Still smarting, Texas gets Rice for dinner

It's the Rice Owls coming up, and we're talking about LSU for a reason.

You fully expect Texas to whup up on the H-Town Woodsies on Saturday, but it's a team that's still coming to grips with what could have been. What we see now is a 1-1 crew that's still licking its wounds.

On Monday, Tom Herman wore the expression of a coach who has realized just how close his team came to making a huge early season move on the top five. The Longhorns could have won, maybe even should have won. But they didn't.

"You know, I think there will never be moral victories at Texas, but  there are a lot of positive things that that we can glean from that game," Herman said.

On the positive end, the Tigers gave Texas a look at what it will take to be a consistent player on the national level. Ever run track growing up? Anyone who has raced will agree that their best times came when they were competing against faster runners. Texas played a faster runner and got edged at the tape. And just like a good 100-meter sprinter, the Longhorns lost because they didn't come out of the blocks in clean fashion.

Even if they didn't win, this can be chalked up as a chance for growth, particularly for the young Horns who had never been a part of a national showdown.

"This is a pre-conference game that has no bearing on our standing in our conference," Herman said. "And we will be a better team for having played that game. And I'm glad we did. And there's a lot a lot of positive that will come from having played that game, regardless of the outcome."

Rice will be served for dinner come Saturday, and while Herman says the coaching staff doesn't deal in what-ifs, it's really difficult for this fan base not to think about what could have been.

Moore money, Moore money: The NFL has made the move to these hotshot young play-callers, and Kellen Moore's debut in Dallas was something to behold.

The Cowboys rolled up nearly 500 yards of offense against the Giants, and those numbers came with Ezekiel Elliott carrying the ball only 13 times. Owner Jerry Jones couldn't stop raving about Moore, his 30-year-old former backup quarterback.

"It’s a credit to Kellen,” Jones said. “All of that, you put that in a basket and look at it, and it was an A-plus job by our offensive game plan and play-calling.”

For his part, Moore said he was just glad Jerry got his name right.

"He used to call me Keelan," Moore said.

I don't expect the Giants to be a playoff contender, but the Cowboys had the look of an offense that will have no problems against even the best defenses.

"We’re just lethal," wideout Amari Cooper said. "Defenses should watch out."

Good start in Big D.

A real circus Brown: Antonio Brown will go down as one of the most selfish athletes in league history.

His behavior over the past month should be required reading for all athletes on how not to conduct oneself as a professional. The good and bad of sports have been on full display as the Oakland Raiders finally grew weary of a 32-year-old man who acted like a preteen with no formal training.

It's also an example of how a spoiled superstar will always get second (and third) choices because of his ability.

Want to hear the most laughable part of this whole saga and proof that Brown is not operating with a full deck upstairs?

Had he just taken one day off from social media after his emotional apology to his teammates and coaches, he would have played in Monday night's opener against Denver and been guaranteed $30 million in salary. But he chose instead to post his displeasure with the Raiders and ask for his release. He's still going to make about $10 million guaranteed with the New England Patriots, even if he does the thinkable and mucks it all up. 

Other NFL thoughts:

• Did someone forget to tell the Cleveland Browns that you still have to play football to win the AFC North? Baker Mayfield threw three picks in a 43-13 home loss to Tennessee in a game in which the Browns committed 18 penalties. Coach Freddie Kitchens has a talented club, but he appears to be in over his head.

• The league will speak to Browns wideout Odell Beckham Jr. for wearing a $350,000 Richard Mille watch during the game. Hey, I'm sure the ATP would allow Roger Federer to wear a Rolex during a tennis match, so what's the difference? Well, Roger has actually won something.

• Miami will go 1-15. The Dolphins are that bad.

• The Steelers were noncompetitive against New England. Cue the Tomlin watch.