The quarterback in football is the most important position in the sport. So much of the blame or glory lies in the hands of the quarterback.

An ideal quarterback is tall and can move around gracefully. A quarterback cannot stand in one spot on the football field every time the ball is snapped. Sometimes the offense does not block that good or sometimes the pass is delayed which gives the defense more time to contain the quarterback.
The best quarterbacks seem to have good protection virtually all day to throw the ball. The best teams seem to have key players in every position. Usually when the quarterback is injured and can’t play, it is difficult for the replacement quarterback to get a win because he has to work out the system and deal with the miscommunication that starting quarterbacks usually don’t have a problem with.
The wide receiver position is critical because the offensive player has a chance to catch a short or long pass downfield. Usually when a team elects to throw a long ball, it is done to try to get out of a third and long situation or when a team reads the defense as blitzing or when they have an advantage.
That’s what football is all about. It’s about matchups. Football players often say that they take what the defense gives them. That’s true if someone closely examines the statement.
When the offense lines up at the line of scrimmage, you often see some of the players change positions. A good team takes advantage of the mismatches and size advantages.
Some teams are known for their running game. Some are known for their passing game. However, the best teams usually feature a good mixture of both running and passing.

College football this past year was one of the most memorable yet and not necessarily for the right reason either. There was a major upset (referring to teams in the top 10) every week. The first week featured arguably the biggest upset ever. Appalachian State played at #5 Michigan in “The Big House” and left there with a win via a blocked field goal in the waning seconds of the game.

The BCS championship game and other bowl games are always a controversy because many believe the computer puts the wrong two teams in each game.

One reason why the league doesn’t change the BCS matchups format is because it will invalidate the regular season. That means that every game is important and teams have to win at the end of the season in order to stay at the top of the rankings. However, in other sports, every game is not as important because all a team has to do is to have a better record when the regular season is over.

The computers put Ohio State Buckeyes #1 and the LSU Tigers #2. Ohio State was the #1 team because they only lost 1 game but that fact is misleading because their schedule is poor. Their conference is not very good as compared to the SEC.

Last year the #2 Florida Gators put a beatdown on #1 Ohio State. This year LSU did the same thing. Many people believed that LSU would win because the game was being played at the New Orleans Saints SuperDome, which is 50-100 miles away from their home stadium in Baton Rouge.

Fans from Tiger Country showed up with LSU Tigers merchandise like banners, pom poms, and newly bought fleeces. The Buckeyes fans supported their team with Ohio State Buckeyes merchandise as well.

Every time Jarvis Varnado rejected another Kentucky shot he could feel Mississippi State gaining strength. It happened often.Varnado finished with a triple-double that included 10 blocked shots in a 69-64 victory over the Wildcats on Tuesday night that helped the Bulldogs to a 3-0 start in Southeastern Conference play and their seventh straight win.

“I can feel my teammates get into it and the crowd get into it,” Varnado said. “It gets us pumped up to go make a stop on the defensive end.”

Varnado, the nation’s leading shot blocker, finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds. It was just the third triple-double in school history and the first to include blocks. Varnado has had 10 or more blocks three times this season.

“He changes that game around the rim,” Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury said. “That is for sure. Any time you earn a triple-double is impressive, and to do that with blocked shots is even more impressive.”

Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom received a two-year contract extension today _ Jan 14, 2008.

The extension pushes Croom’s contract to four years, the longest allowable under state law, and runs through 2011. Financial terms were not released.

After nine wins in three seasons, Croom led the Bulldogs to an 8-5 record and a Liberty Bowl win over Central Florida. It was the first season Mississippi State had more than three wins since 2000 and Croom was selected Southeastern Conference’s coach of the year following the turnaround.

 

What a crazy football season it has been! This was one of the most intriguing football seasons yet and for many reasons. The BCS had to choose two teams and none had a perfect season. With one game left to go, it was obvious who would be playing each other. Missouri had to beat Oklahoma to keep their number one ranking. West Virginia had to play Pittsburgh. No matter how sorry a football team is there is almost guaranteed a day when that same team will disappoint somebody. Any upset was brewing especially for the Missouri-Oklahoma game. Missouri was the number one seed but surprisingly they were the underdog. What sense does that make. It had to be because Oklahoma won the previous meeting between the two schools. Well since Missouri and West Virginia lost on the last day in the college football season before bowl games it caused a massive shakeup in the top ten. Normally when number one and number two lose, it means that number three and four move up in the polls. Every team in the top ten has a legitimate argument as to why they should have been playing in the title game. There should have been no argument when all the top teams’ resumes are closely examined. Ohio State and LSU have the best resume overall. LSU is the first team to lose two games and still be in the BCS game. There’s really no denying that unless somebody wants to be stubborn about it because his or her team did not get into the title game. Well one thing’s for sure. Ohio State and LSU stadiums arguably are the hardest to win games in because of the massive crowd noise. Since the game is in New Orleans, it is almost like a home game for LSU. LSU fans are almost like no other. Their fans come to the games fully stocked in purple and yellow LSU Tigers merchandise. There definitely will be a sizeable Ohio State crowd there and they will be there with their Ohio State Buckeyes merchandise, just like any other game.

fear-the-hoodie-tn.jpgNew England Patriots fans are really fired up about the upcoming playoffs after going 16-0 in the regular season. A really great New England T-Shirt “Fear the Hoodie” is at this online store. Congratulation to Coach on being selected as the NFL Coach of the year. I could not believe it was not unanimous. He has done such an awesome job this year. Tom Brady and the guys are really getting after it. They will be hard to beat this year.

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