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Only a junior, Locker is be touted by NFL draft pundits as a potential first-round pick and possibly the first quarterback selected if he were to leave school early. Scouts love his speed and ability to run out of the pocket, but also see his growth as a passer in Locker’s first season in Sarkisian’s pro-style offense.

Sarkisian said when the season is done he’ll help Locker gather as much information as possible to make an informed decision about his future. He also said there’s no rush in needing Locker to make a decision.

Entering the season finale, Locker has thrown for 2,552 yards and 18 touchdowns, while
completing nearly 57 percent of his passes. With a big passing game against California, Locker could finish with the third-highest single-season yards passing total in school history.

“He’s done some things and we’ve seen some things that he’s done that make you go, ‘Wow, this guy can really do it all.’ And then there’s been moments where it hasn’t happened the way he would have and we would have liked and he’s learned from it and moved forward,” Sarkisian said.

For his part, Locker has deflected all talk about this future until after the season and did so again on Monday. The lure of the NFL might be bolstered by seeing the tribulations of Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford who returned to school only to be plagued by injuries this season.

Fourteen Husky players will exhaust their eligibility after Saturday’s game against Cal. And they’re hoping to go out in style.

It’s a unique group that includes only three members from the 2006 recruiting class (Butler, Paul Homer and Danny Morovick), four who have been at UW five years from the 2005 class (Darrion Jones, Ben Ossai, Morgan Rosborough and Daniel Te’o-Nesheim), two former walk-ons (Josh Gage and T.J. Poe), two transfers (Nick Scott and Jason Wells), a 27-year-old former baseball player (safety Tripper Johnson), a sixth-year senior (linebacker Trenton Tuiasosopo) and a local star who returned for his senior season after being kicked off the team last year (linebacker E.J. Savannah).

It’s also a class that has endured some of the least on-field success in program history. The fifth-year seniors have already lost 44 games; the seniors with four years of experience have lost 35. Only last year’s seniors, with 47 losses in a five-year span, have suffered more defeats in a Huskies uniform.

"What they envisioned when they came here obviously hasn’t happened," said Steve Sarkisian, the third head coach that some of the seniors have seen at UW. "But I think we have given these guys, and they’ve earned, some great moments in their senior year so far. These are moments they’re going to have for a lifetime."

All they want this weekend, when they play their final game, is one more.

"It’s kind of heartbreaking, because I don’t want to leave," said Jones, a defensive end from near San Jose. "But I’m going to enjoy doing it one last time. It’s going to be emotional."

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But where things look the most promising is with a 5-foot-11-inch, 210-pound running back named Chris Polk.

Polk made a big statement against the Cougars with a 130-yard performance and by becoming the first freshman running back in UW history to rush for 1,000 yards. He now has 1,019 this year and is 35th in the nation in yards per game. And Polk has one more game left against Cal to add on to his totals.

The craziness of Toby Gerhart or craftiness of Jacquizz Rodgers aside, Polk is one of the better running backs in the Pac-10, and he’s just a freshman. Think on that for a second.

We will have three more years of a running back that could become the best at his position in the Pac-10. Now that’s amazing.

"He’s got plenty of upside. He’s a guy who is still learning," UW head coach Steve Sarkisian said. "But the one thing he has is physical and mental toughness. The ability that when things aren’t always blocked great, he fights through it. He continues to fight."

We’ve seen that from Polk all season: the way he puts his head down and pushes his small-but-explosive frame forward; the way he manages to get those extra couple of yards, even with a mass of defenders blocking his way. Heck, on one play Saturday it looked like Polk tripped and fell over a WSU lineman, but he still managed three yards.

"He hasn’t had a bunch of runs where it’s just big gaping holes and he’s running for yards," Sarkisian said. "He’s earning his yards. I think the next step for him is his ability to play at the second level, in the open field once he clears the line of scrimmage, and his creativity with his running style."

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The Washington football program is paying tribute to law-enforcement officers, military and fire-department personnel in the wake of Sunday morning’s shooting that left four Lakewood police officers dead at an area coffee shop.

Brad Feagan, a member of the chain gang, is loaded onto an ambulance after being knocked down during Washington’s 30-0 victory against Washington State Saturday at Husky Stadium.

UW head coach Steve Sarkisian announced at his Monday press conference that any of the above-mentioned personnel with proper identification will be being offered four complimentary tickets to UW’s game against California on Saturday.

"For what you do, we are very thankful for that, and it puts football into perspective of what it means: that we’re all fortunate to live in this country and to be part of everything we’re trying to get accomplished," Sarkisian said. "What you do is recognized. If any of you have the time to come, please join us. It will be a great opportunity for you and your families."

Tickets can be claimed at the Husky ticket office Monday through Friday, or by calling the ticket office at 206-543-2200 for more information.

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— Sarkisian said efforts continue to get a sixth year for [E.J.] Savannah [out for Saturday’s game] but that there is no chance for Jason Wells, who has played significant parts of four college seasons. He said Saturday will be Wells’ "last hurrah’’ as a Husky.

- He said Johri Fogerson didn’t play Saturday largely because the game plan was to either three WR sets or to power sets that featured fullback Paul Homer, who saw his most extensive action of the season.

- He said he thinks James Johnson is suffering a little "physical and mental fatigue’’, the reason he has just two catches in the last three games, and none Saturday. But he hopes Johnson can have a big game Saturday to go into the off-season with some momentum.

- He also said that the member of the chain crew injured Saturday, Brad Feagan, had neck surgery but should make a full recovery. We were initially told it was a back injury. He is not expected to have any paralysis or anything of that sort. Feagan is from West Seattle. Feagan was hurt when his head struck the ground after being run into by some players on a WSU punt. Said Sarkisian: "He will be OK. It was a serious injury, but I thought our doctors handled it extremely well. Looks like Brad is going to make a nice recovery. But it was a very serious moment, and one I want to recognize with Brad for all the work he’s done for us, and the time he’s put in. And his family, our thoughts and prayers go out to them as well.’’

- He also talked at length about the OL and says he thinks it has played better since the insertion of Drew Schaefer at left tackle.

- The only Husky injured Saturday was safety Victor Aiyewa, who "got his bell rung’’ on a hard hit on a kickoff late in the game (same play where Nate Fellner levied his big hit). But Sarkisian said Aiyewa should be fine.

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In a lot of ways, this was an old-style Husky game, UW sticking with the running game until it worked, and never granting the Cougars anything on offense.

“They played physical football,’’ was the way UW coach Steve Sarkisian described it and it was hard to argue after seeing Washington get five sacks and pitch a shutout.

The Huskies also knocked out WSU’s QB on three different occassions.

“It’s always a goal to take quarterbacks out of the game,‘’ said defensive tackle Cameron Elisara. "And we had two out today and we were putting hits on them. It felt great to be able to put a hit on someone. And it really hurts a team to put their leader out.’’

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I think an NFL team would be crazy to pick Jake high in the first round. You expect to get some serious productivity out of that high of a pick not a project that will be holding a clip board on the sidelines for a year or two. Use the WSU game as an example. Jake had one of his better games of the season but despite good protection he still was plauged by happy feet and poor mechanics.

I really think Jake could use another year at Washington learning how to be a pro set QB. There is no substitute for playing in actual games compared to watching from the sideline. The money will still be there if he stays healthy and there will actually be more money in the draft and down the road if he stays one more year.

Ronnie Fouch would be first in line if Jake leaves and while he has improved under Sark and Nuss he still and will always lack the arm strength to be a top fight QB. Keith Price has drawn raves at times but he has a lot to do mechanically before anyone will take him seriously in this league. Nick Montana is the true QB of the future but he needs another year to grow and get stronger. Even a talent like Matt Barkley struggled as a true frosh behind a very competent offensive line.

Having Jake come back for one more year would be a blessing for both the player and program.

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When coach Neil McGuire walked out on the Cal women’s soccer team after the loss to Sacramento State on Oct. 2, the season seemed effectively over.

McGuire came back after missing only a game, and Cal didn’t lose until the second round of the NCAA tournament, but it was a different team post-fracture.

“I think we took the team as far as we could have taken it, considering all the adversity we were up against,” junior Alex Morgan said.

It wasn’t much of a team at all, though. The Bears were divided, players versus coach.

“A coach is a coach, players are what make a team,” senior co-captain Brianna Bak said just days after McGuire temporarily left the team for personal reasons.

That statement became almost a mantra with the players, who would turn any question regarding “the situation” with their coach into a chance to talk about the bond they shared as sisters.

“It’s in the past now,” McGuire said less than a week after the incident, which was chronologically correct but realistically improbable, as he had yet to speak with each player individually.

With Kamp likely gone for the year, he might have to be.

His progress as a reliable big man seems to depend on his ability to be physically aggressive. To that end, Zhang recently began boxing with strength and conditioning coach Mike Blasquez.

“I’m probably not gonna be very good, but I like boxing,” Zhang said.

Zhang, who estimated that he has gained at least 35 pounds since he joined the Bears in 2008, is working on bringing to the court more of the intensity and energy that Montgomery said he shows during practice drills.

Point guard Jerome Randle, dwarfed by Zhang at Monday’s press conference, is enjoying the maturation of his tallest teammate.

“He’s always trying to get better,” Randle said. "He’s made tremendous strides.

“Just having him down there, and just being aggressive like he played (against the Tigers), I think that’s definitely gonna help us.”

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Cal left tackle Mike Tepper didn’t want a bye week — until the bye week actually happened.

The Bears played their most complete game of the season in a 34-28 win over Stanford in the Big Game on Nov. 21. Considering that came after a 24-16 victory over then-No. 18 Arizona, Cal was feeling pretty good about itself.

The last thing the Bears wanted was to put an artificial obstacle in front of that momentum — until the scars from playing six weeks in a row began to surface.

“Usually by Wednesday, stuff stops hurting, and Thursday I’m feeling pretty good,” Tepper said. “But (last) Wednesday, I thought maybe the bye week wasn’t such a bad thing after all. I was pretty beat up. But I really did want to keep playing. We were on a roll.”

After using the bye week to heal and rest, the No. 19 Bears now have to regain their momentum as they prepare for Saturday’s regular-season finale at Washington. Cal (8-3, 5-3 Pac-10) has won five of its past six and will achieve a 10-win season if it defeats the Huskies (4-7, 3-5) and wins a bowl game.

“We were feeling pretty high,” Cal linebacker Mike Mohamed said. "It’s something you want to keep rolling. But at the same time, we had a lot of guys dinged up. We want to get that energy back. Hopefully, we’re coming back fresh now and ready to close out the season.

I think we should use this DBD for a coming clean of sorts: Have you gone Husky before? You know you have.

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The UC Board of Regents characterized a 32 percent increase in educational fees as the best option to tackle an $813 million shortfall in state funding, but many say the move is detrimental to students.

UC officials countered such criticism by saying that new revenue stemming from the increase would fund faculty salaries, library hours, financial aid and other areas of the university budget, which they characterized as directly beneficial to students.

The fee increases, which will bring resident undergraduate student fees to more than $10,000 per year, are expected to generate more than $250 million in revenue for the university.

The educational fee is a part of the student fees that are combined with UC general funds and state general funds to form the core operating funds of the university, said UC spokesperson Ricardo Vazquez in an e-mail.

Before the money from educational fees is pooled with the other funds into the core operating funds, a portion of it is set aside to be spent on financial aid, he added.

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Members of the Berkeley Student Food Cooperative have been busy in recent months searching for a location for a food collective that would offer low-cost deli foods and organic produce. The cooperative has already raised an estimated $250,000 from campus grants and private donations and is slated to open its doors this summer.

UC Berkeley senior Alli Reed, who is the fundraising coordinator for the cooperative, said the effort has made great strides since last spring.

“Funding is a difficult thing because we have so much money to raise,” Reed said. “At the same time, fundraising hasn’t been as hard as it intellectually should be. Students really love this idea.”

Members of the collective held a sold-out Harvest Gala on Nov. 20, which raised nearly $22,000.

“Even though our gala tickets were a minimum of $50, we had a lot of students there who were willing to give whatever they had,” said ASUC Senator Christina Oatfield, who is an organizer for the cooperative. “There’s a lot of support for our mission.”

Among commercial locations under consideration for the cooperative is a space on Lower Sproul Plaza next to Naia Lounge, which would require the approval of the ASUC Store Operations Board.

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There are many faces to the student movement. The occupation of Wheeler Hall was one such face. A multi-centered student movement with a range of discourses and tactics is a strength. So are moments when multiple forces unite. A common chant on the police barricades of Nov. 20 was “students, not criminals.” Yet the aftermath of Nov. 20 seems to have devolved into an exercise in the designation of legitimacy and illegitimacy, into an argument about who are the “genuine” political agents of a student movement, into a claiming of the mantle of “real” change by some on behalf of all. If so, we need to better understand the alliances, ruptures and above all privilege that mark this political agency. What is the relationship between this face of the student movement and other forms of student organizing, both old and new? How will these political agents foster intellectual and tactical solidarity with others also interested in the cause of the public university and social justice? What is their vision of “our” university?

There has to be a reconsideration of the much-recited administrative response: state defunding is the problem; agitate at Sacramento and not here. It is not enough to say this and walk away from students and parents demanding answers, from faculty worried about the future of public education, and from workers losing jobs. Students and faculty understand the issue of state defunding but they also understand that the dispersed and fragmented lobbying of individual students and faculty will most likely be ineffective in making change in Sacramento. The collective mobilizations of this past semester, starting with the Sept. 24 walkout, were efforts to make visible the cause of public education and social justice. Will our administrators relinquish their own lock-down and lead such collective efforts? How will they ally with students, faculty, workers, alumni, parents in transforming California politics and the governance of the UC system?

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This is an auspicious time to introduce the concept of democracy to the university. Students rebel against the recent tuition increase because students are subjected to domination and control by faculty, administration and the UC Board of Regents.

The university should be democratized by transforming the existing top-down control into a system characterized by control by students, faculty, staff and the local community. When stakeholders have no power to determine policies, stakeholders such as students resort to devices such as building take-overs to express their policy preferences.

The university is under a tyrannical system of control. To structurally transform this campus into a democratic system of management would also transform its social role from that of inculcating the doctrinal system of tyranny by the few, into an institution that practices real democracy. UC Berkeley is run by elites increasingly representing powerful corporate interests-not students, staff or even the faculty.

the caption contest is too hard to do when all the pics are in the main part. I suggest putting them in the comments section (individually), but I’m just a lowly serf.

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The two UC Berkeley recipients of 2009-2010 Fulbright grants are:

    * Nicholas Crawford, a postdoctoral fellow in statistics, who will be studying stochastic geometry and quantum many body problems at the TECHNION-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel.
    * Letitia Brown, a research affiliate in environmental science, policy and management, who will be studying forest fragmentation in the Northern Atlantic rain forest at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte in Natal, Brazil.

Cuts are already happening.

Gaining admission to California’s public universities is becoming more difficult. Not only are the University of California (UC) and the California State University (CSU) increasing student fees in response to state budget cuts, they are also reducing enrollment. The decisions to cut enrollments come at a time when applications to the UC and CSU are increasing.

Last week, the UC President proposed cutting 2010-11 freshman enrollment by 2,300 students if the UC does not receive an increase in state funding. The proposal follows a reduction of 2,300 to freshman enrollment made in 2009-10. The decision to reduce UC enrollment comes after two years of increasing freshman applications to the UC.

Between 2007 and 2009, the number of California freshman applicants increased by nearly 6,900 (9.3 percent). This increase in applications, coupled with enrollment reductions, has made it more difficult for Californians to gain admission to the UC: 72.5 percent of California freshman applicants were admitted to the UC this fall, compared to 77.5 percent in the fall of 2007.

The CSU also is planning to reduce enrollment. By the spring of 2010, the CSU plans to enroll 10,000 fewer students and the system projects a total enrollment reduction of 40,000 students over the next two years – a cut of approximately 9 percent.

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But all of this must be put into the context of a state wallowing in 12 percent unemployment and a massive state budget deficit that threatens all state-funded schools and social programs. UC students are not being disproportionately picked on, though some remained unconvinced. I cringed, not without a hint of self-recognition, at the protesters’ naiveté — their insistence that Yudov and their deans were at fault and would reverse the fees if only students sat in long enough.

UC and CSU students could benefit from something we did back in the day, an all-day teach-in (on a weekend, outside of class time, please) on the state budget and the paralysis in Sacramento. They’d learn that their parents elected legislators and governors who let state prisons grow exponentially, at the expense of colleges. They’d learn about another intergenerational gift that will saddle them soon as taxpayers: dangerous levels of state debt and pension liabilities.

As a Berkeley grad living abroad, I generally rely on my father (also a Berkeley grad) to call me with the final score. I can always tell by his voice whether we won or lost. This year, however, Ambassador Roos and his wife Susie (both Stanford grads) generously hosted a Big Game party for about 120 Stanford and Berkeley alumni at their home.

My wife Ann and I arrived at their residence about 9 a.m. and immediately became caught up in the game day excitement. Their home was decorated with banners from both schools, posters of Big Game programs in years past, balloons and streamers representing the schools’ colors (red and white for Stanford, Blue and Gold for Cal). Of course they prepared two big-screen televisions to watch the game.

We were especially honored with the presence of perhaps Japan’s most famous Stanford graduate, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, and his wife Miyuki. As we ate a delicious Sunday brunch, we enjoyed a very close and entertaining football game. The final score was Cal 34 – Stanford 28. I hope you enjoy the photos of this Big Game party.

What’s your deal, Mr. Prime Minister?

Forsett should be the man in Seattle

Jim Mora might yet have himself a reliable starting running back.

Justin Forsett, who began the season third on the Seattle Seahawks’ depth chart, picked up a second consecutive start on Sunday and made it count. He ran 22 times for 130 yards and two touchdowns for 25 fantasy points, which set a career high while also pacing all running backs in Week 12 to this point.

So much for all that early-week talk that Julius Jones was still Mora’s starter if the veteran was healthy. Jones’ rib/lung injury wound up keeping him on the sidelines for the second consecutive week, and one must wonder whether Mora would make the same proclamation again. Fantasy owners sure aren’t happy about it; some of them might have slotted in a healthy Thursday option facing the threat that Jones would be the active starter, relegating Forsett to a little-used reserve role.

If you count Forsett’s relief work in Week 10, he now has 368 total yards and four touchdowns on 60 touches in his past three games. Those include the numbers from his first start — in Week 11 — which came versus the game’s stingiest run defense (Minnesota Vikings). If there was any doubt about how Forsett fits into Mora’s zone-blocking scheme, he certainly has answered those questions.

What of Mora’s offense? Keep in mind that before Forsett’s ascension to the top of the depth chart, the Seahawks leaned more toward a pass-heavy offense, typically an anti-Mora strategy. Since Forsett’s installation as starter (Weeks 11-12), the Seahawks’ snap breakdown has been 43.6 percent running plays, 56.4 percent passing. By comparison, through Week 10, their numbers were 35.7 and 64.3. This is an offense shifting back toward being run-based, and that suits Forsett just fine.

Here are the highlights from Bruins Nation.

    2003 Up 61-20 with 4:00 minutes left against Hawaii, 4th and 12 at HAW 39 Reggie Bush (USC) rushed up the middle (pooch punts are for sissies)
     2004 Up 34-10 with about 7:00 left against Notre Dame, 4th and 3 at ND 39 16 yard penalty on Fighting Irish (this was a fake punt attempt, I repeat, a fake punt attempt)
    * 2005 Up 63-17 with 7:56 left against Arkansas, 4th and 8 at ARK 17 John Booty pass incomplete (I guess surpassing the 70 point barrier was too tempting to pass up)
    * 2005 Up 59-6 with under 8:00 left against UCLA, 4th and 1 at UCLA 47 John Booty rush for 1 yard to the UCLA 46 for a 1ST down (I guess the punter didn’t suit up that day)
    *

      2006 Up 44-14 with under 2:00 left against Arkansas, 4th and 4 at ARK 20 Mark Sanchez pass complete to Travon Patterson for 19 yards to the Ark 1 for a 1ST down (why go for three when you can get six, it’s silly)
    * 2008 Up 62-0 with 2:20 left against Washington State, 4th and Goal at WSU 4 C.J. Gable rush for 4 yards for a TOUCHDOWN (who wants to bet Cheatey thought about going for two in order to hit the 70 point mark)
    *

      2009 Up 49-3 with under 5:00 left against San Jose State, 4th and Goal at SJSU 13 Aaron Corp pass complete to D.J. Shoemate for 13 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. (In all fairness, San Jose State does have a top secret 50 point play in their playbook)

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And don’t you forget it. I mean after all, "if you’re not part of the solution, then you’re part of the problem." Right?

Forget the UCLA Athletics department, Dan Guerrero, BruinZone, et al. If you disagree with Lord Nestor, then you are a Trojan sympathizer and a deserter.

The funniest thing is that any forum of blog is public, and as such should be able to take the disagreements, criticisms, and opinions that it opens itself to. BN is NOT that. A perfect example of Bruins on Bruins:


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Out the door goes Donahue, Dorrell, and even "Ben Ball Warriors" for playing like ass in the beginning of the season. I’m sorry but this isn’t your 1950s UCLA football or 1970s UCLA basketball. You, like any other sports team, will have your crap years. Deal with it.

Hell your whole demon nazi crew went after the current student body for failing to defend the Bruin. OH WELL. These things happen (blue tainted Tommy Trojan of 2008 anyone?)

I applaud the many Bruins who live their lives according to their happiness and not hatred. I’ve had Bruin girlfriends int he past who take both great heart and enjoyment of the rivalry games. I have Bruin friends that do the same and even work at the opposing school. Even the Bruins at Conquest Chronicles are A-OK! But perish the thought (and probably the life) of anyone that thinks it can coexist.

After all, South Central, Figueroa Tech, UCLA jr runs a scumbag, classless, thug ridden program, it can never touch the celestial blessed grounds of that which is called UCLA, or in his mind, the University of Nestor.

Hypocrisy runs rampart at that site. We do it: classlessness They do it: Defending honor.

Please. SBN needs to take a closer look at how these places should be run; if not the in the interest of everyone, then at least it should be revamped to reflect a flagship image of what SBN would want of all its constituents.

On that note, I will post this little gem I found by Lord N himself:

On the same point I think Bruin4ever is on point in admiring the mindset Pete Carroll shows when going for it on 4th down. Of course Carroll takes gambles are calculated. I don’t believe they are reckless decisions as many UCLA fans would like to think they are. I think when Carroll goes for it he is doing to grab a choke hold of the momentum and optimize it for his team. He also does it from POV to send a clear message to his team about how much he trusts them. And note he is doing it this year as a true freshman at QB.

Hate as much as you want, it will only make you look worse.

So while we were all preparing to watch the Dennis Dixon show on Sunday Night, with the memories of Jahvid Best’s terrible injury fresh in our minds, Hines Ward on the pre-game show said the following regarding Roethlisberger’s sitting the game out after sustaining a concussion against the Chiefs the week prior:

It’s almost like a 50-50 toss-up in the locker room: Should he play? Shouldn’t he play? It’s really hard to say. I’ve been out there dinged up; the following week, got right back out there

I know concussions have been a hot topic of discussion around the NFL and here as well in the past several weeks. What are your thoughts on these comments and how the “bravado” of football player affects this? Should we be praising players for “toughing” out situations when they put their future on the line?

Here’s Yahoo Sports’ MJD’s take on it:

The second issue is less surprising, but more troubling. Obviously, there are a lot of guys out there who feel like a concussion is no big deal; that you can rub some dirt on it and just go play. That’s the biggest challenge the NFL faces in dealing with the concussion issue: the mindset that if you don’t play through it, you’re being a pansy. It’s existed forever in the NFL, and it’s apparently still pretty prevalent.

Also, keep in mind how Kurt Warner sat out for the Cards against the Titans for the same reason that week. Think about this all in perspective, then think about Matthew Stafford against the Browns the week prior and how he stepped in for the game-winning touchdown, even though he had a dislocated shoulder.

Just hasn’t been Beast Mode’s year:

Meantime, Marshawn Lynch got limited work spending time keeping warm on the sidelines riding the bike. But Monday in the Bills locker room, Lynch had no complaints about his role.

“We just won,” Lynch told News 4 Sports. “If I could sit down and watch Fred do his thing, then that’s what I’m going to do. As long as we continue to put wins up, Im satisfied. I’m glad to see Fred out there doing his thing. It’s big, real big.”

As if it proves anything.

This week is close to a toss up. Both quarterbacks played very well and won divisional games. Both quarterbacks made big plays and were helped out by great defensive efforts. Both quarterbacks had 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. Favre threw for 392 yards versus Rodgers’ 358. Brett had a 112.5 QB rating while Aaron had a sizzling 124.7. Brett hit 67% of his passes while Aaron hit 72%.

This is a tough pick, so I’m going to give it to Brett Favre for making it look so easy against the Bears. There wasn’t any doubt in the game and it was due in large part to Brett’s arm and three first half touchdowns. Brett adds to his lead 8-4 with 5 games left.

For the season, Favre leads the league in passer rating, is first in touchdowns (24) and has the fewest interceptions. Rodgers is right at the top with Favre. Aaron only has 5 interceptions with 22 touchdowns (tied for 3rd), third in passer rating, and is third most passing yards (3,136).

Wilner

Comment: Bears are still technically eligible for the Holiday Bowl because they could finish tied for second. But my understanding is that the Holiday would take either Arizona or USC ahead of Cal if there’s a four-team traffic jam. (The bowl would not be bound to Rose Bowl tiebreaker rules to determine its participant.) The Trojans have never played in the bowl, and besides: How can you pass on USC? Arizona is viewed as a better bet than Cal for filling hotel rooms … But we’ll see. Until the Bears are officially out of the running, they’re an option for the Holiday. The guess here is that they end up in the Sun if Oregon wins and the Emerald (or perhaps Las Vegas) if OSU wins.

Next up for the Bears: at Washington

Comment: The Huskies are a rebuilding program that usually plays well at home and features the most dynamic quarterback in the conference in Jake Locker. Like Stanford’s Andrew Luck, Locker is effective with his arm and his legs … The preliminary weather forecast calls for rain and 45 degrees.

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Tiger Woods did not bleed in the vehicle he crashed Friday morning — not a single drop — according to law enforcement sources.

Cops from the Windermere PD, who first responded on scene, observed Tiger’s lower lip split open and we’re told he had other marks as well. But TMZ sources say there was absolutely no blood in the SUV.

What’s more … we’ve learned Tiger’s wife, Elin Nordegren, told Windermere cops she smashed the back passenger window with the golf club, then unlocked the driver’s door and dragged Tiger out. Yet there were no traces of blood.

This has created even more suspicion with law enforcement … that Tiger’s wounds may have not been the result of SUV meets fire hydrant.

We’re told the Florida Highway Patrol has been frustrated by attempts to secure video of the accident. Even though we know there were surveillance cameras on Tiger’s property, his lawyer isn’t making video available. The people who manage the gated community have said they have no video of the crash.

As we first reported, the FHP sent troopers to the hospital where Tiger was treated yesterday in an attempt to secure medical records, which could unlock the mystery of how Tiger was injured. We’re told, so far no luck. Although an FHP spokesperson has said the department has not asked for a search warrant to obtain medical records, we know they are pursuing that route.

As for what charges could be filed … there are two possibilities on the table. The main focus now is Tiger’s injuries. If the injuries have the markers of a domestic dispute, we’re told Tiger’s wife would almost certainly be arrested.

Wow. Crazy stuff. Forgot how insane living in the state of Florida could be.