Zach is Back

It's Sports Monday in full effect. While the week without sports was a success, I don't think I want to ignore sports full time. At least not while they are going well.

The Don Funk Sports Bar became the Sexy Rexy Hate Club by 3:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon. Mr. Grossman led the Bears to an early touchdown but struggled to move the team the rest of the day. As a Titans fan, I still can't get over my team being perfect. Note that this is not the Patriots circa the first half of 2007. They're not even the pull every other game out by the skin of their teeth Patriots of the second half of 2008. They are an entirely different beast.

The Bears, as most good defenses have done lately, sold out to stop the run. The Titans, showing a shocking lack of stubbornness by moving away from the run fairly quickly. They must have seen that the Bears are 30th in the NFL in pass defense. Receivers were open early and often, and besides Justin Gage, everything catchable was caught. Brandon Jones has been particularly solid lately, and even rookie Lavelle Hawkins makes the occasional catch.

It was a shock when, making the perfect call on fourth and one, Ahmad Hall didn't even hold the ball before fumbling it away. It was one of those plays that would have been shown again and again had the Titans lost. Luckily, the defense kept giving the offense good field position until they had no choice but to score.

Last year the Titans were the first playoff team in ages to throw for fewer than ten touchdown passes. This year, it looked like they might do it again. Collins threw for two yesterday, giving him five for the year and six for the team (Vince Young's singular contribution).

As usual, it's appropriate to bring up that the Bears were 40-something yards from tying the game with a backup QB. The Jaguars will be extra keyed up to avenge their season-opening loss, or their loss to the Bengals, or the one against Pittsburgh, or the Browns, or Buffalo. I forget. Interesting stat: Last week's game was the first time a Jags game was decided by more than seven points.

I don't want the first loss to be against a division opponent. Then again, I don't want the first loss to be ever. One loss could remind the team that every win requires a lot of plays to go perfectly right.

Missouri beat Kansas State in a very boring blackout affair. Chase Daniel has become a bit interception-prone. That's OK because chief division rival Kansas lost to Nebraska (insert Nelson Muntz Ha Ha) to all but clinch the division for Missouri. A win against Iowa State (something that used to be less assured) would about do it. I want Missouri to win ten games again this year. It's likely that the South champ, be it Oklahoma, Texas Tech, or Texas, will make mincemeat out the Tigers. The defense tends to play really well every other week and just short of embarrassing at times. The Oklahoma-Texas Tech game in two weeks could be epic.

Near trades are happening as baseball's free agency begins. Wake me when it's over.