4/20: A lot of ground to cover

As the title suggests, this was a very busy sports weekend, football and otherwise.

The biggest news from the football world this weekend occurred yesterday, and it involved none other than Timothy Richard Tebow, who if you recall almost had a cult following the last time he was in the league especially when the Broncos went to the playoffs under his watch. It was a cult following that included, amongst others, Skip Bayless of ESPN.

One thing we've already seen is that Chip Kelly isn't afraid to do things his way, and this is just another example. He's already dealt away his two top offensive weapons, Shady McCoy and Nick Foles (although, to be honest, most average quarterbacks could probably do well in that system) and now he's got Frank Gore and whoever the Eagles QB is going to be - and it looks like TRT is going to be at least in the mix for a bit. Since they signed Tebow, my feeling that Kelly will go after Mariota is waning. But you never know with him.

In other football news, a possibility talked about in recent weeks in some NFL circles is that Philip Rivers might get dealt from San Diego to the Tennessee Titans. Fueling these rumors is the news that the Chargers sent people to the home of the Oregon Ducks, Eugene, to work out Marcus Mariota.

Now, I'm not sure whether the Chargers will deal Philip Rivers and take a chance on Mariota (who I am not sold on as an NFL QB to begin with). I do know this; I am no fan of Philip Rivers, but that guy is a gamer and has a lot of heart and talent. I would say it would be really stupid of the Chargers to trade Rivers, but as I mentioned in the last blog, there is at least a possibility the Chargers could move to LA in the near future. And according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report, Rivers "ain't about LA." So maybe if the Chargers are going to move to LA, they trade Rivers and both teams get what they want.

Also from the NFL, Andre Johnson said recently that he didn't sign with the Colts to get back at the Texans. Yeah, that's reaaaaaalllll believable, Andre. If it weren't about revenge, then you wouldn't have signed with a division rival. You could have gone to the Pats or someplace else and had a chance to win a Super Bowl. But where did you go...to a Texans division rival.

On college football; it is ridiculous that the Big 10 and Delany are still pushing for freshmen to be ineligible in football and basketball. In case you missed it, Delany sent out a 12 page treatise Friday explaining why he favors freshmen ineligibility.

One thing that caught my eye was from an article in Friday's USA Today, where it is noted that Delany believes the balance between academics and athletics has tilted too far in the wrong direction. Now I'm not the best translator in the world, but I think what this really is, is a move against the SEC.

It's a move against the SEC and most notably the Kentucky basketballs of the world; as most fans who follow college basketball know, Kentucky has probably benefited the most from college basketball's one and done system as they sent seven players to the NBA draft this year and probably will still be ranked top 5 preseason next year. Football obviously pays the bills in college athletics, but I think the way Calipari runs his program at Kentucky has really gotten under Delany's skin.

Thing is though, there is an easier way to solve this problem and keep freshmen eligible at the same time (which is how it should be). They should use the NCAA baseball model, which I really like. In that first year draft, the guys who go into that draft are either straight out of high school or have completed at least three or four years in college and are 21 years old (and junior college players can be eligible any time). But wait, I forgot, the Big 10 doesn't care about college baseball all that much except for schools like Nebraska, which is truly a shame.

Also from college football, Ohio State gets over 99,000 for their spring game. I can't stand Ohio State but that's an impressive accomplishment. Their stadium holds between 104,000 and 105,000 so they did a good job almost filling the place up. They were part of a weekend where a lot of the SEC's heavyweights (Alabama, LSU, Auburn) also had their spring games.

Time to double back now and go to the Masters and golf; yeah, I know they played at Hilton Head this past weekend and Furyk won in a playoff but to be honest, not many of the top players played this weekend. Speaking of Spieth, there's your answer to the future of golf.

I've heard lots of chatter from talking heads in recent years that golf won't be the same without Tiger and Phil playing well. Bottom line is, golf will carry on just fine no matter who is leading it, even for as good as Tiger and Phil have been throughout their careers, and Spieth appears to be the flag bearer for the next generation. How many guys who are 21 can go do what Jordan Spieth just did at Augusta? Even more impressive was that every single one of the top golfers in the world took a run at him at one point but he had an answer for everything.

Perhaps the most appropriate thing about this Masters was that as legendary University of Texas golfer Ben Crenshaw played his final Masters, Jordan Spieth, the next generation of Texas golf and golf in general, has taken the torch and ran with it. That will not be the only major he wins, by the way.

Not a whole lot of surprises from the NBA playoffs this weekend, but I will touch on two things briefly. #1, Mavericks fans should be very concerned. Harden had a fairly quiet night and Howard played just 17 minutes Saturday and the Rockets still beat them by 10. #2, I'm not 100 percent sure the Clippers can knock out the Spurs, it's tough to knock them out 4 of 7, but the Clippers made a very large statement last night in the first game.

A few baseball things now:

1. Probably the biggest thing in baseball this weekend was the debut of highly publicized talent Kris Bryant, who made his MLB debut for the Cubs Friday against San Diego and went 0 for 4. He got a hero's welcome though, from Chicago dignitaries such as Mike Ditka. Astros fans may remember that the Astros were scouting him in the draft two years ago before they took Mark Appel instead.

2. A's/Royals looked and felt a bit like Chiefs/Raiders this weekend; there were skirmishes in all three of those games, for those who missed it. The whole thing started Friday with this play, when A's player Brett Lawrie slid into second base with his spikes up as Royals shortsop Alcides Escobar is trying to cover second. You can see the play here: http://deadspin.com/brett-lawrie-alcides-escobar-and-the-case-of-the-text-1698799891#

Now, Lawrie claims he texted Escobar after the game, Escobar claims he didn't and called Lawrie out for his slide. Personally, whether Lawrie did apologize or not, you absolutely cannot slide into second base with your spikes up. Those spikes on those cleats are dangerous. In any event, there were skirmishes on Saturday and Sunday as well. All I can say is it's going to be interesting when those teams meet again in June.

3. Like I said last week, the Mets intrigue me. They've won eight games in a row and currently sit in first in the NL East. The Nats will probably come back and take over first place, but the Mets should be a good team the whole year.

4. Almost as hot are Don Mattingly's Dodgers, who have used a seven game win streak to grab an early NL West lead and end the Rockies undefeated run of six in a row on the road.

5. Early on there is at least reason for careful optimism regarding the local nine in Houston; so far the division is playing mediocre. Even the division favorite (for a lot of people) the Seattle Mariners have had their struggles early this season. If the division continues to play mediocre, the summer could be pretty fun at Minute Maid Park.

Finally, the Boston Marathon is today. I have friends who are competing in that event. Best wishes to all the athletes in that event.

Until next time....

Aaron Hernandez and other thoughts 4/16/15

Back here on a Thursday with several thoughts to chew on. And yes, Rockets fans I'll get to the first division title in 21 years, but lots of football to get to first.

Of course, the biggest story in sports yesterday was Aaron Hernandez, which honestly has transcended far beyond sports at this point. This isn't even a Patriots or NFL thing anymore. Yesterday, he was found guilty of first degree murder in the killing of his friend Odin Lloyd and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Honestly, there are two sad things about this whole deal to me; the first thing is that the man actually had talent...elite talent. Two years ago, this guy was catching footballs from Tom Brady and was an integral part of the Patriots offense. Now, he's behind bars...permanently. As a Husker alum and lifetime fan, I've sadly seen this movie before thanks to a guy by the name of Lawrence Phillips; a massively talented running back who could have played 15 years in the NFL but wasted it, just like Hernandez has done. Very sad.

The second sad part about this is that he isn't done. That's because this guy faces double murder charges in Boston, as well as civil lawsuits over the killings and not only that, he faces a lawsuit in Florida from a former friend who claims he was shot in the face and left for dead after an argument.

That said, I'm moving on to other football stuff.

Elsewhere in the NFL, Von Miller is apparently on a diet, and is already running his mouth about how the Broncos could be the NFL's top defense next year. The Broncos are switching from a 4-3 to 3-4 defense, which should at least be interesting. That said, Miller really should stop running his mouth until the Broncos back that claim up. Manning's never really had a top defense anywhere he's been since college, so why should we believe this is going to be any different?

Meanwhile, the quest to get the NFL back in Los Angeles took a huge step forward Wednesday when a proposed stadium that could become home for both the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers hit a huge milestone; sufficient petition signatures have been verified by election officials to qualify the proposal for the ballot in Carson, where the stadium would be built. They have been trying to get the NFL back in Los Angeles for over 20 years, and now there may be some serious progress.

From college football, it seems College Football Playoff committee member Condoleezza Rice is against expanding the current four team college football playoff, citing the importance of the regular season as a major factor.

As ESPN's Heather Dinich notes, Rice said, "I feel pretty strongly about four now becuase I thought that the rivalry weekend - the Saturday after Thanksgiving - almost felt like a play-in game," Rice said. "Now, the Iron Bowl, Alabama has to beat Auburn. You could imagine the circumstances in another year where the Civil War, Oregon has to beat Oregon State. There are questions whether they will."

I appreciate the passion that Rice displays in those quotes, but honestly, the playoff is going to expand if and when it wants to, regardless of her opinion.

Elsewhere in college football, Ohio State lost a highly prized quarterback recruit Jarrett Guarantano on Wednesday; the pro-style quarterback chose the Volunteers over the Buckeyes and Rutgers. He didn't commit to Tennessee without one of the Buckeye coaches taking a jab at him though; Buckeyes wide receivers coach Zach Smith didn't mince words when he tweeted the following:

"Great players THRIVE in competition...Not amidst mediocrity...We hope you remember this."

Honestly, I can't blame the kid for choosing Tennessee. I mean, Ohio State only has three of the top 10 quarterbacks in all the land. They are as deep in that position as any team in America. However, I'd love to see Tennessee shock the world in the SEC and meet Ohio State in a bowl game. Some bad blood that already may be brewing there.

Also from the college game, but related to the NFL Draft, wide receiver prospect Jaelen Strong from Arizona State is fighting through a fractured bone in his wrist, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. He is considered by many to be a first round pick in this upcoming draft, and if the Texans were going to go wideout first, he'd probably be one of the guys they look at.

Big night in Houston Rockets franchise history last night; the Rockets, thanks to a win over Utah and San Antonio's loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, win their first division title since the 1993-94 season. Honestly, this is unbelievable what they did. If you'd have asked me before the season, I'd have said there's a decent chance they'd be a lottery team and they probably should have been with all the injuries they went through. No matter what happens in the playoffs 56 wins and a division flag is a tremendous achievement.

That said, they face some very tough mountains starting with the rival Dallas Mavericks in the first round. I'm not sure anyone who watches basketball would be surprised if the Mavs win that series. It may be a 2/7 matchup but this one's going 6 or 7 I think.

As a side benefit, no OKC Thunder in the playoffs thanks to the Pelicans win. It's only right and just that after Seattle had their team taken away from them and moved to OKC (ala the Oilers being taken from Houston and moved to Tennessee), that OKC at the least doesn't win a title till Seattle gets a team again.

On baseball, I like to wait a week or two before commenting on games, so 10 games or so in I do have a few things.

1. The Detroit Tigers are the most talented team in the American League, top to bottom. That said, their success as always will come down to their bullpen. So far, Joakim Soria, former Kansas City closer, has been very good for the Motor City. If he can continue to close games there's no reason the Tigers shouldn't win 95 to 100.

2. The Astros are playing crappy offensively yet they are 4-5. They need to channel Pedro Cerrano from Major League and "wake up bats."

3. It's only 10 games or so in but I'm intrigued by the Mets so far. I don't think they're better than the Nationals (though they beat the Nats two of three to open the year), but they have some integral parts necessary for a playoff run.

4. It's notable that the Colorado Rockies are 6-0 on the road to open the year; they are normally not a good team outside their mile-high paradise, but they swept the Brewers and Giants to open the year on the road and allowed the defending World Champs only three runs in the three games in the Bay Area. The West appears to be very tough so far, with Colorado, LA and San Diego all off to nice starts.

5. The Cubs are in first, yes I said the Cubs are in first. Hope they enjoy it while it lasts, although I can see them making the playoffs as a wild card.

Until next time....

4/9/2015: Final Four, Masters, and LeVeon Bell

Back on a Thursday with a few thoughts, in the wake of the NCAA Title game and with the granddaddy of golf, The Masters, this weekend.

First, let's go to the Final Four, and in particular, the NCAA Title game. It's the game that's had Wisconsin fans howling since Monday night and it's all because of the guys in stripes. Let's be real, folks, the refs didn't help Wisconsin in the second half for sure, but the Badgers got calls in the first half and they were tied at intermission. And they had a nine point lead with 13 minutes to go, about to make Duke give it up, and they could not hold that lead.

In the end, it seemed to me that the Badgers had nothing left. They gave it more than 100 percent to beat Kentucky, and then had to ramp it up 48 hours later and play Duke. Even though Wisconsin is a good team, that's awfully tough to do. They tried to pull a 1980 USA Hockey Team (who beat Finland to win the gold two days after the Miracle win against the Soviets), but it's a tough trick to complete.

As far as where do these teams go from here; ironically, the two teams that lost in the semis probably have a better chance to contend for the championship next year than the teams that played in the Finals. I'd say this is especially true if Duke point guard Tyus Jones goes to the NBA. They'll probably lose Quinn Cook, Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow to begin with, so having Tyus Jones will be of supreme importance to Duke.

As for Wisconsin, this year was their one shot to cash it in. They lose Josh Gasser and Traevon Jackson to begin with and Kaminsky and Dekker are likely first round picks. They'll still be good but probably not Final Four good.

Michigan State and Kentucky will be very good, however; Michigan State went to the Final Four in a rebuilding year, and Kentucky is losing seven guys to the draft (just went official, Karl-Anthony Towns, Willy Cauley-Stein, the Harrison twins, Devin Booker, Trey Lyles and Dakari Johnson are all going) but will still be a Final Four team probably; that's just how Coach Cal rolls.

As far as who I might slot as an early favorite to get here to Houston for the 2016 Final Four and win; a lot of things can happen, but one thing I feel I can safely say is that North Carolina will be in the catbird's seat next year to get there. They had an up-and-down year and still got to the Sweet 16 (and had Wisconsin on the ropes).

On The Masters, whether you watch golf or not, this to me marks the beginning of spring. Well, that and the bluebonnets in full bloom here in Texas. It's nice to see some of the older players being able to do some good things throughout the week; Tom Watson shot a one under par for his opening round today, and Jack Nicklaus, he of 18 major wins, hit a hole in one on the par 3 competition yesterday.

One final NFL note, since this is primarily a football blog; LeVeon Bell gets docked three games for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. It really is example #4756 of how badly the NFL's enforcement is screwed up. Let me get this straight, Ray Rice can get suspended two games for hitting his then-fiancée, but Bell gets docked for three for weed. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense...not.

Until next time....

The NCAA Tournament and random other thoughts

Bigtime sports action this weekend, which included the NCAA Tournament and other things. Just a few thoughts on this Monday night:

It was a great weekend for the NCAA Tournament and the Elite Eight. Three of the games were decided by a combined total of 15 points or something like that, and the other game, Gonzaga and Duke, was tight until the final minutes when Duke pulled away.

I know a lot of people will talk about the scare Kentucky got, but the most entertaining game to me was Wisconsin and Arizona. Two standout teams that went at it for the right to go to Indianapolis. Let's make one thing perfectly clear: Wisconsin was in two zones Saturday night. They just could not miss from long distance. That was the biggest reason they won this game.

But if you root for Arizona at all, you just have to wonder, and I have wondered this over the last couple of days as well, when is that program, and Sean Miller, ever going to get there. Miller is 0 for 4 in the Elite 8, with three of the losses coming at Arizona. Granted, those three losses have come to outstanding squads in the UConn team that won it all, and Wisconsin the last two years in great games. But I'm afraid he's going to get stuck with the label of can't win the big one, which is a label that I don't think he necessarily deserves. The problem though is that Arizona gets top tier talent every year and still can't get over the hump.

That said, not taking anything away from Wisconsin at all. They are, without doubt, a great team that become nearly unstoppable Saturday by shooting the lights out.

I know Kentucky got a scare, but there was little doubt in my mind they were going to win that game, even when they were behind. This is one of the biggest reasons why I believe Kentucky will not be beat by anyone. Along with being far more talented than any team in the country, they are a team that just refuses to lose. It's obvious they have embraced the pressure of making history and getting everybody's best shot.

Michigan State is back in the Final Four...in a rebuilding year. I am more and more convinced that there is a strong possibility that Tom Izzo could take five guys off the street, dress them in Spartan gear and still make the Final Four.

As far as Duke goes, it is interesting that the last two road to their Final Fours have taken them first through Houston, and on to Indianapolis for the Final Four itself. The last time that happened, they won the title. That was also where they beat undefeated UNLV in 1991, on the way to their first national title. I don't think they repeat history, but it's an interesting note.

So Texas cut longtime successful coach Rick Barnes loose over the weekend. This will be an interesting development; Barnes, for as much as I wasn't crazy about him, was probably the second or third best coach in the Big 12, only clearly behind whoever was coaching Kansas at the time. If you're going to cut a successful coach loose like that, you'd better have a plan to replace him. Now, rumors have been swirling that they've already contacted Shaka Smart of Virginia Commonwealth, so it appears they at least have a plan. It's the University of Texas, so they can also throw a hefty wad of cash towards both him and Wichita State's Gregg Marshall.

And speaking of Texas, for my Husker baseball peeps, how about that sweep of the burnt orange this weekend? It's exciting to see that the Husker baseball program can compete with the best of the best and win some of those games.

On the Rockets: They were in first place for approximately 24 hours, although the Grizzlies of Memphis jumped back into first tonight. Let's get this straight...I've never been crazy about Kevin McHale as the Rockets head coach, as I've said before on this blog. I've sort of thought some of the decisions he's made have been dopey, especially some of his decisions last year in the Portland series. To me, that Portland series loss warranted a firing considering expectations. But he's done a good job this year.

To wit, all of the Rockets big men have missed significant time yet they are still battling for the second seed in the West. Now, Harden has had a spectacular season and they hired T.R. Dunn and J.B. Bickerstaff as assistants, and they deserve credit too, but until further notice I'm going to shut up about McHale for a while. The Rockets need to avoid the Spurs and/or Warriors until the conference finals; Golden State is the best team in the West at least right now and the Spurs are like the Yankees when it comes to the postseason.

One last NFL note; the Raiders got rid of Matt Schaub in the offseason, and yet there are STILL teams interested in him? The one thing this proves to me is that there are no shortage of mediocre to below average quarterbacks in the NFL. Well, that and the fact that teams are still interested in Fitzpatrick.

Until next time....

March Madness and other thoughts 3/23/15

So, after a busy weekend...where shall we begin? Well, where else...with March Madness.

The one great thing about the Big Dance is this: It never disappoints. Even in the worst tournaments (and this year's been pretty good), there are things that happen every year in this thing that make your head spin. I could go a number of different ways, but there are a few specific things that caught my eye.

First of all, obligatory Kentucky greatness take: How great do you have to be when Cincinnati takes its best shot at you, you win by 15 and people complain about how much you win by? Cincinnati played pretty close to the best game they could play and UK didn't play all that great and yet Cincinnati stood no chance in that game.

That said, Arizona didn't play a great game either and still beat Ohio State solidly in the second half. They got absolutely nothing from some of their better players including Stanley Johnson and still won comfortably. I still think Arizona is the only team that could beat Kentucky, with Wisconsin and Duke close behind.

Even as a Big 10 fan, the best conference this year by far is the ACC. The Big 10 is still competitive as Wisconsin and MSU are always tough this time of year, but the Big 10 is in a down year. ACC on the other hand...five teams in the Sweet 16, including three of the major schools from Tobacco Road. And may have been six if Virginia hadn't lost Justin Anderson at one point this season.

Jim Rome mentioned it on his radio show today, but the Triangle in North Carolina has to be through the roof right now...maybe the only place that can consider itself basketball heaven more than Wichita, Kansas. In addition, Notre Dame and Louisville have very good teams and should represent themselves well next weekend. Oh and I think Duke is Duke again, at least for this year. They played in a rugged conference, and played a pretty solid San Diego State team in the round of 32 and beat the crap out of them.

North Carolina is a good, solid team, but I'm not sure they are capable of playing 40 minutes against the Badgers, and if they aren't on their Ps and Qs the whole game, they aren't going to win that game because Wisconsin always is prepared and always works their game plan to perfection.

I think the Big 12 isn't falling apart, but it's also apparent their teams weren't quite as good as everyone said they were. Iowa State acted like they could just show up and win against UAB, and Baylor had a total meltdown against Georgia State. West Virginia and Oklahoma survived to play this week, but the losses by Texas, ISU and Baylor on the first day really hurt the Big 12's reputation on the national scene.

They won't beat Kentucky, but I love that Bob Huggins is back in the Sweet 16. The tournament is always better to me when Huggins can take a team deep, and even better when he's doing it for his alma mater.

And finally: Wichita, Kansas, home to basketball heaven or at least it's got to be, you would think...thanks to Wichita State. Now we know why Kansas wouldn't play Wichita State since 1993, well other than the fact that KU feels it doesn't have anything to gain by playing them. Wichita State is just better. Don't get me wrong, they should still play Wichita State every year. I get that Kansas has nothing to gain, but in-state opponents should not dodge each other. Those battles are great for the fans and are also key recruiting battles.

I think the one thing this game did for the Shockers was that it took them to the next level. They've been to the Final Four, and they've beat some good programs, but they've never had to go through big, bad Kansas because Kansas didn't feel like WuShock was worth its time. Now, not only are they a perennial contender, they are champions of the state of basketball-mad Kansas. That's a pretty good deal for Wichita State, even if they lose to Notre Dame.

Oh and one other thing: I don't know if it will happen because the Shockers have to beat Notre Dame to get to the final 8, but I'd love to see WuShock play Kentucky again. That was one of the best games of the tournament in 2014 and WuShock has most of its team back, so they aren't unfamiliar with how Kentucky goes about its business.

Couple of NFL notes now: So the NFL decided to suspend the blackout policy for 2015, which required that teams sell out their stadiums in order to get games in their home market. It's a silly rule, an outdated rule and one that needs to be scrapped, period.

Texans are hoping to get Clowney back by August; O'Brien has made some very good moves this offseason and if they can somehow, someway have Clowney, Wilfork and Watt healthy for an extended amount of time that defense is going to be a terror.

From the SEC, a future Georgia recruit had a moment he'll never live down; Ben Cleveland, a 6'7, 325 lb. lineman committed to the Dawgs had to have stitches in his hand whilst taking part in a science experiment at his high school. Might it be safe to say he won't be taking part in any science classes at UGA?

Big week coming up for the Husker baseball team; after going 7-6 to open the season away from home, they've come home and done what they're supposed to do, which would be win the first 10 games against scrubs. But now comes five games against Cal-State Fullerton and Texas. Husker fans will know a lot more about this team after this week.

Until next time...

3/8/15: The Wild Ride of NFL Free Agency

As the clock ticks down to less than 24 hours before the start of NFL free agency is to begin, there is a lot of ground to cover. A lot happened here in Houston and around the league over the weekend.

The big news out of Houston today sports wise is something I talked about in the last blog; it's the formality to end all formalities, the release of seven-time Pro Bowler Andre Johnson. It comes as even less of a surprise when you consider that the Texans re-signed right guard Derek Newton and cornerback Kareem Jackson to long-term deals. Andre can still help a team for sure, but the feeling here is he's not an 80-catch guy anymore. His best days have come and gone.

Texans have been busy elsewhere in free agency as well, signing Ryan Mallett to a two year deal and reaching an agreement with former Browns QB Brian Hoyer. It's the ultimate prove it situation for both men. Mallett will probably be the front-runner to win the job, and Hoyer now has a chance to prove himself potentially with him being out of Cleveland. No matter who wins that job, either one is better than Fitzpatrick.

One of the bigger stories in the league has been the Philadelphia Eagles. It's a team that's been wheeling and dealing, and in my opinion it has not been for the better. LeSean McCoy; traded to Buffalo. Jeremy Maclin; gone to Kansas City. One thing is for sure, Chip Kelly is pushing all of his "chips" (yes, pun intended) to the center of the table. Because he didn't get faster with these deals; for a team that plays so fast, his team just got a lot slower. Especially since they went ahead and signed Frank Gore.

Now, the question is, will he take a HUGE swing and take a shot at trading up for his former quarterback Marcus Mariota. At this point, I think I'd be surprised if he didn't do that. Kiko Alonso, the former Bills linebacker who was traded to Philadelphia, became the ninth Oregon Duck currently on the Philadelphia roster. One thing is for sure; Chip Kelly values his system over any player he might have.

On Buffalo, it's clear that Rex Ryan is going to do what he did with the Jets; put his eggs in one basket for his running game because the Bills signed Matt Cassel to compete with E.J. Manuel for the starter job. If Chip Kelly is stubborn about his system being the star (and for sure he thinks it is), then Rex is just as stubborn in the sense that he feels he doesn't need a great quarterback to win. He's hoping that Shady has a good season, and for Rex's sake he'd better or the Bills Mafia is going to grow tired of Rex's act real quick.

In the last take, I mentioned that Jeremy Maclin is on the way to Kansas City to be reunited with his former coach Andy Reid. Obviously, Kansas City is hoping that Maclin can be the home run receiver threat they need. He is familiar with Andy Reid as they both played in Philly.

Niners have had a disastrous offseason, haven't they? Harbaugh, gone. Frank Gore, gone. Patrick Willis and Justin Smith, retiring. Crabtree, not expected to return. No doubt the Niners are committed to winning, but that's going to be an awfully steep, uphill climb.

Not exactly a great week for the Patriots either; they locked up Devin McCourty, but decided to not pick up the option on Revis Island and Vince Wilfork. I do not see a decline coming in the Patriots as long as Brady and Belichick are coaching, but it's interesting that they are willing to put both of those guys on the market.

On the Ndamukong Suh move to the Dolphins, that is a massive deal. It's a 114 million dollar deal with 60 mil of it guaranteed. He's now getting paid more than JJ Watt, for heaven's sake. No doubt Suh is a dominant player, and can change games defensively, but the Dolphins still have Ryan Tannehill at quarterback, who I think will not be taking Miami to the promised land any time soon.

Couple of quick basketball notes; I'll save my NCAA tournament predictions for next week by the way. First, I'll go to college and Syracuse. They got hit hard with some significant sanctions on Friday after investigation by the NCAA. The sanctions include Boeheim being suspended for the first nine games of next year's ACC season, the loss of three scholarships per season through 2018-19 and Syracuse being forced to vacate wins for five different seasons in the last decade.

I'm not going to get into what my personal thoughts are on the Syracuse program (they aren't favorable, that's my only hint). I will say though, that those are sanctions that will be very difficult to come back from especially since Syracuse is losing three schollies per season over the next several years.

One quick NBA note: As always, if you wish to throw dirt on the San Antonio Spurs, do so at your own peril. Just a couple of weeks ago, there was chatter that Tony Parker really didn't have it anymore. He's dinged up and hurt, but he's still giving it a go, as the Bulls found out yesterday. He scorched them for 32 points and the Spurs hammered the Bulls for their fifth straight win.

Keep in mind that it was right about last year at this time that the Spurs went on a tear and went on to win the NBA title. The way the Spurs are playing, the Rockets may need to get the 2 or 3 seed to avoid playing the Spurs in a 4/5 first round matchup.

On to baseball real quick; the big news here in Texas is that Yu Darvish, the star pitcher for the Rangers, may need Tommy John surgery. It's been a rough year or so for Rangers fans; finished with the second worst record in baseball last year (only the Diamondbacks were worse) and now, their best pitcher may need Tommy John as they are trying to recover from that disastrous season.

In the Cactus League, Alex Rios has three home runs in nine spring training games for the Royals, who have come out like gang busters in spring training by winning each of their first five. Is this going to be a scenario where the Royals blow their load in spring training, then have nothing left for the 162 game grind which awaits? We'll have to wait and see.

Until next time...

Thoughts 3/2/15 (A lot of NFL)

Needless to say, the NFL free agent scene heated up over the weekend, including here in Houston. I'll touch on the Rockets too, but there's a lot of ground to cover NFL wise.

Where to start...I think I'll start with the Dallas Cowboys. As most have heard today, the Cowboys chose to put the franchise tag on Dez Bryant, leaving DeMarco Murray to test the free agent waters. Reportedly, the list of suitors includes the Seahawks, Cardinals, Jaguars, Colts.

I think it's important to note that it seems the Cowboys think Dez Bryant is more valuable than DeMarco Murray. Keep in mind that Murray is being courted by some good teams, but he had a great offensive line in Dallas. I'd be interested to see what happens if and when he goes elsewhere. It doesn't look like the Cowboys are going to be able to land the newly reinstated Adrian Peterson if Murray is signed by another teams so it will be interesting to see what the Cowboys do.

In Detroit, it looks like the Lions are willing to let former Husker Ndamukong Suh walk. Will that be a mistake the Lions regret...we'll have to wait and see. The list of suitors is long for #93, and no doubt his price will be high. One of the teams most talked about in his courtship seems to be the Oakland Raiders. I wouldn't even know how to comprehend a Raiders team with #93...I can see twitter figuratively crashing if that happens.

Another year, another quarterback mistake by Cleveland, arguably the most inept organization in football today. Next man up...Josh McCown, who couldn't even hack it with his former coach in Chicago and Tampa Bay. And the Browns decided to give him a three year contract and 14 million dollars. Cleveland is a quarterback's graveyard, and I think this situation will be no different.

In Houston, the news coming out of NRG Park is that Andre Johnson wants to be traded or cut. It appears the Texans will be willing to comply with his request. I'm not surprised about this; Schaub wasn't a great QB while here, but #80 developed a rapport with him and he hasn't been the same since Schaub left town. According to reports that have come out, O'Brien told him when he got the job that #80 would have a reduced role and Johnson wants to be able to show his talents.

The one good thing this will do is that when Johnson leaves, the Texans will be about $22 mil under the salary cap. But with Johnson leaving, they absolutely HAVE to go get another receiver to go alongside Hopkins. Already, the rumors are flying that the Texans may be looking at Welker.

One college football note before I go to some basketball; as much as I dislike the SEC, good on Slive for being proactive and wanting to shoot this whole freshmen being ineligible proposal down. As a Husker alum there are a lot of things I like about the Big 10, but Jim Delany is off his rocker, and he is the main forerunner of this idea. I'm almost convinced that Delany wants to take the Big 10 back to the stone age sometimes.

Now for some basketball, and believe it or not I'll touch on the Rockets then go to college. The only way I can pretty much accurately describe yesterday's Rockets/Cavs game was that it was downright crazy. You had scrums like you might see at a rugby match or a playoff hockey game, Harden kicking Lebron in a certain area which shall not be named, Harden and Lebron going at it in an epic battle. And in the end, Lebron bricks two at the free throw line which could have given the Cavs the win, and the Rockets escaped.

In addition, Harden got a one game suspension for his kick to a certain area on Lebron's body, while Lebron got nothing for the stuff he instigated. I've got no problem with the Harden suspension, but Lebron should definitely have been hit with a one gamer too.

On college ball, Kentucky continues to roll, but I still think it would be better for them to lose a game prior to the NCAAs. Georgia tomorrow looks like their last real test prior to the SEC Tournament. If you want to look at one team who can beat them, it might well be Arizona in a Final 4 setting. That Utah team they beat Saturday is a tough, nasty team and Arizona won in their building.

Lastly, Iowa State with an amazing comeback from 21 points down tonight. What a collapse by Oklahoma, and what a comeback for ISU. That one was definitely a season-saver for the Cyclones; losses at KSU and at home to OU within the span of 48 hours would have been awfully difficult to overcome. Maybe this will be a turning point for ISU.

Until next time....