Game Day Bits

The Flea Flicker is 250 posts old today. I thank my exquisite wife for getting me started. Mrs. Flicker is a keeper. Her support is all I need. I'm just getting started.

So is Christian Ponder. The way this season is going Ponder could be the enduring highlight of the Minnesota Vikings 2011 season. Outside of Adrian Peterson, Jared Allen and Brian Robison few Vikings have come out to play this year. Ponder could change all of that. For a team just past its fiftieth birthday, its remarkable that the Vikings have selected only three quarterbacks in the first round of the NFL Draft. Tommy Kramer, Daunte Culpepper and now Ponder are it. Here's hoping that the Vikings are set at quarterback for a long time.

For most of the past decade Cal has been the only San Francisco bay area team to find any sort of consistent success. Stanford, the 49ers and the Raiders have all left a great deal to be desired. This year is the opposite. Cal has as many losses as the other three combined. After taking apart Utah last night, Cal's season is not lost. They should be favorites in each game until they meet Stanford in the Big Game. Even with the almighty Andrew Luck anything can happen in that game. Its nice to see the rise in the quality of football in the bay area. I just wish that Cal had a better grip on that bus.

Speaking of bay area football, the early '80s sure were a treat. From 1980-84, the Raiders and 49ers won four of the five Super Bowls. The 49ers were just getting started. The Raiders were coming to an end. Together they dominated that time.

Cal receiver Keenan Allen is a very interesting player. Each time I see him play I see a brighter future. He's only half way through his sophomore season and few teams can stop him. Oregon and USC sure couldn't. He has great hands and great running skills after the catch. Running back running skills. This ability sometimes leads to sloppy hands. His ability to run with the ball can lead to him being too eager to do so. Some scouts may criticize his lack of elite speed. Like Jerry Rice, Allen plays faster than he'll ever time. Excellent, unique football player. Keenan Allen will be in the NFL in, hopefully, 2.5 years.

More and more overshadowed by Keenan Allen, fellow receiver Marvin Jones is an excellent football player in his own right. Together they make up one of the best receiving tandems in college football. Jones also has an NFL future. I think that he's a better player than former Bear and first round pick Sean Dawkins. Jones has been one of my favorite Cal players since he stepped on campus. Great football player. Great kid.
Its been tremendous watching his Golden Bear career.

Vikings-Packers today. I prefer 10AM starts but any time is a great time for this fantastic rivalry.