Ducks trounce Trojans and what it means for Boise State

On September 3rd, the Boise State Broncos held the Oregon Ducks in check en route to a 19-8 victory in the season opener.

All the headlines from that game centered around Oregon RB LeGarrette Blount's postgame punch and the rest of his antics.

But Kellen Moore and the Broncos took care of business on the blue turf and that win looked even more impressive late Saturday night.

That's because those same Ducks - playing without Blount who was suspended for the year for his actions - manhandled 5th-ranked USC 47-20 in Eugene and have the inside track to the Pac-10 championship and a Rose Bowl berth.

It would take a lot to vault the one-loss Ducks into the national title game but what about undefeated BSU?

The Broncos have already proven they can win against the BCS conferences on the big stage and now they have a real quality win in 2009 to add to their resume.

They held the Ducks to a meager eight points. Saturday night against the vaunted USC defense Oregon racked up more than 600 yards. If that doesn't speak well for Boise State, then nothing will undo the rest of their schedule featuring teams like San Jose State.

How big was Oregon's win? Huge. USC hadn't lost by more than seven points since Pete Carrol's first year in 2001.

It was their worst loss in 12 years. Say what you want about the Trojans but that is pretty impressive.

Then again, we have seen them struggle against small, shifty running backs and versatile quarterback's before. It has been the recipe to overcome their stifling defense and they did nothing to debunk that notion Saturday night.

LBSU Basketball: Schedule looks even tougher

The ESPN/USA Today preseason Top 25 men's college basketball poll was released today.

Kansas received 27 of the 31 first place votes and sits atop it.

Next is Michigan State. The Spartans knocked out the Jayhawks in the Sweet Sixteen before falling to UNC in the championship game.

Then it starts to read like the Long Beach State schedule.

(3) Texas, (5) Kentucky, (8) Duke, (9) West Virginia. All four are in the Top-9, and the 49ers play all of them before the ball drops for 2010. None of them come to the Pyramid only West Virginia will be on a familiar court, at the 76 Classic in the Anaheim Convention Center.

That tournament also features 10th-ranked Butler, 18th-ranked Minnesota, 24th-ranked Clemson and UCLA and Texas A&M who received votes in the Coaches Poll.

In fact, the only team other than LBSU not to receive votes from that eight team field was Portland.

Two other teams receiving votes on The Beach's schedule are Notre Dame and Utah State. The 'Niners play in South Bend the third game of the season and in the only home game out of the bunch Utah state comes to the 'Myd on December 18.

Phillies-Yanks set to go for Wednesday night

How's this for a Game 1 match-up?

The last two AL Cy Young award winners in Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia.

Two teams with good starting pitching and potent line-ups.

Edge to the Yankees. They have the better bullpen and the home field advantage.

The Yanks are 36-8 at home since the All-Star break including 5-0 in the playoffs.

That kind of mark is unheard of in pro sports and especially in baseball.

The old Yankee Stadium sure had a lot of mystique but the pinstripers are getting mighty comfortable in their new digs.

Quick Pick: Yanks in 6

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Tough loss for the Niners but there were some serious glimpses in the second half.

Alex Smith found Vernon Davis three times for touchdowns and Michael Crabtree looked ready to step right into the NFL game.

That sentence looks weird in print since Crabtree has been a Niner less than 20 days and the San Fran brass has been waiting for the Smith-Davis connection to materialize for years since both were first round selections, but as they say, better late than never right?

But more on Crabtree.

He finished with 5 catches for 56 yards and had another 25-yarder wiped away on a penalty.

He ran crisp routes, was strong on the ball and opened up some lanes for Josh Morgan.

Which brings me to this.

How many games did it take Crabtree to out-produce the Raiders Darius Heyward-Bey who went three picks higher in the draft?

Just one.

Crabtree has five catches, Heyward-Bey has four in seven games.

Dodger demons extend further in Philly

With the Phillies ousting the Dodgers from the NLCS for the second consecutive year, it seems obvious LA has some glaring holes in their starting rotation.

Just last week I called their rotation laughable when I correctly picked Philadelphia to make quick-work of the blue crew in 5 games.

The cautionary tale for LA extends past Citizens Bank Park and the Phillies though.

Look no further than the city limits to the city of brotherly love's beloved Eagles.

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The Dodgers have a great young nucleus of talent, mostly on offense, but need a frontline starting pitcher if they don't want to be their league's runner-up year after year like the Eagles of the 2000's.

It takes a ton of talent to get that far so often but no one wants to be a footmark to history time and time again.

The Eagles four championship game and one super bowl appearance this past decade:

2009-8 (NFC Champ Game) L ARI 32-25

2005-4 (Super Bowl XXXIX) L NWE 24-21

2004-3 (NFC Champ Game) L CAR 13-3

2003-2 (NFC Champ Game) L TAM 27-10

2002-1 (NFC Champ Game) L STL 29-24

The Joe Torre led Dodgers are only 0-2 in the precursor to the Fall Classic but if they want to make the jump to the World Series and win one - lest they be the Eagles of MLB for the next ten years - they still have a ways to go.

A few things...

Nailed the Phillies in 5 pick.

Angels in 6 won't be happening but they could still take it in 7. One out of two exact games and the winner aint bad.

MNF prediction: Eagles 31, Redskins 13. Tuesday morning: The bye week pink slip for Mr. Zorn.

Working on a column about the rash of bad officiating from the baseball playoffs to college football. Instant replay, full time football officials, and where we go from here. Should be done in the next day or two, basically when I can find time to actually write it. That will be up on daily49er.com. Check the "Daily 49er - Tucker Talks link on the left for that.

More on the Eagles with a comparison to a baseball team in a new blog post that should be up in the next few days.

That is all for now.

To be or not to be an NFL head coach

There are a lot of bad NFL teams and there are a lot of bad NFL head coaches.

The biggest problem for the guy running the show is whether or not he should be doing so.

There is a wide gap between successful coach or coordinator and first-rate head coach.

The coordinator can focus on one side of the ball, work with a smaller group of players and duck accountability if other facets of the game struggle.

The head coach? He has a lot more on his plate and is ultimately responsible for everything.

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The Mike Nolan era in San Francisco was atrocious. The 49ers went 18-37 in his 3+ seasons at the helm and lacked consistency and a winning attitude.

Nolan took a job this offseason as the defensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos and they are 5-0 with the top defense in the league after being the third worst unit in the NFL a year ago.

Rod Marinelli became the first head coach to suffer an 0-16 season as the man in charge for the Detroit Lions last year.

Now he is the defensive line coach in Chicago and the Bears are a top-10 team against the run. He is also assistant head coach and his team is 3-1.

Mike Martz was a tremendous offensive coordinator in St. Louis. Behind his offensive schemes the Rams won the Super Bowl in 1999. He took over as head coach following that season and got the Rams back to the big game two years later where they were upset by the Patriots.

The problem with Martz was that he still wanted to devote all his attention to the offense and the defense and special teams paid the price.

These are a few examples but there are many more. Cam Cameron, Norv Turner and Wade Phillips come to mind as other recent examples.

The difference between being a specialized coach that can focus on one aspect and thrive there and being the guy who has to pull all the strings for the whole organization is a big gap.

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All of this comes to mind when the subject of Jim Zorn comes up. The much-maligned Washington Redskins shot-caller made a huge leap to get where he is now.

And while his team, especially on offense, has really struggled, it is the huge divide in his coaching pedigree and track record that is responsible for a large part of the criticism.

Zorn was an offensive coordinator at the college level and a QB coach with the Seahawks. He has has never been a head coach at any level.

There is so much more to manage especially at the NFL level so as Zorn struggles and a city loses his patience, former players stop hunting to shoot YouTube videos and player's call for a decision one way or the other Zorn's lack of experience is a glaring issue.

If the Redskins fall to the Chiefs today the Z man may be out of a job, but for everyone including Zorn himself, it may be a blessing.

Like so many men before him, some head coaches are better off with lesser jobs in new cities where they can focus on a more specific task and thrive in that department.

LCS Predictions

Philly in 5

Angels in 6

Too much Philly offense against a laughable LA rotation. Split at Dodger Stadium then three wins at the Bank. Back to the World Series looking to repeat.

Three man rotation will wear down for the Yanks and the Halos have their number. No holes for LAA and they can play anywhere. Solid pitching and situational hitting will send the Angels through.

Hey Rush, get a clue

"Limbaugh says he believes he has been made an example by a players' union seeking leverage in talks over a new collective bargaining agreement. And he says he believes what happened to him was an illustration of 'Obama's America on full display.'"

Full Limbaugh story here.

Let me address this issue swiftly and without equivocation.

Obama's America is no different from anyone else's America in this regard. You have free speech and you are entitled to use it to pop off on your radio show.

But what have you done with that forum is prove you are a racist.

A majority of the NFL players are African-American and are rightfully disgusted by your views. If they don't want to play for you and the NFL owners who get to vote on such matters respect their opinions and are educated enough to form their own, despite their race, then it makes perfect sense no one would want Limbaugh associated with the league.

It has nothing to do with politics, Obama, favoritism or conservatism. It's not simply because Rush is divisive. It has everything to do with character and it's painfully obvious to everyone but Limbaugh himself that he falls way short in this category.

Better luck next time.

Sizing up the NFC after 4 weeks

At first glance the NFC playoff picture looks pretty clear. Then again there are three months left until the postseason begins so let's take a look at where this thing is headed.

NFC East

This division almost always gets two teams in and 2009-2010 seems no different.

The Giants are cruising right along at 4-0 although Eli Manning's injury is a huge concern. We knew they could run the ball and play defense but Smith and Manningham have emerged as tremendous threats in the passing game to fill the void left by Plaxico Burress.

The Eagles are 2-1 and despite early season injury issues of their own look like the second best team in this foursome. The defense is still strong and the offense is loaded with weapons.

The drama in Dallas seems to be a round-the-clock thing and at 2-2 the Cowboys seem destined for mediocrity again in the form of 8-9 wins. This team is just way too inconsistent.

The Redskins are also 2-2 but that includes close wins over the lowly Rams and Bucs and a loss to the Lions. Washington gets Carolina and Kansas City the next two weeks, completing what may be the easiest five-game stretch in league history (opponents are 1-18 on the year, with that one win being that loss to the Lions). It's all downhill after that.

NFC North

The Brett Favre led Minnesota Vikings are 4-0. The cagey veteran has burned opposing defenses intent on shutting down Adrian Peterson and the combination of that defense and the deafening noise of the Metrodome makes them a scary team in the playoffs if they get a low seed.

The Chicago Bears are 3-1 despite the loss of LB Brian Urlacher. Jay Cutler has settled down after a rough debut and there are some speedsters on offense and special teams that are game-changers. Looks like a 10-win team.

The Green Bay Packers have a lot of holes on that offensive line and it's hard to imagine them winning consistently if Aaron Rodgers has to run for his life on every snap. They are far from out of it at 2-2 but nine wins really seems like the ceiling for this squad.

The Detroit Lions finally found their way into the win column in week three. They can move the ball on offense and are definitely playing better but they are at least another year away from being relevant again.

NFC South

The New Orleans Saints sit atop the division at 4-0. Drew Brees and the offense can score 30 on anybody and the defense has been a very pleasant surprise. This team looks really dangerous and complete.

The Atlanta Falcons are just 2-1 after a bye week. They have a lot of weapons on offense and found their way into the postseason last year. The jury is still out on this year's team after a suspect performance last time out in New England.

The Carolina Panthers simply haven't recovered after their shocking loss to Arizona in last year's playoffs. They are 0-3 and despite plenty of talented players it's hard to imagine Jake Delhomme righting the ship or the Panthers eclipsing seven wins.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 0-4 and there's not a lot to like about them this year. Cadillac Williams is not a one-man wrecking crew and the QB situation is always a mess. Tough second-half schedule for the Bucs who won't win more than three-four games.

NFC West

The San Francisco 49ers are 3-1 and could easily be 4-0. The schedule gets tougher after the bye and they need a more consistent running attack to offset their paltry offense but the defense has quickly established themselves as one of the best in the league and this team should win 10 games.

The Arizona Cardinals are 1-2 after winning the NFC last season. The offense still has plenty of big-play potential but so far the redbirds just seem out of sync. Arizona could still get to 10 wins based on an advantageous schedule.

Expectations for a bounce-back season were high in Seattle but an injury to Matt Hasselback has put the Seahawks at 1-3. This team still has an excellent home-field advantage but it may be too little too late if they don't get it going soon. Marking them down for six victories.

The St. Louis Rams haven't won in their last 15 games and have been shut out twice already. At 0-4 the question of their first win might be more of an "if" then a "when." Injuries haven't helped, but Steven Jackson can't do it on his own.

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Where they stand

1a. New York Giants (4-0)

1b. Minnesota Vikings (4-0)

1c. New Orleans Saints (4-0)

4. San Francisco 49ers (3-1)

5. Chicago Bears (3-1)

6a. Philadelphia Eagles (2-1)

6b. Atlanta Falcons (2-1)

On the outside looking in

Green Bay Packers (2-2)

Dallas Cowboys (2-2)

Washington Redskins (2-2)

Arizona Cardinals (1-2)

Not gonna happen

Seattle Seahawks (1-3)

Detroit Lions (1-3)

Carolina Panthers (0-3)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-4)

St. Louis Rams (0-4)

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How they'll finish

1. New Orleans (13-3)

2. New York (12-4)

3. Minnesota (12-4)

4. San Francisco (10-6)

5. Philadelphia (10-6)

6. Chicago (10-6)