Back with some notes on this late Thursday night:
So, Ohio State breezed by Oregon as it turned out, 42-20 and now stands above all of us as the undisputed college football kings of the nation. Ohio State fan is standing over us all and will be reminding the rest of us of that for an entire year.
Know what the scary part about that game is? They could have beat Oregon by even worse because they were -4 in turnovers and still beat the crap out of them. Oregon has once again been proven to be a paper tiger, just as I figured they were all along. I actually picked them to lose to Michigan State at the start of the year but they somehow survived that, Stanford and the defending champs but when they got to Ohio State they were finally exposed as the frauds they are.
Bottom line is, Oregon can have all of their seven million uniform combinations and all the Phil Knight money they want, but until they figure out how to get physical at the line of scrimmage in a big game, they will never grab that championship glory no matter how much Phil Knight can cheat to get it. Ohio State mauled them at the line of scrimmage, just as Stanford did in the past, just as LSU did to them in 2011 and just as Auburn did in the national title game a few years back. In my opinion, the real national title game was Ohio State vs Alabama; that game Monday night was nothing more than a Buckeye coronation.
One thing I did not touch on when I talked about the national semifinals; I do not think four teams is enough. It's better than two but it's still not enough. TCU had a team that could have beat anybody in the country and deserved a shot to play for a championship as they showed against Ole Miss.
The ideal scenario for me is this; eight teams, and here's the real kicker, with the first round games AT THE HOME CAMPUSES. People talk about the regular season meaning nothing with a playoff, well top that. If you get the first round games at home, that's a hell of a lot to play for in the regular season. The system we've got now is most definitely better than the BCS though.
The big news of the day from college football also involves Ohio State, with Cardale Jones deciding to come back to school. The decision surprises me, simply because he's a rising prospect that may not even start next year because he'll have to beat out J.T. Barrett. It also surprises me because Cardale Jones has a new baby girl and I could certainly have understood him taking the money and going to the NFL. He's a good prospect, but like I said he will have his work cut out to earn his starting position.
It is with great regret that I did not get to the NFL games from this past weekend because I was talking about the championship game Monday, so let me backtrack and do that. On Baltimore/New England, I read that John Harbaugh was crying about the Patriots formations. Harbaugh simply needs to shut up and sit down because those formations have been run in other games and they are perfectly legal. It's sour grapes from a coach that lost a tough game. Yes, Bill Belichick will do anything to win. No crap.
I like watching Cam Newton play, but he needs better players around him. Until he gets that, Carolina will not be able to take that next step. Seattle won big, as I expected they would.
On the Dez Bryant play, I can't really say I feel that bad for Cowboy fans. Did they get jammed? Probably. The Calvin Johnson rule, as it is aptly known, is one of the stupidest rules in the book, no doubt. Technically, the refs got the call right. But it's a bad rule. It's sort of like the tuck rule that jammed the Raiders in the 2002 playoffs.
That said, as I mentioned I don't really feel badly for the Cowboys because they shouldn't have been in the game to begin with. To me that was "ball don't lie" and the football spirits correcting their mistake from last week. Also, even if the Cowboys score there, Rodgers gets the ball back with plenty of time left and there's a good chance Green Bay still wins.
Speaking of the Cowboys, Jerry Jones has already said they won't be able to keep Murray AND Bryant? Are you kidding me? You're just going to let go one of your top playmakers?
As far as the Broncos game, I know a lot of Broncos fans and let me address them by saying this: Guys, it's time for Peyton to go. He just can't do it anymore. You saw how he was in the last month of the season, and yes I know, Broncos fans, he was hurt. That's exactly the point though. At his age, he just can't do what he used to do anymore and him being out there makes him more vulnerable to injuries. He also doesn't have a dynamic running game or defense like Elway had in 1997 or 1998, which kind of fell in their laps anyways with Terrell Davis.
As far as the weekend goes, in the AFC game the Patriots should win that unless something catastrophic happens to Gronk. I thought that last week's tilt with the Ravens was their best shot to lose before the Super Bowl and I stand by that. Compared to that game, this game should be a much easier game for the Pats to handle; Luck is not ready to win a game of this magnitude yet, and beating a banged up Peyton in Denver doesn't count all that much.
In the NFC game, obviously the Packers' chances hinge with Rodgers. If he is able to play and play effectively, Green Bay has a chance.
Couple of final notes:
San Diego gets the 2016 MLB All-Star game, the first time Petco Park has ever hosted the event. Big win for San Diego to get that game.
Good win by the Rockets tonight after that humiliation in Orlando. They could still use a point guard upgrade, but nice win. I expected a good effort tonight; they're professionals and when you get humiliated like that, it ticks you off.
As far as Nebrasketball? Still can pick up some wins, but have a long, long way to come.
Until next time....
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Monday, January 12, 2015
Why I'm Cheering for Ohio State tonight...even though I'll have to hold my nose
OK, so as pretty much everyone who follows college football knows, tonight is a historic night. The first ever college football playoff national championship game. The first time that I can honestly say we are going to crown a national champion the way it should be crowned...on the field. Let me just say this, first of all, I think four teams is not enough. Eight is the ideal number, but that's for another time.
This is about tonight. Let's get this out of the way, I can't stand Ohio State. The thought of me rooting for them makes me want to puke and hold my nose at the same time. The thought of those freaks (and make no mistake about it, a good majority of them are freaks, the stories of their behavior are infamous) called Ohio State fans taunting the rest of college football with their stupid O-H-I-O chant (and they aren't Ohio for the record) and telling us that they are 'THE' Ohio State University for an entire year...wow.
However....
As Nebraska fans and more importantly, fans of a Big 10 school, I think the Nebraska fans must begrudgingly put our dislike for Ohio State on the backburner one more night and root for them to win tonight. I will not be doing the O-H-I-O chant during the game (yikes), but I will begrudgingly root for them to win the title tonight and here is why.
The bottom line is, I think the Big 10 getting a championship is more beneficial for Nebraska in the long run than Scott Frost getting a championship while offensive coordinator of the Ducks. People got tired of the ubiquitous S-E-C, S-E-C, S-E-C chant every time one of their teams would win a title. I get that. People who don't necessarily believe in conference strength were rooting for the SEC to lose just to get them out of the picture, finally. I can even get that.
But the bottom line is, there's a reason why S-E-C fans do that every time one of their teams win. They do it because they know that conference strength matters. They know that the better opponents you play, that makes you a better team. Whether my readers like it or not, it does matter. More than anyone wants to believe.
I'll say it again, conference strength matters. Iron sharpens iron. Who you play on a week to week basis makes you better (or worse). If you play better competition on a week in, week out basis, then you develop better habits as a team and as a coaching staff. People sort of joked about Meyer saying that Wisconsin beating Auburn and Michigan State beating Baylor (both teams that OSU beat by double digits) was a big factor in Ohio State's win over Alabama. People sort of laughed about how it did nothing more than pump Ohio State up. But Meyer knows better. He has now coached in the SEC, and in the Big 10. He knows how important conference strength is.
Playing better competition forces teams to either get better or wither on the vine in the proverbial sense, in all areas such as playcalling, scheme and player development. I don't know how many of my readers watched the FCS football championship on Saturday, but that championship game was between two teams from the Missouri Valley Conference (the first time that has ever happened, for the record). That same conference put FIVE teams in the FCS playoffs.
I've seen Nebraska fans on the interwebs say that Meyer doesn't need any more ammunition than he's already got. I can understand that point, but I'll turn it the other way. An Ohio State title might be the BEST thing that can happen for Nebraska fans because it will force Coach Riley and the rest of his staff to be on top of their game in all areas of coaching. It would lay down the gauntlet, so to speak.
Besides all of that, think about all the times over the last 10 years that Big 10 teams got embarrassed on the big stage, and to my Nebraska peeps, think as Nebraska fans about how tired you were of hearing about how the Big 10 is such a crappy conference, and how it shone a negative light on the Husker program. Think about New Year's Day 2011, where the Big 10 got humiliated, going 0-5 and losing by an average of 20 points, all the humiliating losses to the SEC, the Big 12 and the Pac-12.
And remember this most of all; the SEC built their brand on winning national championships, 7 in a row in fact. If Ohio State does not get it done tonight, then the Big 10 will be looked at as an improved league, but still not one that can win a title. Just like the SEC was until Florida cashed one in on...Ohio State in 2006.
Then there's another argument, that Oregon is much cleaner than Ohio State is, and that they could be considered the darlings if they won because it would be their first time. Not so fast. I get that I'd love to see Scottie win a ring, and Mariota is a freak, but Oregon can be considered a dirty, slimy program too. Ever since billionaire businessman Phil Knight started donating to the Oregon program approximately 20 years ago (and according to some reports, it's over 300 million dollars), they've been a perennial bowl team and most recently a national contender every year.
Before then, they were one of the worst programs in the country, a perennial absentee from bowl competition. In a USA Today article published during the season, former Oregon coach Mike Bellotti once told former UO athletic director Phil Moos that the program could live without them but it can't live on without Knight. You don't think there's some dirty money going on up in Eugene? I'm not saying Ohio State is clean. Neither is Oregon though. Both are programs I would consider slimy. You can read the aforementioned article here http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/pac12/2014/12/29/oregon-nike-phil-knight-college-football-playoff/21013009/
Beyond all of that, this is a program that has flirted with trouble on NCAA recruiting violations over the last several years. Why do you think Chip Kelly left for Philly while he could? Check this link out from a couple years ago while you have the time http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/9177148/ncaa-oregon-ducks-agree-major-violations-committed-football-program
So, although it's going to make me hold my nose, I hope that Ohio State brings it home because the Big 10 needs a title. Go Buckeyes. Now excuse me while I go shower after I just said that.
Until next time....
This is about tonight. Let's get this out of the way, I can't stand Ohio State. The thought of me rooting for them makes me want to puke and hold my nose at the same time. The thought of those freaks (and make no mistake about it, a good majority of them are freaks, the stories of their behavior are infamous) called Ohio State fans taunting the rest of college football with their stupid O-H-I-O chant (and they aren't Ohio for the record) and telling us that they are 'THE' Ohio State University for an entire year...wow.
However....
As Nebraska fans and more importantly, fans of a Big 10 school, I think the Nebraska fans must begrudgingly put our dislike for Ohio State on the backburner one more night and root for them to win tonight. I will not be doing the O-H-I-O chant during the game (yikes), but I will begrudgingly root for them to win the title tonight and here is why.
The bottom line is, I think the Big 10 getting a championship is more beneficial for Nebraska in the long run than Scott Frost getting a championship while offensive coordinator of the Ducks. People got tired of the ubiquitous S-E-C, S-E-C, S-E-C chant every time one of their teams would win a title. I get that. People who don't necessarily believe in conference strength were rooting for the SEC to lose just to get them out of the picture, finally. I can even get that.
But the bottom line is, there's a reason why S-E-C fans do that every time one of their teams win. They do it because they know that conference strength matters. They know that the better opponents you play, that makes you a better team. Whether my readers like it or not, it does matter. More than anyone wants to believe.
I'll say it again, conference strength matters. Iron sharpens iron. Who you play on a week to week basis makes you better (or worse). If you play better competition on a week in, week out basis, then you develop better habits as a team and as a coaching staff. People sort of joked about Meyer saying that Wisconsin beating Auburn and Michigan State beating Baylor (both teams that OSU beat by double digits) was a big factor in Ohio State's win over Alabama. People sort of laughed about how it did nothing more than pump Ohio State up. But Meyer knows better. He has now coached in the SEC, and in the Big 10. He knows how important conference strength is.
Playing better competition forces teams to either get better or wither on the vine in the proverbial sense, in all areas such as playcalling, scheme and player development. I don't know how many of my readers watched the FCS football championship on Saturday, but that championship game was between two teams from the Missouri Valley Conference (the first time that has ever happened, for the record). That same conference put FIVE teams in the FCS playoffs.
I've seen Nebraska fans on the interwebs say that Meyer doesn't need any more ammunition than he's already got. I can understand that point, but I'll turn it the other way. An Ohio State title might be the BEST thing that can happen for Nebraska fans because it will force Coach Riley and the rest of his staff to be on top of their game in all areas of coaching. It would lay down the gauntlet, so to speak.
Besides all of that, think about all the times over the last 10 years that Big 10 teams got embarrassed on the big stage, and to my Nebraska peeps, think as Nebraska fans about how tired you were of hearing about how the Big 10 is such a crappy conference, and how it shone a negative light on the Husker program. Think about New Year's Day 2011, where the Big 10 got humiliated, going 0-5 and losing by an average of 20 points, all the humiliating losses to the SEC, the Big 12 and the Pac-12.
And remember this most of all; the SEC built their brand on winning national championships, 7 in a row in fact. If Ohio State does not get it done tonight, then the Big 10 will be looked at as an improved league, but still not one that can win a title. Just like the SEC was until Florida cashed one in on...Ohio State in 2006.
Then there's another argument, that Oregon is much cleaner than Ohio State is, and that they could be considered the darlings if they won because it would be their first time. Not so fast. I get that I'd love to see Scottie win a ring, and Mariota is a freak, but Oregon can be considered a dirty, slimy program too. Ever since billionaire businessman Phil Knight started donating to the Oregon program approximately 20 years ago (and according to some reports, it's over 300 million dollars), they've been a perennial bowl team and most recently a national contender every year.
Before then, they were one of the worst programs in the country, a perennial absentee from bowl competition. In a USA Today article published during the season, former Oregon coach Mike Bellotti once told former UO athletic director Phil Moos that the program could live without them but it can't live on without Knight. You don't think there's some dirty money going on up in Eugene? I'm not saying Ohio State is clean. Neither is Oregon though. Both are programs I would consider slimy. You can read the aforementioned article here http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/pac12/2014/12/29/oregon-nike-phil-knight-college-football-playoff/21013009/
Beyond all of that, this is a program that has flirted with trouble on NCAA recruiting violations over the last several years. Why do you think Chip Kelly left for Philly while he could? Check this link out from a couple years ago while you have the time http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/9177148/ncaa-oregon-ducks-agree-major-violations-committed-football-program
So, although it's going to make me hold my nose, I hope that Ohio State brings it home because the Big 10 needs a title. Go Buckeyes. Now excuse me while I go shower after I just said that.
Until next time....
Thursday, January 8, 2015
A few notes 1/8/2015
Just a few notes as this Thursday is winding down:
Congrats to Bill Snyder and Trev Alberts for getting into the College Football Hall of Fame, but most notably Snyder. Nebraska had some battles with him dating all the way back to the old Big 8 days, and there's no way you can't think anything but the utmost respect for Bill and the way he has built that program. Just as a reminder, when he came to Manhattan in 1989, they were considering dropping football altogether. Ten years later, he had them competing for national championships. There are few coaches who can do what he's done at Manhattan, Kansas.
On another note, Jim Mora Jr. of UCLA is a great coach, but needs to learn a little respect. It does not look good on him 1. brushing off a handshake from Snyder and 2. trying to confront Snyder like he did at the end of the Alamo Bowl. If you have a problem with the way K-State handled the end of that game, take it up with his players, not Coach Snyder himself.
Rockets got two out of three on their road trip, with the lone loss being in Chicago. That's solid, but in the West this year you have to take care of business against the teams you're supposed to beat, point blank. This year in the West you can drop from second to fifth in a heartbeat.
Heard new Nebraska football coach Mike Riley on ESPNU during the Nebrasketball game tonight, and I continue to be impressed with the way he handles himself. If he handles himself like that, then I can be happy with him being the face of the football program, unlike Coach Bitter Beer Face (Pelini) who won nine every year but was a terrible look for the football program.
On that note, much needed win for Nebrasketball as they got their two best inside players back. I just hope they play good ball the rest of the way; they dug themselves quite a hole with all the injuries and terrible losses in the first two months of the year.
Until next time....
Congrats to Bill Snyder and Trev Alberts for getting into the College Football Hall of Fame, but most notably Snyder. Nebraska had some battles with him dating all the way back to the old Big 8 days, and there's no way you can't think anything but the utmost respect for Bill and the way he has built that program. Just as a reminder, when he came to Manhattan in 1989, they were considering dropping football altogether. Ten years later, he had them competing for national championships. There are few coaches who can do what he's done at Manhattan, Kansas.
On another note, Jim Mora Jr. of UCLA is a great coach, but needs to learn a little respect. It does not look good on him 1. brushing off a handshake from Snyder and 2. trying to confront Snyder like he did at the end of the Alamo Bowl. If you have a problem with the way K-State handled the end of that game, take it up with his players, not Coach Snyder himself.
Rockets got two out of three on their road trip, with the lone loss being in Chicago. That's solid, but in the West this year you have to take care of business against the teams you're supposed to beat, point blank. This year in the West you can drop from second to fifth in a heartbeat.
Heard new Nebraska football coach Mike Riley on ESPNU during the Nebrasketball game tonight, and I continue to be impressed with the way he handles himself. If he handles himself like that, then I can be happy with him being the face of the football program, unlike Coach Bitter Beer Face (Pelini) who won nine every year but was a terrible look for the football program.
On that note, much needed win for Nebrasketball as they got their two best inside players back. I just hope they play good ball the rest of the way; they dug themselves quite a hole with all the injuries and terrible losses in the first two months of the year.
Until next time....
Monday, January 5, 2015
The College Football Playoffs and the NFL 1/5/2015
What a week of football that was. Just some of my thoughts on a Monday morning:
Most who know me know that I have been howling for a college football playoff for quite some time. I think this first year of the playoff shows that the playoff works. Those who watch college football have probably heard this about five million times since Thursday night, but I'll repeat it just because it cannot be stated enough.
If we were still in the B(S)CS era, then the championship game would have been overrated, undefeated Florida State against one-loss Alabama. Alabama probably would have won, and the SEC streak would have resumed. Instead, we're getting Ohio State and Oregon which should be a fun game to watch.
If we were still in the B(S)CS era, then the championship game would have been overrated, undefeated Florida State against one-loss Alabama. Alabama probably would have won, and the SEC streak would have resumed. Instead, we're getting Ohio State and Oregon which should be a fun game to watch.
Let's begin with FSU and Oregon. Honestly, could anyone have predicted that annihilation? It was a five point game at halftime, and then one bad quarter by FSU later, it's a rout. I don't think FSU is a bad team per se, but certainly they were not on the same level as they were one year ago when they ran the table.
Some will say that FSU had it coming; I'm not sure if that's true, but I do know that the TCU alumni I have talked to wonder even more if they should have been in at the expense of someone else. It's honestly a tough situation. I think TCU did belong, but honestly, who were you going to take out? Alabama? Undefeated FSU? You certainly can't leave out Oregon and I think Ohio State proved they belonged. Imagine if TCU HAD held on against Baylor and had gone unbeaten, would have been an even tougher decision.
As far as FSU walking off the field ala the 1991 Detroit Pistons, that was bush league, point blank. They say it's always easier to be classy when you win (a moniker which is very much true and has been applied to Nebraska fans by fans of various former Nebraska opponents), and it can very much be said about FSU. You're telling me you can't walk across the field and shake the hands of the victor, who just mopped you up like you were nothing? The ironic thing is that Jameis Winston, yes that Jameis Winston was man enough to stay on the field. Too bad the rest of his teammates weren't.
As far as FSU walking off the field ala the 1991 Detroit Pistons, that was bush league, point blank. They say it's always easier to be classy when you win (a moniker which is very much true and has been applied to Nebraska fans by fans of various former Nebraska opponents), and it can very much be said about FSU. You're telling me you can't walk across the field and shake the hands of the victor, who just mopped you up like you were nothing? The ironic thing is that Jameis Winston, yes that Jameis Winston was man enough to stay on the field. Too bad the rest of his teammates weren't.
As far as OSU vs. Bama: the biggest irony about that game is that Southeast Conference commissioner Mike Slive, along with ACC commissioner John Swofford, was one of the forerunners of a four team playoff, and Big 10 commissioner Jim Delany was one of the men dead set against it (so was University of Nebraska chancellor Harvey Perlman, one of the very few things I disagree with Chancellor Perlman on). But Thursday night in New Orleans, in an enormous twist of irony, in a national semifinal it was the leader of Jim Delany's Big 10 Conference that rolled the mighty Crimson Tide and ended the SEC dynasty...and make no mistake, it's over, in a way.
Don't get me wrong, SEC teams will still get championships (in fact I think they and the Big 10 will be the two best college football leagues going into the future), but they'll never win seven in a row again. It's just not going to happen. Just like Nebraska going 60-3 over a five year stretch from 93-97 won't ever happen again. The rest of college football has finally caught up with them.
Urban Meyer's got a team that's already as fast as any SEC team and he's only in his third year in Columbus. Harbaugh will bring Michigan back in short order. TCU would have been a very tough matchup for any SEC team (or any team period) as they showed Ole Miss. Oregon probably would have beat Bama soundly and UCLA and USC are on the way up too.
Also, because of the new New Year's Six system, the SEC will no longer have favorable matchups in the bowls as that effect trickles down to the rest of the games. In two of the three New Year's Six matchups on Dec. 31, the Mississippi schools got SMOKED.
As far as the Ohio State/Oregon matchup for the title, I'm not sure who I will pick to win that game. I think it will be a good game with lots of scoring. One thing to keep in mind about Ohio State; do not be fooled by them having a third string quarterback. That does not matter all that much because that quarterback led them to a 59-0 thrashing of the Badgers and a win over the mighty Crimson Tide. Furthermore, Ohio State's more of a system offense. Most capable quarterbacks I think could go in and do well in that system.
One last note about the college football playoff, there is only one problem I have with it going forward; the two national semifinals in each of the next two years will be on New Year's Eve, not New Year's Day. I think that is one thing that the head honchos of the playoff dropped the ball on. The way this thing worked was absolutely perfect, with the final two games on New Year's Day ending up as the two biggest games of the season thus far. The national semifinals, IMHO, need to be on New Year's Day every year, point blank.
Regarding the NFL playoff matchups over the weekend, the results for the most part were not that surprising to me. The best and most controversial game over the weekend, and the game that will have Detroit Lions fans (and pretty much every Dallas Cowboy hater on the planet) howling for years, was the game at AT&T Stadium yesterday. All of you who watched that game saw the play, eight minutes to go, third and one for the Lions in the Dallas end of the field. They throw to Pettigrew, refs originally call pass interference which would have been a Lions first down, then inexplicably pick up the flag.
The refs screwed that up, point blank. Not only was there pass interference on Hitchens but he grabbed Pettigrew as well. That said, the play should have been offsetting penalties and Detroit gets the third down over because Pettigrew grabbed Hitchens' face mask which should have been called also. That seems to be something that people are glossing over when looking at that play. So at worst, it should have been third down over again for Detroit. But the refs screwed that call up, no doubt. Should have been a flag on somebody, if not both teams.
Until next time...
Don't get me wrong, SEC teams will still get championships (in fact I think they and the Big 10 will be the two best college football leagues going into the future), but they'll never win seven in a row again. It's just not going to happen. Just like Nebraska going 60-3 over a five year stretch from 93-97 won't ever happen again. The rest of college football has finally caught up with them.
Urban Meyer's got a team that's already as fast as any SEC team and he's only in his third year in Columbus. Harbaugh will bring Michigan back in short order. TCU would have been a very tough matchup for any SEC team (or any team period) as they showed Ole Miss. Oregon probably would have beat Bama soundly and UCLA and USC are on the way up too.
Also, because of the new New Year's Six system, the SEC will no longer have favorable matchups in the bowls as that effect trickles down to the rest of the games. In two of the three New Year's Six matchups on Dec. 31, the Mississippi schools got SMOKED.
As far as the Ohio State/Oregon matchup for the title, I'm not sure who I will pick to win that game. I think it will be a good game with lots of scoring. One thing to keep in mind about Ohio State; do not be fooled by them having a third string quarterback. That does not matter all that much because that quarterback led them to a 59-0 thrashing of the Badgers and a win over the mighty Crimson Tide. Furthermore, Ohio State's more of a system offense. Most capable quarterbacks I think could go in and do well in that system.
One last note about the college football playoff, there is only one problem I have with it going forward; the two national semifinals in each of the next two years will be on New Year's Eve, not New Year's Day. I think that is one thing that the head honchos of the playoff dropped the ball on. The way this thing worked was absolutely perfect, with the final two games on New Year's Day ending up as the two biggest games of the season thus far. The national semifinals, IMHO, need to be on New Year's Day every year, point blank.
Regarding the NFL playoff matchups over the weekend, the results for the most part were not that surprising to me. The best and most controversial game over the weekend, and the game that will have Detroit Lions fans (and pretty much every Dallas Cowboy hater on the planet) howling for years, was the game at AT&T Stadium yesterday. All of you who watched that game saw the play, eight minutes to go, third and one for the Lions in the Dallas end of the field. They throw to Pettigrew, refs originally call pass interference which would have been a Lions first down, then inexplicably pick up the flag.
The refs screwed that up, point blank. Not only was there pass interference on Hitchens but he grabbed Pettigrew as well. That said, the play should have been offsetting penalties and Detroit gets the third down over because Pettigrew grabbed Hitchens' face mask which should have been called also. That seems to be something that people are glossing over when looking at that play. So at worst, it should have been third down over again for Detroit. But the refs screwed that call up, no doubt. Should have been a flag on somebody, if not both teams.
Until next time...
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Thoughts 12/30/2014
Busy weekend of football and sports overall. Just a number thoughts on these:
First of all, Black Monday in the NFL. I generally am not surprised by some of the names I see that went on the chopping block. The Bears, Falcons, Jets and 49ers will all be looking for new head coaches. I'll get to the other three in a moment but first a thought on the Harbaugh situation.
As most sports fans may have heard already, not even 24 hours after agreeing to part ways with the Niners, Jim Harbaugh is already set to take the vacant head coach position at the University of Michigan, his alma mater. You could see it was going to happen when he was hugging his players on the sidelines at the end of the San Francisco/Arizona game Sunday.
How this impacts the 49ers will be interesting. There are still a lot of good players on the team, and Harbaugh left a great foundation, but replacing a guy like that will be very tough. The Niners are very committed to winning, so I am sure they will hire the best man for that position.
As far as how that affects Michigan and the Big Ten, I would say this as far as the rest of the Big 10, including Ohio State is concerned; be afraid, be very afraid. Harbaugh walks that line a lot in so far as being as fiery as Bo Pelini is, and sometimes crosses it. But there is no question the man can coach at a very high level and I see no reason to believe that he can't do it in Ann Arbor.
Especially with the talent Hoke left him. Hoke could recruit but lacked ability to coach. That will not be a problem with Harbaugh; he is going to give Urban Meyer heartburn on a yearly basis. Ohio State still has a great program do not get me wrong, but things are going to get tougher for them immediately.
Elsewhere, I see that Rex Ryan and general manager Izdik were both let go by the Jets. I am not surprised, but I feel bad for Rex Ryan. He was never really given a chance to develop an offense due to a terrible front office in New York, and kept the Jets competitive due to his great defensive background. He will land on his feet somewhere.
On the Bears? No surprise there. Trestman is not a very good coach; I remember when he was coaching Jake Plummer for three years way back when both of them were with the Cardinals and he stunk then too, and he still stinks now. Way in over his head as a head coach.
As far as Mike Smith in Atlanta, not surprised there too. The Falcons with the exception of a couple of seasons have underachieved greatly and barely made it to the NFC Championship a couple years ago. They have gone downhill ever since.
As far as some other conclusions from the National Football League in week 17:
The Texans did well to go 9-7, especially since they ended up playing a fourth string quarterback because Fitzpatrick was terrible, and Mallett and Savage got hurt. Both JJ Watt and Bill O'Brien did a great job to get the Texans to a winning record. They are one quarterback away from returning to the playoffs IMHO.
The Chiefs did well to go 9-7 too, especially since they did not have A SINGLE touchdown catch by a wide receiver this year. Seriously, that is an outrageous stat. Much like O'Brien in Houston, Andy Reid did a tremendous job with the Chiefs this year. The Chiefs need a home run receiver, badly. DeAnthony Thomas is nice, but not a reliable home run threat right now.
Buffalo beat New England in Week 17 which may not sound like much since the Patriots were obviously disinterested, but two things this did; one, it gives Buffalo a winning season, even though no playoffs. Two, it breaks a 14 year losing streak in Foxboro.
The Vikings beat the Bears in Trestman's last game 13-9, which got them their seventh and final win of 2014. It may not be that significant, but Bridgewater did a heck of a job coming in and helping them get to seven wins. He needs more help around him, but did fine for his rookie season.
Regarding the first round of the playoffs, I'm taking every home team except Baltimore. The Cowboys should win, the Colts will win (after all, the Bengals never win playoff games these days) and the Panthers will beat an Arizona team that limps in with Ryan Lindley as its starting QB. Baltimore and Pittsburgh should be a great game but because of the experience of Flacco and Suggs and the question of LeVeon Bell's availability, I think the Ravens can win this game.
Now, on to the college scene...
On the Nebraska bowl loss to USC, I am proud of the effort the players gave. They left it all on the field and gave themselves a chance to beat a very talented team. That having been said, there are no moral victories at Dear Old Nebraska U. When we hit the field, we should play to win and have the pride and passion necessary to win.
Now, I mentioned Jim Harbaugh earlier. How does this relate to Nebraska? It means this, and let's be honest, Nebraska peeps: Things are going to get a lot tougher for the Big Red in coming years. Nebraska had a certain window of opportunity when it entered the Big 10 with Ohio State dealing with sanctions and Michigan searching for an identity.
It had an opportunity to gain a foothold, and some respect. It has done little of either; indeed, Nebraska has become much more like Wisconsin, Iowa or Minnesota than Ohio State. Those teams aren't all that talented but with Pelini as the coach at UNL, they all did the little things better than Nebraska did.
With Harbaugh going to Michigan, things become much tougher. Wisconsin has a good program, as we sadly have found out first hand. Minnesota has a program on the rise. Ohio State is still Ohio State, and Michigan will come back under Harbaugh. Penn State is a program on the rise as well. Let's just put it this way: we're here (puts hand at certain level), Minnesota and Wisconsin are up here (points up a notch or two) and Ohio State and Michigan will be way up here (points about one or two notches more).
Not only does Riley have this to deal with, and not only does he have to do a hell of a job recruiting to keep Nebraska somewhat afloat in today's college football, maybe the most concerning thing to me is that he has to get the Pelini poison out of the players' heads. I don't know what Bo did to them, but they were fiercely loyal to him and Riley is going to have a tough time getting them to listen to him. I was really struck by a story I saw last Saturday prior to the Holiday Bowl where the players left a seat for Pelini as if he were still coaching. I think Riley CAN do it, but whether he WILL is no guarantee.
As far as the other bowl games, my biggest takeaway is that the Big 12 is not a very good conference. 0-3 and the two biggest flagship names of the conference, Texas and Oklahoma, got annihilated Monday night. Texas I guess I can somewhat understand, they were completely outmanned and Arkansas cares a lot more about beating Texas than Texas does about beating Arkansas (for those who don't live down here and are not familiar, that's an old Southwest Conference rivalry that is somewhat dormant, but older Arkansas fans still see Texas as their most disliked team by far, even though the Hogs have spent over 20 years in the SEC).
But Oklahoma, good gracious. Losing by 40, to a mediocre team from a mediocre league in Clemson. With a backup QB, too. I respect, but have never liked Oklahoma and never will (seeing Sooner Magic too many times would do that to any Husker fan). I pretty much root against them no matter who they play. But I almost felt sorry for Sooner fans Monday night. I almost wonder if Bob Stoops is just mailing it in these days. How in the world did this team beat Alabama about a year ago?
And look at what's coming down the pike for Big 12 bowl teams: Ole Miss, a very good SEC team with a tough "Landshark" defensive unit. Michigan State, a tough, physical Big 10 team (good thing for Baylor that this game is in Arlington). A very good Pac-12 team in UCLA, and a beatable but Chris Petersen coached Washington squad. Yes, Baylor and TCU should be motivated. And they will need to be.
Couple of last basketball notes: Not surprised Kentucky beat Louisville in college basketball's Bluegrass battle. Louisville has a good squad but I'm surprised they don't just call the season at this point. Kentucky is so deep and so talented that if they don't win the title this year it will be quite a shock to most fans who follow the sport. They may lose a game or two, but it will be a regular season game where their heads aren't in the game (and that does happen in sports). When UK is focused, no one will beat them.
As far as the Rockets, they are a good team, but they still have some issues to fix that could prevent a deep run in the playoffs. They are a good team, but not the kind of team I would predict to go deep in the playoffs, not yet anyways. I will touch on that in another post soon.
Until next time....
First of all, Black Monday in the NFL. I generally am not surprised by some of the names I see that went on the chopping block. The Bears, Falcons, Jets and 49ers will all be looking for new head coaches. I'll get to the other three in a moment but first a thought on the Harbaugh situation.
As most sports fans may have heard already, not even 24 hours after agreeing to part ways with the Niners, Jim Harbaugh is already set to take the vacant head coach position at the University of Michigan, his alma mater. You could see it was going to happen when he was hugging his players on the sidelines at the end of the San Francisco/Arizona game Sunday.
How this impacts the 49ers will be interesting. There are still a lot of good players on the team, and Harbaugh left a great foundation, but replacing a guy like that will be very tough. The Niners are very committed to winning, so I am sure they will hire the best man for that position.
As far as how that affects Michigan and the Big Ten, I would say this as far as the rest of the Big 10, including Ohio State is concerned; be afraid, be very afraid. Harbaugh walks that line a lot in so far as being as fiery as Bo Pelini is, and sometimes crosses it. But there is no question the man can coach at a very high level and I see no reason to believe that he can't do it in Ann Arbor.
Especially with the talent Hoke left him. Hoke could recruit but lacked ability to coach. That will not be a problem with Harbaugh; he is going to give Urban Meyer heartburn on a yearly basis. Ohio State still has a great program do not get me wrong, but things are going to get tougher for them immediately.
Elsewhere, I see that Rex Ryan and general manager Izdik were both let go by the Jets. I am not surprised, but I feel bad for Rex Ryan. He was never really given a chance to develop an offense due to a terrible front office in New York, and kept the Jets competitive due to his great defensive background. He will land on his feet somewhere.
On the Bears? No surprise there. Trestman is not a very good coach; I remember when he was coaching Jake Plummer for three years way back when both of them were with the Cardinals and he stunk then too, and he still stinks now. Way in over his head as a head coach.
As far as Mike Smith in Atlanta, not surprised there too. The Falcons with the exception of a couple of seasons have underachieved greatly and barely made it to the NFC Championship a couple years ago. They have gone downhill ever since.
As far as some other conclusions from the National Football League in week 17:
The Texans did well to go 9-7, especially since they ended up playing a fourth string quarterback because Fitzpatrick was terrible, and Mallett and Savage got hurt. Both JJ Watt and Bill O'Brien did a great job to get the Texans to a winning record. They are one quarterback away from returning to the playoffs IMHO.
The Chiefs did well to go 9-7 too, especially since they did not have A SINGLE touchdown catch by a wide receiver this year. Seriously, that is an outrageous stat. Much like O'Brien in Houston, Andy Reid did a tremendous job with the Chiefs this year. The Chiefs need a home run receiver, badly. DeAnthony Thomas is nice, but not a reliable home run threat right now.
Buffalo beat New England in Week 17 which may not sound like much since the Patriots were obviously disinterested, but two things this did; one, it gives Buffalo a winning season, even though no playoffs. Two, it breaks a 14 year losing streak in Foxboro.
The Vikings beat the Bears in Trestman's last game 13-9, which got them their seventh and final win of 2014. It may not be that significant, but Bridgewater did a heck of a job coming in and helping them get to seven wins. He needs more help around him, but did fine for his rookie season.
Regarding the first round of the playoffs, I'm taking every home team except Baltimore. The Cowboys should win, the Colts will win (after all, the Bengals never win playoff games these days) and the Panthers will beat an Arizona team that limps in with Ryan Lindley as its starting QB. Baltimore and Pittsburgh should be a great game but because of the experience of Flacco and Suggs and the question of LeVeon Bell's availability, I think the Ravens can win this game.
Now, on to the college scene...
On the Nebraska bowl loss to USC, I am proud of the effort the players gave. They left it all on the field and gave themselves a chance to beat a very talented team. That having been said, there are no moral victories at Dear Old Nebraska U. When we hit the field, we should play to win and have the pride and passion necessary to win.
Now, I mentioned Jim Harbaugh earlier. How does this relate to Nebraska? It means this, and let's be honest, Nebraska peeps: Things are going to get a lot tougher for the Big Red in coming years. Nebraska had a certain window of opportunity when it entered the Big 10 with Ohio State dealing with sanctions and Michigan searching for an identity.
It had an opportunity to gain a foothold, and some respect. It has done little of either; indeed, Nebraska has become much more like Wisconsin, Iowa or Minnesota than Ohio State. Those teams aren't all that talented but with Pelini as the coach at UNL, they all did the little things better than Nebraska did.
With Harbaugh going to Michigan, things become much tougher. Wisconsin has a good program, as we sadly have found out first hand. Minnesota has a program on the rise. Ohio State is still Ohio State, and Michigan will come back under Harbaugh. Penn State is a program on the rise as well. Let's just put it this way: we're here (puts hand at certain level), Minnesota and Wisconsin are up here (points up a notch or two) and Ohio State and Michigan will be way up here (points about one or two notches more).
Not only does Riley have this to deal with, and not only does he have to do a hell of a job recruiting to keep Nebraska somewhat afloat in today's college football, maybe the most concerning thing to me is that he has to get the Pelini poison out of the players' heads. I don't know what Bo did to them, but they were fiercely loyal to him and Riley is going to have a tough time getting them to listen to him. I was really struck by a story I saw last Saturday prior to the Holiday Bowl where the players left a seat for Pelini as if he were still coaching. I think Riley CAN do it, but whether he WILL is no guarantee.
As far as the other bowl games, my biggest takeaway is that the Big 12 is not a very good conference. 0-3 and the two biggest flagship names of the conference, Texas and Oklahoma, got annihilated Monday night. Texas I guess I can somewhat understand, they were completely outmanned and Arkansas cares a lot more about beating Texas than Texas does about beating Arkansas (for those who don't live down here and are not familiar, that's an old Southwest Conference rivalry that is somewhat dormant, but older Arkansas fans still see Texas as their most disliked team by far, even though the Hogs have spent over 20 years in the SEC).
But Oklahoma, good gracious. Losing by 40, to a mediocre team from a mediocre league in Clemson. With a backup QB, too. I respect, but have never liked Oklahoma and never will (seeing Sooner Magic too many times would do that to any Husker fan). I pretty much root against them no matter who they play. But I almost felt sorry for Sooner fans Monday night. I almost wonder if Bob Stoops is just mailing it in these days. How in the world did this team beat Alabama about a year ago?
And look at what's coming down the pike for Big 12 bowl teams: Ole Miss, a very good SEC team with a tough "Landshark" defensive unit. Michigan State, a tough, physical Big 10 team (good thing for Baylor that this game is in Arlington). A very good Pac-12 team in UCLA, and a beatable but Chris Petersen coached Washington squad. Yes, Baylor and TCU should be motivated. And they will need to be.
Couple of last basketball notes: Not surprised Kentucky beat Louisville in college basketball's Bluegrass battle. Louisville has a good squad but I'm surprised they don't just call the season at this point. Kentucky is so deep and so talented that if they don't win the title this year it will be quite a shock to most fans who follow the sport. They may lose a game or two, but it will be a regular season game where their heads aren't in the game (and that does happen in sports). When UK is focused, no one will beat them.
As far as the Rockets, they are a good team, but they still have some issues to fix that could prevent a deep run in the playoffs. They are a good team, but not the kind of team I would predict to go deep in the playoffs, not yet anyways. I will touch on that in another post soon.
Until next time....
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Christmas Eve Sports Thoughts
Before we get to the brass tacks of this past football weekend and a few other items, I'd like to say this: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to the readers of this blog. Hopefully all of you have a safe and wonderful holiday season.
That having been said...
Man how about that performance by the Texans and JJ Watt last Sunday? Quite simply, they were better prepared, better coached and played harder than the Baltimore football team who looked like the last thing they wanted was to be at NRG Stadium this past weekend. They still have a shot at the playoffs, but regardless of whether they get in or not, if they beat Jacksonville this Sunday and go 9-7, I consider this a successful season.
I consider it a successful season if 9-7 especially when you think about Andre Johnson being largely invisible, no Foster for large parts of the year, fourth string quarterback and they still might get to the playoffs with a win and some help. O'Brien and Watt have done an amazing job with this team. Oh and by the way, tell me a more deserving candidate than JJ Watt for Most Valuable Player. Tell me a man who is more valuable to his team than JJ Watt is to Houston. Oh but that's right, I forgot, the MVP award always goes to an offensive player. Shame.
Let's be real guys, Seattle's the team to beat, at least through the NFC if they win Sunday and get home field. I'll repeat something that Jim Rome said on his radio show Monday which I wholeheartedly agree with; if you thought that Seattle's 12th Man was obnoxious before, then buckle up because they will be insufferable if they win Sunday and end up with home field. Because honestly, who's going to beat them in that building on the way to the Super Bowl? The Packers are dangerous, I agree, Detroit's got a great defense and the Cowboys are much improved and beat them there already. But Seattle hasn't played this well all season.
Believe it or not, the Broncos have not locked up a first round bye yet, they have to beat the Raiders this Sunday. And even if they survive Sunday and get a first round bye, they are very, very vulnerable to get beat by either Cincinnati or Pittsburgh in round 2 of the playoffs. Peyton Manning may yet get his groove back, but things do not look good right now.
No matter what happens, it's going to be a great Week 17. Three games to decide division championships (AFC North, NFC South and NFC North, plus Seattle can clinch their division also), plus the playoff race will be decided in the AFC, and first round byes in both conferences are up for grabs.
Regarding the beginning of the college bowl season, I've caught what I can of the games so far and I have three observations:
1. Colorado State is going to go downhill fast. Not only did they lose McElwain, they hired Mike Bobo to replace him. I think the SEC East fleeced CSU on these two deals, the first deal being that McElwain is one of the game's elite coaches and that the Gators will put the entire SEC, as well as FSU, on notice. The second part of this is that Bobo has NEVER been a college football head coach in his entire career, and throughout his time as OC at UGA, he came under fire from UGA fans for his (at times) perplexing play calls.
For example, in the Georgia/South Carolina game this year, Georgia was down three points late and got a turnover at the South Carolina 4, first and goal. He called a peculiar first down pass play that fell incomplete, and UGA eventually missed a chip shot field goal and lost by three. He had an All-American running back (Gurley) and chose to throw on first down instead which absolutely baffled me. He has much less resources to work with than he had at UGA, he's head coach for the first time and CSU in the bowl game looked lost without McElwain. They have talent there but I am skeptical that Bobo will do well there.
2. That BYU/Memphis game was a great game...what happened after that game and the fight that ensued, not so much. It's a shame that such a thrilling game had to be tarnished by that fracas at the end of the game.
3. Rakeem Cato capped off a great career at Marshall with a bowl game win over Northern Illinois; as to whether he will be successful in the pro game, it will be interesting to see who takes him if anyone and where. I think he can be successful but mainly as a long-term project type of player.
On basketball real quick, the Big 10 is not very good in that sport this year. Down year it looks like for the Big 10. Just this year, in out of conference play, Big 10 teams have lost to: NJIT (that's New Jersey Institute of Technology, for those unaware), Eastern Michigan, St. Peter's, St. Francis, Central Michigan, Incarnate Word (ugh, that was the ugly loss Nebraska had), North Florida, Eastern Washington and Texas Southern.
Meanwhile, the Big 12 is a very strong conference in basketball this year, 6 (or 7, depending on which poll you prefer) teams in the top 25 so far even though Texas lost to Stanford last night.
On the NBA, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers is a special, special player. He proved it against the Rockets last year in the playoffs, but is cementing it even more this year. In the past week, he's outdueled BOTH of last year's Western Conference finalists, scoring 43 against the Spurs last Friday in a triple overtime win, and scoring 40 last night in Oklahoma City against the Thunder in an overtime win there. I don't think he's the BEST point guard in the Association, but I'd put him no worse than fourth or fifth and he will only get better.
Until next time....
That having been said...
Man how about that performance by the Texans and JJ Watt last Sunday? Quite simply, they were better prepared, better coached and played harder than the Baltimore football team who looked like the last thing they wanted was to be at NRG Stadium this past weekend. They still have a shot at the playoffs, but regardless of whether they get in or not, if they beat Jacksonville this Sunday and go 9-7, I consider this a successful season.
I consider it a successful season if 9-7 especially when you think about Andre Johnson being largely invisible, no Foster for large parts of the year, fourth string quarterback and they still might get to the playoffs with a win and some help. O'Brien and Watt have done an amazing job with this team. Oh and by the way, tell me a more deserving candidate than JJ Watt for Most Valuable Player. Tell me a man who is more valuable to his team than JJ Watt is to Houston. Oh but that's right, I forgot, the MVP award always goes to an offensive player. Shame.
Let's be real guys, Seattle's the team to beat, at least through the NFC if they win Sunday and get home field. I'll repeat something that Jim Rome said on his radio show Monday which I wholeheartedly agree with; if you thought that Seattle's 12th Man was obnoxious before, then buckle up because they will be insufferable if they win Sunday and end up with home field. Because honestly, who's going to beat them in that building on the way to the Super Bowl? The Packers are dangerous, I agree, Detroit's got a great defense and the Cowboys are much improved and beat them there already. But Seattle hasn't played this well all season.
Believe it or not, the Broncos have not locked up a first round bye yet, they have to beat the Raiders this Sunday. And even if they survive Sunday and get a first round bye, they are very, very vulnerable to get beat by either Cincinnati or Pittsburgh in round 2 of the playoffs. Peyton Manning may yet get his groove back, but things do not look good right now.
No matter what happens, it's going to be a great Week 17. Three games to decide division championships (AFC North, NFC South and NFC North, plus Seattle can clinch their division also), plus the playoff race will be decided in the AFC, and first round byes in both conferences are up for grabs.
Regarding the beginning of the college bowl season, I've caught what I can of the games so far and I have three observations:
1. Colorado State is going to go downhill fast. Not only did they lose McElwain, they hired Mike Bobo to replace him. I think the SEC East fleeced CSU on these two deals, the first deal being that McElwain is one of the game's elite coaches and that the Gators will put the entire SEC, as well as FSU, on notice. The second part of this is that Bobo has NEVER been a college football head coach in his entire career, and throughout his time as OC at UGA, he came under fire from UGA fans for his (at times) perplexing play calls.
For example, in the Georgia/South Carolina game this year, Georgia was down three points late and got a turnover at the South Carolina 4, first and goal. He called a peculiar first down pass play that fell incomplete, and UGA eventually missed a chip shot field goal and lost by three. He had an All-American running back (Gurley) and chose to throw on first down instead which absolutely baffled me. He has much less resources to work with than he had at UGA, he's head coach for the first time and CSU in the bowl game looked lost without McElwain. They have talent there but I am skeptical that Bobo will do well there.
2. That BYU/Memphis game was a great game...what happened after that game and the fight that ensued, not so much. It's a shame that such a thrilling game had to be tarnished by that fracas at the end of the game.
3. Rakeem Cato capped off a great career at Marshall with a bowl game win over Northern Illinois; as to whether he will be successful in the pro game, it will be interesting to see who takes him if anyone and where. I think he can be successful but mainly as a long-term project type of player.
On basketball real quick, the Big 10 is not very good in that sport this year. Down year it looks like for the Big 10. Just this year, in out of conference play, Big 10 teams have lost to: NJIT (that's New Jersey Institute of Technology, for those unaware), Eastern Michigan, St. Peter's, St. Francis, Central Michigan, Incarnate Word (ugh, that was the ugly loss Nebraska had), North Florida, Eastern Washington and Texas Southern.
Meanwhile, the Big 12 is a very strong conference in basketball this year, 6 (or 7, depending on which poll you prefer) teams in the top 25 so far even though Texas lost to Stanford last night.
On the NBA, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers is a special, special player. He proved it against the Rockets last year in the playoffs, but is cementing it even more this year. In the past week, he's outdueled BOTH of last year's Western Conference finalists, scoring 43 against the Spurs last Friday in a triple overtime win, and scoring 40 last night in Oklahoma City against the Thunder in an overtime win there. I don't think he's the BEST point guard in the Association, but I'd put him no worse than fourth or fifth and he will only get better.
Until next time....
Thursday, December 11, 2014
The College Football Coaching Carousel and More
With the college football regular season and championship games having drawn to a close and only the bowl games left, the coaching carousel that happens every offseason has begun to spin. Here are a few thoughts to chew on for now:
The biggest news in major college football coaching the last 24 hours has obviously been the news that Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen is heading West to coach Oregon State, replacing the departed Mike Riley who was hired by Nebraska almost a week ago (more on that in a moment).
The thing about this Wisconsin deal is this: Barry Alvarez is a Nebraska guy, he played for Bob Devaney in the late 60s (66 to 68, as a matter of fact). I had respect for the way he built Wisconsin up in the 90s and into the 2000s. But as of late, he's too much like Jerry Jones for my liking. The guy is too hands on in the athletic director's chair and he just needs to let coaches coach.
Take, for instance, something I noticed in Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde's latest column, posted last night. In it is a quote by Alvarez, which was said after Bret Bielema left Wisconsin a couple of years ago to take the Arkansas job:
"Bret used my gameplan to win," he said. "The coach I hire will have to understand who we are and how we go about our business."
Does that sound like someone who wants to let his coaches coach? It doesn't to me. It sounds to me like someone who wants to take all the credit and glory for the Wisconsin program's success.
On that note, Andersen wanted to install his zone read offense at the beginning of the year. But midway through the season, they went back to being ground and pound Wisconsin, which is what Alvarez prefers. It sounds to me like these two never really were able to co-exist.
It also wouldn't totally surprise me if that 59-0 whitewashing by Ohio State in the championship game last week had something to do with the Wisconsin coaching situation. In particular, it wouldn't totally shock me if it comes out later that Andersen already knew he was leaving and just packed it in.
As to who Wisconsin will hire? I'm not a betting man generally but if I were in the business of prediction making I'd say it will be current Pittsburgh coach Paul Chryst. Chryst is from Madison, played at Wisconsin in the late 80s and spent seven years as Wisconsin's offensive coordinator.
Regarding the hiring of Mike Riley to Nebraska, I am cautiously optimistic about the move even though Riley was not my first choice. He certainly is the opposite personality wise of Pelini, which is one thing the program needs. He is also doing a heck of a job trying to salvage the current Nebraska recruiting class. In general, Nebraska fans need to put down the pitchforks and give the man a chance to win...or lose...our trust. Speaking of Nebraska athletics...Incarnate Word? What the hell was that awful basketball performance? How did a good team get so crappy over several months? Any way you slice it that Cinderella story...long gone.
The guy I wanted in particular though, Jim McElwain, ended up at Florida. I think that's a great coaching hire by the Gators. Missouri has won the SEC East twice in a row but with McElwain in charge I'd say that little streak is in serious jeopardy.
Regarding the playoff matchups, be real. Alabama is the team to beat. Meyer is a good coach, Florida State is the defending champ and Oregon is perennially good but I really love Alabama's chances to win the whole thing. They have been trending upward for the past month, Sims is getting better with each game and Cooper's peaking right at the end of the season.
The scary part about Alabama in 2015 is that Blake Sims will be even better with a full offseason of development even though he loses Cooper...and LSU and Auburn will both be licking their wounds after down years. The only way I can see Auburn beating Bama next year is if they somehow get Muschamp. That could be an equalizer. And as for Lane Kiffin...Dead wrong about that one. Thought they would bust with his ego coming in. Not so.
As for the Big 12 teams being left out, the Big 12 did it to themselves in my opinion (and Ohio State played pretty well last game too). I have nothing against TCU or Baylor as I have many great friends from both schools, although I will say this: When you pay over $400,000 for the branding of the slogan "One True Champion" as the Big 12 did, then you name TCU and Baylor co-champs, get out of here with that. It's not Baylor or TCU's fault that they got left out, both had tremendous seasons. They should blame Big 12 commish Bob Bowlsby and Big 12 administration for this one. Too bad because TCU could have played Alabama toe to toe.
One final Rockets thought: Team is 16-5 but still has a ways to go. 16-5 sounds good but only gets you tied for 4th in the Western Conference at that point...West is just ridiculous. 7th place team in the West is 17-7. Rockets need to get guys back healthy and beat the teams they are in contention with fairly regularly. 3-4 against the top 6 in the West this year isn't going to cut it...50 wins might only get you an 8 seed. Interestingly enough, the Rockets, even though they've made the NBA Finals four times and won two titles, have never won more than 58 games in a single season.
Until next time....
The biggest news in major college football coaching the last 24 hours has obviously been the news that Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen is heading West to coach Oregon State, replacing the departed Mike Riley who was hired by Nebraska almost a week ago (more on that in a moment).
The thing about this Wisconsin deal is this: Barry Alvarez is a Nebraska guy, he played for Bob Devaney in the late 60s (66 to 68, as a matter of fact). I had respect for the way he built Wisconsin up in the 90s and into the 2000s. But as of late, he's too much like Jerry Jones for my liking. The guy is too hands on in the athletic director's chair and he just needs to let coaches coach.
Take, for instance, something I noticed in Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde's latest column, posted last night. In it is a quote by Alvarez, which was said after Bret Bielema left Wisconsin a couple of years ago to take the Arkansas job:
"Bret used my gameplan to win," he said. "The coach I hire will have to understand who we are and how we go about our business."
Does that sound like someone who wants to let his coaches coach? It doesn't to me. It sounds to me like someone who wants to take all the credit and glory for the Wisconsin program's success.
On that note, Andersen wanted to install his zone read offense at the beginning of the year. But midway through the season, they went back to being ground and pound Wisconsin, which is what Alvarez prefers. It sounds to me like these two never really were able to co-exist.
It also wouldn't totally surprise me if that 59-0 whitewashing by Ohio State in the championship game last week had something to do with the Wisconsin coaching situation. In particular, it wouldn't totally shock me if it comes out later that Andersen already knew he was leaving and just packed it in.
As to who Wisconsin will hire? I'm not a betting man generally but if I were in the business of prediction making I'd say it will be current Pittsburgh coach Paul Chryst. Chryst is from Madison, played at Wisconsin in the late 80s and spent seven years as Wisconsin's offensive coordinator.
Regarding the hiring of Mike Riley to Nebraska, I am cautiously optimistic about the move even though Riley was not my first choice. He certainly is the opposite personality wise of Pelini, which is one thing the program needs. He is also doing a heck of a job trying to salvage the current Nebraska recruiting class. In general, Nebraska fans need to put down the pitchforks and give the man a chance to win...or lose...our trust. Speaking of Nebraska athletics...Incarnate Word? What the hell was that awful basketball performance? How did a good team get so crappy over several months? Any way you slice it that Cinderella story...long gone.
The guy I wanted in particular though, Jim McElwain, ended up at Florida. I think that's a great coaching hire by the Gators. Missouri has won the SEC East twice in a row but with McElwain in charge I'd say that little streak is in serious jeopardy.
Regarding the playoff matchups, be real. Alabama is the team to beat. Meyer is a good coach, Florida State is the defending champ and Oregon is perennially good but I really love Alabama's chances to win the whole thing. They have been trending upward for the past month, Sims is getting better with each game and Cooper's peaking right at the end of the season.
The scary part about Alabama in 2015 is that Blake Sims will be even better with a full offseason of development even though he loses Cooper...and LSU and Auburn will both be licking their wounds after down years. The only way I can see Auburn beating Bama next year is if they somehow get Muschamp. That could be an equalizer. And as for Lane Kiffin...Dead wrong about that one. Thought they would bust with his ego coming in. Not so.
As for the Big 12 teams being left out, the Big 12 did it to themselves in my opinion (and Ohio State played pretty well last game too). I have nothing against TCU or Baylor as I have many great friends from both schools, although I will say this: When you pay over $400,000 for the branding of the slogan "One True Champion" as the Big 12 did, then you name TCU and Baylor co-champs, get out of here with that. It's not Baylor or TCU's fault that they got left out, both had tremendous seasons. They should blame Big 12 commish Bob Bowlsby and Big 12 administration for this one. Too bad because TCU could have played Alabama toe to toe.
One final Rockets thought: Team is 16-5 but still has a ways to go. 16-5 sounds good but only gets you tied for 4th in the Western Conference at that point...West is just ridiculous. 7th place team in the West is 17-7. Rockets need to get guys back healthy and beat the teams they are in contention with fairly regularly. 3-4 against the top 6 in the West this year isn't going to cut it...50 wins might only get you an 8 seed. Interestingly enough, the Rockets, even though they've made the NBA Finals four times and won two titles, have never won more than 58 games in a single season.
Until next time....
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