Ten Things JJ Thinks He Thinks

Before we get started with the ten things I wanted to give everyone a heads up that we have squares for sale for the Super Bowl. Squares are $5 a piece and the 1^st and 3^rd quarter winners will receive $50. Halftime winner will receive $150 and if you hit the Final Score you will pocket $250. If you do not know how squares work please visit this site. As always let me know if you have any further questions or interested in purchasing any squares. In 13 days we will have Super Bowl XLIV, I am getting excited. The Colts have opened up at 5.5 point favorites at the Las Vegas Hilton and 4.5 point favorites everywhere else in town.

1. Georgia Thoughts

What a dominating game by the Dawgs Saturday evening in Athens. A lot of things happened Saturday that have not happen in a long time. It was Georgia's first sellout since Feb. 7, 2007 against Florida and its first win over a top 10 team since Feb. 14, 2004 against then-No. 8 Kentucky. Something tells me it will not be another six years before we beat another top 10 team. If you had told me in November that Georgia would have a 25-point lead over anyone in the second half of an SEC game this year, I would have called you something and it would not have been complementary.

Mark Fox has got us playing better basketball each time out and I feel that is a sign of a great coach. In fact we do not look like the same team that lost to St. John’s at Madison Square Garden by double figures. In addition Mark Fox has twice been given seven days to prepare for an opponent and I might argue that these are the two best games Georgia has played this year. After the loss to St. John’s Fox had 10 days to prepare his team for Illinois and the Dawgs responded for a 3 point win. Then this week the Dawgs had seven days off and looked dominant throughout. I think Georgia has a keeper in Mark Fox.

Even the Knoxville paper has noticed Georgia’s sudden rise in hoops and says the Vols should be worried. I love it.

Speaking of Mark’s, you might not want to try to play Coach Richt in a game of horse. Look at this shot he made during Georgia’s walkthrough Saturday morning.

2. Colts Thoughts

Not sure where to begin with the Colts game but I do know Peyton Manning is about two Super Bowl rings away from being the best quarterback of all time. Say what you want about #18 but in AFC Championship Games he has twice led his team back from double digit deficits. In addition, with the 377-yard passing game, Peyton Manning became the league’s all-time leader in 300-yard playoff games, with seven. Kurt Warner and Joe Montana each have six. Furthermore, Mannng had two receivers top 100 yards. They were Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie, not Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark.

The turning point of the game was Manning’s two minute drive right before halftime that lowered a deficit from 11 to 4. This was the second time in two weeks that Manning has been masterful in the last two minutes.
What can one say about Pierre Garcon? His 151 receiving yards were the third most in Colts' postseason history and his 11 receptions were an AFC title game record. How many of these were for first downs or big plays? For two weeks now the story has been about Garcon (do not forget his strip of Ed Reed last week).


On the Jets end of things, how good was Sanchez and just think how good he can be? A majority of the team should be back and they should have Leon Washington and Kris Jenkins back from injury next season. If they get one more big play receiver for Sanchez the AFC East might be put on notice for the future.

3. Saints-Vikings

In two of the last three seasons Brett Favre has cost his team a shot at the Super Bowl with poorly timed interceptions. In the other season he got his head coach fired. Who wants him back next season? Furthermore, the two interceptions that Favre threw allowed him to take over the record for the most INTs by a QB in postseason history with 30. He also set the record for career postseason passing yards and career postseason pass completions.

Now onto the Saints and they sure ain't the Aints anymore. The Saints advanced to their first Super Bowl and became the first home team to win a conference championship game in overtime.  This is also the first time since 1993 that the two No. 1 seeds will face off in the Super Bowl.

You want to know how magical this win was for the Saints? The Vikings ran 27 more plays than the Saints. The Saints only converted 3/12 3^rd down conversions while the Vikings converted 7/12. The Saints were penalized 9 times for 88 yards while the Vikings were penalized 5 times for 32 yards. The Vikings rushed for 165 yards while the Saints rushed for 68. In fact the Vikings gained 475 total yards to the Saints 257. However, the Vikings turned the ball over 5 times while the Saints only coughed it up once. That would be the difference. These numbers are still mind boggling to me.

Somehow, someway the Saints are going to the Super Bowl. My two favorite players in the NFL face-off against each other (Drew Brees and Peyton Manning).  Peyton Manning will play his hometown and fathers team for all the marbles. It should be fun.

4. College Hoop Thoughts

a. I would not put to much stock in Texas losing at K-State and UCONN this week. They are still an outstanding team.
b. Can the Big XII get three final four teams with Texas, Kansas and Kansas State all looking like legitimate contenders.
c. Baylor is not bad either.
d. Can the Big East get all four participants in the Final Four with teams such as legitimate shots.
e. Kentucky and Vanderbilt are the only undefeated SEC teams in conference play. I can understand Kentucky but not Vandy. Good for the Dores but they have a tough week ahead of themselves with visits to Tennessee and Kentucky. Why would the SEC schedule maker do that to any school?
f. If the state of Mississippi can have two top 25 college basketball teams why can’t Georgia?
g. I was pretty impressed with Duke’s second half Saturday night. The Devils are probably the best team in an ACC that is probably a little down.
h. I got to give love to the Captain’s and Coach Dan’s Florida State Seminoles for their win over the Yellow Jackets Sunday afternoon. Solomon Alabi hit two go-ahead free throws with 23 seconds left to give Florida State its second win over a ranked team this season and the season sweep over Georgia Tech.
i. This is the sixth win in the Seminoles' last 19 games against a ranked opponent. Georgia Tech has lost five straight against Florida State. Anytime the Yellow Jackets lose it is a great day for America.
j. College Hoops Power 5
1. Kentucky
2. Kansas
3. Villanova
4. Syracuse
5. Texas

5. College Football Thoughts

a. Apparently Urban Meyer’s health has improved a lot.
b. How does his daughter feel? You remember the one who said it was going to be great to get their Dad back.
c. How is UT Athletic Director Mike Hamilton not on more of a hot seat?
d. ESPN.com has a headline that says “Tebow promises to be himself for NFL scouts.” What the hell is that supposed to mean?
e. I would never let my son play for coach Willie Mack Garza. He was Tennessee secondary coach last year and sometime last week packed up his office and left town and apparently didn't notify anybody on the current staff that he was leaving. Nice real nice.
f. If he winds up on the USC staff I will lose some respect for that great institution.
g. Ron Higgins has this great stat concerning Lane Kiffin leaving after one year. No other SEC head coach has left after one year of his own accord for another job since the 1940s.
h. Great read by Andy Staples that calls College football coach as the toughest job in college sports.
i. Am I the only one dying for spring practice?Villanova, Syracuse, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Georgetown and Syracuse all having

6. Baseball Thoughts

a. Love this quote from Buster Olney: The Mets acquired Gary Matthews Jr., an outfielder who can't hit for average, can't hit for power and can't play defense. Why?
b.  Olney also passes this year-by-year UZR/150 ratings from FanGraphs. Let's just say there's a trend in the numbers:

• 2002: 23.8 (1st among 107 outfielders with at least 500-plus innings)
• 2003: 6.6 (33rd of 105)
• 2004: 21.3 (9th of 107)
• 2005: 18.7 (15th of 112)
• 2006: 1.0 (46th of 108)
• 2007: -12.2 (88th of 108)
• 2008: -13.7 (94th of 112)
• 2009: -24.6 (109th of 115)

c. By the way Olney's blog on ESPN.com is a daily must read. Olney is my third favorite Vanderbilt alum. Tied for #1 is The Admiral and Coach Walters. Who you with?
d. Highest missed swing pct. in NL last season
Ryan Howard 38.9
Mark Reynolds 33.6
Brad Hawpe 29.6
Rick Ankiel 29.3
Ian Stewart 29.3
e. Ryan Howard swung and missed almost 40% of the time last season. He still had an average of .279 last season. Wow.
f. Could Garrett Anderson be up for a reunion in Anaheim now that Sarge Jr. is a Met.
g. How far has Erik Bedard fallen? Three years ago he was one of the top names in baseball. How does that Adam Jones trade look now for the Orioles?
h. Still a decent amount of free agent pitchers on the market. The list includes Bedard, John Smoltz, Pedro Martinez, Ben Sheets, and Livan Hernandez.
i. I would have loved that rotation 5 years ago.
j. Some decent position players available include Hank Blalock, Russell Branyon, Carlos Delgado, Orlando Hudosn, Felipe Lopez, Orlando Cabrera, Jim Thome, Johnny Damon, Jermaine Dye, Xavier Nady and Gary Sheffield.
k. High Chase % in the NL last season
            Bengie Molina 43.9
            Pablo Sandoval 41.5
            Alfonso Soriano 37.0
            Jeff Francoeur 36.0
            Rick Ankiel 34.4
l. So glad none of these guys play for the Braves
m. Next week we will have reaction to my non-steroid team. I had one written for this week but it did not save and I did not feel like writing it again and decided to go with College Football Thoughts instead.

7. What I Read This Week
The first read of the week comes from Hall of Fame Baseball writer Hal McCoy who has covered the Reds the last 37 season for the Dayton Daily News. Unfortunately this great scribe will not be covering the Reds anymore as the Dayton paper has cut out daily Reds coverage. He still posts great reads frequently through his blog on the Dayton Daily News paper website and this week he wrote about spring trainings from yesteryear. Today's ballparks maybe more fan friendly but they are not as fun.

The second read of the week comes from the Washington Post and takes a look at the relationship between former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and radioman Paul Harvey. Previously confidential files show that Harvey, who died last February at 90, enjoyed a 20-year friendship with Hoover, often submitting advance copies of his radio script for comment and approval. Harvey wrote Hoover and his deputies regularly. Hoover, in turn, helped Harvey with research, suggested changes in scripts and showered the broadcaster with effusive praise. We now know the rest of the story. (To easy I know.)

8. 2010 College Top 10

The Coach's first look at 2010. This will probably change when the Coach's official poll comes out in August but we will use this as a start.
1. Alabama - All of Alabama's firepower is coming back on offense, including Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram and receiver Julio Jones. The schedule gets a little more difficult, with home games against Penn State on Sept. 11 and Florida on Oct. 2.By the way they can still play defense.
2. Boise St.-The Broncos will bring back 21 of 22 starters on offense and defense, losing only star cornerback Kyle Wilson. Quarterback Kellen Moore will be a Heisman Trophy candidate. Two big games next year with one at home against Oregon State on Sept. 25 and against Virginia Tech at FedEx Field in Landover, Md., on Oct. 2.
3. Ohio State - Only two starters leave the offense and Terrelle Pryor maybe turning into the player we thought he would be. You know they will play defense. The Buckeyes play Miami at home on Sept. 11, but play road games at Wisconsin and Iowa.
4. Virginia Tech - Tailback Ryan Williams was one of the country's best freshmen in 2009, and sophomore Darren Evans should be back from torn knee ligaments that caused him to miss all of last season. Brutal nonconfrence schedule with games against Central Michigan, East Carolina and Boise St at FedEx Field. I might have overrated the Hokies.
5. Texas - They may lose a Colt and four other starters on offense but is their a program that recruits better? We all saw how good Garrett Gilbert can be with his second half performance in the National Championship game.
6. Iowa - What happens if Ricky Stanzi doesn't get hurt against Northwestern? Stanzi returns for an easier schedule as the Hawkeyes play Ohio State and Penn State at home this season.
7. Florida - I know they lost Tebow and almost entire defense but their still is plenty of talent running around Gainesville. Enough talent that Urban Meyer shouldn't kill himself.
8. Oregon - Oregon returns 10 offensive starters from a group that scored 36 points per game in 2009. They also return 9 starters on defense. I might should have put them higher.
9. Nebraska - The Black Shirt Defense is back. Also 10 starters return on offense so that side of the ball has  be better. Who else in Big XII north can play with them. Also Texas at home does not hurt.
10. Georgia Tech - Can anyone in the ACC figure out the triple option? Defense has to be better under Al Groh.
Just Missed: Oklahoma, TCU, Miami, Penn St, Wisconsin, USC

9. NFL Power 5
1. Indianapolis Colts – Have been my top team for most of the season. Hopefully they will still be here in 14 days.
2. New Orleans Saints – South Beach is going to turn into Bourbon Street south the ext two weeks.
3. Minnesota Vikings – Can they find a QB they trust for the future?
4. New York Jets – How good is this team going to be in the next few years? 
5. San Diego Chargers – Is LT the worst playoff performer of all time?

10. Non Football or Baseball Thoughts
a .I watched the movie Shawshank Redemption for the first time this weekend. I won't say it is the best movie I have even scene but I can not think of a better one at this moment.
b. Tons of memorable quotes and lines but these are probably my favorite five in no particular order:
      1. Andy Dufresne: Bad luck, I guess. It floats around. It's got to land on somebody. It was my turn, that's all. I was in the path of the tornado. I just didn't expect the storm would last as long as it has.
      2. Warden Samuel Norton: I believe in two things: discipline and the Bible. Here you'll receive both. Put your trust in the Lord; your ass belongs to me. Welcome to Shawshank.
      3. Red: [narrating] Forty years I been asking permission to piss. I can't squeeze a drop without say-so.
      4. Fat Ass: I don't belong here! I want to go home! I want my mother!
          Another Prisoner: I had your mother, she wasn't that great!
      5. Andy Dufresne: Get busy living, or get busy dying.
c. It is embarrassing that I have not seen that movie before this weekend. If you haven't seen it, do not tell anyone, just go rent it.
d. Heard some great radio on the way back from Athens on Saturday Night. It had been years since I had last heard some Roll On by Alabama. Great tune.
e. I played some tennis this weekend for the first time since the 90’s. I have a decent forehand but my backhand and serve were pathetic. In all reality my serve was beyond pathetic.
f. I am still quite athletic and was able to run down some shots and hit some winners.
g. We haven’t had a new office in four weeks so when they returned we get a glorified clip show. Can you say lazy?
h. With it being a clip show, I only remember one Kevin clip and that was him spilling a whole thing of chili. Why doesn’t one of the funnier cast members receive more love?
i. Modern Family was its usually awesome self. Plus there was this above average scene of Julie Bowen entering her daughter’s room.
j. “How I Met Your Mother” has given us lingo to introduce into every day life like The Cheerleader Effect, the Lemon Law, The Crazy/Hot Scale, The Bro Code and this past week we learned about the reacher and the settler. It is my goal in life to be a reacher and every red blooded male should have this same goal.
k. In the past 15 years I have not watched much Conan. However, I watched a lot this week and he is a clown but still quite funny. I do not think I could watch nightly like I do with Letterman. I do understand why he has leagues of viewers.
l. In the second ever Ten Things I wrote this; Very interested to see how Jay at 10:00 plays against the CSI’s and the CBS 10:00 lineup. I think we now have our answer.
m. I am a couple of weeks behind in Leverage and Friday Night Lights. Hopefully I can find time to catch up this week.
n. Just as a reminder I will have some squares for sell this week. They will be $5 a piece. The payouts will be $50 for first and third quarters. $150 for halftime and $250 for FINAL SCORE. Let me know if you are interested and I will stop by your desk or fax you a copy of the board to fill out.
o. I saw the movie Youth in Revolt Monday afternoon. Not bad but not great.
p. After Youth In Revolt I snuck into Up In The Air. Pretty good movie that makes me think a lot about my life and I usually enjoy those type of flicks. It has to be mentioned how George Clooney is such a Sky Miles whore in the movie. I respect a good Sky Miles whore.
q. Does anyone have any ideas for content next week? Their will be no football (I am not counting the Pro Bowl) and I will be struggling for ideas to right about. Your help will be much appreciated.
r. For the past three weekends I have made trips to Athens, Ga. I would make it four in a row but there is not much going on this weekend. What a great town.
s. How have I not linked this before now? Looking like a fool with the pants on the ground.
t. Just as a heads up Eric Church will be performing at Wild Bill’s on Saturday night February 20^th. Who all is interested in going? I know I am.
u. I also heard this Luke Bryan song on the way back from Athens. I know it is a remake but still pretty good if you ask me.
v. Does anyone have any great Super Bowl parties planned? It has to be a great party as I will be a bucket of nerves come Super Bowl Sunday. Also last year I went to a decent party but their was a lot of chit chat that took the focus off the game. I can not have that in 13 days.

Quote of the week
Comes from Phil Dunphy on Modern Family. This show is so funny.

Cheerleading in my college was cool. The football players were so jealous they wouldn't even let me and my buddies, Trevor, Scotty and Ling go to their parties.

Text of the week
From my buddy Todd after UGA dominated the Vols on Saturday. Just as a note I was rocking a red sweatervest.

I feel like the sexiness of the sweatervest helped get the W.

I also feel it played a role. However we can not discount the sexiness of the visor or great product. In retrospect the Vols didn't stand a chance on Saturday.