Monday Morning Rant (Yeah, I know it is Tuesday)

A few things happened this past weekend:  Los Angeles felt like Dubai in the middle of August, UCLA waltzed into Austin, TX and laid the wood to the Longhorns once again, the NFL's pass interference rules swung momentum in several games, oh...and I got married in Laguna Beach, CA.   It's been a while, so let's get to it.......

Bruins 34   Horns 12
How annoyed can one fan be?  Let me count the ways.  This Texas team has been playing not to lose.  Greg Davis has had the fortune of Vince Young and Colt McCoy at his disposal for the past 7 seasons.  Why are we harnessing Garrett Gilbert and stuffing him in a set of Pampers every Saturday?  Why do our receivers run 3 yard routes on 4th down when we need 4 yards for the first?  Why does our offensive line commit juvenile penalties on a weekly basis?  And how in the world have they not been able to open holes for our RB's?  This is Texas for the love of all that is holy.  They did not look impressive against the mighty juggernauts of Rice or Wyoming.  This past Saturday, they were out-coached, out-played, out-smarted, basically they were freaking outed across the board.  When this season began, I said 10-3 was the likely outcome of this campaign.  That seems like a pipe dream today.  Mack Brown, you recruited Garrett Gilbert, the Gatorade National High School Player of the Year for 2008, and yet we are treating him like he is some lost puppy who cannot stop whizzing down his leg.  Open the playbook and turn the kid loose.  Better yet, just fire Greg Davis.  Don't be loyal to a fault.  This team needs new offensive life blood and it needs it now.  Make it happen.

113 Degrees in LA - All Time Record!
You know how Californians are weather pansies, right?  This was the day KISS sang about in 1978.  Your skin was literally melting away.  Southern Californians cannot handle a few things:  navigating a vehicle on rain slicked roads, supporting an NFL franchise, and the internal combustion temperature of a human being's temper, which is right at 113 degrees Fahrenheit.  When it is that hot that close to the ocean, humidity has no choice but to make an appearance.  Ironic fact:  September is the most desirable weather month in SoCal for vacationing.

12" Curbs in Laguna Beach - Street Metered Parking
Just how on earth are we to work with this bit of Aggieland civil engineering?  The city of Laguna Beach, along the PCH, has installed parking meters.  They've been there for a very long time.  Some even accept plastic (who has gobs of quarters anymore?).  Unless your rig is an H2, we could have issues with a plethora of paint and body damage to the passenger door.  What brain trust thought this up?  Why are curbs on one of the busiest traveled city streets in the world a foot tall in some places with a freaking parking meter installed?  This implies people will be exiting their vehicle at said location.  And unless you are the width of one Calista Flockheart, you are going to struggle exiting the vehicle on the curb side.

NFL Pass Interference Rules Need Tweaking + Let 'Em Score, Coach!
Last night, Jay Cutler received credit for leading the Bears down the field for a game winning drive as the Bears kicked a last second field goal to defeat the Packers.  Right before this, Nick Collins appeared to intercept Cutler at the Packer 9 yard line, but a pass interference call nullified the pick, and a few plays later, Robbie Gould hit the game winning kick.  There was no mistaking that pass interference was the correct call.  But, the penalty is too severe.  Spot of the foul?  I like the college rule here of 15 yards.  There is no guarantee that the receiver would have caught the pass, so why the gracious reward?  This put the Pack in a tough spot, as the game was tied at 17 with a 1:30 left on the clock in the 4th quarter.  Bears ball at the 9 yard line.  Green Bay had one time out I believe.  Another penalty by the Pack and now the Bears have the ball around the Green Bay 3 yard line.  Here is where you have to go with the odds as a coach.  At this moment, the Bears have about a 98% chance of scoring at least the game winning FG.  You have Aaron Rodgers sitting on the sideline with a plethora of receiving options.  You have to let them score the TD, avoid taking the timeout as you would be so inclined as a coach, and trust that Rodgers will be your best bet to send the game into overtime.  Calling timeout and stuffing the run only chews the clock, which in this instance, is your only mortal enemy Coach McCarthy.  This was the only option for the Packers at having a legitimate shot at winning.  Big. Coaching. Fail.