JANUARY 12-16, 2010
I'll need all my muscles to carry that contract
MOVING ON AND CASHING IN
Pete Carroll is off to rainy Seattle. $35 million buys a lot of umbrellas. Carroll is one of the best college coaches EVER and I wish him all the best, he might have the same success as he did in Los Angeles, now he can pay players legally. The odds of succeeding are not with Carroll, very few successful college coaches win in the pros. It's not about your enthusiasm in the NFL it's about winning. Many years ago Lou Holtz tried his hand at the NFL, he couldn't even finish the 1976 season and resigned with one game left. He thought the Jets needed a fight song.
Sometimes failure can bring success and maybe Carroll's time with New England and the Jets will serve him well and he will have a different approach in his second time around. That's a big maybe, people usually do not change their approach they just move to a place where their approach works, like college.
NICE GUY FINISHES LAST
A word on the National Championship Game. Mack Brown is a heck of a guy. His QB gets hurt on the second possession and Brown keeps him out the rest of the game knowing that he will probably lose the title. This coach actually cares for his players and I have to tip my hat to him. Brown placed the health of his player above his own success, a most noble gesture.
JANUARY 7-11, 2010
That's right, we bad
END OF THE ROAD
We have come to the end of our pilgrimage, A.K.A the college football season. Two teams remain, Alabama and Texas. I have to write I did not think Alabama would be here and with the way this bowl season has turned out (TCU losing to Boise State) Texas is as deserving as any team to be in the championship game.
Even though I do not like Nick Saban personally, he is a great coach. He turned the Tide in 3 years, that's impressive. Saban is a better coach than his counterpart, Mack Brown. I think the four weeks off will help Texas but Brown likes to stick to what got him there and that's McCoy to Shipley. With 4 weeks to prepare for the game the same old game plan will not work against Alabama If Brown wants to win another National Championship he has to show Saban something he has not seen before.
That much time off teams get healthy and tend to look better than at the end of the season. Of course it's hard to look any better than Alabama did at the end of their season but with the rest they just might. All eyes will be on the Texas offensive line because of their awful performance versus Nebraska but they will play much better in Pasadena, they better or it will be over quickly.
It's hard for me to pick against Alabama that has the better team and the better coach, so I won't. Bama by 6.
JANUARY 4-6, 2010
IN A DARK PLACE
The Texas Tech football program is in a dark place of its own right now. I’ve been following the Mike Leach situation and it’s clear to me that he had animosity towards Adam James. I have to retract my earlier MY 2 CENTS from December 29th, 2009. The fact that he told the trainer to place James in a “DARK PLACE” makes sense because you become light sensitive after a concussion. However, according to the trainer Leach told him to “LOCK” James up in a dark place and not to let him sit or rest against the wall. It is entirely possible that the trainer decided on his own that James should be placed in a closet instead of some office. One thing is clear Leach did not like James or his father Craig James and it was this dislike and frustration that led to the mishandling of the situation.
It’s now turned into a case of he said - he said between Leach and the trainer. The blame has fallen on Leach at this point in time which seems to be the correct call. It appears that Leach did tell the trainer to lock the player up somewhere dark and ordered that the James not be allowed to sit or lean against the wall. But it is not clear that he specifically told the trainer to place James in the closet.
This whole thing will have to be sorted out and if it turns out that no “CLOSET” orders were given the blame may shift to the trainer as having made the decision on his own. Either way the situation was poorly handled.
JANUARY 2-3, 2010
Watch out next year
BREAK OUT
I would have never thought it, but there was always that possibility that Terrelle Pryor could actually play like a real QB, and that’s what he did at the Rose Bowl. To put it simply Pryor was phenomenal, 23/37 for 266 yds, 2 TDs and 1 pick. The stats, as good as they are, do not tell the whole story, Pryor made key throws, his receivers made tremendous catches. In addition to being accurate and on time Pryor made key plays running the ball Oregon simply could not bring the 6’6” 235 lbs. fellow down.
I watched Pryor all season and he was simply terrible, terrible Terrelle but the BCS bowls are 4 weeks after the regular season ends and the players really are able to prepare and alter their games, hone their skills. What ever Jim Tressel did worked to perfection. Ohio State dominated the game statistically even though the score was closer than the statistics indicate. With almost 42 min. of possession time the Ducks could not get into a rhythm and their defense, as it has all year, gave up some huge plays in the secondary which also hurt the offense and precluded Masoli from getting that passing game in gear.
TEBOW HAS LEFT THE BUILDING
What way to go out for Tebow. The Gators dominate the Cincinnati Bearcats from coin toss to the final buzzer. Tebow could do no wrong and the Gator defense looked like they should have looked against Alabama. Cincinnati was inexplicably inept on offense and fell behind by so much that they were forced to become one dimensional. Florida’s pass rush was on, that shut Tony Pike, only 170, yds down. The statistics are outrageous. Tebow had 533 total offense with 482 through the air, ridiculous!
The most decorated scorer in SEC history goes out with a bang.
YOU’RE GOING TO JAIL
Plaxico may have a jail mate soon. Gilbert Arenas allegedly pulled a gun on a teammate Javaris Crittenton, who himself pulled his own gun in a dispute over a card game bet. Brandishing a gun outside ones home is a felony in D.C. and rightfully so. This is why we have these laws so these incredibly stupid people aren’t allowed to have guns so they shoot each other or an innocent bystander.
With any luck these two morons will be convicted and sent off to jail as mates in the same cell with a deck of cards.
JANUARY 1, 2010
Patton would be proud
MILITARY MIGHT
How fantastic did the military service academies perform yesterday. Navy beat Missouri and Air Force beat Houston. To put it in perspective just how impressive the wins are you have to understand that today’s athletes do not go to the military schools, they go to football factories to hone their skills to become professionals. That means it’s very difficult for these military schools to compete with your “average” big time football program.
But Air Force and Navy did just fine. Navy racked up 515 yards against the Tigers and held them to 13 pts. Air Force had 563 yds. and 6 picks to hold Houston, one of the country’s better passing offenses to 1 passing TD. Don’t mess with the boys in uniforms.
TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY
Mike Leach has revealed some new facts regarding the treatment of James. Leach has stated that James was a lazy player with a sense of entitlement. Leach has also stated that Craig James, his father has been meddling in the program complaining about playing time and questioning coaches.
I believe Mike Leach. Kids with prominent and famous parents may very well have a sense of entitlement and try to impose their parents’ influence. Be that as it may Leach should have never taken out his frustration on James by locking him in the closet. Leach is the head football coach and if some parent is bothering him, tell him to leave. If that doesn’t work just keep coaching and do the best you can under the circumstances, but don’t take out your frustration with the parent on the kid.
