2009 final record (overall, division): 10-6, 4-2 Division finish:10-6, 4-2 Offensive rank (Points, Total Yards, Passing Yards, Rushing Yards):11th, 14th, 12th, 28th Defensive rank (Points, Total Yards, Passing Yards, Rushing Yards): 14th, 20th, 23rd, 17th
2009 Individual Statistical Leaders
Rushing:Beanie Wells, 793 yards, 7 TD; Tim Hightower, 598 yards, 8 TD Passing:Kurt Warner, 3,753 yards, 26 TD, 14 INT; Matt Leinart, 435 yards, 0 TD, 3 INT Receiving:Larry Fitzgerald, 1,092 yards, 13 TD; Anquan Boldin, 1,024 yards, 4 TD; Steve Breaston, 712 yards, 3 TD Tackles:Karlos Dansby, 89 total tackles, Bryant McFadden, 64 total tackles, Adrian Wilson, 61 total tackles; Antrel Rolle, 61 total tackles Sacks:Darnell Dockett, 7.0 sacks, Calais Campbell, 7.0 sacks, Clark Haggans, 5.0 sacks Interceptions: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, 6 INT, 1 TD; Adrian Wilson, 5 INT, 0 TD; Antrel Rolle, 4 INT, 0 TD
2010 Season Outlook
Schedule
(* denotes division game)
Key Matchups
September 19 at Atlanta: The Falcons are a team who can exploit the Cardinals' weakness at linebacker by running the ball with Michael Turner, or throwing it to Tony Gonzalez. The Cardinals are going to have to get their linebacker unit playing cohesively in this game, and hope that the linebacking corps is able to gel even though this is only the second game of the season.
October 3 at San Diego: This game will feature two teams that won their respective decisions in 2009 but have gotten markedly worse over the course of the past offseason. For the Cardinals to win this game, their suspect linebacking corps will have to be able to contain rookie running back Ryan Matthews.
January 2 vs. San Francisco: At this point, the Cardinals’ transition into a run-first team will be nearly complete, and they will have learned how to best compensate for the loss of several key players. If the division race is close at this point in the season, this final regular-season game could decide the divisional race.
On Saturday, August 21st, Dallas Morning News columnist Tim Cowlishaw attempted to "break a story" by giving us "Inside Information" that Darrelle Revis would sign with the Jets on Wednesday the 25th. That didn't happen.
Many of us expected to hear a mea culpa from Tim, but while he ‘took responsibility" for the misinformation, he stopped far short of an apology on Friday as he left us with the fact that his source told him that if it didn't happen Wednesday the 25th, the signing would happen on Saturday the 28th.
The weekend is now over and we have not yet heard from him on this. I'm not certain what he's waiting for, but whoever has given him the advice to ignore the elephant in the room and go silent on the issue has given him bad career advice.
We know he's still writing because he told us that the Cowboys offense stunk up the joint against the Texans at 1:15am this morning. We didn't need to hear about the Cowboys Tim, anyone who watched the 23-7 trouncing could have wrote that.
What we needed to hear when we woke up this morning was why a columnist with an impressive resume of being a popular sportswriter for The Dallas Morning News, a regular panelist on the ESPN sports talk show Around the Horn, the former lead reporter for the ESPN2 racing show NASCAR Now, a former beat writer for the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers, and one who's in the past provided quality coverage of Oklahoma Sooners football and the San Francisco Giants, would go out on a limb, TWICE making such a claim when it was not signed, sealed and delivered.
The longer he goes without addressing this, the worse the situation will become. From the moment he first tweeted his "Inside Information," reporters came out of the woodwork emphatically stating that Cowlishaw was wrong. Many of these reporters went on to say that Tim was over his head and that as a columnist, he couldn't possibly have the same quality sources that they could.
Here at Xtra point Football, we originally gave Tim the benefit of the doubt thinking that no one of his stature would go out on such a limb to make such a bonehead making career move. Boy were we wrong; our apologies to all the "reporters" who did their homework and got this one right.
With the college football season only a week away, it is time to think about who has a chance to make a run for a BCS Bowl. In analyzing the top teams, Alabama is the only favorite to reach the National Championship game. The rest of the top teams will have many questions to answer: will Ohio State get by Miami, Wisconsin and Iowa? Will QB John Brantley for the Florida Gators be able to fill Tim Tebow's shoes? Will Texas and Oklahoma survive with young QB's? All these questions will be answered as the season goes on, but as of now these are important questions to be considered. With that said, here are my predictions for this year's 2010-11 BCS Bowls:
The Tostitos BCS National Championship Game - Alabama vs. Boise St.
Yes, you saw it right, Boise State in the National Championship game. If they beat Virginia Tech and Oregon State, and I obviously believe they can, then it will be smooth sailing from there on to the National Championship. However, their National Championship berth hinders on how other top programs perform. With an easy schedule and a veteran team with all but one starter returning, Boise State will be undefeated resulting in their first national championship berth.
Alabama is a totally different story. After winning a Heisman Trophy (Mark Ingram, returning RB) and a National Championship last year, you would be crazy not to consider them the favorites. Their offense will be exciting to watch with Greg McElroy at QB, Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson at RB, and the receiving trio of Julio Jones, Marquis Maze and Darius Hanks. However, they are not perfect and will have many new faces with the departure of 9 starters on defense. Still, Nick Saban is a great defensive minded coach; he will rebuild his defense, and bring them back to the National Championship game.
Orange Bowl - Miami vs. Pittsburgh
Miami: After a couple of down seasons, the Miami Hurricanes will finally return to old form. Their roster is one of the most talented and deepest in the country. On offense, they are led by Heisman hopeful Jacory Harris. His health, and cutting down the interceptions thrown, is key to a successful season. Their WR's are the deepest in the nation, with Leonard Hankerson, Laron Byrd, and Travis Benjamin to name a few. Their defense is also very talented with Allen Bailey at defensive end and Brandon Harris at cornerback. This team has the talent to go to the BCS, but they will have to play through one of the toughest schedules in the nation. As long as they stay healthy throughout the season, the Hurricanes could do some damage this year.
Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh has returning Offensive Player of the Year Dion Lewis (RB) and co-Defensive Player of the Year Greg Romeus (DE), and has playmakers on both sides of the ball. The Panthers have only four seniors starting this year; therefore this team will be young and inexperienced. But they do have some young stars like Dion Lewis that could lead the way to a successful season. Pittsburgh has some tough games to watch out for including out of conference games with Miami and Notre Dame and conference games against South Florida, West Virginia, and Cincinnati. Pittsburgh should get through the Big East with a conference championship and an automatic bid to a BCS bowl game
Fiesta Bowl - Nebraska vs. TCU
Nebraska: Although Nebraska lost their top defensive players from last year, Ndamukong Suh and Phillip Dillard, this year's defensive unit could be just as good, which will lead them to a BCS Bowl. Nebraska's defensive line is very deep, with Jared Crick at DT and Cameron Meredith at DE. They also have a playmaker in the secondary, Eric Hagg, who last year helped his team to the top scoring defense and pass efficiency defense. For the offense, they can't get any worse than last year, which ranked 99th in the nation. The star of the offense is Roy Helu, a RB that amassed 1,147 yards and 10 TDs last season. They might have questions at QB, but with Helu at RB, the offense will be able to survive. In the end, Nebraska and Bo Pelini's stingy defense will overshadow the questionable offense and make it to a BCS bowl.
TCU: TCU has the talent to get to a BCS bowl game, but in order to get there they will have to play one of the biggest games in school history versus Oregon State. With Andy Dalton at QB and the talented trio of running backs on offense, and with 24 of the 30 defensive players returning, TCU should be able to get past Oregon State and compete for a BCS bid.
A recap of what went down and what you should take away from the past week in college football.
The season is less than a week away and there's plenty of reason to be excited for the opening weekend, and it goes beyond the simple fact that college football is back and here to stay for the next four-plus months. The agent scandal may not be in the news as much as it was about a month or so ago, but a press conference shed a little light on how the NCAA's investigation may affect one team with conference title aspirations right away. As always, the past week left a few teams a little lighter in the personnel department, and for some teams the hit was heavier than others.
Recapping in 500 words or less, here's what we learned about the upcoming season:
The first week of the season may not shape any conference title races, but that doesn't mean there aren't any uber-important games to which we should pay close attention. Saturday night's Oregon State/TCU matchup is one of the headliners, but it'll also go a long way in determining the fate of the Horned Frogs. A loss here and their BCS hopes are likely up in smoke. Sad that one loss can deter any hopes a team from a non-AQ conference has to play in a BCS bowl, while a team from an AQ conference can actually lose multiple games and still make it to the show as long as they win their conference.
We used to think of Boise State as that team in Idaho that plays on the funky blue turf. Oh, how things can change. Today, they're #5 in the preseason Coaches' Poll and #3 in the preseason AP Poll with very real BCS National Championship hopes. Their biggest test comes in the first week when they take on Virginia Tech (#6 Coaches', #10 AP) Labor Day night. A loss and it's goodbye to any title hopes. A win, and they still need to get by Oregon State and the WAC schedule, but they'll be in excellent shape.
A new wrinkle in the NCAA's investigation into UNC has developed with attention now paid to an academic tutor. The tutor had previously been employed by head coach Butch Davis as an advisor for his teenage son, according to the Charlotte Observer. Exactly which violation(s) transpired has not been made clear, but it again calls into question the availability of some of the Tar Heels for the upcoming season.
Had the investigation been wrapped up before the start of the season, the eligibility of the players in question would be clear and they could proceed accordingly. With the investigation still ongoing, however, should the Tar Heels sit those players fearing that they will at some point be declared ineligible? According to ACCSports.com, "Davis said that, as of Monday, 'we started preparing with the players that we assumed would be able to play at the start of the season.'" What exactly that means may not be known until later in the week, or perhaps not until the Tar Heels line up for the first time against LSU.
Some of the key injuries from the past week: South Carolina- Wesley Saunders (indefinitely suspended); UCLA- Kai Maiava (injury, entire season?); Kansas- Rell Lewis (injury, season); Boston College- Colin Larmond (injury, season); Rutgers- J.T. Tartacoff (injury, 1-2 weeks); Oregon State- Tyler Thomas (dismissed); Oklahoma- Mossis Madu (suspended for opener); Illinois- Zach Becker (injury, up to a month), Supo Sanni (injury, season) and Terry Hawthorne (injury, up to six weeks); Purdue- Caleb TerBush (academically ineligible); Maryland- Lansford Watson (injury, season) and Devonte Campbell (injury, 2-4 weeks); Vanderbilt- Warren Norman (surgery, opener); Georgia- Washaun Ealey (suspended, at least one game); Washington State- LeAndre Daniels (injury, season); Missouri- Derrick Washington (indefinitely suspended).
Get ready, people, the real season is about to get underway...
My five-player preseason Heisman Watch List if they let me vote: (As a single game is yet to be played, the following five players are in alphabetical order.)
- John Clay, Wisconsin: Clay gets recognition as one of the Big Ten's most talented running backs, but he's generally underrated on the national scale. That should change this season. - Dion Lewis, Pittsburgh: Lewis could emerge as the Panthers' top running back of all time. And that's saying an awful lot. - Jake Locker, Washington: What Heisman Watch List would be complete without potentially the top pick in next year's draft? Locker will have plenty of opportunities to prove himself this season, especially with Pac-10 title hopes abound in Seattle. - Kellen Moore, Boise State: The Broncos would probably have to go to the BCS National Championship Game for Moore to win this, and he'll have to put up similar numbers, or better, than he did a year ago. I think he and his team can do it, but we'll find out on Labor Day if those hopes make it past the first week. - Ryan Williams, Virginia Tech: As a redshirt freshman, Williams turned heads around the country. With the offense looking better than the defense for the first time in a long time in Blacksburg, the spotlight will be on Williams and the Tech offense on the national level.
It is baseball season, but there are plenty of ways to get your fill of football too. Our own Danny Hobrock is on the beat making his way across the College Football landscape exhaustively covering team after team. These previews will get you up to snuff with everything you need to know about the transition to each 2010 team.
Each team preview covers the team's outlook and projection for the 2010 season. We've got in depth coverage of each team's offense, defense and special teams. We'll cover who's in and who's out, and players from true freshmen to four year starters and pro prospects. Finally, we'll look at strategy and style of play on both sides of the ball, as well detailed information about coaches and players.
Today Danny is previewing the SEC East Conference teams - Florida Gators, Georgia Bulldogs, Kentucky Wildcats,South Carolina Gamecocks,Tennessee Volunteers, and Vanderbilt Commodores. Clicking on each team's logo will take you right to the team's preview.
Check back often between now and the September 2nd season kick-off as new team previews are going up almost every day. Clicking here or on the NCAA Football in the right sidebar will take you to the page containing all the previews published to date.
Look at the statistical leaders from last season. It's a who's who of former Gators. Of course, it's not unusual for a team to lose so much production from the previous year's squad, but they're typically not ranked third or fourth in the nation. The Gators lose arguably their top player at just about every position on both sides of the ball with the lone exception being running back Jeff Demps. That said, the players taking over for the departed Gators have seen a good deal of playing time as reserves or part-time starters, and the incoming freshman class is outstanding and could see the time early and often in 2010. So, yeah, this should be another powerful squad. Still, before they're a top five team, it'd be nice to see them show on the field that they're capable of living up to the Gators squads of the past few seasons.
While many are skeptical of Georgia in the coming season because of a disappointing 2009 campaign, they actually hold the best chance, and a decent one at that, of unseating the Gators atop the East throne. The schedule sure helps with no Alabama and no LSU from the West, Florida at a neutral site and Tennessee and Arkansas coming to Athens. If they can get by Florida on October 30 and then Auburn in their conference finale, they should be in a great position to dethrone Florida in the East. Don't discount the importance of the SEC opener against South Carolina in Columbia, though.
This is a team with plenty of talent, a relatively soft schedule and the opportunity to surprise a few people in the SEC with Alabama and Florida 'rebuilding', if you want to call it that. The opportunity is there. Now all the Bulldogs have to do is pull it all together, avoid injuries and play like they're capable of playing in the big games.
Between now and the September 2nd season kick-off, Danny Hobrock will be previewing all the major college football teams with new teams being released daily.
2009 final record (overall, conference): 9-4, 5-3 Bowl Game:Capital One Bowl (L 19-17 vs. Penn State) Final Ranking (AP, Coaches'): 17, 17 Conference finish:2nd SEC West Offensive rank: 112 Defensive rank: 26
2009 Individual Statistical Leaders
Rushing:Charles Scott, 542 yards, 4 TD Passing: Jordan Jefferson, 2,166 yards, 17 TD, 7 INT Receiving:Brandon LaFell, 792 yards, 11 TD; Terrance Toliver, 735 yards, 3 TD Tackles:Kelvin Sheppard, 110 total tackles; Perry Riley, 97 total tackles Sacks:Rahim Alem, 4.5 sacks ( 4 solo, 1 assisted) Interceptions:Chad Jones, 3 interceptions
2010 Season Outlook
Schedule
(* denotes conference game)
Key Matchups
September 4 vs. North Carolina: How good is the LSU offense? We'll find out in a hurry when they take on arguably the most loaded all-around defense in the entire country. The Tar Heels have had some problems with the NCAA and it's been suggested that they could sit some of the players who might have eligibility issues down the road, which could mean some pretty significant pieces of the defense could be off the field. If this Tar Heels defense is all on the field, though, the Tigers will get a very good sense for where they are offensively after this one.
October 9 @ Florida: The LSU schedule isn't a killer, but heading into the Swamp to take on the Gators won't be an easy task. The Tigers haven't beaten the Gators in Gainesville since their national title year of 2004 and haven't won at either location since 2007, their other national title year last decade. A win here would be huge, but they may not need it to win the division.
November 6 vs. Alabama: They may need to grab this one, however, especially if they lose to Florida. Alabama loses a lot on defense, but they'll reload quickly and should again be a power on a national scale. A win here could go a long way in securing an SEC divisional title and a trip to Atlanta for the conference championship.
November 27 @ Arkansas: The Razorbacks tout a Heisman candidate for a quarterback, but they're still flying a bit under the radar in terms of competing in the SEC. The Razorbacks and Tigers are both expected to finish looking up at the Tide at the end of the year, but if these teams can click at the right time and with enough talent on the roster, both have legitimate shots at dethroning the defending national champs in the West.
AP:21st
Coaches': 16th
Key Losses
Charles Scott, RB; Brandon LaFell, WR; Richard Dickson, TE; Al Woods, DT; Perry Riley, LB; Harry Coleman, LB; Chad Jones, S
Key Returning Players
Jordan Jefferson, QB; Terrance Toliver, WR; Russell Shepard, WR; Joseph Barksdale, OT; Drake Nevis, DT; Kelvin Sheppard, LB; Patrick Peterson, CB
In our first Fantasy Football Podcast of the season, Dr. Roto looks at the fantasy news of the week including: Maurice Jones Drew's knee injury, Sidney Rice's hip, and Vincent Jackson's contract. Dr. Roto then gives you his fullproof strategy to win your fantasy snake draft and auction draft leagues. Finally, Dr. Roto reviews the Quarterback position where he has a few surprises in store for you (Matthew Stafford--overrated; Matt Cassel--underrated).
Random Musings:
If you are looking to draft the Jets defense, make sure you have a 'plan B' to start the season in the event that the Jets "D" may not be operating on all cylinders even if Revis comes back at the last minute.
Cowlishaw admits that the outcome of the incident is what counts and since Revis did not sign on Wednesday (like Cowlishaw said he would) he takes full responsibility for the apparent misrepresentation of information.
However, as you continue to read, Tim attempts to justify his call as he clearly goes on at length to state that he had a credible source and that he still has faith in that source and appears to be miffed at the reason Wednesday came and went without his prognostication coming true.
By the time you get to the end of the article, Cowlishaw's article that started out as a mea culpa, turns out to be an edited reassertion of his original prediction!
"In Revis' case, he isn't going to sign with a rival like the Giants or the Patriots. This story is not going to have that unhappy of an ending for Jets fans. One way or another, new long-term megadeal like a Pittsburgh radio station reported Tuesday, or same old deal he already has in place, Revis is going to be a Jet.
We just don't know the date.
It could still turn out to be this Saturday which is what I was originally told ("Wednesday or Saturday")."
Wait, what did he say? Tim, you can't issue a mea culpa and still claim that you got the call correct!
Let me be clear, there is no apology in Tim's apology and Cowlishaw is sticking to his guns (with a twist). He's still claiming that this deal will get done, not this past Wednesday, but on Saturday.
I'm not here to bash Tim Cowlishaw because I think he did in fact have a valid source and that he did get good information. My take is simply that something happened that he is / was unaware of, and the situation changed. In fact, he admits to that in his piece.
I applauded Cowlishaw for going out on a limb with his original call to begin with and I have even more respect for him now that he's sticking to his guns in the face of adversity.
Between now and the September 2nd season kick-off, Danny Hobrock will be previewing all the major college football teams with new teams being released daily.
2009 final record (overall, conference): 8-5, 3-5 Bowl Game:Liberty Bowl (@ 20-17 vs. East Carolina) Final Ranking (AP, Coaches'): NR, NR Conference finish:4th SEC West Offensive rank: 20 Defensive rank: 89
2009 Individual Statistical Leaders
Rushing:Broderick Green, 442 yards, 11 TD Passing: Ryan Mallett, 3,624 yards, 30 TD, 7 INT Receiving:Greg Childs, 894 yards, 7 TD Tackles:Jerry Franklin, 94 total tackles Sacks:Adrian Davis and Jake Bequette, 5.5 sacks (5 solo, 1 assisted) Interceptions:Jerry Franklin and Tramain Thomas, 3 interceptions (Thomas, 1 touchdown)
2010 Season Outlook
Schedule
(* denotes conference game)
Key Matchups
September 18 @ Georgia: This road trip to Athens may prove a linchpin in the Razorbacks' season. Sure it's their first SEC game of the year and there will be plenty of opportunities to grab wins in the conference, but with a tough matchup against the defending champs the next week, beginning SEC play 0-2 would not help their push to win the West.
September 25 vs. Alabama: A loss to 'Bama is not a guarantee by any means. The Razorbacks have not fared well in this series of late, losing four of the last five with the lone win coming in a 2006 overtime contest. If they can take down the defending champs, and especially if they can also beat the Bulldogs the week before, Arkansas will hold the inside track to Atlanta at the end of the season.
November 27 vs. LSU: Getting Alabama, LSU and Ole Miss at home is a gift in the SEC. Now they'll just have to capitalize and win at least two of these games. Ole Miss is in a bit of a rebounding year, so a team like the Razorbacks with SEC title aspirations needs to win that one, leaving a split with Alabama and LSU a plausible goal. One loss in the West could be enough to win the division, or at the very least come oh-so-close.
AP:22nd
Coaches': 23rd
Key Losses
Michael Smith, RB; Mitch Petrus, G; Adrian Davis, DE; Malcolm Sheppard, DT; Wendel Davis, LB
Key Returning Players
Ryan Mallett, QB; the backfield sans Michael Smith; Greg Childs, WR; Joe Adams, WR; D.J. Williams, TE; DeMarcus Love, OT; Jake Bequette, DE; Jerry Franklin, LB
Xtra Point Football is proud to announce its association with Rivalspot. Rivalspot is an innovative company helping lead the charge in providing video-gamers a place to put their money where their mouth is, letting users play for money in 100% legal video-game tournaments.
The folks at Rivalspot have been accommodating enough to organize a FREE Xtra Point Football EA Sports Madden 11 Tournament. Any of our readers are welcome to enter with the winner receiving a free copy of Madden 11 or any other game that Rivalspot offers.
We will have two tournaments; one for X-Box360 users and one for PS3 users.
The tournaments will be held 7:00-11:00pm EST on Friday, August 27th.
As mentioned, this first tournament will be free to enter. You must be 18 years of age to enter and compete in RivalSpot sponsored game.
The Champion of the Xbox360 and PS3 tournament will each receiving a free copy of Madden 11 or any other game that Rivalspot offers.
These two free tournaments will have 16 slots and will be on a 1st come first serve basis.
CLICK HERE to register with Rivalspot and enter the Xtra Point Football Madden 11 Tournament.
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DEPOSIT ANY MONEY TO ENTER
After the tournament is over, go ahead and test your skills against other Xtra Point Football readers by entering in tournaments and challenge games to win some real money.
Things you have to do BEFORE participating in RivalSpot challenge games and tournaments.
1) IF YOU HAVEN'T DONE SO ALREADY. Go to EASports.com and register an account. Follow the step by stem instructions that will tie your XBOX/PS3 gamertag to your EA account. 2) To check if your account is set up properly, replace XXX in the links below with your gamertag, and your recent activity will be shown: PS3: http://www.easports.com/player-hub/ps3/xxx XBox360: http://www.easports.com/player-hub/360/xxx 3) Any other questions, check out the Rivalspot FAQ.
Head over to Rivalspot and get the job done. Both Tournaments can be found at the 'FEATURED TOURNAMENTS' Link under the "TOURNAMENTS" Tab.
For those of you interested in playing EA Sports NCAA 11, you can play that too. All you have to do is register. After your all set-up, goto the NCAA Lobby by clicking LOBBIES & CHALLENGES and then going to NCAA Football Arena
Good luck and good gaming.
P.S. - I'll see you online. Just try to beat me in a $5 game and see what happens as your head spins like an owl as I send blitz packages after you that Rex Ryan's hasn't even thought of yet. Then let's see how you respond as your defense crumbles and wilts under the pressure of my relentless running attack. And then when you least expect it, and I insult your manhood and run the "fumblerooskie / hook-and-lateral" on you; we'll see what kind of will you have. Or you can just give me your $5 now and save the embarrassment.... - Mike Cardano
Between now and the September 9th season kick-off, Hank Koebler, IV will be previewing all the NFL teams with new teams being released daily. 
On Saturday, August 21st, Dallas Morning News columnist Tim Cowlishaw attempted to "
A recap of what went down and what you should take away from the past week in college football.
Between now and the September 2nd season kick-off, Danny Hobrock will be previewing all the major college football teams with new teams being released daily. 
This Weeks Podcast Highlights
Between now and the September 2nd season kick-off, Danny Hobrock will be previewing all the major college football teams with new teams being released daily. 
Xtra Point Football is proud to announce its association with Rivalspot. Rivalspot is an innovative company helping lead the charge in providing video-gamers a place to put their money where their mouth is, letting users play for money in 100% legal video-game tournaments.
For those of you interested in playing EA Sports NCAA 11, you can play that too. All you have to do is 
