Bigtime sports action this weekend, which included the NCAA Tournament and other things. Just a few thoughts on this Monday night:
It was a great weekend for the NCAA Tournament and the Elite Eight. Three of the games were decided by a combined total of 15 points or something like that, and the other game, Gonzaga and Duke, was tight until the final minutes when Duke pulled away.
I know a lot of people will talk about the scare Kentucky got, but the most entertaining game to me was Wisconsin and Arizona. Two standout teams that went at it for the right to go to Indianapolis. Let's make one thing perfectly clear: Wisconsin was in two zones Saturday night. They just could not miss from long distance. That was the biggest reason they won this game.
But if you root for Arizona at all, you just have to wonder, and I have wondered this over the last couple of days as well, when is that program, and Sean Miller, ever going to get there. Miller is 0 for 4 in the Elite 8, with three of the losses coming at Arizona. Granted, those three losses have come to outstanding squads in the UConn team that won it all, and Wisconsin the last two years in great games. But I'm afraid he's going to get stuck with the label of can't win the big one, which is a label that I don't think he necessarily deserves. The problem though is that Arizona gets top tier talent every year and still can't get over the hump.
That said, not taking anything away from Wisconsin at all. They are, without doubt, a great team that become nearly unstoppable Saturday by shooting the lights out.
I know Kentucky got a scare, but there was little doubt in my mind they were going to win that game, even when they were behind. This is one of the biggest reasons why I believe Kentucky will not be beat by anyone. Along with being far more talented than any team in the country, they are a team that just refuses to lose. It's obvious they have embraced the pressure of making history and getting everybody's best shot.
Michigan State is back in the Final Four...in a rebuilding year. I am more and more convinced that there is a strong possibility that Tom Izzo could take five guys off the street, dress them in Spartan gear and still make the Final Four.
As far as Duke goes, it is interesting that the last two road to their Final Fours have taken them first through Houston, and on to Indianapolis for the Final Four itself. The last time that happened, they won the title. That was also where they beat undefeated UNLV in 1991, on the way to their first national title. I don't think they repeat history, but it's an interesting note.
So Texas cut longtime successful coach Rick Barnes loose over the weekend. This will be an interesting development; Barnes, for as much as I wasn't crazy about him, was probably the second or third best coach in the Big 12, only clearly behind whoever was coaching Kansas at the time. If you're going to cut a successful coach loose like that, you'd better have a plan to replace him. Now, rumors have been swirling that they've already contacted Shaka Smart of Virginia Commonwealth, so it appears they at least have a plan. It's the University of Texas, so they can also throw a hefty wad of cash towards both him and Wichita State's Gregg Marshall.
And speaking of Texas, for my Husker baseball peeps, how about that sweep of the burnt orange this weekend? It's exciting to see that the Husker baseball program can compete with the best of the best and win some of those games.
On the Rockets: They were in first place for approximately 24 hours, although the Grizzlies of Memphis jumped back into first tonight. Let's get this straight...I've never been crazy about Kevin McHale as the Rockets head coach, as I've said before on this blog. I've sort of thought some of the decisions he's made have been dopey, especially some of his decisions last year in the Portland series. To me, that Portland series loss warranted a firing considering expectations. But he's done a good job this year.
To wit, all of the Rockets big men have missed significant time yet they are still battling for the second seed in the West. Now, Harden has had a spectacular season and they hired T.R. Dunn and J.B. Bickerstaff as assistants, and they deserve credit too, but until further notice I'm going to shut up about McHale for a while. The Rockets need to avoid the Spurs and/or Warriors until the conference finals; Golden State is the best team in the West at least right now and the Spurs are like the Yankees when it comes to the postseason.
One last NFL note; the Raiders got rid of Matt Schaub in the offseason, and yet there are STILL teams interested in him? The one thing this proves to me is that there are no shortage of mediocre to below average quarterbacks in the NFL. Well, that and the fact that teams are still interested in Fitzpatrick.
Until next time....
Monday, March 30, 2015
Monday, March 23, 2015
March Madness and other thoughts 3/23/15
So, after a busy weekend...where shall we begin? Well, where else...with March Madness.
The one great thing about the Big Dance is this: It never disappoints. Even in the worst tournaments (and this year's been pretty good), there are things that happen every year in this thing that make your head spin. I could go a number of different ways, but there are a few specific things that caught my eye.
First of all, obligatory Kentucky greatness take: How great do you have to be when Cincinnati takes its best shot at you, you win by 15 and people complain about how much you win by? Cincinnati played pretty close to the best game they could play and UK didn't play all that great and yet Cincinnati stood no chance in that game.
That said, Arizona didn't play a great game either and still beat Ohio State solidly in the second half. They got absolutely nothing from some of their better players including Stanley Johnson and still won comfortably. I still think Arizona is the only team that could beat Kentucky, with Wisconsin and Duke close behind.
Even as a Big 10 fan, the best conference this year by far is the ACC. The Big 10 is still competitive as Wisconsin and MSU are always tough this time of year, but the Big 10 is in a down year. ACC on the other hand...five teams in the Sweet 16, including three of the major schools from Tobacco Road. And may have been six if Virginia hadn't lost Justin Anderson at one point this season.
Jim Rome mentioned it on his radio show today, but the Triangle in North Carolina has to be through the roof right now...maybe the only place that can consider itself basketball heaven more than Wichita, Kansas. In addition, Notre Dame and Louisville have very good teams and should represent themselves well next weekend. Oh and I think Duke is Duke again, at least for this year. They played in a rugged conference, and played a pretty solid San Diego State team in the round of 32 and beat the crap out of them.
North Carolina is a good, solid team, but I'm not sure they are capable of playing 40 minutes against the Badgers, and if they aren't on their Ps and Qs the whole game, they aren't going to win that game because Wisconsin always is prepared and always works their game plan to perfection.
I think the Big 12 isn't falling apart, but it's also apparent their teams weren't quite as good as everyone said they were. Iowa State acted like they could just show up and win against UAB, and Baylor had a total meltdown against Georgia State. West Virginia and Oklahoma survived to play this week, but the losses by Texas, ISU and Baylor on the first day really hurt the Big 12's reputation on the national scene.
They won't beat Kentucky, but I love that Bob Huggins is back in the Sweet 16. The tournament is always better to me when Huggins can take a team deep, and even better when he's doing it for his alma mater.
And finally: Wichita, Kansas, home to basketball heaven or at least it's got to be, you would think...thanks to Wichita State. Now we know why Kansas wouldn't play Wichita State since 1993, well other than the fact that KU feels it doesn't have anything to gain by playing them. Wichita State is just better. Don't get me wrong, they should still play Wichita State every year. I get that Kansas has nothing to gain, but in-state opponents should not dodge each other. Those battles are great for the fans and are also key recruiting battles.
I think the one thing this game did for the Shockers was that it took them to the next level. They've been to the Final Four, and they've beat some good programs, but they've never had to go through big, bad Kansas because Kansas didn't feel like WuShock was worth its time. Now, not only are they a perennial contender, they are champions of the state of basketball-mad Kansas. That's a pretty good deal for Wichita State, even if they lose to Notre Dame.
Oh and one other thing: I don't know if it will happen because the Shockers have to beat Notre Dame to get to the final 8, but I'd love to see WuShock play Kentucky again. That was one of the best games of the tournament in 2014 and WuShock has most of its team back, so they aren't unfamiliar with how Kentucky goes about its business.
Couple of NFL notes now: So the NFL decided to suspend the blackout policy for 2015, which required that teams sell out their stadiums in order to get games in their home market. It's a silly rule, an outdated rule and one that needs to be scrapped, period.
Texans are hoping to get Clowney back by August; O'Brien has made some very good moves this offseason and if they can somehow, someway have Clowney, Wilfork and Watt healthy for an extended amount of time that defense is going to be a terror.
From the SEC, a future Georgia recruit had a moment he'll never live down; Ben Cleveland, a 6'7, 325 lb. lineman committed to the Dawgs had to have stitches in his hand whilst taking part in a science experiment at his high school. Might it be safe to say he won't be taking part in any science classes at UGA?
Big week coming up for the Husker baseball team; after going 7-6 to open the season away from home, they've come home and done what they're supposed to do, which would be win the first 10 games against scrubs. But now comes five games against Cal-State Fullerton and Texas. Husker fans will know a lot more about this team after this week.
Until next time...
The one great thing about the Big Dance is this: It never disappoints. Even in the worst tournaments (and this year's been pretty good), there are things that happen every year in this thing that make your head spin. I could go a number of different ways, but there are a few specific things that caught my eye.
First of all, obligatory Kentucky greatness take: How great do you have to be when Cincinnati takes its best shot at you, you win by 15 and people complain about how much you win by? Cincinnati played pretty close to the best game they could play and UK didn't play all that great and yet Cincinnati stood no chance in that game.
That said, Arizona didn't play a great game either and still beat Ohio State solidly in the second half. They got absolutely nothing from some of their better players including Stanley Johnson and still won comfortably. I still think Arizona is the only team that could beat Kentucky, with Wisconsin and Duke close behind.
Even as a Big 10 fan, the best conference this year by far is the ACC. The Big 10 is still competitive as Wisconsin and MSU are always tough this time of year, but the Big 10 is in a down year. ACC on the other hand...five teams in the Sweet 16, including three of the major schools from Tobacco Road. And may have been six if Virginia hadn't lost Justin Anderson at one point this season.
Jim Rome mentioned it on his radio show today, but the Triangle in North Carolina has to be through the roof right now...maybe the only place that can consider itself basketball heaven more than Wichita, Kansas. In addition, Notre Dame and Louisville have very good teams and should represent themselves well next weekend. Oh and I think Duke is Duke again, at least for this year. They played in a rugged conference, and played a pretty solid San Diego State team in the round of 32 and beat the crap out of them.
North Carolina is a good, solid team, but I'm not sure they are capable of playing 40 minutes against the Badgers, and if they aren't on their Ps and Qs the whole game, they aren't going to win that game because Wisconsin always is prepared and always works their game plan to perfection.
I think the Big 12 isn't falling apart, but it's also apparent their teams weren't quite as good as everyone said they were. Iowa State acted like they could just show up and win against UAB, and Baylor had a total meltdown against Georgia State. West Virginia and Oklahoma survived to play this week, but the losses by Texas, ISU and Baylor on the first day really hurt the Big 12's reputation on the national scene.
They won't beat Kentucky, but I love that Bob Huggins is back in the Sweet 16. The tournament is always better to me when Huggins can take a team deep, and even better when he's doing it for his alma mater.
And finally: Wichita, Kansas, home to basketball heaven or at least it's got to be, you would think...thanks to Wichita State. Now we know why Kansas wouldn't play Wichita State since 1993, well other than the fact that KU feels it doesn't have anything to gain by playing them. Wichita State is just better. Don't get me wrong, they should still play Wichita State every year. I get that Kansas has nothing to gain, but in-state opponents should not dodge each other. Those battles are great for the fans and are also key recruiting battles.
I think the one thing this game did for the Shockers was that it took them to the next level. They've been to the Final Four, and they've beat some good programs, but they've never had to go through big, bad Kansas because Kansas didn't feel like WuShock was worth its time. Now, not only are they a perennial contender, they are champions of the state of basketball-mad Kansas. That's a pretty good deal for Wichita State, even if they lose to Notre Dame.
Oh and one other thing: I don't know if it will happen because the Shockers have to beat Notre Dame to get to the final 8, but I'd love to see WuShock play Kentucky again. That was one of the best games of the tournament in 2014 and WuShock has most of its team back, so they aren't unfamiliar with how Kentucky goes about its business.
Couple of NFL notes now: So the NFL decided to suspend the blackout policy for 2015, which required that teams sell out their stadiums in order to get games in their home market. It's a silly rule, an outdated rule and one that needs to be scrapped, period.
Texans are hoping to get Clowney back by August; O'Brien has made some very good moves this offseason and if they can somehow, someway have Clowney, Wilfork and Watt healthy for an extended amount of time that defense is going to be a terror.
From the SEC, a future Georgia recruit had a moment he'll never live down; Ben Cleveland, a 6'7, 325 lb. lineman committed to the Dawgs had to have stitches in his hand whilst taking part in a science experiment at his high school. Might it be safe to say he won't be taking part in any science classes at UGA?
Big week coming up for the Husker baseball team; after going 7-6 to open the season away from home, they've come home and done what they're supposed to do, which would be win the first 10 games against scrubs. But now comes five games against Cal-State Fullerton and Texas. Husker fans will know a lot more about this team after this week.
Until next time...
Monday, March 9, 2015
3/8/15: The Wild Ride of NFL Free Agency
As the clock ticks down to less than 24 hours before the start of NFL free agency is to begin, there is a lot of ground to cover. A lot happened here in Houston and around the league over the weekend.
The big news out of Houston today sports wise is something I talked about in the last blog; it's the formality to end all formalities, the release of seven-time Pro Bowler Andre Johnson. It comes as even less of a surprise when you consider that the Texans re-signed right guard Derek Newton and cornerback Kareem Jackson to long-term deals. Andre can still help a team for sure, but the feeling here is he's not an 80-catch guy anymore. His best days have come and gone.
Texans have been busy elsewhere in free agency as well, signing Ryan Mallett to a two year deal and reaching an agreement with former Browns QB Brian Hoyer. It's the ultimate prove it situation for both men. Mallett will probably be the front-runner to win the job, and Hoyer now has a chance to prove himself potentially with him being out of Cleveland. No matter who wins that job, either one is better than Fitzpatrick.
One of the bigger stories in the league has been the Philadelphia Eagles. It's a team that's been wheeling and dealing, and in my opinion it has not been for the better. LeSean McCoy; traded to Buffalo. Jeremy Maclin; gone to Kansas City. One thing is for sure, Chip Kelly is pushing all of his "chips" (yes, pun intended) to the center of the table. Because he didn't get faster with these deals; for a team that plays so fast, his team just got a lot slower. Especially since they went ahead and signed Frank Gore.
Now, the question is, will he take a HUGE swing and take a shot at trading up for his former quarterback Marcus Mariota. At this point, I think I'd be surprised if he didn't do that. Kiko Alonso, the former Bills linebacker who was traded to Philadelphia, became the ninth Oregon Duck currently on the Philadelphia roster. One thing is for sure; Chip Kelly values his system over any player he might have.
On Buffalo, it's clear that Rex Ryan is going to do what he did with the Jets; put his eggs in one basket for his running game because the Bills signed Matt Cassel to compete with E.J. Manuel for the starter job. If Chip Kelly is stubborn about his system being the star (and for sure he thinks it is), then Rex is just as stubborn in the sense that he feels he doesn't need a great quarterback to win. He's hoping that Shady has a good season, and for Rex's sake he'd better or the Bills Mafia is going to grow tired of Rex's act real quick.
In the last take, I mentioned that Jeremy Maclin is on the way to Kansas City to be reunited with his former coach Andy Reid. Obviously, Kansas City is hoping that Maclin can be the home run receiver threat they need. He is familiar with Andy Reid as they both played in Philly.
Niners have had a disastrous offseason, haven't they? Harbaugh, gone. Frank Gore, gone. Patrick Willis and Justin Smith, retiring. Crabtree, not expected to return. No doubt the Niners are committed to winning, but that's going to be an awfully steep, uphill climb.
Not exactly a great week for the Patriots either; they locked up Devin McCourty, but decided to not pick up the option on Revis Island and Vince Wilfork. I do not see a decline coming in the Patriots as long as Brady and Belichick are coaching, but it's interesting that they are willing to put both of those guys on the market.
On the Ndamukong Suh move to the Dolphins, that is a massive deal. It's a 114 million dollar deal with 60 mil of it guaranteed. He's now getting paid more than JJ Watt, for heaven's sake. No doubt Suh is a dominant player, and can change games defensively, but the Dolphins still have Ryan Tannehill at quarterback, who I think will not be taking Miami to the promised land any time soon.
Couple of quick basketball notes; I'll save my NCAA tournament predictions for next week by the way. First, I'll go to college and Syracuse. They got hit hard with some significant sanctions on Friday after investigation by the NCAA. The sanctions include Boeheim being suspended for the first nine games of next year's ACC season, the loss of three scholarships per season through 2018-19 and Syracuse being forced to vacate wins for five different seasons in the last decade.
I'm not going to get into what my personal thoughts are on the Syracuse program (they aren't favorable, that's my only hint). I will say though, that those are sanctions that will be very difficult to come back from especially since Syracuse is losing three schollies per season over the next several years.
One quick NBA note: As always, if you wish to throw dirt on the San Antonio Spurs, do so at your own peril. Just a couple of weeks ago, there was chatter that Tony Parker really didn't have it anymore. He's dinged up and hurt, but he's still giving it a go, as the Bulls found out yesterday. He scorched them for 32 points and the Spurs hammered the Bulls for their fifth straight win.
Keep in mind that it was right about last year at this time that the Spurs went on a tear and went on to win the NBA title. The way the Spurs are playing, the Rockets may need to get the 2 or 3 seed to avoid playing the Spurs in a 4/5 first round matchup.
On to baseball real quick; the big news here in Texas is that Yu Darvish, the star pitcher for the Rangers, may need Tommy John surgery. It's been a rough year or so for Rangers fans; finished with the second worst record in baseball last year (only the Diamondbacks were worse) and now, their best pitcher may need Tommy John as they are trying to recover from that disastrous season.
In the Cactus League, Alex Rios has three home runs in nine spring training games for the Royals, who have come out like gang busters in spring training by winning each of their first five. Is this going to be a scenario where the Royals blow their load in spring training, then have nothing left for the 162 game grind which awaits? We'll have to wait and see.
Until next time...
The big news out of Houston today sports wise is something I talked about in the last blog; it's the formality to end all formalities, the release of seven-time Pro Bowler Andre Johnson. It comes as even less of a surprise when you consider that the Texans re-signed right guard Derek Newton and cornerback Kareem Jackson to long-term deals. Andre can still help a team for sure, but the feeling here is he's not an 80-catch guy anymore. His best days have come and gone.
Texans have been busy elsewhere in free agency as well, signing Ryan Mallett to a two year deal and reaching an agreement with former Browns QB Brian Hoyer. It's the ultimate prove it situation for both men. Mallett will probably be the front-runner to win the job, and Hoyer now has a chance to prove himself potentially with him being out of Cleveland. No matter who wins that job, either one is better than Fitzpatrick.
One of the bigger stories in the league has been the Philadelphia Eagles. It's a team that's been wheeling and dealing, and in my opinion it has not been for the better. LeSean McCoy; traded to Buffalo. Jeremy Maclin; gone to Kansas City. One thing is for sure, Chip Kelly is pushing all of his "chips" (yes, pun intended) to the center of the table. Because he didn't get faster with these deals; for a team that plays so fast, his team just got a lot slower. Especially since they went ahead and signed Frank Gore.
Now, the question is, will he take a HUGE swing and take a shot at trading up for his former quarterback Marcus Mariota. At this point, I think I'd be surprised if he didn't do that. Kiko Alonso, the former Bills linebacker who was traded to Philadelphia, became the ninth Oregon Duck currently on the Philadelphia roster. One thing is for sure; Chip Kelly values his system over any player he might have.
On Buffalo, it's clear that Rex Ryan is going to do what he did with the Jets; put his eggs in one basket for his running game because the Bills signed Matt Cassel to compete with E.J. Manuel for the starter job. If Chip Kelly is stubborn about his system being the star (and for sure he thinks it is), then Rex is just as stubborn in the sense that he feels he doesn't need a great quarterback to win. He's hoping that Shady has a good season, and for Rex's sake he'd better or the Bills Mafia is going to grow tired of Rex's act real quick.
In the last take, I mentioned that Jeremy Maclin is on the way to Kansas City to be reunited with his former coach Andy Reid. Obviously, Kansas City is hoping that Maclin can be the home run receiver threat they need. He is familiar with Andy Reid as they both played in Philly.
Niners have had a disastrous offseason, haven't they? Harbaugh, gone. Frank Gore, gone. Patrick Willis and Justin Smith, retiring. Crabtree, not expected to return. No doubt the Niners are committed to winning, but that's going to be an awfully steep, uphill climb.
Not exactly a great week for the Patriots either; they locked up Devin McCourty, but decided to not pick up the option on Revis Island and Vince Wilfork. I do not see a decline coming in the Patriots as long as Brady and Belichick are coaching, but it's interesting that they are willing to put both of those guys on the market.
On the Ndamukong Suh move to the Dolphins, that is a massive deal. It's a 114 million dollar deal with 60 mil of it guaranteed. He's now getting paid more than JJ Watt, for heaven's sake. No doubt Suh is a dominant player, and can change games defensively, but the Dolphins still have Ryan Tannehill at quarterback, who I think will not be taking Miami to the promised land any time soon.
Couple of quick basketball notes; I'll save my NCAA tournament predictions for next week by the way. First, I'll go to college and Syracuse. They got hit hard with some significant sanctions on Friday after investigation by the NCAA. The sanctions include Boeheim being suspended for the first nine games of next year's ACC season, the loss of three scholarships per season through 2018-19 and Syracuse being forced to vacate wins for five different seasons in the last decade.
I'm not going to get into what my personal thoughts are on the Syracuse program (they aren't favorable, that's my only hint). I will say though, that those are sanctions that will be very difficult to come back from especially since Syracuse is losing three schollies per season over the next several years.
One quick NBA note: As always, if you wish to throw dirt on the San Antonio Spurs, do so at your own peril. Just a couple of weeks ago, there was chatter that Tony Parker really didn't have it anymore. He's dinged up and hurt, but he's still giving it a go, as the Bulls found out yesterday. He scorched them for 32 points and the Spurs hammered the Bulls for their fifth straight win.
Keep in mind that it was right about last year at this time that the Spurs went on a tear and went on to win the NBA title. The way the Spurs are playing, the Rockets may need to get the 2 or 3 seed to avoid playing the Spurs in a 4/5 first round matchup.
On to baseball real quick; the big news here in Texas is that Yu Darvish, the star pitcher for the Rangers, may need Tommy John surgery. It's been a rough year or so for Rangers fans; finished with the second worst record in baseball last year (only the Diamondbacks were worse) and now, their best pitcher may need Tommy John as they are trying to recover from that disastrous season.
In the Cactus League, Alex Rios has three home runs in nine spring training games for the Royals, who have come out like gang busters in spring training by winning each of their first five. Is this going to be a scenario where the Royals blow their load in spring training, then have nothing left for the 162 game grind which awaits? We'll have to wait and see.
Until next time...
Monday, March 2, 2015
Thoughts 3/2/15 (A lot of NFL)
Needless to say, the NFL free agent scene heated up over the weekend, including here in Houston. I'll touch on the Rockets too, but there's a lot of ground to cover NFL wise.
Where to start...I think I'll start with the Dallas Cowboys. As most have heard today, the Cowboys chose to put the franchise tag on Dez Bryant, leaving DeMarco Murray to test the free agent waters. Reportedly, the list of suitors includes the Seahawks, Cardinals, Jaguars, Colts.
I think it's important to note that it seems the Cowboys think Dez Bryant is more valuable than DeMarco Murray. Keep in mind that Murray is being courted by some good teams, but he had a great offensive line in Dallas. I'd be interested to see what happens if and when he goes elsewhere. It doesn't look like the Cowboys are going to be able to land the newly reinstated Adrian Peterson if Murray is signed by another teams so it will be interesting to see what the Cowboys do.
In Detroit, it looks like the Lions are willing to let former Husker Ndamukong Suh walk. Will that be a mistake the Lions regret...we'll have to wait and see. The list of suitors is long for #93, and no doubt his price will be high. One of the teams most talked about in his courtship seems to be the Oakland Raiders. I wouldn't even know how to comprehend a Raiders team with #93...I can see twitter figuratively crashing if that happens.
Another year, another quarterback mistake by Cleveland, arguably the most inept organization in football today. Next man up...Josh McCown, who couldn't even hack it with his former coach in Chicago and Tampa Bay. And the Browns decided to give him a three year contract and 14 million dollars. Cleveland is a quarterback's graveyard, and I think this situation will be no different.
In Houston, the news coming out of NRG Park is that Andre Johnson wants to be traded or cut. It appears the Texans will be willing to comply with his request. I'm not surprised about this; Schaub wasn't a great QB while here, but #80 developed a rapport with him and he hasn't been the same since Schaub left town. According to reports that have come out, O'Brien told him when he got the job that #80 would have a reduced role and Johnson wants to be able to show his talents.
The one good thing this will do is that when Johnson leaves, the Texans will be about $22 mil under the salary cap. But with Johnson leaving, they absolutely HAVE to go get another receiver to go alongside Hopkins. Already, the rumors are flying that the Texans may be looking at Welker.
One college football note before I go to some basketball; as much as I dislike the SEC, good on Slive for being proactive and wanting to shoot this whole freshmen being ineligible proposal down. As a Husker alum there are a lot of things I like about the Big 10, but Jim Delany is off his rocker, and he is the main forerunner of this idea. I'm almost convinced that Delany wants to take the Big 10 back to the stone age sometimes.
Now for some basketball, and believe it or not I'll touch on the Rockets then go to college. The only way I can pretty much accurately describe yesterday's Rockets/Cavs game was that it was downright crazy. You had scrums like you might see at a rugby match or a playoff hockey game, Harden kicking Lebron in a certain area which shall not be named, Harden and Lebron going at it in an epic battle. And in the end, Lebron bricks two at the free throw line which could have given the Cavs the win, and the Rockets escaped.
In addition, Harden got a one game suspension for his kick to a certain area on Lebron's body, while Lebron got nothing for the stuff he instigated. I've got no problem with the Harden suspension, but Lebron should definitely have been hit with a one gamer too.
On college ball, Kentucky continues to roll, but I still think it would be better for them to lose a game prior to the NCAAs. Georgia tomorrow looks like their last real test prior to the SEC Tournament. If you want to look at one team who can beat them, it might well be Arizona in a Final 4 setting. That Utah team they beat Saturday is a tough, nasty team and Arizona won in their building.
Lastly, Iowa State with an amazing comeback from 21 points down tonight. What a collapse by Oklahoma, and what a comeback for ISU. That one was definitely a season-saver for the Cyclones; losses at KSU and at home to OU within the span of 48 hours would have been awfully difficult to overcome. Maybe this will be a turning point for ISU.
Until next time....
Where to start...I think I'll start with the Dallas Cowboys. As most have heard today, the Cowboys chose to put the franchise tag on Dez Bryant, leaving DeMarco Murray to test the free agent waters. Reportedly, the list of suitors includes the Seahawks, Cardinals, Jaguars, Colts.
I think it's important to note that it seems the Cowboys think Dez Bryant is more valuable than DeMarco Murray. Keep in mind that Murray is being courted by some good teams, but he had a great offensive line in Dallas. I'd be interested to see what happens if and when he goes elsewhere. It doesn't look like the Cowboys are going to be able to land the newly reinstated Adrian Peterson if Murray is signed by another teams so it will be interesting to see what the Cowboys do.
In Detroit, it looks like the Lions are willing to let former Husker Ndamukong Suh walk. Will that be a mistake the Lions regret...we'll have to wait and see. The list of suitors is long for #93, and no doubt his price will be high. One of the teams most talked about in his courtship seems to be the Oakland Raiders. I wouldn't even know how to comprehend a Raiders team with #93...I can see twitter figuratively crashing if that happens.
Another year, another quarterback mistake by Cleveland, arguably the most inept organization in football today. Next man up...Josh McCown, who couldn't even hack it with his former coach in Chicago and Tampa Bay. And the Browns decided to give him a three year contract and 14 million dollars. Cleveland is a quarterback's graveyard, and I think this situation will be no different.
In Houston, the news coming out of NRG Park is that Andre Johnson wants to be traded or cut. It appears the Texans will be willing to comply with his request. I'm not surprised about this; Schaub wasn't a great QB while here, but #80 developed a rapport with him and he hasn't been the same since Schaub left town. According to reports that have come out, O'Brien told him when he got the job that #80 would have a reduced role and Johnson wants to be able to show his talents.
The one good thing this will do is that when Johnson leaves, the Texans will be about $22 mil under the salary cap. But with Johnson leaving, they absolutely HAVE to go get another receiver to go alongside Hopkins. Already, the rumors are flying that the Texans may be looking at Welker.
One college football note before I go to some basketball; as much as I dislike the SEC, good on Slive for being proactive and wanting to shoot this whole freshmen being ineligible proposal down. As a Husker alum there are a lot of things I like about the Big 10, but Jim Delany is off his rocker, and he is the main forerunner of this idea. I'm almost convinced that Delany wants to take the Big 10 back to the stone age sometimes.
Now for some basketball, and believe it or not I'll touch on the Rockets then go to college. The only way I can pretty much accurately describe yesterday's Rockets/Cavs game was that it was downright crazy. You had scrums like you might see at a rugby match or a playoff hockey game, Harden kicking Lebron in a certain area which shall not be named, Harden and Lebron going at it in an epic battle. And in the end, Lebron bricks two at the free throw line which could have given the Cavs the win, and the Rockets escaped.
In addition, Harden got a one game suspension for his kick to a certain area on Lebron's body, while Lebron got nothing for the stuff he instigated. I've got no problem with the Harden suspension, but Lebron should definitely have been hit with a one gamer too.
On college ball, Kentucky continues to roll, but I still think it would be better for them to lose a game prior to the NCAAs. Georgia tomorrow looks like their last real test prior to the SEC Tournament. If you want to look at one team who can beat them, it might well be Arizona in a Final 4 setting. That Utah team they beat Saturday is a tough, nasty team and Arizona won in their building.
Lastly, Iowa State with an amazing comeback from 21 points down tonight. What a collapse by Oklahoma, and what a comeback for ISU. That one was definitely a season-saver for the Cyclones; losses at KSU and at home to OU within the span of 48 hours would have been awfully difficult to overcome. Maybe this will be a turning point for ISU.
Until next time....
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