I guess it's true of all sports, well except Hockey, but most of what I learned about sports, I learned from my father. Although he learned more about Hockey from me. For Dad and me Football was our thing. Growing up he loved pointing out all the little nuances of the game to me. Teaching me, helping me understand. Then when I started playing, he would break down the game to me. No film, it was all in his head, and he could tell me what I did right, what I did wrong, give me tips on what to look for next time. It was amazing, and educational, and creepy, but worth it.

 Even when I got to THOSE teen years and our relationship had some strains, we always had Football to keep us talking.

 Now that I have a son, I hope we share that same type of bond, and since I missed out on the first 8 years of his life, I'm hoping Football can help bridge the gap. I know starting him off with the WSU Cougars getting a beating may not have been the best move, but it's what I know. That and the Seahawks.

 So Sunday I took him to his first game. I wasn't sold on Pete Carroll, and I was fearing the 49ers defense were going hand Matt Hasselback his ass, completely ruining my sons outlook on  Football. Luckily, the Seahawks came to play ball. Hasselback was 18 of 23 for 170 yards and 2 Touchdowns. He also added another on the ground. The defense really impressed me. They looked a lot tougher than last year, and picked off Alex Smith twice. One by Marcus Trufant, returned 32 yards for a touchdown.  Adam asked me if that was why I was wearing a #23 jersey? "Yes it is!"

 We had a great time. I spent a ton of money buying him all kinds of Seahawks gear. I loved watching his eyes as he scanned Qwest Field. He was blown away by the hugeness of everything, and was asking a million questions. I've heard people get frustrated by kids always asking questions, but I loved it. Maybe I'm making up for lost time. I wonder if my Dad felt this way. I hope so.

 I was thinking about doing a blog, previewing the Seahawks, but with all that has been going on in my world, I just haven't paid enough attention. However, I've always enjoyed gambling on Football. It's one of those special things my father shared with me. He taught me how to be smart about it, and how to do it well. I've seen a number of blogs at a number of places, with people predicting the winners for this weeks NFL games. I thought, ' I bet the a number of games each week, why don't I post my winners, old school, with the line?'

 So I checked the latest lines a number of sites, and now I'll tell you who to put your money on this week.

 I'll take the Saints -5.5 over the Vikings

 I'll take the Giants -7.5 over the Panthers

 Give me Miami -3 @ Buffalo

 I'll take Atlanta -2.5 @ Pittsburgh

 I'm going with the Lions + 6.5 @ Chicago

 Take the Patriots @ home -4.5 over the Bengals

 Cleveland @ Tampa Bay, I wouldn't touch that game!

 Jacksonville -2.5 @ home over Denver

 Take the Colts -2. @ Houston

 Take the Titans @ home -6.5 over the Raiders

 Give me Green Bay -3 @ Philly

 This one hurts, but I'll take the 49ers -3 @ Seattle

 Arizona -4 @ St. Louis

 I'll take Washington  +3.5 @ home, over the Cowboys

 I'll take Baltimore +2.5 @ the Jets

 And I'll take the Chiefs +4.5 @ home against the Chargers.

 Before I get into the misery that is my fandom, I want to thank the owners of You Gab Sports for reaching out to me, and offering me the chance to sub in for one of the featured bloggers. The welcome I've received has been great, and everyone here seems really cool. Onto the misery.

 It was a long day for the Washington State Cougars in Stillwater, Oklahoma. It's hard to win football games when you give up 544 total yards. Giving up 65 points hurts too! That's right folks, my Cougars lost 65-17 to the Cowboys from Oklahoma State.

 Quarterback Jeff Tuel played well, passing for 212 yards and a touchdown. The Cougars running back by commitee only gained 112 yards, and the team coughed up the ball twice.  Turnovers will kill you, but a defense that can't stop anyone will do you in even faster. The Cougars gave up 291 yards on the ground, and 253 through the air. That's not going to be a fun film session!

It sure wasn't fun for us fans to watch. I felt awful for my son. He and his mother came over to watch it with me. Us being a couple of WSU alumni, we thought it was time to expose him to this curse. Kathy tapped out early and went shopping. At half time Adam was beat down, and we went to the park. I had been so excited to share football with him, and now I fear I made him Huskies fan. I hope when I take him to his first Seahawks game he will be more excited about football.

The first weekend of College Football has been exciting. There were plenty of blowouts, besides the WSU game. Then there was the shocker. Jacksonville State upsetting Ole Miss 49-48 in overtime. Two fumbles and an interception came back to haunt the Rebels. It's games like this that make college football so exciting.

 This past week, I noticed there are a few Notre Dame fans here. They should be happy with a 23-12 victory over Purdue.

 The worst game of the week may have Oregon's 72-0 thrashing of New Mexico. I didn't really know what to expect from the Ducks this year, but I guess we all should expect a lot of offense. It just wasn't fear at all. The Lobos turned it over 5 times, but does that even matter when they give up 720 yards of total offense?  that's just brutal.

 This week's big game is Monday night. Boise State vs Virginia Tech. Two good teams, and proud programs. I expect it to be a shootout.

 For those who have followed my personal trials and tribulations, I'll tell you that  Adam and I have been having a blast together, except when I make him watch the Cougars! The few days I don't see him, we talk on the phone, but the way things are progressing between Kathy and me, I may be seeing him every day.  I've tried to take it slow with her, but it's hard at times. We just click. I have to remind myself sometimes what she did, but is that really going to help either of us if I keep doing that?

 Well this is my first blog at You Gab Sports. I've been welcomed by a number of the guys here, and already got a little chop busting. Everyone seems really cool here.  For those who don't know me, I started blogging at Sporting News a couple months ago, then the place seemed to fall apart. A number of people were talking about a number of sites. I checked out a few, and You Gab Sports kept coming up. So I took a look this week, and signed up.

If you missed my earlier ramblings, they're still up at Sporting News. http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/SeattleFlannel

I love sports, especially the Seattle Seahawks, Mariners, and my Washington State Cougars. Yes, I know the Cougars have been bad, but they're going to turn around one of these days. While writing about sports, I also like to use my blog as journal, as I'm working through some crazy stuff that has happened in my life recently.

Enough about me, how about some WSU Football!

The key to the Cougars future is that guy righ there. Sophomore Quarterback Jeff Tuel.  Many are comparing him to former WSU QB, Jason Gesser who lead the team to the Rose Bowl in 2003. He has a great football IQ, a strong arm, and excellent mobility. 

 Tuel has good group of receivers, (Daniel Blackledge, Jared Karstetter & Gino Simone) but in the backfield, it will most likely be a running back by committee.  According to coach Paul Wulff, the offensive line is the teams strength. Well, I think I can speak for Tuel and many of the WSU faithful when I say, I Hope So Coach!

What Tuel is to the offense, defensive end Travis Long needs to be the same for the defense. Long has the potential to be a premeire pass rusher. The Cougars are going to have to break in some new linebackers, but the staff feels the secondary should be greatly improved. I should hope so after last year!

Here's WSU's schedule

@ Oklahoma State

Montana State

@ SMU

USC

@ UCLA

Oregon

Arizona

@ Stanford

@ Arizona State

California

@ Oregon State

Washington

I'm not expecting anything crazy when it comes to number of wins, but I do expect a better showing than last years 1-11 record. A win over Washington for the Apple Cup would be great, but I expect them to be really tough this year.

If you were one of those keeping up on the mess in my personal life, here's an update. Things are going well. My son (Adam) spent his first weekend at my place, in his new room we designed together. He was a little nervous at first, but it went well. His mother (Kathy) and I are doing well too. We've actually gone out a couple times without Adam. Things are going well, taking slow dealing with the trust issues, but going well nonetheless.