Brandon going down Urban Highway

Could it be two and out for Gregg Brandon, too? Time will tell. Its no surprise people are interested, and its no surprise that he's interested. More than doubling your pay has to be attractive, and as much as we might like him, no one could blame the Coach for building family security like that. I just hope he doesn't tell us its silly, etc. Don't make promises you don't intend to keep.

This is unusual so early in the year...and even if we dodge this bullet, there will be more in the future. In the MAC, your coaches either leave because someone else wants them or you don't want them. The first way is better.

We're used to being a stepping stone, but this has been an unusual occurrence. We're never going to keep coaches longer for a long time, but I'd feel better losing them to higher ranked programs.

Brandon in running @ UNLV

Las Vegas Paper on Brandon

Jeremy Holland signs @ BG

Another good looking recruit for the Falcons. Sounds like a clear 3, who can score all over the floor. I'm excited. Good job to the coaches. With the two guys we are bringing in, we may be on the road to turning the program around!

Jeremy Holland Signs for BG Hoops

Coach Brandon on NIU/Temple, Apology from league

Coach says the league apologized to BGSU for the botched fumble call, and that's fine. That's what they should do.

But the Coach's if and but math work doesn't ring true. We got killed, and one play didn't make the difference. Its kind of sad.

He doesn't think anything is wrong with the D except that we didn't execute. He doesn't seem to see anything wrong with the structure of the D (too small, etc). That remains to be seen. I'm not sure. This isn't the first team to blow us off the ball. Even CMU and EMU ran on us last year.

Taking responsibility on his shoulders is, of course, what he is supposed to do. Its what leaders do. But, it can also fall into the category of fooling yourself, which isn't of any help to anyone.

Let's hope we beat Temple, and then get a badly needed road win against CMU. Although winning the West is highly unlikely, we need to shoot for an 8-win season. At 1-2, a 7-4 season is well within grasp.

Press Conference Transcript

First Verbal for hoopsters

Coach Dakich has inked his first verbal for the next year.

From AZZ...

According to Vince Baldwin of PrepSpotlight.com, 6-7 Erik Marshall from New London has committed to Bowling Green.
--

We hear he is 6'7", and a banger. Hope he's a 4, doesn't sound like a 3. Really hope he's not a tweener. New London is a small school, so his immediate impact might be unclear.

Coach said on the radio we plan to use all five scholarships that are available. We need it bad. In today's college basketball, you should be able to bring in freshmen who make an impact right away.

The Health of the Lions

The Lions appear to be making progress on the health front, notwithstanding Kevin Jones and Sledge going down. If Bly and Goodman and Sledge play after the bye, its progress. Jones' high ankle sprain is probably more serious than they say. Those can be nasty.

Hu$tle is a piece of $hit.

ESPN ought to give up drama...every one of them has had all the skill of an "After school special." Watched bits of the Rose thing. Admittedly, I am biased. At one point, I loved Pete Rose.

But really. Can NO ONE act? The guy playing Rose was completely lackluster. And his hangers-on all acted as if they were told to portray Forrest Gump (minus the irony). I know they were supposed to be shady, but they were portrayed as being dim wits. And what about the Marge Schott character--RIGHT!, that's how that went down!

Another embarrasment. Perhaps they should try fiction, because the historical drama bit is a humiliation.

On the Lions today

What happened today came as no surprise to me. Many Lions had taken to drinking heartily of the Kool Aid--or eating the cornbread, in WDFN-Lingo--with the 2-0 record, forgetting the horrid play in the Chicago game and poor play against Houston. All that, and a lack of depth, came home to roost against the Eagles, a real time. This was especially true on defense...our clear weakness BEFORE the injuries. The Eagles ate the Lions up--especially with big plays. We let McNabb get loose in space, and then left receivers open for him to hit.

Offensively, Joey wasn't too bad--at least numerically. Hopefully, Jones will be back after the BYE. Joey had no running support. I also wonder if he isn't looking to Williams ALL the time, just as he has tended to look to one guy ALL the time in the past. I checked on Mlive after the game, and the debate seems to be turning. More people seem ready to concede that Joey isn't going to get it done. I have always thought he would, but I now doubt it myself.

And with that endorsement from the Goose, what could go wrong.

Still plenty of upside for the club this year. If we can get healthy after the bye, we can still go after an 8-8 season, and that's what we should be looking form

Still, if Philly is the benchmark, you would hope on your field you would at least stay close and make a game out of it. Which clearly did not happen....

Read this for a lesson on life...and death

This is an uplifting article from the mod @ AZZ.com that you should read if you are looking to draw strength from yourself today.

Azz.com moderator on life....and death

The Debacle in DeKalb

Read the quotes below, and I think you will see that Coach Brandon agrees with the assessment of most BG fans--that we got our butts kicked, and it never should have happened.

NIU ran all over us, with a backup TB. Now, they are a TB team, and they have depth there, so just because he's a backup shouldn't mean anything. We tackled poorly, which is what Coach Brandon focused on. My own observation was that many times he had huge holes to run through, and was well past the line before we started missing tackles. I think our D-line just got blown away by the NIU line.

Worse yet, it seemed to be worse in the second half. Harris, the starter, was only getting about 3.5 yards per carry. It wasn't until the third quarter that they really went crazy on us. Which means they made an adjustment, and we didn't. It was much like both Miami games--competitive at the half, and then a complete blow-out in the third. NIU had the ball for 18 minutes in the second half converting 6-8 third downs.

The offense played well. They needed to convert some third downs, and it seemed like we could have stayed with the run misdirection, which appeared to be there.

Its hard to see the whole season go up in game 3. NIU would have to lose twice, and we would have to run the table for us to win the West, and its hard to see that happening. Beyond the NIU stuff, the team that showed up last night in DeKalb was flat, uninspired in a big game, and looking to get back on the bus. We have a lot of work to do before we can be confident of beating Marshall, for example. What about EMU--they ran like crazy on us last year, and the Sherell kid is back? As I recall, Central ran us, too. As Coach says, we gotta figure this out. One thing is for sure. The word will be out you can run on us, especially to the outside.

I don't think we were intimidated by the crowd. I do think we might have been intimidated physically. They laid some big hits on us, (especially Sharon) and I wonder if it didn't take us out of our game a little.

We've certainly taken some satisfaction at Toledo's struggles. That should stop. We got problems in our own house.

Post Game Quotes from DeKalb

The Sad Tale in Numbers--Final Stats from DeKalb.

From The Blade--Wolf takes a bit out of Falcons

Ouch. Hide the Knifes.

An old-fashioned butt-whupping

More to say later. You'll note below that the run game was the key to our win. And they ran all over us. And passed all over us. We got our butt kicked and embarrassed today.

Kern cut, Fox Back

The legendary Vernon Fox is back, and Mt. Union product Chris Kern was cut. That's too bad, but I hope we can hold him on the practice squad. He was the kind of role player the team needed. With Bly and Goodman down, we may have needed CBs who were beyond special teams players for the game Sunday.

OMIGOD!! David Kircus passed through waivers...AGAIN! What is this league thinking!!

Its Game Day! The Big Game!

Its the big game today between the Falcons and the Huskies. Its got all the elements. Although early in the year, its going to be hard--but not impossible--for the team that loses this game to win the west. This has turned into a nice rivalry over the past two years. It should be hyper-charged in DeKalb.

NIU closed all their practices this week. I'm not sure why. They may want to mask whether Haldi is going to play or not, but I doubt if our team spent much time worrying about it. Don't get me wrong--Haldi is a proven QB who can win big games. He may not be the best QB in the league, but he has led his team to some huge wins at NIU. My point is that backup Horvath is the same prep as Haldi is. Its not like their starter is Haldi, and the backup is a pure runner.

Novack might just have wanted some privacy to focus. They only had 3 days to prep, and he may have just wanted to limit the distractions.

If BG can stop the NIU run, we win. The NIU TB is supposedly not healthy, but they have a strong experienced line, and I am going to assume some depth at TB. We have to tackle well today, which is often our weakness. We have to control the ball and we have to take an early lead to get the TB and the crowd out of the game.

I like our chances. But my feeling is that it will be an absolute brawl.

Saynora .500 II

Its official now. We've had our fourth losing season in a row, and no end in sight, frankly. Others are beginning to speculate on when we might spend some money, with attendance going up, but I don't see it. Watch for more Cory Lidle transactions. We only start to win when we have a raft of young pitching in the minors, and it ain't there now.

I was way off. I saw a .500 season this year. Of course, we weren't healthy, but the team has no depth, and that was the end of it when people did get injured.

Watch for the season end review in this space, the week of 10/3!

Key to NIU game

I really think the key is to stop the NIU running game. They got another good TB who is over 4 yards/carry and 100 yards/game. If we can stop the run and/or get the lead, it doesn't matter if Haldi plays. It'll be a repeat of last year. If they run on us--like they did the year before--it could be a long day.

Big early season game.

Lions prune WRs

The Lions cut loose David Kircus again. I'm sure Mlive is buzzing with Grand Valleygeeks talking about him getting snapped up, but he's passed through waivers more times than Larry Brown has passed through employers.

Note: No one wants him. I don't know why we do.

I like the Swinton pickup. He's at least a potential game-breaker.

Also, we cut Vernon Fox (come clean, you didn't know we signed him!) and picked up Rod Babers, who I didn't think we should have cut in the first place.

Your first place Lions worked around the margins!

Richardson Died of complications of sickle Cell anemia

Aaron Richardson died of complications of sickle cell anemia, a tragic disease which wreaks havoc on the African-American community. A tragedy to bury your child.

Introducing...

Your First Place

Detroit Lions

Find that somewhere else on the Internet!

All the pundits are talking about the surprise Detroit Lions, but I think a lot of us (me included, see below) saw the 2-0 start coming. It gets tough after this.

Sunday's game was an improvement. It wasn't the absolute travesty that the first game was. Especially in the second half, the team played well, moved the ball, and converted some key third downs. Best of all, whereas in the past years the team has seemingly sought opportunities to collapse, this team has been making the plays it needs to win.

Joey had a good game with a 100+ QB rating. Roy Williams stepped up a little. We still need to go downfield a little more, and I think we do try to minimize the chances for mistakes.

Kevin Jones averaged 4.7/carry, and had a good game. Still, he only got 12 carries as we mixed plays in with Pinner and Bryson. I wonder if they will try to slowly up his carries. Its smart to be careful. Rookie RBs often gas out at the end of the season from the punishment they take in the long NFL season.

The defense still needs work, but I thought the DBs played hard and aggressively and made some good plays.

What a difference a return TD makes!

Next week is tough. The Eagles are good. Its tough to come off Monday Night Football and the short week, so that's an advantage for the Lions. This is a test, and its one I except them to fail. We are still on track for around 8-8. If the Lions win Sunday, they could be more than we and I expected.

This is an awful tragedy, condolences to the family and everyone involved

No one is prepared to outlive their children.

Falcon Player Dies in Practice

One simple question. Why won't someone ask? Hello?



One Simple Question for W.

Rogers Out, Breaks Collarbone Again

I just can't believe it. That's a big blow, and probably seals chances of an 8 win season. He was ready for a big year--he is a big-time player, but this year, it is not to be. It is beginning to look like another Lion draft flop.

Rogers To Miss Season Again

Road Losing Streak Ends

Wretched NFL Football Game

Well, as I expected, the 24 game streak ended. It was a horrible game. Poorly played by two bad teams. Still, the Lions did one thing differently.

After taking the safety to get field position, then allow McQuarters to return the ball to the exact spot he would have been in had we NOT taken the safety, and then allowing a big completion, the team actually stiffened rather than caving in. Big play on the sack, and then instead of a completion, it was the Bears who self-destructed when Grossman threw the ball directly into double coverage on third down.

The running game showed some signs of progress, but in the end average less than 3/carry, which is a basic milestone of a running game. We should really be around 4.

Joey was OK.

Worst thing of all is the return of all the injuries. Rogers--maybe with the collarbone again, and Bly. It is starting to sound very, very familiar again.

Thank god for the blocked field goal. Imagine special teams actually helping the Lions.

Overall, a win. But not a positive, and not an encouraging one. We could easily--EASILY--lose to the Texans next week.

Falcons Post Nice Win Before Good Crowd

Nice win for the Falcons yesterday over SE Missouri State. I know they are I-AA, but I thought we looked sharp, and played well. It was a nice victory. Some random thoughts.

*Biggest news of the day was the crowd. Even last year, we only draw 12-15K for a team like that. Even last year, 23K would be a remarkable crowd. Having that kind of crowd there shows our program is finally making some progress. Hopefully we can keep it up. We will know we are out of the woods on attendance when we have big crowds for a game with bad weather. Last night's weather was awesome.

*Offense played well, I thought. Omar was soft a couple of times, and we had some delays and motions which weren't good, but overall, nothing to complain about.

*Defense was strong, especially on the safety. Goodenough did pass well, and they did get the deep ball in on us a couple of times, so we need to clean that up. Still, they only scored ten points.

*Indians seemed to want to pick on Keon, for reasons that pass understanding.

*I was really critical of Suisham last year, but I will give credit where credit was due. He has been money this year.

*The scoreboard is nice. It needs some work. Bigger fonts on the player graphics. Turn down the sound effects. Hopefully, the camera work will improve with time. The new PA announcer should have to write another check for not recognizing Cole Magner.

*Think transfer QB Washington was nervous? Ouch.

*Big, big game at NIU in a couple weeks. If we win that, we could be cruising. With the way the Rockets are playing, we could hit the Marshall game with a chance to clinch. One week at a time, but I'm feeling pretty good if we get by NIU. They are tough, and its on the road. Don't be fooled by the SIU game. SIU is a very good I-AA with a number of I-A caliber players.

*What's going on in Toledo. Has Amstutz lost all control. It almost looks like a reprise of the Blackney years.

*Far as I can tell, Peter Winovich and Brandon Mack are the only true freshmen in action so far.

First Big football Weekend

Here we go! Falcon home opener, Lions opener, Michigan vs. Notre Dame. It all starts today.

Obviously, Falcons looking for a big win today. SEMO is not a bad I-AA team, but not a top one. A top I-AA team--like SIU--might give us some trouble. But it seems that the difference between BG and a BCS program and I-AA and BG is bigger. Let's hope we have a big day. I don't expect us to lose again until November....

December 27...Ford Field.

Easy fellas, not the bounce you thought

No surprise here. The bounce isn't 10 points, its more like two. The country is badly divided, and neither candidate can run away with this race. Let's hope Kerry refocuses the race on issues that matter...jobs, health care, and the economy. The race is still razor thin.

ICR Poll shows small bounce

Reds Keep Miley, Do Right Thing

The Reds are having Dave Miley back, which is the right thing to do and should only
have been done sooner. He has showed patience and ability with a young team
that is severely short on talent. Until the team either picks up enough young pitching
in the farm system to win, or has the $ to get it on free agency, no manager alive
could lead this team to the playoffs. Miley has done as well as anyone could have.

Here they are, Lions 04 Game by game picks

Sun. Sept. 12 at Chicago Bears W (The Streak ends!!)
Sun. Sept. 19 HOUSTON TEXANS W
Sun. Sept. 26 PHILADELPHIA EAGLES L
Oct. 10 at Atlanta Falcons L
Oct. 17 GREEN BAY PACKERS L
Oct. 24 at New York Giants W
Sun. Oct. 31 at Dallas Cowboys L
Nov. 7 WASHINGTON REDSKINS L
Sun. Nov. 14 at Jacksonville Jaguars W
Sun. Nov. 21 at Minnesota Vikings L
Thur. Nov. 25 INDIANAPOLIS COLTS L
Sun. Dec. 5 ARIZONA CARDINALS W
Sun. Dec. 12 at Green Bay Packers L
Sun. Dec. 19 MINNESOTA VIKINGS W
Sun. Dec. 26 CHICAGO BEARS W
Sun. Jan. 2 at Tennessee Titans L

(7-9)

That's 3-5 on the road, and 4-4 at home. Essentially, I think teams that can score are going to be death to us, which is why I like us against the Bears, the Jags and the Giants. I like us against Houston and Arizona because they stink, and then the Vikes at home just because of how spotty they are. We could also win 10/17 against Packers, for 8-8. Peyton Manning will throw for 9,000 yards on Thanksgiving.

Lions Final Roster Announced

The Lions announced their final roster yesteday. Not too far from what I expected.

Vic Rogers beat out Josh Lovelady on the Oline.
We only kept 9 DBs (I had thought ten), and that allowed Marcus Bell to make the team on the D-Line.
I didn't expect Chris Kern to beat Babers out, and Brian Walker was placed on IR.
I didn't expect Littleton to beat Banta out (but who did :-)).

I did have the WR's right--only 5 were kept, and Kircus and Swinton were both cut, as I anticipated. Also, I knew Mariucci would keep his boy Paul Smith over Trejo, and I thought Cobourne was a long shot, given our depth at RB. I'm also pleased that I saw John Owens making the team, over a sixth WR.

General thoughts--I'll have a game-by-game prediction soon, but the Lions defense is setting up to be woeful. Strong Safety is a gaping hole, the line is weak, and the LBs are OK if healthy, but not healthy right now. Any team that can score will light these guys up.

Preview--the road losing streak ends @ Chicago, because they can't score.

Falcons Show Positive Signs in OK

Overall, I was pleased with the effort our guys put forward on Saturday in Norman. Playing against what was probably the best team we have ever faced, and a team that routinely routs teams in its own conference, we played tough, and were still marginally in the game in the fourth quarter. Lots of positives.

I thought Omar was great. He was cool, he improvised, and to do it on that stage shows what a mature player he is. He is better than Josh was at that point in his career (in fact, its not even close) and I think he will chew up the MAC. With virtually the rest of the offense back, and his position solidified, there's no reason we can't outsccore last year's team.

Some people are concerned about side arm deliveries from Omar. He mentioned in his post-game interview that he rushed some throws under pressure, so I assume he's aware of the problem. I find it hard to believe that Mick McCall, an outstanding QB coach, would have watched him throw wrong for two years and not fixed it.

Keon was awesome. He personally forced two turnovers, and made some big sticks. He might be our best defensive player since Martin Bayless. He is an absolute beast, and the opposition must account for him on every play, which is why--contrary to intuition--he might be better at safety than CB, where he can more easily be run off the play.

The whole d-backfield was strong, in my opinion. Our D-line was manhandled by their large line, but we aren't likely to face something like that again this season. With Leininger back, I hope we can upgrade the line.

With Toledo getting humiliated against what today appears to be a beatable Minnesota team, the West is wide open, in my opinion. NIU played tough at Maryland. The Rockets can't be counted out, but they have to stop somebody. They absolutely cannot survive with that D, because they will never have the ball. Its going to be a great season. We have the hardest road due to being @NIU and @UT, but one thing at a time. The NIU game is going to be huge.

Falcons Win/Loss Predictions

Honest and straight. I'm thinking 8-3, 7-2 in the MAC and second in the MAC West. Here goes:

@ OKLAHOMA L
SE MISS W
@NIU W
@Temple W
@CMU W
BSU W
@OU W
EMU W
WMU W
Marshall L
@Toledo L