You know how it works. 15 positive football observations, 7 “not so” positive football observations and one “oh no” moment from outside the world of football.

(As a reminder, we don’t do Baltimore Ravens analysis here. We do PLENTY of that elsewhere. This is about the rest of the world of football.)

15 Positive Observations…

1. I have no concrete proof that Towson University is building a statue for Rob Ambrose, but I don’t know why they wouldn’t.

A lot of people are surprised by the Tigers’ success, but not me. I’m so effing stunned I’m still not a hundred percent certain it actually happened…

There’s no way anyone…in the world…could have ever seen a CAA Championship coming this season. This team still has more work to do though. They won’t feel incapable of beating anyone they play in the NCAA playoffs, starting with Lehigh December 3rd at Unitas Stadium.

Seriously…this is Towson we’re talking about. This can’t be real.

2. I thought I was happier to see the Washington Redskins lose when they play miserably, but I think I was even happier to see their fans suffer heartbreak Sunday.

I will admit that I thought those a-holes in DC were done after Tony Romo hit Jason Witten from 59 yards away…

…but somehow Mike Shanahan’s team stayed in the thing long enough to have a kick to win in overtime. Graham Gano of course missed the kick and DeAngelo Hall channeled DeAngelo Hall to help the Cowboys survive.

I celebrate your misery, clowns. May you never win another game…unless for some reason you play the Steelers. Even then, I dunno.

3. Tony Sparano is giving Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross something very similar to what Lou Brown gave Rachel Phelps.

Does anyone remember earlier this year when the Buffalo Bills were good? No? I swear I thought they were…

Stephen Ross started interviewing coaches before bothering to fire Sparano. Sparano used that to fire up his team, convincing them to win in order to piss off the ownership there that wanted to get new players and coaches. Suddenly Matt Moore and Reggie Bush are playing like real National Football League players and there’s a problem on South Beach…at least for now.

It’s very similar to what Lou Brown did back when he was managing the Cleveland Indians…

Did we ever find out if Brown won American League Manager of the Year that year? He was a hell of a skip.

(Side note. Every time the Orioles tried to hire a General Manager this offseason I assume the calls went awfully similar to that time when Charlie Donovan called Brown at Tire World to offer him the gig with the Tribe.

“How would you like to be the Birds’ GM?”
“Gee. I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know? This is your chance to be a Major League Baseball General Manager!”
“Let me get back to you, will you Peter? I got a guy on the other line asking about some white walls.”)

4. Andrew Luck has an impressive lateral motion towards the Heisman Trophy.

Do you get the feeling the Stanford quarterback is saying to himself, “Well, if no one else wants it…”?

I’d show you something from the Cardinal’s win Saturday night over rival California, but there wouldn’t be anything that would convince you Luck has locked up the award.

Instead, here’s Lee Corso dropping the “f-bomb” on ESPN’s College Gameday Saturday morning from the University of Houston. There’s no real reason to share the video, other than the fact that it includes the f-bomb.

5. If ANYONE has put their name back in the Heisman mix, that person is Baylor QB Robert Griffin III.

The Bears’ QB almost singlehandedly made sure next weekend’s “Bedlam” game was uninteresting to the rest of the country by throwing (and running) all over Oklahoma Saturday night…

It’s probably too little, too late as far as the Heisman is concerned-but it is certainly a reminder that RG3 has been one of the most entertaining players in the country all season. This TD pass to Kendall Wright however is probably not one he should take credit for…

Also humorous? Erin Andrews took the worst of a Gatorade shower intended for Griffin…

AND…in the hysteria on field after the win in Waco, America fell in love with a gal rushing the field on crutches…

6. At times, Matthew Stafford is one of the best quarterbacks in the world.

But if he did this more often the Detroit Lions wouldn’t have to make dramatic second half comebacks week in and week out like they did Sunday against the Carolina Panthers…

This game also involved Lions TE Tony Scheffler invoking an AT&T Flash Mob commercial in a TD dance…

And a note to Fantasy Football owners: Lions RB Kevin Smith ran for over 100 yards in this game. The physics of that alone are stunning, really.

I’m well aware it’s a different guy, but can we talk about this picture for a second? I say this as a HUGE Silent Bob fan. WHAT THE HELL IS THAT? Are those shorts? Is it some sort of jean skirt? Is it a denim quilt? Holy hell.

7. No one knows how to pronounce his name, but Chris Ogbonnaya had himself a fine day Sunday.

Well, I feel like a bit of a silly goose for taking fantasy advice and playing the Jacksonville Jaguars defense against the Cleveland Browns Sunday.

The only meaningful highlight in this one came from Jags RB Maurice Jones-Drew, who invoked Cleveland “hero” LeBron James by tossing powder in the air after scoring a TD…

And in an unrelated story, here’s a 6 year old kid crying about the New York Jets after their loss to the Denver Broncos the other night. He has an awful mother…

El oh el.

As you should know by now, Drew Forrester and I announced WNST’s 2nd annual Holiday Charity campaign a few weeks back. We titled this year’s event “Coats & Cans in Memory of Fergy” to honor Fernando Commodari (listener “Fergy in White Marsh”), a cherished member of the WNST community who died this year in a car accident.

We are currently very much in the midst of our canned goods drive, as we have collected over a thousand canned goods that will be donated next Tuesday to the Canton Baptist Church & The Bea Gaddy Thanksgiving Dinner.

We have so many people to thank for the donations that have already been made. The gang at Santoni’s made a very significant donation. Brian Radcliffe’s Period 1 & Period 2 classes at Perry Hall High School have each made great contributions. Other individuals have been so thoughtful in their donations that I don’t want to mention just one or two because there are so many I’d be forgetting.

Last year we donated in the area of 2,400 cans. We’re not quite to that level yet, but we have another few days to match the total or surpass it. We have hopes to reach 5,000 cans, but we’re aware that number is very difficult at this point.

We’re looking to make one final push before we shift our focus to collecting cold weather clothes leading up to Christmas.

On Thursday night, the WNST.net gang will be headed to Glory Days Grill in Towson (1220 East Joppa Road) for a major Canned Good drive.

A thank you to the fantastic people at GDG, who have partnered with us to offer specials for members of the WNST community who come to the event (we will have a special area for us, just let them know on your arrival you are there for our event). They have agreed to offer $5 appetizers during our event hours (6-9pm) along with their regular Happy Hour specials. They will continue the $5 appetizer price until midnight for those who want to hang out after the event.

This is not a sales event. We are not trying to sell you any sort of beer, liquor, soda or anything else. This is merely an event for us to hang out, have a drink together and lift up the community we all care so much about.

The Maryland-Alabama basketball game tips off at 5pm, so we’ll definitely watch the 2nd half of the game before the New York Jets-Denver Broncos game kicks off around 8pm. Loyola and UMBC are also on TV tomorrow night, so we’ll put that on as well. It will be a fun night to hang out, enjoy a beer and some $5 appetizers and talk about the one thing that ties us all together-Baltimore sports.

In order to attend Thursday night’s event, you must bring at least three canned goods for us to donate.

Here’s a look at some of the cans (and boxes of cans) currently living in the basement of the WNST studios at 1550 Hart Rd…

We’d like to see the entire basement filled after Friday night.

For those who make significant contributions Thursday night, I still have a purple sign autographed by Baltimore Ravens LB Ray Lewis, one signed by Ravens WR Torrey Smith & LB Brendon Ayanbadejo and three signed by Ravens CB Cary Williams to offer in return for your kindness.

This charity drive means the world to us. I’ve shared on air a few times that I’ve had multiple members of the WNST.net community come up to me in the past 12 months and tell me that their donation was particularly meaningful because at a different time in their life they counted on such charity just to be able to celebrate holidays.

To quote Ravens QB Joe Flacco, “that’s powerful stuff, man.”

For those who can’t make it out, we will still be accepting donations up until Tuesday morning. Musician Victoria Vox will be joining Drew in studio during “The Morning Reaction” Friday on AM1570 WNST.net and we’ll have an “open house” event.

We will announce the total number of cans donated Wednesday. We are also asking you to pledge to make a donation to the scholarship fund that has been set up for Fergy’s kids. Please commit to a donation of $.01 per total can collected to The Cameron & Adrianna Commodari Scholarship Fund. Please let myself (glenn@wnst.net) or Drew (drew@wnst.net) know of your commitment via email.

After Thanksgiving we will shift our focus to collecting coats and other warm gear to give to the men at the Helping Up mission downtown.

Thursday night. 6-9pm (or beyond). Glory Days Grill in Towson. Canned goods collection. PLEASE be there.

Flexing my mic muscles since 1983…

-G

You know how it works. 15 positive football observations, 7 “not so” positive football observations and one “oh no” moment from outside the world of football.

(As a reminder, we don’t do Baltimore Ravens analysis here. We do PLENTY of that elsewhere. This is about the rest of the world of football.)

15 Positive Observations…

1. The Towson University football team is a win away from a CAA Championship? The Towson University football team is a win away from a CAA Championship.

Terrance West ran for 265 freaking yards as the Tigers beat the New Hampshire Wildcats Saturday. They’re now a win over Rhode Island next week away from claiming the CAA title…

This can’t be right, can it?

2. Tom Brady hasn’t lost three straight games since 2002. Holy hell.

I don’t know what’s more embarrassing for New York Jets fans-the fact that Mark Sanchez was eaten alive by some dude named Rob Nankovich or that Deion Branch owned Fireman Ed after catching a touchdown…

Rob effing Nankovich. A dude named Rob Nankovich just played hero for the New England Patriots. Maybe Bill Belichick really is better than the rest of us.

3. Still think the San Francisco 49ers haven’t proved themselves?

It’s crazy how much the Niners are different under Jim Harbaugh. Justin Smith is playing like a Defensive Player of the Year, Carlos Rogers is playing like a capable National Football League cornerback and Alex Smith…wait, Alex Smith is still playing semi-respectable football? No way…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfX7gbCnlRg

I’m trying to put a Ravens-related spin on some of the things in the 15-7-0 this week. For example, the 49ers are a GOOD team, so when they play the Ravens on Thanksgiving we can be certain the Ravens will win, right?

4. Brandon Weeden was brilliant and Kansas State/Texas A&M was incredible. Ladies and gentleman, your weekend in the Big 12.

After a big performance in Oklahoma State’s rout of Texas Tech Saturday, Weeden’s Cowboys are now two wins away from the BCS Championship Game…

The Wildcats and Aggies played a four overtime thriller IN Manhattan. It was way more fun to watch than the game I was at Saturday night…

5. After a disastrous week for everyone at Penn State, almost everything that happened Saturday in Happy Valley was positive.

The Nittany Lions fell short against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, but this pre-game moment will probably be more memorable…

Elsewhere in the Big Ten…you know there wasn’t all that much going on elsewhere in the Big Ten. Well, Goldy Gopher DID attempt to frog splash Bucky Badger through a table; but not much else.

6. The Dallas Cowboys might have just put more points on the Buffalo Bills.

Let me get this straight. The Cowboys beat the Bills 44-7 and after the game the only thing anyone was talking about was the ONE Bills TD???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6WvmOGoZ2E

The story is that Bills WR David Nelson caught a TD and then gave the ball to his girlfriend Kelsi Reich, who is a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. This is a fantastic reason for me to post a picture of Kelsi Reich…

7. The Chicago Bears defense scored more fantasy points than a number of quarterbacks this weekend. 

Included in the Bears’ huge NFC North win was (inexplicably) ANOTHER punt return TD for Devin Hester…

What’s the worse idea? Predicting the Orioles will sign a significant free agent or kicking the ball to Devin Hester?

With things clearly not going their way, the Detroit Lions started fighting with the Bears. It’s weird because nothing about the team made me think they’d do something like that for no reason.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqyyZDR1kxA

LANDOVER, Md. — The University of Maryland Terrapins went through the motions lost to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 45-21 Saturday night at FedEx Field.

The good news (for me) is that I won’t be attending another Maryland football game this season.

That’s where the good news ends.

This isn’t the final game on the schedule for the Terps (2-8, 1-5) this season, but I’ll guess it will be the final time I offer more than a handful of words to discuss them. I’ll imagine most of you can understand.

I remember back in August I had a thought that the team’s visit to North Carolina State November 26 could have ACC Championship implications. I remember thinking that with the Baltimore Ravens set to host the San Francisco 49ers on Thanksgiving night I would have my weekend free and perhaps a trip to Raleigh would be in order.

As you’d assume, I have no travel plans for my Turkey Day weekend.

I’ve paid my dues. I’ve showed up for every game the Terps have played this season in the state of Maryland. The first game (Miami) was fun. The second half of the second game (West Virginia) was fun too. There was no more fun to be had this season.

I don’t write this in hopes to illicit sympathy from anyone. I write it because I know I’m not the only one who has suffered through the misery of Randy Edsall’s first season in College Park.

There’s no way of polishing this. No lipstick here can make this not look like a pig. Randy Edsall’s first season in College Park has been an unparalleled mess.

That would probably be an appropriate way to describe Maryland’s effort against the Irish (7-3) Saturday night as well.

“We’ve got to tackle better, get off on third down, (we’ve) got to make third downs, we can’t drop the ball” Edsall said after the loss, but even that probably couldn’t fully describe the effort.

After inheriting a team that finished with nine wins (including a Military Bowl triumph) a season ago, Edsall’s Terrapins (with aide of significant injury) have been unthinkably impossible to watch in 2011. Not only has the team struggled to win games, they’ve failed to maintain relevance. Not even the return to the buzzworthy Under Armour “PRIDE” uniforms could generate interest Saturday night, as the 70,251 fans who packed the home of the NFL’s Washington Redskins Saturday night overwhelmingly backed the home team.

The home team wasn’t Maryland. The team from South Bend, Indiana played that role Saturday night.

It isn’t so far-fetched to have thought Maryland would struggle after their transition from former coach Ralph Friedgen to Edsall. Many first year coaches are forced to establish roots before they can find future success. There was hope Maryland wouldn’t experience those types of growing pains as they returned the ACC Rookie of the Year (QB Danny O’Brien) and many of the players who experienced a victorious postseason one year earlier.

The best the Terrapins can hope for at this point would be a 4-8 finish (3-5 ACC), but a 2-10 (1-7 ACC) finish appears more likely with trips to Wake Forest and NC State left on the season.

Making things worse for a team that has been awful is the unwatchable nature of the games they’ve played in the past month. Instead of growing as a team during the course of the season, this team appears to have taken significant steps in the opposite direction.

You know how it works. 15 positive football observations, 7 “not so” positive football observations and one “oh no” moment from outside the world of football.

(As a reminder, we don’t do Baltimore Ravens analysis here. We do PLENTY of that elsewhere. This is about the rest of the world of football.)

15 Positive Observations…

1. If you have to make a trip to Orono, Maine you might as well go ahead and get a victory.

Which is what I guess the Towson Tigers figured they would do to move back into a first place in the CAA…

Terrance West ran all over the Black Bears, much like he’s done to everyone else in the conference. Towson has a completely legitimate chance to win the conference. I almost can’t believe I’m typing that.

2. Julio Jones did something Sunday you’re not capable of.

The Atlanta Falcons traded away many things to get this man on their team. If he keeps playing like he did against the Indianapolis Colts it will go down as one of the greatest decisions in National Football League history…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yNx7EyDECQ

As far as Indy in concerned, things have gotten so bad that at one point QB Curtis Painter threw two forward passes on the same play. No really, this actually happened. He wears the same number as Bert Jones. That’s where the similarities end.

3. Remember when the New York Giants and San Diego Chargers swapped Eli Manning & Phillip Rivers? The Giants put another point on the scoreboard Sunday.

There were many amazing things about the Giants’ come from behind win over the New England Patriots in Foxborough, notably the plays made from Eli Manning to Jake Ballard to win the game. But NOTHING I could share with you would be as good as the footage of Michael Strahan celebrating the win while the cameras were “off” at FOX…

During the Sunday Night Football halftime show, Bob Costas pointed out that Ballard’s number (85) was the same number worn by David Tyree in Super Bowl XLII. Pretty good.

(Puts on “Superfriends” announcer voice)

“MEANWHILE….IN SAN DIEGO….”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPr0Z4q_vXk

Phillip Rivers nearly figured out a way to beat the NFC (and NFL)’s best team. The reason why he “nearly” figured it out is because part of beating the best team in the the league is NOT repeatedly throwing the ball to them.

I feel like Aaron Rodgers is getting dangerously close to “so good we can’t possibly like him” territory by the way.

4. You only get to win a “Game of the Century” every now and then, so I’m pretty LSU doesn’t care how ugly things were Saturday night in Tuscaloosa.

And now we deal with the fact that we might well have to see the Tigers face Alabama again in the BCS Championship Game if Oklahoma State and Stanford falter.

Don’t get me wrong, this was a great game even if it wasn’t always beautiful to look at. LSU now has the fast track to a national title and it’s hard to imagine anyone not named Alabama beating them.

5. While Kellen Moore has done no wrong, Andrew Luck can clinch the Heisman Trophy next week against Oregon.

Kellen Moore wasn’t necessarily brilliant, but he surpassed Colt McCoy as the all-time winningest quarterback in NCAA history in Boise State’s win at UNLV…

Kellen Moore’s season only remains interesting however if Luck begins to stumble. Their national TV (ABC) game Saturday night against Oregon will be Luck’s chance to follow up on his performance against USC with a “clincher”. Probably. He had some early struggles, but was good again Saturday against Oregon State…

Trent Richardson remains third on my list-but he’s currently third on a list of two. Case Keenum heads the “others receiving votes” category.

6. Tim Tebow we love you again…at least for now.

Tim Tebow by no means beat the Oakland Raiders on his own (Denver Broncos teammates Willis McGahee, Eddie Royal & Eric Decker certainly helped), but what the hell do we care about anyone who plays in the Mile High City not named Tim Tebow?

By the way, the Broncos are only a game out of first place in the AFC West. And thank God the Raiders solved all of their problems by trading for Carson Palmer.

7. The New York Jets have bounced back well enough that Rex Ryan should say something idiotic any moment now.

The Jets kicked the Buffalo Bills’ asses Sunday in Orchard Park. Instead of showing the highlights, let’s all laugh at Mark Sanchez flinching when lined up out wide against Drayton Florence…

That’s more humorous than Ashton Kutcher on “Two & A Half Men.” But then again, what isn’t?

There’s a mess atop the AFC East, as these teams and the Pats all have three losses. I hope they all end up with six personally.

From Monday, October 31 through Friday, November 18, WNST.net will collect canned goods and non-perishable food items at the AM1570 WNST studios (1550 Hart Rd. Towson, MD 21286).  Those items will be collected during normal business hours (6am-6pm).

We will also collect at all scheduled WNST events, including “Monday Night Live” with Baltimore Ravens LB Brendon Ayanbadejo at Hightopps in Timonium, our Miller Lite Towson pep rallies at the Greene Turtle and other events specific to the drive that we will announce in the future.

We will give those items to the Canton Baptist Church for their distribution to Baltimore’s homeless and we’ll also give some of the donated food to the Bea Gaddy Thanksgiving Day dinner.

Last year we donated 2,400 cans to the Canton Baptist Church.  This year we’d like to do 5,000 cans. For counting purposes, we count EVERYTHING, meaning if someone drops off oatmeal or some other “non-can” item, we count that as a can.

In addition, we’re going to ask that members of the WNST commuinty who can’t contribute food (or even if they can) to donate a penny per-can to a scholarship fund that has been set up for Fergy (in White Marsh)’s children.

Listeners/readers can make their checks out to:

You know how it works. 15 positive football observations, 7 “not so” positive football observations and one “oh no” moment from outside the world of football.

(As a reminder, we don’t do Baltimore Ravens analysis here. We do PLENTY of that elsewhere. This is about the rest of the world of football.)

15 Positive Observations…

1. I guess it’s safe to say Rob Ambrose made the right decision to not redshirt Terrance West

Especially seeing as how his 4TD’s helped Towson improve to 4-1 on the season with their win over Richmond Saturday night at Unitas Stadium….

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT4vlLi_vWo[/youtube]

The Tigers are now 2-0 in the CAA for the first time EVER. Remember when they were picked to finish last in the conference? Nice call there.

(Editor’s note: Spiders QB-and USC transfer-Aaron Corp completed 31 of 34 attempts Saturday night. I still can’t figure out how Towson was ever able to stop them. How does someone go 31 or 34 and win???)

2. When they weren’t fighting, there was a pretty fun football game being played between the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers

For some reason, Roman Harper and Malcolm Jenkins decided to fight about a pretty impressive Steve Smith touchdown from Cam Newton…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sq7gVv7I4MA[/youtube]

…Yeah I really have no explanation for that. I will reiterate what I’ve been saying about the Saints all season however. You can tell me all you want about their defense not being great. Based on how good Drew Brees and company are, they’re fine.

3. We want to write the Pittsburgh Steelers off, but Ben Roethlisberger just won’t let us

Sitting on my fantasy football bench, Big Ben managed to toss FIVE touchdowns for the Steelers in the win, pissing off everyone in the world who has no connection to the Steel City. Oh, and Daniel Sepulveda executed a perfect fake punt just to rub it in…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rChOUXR7JyQ[/youtube]

Jonathan Dwyer also ran for over 100 yards as the bad guys beat the Tennessee Titans. That answers the age old question, “who is Jonathan Dwyer?”

4. BCS apologists might get their chance to say LSU-Alabama and Oklahoma-Oklahoma State ARE a playoff system for college football

We’ll start with LSU’s big win over Florida, a blowout that included a would-be touchdown on a fake punt-had it not been for a taunting call that we can all agree was questionable at best…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xT_TGuoLdmk[/youtube]

Seriously?

Next, The Crimson Tide started the season with a quarterback controversy. In their big win over Vanderbilt Saturday night, AJ McCarron reminded everyone why that didn’t last very long…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQrJYCbUFK0[/youtube]

Oh yeah. Trent Richardson is still pretty good too.

Elsewhere, Texas came into the Red River Rivalry this year with higher hopes based on the (Case) McCoy-(Jaxson) Shipley Combo Part 2. Landry Jones quickly ruined those hopes…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7BEMeOhYwQ[/youtube]

The path to the BCS Championship Game is also easier for the Sooners this year based on the fact that there is no more Big 12 Big 12 Championship Game.

Which leads us finally to Oklahoma State, who finished on the good end of a 70-28 beatdown of Kansas Saturday…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fgH624Jn-Y[/youtube]

Before you pencil Oklahoma into the national title game, a reminder that the Cowboys host this year’s “Bedlam” game in Stillwater. It’s significant.

5. Kellen Moore remains atop my “Heisman Trophy watch” personally, but I understand why everyone is so hot and bothered by Andrew Luck

Here’s my problem. Everyone always beats up the Boise State QB because the Broncos don’t play top-notch competition. For example, they shredded Fresno State most recently…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Moapfuyqut4[/youtube]

…but thus far, the best team Stanford has beaten all season is Duke-and Duke was NOT playing with Miles Plumlee, Mason Plumlee, Marshall Plumlee or any other Plumlee anywhere on the planet…that I know of.

The Cardinal’s victim Saturday night was a less than impressive Pac 12 newcomer-Colorado. You only know anything about the game because Tiger Woods took a break from being crappy at golf to show up and watch the thing with John Elway…

Woods finished tied for 30th this weekend at an event won by some dude named Bryce Molder. Tied for 30th. Bryce Molder. Oh…and some dude threw a hot dog at him while he was playing. REALLY…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMLvYzwNuuA[/youtube]

6. Cincinnati Bengals defense plus AJ Green equals late season games could be more interesting for Ravens than we want them to be

AJ Green was immediately more popular just for NOT being Chad Johnson or Terrell Owens. Now it looks like he’s really good to boot…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-FUlm0MGeI[/youtube]

I don’t think Cincy can stay in the AFC playoff race all season by any stretch of the imagination, but it looks like they’re not going to fall apart either. Marvin Lewis’ team will have two chances to make life miserable in Charm City later this season.

7. Sooo….maybe Jim Harbaugh WAS worth all that money?

Until this point, I have refused to believe in the San Francisco 49ers despite their early season success. After their blowout win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday, I might have to start buying stock…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59UTGUCaWo0[/youtube]

I’d say the Josh Morgan injury would hurt them, but they play in the NFC West. I get the feeling they could lose half their roster and still be in the mix.

Men’s Basketball Announces 2011-2012 Schedule

BALTIMORE – Loyola University Maryland men’s basketball will open its 2011-2012 season at Wake Forest and then play at 2011 Final Four participant Kentucky later in the season, Head Coach Jimmy Patsos announced today.

The Greyhounds will take on the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Demon Deacons in Lawrence Joel Coliseum on Friday, November 11, in their first game of the season. The schedule is subject to change, and game time and Loyola television information will be released on LoyolaGreyhounds.com in the next several days.

Just before Christmas, Loyola will play college basketball’s all-time wins leader, Kentucky, in Rupp Arena, on Thursday, December 22. The games against Wake Forest and Kentucky are two of the 10 non-conference games the Greyhounds will play before delving into the heart of their Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference slate.

“We have put together a very competitive schedule,” Patsos said. “This is a tough schedule with games that will test us early in our non-conference schedule. We know that playing teams in marquee conferences helps us in recruiting, and it also prepares us for the league.”

Loyola’s first intercollegiate contest will be Thursday, November 3, when it hosts Indiana (Pa.) in an exhibition game at Reitz Arena. Following the Wake Forest tilt, Loyola returns home for its regular-season home opener on Monday, November 14, against Coppin State.

A two-game road trip awaits the Greyhounds from that point. They travel across Baltimore to face UMBC on Thursday, November 17. Loyola will then take a pre-Thanksgiving trip to New England where it will face New Hampshire on Sunday, November 20.

Florida Gulf Coast comes to Reitz Arena on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, November 27, for Loyola’s final game of the season’s first month.

MAAC action opens a few days later as Loyola hosts Marist on Thursday, December 1. The Greyhounds head to Central New York on Saturday, December 3, to face Siena.

A game in the Nation’s Capital against George Washington on Wednesday, December 7, brings the Greyhounds back into non-conference play. After that contest, they will play at Mount St. Mary’s on Saturday, December 10, before taking an 11-day break for final exams.

The Kentucky game will be the penultimate of 2011, as Loyola closes the year on the road at Bucknell on Wednesday, December 28.

League play dominates the next eight weeks, starting with a three-game homestand against a trio of MAAC opponents. Niagara is first up on that agenda on Monday, January 2, followed by a Thursday, January 5 game versus Manhattan. The Greyhounds close the homestand with a Saturday, January 7 match-up against Canisius.

The Greyhounds’ first roadtrip of 2012 may prove to be one of its most difficult, as they leave Baltimore to face teams that finished first and tied for second in last year’s MAAC standings. Fairfield will host Coach Patsos and his side on Friday, January 13, and Iona greets Loyola on Sunday, January 15.

Loyola returns to Reitz Arena for a pair of games, Thursday, January 19 against Siena, and Sunday, January 22 versus defending MAAC Champion Saint Peter’s, before heading back on the road for two more.

The Greyhounds will make their annual two-game swing to Western New York for games on Friday, January 27 at Niagara and Sunday, January 29 at Canisius.

Loyola returns to Reitz Arena on Friday, February 3, to host Rider before going to Jersey City to play at Saint Peter’s on Super Bowl Sunday, February 5.

The Greyhounds then welcome Iona and Fairfield on Friday, February 10, and Sunday, February 12, respectively, and head to Marist on Wednesday, February 15.

The final home game of the season will take place on either Friday or Saturday, February 17 or 18, when Loyola hosts a BracketBuster game at Reitz Arena. In the past, the Greyhounds have faced the likes of Towson,Drexel, New Hampshire, UC-Davis and Tennessee State in those contests.

Loyola closes the regular-season with three consecutive road games. It visits Marist on Wednesday, February 15, followed by a trip to Rider on Friday, February 24, and Manhattan on Friday, February 26.

The league will host the 2012 MAAC Championships in a new location this year, playing the tournament at the Basketball Hall of Fame and the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass. Maac-achusetts begins on Thursday, March 1, and the conference champion will be crowned on Monday, March 5.

- loyolagreyhounds.com -

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Home-and-home match ups with Duke, North Carolina, Miami, Georgia Tech and Virginia highlight the 2011-12 Maryland women’s basketball schedule, released Tuesday. All five of the aforementioned teams were selected to compete in the postseason in 2011.

The Terrapins will play at least 17 games against opponents that competed in either the NCAA or WNIT postseason tournaments in 2011. Ten of those games will be played in College Park.

Eight of the Terps’ games will be televised, including three on the ESPN family of networks. The other five will be shown on RSN, which consists of several regional cable syndicated networks throughout the ACC footprint, including Comcast SportsNet, Fox Sports Net South, and New England Sports Network, reaches approximately 24 million households.

Highlighting the early non-conference schedule will be a matchup with Georgetown, who ended the 2010-11 season ranked 14th, on Nov. 13 at 2 p.m. at Comcast Center.

Six local opponents are on the Terps’ non-conference slate. Maryland will welcome Loyola, Georgetown and Towson to Comcast Center, and will travel to UMBC, American and George Mason.

In the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, Maryland will play host to 2011 postseason team Michigan for a 7 p.m. game on Nov. 30. This will mark the first meeting between the two teams and both are undefeated in the first four years of the Challenge.

The Terps, who went 24-8 and finished fourth in the ACC last year, will play their first five league games against 2011 postseason participants, including three on the road. They will play single-games at home vs. Wake Forest, Virginia Tech and Boston College, and single road games at Clemson, Florida State and North Carolina State.

The Terrapins open league play at Florida State on Jan. 2 with a 7 p.m. game, then return home for an 8:30 p.m. televised game vs. Georgia Tech on Jan. 6. Two days later, the Terrapins hit the road against to play at North Carolina at 1 p.m. Continuing its road trip, Maryland will take on Miami, who finished second in the league last year, in Coral Gables on Jan. 12 at 7 p.m.

Maryland’s last three home games include a Feb. 12 matchup with Miami, which will be shown live on ESPN2 at 2:30 p.m. A week later, the Terrapins will play host to Duke for a 3 p.m. game on Feb. 19, which will also be shown on ESPN2. The Terps close out their home slate with a Feb. 24 game vs. North Carolina at 8:30 p.m. shown on RSN.

The 2011 ACC Tournament will be held March 1-4 at the Greensboro Coliseum. The ACC Semifinals will be shown on ESPNU and the ACC Championship game will be shown on ESPN2.

Maryland will play host to the 2012 NCAA First and Second Rounds March 17 and 19 at Comcast Center.

The Terps will make their first appearance of the season at Maryland Madness on Oct. 14 at Comcast Center. They will play host to Messiah College for an exhibition on Nov. 1 and Holy Family for an exhibition on Nov. 6. Both exhibition games will be at 7 p.m.

2011-12 Maryland Women’s Basketball Schedule

Day Date  Opponent    Location  Time

Tues. Nov. 1  Messiah College (Exhib.)   COLLEGE PARK, Md. 7 p.m.

Sun. Nov. 6  Holy Family (Exhib.)   COLLEGE PARK, Md. 7 p.m.

Fri. Nov. 11  LOYOLA (Md.)    COLLEGE PARK, Md. 7 p.m.

Sun. Nov. 13  GEORGETOWN    COLLEGE PARK, Md. 2 p.m.

Wed. Nov. 16  TOWSON    COLLEGE PARK, Md. 7 p.m.

Sat. Nov. 19  UMBC     Baltimore, Md.  7 p.m.

Tues. Nov. 22  SAINT JOSEPH’S    COLLEGE PARK, Md. 7 p.m.

Florida International Thanksgiving Classic

Fri. Nov. 25   at Florida International   Miami, Fla.  6 p.m.

Sat. Nov. 26  Cal State Bakersfield   Miami, Fla.  2 p.m.

Big Ten/ACC Challenge

Wed. Nov. 30  MICHIGAN    COLLEGE PARK, Md. 7 p.m.

Sun. Dec. 4  at American    Washington, D.C.  1 p.m.

Thurs. Dec. 8  DELAWARE STATE   COLLEGE PARK, Md. 7 p.m.

Sun. Dec. 11  at George Mason    Fairfax, Va.  2 p.m.

Terrapin Classic

Wed. Dec. 28  LAFAYETTE    COLLEGE PARK, Md. Noon

Thurs. Dec. 29  DELAWARE/ECU    COLLEGE PARK, Md. 7 p.m.

Mon. Jan. 2  at Florida State*    Tallahassee, Fla.   7 p.m.

Fri. Jan. 6  GEORGIA TECH* (RSN)   COLLEGE PARK, Md.       8:30 p.m.

Sun. Jan. 8  at North Carolina* (RSN)   Chapel Hill, N.C.  1 p.m.

Thurs. Jan. 12  at Miami*     Coral Gables, Fla.  7 p.m.

Mon. Jan. 16  VIRGINIA* (RSN)    COLLEGE PARK, Md.       8:30 p.m.

Thurs. Jan. 19  WAKE FOREST*    COLLEGE PARK, Md. 7 p.m.

Sun. Jan. 22  at Duke* (ESPNU)    Durham, N.C.  3:30 p.m.

Thurs. Jan. 26  VIRGINIA TECH*    COLLEGE PARK, Md. 7 p.m.

Thurs. Feb. 2  BOSTON COLLEGE*    COLLEGE PARK, Md. 7 p.m.

Mon. Feb. 6  at Georgia Tech* (RSN)   Atlanta, Ga.  7 p.m.

Thurs.  Feb. 9  at Clemson*    Clemson, S.C.  7 p.m.

Sun.  Feb. 12  MIAMI* (ESPN2)    COLLEGE PARK, Md.       2:30 p.m.

Thurs. Feb. 16  at Virginia*     Charlottesville, Va.  7 p.m.

Sun. Feb. 19  DUKE* (ESPN2)    COLLEGE PARK, Md. 3 p.m.

Fri. Feb. 24  NORTH CAROLINA* (RSN)   COLLEGE PARK, Md.      8:30 p.m.

Sun. Feb. 26  at North Carolina State*   Raleigh, N.C.  2 p.m.

*-denotes ACC game | Home games in BOLD CAPS

#10 – Suring up at Safety – While not a position of urgent need for the Ravens, safety isn’t without its questions. Dawan Landry’s impending free agency and Ed Reed’s present state of health could have the team relying heavily on Haruki Nakamura and Tom Zbikowski for critical stretches of this season. As they seem to have greater needs elsewhere it seems unlikely that the team would spend heavily to retain Landry and will take their chances with whomever the market may bear behind Reed, Nakamura and Zbikowski. Historically the Ravens have done well with finding safeties that others haven’t seen value in.

#9 – Finding a Tight End – The release of Todd Heap leaves the team with a gaping hole at the tight end position, and like safety could have them relying on a couple of unproven players for big contributions in 2011. In this case that pursuit might be even more ambitious as both Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta are entering only their second seasons and neither found a major niche in the offense last year. It seems the team has designs on re-signing Heap if possible but otherwise would likely have to turn to the open market for a more reliable answer at TE than Pitta or Dickson look to provide. Absent that, the team might be forced to their 2008 form with little reliance on the TE position as anything but an extra blocker at the line of scrimmage.

#8 – Backing Up Ray Rice – While the release of Willis McGahee wasn’t much of a surprise on Monday, it leaves the Ravens with a number of unanswered questions in the backfield. Can they trust rookie Anthony Allen to be ready to back up Rice if needed? Are they prepared to go with some combination of Jalen Parmalee and Matt Lawrence at the backup if Allen isn’t up to the task without prep time? If Le’Ron McClain returns will he do so as the full time fullback? Do the Ravens want him otherwise? Will the bounty of free agents and the unwillingness of teams to pay them leave the Ravens with good options to choose from when the dust settles?

#7 – Backing Up Flacco – If Marc Bulger’s presence on last year’s squad indicated anything at all, it may have been that the Ravens envisioned themselves so close to competing for a title, that they refused to allow themselves to be in a position where a single injury could derail those hopes (even if that injury comes at the most important position on the field). If Bulger finds greener pastures elsewhere, surely the Ravens will be looking for more credible options than Tyrod Taylor or Hunter Cantwell. Hopefully it’s a need that never comes to fruition as the season plays out, but one that must be accounted for nonetheless.

#6 – Sorting out the Cornerbacks – After the Ravens’ forcible defection of talent on Monday and given their apparent desire to retain some of those players, but at a better price; is it out of the realm of possibility that Domonique Foxworth, coming off of an ACL tear, may also be carrying a price tag that’s tough to justify? Additionally see these 10 cornerback questions.

#5 – Sorting Out the Wide Receivers – The release of Derrick Mason certainly shakes up the receiving hierarchy in Baltimore for 2011 if the Ravens are unable to compel him back. If not they’re left with a bunch of unproven commodities behind Anquan Boldin. That might make the retention of a guy like TJ Houshmandzadeh suddenly much more realistic than it seemed just a few days ago. Whatever the outcomes with Mason and/or Houshmandzadeh, the Ravens will still need a proven field stretcher to compliment Boldin and whomever else rounds out the receiving corps, and it appears that through free agency they’ll have no shortage of candidates to choose from.

#4 – Prepping for Pittsburgh – Getting the Steelers, in Baltimore, right out of the gate might be just what the doctor ordered for a team likely still smarting from playoff disappointment at the hands of their rivals. While a win in week one won’t put the rivalry back into balance or even mean much if the Steelers again rain on the Ravens’ post-season hopes, it may mean a great deal in determining where a potential third meeting between the clubs would be played and will probably mean the difference between a big boost or a big letdown to set the tone for the 2011 campaign.

#3 – Getting Defensive Line Help – The Ravens appear ready to unleash Terrance Cody on the league to compliment the man-mountain that is Haloti Ngata in the middle of the defensive line, and at present have 2 young and interesting commodities backing them up in Kelly Talavou and Arthur Jones, but they’ll still need help in developing a much needed edge rush. At present the Ravens list only 2 defensive ends on their roster, rookie Pernell McPhee and 2^nd year Albert McClellan. Unless they’re expecting huge contributions from Paul Kruger and/or Sergio Kindle to compliment Suggs in 2011 it would seem that upgrades are in order. I’ll bet on the latter.

#2 – Suring Up the Right Side of the Offensive Line – Matt Birk is aging, and everything to his right is a question mark. Did Jared Gaither miss last season by pouting or with a legitimate back injury? In either case can you put any faith in him moving forward? Will Marshall Yanda get tackle money in free agency? Should the Ravens pay him tackle money? What can you expect from Oneil Cousins, Jah Reid, or Ramon Harewood in 2011? Should the Ravens look to pursue a left tackle and move Michael Oher back to the right side?  Answering these questions will probably be the biggest determining factor in the Ravens’ success or lack thereof this season.

#1 – Coming Up With a New Slogan – If John Harbaugh wasn’t having such success as an NFL coach in his 3-year tenure with the Ravens, one might suggest he pursue a career in marketing. In addition to his knack for having his teams ready to play from week to week, Harbaugh has also shown a knack for getting them up to play through the week to week grind of NFL football. From “Play Like a Raven” to the Muhammad Ali inspired “What’s Our Name”, from the inspirational story of Nehemiah to the recognition of Baltimore’s “53 Mighty Men” Harbaugh has never seemingly been at a loss for a poignant theme or reference. It’s fair to say that players and fans alike have been waiting with baited breath to hear this year’s Harbaugh-ism. Given his biblical affinity and his Thanksgiving Day opponent, I might suggest an infamous tale from Genesis.