RANDOMIZATION: 09/17/07

Someone help Charlie Weis. Poor guy is probably beside himself right about now. Well, "poor" is a bit of a misnomer, $30 million contract and all. But you know what I mean.

Listen, I'm the last guy who is going to drum up sympathy for Notre Dame. They have their own lucrative television contract, they can schedule anyone they want, and they have a tremendous recruiting edge because of the aforementioned television contract.

("Listen, kid. You can come to South Bend, where every one of your games will be televised nationally. The majority of them are on over-the-air TV. NBC has our home games, and our road games always get lots of attention because Notre Dame equals ratings. Or, you can go to Purdue, where any games not picked up by ESPN end up on ESPN 360 or the Big Ten Network, which have a combined reach of about 37.")

However, it's hard to say anything good about Weis' coaching this year. While teams like Ohio State are making plenty of noise with inexperienced starters, the Irish just look lost. Jimmy Clausen is going to be a pretty good college quarterback, but that's not going to happen as long as the running game, offensive line, and wide receivers all stink.

I know Weis isn't going anywhere, because he's signed long-term, and he's allegedly the savior of the program and all. It's just worth noting that this team is 0-3, awful, and still facing the toughest portion of their schedule.

Not even the green jerseys can save them now.

More on the Patriots. It wasn't really much of a shock that the bulk of NFL pregame programming Sunday was focused on the issue last week involving the Patriots. There are clear issues facing the league right now, and after seeing commissioner Roger Goodell on NBC last night, I am convinced that this guy is ready to face those issues.

(By the way, the Patriots kicked the living crap out of San Diego. That's what we all get for making them mad. Of course, the fact that they're a really good football team had nothing to do with their success.)

While Goodell tried to evade some of Bob Costas' questioning, he gave us some very important information regarding the case. Goodell confirmed that he expects the Patriots to turn over all files and tapes and such related to the case, and he said he's prepared to up their punishment if they don't. When Costas reacted skeptically to the order, Goodell reiterated that he expects New England to comply.

As an outsider, his response struck me as the equivalent to a parent saying "Because I said so". Goodell sees himself as the league's main authority figure, and he's absolutely unafraid of flexing his muscles. Not only will he flex, but he expects that his orders will be followed to the letter. The bottom line is that Goodell expects the threat of further punishment to be enough to make New England compliant. We can question the wisdom of that, but I have no reason to believe that Goodell will stand for being disobeyed.

Also, Goodell confirmed to Costas that he indeed has reserved the right to add to the punishment if he sees fit. This is a perfect response. No beating around the bush. He just laid it out there. Clearly, Patriots fans aren't going to be happy with the possibility that this story isn't done yet. But Goodell came across as determined to complete a thorough investigation into this issue.

I salute that, even if I'm still a bit skeptical that he'll uncover everything he's searching for.

Here it is, BlogPollers. I'm throwing out a challenge. It's for all of you who voted for USC as the top team in early polls, then picked someone else for #1 last week as punishment to USC for daring to have a bye week. Oh, how dare they!

Anyway, who's your choice this week? Oklahoma showed nothing because they played the fourth-best team in Utah (you've seen nothing until you've seen that Southern Utah juggernaut in action). LSU showed nothing except that they have a better defense than Louisville, but I think we all knew that.

USC, meanwhile, stomped all over Nebraska in Lincoln. Handed the Huskers their worst home loss since 2003, but this may have been worse. There are expectations with this team. Not only that, but this one happened in prime-time on national television, with tons of buildup.

In terms of USC's program, it's one of the more impressive wins they've had. Undoubtedly, beating a contender to a pulp on the road is more impressive than beating a contender to a pulp at home.

(I have no answers on this. I voted for USC at #1 last week, and I'm keeping them there this week. Ballot tomorrow or later today or whatever.)

The Packers are 2-0. It hasn't happened since 2001, so let me rejoice a tad. The Pack beat up the suddenly hapless Giants 35-13 Sunday, and they did it with that washed-up oldhead Favre throwing for three scores and hitting his first 14 passes of the second half. Man, I wish that guy hadn't lost it so decisively.

The Packers host an angry San Diego team Sunday, but it's not a lost cause. The Chargers have struggled to run the ball in the first two weeks, and outside of TE Antonio Gates, they don't pose a great threat in the passing game. That defense, however, is potentially the toughest the Pack will face this year (outside of perhaps the Bears). The Chargers have the personnel to cause Favre a lot of problems, and the Packers will get him broken in half if they're not careful.

That said, this is a time to enjoy the start. It's a good one.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL '07: INDEPENDENTS

1. Navy
2. Notre Dame
3. Army
4. Western Kentucky

-->TOP FOUR STORYLINES AMONG THE INDEPENDENTS

4. Could Western Kentucky have timed their I-A move any worse? WKU has been pretty strong in Division I-AA, so it makes a degree of sense that they would want to move up. However, the Hilltoppers lose longtime head coach Jack Harbaugh, and they lost some great offensive talent, too. Their top all-time leading rusher, Lerron Moore, departed, as did #2 all-time passer Justin Haddix. The I-A teams on the schedule are all road trips, with the exception of a likely loss to defending Sun Belt champ Troy. WKU might be able to pull an upset against the likes of Middle Tennessee, Bowling Green, Ball State, or North Texas, but will be lucky to win a game against a I-A team. Overall, WKU is looking at a 3-9/4-8 season.

3. Can Army take advantage of a quickly softening schedule? Luckily, there shouldn't be a long transition period for the players as they adjust to new head coach Stan Brock. The issue will be the level of talent. Army struggled to move the ball with any consistency, and they had a devil of a time holding on to it (-18 turnover ratio, and they only had one game where they had a plus in that department). Brock enters with a schedule that gradually becomes a bit more favorable after a stretch of three of the first four on the road, but it's still hard to imagine Army being able to coax enough wins out of the season to be bowl-eligible. A 4-8 or 5-7 finish appears more likely.

2. How big is the rebuilding job at Notre Dame? I think the Irish were lucky to be left out of the preseason polls. Notre Dame is traditionally overrated by the college football media, and it was refreshing to see them all do some research into this team. The Irish not only have to replace guys like Quinn, Walker, Samardzija, McKnight, Ndukwe, and Landri. It doesn't even matter that we don't know who the QB is yet. This schedule is nearly impossible, especially for a team on the mend. The Irish have home games with Georgia Tech, Michigan State, Boston College, and USC, along with road games against Penn State, Michigan, Purdue, and UCLA, all in the first eight weeks. That's seven bowl teams in the first eight games, with no week off. The last four games appear to be a bit of a breeze, but it won't matter much if Notre Dame is already 3-5.

1. Is Navy going to do it again? By "it", I mean "win eight or nine games and get to a decent bowl game". It looks good again this year. The Middies have a rarity this year: a junior starting quarterback who has game experience. Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada got six starts last year after Brian Hampton was injured, and he led the option attack efficiently. With all his top backs returning, including bullish fullback Adam Ballard, the Navy ground game will click to the tune of another 300-yard average. Coach Paul Johnson has to rebuild the defense, but it's been done before at Navy. They have improved size and athleticism on defense. They'll probably lose to Notre Dame again, but the Midshipmen appear ready to set sail on another successful season.

CISKIE BLOG PRESEASON INDEPENDENT AWARDS AND NOTABLES
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Adam Ballard, RB, Navy
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Trevor Laws, DT, Notre Dame
Preseason Coach of the Year: Paul Johnson, Navy
Bowl Bound: Notre Dame, Navy
Bowl Bubble: Army
Best Game: USC at Notre Dame, October 20
Worst Game: Delaware at Navy, October 27

RANDOMIZATION: 08/28/07

Is Charlie Weis arrogant or smart? It's not shocking to hear non-Notre Dame fans call head coach Charlie Weis arrogant. If you hate Notre Dame enough, you'd find something wrong with anyone they hired to coach that program. When media people start to turn on Weis, you can dismiss it as more anti-Notre Dame venom if you'd like, but it's at least worth noting.

Personally, I think Stewart Mandel makes a good point in his latest blog on SI.com. Mandel notes that Weis continues to refuse to name his starting quarterback for Saturday's opener against Georgia Tech, citing the fact that not naming his starter gives him a bit of an edge on the Yellow Jackets.

For those who haven't followed this battle, overhyped freshman Jimmy Clausen is battling redshirt freshman Demetrius Jones and junior Evan Sharpley for the starting job. No one thinks that Jones and Sharpley will be able to hold off Clausen for long, but since Clausen is coming off shoulder surgery and is still learning the offense, it's not expected that he'll start the opener. Sharpley appears to be the top candidate, as Jones is more of an athlete than a passer. Weis says he's had his mind made up for a long while, but he won't tell anyone. Mandel takes him to task, and justifiably so.

We live in an era where there are no secrets. Weis' offense is well-known to most opposing defensive coordinators. I highly doubt that Georgia Tech's coaches are trembling in fear over what they'll see on Saturday. They know what Weis will try to do to them, and unless Jones unexpectedly starts, they know they'll be facing a pocket-style quarterback. This isn't rocket science.

"Give the coach credit for one thing, however: he’s managed to create far more intrigue and attention surrounding his decision than should really be merited for an unranked, rebuilding team. That said, it’s fairly obvious at this point that Sharpley, the most experienced of the bunch, will start on Saturday. Perhaps Jones and Clausen will see action as well, but no one really believes Weis, a pro-style guy to the core, is suddenly going to start running the shotgun-spread so Jones can burn people on the QB draw, and clearly Clausen (whose throwing velocity, practice observers have noted, has not been the same as the other two) is not yet healthy enough to go full-time."

Ouch. Must sting a Notre Dame fan to read "unranked, rebuilding" in a description of the Irish. But it's true.

Georgia Tech might not beat the Irish on Saturday, but I think they've already won a portion of the battle. They've somehow convinced Weis that he has to withhold the identity of his starting quarterback to gain a competitive advantage.

As for Weis' purported "arrogance", I don't have any issues with that. Every coach at that level has a certain amount of arrogance. You can get away with it when your team wins. If Notre Dame goes 5-7 at some point, and Weis is still seen as "arrogant", criticism will be much increased.

There's no doubt the guy's smart. But that doesn't mean he's perfect. I would question until I'm blue in the face the need to do what he's doing now. I think it's just to play games with the fans and media, and to keep his unranked team in the headlines for a few days leading up to their opener against an underrated ACC team.

Maybe if we keep whining, they'll do something. Every year, every NFL team lines up to play two home preseason games, ripping off their season-ticket base by charging them full admission to see a bunch of guys who will be selling insurance in two weeks (no offense to those who sell insurance for a living!). And every year, everyone complains about this. Yet nothing has ever been done.

Peter King is wonderful, and he's smart enough after all these years to know that he can get a column out of this issue almost every year. So he does.

This year, he took a couple different ideas for "fixing" the obviously broken preseason format, and he asked those around the NFL in positions of influence to offer their thoughts.

King focused on three ideas.

1. Eliminate the preseason and play 18 games in the regular season.
2. Eliminate one preseason game and play 17 games in the regular season.
3. Eliminate two preseason games and play 18 games in the regular season.

Personally, I think a fourth idea should be in play. Owners should be ordered by the league to charge no more than 25% of the regular season admission price for preseason games. Those $54 seats in, say, New York for Week One can be no more than $13.50 for a preseason game.

Frankly, I see the preseason as important, even if guys like LaDainian Tomlinson and Steven Jackson aren't playing. It's important for coaches to let position battles play out in game situations, as well as every day in practice. There are things that happen in games that can't be easily duplicated in practice. For small-college and lightly-regarded prospects, preseason games are how jobs are earned.

Make the move, Doug. I've tried to behave myself and be patient with Milwaukee Brewers manager Ned Yost. Someone started the obligatory firenedyost.com, and it wasn't me.

But enough is enough. Yost refuses to do the necessary homework on his opponents, he seems clueless as to how to put his own players in positions to succeed, and it's the same old story. Same old song and dance, my friend. The Brewers are a .500 team, at least until they start playing the Cubs this week, and much of it falls on Ned's shoulders. This marks the third time in the last four years (Ned gets a mulligan on the first year because it was a disaster trying to follow up on Davey Lopes and Jerry Royster) that the Brewers have fallen flat after the All-Star break. Is it always the players' fault? If so, at what point do these collapses fall on the manager?

In one game, he refuses to put in a warmed-up left-handed relief pitcher, even though the batter is appreciably worse against lefties, to the point where his team doesn't usually let him hit against lefties. In another, he pinch-hits right-handed Bill Hall for a left-hander against a left-handed pitcher who is appreciably worse against left-handed hitters. He's too stubborn in trusting his veteran players, and he takes too long to react to a string of bad play by making a lineup change. Well, he is some of the time. Other times, he overreacts to a bad game or two by benching a starter and saying that he "can't find any consistency".

He walked out on his media responsibility Sunday without saying much of anything, and he's been increasingly terse with reporters throughout the season. Now, I'm not about to say that a manager should be fired because he's a jerk to reporters. But when it appears to be a change in attitude, it might be a sign of impending doom.

Yost needs to go, and I'm afraid my suspicions last year - that this team wouldn't win with him as a manager - are being proven true this year, thanks to his lack of development as a strategist. Now, added on to that, it's starting to look like the players are turning against him.

OMG FOOTBALL!! College football conference picks are going up as they are done. I hope to have them all done by today or tomorrow. We only have the Sun Belt, WAC, and Indies left. If nothing else, I'll post my picks on the leagues and not get too much into storylines if time is limited. NFL previews will come next week.

I'll also talk some about UMD football this week, as the Bulldogs get started on Saturday night in Duluth.

Meanwhile, enjoy the newfangled old blog. Leave comments, send me thoughts, whatever. Just don't forget to interact.