Man alive, New Orleans is looking awfully sharp! Drew Brees still knows how to steer an offense. They need to iron out some bugs (for example, rookies should know the proper number of men to have on the field by now), but despite the creases, it looks like they might be the team to beat in the NFC south this year, if this is any indication. On the opposite end of the spectrum, what the heck's happened to the Raiders? It's not dated to say that they've been questionable since, well, approximately forever, but when a team's first line of defense is struggling against an inexperienced 3rd string offense, there are some serious issues. Also: Tom Cable is still the mad bomber, and still knows how to go red in the face and throw a challenge flag forty yards, just to make sure that it can be seen by EVERYONE, including people watching from space. Sadly, this still means there is only one person in the entire Raiders organization who can throw anything over 10 yards without having it intercepted.
I feel bad for the Raiders fans, most of which were gone by the start of the second half, but I feel even worse for the Sons of Toil at the Raiders Television Network, who brought the game to NFL network. Here are these poor three announcers, in their Raiders polo shirts, up in the booth where there is a heat index of about 150F, having to state "touchdown Saints" in the same deadpan monotone, over, and over, and over. It was probably the equivalent of Favre ending up in the underworld with 10,000 Packer fans with the same vendetta.
***
Moving from the pros into college, an astute reporter at the Detroit Free Press has uncovered some shifty things happening at the University of Michigan (ESPN). Five players, who wish to remain anonymous, cite that the football program and coach Rich Rodriguez violated NCAA rules by making players allot more time to training and workouts than is allowed by the Association. There are details coming out now of 11-hour practice days, excessive workouts, and lack of emphasis on important things like injury prevention and, well, academics. Nevermind my own personal beef with UofM,* this is serious business here, especially if it goes up all the way to the university's compliance officers. Perhaps more disturbing is this: suppose, playing Devil's Advocate, that these allegations aren't true. There must be an absolute load of Bad Stuff going on, then, in order for players to make the allegations. I don't know. Adam Rittenberg at ESPN talks in a much more eloquent manner about the repercussions of Michigangate than I ever could.
We're t-1 week away from kickoff, and I'm like a little kid on Christmas Eve. Stay tuned as Second and One attempts to answer important questions! How will the preseason end? Will Favre see more playing time with the Vikings, or just more acrimony? Will Orton and Cutler both forget who they play for tonight and screw everything up? Will Philip Rivers use his contract extension to purchase a megaphone so he can yell even louder? Will the Saints go marching out once season play starts? Is what's going on at Michigan worthy of the Death Penalty, or the biggest academic mutual misunderstanding since David Mamet wrote Oleanna?** Am I speculating too much and asking too many topical questions? We'll find out!
*They rejected me from grad school in some applied field of chemistry or another, many years ago. I think that was it. Or maybe I've just hung around with too many people from Michigan State? Six of one, half a dozen of the other?
** It doesn't end well. And what's this? A culture joke in a football blog?! KILL THE HERETIC!
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