I like Thursday night football. It kind of breaks up the week for me and sets the stage for the upcoming week. Its only one game, and often I get a chance to see a team that I would never normally see. For instance, next week it is Houston at Jacksonville and yes, by no means a marketing dream, but still it interests me as outside of highlight tapes, I know very little about Jacksonville. It is a great opportunity to see "what they got" in terms of skill and the future but I am a fan, not a player, and having been a player, the short weeks were a stress. I think the NFL is one of the best run organizations in sports. Well run, well managed and very profitable. Still, they are wearing people out and the people being worn out are the players. The short weeks are a massive stress on players and with American Thanksgiving this week, you have six teams that are going through that stress. Football is a preparation sport and the players have no time to prepare properly. The Monday morning after a Sunday game, the teams dont even review the previous game; they just move on to the next. I thought a true wakeup call was the illness of Gary Kubiak, head coach of Houston. Yes, that could have been genetic and unavoidable but maybe not. Through the course of a football season many coaches go seven months straight without a day off. Sure, some by choice but often it is an accepted standard. Think about seven months straight without one day off. No thanks! I love my football and it is important to me but I love my health more. On a Sunday to Thursday cycle, the coaches will put in 12 to 14 hour days and the only break would be maybe Saturday before a Sunday game for a few hours in the afternoon. They could go 10 days straight, 12 hours a day, because of Thursday football. I know they get paid well and its their choice but it is also a toll that should be recognized. That recognition was Gary Kubiak. I dont know about others but I like my day off. Here at TSN, I have communicated that to all seven of my bosses in the most subtle and polite way and it is kind of accepted. During the CFL and NFL season, I force myself to get away. No e-mail, no calls and if I get them I react to them a bit later rather than within 30 seconds, which is the normal time frame. And here is the key: my day off help my days on, not the reverse, because what I have learned over time and experience is as important as ability is energy. Natural, normal, internal quality energy. And to have that and enjoy that you have to plan for it. This is an unusual time in football because as great as the profits are there is a price for profits. It not just football. How about hockey, MMA and boxing? The collision sports. Now, there is talk of a team in London, England; eight time zones away if you a west coast team. Remember Junior Seau? What about concussions? The truth is that there is no solution. Have you ever looked at the bodies of coaches? It is fast-food heaven. I know some people that are addicted to work and dont seem to be able to slow down. You know what the truth is? Slower is faster because there are fewer mistakes. It is like being in heavy traffic; slow down as you will get there just as quickly as you would if you speed up. Almost forgot, today is my day off! Darryl Strawberry Jersey . As deep as their roster is, they need their superstar. Rose scored 23 points in his return from a five-game absence due to back pain, and Chicago hung on to beat the struggling Atlanta Hawks 90-79 on Monday. Jeurys Familia Jersey .C. -- Panthers offensive tackle Jordan Gross is saying goodbye to the NFL after 11 seasons. http://www.metsbaseballauthentic.com/jed-lowrie-mets-jersey/. No pretty goals on this night, just get to the front of the net and fight for a chance. Pete Alonso Mets Jersey . The team reported the signing on its website Thursday, but said Friday the deal was off in "a mutual parting of the ways that had to do with the language of the contract. Mike Piazza Jersey . Toronto announced the deal with the restricted free agent on Saturday. The terms were not disclosed.Dallas, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - The Red River Rivalry had become one-sided in recent years and Texas needed to reverse its fortunes against Oklahoma. The Longhorns did so in a big way Saturday with a convincing 36-20 victory over the 12th-ranked Sooners in the annual grudge match at the Cotton Bowl. With three straight losses against Oklahoma, speculation had grown rampant that Mack Brown needed a win to potentially save his job at Texas. He got touchdowns from the offense, defense and special teams in the lopsided victory, giving Texas its first win against OU since a 16-13 triumph in 2009. "Im proud of our guys," Brown said. "Its the way the Red River Rivalry should be. Its two football teams that fought hard." Case McCoy completed 13-of-21 passes for 190 yards with a pair of long touchdowns and one interception for the Longhorns (4-2, 3-0 Big 12), who have won three in a row -- all in conference play. Johnathan Gray ran for 123 yards and Malcolm Brown added 120, as the Longhorns racked up 255 yards on the ground and 445 yards overall. Chris Whaley returned an interception 31 yards for the go-ahead touchdown in the first quarter and an 85-yard punt return by Daje Johnson helped stem any momentum Oklahoma might have had early in the third. Blake Bell struggled mightily in his first start against the Longhorns, throwing for just 133 yards on 12-of-26 passing with a pair of interceptions. Damien Williams ran for a touchdown for Oklahoma (5-1, 2-1), which had a 10- game conference winning streak stopped. "I still believe in our football team and a lot of potential," said Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops. "Weve just got to get some things ironed out." The teams traded field goals on the games first two possessions, as Anthony Fera drilled a 31-yard kick for Texas and Oklahomas Michael Hunnicutt countered with 34-yarder. The Sooners nearly had a touchdown on their opening drive, but a wide open Brennan Clay was unable to haul in Bells third-down pass in the end zone. A trade of turnovers then gave Texas the lead for good. The Longhorns were marching toward a potential score when Joe Bergeron fumbled at the Oklahoma 20, but Bell was pressured in the pocket just three plays later and was picked off by Whaley. The 300-pounder lineman rumbled 31 yards to the end zone for a 10-3 lead with 2:29 left in the first quarter. Texas forced a punt and again moved the ball against the Oklahoma defense as a 38-yard run by Gray and an 11-yard scamper by Brown set up a first down at the OU 31. The Soonerr defense stiffened and forced a turnover on downs when McCoys pass on 4th-and-2 fell incomplete inside the 20.dddddddddddd The Longhorns, though, were undeterred and continued the offensive dominance with their next possession. On 3rd-and-11, McCoy found a streaking Marcus Johnson in stride down the right sideline for a 59-yard score to make it 17-3 with 8:46 remaining in the half Texas then added a 50-yard field goal by Fera with 3:22 left, but a 73-yard kickoff return by Oklahomas Roy Finch led to five straight rushes for a touchdown. Damien Williams capped the quick 27-yard series with a 3-yard run, but there was still just over a minute left on the clock and Texas had enough time to drive far enough for a 43-yard field goal from Fera to give the Longhorns a 23-10 cushion at the break. Oklahoma started the second half with a 37-yard Hunnicutt field goal and Texas finally had to punt after its first series of the third quarter, but the Longhorns didnt let the Sooners gain any momentum. They quickly forced another punt and the special teams added to the advantage when Daje Johnson escaped two Sooners and raced 85 yards for a touchdown. The extra point was blocked, leaving Texas with a 29-13 margin. Duke Thomas picked off a Bell pass soon after and the Longhorns converted the turnover into another touchdown, as McCoy threw a perfect pass to Mike Davis for a 38-yard score to make it 36-13 late in the third. Geneo Grissom gave Oklahoma a little life with just over 10 minutes to play when the lineman intercepted McCoy and ran 54 yards untouched for a score. The Sooners then drove inside the Texas 10 with their next possession, but went only backward from there as a sack on 4th-and-13 sealed the contest. "They made big plays in the game and we didnt have hardly any big plays, offensively," Stoops added. "They covered us and at times they beat us in protection. They did a better job defending." Oklahoma mustered just 263 total yards and went 2-of-13 on third down. Game Notes Texas was 13-of-20 on third down ... An unranked Texas team beat a ranked Oklahoma squad for the first time since 1992 ...The Longhorns improved to 60-43-5 in the all-time series ... Oklahoma hadnt allowed a punt return for a touchdown since Colorados Jeremy Bloom on Dec. 7, 2002 ... The Sooners picked up their second interception return for a touchdown this season, as Corey Nelson was the first two weeks ago at Notre Dame ... Texas has next week off before a visit to TCU, while Oklahoma visits Kansas next Saturday. ' ' '