1000 Movies in 1 Year

Fusilli with Spinach and Asiago Cheese

2007-04-28T10:09:00.000-07:00

1 pound fusilli pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (9-ounce) bag fresh spinach, roughly chopped
8 ounces (1/2 pint) cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup (about 3 1/2-ounces) grated Asiago
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, warm olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the spinach and tomatoes and cook until the spinach wilts, about 2 more minutes. Add the cooked pasta and toss. Add the cheeses, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.

I got this one from Everyday Italian a while back and thought it was good, and then the episode was on again today so I decided to make it again. I forgot the Asiago cheese, so I just added more Parmesan in it's place and it still worked out fine.

Greek Style Chicken

2007-04-01T18:39:00.000-07:00

2 chicken breast halves
Greek Seasoning
2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 ripe tomato, sliced
1 1/2 oz crumbled feta cheese (or sliced goat cheese)
2 to 3 tbs pine nuts, toasted (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pound chicken between pieces of plastic wrap to even thickness. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat; add chicken and cook until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a baking dish. Top chicken with tomato slices, cheese, and pine nuts (if using). Bake until chicken is cooked and cheese is melted (5 to 8 minutes).

This makes 2 servings (and very small ones at that), so I usually double it.

Recipe Time Again

2007-03-29T19:59:00.000-07:00

Since I feel stupid posting recipes over on Roll Bama Roll, I'll still do that here. I've actually gotten back to cooking more (Mom got me an awesome crockpot for Christmas, so I've got that going for me) and have a crazy scheme to make next year a "52 Chilis in 52 Weeks" affair, so maybe I'll be posting up some good stuff. Or maybe I'll do three and go back to talking about Alabama football all the time again. Anywho, here's one for "Taco Bean Soup" that I got out of the paper a long time ago. It's something that a local pub that has since closed down was known for, so I'm glad I found the little newspaper clipping that I'd been holding onto forever.

Taco Bean Soup

3 lbs hamburger meat, browned
2 green bell pepers, diced and grilled
1 large yellow onion, diced, sauteed in virgin olive oil
3 packets taco seasoning
2 small cans black beans
2 small cans kidney beans
2 small cans pinto beans
2 small cans red beans
2 16 oz cans tomato sauce
2 16 oz cans whole yellow kernel corn
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
2 tbs pepper
1 tbs salt
2 cups water

Saute onions and bell peppers in virgin olive oil.

Add onions and bells peppers to meat as it browns.

Stir in taco seasoning.

Stir in cans of beans (Note: Do not drain the canned beans; use the liquid).

Add tomato sauce, corn, diced tomatoes, salt, pepper and water.

Simmer, about two hours.

(Note: "Small" cans of beans typically have 15.5 or 16 ounces per can.)

I actually cut that in half because the recipe makes a ridiculously large amount (though I did use 2lbs of meat and 2 taco seasoning packets, so not strictly in half).

2007-03-14T12:17:00.000-07:00

So obviously I'm just not doing anything with this blog anymore. The movie thing? Bleh. I'm still averaging about three a week, but the idea of updating a list just makes me tired, plus the Netflix Queue is full up with TV on DVD, and I'm way more into that these days. If you want to keep up with me, I'm at Roll Bama Roll.

2007-02-04T11:09:00.000-08:00

Fun With Dick and Jane - So much potential, so little payoff. I had a feeling this wouldn't be any good so I don't know why I got it in the first place.

Beowulf & Grendel - In spite of a wonderful cast, it was about as boring as you remember having to read it in high school was. Giant pet peeve alert: Sarah Polley, I love your work, but everyone else has an accent. Get your head in the game.

Grandma's Boy - Obviously not the best week for movies. Had a few chuckles, but was mostly just gross and juvenile, and not in a good way.

2007-01-28T19:26:00.000-08:00

The Fountain - Absolutely beautiful movie that left me wholly unsatisfied. A waste of gorgeous visuals and strong acting.

Stranger than Fiction - I liked this a lot. I thought it was going to be a comedy, and it was funny at times, but once you get past the quirky humor and really get into the story it's very sweet and touching. I saw it the day after I watched The Fountain, so it was kind of weird going from "death is part of life and we must embrace it" to "a noble death is no substitute for a simple and happy life." I liked the latter.

Bandidas - Two things I love: 1) Westerns and 2) Smoking Hot Chicks. The movie was silly and pointless, but I'll be damned if I didn't enjoy it.

Would have probably been just as good on mute.

2007-01-19T18:36:00.000-08:00

Lipstick & Dynamite, Piss & Vinegar: The First Ladies of Wrestling - Man, talk about some tough old broads. I wouldn't mess with these ladies NOW. Entertaining documentary about the pioneers of lady wrestling, showing the evolution of the sport (with very strong parallels to the current WWE wrestling-tainment) from freakshow undercard attraction to main event in it's own right.

Kiss of Death (1947) - Turns out the awful David Caruso version was a remake of a much better 40's B movie. The much simpler story worked better: Mature is the ex-con who will do anything to protect his family, Widmark is the crazed criminal out to get him after he testified against him, and that's about it. No subplots that go nowhere or lofty aspirations about societal metaphors. I like.

2007-01-17T21:03:00.000-08:00

Slither - Now this I can get on board with. Good creature feature, with the requisite sense of humor that makes such a ludicrous prospect palatable. Much better than...

Searching for the Wrong Eyed Jesus - Silly me, all this time I hadn't realized that the "real south" was populated by poor, drunken, meth addled crackers in trailer parks and prisons. Good thing Jim White came down here from southern California to let us in on it. Asshole.

2007-01-15T16:20:00.000-08:00

The Girl was here this weekend, and I was having a few internet issues (stinking Charter), so here's a quickie movie update from the past few days:

Idiocracy - Office Space was so spot on that I think Mike Judge would have had a hard time following it no matter what the subject matter. I was very disappointed by this. It just seemed like the lowest common denominator of our society that he was supposed to be skewering was who this movie was aimed at. Great potential, no pay off.

Click - I'm happy for Adam Sandler that he's in a suitably "grown up" place in his life that he can make movies like this and Spanglish and be convincing as a husband and father that loves his family, but it's a serious loss for comedy fans. Fairly obvious plot and resolution, and not enough laughs to carry it. Oh well.

Incident at Loch Ness - This was on one of the movie channels (Showtime?) this weekend, so I watched it while The Girl took a nap. Loved every second of it. I thought it was a for real documentary for awhile instead of a "mockumentary" (I hate that term) about the consequences of Hollywood production mixed with Herzog's brand of filmmaking. If you count yourself a fan of Herzog more for the way he makes his movies than the movies themselves (like me), then you'll think this is hilarious.

2007-01-08T09:14:00.000-08:00

Kiss of Death

I’m glad my impulse shopping days are behind me. I saw this on the $7.99 shelf during one of my late night “man I am bored, I guess I’ll go walk around the Wal-Marts for a while” trips. Seeing Nicolas Cage and Sam Jackson on the cover was enough to make me consider it, but instead I had the good sense to wait and put it on my Netflix queue.

Despite a superb cast, which also includes David Caruso (as the reformed ex-con tough guy with a sensitive heart), Michael Rapaport, Helen Hunt, and Stanley Tucci, the movie was just dull. The script was all over the place, often times leaving me scratching my head at what just happened and wondering why, exactly, was any of this going on. I imagine the director pictured this as some sort of neo-noir opus, but instead turned in a meandering, unimaginative highlight reel for David Caruso’s grimacing smirk.

Only Cage managed to turn in anything resembling a decent performance. While the rest of the cast was either busy going through the motions (Jackson and Tucci), or acting the hell out of their parts because there was nothing else to do with it, Cage was turning his Junior Brown into a memorable psychopath, one that’s laughable in his over the top paranoia and control freak tendencies, but also menacing in the nervous way he looks about and explodes with rage at the drop of a hat. I feel hypocritical lauding his performance while excoriating the rest of the cast for overacting, but at least his overacting was fun to watch.

2007-01-06T08:25:00.000-08:00

My Super Ex-Girlfriend

I just got back on Netflix after having taken a year break from a steady stream of movies which I just couldn't handle, and unfortunately started it off with this disaster. Mind you, I'm not entirely certain why I decided I wanted to see it. I never thought it looked good from the trailers, and the presence of Rainn Wilson (the lovably malicious Dwight from The Office) and Anna Faris (the vacuous and bubbly starlet from Lost in Translation) were the only factors in my even remembering that it existed.

Ten years ago Marvel comics released Marvels to much acclaim. It's premise was genius; the history of the Marvel comics universe as told by a newspaper reporter who experienced these magnificent events as normal human observer. My Super Ex-Girlfriend somewhat follows this point of view, showing us a world in which a powerful superhero exists and giving us a story of what it would be like for an average Joe to date her. What would it be like to try and have a nice dinner with your girlfriend only to be interrupted by a stray missile headed for the city? And worse, what would it be like to have to break up with her?

Had this been a drama, the setup might have worked. As it stands, though, each character is a shallow caricature. Uma Thurman (or G Girl, a name given no origin or meaning throughout the movie) is possessive, jealous, and needy to the nth degree, and acts suprisingly reckless for a super hero throughout the film. Wilson is a bland nice guy that can't believe his luck when her secret alter ego shows interest in him. It's the nice guy in him that causes the trouble as he sticks around for a little longer than he should because he doesn't want to be a jerk, and then it's too late.

What could have been a very hilarious send up of Fatal Attraction instead turns into an exercise in over the top scripting. G Girl comes up with more and more inventive ways to tormet Wilson, up to and including throwing a live shark at him through a window, instead of playing the scorned lover who can't face reality. There are some amusing moments provided by the aforementioned Wilson (though his horny sidekick schtick wears thin quickly), but overall this just isn't worth it. Ivan Reitman can, and should, do better.

New Year, New Goal

2007-01-01T19:26:00.000-08:00

So my backitude was fairly short lived, what with all the Alabama business over at Roll Bama Roll taking up most of my time. Anyway, I've set myself another movie related goal for this year, though it's not quite as strenous as the last one. I want to watch at least three new (to me) movies each week, so that should be imminently doable since I tend to watch more than three movies every week anyway and I won't be forced to watch crap I wouldn't normally watch just to fill a quota. So to start off the new year, I chose a movie from last year that I was very excited about but somehow managed to never get around to seeing.

Miami Vice

Ever since Heat I've made it my business to watch anything Michael Mann does, and with the sole exception of The Last of the Mohicans I haven't been disappointed yet. Miami Vice is no exception, though at times it felt like Mann was too in love with the style of the movie than the substance. Digital video is a blessing and a curse for the man, blessing in that it keeps his creative juices flowing and finding new and better ways to shoot movies, and a curse because the style became the focus at times.

At the start of the film, we find Crockett and Tubbs on a stakeout before they are rudely interupted by a phone call from a former informant telling them his cover was blown. They find that he was part of a sting operation involving white supremacists with a drug connection. From there the film turns into a perfectly paced police procedural as the two go undercover as smugglers to pick up where he left off. This is Mann's strong suit, as we are dropped into the middle of the action instead of suffering through a bunch scenes and conversations inserted for the sake of exposition. We know little to nothing about Crocket and Tubbs or their crew, and its for the best. We know they are cops, and we know who the bad guys are, and for this movie that's enough.

Towards the middle the picture's narrative gets bogged down with questionable pacing. Too much of the action is misplaced with a wasted romantic subplot between Crockett and a woman in the employ of the druglord they are trying to take down, and it gives Farrell just enough reason to show his "inner conflict" which only made him seem slightly deranged and kind of pathetic.

Still, Mann makes movies that are always worth watching even if the visuals are sometimes better than the story they are telling.

2006-12-01T19:55:00.000-08:00

Artist #27: American Minor

2006-12-01T17:55:00.000-08:00

Does anyone else find it ironic that D.L. Hughley is hosting the VH1 Big in '06 Awards?

2006-11-26T11:04:00.000-08:00

Artist #26: The Allman Brothers Band

And since there weren't any good quality ones with Duane, here's one with Warren:

2006-11-24T12:05:00.000-08:00

Artist #25: Allison Moorer

2006-11-22T19:44:00.000-08:00

Well UAB certainly got their revenge, whipping Wyoming to the tune of 92-71. It was almost boring to watch, considering I'd gotten used to the Mike Anderson "Fastest Forty Minutes in Basketball" style. But the Mike Davis style was effective to get the win, even though the Blazers looked rusty and confused for a four minute stretch in the first half. Boneheaded mistakes and turnovers and a seeming inability to hit free throws erased an early six point lead to find the Blazers trailing by four, but once they settled down it was no contest. The next home game isn't 'til 12/5 (Minnesota), but I'm already looking forward to it.

2006-11-22T15:02:00.000-08:00

Artist #24: Alison Krauss

2006-11-22T10:55:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile, but I'm back. Now that Nico is back and blogging and the regular season has (mercifully) ended for the Tide, I'll have something else to do besides wonder what the hell is going on down there and crying myself to sleep at night. I'll still be doing Alabama posting over there, but look for more shallow observations about various items in the news, cursory reviews of movies I went to see, and all the other assorted non-sense you've come to expect, nay, love from me. Just to get my feet wet again:

- By naming him "Thiago," did they really think he wouldn't be a mad scientist?

- The grandmother from Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood died today.

- God bless the midwest...

- I'm headed to Bartow tonight to watch the Blazer basketball team take on the Cowboys of Wyoming in their first home game of the regular season. The Blazers are 2-2 under first year head coach Mike Davis, and look to avenge their loss Saturday to the Cowboys.

2006-10-19T18:34:00.000-07:00

So obviously I haven't been blogging regularly for quite awhile. At least not here. I've been doing all of my Bama blogging by filling in for Nico at RBR while he's on sabbatical, and after that I really don't have much to talk about besides UAB, and there really isn't a lot to talk about there. So keep checking back every few days, you never know what I might decide to post here. In the mean time, an old favorite:

2006-10-10T19:39:00.000-07:00

Artist #23: Alien Ant Farm

Don't judge, you know you cracked up the first time you heard this, too.

2006-10-09T17:41:00.000-07:00

Artist #22: Alice in Chains

2006-10-08T17:47:00.000-07:00

Artist #20: Alfred Karnes. No videos, not surprised.

Artist #21: Alice Cooper

2006-10-06T16:08:00.000-07:00

Artist #19: Albert King

2006-10-06T13:26:00.000-07:00

As expected, a UAB team missing nine starters wound up with a 21-3 win over a Troy team that managed to play well above it's pay grade to push both Florida State and Georgia Tech before taking the paycheck whipping it had been asking for at Nebraska.

After September we now sit at 2-3, not the 3-2 we should have had and were expected to manage easily. 2-3, 3-2, there's not much difference, right? Only if you consider it was Mississippi State that set us back a game and very well could be the nail in the coffin of our bowl appearance dreams this season. Looking at the rest of the schedule, only Marshall seems like a sure lock with Rice not too far behind.

But back to the present, our next match up is with the Memphis Tigers, probably the closest thing to a big time rivalry this program will ever see. The Tigers sit at 1-3 (0-1), with their sole win coming against 1-AA Chattanooga, and have dropped six straight to the Blazers despite being a 'dark horse BCS buster' the past few seasons and riding on the shoulders of D'angelo Williams. There isn't a single Memphis player whose name I could tell you at the moment (though I seem to recall their quarterback having a similar name to a guy I went to high school with, who's name also escapes me), but I suppose that doesn't matter. What does matter is that the rivalry has an official name now, The Battle of the Bones. There's nothing like taking home a giant metal rack of ribs to get your players motivated.

Again, I'm not sure what to expect from the Blazers besides a lot of shotgun draws and the occasional fumble. Watson seems to think that calling the same plays with different personnel is the solution to his offensive troubles, completely ignoring the fact that everyone in the stadium knows exactly what he's going to call next, including the four year old kid decked out in his team's colors waving a "We're #1" finger while his team is down by three scores in the fourth quarter. Thankfully Memphis is weak enough for that to work.

2006-10-03T16:30:00.000-07:00

Artist #18: Alan Jackson

2006-10-02T17:13:00.000-07:00

Artist #15: Agents of Good Roots. Only a few clips from live shows that can't be embedded.

Artist #16: Aimee Mann and Michael Penn. I have their cover of Reason to Believe from the Nebraska Tribute Album, but nothing else by either one of them.

Artist #17: Alabama. Hell...Yes.

2006-10-01T08:30:00.000-07:00

Artist #12: Adrienne Young. No videos, but here's her webpage.

Artist #13: Aeroplane Pageant. No videos, but here's their MySpace page. Go listen to "Kind as Killers." You're welcome.

Artist #14 Aerosmith

2006-09-29T14:02:00.000-07:00

Today's "Creepiest Damn Thing You'll See All Week" update courtesy BabyToupee.com. How is this not abuse?

2006-09-29T07:40:00.000-07:00

Artist #11: AC/DC

2006-09-28T07:28:00.000-07:00

Artist #10: Aberfeldy

The Girl sent me this song on a mix CD.

2006-09-27T16:35:00.000-07:00

So the Blazers lived down to my expectations and wound up with the dubious honor of being the first (and possibly only?) win for Missippi State. This weekend sees the Troy Trojans visiting the Magic City, and the Blazers taking the field with nine injured starters. What to expect? After their craptacular performance the past three weeks, look for the Blazers to actually pull some sort of miracle performance when no one expects it. I'll have a free ticket to the game since Lee's dumb ass decided to get married during football season, but for some reason I'm pretty sure I'll forego my recent Saturday routine of watching Alabama then hopping in the car. I'd rather watch Jackass 2 than the Watson Brown Circus of Folly, since at least those guys are getting paid to be...well, jackasses.

2006-09-27T16:16:00.000-07:00

Artist #8: A.C. Newman. No videos, unless you count this one of the whistle part of "Drink to Me Babe Then." Which I don't.

Artist #9: ABBA

2006-09-26T06:58:00.000-07:00

Artist #6: A-ko
No videos, but here's his MySpace page.

Artist #7: A Fir-Ju Well

2006-09-25T06:59:00.000-07:00

Artist #4: 6 String Drag. There were no videos for them, and the only song I have of theirs is "Mendocino" from the You Can Count On Me Soundtrack.

Artist #5: A-ha

2006-09-24T18:35:00.000-07:00

Artist #3: 50 Cent

I don't imagine there was any real danger of someone confusing this with a family blog, but after this all doubt will be erased.

2006-09-23T05:03:00.000-07:00

Artist #2: 2Pac

2006-09-22T07:14:00.000-07:00

I'm going to start posting a video a day from each artist in my itunes library. Some of them probably won't have videos, but this is still going to take a while. First up, .38 Special:

It seems very appropriate that Skynyrd Lite would play Les Paul Jrs...

I'm also toying with the notion of doing another movie related "goal." Nothing on the magnitude of 1000 in a year, because that would probably drive finally and completely insane, but maybe just one new movie a day? I honestly kind of miss seeing something new every day...

2006-09-21T17:31:00.000-07:00

Come Saturday, UAB will host Mississippi State at Legion Field. It will be the first time the Blazers have played an SEC opponent at home, and it's being considered a sort of defining moment in UAB history:

"It's a big thing for Conference USA," (Linebacker Orlandus) King said. "It's a big thing for Birmingham, especially UAB. Not just have an SEC school come here but let them know we can compete with the SEC. We're trying to be where they are."

While it's nice to have a BCS team pay a mid-major conference team the respect of a visit to their stadium, hosting Mississippi State isn't something that is going to boost the prestige of the UAB football program. If we really wanted to show we can compete with the SEC, our best opportunity to do so passed us by on Saturday in Athens.

I spent a good bit of Saturday at a local sports bar watching football. My old roommate Lee is getting married in a few weeks, and the plan was to watch a lot of football, drink a lot of beer, and cook a lot of meat for his bachelor party. At one point there was some discussion about strip clubs, but that was quickly voted down by everyone else because we're all apparently getting old and by the fourth quarter of the Florida/UT game even the bachelor himself was ready to go home and get some sleep. Anyway, midway through the third quarter of the UAB/UGA game, with no hope of winning and a shut out imminent, Lee looked at me with a dejected frown and drunkenly muttered "We'll never be more than a second tier team, will we?" It was a profoundly sad moment, not just because his team was losing in spectacular fashion on the day of his bachelor party, but because Lee is one of those rare breed of UAB fans that isn't also a (bigger) fan of Alabama, Auburn, or some other major football program that adopted the hometown Blazers as a secondary team. He's green and gold through and through, and in that moment it seemed like he had just realized all the hope and faith that he's poured into the Blazer football team was nothing but wasted and there was no way they would/could ever return even a fraction of the love he's shown them.

I suppose that, at some point, all the diehard fans of the mid-majors of the world eventually reach that moment. Unless your team is one of the Alabamas, Michigans, Notre Dames, or Southern Cals of the world, you really have no reason to expect anything more than competitive conference play and maybe the occasional upset. Sometimes you get lucky, like the Utahs and TCUs, and your school is the stopping off point for coaches headed for bigger and better things, but for every Urban Meyer there are five Watson Browns, guys who will run a clean program and give you the old "we're just about to turn the corner" shuck and jive, win just enough games to keep things interesting, but never get your team over the hump and still hang around 'cause the school doesn't really care about the football team and isn't going to pony up the cash to get a better coach. Unfortunately for us, we have the Watson Brown.

I told Lee as such, that I wouldn't really care if we dropped two paycheck games every year and are nothing more than a second tier team, but it would be nice if we could at least get competitive in conference play. Finally beating Southern Miss would be a bigger boost for this program than beating Mississippi State. We're 1-0 against the Bulldogs and look to make it 2-0 come Saturday, but we're 0-6 against the Golden Eagles. Finally getting that monkey off our backs and getting in the hunt for at least a division title is more important to me than whipping a basement dwelling SEC team that is routinely beaten by it's OOC opponents.

Two weeks ago at Legion Field I watched the Blazers return to form after pushing Oklahoma in the opener. An ECU team that gave up over 400 yards rushing to Navy the week before completely shut down our "power run" offense. A game that should have been a blow out for us ended with a miracle forced fumble to hold off a winning touchdown drive. I suppose that's progress, though, considering the only highlight video featuring UAB on YouTube is the SMU Hail Mary. The defense even held up pretty well against Georgia, despite eventually giving up 34. The Dawgs held only a 14-0 lead at the half, and costly special teams errors (seems like I've heard that before) provided their second half success. It might have been a "moral victory" if maybe we'd scored a few times, but as it stands it was just an old fashioned ass whipping.

This weekend, well, I just don't know what to expect. The Blazers are a 10 point favorite, but whenever this team should be a lock is when it's most likely to fail. And that's the real problem facing the Blazer football program, that no matter what, we seem to find ways to fail when we shouldn't and stumble bass ackwards into victories that no one expects. No one will take this team seriously or imagine they can compete on a higher level until the day comes when we can live up to high expectations and exceed low ones. If Watson truly wants to build this program, trying to get BCS teams to give you home and home arrangements is a waste of time. Beat the teams in your conference that are coming to your stadium on a regular basis first. That's all we ask.

2006-09-20T11:01:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to actually post content, I'll answer the blogpoll roundtable questions again, despite not actually being part of the blogpoll. Because that's just how I am.

1. Its only the third week of the season and we’ve already seen some highly ranked favorites drop out of national championship contention. Preseason favorite Cal dropped to #21 after a loss and a pair of underwhelming victories. Who’s your pick as the next NC contender to take a fall?

Probably Florida will be the next team in the current Top 10 to fall out because of their schedule. I'm pretty firm in my belief that Alabama hands them their first loss of the season again, but even if we don't there's just no way they make it through October still unbeaten.

2. By that same token there are several schools hanging around without a loss that all of a sudden look like surprise contenders. There are also a few one loss teams with a legit shot at getting back into it. Looking at the rankings who’s the team no one’s talking about with the best shot at crashing the party ?

The TCU hype level is pretty high, but they'll screw up and lose to someone like New Mexico or Air Force. My pick to run off 7 straight and possibly top 10 wins in the regular season is Navy. Look at their schedule:

Sat, Sep 2 East Carolina W 28-23
Sat, Sep 9 Massachusetts W 21-20
Sat, Sep 16 at Stanford W 37-9
Sat, Sep 23 Tulsa
Sat, Sep 30 at Connecticut
Sat, Oct 7 at Air Force
Sat, Oct 14 Rutgers
Sat, Oct 28 (12) Notre Dame
Sat, Nov 4 at Duke
Sat, Nov 11 at Eastern Michigan
Sat, Nov 18 Temple
Sat, Dec 2 Army

They already have 3 wins under their belts, Tulsa and UCONN are locks, Air Force and Rutgers are toss ups (it sucks having to take Rutgers seriously), and then Duke, EMU, Temple, and Army are all pretty much locks. Notre Dame is the only team on that schedule where I would bet against Navy. Of course, if Navy beats everyone but the Irish, they'll still wind up ranked in the low teens to twenties and play a 7 win MAC team in some crap bowl.

3. Every team has their quicksand away game. You know. That place you should win but somehow find ways to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory or at least scare the &*%^ out of you every year. Did you know that over the last 21 years Kentucky wasn’t won once in Knoxville? Where is your team’s yearly sandtrap?

For Bama it's Arkansas. The Hogs are the only SEC team that we don't have at least a 7 game lead on in the series. We're 9-7 against them, and it's always a trap game for us.

For UAB it's harder to say. Southern Miss is the first team to spring to mind since we've never beaten them but have come within a score of winning 5 of the 6 times we've met, but we've only played in Hattiesburg twice. ECU is probably the best choice. We're 4-2 against the Pirates and both losses were in Greenville, with last years loss being a huge upset for the Blazers.

4. Now that you’ve looked into the darkest place in your football soul, free Escalades aside, turn and look into your crystal ball. Conference play is either just starting or a single game in. Based on what you’ve seen so far, give the order of finish in your conference, and if you’ve got a Conference Championship game tell us who the winner will be. Independents must predict the remainder of their schedule. The results your predictions will be held against you at the end of the season.

SEC:
East:
Georgia
Florida
UT
Kentucky
Vandy
SC
West:
Alabama
Auburn
LSU
Arkansas
Ole Miss
Miss State

Champion: Alabama. I'm dead serious.

C-USA
East:
Southern Miss
UCF
UAB
ECU
Memphis
Marshall

West:
UTEP
Tulsa
Houston
SMU
Tulane
Rice

Champion: Probably Southern Miss. UTEP is just too flaky at the end of the season for me.

5. In keeping with the spirit of Maize n Brew, name your beverage of choice on game days and why. It need not be alcoholic, as there are some of us who choose not to imbibe on game day. Further, it need not be limited to a single brand/type/category. If you enjoy drinking PBR and Kraft Turkey Gravy at the same time (which I have personally witnessed), please, elaborate. Finally, if you should feel so inclined, and this is not a requirement, add an anecdote involving said beverage choice.

Two drinks: Coke and beer. I drink unhealthy amounts of Coca-Cola, and it's nothing for me to buy a 12 pack Friday night and still have to head back to the store Saturday night so I'll have some for Sunday. As for Beer, I say I'm a Bud Light man, but I'll pretty much drink anything and usually make my selection based on whatever I haven't had in awhile or what I think will be funniest to drink. Against Vandy, I was drinking Abita Purple Haze because I haven't had it in awhile, and last weekend I was drinking High Life from a can 'cause the football watching came in the midst of an all day cookout/bachelor party extravaganza and it just felt right. This weekend I'll be drinking the leftovers of six packs gone buy that are still sitting in my fridge if I drink at all. My dad might be going with me to the Mississippi State game so I'd rather not be a little tipsy heading to Legion Field.

2006-09-19T11:26:00.000-07:00

So I forgot that the Steelers were on MNF last night when I said “I’ll update tonight,” ‘cause I’m a bonehead. Anyway, here’s a few thoughts until tonight where I dissect the terrifying lows, dizzying highs, and creamy middles of being a Blazers fan:

- Why was Roethlisberger out there last night? Anyone watching that game knew he wasn’t ready to play, and for him to continue on while being completely ineffective was selfish on his part and stupid on Cowher’s. Batch looked good against Miami (though seriously, who isn’t going to look good against Miami?) so why wasn’t he starting against Jacksonville? I know he wants to play and get back out there as soon as possible, but the Jaguars aren’t a division foe and this leaves him either too hurt to play at all or too hurt to be effective if he does against Cincinnati on Sunday. Great.

- Pick ‘em results: Those four ill-advised upset picks in Week 1 are coming back to haunt me. In Week 2 I went 11 for 12 by taking Penn State over Notre Dame and in Week 3 I went 10 for 12 by taking Notre Dame over Michigan and LSU over Auburn. I could have sworn I went back and changed my pick to Auburn after realizing the game wasn’t in Baton Rouge like I had previously thought, but I guess I didn’t. As for Notre Dame, they can seriously kiss my ass. After watching their pillaging of Penn State I started to drink ESPN's Irish Kool Aid and began to revise my “there’s no way they top ten wins this season” stance, but now I’m taking Sparty to win in a shootout this weekend. I hope you jerks lose to Navy (who, by the way, I seriously like to win at least 8, probably 9, in the regular season. More on that later.).

That Irish Kool Aid ain't half bad...

As for this week’s picks (my selections in bold):

Auburn vs Buffalo: Duh

Florida State vs Rice: Again, duh, but I imagine FSU is going to do the same thing they did last year…drop a couple of games they shouldn’t and yet somehow win the ACC.

Florida vs Kentucky: It’s déjà vu all over again…

Georgia vs Colorado: Seriously, how funny would it be if Dan Hawkins dropped every game this year? Offensive revolution indeed…

East Carolina vs West Virginia: I don’t know...ECU did manage to shut down the UAB rushing attack…WVa could be in for tough times...I’m totally being sarcastic right now…If you couldn’t tell…

Ohio State vs Penn State: Penn State can also kiss my ass…

Texas vs Iowa State: You know, I tend to forget that Iowa State even exists sometimes.

Illinois vs Iowa: There’s not much chance on getting Zooked here, but this is the game I’m most nervous about.

Kansas State vs Louisville: I hate Louisville…

Arkansas vs Alabama: It’s déjà vu all over again…

Arizona vs USC: I hate USC…

LSU vs Tulane: If Mississippi State can score on Tulane then LSU definitely can.

Michigan State vs Notre Dame: See above

2006-09-18T11:05:00.000-07:00

So obviously I haven't been in the bloggiest of moods this past week. There's been plenty to discuss (UAB, for instance, appears to be taking the same "apparently we squandered all of our potential in the first game and have nothing left for the rest of the season" route they wandered down last year), but for some reason I just haven't felt like doing it. Part of it is due to the second season of the The Office coming out on DVD, the Marx Brothers box set The Girl bought me for my birthday, and my renewed passion for NCAA 2007, but mostly it's just been cause I'm too lazy. I'll be back tonight with observations, where I was right, where I was wrong, and picks for this weekend's games. 'Til then, a beat box version of "I've Been Working on the Railroad":

Week 2:

2006-09-07T18:06:00.000-07:00

Bama vs. Vandy

After a good test by the Hawaii Warriors, Bama proved that the loss of all those starters on defense hurt, but only a little.

Why this is a cakewalk:

Did you watch the Vandy/Michigan game? If you did, then I'll just assume that the thought "did Vandy decide to forego live tackling, too?" went through your head several times as well. Wolverine RB Mike Hart piled up 146 yards on 31 carries (4.7 ypc), despite consistent penetration into the backfield. Though Michigan seemed to struggle at times, there was never any real doubt that the 'Dores would head back to Nashville 0-1 and would rightly resume their place as the perpetual doormat of the SEC in a week's time. I get the feeling that KD will be back on his way towards topping Shaun Alexander's all time rushing record this week.

If he only needs 96 yards a game to stay on track, after Saturday he can probably take a few weeks off...

Through the air, Henne passed 23 times, completing 11 (47.8%) for 136 yards and 2 TDs against the Vandy defense, compared to Bama starter Wilson who threw 29 times, completing 16 (55.2%) for 256 yards and 1 TD against a similarly poor Hawaii defense. The passing game for Bama also looks to get another boost as DJ Hall more than likely returns after sitting out the opener. It was initially thought that Hall was on the sidelines because of an ankle injury, but it was later confirmed that he was still under suspension and would play against Vandy if healthy. Given Keith Brown's stellar performance Saturday (he led all receivers with 134 yards on 6 catches and 1 TD), another big play receiver on the field will only serve to increase JP's options on moving the ball down field through the air.

Not even this poor man's Polomalu could keep Keith Brown from catching everything thrown his way.

Defensively, the Tide should shut the Vandy offense completely down. While they gave up a lot of yardage to Hawaii on shovel passes, a lot of that was due to the nickel package remaining on the field most of the game in order to stymie the Hawaii passing attack, taking the middle linebacker out of the equation and leaving that gap open. It was frustrating to watch (or listen to, thank you very much Charter Communications), but it would have been more frustrating if we were giving up 30 yard pass plays while stopping the run. Vandy, on the other hand, was far less successful against Michigan. The 'Dores had only 9 first downs (compared to Michigan's 20) and gained only 144 yards on offense. Vandy QB Nickson completed 11 of his 25 passes for 99 yards, but was sacked five times and lost two fumbles. On the ground, Nickson led Vandy with a pathetic 29 yards rushing on 15 carries (1.9 ypc). If we can't shut these guys out, then it's going to be rough times ahead of the Tide.

Why the unthinkable might happen:
If Bama's first and second teams somehow get ahold of some bad sushi the night before the game, then Vandy has a shot. Otherwise, I'm pretty comfortable calling a 24-0 shutout.

UAB vs. ECU

After the close loss to Oklahoma, the Blazers return to Birmingham to face a team that upset them in their final game last season and kept them from being bowl eligible. I see this one as an easy win for UAB but, as always, there's a catch.

Why we'll win:

The East Carolina Pirates opened their season last weekend with a trip to Annapolis, where they fell to Navy 28-23. The good news for UAB is that Navy has been running an option offense for several years now, and first time starting QB Brian Hampton led his team with 149 yards rushing on 34 carries (4.4 ypc). Furthermore, the Pirate D gave up 97 yds on 13 carries (7.5 ypc) to RB Adam Ballard, 62 yards on 8 carries (7.75 ypc) to RB Reggie Campbell, 49 yards on 6 carries (8.2 ypc) to RB Shun White, and 27 yards on 4 carries (6.8 ypc) to RB Matt Hall. What am I getting at? They can't stop anyone on the ground, and that's what we do best. With Sam Hunt displaying an easy grasp of the new Zone Read/Wishbone(ish) offense and ability to run for tough yardage himself, and the depth at running back behind him, there should be plenty of similar stats when I start talking about next week's game.

The bad news for ECU is that Navy attempted only six passes the entire game (and completed only two), and UAB is sure to attempt a few more than that. They can load up the box to stop the run and let Hunt kill them through the air, or play the pass and let us eat them alive on the ground. Either way UAB scoring easy and often should be a lock.

It's going to be deja vu for the Pirates when they see another #3 under center Saturday.

Why you might find me in the parking lot of Legion Field Saturday night screaming in frustration and possibly crying:

Well, Watson is still our coach. Boneheaded things he might do to screw this up for us:

1) Give Williams the start again after he was completely ineffective in Norman because he has "seniority and experience." That flew in the pre-season, but if Williams trots out onto the field for the first offensive series while Hunt sits on the bench then Watson has finally proven once and for all he has no idea what the hell he's doing.

2) Start tossing the ball down field every down and completely ignoring the running game. Watson has a tendency to do the exact opposite of what will work against a given team. In last season's opener at Tennessee, Watson chose to play SEC ball against an SEC power. It almost worked (and several weeks later when everyone realized just how suck ass awful the Vols were, it becamse clearer why), but for a coach to try and play power run and clock control with a poor defense and a deep passer like Darrell Hackney under center against a team with a monstrous defensive front but sketchy secondary and the ability to run the ball all day on you...well, let's just call it for what it is. Stupidity.

3) Leave Corey White on the sideline in favor of Dan Burks, despite his continued troubles with fumblitis. Burks is a power runner. I can't deny that. He can lay a linebacker out like he was a high school JV backup, and he's got some surprising break away speed to boot. But he cannot hang onto the ball and he probably never will. White has proven he's the more reliable back and he's just as solid as Burks when it comes to his rushing abilities. Let the man keep showing why he's #1 on the depth chart whenever you want to run between the tackles.

Of further note is that Larry McSwain is still questionable for Saturday. The pre-season all conference selection and C-USA defensive player of the year didn't make the trip to Norman for violating unspecified team rules, and that absence was felt whenever Adrian Peterson was able to bounce outside. I doubt his absence would lead to any significant improvement in the ECU running game (they rushed for only 76 yards on 25 carries against Navy), but ECU QB James Pinkney completed 24 of his 35 throws for 283 yards and 2 TDs with no interceptions, so a solid pass rush from the D-line wouldn't hurt us, and McSwain would certainly help with that. If I had to guess a score, I'd say UAB 28, ECU 14.

Pick 'em Game Picks:
After going 8 for 12 in week 1 on the strength of some idiotic upset picks, I'm hoping to rebound...with some more upsets. My picks in bold.

Michigan/Central Michigan: Michigan. Duh.

Mississippi State/Auburn: Auburn, though I really wish Nico would quit choosing our rivals' games for this thing, I've already had to pull for Tennessee once!

Notre Dame/Penn State: Sorry Muttonchops, but I'm going with JoePa and the upset here. The Irish got their best press off of a loss last season, and I really don't see them topping ten wins this season, especially after their craptacular performance in Atlanta. The O-line didn't give Quinn the protection he needed, and with Penn State continuing to re-affirm it's "Linebacker U" reputation, it looks like a tough day for him. To make matters worse, first time starter Anthony Morelli threw for 208 yards and three TDs (completeing 16 of 32, 50% completion). This one might get ugly.

Boston College/Clemson: I'm going with BC on this one, but I'm not sure why. Clemson whipped the pants off of FAU, while BC barely got by Central Michigan. I guess I'm going with the Eagles on the faith of their quarterback play.

Colorado State/Colorado: My second upset pick, though after dropping the opener to 1-AA Montana State can the Buffs really be considered a favorite? The Rams ate their cupcake, so the Dan Hawkins humility tour rolls on for another week.

Florida State/Troy: Troy is in for such an ass whipping. Tee Hee.

West Virginia/Eastern Washington: The EWU Eagles are getting paid this year, heading down to West Va. after taking it from Oregon State in week 1.

Alabama/Vanderbilt: See Above.

Florida/UCF: The Gators notch another win as they travel inexorably towards their first defeat at the hands of the Crimson Tide.

LSU/Arizona: Unless Miles has another collapse like he did against UT and UGA, I don't see Arizona getting out of Baton Rouge with a win. They barely got by BYU by putting up 16 points, so I'm pretty sure LSU wins this one going away in the fourth.

South Carolina/Georgia: The Cocks came close last season, but after watching their offensive problems against Mississippi State I doubt they'll put much of a scare into UGA this time around.

Texas/Ohio State: Both destroyed their opener, but Texas will be without starting CB Tarell Brown. The Longhorns go down shooting, but tOSU still notches a quality road win.

2006-09-04T21:15:00.000-07:00

Pick 'em results for week one (my picks in bold): 8 of 12

Texas - North Texas: Correct

Ohio State - Northern Illinois: Correct

Tennessee - California: Correct, and I've never felt worse about being right in my whole life. I propose that UT games shouldn't be allowed anymore so I won't have to hope they win anymore.

West Virginia - Marshall: Correct

Alabama - Hawaii: Correct

Florida - Southern Miss: Correct

Oklahoma - UAB: Wrong. Damnit.

Auburn - Washington State: Wrong. I didn't think the Cougars had much of a shot, but I always get upset minded in the first week and the Teagles typically put up a sub par performance in the opener. Oh well.

Ga Tech - Notre Dame: Correct

LSU - La Lafayette: Correct

Arkansas - USC: Wrong. I'm really surprised they took such a beating, too. Maybe Herring isn't the defensive genius everyone thinks he is.

Miami - Florida State: Wrong.

2006-09-03T20:23:00.000-07:00

After watching Ole Miss and Memphis, I'm fairly positive that the Rebels go to a bowl this season, and just 'cause it would be awesome, I'd love to see UAB take C-USA and play them in the Liberty Bowl. Oh man, I would talk so much shit to The Girl if that happened...

UAB 17, Oklahoma 24

2006-09-03T07:55:00.000-07:00

As The Girl put it, we played our hearts out and came away with a moral victory. As I put it, a moral victory is still a loss.

What Went Wrong:
While our defense stymied Peterson and kept him ineffective the first half and came up with some big takeaways in the red zone to keep the Sooners from scoring and us in it, we simply weren't able to score or sustain long drives when we really needed to against the Sooner defensive front. Those problems were exacerbated by a constant breakdown in special teams coverage of kick returns. The Sooners averaged 11.2 yards a return on 6 punt returns (with a long of 27) and 40 yards per return on 4 kickoff returns (with a long of 47). The result was superb starting field position for OU as they routinely started their drives close to their own 40 yard line, while pinning us behind our own ten on several occasions.

Further, the Blazers continued to dig themselves into holes on second and third down with penalties, where we were flagged 11 times for 77 yards versus 5 for 40 yards for the Sooners. We were only 2 for 11 on third down, and much of that was due to penalties bringing up 3rd and long. The first two drives came to 3rd and 12 after a 2 yard false start was accepted on the UAB 5. Dan Burks rushed for 11 yards, bringing up 4th down instead of the 1st down we should have had without the penalty. Our second drive saw similar results as we were flagged for five yards on another false start to make it 2nd and 15. Those five yards were gained back by QB Williams to make it 3rd and 10, only to see us flagged for another five yards on a delay of game penalty to make it 3rd and 15. Corey White caught a screen for 8 yards, but with the penalties it only brought up 4th and 7 instead of continuing the drive. In contrast, our one long, sustained drive was the third, when Sam Hunt was inserted and the Blazers drove 80 yards on 15 plays and ate 7:26 off the clock, all while committing no penalties.

It would be tempting to blame our troubles on a botched call in the fourth, when UAB clearly stripped the ball from OU's return man after a punt, but the refs blew the play dead before the ball was stripped and we were unable to challenge, preventing us from starting a drive from about the Sooner 10 and at least attempting a field goal. While that would have certainly helped, we shouldn't have been in the position to need that break so late in the game.

The final nail in the coffin came when, on 4th and 10, down 24-17, and with a little over two minutes to go and no time outs, Watson chose to punt instead of go for it and let the Sooners run the clock out. While there was no guarantee that we would have converted on fourth, and with the hero of the game Sam Hunt on the sidelines after taking a viscious shot and the ineffective Williams back in, the passing game had still had success against the OU corners and converting the fourth down and driving down the field through the air wasn't completely out of the question.

What Went Right:
It looked like Watson took some advice from little brother Mack and installed the offense that won him a national title last season. While certainly no Vince Young, Sam Hunt ran the Zone Read offense effectively as the Blazers ran for 135 yards (versus 143 for OU). Hunt led all rushers with 65 on 15 carries (4.3 ypc average), followed by Dan Burks (38 on 13, 2.9 ypc), and Corey White (23 on 9, 2.6 ypc). It was also interesting to see the Blazers lining up in the Wishbone on numerous occasions, something I've been clamoring to see from Alabama in order to take advantage of the wealth of backfield talent present at the Capstone. Hunt was also successful through the air completing 9 of 15 for 149 yards and one touchdown. Williams, unfortunately, was mostly ineffective leading two drives that didn't net a first down before being pulled in favor of Hunt. He completed both his passes for 20 yards and rushed once for 5, but if Hunt's performance is any indication he'll be running the Blazer offense as the clear starter for the rest of the season.

On the defensive side of the ball, I was pleased to see the Blazers playing more agressively and coming up with big plays to keep the Sooners out of the end zone. We came away with two picks and two fumble recoveries (should have been three) while only losing one fumble. The biggest criticism that can be leveled at the Blazer D is that they gave Peterson the corners too often. He was routinely shut down while trying to run between the tackles, but was typically successful when bouncing to the outside. His 69 yard run for a score on a screen pass after our briefly taking the lead was a direct result of a lack of coverage to the outside, and we were never able to score again.

Overall I'm pleased with how the Blazers played last night. They ran the ball against a stout defense and dominated time of possession despite coming up short at the end, and if this performance is any indication of the level at which UAB can play then a C-USA title shouldn't be too terribly out of reach. I doubt we'll see another defense that good in conference play (and, save UGA, against our OOC slate), though our D will face better QBs than Thompson along the way. Of course the close loss against opener Tennessee inspired similar feelings in me, so I'm excited to see how we fair against ECU next week to see if this performance was another fluke.

I don't mind you coming here, and wasting all my time...

2006-09-01T07:36:00.000-07:00

The season finally started last night, and I remembered why I don't particularly care for the NFL pre-season. After the initial excitement of having football to watch wore off, I was nearly bored to tears by the ineptitude of both South Carolina and Mississippi State, so much so that I went to Wal-Mart to buy soap at the half and took my sweet ass time getting back. Even though the game was boring and I really couldn't come up with a rooting interest (well, State is in the Western Division, but The Girl goes to Ole Miss so I can't really pull for their rival, so I guess I should pull for South Carolina, but pulling for Spurrier isn't really an option cause, duh, and Croom did play for Bama, but then he talked shit about us, but both my teams play State this year and it would be nice if they had a decent record when we beat them....you see my point), it was important because it was finally the proof that college football is actually back, and that tomorrow night the Tide kicks off to open their season and the world starts making sense again. 32 hours, 24 minutes...

I guess you're just what I needed

2006-08-31T20:53:00.000-07:00

I forgot to link to this article from the Birmingham News on the difference in styles of former DC (and big fat fatty) Wayne Bolt and current DC Rick Christophel. It makes Christophel sound kind of touchy feely, but if he's got this defense attacking and running to the ball instead of dropping into coverage and playing prevent every down then I say let him.

Don't think....HIT.

Week 1 Preview: UAB at Oklahoma

2006-08-31T16:45:00.000-07:00

Well, there's really not a lot I can say for week one since neither team has played a down yet. Next week when I've actually seen the Blazers and their opponents in action and have some stats and such to back up my assertions there will be some more in depthery thrown your way. But for now, here's what you get.

Why an upset isn't as crazy as it sounds:
As I've noted plenty of times, the Blazer defense has been the talk of the pre-season, with plenty of talent and experience returning and the inept, incredibly fat, prevent defense fetishist Wayne Bolt banished from the Magic City in favor of new (sort of) DC Rick Christophel. The Blazer defensive front is stocked with talent, experience, and depth while the Sooner O-line is a question mark that's only loomed larger with the dismissal of starting QB Rhett Bomar and O-lineman J.D. Quinn, and the return of Paul Thompson under center. Thompson lost his starting job in last season's opener after a dreadful, turnover laden performance, and hasn't taken a snap as QB since. With Oklahoma closing practice it's difficult to guess what sort of offense new OC Kevin Wilson is installing, but some variation of the spread with a healthy dose of running from Adrian Peterson is a good guess since he came from Northwestern. Adrian Peterson will naturally be the focus of the defensive planning and stopping the run, while certainly cliched, is a key to Blazer success. I don't recall where I read it, but someone made the point that defenses will give up eight touchdowns through the air to the Sooners while trying to hold Peterson to less than 100 yards rushing. While that's a fair assessment, it's my belief that the Blazer D-line, if the Sooner O-line is as weak as it's been made out to be, should be enough to stymie Peterson. After all, even the best running backs need blocking at some point. With the D-line containing the run, the linebackers will be free to play both the run and pass, a necessity since the short passing game is expected to be a priority of the OU offense.

On offense depth, talent, and experience are also a key factor if UAB is to walk away victorious. The backfield is stocked with four senior backs who each have a 100 yard game. The two starters, Burks and White, are power runners, while backups Chaney and Elliott are speed backs. The new look Blazers have made the ground game, field position and clock control a priority, and keeping the Sooner offense (read Adrian Peterson) off the field and deep in their own territory won't hurt their chances of coming home with a big win. Losing deep threat Nick Coon in the pre-season is a negative for the Blazers, but this isn't the "hurl the ball 60 yards three times in a row" UAB of Darrell Hackney. Receivers Willie Edwards and Norris Drinkard have stepped up during the pre-season, as have freshmen wideouts Mike Jones and Sylvester Mencer. For each small modicum of success through the air for QBs Williams and Hunt the chances of an upset grow, especially considering the lack of true playmakers in the OU secondary.

Why UAB will probably lose:
Though I believe UAB's defensive front should be enough to give the OU offense fits, I'm positive the Sooner defensive front is more than capable of shutting the Blazer offense completely down. Linebacker Rufus Alexander led the team with 102 tackles (17 for loss) last season and is on the watch list for the Butkus Award. End Calvin Thibodeaux (why isn't he playing for LSU?) led the team with 10 sacks. That's just for starters on a defensive front that returns plenty of veterans and will continue to emphasize speed and aggressiveness. As much as our game plan will/should focus on exploiting the weak O-line of the Sooners, the OU game plan will focus that much more on penetrating the backfield and shutting down the Blazer offense before it can even get going. I have no doubt that Burks and White can run all over C-USA, but this front won't be looking to give up a ton of yardage to the opening cupcake. I expect UAB to keep it tight for three quarters, but at the end of the day we probably won't be able to score enough to pull this one out. If I had to guess a score, I'd say Sooners 28, UAB 13.

Blazer Names to Know: #10 Chris Williams

2006-08-31T16:22:00.000-07:00

Last but not least, we have #10 Chris Williams. Williams has waited patiently for his chance to start since he redshirted in 2002, serving as backup to Darrell Hackney and briefly starting during the 2003 season after Hack broke his thumb against TCU. Fortunately one of those starts was against Georgia where the Blazers pushed UGA the entire game and came within three points of pulling the upset. During that season he went 37 of 90 for 607 yards and 3 TDs in seven games (though only 3 starts). He saw no action in 2004 and very little in 2005 (played in three games he only threw three times, hitting all three including an 11 yd TD pass in the win over Rice) as a healthy Hackney again took control of the offense. With Hackney gone Williams gets the nod as starter for the OU opener because of his previous experience and seniority, though Watson has repeatedly confirmed that Sam Hunt will probably be in as early as the second offensive series.

Thats the end of my look at the Blazers squad before kickoff Saturday. Here are a couple of hagiographies of HC Watson Brown and OC Pat Sullivan, though I don't know if Sullivan can really be called the OC since Watson does all the play calling, coaches the QBs, and pretty much tells the former Heisman winner to do whatever he doesn't want to, like say coach the running backs (which really makes a ton of sense since he won the Heisman while QB at Auburn, though maybe going to Auburn actually explains why he doesn't seem to have enough sense to not let a former Vandy QB push him around. Nevermind...).

Blazer Names to Know: Linebackers Coach Ron McCrone

2006-08-30T08:06:00.000-07:00

Behind moving Coach Christophel back into his old slot as DC, the biggest move on the part of the Blazers to rectify the many problems on defense last season was the hiring of Ron McCrone to coach the linebackers. McCrone spent the past two seasons at rival Southern Miss (though are they really a rival if we've never beaten them?) where he coached both the defensive ends and the secondary. Last season the Golden Eagles defense ranked second in the conference in scoring defense and allowed an average of 3.89 ypc rushing while McCrone coached the defensive ends. In 2004, while McCrone coached the secondary, they finished second in conference in scoring defense and allowed 186 completions on 362 attempts for 2,411 yards through the air, giving up 19 TDs but getting 16 INTs. Given his success at Southern Miss and the return of a core group of experienced linebackers this defense should be much improved after it's miserable showing last year. He's also one creepy looking son of a bitch, and will more than likely be caught leering at the cheerleaders and/or Golden Girls throughout the season.

2006-08-29T19:16:00.000-07:00

I'm adding Dawg Sports to the links since I've been reading it for awhile now and because his preview of the UGA/Auburn game contains this priceless gem:

A Brief History of Auburn University

A poor illiterate farmer named Clem fell off of a turnip truck near what Auburn fans themselves describe as a "village" in eastern Alabama. Along with his wife and his mule, Clem decided this would be a good place to found a university. Clem and his wife had a son, who later moved to South Carolina, where, he, too, founded a university, which Clem's son named after himself.

Check out his other previews as well, the man can write.

2006-08-29T18:54:00.000-07:00

I think everyone is aware of my weird crush on Tara Reid. It's more out of habit now than any actual affection (I prefer to think of her in "Josie and the Pussycats" terms rather than "skank that hangs out with Paris"), but I genuinely felt bad for her after watching this.

Look how happy she was then...

Blazer Names to Know: #3 Sam Hunt

2006-08-29T17:25:00.000-07:00

Middle Tennessee State transfer Sam Hunt is the second string QB for the Blazers, though he will see plenty of action throughout the season. Senior Williams has been given the start against opener Oklahoma, but with neither he nor Hunt solidifying the starting job Williams wins by default because of seniority and (limited) game experience. Hunt is considered the bigger running threat of the two and will be the likely candidate on option plays in the new look offense. He sat out last season after transferring, and only saw limited action during the 2004 season for MTSU after redshirting his freshman year. He did run the Blazer scout team during that time, though, and made enough of an impression during spring and fall practice to guarantee playing time this season.

2006-08-28T12:24:00.000-07:00

"I don't know if I'll ever get tired of football. One time I thought I might. . . I was out there on the practice field wondering whether football had passed me by. Then I heard the Million Dollar Band playing over on the practice field. When they started playing 'Yea, Alabama,' I got goosebumps all over me." - Bear Bryant

99.5 played a Bama promo this morning with 'Yea, Alabama' in the background (they play all the radio broadcasts of the games) and I got ridiculously excited and it reminded me of that quote. I know I haven't said anything about Bama on here, but with Nico holding it down at RBR and no one showing the hometown Blazers any bloggy love I wanted to focus on them even though my thoughts, as ever, are routinely focused on the Crimson Tide. Starting next week after the first game this will be a two team blog, because I just won't be able to help talking about Alabama. 5 days...

Also, Fight Music has mp3s of college fight songs and cheers to get you in the mood no matter who your team is, and here are their entries for Alabama:

Alabama Fanfare
Bammy Bound Cheer
Rammer Jammer (Hey Vols)
Go, Go, Go Alabama
Roll Tide, Roll
Go Bama, Go
Yea Alabama (long version)
Yea Alabama
Yea Alabama (old version)
Are You From Dixie & Alabama Jubilee
Eat 'Em Up
Go Bama
Shout

Blazer Names to Know: DC Rick Christophel

2006-08-28T11:07:00.000-07:00

Five days 'til Norman. I've layed off the Blazer coverage the past few weeks after covering the backfield, wideouts, and the defense, so here in the final push I'll run down some of the coaches and the three QBs. During pre-season preperations the Blazer defense outshined the other side of the ball for the first time in years. New (sort of) defensive co-ordinator Rick Christophel likely has something to do with this. Returning to the post after two years as the senior associate athletics director, Christophel looks to take a senior laden defense that ranked 56th in the nation in total defense and 59th in stopping the run last season and turn it into a strength for the Blazers. Christophel presided over a defense that ranked 5th overall and was the top ranked run defense in 2001 before changing hats again (during his nine year tenure with the Blazers he's also coached wide receivers, offensive tackles, tight ends, and running backs). With Christophel back with the defense and the hiring of Ron McCrone as the new linebackers coach, there is hope that our biggest weakness last season will become our biggest strength.

2006-08-26T22:28:00.000-07:00

Its not often that you'll hear me say this, since its a rare thing for it to occur, but I was wrong. A few weeks back The Girl and I were down to the Wal-Marts where I had the song Particle Man stuck in my head, which led to an argument on whether or not Istanbul (Not Constaninople) was a They Might Be Giants song or an old song from the 40s. While she had never heard the TMBG version, she had heard it performed in the movie Mona Lisa Smile and insisted it was an old song. Being the hardheaded music snob that I am, I was unwilling to concede that I might be wrong without proof, and so here it is. According to Wikipedia:

Istanbul (Not Constantinople) is a swing-style song, written by Jimmy Kennedy and Nat Simon. It is based on the music for "Puttin' on the Ritz", written by Irving Berlin in 1929. It was originally performed by The Four Lads in a recording made on August 12, 1953.

Anyway, I was wrong, she was right, and here's the video of the TMBG version taken from Tiny Toon Adventures:

2006-08-26T18:09:00.000-07:00

I just don't like Elvis Costello. There, I've said it.

2006-08-26T14:55:00.000-07:00

The Girl has a theme song...

2006-08-26T11:54:00.000-07:00

Update: Either no one knows or no one cares what songs those lyrics came from. Either way, the answers are below.

Ryan at The Highland Road Blog is naming his posts after lines from random songs and seeing who can guess what they come from. Apparently I'm the only one playing, but it's still a good idea, and it reminded me of a meme I saw a while back, so I tracked it down. Here we go:

Step 1: Put iTunes on shuffle.

Step 2: Pick your favorite lines from the first 10 songs that play.

Step 3: Post and let everyone you know guess what song the lines come from.

Step 4: Cross out the songs when someone guesses correctly and give them credit. You're all on the honor system not to just google the line.

1 - I could have reached out to you/But I felt like my hands were tied
(Nico, you should get this one, it's from an album you recommended awhile back)

Adrienne Young - My Sin is Pride

2 - White lace and promises/A kiss for luck and we're on our way

The Carpenters - We've Only Just Begun

3 - I'm gonna hit the road, adios my friend/Go someplace and start all over again

The Allman Brothers Band - No One to Run With

4 - The day she went away/I made myself a promise/That I'd soon forget we'd ever met

Elvis Presley - I Forgot to Remember to Forget

5 - He was turned to steel/In the great magnetic field

Black Sabbath - Iron Man

6 - Her perfume lingers where she once lay her head/And I can almost taste the teardrops that she shed

Conway Twitty - Baby's Gone

7 - Sounds like a field being painted in the delta sun

The Jayhawks - Miss Williams' Guitar

8 - Laugh and sing, but while we're apart don't give your heart to anyone

The Drifters - Save the Last Dance for Me

9 - Could you believe who we knew was stress or strain?

Nirvana - Blew

10 - Well, she would if she could, and she'd be good if she would

Aerosmith - S.O.S. (Too Bad)

2006-08-25T08:48:00.000-07:00

With Larry McSwain pulling in all kinds of pre-season honors, it's nice to see another defensive player getting some recognition. Linebacker Mastaki Smith is on the watch list for the Butkus Award. The award is given each year to the best linebacker in college football and has gone to such greats as Derrick Thomas and Brian Bosworth. He finds himself in good company here, with the likes of Juwan Simpson, Brandon Siler, Ali Highsmith, and Patrick Willis also making the list.

2006-08-24T16:05:00.000-07:00

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2006-08-24T09:18:00.000-07:00

Today's "argargabarga?" update: Woman steals $2.3 million, $6,000 at a time, to buy lottery tickets instead of, you know, just being happy with the six grand a day.

2006-08-24T08:04:00.000-07:00

Why is Mythbusters the best show on TV?

1) They blow shit up...

2) ...with the aid of a hot chick.

I rest my case.

2006-08-23T20:12:00.000-07:00

I know I'm not helping my masculine quotient with this, but did anyone else watch "Breaking up with Shannen Doherty" last night? What was up with her teeth? Did she always have that massive overbite? Cause it was freaking me out. Also, the show kind of sucked. I was expecting her to get all "Bitchcakes Brenda" on some dude, but it was just lame.

Seriously, no bar fights, no arrests...what gives?

2006-08-22T17:44:00.000-07:00

Today's "Why am I such an old man?" update courtesy me, since I just looked at the clock and that "aw man, it's only 7:30? I wish it was bedtime already..."

Our hero patiently waits out the clock...

2006-08-22T15:28:00.000-07:00

Nico has a pick 'em game going over on his blog, and I fully intend to own it. Here are the first weeks games and my picks and rationales:

Texas - North Texas: Texas. Duh.

Ohio State - Northern Illinois: Ohio State. Again, duh. Some upset minded folks might go with the Huskies on this one (and being a Bama fan, we unfortunately know about the spoiling powers of Northern Illinois), but that's a serious stretch.

Tennessee - California: I grappled with this, because I don't want the Vols to win, but I also don't want Cal to win, so I'm going with UT on this one. First off, after the fiasco of last season and the relative calm of the offseason I think the Vols should rebound enough to win this one at home. Second, as much as I hate those damn dirty hillbillies, the one thing I hate more is a bunch of damn dirty hippies, especially if they're a bunch of damn dirty Pac-10 hippies. I mean, at least the hillbillies have moonshine to brag about, all the hippies can claim are a bunch of chicks with hairy pits. Let's just say I'm going with the SEC, not the Vols.

West Virginia - Marshall: Marshall isn't the Marshall of Bob Pruett anymore, though they do have a movie in the works, so I'm not looking at them to shock anyone. West Va it is.

Alabama - Hawaii: Another trendy pick for the upset minded, but Bama's defense won't be as weak as everyone thinks (We lose 7 starters on defense and suddenly we're patsies while tOSU loses 7 starters on defense and are national title contenders. Forget it Jake, it's Chinatown!) with Robinson a returning starter and Castille having seen plenty of game time last season. With the strength in the line instead of at linebacker this year, the pass rush will be greater and the secondary is still strong enough to contain the Hawaii offense. Ask Mike Leach how passing against Bama worked out for him.

Florida - Southern Miss: You know, I have a weird soft spot for Southern Miss. They own UAB and have been a sort of rival for Bama, but something about those plucky little Golden Eagles makes me want to root for them whenever they aren't play my teams. Even though I picked Florida, I'll be pulling for them. Plus, Southern tends to be pretty solid on defense and I wouldn't be surprised to see them sack Leak a bunch of times. At which point I will laaaauuuuggghhhhhhh.....

Like that, but without some chick throwing stuff at me...unless I'm lucky...

Oklahoma - UAB: Yeah, I picked the Blazers. Mostly homerism, but if there's a legit chance of a preseason hyped BCS team getting upset in week one by a mid-major it's OU. All you Sooner faithful can thank Bomar later.

Auburn - Washington State: I went with State on this one, not out of hatred for AU but because, if recent history is any indicator, preseason hype + an opener against a BCS opponent = tough times for the Teagles.

Bred for it's skills in magic...

Ga Tech - Notre Dame: I'm going with the Irish here. The Jackets have spoiled some seasons lately but I think they'll save their improbable wins for later on this time around.

LSU - La Lafayette: LSU by a mile.

Arkansas - USC: The Hogs get vengeance as the defense enters Reggie Herring's second year as co-ordinator and actually, you know, stops someone.

Miami - Florida State: I'm going with Miami, just 'cause they're due.

2006-08-21T19:38:00.000-07:00

With classes starting tomorrow, UAB wrapped up two a days with a somewhat bizarre practice this morning. Though Watson didn't dress and play QB in an effort to motivate his offense, he did have the members of the team swap jerseys with a teammate and, on the last play of practice, had them line up in the position of the number they were wearing, resulting in WR Norris Drinkard lining up under center and handing off to left tackle Cornelius Rogers who gained 8 yards before fumbling the ball. Explains Brown:

"It was just something they (the players) wanted to do," said Brown. "I had a little fun with it there at the end. It also proved to them that coaching does matter. You saw what happened when we tried to let them play a position that they've never lined up at."

"I knew what would happen," said Brown. "I didn't have to go but one play."

Here's hoping Watson doesn't get any bright ideas about teaching lessons during a real game.

2006-08-21T19:30:00.000-07:00

Snakes on a Plane

What can I say about Snakes on a Plane? There were snakes, there was a plane, Sam Jackson said his line, and we all got to go home happy. What more could you want from it? As Reel Fanatic points out most reviews start with something like "It's a bad movie, but...", but I'm going to say it's a good movie because it knows what it is and it doesn't try for more. If you're going to do only one thing, do it well, and SoaP did that. I watched it more through the lens of a disaster movie than a horror picture, and I think that's why I probably thought it worked so well. There's a very basic setup (surfer guy witnesses a murder, FBI wants him to testify, they put him on the plane, add snakes and watch the fun!) that gets us to the action and that's perfect. We don't need a ton of exposition, all we need is a reason for the cast to be in the position they are and once the plane is in the air there's nothing to do but wait and see who dies. There are the people you know won't, the people you know will, the people you hope will, and the people you hope don't but have a sneaking suspicion that they're so likeable because they are going to be killed. There's that certain satisfaction when the total asshole bites it and the moment of sadness when the nice guy gets his and, sick as it may sound, isn't that what we really love about watching these kinds of movies?

2006-08-21T15:26:00.000-07:00

Some special YouTubery for Van, the only guy I know who prefers Kiss without the makeup.

When Kiss gets involved, the nights aren't just crazy. Nope. They're not even crazy crazy. Hell, even calling them crazy crazy crazy would be doing them a disservice. 'Cause trust me people, whenever Paul Stanley is around, you're in for some crazy crazy crazy crazy nights.

It's good to know that when the revolution comes and we're all busy scavenging for food and shelter, portions of the post-apocolyptic war zone will be filled with feral, she-beast inhabited bars to service Paul Stanley.

Not only was this a down period for Kiss musically, it was also apparently a rough patch for the group in groupie quality.

I never thought I'd say Kiss overdid something, but they really took the whole "Animalize" theme seriously, didn't they?

There's just one thing money can't buy...a dinosaur!

Even Gene looks kind of sensitive in this one.

Only Paul could make begging your ex-girlfriend for sex sound rocking.

And here's a reward for you if you sat through all the 80s Kiss.

2006-08-20T16:26:00.000-07:00

In part nine of the ten part "Celebrity Ass I'm Reasonably Certain I Could Kick" series we have Justin Timberlake. JT recently had some disparaging remarks about Birmingham's own Taylor Hicks and the south in general:

“People think he looks so normal, and he’s so sweet and he’s so earnest, but he can’t carry a tune in a bucket,” Timberlake told Fashion Rocks, a supplement of Vanity Fair. Timberlake also thinks that Hicks’ fame is fragile. “If [Hicks] has any skeletons whatsoever, if God forbid, he’s gay, and if all these people in Mississippi who voted for him are like [then he takes on a thick southern accent], ‘Oh my god, I voted for a queer!’ It’s just too much pressure.”

You know what, Timberlake? God forbid you should ever set foot in the Magic City where I'd be more than willing to live up to the intolerant and violent stereotype you have in your head.

Instead of subjecting you to an eyeful of that douche and a slightly amusing though highly obvious caption, here's Jessica Alba. You're welcome.

2006-08-19T13:54:00.000-07:00

The amazing telekinetic powers of Titus Brown are the reason Miss. State could win the SEC this year...

...if by this year I mean in some crazy NCAA 2007 dynasty world.

2006-08-19T13:06:00.000-07:00

Blazers Focus on Running Game During Second Scrimmage

UAB scrimmaged at Legion Field this afternoon and the defense is, for a change, the strong point of the Blazer football team. This was mostly a chance to get backups and younger guys onto the field, with the first team units going against the second team units. Overall they managed to intercept Sam Hunt twice (one that was returned 30 yards for a TD) and Chris Williams once. The running game was paid special attention as the Blazers rushed 70 times versus 39 passing attempts. Junior backup RB Tony Shepherd led the team with 93 yards on 18 attempts (5.16 ypc) and one touchdown. Dan Burks also scored a rushing touchdown while gaining 34 yards on 7 attempts (4.85 ypc). The QB situation continues to be a question mark as Williams, Hunt, or Webb seems able to show consistency while running the offense. Williams was 7 of 15 for 75 yards and an interception, Hunt went 7 of 12 with one touchdown (a 65 yarder to freshman standout Mike Jones) and two interecptions, and Webb hit 8 of 12 for 100 yards. With Watson determined to platoon his QBs and none of them making a clear cut case against it, I guess we can begin calling the UAB QB plan "Cerberus" and hoping no one shows up with a lyre...

Would be a better fit with Stadium Security...

2006-08-19T12:49:00.000-07:00

One more reason to love Johnny Cash: Sense of Humor

2006-08-18T20:59:00.000-07:00

Stewart Mandel checks in from Norman and confirms what pretty much everyone knows is the key to a Blazer upset; making the Sooners win through the air. To wit:

During Wednesday's practice, (new starting QB) Thompson was mostly solid with the underneath routes but often floated the ball or underthrew his receivers when going downfield.

And then the inevitable caveat:

With Adrian Peterson in the backfield and a defense that should be one of the nation's best, it's not like the Sooners need Thompson to throw for 3,000 yards. But they can't afford to be one-dimensional, either, particularly with stud receivers like Malcolm Kelly (who made two out-of-this world catches Wednesday) at their disposal.

With Rick Christophel, the man who had the Blazer defense ranked fifth overall and first against the run during the 2001 season (his second and last year at that position), back in control of the defense and a D-line and linebacking corp returning plenty of game experience and depth, hopefully history can repeat itself.

2006-08-18T17:30:00.000-07:00

Driving home from work I realized that the disc changer in my car is bizarrely out of tune with my typical musical preferences lately. Here's a quick look see:

1) Silversun Pickups - Carnavas
2) Led Zeppelin - BBC Sessions (Disc 2)
3) Silversun Pickups - Pikul
4) The Shins - Oh, Inverted World
5) An indie rock mix that I made for The Girl, and which is also the greatest of all mix tapes ever and the reason I made a copy for myself and still listen to it. Download it here (65 MB zip file at yousendit), and find out for yourself.
6) A Merle Haggard mix that I made for The Girl after we saw him and Dylan. It's basically greatest hits plus some stuff from Same Train, A Different Time and A Tribute to the Best Damn Fiddle Player in the World.
7) An Ol' Dirty Bastard mix.
8) Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
9) The Grey Album
10) A rap mix that The Girl made me featuring a bunch of dirty, perverted songs designed to make me blush. To put it another way, The Whisper Song is the cleanest one on there.

Merle and Zeppelin aside, I suddenly feel a strange urge to lose 80 lbs and start wearing girl jeans...

In other music related news, in celebration of Billy Corgan reportedly entering the studio with a batch of songs intended for a new Pumpkins album:

Hopefully at least Iha gets on board (it would be nice to have D'arcy for a full on reunion but if not, eh), but even without him if we can at least get another Zwan quality record instead of an Adore redux I'll be happy.

2006-08-16T19:55:00.000-07:00

In part eight of the ten part "Celebrity Ass I'm Reasonably Certain I Could Kick" series is Troy Gentry. The sissy, redneck-metro half of the country duo Montgomery Gentry "was arraigned in federal court this week on a charge of conspiracy to falsely label an animal." That's right folks, he paid to shoot a tame bear while it was in it's pen and then tried to make it look like he hunted and killed it in the wild. While there is no way in hell I would mess with the scary trenchcoated guy, I'm pretty sure ol' T-roy is ripe for an ass kicking.

Bow hunting in a strip mall parking lot...right up Troy's alley.

2006-08-16T16:44:00.000-07:00

Is it just me, or does the keyboard player from Little Feat...

...look like a really skinny Ron Perlman?

2006-08-16T08:59:00.000-07:00

Leave it to a Canadian to somehow be both a SEC and PAC10 fan. I seriously have to hear how "Roll Tide" comes out in a Canadian accent...

We have ways of making you pronounce the letter 'O.'

2006-08-16T08:31:00.000-07:00

The Birmingham News has an article up about new starting receiver Willie Edwards. Edwards moved into the starting role when Norris Drinkard moved over to the Z position formerly occupied by the injured Nick Coon. What's interesting, and what I didn't know, was that Edwards suffered a concussion against Florida State in '04 and was hospitalized after suffering a seizure in the locker room the next week after the Memphis win.

"There was a time I had to learn how to walk again," Edwards said. "I was on serious medication. I couldn't really go back to school and I had to always keep my head still. I had to walk around with a brace on my neck."

After working his way back onto the field, he suffered another seizure in '05 against Troy, costing him another season. He attributes that seizure to stress from family issues and school, but it still caused he and the coaches to doubt whether he'd ever play again. But now he's back and starting, and hopefully he can remain healthy and get the opportunity to play up to his potential.

2006-08-15T06:49:00.000-07:00

Bad news for the Blazers...Nick Coon is out indefinitely after seperating his shoulder during Sunday's Scrimmage. He will be out at least four to six weeks, possibly back in time for the Georgia game, but can redshirt if it's longer. Norris Drinkard is moving over to his position at "Z," moving Willie Parker up to first team in the "X" position formerly held by Drinkard. Sophomore Sylvester Mencer and freshman Mike Jones are behind Drinkard (with freshman running back Rashad Slaughter also moving to WR in that position) while freshman Courtney Smith now moves up to second team behind Edwards. Edwards has had a productive pre-season and Drinkard has plenty of game experience and has been a standout when given the chance, but neither has been as reliable as Coon on deep passes. Hopefully Drinkard and Edwards can step up and several of the freshmen can get in and contribute as well.

Blazer Names to Know: #28 Marculus Elliott

2006-08-14T20:10:00.000-07:00

Third on the depth chart at RB is #28 Marculus Elliott. Ever a backup, Elliott has been effective when given the opportunity. More of a finesse runner than the power running duo of White and Burks, Elliott came on strong at the end of last season in place of the injured Burks. In the last three games of the season, Elliott rushed for 292 yards on 47 carries, finishig the '05 season with a team best 6 ypc average. He had a banner day in the loss to UCF, rushing for 116 yards and two touchdowns on only 8 attempts (14.5 ypc). The next week at UTEP saw a 71 yard performance for Elliott, followed by a 105 yard effort in the season ending loss to ECU. One of four seniors in the backfield with at least one 100 yard game, Elliott should have plenty more opportunities to showcase his abilities in the new run first offense.

2006-08-13T20:20:00.000-07:00

If I had a dime for every time this happened to me at a family reunion...

2006-08-13T19:46:00.000-07:00

UAB held it's first full scrimmage today. It was scheduled for Saturday, but was moved to Sunday because of the wet weather. Some relevant points:

- Penalties seemed to be a factor:

"It looked like a first scrimmage," said Brown. "I thought it was a good solid day. The kids got after each other and played hard. We had some mistakes, too many penalties. You'd like not to see that many in a scrimmage. I'm disappointed in that and we've got to get more disciplined."

- QB Stats:

Williams - 7 of 11 for 109 yards and 1 TD
Hunt - 6 of 13 for 84 yards
Webb - 8 of 12 for 73 yards and 1 TD

Williams looks like the standout and will likely see most of the action, but Watson has been adamant about playing Hunt and possibly Webb (a redshit freshman that's essentially the QB of the future for the Blazers) throughout the season.

- RB Stats:

The four seniors saw limited duty:
Chaney - 32 yards on 8 carries (4 ypc)
Elliott - 25 yards on 5 carries (5 ypc)
White - 18 yards on 6 carries (3 ypc)
Burks - 14 yards on 5 carries (2.8 ypc)

Meanwhile junior RB Tony Shepherd looked sharpest, rushing for 37 yards on 6 carries (6.16 ypc).

- Receiving Stats:

Here's where the bad news starts. Nick Coon, after being ineffective the past two seasons due to leg injuries, left early with a shoulder injury. He had four catches for 80 yards and a touchdown before leaving. Hopefully it's nothing serious and he'll be back on the field when practice resumes tomorrow morning. Norris Drinkard pulled in three for 33 yards, true freshman Courtney Smith caught four for 23 yards, and Daddy's Boy Steven Brown caught three for 34 yards.

2006-08-13T16:27:00.000-07:00

A quick warning against purchasing electronics based on a political agenda:

A while back, the DVD player in my bedroom gave up the ghost. It was a night when my liberal (and dirty, not because she's liberal, just because she's dirty) friend Robin was in town, and after we went to see a movie I wanted to go by Wal-Mart to pick up a new one. For some dirty hippie reason she's opposed to shopping at Wal-Mart and insisted we go to Target instead, so being the nice guy that I am I went along and bought the cheapest one they had, which was a Tru Tech model. I assumed Tru Tech is the Target store brand and I didn't really have any reservations about it since I've had several Emerson, Sanyo, and Durabrand (the Wal-Mart store brands) electronics throughout the years, and while they may not have all the bells and whistles of the Sonys and RCAs of the world, they're cheap and they work dependably. What I forgot was my vow to never buy cheap electronics from Target again after the great "I need a portable CD player for the warehouse at work, and Target has them on sale for $14.99!" fiasco of '04. I actually bought two of them so we'd have one in the kitchen at the apartment, too. So I brought one in and unboxed it only to discover that the laser wasn't attached to anything. No problem, I got two, right? Wrong. I ran out to the car to get the other one, and IT DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A LASER IN IT. So I returned both of those and just got my money back and went a little further down 280 to the Wal-Marts and both of the ones I bought that night are still working today. So fast forward to the DVD player. When I got it home and plugged up, the remote control wouldn't work. I figured it was just the battery wasn't good, so the next morning I got up and ran to Walgreen's to get a new one. The battery wasn't the problem. So I boxed everything back up, returned to Target and, still not remembering the "Are you kidding me? There isn't even a laser in this one!" fiasco of '04, swapped it for another one. I got it home, plugged it up, and everything seemed to work fine for like a week. Since then I've had nothing but problems with it. It takes forever for it to recognize a DVD, sometimes I have to eject and re-insert the disk several times before it will, sometimes I even have to unplug it to get it to eject the damn thing...to put it simply, it's just a total piece. So next time you decide to purchase electronics from Target, go to Wal-Mart instead. They may not treat their workers like your hippie friends think they should, but at least their products work.

$27.96, and you can probably send it with your kids to college in 20 years...

2006-08-12T15:04:00.000-07:00

A few Blazer articles for the weekend:

- A look at the possible moves on the depth chart during today's scrimmage.

- A look at the competition for kicking duties.

- A little late with this one, but The Ciskie Blog has us finishing fifth in the East in C-USA and doubtful for a bowl, with Central Florida coming out on top and Memphis coming in at dead last.

- Unrelated, but Sly Croom dressed out and took to the practice field with his team this week (via EDSBS). No news if Watson plans to pull the same stunt in an attempt to motivate his trio of QBs.

Gather round, kids, and let Grampa Watson tell you about playing for Vandy...

2006-08-12T14:49:00.000-07:00

Strangers With Candy

When I saw in the paper yesterday that this was the Art/Independent picture of the week at Brook Highland I jumped for joy. Too bad the movie didn't live up to expectations. There's nothing wrong with it, per se, but if you've seen the show you've seen the movie. Jeri is still Jeri, Noblet is still Noblet, Blackman is still Blackman, and so on. The jokes were the same (though still enough to make me laugh), the plot is basically the first season boiled down to 90 minutes. Jeri gets out of jail after 30 years of depravity, returns home to find her father in a coma and with a new family, and decides to start her life over right where she left off in high school. There's nothing new here, except maybe the role of the comatose father being played by Dan Hedaya. An attempt at freshness was provided by cameos from Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Allison Janney as school board members and Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker as teachers, but none of them were really around long enough to do anything and were wasted. If you want to make a movie out of a TV show, it has to either be a continuation of the series or a fresh retelling, and this was neither. Too bad.

Blazer Names to Know: #6 Carnell Williams

2006-08-11T08:56:00.000-07:00

Listed behind Sanders at CB is #6 Carnell Williams. Though listed at number 2 on the depth chart, the JR out of Wenonah will certainly see more significant playing time this season, providing depth at both the CB and Safety positions. He saw action in nine games last season and started the last five contests. He recorded 22 tackles (16 solo), one pass breakup, and forced one fumble in that time, with his season high of six coming in the win at UTEP.

2006-08-11T08:47:00.000-07:00

The Birmingham News ran an article today touting Nick Coon's re-emergence as the top receiving threat for the Blazers. After being stuck behind Roddy White on the depth chart in '04, '05 saw him sidelined with various injuries. He's shown no signs of those problems during fall practice, so hopefully he'll stay healthy throughout the season.

Best out of quote context in the article:

"If it wasn't one groin, it was the other groin..."

2006-08-10T15:52:00.000-07:00

Hmmm....to be honest, I'm pretty sure a bunch of planes getting blown up over the Atlantic by fanatical adherents to the Religion of Peace would spur anti-muslim sentiments in me a little more than hearing Bush use the term "Islamic Fascism." Seriously, pick your battles...

2006-08-10T11:39:00.000-07:00

Today's "All This Talk of Getting Old, It's Bringing Me Down My Love" update courtesy Rock 99.5, who just played All Apologies.

Blazer Names to Know: #21 Kevin Sanders

2006-08-10T06:20:00.000-07:00

Sanders, a sophomore out of Pell City, AL, holds down the starting CB spot opposite Will Evans. After redshirting in '04, he saw some game time last season playing in seven games (starting five of them). During that time he recorded 15 tackles (11 solo), two pass break ups, and a pair of interceptions. Though listed as starter on the depth chart coming out of spring practice, look for Sanders to split time with #6 Carnell Williams, who saw action in nine games last season while starting the last five.

2006-08-09T18:04:00.000-07:00

UAB went through it's first practice with pads today, despite heat on the field topping 90 for the sixth straight day, and word is the receivers are stepping up to make some plays:

"I think our wide receivers are getting better and I saw that today," Brown said. "Courtney Smith made some plays today and Nick Coon is just having a fantastic preseason. Our whole wide receiving corp is playing much better than what we saw in the spring."

Hopefully the real life Nick Coon doesn't perform like his NCAA '07 counterpart and fumble every ball he catches if a defensive back even looks in his direction. I already cursed the paint off the walls in my apartment once...

He cost me the virtual UGA game, let's hope he makes up for it for reals...

2006-08-09T12:23:00.000-07:00

Awwww.....

2006-08-09T12:19:00.000-07:00

Today's "MY EYES! MY EYES! SWEET BABY JESUS, MY EYES!" update courtesy Daniel Edwards and New York's Museum of Sex.

Blazer Names to Know: #13 Will Evans

2006-08-09T10:26:00.000-07:00

Starting CB Will Evans is another experienced defensive player that looks to contribute heavily in the upcoming season. Though listed at backup at the start of the '04 season, Evans was thrust into the starting role after starter Carlos Hendricks was lost to injury early on. He finished that season with 49 tackles (35 solo hits), two interceptions (one that was returned 30 yards for a TD against Cincinnati), and two pass break ups. Last season saw the return of Hendricks at starter, but Evans still saw significant action in 10 of the 11 games, finishing with 27 tackles (12 solo), one interception, and one pass break up.

2006-08-08T20:42:00.000-07:00

Decieving Headline of the Day:

Bengals fans who spot bad behavior can call hot line

My initial thought was "who would rat out a member of the team they pull for?" Turns out it's bad behavior in the stands, not from the players.

Hello, Police?....I'd like to report that I just saw Chris Henry...No, he wasn't doing anything wrong...yet...

2006-08-08T11:16:00.000-07:00

Am I the only one vaguely disturbed by this advertisement?

The girl looks kind of scared, and it just seems sinister to me...

Blazer Names to Know: #48 Orlandus King

2006-08-08T09:23:00.000-07:00

The final starting member of the linebacking corp, King was a JUCO transfer that made an immediate impact last season. A 2006 preseason first team all conference selection, he was the team leader in tackles with 85 (41 solo). Among them were 6 TFLs for -24 yards and 3 sacks, while also getting two picks in the wins over Troy and Memphis and forcing a fumble against Rice.

2006-08-07T18:05:00.000-07:00

I'd like to salute CMT for showing reruns of Hee Haw, which has made me happier than I should really have any reason to be.

SAAAAAAALUTE!