The Saints lost. To Dallas. (NFL)

There I was, pumped for last night's TNF game, hoping to see the high-powered New Orleans offence pick apart let another average team. I was predicting Drew Brees to put up 4 touchdowns and a mess of yards against Dallas. Boy was I wrong!  Nothing of the sort even came close to happening!

The Saints' offence looked dazed and confused, Brees looked worse than a rookie, completing very little of his passes to receivers that dropped or mismanaged almost every target. The Saints' defence looked porous and flat, like they were standing still the whole time. The Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott ran through them like it was nothing, muscling his way into gains and decent yardage. Dak Prescott looked a lot better than he had in recent weeks as well, and for once, you could hear the crowd in Dallas cheering loudly and going nuts with most of the plays.

Could the Saints have gotten a little complacent and expected to just win out? It's possible. The Saints players on the sidelines seemed to look on in disbelief as the Dallas offence got first down after first down, as if they had never seen someone do that to them before. I think this loss will motivate New Orleans to be better, and give them a wake-up call that they just may have needed. Better to have this happen now then on entrance to the playoffs.

Look for New Orleans to really put a beat down on Tampa Bay in Week 14. They'll be rested, better conditioned, and looking to prove that the loss to the Cowboys was but a fluke.

The 106th Grey Cup. (CFL)

After watching the 106th edition of the Grey Cup, I'm going to give my thoughts on the big game, but will focus only on the football aspect, and not some of the political things I noticed during the pre-game and whatnot.

Ottawa. The RedBlacks could have easily won this game, instead focusing on bad play calling, and taking silly penalties that cost them scores or field position. It's too easy to blame the field conditions, as this is what it's like when you play football in November in Canada. I believe that Trevor Harris will one day win a Grey Cup, but I don't think it will be with Ottawa. Rick Campbell should remain the head coach, as it's hard to get to a Grey Cup, let alone get to three of them in five years, and winning one of them.

Calgary. They didn't play as good as they could have, but they played just a little better than Ottawa to win said Grey Cup. Unfortunately, Calgary always making it to the final, and this time winning it is not that good for the league as a whole. Add to to fact that Dave Dickenson is an arrogant complainer, and his QB Bo Levi Mitchell likes to throw tantrums, the result wasn't what most of Canada really wanted. But......these things happen from time to time.

Halftime. Didn't watch it. Who the hell is Alessia Cara, anyways?

Let me end this by saying the game was decent, and had some entertainment value. Now that it's over, we can look forward to the 2019 CFL season!

Go Bombers!!!

Notre Dame, 12-0 in the regular season! (NCAA)

There have been a lot of doubters this season, publicly stating that Notre Dame was going to drop a game to a 'better' team on various weekends of the NCAA regular season. There have even been a couple games where it looked as if the Fighting Irish might not pull out the win, and yet here we are, discussing a perfect regular season record of 12-0, also qualifying them for the College Football playoffs, and a shot at the BCS National Championship.

Great teams find a way to win, no matter the odds, and Notre Dame has done just that this year, overcoming adversity, and coming from behind on a few occasions to help them to this record. This team is a special one, and the grit and determination shown by the players is truly inspiring. I'm saying all of this not just as a Notre Dame fan, but as a football fan in general.  Coach Kelly and his staff have done an exceptional job this year, and we can only hope it translates into him and the whole team lifting that championship trophy in January.

"Play like a champion TODAY....."

Some late November football thoughts. (NFL/CFL/NCAA)

The Big Breesy. Managed to catch the late game last night (worked most of the day and missed the first two), and wasn't disappointed. Drew Brees and the Saints once again controlled most of the game and scored more than 30 points. Sure, Brees had an interception last night (which really is no big deal seeing how it's only his second all year), but he was still making awesome plays left and right almost effortlessly. The Saints are a lot of fun to watch this year.

The M.O.P. award goes to the wrong dude. Last night was also the CFL's night to hand out awards, and they got it wrong by giving the Most Outstanding Player award to the Stampeders' Bo Levi Mitchell over the Redblacks' Brad Sinopoli. I'm not saying Mitchell is not a good player, I'm saying that Sinopoli was a stud this year, going above and beyond to help his team get a berth in Sunday's Grey Cup game. He's a true team player, while Mitchell takes after his coach and throws tantrums a little too often when he doesn't get his way.

Last game of the season. Saturday night's contest between Notre Dame and USC marks the last regular season game for the Irish, who will look to go 12-0 and secure a spot in the BCS National Championship. These two teams have a decent rivalry, and it should be a great game overall. Look for both teams to pound the ball on the ground in this one.

My thoughts on the Alliance of American Football. (AAF)

Oh you expected another awesome NFL post? Well.....I have been doing some reading on the upcoming AAF inaugural season, and I like what I see so far.

The AAF will run eight teams across two divisions with a schedule that starts after the NFL's Super Bowl, and is slated to run for ten weeks of regular season action before the start of a four team playoff. Notable rules include the lack of kickoffs, with every team starting on the 25-yard line after a score.

There will be no extra points kicked in after a touchdown, with two-point conversion attempts being required. The play clock will only be 30 seconds, as opposed to the NFL's 40 seconds, and games cannot end in a tie whatsoever. While I disagree with the lack of kickoffs, I like their position on ties, as well as the fact that the two coaches challenges are the only replays in the game (aside from scoring plays inside two minutes). This might eliminate the drag the NFL suffers from whenever there is a replay.

Whether or not this new league will last more than one season has yet to be determined, but I think it could be a lot of fun, especially at the time of year when there normally is no football. Only time will tell how this all ends up.

That being said, I'm always game for more football!

Alex Smith makes it a double, Trubisky is the real deal. (NFL)

I keep telling people that the universe screws with people, sometimes picks on them, and once and a while reminds people it's still around. This rang true yesterday, with Redskins QB Alex Smith suffering a double fractured leg 33 years to the DAY that Redskins QB Joe Theismann suffered the same fate. Luckily, Alex Smith's career doesn't seem to be in jeopardy, while Theismann's career pretty much ended abruptly when his injury happened.

Today, it seems the Redskins signed Mark Sanchez to back up Colt McCoy, a move which makes no sense because Sanchez is garbage, plain and simple. This is the same man that was an interception machine for the Jets, and gave the world the now-infamous "butt fumble".

That's Washington for you, folks.

Also.....Mitch Trubisky is the real deal over in Chicago. The more I watch the kid play, the more I like him and wish my 49ers hadn't traded that pick in the draft. He runs, he guns, he has amazing situational awareness, and his decision making process is excellent. I can easily see Chicago winning a Super Bowl in the next few years with Trubisky at the helm, providing they get him more targets, and shore up the O-line.

When you watch the Trubisky show, are you not entertained?

The reasons why the Blue Bombers just lost the Western final. (CFL)

To say I'm disgusted with how the Western final was played out, is an understatement. The Stampeders did not win so much as the Bombers lost. No one really wanted to see the Stamps back in the Grey Cup for the third time in a row, nor do they deserve to be there. But.....let me now focus on the game, and why Winnipeg met their demise.

Poor play calling on offence and defence. OC Paul LaPolice's offensive unit looked pathetic out there, running when they should be throwing, and making ridiculous play calls, especially in the second half. Line up in the shotgun on 3rd and 10 for a few yards when Harris could easily rumble for that and more? C'mon, meathead. Add to the fact that Richie Hall's defence STUNK and what do we have? A boatload of missed opportunity. Hall and LaPolice should be fired, immediately.

Matt Nichols. Not much to say here other than the fact that he is NOT elite, and can't win the big games. He was completely ineffective, and played it safe more than anything, Matt Nichols is not a risk-taker, and needs to be dealt or let go. He is NOT the future at QB, and never was.

Officiating. Again, we're faced with slanted reffing over and over. Heaven forbid Winnipeg gets a fair game called. Can't have the Stamps not go to the Grey Cup again and again and again, right? Complete nonsense calls by CFL refs screwed the Bombers in the second half. This never seems to get cleaned up, and it's disturbing. Personally, I'm tired as fuck of crap like this.

Did I mention that Coach O'Shea needs to be fired as well?

College football and the home stretch. (NCAA)

It's true! I'm still here! I haven't posted in a little while, mainly because life has been keeping me busy, so let's get this show back on the road, shall we? The second last regular season week has just been played in the NCAA, and here's my take on what's going on right now.

UCF. As I've mentioned before in a previous post (and have been vocal about on Twitter as well), it seems that UCF keeps getting screwed by the committee, even though they are undefeated in 23 straight games. That's a huge feat in ANY league, never mind just football. They should be in the playoff hunt, if not the top ten. And don't start griping about their schedule, either. Alabama, who is still #1 (unfortunately), has had the weakest schedule year after year. So shut up.

Urban Meyer needs to calm down. This is a coach (who was suspended to start the season, by the way) who never really shows much emotion. Until yesterday! He was pulling his hair out, jumping around like an idiot, and yelling at all sorts of things. It's no wonder his team played poorly for most of the game, and just barely escaped with a win, due to the failure of Maryland's late 2-point conversion. Ohio State looks beatable, and Urban Meyer looks stupid.

Here come the Irish! Notre Dame tore apart a strong Syracuse team, almost completely shutting them out (save for a late field goal). Props to  the Orange to try and keep reloading, but came up with the same result. Notre Dame is for real, and they're 11-0 record is no mistake. Bring on USC! And......it was kinda cool to see them play at Yankee Stadium. Always neat to see football in a baseball stadium. Good stuff!

Now, where are my peanuts?

Marc Trestman was scapegoated. Period. (CFL)

Over the course of a football season, be it CFL, NFL, or NCAA, I'm usually the first person calling for a coaches' head IF they are the true reason the team they represent stunk up the place. A coach that cannot motivate his players o get the best out of them deserves to be fired.

This is not the case today with the news that the Toronto Argonauts have fired head coach Marc Trestman, after a 4-14 record this season. Trestman just last year won a Grey Cup with the Argos, and was expected to be around for some time, in tandem with GM Jim Popp. This move by the Argos front office is surprising, due to the fact that the Argos were depleted due to injuries, leaving their roster quite thin. The most notable injury knocked out starting QB Ricky Ray (who will probably retire) and screwed the Argos' chances almost immediately.

Trestman has a reputation as a coach that can get the best out of his team and win championships. He did it twice in Montreal, and last year guided the 9-9 Argos to another Grey Cup victory. The Argos' management has sat on their hands all season, doing little to help Trestman or the team. Jim Popp (who has worked with Trestman for over 8 seasons) has become the ultimate back-stabber. It's clear that management not only hung Trestman out to dry, but made him the ultimate scapegoat, and for no good reason.

To the Argos' management: You reap what you sow.

Returns, departures, and boy was I wrong! (NFL/CFL)

Well now. Saturday isn't even over yet, and I already have things to talk about! (in between the college football I'm watching at the present moment) It seems there are things afoot that just need to be critiqued and dissected by yours truly. Here goes!

Bradford goes bye-bye. The Arizona Cardinals have apparently just released QB Sam Bradford, and I can't say I'm surprised. Bradford is long past his best before date, and has been one knee injury away from retirement for several seasons now. I was more surprised when Arizona first signed him than I am now with his release. Arizona has sucked for two seasons (at least!) and need to move forward. This is what I would call a 'good start'.

Drew Tate, redux. Yes, the same Drew Tate that retired from the CFL back in June is back, and with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. This sort of makes sense, due to the current Zach Collaros-gets-hit-in-the-head episode. The thing I don't understand is why the Roughies always seem to sign geriatric players who are well past their best years. Tate was never that good to begin with, always being a back-up in Calgary, or getting himself injured when called up to be a starter. I don't think he's the answer, and neither is Collaros, who is damaged goods by default.

TNF. I had said in my previous post that the game was essentially going to be a shit-show, and that Mullens was a nobody. I was wrong it seems. Mullens is the real deal, and the game turned out to be a blowout. Luckily, I was quite inebriated by the third quarter, and didn't have to worry about my 49ers at that point. Rye and gingers will do that to you, and I imagine Raiders fans are busy getting more drunk than me to forget their awful team and it's equally awful season. Never mind the fact that they gave up long before halftime. Bartender, a round for all my friends!