1191 yards and 10 TD's rushing this season.

Another factor favoring the Rams is that Johnson has never fumbled in his college career which could pay dividends against a vulnerable Bulldog defense. Another factor that favors that Rams is that Quarterback Billy Farris has the ability to pick apart defense and have a field day as he has eight games of 235 or more yards passing.

As for Fresno State they are led by Quarterback Tom Brandstater who has 2478 yards passing and 17 TD's on the year and like Farris he has the ability to go nuts against opposing defenses. Brandstater has six games of 225 of more passing yards and he has two games with four TD passes. The Bulldogs will heavily rely on Brandstater's arm to win them this game because their leading rusher Anthony Harding has only 702 yards and five TD's

In the end the New Mexico Bowl will depend on the defenses. If the Rams can shut down Brandstater than they will win. But if Brandstater can make plays and get the ball to his receivers they will make it game. In the end the New Mexico Bowl will be won by the best defense and that belongs to the Colorado State Rams.

Final Prediction: Gantrell Johnson controls the game on the ground in the first half and the Rams defense will take care of business in the second half.

Final Score: Colorado State 27, Fresno State 21

EagleBank Bowl Preveiw

Teddy Leroux — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 10:27:47 -0500

The 2008 College Football Bowl season starts with the newest bowl game on the schedule. The Eagle Bank Bowl. This inaugural contest features the Wake Forest Demon Deacons(7-5) and the Navy Midshipmen(8-4).

This game features an underachieving Wake Forest squad and an overachieving Navy team which is what makes this bowl game interesting. What also makes this game interesting is that this is the second meeting between these two teams in the 2008 season.

The first game resulted in a 24-17 win for Navy. The loss for Wake Forest sent them in a downward spiral the rest of the year. Wake Forest was ranked 16th at the time of the upset versus Navy and they ended up losing two of their next three to Miami(FL) and to Maryland in a 26-0 debacle.

On the Navy side of things they have two big wins this year against Rutgers and Wake Forest and head coach Ken Niumatalolo has carried on the legacy and the efficiency on offense that Paul Johnson left behind.

Now when it comes to the game there are two emotional factors that will be key. Since the game is being played at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. the fan support will probably lean toward the Midshipmen. Another factor is that Wake Forest will be seeking revenge against Navy who sent them into a losing streak in the middle of the regular season.

For Navy to win they will have to control the game with their potent rushing attack led by 1000 yard rusher Shun White and Quarterback Kaipo-Noa-Kaheaku-Enhada. Enhada will have to make good decisions in that option offense to avoid 2nd and 3rd and long situations which plays into the hands of the Wake Forest secondary.

For Wake Forest to win Riley Skinner is going to have to make plays through the air to leading receiver D.J. Boldin because Wake Forests' top three rushers, including Skinner, combine for only 1032 yards with Brandon Pendergrass leading the rushing attack with 528 yards and five TD's.

My prediction for this game is as follows: Navy will pound the Wake Forest defense all day long and take home their first bowl win since 2005.

Final Score: Navy 28, Wake Forest 20

Is Matt Leinart Worth The Salary?

Teddy Leroux — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 13:28:40 -0500

When the Arizona Cardinals selected Matt Leinart 10th overall in the 2006 draft, he entered training camp as a rookie of the year candidate in the NFL.

After Leinart won the job in training camp over Kurt Warner he was expected to succeed not because of his pure talent, but because of the talent he had around him. He had Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin to throw to and when the defense played soft he could hand it off to Edgerrin James. He also had a pass happy head coach in Dennis Green.

So why didn't Matt Leinart succeed? In his first season he threw 11 TD's and 12 Int's along with 2547 yards and a 56.8% completion rate. These numbers were okay, but where Leinart really struggled because he was working behind of one of the weakest offensive in the NFL. He was under constant pressure from furious NFL defenses.

He entered 2007 with slight upgrades among the offensive line but it was still mediocre. He started the year as the starter but after an early season injury he was sidlined for the remainder of the year and a legend was ressurected when Kurt Warner took over at quarterback for the Cardinals. Warner ended the year with 27 TD's and 17 Int's.

In 2008 Warner started as the starting quarterback for Arizona and Ken Whisenhunt designated Matt Leinart "Clipboard Holder". He has only thrown two passes in 2008 and played a total of three snaps. This year Kurt Warner is in the MVP conversation and it is only helping Leinart as he is learning from one of the best pure passers of our generation.

As the Cardinals move forward, the two major pickups that were to said to put Arizona over the top, Matt Leinart and Edgerrin James, are seeing limited playing time this season.

The Cardinals now have a pretty good offensive line but they struggle with the running game. But Kurt Warner can't play forever so Matt Leinart is going to ask to play in one or two years, and when he steps in Ken Whisenhunt will ask him to manage the game, which will require a good running game.

So, in the end, Arizona is going to have establish the running game which is a specialty of Ken Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm but Matt Leinart has shown the sparks of ability in his rookie year to be a great quarterback.

In the end he will be worth the salary when they win NFC West titles year after year in the coming future.

If Alabama Wins Out, Crimson Tide Deserve To Play For National Title

Teddy Leroux — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:30:40 -0400

As a big Alabama fan, I sometimes find myself in school looking back at the great accomplishments the Crimson Tide have achieved over these first two years under Nick Saban.

Among those accomplishments I recognize and compare the 2007 John Parker Wilson to the 2008 version of the Hoover, AL product.

In 2007 he was a bad decision-maker even though he had shown flashes of great play.

In 2008, he has not only taken his time and eliminated forced throws, but he also has a great offensive line and an improved receiving core with the addition of go-to receiver freshman Julio Jones.

Also in the receiving core, Mike McCoy and Nick Walker have steped up as experienced playmakers. Wilson has also shown great maturity not only by producing on the field but by being a leader to some many young players on this Crimson Tide roster.

Speaking of young players, I also think about how Nick Saban has been able to bring in great young talent and coach it to fit his system.

Players like Rolando McClain, Mark Barron, Jerrell Harris, Star Jackson, BJ Scott and of course Julio Jones will be the core of the team next year and some of them are already building a legacy for themselves this year.

While I'm in my Algebra II class, I zone out and think about who the Crimson Tide have beat this year. Early in the year they upset ACC favorite Clemson 34-10 in a total mismatch, then they went into blacked-out Sanford Stadium and controlled Georgia in the first half on the way to a 41-30 victory over the Bulldogs.

They manhandled Arkansas and Tennessee but had to hang on to win against Kentucky and Ole Miss both of which were played at Bryant-Denney Stadium.

In the respect of holding on to win games this team reminds a lot of the 2006 Florida team that won the national title. Many people said that they didn't belong because they didn't beat lesser teams as bad as they were suppose to, but there was one common denominator: a + 1 in the win column.

Now as we move on to American Literature, the last class of the day, I will easily fall asleep within the first ten minutes and dream about what lies ahead for Alabama.

This week a for sure win lies ahead against Arkansas State but after that the road gets rocky as Nick Saban makes his first trip back to Baton Rouge after bolting for the NFL in 2004.

That game at LSU should be the only true test for Alabama the rest of the way leading up to the SEC Championship game.

What about the Iron Bowl you ask? First of all Auburn fired their offensive coordinator midway through the season. Secondly, Tommy Tubberville is on the hot seat. Finally, their offense is struggling severely.

The Iron Bowl is also played at home which should bode well for Alabama. After that the likelihood is that the Tide will be playing against this week's winner between Florida and Georgia.

If the Tide win that game in Atlanta they deserve to play for the National Title because they would have beaten three teams while they were in the Top Ten meanwhile going through one of the best conferences in America, the SEC.

Another question that has been brought up is that if Texas, Alabama, and Penn State all go undefeated who should be left out? The answer to that question quite simply is Penn State because they played in a weaker conference.

This is why a playoff is needed in college footbal,l but that's a different story for a different day. Besides the bell just rung time to go to football practice and remain undefeated just like my Crimson Tide.

Tennessee's Phil Fulmer Needs to Go...Now!

Teddy Leroux — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:13:51 -0400

In 2007, Tennessee represented the SEC Eastern Division in the annual conference championship game in Atlanta. Tennessee played with LSU for the first three quarters and had a chance of taking the conference title. The Volunteers ended up losing the game, 21-14, because of one primary theme—talent.

Coach Phil Fulmer has lost his edge in recruiting. It seems a lifetime ago since he reeled in top high school prospects like Peyton Manning, Peerless Price, Casey Clausen, and Jason Witten. Fulmer has said time again that the team is struggling because he hasn't been able to get big-name prospects from states like Florida, Texas, or California.

The last two recruiting seasons, Fulmer has had a chance to get the top quarterback in his respective class. These two talented passers are now starting for Notre Dame and Ohio State. Jimmy Clausen was gettable for Fulmer because Casey Clausen, Jimmy's brother, was a former Tennessee quarterback and graduate assistant at Tennessee. Fulmer had a chance at Terrelle Pryor too. But because David Cutcliffe bolted for Duke, Terrelle took Tennessee off of his list.

The last big-name recruit to commit to Tennessee was a young man who now leads the NCAA in interceptions. Eric Berry. He's a player that you have to gameplan against, which begs the question: If Fulmer could recruit like Pete Carrol or Urban Meyer, could Tennessee contend for titles year-in and year-out? I believe the answer is yes because he has done it with his teams in the '90s, which won a national championship and a couple of SEC titles.

I truly believe that Phil Fulmer can coach with the best of them. But if you play with a team full of Joe the Plummers, you will struggle to win seven games per year, no matter which conference you play in.

Now, if Fulmer loses to Alabama this weekend, and he will lose to Alabama, the team is likely to take a downward spiral along with Fulmer's career at Tennessee. It is a shame that a once-great program has to go through such difficult times just because a guy can't sweet talk a bunch of 18-year-olds.

SEC Dominates Week Four's Top Games

Teddy Leroux — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 14:46:37 -0400

If you are looking to not do anything this Saturday besides sit on in front of your high definition TV, make sure you keep three letters in mind: S-E-C, because that's where all the action will be in the college football world.

First of all, let's go over all the marquee games this weekend not in the SEC.

No. 18 Wake Forest vs. No. 24 Florida State

Notre Dame vs. Michigan State

Miami (Fla.) vs. Texas A&M

Now let's go over all the big games involving SEC teams.

No. 3 Georgia vs. Arizona State

No. 4 Florida vs. Tennessee

No. 6 LSU vs. No. 10 Auburn

No. 9 Alabama vs. Arkansas

Let's start with Georgia at Arizona State. Since the game is in Tempe this weekend, the Sun Devils have a chance to upset the Bulldogs.

Arizona State needs this win big time because they are coming off a loss to UNLV, but that doesn't mean the Bulldogs will run all over them. The Dawgs themselves are coming off a nail-biting win over South Carolina, which they could have possibly lost if not for a goal-line fumble by Mike Davis and an inefficient South Carolina offense.

Both teams come off less than impressive performances against lesser teams, so it's going to be the team that comes out of the gate early and gets quick first quarter scores that is going to win the football game.

Prediction: Georgia 31, Arizona State 17

In the Florida-Tennessee game this weekend in Knoxville, the trend continues of top ranked teams playing in tough road games. Tennessee is coming off a Week One loss to UCLA and a win last week against overmatched UAB.

There is a catch to Tennessee's play this season: the performance of Jonathon Crompton. Crompton is now starting after patiently waiting behind Erik Ainge, but Phil Fulmer may be losing patience with Crompton because he has been inconsistent throwing the football, with 429 yards and only two touchdowns (both to Gerald Jones vs. UAB).

As for Florida all they have done this year is start where they left off before the Capital One Bowl, which is with an offense that can score at anytime. The key to this game will be if Tennessee can contain Florida's offense and get big momentum shifts early to get the Neyland Stadium crowd into the game to try and rattle the Gators.

Prediction: Florida 35, Tennessee 14

Next is the LSU-Auburn game, which will a good old-fashioned SEC defensive struggle. The Auburn defense is flat-out fast and flat-out good, and it can shut down anybody in the nation. With an LSU offense that has been playing cupcakes and dealing with hurricanes, this could be a really close game like last year.

Once again the higher ranked team is playing on the road, but this time the higher ranked team faces a quality opponent. The key to the game will be if Auburn's offense can find some efficiency and points to hold off the LSU attack.

Prediction: Auburn 17, LSU 13

As for Alabama-Arkansas, this game will simply depend on one factor to decide the outcome of the game. If Alabama plays like they did against Tulane, they will get beat—but if they play like they did against Clemson and Western Kentucky, the backups could be in sometime during the third quarter.

The only way Arkansas has a chance is if they get a very early score and if Casey Dick protects the ball and makes good choices.

Prediction: Alabama 38, Arkansas 14

In case you haven't noticed, there are games being played with teams not from SEC country. One of those matchups is Michigan State against Notre Dame. This could be a huge boost of confidence for an already good Irish defense if they can hold Javon Ringer to under 100 yards, which is a tall task.

Prediction: Notre Dame 24, Michigan State 17

This is also a big weekend for the ACC. In one game Wake Forest battles conference rival Florida State in a matchup that will spring the winning team to a conference title run.

On the Wake Forest side of the ball, Riley Skinner needs to be careful against a fast and ball-hawking Seminole defense that can force turnovers. Although the Seminoles have clobbered only non-conference cupcakes, they should be ready to play against the Demon Deacons.

Prediction: Florida State 21, Wake Forest 16

The other big game for the ACC is really a redemption game as Texas A&M seeks revenge against Miami (Fla). Last year the Aggies were ranked, and the Hurricanes came out and flat-out beat them.

Now as this game goes back to Texas, the Hurricanes need to come out ready to play. If they do, Robert Marve and the Hurricane offense should be able to put up points against a struggling Aggie defense.

Prediction: Miami (Fla) 21, Texas A&M 7

This weekend is without a doubt going to be the best weekend of college football to date, and I know I will not be moving from the beginning of College GameDay to the end of the Georgia and Arizona State game.

If you're in doubt of which games to watch this Saturday, remember one thing: The best football in the world is played deep in the heart of the Confederacy.

Arch-Rivals Stealing Headlines from Michigan and Notre Dame

Teddy Leroux — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:54:10 -0400

There are storylines oozing out of this weekend's matchup featuring No. 5 Ohio State and No. 1 USC.

Storyline No. 1: Jim Tressel decides to list RB Chris Wells as out.

Storyline No. 2: How will Ohio State's "running back by committee" work against the most talented linebacking corps in the country?

Storyline No. 3: How much will freshman phenom QB Terrelle Pryor be used against USC?

With all of this, what happened to the once prestigious rivalry between the winningest programs in college football history, Michigan and Notre Dame?

This rivalry once had names like Anthony Thomas, David Terrell, Julius Jones, Ryan Grant and Carlyle Holiday. Now it has names like Jimmy Clausen, Armando Allen and... Stephen Threet?

I think it is obvious that this rivalry has lost some luster, but I'm going give some reasons why it could be on the rise. First of all, both teams have entered new eras by hiring new head coaches who should resurrect the programs.

Also, Charlie Weis and Rich Rodriguez are very good recruiters and should reel in a lot of top talent within five years.

Now, the most intriguing thing about this rivalry will be the different styles of play. Michigan is installing the Rodriguez spread, which requires a lot of speed and not a lot of power, a concept that will be hard for the "grind it out" Michigan fans to grasp.

Going against them is the pro-style West Coast attack from Charlie Weis, which requires big beefy linemen, quick running backs who can find the whole quickly, and receivers who can stretch the field when they use the play-action.

So while you are making a decision to buy Tostitos and Cheese for the Ohio State/USC game or watch the Michigan/Notre Dame game in the mid-afternoon on NBC, keep in mind that these are the two winningest programs in college football and they are not giving up the title any time soon.

Alabama Destined To Challenge For SEC Title

Teddy Leroux — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:23:05 -0400

After a successful season in 2006, Mike Shula and the Alabama Crimson Tide entered 2007 with high expectations but the only thing high at the end of the year was the number in the loss column which resulted in the firing of Mike Shula and the eventual hiring of Nick Saban.

The fans of the Alabama program embraced Nick Saban immediately because he would bring back the two things that made Alabama a premier place to play college football: talent through recruiting and a top ranked defence.

When Saban got the Alabama job he wasted no time trying to make his team better. He did this by getting commits like Rolando McClain and Kareem Jackson, both of whom eventually started for the Alabama defence.

He also persuaded defensive end Luther Davis to change his commitment from LSU to Alabama just before signing day. He did miss out on some top talent as former Alabama recruits QB Robert Marve and WR Earl Alexander bolted for Miami(FL) but both players ended up suffering season ending injuries.

Once the season started Saban and Crimson Tide delivered starting 6-0 and landing inside the Top 15 for the first time since 2006.They suffered their first loss to Georgia on a Saturday night game that ended in overtime on a miraculous TD grab by Georgia senior WR Mikey Henderson.

Later on in the year they faced off against LSU and were leading by 10 points with 12 minutes left in the game but they eventually lost in a nail-biter to the eventual national champion LSU Tigers. The season ended with a 30-24 win against Colorado in the PetroSun Independence Bowl which gave them great momentum headed into the 2008 campaign.

It came recruiting season for the Alabama Crimson Tide coaching staff following 2007 and boy did they deliver. The Tide landed top WR Julio Jones who posses Randy Moss size and athleticism. They also found the heir apparent to John Parker Wilson by picking up Star Jackson who is a mobile quarterback that fits perfectly into the Alabama system.

Getting OL Tyler Love was also huge because he should be able to anchor an already strong offensive line to protect Wilson better this year.

Athletes Burton Scott and Mark Barron both could play effectively and either side of the ball this upcoming year and star defensive recruits LB Jerrell Harris and DB Alonzo Lawrence should give Nick Saban the talent he needs to build the best defence in the SEC.

Now I'm sure everyone has heard the saying "Defense wins Championships" but that is not the only strength for the Crimson Tide heading into 2008. Their offense should be much improved despite the departure of Offensive Coordinator Major Applewhite.

WR Julio Jones should play an extremely vital role because he is the "Go-to Guy" that the Tide offense was missing. My reasoning behind the logic that says the Crimson Tide will compete for the 2008 championship will be that their only competition in the West will be LSU and Auburn.

The Tide have Auburn at home and Auburn is adapting to a new spread offense which they will likely struggle with because their lack of receivers.

On the other hand LSU is a road game, but it is a winnable game because of the absence of Ryan Perriloux and a defence that will suffer from the loses of Glenn Dorsey and Chevis Jackson.

So the schedule is in favor of Alabama and hopefully for a change lady luck will be wearing Crimson and White.

In my opinion the end result should be a successful one because of the incoming talent brought in by Nick Saban and the leadership of John Parker Wilson who grew up in Hoover, AL, played for U of A feeder school Hoover High and now will lead his team, the Crimson Tide, to better and brighter things in Tuscaloosa.