Man in the Hat media

It is finally that time of year. Get your pigskins, strap on the pads, and go hit someone. It is time for football. So let's forget the introductions, and let's get down to business. SEC Game of the Week Geo rgi a vs Oklahoma State This may not be a true SEC match-up, but this is a big-time, week 1 game. Georgia will be looking to see if they can replace QB Matt Stafford and RB Knowshon Moreno, both of which were 1st round draft picks. QB Joe Cox and a stable of runningbacks including Richard Samuel and Caleb King, will get the first shot. One thing that will help the Bulldogs is the return of the entire Oline, as well as skill postion players, like WR A.J. Green, who enters his sophomore year looking to improve on a 56 catch, 963 yard and 8 touchdown freshman campaign. The defense though should be a strengh for the Dawgs, as they return virtually everyone, including DTs Kade Weston, Geno Atkins, and Jeff Owens. The Cowboys on the other hand, are coming off a hot season, and ...

The 2009 NFL campaign could be seen as one of returns. The Patriots Tom Brady is coming after a serious injury, as is the Bengals Carson Palmer, and now you can add one more to that list, and it isn't Brett Favre. Former Falcons QB Michael Vick is back in the league, and the NFL is better for it, and surprisingly, the team taking him isn't the Cowboys or the Raiders. The Philadelphia Eagles are the ones who will be taking a chance on the legally embattled QB. Vick, if he comes back in form, makes the Eagles a better team. Of course Donovan McNabb is the QB for the Eagles, and Vick knows that. But the Eagles don't have a proven backup guy in case McNabb goes down with an injury, and Vick can give them that, but at most Week 6. Also, Vick gives the Eagles a big game threat. With his speed, he can return punts and kicks, and run the "Wildcat" for them. Best for the Eagles, the locker shouldn't split with the addition of Vick. McNabb is the unquestioned leader of ...

A few years ago, the Atlantic Coast Conference looked for a way to become a "super conference," one that would be on par with the SEC and Big 12. Well, the conference-then comprised of Florida State, Clemson, Duke, North Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest, Duke, Georgia Tech and Virginia-went shopping for three teams. They went to raid the Big East of what was arguably its best three teams at the time-Boston College, Miami, and Virginia Tech. Since that expansion, the league has failed to live up to the hype, with only VT and BC holding up their ends of the bargain. Of course, how could league officials foresee the tough times schools like Miami and FSU would fall on, or the rise of Wake Forest and Georgia Tech. Still, the conference has yet to win a BCS Bowl game (Rose, Sugar, Orange, Fiesta), nor a National Champion-of course the title draught exceeds the expansion, as the last championship was a Chris Wienke led FSU team. Luckily for the ACC, Miami and FSU seem to be back on ...

As promised, here is the ACC predictions, as well as the Big South Prediction. Atlantic Coast Conference Boston College The Eagles are back; back at looking to who will play QB. Chris Crane has graduated, and Sophomore Dominick Davis looked inconsistent last season. The running game Josh Haden, and expect to see Jeff Smith as well. But the Eagles may be hurting most in trying to replace TE Ryan Purvis. Lars Anderson will get the first shot. WR Justin Jarvis returns, giving the Eagles a possession threat, standing at 6'5. Other than that, the corps has questions. One guy to watch is junior Ifeanyl Momah, who is a giant at 6'6, as well as the diminutive speedster Ryan Lindsey (5'8). The defense returns both ends, but will be replacing their entire interior, including B.J. Raji (1st Round Draft pick of Green Bay Packers). The Eagles also lose LB/H-B Brian Toal, but do keep Mark Herzlich. Will Thompson will get the first shot to replace Toal. The backfield only loses safety Pau...

You feel it? It is that time again. Spring is gone, and summer is in its peak, and that means one thing, college football is near. Now, the South's king will return, and it will be better than ever. This year, will be a year of expansion for the Report. This year, substance will be put above style, hence the simpler redesign. This year, I'll be expanding coverage to not just the SEC and ACC. This year, Big South and the Southern Conference. To make the transition easier, a larger conference will be coupled with a D1-AA conference. We'll be looking at the ACC and the Big South in the next piece, but this piece will focus on the SEC and SoCon. First, the SEC. We'll take a quick overview of each team, to give you, the reader, a more in-depth look at the teams in the conference. Alabama The Crimson Tide lose John Parker Wilson at QB, and this will hurt more than Tide fans think. Greg McElroy is the incumbent, but I expect Redshirt Freshman Star Jackson to be the guy by seas...

I'm sure everyone is aware now of the controversy that occurred in Cambridge, Mass. involving Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates and the Cambridge Police. From reports, Gates was locked out of his house, and "broke in" to his own home. This is when a neighbor phoned the police and reported a possible break in. The police then arrived to Gates' house, went in, and after a "war of words" arrested Gates. Then, the controversy gets even bigger when President Obama says he believed the Cambridge police acted "stupidly." Now, many in the national media are taking sides, either with the police or Gates, or with against Obama. Today (July 30), Obama, Gates, and the arresting officer are having a beer summit at the Whitehouse to talk this out. Hopefully, after tonight, it will be the end of this whole three ring circus. To me though, the most comical part of all this, besides the media's over coverage of such a miniscule event, is that this whole event...

Recently, former Atlanta Falcons QB Mike Vick finished up his prison sentence for organized dog fighting. In the past days, NFL Commisioner Roger Goodell lifted Vick's suspension, and gave Vick permission to sign with a team, as long as he sat out the first 6 weeks of the season. Regardless if you think the 6 weeks suspension is fair (I personally do) the question arises, what team will sign Vick, and will Vick even be a QB? To answer the latter question first, I'm not sure. Two years out of the league is a long time. The league changes every year, and if you are not even playing, you are behind. Add in the fact that Vick wasn't the most accurate QB, completing a little over 50% of his passes, but Vick got stuff done and won games. Vick is arguably the most athletic QB to ever play in the NFL, but two years out of the league, I'm not sure how good his best assest is: His speed. I'm also not sure how good a shape he is in. Personally, I see Vick playing the "Wil...