Jets Titans Recap-By T.J.Rosenthal contributing writer Football Reporters Online

THE JET EXPRESS ROLLS 24-17: THE TITANS ARE THE LATEST VICTIM-By T.J. Rosenthal contributing writer
Football Reporters Online

The Jet express is rolling. Sunday's come from behind 24-17 win against the desperate Tennessee Titans in front of another frenzied home crowd passed two tests. First, the Jets  defied a trap game that had LETDOWN written all over it.. Second, they weathered their first real mistake laden storm that saw a 14-0 lead turn into a 17-14 deficit. Rookie QB Mark Sanchez responded to his own careless stretch to help the Jets regain the lead late in the 3rd after a crucial Tennessee muffed punt.  The fumble and ensuing Jet TD became the momentum change of a game that from that point on, saw the Jets never looked back. 

In week one, the mighty Texan offense was smothered. In week two Tom Brady was baffled. Sunday, the Titans were in the end, outmuscled. The 24-17 win sets up a week 4, marquee matchup  with Drew Brees and the 3-0 Saints. THAT however, will be then. THIS, is now. Now, means enjoying a hard fought victory against a team with the number one rushing defense and one of the  leagues top RB in the dangerous Chris Johnson. The Titans become the latest victim for a Jet team that few  envisioned would be in the AFC East drivers seat so soon in the Rex Ryan era. 

The old AFL  rivals, both in their vintage wear ( Jets in their ugly blue 1960 NY Titans  gear and the Titans in their "Luv Ya Blue" Houston Oilers uniforms. Houston being where the franchise originated from) took to the field in a tale of two cities. The Titans, 13-3 in 2008 came to the Meadowlands  0-2 and in desperate need of a win after losses in OT to the world champion Steelers and the high powered Texans in a wild shootout in week two. The Jets came in to the contest 2-0 and riding high after knocking off the despised Pats at home for the first time in a decade.

The Jets wasted no time in proving to the home crowd and to themselves, that coming out flat would NOT be part of the equation. A balanced and controlled opening drive highlighted by throws from Sanchez to Dustin Keller and Jerricho Cotchery led to a gutty TD. Sanchez ran 14 yards for in the score thanks to a nasty head on collision with the Titans Michael Griffin at the goal line. Stretching the ball over before it was knocked loose, the play symbolized the new Jet toughness. It furthered the notion of Sanchez as a leader perhaps beyond his years. The 7-0 lead was also a great start that was about to get better. 

On the ensuing kickoff, Jets Special teamer Jason Trusnick delivered a jarring hit on Ryan Mouton setting the ball free. The Jets recovered and suddenly were in position to go up two scores. On third and goal from the four, a pretty play action by Sanchez to a diving decoy RB Thomas Jones action left back up TE Ben Hartstock all alone. Sanchez's short toss and Hartstock's catch made it 14-0. The Titans offense hadn't taken the field yet. The Jet defense came out strong as well, pressuring veteran QB Kerry Collins and leaving Chris Johnson (197 yds in week two)  with little room to find big runs. After one ,the Jets were in control on the scoreboard and emotionally, 14-0.

The second quarter did not follow the same script as the first. The well coached Titans settled down after the initial firestorm, and began to close in on Sanchez. Finally they got to him, stripping the rookie QB of the ball, and the Jets, of control of the game. Putting together a solid drive of their own off the turnover, QB Kerry Collins got hot with accurate throws under pressure and tight coverage. Then bruising RB Lendale White entered the stage. Taking the ball from the Jet 6 White bounced his way of off a plethora of hits like a pinball for the first TD scored on Gang Green's D in 2009. 7:24 to go in the half Jets 14 Titans 7. The Titans were back in the game.

Sanchez then continued to struggle , with balls now slipping from his hand on throws in the falling rain. Other tosses missed their target. Meanwhile the Jets ground game of Jones and home run threat Leon Washington , for the third straight week, had trouble establishing itself early on. A Rob Bironas FG with 4:38 left cut the Jet lead to 14-10. The half ended that way and as both clubs hit the tunnel. It was now the Titans who now owned the momentum.

Jeff Fishers club rode this momentum to a 17-14 lead four minutes into the third.  thanks to former Steeler speedster Nate Washington's 9 yard TD catch from Collins. As the 3rd wound down, the Jets were slowly becoming in danger of entering the 4th trailing a team with a two headed ground churning monster. Johnson and White, thanks to a succession of Jet three and outs, were now becoming a threat. A Titan pair that moved chains and ran out clocks out on a regular basis in '08. 

 Another 4th down punt by Steve Weatherford from the Jet 40, was to send to the ball back to Tennessee, up 3 and looking for more. Instead , a muffed punt, again by Ryan Mouton gave the Jets the mouth to mouth resucitation their offense needed. The turnover was the turning point of the game.The Jets early on in 2009 have become sound at capitalizing on opportunites. They didn't let this chance pass by either. A key throw from Sanchez to Jerricho Cotchery left the Jets on the 3. Cotchery was called on again holding onto a 6 yard slant thrown like a bullet by Sanchez (17-30 171 yds 2 TDS) for the lead 21-17. Now it was the Jets who looked to roll out their defense for the kill as the 4th quarter began. End of three, JETS 21 TITANS 17.

The stadium was rocking again as the Jets stood 15 minutes away from their second straight home win against a top notch AFC team. Before they could go for the kill, the Jets needed to deliver the knock out punch. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer then dialed up the play. A bomb to Jerricho Cotchery. Sanchez faded back and threw a beautiful () yard  fade to Cotchery who made a difficult catch in tight coverage. The Jets were in the red zone. The drive stalled there. on third down, Sanchez, under pressure, rolled out and found FB Tony Richardson brielfy alone in the end zone. Fullbacks are not accustomed to working the sidelines and the high throw became a bit too much for Richardson to negotiate. Still, a clutch Jay Feely FG gave the Jets a 24-17 lead with 11:30 left.

Enter the Jet defense. Though Chris Johnson (22-97yds 0TD) broke free for a scary 30 yard run on the following drive, the march towards a tying score died there as pressure on Collins was turned up by Rex Ryan's crew(Collins missed his last thirteen throws of the game).The teams traded another pair of  three and outs  as the 4th reached the midway point. Former Raven, the dependable S Jim Leonard then returned a Titans punt to the Tennessee 40 as the Jets sought to ice it. On the follwoing play, Sanchez threw high to Chansi Stuckey and was intercepted by S Chris Hope. This thwarted a chance to leave the Titans for dead. 

Collins and Co. began the march downfield once again with under 7:00 to go,  as White and Johnson took it to the Jet 40. Run stopping mammoth NG Kris Jenkins then made a huge 1st down stop of Johnson; a 5 yard loss that forced the Titans into a long yardage situation. The situation  led  Collins to a  mistake. Unable to step into a throw due to a collapsing pocket, Collins was picked of by LB David Harris. This ended a drive that had the Ttians with their best field position since the early 3rd quarter. 4:13 left.

The Titans last gasp drive started with with no timeouts and just over two minutes left . After more pressure then a David Harris sack , a 4th down incompletion sailed harmlessly over Jet secondary's heads. Final score:JETS 24 TITANS 17

Soon  the J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS will head to New Orleans for a showdown with the high scoring Saints. A club whose offense regained its balance thanks to the return of starting RB Pierre Thomas. Something will have to give.  A high powered offense and a wild high flying shutdown defense.The showdown next week in the Big Easy is a marquee matchup thanks in part  to the Jets latest win over the Titans. For Gang Green, the confidence is growing. So is the win column. 2009 couldn't be off to a better start for Rex Ryan's Jets, perhaps the newest darlings of the NFL.

Giants Blank Bucs, Start 3-0 For Second Straight Year-By Jon Wagner Sr. writer at large-Football Reporters Online

Giants Blank Bucs, Start 3-0 For Second Straight Year-By Jon Wagner
Sr. writer at large-Football Reporters Online

In a game like this, little analysis is needed. The numbers speak for themselves:

First Downs: 27-5, New York Giants; none in the first forty minutes for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Total Net Yards: 397-86, in favor of the Giants.

To put those first two categories into perspective, the Giants, on the opening drive alone, of their game in Tampa Bay on Sunday, just about matched the Buccaneers’ offensive output for the entire contest.

The Giants started the game with five first downs during a 12-play, 80-yard drive which resulted in running back Brandon Jacobs’ first touchdown of the season, on a 6-yard run, giving the Giants a quick 7-0 lead, 6:55 into the game.

Considering what little the New York defense would allow the rest of the day, it was pretty much game over at that point.

Still, here’s a further look at the Giants’ numbers dominance:

Total Plays: Giants 76, Buccaneers 36.

Time Of Possession: Giants 43:38, Buccaneers 16:22.

Third Down Efficiency: Giants 10-for-16, Buccaneers 0-for-9.

And, the most important numbers for New York: a nice, crisp, 24-0 road victory, pushing the Giants’ 2009 start to a perfect 3-0, marking the first time the Giants have started a season with three straight wins in consecutive years since the 1993 and 1994 seasons.

As difficult as the Giants’ grueling, last-second two-point victory was in Dallas last week, that’s how easy New York got by Tampa Bay a week later.

In sharp contrast to the Giants’ win over the Cowboys, this was utter dominance at Raymond James Stadium, summed up very simply by Bucs’ first-year head coach Raheem Morris, who admitted to AP reporter Fred Goodall, “They beat us down… “We were beat by a grown-man team, a team we want to be like one day. They came in here and took it to us. Out-manned us, out-gunned us… It wasn’t even close.”

The NFL’s youngest head coach was also well aware of the aforementioned statistical disparity between his team and the Giants, telling Goodall, “You get five first downs and you’re 0-for-9 on third down. You have 86 yards total offense. It was completely disastrous.”
Tampa Bay (0-3), which blew its shot at the playoffs last season with an 0-4 December collapse, lost for the seventh straight game.

What made the Giants’ defensive performance particularly impressive was that Big Blue, despite being depleted and limited with injuries to several key players, completely shut down and dominated a Tampa Bay offense that averaged a more than respectable 20.5 points and 401.5 yards per game over the first two weeks of the season.

The Giants held the Bucs to just 58 passing yards (the fewest since they gave up 53 yards through the air against Atlanta, on November 9, 2003) while posting their first shutout since a 36-0 rout of Washington at home, on October 30, 2005. New York also recorded their first game on the road without allowing a point since a 23-0 win at Philadelphia on November 20, 1983.
Giants’ head coach Tom Coughlin was happy with his defensive unit’s effort, saying “I was pleased with their energy, the way that they played, the way that they focused, their purpose… the fact that they took the challenge and really wanted to go and prove against a team that rushed for 174 against Dallas that we could stop the run. I thought the approach was really good. The leadership was strong… the energy that they showed from snap to snap, I thought all that was good.”

Meanwhile, the Giants, who entered the game averaging a decent (but not great) 100 yards rushing per game, broke out with 226 yards on the ground, led by running backs Ahmad Bradshaw (104 yards on 14 carries) and Brandon Jacobs (26 rushes for 92 yards), each of whom continually broke initial first tackles to gain additional yardage.

“I thought Bradshaw did a nice job,” Coughlin said. “He got hit, spun, got himself north again. He was able to do that on a number of occasions. Brandon did a nice job on some of the runs of just taking the pile and moving it… a lot of times [there were] two, three, four guys that he was able to move.”

While Bradshaw, in a larger role this season, was complimenting Jacobs very well, Bucs’ running back Derrick Ward, who teamed with Jacobs to give the Giants a pair of 1,000-yard rushers last year, was held to just 2 yards on 5 carries against his former team, after leaving the Giants as a free agent in the offseason.

While the Giants’ ground attack keyed their offense, it was a combination of their rushing and an effective passing game led by Eli Manning (14 of 24 for 161 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions) which helped the G-Men to three different twelve-play scoring drives, while controlling the ball for their highest time of possession since October 29, 2000, when they had the ball against Philadelphia for just three seconds longer (43:41) than they did on Sunday.

Leading the NFC East by a game over both Philadelphia and Dallas, the Giants will finish up the third and final game of their longest road trip of the season, next Sunday at 1pm EST, at Kansas City (0-3), which began a four-week stretch of playing the entire NFC East with a 34-14 loss at Philadelphia on Sunday.

Mark Sanchez v. Matt Stafford - who's better? Take the poll

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At the 2009 NFL Draft I met and was impressed with both USC's Mark Sanchez, and Georgia's Matt Stafford. Now Stafford was selected by the Detroit Lions as the first pick in the 1st round and at the top of many draft charts; Sanchez was projected by some to go as low as the 2nd round of the draft but he was chosen in the 1st round as the fifth pick by the New York Jets. Here's my interviews with both Mark Sanchez and Matt Stafford:

Mark Sanchez:



Matt Stafford:



Since they were picked, both experienced the shock and dream-come-true at the same time of being named the starting quarterback. But even in preseason it was obvious Mark Sanchez was something special, playing with cool, confidence, and poise, even when the vaunted Baltimore Ravens defense gave him a challenge he's not going to forget.

As the NY Jets' regular season starter, Mark Sanchez has thrown for 4 touchdowns, 2 interceptions and 606 yards for an 87.7 passer rating.

By contrast Matt Stafford has thrown for 598 yards, 2 touchdowns and 5 interceptions for a passer rating of 57.

Ok. So, who's better? Well, Sanchez because of his passer rating, right? Well, hold on. They play in different systems and the Jets defense is much better than that for the Lions. But Stafford and the Lions are getting better: Stafford posted an 87 passer rating in the win against the Washington Redskins last Sunday, with 241 yards and one touchdown.

Will this position hold? Is Sanchez just the better of the two, or will Stafford settle in, be the beneficiary of better play calling, and catch up to Sanchez? You decide below, in a poll that will be ran through the rest of the season.

More fun polls on pollsb.com

Tucson Arizona school discipline policy is not racist; Alan Keyes is right.

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As much as I pick on him, I'm not blind to the possibility that African American conservative Alan Keyes will issue a point of view I might agree with. This is one of those times I do: The Tucson, Arizona school discipline and race issue.


Alan Keyes may be a birther, but he can be right..

This all started when a columnist Doug MacEachern of the Arizona Republic, claimed that Tuscon schools were implementing a policy that was "two-tired": one for black students, and the other for other ethnic groups. He got that idea from this:

With the goal of creating a "restorative school culture and climate" that conveys a "sense of belonging to all students," the board is insisting that its schools reduce its suspensions and/or expulsions of minority students to the point that the data reflect "no ethnic/racial disparities."

Personally I think that's a praiseworthy objective and so does Alan Keyes. But where I take issue with Keyes is that this is not a "liberal" or "conservative" argument.

Keyes may wish to frame it as such, but I'm liberal and agree with the policy. It reminds me of Gates and Crowley all over again, where one as a police officer tends to give a pass to whites persons over people of color, as I discussed here:



What the Tucson school minders say is their current climate is "two-tired" and this new policy will change that. In other words, black students are more harshly punished for the same offenses that white students in particular may comment. A fair person would agree that should not stand.

Where some are really confused is that in order to make sure that a system is not being racist, how people are treated based on race must be analyzed. Seems logical ,but that escapes a lot of people on both sides of the political fence. One of those is Arizona State Superintendent of Schools Tom Horne, who thinks race should not be mentioned in the matter.

Tom Horne

That's crazy.

Alan Keyes and Tom Horne and Doug MacEachern don't look at the problem from a perspective of policy analysis: is the current school system fair in its treatment of all people? The Tuscon school execs, led by Superintendent Elizabeth Celania-Fagen, determined that it wasn't and worked to change that. A move that should be applauded by liberals and conservatives.

The bottom line is a "color-blind" society is not only an impossible achievement, it's silly. Part of who we are is our ethnicity. What we must learn to do, and make sure young people know how to do, is to be curious about and appreciative of such differences and not use them to punish one another.

Jimmy Carter 's right: White Nationalists taking over Conservative America

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Jimmy Carter was right. It was bound to happen. The combination of the weak economy, the Internet, and the election of Barack Obama as America's first African American president have come together to cause the Republican party and Conservatives to be influenced by white supremacists and white nationalists. I call them the "Confederate-flag-waving conservatives."

(And I don't for one minute think that black nationalists – or Asian nationalists or Latino nationalist or Whatever nationalists - are any more tolerable and certainly just as insane as those who happen to be white nationalists. The operative word for me is "yuck.")

Unlike their ilk of decades past, these racist activists don't always have sheets over their heads, or KKK t-shirts, or even salute Hitler (those guys are jailed). Yes, they do yell, most of the time. Yes, some of them fly the Confederate Flag from the back of their pickups driving through shopping center parking lots.

Look, for those who need a history lesson, the Confederate Flag is a historic symbol of the support of black slavery. OK?

(And for the record, Rep. Joe Wilson, who's "You Lie!" comment to President Obama set off a new conversation on race and politics, did argue for the right to fly the confederate flag, in fact, in 2000 he said "the Confederate heritage is very honorable" and he has not taken back his statements. Rep. Joe Wilson should clarify them; it's possible to fly the flag and not be racist, but that's a rare breed of person from my personal experience.)

Yes, they do include "birthers", tea-baggers, and wingnut fringe types, but not Alan Keyes because even though he's conservative, to those folks he's just another black guy who they don't take seriously.

I can't believe 21st century America has people like that on its shores, but they walk among us. They're the people who send emails of watermelons planted at the White House. The ones who place "black face" photos of President Obama in the succession of pictures of presidents. The sad sacks who make doctored pictures of Obama as a spear-carrying witch doctor. The radio talk show hosts who commonly use unfavorable stories involving blacks to insight white anger. And those who say anyone who accuses them of being racist, is racist; thinking that old trick's going to curb scrutiny of their actions.

The Top-10 dumb lines of Confederate-flag-waving conservatives

These types aren't policy wonks and act more like the cyborgs called "The Borg" in Star Trek TNG. It doesn't matter where I go: an airplane or on the street for that matter, I hear the same line from Confederate-flag-waving conservatives again and again when politics is the subject (maybe this is you). The Top-10 dumb lines of Confederate-flag-waving conservatives:

1.First, I'm a Conservative. (I didn't ask.)
2.I believe in small government (I didn't ask that either, but the idea's batcrap stupid. Government is more than the federal level – its federal, state, and local and of a size that reflects our democracy.)
3.We're in trouble because the wrong people got housing loans. (This sends me through the roof. Who the heck's the "wrong person" and why are you the right one? And do you realize that without a job a person can't pay any kind of loan? So what is the problem then, Huh? Huh? Huh? Duh!)
4.Illegal aliens are taking over America. (First, I didn't ask that either. Second, which ones? The Latinos you're thinking of or the sexy blonde Irish waitress you hit on? When I ask that the answers is always silence because the person never stopped to think that people comes from all parts of the World to be American, and well, it's OK to be a pretty blonde Irish waitress and an illegal alien. )
5.Obama's socialist. (I didn't ask that either. Plus, when I explain how much government's a part of our lives, I get silence on that too. What's really annoying is these so-called conservatives – but are really political racists – show how little they understand about their own country's political economy. It's tragically silly and almost as bad as the percentage of young people surveyed in Oklahoma who don't know who our first president was.)
6.Obama's not American. (I didn't ask that either and by this time you've either driven me to drink scotch-on-the-rocks if I'm on a plane or looking for a way to escape your company if I can.)
7.Rush Limbaugh, Lou Dobbs and Glenn Beck are right. (About what? Again, I really didn't ask and have presented my views in my videos. I hate repeating myself. Plus, by this time, I'm so enjoying the scotch with my salmon-spinach-and-rice dinner I'll listen to anything, even you.)
8.There are "good black people" like Colin Powell. (Again, I didn't ask and if I'm on a plane, I'm asleep by this point, accept to mutter that Powell endorsed Obama for President. The assumption is that every white person is good, but one has to find a good black person. Plus, this is said to a good black person. Me. As I'm trying to sleep. With the scotch and food putting me under.)
9.Asians are the model minority. (I really didn't ask and didn't realize I was on earth to be in a "model minority" contest. Let me sleep.)
10.The "Jews" have our money. (Now, I'm asleep and really pissed off with you for four reasons: the comment, your interruption of my sleep, the fact that my last name is Jewish, and that I've dated a few Jewish women. And that comment was actually said to me and posted on my Facebook page.)

The simple fact that I can list a common line of thinking from these conservative Confederate-flag-waving types is proof that America's school system is in the crapper and has been for some time. What in the world were they learning in school? How to get high? Such a constant, unwavering, thoughtless, uninformed, and race-based view is an attack on intelligent, detailed, critical thinking.

If Confederate-flag-waving conservatives are out of work, that stokes the fire which hardens their views. Right now, some of these folks are so far gone – so "mental" – I doubt they can be reasoned with. They must have someone to hate – someone who doesn't look like them. Our ever-more-well-integrated America gives them a lot of choices of color.

What's the future with these hate-mongers? Well, there's not a lot of them, so that's a good thing. It's just that Fox News does a good job of making them seem like a lot more people than the thousands that have time to dump good hard earned tea they bought with your tax dollars because so many of them are drawing unemployment! .

And on that, Fox News is becoming "wingnut central" for America. Having met some of the Fox News anchors, I know its all an act as they're cool, sane, and urbane, but sadly they've figured out that the Confederate-flag-waving conservatives provide ratings and entertainment for America. People who know Fox News is, well, off, tune in anyway just to witness the next level of craziness, then whine about it. I've not watched Fox News in about a year. I'm not missing a funny moment I can't see on YouTube.

The only hope we have is to get this economy moving. Got that President Obama? We need to produce millions of good manufacturing jobs for low-skilled workers, and give a $5,000 check to every American worker under $100,000 in income – I call it the taxpayer bailout.

That will get everyone, especially the Confederate-flag-waving conservatives, back to work. And you know, maybe when they're in those nice, integrated work places they'll slowly dump that racist mental garbage they accumulated over the years and actually think for a change.

Time will tell.

Meet Broke Ass Stuart of San Francisco

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Short on money? Trying to figure out how to make it in New York or San Francisco after having just lost your job? Want to find the best pizza slice for cheap? That's where Broke Ass Stuart comes in. I met him a while back when he was just getting his business going and now its become something of a small success, and he a micro-celebrity. But one thing's clear..

He's got a great idea.

"Who are we?" He asks. Then Stuart provides this manifesto:

We write for busboys, poets, social workers, students, artists, musicians, magicians, mathematicians, maniacs, yodelers and everyone else out there who wants to enjoy life not as a rich person, but as a real person. Namely, we write for you.

The website is geared toward living the cheap life. It has tips on everything from shopping to dating. For example, Stuart's section on "sex and dating" has the quirky perspective of a set of writers who've seen one too many off-the-wall dates.

There's "What Your Girl’s Male Celebrity Crushes Say About Them", next to What Your Dude’s Female Celebrity Crushes Say About Them, and both by Anna G, since no male Broke Ass writer has bothered (or is it dared) to take on the task of speaking up for the men of the Bay Area.

Then we have "Dating and Life Lessons from Mad Men’s Peggy Olson" and creatively presented by (again) AnnaG, who instructs women to...

Sleep with someone younger just for shits & giggles

Though you don’t have to act like an Ann Margaret-25-year-old-acting-like-a-14-year-old to do it, but generally, more often than not, it’s a totally fantastic idea to go to a bar, pick up a younger, hot dude and have a one-night stand on your own terms. Mention that you work on Madison Avenue if he wants to find you.

As you can see this is almost all in fun. The San Francisco section of the website lists events you can attend for free, or for a wee fee where noted.

Finally Stuart, who calls himself "The Editor in Cheap" features the "Broke Ass Of The Week", featuring Jesika Gorton as this week's winner. Who knows? Next week it could be you -- if we avoid the Tsunami. (Well, you, not me. I'm in Georgia.)

In all, "Broke Ass Stuart's goddamn website" is a fun take with some really good ideas for things-to-do roped in.

Spot.us - The future of American Journalism

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Spot.us is a San Francisco Bay Area-based, unique approach to the problem facing American Journalism: money. It's founder and now my friend David Cohn created the company to solve the problem of how to fund the work on an investigative journalist. After starting in a bootstrapped fashion, Dave received a good grant from the Knight Foundation to grow his media business.

What Spot.us does is act as a kind of clearing house for story ideas and their authors. One can go to the site and bid on whatever reporters concept is posted. Reporters can use it to raise money for their story project or projects.

At first there were only a handful of stories and video pitches at the site; now there are well over 200 of them by website count. That number reflects both the dire financial straights of journalism, especially in California, where Spot.us' stories are concentrated. But it also shows that there is money out there for those who have a story others feel is worthy of funding.

The base pledge level is $20 and many of the stories in "seeking funding" status have raised hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of dollars. No, one can't consistently make their monthly rent from Spot.us but the service, coupled with other online-generated income, could give a savvy reporter a decent living, even in the Bay Area. Moreover, the reporter would be covering stories they value and not someone's media company.

One example of a story in search of money is a project on Google, called "Questions of Privacy Around Google Book Search." Eric Klien, the reporter who works for KPFA in Berkeley, writes:

Google's bid to digitize millions of books, to be searched, read and purchased online has drawn fire from the publishing industry. Less well known are the serious concerns of privacy advocates that the project represents...A coalition of authors and publishers – including best-sellers Michael Chabon and Jonathan Lethem is urging a federal judge to reject the proposed settlement in a lawsuit over Google Book Search, arguing that the sweeping agreement to digitize millions of books ignores critical privacy and speech rights for readers and writers. The group filed an objection to the settlement Septemeber 8....I plan to explain this somewhat geeky, internet privacy issue as compelling radio story, with passionate and intelligent voices.

As of this writing Klein has raised $180 of the $280 he needs to get started.

Spot.us needs a widget for blogs

One app that would really make a difference for this organization is a widget that posts the stories and allows one to bid on them without having to visit the site. That way viewers can come to Zennie62.com and bid on the stories. Seriously. Such a widget would extend Spot.us' reach and gain more money for the journalists who use it.

I think the future of Spot.us is a bright one, but I have to admit it opens the door to questions of "who funded what story and why." But frankly ad revenues have always held major away over what gets published or what newspaper is allowed to survive, so I suppose that's nothing really new.

Today, website and video traffic determine what becomes news just as much as ad revenues, so the more things change, the more they stay the same.

AFC South Wrap Up Week 3

                                                     AFC South Wrap Up Week 3
 
By Rafael Garcia
Sr. Contributing Writer-Football Reporters Online
Southeast Region
 
New York Jets 24 Tennessee 17
If they thought they could not find another way to lose the Titans were wrong. Once again it was special teams that killed their hopes of win number one this year. They are now 0-3 and history shows that teams that start 0-3 do not make the playoff too often. Rookie Ryan Mouton was back in action and I would bet he wishes he had another week to heal up. He fumbled a kickoff and a punt and the Jets scored touchdowns on both errors. The first one helped put the Jets up 14-0 early and the second put them ahead to stay. Now head coach Jeff Fisher is taking a bunch of questions as to why he kept his faith in the rookie. The secondary is also thinner after Vincent Fuller broke his right arm on a heck of a collision.  Quarterback Kerry Collins could not complete a pass in the late stages of the fourth quarter. He has accepted full responsibility for his play but did not get help from his receivers. He was also under a lot of pressure from the Jets defense as they forced him to hurry throws and hit him several times. He finished 15-37 for 170 yards and a quarterback rating of 41.5. Fisher announced that there will be no changes in the lineup despite the 0-3 start. Running back Chris Johnson ran for 97 yards on 22 carries but did not score. They did better on defense this week as they held the Jets to 229 total yards but made rookie Mark Sanchez look good especially on third down. They had four turnovers with the Mouton fumbles and two interceptions by Collins. They are now in a hole that is very hard to get out of in the NFL. They will have to address the return game and maybe get some help in the secondary. During the off season they did not re-sign Chris Carr because they could not promise him time in the secondary and they could sure use him now. There is much work to do if the Titans stand any chance of making the playoffs. It is rare after a 0-3 start but it can be done.
 
Jacksonville 31 Houston 24
After one of the biggest wins in franchise history last week the Texans were looking to keep that feel good feeling they had. Instead they ran into Maurice Jones-Drew who had a big day. He had his first 100-yard game of the year running for 119 yards and three touchdowns. The Jags ran for 184 and that was the third straight opponent with over 180 yards on the ground against the Texans. It was especially heartbreaking when QB Matt Schaub went 26-35 for 300 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. The touchdowns all came in the first half though and he could not produce after that.  But Drew was a one man wrecking crew on this day and the Texans find themselves at 1-2 and back to the drawing board. Houston had there chances to stay in the game and failed to make it count when Chris Brown fumbled the ball at the goal line and the Jags got it back. Another chance happened when Dunta Robinson forced a fumble but the Texans went three and out to blow another opportunity. Mistake after mistake cost them so when in the third quarter LB Brian Cushing had a late hit penalty and it cost the Texans when Jacksonville scored off the penalty. Each team is now 1-2 and two games behind division leader Indianapolis.
 
Indianapolis 31 Arizona 10
 If there were any questions regarding Peyton Manning they were answered Sunday as he went 24-35 for 379 yards and four touchdowns. He appeared to make the right call every time as he moved Indy up and down the filed against a weak Cardinals defense. The Colts gained a total of 505 yards of offense and on defense gave Kurt Warner fits all day long. Indy also got two turnovers deep in their territory to stop Arizona drives. The Colts defense also rebounded against the run allowing only 24 yards on 12 tries to the Cards. The offense is moving crisply behind Manning and the Colts are all alone atop the AFC South at 3-0 with no one in their sights at this time. Looks like the Manning brothers like it in Arizona as Peyton won on his first trip there and brother Eli won the Super Bowl here.

NFC South Week 3 wrap up

                         NFC South Week 3
 
By Rafael Garcia
Sr. Contributing Writer-Football Reporters Online
Southeast Region
 
 New England 26 Atlanta 10
 It was one of those dreary days in Massachusetts and each team was looking for a 3-0 start. Things turned out the way of the Patriots as they held the ball for almost 40 minutes. Tom Brady was 25-42 for 277 yards and a touchdown and Fred Taylor scored once while rushing for 105 yards on 21 carries. Kicker Stephen Gostkowski chipped in with four field goals of his own and the Falcons never threatened. The Patriots defense did a good job of holding down the Falcon running game as Michael Turner got 56 yards and the team had a total of 58 yards on the ground. Still the Pats have to work on finishing a drive to get more points on the board. The have to be more effective in the red zone. Brady was able to cut down on his two game average of 50 passes a game and hand it off to Taylor. The Patriots continue to show faith in running backs that have done their time elsewhere only to come to New England and continue to excel. On the other side of the ball the Falcons offense just didn’t have enough time with the ball. They came in with confidence and were shut down. Matt Ryan could not get on track and finished 17 of 28 for 199 yards but no touchdowns. TE Tony Gonzalez was held to one catch which was one more than the Patriots planned on letting him get. The defense could not stop the Pats until it was too late on the drives that ended up in field goals.
 
New Orleans 27 Buffalo 7
They came to Orchard Park to see their beloved Bills but they also came to see if Drew Brees was the real deal. What they saw was a Saints defense that held Terrell Owens without a catch and held the Bills without a first down on their last five possessions. Owens was his old self missing an opportunity in the first half when he was wide open down the right sideline. QB Trent Edwards went 20-35 but could only manage 156 yards in the air. The offense could not score so they had to rely on a trick play off a fake field goal to get a touchdown. As for Brees, he ended his streak of 22 straight games with at least 200 yards passing and another of 12 straight games with a touchdown pass. He also fell short of the record for most touchdown passes in the first three games (11) and has nine. The game was not decided until the fourth quarter when running back Pierre Thomas scored twice and John Carney kicked a 35-yard field goal to cap a 17-point barrage. The Saints defense held the Bills to 235 yards of offense and forced them to punt nine times. Now the Saints find themselves at 3-0 on a day where Brees was normal for a day. If they can play with this kind of defensive intensity and Brees can be his usual self the rest of the league will have to take notice of the South front-runners.
 
New York Giants 24 Tampa Bay 0
Defense was the name of the game here. It told how bad the Bucs offense is as well as their defense. The Giants marched 80 yards on 12 plays capped by a six-yard Brandon Jacobs’s touchdown. The touchdown may not have happened if the Bucs could have held on to one of two interceptions they almost had. They fell behind 14-0 by the half just like they fell behind to Buffalo last week. The offense was horrendous in getting just 86 yards total. Yes, that’s would be under 100 yards of offense. They did not have a first down until late in the third quarter and about 50 of those yards came after Byron Leftwich was pulled. The defense allowed the Giants to kill the clock and score on offense as they had three long drives that ended in touchdowns. Second year backup Josh Johnson replaced Leftwich and at least moved the offense a bit more. Leftwich finished a miserable day going 7-16 for 22 yards. The Bucs are bad and they know it. Head coach Raheem Morris is going to have to make some major changes and now.
 
Dallas 21 Carolina 7
The second game at the Taj McJerry went a little better for the Cowboys. The defense came through with turnovers and big plays. They kept Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme struggling as he threw two more interceptions. DeAngelo Williams could not come through getting only 64 ineffective yards on just 11 carries. Delhomme’s bad luck continued when Terrence Newman picked him off and ran it back 27 yards for the score in the fourth quarter. He was also sacked twice in the quarter as well. Newman had a great day as he shadowed Carolina star receiver Steve Smith all game long. Smith managed just 38 yards on four catches. They allowed the Cowboys to dominate the line of scrimmage, as Williams could find no room to break one. Still the score was 7-0 Carolina at the half and the Panthers went into the locker room with hope for a better second half. It didn’t work out that way as they got a measly 96 yards of offense and just five more first downs the rest of the way.  The Panthers had so many chances to make this a game but they continue to struggle on offense. They are playing without confidence and with no sense of urgency. Delhomme plays as if he has forgotten what got him here. They now sit at 0-3 with nowhere to go but up. Or could it get any worse in Carolina?

Detroit Lions Fan Gone Wild video shows how men can hate women

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This video, called "Detroit Lions Fan Gone Wild", is the most popular video on YouTube today. It's also a massive shame. The video, created Sunday at the Detroit Lions game against the Washington Redskins, and where the Lions won their first game, shows just how men can hate women and in this case get away with it.

Look at the video here:



It shows a woman, a Lions fan by the jersey, and yes drunk and with her female friend, in an argument with another Lions fan who's a man. I can't hear what's being said clearly at first. But what bothers me is the man calls her names like a "dumb b___" and people laugh at her, again all men, one of which also says the same thing to her.

Ugly.

Then the police show up and even as they're talking, the man still makes offensive comments to her and the police end up taking her off in handcuffs.

Publicly drunk? Yes? But hey the guy was out of line for talking to a woman like that. In fact, all of the men were.

Is this where we've come to as a society? Where there are no gentleman and its ok to treat a woman like that? I believe had the man stopped talking to her in the abusive way he was, she would have calmed down. But he kept egging her on.

What do you think?

Take my poll below:

More fun polls on pollsb.com

"Detroit Lions Fan Gone Wild" video shows how men can hate women

More at Zennie62.com | Follow me on Twitter! | Get my widget! | Visit YouTube | Visit UShow.com

This video, called "Detroit Lions Fan Gone Wild", is the most popular video on YouTube today. It's also a massive shame. The video, created Sunday at the Detroit Lions game against the Washington Redskins, and where the Lions won their first game, shows just how men can hate women and in this case get away with it.

Look at the video here:



It shows a woman, a Lions fan by the jersey, and yes drunk and with her female friend, in an argument with another Lions fan who's a man. I can't hear what's being said clearly at first. But what bothers me is the man calls her names like a "dumb b___" and people laugh at her, again all men, one of which also says the same thing to her.

Ugly.

Then the police show up and even as they're talking, the man still makes offensive comments to her and the police end up taking her off in handcuffs.

Publicly drunk? Yes? But hey the guy was out of line for talking to a woman like that. In fact, all of the men were.

Is this where we've come to as a society? Where there are no gentleman and its ok to treat a woman like that? I believe had the man stopped talking to her in the abusive way he was, she would have calmed down. But he kept egging her on.

What do you think?

Take my poll below:

More fun polls on pollsb.com

Miley Cirus has a big appetite she posts on Twitter. Miley cut the junk!

More at Zennie62.com | Follow me on Twitter! | Get my widget! | Visit YouTube | Visit UShow.com

I normally get updates on celebrity tweets, but pop star Miley Cyrus' tweets have presented a huge appetite of late. So much so I wonder how she's going to maintain the figure she presented at the Teen Choice Awards?

This one:



Check this out from Miley Cyrus Twitter page:

Just ate bbq chicken, 8 cali rolls, a frosty, and fries. Ughhh Use your imagination.about 13 hours ago from UberTwitter


Just ate WAY to much cheesecake. On that note... Goodnight everyone.1:24 AM Sep 28th from web


I am on tour dancing for 90 minutes straight and some how I am more out of shape than when I started. Hmm.... Catering?6:38 PM Sep 26th from web


i just got a corndog and i liked it7:45 PM Sep 25th from web


Just drank a coke for the first time in a lonnngg time. Tonight should be interesting.7:06 PM Sep 25th from UberTwitter


Mommy look! My face matches my cupcake!!!! :) http://pic.gd/8a65a9 6:29 PM Sep 24th from UberTwitter

Miley's yummy cupcake

Miley, it's not the catering but what you're putting in your body! Let's see, corndog, cheesecake, a frosty and fries, a Coke, and a cupcake! Cut the junk!! Try fruits, salads and veggies (spinach!) and, ok, a really good burger for meat protein.

But Miley you're putting junk in your trunk and after a while people are going to notice the junk in your trunk.