So the buzz around the college football world is that Penn State is a lock to be one of the only teams left with an unblemished record when the regular season comes to a close. This assumption has led many to speculate rabidly about how the BCS standings will shape up-can a 1-loss team jump an undefeated Nittany Lions team? Well first of all I'd love to chime in on that...they should. Does Auburn ring a bell? But I digress...

            For those of you out there who expect JoePa's Nittany Lions to steamroll Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes, as Lee Corso would say "No tan rapido amigos." After further review, I fully expect this game to, at the very least, be a very tight one. Of course, I am not much for ambiguity, so without further ado, here is my case for the Hawkeyes pulling the monumental upset over Penn State Saturday afternoon.

            First and foremost, one must point to home-field advantage, which has made all the difference in determining which Iowa Hawkeyes team has shown up throughout the season. Iowa is 1-3 on the road, and 4-1 at home with their only loss coming on a late touchdown to cap a comeback by Northwestern. It is only logical, with a sophomore QB leading this Iowa team, that they will feel much more comfortable in front of home crowds in big games. Also, Penn State has not beaten the Hawkeyes in Kinnick Stadium since 1999. In fact, Iowa has dominated the series over the past decade, winning 5 of the last 7 meetings between the two programs. Penn State ended a run of 5 straight by Iowa with a win in Happy Valley a year ago. That, however, was in Happy Valley...even the cows will be mooing toward Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, believe that.

            The next reason Iowa will beat Penn State on Saturday is because their philosophy and style of play match up perfectly with the Nittany Lions. You see, Penn State boasts the 11th best rushing attack in the nation. Evan Royster is having a solid year with nearly 1,000 yards to this point. On the flip side, Iowa's forte is their run defense, which ranks 12th best in the country. They held the likes of LeSean McCoy and Javon Ringer to 78 and 91 yards respectively. On top of that, Penn State has not exactly faced top tier rush defenses en route to that lofty ranking of their rushing attack-Ore St (42nd), Syr (105th), Tem (81st), Ill (74th), Pur (91st), Wis (44th), Mich (64th). The best run defense the Nittany Lions have faced was two weeks ago at Ohio State (14th), and consequently they turned in their second lowest output on the ground.

            It does not stop there; Penn State is also praised for its 8th best scoring offense, posting almost 42 points per game. Now consider the opponents' scoring defense rankings versus which those numbers have been inflated-Coastal Car (FCS), Ore St (58th), Syr (106th), Tem (32nd [in MAC]), Ill (69th), Pur (75th), Wis (61st), Mich (96th). Then once again, let's look to the Ohio State game; the Buckeyes rank 8th in the nation in scoring defense, and that defense held Penn State to just 13 points (it's lowest of the season). Saturday they will face an even tougher defense to score on-Iowa ranks 7th in the nation in scoring defense.

             Additionally, everyone is talking about Evan Royster and the Penn State rushing attack, but those same pundits somehow neglect to mention a guy who is third in the nation in rushing-Shonn Greene. Greene is the only back in the nation who has not been held under 100 yards rushing in game all year....I'll repeat that...Shonn Greene is the only back in the nation who is yet to be held under 100 yards rushing in a game. The kid averages 6.3 yards per carry, and has 11 TD's. With a sophomore at QB, playing the biggest game of his career so far, Greene is an asset which cannot be diminished.

            So you see, the formula is there-we have two stout defenses facing off, which should result in a low-scoring game. We have two strong rushing attacks, which should keep the pace slow, and the clock running. We have an underrated 4-loss team (Iowa has not lost a game by more than 5 points), playing at home where they are most comfortable. We have a crowd chomping at the bit to storm the field and carry the goal posts back to their farms. We have all the makings of an upset.

            Of course, Penn State IS the #3 team in the nation, and have their eyes on a National Championship, so an upset will be no easy task. Iowa will need to accomplish specific goals in order to pull it off. Here are my five keys to an Iowa victory-as I said for Oregon State, if they can check off every one at the end of the game, they will be victorious:

1-Stop Evan Royster-Penn State's pass offense hinges on their ability to establish the threat of the run early. Daryll Clark has been an efficient QB, but I view him in the same light as Todd Boeckman of Ohio State last year (with more athleticism obviously). He is a game manager, protects the ball, and throws mainly short passes. The Iowa defense needs to force him to have to beat them through the air. If he is forced to throw more than 30 passes, advantage Hawkeyes.

2-Win the Turnover Battle-Iowa has averaged 3 turnovers per game in losses. The good news is that Penn State's defense does not force a ton of turnovers (45th in the nation). Conversely, the Hawkeye Defense is 24th in the nation in forcing turnovers. If Iowa can reduce this to a Field Goal/Field Position battle without giving the Nittany Lions a short field, advantage Hawkeyes.

3-Dominate the time of possession-It is key that the Hawkeyes get first downs, even if their drives eventually fizzle out, they cannot have a string of 3 and outs. Ferentz and Co. need to make a conscious effort to establish Shonn Greene early, and shorten the game by keeping the clock moving. The longer that offense of Penn State stays on the sideline, the less likely they are to get in a good rhythm. If Iowa can keep their defense fresh and wear down the Penn State defense, advantage Hawkeyes.

4-Take Early Lead-The worst thing that can happen for Iowa is for the Nittany Lions to strike first and take away the electric atmosphere at Kinnick. This is a staple as far as keys to pulling off an upset go, in my book. Every top tier football team will get better as a game progresses-We saw it in Lubbock last week when Texas stormed back and nearly won. That is why it is PIVOTAL that Iowa accomplishes this. In fact, this will play a big role in determining if the aforementioned goals are accomplished. If Iowa takes an early lead (preferably two scores), Penn State will have to pass more, and Iowa will be able to run more...advantage Hawkeyes.

5-Protect/Pressure the QB-Last week in a loss, Ricky Stanzi was sacked 6 times! That is as many times as Darryl Clark has been sacked ALL YEAR. Even further, Stanzi has been sacked a total of 15 times, and 13 of those have come in losses. Clark has been allowed to remain comfortable in the pocket all year; he hasn't been hit in the mouth too many times. If Penn State IS forced to pass, Iowa will need to blitz him a few times and try to rattle his cage. If Iowa can put more hits on Clark than they allow on Stanzi, advantage Hawkeyes.

             So you see, contrary to popular belief, this game will be one of the toughest tests of the season for Penn State. If they make the same mistake that most college football pundits have made, looking ahead to the Michigan State game in the finale, they will be in for a surprise. Speaking of surprises, here's the verdict...Iowa wins 19-13, forcing a turnover on downs with less than 2 minutes left and Penn State in the Red Zone, sending the BCS into a mad scramble...mark it down.

So, the first thing I hear about this morning is a plan to provide additional billions to AIG's $85 billion bailout, after I read a story on ABCNews that shared the following:

"Less than a week after the federal government
committed $85 billion to bail out AIG, executives of the giant AIG
insurance company headed for a week-long retreat at a luxury resort
and spa, the St. Regis Resort in Monarch Beach, California,
Congressional investigators revealed today.

"Rooms at this resort can cost over $1,000 a night," Congressman Henry
Waxman (D-CA) said this morning as his committee continued its
investigation of Wall Street and its CEOs.

AIG documents obtained by Waxman's investigators show the company paid
more than $440,000 for the retreat, including nearly $200,000 for
rooms, $150,000 for meals and $23,000 in spa charges."

Wow. Are you kidding me? The country GLOBE is on the verge of a financial meltdown and one of the biggest culprits are soaking up the sun and getting manicures and pedicures? Ok, so maybe they planned a retreat to hold meetings to create a plan to save their faltering company, but was it really necessary to stay in a $1,000 a night resort? Perhaps they would have benefitted from a stay at a Holiday Inn Express, it's much cheaper, and it supposedly makes you smarter. Did they need $23,000 worth of spa treatments? Well maybe their poor decision making was because they were too tense, and their fingernails were dirty...or maybe their finger nails were dirty from counting all of their filthy money....maybe their back was sore from screwing our economy, who knows?

What I do know is that it is absolutely preposterous that the Fed has been allowed to dump money (Does anyone else feel like their paying out in Monopoly money by now?) on these irresponsible fools. What I do know is that they spent more money on their retreat vacation than my entire apartment complex makes annually, combined. What I imagine to be true is that there are plenty of meeting rooms on and around the Wall Street area. So SOMEONE PLEASE explain to me how, this can be addressed so lackadaisically by the government, and furthermore, how they can justify dumping another $38 billion precious USDs on them without AT LEAST terminating the self-centered pricks who put this thing together?

The proposed increase by the Fed will bring the loan amount to approximately $123 billion. My question is...can a brotha get a lowly mill? How about half of one? My corns are flaring up, and I bite my nails. In all seriousness though, why is it necessary to give ONE COMPANY an amount that equals nearly 20% of the amount allocated to save an entire country's economy? Maybe this is not really happening...maybe this is a long drawn out joke that will end April 1, 2009. Maybe Hilary Clinton will pop up on CNN and say 'April Fools, I'm the real President, and we're RICH!' Or...maybe we just ought to speak out, educate ourselves, and not allow the government to talk out the sides of their mouths anymore...maybe it's time to challenge this debauchery they call our government and call for the restoration of the Democracy that it is supposed to be. The blatant corruption is sickening, am I alone on this?

       Alright, let's get one thing straight off the bat, I do not consider myself as affiliated with either party--in fact, let me preface by sharing my overall view on today's version of politics. I think party classification is outdated and restricting to our great nation. While on Capitol Hill it may be an important factor in driving legislation and overall balance of philosophy, in society it has created a massive trend of blindly following. You see, people are born and raised Republicans or Democrats, and consequently their views are almost predetermined...they feel OBLIGATED to take up certain causes and points of view based on the opinions of their predecessors.

       Free, logical thinking seems to be dwindling in the arena of politics. This is a dangerous trend because people are allowing their thoughts to be directly influenced by the leaders of their respective party rather than reality. Forgive me but it seems like every news outlet has its agenda and feeds us propaganda accordingly. We form our opinions based on 'heart-warming stories' and manipulated versions of the occurences abroad. We take hyperbolic, empty statements from politicians to heart; we neglect the basic reality of things and go with what sounds good (specific examples to follow).

       Basically, my belief is that we need to educate ourselves on the issues and form our own thoughts, independent of what side of the party fence it may fall--Liberals, it's quite ok to go along with a 'conservative' idea, and hey, there is a reason why people fear superfluous governmental regulation, buy books on Communism and Socialism, learn to toe the line responsibly; Conservatives, hire a masseur (you know you have the money) loosen up, and most of all research compassion and psychology maybe even go 'slummin' once in a while (perhaps read a book on each subject while you get a nice massage). It is so obvious that neither party has fully improved the state of our nation, unless of course our backs have been against the wall. Why is that? Because when the integrity and safety of our nation is at stake people suddenly feel compelled to find common ground...hmm. THAT'S WHERE WE ARE! This is a critical election, and so my only wish is that everyone sort through the propaganda and figure out what our best option is as a nation, forget party affiliation.

       Now last night's debate; Obama won, but McCain succeeded in controlling it. Some may not agree but the reason I say so is that McCain succeeded in distracting Obama from the actual questions by creating situations where he had to defend his campaign against borderline defamatory statements. For example, McCain accused Obama of threatening to attack Pakistan...HE NEVER SAID THAT! Basically McCain and Obama agreed on the issue, yet McCain painted Obama as irresponsible and reworded what Obama had said. It was apparent that this got under Obama's skin, provoking him to readdress the issue and defend his stance. You see, right there, every conservative in the U.S. who spent Obama's turn talking about the awesomeness of McCain's previous speech probably accepted what McCain said as truth when in actuality anyone paying attention would recognize it was false.

Worthy of Note

       Notice that when talking about helping other countries in need, Obama referred to Darfur specifically and implied that what is taking place over there is genocide (which it is), while McCain simply referred to places where genocide may be occurring. By recognizing what is happening in Darfur as genocide, it establishes a moral obligation for the world to act, and it is clear that McCain will continue to refuse to acknowledge this fact.

       Both men presented currently unfeasible plans, with no logical explanation of the 'how' factor. For example, McCain's plan for the real estate market, where will the funds originate? With Obama, he spoke about not only intervening abroad but providing financial assistance for them to sustain, where will the funds originate? It bothers me that empty proposals continue to be thrown about with no concrete plan for stabilizing our own economic situation.

Things I Hated

       I hated that they spent so much time attacking each other's voting record and personal character rather than comprehensively addressing the issue that happen to be more pressing than ever right now.

       I hated that McCain flaunted his service shamelessly and superfluously...look, everyone knows, I doubt any new voters will be influenced by it. Besides, what has he done for his brethren? Sure, he has a cushy seat on Capitol Hill, but how about the fact that 33% of the homeless population are veterans who served in a war zone? How about those who served with him? Where are they? Poor? Dead? Personally I am tired of hearing it. Furthermore his 6 year POW experience should be more disconcerting than a platform for campaign; I work in a non-profit mental health facility and a large portion of our clients are veterans. Such a traumatic experience has serious psychological ramifications, and I doubt Senator McCain is exempt.

       I hated that the candidates try so desperately to humanize themselves, that is not what we need. We don't need heart-warming stories...we need facts and resolutions to serious national and international problems. We do not need rehearsed anecdotes, this is not The Hills.

My Take On Each Ticket

       McCain-Palin: First of all, the selection of Palin, while genius in the regard of trying to win the election, was a complete err in judgement. Why? Because McCain's biggest sticking point is experience. Well selecting the GOVERNOR of ALASKA who has even less experience and infinitely less competence than Obama completely nullifies that advantage in my opinion. This woman can be president people! She winked at the camera and gave shout outs during the VP debate, are you serious?

       I stand by my concern for the psychological influences that have and will shape McCain's foreign policy. This ticket clings to the fear that Americans have. The perpetuation of that fear is the biggest reason they remain in contention, they play on it well--but for me it is transparent. I find it humorous that McCain cites a lack of experience in foreign policy on Obama's part, yet the two had very similar thoughts on everything except for Iraq.

       Now on the issue of Iraq, McCain says he will not withdraw, that he will bring the troops home with pride and dignity...In a pine box? Poor? Ok, so fine, you don't want us to look weak in the eyes of other nations, but what do you intend to do for the troops who return? Better yet, how strong do we look when we cannot complete an objective, in a definitive time frame, in a country that is in shambles, with OUR military and weapons? In my opinion, the longer we stay, the higher the body count, the weaker we look.

       Obama-Biden: The selection of Biden, genius as well. Biden has proved to be valuable because he has been on the Senate right alongside McCain throughout huge governmental decisions, and has been able to recollect controversial stands by McCain and bring them to light. Also, it leveled the playing field and gave fringe voters who may have been fearful of Obama's lack of experience some reassurance. Overall this ticket is very knowledgable on the issues, but tends to border on idealistic.

       In addressing the issue of experience, I feel that it matters to some degree, but knowledge and logical reasoning appeals to me more, and nobody can say that Obama lacks in those areas. And judging from his linear logical way of thinking, I trust that when being faced with a problem, he will choose a reasonable course of action. I like that he is willing to sit down with enemies. People cite this as a bad thing, but why? It is not like the man does not know the risks; in fact, I get the feeling that he picked Joe Biden because he knows how perilous it may be.

       Overall I don't think we necessarily need a President with military background--there is no shortage of military minds in and around Capitol Hill. What we need is a guy who will make sound judgements when needed, and personally I trust Obama to do that more than I trust McCain. I also believe Obama will be more successful in diplomacy--he is more articulate and knowledgable, and certainly more averse to confrontation and conflict.

       I know not everyone will agree, and I am quite open to being further educated on any and everything, so please share RESPECTFULLY! Yes I support the Obama ticket, but I AM NOT A DEMOCRAT! So please refrain from resorting to calling me a Communist, etc...

            My boys are back! Aqua and Orange are once again fashionable, though I've worn my colors proud all along. Now understandably, after going 7-27 over the 34 games preceding this little spurt of success, there is a little skepticism amongst football fans-heck even some Dolphins fans. Well I am here to tell you that this team is for real, and will be a legitimate contender for the remainder of the season.

            First off I want to point out that I have not been biased in my analysis of the Phins since the beginning. I said they would lose to the Jets, I said we didn't match up well against Arizona, and I also said we'd beat New England and San Diego (Bolt Backer among others said there was no chance). Now, let's get to the task at hand, showing you why this team is no farce.

Reason 1: Playing intelligent, disciplined football. An unfortunate characteristic of Dolphins football over the past few years has been a severe lack of discipline, a plethora of asinine decisions, and an overall lack of awareness on the field. The Sparano coached version has shown a drastic improvement in every facet relating to discipline and awareness. Consider the following...in weeks 1 and 2, we committed 10 penalties for a total of 101 yards, and over the last two weeks there were only 6 penalties for 40 yards. Even further, the timing and significance of the penalties should be noted. During the first two weeks there were penalties that directly led to either the negation of a great play by the Phins, or the negation of a poor play by the opposition. One in particular that comes to mind was against the Cardinals when we negated a missed FG that eventually became a touchdown.

Reason 2: Better in the trenches. I have always said, the trenches is where football games are won. Both the offensive and defensive lines are playing outstanding football right now. In games one and two, the offensive line allowed 6 sacks, while only allowing 1 over the past two games. As for the defensive line, Joey Porter is tied for 3rd in the NFL in sacks with 5.5-and altogether the defensive line has collected 12 sacks through 4 games (9th in the NFL).

Reason 3: Numbers Don't Lie. For those yelling ‘Pretender' at my Phins, consider that Miami is the only AFC team that ranks in the top-10 in both total offense (10th) AND total defense (8th). Even further, they are just one of 3 teams who could make that claim with the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles being the others. If you also take into consideration that they climbed to these rankings after a mediocre week 1, and an abysmal week 3, the Phins have clearly been one of the best teams of the past couple of weeks.

Reason 4: Chad Pennington. Yes, that  is right, the same reason that most people are citing as the Dolphins' weakest link, is the reason I think the Phins are a contender. His arm may be weak, but he IS the most accurate QB of all time, and he is a superb game manager. If you have followed his career, the amount of ‘dumb' throws is so miniscule. His interceptions ARE usually an issue of his throwing arm, but the current offense seems to be molded around him. Miami has not tried anything he cannot do, and that has allowed him to play with confidence. So far he has the second highest passer rating of his career (93.5) and has only thrown 1 INT, which was a desperation throw in the back of the endzone in week 1. Additionally, over the past two games, Chad has hit 8 and 7 different receivers respectively. When you establish all of your weapons, regardless of how good they are...it keeps a defense honest, Chad has done that. Just for fun, consider the following fun observation-even years have been Chad's best...huh? Yes, Chad Pennington led the Jets to the playoffs 3 times during his time as the starting QB there-2002, 2004, and 2006. Those three years also coincide with his best statistical years in terms of yards, completion %, touchdowns, and passer rating. It's 2008, and he's on a similar pace...

Reason 5: Ronnie Brown. He may have gotten off to a rather slow start, but since being inserted in the starting lineup, he has been outstanding. The guy has every tool you look for in a running back; speed, burst, patience, balance, and vision. Not to mention he protects the football, Brown has lost just 6 fumbles in 625 career carries, thats 1 every 104 carries. He also has a career yards per carry of 4.5 yards.  On top of it all, he is a leader and a great teammate. He has handled the incorporation of Ricky Williams, and even him being the starter initially, with great class and dignity. Also, for those who failed to notice it...Cromartie had a borderlin dirty hit early in the game on our TE Martin, and even threw him back after hitting him. Well late in the game, Ronnie got to the edge and it was him and Cromartie alone in the open field...Ronnie pointed at him, called him out, and instead of running out of bounds, lowered the absolute BOOM on him. Now that is a teammate...I nearly jumped through the roof.

Reason 6: Schedule. Looking down the line, I want to address both the short and long terms. First, in the short term, Miami gets to travel to Houston to play a shell-shocked Houston Texans team. Now the Phins cannot be fooled by the record, and normally I'd be concerned with it being a trap game, but everything about this new regime gives me confidence that a let-down will be avoided. Then, Miami gets to play host to two big time AFC opponents. If Miami takes care of business in Houston, you can bet on the fact that the next two weeks will feature Miami crowds pushing 80,000, and Dolphin Stadium will once again be a home-field advantage. Now considering the long term, 3 of Miami's 6 road games are against teams that currently have only 1 win between them (KC, St. Louis, and Houston). Additionally, 3 of their 6 home games are against the likes of San Francisco, Seattle, and Oakland. Now when you take into account that these past two wins came against the two participants from last year's AFC Championship game, you have to consider a 7-5 or 8-4 finish as plausible. I say they could very well go 3-3 in their remaining road games, and 5-1 at home. If they can do that, they will be a playoff team. At the very least you'd have to admit they will be in contention.

            Really, I can go on for days with reasons, like how the coaching staff has made adjustments and improved game planning from week to week, or how we may have earned a critical head-to-head tiebreaker against the Chargers who may very well be a team the Phins battle with for a wild card spot. Most of all though, I just want to say, the attitude and demeanor is different-as a fan, you just know. As a fan you can put your finger on the moment when your team turned around, and my finger is pointing to these past 3 weeks. I have waited patiently and loyally for signs of life in this franchise, and the latest EKG checked out clean. As years of futility accumulate, so do the skeptics...as for you Phin ‘fan' skeptics...there's no room on the bandwagon for you...you called me names, and overly optimistic before the season, so I tell you, go root for the Bungles.