Day 11: Kevin Kolb, Pete Carrol, Milton Bradley and more

HEADLINES

1) Head coach Andy Reid has already stated that Kevin Kolb would start in week 3 if Donovan McNabb is unable to play. Reid also stated that he is unsure if Michael Vick or Jeff Garcia would be the backup QB in that situation. Two questions to answer here: (1) Did Kolb do enough in a 48-22 loss to keep the starting job in McNabb's absence and (2) Is Jeff Garcia regretting signing with the Eagles if its unsure if he would even be the backup QB without McNabb healthy?

Ben: To answer the first question, I think Kolb did enough to show he's got the skills to lead the Eagles. What makes him look bad is playing against the Saints, who are like what the Phoenix Suns used to be in the NBA, and team that destroys your will by scoring so many points. Kolb was put in a tough position and showed he has the ability to make plays in the NFL, he just ran up against Drew Brees and the Saints.

The second question, I think it trickier. I think Garcia probably regrets signing with the Eagles, but I doubt to many other teams would want him, so he's probably lucky someone pays him. He only fits one type of offense, and while he's been successful he hasn't really stayed in one place for long recently, so I imagine his off-the-field personality doesn't gel very well with many organizations idea of a backup QB. I think both sides are probably in a spot they don't want to be, but as insurance, it's probably best they are together.

Boz: Yes to Kolb doing enough to start week 3 if McNabb is still unable to play due to the rib injury. He threw for 391 yards and two touchdowns, which is very impressive for your first start. He did have three interceptions but was asked to throw the ball 51 times which doesn't help a quarterback making his first start from avoiding throwing three interceptions. He had to throw the ball that many times to keep up with the Saints running away with the game. If he does start next week, I think he'll only get better.

To answer the second question, yes to Garcia regretting signing with the Eagles. He wanted out of Oakland because he wasn't getting a chance to start over the "franchise" JaMarcus Russell. Now there is a debate whether or not he would be the backup to Vick. Many people consider him to be one of the top 15-20 quarterbacks in the league. Other teams would have signed him since all he does is win no matter where he goes. I have to imagine another team (hello Carolina) would want to sign him.

2) The Chicago Cubs have suspended Milton Bradley for the remainder of the season after Bradley criticized the team and its fans in a newspaper saying "you understand why they haven't won here in 100 years." What do you make of this situation?

Ben: I'm disappointed. I liked the signing of Bradley, and have defended him most of the season, still do in fact. But times like this make you shrug your shoulders and mumble to yourself. Milton Bradley just cannot stay out of his own way. A simple, "no comment" or "I think I'm starting to play better" or at least "I just haven't been comfortable yet". All of those options sound so much better then what he said.

All told, he's struggled mightly this year and the fans have made him pay (although Kosuke Fukudome hasn't gotten near the attention for his struggles either, and he gets 12 million dollars a year). Some of it is deserved, but Bradley has to be more professional, he knows he signed for 2 more years right?

Jacque Jones would have never said that!

Boz: It really bothers me because one of the major reasons why the Cubs are going to end that drought this year is becasue of Milton Bradley. They signed the guy for three years at $30 million to play right field and he has answered by hitting .257 with 12 home runs and 40 RBIs while battling injuries all year long. He's been booed by fans all season long and instead of responding by playing well on the field, he has chosen to respond off the field by critizing the fans to a newspaper. Well done Milton. Now when you come back next year, since no other team will want you, you'll only year the boos louder and longer from Cubs fans. I should know. I am one.

3) The USC Trojans dropped a 16-13 game to Washington on Saturday (picked by Ben). This scenario seems to happen every season: the Trojans lose an early game to a bottom of the pack Pac-10 team then runs the table the remaining of the season while climbing back in the rankings and making an appearance in a BCS bowl game. The BCS rewards teams that lose earlier in the season. Is there a Pete Carrol conspiracy with Carrol purposely losing an early game?

Ben: I obviously don't think he's losing the games on purpose, although maybe Carrol owes a bookie, and needs to throw the game to bring in big money. I think USC has simply dominated the Pac-10 for so long they no longer get up for some of the lower level teams in that conference. I mean look at the teams that have beat them in recent years: Oregon State, Stanford, Oregon State, Washington. Each of those teams is or was in the bottom half of that conference and pulled out the upset.

USC just got done beating Ohio State, IN Columbus, with a true freshman at the helm, they were going to have a letdown -- just ironic how often that happens.

Boz: It's hard to imagine that any coach in any sport would purposely lose games to either motivate their team or beat the BCS system. But in this case its hard to argue against such a strong trend. My main complaint against the BCS system is that teams that get their one loss out of the way earlier in the season are rewarded becasue they have the opportunity to climb back up in the polls compared to a team that goes the entire season undefeated and then loses their last regular season game because they don't have that same opportunity.

I'm not the only person to realize this theory and it's evident that Carrol realizes this theory as well. That being said, I don't believe Pete Carrol loses games on purpose. I'm sure he would actually love an undefeated season. It's just ironic that USC always loses that early season game but I just think they get stronger as the season goes on. It obviously didn't help that they had Aaron Corp as their quarterback.

4) In the weird but apparently true category, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy suffered from the flu all week, missing one day and being held out of most drills all week long. Despite the symptoms being gone before game time, McCoy said he was out of sorts in the beginning of the game. He said the solution was eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at halftime, drinking grape Pedialyte and a hydration drink for children. Should McCoy be put to work finding a cure for swine flu?

Ben: I'd say forget football Colt, get into medicine, it pays just as well and there's a longer career span. In all seriousness I think McCoy was just lucky and found something to settle his stomach. I'm no doctor, so I don't know if that mixture seems like it would work, but everyone is different so maybe McCoy just feel better with a little PB&J in his system. He certainly seemed to play better in the 2nd half.

Boz: Apparently so. McCoy came out in the second half and was 15 of 18 throwing the ball with a touchdown in the second half securing a 34-24 revenge win over Texas Tech. In all seriousness, I have no idea if peanut butter and jelly has any healing affects. If he was in the final stages of getting over the flu, I'm sure that the hydration drink helped energize him for the second half. Whatever it was, McCoy should stick with it to help get the Longhorns to the BCS Championship game and to bring home a Heismann trophy for himself.

ODDS:

1) The Tigers avoided a sweep by the Twins by winning the final game of a three game series to push its lead back to three games in the AL Central. What are the odds that the Tigers win the AL Central?

Ben: 64%. The Tigers have struggled of late, and while I think they still pull it out, I'm a little nervous about the Twins. They always play well near the end of the year, and Detroit's pitching has gone south lately. I picked the Tigers a week ago to easily make the playoffs, now, I'm not so sure.

Boz: 75%. I'm going to give them the pretty good odds since they do have a three game lead with only four series left to play in the regular season. The reason why I am not locking them into the playoffs just quite yet is because it seems that every season Ron Gardenhire has the Twins playing its best ball at the end of the season and this season hasn't been any different. The two teams have four games left against one another in Detroit. The Tigers have the better pitching and the better offense but it didn't quite show this weekend. I have the Tigers winning the division, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Twins take the crown, and I'll wear my Twins hat proudly.

2) Boise State held of Fresno State on the road, 51-34, on Friday night. Many said that the Bulldogs were the only tough challenge for the Broncos after Oregon. What are the odds that Boise State gets to a BCS Bowl game?

Ben: 98%. Are we sure Boise State football is not actually Gonzaga basketball in disguise. Seriously, the Broncos crash the BCS party every year, and should now just become part of the main show. I love watching Broncos's games on the blue turf, with an amped up crowd watching. It truly is a special atmosphere. That, and I don't think the likes of UC Davis, Idaho, or Louisana Tech scare anyone up in Boise.
Boz: 92%. They really have no one left on their schedule and despite a lot of teams' flaw to fall to someone on the road, we know that Boise State does not have that flaw because they have gone undefeated before. When they go undefeated they have to be rewarded with a bowl game despite playing in the WAC. They defeated a pretty good team in Oregon and I see them running the table the rest of the season before falling in a BCS game.

3) Former NFL running back Herschel Walker has signed a multi-fight contract with fight promoter Strikeforce? What are the odds that Walker will be successful as a MMA fighter?

Ben: 2%. You're 47, what are you thinking? I don't care what level of ability he has in any form of combat, when you are that old, you move a little slower. Sorry Herschel, I know you were part of one blockbuster deal in your career, but this one won't turn out very pretty. Remember Johnnie Morton's career in MMA? Neither does Johnnie, because he was knocked out in 30 seconds. I see the same fate for Herschel. Sorry.

Boz: 30%. This news came completely out of the blue. Apparently Walker owns a fifth degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. I have no idea what that means but it sounds impressive. The problem with these star athletes is that they can never get rid of the need for competition and I think that's what is fueling Walker to pursue this. I'm guessing that Strikeforce signed him because he had some talent, but mainly for the name. It's a great story if it works out but Walker is 47 years old and I just don't see it happening. I'm actually quite concerned for his health.

HAPPY HOUR

Ben: Happy 37th Birthday Jon Kitna. You gave Detroit Lions fans a sign of hope 2 years ago while leading my beloved Lions to a 6-2 mark halfway through the season before it all came tumbling down. Kitna has resurrected one franchise though, the Bengals can thank him for tutoring Carson Palmer, and leading them to their first non-losing season since the days of Icky Woods and the "Icky Shuffle"

Boz: On this day in 1991, USA Basketball announced the roster for the 1992 Olympics. This team, eventually named "The Dream Team" was the greatest collection of basketball players to play on one team. I loved watching these guys play as they beat everyone by at least 40 points.