Tuesday Blog

The following is certainly things that interest only me. But, I was bored last night, and thought I would research the games I have seen on my two soccer trips to England. Easily the best game was the ManU – West Ham game, where Beckham played so well it was scary. Another trip is planned for this spring (ManU at Liverpool), but here they are:

Deportivo 2, Arsenal 0 3/12/2002

Manchester United 5, West Ham 3 3/16/2002

Arsenal 2, Charlton 1 2/28/2004

Newcastle 1, Portsmouth 1 2/29/2004

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Owens claims he is ready to roll …

Owens has been slowed by a strained left hamstring, but he played in last week's preseason finale, catching one pass, and said he had no problem with more work Monday.

"It's doing great at the moment," Owens said. "We're being very, very smart about it, trying not to have any relapses. I had a little more reps than I had last week, broke a little bit of a sweat. It's going to be day-to-day, but at the same time, I'll be full go on Sunday."

Parcells wasn't ready to say Owens will start Sunday, and Owens said it would not be a big deal if he didn't. Three receivers are rotating opposite Terry Glenn in practice this week: Owens, Patrick Crayton and Sam Hurd.

"We'll see where we are and what role he can handle," Parcells said.

Owens said he is feeling more comfortable in the offense and spent time after Monday's practice catching passes from quarterback Drew Bledsoe.

"He knows I'm important to him, and he's important to me," Owens said, "so we're going to try to do everything after practices daily to get a feel for one another."

Looking at Jacksonville …

The Jaguars are 4-2 in season openers at Alltel Stadium, including a 26-14 win against eventual NFC champion Seattle last year. When the Cowboys signed Drew Bledsoe last year, they made a point of mentioning they had to be stout on the interior of the offensive line. Jacksonville brings Marcus Stroud and John Henderson to the table, perhaps the best defensive tackle pairing in the league. Not only are they factors in the run, but they can cause problems in the passing game. Center Andre Gurode will be tested.

In Jacksonville, Drew Bledsoe’s track record is known …

Immobility and precision passing - you must capitalize on the former to neutralize the latter - when defending Dallas Cowboys quarterback Drew Bledsoe.
That's the mind-set the Jaguars take into Sunday's season opener against the Cowboys. But if the past is any indication, the Jaguars' strategy is a lot tougher than it sounds.

"We know basically how Drew is," Jaguars defensive end Paul Spicer said. "When he was with Buffalo during Jack's [Del Rio] first year [2003], he came in here and picked us apart. We know he can play."

The Jaguars also are aware of Bledsoe's other side - his penchant for bad decision-making under pressure. In seven losses last season, Bledsoe threw for a little more than a touchdown (1.14) and nearly two interceptions (1.71) per game, and he was sacked more than three times (3.57) per outing.

Bledsoe also fumbled at least once in six of the seven losses and twice in three of them. Dallas' offensive line gave up 50 sacks in 2005, a 14-sack increase from the previous season.

"So if we put pressure on him and get him rattled, he'll make mistakes," Spicer said. "If we get some hits on him, he'll start throwing the ball up so our defensive backs can get some picks. [He'll start] holding the ball, which helps our defensive line get sacks and fumbles.

"It doesn't matter how he plays. What matters is that we come out and pressure him. If we can do that, when the smoke clears, the Jaguars will come in this locker room after the game with a big smile on our faces."

The Rules of the locker room …

Here are some rules the Cowboys gave their players in a memo since they're now back full time at Valley Ranch and the season is about to start:

Cellphones must be turned off when entering the locker room.

No outsiders -- agents, barbers, family, friends, car dealers, tailors, jewelers, etc. -- in the locker room without prior approval from coach Parcells.

No food in the locker room, meeting rooms, training rooms or weight room.

This final rule might sound dumb, but remember that Emmitt, Michael and Larry used to park their cars anywhere and everywhere.

Each car will be towed if it is parked in a fire lane or loading dock area. One car/truck per parking spot.

The Cowboys were also generous enough to list the two towing companies that will be used for violators of these rules.

If Peter King is smart, The Cowboys win the NFC East …and go to the Super Bowl…

1. Dallas, 11-5: John Madden's right: The most impressive unit of this preseason was Dallas' defense. Great move making Greg Ellis, who was a bit physically overmatched as an every-down defensive end, a latter-day Willie McGinest as strongside linebacker -- even though Bobby Carpenter's going to be a good one eventually -- and this is a deep front seven. Bill Parcells might have an interesting safety in 6-foot-5, 215-pound Pat Watkins, who'll be the tallest safety in recent history. Re: T.O., he won't destroy the chemistry here. Just a gut feeling.

How should you prepare for the #1 team in the country? Roll in your Mercury with Weed and Guns is what Tarell Brown says …And Longhorn scrambles for excuses…The most popular choice is to blame the one guy in the car who isn’t still on the team. It was all his pot.

Texas cornerback Tarell Brown, the player who was most likely to cover electrifying Ohio State receiver Ted Ginn in Saturday's top-5 showdown, has been arrested on misdemeanor marijuana and weapons charges.

Brown, along with backup linebacker Tyrell Gatewood and former UT player Aaron Harris, was arrested Monday after an early-morning traffic stop in north Austin. Brown, according to Travis County deputies, was carrying a loaded handgun at the time.

It was unclear how the players' arrests would affect their availability for Saturday's game, but based on UT coach Mack Brown's history, a suspension is possible.

In 2003, the coach suspended Cedric Benson for a game against Baylor after the running back was arrested on trespassing charges earlier in the week.
"At this time, we are holding (Brown and Gatewood) out of all team functions as we gather as much information as possible before making a team decision," Mack Brown said.

According to a sheriff's report, Harris was driving Gatewood's white 2003 Mercury erratically on Interstate 35 shortly after 2:30 a.m. After stopping the vehicle, sheriff's deputies say, they found less than two grams of marijuana in a common area of the car.

They also found a small amount of marijuana in Harris' pocket.

In addition, deputies say they discovered a loaded 9 mm handgun on Brown's lap. According to the report, Brown and Gatewood were asleep at the time of the stop.
Jamie Balagia, an attorney representing Brown and Gatewood, said Harris claimed the drugs were his. Balagia also said Brown and Gatewood took a drug test Monday afternoon to prove the marijuana did not belong to them. Results are pending.

Longhorn favored …

Texas is favored by 2½ points, but Young said he feels as though the Longhorns are an underdog because Ohio State is No. 1.

"We got an underdog feel," Young said. "But in our hearts, we feel like we're the No. 1 team. We've got to win every game to prove it."

Asked if he was surprised Texas isn't the No. 1 team, Young said, "I guess they [the voters] forget Texas is the home of football, and I guess since we believe that so much, they put us down in the rankings and try to make us prove it."

Young said heat would probably be a factor for Ohio State. It was more than 100 degrees on the field during UT's win Saturday against North Texas.

"Whether we're up there in December or they are down here, it feels like hell," he said.

Wow. Fraley joins me in the small group known as “media guys who think Nelson may not be perfect…

Don Nelson has swindled another NBA owner, getting a three-year deal worth at least $15 million to coach Golden State.

It is an ideal situation for Nelson: no center and no expectations. As he showed with the Mavericks, Nelson can build up a bad team, but he wants nothing to do with a good team.

Those teams are expected to win, and that means the coach must work at it. Nelson is an excellent game coach but has no interest in the other demands of the job. The built-in excuse of no center guarantees a smooth ride to the bank.

TR Sullivan assures us that it is not Buck’s fault …at TEXASRANGERS.COM where it is always difficult to find defenders of the Rangers, right?

Now there is the perception the Rangers have underachieved this year. Really? Who?
Mark Teixeira, who has had two terrific years under Showalter, is on pace to drive in 43 runs fewer than last year, while Kevin Millwood had his troubles pitching at home. Who else?

Gary Matthews Jr. and Mark DeRosa have had their best seasons, the catching tandem has worked and Ian Kinsler has been solid at second base. Vicente Padilla is having his best season, the bullpen, led by Akinori Otsuka, has been in the top five in the American League, even if Francisco Cordero had a terrible April. Michael Young is having his usual year.

Hank Blalock? He's on pace for 96 RBIs, which would be the second-highest total for him in his four-year career. Kevin Mench has been for the Brewers about what he was for the Rangers.

The primary reason the Rangers didn't win this year is because their starting pitching has a 5.22 ERA, the third-highest in the American League. Adam Eaton got hurt, Kameron Loe wasn't what they expected and the Rangers were constantly trying to fill up to three spots in the rotation.

The secondary reason is Brad Wilkerson had a shoulder problem and did not provide the offensive boost expected from him. Trading Alfonso Soriano obviously backfired on the Rangers, and that probably had a bigger impact on Teixeira than at first realized. Getting very little from Phil Nevin as the designated hitter before he was traded to the Cubs also hurt.

Texas might have been able to overcome all that with better starting pitching. But that wasn't the case, and the Rangers will miss the playoffs for the seventh straight year, including four under Showalter.

Florida State beats Miami ..very good game, with great defense. Or was it bad offense?

FSU -Miami
Rushing 1 -2
Rushing Att 25 -26
Yds per rush 0.0 -0.1

That’s right, folks. 51 carries for 3 yards from the two teams last night. Amazing.

The Hockey News looks at Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Carolina, Florida and their offseason moves…

EPL TV Schedule for September …Wow. So many games, so little time….



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