The Streak Is Over At 19! Lions Win!!!

Boy, is Jim Zorn really FIRED!!!
The Detroit Lions 19-game losing streak is out, over, done and gone- thanks to the completely ineffective and even more inefficient Washington Redskins.

Matthew Stafford threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Bryant Johnson in the first quarter and the two connected to draw a key penalty to set up a TD in the fourth quarter.

The Lions (1-2) had not won since Dec. 23, 2007 and their skid matched the second longest in NFL history.

Washington (1-2) pulled within five points on Jason Campbell's second touchdown pass with 2:36 left in the game, but couldn't prevent the Lions from picking up a first down that ran time off the clock and cost it three timeouts.

The Redskins had their last of many chances to win from their 22 with 1:05 left and couldn't get inside the 20 before time expired.

Here's your post-game from Ford Field, thanks to our friends at Fox2
May the Schwartz be with you...
((HT: MyFoxDetroit))


A few Skins fans blamed the presence of actor Tom Cruise, who was at Ford Field Sunday as a guest of coach Dan Snyder.

Those of us at OSG HQ like that idea...
A lot...

At Least He's Wearing The Old English D...

((HT: Deadspin))

They're trying to figure out where these pictures of Lions savior Matthew Stafford were taken...

This one's our personal favorite...


Our journalistic dutires here at OSG HQ forced us to look in the mirror and ask the following question after perusing the entire sequence...

"Which one of these ladies is his girlfriend...???"

Our money's on the blonde...
Carry on...

Cutler Completion To Stafford= NCAA Violation

((HT: Athens Banner-Herald/Marc Weiszer))

Georgia self-reported eight NCAA secondary violations - four involving the football program - during the first six months of 2009, including one that came after a tip from the NFL Players Association led the school to discover that four players got complimentary tickets to an Atlanta Falcons game.

The NFLPA had concerns that agents had been inappropriately contacting a Georgia draft prospect, according to a copy of a letter sent by Georgia to Southeastern Conference Commissioner Mike Slive and obtained through an open records request.

The Georgia's player's name was redacted by the school, which cited a federal student privacy law, but fullback Shaun Chapas said Wednesday that quarterback Matthew Stafford got complimentary tickets.

The player told Georgia officials he got four tickets from NFL quarterback Jay Cutler ((pictured, thanks NashvilleScene.com)) for a November game. Cutler was playing for the Denver Broncos at the time and is now with the Chicago Bears.

The Georgia player told athletic department officials that he had known Cutler since his junior year of high school and had maintained a relationship by phone and text messages. The player said he texted Cutler for tickets for the Broncos' Nov. 16 game at the Georgia Dome.

Stafford was the top overall pick in April's NFL draft by the Detroit Lions and signed for an NFL-record $41.7 million in guarantees.

The players that got tickets, valued at $40 each, donated that amount to the Boys and Girls Club of Athens.

"We had to pay the money back for the tickets, which is fine," Chapas said.

The NCAA defines a secondary violation as "isolated or inadvertent in nature," and providing only a "minimal" recruiting or competitive advantage.

Georgia listed the violation as being reported on Jan. 9, two days after Stafford and tailback Knowshon Moreno held a news conference to announce their entry into the draft. The letter to Slive was dated Dec. 10.

This spring, Georgia pushed for an NCAA rule change that would allow players to get tickets from NFL players instead of getting them under the table, but it was shot down by SEC schools. Georgia athletic director Damon Evans wanted current college players to be permitted to get tickets from friends that were former teammates.

"It failed mightily," Evans said at the SEC spring meetings in Destin, Fla. "I think they were looking at all of the unintended consequences that may come out of it."

The other football violations were for a non-coaching staff member attending a coaching clinic, a UGA booster phoning a recruit after signing day and a coach leaving a message for a recruit after another coach spoke with the recruit the previous day.

Among the violations in other sports:

► The softball team exceeded the NCAA maximum equivalency limit by distributing 12.45 scholarships.

The NCAA permits 12.0. The case was reported in June and is not yet resolved. Georgia's scholarship aid could be reduced to 11.1 as a penalty for a year.

► The women's basketball coaching staff provided an additional hotel room for a recruit's mother while the recruit and mother were on their way to campus for an official visit.

► A women's tennis player received a grant-in-aid for less than a one-year period against NCAA rules and a track and field recruit took an official visit without being added to the NCAA's eligibility center's Web site.

All have been resolved by the NCAA and SEC except for two that were reported in June.

Georgia's eight violations were down from 15 in the second half of 2008 and 14 in the first half.

"I think based on our coaches, how they're acting, our monitoring, that's a relatively low number, which is indicative of our coaches doing the right thing," said assistant athletic director for compliance Eric Baumgartner.

Matthew Stafford on "Letterman"

((HT: CBSSports/Worldwide Pants))

It was only a matter of time... Highland Park meets Central Park.
Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford gets to poke fun at himself courtesy of that David Letterman-guy...
Our personal favorite is Number 8...

We guarantee that Matthew is asking, "Who in the hell is Larry Hagman...?"
It's this guy...
((HT: CBS/Lorimar))

We Mock...the Draft That is...

Because pretty much everyone who has a blog, website, opinion or otherwise has created a "Mock Draft" in anticipation of April 25th's NFL Draft; we here at OSG World Headquarters feel that it is our obligation...no, our duty to provide you, the reader...with the same half-assed nonsensical guessing that people such as Mel Kiper have made a career out of.

So, in the cynical spirit of the day, here's what we think will happen on Saturday (besides the other 972,364,412 other important things):

Picks in Order: (Unless there's a trade, but that never happens)

1. Detroit- Matthew Stafford QB, Georgia (Obvious. We have covered Stafford for his UGA football career. Matt will be a good pro football player. He could be a "Great" player in the right situation...however, this is probably not it.)

2. St. Louis- Eugene Monroe OT, Virginia (The Rams need help everywhere...an O-Lineman will start the process)

3. Kansas City- Aaron Curry LB, Wake Forest (He's the best of the LB's...again, KC needs pretty much...well...just about everything)

4. Seattle- Mark Sanchez QB, USC (Dirty Sanchez is the pick...he sits for a year and watches Matt Hasselbeck get beat up...then he gets the keys to the car)

5. Cleveland- B.J Raji DL, Boston College (Don't be surprised if they pick a WR here...but they aren't known for being smart...your guess is as good as ours as to what they will do)

6. Cincinnati- Jason Smith OT, Baylor (Really he and Monroe are interchangeable. Whoever ends up here will suck. Most Bengal draft picks do)

7. Oakland- Andre Smith OT, Alabama (Fits the mold and plays a position that the Raiders actually need. But Al Davis is a senile fool...so who knows what they'll do)

8. Jacksonville- Michael Crabtree WR, Texas Tech (They desperately need him to be a star. They have no WR threats...on the roster...period)

9. Green Bay- Brian Orapko DE/LB, Texas (Why not? Though I've never actually heard of him. Others have projected that he is good)

10. San Francisco- Michael Oher OT, Mississippi (He's supposed to be good and Ole Miss was decent last year. Too bad the 49ers aren't good...or decent)

11. Buffalo- Brandon Pettigrew TE, Ok. State (Surprise...he is supposed to be good and nobody will see this coming. Somebody has to be there for Mr. T.O.)

12. Denver- Josh Freeman QB, Kansas St. (Why not? They gave away Whiny Bitch Cutler...and Kyle Orton won't be the answer. Again...this will shake things up)

13. Washington- Robert Ayers DE, Tennessee (Because there is nothing else stupid that they could do unless they trade up to get "Dirty")

14. New Orleans- Brian Cushing LB, USC (Not sure why so many USC LB's are here, but he'll be the 1st to go)

15. Houston- Aaron Maybin DE, Penn St. (Need pick, though I could think of...say a QB or RB or a few other positions that need shoring up here)

16. San Diego- Chris Wells RB, Ohio St. (Somebody has to replace L.T. Why they paid Darren Sproles a ton of money, we don't know. Michael Turner would've been perfect...oh wait...he's in Atlanta)

17. N.Y Jets- Jeremy Maclin WR, Missouri (They'll pick offense. The QB they want will be gone. They'll live with the moronic decision to sign the Favre last year. They'll pay for that for a while)

18. Denver- Tyson Jackson DE, LSU (They've sucked on "D" for years, they'll try and fix it)

19. Tampa Bay- Peria Jerry DT, Mississippi (No Monty Kiffin, no Derrick Brooks...whatever will they do? Try and fix the Defense first...then undo Chucky's damage on offense)

20. Detroit- Everette Brown DE, FSU (Another part to a difficult puzzle. Good thing they have lots of picks this year...right?)

21. Philadelphia- Knowshon Moreno RB, Georgia (They'll like him in Philly. He's going to be a good pro. Plus he'll be close to his New Jersey home)

22. Minnesota- Percy Harvin WR, Florida (They desperately need someone other than Adrian Peterson who is capable of making a play)

23. New England- Malcom Jenkins CB/S, Ohio State (A need pick. He falls into their laps. And then "The Belicheck laughed a hearty roar....ho...ho...ho")

24. Atlanta- Clay Mathews LB, USC (Another need. Don't be surprised if the Falcons trade this pick--you heard it here first)

25. Miami- Vontae Davis CB, Illinois (The Dolphins need defenders...they need a few other things, but this will be a good start)

26. Baltimore- Ray Maulaugua LB, USC (The heir apparent to Ray Lewis)

27. Indianapolis- Darrius Heyward-Bey WR, Maryland (I don't know why...yeah he's fast...so are a lot of guys. The Colts do need WR help though...and Peyton may make him better)

28. Buffalo- Eben Britton OT, Arizona (Again...never heard of him, but Todd McShay says he'll be picked here and by god...that's good enough for me)

29. NY Giants- Kenny Britt WR, Rutgers (Need to replace Plexi-glass...and this guy played down the street. Why not?)

30. Tennessee- Hakeem Nicks WR, North Carolina (Wow! They pick a WR! Maybe they'll play offense this year)

31. Arizona- Donald Brown RB, UConn (Need pick. The Edge doesn't have much left, Tim Hightower...not so good. They don't however hand off much...do they?)

32. Pittsburgh- Darius Butler CB, UConn (With so many picks, how come UConn wasn't better? Another need for a team that doesn't need much)

((nfl logo courtesy: NFL/please don't sue us))

((Matthew Stafford photo courtesy: dawgsports.com))

Matt Stafford Can Hit Moving Targets Other Than People

((HT: NBC/Late Night with Jimmy Fallon))

All we can say is:
This is confirmation that Georgia QB Matthew Stafford will be the Number One pick in the NFL Draft in a week.
The guy popped a 38 on the Wunderlic, and the Media Tour is well underway.

Evidence below:

Vinnie Chase goes to the League

Sanchez Declares...

Well, one of the last to decide, USC Quarterback Mark Sanchez has officially made his decision. I'm not sure we can say he's "Going Pro" because he played at USC, but he has declared his intention to play in the NFL.

Check out USA today here

And the Seattle PI here

And Sporting News.com here

Sanchez, who bears an uncanny resemblence to the Adrian Grenier character on the HBO Show Entourage, will be the "Other" big name Quarterback in this years draft along with Georgia's Matthew Stafford. Sanchez, according to mulitple scouting reports, is "Uncannily" accurate and a good leader. The question is his arm strength. Still, expect to see him drafted by someone in the first round, particualrly after this past NFL season where Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco had a ton of success as rookies.

((sanchez photo courtesy of Nick Ut/Associated Press))

((adrien grenier photo courtesy of splashnewsonline.com))

Your Stafford/Moreno Postgame

Here's how it went down in Athens, Georgia earlier Wednesday as both University of Georgia QB Matthew Stafford and tailback Knowshon Moreno declared their intention to go professional and leave the college ranks and the SEC grind behind.

We defer our sound to the Big Guy, Frank Sulkowski, and his merry band of folks at ABC 22/Fox 28 in Savannah, Georgia. You get bonus coverage of local stuff as well, but you know, family first... hey, he's famous and all that...

((HT: thecoastalsource.com))

Dogs Gone

Thanks for Playing...

It looks like the Georgia Bulldogs will line up with new starters at both Quarterback and Running Back for the 2009 season. Multiple reports say that both Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno will be announcing there intention to turn pro later this afternoon (Wednesday).

The Atlanta Journal Constitution isn't real specific, but there story is here

Mark Schalbach of the 4-Letter word is a little more specific here

Big Loss...

Losing these two will be tough on a team that was one of 2008's biggest underachievers. There isn't a whole lot behind Stafford or Moreno on the Bulldogs roster. The starting Quarterback for 2009 will probably be Stafford's backup the past 3 seasons, Joe Cox. However, Cox is probably just a placeholder as the Dawgs have one of the nations highest rated High School Quarterbacks, Aaron Murray of Tampa Plant High School on the way.

Replacing Moreno may be tougher. Caleb King was thought to be the heir apparent, but struggled when he got opportunities in '08. Richard Samuel showed some potential, but had trouble holding onto the ball. Entering the picture this season will be highly sought recruit Washaun Ealey, who broke Herschel Walker's high school rushing record in the state of Georgia. But Ealey played in 1-A football in High School and may not be ready for the quick transition.

Having interviewed both Stafford and Moreno numerous times in the past few years, they are both really well-grounded kids who should do well in the pro's. We wish them luck. As for the Bulldogs, well...it should be interesting. Mark Richt has always done a good job winning with whoever he has, the 2009 season may be his biggest challenge yet.

Attending a Funeral

'Bama is Back

Well, like it or not, Nick Satan...I mean Saban has crafted another winner. I got to take part of the Alabama/Georgia massacre Saturday night and let me tell you something; this game was never close.

(photos courtesy of Me)

Big, Fast and Nasty

This game was over pretty much in the first 5 minutes. Alabama got the ball and with the help of a Georgia late hit on the Quarterback penalty, went right down the field and scored. It wasn't really that the Tide had a great offense with tremendous skill guys; rather the O-Line was huge and opened holes at will for Glen Coffee and Mark Ingram. Combine that with John Parker Wilson hitting passes to open receivers and well, you know where I'm going.

Defensively wasn't much different. The Alabama D harassed Matthew Stafford for most of the game and so overpowered the young Georgia line that Knowshon Moreno had nowhere to go. Stafford warmed up a bit in the second half, but after taking a hit on a strange play where he ran a sweep, was hit and his head bounced off of the turf was loopy and not much of a factor.

Swapping places

This weeks AP Poll is already out. With all the chaos this week; Southern Cal, Florida and Georgia all losing, we've got a new number one. That would be Oklahoma and look who is 2nd. Scary as it may be, they are mostly freshman and sophomores, it is none other than the Crimson Tide of Alabama.