You have my permission to dream big with the 2016 Texas Longhorns.
Go ahead.
As the resident brake-tapper on Orangebloods, I’ve been dealing cold water to Texas fans since I gave Garrett Gilbert and the 2010 Longhorns the benefit of the doubt in nightmarish fashion.
Since then, there’s been a whole lot of realism (sometimes passed off as pessimism) when it comes to any kind of prediction for the Texas football program. When Texas fans have bathed in the sunshine of 9-3 prognostications, I’m the one over the last five years who handed them a towel in the form of possible seven-wins (or less) season reminders.
So, I feel like when I tell you it’s ok to give into the sunshine pumping, it’s coming from a place you can trust that doesn’t give into going ga-ga over any kind of burnt orange success with the ease of a sixth grader falling in love with the girl sitting next to him in history class. After two weeks of college football action, there are two incredibly important truths as it relates to the ability of this team to win a trophy or two.
These Longhorns are pretty damn good and the conference they play in is not.
It’s that simple.
After wins over Notre Dame and UTEP, the Longhorns have dangerous units in every phase of the game with some of the best young, emerging talent in the entire country and, oh yeah, a quarterback who is reminding people of a young Colt McCoy.
Meanwhile, the Big 12 looks like a conference that should lose its spot at the big boy table. Already this season, Oklahoma, TCU, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech have taken Ls from the likes of Houston, Arkansas, Central Michigan and Arizona State, respectively. Frankly, I’m willing to give the Sooners the benefit of the doubt, but the rest of these teams all look like rubbish. In what was supposed to be a quiet week in college football because of the lack of quality match-ups, but the Cowboys and Horned Frogs found a way to be the only teams in the country to fall out of both polls after home losses to unranked teams.
I don’t know if this Texas team truly has championship chops, but outside of possibly the Sooners, I don’t know that there’s a team left on the schedule that’s as good as the team I’ve watched the last two weeks at DKR.
It’s two weeks into the season, but I don’t see any reason why this team won’t be playing for important things late in the season. Like almost every team in the country not named Alabama, this is a group that might be an injury or two away from trouble, but based on what we’ve seen thus far, there’s no reason to cringe at the thought of thinking big.
Perhaps the stars aren’t aligning, but it sure seems like I can see Orion's Belt from here.
You have my permission to dream big.
No. 2– About Shane Buechele ...
Damn, he’s good.
In fact, not only has he been good, I’d offer that he’s been better in the first two games of his career than Colt McCoy was back in 2006 after 120 minutes. Of course, one of the games McCoy played in earlier in his career was against No. 1 Ohio State, but I’m not talking about stats as much as I’m talking about what I see now with my eyes and remember with my head.
As terrific as McCoy was as a redshirt freshmen, there were times when he lived on the wildside by throwing balls up for grabs on which freakish athletes like Jermichael Finley would occasionally bail him out.
The thing about Buechele is that thus far in his career he just makes everything look so easy, while limiting his negative plays to a minimum. Outside of the high throw that was intercepted by Notre Dame in the second quarter of his first game, Buechele hasn’t really come close to making another mistake. He’s not throwing balls into questionable spaces, he’s completely aware of his field surroundings and he just lets the game kind of come to him.
Yes, there’s no doubt that stressful situations await him, yet I’ve seen enough in two games to believe that he’s going to be fine and if he can stay healthy, he’s going to take some of McCoy’s freshman season records away from the last man to ever wear No. 12 in Austin.
Take a look at McCoy’s freshman numbers: 217 of 318 passes for 2,570 yards, 29 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.
After two games, Buechele is on pace over a 12 game schedule to complete 228 of 330 passes for 3,150 yards, 36 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.
Hell, if he stays healthy, he’s going to take all of McCoy’s freshmen records. I’m drinking the kool-aid.
No. 3– Perhaps my only reservation about the 2016 Longhorns ...
On one hand, the Longhorns aren’t going to face many defensive lines stocked with NFL players up and down the line-up.
On the other hand, the best way to turn Shane Buechele into a mistake-prone player is by having a bad offensive line in front of him.
I don’t know what exact words to use about Saturday night’s B-team offensive line, but the scoreboard probably doesn’t do justice to what this unit did against an undersized and talent-shy UTEP front four.
A year ago, the Longhorns were lucky in the injury department along the offensive line, but this year Matt Mattox has players dropping like flies every time he blinks.
I’m not going to go so far as to say Connor Williams’ health is more important to the team’s success than Shane Buechele, but the Longhorns clearly don’t have a capable backup at the moment if they were willing to live and die with Elijah Rodriguez protecting Buechele’s blindside. Meanwhile, it’s pretty clear that Zach Shackelford's injured ankle isn’t right and hasn’t been close to being right in the last two weeks. Throw in a banged-up Tristan Nickelson and Kent Perkins, and suddenly Patrick Vahe is the only starter in the huddle, knock on wood.
Buechele was so good last night that it covered up the ugliness of a running game that averaged a mere 3.6 yards per carry over 60 minutes and simply isn’t going to be good enough in future games for a team that wants to make its hay with the ground game.
Obviously, a majority of these players will likely be back on the field soon, including the all-important Williams, but at some point there will be hell to pay if Mattox’s top five players can't stay on the field together.
Before the season is over, this feels like a situation that might just bite this team in the backside.
No. 4– Scattershooting on the Longhorns ...
… The math game: Texas was 4 of 5 in the red zone against UTEP, but only 3 of 12 on third downs.
… Speaking of numbers, sometimes tackles for loss and sacks don’t give a complete picture of the level of disruption a defense creates for an offense, but I’d say 11 tackles for loss and five sacks do the job pretty well.
… I thought my boy Malik Jefferson was solid against the Miners, but for the standards he’s created, he had a pretty quiet night in terms of impacts moments.
… I’m guessing Vance Bedford didn’t discuss his cat with Tim Cole and DeShon Elliott after watching the way they both took themselves out of the play on Aaron Jones’ 51-yard touchdown run. For two players trying to win certified roles on this team, that play left a mark. The good news for Elliott is that he came back with five tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery to his night.
… Really can’t stress enough how much true freshman Malcolm Roach impressed in both the first and second viewings of the game. When I speak of Charlie Strong’s elite evaluation skills, a guy like Roach is exactly what I’m talking about. Outside of Texas, I’d say the top three offers for the mid-three star were South Carolina, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Houston and Missouri, yet after watching him on Saturday, I’m fairly sure that dude will play on Sundays down the road if he stays out of trouble and the injury gods treat him well.
… Eight different receivers caught passes on Saturday, which makes me think that if you’re not one of those eight, cracking the lineup is going to be pretty hard for the immediate future and potential long-term future.
… How did Sheroid Evans and Davante Davis do? Well, no UTEP receiver totaled more than 19 yards receiving.
... California is pretty wretched on defense. If Texas brings its A-game, it might score 70. It's going to be 1 a.m. local time when that game ends on Saturday.
... Oklahoma State should be more upset that it allowed Central Michigan to be in a position to win with a single play than it is that the officials made a mistake, but one full of rightful karma.
... TCU looks like a JAG of a team. Baylor, too. The Horned Frogs cannot win the Big 12 with Kenny Hill at quarterback.
... The 2016 Clemson Tigers remind me of the 2009 Texas Longhorns.
... Kirby Smart is now officially an SEC coach. Have fun this week, coach.
No. 5 – Buy or sell …
BUY or SELL: Sterlin Gilbert is still the offensive coordinator at Texas in 2017?
(Sell) I think he’s going to be the next head coach for Baylor if the Longhorns have the kind of season I think they’re going to have. Honestly, he’s perfect for them. If I was Baylor, I’d offer him the job right now and tell him to take over for Jim Grobe on Monday.
BUY or SELL: D'onta Foreman has been the biggest recruiting miss of a Longhorn player since you entered the recruiting business?
(Sell) I’m still going to go with Brian Robison, who was a two-star out of Splendora and didn’t make my LSR Top 100. Hell, I had Foreman ranked as a borderline high three-star and inside the state Top 75. Others that deserve consideration are Major Applewhite (not considered a national prospect) and Colt McCoy (not considered a national prospect), but, yeah, Foreman is easily in the top five and could possibly end up being No. 1 in my head before it’s all said and done.
BUY or SELL: Has the 18 Wheeler play calling lost its luster being too one dimensional?
(Sell) Let’s give that package the benefit of the doubt considering the number of key pieces of personnel missing from the line-up. Your concerns of it being one-dimensional is fair, though. Moving forward, keeping the defense at least a little honest with respect to making the pass a legitimate option needs to be a priority.
BUY or SELL: If Texas is 1st and goal from the 9 yard line, you would not take Shane out of the game for Swoopes?
(Buy) The 18-wheeler package is an inside the five-yard line event for me.
BUY or SELL: Texas will beat the dog hockey out of Baylor on Oct. 29?
(Buy) The Longhorns might be a little scary by then and the Bears might be on tilt.
BUY or SELL: Next week, will Texas top San Diego State's rushing totals against Cal of 334 yds and 7.1 yards per carry?
(Sell) The Aztecs put up the kind of crazy numbers that I’m going to sell against because I don’t know what the starting line will look like or how many carries D’Onta Foreman will receive. Texas should post very good numbers, but 334 yards is more than twice as many as Texas had on Saturday night.
BUY or SELL: Texas will get blown out by a team this year?
(Sell) Not against this schedule, not against this year’s team.
BUY or SELL: Texas potentially has the strongest group of wide receiver's it's ever had, we have so many contributing?
(Buy) I’m willing to go ahead and go on the record that this is the deepest wide receiver group I’ve seen in 30 years of watching Texas football. Maybe it doesn’t have the one-two punch of some other teams, but this year’s 3-8 is better than any other year’s 3-8.
BUY or SELL: The amazing depth at linebacker hurts our chances with Browning and Hines?
(Sell) Amazing depth? Amazing? Anthony Wheeler is a pretty good player, as is Breck Hager and Edwin Freeman. Yes, Jeff McCulloch looms. Still, a guy like Browning could unseat anyone not named Malik Jefferson in 15 minutes. I could see the middle linebacker depth hindering the recruitment of Hines, but dudes like Browning don’t believe anyone can beat them out and more times than not, they’re correct.
BUY or SELL: Errrybody?
(Buy) Yeah.
No. 6 – I hate being a Dallas fan...
All of my feelings about this game can be summed up with a single Sanford and Son gif.
Of all the things that set the Cowboys back on Sunday, Dak Prescott wasn’t really one of them.
Dez Bryant not making a play all day was a problem. The offensive line losing the battle at the line of scrimmage was a problem. The defense not being able to get off the field was a problem. Oh, and Terrance Williams being the dumbest player in the NFL was a major problem.
Dak?
That dude gave his team a chance to win the game… more than a chance to win the game.
If the rest of the team had played as well as he did, I would have used this George Jefferson gif.
No. 7 – Houston, we have lift off ...
As a non Houston Texans fan, I’d have to say I would imagine fans of the Texans have to be feeling pretty good right now after a 23-14 win over the Bears to open the season.
Newcomer Brock Osweiler looked the part of a big-boy starting quarterback.
Newcomer Lamar Miller is now one for one when it comes to 100-yard games.
Newcomer Will Fuller looks like a home-run as a first-round pick.
It wasn't a perfect day of football for the Texans, but there was a hell of a lot to be excited from a big picture standpoint, as a team that was pretty damn good a season ago appears to be improved in a number of key areas, especially on offense. That’s especially true at quarterback, as Osweiler made a very good first impression on a guy that has a lot of skepticism about his overall upside.
For one day at least, Osweiler looked like a guy with whom you compete for a Super Bowl and when was the last time we said that about the Texans?
Has it ever been said?
No. 8 – Confessions of an angry fantasy football owner …
For the third straight year, I’ve lost a- first or second-round draft pick after one game.
Two seasons ago, it was Adrian Peterson being a child-beater.
One season ago, it was Dez Bryant to injury.
On Sunday, I basically wanted to quit fantasy football after losing second-round pick Keenan Allen to what is believed to be a torn ACL.
Oh, and did I mention that fourth-round pick Demaryius Thomas has an injured hip and is seeking a second opinion, which sounds rather ominous?
Why do I even do this?
(Sorry, I need to vent)
No. 9 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
… NFL week one scattershots…
A. Jameis Winston is the home run quarterback from last year’s first round quarterback class.
B. I hate Marcus Mariota after his tomfoolery pretty much took down my fantasy team by himself.
C. Matt Ryan is Matt Schaub 2.0
D. Aaron Rodgers has a problem at receiver. His guys just can’t separate from defensive backs.
E. The Chargers beat the Chiefs without the Keenan Allen injury. He was on his way to a monster game when he went down.
F. Oakland is going to be a lot of fun to watch this season. That team was a deserved winner in the Big Easy.
G. I wish I had drafted Brandin Cooks instead of Keenan Allen.
F. Carson Wentz looked better than Dak Prescott on Sunday. Of course, his teammates actually played well.
G. Adrian Peterson looked like a JAG on Sunday.
H. Matt Stafford is underrated at this point in his career.
I. Seattle looked incredibly average against the Dolphins. Like not making the playoffs average.
… When Stipe Miocic is throwing his hands, he’s as scary as anyone in the fight game. There was a moment in the first round when he looked a little shook up, but when he lands a punch solidly, it changes a fight in a big way, as Alistair Overeem learned the hard way.
… I sure would have liked to have seen what CM Punk can do on the offensive end. Maybe they should have put him on training wheels instead of putting him up against a legit guy.
… Serena and The Joker losing at the US Open pretty much made this year’s U.S. Open a waste. Sorry, tennis, but it’s like the Open never even happened.
… I’m ready for the MLB post-season. I’m barely paying attention to the regular season right now.
… The Manchester Derby was everything you want an EPL match between rivals to be. In the end, Jose Mourinho waited too long to make his adjustments, which allowed Kevin De Bruyne to control the pitch for far too long in the first half. Also, watching Claudio Bravo in goal for Man City is worth the price of admission in a totally different way than David de Gea.
… I’m going to say it until it actually happens, Marcus Rashford has to be in the regular line-up for United. If he plays the full 90 on Saturday, I feel like the final outcome would have been different.
… Liverpool and Man City is going to make for a fun 90 minutes of soccer later this season. My Reds just need to stay healthy and settle in with a regular/stable back four because the attacking pieces are a joy to watch when they’re all on the pitch together. Sadio Mane is the Honeybadger of the EPL.
… Jozy Altidore is in incredible form right now. Someone who knows better tell me … is this the best he’s ever looked for this long of a stretch? He’s the reason why Toronto is on top of the Eastern Conference with Gio out with injury.
… Soccer Tweet of the Weekend: Enjoy.
No. 10 - And finally …
After a year of ugly at the movies, I’ve come across three straight wins at theater.
If you’re looking for a good movie to see this week, I recommend without hesitation Sully (B), Hell or High Water (A+) and Florence Foster Jenkins (A). For the record, I was the only dude in the theater for Florence Foster Jenkins, so if you go alone, you might meet someone.
Go ahead.
As the resident brake-tapper on Orangebloods, I’ve been dealing cold water to Texas fans since I gave Garrett Gilbert and the 2010 Longhorns the benefit of the doubt in nightmarish fashion.
Since then, there’s been a whole lot of realism (sometimes passed off as pessimism) when it comes to any kind of prediction for the Texas football program. When Texas fans have bathed in the sunshine of 9-3 prognostications, I’m the one over the last five years who handed them a towel in the form of possible seven-wins (or less) season reminders.
So, I feel like when I tell you it’s ok to give into the sunshine pumping, it’s coming from a place you can trust that doesn’t give into going ga-ga over any kind of burnt orange success with the ease of a sixth grader falling in love with the girl sitting next to him in history class. After two weeks of college football action, there are two incredibly important truths as it relates to the ability of this team to win a trophy or two.
These Longhorns are pretty damn good and the conference they play in is not.
It’s that simple.
After wins over Notre Dame and UTEP, the Longhorns have dangerous units in every phase of the game with some of the best young, emerging talent in the entire country and, oh yeah, a quarterback who is reminding people of a young Colt McCoy.
Meanwhile, the Big 12 looks like a conference that should lose its spot at the big boy table. Already this season, Oklahoma, TCU, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech have taken Ls from the likes of Houston, Arkansas, Central Michigan and Arizona State, respectively. Frankly, I’m willing to give the Sooners the benefit of the doubt, but the rest of these teams all look like rubbish. In what was supposed to be a quiet week in college football because of the lack of quality match-ups, but the Cowboys and Horned Frogs found a way to be the only teams in the country to fall out of both polls after home losses to unranked teams.
I don’t know if this Texas team truly has championship chops, but outside of possibly the Sooners, I don’t know that there’s a team left on the schedule that’s as good as the team I’ve watched the last two weeks at DKR.
It’s two weeks into the season, but I don’t see any reason why this team won’t be playing for important things late in the season. Like almost every team in the country not named Alabama, this is a group that might be an injury or two away from trouble, but based on what we’ve seen thus far, there’s no reason to cringe at the thought of thinking big.
Perhaps the stars aren’t aligning, but it sure seems like I can see Orion's Belt from here.
You have my permission to dream big.
No. 2– About Shane Buechele ...
Damn, he’s good.
In fact, not only has he been good, I’d offer that he’s been better in the first two games of his career than Colt McCoy was back in 2006 after 120 minutes. Of course, one of the games McCoy played in earlier in his career was against No. 1 Ohio State, but I’m not talking about stats as much as I’m talking about what I see now with my eyes and remember with my head.
As terrific as McCoy was as a redshirt freshmen, there were times when he lived on the wildside by throwing balls up for grabs on which freakish athletes like Jermichael Finley would occasionally bail him out.
The thing about Buechele is that thus far in his career he just makes everything look so easy, while limiting his negative plays to a minimum. Outside of the high throw that was intercepted by Notre Dame in the second quarter of his first game, Buechele hasn’t really come close to making another mistake. He’s not throwing balls into questionable spaces, he’s completely aware of his field surroundings and he just lets the game kind of come to him.
Yes, there’s no doubt that stressful situations await him, yet I’ve seen enough in two games to believe that he’s going to be fine and if he can stay healthy, he’s going to take some of McCoy’s freshman season records away from the last man to ever wear No. 12 in Austin.
Take a look at McCoy’s freshman numbers: 217 of 318 passes for 2,570 yards, 29 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.
After two games, Buechele is on pace over a 12 game schedule to complete 228 of 330 passes for 3,150 yards, 36 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.
Hell, if he stays healthy, he’s going to take all of McCoy’s freshmen records. I’m drinking the kool-aid.
No. 3– Perhaps my only reservation about the 2016 Longhorns ...
On one hand, the Longhorns aren’t going to face many defensive lines stocked with NFL players up and down the line-up.
On the other hand, the best way to turn Shane Buechele into a mistake-prone player is by having a bad offensive line in front of him.
I don’t know what exact words to use about Saturday night’s B-team offensive line, but the scoreboard probably doesn’t do justice to what this unit did against an undersized and talent-shy UTEP front four.
A year ago, the Longhorns were lucky in the injury department along the offensive line, but this year Matt Mattox has players dropping like flies every time he blinks.
I’m not going to go so far as to say Connor Williams’ health is more important to the team’s success than Shane Buechele, but the Longhorns clearly don’t have a capable backup at the moment if they were willing to live and die with Elijah Rodriguez protecting Buechele’s blindside. Meanwhile, it’s pretty clear that Zach Shackelford's injured ankle isn’t right and hasn’t been close to being right in the last two weeks. Throw in a banged-up Tristan Nickelson and Kent Perkins, and suddenly Patrick Vahe is the only starter in the huddle, knock on wood.
Buechele was so good last night that it covered up the ugliness of a running game that averaged a mere 3.6 yards per carry over 60 minutes and simply isn’t going to be good enough in future games for a team that wants to make its hay with the ground game.
Obviously, a majority of these players will likely be back on the field soon, including the all-important Williams, but at some point there will be hell to pay if Mattox’s top five players can't stay on the field together.
Before the season is over, this feels like a situation that might just bite this team in the backside.
No. 4– Scattershooting on the Longhorns ...
… The math game: Texas was 4 of 5 in the red zone against UTEP, but only 3 of 12 on third downs.
… Speaking of numbers, sometimes tackles for loss and sacks don’t give a complete picture of the level of disruption a defense creates for an offense, but I’d say 11 tackles for loss and five sacks do the job pretty well.
… I thought my boy Malik Jefferson was solid against the Miners, but for the standards he’s created, he had a pretty quiet night in terms of impacts moments.
… I’m guessing Vance Bedford didn’t discuss his cat with Tim Cole and DeShon Elliott after watching the way they both took themselves out of the play on Aaron Jones’ 51-yard touchdown run. For two players trying to win certified roles on this team, that play left a mark. The good news for Elliott is that he came back with five tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery to his night.
… Really can’t stress enough how much true freshman Malcolm Roach impressed in both the first and second viewings of the game. When I speak of Charlie Strong’s elite evaluation skills, a guy like Roach is exactly what I’m talking about. Outside of Texas, I’d say the top three offers for the mid-three star were South Carolina, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Houston and Missouri, yet after watching him on Saturday, I’m fairly sure that dude will play on Sundays down the road if he stays out of trouble and the injury gods treat him well.
… Eight different receivers caught passes on Saturday, which makes me think that if you’re not one of those eight, cracking the lineup is going to be pretty hard for the immediate future and potential long-term future.
… How did Sheroid Evans and Davante Davis do? Well, no UTEP receiver totaled more than 19 yards receiving.
... California is pretty wretched on defense. If Texas brings its A-game, it might score 70. It's going to be 1 a.m. local time when that game ends on Saturday.
... Oklahoma State should be more upset that it allowed Central Michigan to be in a position to win with a single play than it is that the officials made a mistake, but one full of rightful karma.
... TCU looks like a JAG of a team. Baylor, too. The Horned Frogs cannot win the Big 12 with Kenny Hill at quarterback.
... The 2016 Clemson Tigers remind me of the 2009 Texas Longhorns.
... Kirby Smart is now officially an SEC coach. Have fun this week, coach.
No. 5 – Buy or sell …
BUY or SELL: Sterlin Gilbert is still the offensive coordinator at Texas in 2017?
(Sell) I think he’s going to be the next head coach for Baylor if the Longhorns have the kind of season I think they’re going to have. Honestly, he’s perfect for them. If I was Baylor, I’d offer him the job right now and tell him to take over for Jim Grobe on Monday.
BUY or SELL: D'onta Foreman has been the biggest recruiting miss of a Longhorn player since you entered the recruiting business?
(Sell) I’m still going to go with Brian Robison, who was a two-star out of Splendora and didn’t make my LSR Top 100. Hell, I had Foreman ranked as a borderline high three-star and inside the state Top 75. Others that deserve consideration are Major Applewhite (not considered a national prospect) and Colt McCoy (not considered a national prospect), but, yeah, Foreman is easily in the top five and could possibly end up being No. 1 in my head before it’s all said and done.
BUY or SELL: Has the 18 Wheeler play calling lost its luster being too one dimensional?
(Sell) Let’s give that package the benefit of the doubt considering the number of key pieces of personnel missing from the line-up. Your concerns of it being one-dimensional is fair, though. Moving forward, keeping the defense at least a little honest with respect to making the pass a legitimate option needs to be a priority.
BUY or SELL: If Texas is 1st and goal from the 9 yard line, you would not take Shane out of the game for Swoopes?
(Buy) The 18-wheeler package is an inside the five-yard line event for me.
BUY or SELL: Texas will beat the dog hockey out of Baylor on Oct. 29?
(Buy) The Longhorns might be a little scary by then and the Bears might be on tilt.
BUY or SELL: Next week, will Texas top San Diego State's rushing totals against Cal of 334 yds and 7.1 yards per carry?
(Sell) The Aztecs put up the kind of crazy numbers that I’m going to sell against because I don’t know what the starting line will look like or how many carries D’Onta Foreman will receive. Texas should post very good numbers, but 334 yards is more than twice as many as Texas had on Saturday night.
BUY or SELL: Texas will get blown out by a team this year?
(Sell) Not against this schedule, not against this year’s team.
BUY or SELL: Texas potentially has the strongest group of wide receiver's it's ever had, we have so many contributing?
(Buy) I’m willing to go ahead and go on the record that this is the deepest wide receiver group I’ve seen in 30 years of watching Texas football. Maybe it doesn’t have the one-two punch of some other teams, but this year’s 3-8 is better than any other year’s 3-8.
BUY or SELL: The amazing depth at linebacker hurts our chances with Browning and Hines?
(Sell) Amazing depth? Amazing? Anthony Wheeler is a pretty good player, as is Breck Hager and Edwin Freeman. Yes, Jeff McCulloch looms. Still, a guy like Browning could unseat anyone not named Malik Jefferson in 15 minutes. I could see the middle linebacker depth hindering the recruitment of Hines, but dudes like Browning don’t believe anyone can beat them out and more times than not, they’re correct.
BUY or SELL: Errrybody?
(Buy) Yeah.
No. 6 – I hate being a Dallas fan...
All of my feelings about this game can be summed up with a single Sanford and Son gif.
Of all the things that set the Cowboys back on Sunday, Dak Prescott wasn’t really one of them.
Dez Bryant not making a play all day was a problem. The offensive line losing the battle at the line of scrimmage was a problem. The defense not being able to get off the field was a problem. Oh, and Terrance Williams being the dumbest player in the NFL was a major problem.
Dak?
That dude gave his team a chance to win the game… more than a chance to win the game.
If the rest of the team had played as well as he did, I would have used this George Jefferson gif.
No. 7 – Houston, we have lift off ...
As a non Houston Texans fan, I’d have to say I would imagine fans of the Texans have to be feeling pretty good right now after a 23-14 win over the Bears to open the season.
Newcomer Brock Osweiler looked the part of a big-boy starting quarterback.
Newcomer Lamar Miller is now one for one when it comes to 100-yard games.
Newcomer Will Fuller looks like a home-run as a first-round pick.
It wasn't a perfect day of football for the Texans, but there was a hell of a lot to be excited from a big picture standpoint, as a team that was pretty damn good a season ago appears to be improved in a number of key areas, especially on offense. That’s especially true at quarterback, as Osweiler made a very good first impression on a guy that has a lot of skepticism about his overall upside.
For one day at least, Osweiler looked like a guy with whom you compete for a Super Bowl and when was the last time we said that about the Texans?
Has it ever been said?
No. 8 – Confessions of an angry fantasy football owner …
For the third straight year, I’ve lost a- first or second-round draft pick after one game.
Two seasons ago, it was Adrian Peterson being a child-beater.
One season ago, it was Dez Bryant to injury.
On Sunday, I basically wanted to quit fantasy football after losing second-round pick Keenan Allen to what is believed to be a torn ACL.
Oh, and did I mention that fourth-round pick Demaryius Thomas has an injured hip and is seeking a second opinion, which sounds rather ominous?
Why do I even do this?
(Sorry, I need to vent)
No. 9 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
… NFL week one scattershots…
A. Jameis Winston is the home run quarterback from last year’s first round quarterback class.
B. I hate Marcus Mariota after his tomfoolery pretty much took down my fantasy team by himself.
C. Matt Ryan is Matt Schaub 2.0
D. Aaron Rodgers has a problem at receiver. His guys just can’t separate from defensive backs.
E. The Chargers beat the Chiefs without the Keenan Allen injury. He was on his way to a monster game when he went down.
F. Oakland is going to be a lot of fun to watch this season. That team was a deserved winner in the Big Easy.
G. I wish I had drafted Brandin Cooks instead of Keenan Allen.
F. Carson Wentz looked better than Dak Prescott on Sunday. Of course, his teammates actually played well.
G. Adrian Peterson looked like a JAG on Sunday.
H. Matt Stafford is underrated at this point in his career.
I. Seattle looked incredibly average against the Dolphins. Like not making the playoffs average.
… When Stipe Miocic is throwing his hands, he’s as scary as anyone in the fight game. There was a moment in the first round when he looked a little shook up, but when he lands a punch solidly, it changes a fight in a big way, as Alistair Overeem learned the hard way.
… I sure would have liked to have seen what CM Punk can do on the offensive end. Maybe they should have put him on training wheels instead of putting him up against a legit guy.
… Serena and The Joker losing at the US Open pretty much made this year’s U.S. Open a waste. Sorry, tennis, but it’s like the Open never even happened.
… I’m ready for the MLB post-season. I’m barely paying attention to the regular season right now.
… The Manchester Derby was everything you want an EPL match between rivals to be. In the end, Jose Mourinho waited too long to make his adjustments, which allowed Kevin De Bruyne to control the pitch for far too long in the first half. Also, watching Claudio Bravo in goal for Man City is worth the price of admission in a totally different way than David de Gea.
… I’m going to say it until it actually happens, Marcus Rashford has to be in the regular line-up for United. If he plays the full 90 on Saturday, I feel like the final outcome would have been different.
… Liverpool and Man City is going to make for a fun 90 minutes of soccer later this season. My Reds just need to stay healthy and settle in with a regular/stable back four because the attacking pieces are a joy to watch when they’re all on the pitch together. Sadio Mane is the Honeybadger of the EPL.
… Jozy Altidore is in incredible form right now. Someone who knows better tell me … is this the best he’s ever looked for this long of a stretch? He’s the reason why Toronto is on top of the Eastern Conference with Gio out with injury.
… Soccer Tweet of the Weekend: Enjoy.
No. 10 - And finally …
After a year of ugly at the movies, I’ve come across three straight wins at theater.
If you’re looking for a good movie to see this week, I recommend without hesitation Sully (B), Hell or High Water (A+) and Florence Foster Jenkins (A). For the record, I was the only dude in the theater for Florence Foster Jenkins, so if you go alone, you might meet someone.
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