With the NBA playoffs in its second round, just thought it was time to drop in and give a few varying takes on some of the series going on in the current NBA playoff season.
With that effort today by LeBron James and Dwayne Wade, how long is it going to take the two of them to claim they can still win eight championships or more in Miami? Never mind that they are still having trouble with Indiana, they're going to need at least seven games to get out of this series. What's going to happen when they run into Oklahoma City or San Antonio...that is, assuming they get by Indiana AND Boston?
Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder are stone cold killers. Say what you want about the San Antonio Spurs 17 game winning streak, and it is impressive, but the fact that OKC might well be getting ready to go 8-1 against both the defending champion Dallas and then the Lakers is awfully impressive in itself.
And Kevin Durant...my goodness, word of warning to everyone else: Do NOT let the game be close late. There are certain guys who take the last shot, three, two one and you think that ball isn't going in. With Kevin Durant, it's becoming commonplace to think...that ball is going in. That's something we used to say about guys like Michael Jordan.
And what's going on with the Celtics? This team is so off and on it's unreal...dominate game 3 in Philadelphia, then they take a big lead in game 4 only to let their foot off the gas and lose.
Sad day for baseball on Friday with Kerry Wood retiring. I remember him all the way back to 1998 when he was a talented young pitcher and struck out 20 Houston Astros in a game...if only Dusty Baker hadn't come along and ruined his arm.
Justin Verlander didn't come up with a no-hitter on Friday against Pittsburgh, but in coming two outs short he gave Detroit fans their money's worth, especially for a game against Pittsburgh.
One final note as far as college football goes...I think it's safe to say that the landscape of college football has drastically changed in the wake of last week's announcement. In case you have been living under a rock or don't follow college football, the Southeastern and Big 12 conferences agreed to a matchup where, assuming one of their champions doesn't end up in an impending college football playoff, they would play each other in a champions' bowl game.
Because of this announcement, there is a clear divide between the haves and have-nots in the current landscape of NCAA major college football. The Big 10 (12), Big 12 (10, plus maybe more), Southeastern and Pac-12 conferences appear to be the haves while the Atlantic Coast and Big East conferences appear to be on the outside looking in. Are we about to see the formation of superconferences as we know them?
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
The NFL Draft and Questionable Decisions
The National Football League's annual draft began Thursday night and ended Saturday, and it ended up being one of the deepest drafts in recent memory. The draft was such a deep draft that a guy by the name of Kellen Moore, a standout quarterback for Boise State who helped keep the Broncos on the map, ended up not getting drafted before he was picked up as an undrafted free agent by the Detroit Lions. He almost certainly won't beat out Matthew Stafford but if he puts in the time he might have a shot to make the roster.
As with most NFL drafts, this draft came with some questionable decision making, from a lot of teams. Let's start with the Washington Redskins, who made the choice everyone expected them to make by taking Baylor's Robert Griffin III with the second pick in the draft.
It was an obvious move and a move that one would have expected the Washington Redskins to make as they have been looking for a franchise quarterback for many years. They also went very heavy on the offensive line, as one expected they might. In the draft, the Redskins selected three offensive linemen - two offensive guards and one offensive tackle.
But the curious decision, to me, is why did they take ANOTHER competent quarterback in the third round. Kirk Cousins is not a guy who is going to ride the bench very easily - he is going to give RG-III some competition. If they are giving up all those draft picks for RG-III, then why are they taking a guy like Cousins in the third round?
Another question: Why do teams even bother trading picks with the New England Patriots? That is almost money to guys like Bill Belichick. Take the 25th pick in the draft...New England got it in a trade with Denver. This pick became Dont'a Hightower, the spectacular linebacker from Alabama. And it's not like Denver had a great draft either, although they got a couple of good picks.
Now to the matter of Ryan Tannehill and wondering why in the world would the Miami Dolphins select this guy to be their franchise quarterback, let alone take him with a top 10 pick. Did they not see this guy cough up game after game after game in his senior year in college? The guy missed key throws and had big turnovers in the second halves of several games this last season which caused a lot of losses for a talented Texas A&M squad.
I even have questions about the hometown Houston Texans, who took Ohio State wide receiver DeVier Posey with a third round draft pick. He's got talent as he had a big year two years ago but he didn't run many pro style routes in college. Also, wide receivers take a very long time to develop. As a Texans homer, I would have liked to see Joe Adams or Jarius Wright from Arkansas in Texans colors. I thought Carolina did a good job picking up Adams, and Minnesota got the other two big playmaker receivers from Arkansas.
And the questions I have are not just limited to the NFL draft. Most notably, in the Dallas/Oklahoma City playoff series, there were questionable decisions in game 2 of that series which helped dictate how that game went. Oklahoma City won 102-99 going up 2-0 in that series. A lot of me wishes these referees would just stay out of these games as these games are good enough to where referees do not need to be that involved.
That is all for my thoughts, questionable decisions and all. Until next time...
As with most NFL drafts, this draft came with some questionable decision making, from a lot of teams. Let's start with the Washington Redskins, who made the choice everyone expected them to make by taking Baylor's Robert Griffin III with the second pick in the draft.
It was an obvious move and a move that one would have expected the Washington Redskins to make as they have been looking for a franchise quarterback for many years. They also went very heavy on the offensive line, as one expected they might. In the draft, the Redskins selected three offensive linemen - two offensive guards and one offensive tackle.
But the curious decision, to me, is why did they take ANOTHER competent quarterback in the third round. Kirk Cousins is not a guy who is going to ride the bench very easily - he is going to give RG-III some competition. If they are giving up all those draft picks for RG-III, then why are they taking a guy like Cousins in the third round?
Another question: Why do teams even bother trading picks with the New England Patriots? That is almost money to guys like Bill Belichick. Take the 25th pick in the draft...New England got it in a trade with Denver. This pick became Dont'a Hightower, the spectacular linebacker from Alabama. And it's not like Denver had a great draft either, although they got a couple of good picks.
Now to the matter of Ryan Tannehill and wondering why in the world would the Miami Dolphins select this guy to be their franchise quarterback, let alone take him with a top 10 pick. Did they not see this guy cough up game after game after game in his senior year in college? The guy missed key throws and had big turnovers in the second halves of several games this last season which caused a lot of losses for a talented Texas A&M squad.
I even have questions about the hometown Houston Texans, who took Ohio State wide receiver DeVier Posey with a third round draft pick. He's got talent as he had a big year two years ago but he didn't run many pro style routes in college. Also, wide receivers take a very long time to develop. As a Texans homer, I would have liked to see Joe Adams or Jarius Wright from Arkansas in Texans colors. I thought Carolina did a good job picking up Adams, and Minnesota got the other two big playmaker receivers from Arkansas.
And the questions I have are not just limited to the NFL draft. Most notably, in the Dallas/Oklahoma City playoff series, there were questionable decisions in game 2 of that series which helped dictate how that game went. Oklahoma City won 102-99 going up 2-0 in that series. A lot of me wishes these referees would just stay out of these games as these games are good enough to where referees do not need to be that involved.
That is all for my thoughts, questionable decisions and all. Until next time...
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Punches, Texas Rangers and Espionage
A lot of things have happened in the world of sports in the last couple of weeks so I think an update is in order.
First of all, let's talk about assault to other people. What in the wide world of sports is going on all of a sudden with punching people in the face? We have Metta World Peace (the artist formerly known as Ron Artest of the Lakers) elbowing James Harden of the Oklahoma City Thunder in a game last Sunday. That's obviously the biggest case of disrespect these days. And how is that suspension not more than seven games...oh wait, I know why it's not. David Stern was NEVER going to rip a key member from one of the NBA's big franchises for two whole rounds. That would have been too good to be true. World Peace should be glad that David Stern is the commissioner of this league.
Next, we have Alfonzo Dennard from my alma mater, Nebraska, punching a police officer. What disgusts me more than anything about this is Nebraska has become the early 2010s version of the Miami Hurricanes, except this group of underachievers has no significant titles to show for it. And Dennard should feel lucky if that punch doesn't cost him in the upcoming NFL Draft.
And so much for that World Series hangover...the Texas Rangers are picking right back up where they left off last year. What's stunning so far is how well their pitching has done after a few changes. The move of Neftali Feliz to the starting rotation as well as the addition of Yu Darvish has paid huge dividends so far. We all know they can swing the sticks, so it's going to be how far their pitching can take them. It's anybody's guess if the current pitching staff wins them the World Series this year but so far they are off to a good start.
And this New Orleans Saints thing is out of control. Now we have New England Patriots-like espionage stories going on? All I can say is when it rains, it pours, and it's pouring on the New Orleans Saints right now.
First of all, let's talk about assault to other people. What in the wide world of sports is going on all of a sudden with punching people in the face? We have Metta World Peace (the artist formerly known as Ron Artest of the Lakers) elbowing James Harden of the Oklahoma City Thunder in a game last Sunday. That's obviously the biggest case of disrespect these days. And how is that suspension not more than seven games...oh wait, I know why it's not. David Stern was NEVER going to rip a key member from one of the NBA's big franchises for two whole rounds. That would have been too good to be true. World Peace should be glad that David Stern is the commissioner of this league.
Next, we have Alfonzo Dennard from my alma mater, Nebraska, punching a police officer. What disgusts me more than anything about this is Nebraska has become the early 2010s version of the Miami Hurricanes, except this group of underachievers has no significant titles to show for it. And Dennard should feel lucky if that punch doesn't cost him in the upcoming NFL Draft.
And so much for that World Series hangover...the Texas Rangers are picking right back up where they left off last year. What's stunning so far is how well their pitching has done after a few changes. The move of Neftali Feliz to the starting rotation as well as the addition of Yu Darvish has paid huge dividends so far. We all know they can swing the sticks, so it's going to be how far their pitching can take them. It's anybody's guess if the current pitching staff wins them the World Series this year but so far they are off to a good start.
And this New Orleans Saints thing is out of control. Now we have New England Patriots-like espionage stories going on? All I can say is when it rains, it pours, and it's pouring on the New Orleans Saints right now.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Tidbits from around the world of sports
In the last week of sports, we've had a lot going on. We've had the NCAA Men's and Women's Final Four, bounties appealed (and appeals rejected), college football coaches cheating on their wives and local phenomenons winning golf majors. So here's just a few tidbits for tonight.
First of all, full marks to Kentucky for winning the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. You'll probably see most of those players in the NBA and that was one heck of a collection of talent. I did find it interesting that there were rumors in the days after the game that Kentucky coach John Calipari is looking to go to the NBA himself. I wonder if he knows the NCAA is going to come snooping around his program...
Speaking of SEC coaches, how about Arkansas football coach Bobby Petrino getting in a bicycle wreck...and doing it with a girl he works with in the Razorback athletic department...while he's married? Let me tell you something, that guy has a morals clause in his contract and if Arkansas decides they want to implement that morals clause, Petrino's in hot water...
So the New Orleans Saints hierarchy tried to get their suspensions appealed, and to no one's surprise those appeals were promptly rebuked. Let me tell you this, these guys were lucky those suspensions weren't doubled after the audio that came out over the weekend of Gregg Williams giving a speech to his team before the NFC Divisional Playoffs...a speech which implored his team to target injured 49ers players. I almost think Goodell should have doubled those suspensions.
Full respect to Bubba Watson for winning the Masters this past weekend, on an incredible shot at that. I'm not so quick to crown him the next big thing in golf, but that was a great win. That tournament had a decisively local feel to it as former Georgia Tech standout Matt Kuchar was in the tournament until the end as well.
First of all, full marks to Kentucky for winning the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. You'll probably see most of those players in the NBA and that was one heck of a collection of talent. I did find it interesting that there were rumors in the days after the game that Kentucky coach John Calipari is looking to go to the NBA himself. I wonder if he knows the NCAA is going to come snooping around his program...
Speaking of SEC coaches, how about Arkansas football coach Bobby Petrino getting in a bicycle wreck...and doing it with a girl he works with in the Razorback athletic department...while he's married? Let me tell you something, that guy has a morals clause in his contract and if Arkansas decides they want to implement that morals clause, Petrino's in hot water...
So the New Orleans Saints hierarchy tried to get their suspensions appealed, and to no one's surprise those appeals were promptly rebuked. Let me tell you this, these guys were lucky those suspensions weren't doubled after the audio that came out over the weekend of Gregg Williams giving a speech to his team before the NFC Divisional Playoffs...a speech which implored his team to target injured 49ers players. I almost think Goodell should have doubled those suspensions.
Full respect to Bubba Watson for winning the Masters this past weekend, on an incredible shot at that. I'm not so quick to crown him the next big thing in golf, but that was a great win. That tournament had a decisively local feel to it as former Georgia Tech standout Matt Kuchar was in the tournament until the end as well.
Monday, March 26, 2012
A New Orleans themed blog post: Bounties and Final Fours
So, after a weekend of good basketball, the Final Four - in New Orleans - is now set. Obviously, the big story about the Final Four is the Bluegrass battle, Kentucky vs. Louisville, which will be one of the national semifinals on Saturday. I'll get to that in a moment but first...is my thoughts on the Saints bounty situation.
As everyone who follows the NFL probably knows by now, the big office came down hard on the New Orleans Saints. Sean Payton was suspended from coaching for a whole year (rumors over the weekend had him landing at FOX for studio work during games), Saints general manager Mickey Loomis was suspended for eight games, a top Saints assistant coach was suspended for six games and to top it all off, the creator of the bounty system, Gregg Williams (now with the Rams) was suspended indefinitely. Also, the Saints lost second round draft picks in future drafts.
This is clearly a case where the cover-up is worse than the crime itself. The thing about this is, the NFL found out the Saints were doing this bounty thing beforehand and told them to stop it and the Saints said they would - and they kept right on doing it.
It's one thing to deliberately try to hurt players, much less some of the game's elite quarterbacks (reportedly, star QBs like Cam Newton, Kurt Warner, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers were targeted at one time or another), but it's another thing to out and out lie to the league office. The league office made that clear when handing down suspensions.
There is no death penalty in the NFL like there is in college, but this is as close to the death penalty as you are ever going to see in professional football - this is staggering. Losing a head coach, a general manager, a top assistant coach AND high draft picks in future drafts is almost like losing everything. If I were the Saints, I would grt down on my knees and beg Drew Brees to stay - because really, does he even want to be stuck in that mess now?
Moving on to the Final Four, also to be hold in New Orleans. I'll get to Kentucky and Louisville in just a second, but first want to acknowledge the job Bill Self has done at Kansas this year - which I think is getting highly underrated coming into this Final Four.
I don't think even Kansas fans expected the Jayhawks to be in the Final Four this year and this surprise run must gnaw at Missouri fans immensely. Missouri thought they got over when they won their last ever Big 12 tournament - and then they go into the NCAA tournament and lose to a 15 seed, while Kansas wins three hard fought games and goes right to the Final Four. Sure, Kansas had a favorable draw, but beating North Carolina - again - to get to the Final Four is still a major accomplishment.
Now, about this Louisville vs. Kentucky game. You want to talk about a pressure cooker, and, well Kentucky is in it right now. They are the prohibitive favorite to win this tournament in most parts of the country that watch college basketball, and if they come up short Monday night, that's going to br bad.
Now imagine if they don't even get to Monday, and Louisville beats them and plays for the title themselves. That is going to be ten times worse - to be beaten by a coach and school that a lot of Kentucky fans look their noses down on, and by a Louisville team that isn't expected to be there.
I expect Kentucky to win the game, but if Louisville finds a way to pull the upset, there's no telling how Kentucky fans will react. And there's one little other intangible: Kentucky and Louisville fans, together, on Bourbon Street. That is a combustbile environment.
Either way, it's got to be one of the biggest Louisville/Kentucky games ever.
As everyone who follows the NFL probably knows by now, the big office came down hard on the New Orleans Saints. Sean Payton was suspended from coaching for a whole year (rumors over the weekend had him landing at FOX for studio work during games), Saints general manager Mickey Loomis was suspended for eight games, a top Saints assistant coach was suspended for six games and to top it all off, the creator of the bounty system, Gregg Williams (now with the Rams) was suspended indefinitely. Also, the Saints lost second round draft picks in future drafts.
This is clearly a case where the cover-up is worse than the crime itself. The thing about this is, the NFL found out the Saints were doing this bounty thing beforehand and told them to stop it and the Saints said they would - and they kept right on doing it.
It's one thing to deliberately try to hurt players, much less some of the game's elite quarterbacks (reportedly, star QBs like Cam Newton, Kurt Warner, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers were targeted at one time or another), but it's another thing to out and out lie to the league office. The league office made that clear when handing down suspensions.
There is no death penalty in the NFL like there is in college, but this is as close to the death penalty as you are ever going to see in professional football - this is staggering. Losing a head coach, a general manager, a top assistant coach AND high draft picks in future drafts is almost like losing everything. If I were the Saints, I would grt down on my knees and beg Drew Brees to stay - because really, does he even want to be stuck in that mess now?
Moving on to the Final Four, also to be hold in New Orleans. I'll get to Kentucky and Louisville in just a second, but first want to acknowledge the job Bill Self has done at Kansas this year - which I think is getting highly underrated coming into this Final Four.
I don't think even Kansas fans expected the Jayhawks to be in the Final Four this year and this surprise run must gnaw at Missouri fans immensely. Missouri thought they got over when they won their last ever Big 12 tournament - and then they go into the NCAA tournament and lose to a 15 seed, while Kansas wins three hard fought games and goes right to the Final Four. Sure, Kansas had a favorable draw, but beating North Carolina - again - to get to the Final Four is still a major accomplishment.
Now, about this Louisville vs. Kentucky game. You want to talk about a pressure cooker, and, well Kentucky is in it right now. They are the prohibitive favorite to win this tournament in most parts of the country that watch college basketball, and if they come up short Monday night, that's going to br bad.
Now imagine if they don't even get to Monday, and Louisville beats them and plays for the title themselves. That is going to be ten times worse - to be beaten by a coach and school that a lot of Kentucky fans look their noses down on, and by a Louisville team that isn't expected to be there.
I expect Kentucky to win the game, but if Louisville finds a way to pull the upset, there's no telling how Kentucky fans will react. And there's one little other intangible: Kentucky and Louisville fans, together, on Bourbon Street. That is a combustbile environment.
Either way, it's got to be one of the biggest Louisville/Kentucky games ever.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
NFL Free Agency and College Hoops
Sorry I haven't been on recently but I will make much more of an effort to do so. But with the NCAA Men's Division I basketball tournament going on as well as NFL free agency, I think it's time to do some house cleaning.
First of all, hearty congrats to the New York Giants on winning the Super Bowl. As I may or may not have said on this blog, Gronkowski makes such a huge difference for the Patriots and they did a good job hanging in there without him but in the end, the best team did win. It's tough to repeat though, and it's even tougher to get back when you lose so we'll see what becomes of the Patriots especially.
As far as NFL free agency goes, man how about the set of stones on John Elway? For the record, I am a Tebow fan but I think most Tebow fans would even have to admit that Peyton Manning gives the Denver Broncos a much better chance to win it all than a healthy Tebow does. Reports are obviously that Denver is trying to trade Tebow to New York but the deal has hit a snag so we'll see what happens.
As a Houston Texans fan, I find it curious that so many defections are going on with the team. Mario Williams, DeMeco Ryans, Mike Brisiel, Eric Winston and others will be with new teams next year. All of a sudden, this team has many needs to fill this year in the draft. At least Peyton Manning didn't end up on the Titans - won't have to see that twice per year.
Next item of business is Taylor Martinez opening his mouth and talking about how he'll be disappointed if the Nebraska football team doesn't make the national title game this coming college football season. To me, it's simply another example of him opening his mouth and writing another check that he cannot cash.
With regards to all the craziness this year in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, it's insane that there are four Big Ten teams in the Sweet 16 this year and it's even crazier that seven teams from the Ohio River valley region are in the Sweet 16. And the really insane part is that they all really don't like each other. Don't believe me? Look up Dan Wetzel's archive on Yahoo! Sports as there is a really good article on that.
As far as who will win the tournament? Kentucky, Syracuse and North Carolina look like hte frontrunners right now but it's double elimination and my pick, Missouri, crashed and burned in the first round so anything can happen.
Check back tomorrow for my thoughts on the New Orleans Saints situation.
First of all, hearty congrats to the New York Giants on winning the Super Bowl. As I may or may not have said on this blog, Gronkowski makes such a huge difference for the Patriots and they did a good job hanging in there without him but in the end, the best team did win. It's tough to repeat though, and it's even tougher to get back when you lose so we'll see what becomes of the Patriots especially.
As far as NFL free agency goes, man how about the set of stones on John Elway? For the record, I am a Tebow fan but I think most Tebow fans would even have to admit that Peyton Manning gives the Denver Broncos a much better chance to win it all than a healthy Tebow does. Reports are obviously that Denver is trying to trade Tebow to New York but the deal has hit a snag so we'll see what happens.
As a Houston Texans fan, I find it curious that so many defections are going on with the team. Mario Williams, DeMeco Ryans, Mike Brisiel, Eric Winston and others will be with new teams next year. All of a sudden, this team has many needs to fill this year in the draft. At least Peyton Manning didn't end up on the Titans - won't have to see that twice per year.
Next item of business is Taylor Martinez opening his mouth and talking about how he'll be disappointed if the Nebraska football team doesn't make the national title game this coming college football season. To me, it's simply another example of him opening his mouth and writing another check that he cannot cash.
With regards to all the craziness this year in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, it's insane that there are four Big Ten teams in the Sweet 16 this year and it's even crazier that seven teams from the Ohio River valley region are in the Sweet 16. And the really insane part is that they all really don't like each other. Don't believe me? Look up Dan Wetzel's archive on Yahoo! Sports as there is a really good article on that.
As far as who will win the tournament? Kentucky, Syracuse and North Carolina look like hte frontrunners right now but it's double elimination and my pick, Missouri, crashed and burned in the first round so anything can happen.
Check back tomorrow for my thoughts on the New Orleans Saints situation.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
It's Been a Month and My Blood is Still Boiling
I am sorry that I have been away, first of all. Hope I can be more of a regular.
Again, a disclaimer: I am a University of Nebraska graduate and a lifelong Husker fan. I was born into it and will take it to my grave.
However, what I saw a few weeks ago in the Capitol One Bowl between Nebraska and South Carolina was, needless to say, disturbing.
It's not just the losses either. I'm OK with losing as long as the team plays the right way. Nebraska football has always been about heart, grit, physical play and toughness combined with the talent necessary to win football games which is different from just about any program in the country.
It's the fact that the team went 9-4 and plays like a bunch of thugs. Until now, I'm proud that Nebraska has never been like Miami, where their motto is, if you don't like to see us celebrate then don't let us get in the end zone. I don't mind the motto but I wouldn't want it applied to my school.
What bothers me the most is the team under Bo Pelini has always been undisciplined, commits way too many personal foul penalties and every time they are faced with adversity, they fold faster than a cheap tent.
And here's another thing: That entire coaching staff they hired during the offseason last year...not good enough in my view. Pelini should be hiring the top assistants in the country, but instead, from afar, it looks like he's hiring guys that only he likes. Tim Beck has absolutely no business being a college football offensive coordinator, and Barney Cotton has absolutely no business being an offensive line coach in college football.
Other random thoughts:
Full congrats to Chef Zakarian for winning the Next Iron Chef competition. I am a Chiarello guy, my folks went to his restaurant in Napa Valley some time ago, but if he couldn't win it then Zakarian is a fine, fine champion himself.
I guess that thing about LSU's defense didn't turn out so great huh? While I'm not necessarily a fan of Alabama being in the game, they still did a hell of a job containing what offense LSU had...and it wasn't much. I have no idea why LSU didn't go with Lee at some point.
Even though they only made it past the second round, I am still so proud of my Houston Texans. They made it further than anyone thought they might and proved a lot of the doubters who said they couldn't beat the Ravens wrong. That game was a tossup right to the end.
Speaking of the Ravens, I sure hope Billy Cundiff's career doesn't take a dive after that missed field goal.
My condolences also go out to the Paterno family, no matter what people say about the scandal at Penn State. It's never good to see anyone die.
Last thing...as for a Super Bowl prediction? Patriots 28, Giants 24.
Again, a disclaimer: I am a University of Nebraska graduate and a lifelong Husker fan. I was born into it and will take it to my grave.
However, what I saw a few weeks ago in the Capitol One Bowl between Nebraska and South Carolina was, needless to say, disturbing.
It's not just the losses either. I'm OK with losing as long as the team plays the right way. Nebraska football has always been about heart, grit, physical play and toughness combined with the talent necessary to win football games which is different from just about any program in the country.
It's the fact that the team went 9-4 and plays like a bunch of thugs. Until now, I'm proud that Nebraska has never been like Miami, where their motto is, if you don't like to see us celebrate then don't let us get in the end zone. I don't mind the motto but I wouldn't want it applied to my school.
What bothers me the most is the team under Bo Pelini has always been undisciplined, commits way too many personal foul penalties and every time they are faced with adversity, they fold faster than a cheap tent.
And here's another thing: That entire coaching staff they hired during the offseason last year...not good enough in my view. Pelini should be hiring the top assistants in the country, but instead, from afar, it looks like he's hiring guys that only he likes. Tim Beck has absolutely no business being a college football offensive coordinator, and Barney Cotton has absolutely no business being an offensive line coach in college football.
Other random thoughts:
Full congrats to Chef Zakarian for winning the Next Iron Chef competition. I am a Chiarello guy, my folks went to his restaurant in Napa Valley some time ago, but if he couldn't win it then Zakarian is a fine, fine champion himself.
I guess that thing about LSU's defense didn't turn out so great huh? While I'm not necessarily a fan of Alabama being in the game, they still did a hell of a job containing what offense LSU had...and it wasn't much. I have no idea why LSU didn't go with Lee at some point.
Even though they only made it past the second round, I am still so proud of my Houston Texans. They made it further than anyone thought they might and proved a lot of the doubters who said they couldn't beat the Ravens wrong. That game was a tossup right to the end.
Speaking of the Ravens, I sure hope Billy Cundiff's career doesn't take a dive after that missed field goal.
My condolences also go out to the Paterno family, no matter what people say about the scandal at Penn State. It's never good to see anyone die.
Last thing...as for a Super Bowl prediction? Patriots 28, Giants 24.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)