Potentially interesting story brewing in Gainesville. Florida is favored by 22.5 as they travel to Mississippi State this week. The problem, though, is that they are beat up on defense. Linebacker Brandon Spikes and defensive tackles Jaye Howard and Lawrence Marsh are three starters fighting injuries, and all are questionable for next week. Spikes is battling a groin injury that he suffered last week, and when he was out his absence was definitely noted. Florida also has some depth injuries on the d-line already, so that could make for an interesting situation – Mississippi State has the 11th ranked run offense in the country, so they could potentially be in position to exploit Florida’s issues. I’m not at all convinced that that is enough to put the Bulldogs over the top, but it at least makes the game more interesting than it would be if the Gators were operating at full intensity and effectiveness on both sides of the ball.

As Roger Goodell is in London promoting New England’s game against Tampa Bay there on Sunday, he has indicated that he could see the league soon playing multiple games per season in England? Will someone please tell me why? I really don’t get why he is so obsessed with London. All it does it rob some fans and teams of a home game, and force a game to be played on a field that may or may not be ideal. I don’t even necessarily understand why it is such agreat business move – do people really care about it for more than novelty over there? Just seems like a disruptive gimmick to me.

Despite having two weeks off to recover, receiver Roy Wiliams is questionable for the Cowboys again this week. In the 14 games he has played since leaving Detroit, he has 30 catches for 412 yards and two touchdowns. What a waste of oxygen, and a total waste of the three draft picks they gave up for him. The guy doesn’t look like he likes playing football.

I’m mostly impressed by the offseason the Portland Trail Blazers have had. They have locked both Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge up to long term contracts. The guys are both good players and good guys, so having them around for the long term is a good thing. The problem, though, is that they had better be happy with their current mix. They have tied up $145 million in the two players, so they have given away a lot of flexibility. They are such a young team, and these moves mean that they will eventually have to say goodbye to some of that talent. It’s always tricky for a team to make sure that they pick the right guys to lock up. I’ll be pulling for them – they are fun to watch, and the team deserves a break.