KIRK BOHLS: COWBOYS, TEXANS NEED HELP AT TOP
While I got ya, here are nine things and one crazy prediction:
1. If the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans both fired their head coaches this week, would any of those teams’ fans be upset? Neither seems capable of lifting their teams into Super Bowl contention. Dallas’ Jason Jarrett, a Boy Scout of a guy but just a caretaker of Jerry Jones’ team, forgot he had Ezekiel Elliott, giv
ing him only 15 carries in a loss to Carolina. Of course, he has receivers who might not make most teams’ practice squads. Houston’s gruff Bill O’Brien punted the ball against New England with about four minutes left in a game he was trailing by two touchdowns (but was fortunate enough to get the ball on the fumbled punt, which I presume was not part of his strategy) and then chided reporters who asked why he
didn’t call timeout to give referees more time to review what looked like an incomplete pass to Rob Gronkowski. He said, “It’s not my job to call a timeout to make their job easier.” It’s not his job to do everything in his power to give his team a better chance at victory? I’d fire ’em both
and hire Nick Saban and Bob Stoops.
2. Texas’ players tried their best to downplay Saturday’s matchup with Southern Cal, but nobody was buying the nextgame-on-the-schedule blather. However, running back Tre Watson, a Cal transfer, grew up in the Los Angeles area as a Trojans fan and chose to wear No. 5 out of respect for hero Reggie Bush, who won some big award before it was taken away. “I’m going to be at the peak of my juice,” Watson said. He was offered a scholarship by USC, he said, “but I’m where I want to be. SC’s SC at the end of the day, but they’re definitely beatable.” Considering Stanford just beat USC, Watson’s obviously correct.
3. Texas tight end Andrew Beck can’t wait to get on the field since he sat out last year’s Trojans game with a foot in a boot. “I’d have given a lot of things to get into that game,” Beck said. “They asked me if I wanted to suit out, and I said definitely not. I didn’t want to trip and fall onto the field and lose my redshirt season. My mom would have killed me. She would have been livid.” ... Interesting that quarterback Sam Ehlinger said he had zero called runs for him against Tulsa and only two versus Maryland. Is that robbing him of a main asset? ... TCU could be in a heap of trouble. Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins has completed 79.2 percent of his passes for nine touchdowns and one pick in five quarters as the Buckeyes have gained 1,300 yards and nine TD passes after two games for the first time ever.
4. Todd Reesing goes into the Kansas ring of honor this weekend against Rutgers, and few could be more deserving than the former Lake Travis quarterback who for a time brought some Jayhawks success by leading them to a 12-1 record and a win over Virginia Tech in the 2008 Orange Bowl. He set all-time school records for touchdowns, passing yards, completion percentage and total offensive yards. Reesing was also the very first Lake Travis quarterback in a string of eight in a row to accept scholarship offers from FBS teams, including Matt Baldwin off last year’s team who signed with Ohio State. Current Cavs quarterback Hudson Card, pledged to Texas, became the ninth.
5. Titans linebacker Brian Orakpo, a former Horn in his 10th season, said he plays differently than in the past with the restrictive change in rules affecting defensive players. He said he’s not sure what’s a penalty anymore. “It’s just a tough scenario,” Orakpo told NFL reporter Paul Kuharsky. “The NFL is getting tougher and tougher to judge each and every year. I wonder how long this league is going to last, honestly.” Orakpo said defensive players are caught in a no-win situation and don’t know whether to hit low or high. “It’s extremely hard. I totally understand what the refs are doing, the NFL, the bind they are in for player safety.” ... That said, I hate NFL referees flagging players for landing on quarterbacks. Come again? Landing on quarterbacks? What, they should levitate? There were 14 roughing the passer penalties on the opening week of play, twice as many as in Week 1 of 2017.
6. Do not question Aaron Rodgers’ toughness. Ever. After hurting his knee against the Bears, he not only played but gave another Hall of Fame performance. Truly amazing. Rodgers’ story is yet another reminder that when it comes to quarterback, nobody knows nothing. Remember how he sat in the green room so long on draft night back in 2005 that he was getting his mail there? Only one quarterback was drafted before him at 24th — Utah’s Alex Smith, to the 49ers at No. 1 — but nothing compares to Tom Brady as the 199th pick as a sixth-rounder in 2000. It’s a total crapshoot . ... Then there’s Sam Bradford, a former No. 1 pick who is with his fourth team and has earned $129 million but produced just 34 wins with 46 losses. ... And there’s Buffalo’s Nathan Peterman, who somehow still has a job in the NFL. He’s thrown seven career picks and two touchdown passes. He threw for 24 yards in the opener . ... Stat of the week: In tying Pittsburgh, the Cleveland Browns are off to their best start since 2004. Zing. That’s what 13 straight losses in openers will do for you.
7. Check out Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb’s Beckhamesque catch on the sideline against UCLA. It’ll be the Catch of the Year That Didn’t Count.
8. Scattershooting while wondering whatever happened to former Texas head coach John Mackovic, who famously lost 66-3 to UCLA in 1997, dooming his tenure and prompting Texas benefactor Joe Jamail on a day when the field was dedicated in his honor to say, “I’m going to go lay down on my field the same as our team is.”
9. Loved “Crazy Rich Asians.” Sure, a bit predictable, but lots of good movies are. Loved the setting in Singapore. Some terrific characters. Gave it 7½ ducks.
10. Crazy prediction: The Buffalo Bills will actually win a game this season. Just one.