Pig Skin Pay Off
By Matt “It’s MillerTime” Miller
Think you know the teams to beat? Play our Pig Skin Pay Off and find out!
It’s Game Time, baby, and that only means one thing — football. A new season of NFL football is upon us and there are plenty of interesting storylines this year. For all you pro football junkies out there, head to www.dmcityview.com and click on the link to our Upickem group where you can pick upcoming games for the chance to win prizes from our advertising sponsors. Now, let’s get down to business.
1) Key returnees — Who would have thought that Tom Brady would have gone down in Week 1 last fall? Well, he’s back, and after being “blasted” a few times during the preseason, the pretty boy is looking like his old self. Look for the Patriots to make a deep playoff push, if not arriving at Dolphin Stadium on Feb. 7, 2010.
When you talk about returns, who can forget Brett Favre of the Minnesota Vikings. That’s right — the purple and gold. Who cares about backups Tavaris Jackson and Iowa State’s Sage Rosenfels? The NFL is all business, and clearly the Vikings now have the personnel to win big games — something they haven’t done in quite a while.
The Eagles always seem to be in contention for a Super Bowl ring, but signing Michael Vick to the roster only increases their chances of to hoist the trophy. Sure, he’s been out two years and may be a little rusty, but give him time. He’s already a superstar and will only get better as the season wears on.
2) Rookies — I’m a big college football fan, so I’m eager to see when and where the rookies’ coming out parties will be? In Matthew Stafford’s case, that might be in the Lions’ first win in more than a year? How is Mark Sanchez going to handle the pressure in the spotlight for the New York Jets? And what about unsigned No. 10 pick Michael Crabtree of the San Francisco 49ers? Is he going to sign this year or act like a kid and continue to demand more money? Only time will tell if these rookies and others have the potential to make an immediate impact on their respected teams. CV
schedule:
Thursday, Sept. 10
Tennessee at Pittsburgh 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 13
Miami at Atlanta 12 p.m.
Denver at Cincinnati 12 p.m.
Minnesota at Cleveland 12 p.m.
Jacksonville at Indianapolis 12 p.m.
Detroit at New Orleans 12 p.m.
Dallas at Tampa Bay 12 p.m.
Philadelphia at Carolina 12 p.m.
Kansas City at Baltimore 12 p.m.
NY Jets at Houston 12 p.m.
Washington at NY Giants 3:15 p.m.
San Franscico at Arizona 3:15 p.m.
St. Louis at Seattle 4:15 p.m.
Chicago at Green Bay 7:20 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 14
Buffalo at New England 6 p.m.
San Diego at Oakland 9:15 p.m.
ncaa game day
College Previews
by Darren Tromblay
Iowa vs. Iowa State
Sept. 12, Jack Trice Stadium, Ames
11 a.m.
If last Thursday’s season-opening, 34-17 win over North Dakota State was any indication, new Iowa State football coach Paul Rhoads is going to give ‘Clone fans reason to stick it out this season. That’ll suck for Craigslist, which has become an annual late-season gathering point for the hundreds of ISU fans wanting to ditch their November tickets for pennies on the dollar to avoid the tornadoes, freezing rain and having to watch the last scoops of dirt being shoveled onto the casket of a lifeless season. But, Craig can hang, we’re guessing. If he throws a fit, there’s always the Des Moines Dollar Dealer. Back to business, though. Game Day liked what we saw in some facets last week — the kicking game was solid, and Eugene Robinson showed signs of life from the backfield. On the flip side, well, it was North Dakota State. The Bison may be 49-18 over the past seven years, but should have had their horns handed to them. Since they weren’t, Game Day reserves the right to tepidity, something ISU cannot afford to play with this weekend against the hated boys in the Black and Gold — the Iowa Hawkeyes. An early press time meant this column had to be written on the Friday prior to Iowa’s season opener against UNI, damnit all anyway. And despite our cocky ramblings last week, the last time we went Nostrodamus, it backfired. Asses still singed, we ain’t goin’ there again. But win or lose against UNI, the result of Iowa’s trek to Jack Trice will still be the same: a big, fat ol’ “L”.
Iowa State 20, Iowa 14
Purdue vs. (16) Oregon
Sept. 12, 9:15 p.m.
Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Ore.
If you’re wondering why Game Day is featuring this particular contest, finish this sentence and jump over to the Miami (OH)/Boise State preview to your right and read on. OK, now, all you jackasses who fell for that, raise your hands. We thought so. Swim with the carp, you’ll eat sewage, too. Speaking of sewage, Game Day loved what we saw from Oregon’s LaGarrette Blount last week against Boise State. After his team got pushed around by the upstart Potato Heads, Blount went Tyson on Boise State linebacker Byron Hout, sending him to the turf with a straight right. Our glee comes from the fact that this means one less jackass on the field. Suspension city, baby. And the longer the better. Oh, the game? Ah, we’ll take the Ducks. Now, go back to the top and start over.
Oregon 27, Purdue 21
Miami (OH) vs. (14) Boise State
Sept. 12, 7 p.m.
Bronco Stadium, Boise, Idaho
If you’re wondering why Game Day is featuring this particular contest, finish this sentence and jump over to the Purdue/Oregon preview to your left and read on. OK, now, all you jackasses who fell for that, raise your hands. We thought so. Fly under the pigeons, and you’ll get crapped on, too. Speaking of dung, how about the Boise State/Miami (OH) contest? With Miami coming off a 2-10 season a year ago — its third losing campaign in as many tries — and Boise State riding high following a win over a ranked Oregon squad, the writing’s on the bathroom wall:
Boise State 44, Miami (OH) 13
