Football is my favorite of all sports, college especially. However, it really makes me laugh to hear "analysts" and fans' overreactions following a weekend of games.
For example, I'm from Nebraska, where college football IS the sport in the state. Following their tough win over Fresno State on Saturday night, I can't tell you how many Facebook posts I read which stated that Nebraska was awful, that they'd be lucky to make a bowl game, etc. For the record, Nebraska is 2-0 right now. They have 10 games left in the regular season. Isn't it a bit soon to be making such predictions? Let's wait to see how they start off in conference play.
Ohio State faced similar scrutiny after almost losing to Toledo on Saturday. Once again, the Buckeyes are 2-0 right now. We'll learn more about the team this coming weekend as they face Miami (Florida) and in the weeks to come when they enter Big Ten (12...) conference play. Calm down, guys...
Rookie Carolina Panthers' quarterback, Cam Newton, threw for over 400 yards in his NFL debut and some people are already coming forward and heralding him as the next great quarterback. Yes, he had a great game and especially for it being his very first, but let's put some perspective on this. It's one game. He's bound to have some ups and downs this season. His arm strength (Steve Smith helps with those deep balls) and athleticism have never been questioned. His accuracy in throwing the football along with the mental aspect to the game are what have been questioned. It will take much more than a single week to determine how well he will do at the professional level. He's off to a great start, but let's slow down with the lofty projections.
The Georgia Bulldogs are 0-2 following two tough losses to Boise State and South Carolina (both Top Ten teams right now) and some commentators are already calling it the end of Mark Richt's tenure in Athens. The Bulldogs are 0-1 in SEC play. If they can turn it around, win their division and wind up at a respectable bowl game, then what? There is a LONG way to go this season. Georgia finished with a disappointed 6 wins last year. They'll need to go 7-3 the rest of the way to top that, but it's possible. Mark Richt has done a great job at Georgia. Give the guy more than two games this season to determine his future.
The Philadelphia Eagles, labeled as the Dream Team by some in the media, "lived up to the hype" in their week 1 victory over the up-and-coming St. Louis Rams on the road. The Eagles put up 31 points in the game, racked up over 400 yards and appeared to get more dominant offensively as the game progressed. However, they were soft against the run and their offensive line struggled opening holes for the running backs in the first half and in protecting Michael Vick for the game's duration. They have a lot of talent on the team, but again, let's wait before saying they've lived up to the before-mentioned hype.
It's nuts. Here we are, two weeks into a 12- and 16-game season and we're already speaking in absolutes. We haven't the slightest idea who will play in the BCS National Championship Game or the Super Bowl, who the Heisman Trophy winner will be or the NFL MVP. We don't know who may go undefeated or winless in either the NFL or college ball. We don't know much of anything at this point. The sampling is too small to make very accurate predictions. Let's just sit back, enjoy and as the season moves along, start talking more in-depthly about all of the before-mentioned topics. Alright, so, is it Saturday yet? Hurry up, already!
For example, I'm from Nebraska, where college football IS the sport in the state. Following their tough win over Fresno State on Saturday night, I can't tell you how many Facebook posts I read which stated that Nebraska was awful, that they'd be lucky to make a bowl game, etc. For the record, Nebraska is 2-0 right now. They have 10 games left in the regular season. Isn't it a bit soon to be making such predictions? Let's wait to see how they start off in conference play.
Ohio State faced similar scrutiny after almost losing to Toledo on Saturday. Once again, the Buckeyes are 2-0 right now. We'll learn more about the team this coming weekend as they face Miami (Florida) and in the weeks to come when they enter Big Ten (12...) conference play. Calm down, guys...
Rookie Carolina Panthers' quarterback, Cam Newton, threw for over 400 yards in his NFL debut and some people are already coming forward and heralding him as the next great quarterback. Yes, he had a great game and especially for it being his very first, but let's put some perspective on this. It's one game. He's bound to have some ups and downs this season. His arm strength (Steve Smith helps with those deep balls) and athleticism have never been questioned. His accuracy in throwing the football along with the mental aspect to the game are what have been questioned. It will take much more than a single week to determine how well he will do at the professional level. He's off to a great start, but let's slow down with the lofty projections.
The Georgia Bulldogs are 0-2 following two tough losses to Boise State and South Carolina (both Top Ten teams right now) and some commentators are already calling it the end of Mark Richt's tenure in Athens. The Bulldogs are 0-1 in SEC play. If they can turn it around, win their division and wind up at a respectable bowl game, then what? There is a LONG way to go this season. Georgia finished with a disappointed 6 wins last year. They'll need to go 7-3 the rest of the way to top that, but it's possible. Mark Richt has done a great job at Georgia. Give the guy more than two games this season to determine his future.
The Philadelphia Eagles, labeled as the Dream Team by some in the media, "lived up to the hype" in their week 1 victory over the up-and-coming St. Louis Rams on the road. The Eagles put up 31 points in the game, racked up over 400 yards and appeared to get more dominant offensively as the game progressed. However, they were soft against the run and their offensive line struggled opening holes for the running backs in the first half and in protecting Michael Vick for the game's duration. They have a lot of talent on the team, but again, let's wait before saying they've lived up to the before-mentioned hype.
It's nuts. Here we are, two weeks into a 12- and 16-game season and we're already speaking in absolutes. We haven't the slightest idea who will play in the BCS National Championship Game or the Super Bowl, who the Heisman Trophy winner will be or the NFL MVP. We don't know who may go undefeated or winless in either the NFL or college ball. We don't know much of anything at this point. The sampling is too small to make very accurate predictions. Let's just sit back, enjoy and as the season moves along, start talking more in-depthly about all of the before-mentioned topics. Alright, so, is it Saturday yet? Hurry up, already!
Comments
Post a Comment