Reggie Bush out 3-4 weeks with torn Meniscus

This just in– former USC Trojan and current N.O. Saint Reggie Bush will undergo arthroscopic surgery tomorrow to repair torn meniscus cartilage in his left knee.

I also have torn meniscus cartilage in my left knee. Just thought I’d share.

(See I TOLD Y’all my vacation would be good for my average posts per day)

-Your Gridiron Goddess

Tom Brady officially done for the season…

And just like that Patriots Nation takes a collective break to sob. Tom Brady has left the field folks. He will have season ending surgery on his left knee. Fantasy football players with Brady on their roster are scrambling for any available QB to replace him.

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce you to Matt Cassel. Cassel has backed up Brady since chosen in the 7th round of the 2005 NFL Draft. At USC, Cassel was a pitcher on the baseball team while backing up Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart’s Heisman winning QB campaigns. He did time at tight end and wide receiver as well. But let me put it to you this way: The last time Cassel started a football game, he was in high school and Bill Clinton was President of the United States.

That not only seems like a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away, it really IS a long time ago.

And that’s not to say that Cassel won’t be good, possibly even brilliant. Maybe Belichick can work magic twice. We won’t know until he takes those first several snaps under center next week.

-Your Gridiron Goddess

Ben Olson is fragile

UCLA QB Ben Olson re-injured his right foot during practice on Saturday. Apparently he was backing away from center when the injury occurred. He was carted off the field. He will undergo xrays and possibly an MRI today.

He is fragile. And also, looks a bit like Howdy Doody, no?

-Your Gridiron Goddess

Your 2008 Pac-10 Preview

by Amy Lamare of www.gridirongoddess.net

I can make this real quick football fiends: USC will win its 7^th straight Pac 10 championship and head to a BCS bowl game.

And that concludes your 2008 Pac-10 Preview. UCLA, Stanford, Cal, Washington, Washington State, Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona and Arizona State – all y’all might as well stay home. Rey Maualuga, Mark Sanchez, Joe McKnight and the boys have got this one sewn up.

In all seriousness though, the Pac-10 does not back down from a challenge when scheduling its non-conference games. This year teams in the Pac-10 face: Ohio State, Georgia, Tennessee, BYU, Boise State, Oklahoma, Penn State and Purdue, just to name a handful. No 1-AA cupcake rivals here!

ARIZONA WILDCATS:

It’s do or die time for Coach Mike Stoops. He’s going to have to get his Wildcats to win 6 games to at least have a shot at keeping his job. If he can do this, Arizona will get to Bear Down for their first bowl game since 1998. I’m betting in Stoops’ favor since his non-conference lineup is fairly easy with games against Idaho and Toledo and at New Mexico.

Senior QB Willie Tuitama is going to have to step it up and generate some scoring this season for the Wildcats to be competitive in the Pac-10. The defense returns only 3 starters, and that’s not the only bad news for the Wildcat D. Their most experienced defensive lineman, Jonathan Turner, was suspended from the team’s summer practices after being charged with sexual assault last spring. He is awaiting his trial.

Junior college transfer Nick Booth hopes to boost the Arizona running game. This 225 pound running back joins Nic Grisby, Xavier Smith and true freshman Keola Antolin on the Wildcat depth chart.

Arizona‘s Non Conference Schedule: Idaho, Toledo, New Mexico

Arizona reports to pre-season camp on August 4^th

ARIZONA STATE SUNDEVILS:

ASU was picked to finish 2^nd behind USC in the pre-season Pac-10 poll. The Sun Devils are prepping for their second season under Coach Dennis Erickson and they have one MAJOR issue: The Offensive Line. They don’t have one. Seriously, last season QB Rudy Carpenter spent so much time on his back that I started to wonder if those were not linemen lined up in front of him, but rather, Fatheads.

Dennis Erickson is incorporating a quick release spread offense this season to help Carpenter’s protection. A good portion of his 55 sacks last season were due to him holding onto the ball too long. Five players have left the team since the conclusion of spring practices, including tight end Dane Guthrie. (Academic reasons for former defensive end Guthrie.)

ASU plays a doozy of a non conference game when it faces Georgia on September 20^th. If the Sun Devils do not solve their offensive line woes before then, they will not get out of that game alive. Ditto for their conference games against USC and Oregon.

If Carpenter gets the protection he needs either from his O-Line or the new offense, look out Tempe, your Sun Devils could crack the AP/USA Today top 10 with potentially their only losses coming at the hands of Georgia and USC. A Holiday Bowl berth, or should USC play for the BCS title, a Rose Bowl berth is yours for the taking.

ASU’s Non Conference Schedule: Northern Arizona, UNLV, Georgia

Arizona State reports to pre-season camp on August 4^th

CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS:

Last season Cal went from #2 in the country to losing six of its eight final games to end up 7-6. A QB controversy rages in Berkeley, and it’s looking at the moment like we have a Sam Keller/Rudy Carpenter ASU flip flop of QBs brewing.

At the Pac-10 Media Day, Coach Jeff Tedford said:

“We’ll pick a starter probably the week of the first game… It may take both of them to help us reach our goals…They are both going to get some game time.”

Really Tedford? Look I know Longshore flailed around a lot in the second half of last season while he battled his ankle injury. And Kevin Riley lit it up in your Bowl Game. Against Air Force. Air Force. Is Riley really the guy you want facing USC and Oregon, or is seasoned senior Longshore your guy? Just remember Arizona 2006, Coach Koetter, Sam Keller and Rudy Carpenter and what a mess that whole situation was.

It seems from all I’ve heard and read that Tedford is leaning towards Riley. And sure, he knows things we do not know. Whoever gets the nod as QB has a whole new group of WRs to throw to. Juco transfer RB Javid Best comes with hype, but he’s also undersized.

Tedford and Co have a lot to address offensively. That said, they should finish in the top ½ of the Pac-10s final standings.

Cal‘s Non Conference Schedule: Michigan State, Maryland, Colorado State

Cal reports to pre-season camp on August 4^th

OREGON DUCKS:

Oregon lost their star QB Dennis Dixon to the NFL, but expect to reload quickly with new QB Nate Costa.

Oregon has a powerful defense with one of the best secondaries in the nation. Last year, Oregon ended up 9-4, largely due to Dixon’s season ending injury against Arizona, sending the Ducks into a 3 game losing streak.

Three Ducks are recovering from off season knee surgeries and are expected to be good to go by the first game. (QB Costa, TB Jeremiah Johnson, LB John Bacon) Tight End Na’Derris Ward, a UGA transfer joins juco transfers Jeremiah Masoli (QB) and Ellis Krout (WR) as new Ducks this season.

Oregon’s secondary is scary. Three Ducks are on the Thorpe Award Watch list: Patrick Chung, Walter Thurmond III, and Jarius Boyd.

Oregon was voted #3 in the Pac-10 pre-season poll. Look for them to challenge ASU for #2 behind USC.

Oregon‘s Non Conference Schedule: Utah State, Purdue, Boise State

Oregon reports to pre-season camp on August 4^th

OREGON STATE BEAVERS:

Oregon State’s program has put up an impressive 19 wins in the past 2 seasons, including a 2006 upset of USC. Their strong defense has been the key to their success of late. The Beavers face a challenge going into this season as they have to completely rebuild the front seven on their D, including S Brian Payton. Payton left the program this summer with no explanation. Beavs and Trojans alike may remember him as the player who had the key interception in the Beavers 2006 upset of Troy. So, good news for Trojans! (Like we need more good news, eh?)

Big things are expected of true freshman WR Jordan Bishop from West Salem (OR) H.S. Ditto to DE and juco transfer Simi Kuli, he is being touted as the key to making the new D-Line gel.

Good news for the OSU Squad: Guard Jeremy Perry is expected to be ready to play by the start of the season. He is one of, if not the best guards in the Pac-10. Perry missed most of 2007 with a broken leg and is recovering from knee surgery this spring.

The Beavers have a tough schedule, not only do they face conference rivals USC, ASU and Oregon; they have a rough non-conference schedule this year as well. I expect the Beavers to finish near the middle of the Pac. (Pun intended)

OSU’s Non Conference Schedule: Penn State, Hawaii, Utah

Oregon State reports to pre-season camp on August 1^st.

STANFORD CARDINAL:

Yes I know. We were 41 point favorites. Yes I know, biggest upset in college football. (but? Really? Michigan-Appalachian State comes to mind as being a bigger upset.) But I point out that John David Booty should have sat out when he broke his finger, not thrown 4 interceptions.

Bygones.

The Cardinal has some questions in this second season under showboating Coach Jim Harbaugh. Sure they return a conference high sixteen starters from last year’s squad, with seven of those on offense, but who is their QB? And let’s not forget that despite their (fluke) upset of Southern California, this is the offense ranked last in its conference in yards and points per game. So yeah, the Cardinal, he has some questions to be answered. Such as will injured starters Allen Smith (OT, kneecap) and Jim Dray (TE, knee) be ready to play at some point this season. Cardinal blogs report that we may not see either of these players in 2008.

Notre Dame transfer Konrad Reuland is expected to take on the Tight End duties this year; Oct 4 should be interesting for him. (Stanford faces the Fighting Irish on this day.)

The QB slot is a three man battle between Tavita Prichard, Jason Forcier and Alex Loukas, but highly touted freshman recruit Andrew Luck could be the man the Cardinal needs at QB.

This program faces an uphill battle with the high academic standards required just to achieve admission to Leland Stanford Junior University. Can Harbaugh bring wins to Palo Alto? Sure he can-but he’ll need several years of recruiting to do it. After all, he’s not just looking for explosive athletes, he’s also looking for exceptional academics as well.

Look for Stanford to finish 7^th or lower in the Pac-10.

Stanford’s Non Conference Schedule: TCU, San Jose State, Notre Dame

Stanford reports to pre-season camp on August 1^st.

UCLA BRUINS:

High up in the hills of Westwood, offensive to the lumberjack’s eyes, Lies the Cal extension campus known as Westwood High. Fight! Fight! Fight! Home of all the Bruin bear cubs, UGLY is its name. The student body’s vile, The campus is a pile, and the football team’s a shame! Fight! Fight! Fight! U. G. L. Y, UGLY Eat my shorts!

At least that’s the way we sing it at USC. In all seriousness though, this is not looking like a good year for those Bruins who wear the powder blue jerseys. It could be considered a successful season if UCLA is bowl eligible at season’s end.

I mean, what are you going to do without a QB or an Offensive Line? Or, more accurately, a just coming off his umpteenth injury QB and no O-Line? Norm Chow may be the guru that helped Coach Carroll resurrect the storied tradition of Trojan football, but you’ve got to have PLAYERS to build a football team.

I am biased, that is not a secret. There is not a lot of love for the Bruins from this Trojan. So let’s just look at some of the facts.

• They have the 10^th ranked offensive line in the Pac-10
• Both Ben Olson and Patrick Cowan were injured on the same day in Spring practice. Patrick Cowan is out for the season with his injury.
• Olson is insanely injury prone himself.
• Rick Neuheisel is in his first year as Head Coach in Westwood. Norm Chow is in his first year as Offensive Coordinator in Westwood (traitor!). Much of the rest of the coaching staff is brand new.
• The pitiful O-Line needs to replace 4 starters from last year’s so-so squad.
• Projected starting RT Sean Sheller is out for the season with injuries sustained in an ATV accident. That’s 5 Offensive Linemen needing replacement now.
• Junior tailback Christian Ramirez will miss the season because he did not meet NCAA eligibility requirements.
• If QB Olson somehow remains healthy all season and makes it to the USC game, he will most assuredly be Maualugaed.

Do I need to go on? Neuheisel, Chow and co. walk into a bit of a mess over there in Westwood. Do they have the chops to turn it around and return UCLA to glory? Yes, they do. It’s just not going to happen THIS year.

UCLA’s Non Conference Schedule: Tennessee, BYU, Fresno State

UCLA reports to pre-season camp on August 5^th.

USC TROJANS:

Look for USC to meet Georgia for the BCS Title. We were anointed the pre-season #1 at the Pac-10 media day today and we are a favorite to win the Nat’l Championship. Not only do we face formidable conference rivals Oregon and ASU but we’ve got a September 20^th date with the Buckeyes of Ohio State at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum too.

Do it better than it’s ever been done before and never stop competing. Win Forever. Always Compete.

These are but a few of our team mottoes.

Consider these facts. Under Pete Carroll, USC has:

• Six Consecutive Pac-10 titles
• A record Six straight BCS bowls
• A record five BCS bowl wins
• Three Heisman Trophy Winners
• Two National Championships
• A Nationwide high 10 players drafted into the NFL in the 2008 Draft
• An NCAA record of 63 straight games scoring 20 or more points
• A national record of 33 straight weeks as the AP #1
• Six consecutive AP finishes in the top 4.
• A 76-14 (84.4%) record

The question is not: Will USC be good? The question is: Can USC be beat? And if so, how?

Mark Sanchez, the 6’3″, 223lb junior takes over as QB this year. Coming out of high school in 2004 he was everybody’s All American. One Pac-10 coach said Sanchez was the best QB he’d ever seen on film.

Now he gets a chance to show the Nation how good he is.

Folks, not much needs to be said about my Trojans. We will dominate if we stay focused. And focus is not something Pete Carroll’s teams lack.

In Pete We Trust.

Fight on!

USC’s Non Conference Schedule: Virginia, Ohio State, Notre Dame

USC reports to pre-season camp on August 6^th.

WASHINGTON HUSKIES:

Tyrone Willingham is another Pac-10 coach on the hot seat. He meets his former team, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame on October 25^th at Husky Stadium but the discomfort of that is nothing compared to the November 15^th date the Huskies have with the Bruins. See, Rick Neuheisel is the Anti-Christ to Husky Nation. His very existence reminds U Dub fans of how elite their program once was and what his role was in dismantling it.

Washington has been slow in improving under Willingham’s tutelage. And slow is not what Husky fans want. They want a return to the days of glory. To winning the Pac-10-which they haven’t done since Rick Neuheisel’s second season in 2000. To winning the National Championship-their last was in 1991. Not to another 4-9 season and bottom of the Pac-10 finish.

This is the program Neuheisel destroyed in the eyes of Husky Nation. I hope he has bodyguards for the November 15^th game in Seattle.

Look at it like this: Willingham is going into his third season and is 9-16 overall. When Pete Carroll ended his second full season at USC, he was 17-8 overall and coming off an 11-2 season and top 4 AP finish. In his 3^rd season USC won a share of the National Championship with a 12-1 record.
This is the sort of thing Husky fans expect from their Coach. Miracles.

For Willingham to be successful at retaining his job-which we’ll define by a 6 win season and bowl berth-he will have to instill confidence in his squad. He will have to imbue them with the will to win. That’s going to be hard to do if he starts off 0-3 which is very likely considering the first three teams the Huskies face are Oregon, BYU and Oklahoma.

Ouch.

On the one hand, you’ve gotta respect a guy with a program trying to battle it’s way up from the doldrums of the conference who goes out and schedules BYU and Oklahoma as two of his team’s three non-conference games. (The third being his date with Notre Dame.)

On the other hand, you’ve got to wonder if he’s drinking some spiked Kool-Aid that makes him think his 2-7 in the Pac-10 last year team can post a winning season with these kinds of odds stacked against them.

It’s going to be interesting to sit back and see how it unfolds this season. Husky fans, you have my sympathy-after all, USC Football in the 1990’s was very painful, I know how it feels.

Washington‘s Non Conference Schedule: BYU, Oklahoma, Notre Dame

Washington reports to pre-season camp on August 4^th.

WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS:

41 year old Paul Wulff is new to the Wazzou coaching job. He’s inheriting a team with issues up the Wazzou. (pun intended.) What Cougar fans will like is that Wulff is a former Cougar player himself. He played offensive line for the Washington State Cougars from 1986 to 1989.

The Cougar’s have a stellar receiver in First Team All Pac-10 senior Brandon Gibson. They have a new QB in 6’7″, 233lb Gary Rogers. And Coach Wulff is bringing a new offense to Pullman. Will Gibson and Rogers be up to Wulff’s no-huddle attack? We’ll know soon enough.

Wulff also has inherited a team with a bunch of off-field issues. They lost eight scholarships when they failed to meet the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate Standards. 25 Cougar players have been arrested in the past 18 months. Safety Xavier Hicks is spending 45 days in jail, and missing the first 3 games of the season after pleading guilty to 2 gross misdemeanors. Defensive lineman Andy Roof’s troubled past has left his fate as a Cougar player up in the air.

But signs of change are already apparent. Coach Wulff cut QB recruit Calvin Schmidtke from the team because of a number of controlled-substance violations.

With the kind of problems this team faces, a former Cougar may just be the man to clean up the face of the program while steadily improving the team. The Cougars were 5-7 last year. I don’t expect much of an improvement this year, though it could be said that maintaining a 5-7 record would be an improvement with all the changes that need to be made and questions that need to be answered in Pullman.

Wazzou’s Non Conference Schedule: Oklahoma State, Baylor, Portland State

Washington State reports to pre-season camp on August 5^th.

And that concludes Your 2008 Pac-10 Preview my football fiends. Next up is the Big 10. Give me a couple of days, this one took 2 days to do. (I’m betting because it is MY conference. I’m HOPING because it is MY conference. And because it is over 3,000 words maybe?)

-Your Gridiron Goddess

Routine neck surgery? I don’t think so…

Friday, various news outlets reported on Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher’s “routine neck surgery”

I ask you, oh fellow football fiends, what in the hell is so routine about neck surgery?

Right?

Supposedly an arthritic back condition led the star linebacker to play in pain this past season. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not debating that fact.

I just don’t think Urlacher having neck surgery bodes well for his effectiveness next season. It’s your damn neck, it’s pretty frickin’ fragile you know?

-Your Gridiron Goddess

Oh Carolina Don’t You Cry For Me…

Oh Football Fiends, have some compassion for my friends over at Sports Brethren. Their Carolina Panthers have been plagued with, well an abominable record at home, but also with QB woes up the wazoo.

Fortune did not look kindly on the boys from North Cakalack this past Sunday when Mr. Mittens himself, David Carr, went down late in their loss to the Tennessee Titans.  Carr has been diagnosed with a concussion and his status against the Atlanta Falcons this weekend is uncertain.

As I mentioned, Carr is just the latest in a string of QB injuries for John Fox’s team. Starter Jake Delhomme is out for the season with an elbow injury for which he recently had surgery on. The Panthers then went out and signed vintage QB Vinny Testaverde to their roster. Vinny is having issues with his Achilles Tendon. Now Carr is likely out for at least a week with a concussion.

This leaves only undrafted rookie Matt Moore as the Panthers healthy option at QB.

The Panthers very well could be forced to sign yet another QB to their roster.

Moore took over at QB when Carr went down Sunday. He  completed 2 of 5 passes for 36 yards and an interception.

Carr was sacked 7 times on Sunday and his season completion average is 4.74 yards per pass attempt. Not exactly intimidating numbers.

Something tells me Your Gridiron Goddess also won’t be picking Carolina to win against the Vick-less Falcons this weekend.  Especially since Atlanta travels to Charlotte, where the Panthers are winless so far this season.

-Your Gridiron Goddess, who is amused that a google image search for “Vinny Testaverde Panthers” brings up this picture of her:

Rocky Mountain High…

Hey Football Fiends,

This season that has seen quarterbacks go down to injury at an unprecedented rate. This past weekend spelled trouble in that area for the Denver Broncos when QB Jay Cutler took a helmet to his lower leg in the first half of the Broncos 44-7 loss to the Lions on Sunday.

It was feared the Cutler had a stress fracture, but his leg is bruised not broken per his MRI results. He is not likely to practice or start this week. Cutler took over the starting job from Jake Plummer last season.

Denver’s back up QB is Patrick Ramsey, who has spent time with the Washington Redskins (2002-05), New York Jets (2006) and Denver Broncos since being drafted out of Tulane in 2002.

As Denver only kept two QBs on its 53 man roster, it is likely they will have to go after another QB if Cutler is out of action for any significant amount of time.

Losing Cutler to injury is just the latest in a long line of injuries the Broncos have had this year. Rod Smith (WR), top draft pick Jarvis Moss (DE), Ebenezer Ekuban (End), Tom Nalen (C), Ben Hamilton (G), Warrick Holdman (CB) and tight ends Stephen Alexander and Nate Jackson are all out with injuries.

It’s a safe bet that Your Gridiron Goddess will NOT be picking Denver to win this coming weekend when they face Kansas City.

-Your Gridiron Goddess

HA HA HA HA HA OJ.

Hey fellow football fiends!

Did you all see the reports that the FBI knew about OJ’s plan to steal his memorabilia like 3 weeks before his heist or something? Maybe I have it wrong. I was reading the scrolling info at the bottom of a screen while imbibing cocktails with my high school classmates. Will have to look into this issue further.

OH HAI. I AM DRUNKITY.

Hey, whatever, It all comes down to one thing – The Juice is so going down. Make no mistake Browns and Goldmans, somehow, someway, this joker will get what is coming to him.

-In other news: Why do I so just feel like the writing is on the wall: ARod will be a Dodger. The boys in blue have the money. We’ve got Torre. LA wants its first World Series since 1988. Yeah ARod will be a Dodger.

-HOF and Barry Bonds and the much talked about asterisk. Has anyone else noticed how much home run percentages have gone down since MLB banned steroids? And they still don’t have a reliable test for HGH.

– Pats/Colts: I still feel strongly this is going the Pats way. The Pat’s backup tailback Sammy Morrison is out for the season. But the Pats have such a powerful offense I don’t feel this will make a difference. More troubling, for the Colts, is the fact that Marvin Harrison is questionable with his knee injury. Doctors told him today knee pain is likely to be plaguing him for the rest of his career.

-Does anyone else feel bad for Andy Reid? I do. I mean sure, his sons are troubled. But they are adults, not kids, not teens and… God this may sound callous, but when an addict is an adult, there is only so much you can do. They have to make the decision to heal themselves on their own.

-With Joe Torre’s arrival in Los Angeles I can’t help but think we’ve got the coaching juggernauts here in the City of Angels. Torre, Phil Jackson, Pete Carroll. Hell yeah!

-QB John David Booty is the starting QB for the Trojans game against the Beavers of Oregon State. HEH their team name is the Beavers. (I am 12 years old, clearly!) Meh. I like Booty, don’t get me wrong. I just like Sanchez better. (And I love Leinart most of all, but I digress)

Ok I am now sufficiently sobered up to sleep! Have a fantastic football filled weekend my fiends!!!!!

-Your Gridiron Goddess, with the Juice’s Heisman in USC’s Heritage Hall

CFB Wrap up: I need a drink

Hello Football Fiends!

Well I said I was either going to be a football genius or crash and burn spectacularly with my CFB picks, did I not? I went 10-8. Sigh.

Yes, my Trojans lost again. I didn’t expect them to lose but I didn’t expect them not to lose either. I tried firmly to just not think about it. HEH And my way of dealing with it is to run away from the internet and this site for 24 hours. But I’m back. And oddly, I thought SC looked good yesterday, despite the loss. They hung in there. Were it not for a few mistakes, perhaps the outcome would be different. Oh well, there’s always next year, right?

Florida bit it in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party matchup against Georgia. I think Florida fans and SC fans are in similar boats this year. There’s always next year Gators! Tebow is only a sophomore after all. Solid. Tim Tebow was playing with a sore shoulder yesterday, that is the Gator’s excuse and I can live with that.

South Florida lost to UConn cementing the thoughts of OVERRATED in the minds of many.

I correctly predicted both here and on KROQ’s Kevin and Bean show the demise of UCLA against Washington State.

ASU came from behind to beat Cal and remain unbeaten. Cal drops to a 5-3 record overall, 2-3 in the Pac-1o

And of course Ohio State beat the Nittany Lions. I just wish they hadn’t.

In the new BCS standings Ohio State and BC are still 1 and 2. LSU and ASU are 3 & 4. Oregon is #5. South Florida, USC and Florida come in at 18, 19 and 20 respectively. For all the flack that the Pac-10 gets, we’re the conference with 2 teams in the top 5.

-Your Gridiron Goddess

Booty or Sanchez? Inquiring Trojans and Ducks want to know…

UPDATE: SANCHEZ TO START SATURDAY AGAINST THE OREGON DUCKS. WOO HOO!

Coach Pete Carroll is rumored to be announcing which USC QB is getting the start against Oregon either tonight or early tomorrow. Do you go with the seasoned, though rusty from weeks off due to injury John David Booty? Or do you go with the young upstart who had so much success in South Bend Mark Sanchez? Both have their strong and weak points. Sanchez’s arm is much stronger and for that reason I dig him–he’s an exciting player to watch. Booty–his long balls and accuracy has always made me nervous.Booty has practiced with the receiver’s glove off his throwing hand for the past two days with pretty good success by all reports. But is “almost having all the feeling back” good enough for the #5 ranked Ducks of Oregon and their exposive Dennis Dixon headed offense?

I tend to think not.

And sure, Sanchez was skittish early in the 1st quarter at Notre Dame, but he came back and threw for four touchdowns with no picks. Booty was looking wobbly even before he broke his finger during the loss to Stanford. And a wobbly veteran against Oregon is scarier to me than a new QB fresh off a big game in a loud stadium is.

I don’t know. I’d go with Sanchez if I were the Coach. But I’m not. And if Carroll goes with Booty, I will try to trust in him.

Image credit: Trojan Wire

-Your Gridiron Goddess