ASU vs. UCLA Preview

Later today the undefeated Arizona State Sun Devils host the 3-0 Bruins of UCLA.  This is a huge game for both teams because the last few years the winner of this game went on the win the Pac 12 South and played for a conference title.  This game is being called a "blackout", which means fans will be wearing black in support of the hometown sun Devils.


ASU will be without starting quarterback Taylor Kelly due to a foot injury.  Fans are hoping that Mike Bercovici can lead the Sun Devils to victory in a backup role just like Drew Stanton has done for the Arizona Cardinals.  In fact Bercovici even received a text from Stanton giving his support and wishing him well.  The Sun Devils will rely heavily on its talented tailback D.J. Foster.  If Foster can have the big game he is capable of ASU will have no problem picking up this victory.  Defensively they will have their hands full of quarterback Brett Hundley is on the field.  The Bruin's have a very talented team that many feel can make a run at the Pac 12 title, but they haven't played that way all year long.  They have struggled in each of their first 3 games.  If they struggle early tonight in Tempe look for the Sun Devil's to take advantage and come away with the victory.

Prediction: ASU 21, UCLA 20

No Quarterback Controversy

The Arizona Cardinals are 3-0 and off to a great start to the 2014 season.  They have done so with great quarterback play by both starter Carson Palmer and backup Drew Stanton.  Palmer started the first game of the season on a Monday Night against the San Diego Chargers.  He had a great game throwing for 304 yards and two touchdowns.  His most impressive stat was his 29 yards rushing.  Palmer later joked that he hadn't run for that many yards since high school.  He kept plays and drives a live with his feet and was able to lead the Cardinals to victory.


A few hours before their week 2 game against the New York Giants it was announced that Carson Palmer and hurt his shoulder and would not be playing in the game.  There was no need to worry because Drew Stanton stepped and led his team to victory.  While he wasn't magical but he did what a backup was supposed to do, manage the game well and give your team the opportunity to win the game.  He threw for just 166 yards but threw two very important TD's that helped the Cardinals to a victory.  With Palmer still out he started again against the 49ers and continued where he left off.  This time throwing for 244 yards and adding 2 more touchdowns to his season total.  His best stat is his 0 interceptions in 2 games as the starter.


With the way the quarterbacks have played since future Hall Of Famer retired Stanton's play would definitely be a cause for a quarterback controversy.  But the Arizona Cardinals are different now a days.  They have a new General Manager and a new Coach that won't allow this to become a distraction for the tea.  They are sticking with Carson Palmer as the starter.  When he is ready to play he will get the start.  What makes this easier for fans to except is the Cardinals are winning games the old Cardinals wouldn't have.  Their high caliber offense and great playing calling is allowing the team to avoid any controversy that may arise of the quarterback situation.  The Cardinals have a problem that most teams would love to have.  Two quarterbacks that can take them to the playoffs.

The Domination In The Desert

It's a great time to be a football fan in Arizona.  The Cardinals, Sun Devils, and the Wildcats are all undefeated!  I know it's still early but they are all a combined 10-0.  The reality is that the undefeated streak the three of our state teams are in will probably end soon.  The next three teams that the Arizona teams will face are UCLA, Oregon, and the Denver Broncos.

 The Arizona Cardinals came up with a big win Sunday against division foes the San Francisco 49ers.  The Cardinals used a team effort to remain undefeated.  For the first time since the Super Bowl team the offense is carrying the team.  They are averaging 22 points a game behind great quarterback play from Drew Stanton and Carson Palmer.  This is really helping the team while they try to get healthier on defense.

 

The Arizona Wildcat's also came up with a huge win this weekend and they did it in dramatic fashion.  They beat the California Golden Bears 49-45 on a last second Hail Mary pass.  Anu Solomon found Austin Hill for 49 yards and the go ahead touchdown as time expired.  The win gave the Wildcat's a perfect 4-0 record.  The Wildcat's haven't had the toughed a schedules but have won the games they should have and even one they shouldn't have.  If they want to stay unbeaten they have a tough road ahead of them and it starts in Oregon.  They play the Ducks on October 2 after a bye this week.

Now let's talk Arizona State, a team that had high expectations coming into this season and so far has lived up to those expectations.  The Sun Devils are currently 3-0 and face a tough challenge Thursday night.  Not only do they face one of the best teams in the Pac 12, but they also will be without star quarterback Taylor Kelly.  Kelly injured his right foot in the win over Colorado.  He is expected to miss 1-2 games.  ASU has a high-powered offense and hopefully will remain so without their starting QB.  Like the U of A, ASU has tough road ahead of them also and likely will not remain unbeaten for long.



All three of the Arizona teams may not finish the season unbeaten, but all will be very competitive.  ASU and U of A will likely end up in bowl games and the Cardinals will make the playoffs if they continue to play the way they have been.  All three have represented the state well.  

The Cardinals Improve to 3-0

On Sunday the Arizona Cardinals beat the San Francisco 49ers 23-14 to improve to 3-0.  The 49ers had the Cardinals on the ropes early and led 14-6 at halftime.  The third quarter was good to the Cardinals and so was quarterback Drew Stanton.  In his second consecutive start for starter Carson Palmer he was outstanding and led the Cardinals to victory.  Stanton was 18-33 for 244 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Andre Ellington added 62 yards on the ground with 18 carries.  Michael Floyd led the receivers with 114 yards while John Brown caught both touchdown passes.


There were a lot of great things to come out of this game.  The Cardinals seemed to have gotten over their recent 49er woes.  The offense continues to be consistent and proved they can score with anybody in the league.  Another take away from this game is Kicker Chandler Catanzaro.  He is a perfect 9-9 on field goals, including a 51 yarder.  Another great thing to take away from this victory is Larry Fitzgerald.  Despite being seldomly used he proved to Cardinal Nation how important he really is.  On second and very long he caught back to back passes that gave the Cardinals a first down and put them in position to score.  The bad part is he fumbled on the next play and that’s all anybody will be talking about today.

The best thing to take away from this game is that now the Arizona Cardinals are undefeated through 3 games.  They join the Cincinnati Bengals and the Philadelphia Eagles as the only unbeaten teams in the NFL.  The Cardinals now have a bye week and are looking at 4 out of the next 5 games being very winnable.  The only tough game is the Denver Broncos, but with the way the offense is rolling is winnable.  I would love to see how much respect the Cardinals get nationally if at week 9 they are 8-0 atop the entire NFC and maybe even the NFL.

What Is A Rivalry?

If you are a sports fan then you know what a rivalry is, or do you?  Most people in Arizona would say the Arizona Cardinals and the San Fransisco 49ers are rivals.  Well Head coach Bruce Arians disagrees with them.  He says they are not rivals because the 49ers are dominating the series as of late, winning 9 of the last 10 meetings.    This made me wander.  What is a rivalry?

When you think rivalry many teams come to mind both locally and nationally.  Chandler vs. Hamilton, ASU vs. U of A, and Redskins vs. Cowboys are just a few and many more can be named.  But what makes these teams rivals?  Some are geographical, more so in high school and college.  Some are because teams are in the same division and play each other so often.  But when you get to the pros Arians is right.  You can't have a rivalry if one team is dominating the other.  This is why games such as the Steelers and the Browns don't mean as much as they once did.

So the reality is nowadays, in the pros, rivalry's don't exist.  We may think they do but they don't and one of the reasons is the players.  Using the NFL, for example, players don't typically stay on the same team.  It's hard for a player to really put himself into a rivalry when he used to play for that team or with some of its players.  Not having rivalries is damaging the NFL.  If every team played the same team in there division every year on the last game it would start rivalries because they will more likely have playoffs on the line.  So please bring back the rivalries.

The Friday Highlight: Aaron Joseph

This week we travel to Peoria, where we will find 16 year old Aaron Joseph.  At 6'1 215 lbs. the outside linebacker is a senior at Liberty High School.  He and the Lions are currently unbeaten at 4-0 and play Apollo High tonight.  He has emerged as one of the leaders on defense with 27 tackles and 1 forced fumble.  He also has 8 solo tackles.  Joseph wears number 44 and the way he is playing he will have that many tackles in the next 2 games.


Joseph has played football since eight grade and until this year has always been a lineman.  When He is on the field he has a mindset that nothing can stop him from doing his job and making the play.  This had made the transition from line to linebacker easier for him.  Off the field he is a completely different person.  He can't seem to get mad about anything, he is always in a good mood.  He enjoys going to the gym and hanging out with friend's watching football.  He feels than in order to play football in high school it takes lots of determination, commitment and trust. 

Joseph first stared playing football because his father wanted him to, but after the first snap he was hooked.  The love he has for the game is unmatched by anything he has ever felt.  He also loves playing the game because of the bond that has been created between him and his teammates, which continues to grow each year he plays.  In the classroom he is a great student.  He has all A's and B's so far this year.  He plans on going to college and playing in the NFL.  If that doesn't work out he plans to become a marine biologist.

Joseph loves being a Lion and takes pride in calling himself a member of the Liberty High School football team.  he loves the many traditions the team has.  A few of those traditions are reading there quote before each game, answering the bells when they have a home game and running out onto the field with The school flag and hammer before every game.  They even run a Gasser for every loss.  Now that's what I call tradition. 

The Cardinals Got It Right

All everyone is talking about this week in the NFL is domestic violence and not football.  The talk has become even more intense here in Arizona since the news of running back Jonathan Dwyer being arrested for domestic violence yesterday.  More details have emerged that don't paint a pretty picture of Dwyer.  This now put the Arizona Cardinals at the center of the NFL's domestic violence issue.  It left everyone wandering how the Cardinals would respond.


The Arizona Cardinals responded quickly, deactivating Jonathan Dwyer within hours of his arrest.  This morning they placed Dwyer on the non-football injury list.  According to head coach Bruce Arians, who held a special media session which is normally held by coordinators on Thursdays, Dwyer will not be apart of the team until he is completely exonerated.  The list the Cardinals put Dwyer on gives them the option to decide not to pay him.  For now the Cardinals will still pay him, but its nice to have the option available.


The Cardinals sent a message to the rest of the NFL in dealing with this case.  The message "We are not going to put up with domestic violence".  They sent this message by reacting so quickly after the arrest.  They also released another running back, Chris Rainey, who has a history of domestic violence.  The ironic part of that story is when Arians was decided whether or not to sign him a few weeks ago to the practice squad it was Jonathan Dwyer who put in a good word for him.  By cutting Rainey the Cardinals let it be known that they are not going to stand for any domestic violence by it's team members.  Perhaps they should have a few words with commissioner Goodell.

More To Talk About In The NFL

About 2:00 PM Arizona time there came more news from the NFL.  Yes you guessed it, another player was arrested for domestic violence.  For the second time this year it happened to the Arizona Cardinals.  Jonathan Dwyer, a running back, is being questioned by Phoenix Police regarding allegations that he beat his.  Early reports are saying that he broke his wife's nose during an argument they had.  The report also says that the incident occurred "awhile" ago and Dwyer's wife saved the reports of her injuries.


The arrest was confirmed by multiple sources.  Most people are probably wondering why she waited and is now coming out with the abuse.  The other question is what are the Arizona Cardinals going to do and how long will it take them to address the situation?  I expect the cardinals to cut Jonathan Dwyer.  If this happens and Andre Ellington's foot doesn't hold up it could get real interesting for the Cardinals who are already thin at the running back position.


Regardless of how the matter ends up in the court system the fact is Jonathan Dwyer hit his wife and needs to be dismissed from the Arizona Cardinals. The fact that this is the second Cardinal to be involved in domestic violence in the last year is more reason to set a president here in Arizona.  Michael Bidwill and Steve Keim have the opportunity to tell the rest of the NFL "We are not going to stand for domestic violence in Arizona".

Let's Just Play Football

We are in week three of the regular season and the big talk surrounding the NFL doesn't have anything to do with the actual game.  When people talk football nowadays they commonly use the names Rice, Goodell, Gordon, Sam and now Peterson.  We are not talking about the great plays made on the field, instead we are talking about what these guys are doing off the field.


These players are all involved in topics that need to be discussed, but with the exception of Michael Sam, they don't deserve all this attention that they are getting.  The media needs to just move on and worry about football.  We as fans deserve to see highlights when we turn on Sports Center or the local sports channel, not another press conference about a guy saying he's sorry and won't do it again.  Let's be real he'll probably do it again anyway.  So on behalf of the average NFL fan I say "Let's just play football".

The Friday Highlight: J.J. Lyons

This week we travel to Central Phoenix, home of the Phoenix Christian Prep Cougars.  Not only did they add "prep" to their name this offseason, they also added a new head coach, Stefan Demos as well.  Demos has the Cougars off to a 2-0 start as they prepare to face Higley High School later today.  The additions have already made a big difference.  Last year the Cougars got another addition that has made a great impact on team when J.J. Lyons moved in from Louisiana.

J.J. Lyons is now a junior and already has 12 catches for 163 yards and 1 TD in his first two games for the undefeated Cougars.  The 5'8 165 pound 17 year old does it all for the Cougars.  He plays Wide Receiver, Running Back, Defensive Back and he returns punts and kicks.  He plays all 48 minutes of the game on a typical Friday Night.

J.J. carries a 2.7 GPA and has dual enrollment at Grand Canyon University where he is taking Advanced Placement classes.  He plans to become a Certified Physical Therapist and own a private outpatient rehabilitation practice.   He also has a goal of obtaining a college athletic scholarship in football, track, basketball, or golf.

He also has goals for his team.  He wants to win a state championship.  Under a first year coach that normally would sound like a reach, but with the talent they have it is very possible.  The Cougars play in division III after moving up from division V two years ago.

J.J. was inspired by his grandfather, John H. Lyons Sr., who would also tell him stories about when he played wide receiver.  He was also inspired by seeing his grandfather’s accomplishment when he played.

He is a game changer and wants the ball in his hands when the game is on the line.  He has an eye for the football and it shows with his stats thus far this early in the season.  He also knows that in order to be successful he needs to take it one play at a time.  He works as hard in the classroom as he does on the field.  He is a very respectful young man who works hard every day to be the best man he can be.

When asked to tell me something about high school sports that people may not know he said “Being a student athlete is not only fun but a vital thing to do in life, it teaches you honor, respect, loyalty and family.