Big Ten Awards - Week 6

Team of the Week : Indiana -- Coming into Saturday the Hoosiers have never beat Penn State in the previous 16 meetings.  That changed Saturday in Bloomington when the Hoosiers won their first conference opener win since 2000 also.  Indiana didn't fluke win over Penn State, they destroyed them 44-24.  The win was desperately needed for the Hoosiers if they want to play in a bowl game this year.

Game of the Week : Ohio State 40 - Northwestern 30 -- In a game that was really a lot closer than the score (since the Buckeyes put up 6 on the last play).  In a see or red in Evanston, the Wildcats went toe to toe with Ohio State most of the game, leading most of it too until Carlos Hyde put in his 3 second half touchdown rushes.  Even with that Wildcats still had a chance when they were stopped on 4th and 1 on the Buckeyes side of the 50.  Ohio State and Urban Meyer have now won 18 in a row, and with their upcoming schedule, many wonder how many more marquee wins it can notch till the battle with Michigan and a Big Ten Championship Game.

Player of the Week : Carlos Hyde - RB - Ohio State : Struggling most the first half against the Wildcat Defense, the Buckeyes relied on Hyde's legs the second half.  Hyde's 3 touchdowns came in the 2nd half, the last putting the Buckeyes up for good late in the 4th quarter.  Hyde finished the evening with 168 yards rushing and 3 scores, and getting rocked on a huge hit late in the fourth quarter also.

Jimmy John's Big Ten Challenge:
Matt: 3-2  12pts / 48-7  293pts
Chad: 3-2 12pts / 45-10  287pts
Kyle: 2-3 6pts / 46-9  282pts

Big Ten Awards - Week 5

Team of the Week : Iowa -- Iowa went on the road and pounded Minnesota, allowing the Gophers only 30 yards rushing and the only threat offensively came after the Gophers returned a kickoff to the 37.  Mark Weisman rushed for 147 on the year and the Hawks are now 4-1 on the year.

Game of the Week : Ohio State 31 - Wisconsin 24 --  The Badgers made it interesting int he end, scoring 10 fourth quarter points, but in the end the Buckeyes won their 17th straight game.  Braxton Miller returned to the Buckeyes starting lineup, and accounted for the 4 Buckeye TDs.  The Buckeyes now take their streak to Evanston for the biggest regular season game in Pat Fitzgerald's tenure at Northwestern.

Player of the Week : Nathan Scheelhaase - QB - Illinois -- This is fast becoming the Scheelhaase/Guiton award this year.  Scheelhaase is definitely the leading candidate in the Big Ten for comeback player of the year.  The senior QB threw for 278 yards and 5 touchdowns in the Illini's 50-14 win over MAC foe Miami (Oh).  The Redhawks didn't stand a chance, the Illini QB threw all 5 of his scores in the first half.  

Jimmy John's Big Ten Challenge:
Matt : 4-0 10pts | 45-5  281pts
Kyle : 4-0 10pts | 44-6  276pts
Chad : 4-0 10pts | 42-8  275pts

Warrior Dash

10 days ago I was able to cross Warrior Dash off my bucket list.  I didn’t get to run and train as much as I wanted to for it and going into it was kind of dreading it thinking, “I’m dead”, but as I drove out to Rubes in Waukee to meet up with my group and getting parked there I felt a little bit better about it.  Getting registered we saw the “Warriors” from the previous starting times.  A lot of mud!  About an hour after getting registered we got in line for our heat with a bunch of other runners.  The countdown was on and then the flames blew and our run started. 

The first stretch wasn’t so bad, outside of having to look down where you were running due to it being basically in a pasture and the ground was uneven and holes and beaten up by cows.  Then we turn the corner and the first hill.  I was warned about them that they suck.  I got the run in about halfway up the hill then it was rough with the crowd and also the ground being uneven I had to walk, and for those who ran it completely and the whole thing props to them.  I saw a few rolled ankles and I’m sure there were many more.  There were two more hills that sucked, one up was straight up it seemed, from a dried out creek.  Most of the other stuff was ok running.  

The obstacles though were FUN and made up for the running.  My favorite was probably the big rope climb.  Get a running start, grab the rope and climb up, flop over and then go rappel down the other side. There were a couple others I liked that you were on your knees for doing army crawl and up hills and down trenches that I liked too.  Finally the mud was cool too, just a huge pit of mud that seemed a couple feet deep and you kind of floated more to the end of it then having to crawl it. 

Finally getting to the finish my group didn't recognize me I was so mud covered, that was kind of cool.  Looking at pictures Warrior Dash took I looked like a giant human chocolate.  I had mud in my ears and nose for about a week after still showing up (yes gross I know)  Afterward got partially showered and cleaned up some, went back for a few beverages and to check out our times.  Really glad I did it, finished in the top 40% which I thought was pretty good.  A lot of people we talked to said it was a harder course this year than last year, and I wasn't going for time or anything and it was just fun. 

I don’t know if I’ll do it again next year, I may put something on the bucket list like one of the paint/color runs, but who knows I may get talked back into. 

2013 NFL Predictions

Last year I nailed the Super Bowl Champion, missed on the NFC participant. 2nd time in the last 7 years I at least got the champion right (picked the Colts over the Bears in 2006), hitting .285 isn't bad, would be a nice MLB career average. This year’s picks I'm going a little out there different, and Pete Prisco of CBS Sports proved to me I'm not totally crazy.

AFC East – New England Patriots

AFC North – Cincinnati Bengals

AFC South – Houston Texans

AFC West – Denver Broncos

AFC WC – Baltimore Ravens

AFC WC – Miami Dolphins

NFC East – New York Giants

NFC North – Green Bay Packers

NFC South – Atlanta Falcons

NFC West – Seattle Seahawks

NFC WC – New Orleans Saints

NFC WC – San Francisco 49ers

AFC Championship

Cincinnati over Denver

NFC Championship

Atlanta over Seattle

SUPER BOWL

Atlanta over Cincinnati

CBS Experts picks.

2013 Big Ten Predictions

It's game week!  Prediction time!

IF Ohio State goes 12-0 I think Braxton Miller is your Heisman Winner.

I think that Indiana and Iowa both could have 2 more wins….and 2 mor losses than I have predicted.

I think Ohio State could get knocked off somewhere in the Big Ten season, but not at home, I think it would be a road game they slip up on.  To go 24-0, 25-0 at OSU for Urban would be an amazing feat.

I could see any of Nebraska, Michigan State, Northwestern or Michigan winning the Legends.

2013 Summer Movie Awards

School starts tomorrow, which is a sign summer is over.  This is the 5th annual summer movie awards that I've done.  Some people and movies are moving into some prestigious territory, looking at 2 time winners and movie franchises taking home more hardware too! 

This summer also movies are coming out and hitting DVD quicker then usual so some movies may have been seen on DVD.  

Movies seen this summer:

GI Joe Retaliation, The Croods, Iron Man 3, Epic, Star Trek: Into Darkness, Man of Steel, Fast and Furious 6, The Heat, 42, The Wolverine, Red 2, Olympus Has Fallen, Mud, Planes

  

Best Movie – Star Trek : Into Darkness

Star Trek won 2009 Best Movie

Best Dude – Harrison Ford : Branch Rickey : 42

Best Dudette –  Melissa McCarthy : Mullins : The Heat 

Won Best Dudette in 2011 for BridesMaids

Best Scene – Spock and Kirk while Kirk lays in the Enterprises reactor : Star Trek: Into Darkness

Best Fight –  Mike Bannig going John McClane through the White House for about the last hour of Olympus Has Fallen

Biggest Dud –  Iron Man 3 – There are little parts where I would have changed things differently.  I didn’t like the changing how they used the Mandarin, Ben Kingsley would have made a great villian himself.  He is supposed to be someone that is like the Joker to Tony, and it started out that way.  I also didn’t like all the suits, it reminded me of Tranformers 2 with all the extra Decepticons that you didn’t know who were getting blown up.  It’s cool to see all the tech Tony has in making the all the suits BUT nothing beats the old red and gold suit. This had a different flair from the previous 2 Jon Favereu directed flicks.

Anticipated Sequel – Star Trek 3

Summer movie not seen that I want too – Now You See Me & Despicable Me 2

2012 GFR Final Rankings - Tide Rolled

For the 2nd time in 4 years, Alabama is the GFR National Champion. Last year they couldn’t overcome what LSU did even with the win in the National Championship Game. This year, they took care of business verse Notre Dame and jumped A&M (before the champ game results A&M was #1). Congrats to Saban and the Tide. You don’t get a Crystal Ball or trophy or plaque, just a spot in history.

The SEC also remained tops in conference strength. They widened the gap over the Big XII and doubled the Pac-12 and Big Ten. The Pac-12 also jumped up over the Big Ten to take the #3 spot.

Start the countdown! Only 233 days till the 2013 season kicks off!

The Final Top 25

**FYI for Iowa and ISU friends ISU finished 65 and Iowa 84**

Operation Backpack

My oldest daughter came to me mid December with a Christmas wish list she shared with her teacher. She had 10 things on there, and a few where what you’d expect a 7 year old girl to have. Orbies, a dreamlight, Barbie and other toys. Then listed was one that opened my eyes. She wanted pencils and erasers and paper to give to kids to other kids who didn’t have them and couldn’t get them. I read it and looked at her and said “I don’t know if Santa can do this but we can look into something.”


I posted that wish on my facebook and it got a fair amount of likes and then some people said they’d like to help. I talked to one teacher at her school and they have a program for that too. After talking with my daughter about this she has set a goal and come up with a name. “Operation Backpack” I thought that was kinda cool and I have an idea for a logo for her just haven’t got to that yet. So a facebook page/group will probably be coming in the near future.

Her goal first goal is to help 50 kids with a notebook, 2 pencils with erasers, a folder and box of crayons. I’m really proud of her for thinking of this and thinking of others. I’ve got a great daughter growing up!

If anyone would like to help out with this who is reading this please feel free to comment on here and I can get a hold of you or contact me here.

No Resolutions To Break

Lately a lot of my posts have been about football, not life, so I think I need to post something.

It’s a new year, and everyone makes resolutions, and most people only to break them. I don’t believe in making them. I don’t understand why start on January 1st something you should and could do April 16th or September 27th. But I do understand it is a time to focus on life and goals and I do have some goals in process I’m working on.

I want to get back into shape like I was in 2010. In December I did check in with the lowest weight I’ve been (or knew I was with a crappy scale) as of Sept 2010. So I was proud of that. Since my lowest check in the holidays happened and I put on 4 pds back. My diet did include sweets and ham and all that goes with Christmas and New Years. Those days are done and nothing like that happening till Super Bowl Sunday.

With the 30 some day stretch ahead one goal I have is to not have a drink of booze till Super Bowl Sunday. I had a few too many shots and drinks New Years Eve and want to kind of detox the body for a bit. The bottle of vodka I have and my growler from Confluence will be ready to go though Super Bowl Sunday!

My diet has been pretty good the past month or so, give or take a few holiday meals. Been doing a lot of fruits and salad and also trying to do smaller portions at supper. I’m trying to do more chicken, pork and fish rather than beef (it isn’t easy for me) just to be leaner and more veggies, the ones that aren’t swimming in butter. So far so good.

Activity wise, well we have 7-8 inches of snow still outside so not much goes on out there, but I’m trying to get that work out schedule back. Running and testing out the ankle that I messed up and lifting weights. I ran for the first time last night in a while and it felt good. I guess I did freak out Brayden to a little bit while he was playing downstairs. He said it sounded like a rhino running upstairs. I want to get to the Y and use their weights more than just what I have at home.

I also want to get the kids going again. Right now only Addy has an activity going on, and that is because this fall, summer and spring it was like running around chasing a greasy pig with their schedules. Just needed a break. So the kids are going to have swimming again for a few months coming up before they do spring activities. Hopefully that will blow off more energy for them, and maybe tire them out.

I also am going to try to do 1-2 things on My List. I’d love to do the boundary waters or white water rafting this year but I don’t know if that will get done. But I will cross some of these things off my list this year.

So no resolutions, just trying to get better and live a little.

2012 WROTC NFL Awards

Time has flown by and the NFL regular season is over.  Playoffs and the march to New Orleans is on.  Time to hand out some awards.  This is the 3rd Edition of the WROTC NFL Awards.  Enjoy!

Play of the Year

Matt - Russell Wilson's game winning interception...errr Touchdown

Wendt - Golden Tate's game winning TD against the Packers
Painter - Fail Mary - showed how unprepared the replacement officlas were

Blake - Russell Wilson to MD Jennings to Golden Tate

Zach - Fail Mary

Game of the Year

Matt - Packers at Vikings - Week 17 - So much on the line for both teams, Peterson and the NFC Playoff picture.  They didn't disappoint.   

Wendt - Houston over Detroit (Turkey Day game)

Painter - Green Bay at Seattle (good battle despite the bad officiating both ways)

Blake - San Francisco vs New England - SNF 

Zach - San Francisco vs New England - SNF

Offensive Player of the Year

Matt - Adrian Peterson - Vikings - What he's done this year after surgery is amazing.

Wendt - Peyton Manning - Broncos

Painter - Adrian Peterson - Vikings

Blake - Peyton Manning - Broncos

Zach - Adrian Peterson - Vikings

Defensive Player of the Year

Matt - JJ Watt - Texans - I'd love to give it to a Bear like Jennings or Tillman, can't though.  

Wendt - JJ Watt - Texans

Painter - JJ Watt - Texans

Blake - Aldon Smith - 49ers

Zach - Charles Tillman - Bears

Special Teams Player of the Year

Matt - Brandon Fields - Dolphins - 50 yd avg on punts and 26 inside the 20

Wendt - Blair Walsh

Painter - Blair Walsh

Blake - None have really stuck out.  Maybe Greg Zuerlein

Zach - Jacoby Jones - Texans

Rookie of the Year

Matt - RG3 - Redskins - A pure spark to that team and organization.  Luck and Wilson are right there too.

Wendt - Andrew Luck - Colts

Painter - hate to go with a QB but RGIII (Casey Hayward would be my vote for defensive rookie)

Blake - Tough one, but I'll go Andrew Luck.  Can't go wrong with RG3 either.

Zach - Andrew Luck - Colts

Coach of the Year

Matt - The Colts Staff - What they've done with a team that sucked last year, a rookie QB is amazing.

Wendt - Mike Shanahan - Redskins

Painter - Bruce Arians - Colts

Blake - As much as it pains me to say it, Pete Carroll.  Bruce Arians 2nd if you consider him eligible.

Zach - Entire Colts Staff

Most Impactful Injury

Matt - Alex Smith getting knocked out and thus getting Wally Pipped by Collin Kaepernick.

Wendt - Kevin Kolb - Cardinals

Painter - Brian Urlacher (the Bears win at least 1 more game and make the playoffs with him)

Blake - For once I'm not sure there has been a defining one, especially coming off the blood bath that was last year.  Maybe Ray Lewis or Brian Urlacher

Zach - Alex Smith's concussion leading to Collin Kaepernick starting

Biggest Surprise

Matt - Seattle's offensive explosion.  The Bengals with Andy Dalton in back to back playoffs.  The Bears go from 7-1 to home for the playoffs at 10-6.

Wendt - Indianpolis Colts

Painter - Minnesota Vikings making the playoffs

Blake - In some order; Saints suck, Colts are decent, Peyton Manning is Peyton Manning, the Seahawks are pretty darn good.

Zach - Adrian Peterson resurgent return post-injury

Biggest Disappointment

Matt - The Steelers and Giants not making the post season, Philly's collapse too.

Wendt - Kansas City Chiefs

Painter - Tie:  Arizona Cardinals and Chicago Bears (hot starts, cold finishes)

Blake - Again, in some order; the Saints suck, and so do the Giants and the Steelers

Zach - New Orleans Saints season

ESPN has killed January 1st

January 1st used to be something HUGE and special to college football. Now though the teams are a little better, it’s just another December 27th, and that’s thanks to the Mothership.


Waking up on New Year’s used to be about watching the Rose Parade, eating a nice late breakfast, waiting for the ham and bean soup to be ready during the Rose Bowl, and also stacking four tvs on one another to make sure you didn’t miss all the action of every bowl. It was like an NFL Sunday for college fans. And when you woke up January 2nd you had a national champion and didn’t have to wait a week or 10 days later.

That feeling and excitement has now been killed by ESPN. Their greed to have control over every bowl game (but 2) and build in programming has diminished and a great college football tradition.

Back in the day (No I’m not that old) the lineup would be Fiesta, Rose, Cotton, Sugar, Orange all on the same day. Then add in the Gator, Outback and Capital One. Usually all the games had really good teams in them too so its not like you had a bad game. Sure there are some blowouts, it happens, but THAT was a great time. Flipping back and forth if you only had one tv or watching all of them with buddies. Heck it was March Madness for college fans.

Hell now its all on one or 2 channels, and not even broadcast channels or the same day. You get Rose at its traditional late start then another top tier game after it. Before the Outback and Cap1 and Gator all spread out on different Disney owned stations. I know they want all eyes on every game to maximize ratings and get a better ad buy rate, but how many people want to watch a Big East team? Or MAC team? FSU-NIU was close till the late 3rd quarter and then how many drifted off. Wouldn’t it have been nice to flip over to a different primetime game?

And then these games that are on the 3rd or 4th, how many people get those days off regularly to go to the games. January 1st is a norm. Add in the winter holidays and its great. The Orange Bowl even has said that the later games get played away from January 1st affects the actual attendance. So don’t move further away from the 1st, go back to it.

ESPN/ABC and Disney, along with Fox, have the ability to bring this great. FOX needs to be a player (and I think they will be) and get some more big time bowls and college football. They could compete with ESPN and battle back and forth. ESPN has 3 outlets that it can showcase games on. Who wouldn’t like to wake up and have this staring at them in the face?

You can fill in the Heart of Dallas or GoDaddy bowl there too. But that day would be great. Not everyone watches every NFL game. Not everyone watches every college bowl game. This would be a great day! I don’t care if you want to play the Championship Game on the 2nd, fine, but give us back January 1st!

2012 College Football Awards

The college football season is close to being over.  Most all the awards have been awarded except the National Championship.  Before the Tide and Irish clash in Miami, here are the GFR College Football Awards.

LYNCH - TE'O - SNYDER - MILLER - KLEIN

Offensive Player of the Year - Jordan Lynch - QB - Northern Illinois : Lynch put up better numbers than Johnny Heisman, has the Huskies on a 12 game win streak, MAC Champions, oh and playing in the Orange Bowl.  He also lead the nation in rushing (going into bowl season) with 1771 rushing yards.  He also tossed the ball for 2962 yards and accounted for 43 Huskie touchdowns.

Defensive Player of the Year - Manti Te'o - LB - Notre Dame : I don't know if any player meant more to their team than Te'o did this year.  Not only did he make big plays in big games and key situations, he IS the heart and soul of this year's Irish.  If Te'o isn't there the Irish are probably and 8-4 team.  Instead they are 12-0 and playing for the BCS Championship.  Te'o had 7 picks for the Irish and 93 tackles and 1.5 sacks.

Coach of the Year : Bill Snyder - Kansas State : Snyder has to be up for coach of the millennium   What he did his first go around at KState almost having them in the title game in 1998 and continuing success in the early 2000s.  Then to retire and comeback and have them 11-1 this year and a loss to Baylor away from playing Notre Dame for the title is amazing.

Big Ten Player of the Year - Braxton Miller - QB - Ohio State : Miller in year 1 under Urban Meyer has given the rest of the Big Ten a glimpse of what the Buckeyes will have the next few years, and it looks dangerous.  Miller accounted for 3200+ total yards for the Buckeyes and 28 touchdowns as the Buckeyes went 12-0 in their self imposed no post season year.

Big XII Player of the Year - Collin Klein - QB - Kansas State : How much would Klein and KState like to have the Baylor game back.  If they win in Waco they are playing in Miami for a title and Klein is the Heisman Winner.  Klein passed for 2490 yards, a 15-7 TD-INT ratio and added 890 on the ground with 22 scores. while leading the 'Cats to a Big XII title and Fiesta Bowl bid.

Previous Award Winners

Jimmy John's Big Ten Challenge

The last Big Ten Football game of 2012-13 has been played with Wisconsin coming up JUST short of a very good Stanford team.  No more Big Ten games means no more Jimmy John's Big Ten Challenge.  

For the 2nd straight year Chad has won the title and Matt and Kyle will come in tying for 2nd place.  

FINAL STANDINGS

Chad : 81-23

Matt : 78-26

Kyle : 78-26

In 2013 we will institute a points feature.  See you in 239 days!