Are you Ready for some...

Football. It was all football, all the time this past weekend and I was treated to three terrific contests live.

It started with SFU (a university team I help coach) knocking off the second-ranked University of Saskatchewan 27-17 at BC Place on Saturday. Pretty significant win for our team for a couple of reasons. First, SFU hadn't won a game since 2004, and have now won two of three to start the season to jump into a four-way tie for first place in the Canada West. Second, this was the first time the Clan have ever defeated the Huskies; getting over that mental hurdle against a perrenial powerhouse is immeasureable in terms of confidence for these kids. Especially when you consider our guys outscored the Huskies 24-1 in the 2nd half to erase a 16-3 deficit.

Later that night, I witnessed a hard-hitting affair between the Lions and Roughriders under the dome. The Leos won 28-23, the most significant thing to come out of this game was the utter disdain these clubs have for each other. Don't get me wrong; each team has a tonne of respect for the other. But these guys don't like each other and it shows. Rob Murphy and Kelly Bates were pushing and yapping with Scott Schultz and Maurice Lloyd. Tyrone Williams accused Glen January of punching him in the junk. This Saturday's rematch should be a brawl in Regina, and I can't wait to see it.

Sunday I was bookin' it down the I-5 in my speedy RX-8 in order to take in the Seahawks home opener against the 49ers. If you haven't been to an NFL game in Seattle, make plans to change that. The atmosphere is electric, the stadium is gorgeous and each game is choreographed so well from an operations standpoint. The weather was brilliant and so was JT O'Sullivan, the quarterback for my beloved 49ers. I couldn't believe I was watching this undrafted journeyman scorch the Seahawks secondary to the tune of 321 yards. Joe Nedney's winning field goal in overtime capped a perfect day in the Emerald City.
(Sidenote: Alice in Chains played with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra at halftime. They collaborated on Led Zeppelin's Kashmir and it was outstanding.)

So here's what I've got for ya heading into this week:

The Jones Index

There are 27 guys playing in the NFL with the last name Jones. Here's how I rank the cream of the crop right now:
1. Felix Jones (DAL)
2 td's in his first 2 NFL games, one on a kickoff. He's a more explosive and versatile version of Julius Jones, who left Dallas in the offseason.

T-2. Julius Jones (SEA) and Thomas Jones (NYJ)
Think these guys are brothers by any chance? Each has a 100+ yard game this season and each has scored 1 touchdown. The scary part is they are separated by exactly 1 yard rushing through the first tow weeks of the season.

4. Walter Jones (SEA)
Cleared the way for Julius to rack up 127 yards and didn't allow a sack.

5. James Jones (GB)
First TD catch of the season gets James into the Top 5.


Fancy the Freshmen

Looks like a trio of rookies is going to get an extended look at Canucks training camp. Cody Hodgson has been the apple of Mike Gillis' eye since he drafted the 18 year-old in June. Hodgson stood out during prospects' camp and will be given every opportunity to crack the lineup. Same goes for Michael Grabner, although Grabner's a triggerman while Hodgson is all about the dishes. Third on the list of young guns to watch at camp is Jannik Hansen, who the Canucks have been waiting on since that impressive debut in the 2007 playoffs. Hansen was talked up heading into last year's camp, but broke his thumb and spent the rest of the season trying to thumb a ride back to Vancouver.
The interesting speculation has to do with who gets the boot if those youngsters can crack the roster. Gillis has barely whispered Taylor Pyatt's name during the offseason, so I wonder how high he is on the former triplet. Matt Pettinger's name has also been conspicuously absent from discussion, although he's a more natural fit on the 3rd line and could wind up playing with Kesler and Burrows.
Defensively, it looks like Lukas Krajicek's days are numbers. Maybe that's just how I see it, but Gillis said he wanted a tougher team and that's not exactly Krajicek's forte. Rob Davison appears to be the guy brought in to replace Krajicek, as he plays the rough and tumble game that Gillis is looking for. Also keep an eye on Kevin Bieksa as he is potential trade bait. I really like Bieksa's game and hope for the sake of Canucks' fans they keep him, but he's the only top four d-man without a no-trade clause and the Canucks are probably confident that Edler can slide into that slot.