News: FCS Round 2, Rodney "Superman" Landers, and More!

With round 2 of the FCS (1-AA) playoffs rapidly approaching, individual honors have been pouring in for the #1 ranked Dukes. James Madison's own QB Rodney Landers is a finalist for 1-AA Player of the Year.

As well he should be. I get that Armanti Edwards is like, god, to people in Boone, NC, but when the game is on the line, I want the ball in Rodney's hands. Some of the newest shirts popping up around campus are ones with the superman logo, but with a "7" instead of the traditional "S".

Why, you ask? Because he is superman. If I could find the video of it, I would put it up here, but in the game against Wofford, he ran over four guys to get into the end-zone for the game winner, and didn't stop because he was not going to be denied (paraphrased from his own words at the press conference).

This week the Dukes face off with Villanova, and the only weakness we can possibly exploit is 'Nova's propensity to have bad road games. As most people will tell you, when that stadium is packed, JMU can be the worst place to play in the entire FCS. I would say the east coast, but we have to contend with Florida, WVU, VT, and Penn State (to name a few), all of whom are notoriously unfriendly places to play. But still, the significantly smaller student body at Madison, crammed into their significantly crappier and smaller stadium, can make even the best QBs nervous simply because they can't hear.

Round 2 looks to be a big one, especially for the CAA. Richmond heads down to Boone, NC to face App State in what looks to be a smash-mouth game and promises to be a close one. New Hampshire faces the equally difficult UNI, a game (I think) that they will lose. And JMU plays host to Nova, and the only thing separating Nova from the CAA title was a fluky Hail-Mary jump-ball from Rodney Landers to Bosco Williams as time expired. No doubt they want revenge, but I think (and call me a homer all you want) that JMU pulls this one off.

In other news...

how 'bout Texas getting shafted out of the Big 12 and thus, the National Championship? Or, should we call it the sort-of National Championship. Who is to say who actually belongs there? The BCS? Hmm...nope. Not likely.

Also, my pick for the OU/Mizzou game? OU. Barring a major appearance by Choklahoma, OU should be able to handle Mizzou who just suffered a somewhat momentum-killing loss to Kansas.

As for the Gators/Bama match-up...I'm gonna go with Bama. Not sure why, just a gut feeling.

On to the Big Boys (AKA the NFL)

The New England Patriots have signed Rosevelt Colvin back onto the team. Rosie was released in February and later cut by the Texans. With so many of their starters going down, its a miracle that the Pats are even remotely close to the playoffs. With Adalius Thomas out, and their secondary stretched thinner than saran wrap, the Pats defense needs some help.

I often wonder how different they would be if everyone was healthy...all the starters were not injured...I'm thinking we would be winning the AFC East. The Pats have gotten the injury bug big time this year, lets hope that the off-season will be a productive building one and the luck will turn around for the 2009 season.

While I haven't given up hope on the playoffs, we need some help in that department from the Jets, the Colts and the Ravens. And with the exception of the Ravens, they have easier schedules.

Finally, a little MLB to brighten your winter:

The Sox offered 'Tek arbitration. Which means that any team who wants to sign him has to forfeit a high draft pick. There is a lot of mediocrity out there, but 'Tek isn't worth it for any particular team to give up draft picks and the teams that really could use him simply can't afford to lose the pick and pay his salary.

It was, (hopefully) a brilliant move by Theo Epstein. He hasn't made any offers to Varitek, mostly to show the rest of the league that the Sox really don't want him (not true) so no one gets it into their heads to drive the price up. By offering arbitration, it makes the decision to pick up Varitek even more difficult for teams with lots of holes and a tight budget. Varitek should accept the Sox one-year offer and see what happens. Its in everyone's best interest. If Tek tanks, he isn't hanging around on our payroll, if he rebounds, we can offer him money to stay without it being a huge ordeal. Either way, the Sox should be able to keep the Captain one more year.

At least, I hope that's the case. Decisions must be made by midnight on Sunday. In the meantime, GO DUKES! (sorry, I couldn't resist)