Posts Tagged ‘Moore’

Thoughts on WWE and TNA This Week

August 15th, 2010

This past week there were some big things happening in WWE and TNA. TNA had their great show on Thursday, while WWE suspended Tiffany, and she might be on the edge of being released.

I will share some thoughts on WWE and TNA programming, recent problems, and other things WWE- and TNA-related.

 

Lance Cade Passes Away

This was the most shocking thing to happen to the wrestling world this week.

Lance McNaught aka Garrison Cade aka Lance Cade passed away yesterday at the young age of 29. The cause of death was apparently due to heart failure.

Cade was known mostly for being in a tag team with Trevor Murdoch, which had great success. Before his tag team with Murdoch, he was in a tag team with Mark Jindrak, which didn't have that much of a success, but were still good.

Before he was released by the WWE in 2008, Cade was in for a huge push when he made an alliance with Chris Jericho.

Cade had an apparent seizure on a plane, which caused a lot of problems, and WWE released him shortly after.

Though he wasn't a huge star, Cade still had a great career. He will be missed.

 

Tiffany Suspended and On The Edge Of Being Released

Many of you may of read this yesterday.

Tiffany got into an argument with her husband Drew McIntyre at a hotel in San Jose, which caused the police to show up. WWE suspended Tiffany, while Drew McIntyre wasn't.

There are reports that Tiffany was taken off the opening video for Smackdown and is now on the edge of being released. She was scheduled to team with Kelly Kelly and face the team of Laycool at Summerslam, but the match wasn't officially announced.

The problem here is that what would happen if she does get released? Would McIntyre get pissed and leave or would he stay with WWE either way?

We would have to wait and see what occurs in the next few days.

 

JTG Buys Fake Lady Gaga Tickets

This must of be the dumbest thing to happen this week.

JTG bought Lady Gaga tickets off Craig's List and when he showed up to the event, he was told they were fake. Yes, the tough-looking guy bought Lady Gaga tickets.

Insert your joke now.

First of all, if you are going to purchase something from Craig's List, why would it be tickets to a Lady Gaga show? Fail.

 

TNA's Whole F'n Show

This is something I usually don't say about an episode of Impact; the show on Thursday kicked ass.

The show was good from the beginning to the end. The show started off good with the Kurt Angle and AJ Styles match and ended good with the beatdown on EV 2.0 courtesy of Fourtune.

The Knockouts Title match and the Triple Threat match were short, but good. Jeff Hardy's match against Shannon Moore was decent, but I was waiting for an ex WWE star to accept the challenge.

RVD vs. Abyss was good. I was expecting an okay match, but I was wrong because it was good.

Yup, those were the reasons why the show was good. The beat down was good. The Angle vs. Styles match was good. Love vs. Rayne was good. Morgan vs. Pope vs. Anderson was good. RVD vs. Abyss was good. Moore vs. Hardy was good.

Oh, wait one more thing: Beer Money vs. The Motor City Machine Guns was awesome! Did you actually think I would forget about the match?

The match was awesome. Anyone who missed it was dumb not to watch it. Could it be a nominee for Match of the Year? Yes, but that is just my opinion. Truly epic.

 

Summerslam

Summerslam is just 24 hours away and I am excited about going to the show. I am excited about the show, but I am disappointed in the build up to the show. It seemed as if the show is based only on the Team Raw vs. Nexus match.

Though it somehow is, they show has potential to be good. I didn't waste money to see a mediocre show, so hopefully it is good as last year's show.

Now that the tag team match between LayCool against Kelly Kelly and Tiffany is scrapped, will there be a new match added?

Will we see a match involving stars that for some reason weren't on the card, like Christian and Jack Swagger or would we get a promo from somebody?

Also, will there be a heel turn? I still have my three choices for the heel turn to be either Bret Hart, John Cena, or John Morrison. Morrison is the main guy I think will turn heel, as he is sporting a beard, which of course means a heel turn is in the works.

 

Can Randy Orton Take John Cena's Spot As The Main Guy?

Many of us know that Cena as a super babyface is getting boring, but who would be able to take his spot if he ever turns heel? One solution many people have is Randy Orton.

Orton at the moment is way over with the crowd, but unlike Cena, he doesn't suck up to the crowd by acting funny.

Last night on TMZ, yes, I watch the show because it kicks ass. Anyway, last night on TMZ, they showed footage of them catching up with Orton at a restaurant and asked him some questions.

During that time, he said that he would want to be the main guy, because he is sick of seeing Cena on everything these days, but he said it in a nice way, not in a mean way.

Probably, I am not writing exactly what he said, but it was somewhere near that zone.

Orton would be a good replacement for Cena, but I don't think it would happen at the moment. It would be cool though.

 

Hulk Hogan Fake Twitter

This week, there was news about how Hulk Hogan had announced that he and Eric Bischoff were leaving TNA. One thing though, it wasn't the real Hulk Hogan.

Eric Bischoff had announced that he and Hogan were staying with TNA and that the Hogan account was fake.

Soon after, the person who made the fake Hogan account announced that he was a TNA wrestler that was pissed off at TNA management.

Now it could be a TNA wrestler or it could just be a guy who lives in his parent's basement, is a virgin, and has nothing else to do with his life. You decide who it is.

By the way, I wished the account was real because Hogan and Bischoff leaving would do TNA some good. Just saying.

 

Team Raw vs. Nexus match conclusion

Just a quick question: would anyone be mad if Summerslam ended without a big heel turn in the Team Raw vs. Nexus match?

 

Shawn Michaels Would Attend Your Birthday Party

Shawn Michaels and his wife opened a business called Emerald Rainbow Family Fun Center in Texas this past week. The big news to come out of this is that Shawn Michaels can be booked to show up for your party.

Yes, the legendary Shawn Michaels could show up for your birthday if you have $5,000 for it. There are some downsides though. He could only be booked for the party if he has time and it would only be for 30 minutes.

It is still cool though that HBK himself would be at your party taking photos and signing autographs.

 

That is all for today. I will give my review of Summerslam either on Monday or Tuesday. Could the show be good or did I just waste money? Stay tuned.

Until next time.

Virginia Tech Vs Boise State: The Overlooked Keys to Victory

August 15th, 2010

There have been plenty of articles written about the “Allstate Kickoff in the Capital” and even more comments about it.

We get it. 

Boise State is returning 21 starters from a team that beat two BCS bowl teams but was unimpressive during conference play.

Virginia Tech has arguably the most talented backfield in the country but lacks some game experience and depth on defense.

We’ve heard every reason in the book on both sides predicting the outcome of the game, from statistics to the location of the game to sheer ridiculousness.

This is not that article.

Although football is not an exact science, there are some telling statistics that will likely decide who wins and loses this game. For those of you unfamiliar with both programs, you may not have even heard of these guys but their impact will be extraordinary.

We’ll start with Boise State.

Jeremy Avery – RB BSU – Yards per Carry

Everyone talks about Kellen Moore and the passing attack of the Broncos but tend to forget that they also have a trio of solid running backs in Avery, Doug Martin and D.J. Harper. With the spotlight on the pass, Virginia Tech may be unprepared and give up a sizable chunk of yards to the run, an area which was weak early last season.

I picked Avery because he is the likely starter with Martin used more in the red zone and Harper in as backup. The Hokies’ red zone defense is always stout and should not be an issue (see the Nebraska game).  But if Avery can consistently put the Broncos in third and short situations, it does not bode well for Virginia Tech.

During their games against Oregon and TCU, Boise went and impressive 10 of 20 and 6 of 18 on third downs respectively. 

Virginia Tech needs to force as many punts to keep the Broncos’ explosive offense in check.

What Boise State wants – 5.1 ypc

This means one and/or two things. 

First, Avery is getting consistent penetration on the relatively inexperienced defensive line and force the Hokies to dedicate more time to the run. This will leave the dangerous duo of Titus Young and Austin Pettis in single coverage and we have seen enough highlight reels to know that they can put Virginia Tech in a world of trouble.

The other option is that Avery broke off at least one big run (25-plus yards). I think it is reasonable to expect the Broncos to have a couple of big plays through the air but Bud Foster and the Hokie faithful will be furious if Avery breaks a couple of tackles for a 60 yard touchdown.

What Virginia Tech wants – 2.8 ypc

Virginia Tech needs to make the Broncos a one dimensional team, even if that dimension is what they are best at. The Hokie secondary is the strong point of the defense but it is simply unreasonable to expect them to completely shut down Kellen Moore.

If the Hokies are able to stuff the line and force Kellen Moore into third and long, more often than not a punt will immediately follow. Both Oregon and TCU held Avery to under three ypc and I think holding the Broncos to under 20 points should be considered a win by Bud Foster.

Now for Virginia Tech

Dyrell Roberts – WR VT – Plays from scrimmage of seven-plus yards

It sounds ambiguous but Roberts is an all-purpose player and ranks as one of the top returning kick returners in the country. I didn’t include anything about his abilities on special teams because the more he touches the ball, the more the Broncos have put up on the scoreboard.

Roberts provides a unique spark to the team and has played big in the big games as well as break end-arounds for solid gains. The Hokies have a severely underrated receiving corps but the focus of standout cornerback Jeron Johnson and the secondary will likely be Jarrett “Big Play” Boykin.

Both Roberts and Danny Coale should see a fair amount of single coverage and are both sure handed receivers. I went with Roberts over Coale because of his ability to make the likes of Eric Berry look stupid (3:35-4:10).

What Boise State wants – two plays

It means that the Broncos have played solid defense from one side of the field to the other. This won’t mean much if Boykin and/or Coale have monster games, but the likely target for passes between five to 15 yards is Roberts.

If Boise can keep the wide receivers in check, they should be able to keep the Hokies’ drives short and force punts or field goals, both of whom have no game experience. The Broncos forced Oregon and TCU to go one for 10 and one for 12 respectively.

If Tyrod Taylor has to throw deep routes every play to keep the Hokies in the game, history is with the Broncos.

What Virginia Tech wants – six plays

Roberts is sure-handed and can make plays in open space. The more they can get the ball to Roberts for 5 to 10 yard gains the better since Frank Beamer’s style of play is to control the time of possession.

If I were Brian Stinespring, I would get the ball to Roberts on second down either with a short pass play or end-around to set up first downs or third and short. The deep routes are exciting but the Hokies need to stick to what they do best and manage the clock.

My predictions:

I think Jeremy Avery will have a solid performance but not the one necessary to give the Broncos a decisive victory. He’ll break a run or two of runs for 10-30 yards but the rest will be 1-3 yards with an average of 3.6 ypc.

I think Roberts will have a big game and break at least one play of over 25 yards or find a way to get open in the end zone on third and goal reminiscent of his catch to beat Nebraska. I'm expecting at least 40 yards receiving on three catches and two runs for 20 yards for a total of five plays over seven yards.

I’m not going to predict the outcome of the game because I am rather superstitious after losing to North Carolina. 

The game could honestly go either way. 

With both teams garnering their highest preseason ranking ever and the hype surrounding the game, they will each come to FedEx field ready to play.

This could easily be one of the top ten most exciting games this season and as a college football fan, I can’t ask for anything else.

Other overlooked predictors to watch for: Time of Possession, Sacks and Passes Defended.



Things To Watch For in Tonight’s Pittsburgh Steelers’ Game

August 15th, 2010

Ben Roethlisberger

Will he be booed or will he be cheered? He is a very good quarterback who has already won two Super Bowl titles and is hungry for more. Unfortunately, he also had an offseason where he was accused of rape. Granted, no charges were filed (you're innocent until proven guilty), but he did put himself in that situation. Furthermore, fans don't care about the law; if you're accused, you're guilty in their eyes.

 

The Steelers' Running Attack versus Ndamukong Suh

The Detroit Lions have had one of the most pathetic defences in recent memory. All that is about to change with the addition of Ndamukong Suh. With Rashard Mendenhall showing he is a solid No. 1 running back, this could be quite a challenge for the first-year DT. In fact, add in Mewelde Moore as a third-down back, and Jonathan Dwyer as a power running back that was projected by some to go in the first round, you're looking at one of the most difficult matchups Suh will have. It will answer the question whether one man can fix a defence? After all, if the Lions do well against the Steelers' running attack then the key had to have been Suh. Of course, with how few plays the starters will get it may not be any indication of things to come at all.

 

Matthew Stafford versus the Steel Curtain

Stafford is one of the most talented prospects in the NFL. The salary he gets is more than most quarterbacks in the league; he is paid like a top five QB. So he needs to go out there and prove he is worth the money. To do that, he needs to fight the best defence in the NFL—the Pittsburgh Steelers' defence. Dick Lebeau is one of the most imaginative defensive coordinators in the history of the NFL. He has Troy Polamalu manning the backfield for the first several snaps. With the return of Aaron Smith, as well as a healthy Polamalu, expect the Steel Curtain to play very well against Stafford. This is the year Stafford has to prove his worth.

 

Special Teams

Don't expect that much of a difference from the Lions special teams. If they improve, it will be the improvement of their young players, but it won't be much. The Steelers, on the other hand, gave up a lot of touchdowns on special teams. This game may be an indication of whether or not the Steelers have fixed that problem.

A Determined Run From Behind: Will Saints Chris Ivory Make Black & Gold?

August 15th, 2010

 

They call you lady luck
But there is room for doubt
At times you have a very un-lady-like way
Of running out

It's August 2010 and lady luck has smiled on a long shot NFL running back. A kid named Ivory who wears black-n-gold.

And yet before the evening is over
You might give me the brush

It's Friday morning in a tiny town named Tiffin, Ohio and the local newspaper, The Advertiser-Tribune, is crowing about their hometown hero:

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - Former Tiffin University running back Chris Ivory ran for a 2-yard touchdown in his NFL preseason debut, but his New Orleans Saints fell to the New England Patriots, 27-24.

Ivory, who signed as an undrafted free agent with New Orleans right after the NFL Draft in April, scored his TD in the third quarter. The running back finished with six carries for 30 yards, including a 10-yard run in the second half.

Ivory played with TU last season after spending his first three seasons at Washington State. He suffered a season-ending leg injury in the fourth game of the season.

 

Yeah, New Orleans Saints free agent running back Chris Ivory has to be feeling like a pretty lucky guy these days playing for a franchise that has a knack for discovering those diamonds in the rough and polishing them up into something special- Lance Moore and Pierre Thomas come to mind.

In 2005, the Saints signed Lance Moore, a man his critics once referred to as a "glorified walk-on', after the Cleveland Browns released the undrafted free agent. Moore had 79 catches for 928 yards and 10 touchdowns for New Orleans in 2008 and is having a stellar training camp this year.

In 2007, Pierre Thomas became one of only two rookie free agents to make the Saints opening day roster. Three years later, he is the starting tailback on the defending Super Bowl champions.

During last year's training camp, Saints head coach Sean Payton faced a daily barrage of questions from the local media about his shaky running back situation. He cooly answered that he he thought his solution may already be in the building and he proceeded to win a Super Bowl with a tailback combination of Thomas, Reggie Bush, Mike Bell and Lynell Hamilton.

After anguishing over the situation, the Saints let Bell depart for Philadelphia in the off-season. On Wednesday morning, New Orleans lost Hamilton,the man they were counting on to replace Bell, to a season-ending knee injury.

And,so, you're Chris Ivory and you are wondering if you will be the 2010 version of Pierre Thomas and Lance Moore?

 

You're wondering if Cinderella has finally arrived- a little late but better late than never.

While Ivory has impressed in camp,early indications are that Saints GM Mickey Loomis may be looking in a different direction.

And yet before the evening is over
You might give me the brush

Ivory has caught everyone's eye in pre-season with his combination of power and speed as he battles P.J. Hill for a roster spot behind Thomas and Bush. He knows he has know control over who Saints brass choose to bring in. He wouldn't have chosen to get his big chance this way- an injury to Hamilton- but he is making a very determined run from behind.

Chris Ivory's journey to the New Orleans Saints makes Gulliver's Travels look like a trip to the corner grocery. He played his high school football in Longview, Texas but after high school he wanted a change of a scenery and so he signed with Washington State of the Pac 10.

So how did Ivory go from the bright lights of the Pac 10 to the tiny Tiffin University Dragons of the Great Lakes Conference of Division II?

"I got a call from one of the coaches (Dave Walkosky) that used to coach at Washington State and he was there for a year or two and he happened to be the head coach at Tiffin and he (Walkosky) called me and once he called me I went ahead and went there (Tiffin)", Ivory told WWL Radio.

 

"It's quite a journey because I've been pretty much all across the states." said Ivory. "Being at Washington State for a couple of years and transferring to Tiffin...had a couple of setbacks with some injuries...and for me to make it through those injuries and make it at this level right now, I just think is a blessing to be out here and be given this opportunity."

Ivory admits that picking up the Saints complex offense has not been easy and he admits to making his share of mental mistakes but at least one Saints veteran says the kid has what it takes.

Saints offensive tackle Jon Stinchcomb told NFL.com,"He's got good vision and he's got a little extra gear that he can turn on when he needs it. Early impressions are that he's got some tools that'll catch your eye."

He's been pretty impressive," Payton told reporter Vic Carucci. "I'm anxious to see him in the preseason. He can run and he's physical."

Ivory says his mindset is to open some eyes everytime he touches the football.

He doesn't lack for confidence.

When asked to name his strengths, Ivory says, "I'll say my power and speed. I believe my hips are pretty good as well," Ivory said on WWL.

Maybe if this football thing doesn't work out, Ivory has a future on "Dancing With the Stars."

But for now, lady luck appears to be smiling upon Chris Ivory.

Yet, they say lady luck has a very unlady- like way of running out.

 

Virginia Tech Football: Why Tyrod Taylor is Poised to Win the Heisman

August 14th, 2010

The Heisman race is bereft of a clear-cut favorite coming into the 2010 season. Mark Ingram, Terrelle Pryor, Jake Locker, Ryan Mallett, and others are some of the names tossed around, but I think Tyrod Taylor will win this year's Heisman.

Here's why—

Mark Ingram won the Heisman last year as a Sophomore and won the National Title with Alabama as well. However, it's incredibly hard to repeat as the Heisman winner, as there has only been one in the history of college football. Alabama also has a hard schedule and Trent Richardson will probably get more carries this year.

Terrelle Pryor has been called the next Vince Young and had a great showing in the Rose Bowl where he had 338 yds of total offense. However, Jim Tressel's offense is very conservative, and with tons of talent at RB, OSU will probably run a lot this year. Pryor has the talent to win the Heisman, but the offensive playbook won't unleash Pryor unless the Buckeyes get desperate in a game.

Jake Locker and Ryan Mallett both have been called favorites to win this year, but I think Washington won't do much this year and that Arkansas is overrated. Locker has a better chance to win the Heisman, but I still think it's a slim chance. Ryan Mallett is talented, but the Hogs schedule is brutal.

Case Keenum could be the all time passing yards leader in college football when it is all said and done, but his video game performances from the past years have largely gone unnoticed, so I don't see him winning this year.

Matt Barkley should be considered the dark horse this year, I think he has a better chance at winning the Heisman than Jake Locker. Kellen Moore also may have a shot if he has a stellar performance against Virginia Tech the first week of the season.

I don't see Jared Jefferson, John Clay, Garrett Gilbert, Jeremiah Masoli, Jacory Harris, Julio Jones, Andrew Luck, Ryan Williams, Greg McElroy, or John Brantley winning the Heisman, either.

Tyrod Taylor will win the Heisman because I think he can have a great game against Boise State the first week of the season and then beat Miami later in the year. VT's schedule isn't easy, but it isn't killer either.

Tyrod will touch the ball every play and he doesn't have to rely on his receivers to get the ball upfield, but can also scramble for some yards. Look for T-Mobile to call up the Heisman trophy this year. You heard it here first.

 




eXTReMe Tracker