Really Peyton, it's not ALL your fault...

So in order to shut Walsh up this week, I finally came up with enough material to write something on this once-peaceful site. This should get me through until sometime next year...

1. Trouble in Indy? Well, yes, I think there's no doubt that there is. Lots of injuries for sure, but several other teams are dealing with the same issue and faring ok. don't get me wrong, the Colts are still a pretty decent football team, but were it not for Carson Palmer forgetting what team he was supposed to throw to a few weeks back, Indy would be on a 4-game slide. Manning has looked like Clark Kent as opposed to his normal Superman, throwing some godawful interceptions and putting the team in some bad spots. Granted, some of it has come from pressure, but he's normally more composed in the pocket. No running game isn't helping him either. And speaking of that, Donald Brown is useless, and is yet another #1 pick the team has drafted who has contributed nothing. Anthony Gonzalez can't stay healthy, Brown is...well, Brown, and this year's DE Jerry Hughes, who was supposed to spell Freeney and Mathis, can't even get on the field. They've done fine with the middle round picks to fill holes and be role players, but your #1 picks need to be studs. In the past 3 years, they're 0 for 3. I still think they win the Division (which is the only way they get into the playoffs this year), but I don't see them doing any damage. The bottom line is that the window for success on this current team is closing. Next year might be the last before a major overhaul is needed. Which is maybe why contract extensions for Manning have slowed considerably (that last nugget comes from Walsh, so I can't take credit for it)...

2. Women's World Cup Draw - I think the U.S. got a fairly decent draw with North Korea, Colombia, and Sweden. North Korea has been strong recently, but how will they do when confronted by totally new surroundings halfway around the world? Colombia is an emerging team but not quite there yet. Sweden is 4th in the world but I'm a bit skeptical of that ranking. The U.S. SHOULD get out of the group and make it to at least the quarterfinals. How interesting though that most experts (and I'm not considered one of them , shockingly) don't have it as a given that this team will be in the Final? After a stunning loss to Mexico, and not overwhelming an average Italian team, I have my doubts they'll get there. I know everyone is saying it was a rare loss for the girls in qualifying, but let's be honest; this team hasn't dominated and struck fear in their opponents in quite some time. I remember a certain player for the U.S. (won't reveal her name, but it rhymes with "Loudy") said once that they knew they already had a mental edge over their opponent before the game started because they were so good and the other team was afraid to play them. That edge is gone as the rest of the world is catching up. Will it take an early-round elimination to force the U.S. to confront their issues? Probably, as U.S. Soccer has a history of being reactive rather than being proactive.

3. Ben Olsen as the DC United Head Coach - Not gonna steal Walsh's thunder as he made a GREAT observation yesterday about this hire, but in my own opinion, I'll bet there were several snickers across the league yesterday with this announcement. It is in NO WAY disrespect for Olsen, whom most observers believe will make a good coach and can get his players motivated (see the final third of United's games in 2010). But after months of saying he would only be the interim coach, why would the DC United front office suddenly do a 180? Maybe because they couldn't find someone who would be nothing but the coach, while Payne and Kasper continue to screw up a once-proud franchise with poor personnel decisions and pissing off what was once the best fanbase in MLS. Any coach probably (and SHOULD) have a say in personnel. I don't think Olsen will have much of one, and that's probably why "Vinny and Dan" (my new nickname for them) decided to hire him for the full-time gig. Just another in a long series of questionable decisions made by a front office that isn't held accountable for anything they do.

4. Real Madrid vs. Barcelona - A bitchslap of the highest order. Even Mourinho's legendary in-game adjustments couldn't stop the onslaught from who is clearly once again the class of La Liga. Enough said about that.

5. Twitter page - The Fredericksburg Hotspurs PDL and Fredericksburg Impact of the W-League has its own twitter account. Look us up at fasasoccer and follow us as we post announcements as our teams are put together, schedules are released, and lots of other tidbits are revealed.

6. PDL and W-League alignments - Although we cannot release the schedules just yet, we can reveal who is in our respective divisions for 2011.

PDL - South Atlantic Division

Fredericksburg Hotspurs

Northern Virginia Royals

Hampton Roads Piranhas

West Virginia Chaos

Real Maryland FC

Carolina Dynamo

W-League - Atlantic Division

Fredericksburg Impact

Northern Virginia Majestics

Hampton Roads Piranhas

Charlotte Lady Eagles

Atlanta Silverbacks

Dayton Dutch Lions

And one last thing; one of my soccer buddies who commutes to DC with me went with his gut on Friday and dropped Berbatov from his fantasy team...oops!

That's all for now. Hopefully this shuts Walsh up for a week or so...