Walker Sports

Brock Lesnar Retires from UFC and MMA

noreply@blogger.com (Dumont J. Walker III) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 05:32:00 +0000

Brock Lesnar made his return to the UFC's octagon, and after a brief fight against Alistar Overeem, Brock Lesnar's comeback has come to an end.

After suffering a TKO loss to Alistar Overeem at UFC 141, former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar retired from the sport of MMA following. Brock has battled diverticulitis and had a foot of colon removed in a major surgery earlier this year. Lesnar was in great shape, but many questioned how his body would hold up after the major surgery.

In a match that was quite short, Overeem attacked Brock’s body and landed multiple knees and kicks to the body of Lesnar.

Lingerie Football League Brawl

noreply@blogger.com (Dumont J. Walker III) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:44:00 +0000

In the wake of the Xavier-Cincinnati brawl that broke out last Saturday, we have found video of another epic brawl that took place on the athletic field. However, for some reason this fight did not stir up the same response.

NHL Realigns to Form a 4 Team Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Dumont J. Walker III) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 14:30:00 +0000

The NHL has approved a league realignment that will drastically alter the way the NHL looks, and how the format of the playoffs will work. The major change in the realignment means teams will now play a home-and-home series with every other NHL team. It also means, that teams will cut down on their cross country trips come the post season.

Dan Rosen of NHL.com had the following to say about the realignment:
In the seven-team conferences, teams would play six times -- three home, three away. In the eight-team Conferences, teams would play either five or six times in a season on a rotating basis; three teams would play each other six times and four teams would play each other five times. This process would reverse each season: An eight-team Conference member that plays an opponent six times in one season would play it five times the following season.

Happy Thanksgiving From Walker Sports

noreply@blogger.com (Dumont J. Walker III) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 14:14:00 +0000

From all of us here at Walker Sports, we want to wish you all a happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy your time with loved ones, family and friends.

And since we are in a giving mood, here are some special NFL picks for the Thanksgiving Day Football games.

Detroit +7 to cover again the Green Bay Packers

Dallas -7.5 to cover against the Miami Dolphins

San Francisco +3 to cover against the Baltimore Ravens.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Lee Corso Says "Ah F@ck It" On College Gameday

noreply@blogger.com (Dumont J. Walker III) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:59:00 +0000

Here at Walker Sports we love ESPN's College Gameday. To be honest it's our favorite show on the network. Saturday our love for the show reached new heights thanks to Lee Corso, and his on camera gaffe.

Joe Paterno Fired in Wake of Penn State Child-Sex Scandal

noreply@blogger.com (Dumont J. Walker III) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 03:48:00 +0000

After days of speculation, it was finally announced, Penn State has fired head football coach Joe Paterno. The firing comes as part of the fallout from a sex scandal that rocked the college football world, and destroyed the reputation of the town known as Happy Valley.

There has been plenty of speculation about Joe Paterno's future after the news of the scandal hit. Earlier today, Paterno released a statement stating he would retire when the season was over. However, that was not soon enough for the Penn State board of trustees who held an emergency meeting that resulted in Joe Paterno and Penn State president Graham Spainer being fired.

In their statement, the board announced, "The Pennsylvania State University Board of Trustees and Graham Spanier have decided that, effective immediately, Dr. Spanier is no longer president of the University. Additionally, the board determined that it is in the best interest of the University for Joe Paterno to no longer serve as head football coach, effective immediately.

"The board has named Dr. Rodney A. Erickson, executive vice president and provost, as the interim president of the University. Tom Bradley, assistant coach, has been named interim head football coach."

Despite falling all over themselves, it finally appears that Penn State has done the right thing by removing the cancer from the university, and trying to take the first steps down the long road to recovery. Now with the distraction of Joe Paterno and football out of the way, perhaps we can finally focus on what really matters. Rebuilding the lives of victims who suffered at the hands of former coach Sandusky.

Joe Paterno Retires as Penn State Head Coach

noreply@blogger.com (Dumont J. Walker III) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 15:54:00 +0000

The scandal at Penn State is spiraling out of control, and the biggest name of all is set to fall. Penn State football coach Joe Paterno officially announced he will step down as the head coach of Penn State university.

The following is an official statement released by Paterno and his people:

STATE COLLEGE, Pa., Nov. 9, 2011 -- I am absolutely devastated by the developments in this case. I grieve for the children and their families, and I pray for their comfort and relief.

I have come to work every day for the last 61 years with one clear goal in mind: To serve the best interests of this university and the young men who have been entrusted to my care. I have the same goal today.

That's why I have decided to announce my retirement effective at the end of this season. At this moment the Board of Trustees should not spend a single minute discussing my status. They have far more important matters to address. I want to make this as easy for them as I possibly can. This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.

My goals now are to keep my commitments to my players and staff and finish the season with dignity and determination. And then I will spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to help this University.

While this is a decent first step it is obviously not enough. It will be one of the biggest travesties in sports if Joe Paterno is allowed to step onto the sidelines for Penn State on Saturday.

Penn State Prepping for Joe Paterno to Step Down

noreply@blogger.com (Dumont J. Walker III) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:35:00 +0000

After four days of the worse PR spin since Hurricane Katrina, it looks as though Penn State is finally trying to make the right moves in handling the recent sex scandal that came to light. Thanks to Mark Viera and Pete Thamel of the New York Times, we now have reports that Penn State is making moves to prepare for the departure of Joe Paterno, thus ending the longest running coaching regime in college football.

The board of trustees has yet to announce when they will have Joe Paterno step down, but it is clear that he will not be around for another season in Happy Valley. The news of the sex scandal hit papers over the weekend, and has rocked the sporting world. Joe Paterno, the patriarch of the Penn State football and the man largely associated as the face of the university is now being offered up to take the fall for the terrible situations that took place under his watch.

Currently the Penn State board of trustees is still working through how to handle the details of releasing Joe Paterno, but it can be confirmed from two sources, that the school is ready to part ways with the long time head coach. Paterno would be the third member of the Penn State athletic depart fired in the wake of the current scandal. Paterno was scheduled to have his weekly press conference today, but that was canceled just moments before by school officials.

Harrisburg Pa. Paper Takes Joe Pa, and Penn State to Task

noreply@blogger.com (Dumont J. Walker III) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 14:34:00 +0000

By now unless you're living under a rock, you've heard about the horrible crimes that have taken place at Penn State University over the last two decades. While, we've avoided talking about those crimes here, we want to recognize those who have taken a stance and done what is right, unlike the Penn State officials. The Patriot-News ran the following article on the cover of their paper today. Things are not good at Penn State, and that's a good thing. Those who were in charge abused their power and should be taken to task and held accountable for the lives they ruined. er of their paper today.

Shaq Tells All About Why He and Kobe Bryant Fought

noreply@blogger.com (Dumont J. Walker III) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:22:00 +0000

It's no secret that Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal do not like each other. From 2003 to 2007 the feud between the two NBA superstars ruled the television airwaves. After 2007 the two men seemingly put their differences aside, for the good of the NBA, but from time to time the fans were still exposed to bad battle raps, and thinly veiled insults during interviews.

Now with Shaq retired from the NBA, and heading to the announcers booth, O'Neal felt it was time to pen a tell all book. The new biography which is co-written by Jackie MacMullan is set to hit stores soon, and the portions of the book that have hit the internet are sure to make headlines. One thing is apparent Shaq is not done with his feud with Kobe Bryant.

So I'm on edge because I don't have a new deal, and Kobe is on edge because he might be going to jail, so we're taking it out on each other. Just before the start of the '03-'04 season the coaching staff called us in and said, "No more public sparring or you'll get fined." ... Phil was tired of it. Karl Malone and Gary Payton were sick of it. ... So what happens? Immediately after that Kobe runs right out to Jim Gray and does this interview where he lets me have it. He said I was fat and out of shape. He said I was milking my toe injury for more time off, and the injury wasn't even that serious. (Yeah, right. It only ended my damn career.) He said I was "lobbying for a contract extension when we have two Hall of Famers playing pretty much for free." I'm sitting there watching this interview and I'm gonna explode. Hours earlier we had just promised our coach we'd stop. It was a truce broken. I let the guys know, "I'm going to kill him."
Kobe stands up and goes face-to-face with me and says, "You always said you're my big brother, you'd do anything for me, and then this Colorado thing happens and you never even called me." I did call him. ... So here we are now, and we find out he really was hurt that we didn't stand behind him. That was something new. I didn't think he gave a rat's ass about us either way. "Well, I thought you'd publicly support me, at least," Kobe said. "You're supposed to be my friend."
Brian Shaw chimed in with "Kobe, why would you think that? Shaq had all these parties and you never showed up for any of them. We invited you to dinner on the road and you didn't come. Shaq invited you to his wedding and you weren't there. Then you got married and didn't invite any of us. And now you are in the middle of this problem, this sensitive situation, and now you want all of us to step up for you. We don't even know you." ...
Everyone was starting to calm down when I told Kobe, "If you ever say anything like what you said to Jim Gray ever again, I will kill you."

Kobe shrugged and said, "Whatever."
[...]
From that day on, I was done dealing with Kobe. I was done dealing with Jim Gray, too. What goes around, comes around. When he got fired, he actually had the nerve to call me and ask me to help him out. What, did you lose Kobe's number?

Shaq goes on to add;

He was so young and so immature in some ways, but I can tell you this: everything Kobe is doing now, he told me all the way back then he was going to do it. We were sitting on the bus once and he told me, "I'm going to be the number one scorer for the Lakers, I'm going to win five or six championships, and I'm going to be the best player in the game." I was like, "Okay, whatever." Then he looked me right in the eye and said, "I'm going to be the Will Smith of the NBA."
My first Lakers season we had a couple of rookies, and we hazed them pretty badly. We were dogging them out constantly. It was "Go get my bags, go get me something to eat." It was kind of a rite of passage in the NBA that a lot of teams do, but we probably went a little too far with it. One of the rookies—Derek Fisher(notes)—just took it. The other rookie—Kobe Bryant—ratted us out to Jerry West.

It's pretty obvious that this feud is nowhere near an ending. One thing is for sure, Shaq knows how to snag a few headlines, and with stories about the rivalry between himself and Kobe, this new tell all is sure to move a few copies.

Greg Gumbel Rips Hulk Hogan with a Killer Promo

noreply@blogger.com (Dumont J. Walker III) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 20:50:00 +0000

While Bryant Gumbel is busy sticking his foot in his mouth while trying to sound overly intellectual, Greg Gumbel is busy plying his trade as a play-by-play announcer for CBS NFL coverage on Sundays. However, just because Greg Gumbel is busy working in the booth, it doesn't mean he cannot take a few seconds of air time to cut a promo of his own.

A few weeks ago Hulk Hogan was on a media tour at the ESPN studios, and he took the opportunity to rip Tim Tebow in a professional wrestling style promo. Tim Tebow made his first start of the season on Sunday, and lead the Denver Broncos to an impressive comeback over the Miami Dolphins. After witnessing the comeback, Greg Gumbel felt it was time someone put Hulk Hogan in his place, and he was just the mad for the job.

That's right folks get ready for one helluva cage match because Greg Gumbel is calling Hulk Hogan out, and this one is going to be a last man standing match.

Jim Schwartz is Pissed at Jim Harbaugh, Cage Match Schedule for Later this Year

noreply@blogger.com (Dumont J. Walker III) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 21:06:00 +0000

Continuing you Sunday of scandal and anger, we saw an exciting game between the San Francisco 49'ers and the Detroit Lions, that was followed by even more excitement during the post game handshake. The 9'ers came away with an impressive victory and improved to 5-1. However, the real entertainment took place after the game when Detroit's head coach Jim Schwartz expressed his disdain for Jim Harbaugh's excitement and celebratory actions.

For those of you who cannot read lips, that's a nice 'FU' coming from Jim Schwartz lips.

But don't worry, it gets better. Because Jim Schawrtz is not done with Harbaugh just yet.

Nothing like a little coaching feud to get the juices going. On another note, it's good to see the Lions and 49'ers playing in meaningful games.

AJ Hawk Gives a Fan the Finger

noreply@blogger.com (Dumont J. Walker III) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 18:55:00 +0000

The Green Bay Packers are having an amazing season on the field. Currently the Packers are making all the right moves, and beating up on the win less St. Louis Rams. However, one player made a major mistake. Pro-Bowl linebacker, AJ Hawk, was getting heckled by some fans, and apparently they got to him. So Hawk took matters into his own hands. Or in this case his finger.

Making a gesture like this is typically a penalty, but the officials missed it during the game. You can bet the NFL will be in contact with AJ Hawk during the week, and a fine will be assessed as well.

Stay classy Green Bay

Jay Beagle Gets Knocked Out During

noreply@blogger.com (Dumont J. Walker III) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:32:00 +0000

Like it or not fighting is part of hockey. Sure many in the NHL want to move the game away from it's brawling past, but sometimes tempers flare and a bit of a punch up is needed to settle things. This is especially the case when two heated rivals get together on the ice.

On Thursday night the Washington Capitals traveled north to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins continuing the hottest feud in NHL. Many Penguin fans blame the Capitals for putting Sydney Crosby out for the last year, and as a result the bad blood between the two top ranked teams always seems to boil over. Thursday's game was no exception.

Jay Beagle of the Washington Capitals found himself on the wrong end of a powerful punch that left him laid out on the ice, and the Penguin players gloating. This is not something you see everyday.

Hulk Hogan Cuts Promo on Tim Tebow

noreply@blogger.com (Dumont J. Walker III) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 13:45:00 +0000

Now that Tim Tebow is officially the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos, it seems like people are coming out of the woodwork to get a piece of him. Sure plenty of people in the media are voicing their opinions about him, but on Wednesday Tebow had his what is most likely his biggest, and perhaps his most unpredictable critic call him out.

For some reason Hulk Hogan was during a media tour of the Northeast this week, and he found himself making the rounds in Bristol Connecticut in the ESPN studios. Never one to shy away from the stic (that's a microphone for you none wrestling fans), Hogan took full advantage of his time on air to cut a promo on Tim Tebow.

Now growing up as a Hulk Hogan fan, I have to say this was not the Hulksters best work. Frankly he didn't talk me into a seat at Madison Square Garden with this promo. However, the thought of Tebow flying off the top of a cage and landing a big elbow splash is intriguing. Perhaps, that is something we can look forward to if this whole NFL thing, doesn't work out.

Steve Spurrier Hates Ron Morris, and Refuses to Begin Press Conference Til He Leaves

noreply@blogger.com (Dumont J. Walker III) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:50:00 +0000

Steve Spurrier has long been one of the most entertaining characters in college football. The 'Old Ball Coach' knows how to work the media, and in his time, he has ticked off more than a few coaches in the SEC, and around the country. Earlier today, it was the media who was working Steve Spurrier and he had enough of it.

Steve Spurrier saw his riff with State columnist Ron Morris as so bad, that Spurrier refused to continue his weekly press conference, opting to rather give one-on-one interviews with local television reporters. This is only the second time in 26 years that Steve Spurrier refused to associate himself with a reporter.

So what caused Spurrier to be so angry at Ron Morris? Was it the fact that Morris needled Spurrier for running up the score in a 53-3 win over UK? Nope. Was it after a loss to Auburn Ron Morris placed the blame squarely on Steve Spurrier's shoulders? No.

Spurrier cited an article that Morris wrote six months ago as the reason he no long wants to associate with the columnist. The article in questions revolves around Bruce Ellington, the SC basketball program and poaching players from one sport to another.

For Spurrier the whole thing was a fabrication, and too much for him to handle. For me, it created an awkard moment at a typically boring press conference.

Coastal Carolina Football Coach David Bennett Wants More Dogs

noreply@blogger.com (Dumont J. Walker III) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:20:00 +0000

I love college football. It's arguably my favorite sport. There are plenty of things that I love about college football, at the top of that list is the diversity in the personalities. With so many teams at some many different levels coaches and players tend to let their personality show a little more than their professional counterparts. This can especially be seen during post game press conferences.

Coastal Carolina is not exactly a powerhouse football program, but they have been building over the past few years. David Bennett is a solid coach who is making a name for himself building the small CCU program. Earlier this season Bennett took to the podium for a press conference and attempted to explain to reporters what type of players he wanted. In Bennett's words he wanted 'dogs.'

Hopefully he did a better job explaining what he wanted to his players than he did to the press...

Madonna to Perform at the Super Bowl

noreply@blogger.com (Dumont J. Walker III) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:54:00 +0000

It's that time of year again where the NFL announces who will appear as headline halftime act for the Super Bowl. That's right NFL fans, Super Bowl XLVI will feature none other than Madonna and all of her hits from the last 30-40 years give take a few.

Keeping with the NFL's tradition of trying to find the acts that appeal to the most amount of people Madonna is sure to bring in a few prying eyes who would not typically tune into the Super Bowl. In addition the loyal fan base that Madonna currently holds will be great in hyping the singer, and spreading the word (as if she or the NFL needed it).

Personally, I cannot imagine that the typical NFL fan is a big Madge fan, but I could be wrong. In addition, the NFL really doesn't care what us hardcore football fans think because they know we will be watching the Super Bowl no matter what.

The NFL has made a concerted effort to find family friendly acts that everyone can enjoy for the Super Bowl halftime shows, in the wake of "Nipplegate." For those of us old enough to remember, it's kind of crazy to think that Madonna is considered a safe and friendly family act. Oh how the times have changed.

The Lucas Oil Stadium will be rocking in Indianapolis this year.

What We Learned Week 2 in the NFL Season

noreply@blogger.com (Dumont J. Walker III) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 18:49:00 +0000

Week 2 of the NFL season is in the books, and it’s still too early to read any serious trends for the season, but like any good student, we are learning. Let’s take a look at a few of the lessons learned from Week 2 of the NFL season.

10) Passing records will fall. Thanks to the new NFL rules that give receivers all day to run around the field and get open, we are seeing some impressive passing stats pile up. Tom Brady racked up 423 yards on Sunday, giving him over 900 yards on the season. Impressive.

9) Don’t count the Pittsburgh Steelers out just yet. After being punched in the mouth last week, by the Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers bounced back and used the Seattle Seahawks as a whipping boy to prove their defense is still something to be feared.

8) The Detroit Lions are legit. It’s one thing to pick up a few scrappy wins. It’s another thing to dominate a team, even it if is the Kansas City Chiefs. Sunday the Lions defense forced 6 TO’s and dominated the Chiefs in every aspect of the game.

7) Cam Newton is the real deal, and the Panthers are suffering because of it. In week 2, Cam Newton threw for over 400 yards again, and the Carolina Panthers loss again. Yes Cam is lighting it up, but the Panthers paid a lot of money for two running backs during the offseason and they are not giving them the ball. Cam’s stats are impressive, but the Panthers need to establish their running game if they want to win games this season.

6) You can’t crown the Baltimore Ravens yet. A week ago the Ravens were the toast of the NFL after spanking the Pittsburgh Steelers. This week, they are back in the doghouse. It’s hard to believe a team whose emotional leaders include Ed Reed and Ray Lewis would have a letdown factor after a bit game. But that’s exactly what the Ravens suffered from on Sunday.

5) Raheem Morris is going to be a good NFL coach for a long time. In the first half of Sunday’s game, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were struggling and trailed the Minnesota Vikings by 17 points at the half. Second year coach Raheem Morris made some great halftime adjustments that saw LeGarrette Blount rush for 67 yards in the second half after only compiling 4 in the first half.

4) The Buffalo Bills are the best team that no one cares about. The Bills found themselves in a classic AFC shootout with the Oakland Raiders. The Bills have a good quarterback in Ryan Fitzpatrick and they are a pretty good team, but in the AFC East they will be lost in the shuffle.

3) The Cincinnati Bengals don’t need Carson Palmer. Sunday evening rookie quarterback Andy Dalton proved he has what it takes to lead an NFL team. The Bengals may have loss 24-22 to the Denver Broncos but Andy Dalton delievered a near perfect performance going for two scores and 332 yards.

2) Tony Romo got the critics off his back, for now. The Dallas Cowboys looked horrible against the San Francisco 49’ers on Sunday. Tony Romo went down with a punctured lung in the first half, and then made his great return leading to Cowboys to victory. The gutsy performance helped to quiet some of the critics.

1) The Philadelphia Eagles did not make enough moves to make the Super Bowl. Michael Vick went down with a concussion on Sunday night. Mainly because the Eagles failed to upgrade a shaky offensive line, and provide Vick with adequate protection. I guess, linemen got lost in all the of the Dream Team shuffle.

Walker Sports College Football Top 25 Poll Week 3

noreply@blogger.com (Dumont J. Walker III) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 16:26:00 +0000

After a hard fought game down in Florida, we finally have some movement in the week 3 edition of the Walker Sports Top 25 Poll. As teams begin their conference schedule, the opportunity for upsets showed itself, and someone suffered the results in this week’s poll.

1) Oklahoma Sooners: On the road in a hostile environment, and the Sooners stood strong. Proving they can win in a physical game. With Saturday’s victory, Oklahoma has to be on the fast track to a National Championship.

2) LSU Tigers: Another solid week for the Baton Rouge crew.

3) Alabama Crimson Tide: Nick Saban’s bunch is a lot better than I anticipated. I have a feeling they will factor into the BCS picture before it’s all over.

4) Boise State Broncos: A tough Friday night road game against an upset minded Toledo was not enough to stop Chris Peterson’s Broncos from taking care of business.

5) Oklahoma State Cowboys: How good is this team? Can Gundy get them over the hump and help them win a big game?

6) Stanford Cardinals: When Andrew Luck is your quarterback, you have the opportunity to win a few games.

7) Wisconsin Badgers: These guys have to be the frontrunners in the B1G. Russell Wilson gives the Badgers a much needed air attack.

8) Texas A&M Aggie’s: The pieces are in place, but are the Aggais ready to step in as the top program in Texas?

9) Nebraska Cornhuskers: The Cornhuskers are good, but they need to find someone other than their QB to generate all of their offense.

10) Oregon Ducks: The crew from Eugene Oregon has bounced back nicely after their opening week loss. Most importantly they are showing good balance on offense.

11) Florida State Seminoles: Saturday was a test for the Seminoles. Jimbo is trying to rebuild Florida State to greatness, and after playing Oklahoma tight, but falling short of the victory, FSU knows they still have some work to do.

12) South Carolina Gamecocks: 24-21 is too close against Navy. I don’t care how much the Midshipmen overachieve.

13) Virginia Tech Hokies: The Hokies are the only true rival to Florida State in the ACC.

14) Arkansas Razorbacks: Yet another talented team in the SEC West. That division is better than half the major conferences in the NCAA.

15) Florida Gators: We warned you at the beginning of the season that the Gators would be a solid team. Slowly but surely Florida is climbing back into the spotlight.

16) Baylor Bears: It’s a shame that Baylor is finally getting some national recognition and they will be out of a conference in 12 months.

17) Texas Longhorns: It looks like the Longhorns have finally settled on a quarterback, and as a result the offense appears to be clicking on all cylinders.

18) TCU Horned Frogs: The whole season is geared toward a showdown with Boise State, and ruining their BCS dreams.

19) South Florida Bulls: Is it time to believe in the Bulls?

20) West Virginia Mountaineers: WVU can play, more importantly Gino Smith can play and he has the skills to lead the Mountaineers into the BCS.

21) Michigan Wolverines: The Wolverines are for real… sort of. Robinson is playing his tail off, and the Wolverines are following suit.

22) USC Trojans: It doesn’t matter that they are not eligible for post season play, the Trojans are once again playing for pride, and doing a great job of executing on the field.

23) Clemson Tigers: The boys delivered a big win at home against Auburn on Saturday, and ended the nationals longest win streak in the process. Not bad for a day’s work.

24) Georgia Tech: The most impressive number for the Yellow Jackets is 12.1. That’s how many yards per carry Georgia Tech averaged on Saturday. Scary.

25) Michigan State: Sparty is just barely holding on, as it looks like Michigan State is not who I thought they were.

Walker Sports College Football Top 25 Poll Week 2

noreply@blogger.com (Dumont J. Walker III) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 17:25:00 +0000

Week two of the college football season is in the books, and sure we didn’t get the powerhouse games we saw in opening week. As a result there’s not a lot of movement in this week’s edition of the Walker Sports Top 25, think of this as the calm before the storm.

1. Oklahoma Sooners: An off week will be useful as they prepare for the big showdown with Florida State.

2. LSU Tigers: The SEC West is not going to be easy, but surviving the scandal is impressive.

3. Alabama Crimson Tide: Penn State proved to be little competition for Saban’s crew.

4. Florida State Seminoles: Next week we get to see if the Seminoles are for real. A win over top ranked Oklahoma and Florida State is on the fast track to the BCS Championship.

5. Boise State Broncos: The Broncos are a very good team. They need TCU to stay strong to help them get another quality win on their schedule since Georgia is not helping.

6. Oklahoma State Cowboys: The Cowboys may be the most under the radar team in the country still (no one watch their Thursday game). I’m very curious to see how they fair in the conference schedule.

7. Stanford Cardinals: On the road at Duke and the Cardinals came up with a great win.

8. Wisconsin Badgers: Once again Russell Wilson proved to be the biggest acquisition of the offseason.

9. Texas A&M: Mike Sherman’s bunch are legit.

10. Nebraska Cornhuskers: The Huskers have a home game coming up then a tough 3-game road trip.

11. South Carolina Gamecocks: Georgia played them tougher than I thought, but in the end the Gamecocks were too good.

12. Oregon Ducks: How do you bounce back from an opening week loss? Slap a team around when you return home and prove you’re still a top level team.

13. Virginia Tech Hokies: They haven’t played anyone of significance yet, but Virginia Tech appears to be up to their usual tricks.

14. Arkansas Razorbacks: Still waiting to see if the Razorbacks are as good as we think they are.

15. Ohio State Buckeyes: Still waiting to get everyone back on the field to see how good this team really is.

16. Michigan State Spartans: These guys are going to be the B1G spoilers.

17. Florida Gators: Sneaky team in the SEC, that will surprise someone.

18. Baylor Bears: With that type of talent at the quarterback position, Baylor will be competitive all year.

19. Texas Longhorns: There’s still a lot of questions surrounding the Longhorns, as they struggle to find their identity.

20. Auburn Tigers: A solid win against an SEC opponent puts War Eagle back in favor with some of the Auburn faithful.

21. Arizona State Sun Devils: The quiet killers out in the PAC-12.

22. TCU Horned Frogs: Good way to bounce back after a heartbreaker to open the season.

23. South Florida Bulls: Could this be the year the Bulls finally breakthrough in the Big East?

24. West Virginia Mountaineers: Just have to keep pace with USF.

25. Michigan Wolverines: Welcome back to the Top 25, now try to stay here.

10 Lessons Learned from Week 1 of the NFL Season

noreply@blogger.com (Dumont J. Walker III) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:41:00 +0000

Week 1 of the 2011 NFL season is nearly in the books, save a couple games tonight. So we thought it was as good of a time as any to make some notes on what we saw over the weekend.

10) Cam Newton can be a productive NFL Quarterback. The rookie QB led all passers on Sunday evening, in his NFL debut. Not an easy task. He may struggle during the season, but it appear the Carolina Panthers have something special in Cam Newton.

9) The 49er’s will be back. In his NFL coaching Debut, San Francisco 49er’s hears coach Jim Harbaugh beat up on former Pac 12 foe Pete Carroll. Alex Smith may not be the quarterback of the future for the 49er’s but he will be serviceable this season.

8) Mike Shanahan is turning over a new leaf in DC. In the past Shanahan has used a plug-n-play system for his running backs, and he’s managed to be successful with that strategy. Sunday, new Washington Redskins RB Tim Hightower avg. 2.9 yards a carry. However, journeyman quarterback Rex Grossman threw for 305 yards. Maybe times are changing for Mike Shanahan.

7) You can’t rely on last year’s successes to get you by. The Kansas City Chiefs appeared to still be living off their 2010 success, and the Buffalo Bills snapped them back to reality with a 41-7 beat down. It’s Time for the Chiefs to hit the drawing board and make some adjustments.

6) Some things never change. The San Diego Chargers brought in a new special teams coach, and they gave up a 103 yard return on the opening kickoff. San Diego wanted to get off to a hot start, but someone should have told them that meant more than an interception on the first defensive play of the game. Once again the Chargers are slow out of the gate.

5) The NFC North is tough. The Bears, Lions, Vikings, and Packers all racked up impressive victories over quality opponents in the opening week. It’s going to be a long winter up north.

4) Plaxico Burress is still tall. In his first game in two years, New York Jets wide out Plaxico Burress proved he still knows how to take advantage of his height and dominate in the red zone.

3) The Steelers got old. The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered their first opening day loss in eight years, and they did it in glorious fashion being blown out by the Baltimore Ravens. One of the most evident things was the lack of athleticism shown by the Steelers. The defense looked slow, and the offensive line was horrible.

2) Tony Romo is who we thought he was. Once again the Dallas Cowboys gunslinger was his own demise fumbling the ball on the goal line, and then tossing a pick with 1:54 to go in a tie ball game. Romo has yet to progress in his six years in the league, and Jerry Jones and co. have to wonder if he really has what it takes to lead the Cowboys.

1) Peyton Manning is a difference maker. The Indianapolis Colts played their first game without Peyton Manning under center since the Clinton administration, and they looked just as bad yesterday as they did twelve years ago. The Colts appeared loss on offense and defense with their general sidelined with a neck injury.

Keys to the NFL Season Part II

noreply@blogger.com (Dumont J. Walker III) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 14:52:00 +0000

16. This is the end my friends. Neck and spine injuries are no laughing matter, and neither is having Kerry Collins as your starting quarterback. If you ever wondered how important Peyton Manning is to the Indianapolis Colts, wait till you watch the Colts play sans Manning.

15. It’s about change. As a city Detroit has needed change for decades, for 2011 the Detroit Lions will be experiencing change. A change in culture and a change in attitude will see the Lions improve this season. Thanks to dominant force Ndamukong Suh, and his partner in crime Nick Fairley the Lions are going to one mean bunch. There are no pushovers in the Motor City.

14. Rebuilding made easy. The Jacksonville Jaguars revamped their offense last year thanks to a reach with the 10th pick and they are yielding the rewards now. There are plenty of questions surrounding the Jags offense, but the defense could be good enough to carry them.

13. Was it just a dream? That’s what many are asking about the 2010 campaign put on by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The youngest team in the league shuck up the NFL and nearly slipped into the playoffs. But with their schedule getting tougher and two potentially elite teams in the division, they'll have to improve to win as many games as they did last year.

12. We like being under the radar. Those are words you never thought you would hear from the Dallas Cowboys, but that’s exactly where they current sit. Dallas went 5-3 in the Jason Garrett half of last season, but many cannot forget their 2-6 start. The Cowboys need to prove to the world that they are as good as they look on paper. Maybe having lowered expectations will help this team.

11. This year we are going to do it. I mean it!! Every year there is a breakout team in the NFL, and for the past four seasons that team has been the Houston Texans. Unfortunately for the Texans they never break through the glass ceiling. Thanks to additions on defense, and a shaky AFC North, this may finally be the Texans year.

10. Mark Sanchez is good enough. Yes I really mean that. The New York Jets have a loaded defense and talent at the skills positions. Now they need to trust and believe in Mark Sanchez. His stats aren’t great, but he is great in the 2-minute drill, and that will win you a lot of games.

9. The defense can’t save you this time. The New York Giants won 10 games last year, despite Eli Manning's 25 interceptions. Last year they had a healthy defense that saved the Giants when Eli got them into trouble. This year, Manning may not have that security blanket to fall back on thanks to injuries.

8. Find a way to make the pieces fit. So far, for Chad Ochocinco the issue hasn't been showboating or calling attention to himself, but instead, finding a way to fit into the New England Patriots offense. If things are bad enough for the Patriots to consider Randy Moss, you know the Patriots have concerns.

7. Its Joe Flaco’s time to shine. The defense is getting older, and does not have the big play making ability they once possessed. The offensive line has some holes in it, and the power running game may not be there. The Baltimore Ravens to have a host of reliable receivers who can make plays. Now it’s time for Flaco to take control of his team and prove he is an elite NFL quarterback.

6. It’s all about getting off to a good start. For three consecutive years the San Diego Chargers have gotten off to dismal starts, despite having the top ranked offense and defense in the NFL. The sluggish start and special teams mistakes cost the Chargers last year, they cannot allow either to happen in 2011.

5. Let the aerial display begin. The Atlanta Falcons were a great team last year, who fell short against a red hot Packers club. In order to keep pace with their rivals from the north, Atlanta traded up in the draft to secure the rights to Julio Jones, who is looking to make an immediate impact opposite Roddy White.

4. Is this really a dream team? The Philadelphia Eagles went against their recent history and they spent big in free agency this offseason. They spent big on their own players (See Mike Vick’s contract). Now it’s time to see if the Eagles spent their money wisely, or if this will be Andy Reid’s last stand.

3. Old habits die hard. If you’re the New Orleans Saints that’s a good thing. Last season the Saints suffered from a post-Super Bowl hangover. This year Drew Brees and company have been as focused as any team in the NFL, and the results will be seen on the field.

2. Will they play Pittsburgh Steeler football? We know they will on defense. But will the Steelers go back to a powerful ground attack that has made them one of the best teams in the NFL? There are not a lot of questions around this team.

1. First and 10 let’s do it again. The Packers were firing on all cylinders by the time the post-season came around last year. That was without several key players who were out on injury. This year they are healthy, and there will not be a post-Super Bowl hangover.

Keys to the NFL Season Part I

noreply@blogger.com (Dumont J. Walker III) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:13:00 +0000

With opening day of the NFL season just a day away, it’s time we do our version of the 2-minute drill here at Walker Sports. We are going around the NFL, and touching on 32 keys to the 2011 NFL season.

32. New beginnings can be rough. Jim Harbaugh is calling the shots for the San Francisco 49ers now, but Alex Smith is still his quarterback. Harbaugh is an extremely capable coach, and when the losses start to mount, try to remember that better days are ahead.

31. The little things count in life. For the Cincinnati Bengals just arriving at the stadium without incident will be something to celebrate. Because I think that's about the best they can hope for in 2011.

30. Sometimes a quarterback is not the most important thing. The Seattle Seahawks were surprisingly good in Pete Carroll’s first season. They upgraded in a bunch of ways going into this season, including adding Sidney Rice. But Tarvaris Jackson is their starting quarterback, and I just don't know what a team is supposed to do with that.

29. Sometimes all you need is a quarterback. Derek Anderson, John Skelton (who?!?) and Max Hall (seriously who?!?) are taking reps as your starting quarterbacks, and your team isn't a complete embarrassment, you might be pretty good. If you can add even a decent quarterback to the mix, who knows, and Kevin Kolb should be at least that for the Arizona Cardinals.

28. The dreaded "rebuilding” isn’t always a bad thing. The Denver Broncos were a wreck last season, and need to start from scratch, especially on defense, and new head coach John Fox is a guy who can do that and rebuild with fundamentals. Kyle Orton, will need to start off hot, despite maybe being the team's best offensive player, if he wants to fight off some weird fictional quarterback controversy.

27. Cam Newton and who? Cam showed some promise during the pre-season, but his lack of talent when throwing the ball proved more prominent than anything else. With a 42.1 percent preseason completion percentage, Cam Newton is going to have have some really, really rough games for the Carolina Panthers. The key will be can the Panthers running backs stay healthy to take some of the pressure off of him, while he finds his NFL legs.

26. Is Chris Johnson the $50 million man? Yes Chris Johnson has a 2,000 yard season, but what have you done for me lately? The Tennessee Titans are an under .500 team without him, and they still are with him.

25. Back to square one. Believe it or not the Oakland Raiders were a good team last season, especially coming down the stretch. However, they lost Robert Gallery, Zach Miller and an All-Pro defensive back. That hurts, especially if you’re looking to turn your offense over to a 6’4 speedster at quarterback who has very little actual skills at the position.

24. Is Mike Shanahan as smart as he thinks he is? Somehow Shanahan put the Washington Redskins in a quarterback controversy to start training camp. Too bad the two competing quarterbacks were Rex Grossman and John Beck.

23. There is such a thing as addition by subtraction. Brett Favre and Sidney Rice may be gone, but the Vikings managed to add Donovan McNabb. Who despite his performance in Washington last year, he can still play. The big question will be, did the Vikings add enough to keep pace with the rest of the division?

22. Is this really the right direction to be moving?. Despite five years in the league, there's been virtually no indication that Reggie Bush can be an every down back, but the Miami Dolphins are out to prove otherwise.

21. Not all victories are not shown in the win column. The Cleveland Browns are building a solid team, but in that division, and with an all-new coaching staff and schemes, they're still not ready to challenge Pittsburgh or Baltimore for AFC North supremacy, yet.

20. Will CJ Spiller develop into the threat everyone thought he would? The Buffalo Bills are tougher than most people realize. However, they still have plenty of holes, especially on their offensive line which has halted Spiller from growing into the threat he should be.

19. You have to take advantage of the opportunities given. The St. Louis Rams are definitely still growing. To this point, Sam Bradford has proven to be the real deal. The to the lack of talent in the NFC West the Rams were a game away from making the playoffs last season. They won’t have the same big game jitters this season.

18. Prove last season wasn’t a fluke. The Kansas City Chiefs shocked the world last season by winning their division and earning a spot in the playoffs. Now they have a tougher schedule and they have to prove to everyone that they can build on last season’s success.

17. Same old story just a new year. Adding Roy Williams did not give the Chicago Bears a legitimate offense. They will still rely heavily on a swarming defense, to get the back into the post season.

Walker Sports College Football Top 25 Poll

noreply@blogger.com (Dumont J. Walker III) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 19:46:00 +0000

With week one of the college football season in the books, it’s time to go back and analyze our pre-season polls, and start jumping on people for being overrated. However, that’s not what this post is about, let’s see how your favorite team fared in this week’s Walker Sports College Football Poll.

o 1) Oklahoma Sooners: Naturally Tulsa was not an issue. Now the Sooners have their first big test against FSU.

2) LSU Tigers: Could the Tigers be better than advertises? Even with the off the field distractions the Tigers should a smothering defense that shutdown the high powered Ducks.

3) Alabama Crimson Tide: These guys looked good over the weekend, and they will factor into the SEC and National Title mix.

4) Florida State Seminoles: It’s good to see the Noles back on their game. If they get by Oklahoma on Saturday a BCS Championship game appearance is not out of the question.

5) Boise State Broncos: The uniforms were ugly, but the play on the field was anything but. The Broncos still have what it takes to compete and play big time ball.

6) Oklahoma State Cowboys: This might be the best offense that no one’s talking about. A big performance on Thursday night could change that.

7) Stanford Cardinals: If Andrew Luck is calling the plays these guys have a chance to remain relevant in the PAC 12.

8) Wisconsin Badgers: The Russell Wilson era has arrived in Madison Wisconsin and it’s going to be good. The Badgers looked great Thursday night.

9) Texas A&M: Looking to leave the Big 12 on a high note, the Aggi’s are playing some good high powered football right now.

10) Nebraska Cornhuskers: Not a bad outing for the B10 newest member.

11) South Carolina Gamecocks: When Garcia was on the field the Gamecocks were at their best. Now how does he stay on the field?

12) Oregon Ducks: Tough loss on the road in a neutral site. The Ducks looked slow and the offense was out unable to find gaps.

13) Virginia Tech Hokies: The Hokies did exactly what you’d expect from a Frank Beamer coached team, solid defense good offense.

14) Arkansas Razorbacks: The best receiving core in the country is still looking for a chance to showcase their talents to the nation.

15) Ohio State Buckeyes: Good start to the post Jim Tressell era, but suspensions still kept us from seeing how good this team really is.

16) Michigan State Spartans: Old Sparty is still looking to make some now in the B10 this year.

17) Mississippi State Bulldogs: Can the Bulldogs take advantage of a weaker than normal schedule?

18) Florida Gators: After watching the rest of the SEC East, don’t be surprised if this bunch is not back in the mix.

19) Missouri Tigers: Big opening weekend win, but the Tigers still have question at quarterback.

20) Baylor Bears: Biggest win on the weekend. Robert Griffen III put his name into the Heisman hunt, now can Baylor keep up the success?

21) Texas Longhorns: For all the hype around this team, you’d think they’d perform even better.

22) Penn State Nitny Lions: Opening weekend victory in the books, but there’s a lot of questions surrounding this team. A strong showing against Alabama could prove a lot of people wrong.

23) Auburn Tigers: It’s a miracle the Tigers stayed in the poll. It’s also amazing what a difference one player can make. Auburn will struggle this season.