JAGUARS After two tough away-game losses, the Jaguars now come back to the friendly confines of Alltel, this time hosting the New York Jets.
At the beginning of the season, looking at the schedule, a 2-2 record for the Jags would’ve been satisfactory, considering the opponents. They had opportunities to win these last two games, but slipped in each case. If nothing else, what we do know is that after the first month of the regular season, the Jaguars are a fairly tough bunch, especially on Defense, and can compete with a lot of the better, marquee teams in the League. Switch the outcome of a few plays, and Jacksonville could be 4-0.
Now, the boys are little dinged up, but glad to be home playing this game before a needed off-week break to heal some wounds. The Jets in many respects are a welcome opponent. At 2-2, they are a good team, having given the Colts a scare last week. They are able to move the ball and score points on offense. QB Chad Pennington is healthy in leading the passing game, and he has a nice corps of receivers, led by Jacksonville native Laveranues Coles. Rookie RB Leon Washington (FSU) has also become effective, on offense and special teams. The Jets’ weakness is their Defense, which is giving up points. They run a 4-3, led by DE Shaun Ellis and LB Jonathan Vilma. This is a game the Jags should win, but they better be careful in taking care of business. We shall see how things play out.
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE There are three undefeated teams left in ‘The League’. While the Colts and Bears have garnered attention, the team that has slipped through the cracks is the Ravens. Baltimore once again has an awesome defense, only giving up 33 points in four games. Combined with an opportunistic offense, led by veteran QB Steve McNair, the Ravens are one tough squad. They go into Denver on Monday night as a slight underdog, but I believe that’s more because of a lack of respect than anything else. Look for Baltimore to beat the Broncos and go to 5-0. Meanwhile, there will be a game on Sunday that I’d like to christen the ‘Awful Bowl’, that being the 49ers and Raiders mixing it up. This should be a horrendous game. Both teams have been playing bad football so far this season, pure and simple. The winner of this game will only be considered the best in the Bay area, and that’s it.
The NFC East will feature two dogfights this weekend. The Cowboys go to Philly (look out, T.O.), while the Redskins play the Giants in New Jersey. There will be some nasty action, for sure, in these two contests.
And, while all this is happening in the next few weeks, Titan DL Albert Haynesworth will be talking to the WWE for a possible job as a featured wrestler on pay-per-view.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL The SEC will give us some nice matchups this weekend. IN Gainesville, the Gators will host the LSU Tigers, who bring a chip on their shoulder. Florida beat Alabama handily, but LSU is a slight step up in talent and ability. We’ll see what Urban and the Boys do. Then, the Georgia Bulldogs host Tennessee in Athens. The big question here is who will play QB for the ‘Dogs. Each week (hell, each series) has given us someone different. Its as if I could’ve gone in, had I been there. Nonetheless, Georgia will have a tough battle with the Vols, but they should prevail.
Out in Texas, the Longhorns and Sooners will mix it up in Dallas for a traditional scrap. Oklahoma is still feeling stung from their controversial loss to the Oregon Ducks. I’m sure no one wants to get beaten by a Duck!
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL The Divisional Series are underway. It seems the favorites are the Yankees (AL) and the Mets (NL). However, what we need to look at is which team has the best pitching staffs, more so than any other one aspect. Simply put, good pitching will beat good hitting every single time. (My distant friend, former MLB C Rick Wilkins, told me that, and I believe him.)
So, keeping that in mind, realize that the Yankees have an extremely potent lineup of hitters, but it’s the guys that throw that make the difference. Randy Johnson, Mike Mussina, and Chien-Ming Wang must give them quality starts, and then their bullpen simply has to get outs in order to set the table for closer Mariano Rivera. Same goes for the Mets, who will rely on Tom Glavine, Steve Trachsel, and Orlando Hernandez to give them scoreless innings to start. If not, then opponents will take advantage of bad pitching, and you will see upsets. At this point in the game, salaries and market size mean nothing. Its all about who’s playing good baseball RIGHT NOW. We shall see.
Tom Weppel talks trash on Thursdays from 7-8 p.m. on WIOJ-AM 1010, and on SportsAvengers.com 24/7.
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