Vikings 30, Bears 31

The Vikings fall to the Bears 31-30 today in Chicago. The Bears scored at touchdown with 10 seconds remaining to secure the victory.  The Vikings fall to 0-2 on the season.  What a weird game, it didn't seem like either team wanted to win this one, there were mistakes galore from both sides.  Christian Ponder looked horrendous in the first half but actually looked like an NFL QB in the second half, the Vikings are going to need much more consistency out of him moving forward.  They need to fix their defense too, they gave up way to many yards today.   

Observations:

• Cordarrelle Patterson started the game off wonderfully. 
• The Vikings offense is way too one dimensional and easy to defend. 
• The Cover-2 defense so 1985.  Why are the Vikings so reluctant to change? 
• The Vikings LB's are a mess.  Desmond Bishop needs to be on the field. 
• The Bears have now beaten the Vikings 12 of the last 13 times in Chicago. 
• Christian Ponder is apparently on a very short leash, as he should be. 
• 100 yards rushing for Adrian Peterson.  His pace is well short of his 2500 yards goal. 
• It was good to see Kevin Williams back on the field. 
• Jamarca Sanford did not have one of his better games.  
• What was the deal with the Vikings red zone play calling late in the game? 
• Jared Allen earned his money today. 
• Technically difficulties can really ruin my enjoyment of a football game
• The Vikings kickoff coverage leaves lots to be desired.
• Up next?  Last Metrodome home opener, vs the Cleveland Browns next Sunday.

Carl's Jr Knows Commercials

I love those Carl's Jr's commercials.  Here's the latest.



That's Marilia Moreno BTW.   It sounds like Katherine Webb is up next.

Arizona St 32, Wisconsin 30

The Sun Devils knock off the Badgers 32-30 tonight at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe.  The Sun Devils improve to 2-0 on the season.  This is a big win for the Sun Devils, Todd Graham really needed to beat a quality opponent.  It wasn't an easy win though, they seemed intent on giving it away, they made a lot of mistakes and quite frankly were out coached.  And that ending???? 

Observations:

• That was as bizarre a finish to a football game that I've ever seen.  
• Marion Grice is a touchdown machine! 
• ASU started out fast once again.  This is a nice habit to get into.  
• WTF was Punter Dom Vizarre thinking on that punt attempt?
• Wisconsin did a nice job of neutralizing Will Sutton. Were they dirty though? 
• Catch those passes Richard Smith!!!
• Wisconsin had some trouble with the speed of ASU's defense.  
• Osahon Irabor had a nice game from the secondary. 
• Melvin Gordon is a pretty impressive looking RB for Wisconsin. 
• Nice tribute to the Yarnell 19 by Arizona State tonight.  
• I love when they have blackout night at Sun Devil Stadium. 
• Up next?  @ Stanford next Saturday.

Minnesota 29, Western Illinois 12

The Gophers improved to 3-0 today with a 29-12 win over Western Illinois.  I wasn't too impressed with the Gophers today, I was expecting them to play better against an FCS team.  WIU was too close for much too long in this game.  In their first 3 games the Gophers have just worn down their smaller outmanned opponents, that's not going to happen from here on out as the schedule gets much tougher from this point on.  Still, 3-0 is 3-0, I'll take it. 

Observations:

• Ra'shede Hageman had another impressive game.  He was in beast mode!
• Another on field seizure for Jerry Kill.  Business goes on as usual though.
• Do we have a QB controversy?  Mitch Leidner looked good today. 
• I really like Maxx Williams, he's going to be a good one.  
• Nice game for David Cobb, 2 TD's & 82 yards rushing.
• The 2 sacks from DE Theiren Cochran was nice to see. 
• The Gophers offense is still much too predictable.  Run-Run-Pass-Punt. 
• Roderick Williams legs just never stop moving.  
• Only 2 penalties for the Gophers today.
• Gopher OL did not get much push, they need to do better. 
• Too many soft cushions early on by the Gopher CB's.  
• Western Illinois' Bob Nielson is a good football coach.  
• I love the Western Illinois Leathernecks nickname.  
• Up next?  San Jose State @ TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

AZ Tidbits

• Marijuana Policy Project plans Arizona legalization measure in 2016.
• Arizona Senator John McCain hints at marijuana legalization. 
• Phoenix Suns release forward Michael Beasley.  He then signs with Miami. 
• Arizona job recovery lags behind nation.
• Danny White heads the Arizona Republic list of the top 50 All-Time ASU football players.
• Ricky Hunley heads the Arizona Republic list of the top 50 All-Time UA football players.
• Things seem to be getting a little bit out of control at Arizona State University. 
• RIP Alexis Urbina.  
• ASU is 30, UA is 44 on the U.S. News & World Report ranking of business schools.
• The Phoenix Coyotes open training camp!!!  Yeah, there still here!
• It appears that the voters will have a say on voter suppression act HB2305.
• Is Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson on the hot seat? 
• Judge clears path for higher contributions limits.  Plutocracy rules.
• Are you familiar with Fred DuVal?  You should be.
• Goldwater Institute sues Arizona over Medicaid expansion. 
• Official Arizona GOP body passes rebuke of John McCain. 
• More than 200 new Arizona laws go into effect today. 
• Watch out for those boulders when visiting Arizona.
• Poll finds people either love living in Arizona, or hate it.
• Diamondbacks SS prospect Chris Owings wins Pacific Coast League MVP Award.

Karl Rove Syria Flip Flop

Can you say hypocrite? 

Karl Rove, before President Obama decided to get congressional approval to strike Syria:
"Obama must go to Congress first before taking action against Syria, otherwise it would be political suicide."

Karl Rove, after President Obama decided to get congressional approval to strike Syria:
"Obama's request for Congressional approval is just a delaying tactic that proves he is indecisive."

Colbert on the Myth of Reagan

The Colbert Report

Colbert about sums it up as only he can do.  

I too am at a loss to understand how Ronald Reagan has reached such godlike status to so many on the right.  My lord, he's been out of office for almost 30 years now and we're still reeling from the damage that he did.  What an unmitigated disaster he was.

POTpourri

• 24 Things Single People are Tired of Hearing. 
• President Obama did a masterful job of handling the Syria crisis. 
• DOJ admits regulated marijuana industry preferable to the black market.
• Nude Melissa Giraldo pictures here!!!
• RIP David Frost & Tommy Morrison. 
• Paul Ryan's was for Obama's Syria strategy before he was against it. 
• Tokyo awarded 2020 Summer Olympic games.  
• Are these the 50 Best Asses in the world?  
• Peter King (R-NY) announces 2016 Presidential run.
• Are you familiar with how the Tea Party got played by the top 1 percent? 
• Bruno Mars to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show.  Good pick. 
• Roger Nadal and Serena Williams win 2013 U.S. Open Tennis titles.  
• George Zimmerman arrested on assault charges.  Karma's a bitch.  
• Kate Upton wins Model of the Year Award. 
• Sounds like lots of shenanigans within the Oklahoma St football program.
• Apple introduces two new iPhones.
• U.S. Men's National Soccer team clinches berth in the 2014 World Cup.
• Did you catch Jimmy Kimmel's "twerking girl on fire" hoax video?
• Las Vegas to get the world's highest ferris wheel. 
• Ndamukong Suh gets largest fine for on-field incident in NFL history.

Musburger Interviews Eminem

This is classic!  Can you say awkward? 

Cardinals 24, Rams 27

The Cardinals kicked off the 2013-14 NFL season today with a 27-24 loss to the Rams in St. Louis. After last seasons debacle, it was nice to watch an NFL caliber football team on the field again.  It was a winnable game too, they were up 24-13 late into the 3rd quarter, they just couldn't close it out.  It was a step in the right direction though, I think that Bruce Arians is going to get this thing turned around. 

Observations:

• Larry Fitzgerald has to be happy to have a real QB again. 
• The Honey Badger made his presence felt early.  
• I doubt that Jay Feely is feeling more secure in his job after today. 
• Cards need to get more pressure on the QB, I would have liked to have seen more John Abraham.
• Carson Palmer is already the best Cardinals QB since Kurt Warner. 
• Andre Roberts had a nice game, I like the Cardinals WR's. 
• Darnell Dockett needs to step his game up, he was barely noticeable.
• I had forgotten how bad Levi Brown really is.   
• Rob Housler needs to stay healthy and start living up to the hype. 
• Darryl Washington would have probably helped the Cardinals today. 
• Robert Quinn seems to love playing against the Arizona Cardinals.
• Up next?  The Lions @ University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. 

Vikings 24, Lions 34

The Vikings kicked off their 2013-14 NFL season today with a thud, losing 34-24 in Detroit to the Lions.  The Lions were clearly the better team today, they beat the Vikings in all facets of the game.  If they can stay healthy and limited their mistakes, the Lions could actually make some noise this year.  Reggie Bush seems like a real nice pick up for them and I though Ziggy Ansah did some nice things at DE.  As for the Vikings?  They need to clear some things up quickly or they are looking at a long season. 

Observations:

• Adrian Peterson started his season like an MVP is suppose to, then promptly disappeared. 
• Christian Ponder continues to underwhelm.  He's clearly not the long term answer at QB. 
• The Vikings OL appears to be a bit overrated, they're really not strong enough up the middle.  
• Kevin Williams was missed in the middle of the Vikings defensive line. 
• The Vikings linebackers struggled.  They need Desmond Bishop out there.
• Time of Possession:  Lions 36:19, Vikings 23:41. 
• Are the Vikings incorporating some wishbone offense?  
• Where was the Vikings pass rush?  Everson Griffen and Brian Robison were invisible. 
• Nice game for Jerome Simpson, 7 catches for 140 yards. 
• I liked the looks of the Vikings purple pants. 
• Wait a minute, that wasn't Jason Hanson.  WTF? 
• Up next?  @ Chicago to take on the Bears.

Olbermann

I'm so happy that Keith Olbermann is back on TV.  Great stuff!

Minnesota 44, New Mexico St 21

The Gophers get off to a 2-0 start with a 44-21 win over the New Mexico State Aggies tonight in Las Cruces, NM.  This game was all about the rushing offense, special teams and big plays.  It was a nice win, let's not kid ourselves though, NMSU is not a good football program, this was expected.  After 2 games, I'm still not convinced the Gophers can play like this once the Big Ten season starts and expect the same results.  Their offense is just so vanilla.  Still, a 23 point win on the road is nothing to scoff at either, I'll take it. 

Observations:

• That's how you pound the rock!  342 yards on 43 carries for the Gophers.
• Marcus Jones knows how to return kicks!
• This is the first time the Gophers have scored 40+ points two games in a row since 2005.
• Roderick Williams had a nice game, as did David Cobb, I like the Gophers RB depth. 
• The Gophers passing game still needs some work. 
• Yes, that was a Willie Mobley sighting.  Good for him.
• 2 weeks in a row with a defensive TD for the Gophers, you've got to like that. 
• The Gophers seemed to go into the prevent defense a bit early. 
• Chris Hawthorne seems to be settling into the kickers job. 
• USA Today ranked NMSU number 121 (out of 125) in the FBS coming into the season.   
• NMSU may want to consider starting King Davis at QB moving forward.  Just saying.
• Should a college football program really have guns all over their helmets? 
• I'm not sure what was worst, BTN2GO or AggieVision. 
• Up next?  Western Illinois @ TCF Bank Stadium next Saturday. 

Don't Tread on Me!

Arizona St 55, Sacramento St 0

Arizona State opened their season tonight with a 55-0 route of Sacramento State.  How Sacramento State got on the schedule is beyond me.  I guess I'll take the win though, especially considering how tough the next 4 weeks are going to be (Wisconsin, Stanford, USC and Notre Dame).  It was an impressive win, no doubt about it, that Sun Devil offense is really fun to watch.  It's shaping up to be a fun season. 

Observations:

• Keep an eye out for Jaelen Strong at WR this year.  He's a good one. 
• Todd Graham's Sun Devils continue to strike early and often. 
• The middle of the field was open all night for the Sun Devils. 
• Taylor Kelly started right back up where he left off last year.   
• Total Yards:  Arizona State 523, Sacramento State 167.
• Todd Graham teams just do not get many penalties. 
• It appears that Zane Gonzales has taken the kicking job from Alex Garoutte.  
• Here's hoping that Chris Young's injury isn't serious.
• I love the new Tillman Tunnel.  That's some motivation.
• Up next?  Next Saturday @ home against Wisconsin.