Women's Soccer vs. Stony Brook LIVE

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Women's Lacrosse vs. North Carolina

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ACC Power Rankings - Football

So if you didn't know, the Atlantic Coast Conference did not have it's way this past weekend with two teams losing to FCS teams and others not doing well either. From this week on, I will be rolling out my own ACC Power Rankings regarding football. Also look for other ACC power rankings in the future (men's and women's soccer).

1. Virginia Tech - Despite losing to Alabama over the weekend, the Hokies get the nod as the top ACC football team so far. Virginia Tech played good enough to be winning heading into the fourth quarter, but the wheels came off shortly after. The Crimson Tide scored 14 points in the final quarter and looked as one of the nation's top teams.

2. Georgia Tech - The Yellow Jackets pummeled Jacksonville State, 37-17. Jonathan Dwyer and Josh Nesbitt each had more than 90 yards rushing combining for three touchdowns. Dwyer is easily the conference's best running back and will be tough to stop throughout the season.

3. Miami - Stunning state-rival Florida State on Monday earned the Hurricanes a No. 20 ranking in this week's poll. Quarterback Jacory Harris played phenomenally as he dissected the Seminoles' defense. If they can win two of their next three games (Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma) look out.

4. Florida State - After beginning the season in the top 25, the Seminoles have dropped out after losing a heart breaker to Miami at home. The Seminoles get a breather in Jacksonville State, before a statement game against BYU. Christian Ponder will be a difference maker on this team.

5. North Carolina - The Tar Heels have three preparation games, including this past Saturday's 40-7 win over The Citadel, before the bulk of their schedule strength begins. Ranked No. 19 in the country, North Carolina has yet to garner respect as a competitive ACC team.

6. Clemson - The Tigers were able to dismantle Middle Tennessee State with a 37-14 victory on Saturday, but missed star CJ Spiller in the second half due to an injury. He should return next week against Georgia Tech, which will help Clemson immensely with his speed, highlighted by a 97-yard kickoff return touchdown.

7. Boston College - The Eagles were supposed to have a rough year of transition with an off-season of turmoil, but Saturday did not show it. Their 54-0 beating of Northeastern may point to positive signs for this team and first year head coach Frank Spaziani.

8. North Carolina State -Ugly. A word that describes the Wolfpack's offense fairly eloquently. Scoring only three points in their season opener against South Carolina, N.C. State seemingly has many problems. Sophomore quarterback Russell Wilson showed no poise en route to an under 100 yard passing performance.

9. Wake Forest - The Demon Decons struggled Saturday against Big 12-foe Baylor to begin the year with a loss. Quarterback Riley Skinner tossed three interceptions to go along with his two touchdowns. This may be a difficult year for Wake Forest.

10. Maryland - 52-13. This is where the ACC continues to show diminished hope for this season. After being upset last season at Byrd Stadium, California got their revenge in the biggest of ways defeating the Terps in every way possible. Maryland has two mediocre opponents in James Madison and Middle Tennessee State at home up next. They will need to win both if they expect to contend for a bowl.

11. Virgina - The Cavaliers flat out got embarrassed on Saturday against FCS opponent William & Mary. In the 26-14 loss, quarterback Jameel Sewell threw for only 80 yards while William & Mary picked apart the defense.

12. Duke - The second of two ACC teams to lose to FCS opponents this weekend. This can't be to the surprise of many, but to those who believed Duke was in store for a bowl year it may have been. The Blue Devils were handed a home opening loss to Richmond, 24-16.

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American League West Preview

It has been a while since the last post. But not to worry - I am back and ready to roll. The next few days I will be cranking out previews for each of the divisions in the American and National Leagues. And without further ado: The AL West.

LA Angels: I think the Angels lost too much this season to make another run at the World Series. Losing K-Rod and Mark Teixeira was huge. Vladimir Guerrero is getting too old and Bobby Abreu has struggled ever since his days started with the Yankees. Napoli is a solid catcher and Howie Kendrick is good, but this team just doesn’t have enough to keep up with the AL East.

Oakland A’s: The Athletics revamped their team over the offseason and look to be contenders. I like their additions of Orlando Cabrera and Matt Holliday. Jack Cust is a solid player. Jason Giambi could be a great contributor now that he has escaped the confines of the New York City. Also, I have to love Nomar Garciaparra coming off of the bench.

Texas Rangers: I absolutely love the Rangers’ lineup. Kinsler, Young, Hamilton, Blalock, Saltalamacchia are all great young hitters with a ton of potential. The Rangers need to find an answer for pitching. Millwood, Padilla and Benson are not the answers they need to start their rotation off and ultimately win games.

Seattle Mariners: I like Erick Bedard being back and healthy, I think he will finally be what the Mariners were hoping he would. They need Felix Hernadez to finally establish himself as a go-to No. 1. Ken Griffey Jr. will be a good addition, but the Mariners just don’t have enough talent.

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Best Week in Big D Since 1996

FINALLY. The Cowboys not only dropped Terrell Owens, finally, but dropped Roy L. Williams as well. Many Cowboys fans had recently been pondering whether or not Jerry Jones still had any brain cells left after a series of risky and rash decisions. As the start of a new era in Dallas, this week has immense impact on the team as a whole and the chemistry of the team. Now after 2 1/2 seasons, Tony Romo finally has the chance to develop into the next Troy Aikman that the Cowboys are looking for him to be.

Since 2002, when Roy Williams was drafted, the Cowboys' defense has struggled in giving up the big play quite frequently. Williams, as good of a hitter as he is, is probably the worst cover safety in the game today. Simply put, he is just plain atrocious. There is no question that Williams has skill and will certainly be a good addition to many defenses around the league. However, it was time for him to move along from Dallas.

His absence however, may be bittersweet. Recently, the Cowboys shipped starting CB Anthony Henry to the Detroit Lions for QB Jon Kitna as Romo's veteran back-up. So now that leaves two big holes in a secondary last year that battled with injuries the whole season. First of all, SS is a hole that was filled this past season by Keith Davis when Williams was put on IR with an injured forearm. However, at the end of the season, Davis suffered an MCL sprain and injured his shoulder, yet played through the injuries. The question there is whether Davis will be able to stay healthy throughout the entire season. Most likely he'll be just fine yet he needs a backup. So there is a hole at the SS position.

Then the CB hole. Henry was the starter that the Cowboys could lean on to cover the best receiver on the opposition. Newman will be back and hopefully can stay healthy this season to take back that role. However, that leaves an opening at the other corner. Now, the Cowboys have two young CB's who are skilled players in Orlando Scandrick and Mike Jenkins, however, both are young. That is putting a great deal of pressure on the youngsters to take over a starting role in the first few years of their careers. So there is the possibilty of a hole there.

And now to the offensive side of the ball. Although T.O. has a replacement in Roy. E. Williams (now he doesn't need the initial anymore!!) the offense is lacking a great slot receiver. Crayton can be the #2 receiver and Miles Austin is a solid #3 but a great slot receiver could add another aspect to the offense that will trip up defenses across the league. So that is another hole that could use some work.

So there are three major holes that need some work, whether through the upcoming draft or through free agency. Having just drafted a CB in the first round of last year's draft, it might be difficult to do the same thing again. Also, there are other holes that need some support as well. So Jones has an interesting few months t figure things out for himself and for his team. Because it has been 12 years since the last Dallas Super Bowl win and it has always been a source of pride for Cowboys fans to have the most Super Bowl titles, which now falls in the hands of the Steelers.

But Hallelujah Jerry. Finally, you have done something to take this team in the direction it needs to go in order to win a championship agian. Heck, maybe even a playoff game in general.

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Terrell Owens Cut by the Cowboys

In breaking news reported by ESPN.com's Michael Smith late Wednesday night, the Dallas Cowboys released their star, and often controversial, wide receiver, Terrell Owens.

Owens had been with the Cowboys for three seasons. In 47 games with Dallas, Owens registered over 3500 yards and 38 touchdowns. He has had over 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns in each of the three seasons as a Cowboy.

But his legacy in Dallas, like in San Francisco and Philadelphia, will be more judged on his downfalls than his accomplishments.

The 6'3", 13-year veteran is part of the long list of older players that have been cut this off season. He joins the likes of Marvin Harrison of Indianapolis, Fred Taylor of Jacksonville, and Derrick Brooks of Tampa Bay. The difference between Owens and these players are the reasons he was cut.

Owens was not cut to shore up money problems and save cap space. Owens was cut, instead, to save the team chemistry and allow quarterback Tony Romo to develop as a team leader.

After not getting along with former teammates Jeff Garcia and Donovan McNabb, Owens seemed to have found his match when he teamed up with Romo. The two formed a seemingly unbreakable bond, that was publicly broken this past season. Owens claimed that Romo was creating plays with tight end Jason Whitten behind closed doors. He felt that he should be the primary receiver and, therefore, see the ball more. Statistics showed that Owens actually received the ball more than any other teammates.

"There are several decisions on our roster we have to look at," Jones said at the time. "This is the time of year we do that. I'm not trying to be trite, but as you all know we're evaluating players in college, we're evaluating free agents and we're evaluating our own roster. This is an ongoing thing, not any different than this time last year."

As for the Cowboys, the loss of Owens will certainly hurt the offense. Dallas does currently have some options at wide receiver, but may be looking to pick up someone in the draft or through free agency.

Their current wide receivers:
Patrick Crayton
Roy E. Williams
Miles Austin
Issiah Stanback

Williams can be a solid No. 1 receiver, while Crayton is not shabby at No. 2. What the Cowboys need is a quick slot receiver, ala Percy Harvin of Florida.

Now onto Owens, who seems to have limited options. He is one of the most physically dominant receivers in the game and still seems to have a little in the tank. The huge hindrance against Owens is his brash personality, the reason why this topic has even come into question.

The Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers all come to mind looking for receivers.

Owens may find problems, as his expectations will be high when looking for a team: A playoff contender, a decent quarterback, and finally money.

The Cowboys paid Owens a $12 million signing bonus just last year, included as part of a new four-year, $34 million deal.

When this mess gets sorted out there will be a distinct winner and loser in this transaction:

WINNER - Dallas Cowboys
LOSER - Terrell Owens

The voices of Dallas Cowboy fans across the nation can be heard simultaneously rejoicing at this very moment.

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Heyward-Bey has strong showing at combine

Former-Maryland wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey was in Indianapolis over the weekend to participate in the 2009 NFL Draft Combine along with many fellow players.

Heyward-Bey had the fastest offensive 40-time, breezing though in 4.30 seconds. He also finished ninth among receivers in the bench press by lifting 225 pounds 16 times. Finally, he finished in the top 5 in the vertical jump (38.5 inches) and broad jump (10 feet, 6 inches).

The Terp standout seemingly has secured 1st round status among the elite receivers in the draft. Many draft experts like Todd McShay and Mel Kiper list Heyward-Bey as the 4th best receiver in the draft. Here are the guys he is behind:

1) Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech - Without a doubt the best receiver prospect in this draft in a longshot, despite the depth. Last year, he was named the Biletnikoff Award winner for the second consecutive season. He had over 1,800 yards receiving and 21 touchdowns two years ago. Crabtree has awareness of his surroundings, very elusive, and can snatch the ball out of the air whenever. He rarely drops a catch that he should make. He reads defense and understands his routes. At 6'2", Crabtree is a match up nightmare at times.

2) Jeremy Maclin, Missouri -Maclin hauled in 13 touchdowns and over 1,200 yards last season for the Tigers as their go-to threat. At 6'0", 200 pounds, Maclin has adequate size for an NFL wideout. What stands out to most, though, is Maclin's breakaway speed. He has great instincts and knowledge for breaking away from tackles. He jumps of the line very fast and isn't afraid to go across the middle. Maclin did, however, a season-ending knee injury in June of 2006.

3) Percy Harvin, Florida - At 5'10", Harvin does not present an intimating build whatsoever compared to his fellow receivers, but he presents explosiveness that trumps all. He had over 600 receiving yards with 7 touchdowns and then got 70 carries, over 600 yards, and 10 touchdowns on the ground last season for the Gators. Harvin has crisp route-running and has rare breakaway speed like Chicago's Devin Hester. The biggest knock on Harvin is his combination of size and durability: Has missed practice time with a hip pointer, tendinitis in knee and tendinitis in Achilles tendon, as well as heel surgery and ankle problems.

4) Darrius Heyward-Bey, Maryland - On the surface, Heyward-Bey presents the ultimate package for a wide receiver: possessing prototypical height, prototypical bulk and elite top-end speed. He is willing to go over the middle and up top in order to grab a pass. He is, however, an unpolished route runner and hasn't garnered enough elusive talents, despite his speed. At Maryland, he failed to catch many balls that he should have. In 2008, he had over 600 yards receiving and 5 touchdowns, as he failed to get the ball enough.

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