Raw 8-30

I don't think it was to much for one man to ask for a good Raw. We are talking about the 900th episode. I had heard the main event before the old school pyro opened Raw. This is a troubling time for Raw and WWE. Everyone seems to be down on the product, including your best damn WWE blogger on the planet. I mean the stars are the same for every Raw and ppv main event. They haven't changed much up in months. We know Miz is going to get a push by cashing in, but who else? Before the 900th episode, I think we need to develop new stars much like last year with McIntyre and Sheamus.

Those two men I just mentioned, McIntyre and Sheamus should be headlining pay per views for years to come. I have no doubt about that. My question is who the hell are they going to take on? One guy says Morrison, another Christian and one more says neither, Daniel Bryan. Everyone has an opinion on who the star should be next in line. No matter who, the WWE has to do it soon. Miz will get the WWE title and maybe headline Mania 27. I can't believe I wrote that. The WWE higher ups are high on Miz and it's shown the past few weeks and some people are jumping on the bandwaggon. If Miz was to main event, the only man I could see him facing is Orton. I think that feud will take place before this year is over. Say it's not Miz, and you had to choose someone else, beside HHH, Orton or Cena because it needs to be fresh. There in lies the problem. I love Sheamus but he can't face Orton or Cena and you'd make a huge mistake turning Miz or Sheamus face. I asked a particular question to ShowStoppers host Larry, "With the current WWE Raw roster minus Triple H, who would you actually pay to see headline Mania 27?" I'll give you one guess on who he wanted. If you said Morrison, you would be correct and you've won nothing. Morrison and Orton and I could be on board with that if Morrison is the heel. My matches are Edge vs. Christian TLC for the World Heavyweight Championship and Orton vs. Jericho for the WWE title. Christian would be the new guy getting pushed and Orton Jericho is something we haven't seen as far as a one on one feud since Jericho's re-debut. I'm concerned Jericho won't be around by then, more on that later. I love C-squared so he's my guy. Edge and Christian carry Mania. Just for fun an under card match would be Sheamus trying to end the streak of the Undertaker. Look, I know it maybe to early to think about Mania, the WWE should still be planning. Let's hope some new blood gets into both shows main events. We need new stars and fresh stories.

I found it ironic Raw led off with Smackdown. I've been saying for months Smackdown has been better. I loved the lights going out and Taker appearing. That's nostalgia. I didn't like the GM making Taker Hart for later on. I love both men, I just don't want to see Bret wrestle. Luckily, the WWE saved the "match" later in the night. Bret is a great helper for the talent to pick his brain. A solid start with a puzzling end.

WWE found a brand new tag team from Raw. Team Kaval and Bryan up after NXT.. I could see a bright future for that team. McGillicuty may not look like his daddy, Mr. Perfect, I think he can have that kind of career. He's young and green now but down the line he will become a star. Change his freaking name though. McGillicuty, Kaval and Bryan all have bright futures. Miz for the moment is the brightest star shining in Vinces' eyes. The GM needs to announce Miz vs. Bryan at NOC. We know it's gonna happen so help us out and make it official. That way we know the build up is going somewhere.

LayCool was teasing us for weeks about their "big" announcement. Oh boy, a 3 minute match followed by 5 minutes of talking was just what the doctor ordered for the Diva division. A waste of a tag match and announcement that wasn't surprising at all. I like the idea of ending the two belts and making it one. However, LayCool said if they win, they didn't specify if the stipulation holds true for Melina. If they did, I didn't catch it.

The tag team match between Rhodes McIntyre and Truth Morrison was another waste. The tag teams going for the tag belts and we don't get a winner, not even a 5 minute match. Once again, wrestling is put on the back burner. I was pumped when I heard McIntyre's music and had hope for he and Rhodes to win. Instead, the potential was flushed down the toilet. Smackdown is moving to SyFy and what a boost if you brought over Bret and the Dynasty to help the star power. For the 900th episode, WWE was failing to give me a reason to watch the next 900. The tag champs were on for 2 mins to be squashed by Kane. Come on WWE, it's not hard to make a tag division relevant. If TNA can do it, so can you.

Taker was in rare form tonight. He reminded me of the Ministry Taker with the hoodie and not the hat. The mind games with Kane and Nexus on Taker was superb. Seriously, this Kane Taker story is more enjoyable each week it grows and finally Nexus benefits and looked strong. Taker trying to set up before commercial was icing on the cake. He's playing the role so well. The deal is Taker will beat Kane. When? I hope it's not Night of Champions, that's to soon. I hope the story goes until Survivor Series, or whatever the WWE is going to change the name to by then, in November. Taker debuted at Survivor Series and it would be fitting for him to destroy his brother on the very same show. I said it before, I didn't want to see Bret and Taker. Turned out, I loved the segment. By the middle of Raw, Smackdown was the big winner.

I marked out big time when Bourne was finally shown again on WWE TV. Although Michael Cole shot a load all over seeing Del Rio and it ruined the match. Again, I know new talent needs to be pushed, I said it in the 2nd paragraph. Del Rio could have wasted an entire segment by himself, not ruining a match. A cross promotion is fine if there is a payoff. Bourne wouldn't get the chance for revenge so when Henry made the save, I was fine. The lack of focus on Raw out shined its brilliance.

CM Punk and the Society is shrinking and they were still a highlight. The water highlight from past shows should have been Austin falling off a bridge into the river. Of course, every moment Punk talked about could have been an Austin moment. He's the man who took Raw to a whole new level. If you had one wrestler to choose for the greatest Raw superstar ever it's Austin hands down. You read that and said, Oh Hell Yeah. Show and Punk finish the segment in fine fashion. Boy, by now didn't Raw feel like Smackdown.

Now Edge was funny and original with his interaction with the champ. "Human Jar of Mayonnaise" isn't funny. A Beaker reference was hilarious. I had one problem with the heel promos and it was Jericho's. Jericho threatening to leave if he doesn't win scares the hell out of me. I thought he was staying and negotiating a new contract. If he leaves, Raw takes a serious blow and it leaves me with only one guy to tune in for each week. By my account, Orton had a bigger pop than Cena and Raw was in Cena's backyard. You may not have liked it and neither did I, but Edge and Jericho walking out made perfect sense. Why fight all of Nexus, when you can conserve energy for the title match? Edge and Jericho were doing what heels do best and that's look out for themselves. Wade Barrett winning was huge for Nexus. Finally, they looked strong and picked up a clean victory over big stars. Tarver and Gabriel didn't look great taking an RKO in a matter of 15 seconds. The point was to make Barrett a competitor. Success!

The 900th episode wasn't historic. There wasn't a big return or huge surprise. I felt the biggest surprise was Smackdown dominating Raw. The lack of wrestling and winners shined. Miz, Melina and Barrett were the only clean victors from Raw. I didn't hate the show. I wanted more wrestling and at least one big return. The tease for Austin was one thing but give me someone. The best thing to take away is Nexus took out Taker and defeated Cena and Orton. They had to rebuild their reputation and getting a clean victory, which should have happened at Summerslam, and taking out the Deadman was a real eye opener. This team isn't going anywhere. Aside from that, Raw failed to deliver the goods.

J Call

Iowa Hawkeye Preview

Last season, the Iowa Hawkeyes had a stellar year ending with an Orange Bowl victory over Georgia Tech. However, the season wasn't a total success as the offense struggled mightily in several contests. The other big concern this year is the loss of a few key players to the NFL and it's leader on defense. With all the concerns, the Hawkeyes are still poised to finish in the top ten and have a chance to win the Big Ten title and contend for another BCS bowl game.

As I said, last year the offense struggled to score and put up big numbers. Ricky Stanzi was one major problem. At times he showed brilliance and others not so much. The passing game ranked 55th in the country with 222 yards per game. Ricky's TD to INT ratio wasn't exactly mind blowing either throwing 17 touchdowns to 15 picks. The bowl game was a better performance with 231 yards 2 scores and 1 pick. He needs to do this more for the Hawkeyes to have a shot. The offense wasn't all Stanzi's fault. The running tag team of Adam Robinson and Brandon Wegher were 99th with 114 yards a game. Now that number sounds decent when you consider they were over a 100 yards per game. This isn't the pros and numbers are inflated in college ball. Wegher isn't off to a great start this season being talked about for all the wrong reasons. Reports are indicating Wegher won't be back with the team. Adam will have to step up and take the load off Stanzi. The guy that will be missed the most is Tony Moeaki. He missed a few games but when he did play, he was the blanket for Stanzi. He's with the Chiefs now so it's time for McNutt. I love the name Marvin McNutt. He sounds like a stand up comedian. The passing game will rely on his skills even more. I think the offense will be much better than last year and they will win some games instead of having to rely all on the defense.

The Hawkeye defense was hard nosed and kept you from scoring type defense last year. They were the rock when the offense stunk. They ranked 8th, 8th in the country in points allowed with 15.4 per game. That's amazing when you think had they been in the 50 to 60's, this team would not have reached a BCS game. They single handedly saved the UNI game by blocking 2 game winning field goals. Pat Angerer is gone which hurts. He was the anchor. Pat was the only Hawkeye with more than 100 total tackles. The thing is even without him, this defense is well intact. Adrain Clayborn will be the new leader. I expect him to build upon the 11.5 sacks he had last year. Tyler Sash is the corner the secondary will lean on. He picked off 6 balls and should improve his ball hawking skills. The defense will keep Iowa in every game and I think they can once again be a top 15 defense.

Iowa got lucky this year with their schedule. Their non-conference schedule stinks which will make it easy for Ferentz's squad to gain confidence. The only real test out of the 4 games is down in Arizona. Iowa State, which if this were a game in Ames I would say they had a shot, Ball State and Eastern Illinois are at home. Even traveling to Arizona shouldn't be that difficult. Mike Stoops is gaining steam but he's not a top ten program. The conference schedule is set up nicely to start. The first road test the Hawks have is at Ann Arbor, but they aren't the Michigan of old. The first true game they could lose is Wisconsin at home on October 23rd. Again the Hawkeyes found a little luck, the Badgers could be burnt out after hosting on the Buckeyes the previous week. Three out of the final four games are on the road. The Hawks first travel to Indiana, who they struggled with at home in the first half last year, then a rejuvenated Northwestern and end the season at Minnesota. In between Northwestern and Minnesota, the biggest game in terms of the Big Ten title should be Ohio State coming to Kinnick Stadium on November 20th. The Buckeyes are the rightful favorites. Terrelle Pryor returns and is a Heisman candidate. This could be a match-up with National Championship implications as well. The season will be determined on whether they can handle the defending Big Ten champs.

The outcome for the Hawkeyes looks to be another successful season. If you look back at that schedule, I like their chances against everyone except Ohio State. Even at home, the Buckeyes have to much fire power and Pryor will make enough plays and Stanzi will make a mistake or two and cost them a bid for the Big Ten title. With that said, Iowa would have one loss and a BCS game is likely for them. I don't know which one since it's to damn confusing to choose one. Depending on their match up, the Hawkeyes should win the bowl game and get one more win then last year. The real problem with winning, how to keep Ferentz from leaving?

Prediction: Iowa Hawkeyes 12-1 and another BCS bowl win.

J Call

Raw 8-23

I'm not even going to mention last weeks Raw. This weeks Raw was taped as the WWE is in China. You could have read the spoilers or be surprised. I'm hoping to be surprised with a better show. Now, I would rarely ever argue with the greatest announcer in wrestling, however I'm going to do my best to make a case on something he wrote after Summerslam. Time to throw down J.R.

He said something to the effect of fans measure to much on wins and losses and not the beauty of the match. I'll agree to a certain extent. As an old school wrestling fan, I treasure 5 star classic contests. I value a man's in ring performance to a high degree. I won't dispute with Ross if you bring up Sheamus. He proved in a loss at Wrestlemania to the Game, he belonged. The Irish Ghost ran roughshod over everyone and picked up victories along the way, even a short stint as WWE champ, before he lost to Triple H. I believe the loss helped Sheamus's character. I will disagre with Ross when it comes to Nexus losing at Summerslam. The loss hurt the group. Summerslam was the culmination of Nexus becoming the biggest stable, next to DX, in WWE history. Raw's three minute matches didn't help them either. I know we are suppose to be morons when it comes to being a wrestling fan, that's how I feel with the way WWE is booking lately. To bad, I'm a 27 year old and a smart one when it comes to wrestling, disregard my previous ten pay per view picks. I feel I can write a better story at times than the writers. Nexus needed that win at Summerslam. They win and are strong. They lost and are now weak. Did Raw help this week? Nope.

Sheamus had a solid in ring promo to start Raw. He didn't go on forever which is damn good. The story to begin Raw with Sheamus hand picking his opponent was fine by me. The show needed focus and gave it something to play off of the whole night. I didn't read the spoilers so I was intrigued on how Orton was going to end up facing Sheamus. This was a much better start than last week.

Edge and Truth was something new and different. Edge has taken a while to return to top form since returning from the Achilles heel surgery. His first few matches weren't up to par. Now, Edge seems to be back at a 100%. His last few matches on pay per view and Raw have proved he's ready for a long term story. I still think he's been wasted on Raw since the draft. Get him in a damn story and make it last. The WWE title picture isn't it because Raw has Orton, Sheamus and Cena.

Jericho faced his strongest challenge eeeever, make Kahli look like he belongs in the squared circle. Not an easy task for anyone especially Y2J. He's a technical wrestler and Kahli is a big lug. You know how Jericho says he's the best in the world at what he does. Well he was out to prove it and actually backed up his words. The match wasn't horrible and that's saying a lot. If you couldn't tell, Raw was fed a ton of audio. The fans don't boo Jericho that much or scream for Kahli. The writers had to say something like well we need Jericho in this match and he needs an opponent. What about Bourne? No, they had an awesome feud and 3 or 4 great matches. I saw Kahli. These are the WWE writers. Awesome. I was impressed with Jericho slapping on the Walls for the victory. I didn't see that coming.

I was upset last week when Maryse wasn't chosen to face Melina and add Dibiase and Morrison to the feud. Although Jillian isn't a bad wrestler, her character has zero credibility left and desperately needs a change from the bad singer. It's ran on to long. She should be taken off TV for a few months and be retooled into a more serious Diva competitor. The whole LayCool clique or whatever you want to call them is annoying and still entertaining. I don't care much for the BFF title though and find it ridiculous. I would love to see them set up on the 900th episode a Melina versus LayCool match at Night of Champions and eliminate the dumb Diva title. They should have one women's belt for the whole WWE and float between shows like when the split started. I liked that better and it felt more important. Neither title means anything now. My guess is Cool will challenge Melina for her belt so both girl's can have a full belt.

Miz and Cena had a better match than I expected. They are a great example of what Ross was talking about because Miz looked strong in the DQ win. They worked hard and put on quality in ring work. I'm glad Daniel came out and worked the Miz over. He shows a lot of heart and passion in the moves he uses and dare I say Beniot-esque with his crossface. I'd like to see a real match or two between Bryan and Miz before Night of Champion. Perhaps a tag match or two so we can be teased a little more before their first one on one match.

The Uso's are being wasted. Their loss to Kozlov and Santino proves the WWE has no idea how to build a tag team. They were a fresh new tag team who the Dynasty could've had a long feud with and make the tag division relevant. I may not like TNA, they put on some fantastic matches with Beer Money and MCMG. Their tag team division puts the WWE's to shame. That could have changed to a certain degree had the Uso's came in and pushed. Instead, Tamina flirts with Santino and The Uso's job to everyone. They are young and need to take some lumps. I would have done things differently to establish a tag team division.

I won't count Sheamus and Ryder's match as the main event. The real main event showcased 2 guys I like and 1 guy everyone else likes more than me. I'm not saying I don't like Morrison. He's unique and I enjoy watching him. I'm not ready to cresson him the next HBK. Teddy and John's on again off again thing is annoying. John is pushed away from the Nexus and should be written back against Dibiase. Meanwhile, the Viper should be wearing WWE gold. Honestly, what else are you going to remember from Raw other than another mid-air RKO? Orton, again, is the highlight of the night. Sensational timing again and done to perfection. I give both guys a lot of credit to pull that move off, yes even Morrison. Orton is absolutely carrying Raw on his back. I'll be completely serious, he's the only reason I watch Raw. Jericho would be the other if he was put in a damn story or feud.

I was hoping for Bourne not Ryder. Evan "Air" Bourne has been left off Raw two weeks and that's a big mistake. The talented young man shouldn't be left off TV. The other hand, I didn't want either Ryder or Bourne to be squashed in under 15 seconds to Sheamus. If you're going to give us a WWE title match and have it last be that quick, don't give us one at all. It wouldn't have been that hard for Sheamus to say I choose Bourne for a title match tonight and think he's going to pick up a quick victory. This could have happened at around the 9:45 mark of Raw. Bourne comes out and starts giving Sheamus everything he has and makes it a competitive back and forth contest. After several near falls and a match the crowd gets behind Bourne, Sheamus moves as Bourne misses his Air Bourne. Sheamus hits the kick and finally puts Bourne away. As Ross said, we shouldn't value wins and losses. Bourne looks strong and comes ever so close to winning a title. Sheamus gets up and talks and then we get the match that was made. I have mixed emotions over the 6 pack challenge. With 6 guys, it leaves Raw short handed for much else for NOC. However, those 6 are sure to put on a good match. I loved Raw ending with Orton standing tall.

Raw was better, but that's more of a back handed complement. Raw had in ring quality and focus from the start. The 6 pack challenge should lead to some good matches and stories leading towards NOC. It's the perfect time for Miz and the briefcase. He's always the wild card until he cashes. The special next week better blow my mind away (it won't). I can sure hope though. Be sure to listen to Showstoppers and hear them complain. I'll be back next week for what should be a better Raw than we have seen in recent weeks. It can't be much worse.

J Call

Big Bad NFL Preview

I've been asked several times by readers and friends, "Why would you preview the entire NFL when only 12 teams are going to make the playoffs." You tell me which 12 and then I would only do 12. I guarantee I would not receive the same 12 teams from every single one of you. I do it for that reason and because I love the NFL and knowing about all the teams makes me knowledgeable for the entire season and also for my fantasy draft. Actually, I don't give a crap about fantasy football and only care about the real deal. Everyone has hope for their team and that's a good thing until Week 9 and your team is a nominee for top ten pick. For now, keep your hopes high and I won't drag you down in this huge NFL preview. I'm ready for some football.

This will be a little different then last year. I am choosing the most important player or group I believe that gives the team the best chance for success. I will also give my prediction on their record as I did last year. I wasn't that bad with many of my picks last year. Honestly, if you read other "experts" they didn't have the Saints making the playoffs or winning it all either.

NFC West

San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers are ready to take this division with Warner gone in Arizona, Pete Carroll in Seattle and the Rams rebuilding, this young 9er team is ready for the leap. Mike Singletary is proving to be a great hire. San Fran had to be shocked when Glen Coffee abruptly retired but they got a good back up with Westbrook. My most important is the young linemen from the draft. They spent two high draft picks on Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati. These two have to perform and keep Alex Smith up right and make holes for Gore. Again with this division, I think they will. I only like one team in West to make the playoffs and it's the 49ers.
San Francisco: 10-6 NFC West Champs.

Arizona Cardinals
It's not that I don't like Leinart, more like I don't like him as much as Warner. Who does? Maybe half the team should have went begging Warner to come back like the Vikings did to get their old man back. Forget all the offensive stats from last year, because this is a different team. Kurt, Bolding and Dansby are gone and need replaced. You can't fill it all in one year. Most important is the running game. Beanie and Hightower have to step up in order for Leinart to get comfortable. He won't be able to put up the numbers Warner did and those yards have to be made up somewhere. This team has never devoted enough time to the ground game and Coach Wisenhunt should take a play out of Pitts book and run the damn ball. I still like .500 for this team and fall just shy of playing meaningful football in January.
Arizona Cardinals: 8-8

Seattle Seahawks
I'm not a fan of Pete Carroll and think he's over matched in the NFL. Some guys have what it takes and Pete, in my eyes, doesn't have it. Young Okung has to help Hasselback from having the same scenario as last year. In fact, most important is Hasselback. I don't like picking quarterbacks because every team's QB is important. However, Matt has to stay healthy and find the overpaid Wide Receivers and establish a good tight end, John Carlson into a dominant tight end. Matt won't play all year and will go down at some point which will hurt their bid for .500. Let the Carroll era begin.
Seattle Seahawks: 6-10

Saint Louis Rams
The last few years have been atrocious with less than 5 wins in 3 seasons. I'll admit since I'm an OU homer, I like Bradford but don't start him. Throw Feely in and let him get his butt kicked. They won't win many games this year much like the past few. The most important thing about the Rams, development. Young players need to develop so in 3 years we are talking about playoffs again in STL. They are going to improve but I think we all know this year is growing pains.
St. Louis Rams: 3-13 but improve

NFC North

Green Bay Packers
I'm in the minority according to most experts, I like the Pack in the North even with number 4 returning for his 75th season. Aaron Rodgers did his best David Carr impression by taking the most sacks last season. Even with the sacks, Rodgers led this team to a top 6 offense. I know the o-line will be talked about a lot and has already. The most important to me is the secondary. This secondary is very young and at the same time old. Charles Woodson and Al Harris combine for a quarter of a century experience. The rest of the secondary are young and inexperienced. If Woodson or Harris go down, it will really test how the new kids on the block. The young and old have to come together and have more special year. I like this team a lot
.Green Bay Packers: 12-4 NFC North Champs

Minnesota Vikings
As you read in the Favre blog, I'm not a fan and that's putting it mildly. I still love this team for it's ground game and front 7 on defense. The thing with Favre is can he keep the magic going from last year and if he has a chance to redeem himself, will he throw it to the right freaking team? He doesn't make one stupid throw in the NFC Championship game, the Vikings make the Super Bowl. However, Adrian is at fault because of his fumbling problems. He needs a big year with less turnovers so he can stay on the field more. The front 4 are most important. Jared Allen, Williams wall and Edwards or rookie Griffen need that same fire and intensity to keep hounding the QB. Wild card is theirs for the taking.
Minnesota Vikings: 11-5 wild card

Chicago Bears
Mike Martz should tell Cutler, teammates are who we throw to and not opposing cornerbacks. Cutler was god awful in his first year in Chi-town. The supposed franchise QB still has a losing career record and I'm tired of the excuses. I've heard a million of them. He didn't have a defense in Denver or he didn't have wide receivers last year. Here's one for you: maybe he isn't that good of an NFL QB. Julius Peppers was a nice addition if he plays like he gives a crap. Urlacher will get hurt at some point so the defense will struggle. I talked to the only Bears fan I know and she said most important player is Matt Forte. I couldn't agree more. Martz system won't allow for much running so Forte has to make plays when he has the opportunity. If he plays well, he takes pressure off Cutler. I think Forte comes close to 1,000 yards. Cutler on the other hand will throw up more picks and stink up the joint.
Chicago Bears: 7-9

Detroit Lions
As I said with the Rams, the Lions are developing into a nice team. Suh is a great addition and will be the motor and play maker this defense desperately needs. With that said on the defense, the most important are the wide outs. For Stafford to improve on last year's solid performance, he he needs more than Calvin Johnson and Brandon Pettigrew. Can you name another weapon in the passing game? I struggled to remember Nate Burleson. The weapons got to find ways to separate from the defense and get open other than Calvin. Defenses are going to target him. Scheffler is a nice piece and another solid security blanket. A slot receiver or possession receiver need to do their part and I think they don't have one on the roster. One more year and then this team starts talking about getting out of the basement.
Detroit Lions: 5-11

NFC South

New Orleans Saints
The defending World Champion New Orleans Saints! I haven't written that out before and it feels weird to read it. I like Brees and the magical Saints to return to the playoffs to defend their crown. The number one offense has to get the kind of play from the defense it did in the post season. Darren Sharper returns but the loss of Fujita hurts a little. The defense is important, more important than them is the attitude. The Saints must continue that same attitude as an underdog. They can't fall victim to hype, instead listen to Brees and keep attacking. With Sean Payton and Brees as the leaders, this team won't get lazy.
New Orleans Saints: NFC South Division Champions 12-4

Atlanta Falcons
To many injuries sealed their fate last year. Matty Ice needs consistency from his receivers as Roddy White was a fantasy points machine one week and the next was outscored by Braylon Edwards. Yikes. I have to say Tony G was a slight disappointment and I thought he would be more helpful. This season Michael Turner gets back on track with a 1,000 yards. Most important is Dunta Robinson and the secondary. Dunta takes his talents to Hotlanta and it's put up or shut up time for the stud corner. He needs to be the leader which is something an athlete who bitches about contracts and money usually isn't the leader of the clubhouse. The passing defense ranked in the bottom of the league. Now with Dunta, it moves up to middle of the pack.
Atlanta Falcons: 10-6 Wildcard

Carolina Panthers
The Panthers have been a complete disappointment in the past years. Delhomme is out and enter Matt Moore or Jimmy Clausen, not sure which one. I don't think it will take long before we see Clausen. A solid ground game with Williams and Stewart helps any QB. Steve Smith is great but they have nobody else. The most important thing is gain experience. Carolina is a very young team overall. They don't need much but another WR and some all around experience. I'd like to see Clausen right away gain a rap pore with Smith and the rest of the receivers.
Carolina Panthers 6-10 but compete.

Tampa Bay Bucs
I'll say it now as I did a year and a half ago, the Bucs made a mistake firing John Gruden. The Bucs are in growing pains although they showed signs of life. Josh Freeman is there guy for the future and I must say, I approve. The kid can be special. I will say they need a veteran, Sage from Minne, as a backup. Three backs should combine to be a three headed monster, Williams, Ward and Graham. They didn't do that and it's time. I could see this team improve and rise even with Raheem. Most important: defensive front 4. Five rookies, Erik Lorig, James Ruffin, Brandon Gilbeaux, Brian Price and Gerald McCoy are competing for playing time. If two or three develop, I like McCoy most of all, then next year they could draft a play maker for Freeman and complement Benn.
Tampa Bay Bucs 4-12 and another year of pain.

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys
If you've picked up the theme, the first team I talk about is the division winner. I'm in pain because this Cowboy team is a real contender for best record in the NFC. I asked John from the John and Eric show, huge cowboy homer, and asked who he felt was most important, "As a Dallas Cowboy fan, the most important player on the team to me is Jason Witten. Sure Romo, and Ware are the best players, but without Witten this team struggles. Whenever Romo needs a 5 yard catch for a first down, he goes to Witten." I agree Witten is a great asset and important. Most important to me, Wade Phillips. I don't think they win it all because of him. He's not the coach to bring home a Super Bowl for Dallas.
Dallas Cowboys 11-5 East Division Champs

New York Giants
Eli is already banged up and we haven't started the regular season. The G-men underperformed last season and should do much better. I have doubt with Coughlin and the staff. Most important to me is new defensive Coordinator Perry Fewell. He replaces Bill Sheridan and rectify the defense that won the Super Bowl only a few years ago. The D-line disappointed after adding Canty with Tuck and Osi should have been enough. Now they spent a high draft pick on Jason Pierre Paul who might be the Vernon Gholston of the 2010 draft. I like the offense and see less problems with them. The G-men fall short of the playoffs and fire Coughlin.
New York Giants 9-7.

Washington Redskins
No surprise, I've written about McNabb twice in my short career and pairing him with Shanahan was huge. Fat Albert isn't worth my time. McNabb must do what he's done before, develop young receivers. Trent Williams seems to be impressive early on. Most important is chemistry. This team needs to develop chemistry with McNabb and Shanahan. I think there are to many egos and characters on this team. Although Shanahan is a great coach and McNabb has good years left, this was hard for me to keep them from making the playoffs.
Washington Redskins 8-8

Philadelphia Eagles
We end our NFC journey with a team gambling on a young QB, Kevin Kolb. They really put their eggs in one basket and went for it and I commend them. Yet, I feel it's a mistake. This team isn't short on talent or play makers. We find out if they were real play makers or if McNabb made them play makers. No, Westbrook or McNabb means the Eagles are young and lacking the most important thing which is finding new leadership. Kolb is a mystery and it's put up time. He'll put up numbers and with the talent, they won't fall to short.
Philadelphia Eagles 8-8.

NFC Playoff Teams 1) Green Bay 2) Dallas 3) New Orleans 4) San Fran
Wild Cards 5) Minnesota 6) Atlanta

AFC

AFC West

San Diego Chargers
I know the hold outs, stories, rookie running back and I still have them winning this weak division. I heard all about the distractions. I also know Rivers is a top ten NFL QB. He needs Vincent Jackson and Gates together. Ryan Matthews and Sproles should be a nice combo and won't make Charger fans regret releasing LDT. Most important is the linebacker core. There's a ton of talent and they have to show it. Merriman isn't the roid rage player anymore. San Diego has 4 rookies contending for spots. Phillips and English are starters and staples in the line up. One guy out of 4 has to play with them.
San Diego 10-6 AFC West Champs

Denver Broncos
Tebowmania is running wild. I'm here to stop the insanity. He's not starting, winning awards or games. Orton is the starter and received an extension. Denver has questions all over but the most important is Demaryius Thomas. Sorry kid, you get to replace an All-Pro Wide Receiver who the media compared you to during the draft. Stupid! You had Marshall and now you have an unknown. The other guy going to be missed is Tony Scheffler. They didn't bother replacing him. I can't wait for Orton to struggle and idiot fans scream for Tebow. Throw him out there and watch him fail. Good times had by all.
Denver Broncos 7-9

Oakland Raiders
My team has received plenty of praise this offseason for their draft and dumping that one fat QB and trading for Campbell. Russell's QB rating a 50.0. Campbells in Washington 86.4 and 14th in yards. Even with all the positives, there are lots of uncertainty. The running backs of McFadden and Bush need to stay healthy, something they haven't done yet. Most important are the Wide receivers. Russell sucked but the wide outs didn't things. Bey, Ford, Schilens and Murphy are the men in black who need to get open. Bey especially has to catch the damn ball so fans can stop making fun of Davis choosing him over Crabtree (never going to happen). Oakland is starting to get stability and that's big on my watch. Defensively, they are a top ten team. The front 7 pressures and the secondary, with Asomugha leading, is solid all over the field. I said to keep hopes high and that's what I'm doing here.
Oakland Raiders 7-9 and a top ten overall defense

Kansas City Chiefs
Matt Cassell didn't deliver in year one, as I expected. He has 5 rookie Wrs and a tight end who could help speed up the process. Jamaal Charles was the highlight of the season. Eric Berry comes in to help a struggling defense. The offensive line is of grave concern as well. I'm going with the entire defense as most important. Berry is rookie of the year material. Dorsey has been nothing but a bust. Tyson Jackson is heading down the same path. Will anyone help or step up? Besides Berry, I don't see it.
Kansas City Chiefs 5-11

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens
Joe Flacco adds two weapons with Boldin and Stallworth (can we call him a weapon?). Flacco is a fantastic QB and I have high hopes for this team. The offensive line is young, talented and perform above their years. My biggest concern is the overuse of Ray Rice. He's the focal point of the offense, rightfully so, and if he goes down, depth is not the Ravens strong point. Most important is a bit of a no brainer, Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. They are getting older and may not make all the plays. I think they have one more year at the top level before they fall and Baltimore will have to replace the irreplaceable.
Baltimore Ravens 13-3 AFC North Champs

Cincinnati Bengals
Calling on the only Bengal fan I know for the break down, "Wide receiver core, fell from top 5 to 27th in offense and haven't had an athletic tight end in 10 years. If the offense scores, the young defense has come together to get them to the next level." I couldn't have said it better myself. If T.O, Greshem, Cinco, Bryant and Shipley can't help, nothing will.
Cincinnati Bengals 10-6 Wild Card

Pittsburgh Steelers
Big Ben is out 4 games and enter Dennis Dixon or Leftwich. You could do much worse. Pitt has talent and could be another wild card. Without Ben for those four games and then try to develop chemistry, they fall short. Defense is still going to be in the top ten. They are aggressive and get to the QB. Most important is those first 4 games. I believe if they get 3 wins, playoffs are possible, anything less and they sit at home. They host Atlanta, visit Tenn then Tampa and end at home against arch rival Baltimore so 2-2 is conceivble. I'm not betting on 3-1.
Pittsburgh Steelers 9-7

Cleveland Browns
Poor Cleveland, lost Lebron and Brady Quinn in the same year. All kidding aside, this team hired a great GM with Mike Holmgren. He should right the ship in due time. Colt McCoy, stay off the field and learn, he might have a future. Most important is Jerome Harrison. He needs to show he's not a 1 year wonder. I think he will play well and get close to 1,000 yards.
Cleveland Browns 4-12 Fire Mangini

AFC South

Indianapolis Colts
Does Peyton Manning still QB this team? Yes, so they win the south. Manning is the best quarterback in the league. No secret there. The defense is solid and I hope Bob Sanders stays healthy for them all year. He's the leader on that side of the ball. The biggest concern and most important is the running backs. For all the love for Manning, the running game was dead last in yards. Addai and Brown have to combine for around 1,700 yards when they get their opportunities. Mike Hart is a great weapon on screens and dump offs.
Indianapolis Colts 12-4 and Super Bowl Contender

Houston Texans
If I keep picking them for the playoffs, I have to be right some year. My brother, who lives in Houston, is the go to guy on most important, "Unfortunate rookie Ben Tate is out for the year. Slaton needs to stop fumbling the ball." Well Tate was going to help. Now Slaton and possibly Foster will become a two headed machine for Schaub. The Texans have talent and if Schaub plays 16 games, they will play a 17th.
Houston Texans 10-6 Wild Card

Tennessee Titans
Two Longhorn QBs, Simms and Young and I don't like either. I can't tell if they are rebuilding or trying to sign enough to stay competitive. They are teetering and that's not good. Opposing defenses can stack the box because Johnson is the only threat. The Titans defense has slipped to the bottom half of the league. Jeff Fisher is a good coach, but this should be his last year. He needs a year off and go to a new team, hopefully one with a competant management. Most important, you name it and it's important with this team.
Tennessee Titans 5-11 Fisher fired

Jacksonville Jaguars
Yes Maurice Jones Drew, I'm doubting your team a lot. You don't have any help on offense. They reached for help in the draft for years now to find a decent defensive end or tackle. This year was Alualu. David Garrard doesn't seem to be a franchise QB. I don't have many positives with this team. Most important, I'll say receiver group. Mike Sims Walker and company have to show some sort of life and help this team. I don't like their chances.
Jacksonville Jaguars 3-13

AFC East

New England Patriots
This team is getting older and may fall from the top of the East. Tom Brady is still a top notch QB and leader so I can't pick against them. He should get an extension sometime during the season. Next year, draft a good running back because what they have now is weak. I like rookie McCourty and he should help a disappointing secondary. Most important is another no brainer, Wes Welker. Is he human? He came back awfully fast from knee surgery. He's shown in preseason, he's ready to help this team win another division title and contend.
New England Patriots 11-5 East Division champs

New York Jets
If you haven't figured it out by now, I don't have anymore playoff spots left. The Jets fall in my predictions for a few reason. They have to many mouths, to much hype and to many media members cressing them as a real contender. Mix all that in a blender and you have a team I stay the hell away. The Jets have one thing going for them and that's defense. Revis is a big distraction for this team and young rookie Wilson can't fill his shoes. Most important is the front 7. Jenkins is older as well as Ellis and Gholston is a giant bust. They should throw him on the line instead of linebacker and see if he can do anything. They made the playoffs last year only because teams let them in the final weeks by laying down.
New York Jets 9-7

Miami Dolphins
Put Miami in the AFC West and play KC, Oak and Denver 6 times and they make the playoffs. Henne is going to take the leap with Marshall as his sidekick. I don't trust their running game at all. Ronnie can't stay healthy and Ricky is due for an injury since he's 33. Dolphins are average at best on defense. Most important to me is Vontae Davis and Jared Odrick. Vontae has to become the corner the Dolphins thought they were getting when they drafted him. Odrick is the new anchor on the defensive line and the kid is solid. One more year and this team is ready to get back to the post season.
Miami Dolphins 8-8

Buffalo Bills
We end with a team in full disarray. Fitzpatrick, Edwards, Brohm and rookie Brown are their quarterbacks. I'm not sure if I need to go further. Fred Jackson and Lynch are already hurt so I guess it's a good thing they drafted Spiller even though they have needs at almost every position. They don't have a real QB, Coach or playmaker on either side of the ball. Spiller is one guy. Most important is Chan Gailey. Can he coach? I have no clue. For the sake of arguing, I'll say no and that's the conversation.
Buffalo Bills 2-14 and drafting a QB 1st next year

AFC Playoff Teams: 1)Baltimore 2)Indy 3)New England 4)San Diego
Wild Cards 5)Cincinnati 6)Houston

Time to hand out the Lombardi trophy as well as some awards.

MVP: Aaron Rodger, Packers. I love this kid and think he's ready to be the Brees of this year.
Rookie of the Year: Ndamukong Suh. Call him Donkey Kong. He's going to be fun to watch.
Coach of the Year: Mike Singletary. Wins a division and gets the 9ers back to the playoffs.

Super Bowl Match up: Green Bay vs Baltimore.

You're thinking I'm crazy. Well I am and nobody thought the Saints were making it last year. Baltimore's Defense makes enough plays and Ray Lewis retires after the game. Ray Rice is the MVP.

J Call

Favre and the Media

Breaking news, Brett Favre put on his wranglers, took his Geritol, stopped playing with little boys and started playing real football again. Oh boy, big freaking news. If you didn't see this coming, you have been living in a cave for the past 10 years or so. Favre has been talking retirement before those kids he was playing catch with were born. I feel I can speak freely and I normally do. I will try to keep this as politically correct because I don't want to upset anyway with foul language. There's a saying that I think you've heard and it goes something like this: $#it or get off the pot. I can't decide if Farve did or got off the pot. My brother said it all, "it smells bad either way."

We all knew he was coming back for another year. He can't stay away. He needs football to be relevant. Football doesn't need Favre. He reminds me of Lindsey Lohan. Yes, I'm comparing Favre, a 41 year old NFL QB to a 22 year old immature girl. Lohan has to stay relevant so she goes out gets drunk, goes to jail, supposedly cleans up her act until the media isn't talking about her anymore and then the cycle starts over again. Favre saw the game was starting and he was pushed aside. He had to come back so he could be talked about again. The fact is whatever happens off the field doesn't matter, what on it does. The real problem is the media soaks it all up.

I'll give you a great example: I was listening to a national radio show and I quote, "This is good for everyone, the media, fans, story lines and everyone involved." Oh please wise sports talk radio host tell me what is good for me. I beg you because I don't have a clue what's good for myself. I really needed Favre to make this NFL season special and his story for me to enjoy the season. Bull $#it. The media is the one who needed Favre because their to damn lazy to do real research and find good stories, a real story. Nope, no need to do any work, Favre just fell into their lap and now they can talk about him until the regular season starts. You can find stories around the league with every NFL team. In fact, I did just that for my NFL preview blog coming up (cheap plug). Here's a few examples of stories I would rather hear about: Shanahan and McNabb, Cutler and Martz, Kolb and Reid, will the Pats win the East, Saints repeat, is Aaron Rodgers the newest franchise QB and these are the easy ones. You could have great discussion and debate on any of that plus insight from their teammates. The media wants you to feel as they do and that's a mistake.

I differ in the fact I'm not a real journalist and I would never tell you how you should feel about anything. I'm merely giving you my opinion. I give you credit as a reader because I know you're not a mindless moron who are swayed by me or anyone else. You have a brain so make up your own opinion on topics. My guess is you either love Favre, which tells me your a Viking fan, or you hate Favre, which tells me you're most likely a fan of any other NFL team. When John and I had our sports show, we talked story lines and never once did I say that this is good for you. Certain things can be good for some not everyone unless everyone in the world is getting free money, that would be good for everyone. Favre being dominated on every sports site, sports talk radio and newspaper isn't good for me. Hell I didn't want to write this blog because it's all about Favre but I'm trying to make a point and give you a different opinion then this is great, Favre's the greatest and we missed him. I didn't miss him and I wish he would go away forever.

I love sports and always will. Football is my favorite and I'll continue to watch the games. However, I'm not buying into all the Favre talk and how he makes this season great. This season might be the last one as a strike seems highly likely now. I would have loved to have one season without the old man. I'm staying away from the giant 4 letter network unless it's Monday Night Football. You do whatever you want because that's your right as a fan. I won't be watching the specials and the interviews because what happens on the field matters more than anything. By the time February comes around and Favre has thrown another interception to lose another playoff game, the interviews and specials won't matter and all we will hear is will he come back again? The vicious cycle continues.

J Call

Raw 8-16

I'll be honest straight out of the gate with you, the last few days have no been good ones for this WWE blogger. My Summerslam picks were the worst I've had in history of the pick blogs. I'm more upset over how Summerslam ended then anything else. (More on that soon). At least Sheamus is still the WWE champion and Miz didn't cash in. Raw wasn't much better in fact I felt it was so bad it barely deserved this Raw blog. Even if the show didn't, you deserve a Raw blog each and every week on BBSD and that's what I'm giving you. Summerslam failed to deliver for Nexus and Raw didn't help matters either. What do I mean? Get ready because I'm fired up.

I'm fine I was wrong on nearly every match at SS and was dead last on BBSD. If Nexus would have won, I would have forgiven the rest of the ppv. Nexus losing was the dumbest move WWE could do at the moment. I know it's hard to swallow your pride Vincent and have Cena lose but it needed to happen. I loved the way Nexus was built up and looking strong going into Sunday. Now in the biggest match in their brief history, they lose CLEANLY! The WWE had big names, Cena, Jericho and Edge so it would have made them look weak had all 3 lost cleanly. Well we can fix that with one simple tweak, CHEAT! Nexus are heels and that's what heels do. Since Bryant was our only surprise and Miz came out, here is where we tweak the finish: Bryant loses, Miz comes down starts his sneak attack, ref distracted, Nexus hits Cena with a chair to the back and Barrett hits his finisher and boom goes the dynamite. Jericho and Edge had already beat up Cena as well so it looks like it took 4 guys plus a chair to beat Cena. That wasn't so damn hard. Nope, and it accomplishes everything. Nexus would have opened Raw bragging about the win and story moves forward. Instead, Nexus will be built up for the next several weeks again and I won't be picking them at the next pay per view.

I swear I wrote all of that before Raw started with Nexus opening the show. They gave some lame excuses which wouldn't have been necessary had I been writing this show. Cena was even lamer than usual. He said one thing that was funny, calling Nexus human. That's vintage Cena since he's Cena 2.0. It was only fitting that the Raw GM would chime in and make this segment longer and worse with Cole talking. Out of the whole opener, I liked one word: redemption. Nexus needs it to be relevant again.

Barrett and Jericho were off in their match. Barrett winning was a good start towards rectifying the crap from Sunday. If Nexus would have won all their single matches, it would have made the WWE look even weaker than losing as a team. I didn't understand at this point where the night was headed.

The Dynasty came out to acknowledge that yes in deed, the WWE has tag team belts. I'm happy they changed the name and gave them one set of belts, which are sweet looking. We couldn't get a title defense afterwards for no apparent reason. I'm pretty sure they are close to their 90 day non-compete clause but that doesn't exist anymore.

Michael Cole during the Bryant Tarver match was a complete jerk and I think he should do that every match. We all hate him so why not make us hate you more and be a complete a-hole the entire broadcast. I would rather see the color man be the heel like Striker on Smackdown, but Cole sucks so it doesn't matter. Tarver was horrendous in the match and Bryant looked very good. I like Miz coming out and beating up Bryant so the story from 90 days ago can keep moving forward and Bryant will get the U.S. title shortly. This and the WWE title will make Raw entertaining. I still feel Bourne deserves the U.S. title and hopefully he and Bryant can put on a wrestling clinic after Miz drops the belt.

Randy and Sheamus fight into the crowd and beat the crap out of each other and the ref doesn't call for a DQ. Pretty sure Sheamus got Dq'd Sunday for less then what he did on Raw. Inconsistent is a word that comes to mind. With all that said, who cares because if it weren't for these two segments Raw would have been unwatchable. Orton snapped and as I said before, Orton shouldn't win the WWE title and needs more obstacles before he wins. No doubt after Raw, Orton is the man who can invigorate all of the WWE universe. His attack on Sheamus to go with the stunning 2 RKO's were the highlight of the first hour by miles over anything else.

I don't want to complain about everything from Raw. Nexus was winning and getting redemption from SS. My only wish was for matches to be competitive and they weren't. Everything felt rushed because Raw normal has 4 or 5 matches and they were trying to fit in 2 more. A huge lack of wrestling and that's disappointing when Raw had so many matches and none were no longer than 10 minutes. You wonder why I like Smackdown more than Raw each week? Smackdown has wrestling, back and forth contests and one or two matches that last 15 minutes.

Fox lost her belt and it's time for Maryse and Melina to.. oh nevermind give Jillian a try. I thought Maryse and Melina would be nice so you could tie in Dibiase and Morrison for each Diva. Nope, Jillian won and I'm left scratching my head again. What the hell is the WWE doing?

Edge and Slater were having a great contest until the countout. They had good chemistry and the flow of the match was smooth. Out of all the matches, I would like to see these two wrestlers match up again to see if they could extend on what little we saw on Raw. The countout was weak though. A record number of wrestling matches on Raw doesn't mean they were any good.

Who didn't see the end coming? Oh sorry the blind wrestling fan in the front row, oh no that was Jon Lovitz. Cena wins to the shock of every wrestling fan watching and Nexus beats up their fallen brethren. No clue where it goes from here. Darren Young will help Cena next week because we don't need anything making sense on the show. Nexus gets a few wins, some even cleanly, and the story keeps going which is good. However, next week, Nexus should be in one or two segments. To much of a good thing this week made me start hating on the story.

All in all, let's not sugar coat it, Raw sucked. If it weren't for the Viper, this Raw may had been the worst I ever wrote about besides some of the really bad celebrity GM shows. Nexus doesn't need to be in every segment. Matches need more than 7 mins long and given time especially if I'm suppose to believe that Nexus fought tooth and nail with the entire WWE team and tonight they win 5 out of 6 individual matches. That's why I said in the beginning, Nexus should have won at Summerslam. The team is suppose to be strong than individuals. Smackdown will be a better show much like every week. Listen to the geniuses on ShowStoppers. I'll be back for a huge NFL preview blog later this week, hopefully I can do better on that than my SS picks.

J Call

Summerslam Picks

I was hoping for a better build up for Summerslam. Raw was a disappointment and by the sound of it, Smackdown wasn't much better. No U.S. title on the card so Miz might as well be named to Raw's 7 now, or maybe the leader of Nexus, more on that later. I do have a good feeling about my picks. If you don't recall, I was near perfection on last year's Summerslam. I think it's time to duplicate my best pay per view ever and prove once again, I'm smarter than all of you, especially those hosts of the so-called wrestling show on BBSD. Only kidding, I'm not, but I have to say that.

Diva Title
Alicia Fox (c) vs Melina
Melina came back and suddenly the Diva's title has meaning. I hope your laughing because that was a joke. The Diva title is a joke and will never have meaning in the WWE. Fox sucks and it showed big time Monday night in the teaser match. I think Melina will get the belt, just not yet. If this has any chance of a meaningful feud, Fox has to keep the belt. Feud continues as Fox keeps the worthless Diva title.

Big Show vs SES
I've enjoyed this feud on Smack. At first, I had my doubts and thought it would be another throw in feud for filler. Not so fast my friend. Punk is back to 100% and the story has built a nice foundation. Show unmasked both Punk and Mercury then Punk and the SES beat him down and hurt his hand. I'd like this to continue to give it a really nice feel for Smackdown and a quality feud for Punk and Show since both have been drifting for a while. The Society steals this match for a rematch to be scheduled.

IC Title
Dolph Ziggler (c) vs Kofi Kingston
Showstoppers failed to mention the title change on their show and I failed to talk about it on the Raw blog. For shame on both of us. Ziggler's title reign must continue. I said last year at the same time Ziggler should have the IC belt when he was against Rey Rey. I've seen the potential in this kid and adding Vicki was genius. Ziggler had potential but failed to get heat from the crowd. Now with Vicki, that problem went away. I like Kofi and respect his in ring ability. I like Dolph more and hope teaming with Vicki, they become a new power couple on Smackdown. The other thing about having the IC belt on a heel is more opportunities for opponents. Smack is full of faces, Christian, Matt, Kofi and Rey could all feud with Ziggler at some point. Keep it on Ziggler and bring on a new opponent.

World Heavyweight Championship
Kane (c) vs Rey
I'm so torn on this match. If this finishes the show, Taker returns and Rey wins the belt. If it's in the middle of the card then Kane wins. This would be the easiest match to pick if Taker wasn't returning at some point. Kane would keep and a new story begins. I don't want the WHC to be tied in with the Taker and Kane story. I don't always get what I want. Spoiler alert that matters, on Smackdown it was announced Alberto Del Rio is debuting next week. Why is that important? Meet the newest opponent for Rey. Kane wins, Taker returns and next Friday night Del Rio starts something with Rey.

WWE Title
Sheamus (c) vs Randy Orton
Showstoppers hosts made a big deal about Orton falling down the ladder if he loses. When the hell has that ever meant anything? Miz says he's cashing in which means he won't. The story with Orton is now he's a face so he should chase. Build it and then just when it doesn't look like he has a chance to win the title, bam RKO and a new champion. One month isn't enough for that special feel. Remember Austin's story and how many loops and guys he had to go through or beat to gain his belt back? Orton needs a story such as that to gain even more fans and put his face turn into not only the face of Raw but a bigger face than Cena.

Raw 7 vs Nexus
The world isn't ready for a Cena heel turn. I know it has been talked about, rumors are out and some fans would love to see it happen Sunday. I disagree. One, you couldn't come up with a logical (I know wrestling never has to be logical) explanation for Nexus kicking the crap out of him for the past 2 months. You will lose so much merchandise sales with kids and I doubt Vince wants to lose out on money. Now Bret, Edge, Miz or Jericho is more plausible. Bret could be explained because he still hates Vince and the screw job, blah blah and the beat down was faked like his leg injury. The Dynasty would be hurt by this though, not being on Raw for the past month and a half hurts more, but Bret is the mentor for them so I don't see Bret the leader. Triple H is still on the shelf and to hurt to come back. Jericho and Edge teetered on the edge (pun intended) of heel and face this whole time. They came back to be with the rest of Raw's team and a heel turn would feel strange now after all that was dedicated to Raw since the team was announced nearly a month ago. Who does that leave us? Miz. He's being pushed hard and shoved down our throats. He has Money in the Bank and will be a WWE champion soon or be the first to fail. I've said it a hundred times, Miz isn't ready. WWE must think differently. The Nexus would gain the mouth and have a world champion in its stable. Will it happen? I have no freaking idea. I've read so many rumors my head is about to spin right off my neck. One thing is for sure, Nexus will win to end Summerslam. Enjoy the pay per view at home with some buddies or get your ass to Wings in Bedford and watch it with BBSD ShowStoppers hosts.

J Call

Raw 8-9

I'll admit before Raw I was excited dare I say giddy for Summerslam. I was waiting for the bull crap of the Raw 7 drama to be over with so we can finally get the 7 on 7 that was promised a few weeks ago. I've really enjoyed Sheamus and Orton's rivalry build up. Raw was suppose to build more mighty mo and some suspense to put the ppv over. I think it failed in some aspects. Before Raw, I have to get something off my chest. TNA brought back ECW Sunday night and I feel the WWE has already brought back another organization without you realizing it.

Yes I believe Smackdown feels a lot like WCW before the Bischoff days and pre-NWO days. Go back and watch some of the classic WCW Saturday night shows then watch Smackdown. Both are very similar in quality of wrestling, limited backstage segments, a few stories always highlighted by the same titles and the under card has better matches than the world title. The mid-carders aren't used correctly and overlooked for other guys. I didn't like Kane winning the world title but I turned over a new leaf. I'm for it because of the body of work Kane put in over the last decade. He hasn't had a decent push like this particular one since he arrived and fought his "brother" at Mania 14. However, do we need to see Taker come back and feud with Kane for the world title, no. By the time Taker comes back, drop the belt on someone else but who? I feel four guys are ready to contend for the world title with Rey. Christian, Kofi, Drew and Matt Hardy are all worthy of a world title push. Swagger is out because he fell short earlier this year with the title. Big Show is with SES and Punk and it's going well. The other four are ready. We all know Matt has no chance. Kofi and Rey would be a nice feud but no heel. I want to believe the WWE will stop punishing Christian for leaving for TNA years ago and give him a shot. His in ring work speaks for itself and his mic skills are tops on Smackdown. The thing with WCW was it took a long time for guys, such as, Eddie, Rey, Jericho and Beniot to get their shot at main eventing and some never did. Christian to me is a lot like, the guy I'm not suppose to mention but I did already so screw it, Beniot. It took the WWE another 3 years to give him a shot at Mania 20. Christian shouldn't have to wait and neither should the other four. All the former WCW guys I mentioned won a world title in WWE because WCW passed. Now TNA is the alternative without the history. Smackdown shouldn't feel like WCW but it does to me. Raw has new blood with Nexus. Smackdown needs new blood at the top of the food chain and it's time to give someone a shot. Taker and Kane won't need the title so try something different. Drew and Rey sounds like a great change and a solid feud for the world title. I bet their matches would be better than Kane and Taker. The WWE shouldn't wait forever like WCW did to push the right talent or that same talent will walk to TNA. WWE can't make the same mistakes as WCW did because that's when the WWE took off.

With Bret and Jericho opening Raw, I couldn't help but daydream how good a match between the two would have been in the mid to late 90's. I thought by the end of the night had Jericho and Edge not come back, the Dynasty would be put in their place. The beat down was unexpected and a nice surprise to me. I couldn't think of anyone to replace Jericho and Edge after that but we all knew they would be in the match anyway.

After watching Bourne and Miz, I want to see it again and this time for the United States championship. It's apparent the WWE is going to push Miz to WWE title status very soon. The U.S. title will look nice around Bourne's waste and then have him feud with Teddy. Teddy wasn't used again on Raw except for an entrance. I'll complain about Teddy not being used correctly like Larry bitching about Morrison. Teddy is talented and needs to be in a fun story with Bourne. Hell if Bourne had the U.S. title then you could have a belt for belt match. Also Maryse could get involved. The story has plenty of opportunities and will be left on the table. As far as Miz, he shouldn't be in the 7 on 7 as they teased backstage. He shouldn't be the leader of Nexus either. I would love to see Miz unsuccessfully defend his U.S title at Summerslam to Bourne than later in the evening after Orton captures the WWE title from Sheamus, Miz comes down to "cash in" and fails to pin the Viper. Raw next week would have Miz crying, moaning and complaining even more to get mega-heat on him from the fans. He would become a bigger heel then cheat his way into a triple threat match with Sheamus and Orton at the next pay per view. Why the hell am I not on Vince McMahon's payroll? I have no clue.

Melina was a welcome in this writers' eyes last week. This week, it was evident Fox couldn't keep up with her in the wrestling department. Fox looked slow and out of sorts during the match and landed awkwardly on Melina's finisher. This is why we need more actual female wrestlers on Raw and not hot chicks that don't have a clue, like the time waster of the night summer triple threat tag team cluster f*** we saw later on Raw. That's a joke. The problem is Raw has talent, Natalya, Tamina, Kim and Melina could all put on a quality match. Put Melina with Tamina and see if anyone gets interested. Start building a female character! Tamina is perfect to become a rough and dominate heel.

I have to be honest, wrestling isn't the same to me. I only like a few people in the WWE. Last night, with Sheamus and Orton's in ring promo, I was a little kid again. I love both these men. Nexus versus the Raw 7 will end Summerslam and it's a damn shame. Orton and Sheamus have been the feud I've liked the most. Then Michael Cole ruined the segment. I'd rather seen a peer six brawl then what we got. The head games are Orton's forte and it was nice to see the punt teased because it's been a while since we saw it. A brawl would have meant more and got the fans really excited to see the match.

This is where Raw started to fall short. NXT 2 getting a match on Raw is fine for a Raw well before a pay per view, not Raw before Summerslam. I've said it before McGillicuty and Kaval are the two I like. Sheamus snapping and beating the crap out of them was cool to end the segment. Morrison and Truth wrestling Regal and Ryder was boring. You knew the outcome before the bell rang. Then the women's bikini thing. Hey, I'm all for chicks in bikinis and thought the end with Tamina and Santino was funny. We are talking about the Raw before the second biggest event of the year for the WWE. Time filler shouldn't have been on the rundown.

Main event was predictable, expected and yet I liked it. Jericho and Edge doing the heroic return to end Raw was what the Raw 7 needed. Nexus and the 7 is the most important match at Summerslam. It's going to dictate where the Nexus story goes for the rest of the year. I hope it's a solid contest with limited in ring work by Bret. Kahli is out and Miz may take his place. I'd rather see Miz and Bourne as I explained earlier.

Lackluster Raw which was disappointing. I expected more and we should have gotten more. Summerslam is the second best ppv and the WWE treated Raw like it was promoting Judgement Day in the middle of May. No other matches were announced for Raw so far it's the 7 vs Nexus and the WWE title. We need more announced and hopefully Smackdown can provide a spark because Raw flamed out. Check out Showstoppers and Wasp's TNA blog later in the week. I will be back Thursday morning for the all important Summerslam pick blog. Can I duplicate the near perfection from last year's Summerslam? Find out Thursday morning.

J Call

Raw 8-2

I guess my job is harder than I thought. Nobody, not one of you chose to take my bet. Either I truly am the best damn WWE blogger on the planet or you think the Bella Twins will be released. The Raw 7 was falling apart last week. This week, I thought would be a different story. I was wrong. Before Raw, I want to talk a little about why I think the WWE is having problems getting people excited each week for wrestling. Are you ready for some hot wrestling opinions?

One word: predictable. I don't like to reminisce about the Attitude era but I think we need to here. The characters in that era were crazy, exciting and unpredictable. Steve Austin, obviously, was the craziest son of a b*tch the WWE ever will have and nobody can match the intensity, passion or "what the hell will happen next" moments. The Rock was the best talker so who knew what he was going to say and the deadman was crucifying people on a giant cross. Who in this era even compares to any of those three? Cena is the most predictable character. Sheamus is Raw but not much character development... yet. Swagger reminds me of the old school 80's wrestler, who is in your face one minute and running for the hills the next. The Miz is getting there with his mic skills, not in the ballpark of the Rock but he's solid. Aside from Nexus who is there? One man and one man only has the characteristics to be wild, crazy and unpredictable. I'm sure by now you know I'm talking about the Viper, Randy Orton. He's becoming the straight up ass kicker and will back up his words with the RKO coming from anywhere. The WWE has to build characters and not just wrestlers. I was surprised last year when Kofi destroyed Orton's car and showed a different darker side and he did it again on Smackdown beating up Ziggler. I want to see more of that. I love in ring pure wrestling. However, you can develop wrestlers characters in the ring with matches, as I just mentioned with Kofi. WWE needs to show off that more and not waste time with worthless backstage skits that have no meaning at all.

Edge starting Raw was a pleasant surprise. I don't think he's been used correctly on Raw. He was a main eventer on Smack and he's a mid carder on Raw. The CPU GM hurt the flow of the show. Truth and Edge were having good banter and then the sound effect goes off and the crowd groans. Never hurts to give a guy like Truth and Edge the first segment of the night. Hell, it's a good way to show them in front of the audience and a change of pace to Cena giving a lame speech or the WWE champion coming out.

Finally, Nexus in a one on one match and their leader even. Wade Barrett hadn't been in a one on one contest on Raw since taking on Cena back when NXT Season 1 was going on. Edge played more of the face than the heel during the match and that's a good thing. He's so damn talented to be able to switch his role quickly and get the fans behind him during a match and then quit a segment later. The Nexus coming out is exactly what needed to happen. They are like wolves and the pack has to stick together. It made Barrett look a little weak but very little when you remember Nexus was 7-0 last week in the elimination match.

The Women's match was decent for what it was this week. Natalya and Tamina should have a real feud with real matches and not bit parts. I bet they would have good matches and be a better feud than Eve and Fox. I'd like to see Natalya put in the title hunt and thought I might get a chance after she lost to Fox cleanly tonight. Kim showed she is the best seller with that nasty looking toss into the ring post. In the end, Melina comes back and if she takes the belt from Fox, I'm all for it.

Goldust sure looked strong against Sheamus. They show the highlights from the same match a year ago and Goldust fought hard. As Sheamus said, what a difference a year makes. I don't think Goldust even got a move in. Total squash and future endeavors are Goldust future. The only good part was the high cross came back. Sheamus promo wasn't bad either and I think from now on I will try to get a 'me self' in the blog each week.

I know Cena and Jericho is something we have seen before numerous times. The match was well done and solid in ring work by both men. This is what I was talking about last week comparing Smack and Raw. Raw needs guys like this to bring up the level of intensity and put on a quality two segment match every week. If Smackdown can do it with 2 matches, Raw should be able to get one. I'm not sure if you saw it, the Lionsault spot looked awkward. After a match of that caliber, it'd be a shame for Jericho to walk out of the company now. If he does, the WWE will need to find a suitable replace because Y2J has helped many of the young talent. The only problem I had with the match was how fast Chris tapped out. Even though he quit the team and Edge and him are teaming up next week. Somehow I think all 7 will be back together for the match at SS.

Even with Nexus, I'm glad Dibiase isn't buried, although getting beat by The Not So Great Kahli is about like being buried. Zach Ryder should be in a crappy feud like this and not Teddy. Teddy has a future with the company and will be a world champion some day. The Nexus showing they like Kahli just pisses me off more. Nobody should like Kahli unless he's in a silent movie and not wrestling.

Main event exceeded my expectations, much like Dinner for Schmucks. Miz and Orton put on a quality contest and it's a tune up to see if Miz can hang with the big boys. I think Miz showed he can put on a good match with a guy like Orton running the show. I'm starting to see the potential in Miz. I still don't think he is ready to take over as the face of Raw by himself. Orton could certainly help the process and lighten the load. A triple threat with these two and Sheamus after Summerslam will prove once and for all if Miz is ready to be a main eventer and handle the pressure of being "on" every night. The RKO out of nowhere for the win was a great way to end the show. This is the biggest and best push Orton has ever had even topping the Legacy days. Raw finishes with the WWE title story which always makes me happy.

Overall, I thought Raw was a great show. We finally saw Nexus have a one on one contest even if it didn't have a clean finish. We witnessed two excellent in ring contests, something Raw rarely ever puts on. I'm intrigued with the Raw 7 story and how that will wrap up with Summeslam right around the corner. The WWE title is shaping up nicely and I think Orton and Sheamus will put on a better match than the one they had earlier this year on ppv. Only real gripe, no tag champs again. Be listening to ShowStoppers because I'm sure they hated everything I liked on Raw. Wasp will be back with another fine TNA blog on Friday to get you pumped for the weekend. If that's not enough wrestling talk to get your wrestling pants excited, another MPX show will be coming up soon. I will return next week with another Raw blog and it might be time to start talking some football.

J Call