The Bipolar NFL Season

Just when you thought it was safe to pick the Patriots, Steelers, and Texans in your office pool...

And Atlanta is the only undefeated team after Week 6. Atlanta? Maybe 2012 will occur after all...

Reliable QBs are erratic. Tom Brady is unpredictable, Alex Smith went all emo and couldn't hit the side of a barn, and Big Ben's mind was back in the strip club.

I loathe the Packers, but they should play the season under protest after "the erroneous end-zone" incident, then to be screwed again the following week? Rodgers, whom I like, is solid but something about the team just seems off to me. I cannot pinpoint it.

That said, my beloved Bears are coming off a bye week, and I still wonder if they are this year's "drama-queen" team, what w/ Jay Cutler always looking like he just rolled out of bed to play and will continue to be his mercurial little self. I'm glad Brandon Marshall has reunited w/ Cutler, but does it feel so good to the other Wide Receivers? The bromance better produce some points...

RGIII is impressive and a beast, a QB not afraid to run the ball, unlike a lot of others who puss out and run for the sideline; I have no respect for QBs who won't dig in and play, injuries be damned (listening Mr. Vick?). Now if he was only playing for a better coach, he would be even more impressive...

I still say the Houston Texans and Matt Schaub are highly underrated and will go to the Super Bowl. For the NFC, I see a toss-up of either Arizona or Atlanta going to the big game. But what the hell do I know? I only got three games correct (including San Diego at the moment, pouncing on Peyton Manning, which is a good thing, as Martha would say)...

And the Cleveland Browns won their first game! And was not one of my wins...

Greetings from the Maven Mansion

It is Fall Break here in the friendly confines of ETSU, and The Maven on a four-day vacation of debauchery, reading, football-watching, and house cleaning.

As much as I've bitched to my students about bloggers who sit in their underwear at 3am saying whatever the hell they want and their credibility, well (to quote Ronald Reagan), The Maven is joining the fray because I just can't help myself from ranting and raving about practically everything. It keeps the edge up... But this is a test of sorts to see how longer comments are put into the world versus a line or two on Facebook or Twitter (I refuse to say the word "tweet," it's gay).

The Maven is relatively calm this fine evening and must get her beauty rest to prepare for College Football Saturday, albeit w/ a bye week for Clemson, one well deserved after the beat-down on those rubes from Georgia Tech.

And if I hear one more sports knucklehead go on about A-Rod being benched, I'll scream. He's ineffective and mediocre at best and if he's not producing, sit his ass down, 100+ million dollar contract be damned. Mark my words, w/in the next two seasons, the Yankees will deal him, hopefully to a Triple-AAA team in Idaho...

Football rants to come. Stay tuned...