Michigan Pushing Players Too Hard?

It's been a turbulent couple of years for the Michigan Wolverines that includes a coaching change, losses to Appalachian State and Toledo, the first losing season since 1967, and now allegations of players being pushed too hard by coach Rich Rodriguez.

Rodriguez has expectantly denied the reports saying that they are aware of the rules. You may know the rules, Rich, but that doesn't mean you follow them.

The NCAA has specific rules laid out on how much the players can practice and, more or less, be held away from the classroom.

The rules basically say that a during the offseason the players are allowed to spend eight hours on mandatory workouts. During the season, practice time can reach up to 20 hours a week under NCAA standards. Multiple players have said they exceeded those limits easily.

Numerous players from this year's team and last year's team has agreed that they were pushed too hard.

Maybe the biggest name was former wide receiver Toney Clemons who said in an ESPN interview that all the reports are true.

However, there are some former players who are saying they never noticed anything out of the ordinary.

Either way, this is another huge blow to a football program that has so much history and tradition. We are basically watching it crumble before our eyes.

Whether or not the allegations are true, this will hurt recruiting tremendously. The families of top named prospects won't be crazy about sending their kid to a school that has this kind of a reputation.

Many people say that all great powers must come to an end. Well, this could be the beginning of the end to the winningest football program in college football history.

Titans Preseason Assessment

The Titans have had their ups and downs so far this preseason. Under normal circumstances the preseason would be over for the Titans.

However, since they had the honor of playing in the Hall of Fame game the Titans still have one more preseason game remaining which will give them five total. Normally you only play four.

Right now the Titans record is 2-2, but that's really not that important. What is important is how the starters and the second stringers have looked so far.

Starting with the positives, both Jared Cook and Kenny Britt have looked excellent so far. What's even more promising is that both have gotten plenty of time playing against opposing team's starter. They both started in last night's game against the Browns.

Justin Gage looks like he's ready to be the number one wide receiver like last year. He's made some great catches so far this preseason, including a touchdown reception last night from Collins that was a little over thrown. Gage reached out and pulled it in while getting two feet down.

The running game on the other hand has not looked as promising. Chris Johnson has produced little and Lendale White had his first decent game last night when he rushed for 20 yards on only four carries. One bright spot for the running game has been rookie Javon Ringer who will hopefully end up being the third option at running back.

As for the quarterback position, it's been extremely streaky. We know starter Kerry Collins has a cannon for an arm, but he's had some questionable throws as well. As for Vince Young, he's shown slight improvement but has shown he's still prone to making the big mistakes that can lose games. You also can't forget that even though Young has made some impressive throws, a majority of his action has come against backups.

The defense has not looked good at all, especially at stopping the run. They've been so dominant at that in the past and hopefully things will get figured out before the opener in Pittsburgh.

As a team the Titans have shown glimpses of an AFC championship contender, but they still have a long way to go. The Titans better make up ground fast because the schedule is not forgiving at all this season.

Preseason Grade: C+

Key Preseason Stats

1. Kerry Collins: 30/44, 276 yards, 2 TD, 2 Int
2. Vince Young: 34/57, 377 yards, 3 TD, 3 Int
3. Chris Johnson: 22 carries, 54 yards
4. Javon Ringer: 17 carries, 100 yards
   

2009 NFL Preview: NFC

NFC East

Things just got a lot more interesting in the NFC East after last week's epic signing of Michael Vick. This acquisition puts the Eagles over the top as not only the top contender for the division crown, but also for the Super Bowl crown. Just by having Vick on the roster is going to give fits to opposing defensive coordinators who have to plan for him.

The only difference between the upcoming season for the Cowboys and last season is that snazzy new billion dollar stadium they have. Other than that, it will be another sub-par season for the Cowboys. The defense will keep the Giants in games but a ton of question linger with their weak group of wide receivers. The division race will be close early, but the Eagles will pull away as just the more balanced team.

NFC North

The NFC North is probably the most improved division in the NFL going into 2009. Both Jay Cutler and Brett Favre drastically improved their respective teams' offenses. The Packers already had a good offense, but their defense basically sealed the deal with their 6-10 season.

It's going to be a great division race that will go to Week 17 to determine a winner. The Vikings will edge out both the Packers and the Bears to take the division by one game, mostly thanks to their defense and "All Day" Adrian Peterson.

NFC South

The Falcons almost surprised everyone last season by coming up just short of winning the division on the backs of Matt Ryan and Michael Turner. If Ryan can avoid the sophomore slump then the Falcons will take the NFC South without much of a fight. Ryan does avoid the slump and helps get the Falcons back on top.

The high octane offense of the Saints led by Drew Brees may stand in the Falcons' way. However, there's hardly a defense and not enough talent for the Saints to pull the division out.

The Panthers are a big question all around. The biggest question surrounds whether Jake Delhomme has passed his prime or not. The Bucs might be one of the worst teams in the NFC and they'll be lucky to win four games.

NFC West

No team may have an easier road to a division championship than the Arizona Cardinals. Three of the NFL's worst teams reside in the NFC East. The Seahawks, 49ers, and Rams will all be below average teams in 2009. Out of those, the Seahawks probably have the best chance. The Cardinals win this division and it will be all but official by Week 10.

NFC division winners: Eagles, Vikings, Falcons, and Cardinals
NFC wild card winners: Giants and Packers

2009 NFL Preview: AFC

AFC East

The AFC East ended up being one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL last season. A lot of that can be attributed to the Week 1 injury of Tom Brady. Well Tom Brady is back now and so are the Patriots. They finished 11-5 without Tom Brady and will improve on that mark in 2009.

This division got a lot more interesting now that Terrell Owens is member of the Bills. Unfortunately for the Bills, Owens isn't nearly enough to make this team better than 8-8. The Dolphins are the only team that will give the Patriots a challenge for the division, and they'll keep it close early on. In the end, the Patriots are just too stacked on both sides of the ball and they'll take the division crown.

AFC North

The AFC North is a lot more up for grabs than many other division in the NFL. Of course the Steelers and the Ravens will be the two primary teams that will compete for the division. However, don't sleep on the Bengals. If Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco can get back to the way they use to play then this team could be a spoiler down the stretch.

It's going to be a close division race, but I like the Ravens to sneak by at 12-4 over the Steelers. Joe Flacco proved last season that he's a rising star in this league. And we all know how good that defense is.

AFC South

Over the past few seasons the AFC South has been one of the better divisions from top to bottom. Expect it to be even more balanced this season. The Titans and the Colts will be in the mix as usual, but the Texans are a great wild card pick out of this division. The offense will be among the best in the NFL.

What may stand in the Titans way is their quarterback controversy. Both quarterbacks have their own issues at times and it will be interesting to see which one ends up having to lead this team. As of right now it's Kerry Collins. The Colts lost Marvin Harrison but still have a great offense and the Jaguars will once again be the weakest team in a tough division. The Titans end up taking this division with the Texans and Colts very close behind.

AFC West

We go from the toughest division to one of the weakest divisions in the NFL. The Chargers won't be even in the top five among AFC teams this season, but they'll still win their division in pretty convincing fashion. The only team I see even making this close is the Chiefs. The Broncos are a complete mess right now and the Raiders have an offense that's equivilent to a Division II football team.

AFC division winners: Patriots, Ravens, Titans, and Chargers
AFC wild card teams: Texans and Steelers

God Must Not Be a Mets Fan

For all the Mets fans out there, I really do feel for you. What a horrible year 2009 has been. Not to mention the horrific end to the 2008 season.

With all the injuries the Mets have endured, I'm not even sure the manager Jerry Manuel knows the names of half his roster anymore.

The latest disaster for the Mets happened after Johan Santana suffered a season ending elbow injury. The injury doesn't seem to be too serious, but the Mets are doing the right thing by getting Santana the surgery. This thing could get really nasty if Santana misses significant time next season.

There was a ton of buzz behind the Mets back in April, and some had them as a trendy World Series pick. Now the Nationals are the only team keeping them from being the laughing stock of the NL East. And quite frankly the Nationals have looked a whole lot better since the All-Star break.

The Mets hitting lineup has been impacted the most by injuries with at least six significant players currently on the disabled list.

Of course a lot of you probably can't forget the freak accident that happened to Luis Castillo a couple of weeks ago. Castillo couldn't even walk down the steps to dugout without injuring himself. He's back now and is one of the only Mets player that is doing anything good for that team.

Just hang in there Mets fans. You've definitely paid your dues the past couple of seasons while the NL East has gotten better and better ( except those poor Nationals).

Current Mets on the Disabled List

• Jose Reyes ( hamstring)
• Carlos Beltran ( knee)
• Carlos Delgado (hip, oblique)
• David Wright (concussion)
• Alex Cora (thumbs)
• Johan Santana (elbow)
• John Maine (shoulder)
• J.J. Putz (bone chips)
• Fernando Nieve (thigh)
  

Young Still the Future In Tennessee

At this time last year all the hype was around Vince Young. He was unquestionably the starter, but he was on a short leash with many fans.

We all know how that story ended since Vince Young is now the backup to the aging Kerry Collins. I still wouldn't rule out seeing Vince Young start sometime this season. Collins is getting old and hasn't looked sharp this preseason, and neither has the rest of the first-string offense.

On the other hand, Vince Young has shown that all those offseason workouts have paid off. I've seen improvement in his pocket presence and his accuracy. Even better, I see a guy who has that competitive spark back. He looks like he's ready to lead a team again.

The Titans have to be prepared to take a risk on Vince Young sooner or later. Why not sooner?

Collins is the safe option here because you know what you're going to get with him. He'll hit those short five-yard out routs. He'll nickle and dime the defense all the way down the field. However, don't ask this guy to convert a third-down if its more than five yards. He'll throw a pick or just throw it away.

Collins isn't a play-maker. He manages games. He does nothing more and sometimes does way less. We may snag the wild card if Collins is our starter the entire year, but we won't get past the first round.

The possibilities with Vince are so much greater. He finds ways to win games and we have already seen that in his first two seasons. The guy deserves a second chance. End of story.

Playoff Races Are Heating Up

It's getting to that time of year where the regular season turns into an all out sprint to the finish line in the MLB.

Every division is still very much up for the taking with the largest division lead being in the NL Central at eight games. The Cardinals will most likely continue to run away with that division because the Cubs and the Brewers just keep fading.

Perhaps one of the most exciting division race is the NL West, which everyone thought would be easily won by the Dodgers. The Giants and the Rockies beg to differ and they're currently in the midst of a four game series that concludes on Monday.

All three divisions in the AL are still very much up for grabs. The Rangers still have seven more games against the division leading Angels and they've had their number for most of the season.

It's still a mystery to me that the Tigers still have the division lead. They might be the most inconsistent team in baseball and it might come back to haunt them in the end. They only have a slim two and a half game lead over the White Sox. The Twins are also still within shouting distance.

And then you have the most stacked division in all of baseball; the AL East. The Yankees got deomolished last night by the Red Sox 14-1. Lucky for them they still have a six and a half game lead over their hated rivals.

Finally you got both wild card races, which are always close. Right now the Rockies lead the NL wild card race and the Red Sox lead the AL wild card race.

It's been a long, grueling, and boring summer in the sports world. That's putting it mildly. With football just weeks away and the baseball season heating up, I couldn't be happier to be a sports fan!

NL division leaders: Dodgers, Cardinals, and Phillies
NL Wild Card contenders: Rockies (leader), Giants, Braves, Marlins
AL division leaders: Yankees, Angels, and Tigers
AL Wild Card contenders: Red Sox (leader), Rangers, Rays, Mariners, White Sox