What If The Redskins Never Drafted RGIII?

Well, I think the experiment may be just about over.  After a surprising rookie of the year campaign, capped off by a NFC East title and a torn ACL, I believe it is time to put Robert Griffin III out to pasture.  Are there other issues with the Washington Professional Football Team?  Sure.  But this team beat the Tennessee Titans and the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas (who were in 1st) with Colt McCoy, because of McCoy's play, and McCoy isn't even that great.  What he can do, however, is play smart, fast, and unselfish.  Colt McCoy understands that, if the pass rush is getting to him, he needs to throw the ball faster.  He gets that forcing a ball into triple coverage probably isn't the best idea.  He seems to know that the Redskins have very talented position players, so all he has to do is get them the ball and watch them work.  Yet it seems like the franchise QB in Landover, Maryland doesn't get any of that.  His play speaks for itself.  RGIII has regressed because he doesn't have that speed anymore.  He isn't a true rushing threat because his knees are gone, and if he gets hit he will just get hurt once more.  At least when Derrick Rose gets hurt and comes back, he plays well.  Griffin is lost, and has lost his team and the fans.  I don't think he ever had the coach.  Pretty soon, he will lose the owner too.  Then all he will have is his Subway commercials to rock himself to sleep at night.

So, looking back on it, was it worth it to trade three 1st round picks and a 2nd round pick for a guy that gave you one good season?  Hey, I liked RGIII coming out of college.  But I also believe in building through the draft, and not trading up often.  That many picks for one guy?  Quite a hefty haul for a QB with an injury history.  Also, because no one seems to remember this, Heisman trophy winners haven't been that good in the NFL recently.  Cam Newton? Regressing very quickly.  Mark Ingram?  Just now becoming a true feature back.  Bradford? Nope. Tebow? Ha! Bush? Nice complimentary back.  Palmer? Hurt again.  You'd have to go back to Ricky Williams or (a better example) future Hall of Famer Charles Woodson to get a true impact player who won the Heisman.  So, knowing RGIII had an injury history, and knowing that Heisman winners didn't do well, what if the Redskins had decided to stay at the #6 pick and keep all those future selections?  What if the Redskins never drafted Robert Griffin III?  Let's break it down by draft.  Note- I am not going to come in and say that the Skins would have reached for late round picks that turned out to be good.  Russell Wilson wasn't going in the Top 10, so he isn't getting picked there.  I will work off of comparably graded players to the spot or the round in which the pick was made.  So, let's start with the scene of the crime, the 2012 NFL Draft.

The biggest need for the Redskins entering into the 2012 Draft was quarterback.  No question about it.  However, there are 4 QBs graded with 1st round talent.  So, with Luck and RGIII going in the Top 5, the Redskins select Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M.  The inside word was that the Shanahans wanted Tannehill over Griffin anyway, but Mr. Snyder instead decided that star power was more important than draft picks.  Ryan Tannehill has started every game since he was drafted, and has progressed in his play.  He holds almost all the rookie records for passing in Dolphins history, which is saying something considering Marino played there.  He currently has the Miami Dolphins at 6-3, has thrown 17 touchdowns and only 7 picks this year.  He would fill the need at QB.  Then, we move on to the second round, where the Redskins have options.  They needed some secondary help, and Janoris Jenkins is available.  They could take a very talented WR from South Carolina named Alshon Jeffery, though they went on to sign Pierre Garcon, so WR wasn't a huge need.  They also need some offensive line help.  I think they would take a very talented tackle/guard from Stanford, Johnathan Martin.  Now, imagine if Martin had never gone to the Dolphins.  He would have never met Richie Incognito.  He would have gone to a team that, instead, had a bit of veteran leadership in the form of London Fletcher, Trent Williams and Mike Shanahan.  He could be plugged in at their guard or right tackle, and could have easily replaced the oft-injured Jamaal Brown.  The Skins address their biggest two needs with their first two picks, and keep their 1st rounders in 2013 and 2014.

Moving on to the next season, the Redskins may or may not have been just as good with Tannehill over RGIII, so they could have won the division.  Even if they didn't, though, they would have been much improved from that team that was drafting #6 overall.  So, we'll say they would pick in roughly the same spot.  Coming into the 2013 Draft, the biggest need for the Skins was secondary.  They needed corners, safeties, and backups for both.  So, lucky for them, Desmond Trufant is available.  Trufant is a starting corner for the Atlanta Falcons, and set a franchise record for most passes deflected by a rookie in the 2013 season.  This also allows for more flexibility with the Skins' 2nd round pick.  They could draft David Amerson (like they really did) or they could have drafted DJ Swearinger, the safety from South Carolina.  Considering how well the other safeties Washington drafted later turned out (Baccari Rambo is no longer on the team, and Phillip Thomas is always hurt), a combo of Trufant and Swearinger would have been preferable.  You get a solid young corner and a hard-hitting safety, addressing your biggest needs, and (ta da!) have your first round pick for 2014!

With the combo of RGIII and Kirk Cousins at the helm, the Skins had an abysmal 2013 season, and ended up with the #2 pick overall in the draft.  It is entirely possible that could have happened with Tannehill as well.  I, however, am willing to guess they would have picked at least 10th, thus eliminating everyone picked 1-9 instead of just eliminating Clowney from the Skins options.  The big needs for the actual Redskins were O-line, secondary, pass rushing and a replacement for London Fletcher.  For my hypothetical Redskins, Johnathan Martin is still solid on the line, so right tackle or guard can be addressed in later rounds.  Trufant and Swearinger are both NFL starters and are doing well, so secondary becomes a secondary need.  That means that the pass rush or middle linebacker is the top need.  There is CJ Mosley, Aaron Donald, Ryan Shazier, and numerous others.  It is a little too early to tell who the Skins could have gotten around there that would have been the best case scenario, but the point is they would have had fewer needs to fill and more options to take.

The best franchises in football tend to build through the draft.  They either get almost all their impact players from it, kind of like the Ravens and Seahawks, or they pick the right guys to compliment big free agents, like the Broncos.  For many years, the Redskins have just not done that.  So, was trading all of those picks for RGIII the right thing to do?  I think its pretty clear it wasn't.  Yes, hindsight is 20-20.  Yes, its possible that the Skins are so cursed that all of these players would have been garbage anyway.  Yes, it is true that the Skins don't understand what the draft is all about.  But I am not picking guys that are instant Pro Bowlers with these picks.  Its not like I am taking Andrew Luck.  I am just giving them solid players that were available where these picks were slotted.  Instead of one injury prone QB, you end up with a starting QB who hasn't missed a game, a starting RT/RG, a starting CB that means you can take a starting safety with your second round pick, and a first round talent on the defensive front 7, whoever it could have been (I probably would have taken Mosley).  That is a boatload of talent.  That's the core of a perennial contender.  It could be rubbing salt in the RGIII-shaped wound in the heart of DC fans, but with every skipped pass, every interception in triple coverage, and every time that injury cart is driven onto the field, we are reminded what could have been if the Redskins had not traded for the #2 pick, and had not drafted Robert Griffin III.

A Thought on the Arizona Cardinals' QB Situation

Somehow, even with Carson Palmer being hurt twice this season (and now out for the year), the Arizona Cardinals are the best team in the NFC.  They have a great defense, excellent offensive weapons, and have gotten fairly good play out of both Palmer and backup Drew Stanton.  Stanton will be playing out the rest of the season since Palmer tore his ACL Sunday afternoon.  While Palmer just signed a 3-year $50 million extension, the Cardinals eyes have to now be shifting to a time without their oft-injured QB.  And no, I don't believe Logan Thomas is the future of the franchise.  So, it seems to me that while Stanton will be playing for the starting spot at the beginning of next year, and that it may be time for Arizona to research this year's deep crop of talented college quarterbacks.

Since the Cardinals are doing well this season, it is not likely they will be picking in the top 20 of the 2015 NFL Draft.  So Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston and possibly Bryce Petty could be off the table.  If Petty happens to be there in the late 1st, I think the Cardinals should pick him, but let's just assume he won't be.  The next QBs expected to be around are UCLA's Brett Hundley, Michigan State's Connor Cook, and Oregon State's Sean Mannion.  While Mannion has the size, I don't think he has the consistent talent that an NFL team would be looking for in a QB of the future.  Cook has played very well at times, but other times his defense has saved him.  He will only be a junior, and may want that one more season in East Lansing in such a deep QB class.

Finally there is Hundley, who could have been a 1st Round pick last season in my opinion.  Almost all of his numbers are up this season from last year, and he has the Bruins sitting at 8-2.  While his mobility would be a great asset to any team, his most impressive stat is a 72% completion rating, and that is with an a yards per attempt average of 8.4.  He isn't just dumping off passes to his check-down all game to inflate that number.  Add in the fact that Brett Hundley just happens to be from the Phoenix suburb of Chandler, Arizona, and I think the pick makes perfect sense.  Assuming Hundley comes out this year, I think the Cardinals have to take him.  Carson Palmer will be 35 before the start of next season, and will be coming off his 2nd ACL tear of his career.  The Cardinals are a team that is talented and young enough to be in Super Bowl contention for a couple seasons.  The time could be right to take a dynamic young playmaker like Brett Hundley.

WWE Network Pick of the Week

Hello all.  Now that I am done going to way too many weddings, I have been able to catch up on some old school wrestling.  My pick for this week is WCW's Beach Blast 1992.  Rather old school I know.  I picked this for three matches in particular, which I find highly entertaining.

The first is a match between Scotty Flamingo (later to be known as Raven) and the late Flyin' Brian Pillman.  It is a great match between two men whose careers went in very different directions.  Before his untimely death, Pillman had gone from a high flying cruiserweight to a tag team champion with Stunning Steve Austin in the group known as the Hollywood Blondes (ignoring the fact that neither was from California) in WCW.  He then went to WWE and feuded with Austin, establishing Stone Cold as one of the faces of the infamous Attitude Era.  Flamingo, of course, went to ECW and established his hardcore persona known as Raven, who had successful runs in ECW, WCW and WWE.  Their Beach Brawl match shows two future stars still learning their way around the ring in a very entertaining match.

The second match pits two men who were already stars, but would go on to be extremely popular in the business.  Sting, the longtime face of WCW, competes in a Falls Count Anywhere match against Mick Foley's hardcore persona, Cactus Jack.  Extraordinarily entertaining match, and one that Foley said was his favorite during his entire time in WCW, and one of his favorites overall.

Finally, for a good old fashioned wrestling match, it doesn't get much better than Ricky Steamboat vs Rick Rude in a 30 minute Iron Man match.  I don't even think I have to explain that anymore.  If you don't like that match, then you shouldn't call yourself a wrestling fan.

There are some other fun parts of this early 90s event, such as the bikini contest between Missy Hyatt and Madusa, The Steiners defending their tag team titles, and a 6 man tag featuring (among others) Steve Austin, Arn Anderson, Dustin Rhodes and Paul Heyman on the outside.  So, watch it, enjoy it, and if you don't have the WWE Network, GET IT!

For Football Reasons Only, The Redskins Need Michael Sam

I have made no secret of my complete support of Michael Sam in his quest to be the first openly gay man to play in the NFL.  I think he should be able to do so, and he has gotten a bit of a chance.  It is interesting that the team that drafted him, the St. Louis Rams, cut him and now have the 23rd ranked defense, and are dead last in the league in sacks from a defensive line that was supposed to be the best in football.  Call it karma, if you want, because the Cowboys signed Sam and are off to a 6-1 start.  But now Dallas, too, has let Sam go.  This is where my beloved dumpster fire, the Washington Redskins, come into play.

Would it be great publicity to sign him?  Of course.  Would letting Sam play for the team help balance out all the negativity surrounding the team's name, Dan Snyder's attitude, the oft-injured franchise QB, and an abysmal record?  Sure would.  However, that should have nothing to do with his signing.  There are 3 amazingly obvious, football-only reasons that the Washington Redskins need to sign Michael Sam immediately.

1. Brian Orakpo is hurt again.  The 3-time Pro Bowler and current franchise player of the DC Football team re-tore his pectoral muscle this past week, and is out for the rest of the year.  In fact, there is a good chance his career in DC is over unless he wants to take a massive pay cut in the offseason.  The Skins looked like they were going to be moving on anyway, and still have a pass rush anchored by Ryan Kerrigan.  However, another injury would leave them severely short on edge rushers.  Michael Sam could come into a 3-4, play behind more experienced guys, work on his coverage and rush skills, and provide another serviceable warm body for Jim Haslett to plug into his system.

2. The Redskins may have the worst special teams in the league.  While the unit played well in their win over the Tennessee Titans, they still have massive holes on coverage and blocking.  This is where they could use a guy like Michael Sam.  A quality edge rusher can require more than one blocker, thus allowing one of the faster guys to get to the opposing punter or kicker cleanly.  Furthermore, a former SEC Defensive Player of the Year probably knows how to tackle guys, which seems to be an issue for the rest of the squad.  Also, Sam has the same build and speed as former Skins Pro Bowl Special Teamer Lorenzo Alexander, who may be the most sorely missed player in recent DC Football history.  To prove you can play in the NFL, you have to start on special teams.  Sam could flourish in this much-needed role.

3. Michael Sam knows the Cowboys system.  In case you didn't know, the Redskins and their fanbase absolutely hate the Dallas Cowboys.  So, why wouldn't the team want to gain every upper hand they could going into a week when they play the 6-1 division leaders?  Sam could have insight into the intricacies of Dallas' defense.  We know Colt McCoy will need all the help he can get.  A failure to sign Sam when he has experience in Dallas and when you have the open spot on your roster is a massive oversight.  Bill Belichick does this kind of move all the time, and he has won as many Super Bowls as Joe Gibbs.  As an organization, the Skins should probably start doing more things the Patriots would do.  They seem to be doing alright.


So there you have it.  Not one, not two, but three football-based reasons the Skins should sign Michael Sam immediately.  It has nothing to do with giving this young man a chance to make history.  It has nothing to do with trying to get positive publicity, though Snyder et al need as much as they can get.  It doesn't even have anything to do with the fact that Washington, DC has been voted one of the most gay-friendly cities in the United States.  It only has to do with football.  Sign the kid.  Improve the team.  Beat Dallas?  Maybe.

A New Feature- JFLAN's WWE Network Pick Of The Week!

Hello all.  Apologies for being somewhat absent recently.  All of my friends seem to be getting married, requiring me to spend a long time away from sports and concentrating on things like love.  Disgusting, I know.  But, I am back, and I will now have a new weekly feature.  For those of you lucky enough to be wrestling fans, you hopefully know how amazing the WWE Network is.  Every pay-per-view ever by WWE, WCW, and ECW.  All future WWE PPVs.  Original content like WWE Countdown, Wrestlemania Rewind, and even the 2 hour documentaries about the real life rises to fame of some of WWE's biggest stars.  All of this, of course, is available for just $9.99.  So, I have decided to pick something from the Network for you all to watch.  So, with my inaugural pick, I have chosen the 1996 Royal Rumble!

I picked this because, at one point in my life, I memorized the entire entry order from the 30-man over the top rope battle royal.  It is a good one, featuring some major stars like Diesel, Shawn Michaels, Owen Hart, Yokozuna, and the Rumble debut of "The Ringmaster" (soon to be known as Stone Cold Steve Austin) and the WWE debut of Vader.  Plus, keep a lookout for Dr. Isaac Yankem, who would later be rebranded (in amazing fashion) as Kane.  There is also an excellent main event, as Undertaker took on the WWE Champion Bret Hart.

Again, I highly recommend viewing this gem from the mid-90s, and encourage you to sign up for the WWE Network.  If you aren't a wrestling fan... well... your loss.

How to Realistically Solve The NFL's Current Issues

So, Emperor Roger Goodell is in a bit of hot water right now as everyone knows.  It is impossible to watch any football game, sports news show, or even national news program without hearing about his mishandling of the Ray Rice situation.  Now, it is conceivable that he will resign if enough pressure is put on him by the owners and the NFL sponsors.  I am still not sure that will happen, so I have come up with another solution.  It won't make anyone happy, but everyone will be at least satisfied.

Step 1- Suspend Roger Goodell without pay for the entirety of the 2014-2015 season, up to and including the NFL Draft in May.  I give to you the NFL Personal Conduct Policy, Section 2-

Standard of Conduct:
While criminal activity is clearly outside the scope of permissible conduct, and persons who
engage in criminal activity will be subject to discipline, the standard of conduct for persons
employed in the NFL is considerably higher. It is not enough simply to avoid being found guilty
of a crime. Instead, as an employee of the NFL or a member club, you are held to a higher
standard and expected to conduct yourself in a way that is responsible, promotes the values
upon which the League is based, and is lawful.
Persons who fail to live up to this standard of conduct are guilty of conduct detrimental and
subject to discipline, even where the conduct itself does not result in conviction of a crime.
Discipline may be imposed in any of the following circumstances:
• Criminal offenses including, but not limited to, those involving: the use or threat of violence;
domestic violence and other forms of partner abuse; theft and other property crimes; sex
offenses; obstruction or resisting arrest; disorderly conduct; fraud; racketeering; and money
laundering;
• Criminal offenses relating to steroids and prohibited substances, or substances of abuse;
• Violent or threatening behavior among employees, whether in or outside the workplace;
• Possession of a gun or other weapon in any workplace setting, including but not limited to
stadiums, team facilities, training camp, locker rooms, team planes, buses, parking lots, etc., or
unlawful possession of a weapon outside of the workplace;
• Conduct that imposes inherent danger to the safety and well being of another person; and
• Conduct that undermines or puts at risk the integrity and reputation of the NFL, NFL clubs, or
NFL players.

That last bullet point. "Conduct that undermines or puts at risk the integrity and reputation of the NFL, NFL clubs, or NFL players." I'd say the commish has broken that one a bit.  There are perfectly reasonably grounds for his suspension without pay.  His pay for the last fiscal year was around $40 million, which is simply bonkers.  So, losing out on a massive chunk of that cash, along with removing him from the public eye, as well as showing that even the commissioner is governed by these collectively bargained rules is a very smart decision.

While this is not as final as his dismissal from the position, suspending Goodell with that sizable of a financial loss speaks volumes.  That money could even be used to start a fund to help the victims of domestic abuse, and just like that, the NFL is getting good publicity.

Step 2- Have the interim commissioner (whoever that may be) establish an executive committee to review all domestic violence issues within the league.  I would say make it all high ranking people from inside football, and maybe one or two from outside.  Make it a seven-member committee, consisting of a majority women.  Now, that is not to say that all domestic violence occurs as with men as the aggressor.  I need only point out the transgressions of US Women's Soccer Team goalie Hope Solo, who allegedly abused her sister and nephew.  But when dealing with the NFL, I imagine that a majority of the issues will be driven by male violence.  This committee can give a fair, balanced and in depth look into each incident, and adjudicate accordingly.  With this, there would be an impartial body that to which even the officer of the commissioner would have to answer.

Step 3- The 3 E's-

- Educate the players about why domestic violence is wrong (should be obvious). These steps are pretty straight forward.  It goes without saying that domestic violence is wrong.  Pretty much all violence is wrong.  But in the NFL we are dealing with some muscled up alpha males that get their brains knocked around for a living.  Sometimes they may need a refresher course on acceptable behavior (then again, a good deal of society need those courses too).

- Enforce the stricter rules which are now in place.  One thing I can give a bit of credit to Goodell for is putting into place the new rules, stating that those guilty of domestic violence will be suspended 6 games without pay for a first offense, and face a lifetime ban for a second.  Those are appropriately tough rules.  Make sure that those are enforced, even if that means that some who have yet to be suspended committed their crime under the old rules, like Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy.  His issue is currently being played out in court, so the NFL is waiting to see what will come of that.  If he is found guilty, he should immediately be suspended for the next six games, even if it includes playoffs or spans two seasons.  Make an emphatic correct statement instead of flubbing clueless wrong ones.

- Establish a culture in which this is no longer an issue.  I read recently that, at his Elite 11 Camp, (a training camp for the top 11 high school QBs going into college), former NFL QB and current ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer holds a seminar about the proper ways to treat women, i.e. with respect and not hitting them.  This should be expanded throughout youth football.  It isn't that difficult of a message to grasp.  Furthermore, at the rookie intro meetings to the NFL, where they teach players how to manage money and conduct themselves in public, there should be a class teaching about the evils of domestic violence.  If you ingrain the message so strongly into the youngsters entering the league, then the number of domestic violence incidents will hopefully drop.


If these relatively easy steps are followed, not only will the fervor for Goodell's head subside, but the league as a whole will be stronger due to the character of its players, coaches and executives rising.  This is not a difficult issue.  It is almost always wrong to hit your spouse, girl or boyfriend, relative, child, stranger on the street.  Just don't do it.  I leave you with the wise words of CBS's James Brown (DC's own) from the pregame show of tonight's Ravens/Steelers game:

"Two years ago I challenged the NFL community and all men to seriously confront the problems of domestic violence especially coming on the heels of the suicide of Jovan Belcher, and girlfriend Kasandra Perkins, yet here we are again confronting the same issue of violence against women.  Now, lets be clear, this problem is bigger than football.  There has been, appropriately so, intense and widespread outrage following the release of the video showing what happened in the elevator at the casino.  Now wouldn't it be productive if this collective outrage could be channeled to truly hear and address the long-suffering cries for help from so many women and, as they said, do something about it?  An ongoing, comprehensive education of men about what healthy, respectful manhood is all about.  And it starts with how we view women.  Our language is important, for example: When a guy says "You throw a ball like a girl" or "You're a sissy," it reflects an attitude that devalues women, and attitudes will eventually manifest in some fashion.  Women have been at the forefront in the domestic violence awareness and prevention arena, and whether Janay Rice considers herself a victim or not, millions of women in this country are.  Consider this- According to domestic violence experts, more than three women a day lose their lives at the hands of their partners.  That means that since the night of February 15th in Atlantic City, more than 600 women have died, so this is yet another call to men to stand up and take responsibility for their thoughts, their words, their deeds, and to get help.  Because our silence is deafening and deadly."

College Football is Back!

Well, its that wonderful time of year again.  Baseball season is coming to crunch time, only one more preseason NFL game, and college football is back for real!  I love me some NCAA football.  Of course, the NCAA may not be around for that much longer in the way we know it.  But hey, we should enjoy it while we can.  Here are some of my thoughts heading into the season:

-  It makes me very sad that Notre Dame and Michigan will be playing for the last time (for a while) on September 6th.  I grew up loving this game, and never knowing who to root for.  Coming from an Irish Catholic family outside of the state of Ohio or the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, I actually like Notre Dame football.  However, I was also a big X-Men fan as a kid, so when I heard there was a team called the Wolverines, I decided they would be my favorites.  Anyway, it has been a great rivalry that has provided some insanely fun games.  Hopefully the 6th won't be any different.

-  Losing Braxton Miller is a massive blow to the hopes of Ohio State to win the National Title.  Yes, they can still win the Big 10 (14...) without him, and Urban Meyer is a great coach, but he needs to work a minor miracle without his starting QB.  Miller was going to be in the hunt for the Heisman.  Losing that kind of talent is never easy.

-  This will be another one of those "Year of the Quarterbacks".  Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston, Brett Hundley, Bryce Petty, Kevin Hogan, Connor Cook, etc.  The list goes on.  All of these players will be in the Heisman conversation at some point, as well as being scouted for the next level.  I could list 7 teams that could draft a QB in the 1st round next year.  If these talented signal-callers can lead their team to the Final Four, they would certainly be looked at in a better light.  I, of course, will be rooting for Kevin Hogan because he is a proud graduate of Gonzaga College High School in Washington, DC.  Hail!

-  How will the SEC do this year?  Yes, it is the best conference in college football.  However, the teams have a tendency to beat themselves up more than they should.  A team like Florida State can cruise through a relatively easy ACC schedule (maybe Syracuse upsets them.... No, we won't...) and be fairly rested before the playoffs.  But with so much talent in the SEC, can a team make it through to the Final Four unscathed?  Can more than one team make it?  I could see a top 4 of Florida State, Oregon, Alabama and a team like Wisconsin going undefeated and making it.  The BCS-era arguments of a 1-loss SEC team vs an undefeated Big 10/12/ACC team are still around.  Just called something different now.  Personally, I feel that if you are undefeated in a power conference, you should probably be in the Top 4 of the polls.

-  My Syracuse Orange, fresh off a Texas Bowl title, start their season Friday vs Villanova.  This used to be a great Big East basketball game.  We'll see how it goes for football.  Florida State is the only true guaranteed loss on our schedule, but I still expect something like 7-5.  I hope for more.  Right now there is no true #3 team in the ACC.  Louisville lost their QB and their coach.  The presumptive #2 Clemson lost Taj Boyd and Sammy Watkins.  If everything goes well (and I mean EVERYTHING), the Orange could be looking at a New Years Day bowl game for the first time in years.  I'll be giddy if that happens.  Also, look at our fancy new uniforms!

-  So who wins it all?  Who will take the first College Football Playoff oddly-shaped, rather suggestive trophy?  Honestly, have you looked at the top of it?  I can't be the only one that thinks they made a major design flaw.  But I digress.  If history has taught us anything, it is that the SEC is great, and that Nick Saban hates losing much more than he enjoys winning.  Alabama may have to overcome the loss of AJ McCarron to the pros, but I think that they will be able to win it all given the depth of their talent.  Of course, I could be wrong.

Abilene Christian vs. Georgia State starts of the madness tomorrow on ESPNU.  I know I'll be watching.

Enjoy the season!