[Charles] Dunson Checks In

Bears QB Options

2007-10-12T12:08:00.000-07:00

As NBC's Keith Olbermann eloquently noted, the Bears' historically woeful quarterback status has been a constantly revolving door of has beens, never were's and quarterbacks that score more points for the defense than the team he actually quarterbacks . When Rex Grossman's contract expire's at the season's conclusion, the Bears are more likely to sign George Blanda, the NFL's career interception leader(for at least one more week) than extend Rex Grossman's bloated contract. Incumbent, Brian Griese is not his father and at 32, he is a temporary stop gap, not permanent superglue.

So while the Bears settle for Brian Griese, the debate begins on what do the Bears do longterm. Do they build through the draft, sign a veteran free agent or invest in cryogenics and hope for their investment to pay off in the genetic recomposition of Johnny Unitas and Joe Montana in a single entity?

Here are a few non-science fiction suggestions to resurrect the quarterback position in Chi-Town and settle their eternal QB debacle assuming the services of NFL Draft entrants Brian Brohm, Andre Woodson, or Matt Ryan are unavailable to them.

Donovan McNabb- On pure talent, I've never been sure where to rank Daunte Culpepper and Donovan McNabb. Culpepper has had better statistics but he's also had Randy Moss. However, McNabb has also been extremely resurceful as a quarterback. It strikes me as incredibly interesting that both quarterbacks were suddenly deemed dispensable after years of MVP caliber productivity following injuries. Culpepper has thrown for 31 more yards per game in comparison to McNabb throughout their career and a higher completion percentage, however he has also thrown for fewer touchdowns and more interceptions, though this stems from his carelessness earlier in his career. In this scenario, McNabb would be the best option for the Bears who are just recovering from a turnover prone era under Rex Grossman. In addition, it would finally offer McNabb the opportunity to head an offense equipped with adequate receivers. Plus he already has the endorsement of the heart of the Bears success-- their defense.

Daunte Culpepper-Barring Al Davis suffering a serious brain cramp and trading JaMarcus Russell for a silver mesh jump suit and a hoody from Bill Belichick, Oakland is just a layover until a more long term option arises. At 31, next season he'd be almost 3 years removed from major surgery on his knees. Stability is what this championship-ready offense requires. Culpepper is a seasoned veteran who has fought through adversity and has no shortage of confidence in his abilities, a trait Rex Grossman never exhibited.

Colt Brennan- would be the #1 overall pick if not for the perception towards systems quarterbacks but Brennan hopes to buck the trend. Outside of the Top 10, Brennan will be a steal for the team that ultimately drafts him. Unfortunately, I'm under the belief that the Mad Genius Mike Martz is going to make sure sure Brennan becomes the Detroit Lions quarterback of the future in his pass-happy offense.

Dennis Dixon- in any other season, Dixon would be a bonafide first round selection with the season he's embarked on, but in such a senior quarterback-rich draft, they could spend a first round pick shoring up the receiving corp and still manage to collect a steal in the second round-- if Dixon is available past the 32nd pick(sorry 31, the Patriots lost a pick, so the first round is 31 picks in 2008). At 6 foot 4, Dixon is the top dual quarterback prospect since Vince Young. hough, Oregon has prduced some duds before in Akili Smith and Joey Harrington as well as the Jets' promising 2nd year backup Kellen Clemens, Dixon's physical tools are unmatched. I still maintain my comparison of Dixon to a more athletic Tony Romo.

Jared Lorenzen- Despite being one of the most prolific passers in SEC history the former, Mr. Kentucky in high school went undrafted in 2005. Contrary to what his rotund figure would suggest, the left handed Pillsbury Throwboy is a very agile and lithe 285 pound quarterback with a cannon for an arm. Currently, a backup for the Giants, Lorenzen would be a low cost, low risk acquisition with high reward possibilities.

Joshua Johnson- as the success of Division I-AA products Tony Romo and Steve McNair as well as the numerous small school products scattered throughout the league have proven you don't need to hail from a BCS conference to succeed in the NFL. Johnson is a supremely athletic leader who is a front runner for the prestigious Walter Payton Award, Division I-AA's equivalent to the Heisman Trophy whose past winners include Tony Romo, Brian Westbrook, Steve McNair, Brian Finneran. In his college career, Johnson has passed for 88 touchdowns and 13 intercepetions in 3 seasons as a starter.

Updated Player Rankings

2007-10-12T12:03:00.000-07:00

Quarterbacks

Running Backs

32. Yvenson Bernard(Oregon State)
31. Allen Patrick(Oklahoma, Jr.)-
30. Ryan Torain(Arizona St.)
29. Damion Fletcher(Southern Miss, So.)
28. Keon Lattimore(Maryland, Sr.)- Ravens All-Pro linebacker Ray Lewis' little brother
27. Thomas Brown(Georgia, Sr.)
26. Anthony Allen (Louisville, So.)
25. Amir Pinnix(Minnesota, Sr.)
24. Jamaal Charles(Texas, Sr.)
23. Knowshon Moreno(Georgia, Fr.)
22. Marlon Lucky(Nebraska, Jr.)
21. Andre Callender(Boston College)
20. Kahlil Bell(UCLA, Jr.)

19. Chris Wells(Ohio State, So.)
18.Rafael Little(Kentucky, Sr.)
17. Justin Forsett(California, Sr.)
16. Cedric Peerman(Virginia, Jr.)
15. Stafon Johnson(Southern Cal, So.)
14. Javon Ringer(Michigan St.)
13. LeSean McCoy(Pittsburgh, Fr.)
12. Terry Grant(Alabama, Fr.)
11. Tashard Choice(Georgia Tech, Sr.)
10. Jonathan Stewart(Oregon, Jr.)
9. P.J. Hill Jr.(Wisconsin, So.)
8. Ray Rice(Rutgers, Jr.)
7. James Davis(Clemson, Jr.)
6. Steve Slaton(West Virginia, Jr.)
5. Kevin Smith(Central Florida, Jr.)
4. Rashard Mendenhall(Illinois, Jr.)
3. Felix Jones(Arkansas, Jr.)- for the second straight season, Jones, who is averaging a first down for every carry has the highest yards per carry average in the nation...so why doesn't he get more carries? Just give it a little lnger and the Heisman whispers shuld begin for the man stuck in McFadden's shadow.
2. Mike Hart(Michigan, Sr.)
1. Darren McFadden(Arkansas, Jr.)

Wide Receivers

25. Mike Wallace(Ole Miss, Jr.)-possesses the highest yards per catch average in the nation.

24. Danny Amendola(Texas Tech, Sr.)
23. Martin Rucker(Missouri, Sr.)
22. Travis Beckum(Wisconsin, Jr.)
21. Jordy Nelson(Kansas State, Sr.)
20. Jamarko Simmons(Western Michigan, Jr.)
19. Mike Thomas(Arizona, Jr.)
18. Malcolm Kelly(Oklahoma, Sr.)
17. D.J. Hall(Alabama, Sr.)

16. Juaquin Iglesias(Oklahoma, Jr.)
15. Dorien Bryant(Purdue)
14. Earl Bennett(Vanderbilt, Jr.)-caught more passes in his first two seasons than any receiver in SEC history 13. Ryan Grice-Mullin(Hawaii, Sr.)
12. James Hardy(Indiana, Jr.)
11. Adarius Bowman(Oklahoma St.)
10. Brian Robiskie(Ohio St., Jr.)
9. Mario Manningham(Michigan, Jr.)
8. Darius Reynaud(West Virginia, Jr.) | VIDEO

7. Keenan Burton(Kentucky, Sr.)
6. Tiquan Underwood(Rutgers, Jr.)
5. Chris Williams (New Mexico St., Jr.)
4. Percy Harvin(Florida, So.) | VIDEO- is he a running back, a wideout? Well, the Michael Vick of receivers seems to have finally turned the corner as a receiver over the past four weeks and has surpasses his receiving number's from last season.
3. Harry Douglas(Louisville, Sr.)
2. Michael Crabtree(Texas Tech, Fr.) | VIDEO Leads the nation in receiving yards, receptions and touchdowns. According to ESPN.com projections he's on pace to catch 144 passes, for 2,208 yards and score 34 touchdowns, which would all be NCAA records. What's most impressive is that he also leads the nation in yards after catch. With the bias against wideouts. No wide receiver has won the Heisman Trophy since ~~Larry Fitzgerald, Peter Warrick~~ Desmond Howard but the Heismancampaign needs to begin now for Crabtree.
1. DeSean Jackson(California, Jr.) | VIDEO -Crabtree has the numbers but DeSean Jackson is the most exciting playmaker in college football and his gutsy performance against Oregon solidified his Heisman candidacy. What most people don't know is that besides his special teams prowess, he was a 1,000 yard receiver as a sophmore. Something Ted Ginn never did.

Freshman

Arrellious Benn(Illinois, WR) | VIDEO
Jake Locker(Washington, QB) | VIDEO
Noel Devine | VIDEO - right now the diminutive speedster is Heisman hopeful Steve Slaton's understudy but he is already the most exciting running back in college football.
DeMarco Murray(Oklahoma, RB) | VIDEO
Graig Cooper(Miami, RB) | VIDEO- Miami's next great running back has already supplanted incumbent Javarris James as the starter.
Chris Smelley(South Carolina, QB)
Tyrod Taylor(Virginia Tech, QB) | VIDEO
John Chiles(Texas, QB) | VIDEO -If Colt McCoy were Chris Leak, John Chiles would be Texas' Deep South Tim Tebow. This dual quarterback system is really catching on.

Ronald Johnson(Southern Cal, WR) | VIDEO
Joe McKnight(Southern Cal, RB) | VIDEO
Jonathan Dwyer(Georgia Tech, RB)
Jahvid Best(California, RB) | VIDEO
Terrance Tolliver(LSU, WR) | VIDEO
Ricky Sapp(Clemson, DE)
Omar Bolden(Arizona State, DB)
Donovan Warren(Michigan, DB)
Major Wright(Florida, DB) | VIDEO
Eric Berry(Tennessee, DB) | VIDEO

Week 6 Picks (I'm Feelin' Clairvoyant)
last week: 7-4

25)Nebraska loses @ (17)Missouri
Bowling Green loses @ (7)Boston College
(13)West Virginia wins @ Syracuse
(18)Arizona State wins @ Washington State
Utah State loses @(16)Hawaii
Maryland wins @ Georgia Tech
Kansas wins @ Kansas State

(20)Cincinnati wins @ (21)Rutgers
This game screams hey look at me. I started to say Rutgers was going to halt Cincinatti's surge but there's the matter of last season's unexpected rout by Cincinatti which ended the Scarlet Knight's undefeated season. Much the same way, South Florida has found the Mountaineers soft spot and Kansas State continually drops the hammer on Texas' undefeated seasons perhaps Cincinatti with Ben Mauk, one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the nation can vault the Bearcats into the college football forefront. Plus, it'll make for an interesting Coach of the year debate and a potential Oscar-caliber dramatic snene on November 23 when the two face infringe on high school football's friday night timeslot.

The Big East is a lot like the Lion King, just when the Mufasa of the Big East Louisville gets comfortable as king of the jungle, an antelope stampede of lesser regarded teams as their jealous sibling West Virginia watches them fall ~~to their deat~~h out of the rankings. Simba takes the form of Rutgers which somehow found a way to regain the throne from the Mountaineers and Cardinals just so Timon and Pumbaa(South Florida and Cincinatti) can hakuna matata into the sanctity of the Top 25. If Cincinnati doesn't win South Florida and Conneticut remain as the only teams left with zero's in the overall loss column, and atop the conference standings to carry on Simba's Pride....so the circle of life continues in the Big East

Virginia Tech loses @Clemson
Freshman quarterback, Tyrod Taylor, has struggled in recent weeks and to win this game he's going to have to have that defining game which signals his arrival to the nation.

(5)Wisconsin wins @ Illinois
If quarterback Kurt Kittner watched an entire Illinois game the he'd probably notice how the program has diverged more from the pass heavy offense he ran in 2002 than the King of Pop after a week long plastic surgeon's convention, because of recruiting extraordinaire and Coach Ron Zook's new spread option offense.

Unfortunately, so many people jumped on the bandwagon last week, we had to get out the BMW, buy a minivan and it just doesn't seem like the cool pick anymore. There's a bunch of people, you don't know, babies cryin', nobody knows where we're going or whose and I just can't be a part of that. In the pre-season, I predicted Illinois would challenge for the Big 10 title, but that Wisconsin would win it. Illinois may be riding high but their youth is about to get served by Wisconsin.

(4)Ohio State wins @ (23)Purdue
As simple as it may seem to discount the Buckeyes winning the Big-10 without Troy Smith until I remember how Craig Krenzel last led the Buckeyes to a national championship in 2002 with the aid of a gritty rushing offense. Defensive end Vernon Gholston is the most underrated defensive end in the nation. It's easy to forget that before their loss to Florida, Jim Tressel was being touted as the best coach of the 21st century and his program as the top powerhouse of the past decade.

(12)Georgia wins @ Tennessee
Every one loss team in the SEC still has legitimate championship chances, no matter how farfetched they may seem. Mark Richt has won two SEC Champinships as a head coach but has yet to coach in a national championship game.

Florida is my benchmark for Georgia. While the 52 points, the Gators layed out in the Swamp against Tennessee might be unattainable because of our ball control offense, which eats up the clock(one of the few offenses in the nation nt using the spread), a comfortable win will be satisfactory. Deep down, I've always felt like Georgia was never a last stop for Richt and if he tires of the difficult SEC schedule, one day the chance to return to Florida State and succeed Bobby Bowden may pull him from Georgia. Maybe it's all in my head maybe not, maybe aliens really have body snatched our world leaders.
I see conspiracies everywhere. But if you keep doing that long enough, sooner or later you're going to get one right. Plus, Gary Barnett, the coach who once said girls can't play football to the only girl to ever score in Division I-AA football game, branded Georgia as his upset pick.

(10)Oklahoma wins @(19)Texas
The 2007 installment of the Red River Rivalry features two teams trying to stop the bleeding after unfortunate losses sullied their undefeated seasons. Going into last week, the Longhorns and quarterback Colt McCoy appeared unusually vulnerable while Sam Bradford and the Sooners were playing flawlessly.

(9)Florida wins @ (1)LSU

The Gators are gonna have to be careful not to overrdose on the antacid for this-- a gut check game for the Gators of Florida, however, it seems to be of less importance for the LSU Tigers. For the Florida Gators, a 2 loss season would place them in a deep crater in the SEC East standings, putting their SEC Championship hopes in doubt and eradicated their repeat aspirations.

This is one of the situations where Dunson's Law applies. I made this theory to justify why the Colts would win the Super Bowl against all the odds in the loaded AFC after their defense turned to mush last season and since then I've applied it to Boise State in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.

Basically a team has to have the odds stacked heavily against them in a national headline grabbing game against a team favored. The underdog has to be coming off a monumental loss which has exposed a weakness(for the Gators it's their running backs) which requires a quick solution against an elite opponent. All reason says the Tigers will win but that one surprising X-factor will emerge for the Gators.

Florida may have a young, vulnerable defense but LSU's passing game is far from dynamic. Just like Florida's offense used Tebow and Leak last season, LSU will be utilizing a duo of dual threat quarterbacks with starter Matt Flynn and former mega-recruit Ryan Perrilloux under center. The Perrilloux-Flynn combination appears identical to a Cajun remix on Florida's Tebow package in 2006, but the only difference is that Perrilloux will come in for multiple offensive series' instead of single plays. In fact, Perrilloux ran a fake draw which resulted in a touchdown pass that seemed eerily similar to Tebow's first career touchdown pass, against LSU in his freshman season. The Tigers have scored points in droves against lesser teams but they held the same distinction last season until they dropped a dud against Auburn for their first loss of the season.
The first two touchdown passes of Tebow's career came against LSU, but this time around they will be expecting him to pass. LSU on the other hand, can drop a game, win the SEC West with ease and still play for a national championship off of just reputation. With urgency on their side, the Gators will win.

Dunson Checks In: College Football Playoffs

2007-10-03T09:44:00.000-07:00

After Friday's mountain sized upset, which left Mountaineer fans reeling, the table wasn't even set for a Saturday smorgasbord comprised of Top 10 confounding final scores. Rutgers was now the Big East's fine china, with their main course, the hopes for a national championship resting on their plate. In just one fair swoop, the national landscape changed and the congested agglomeration of remaining unbeatens was sliced in half.

But a funny thing happened on the way to October. The Big East's lone unbeatens are not the trio we've hyped since January but rather the unexpected uprises. The Big-10 and Pac-10 lead the way with three unbeatens, the Big-10 and SEC both have a pair of undefeated teams. The ACC(Boston College), Big-12(Missouri Tigers), and WAC(Hawaii) each have one respectively.

But do not fret, because while a perfect season is lost, possibilities for a national championship are not out the window. For the SEC's 1 loss teams, all that is needed is an SEC championship. Because of the BCS, an SEC team could probably lose two games, win the SEC championship and sneak into the National Championship over an undefeated Hawaii team.

The perception by BCS voters this season is that the Big-10 or Big 12 champion will not play for a championship unless they can remain undefeated. Missouri is the lone unbeaten team in the Big 12 but in the Big 10, Ohio State and Wisconsin remain alive. Unfortunately, because of the Big 10's lack of a season-ending champinship game, Purdue and Wisconsin could both end the season undefeated.
Oregon fans may grieve over their team literally fumbling away a national championship, all hope is not lost. There is still the chance of USC beating Cal just after Oregon's showdown with the Trojans on November 16. To say the least, Oregon must win out, hope for a pair of losses by Cal and beat USC.

Just when we thought the Florida Gators had attained a monopoly on Florida football, the South Florida Bulls had to come handing out invitations to their party. It'd be the equivalent of Georgia State starting their football program in 2008 in the Football

Championship Sub-division (formerly Division I-AA) winning a few games before becoming

a Bowl eligible member of Division I-A. Then, after a few seasons of marginal success playing in the Georgia Dome(South Florida plays in Raymond James Stadium)they gained the recruiting

coup of a generation by getting a surprise commitment from super phenom quarterback, David Sills in the place of Matt Grothe.

That would sum up the spectacular uprising of South Florida's football program over their dozen years of existence. It shouldn't be surprising considering that they play and thus have a recruiting advantage in the state of Florida, the nation's most formidable stable of high school football stars alongside Texas and California(per square mile, they may be tops). 12 years ago, they had never fielded a football team, now they are an undefeated national championship darkhorse.

Now let's see if college football's master architect Howard Schnellenberger can work his reconstruction magic as he did at another team in South Florida, the Miami Hurricanes in 1983 and Louisville in 1991(when they capped off a 10-1-1 season by routing 34-7 of Alabama in the Fiesta Bowl) and the 7 year transform old football program at Florida International.

Auburn's victory over Florida hardly, eliminated the Gators from championship contention, however it did put more emphasis into South Florida's victory over Auburn two weeks ago. Now Urban Meyer's Gators go for all or nothing against the LSU Tigers this Saturday as they aim to keep their fading national championship hopes alive. A win by Florida would shake up the national championship race for more than just the SEC.

Florida's defense may be young but fortunately for the Gators, LSU doesn't start the best quarterback on their depth chart. That honor would belong to Ryan Perrilloux, the Tigers redshirt sophomore and former mega-recruit from the Class of 2005, who spurned the Texas Longhorns to come to Baton Rouge. In my opinion, at sme pin through Saturday's game the chronically underachieving Les Miles will turn to Ryan Perrilloux over the struggling Matt Flynn. But its not like I didn't expect it.

Both teams have one common trait among them . Neither has a single marquee running back. Florida's only 100 yard rusher this season has been Tim Tebow while LSU has also had just one 100 yard rushing game in their rushing by town hall committee offense.

However, the SEC West is so overrated it's laughable. Behind LSU is an overhyped Saban coached Alabama team, an offensively anemic offensive unit of Auburn which upset Florida, but so what Kansas State beat Texas and Colorado beat Oklahoma. Upsets happen everywhere in the year 2007.

(Every time an SEC team gets upset, that doesn't illustrate how tough that slobberknocker against the 1-3Mississippi State is it just means that team exploited glaring weaknesses of a team the media has over hyped. Yet when, an upset occurs in the ACC or Big East everyone down south manages to manages to point out "Dat der team was over ratted. That would finna' never happen in the SEC." There's always a special southern affliction on the initials S.E.C. )

I love how Florida's demolition of Ohio State embodied the SEC's dominance but somehow USC's ______ of Arkansas in 2006 and their ____ thrashing in 2005 went unnoticed. Or how West Virginia's domination of the SEC Champion Georgia Bulldogs in 2005 is old news when lets not forget the stars from that game are still around and have improved in the 1.5 years since. Or how about Wisconsin's dismantling of Arkansas in a New Years Bowl in January? I even read an article which had the gall to state the SEC was better than the Pac-10 because of the passion emitted by the fans and the stadium capacities on the West Coast compared to the South. Apparently, the capacity to have more interests than just football by fans gives the players an advantage on the field.
Oh by the way USC has trampled the last four SEC teams it has faced by a combined total of 119 points.

Because of the ACC's perceived weakness from top to bottom this season, NO ACC team will make the championship game with 1 loss. That means that Matt Ryan's Boston College Eagles are the ACC's only remaining national championship contenders. The last ACC team to play for a national championship were the Seminoles in 2000. The Miami Hurricanes played for two consecutive championships while they were members of a very different Big East.

But there is light over the horizon, no matter how dim it may seem. It's easy to forget that Brian Brhm arrived at a non-BCS school. 3 years ago after the Big East lost Miami and Virginia Tech to the ACC, they sent an 8-5 Pittsburgh team to the Fiesta Bowl to get clobbered by the MWAC's best, the Utah Utes.

They responded by lifting Louisville from their confines of Conference USA as West Virginia nearly embarked on an undefeated season and run circles around the SEC champions. That win marked a defining moment for the new Big East. This season either Clemson, or Boston College will deliver that groundbreaking season or win to ACC faithfuls such as myself.

Sure it would would require a difficult period of adjustment for college football fans to this idea but if the sport were to revolutionize the sport and introduce a complex playoff format comprised of the top 6,7, (no its gotta be an even number) 8 teams, here is how it would look right now.

1. LSU
2. USC
3. Kentucky
4. California
5. Wisconsin
6. Ohio State
7. Boston College
8. South Florida

The Hawaii (formerly Rainbow) Warriors, Purdue Boilmakers, Cincinatti Bearcats, Arizona State Sun Devils would inevitably be left out but fortunately Wisconsin actually plays Ohio State this season and California and USC will go toe to toe on November 23. The best way to offset a scenario where two Big-10 teams finish the season undefeated would be force every conference to institute a conference championship game.

The knock against a possible playoff system have been the supposed degradation of the impact of regular season games, however, the logic doesn't seem to apply. At this point in the season almost every game in the country featuring one loss teams is deemed irrelevant on a national scale.

1. California/USC- I see their experience finally trumping USC's talent. The past two seasons have seen two teams go wire to wire as the top ranked team in the nation, however, USC just doesn't have the X-factor at quarterback that Matt Leinart and Vince Young were. Stafon Johnson has finally emerged as the Trojans apparent marquee tailback but given the coaching staff's tendency to rotate tailbacks we'll see how long that lasts. If USC beats California, this would be USC in this position, however I won't abandon my pre-season Pac-10 champion.

2. South Florida- Matt Grothe's legend is quickly growing and the one thing which separates the Bulls from the Big East's other contenders is their balance on offense and defense. West Virginia and Louisville may score points in droves but South Florida's defense is on par with some of the best in the nation. Rutgers also has one of the stingiest defenses in the nation and Mike Teel improved considerably from his sophomore season (2nd highest passer rating in the nation)but he's nowhere near the playmaker that Matt Grothe is. There are players that make quarterback and there are quarterbacks who make plays. Matt Grothe is the latter.

3. Kentucky- the game that could win Woodson the Heisman Trophy and affirm them as legitimate national championship contenders. will come against LSU. Anther major flaw in the BCS system is the voters penchant to prefer perennial contenders and recognizable names over emerging powerhouses. Would a one loss season which included an SEC Championship propel them into the national championship?
Could we get a possible SEC remix on the Michigan-Ohio State scenario if Kentucky loses to LSU on October 13th then beats them in the SEC Championship? The Georgia Bulldogs can sneak into this spot by avenging last season's non-televised loss which put Woodson and Kentucky on the southeastern map. Following tonight's match up against the South Carolina Gamecocks, people should come out talking about SEC quarterback Chris Smelley.

4. Wisconsin- The Badgers have the Big Ten's best record since 2004, but their 31 wins have gone virtually unnoticed outside the league because of the headlines grabbed by Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State. Now the bright lights are trained on Madison, given the return of 18 starters from a 12-1 team that won its New Years bowl game against Arkansas you can expect the Badgers to seize their opportunity.
I was on the Illinois, Juice Williams, Arrelious Benn, Ron Zook bandwagon before the wheel was even invented but even though they are favored against Wisconsin on Saturday, I'd stop short of declaring them Big 10 champs just yet.

5. Clemson- the Eagles could be the ACC's best team but they are still a bit of a mystery besides Matt Ryan and running back Andre Callender. First though, they'll have to get by Clemson which has the conference's best defensive line, best backfield and the best quarterback this season. Florida State could be a sleeper with Xavier Lee now at quarterback but Clemson holds the tie breaker so it's too early to switch allegiances now.

6. Florida- Everyone has commented on their young and inexperienced defense as their kryptonite . When Kentucky's Heisman hopeful Andre Woodson comes to town, he'll exploit this weakness but their one deficiency on offense which has chronically plagued Urban Meyer's teams has been his distaste for running backs. Unfortunately, your best runner can't be a quarterback who doesn't elude tacklers but chooses to plow through them instead.
When he arrived in the SEC, they said his spread option offense would never worked and after his first season they seemed right, Lets see how he handles this new snag in the gameplan.

7. Hawaii- Hawaii may appear to be one-dimensional on offense but defensively they field a disruptive defense and something tells me they haven't unveiled their entire bag of tricks. WHich team is a bigger Cinderella story, Hawaii or South Florida?

Play in Game: Oregon vs. West Virginia- West Virginia may have looked unconvincing in their second consecutive loss to South Florida, but Pat White was knocked out of the game in the first quarter as backup Jarrett Brown struggled under the lights. Oregon also came a fumble away from heading to overtime with California and the senior laden team will be inspired to beat USC November.
The SEC would have two teams already in and the Pac-10 and Big East are battling for second place in the hearts and minds of fans so why not take the second best teams from each conference and allow them to battle for second place supremacy.

Left out:I know a controversial prediction but I'll take the jump. In the coming weeks I expect LSU to be exposed on the offensive side of the ball. Matt Flynn has been pedestrian and they lack a marquee back. Going into the toughest part of the schedule they are a defensive lapse away from an upset loss... or two. We see it every season. Meanwhile, Reports of John David Booty's Heisman candidacy have been greatly exaggerated. The Trojans playcalling has been conservative this season as evidenced by John David Booty's marginal yards per completion average and his two interceptions against Washington nearly did in the Trojans.

So there you have it, a first round docket featuring Wisconsin vs. Clemson, Hawaii vs. South Florida, Florida vs. Kentucky and California vs. the winner of West Virginia/ Oregon. The most interesting aspect of this playoff is the potential of a South Florida-Florida national championship.

Updated Player Rankings

2007-09-29T23:47:00.000-07:00

T-25. Ben Mauk(Cincinnati, Sr.)
25. Todd Reesing(Kansas, Sr.)
24. Erik Ainge(Tennessee, Sr.)
23. Matthew Stafford(Georgia, So.)
22. Matt Grothe(South Florida, So.)
21. Tyler Donovan(Wisconsin, Sr.)
20. Nate Longshore(California, Jr.)
19. Nate Davis(Ball State, So.)
18. Matt Ryan(Boston College, Sr.)
17. Kellen Lewis(Indiana, So.) great play

16. John David Booty(Southern Cal, Sr.)
15. Mike Teel (Rutgers, Jr.)
14. Todd Boeckman(Ohio State, Sr.)
13. Cullen Harper(Clemson, Sr.)
12. Willie Tuitama(Arizona)
11. Curtis Painter(Purdue)
10. Chase Daniels(Missouri, Jr.)
9. Sam Bradford(Oklahoma, Fr.)
8. Joshua Johnson(San Diego) | VIDEO-if the AP Poll can now rank I-AA teams, I'll do the same for players.
7. Pat White(West Virginia, Jr.)
6. Brian Brohm(Louisville, Sr.)
5. Dennis Dixon(Oregon, Sr.)
4. Colt Brennan(Hawaii, Sr.)
3. Andre Woodson(Kentucky, Sr.)
2. Tim Tebow(Florida, Fr.)
1. Graham Harrell(Texas Tech, Jr.)

32. Yvenson Bernard(Oregon State)
31. Allen Patrick(Oklahoma, Jr.)
31. Ryan Torain(Arizona St.)
29. Damion Fletcher(Southern Miss, So.)
28. Keon Lattimore(Marylad, Sr.)
27. Thomas Brown(Georgia, Sr.)
26. Anthony Allen (Louisville, So.)
25. Amir Pinnix(Minnesota, Sr.)
24. Jamaal Charles(Texas, Sr.)
23. Knowshon Moreno(Georgia, Fr.)
22. Marlon Lucky(Nebraska, Jr.)
21. Andre Callender(Boston College)
20. Kahlil Bell(UCLA, Jr.)

19. Chris Wells(Ohio State, So.)
18.Rafael Little(Kentucky, Sr.)
17. Justin Forsett(California, Sr.)
16. Cedric Peerman(Virginia, Jr.)
15. Stafon Johnson(Southern Cal, So.)
14. Javon Ringer(Michigan St.)
13. LeSean McCoy(Pittsburgh, Fr.)
12. Terry Grant(Alabama, Fr.)
11. Tashard Choice(Georgia Tech, Sr.)
10. Jonathan Stewart(Oregon, Jr.)
9. P.J. Hill Jr.(Wisconsin, So.)
8. Ray Rice(Rutgers, Jr.)
7. James Davis(Clemson, Jr.)
6. Steve Slaton(West Virginia, Jr.)
5. Kevin Smith(Central Florida, Jr.)
4. Rashard Mendenhall(Illinois, Jr.)
3. Felix Jones(Arkansas, Jr.)
2. Mike Hart(Michigan, Sr.)
1. Darren McFadden(Arkansas, Jr.)

25. Mike Wallace(Ole Miss, Jr.)
24. Danny Amendola(Texas Tech, Sr.)
23. Martin Rucker(Missouri, Sr.)
22. Travis Beckum(Wisconsin, Jr.)
21. Jordy Nelson(Kansas State, Sr.)
20. Jamarko Simmons(Western Michigan, Jr.)
19. Mike Thomas(Arizona, Jr.)
18. Malcolm Kelly(Oklahoma, Sr.)
17. D.J. Hall(Alabama, Sr.)

16. Juaquin Iglesias(Oklahoma, Jr.)
15. Dorien Bryant(Purdue)
14. Earl Bennett(Vanderbilt, Jr.)
13. Ryan Grice-Mullin(Hawaii, Sr.)
12. James Hardy(Indiana, Jr.)
11. Adarius Bowman(Oklahoma St.)
10. Brian Robiskie(Ohio St., Jr.)
9. Mario Manningham(Michigan, Jr.)
8. Darius Reynaud(West Virginia, Jr.) | VIDEO

7. Keenan Burton(Kentucky, Sr.)
6. Tiquan Underwood(Rutgers, Jr.)
5. Chris Williams (New Mexico St., Jr.)
4. Percy Harvin(Florida, So.) | VIDEO
3. Harry Douglas(Louisville, Sr.)
2. Michael Crabtree(Texas Tech, Fr.) | VIDEO
1. DeSean Jackson(California, Jr.) | VIDEO

Jake Locker(Washington, QB) | VIDEO
Chris Smelley(South Carolina, QB)
John Chiles(Texas, QB) | VIDEO
Tyrod Taylor(Virginia Tech, QB) | VIDEO
Joe McKnight(Southern Cal, RB) | VIDEO
Jonathan Dwyer(Georgia Tech, RB)
Jahvid Best(California, RB) | VIDEO
Graig Cooper(Miami, RB) | VIDEO
DeMarco Murray(Oklahoma, RB) | VIDEO
Arrellious Benn(Illinois, WR) | VIDEO
Deonte Thompson(Florida, WR)
Terrance Tolliver(LSU, WR) | VIDEO
Ronald Johnson(Southern Cal, WR) | VIDEO
Chris Culliver(South Carolina, WR)
Ricky Sapp(Clemson, DE)
Omar Bolden(Arizona State, DB)
Donovan Warren(Michigan, DB)
Major Wright(Florida, DB) | VIDEO
Eric Berry(Tennessee, DB) | VIDEO
Noel Devine | VIDEO

Bowling Green @ (7)Boston College
(13)West Virginia @ Syracuse
(18)Arizona State @ Washington State
Stanford @ (2)USC
Utah State @ (16)Hawaii
(20)Cincinnati @ (21)Rutgers
Virginia Tech @ Clemson
Freshman quarterback, Tyrd Taylor, has struggled in recent weeks and to win this game he's going to have to have that defining game which signals his arrival to the nation.

(25)Nebraska @ (17)Missouri

Wisconsin @ Illinois
If quarterback Kurt Kittner watched an entire Illinois game the he'd probably notice how the program has diverged more from the pass heavy offense he ran in 2002 than the King of Pop after a week long plastic surgeon's convention, because of recruiting extraordinaire and Coach Ron Zook's new spread option offense. Illinois may be riding high but their youth is about to get served by Wisconsin.

(4)Ohio State @ (23)Purdue
As simple as it may seem to discount the Buckeyes winning the Big-10 without Troy Smith until I remember how Craig Krenzel last led the Buckeyes to a national championship in 2002 with the aid of a gritty rushing offense. Defensive end Vernon Gholston is the most underrated defensive end in the nation. It's easy to forget that before their loss to Florida, Jim Tressel was being touted as the best coach of the 21st century and his program as the top powerhouse of the past decade.

(12)Georgia @ Tennessee
Every one loss team in the SEC still has legitimate championship chances, no matter how farfetched they may seem. Mark Richt has won two SEC Champinships as a head coach but has yet to coach in a national championship game. Deep down, I've always felt like Georgia was never a last stop for Richt and if he tires of the difficult SEC schedule, one day the chance to return to Florida State and succeed Bobby Bowden may pull him from Georgia. Maybe it's all in my head maybe not, maybe aliens really have body snatched our world leaders.
I see conspiracies everywhere. But if you keep doing that long enough, sooner or later you're going to get one right.

(10) Oklahoma @(19)Texas
The 2007 installment of the Red River Rivalry features two teams trying to stop the bleeding after unfortunate losses ended their undefeated seasons. Going into last week, the Longhorns and quarterback Colt McCoy appeared unusually vulnerable while Sam Bradford and the Sooners were playing flawlessly.

(9)Florida @ (1)LSU

This is a gut check game for the Gators of Florida, however, it seems to be of less importance for the LSU Tigers. For the Florida Gators, a 2 loss season would place them in a deep crater in the SEC East standings, putting their SEC Championship hopes in doubt and eradicated their repeat aspirations.

Florida may have a young, vulnerable defense LSU's passing game is far from dynamic. Just like Florida's offense used Tebow and Leak last season, LSU will be utilizing a duo of dual threat quarterbacks with starter Matt Flynn and former mega-recruit Ryan Perrilloux under center. The Perrilloux-Flynn combination appears identical to a Cajun remix on Florida's Tebow package in 2006, but the only difference is that Perrilloux will come in for multiple offensive series' instead of single plays. In fact, Perrilloux ran a fake draw which resulted in a touchdown pass that seemed eerily similar to Tebow's first career touchdown pass, against LSU in his freshman season. The Tigers have scored points in droves against lesser teams but they held the same distinction last season until they dropped a dud against Auburn for their first loss of the season.
The first two touchdown passes of Tebow's career came against LSU, but this time around they will be expecting him to pass. LSU on the other hand, can drop a game, win the SEC West with ease and still play for a national championship off of just reputation. With urgency on their side, the Gators will win.

Goodell's Super Bowl Shuffle

2007-09-28T11:56:00.001-07:00

Recently, the NFL destroyed the remaining Patriot tapes thus ending the most tumultuous saga in Belichick's career. However, how far back does this saga go? Does it go back to Super Bowl victories? By destroying the Patriot tapes is the NFL enabling their cheating? When the feds uncovered evidence of dogfighting on Vick's property, would the NFL have moved in and removed 37 of 38 dog corpses given the chance?

In the weeks following his indictement and leading up to his plea deal, Vick and his legal team meticulously released very few public statements. However, each was the same as they issued an apology, denied his guilt but would not confirm his innocence. Following Spy-Gate, Bill Belichick followed the same strategy and issued the same degree of dodging questions revolving around his guilt.

For weeks Goodell has shuffled around the topic. What's most troubling has been the NFL's refusal to comment, confirm or deny the extent of the Patriots cheating. We know there were other tapes destroyed but did any of them indicate evidence of cheating in a playoff game or one of their 3 Super Bowls?

If a player grabs the facemask of a player, and lets go it's a 5 yard gain. However, if a player grabs the helmet of a player for a prolonged period, it's a 15 yarder because the action has become more severe than it initially was. When a player tests positive for an illegal substance under the NFL's drug policy, the penalty increases with each violation. Shouldn't the same philosophy have applied to Belichick's punishment?

Once multiple tapes emerged revealing multiple violations of the initial NFL bylaws why wasn't more punishment have been piled on? The point is just because we weren't shocked by revelations of further transgressions doesn't mean we should dismiss him when he does more wrong.

-- D.J. Dunson

Week 5 College Football Picks

2007-09-28T11:51:00.001-07:00

#6 Cal vs. #11 Oregon

Every year there's that sexy pick that looks like a sure upset until the favorites finally turn n that light. In this case, the Golden Bears have to flick on the light in the defense and DeSean Jackson has to return... as a receiving threat. As attractive of an upset pick as Oregon may be after Michigan and (my personal favorite)Dennis Dixon's Heisman-caliber season, I can't abandon my Pac-10 and national title favorites in Week 5. California wins 35-37.

#21 Penn State at Illinois- Ron Zook's 5th ranked run offense faces a stiff challenge in Penn State's 8th ranked run defense led by pre-season all-American linebacker Dan O'Connor. Illinis quarterback Juice Williams is going to have to make a great leap forward as a passer in Illinois' spread option offense if they plan to have success running the ball.

Freshman phenom Arrelious Benn(from Washington, D.C) will have to use his size as an advantage over Penn State's outstanding junior cornerback Justin King

However, Penn State's offense is so anemic, that I expect Illinois to triumph in a nailbiter,and deliver the defining win of Zook's term in Illinois, 27-20.

Notre Dame at Purdue

Purdue wins 24-38.

#13 Clemson at Georgia Tech
Clemson wins 49-30

Florida State at Alabama- Reunion Weekend

Crimson Tide meet the Crimson-Garnett and gold meet in a clash of coaching legacies. One is an aging legend who's former powerhouse program is spiraling downwards while the other is a proven winner whose new mission to resurrect a downtrodden dynasty has seen positive results early on.

Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Bobby Bowden spent a portion of his childhood in bed, sick. It was around this time that his love for football increased, as he would listen to Alabama football on Saturday mornings. Tomorrow he returns to his alma mater for the first time since transferring from Alabama as a head coach. Nick Saban matches wits with former offensive coordinator, Jimbo Fisher for the first time since their glory days at LSU.

Alabama wins 31-17

Auburn at #4 Florida

Florida wins 42-13

#1 USC at Washington

USC wins 30-21

#8 Ohio State at Minnesota

Ohio State wins a close one 21-18

Michigan State at #9 Wisconsin

Wisconsin wins 34-28.

Kansas State at #7 Texas

Texas gets redemption from Ron Price's Longhorns, 42-27.

#19 Hawaii at Idaho

In no way is Idaho expected to seriously challenge Hawaii's lionized passing attack or their wildly underrated defense. USC made mashed potatoes of the Idaho Vandals, 38-9 in the season opener. Hawaii is a different team away from Paradise, however, I expect them to bake french fries of Idaho deep in the belly of potato country.

Hawaii wins 67-20.

Unfortunately Defense Wins Championships

2007-09-17T18:55:00.000-07:00

For anyone that witnessed the dull 1st half of the Redskins victory against the Philadelphia Eagles, it was obvious a defensive struggle would ensue from the opening kickoff and it was... for the Washington Redskins.

Should the Redskins defense get more credit for containing an experienced Eagles offense led by Donovan McNabb or should the Eagles defense receive praise for containing the Redskins mysterious offense.

Just before halftime, of the Redskins-Eagles dry paint mosaic, Ron Jaworski had the audacity to call our offense dynamic. Suddenly our offense came alive including the highlight of the game, a 20 yard sideline wire act run by Jason Campbell which took them to the 14 yard line after(he would gone untouched into the endzone on the run had he not collided with a teammate) and an elusive run by Antwaan Randle-El which took the team to the 1 yard line.

The team then proceeded to shoot themselves in the foot, with an inexplicable delay of game penalty as well as a false start, where the lineman seemingly couldn't hold his water until halftime, only to run out of bullets and score a touchdown.

Strangely enough, just before halftime, Tony Kornheiser disappeared inconspicuously, and wasn't heard from in the final 4 minutes of the game. Speaking of the broadcast booth was there a more fitting crew for the game than Kornheiser, a revered Washington Post columnist and former Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski,(who ironically replaced anther former Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann in the booth. To say the least, the NFC East is well represented)

Sure we have Clinton Portis and Santana Moss but offensively the team has no element of surprise, no X-factor and is entirely too predictable. There's no doubt that the focal point of our franchise since Dan Snyder stopped "making it rain" during free agency has been defense as evidenced by our last three 1st round draft picks, cornerback Carlos Rogers, in addition to safeties Sean Taylor and LaRon Landry.

Maybe I sound a little greedy but historically we've been an offensively stagnant franchise. One of the most heated Hall of Fame debates over the past decade has involved our greatest offensive player, Art Monk who can't seem to gather enough support. I'm not criticizing the Redskins because as much of an eyesore as Joe Gibbs/Al Saunders' offense has been early on they are still undefeated.

Considering offensive coordinator Al Saunders reputation as an offensive guru whose 700 page play book has become fodder around the league, shouldn't we expect more than a 'three yards and a cloud of dust' offense? We possess two explosive receivers in Antwaan Randle-El and Santana Moss yet they go largely underutilized because of the Redskins' reluctance to exploit the vertical passing game. In Joe Gibbs' second incarnation in D.C., the Hall of Famer has improved the defense however, offenses have averaged a paltry 18.9 points per game in the past three seasons.

For an undefeated team, they don't have the swagger of a serious playoff contender. One week we go into overtime against the underachieving Miami Dolphins, and the next we win a 20-12 thriller to Donovan McNabb's Eagles. Any day now, I expect the mirage to dissipate and the truth to rear its ugly head. Tendonitis will catch up with Clinton Portis, Jason Campbell's youth and inexperience will catch up to him and the lack of a dominant defensive pass rusher(ranked last in the NFL in sacks in 2006) will give opposing defenses ample time to pick apart the secondary.

Clinton Portis, who's body has begun betraying him lately with an onslaught of injuries is the most talented running back the Redskins have had since John Riggins and when history revises itself five, six or seven years from now Portis' may be fortunate enough to surpass Riggins in the hearts of 'Skins fans. Well maybe not...
Remember Shane Matthews ? Only Steve Spurrier Could Find A Way To Start Two Florida QB's In One Season

The most excited I've been as a fan were those uniform changes during the 2000 season. The quarterback position for the Redskins franchise has been a constant source of angst and 4,000 yard passers have been nearly non-existent in Redskin record books.

From Mark Brunell, Patrick Ramsey, Brad Banks, Shane Matthews, Danny Wuefferel, Jeff George, Brad Johnson, Trent Green, Gus Frerotte, and Heath Shuler the Redskins decade and a half of quarterbacks has been a lesson in mediocrity. Even Mark Rypien, our last Super Bowl quarterback was a middle of the pack journeyman at his best.

Instead, the Redskins under Gibbs achieved success in three Super Bowl victories through a series of rentals under center, an impenetrable offensive line and an aggressive defense. Lets face it franchise quarterbacks have been disappointments for the Redskins. Joe Theismann's prime was cut short Doug Williams would become a backup shortly after his improbable Super Bowl victory and #1 overall pick Heath Shuler was a catastrophic bust.

Just last week my friend John told me he was worried Jason Campbell would not live up to expectations which was understandable after his first six starts were somewhat pedestrian. When putting Campbell under the microscope against 2005 #1 overall pick Alex Smith, the only other 1st round pick at quarterback in that draft, its more of a contest than you might think.
While Campbell passed for 10 touchdowns and six interceptions in his first six starts last season, Smith improved frm his abysmal rookie campaign to pass for an even 17 touchdowns-- and 17 interceptions. This season Smith has yet to throw an interception or a touchdown for the undefeated Niners but did direct a jaw drpping tuchdwn drive dwn the length of the field in the final minutes.

As Rex Grossman proved in 2006, if the quarterback is going to be average, the defense must be superhuman and neither team has that. Watching Jason Campbell spread the ball to his receivers and connecting on game breaking plays provided hope to me that an exciting, productive offense would return to D.C.

However, the game was also pockmarked with mistakes by Campbell that shouldn't be there for an emerging top shelf quarterback. Leading 20-12 with an opportunity to secure the victory, Campbell badly overthrew wide receiver Santana Moss streaking behind the Philadelphia secondary on what could have been a 64-yard touchdown.

Though he displayed a live arm, great wheels and a adequate decision making in managing the game, franchise quarterbacks are more than game managers. Third tier quarterbacks such as Trent Dilfer, Rex Grossman, and Chris Simms manage games. Often times you will have to win them. His halftime touchdown drive was exemplary but does he have the moxie to direct a game-winning drive in the final two minutes , convert a pivotal 4th down or respond in a shootout when the defensive lapses?

Last night's performance did not provide the quintessential galvanizing Kodak moment that signify signs of eventual greatness, but thats OK. The Redskins are undefeated with an out of tune offense and an airtight defense that has allowed only 25 points in 2 games.
Unfortunately.

Chris Cooley paying homage to Redskins great John Riggins in practice.

Crazy Thought: this has stewed in my head for a while now since Video Gate came to life. The consensus among football outsiders has been that everyone does it. So hey, why not punish every team in the league by eliminating the first round completely in 2008, have a panel pick the best 32 players from the draft and open the floodgates by letting them enter the league as free agents. Not only would a bidding war erupt but as a result owners would have to spend extra money out of their pockets.

Best Offense In America: FedEx Air vs. FedEX Ground

2007-09-17T16:59:00.000-07:00

This week I'm gonna switch tunes, change genres and hop off the sweet music of the NFL's Week3 nostalgia, abandon my praise of stifling defenses and proclaim my shameless lust for college football's awe-inspiring offenses. I love everything about college football from the pageantry, most of the traditions but especially the diverse and intricate offensive systems and their execution.

Though the Run and Shoot fad has fizzled in the NFL, the option attack has run its course, in college these offenses thrive. Innovation is accepted without hesitation and three yards and a cloud of dust style of football is rare. Navy one end of the extreme has led the nation in rushing three seasons in a row including this season and has finished in the top 3 every season since 2002 yet has not produced a 20 rusher over that same span.

Texas Tech and Hawaii have been the best 1-2 best passing offenses (in that order) since 2002 but have consistently been among the leagues worst rushing offenses over the same span. Oklahoma's offense is going full throttle averaging 61 points per game this season, and a 79-0 throttling of North Texas in the opener.

To decipher the best offense in college football was especially difficult because of the varying offensive schemes. From the running attack of West Virginia, the balanced spread attack at Florida and Oregon and most notably the aerial displays at Hawaii and Texas Tech.

Each of these teams attacks defenses and deliver their knockout punches in different ways. West Virginia does their damage on land by way of Pony Express, Hawaii and Texas Tech drop touchdown bombs by air while Florida, Oklahoma and Oregon take defenses hostages by land and air forces.

The quarterbacks at the head of each offense are so similar yet so different. There are three categories of passers in college football. There are the cement legged quarterbacks, who never exit the friendly confines of the pocket, mobile quarterbacks who prefer to throw outside the pocket and the scramblers who's offenses are tailored around them scrambling alot. Even the two elite Run & Shoot quarterbacks have polar opposite qualities. I'm baffled about the ironic strategy behind the aptly named Run and Shoot offense which actually deemphasizes the running aspect on offense. Just not as ironic as Air Force's reluctance to throw the football through the air.

No two teams could be on more separate ends of the spectrum of offensive philosophies than the Mountaineers and the Hawaii Warriors located over 4,500 miles apart(yes, I Googled that, turns out you can't Mapquest over oceans. Who knew?. West Virginia has the nations 2nd highest rushing offense behind Navy which has yet to discover the forward pass and Texas Tech... not Hawaii has the top passing offense in the nation.

Offensive Schemes/Coaches

These coaches display the type of ingenuity that would make most aeronautical engineers suffer brain cramps. Urbanball has always taken advantage of mobile quarterbacks to operate the offense. At At Bowling Green it was, Josh Harris, at Utah it was Alex Smith(he also groomed Brian Johnson, and at Florida Tim Tebow and Cam Newton have carried the flame. His dual quarterback system has also sparked plenty of carbon copies at other schools across the nation.

The Mountaineer offense on the other hand is geared around running backs Steve Slaton, Noel Devine, fullback Owen Smidtt and elusive quarterback Pat White. The Mountaineers are the 2nd ranked rushing offense averaging 343 yards per game while the Gators hover at 15th in the nation without a runner in the top 100 statistically in the nation.
Like Florida, Rich Rodriguez' offense consists of complex and unpredictable play calling to keep the defense on their toes.

The mad genius Mike Leach of Texas Tech simply spreads the field with five wideouts on every down and will attempt to create another legend out of junior quarterback, Graham Harrell. Leach has coached up loads of prolific passers in his last decade f service including Tim Couch, Josh Heupel, B.J. Symons and Kliff Klingsbury unfortunately, none are currently on an NFL roster.

The Sooners run and pass in equal proportions and are the most balanced offensive team in the nation. Rhett Bomar was supposed to be the quarterback of the future when he arrived at Oklahoma as the top ranked quarterback in the Class of 2004. Instead, he's no longer at the school, off the college football radar while lesser heralded quarterbacks Brian Brohm, Nate Longshore, Graham Harrell, etc. have have been productive starters. Sound familiar Razorback fans?

In offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson's "quarterback friendly" offense as (opposed to a quarterback-bullying" offense) Bradford completed 22 passes in a row during his first collegiate start, and later completed 21 consecutive passes. Bradford who beat out true freshman Keith Nichol and junior college transfer Joey Hayzle for the starting job, Bradford has connected on nearly 80% of his pass attempts, for 1,067 yards, 14 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.

Without a doubt, when you think about Hawaii football you probably think Nate Iloa, the Warriors 1,000 yard strong, hulking running back... Not really but I probably had you second-guessing everything you thought you knew. Colt Brennan who's assault on the record books have made him a cult figure across the nation is one of the most mobile pocket quarterbacks in the nation who can escape the rush and gain yardage running. In just 3 games Brennan has out rushed the entire University of Notre Dame. Rarely do Run and Shoot system quarterbacks have as much accuracy, mobility and protect the ball as well as Brennan.

Without Brennan, the offense is still effective but more turnover prone as it was under the Timmy Chang regime, who finished his career as college football's all-time leader in touchdowns and interceptions. In 2006, Brennan shattered a plethora of prestigious NCAA single season records by passing for 5,549 yards, 58 touchdowns and 7 interceptions despite not taking a 4th quarter snap in 6 games last season.

Timmy Chang, the benchmark for career passing yards and second in career passing touchdowns never passed for more than 4,500 yards in a season or completed 60% of his passes. Brennan has completed 68% of his passes in each of his seasons.

Though their passing numbers are clumped together Brennan, Brohm and Harrell are the heralds of three completely different offenses. Brohm runs more of a quick strike offense which takes multiple shots down the field. Brennan throws more intermediate routes and rarely throws downfield in June Jones offense. Harrell relies on his talented group of receivers to run after the catch. Brennan has 103 completions for 1262 yards while Brohm has completed 69 passes for 1,142 yards which explains Brennan's 77% completion rate in comparison to a 67% rate from Brohm.

Lost in the shadow of Hawaii's Colt Brennan, Texas Tech junior Graham Harrell resembles a cardboard cutout behind the offensive line. Unlike Brennan, Harrell barely ever crosses the sanctity of the line of scrimmage. In three games this season Harrell is on the wrong side of positive rushing yards but has more than made up for his lack of leg speed with his accurate passing. Through 4 games Harrell has thrown only two interceptions despite tossing 1,962 yards, 19 touchdowns including a 646 yard, 5 touchdown masterpiece in a loss to Oklahoma State. His 646 yards was 4th highest in college football between former Texas Tech quarterbacks Cody Hodges and B.J. Symons.

A year ago with Chris Leak under center, the offense sputtered at times despite being productive enough to win the national championship because the offense was not tailored to his strengths. Tim Tebow does not possess the quickness, elusiveness of Pat White in the open field as a runner, however he compensates with brute strength that Pat White can only imagine.

If White were a Corvette, Tebow would be the hooptie that Urban Meyer took to junkyard battles as a freshman just so offensive coordinator Dan Mullen could take him to the X and pimp his ride for year two.
This season Tebow has earned the nation's 2nd highest passing efficiency rating by gaining 1,096 yards 10 touchdowns 1 interception, as well as 200 yards and 7 touchdowns on the ground(set a school record for quarterbacks with 166 yards rushing vs. Ole Miss). Backup freshman quarterback Cam Newton is a 6-5 bruiser? with 4.5 speed that has effectively spelled Tebow in mop up duty.

But why not a step ahead into the evolution of college football with the talent they have at quarterback? Resurrect the wishbone option with a direct snap(the wrinkle of the moment in college football and the NFL) to Harvin and backup quarterback Cam Newton(a bigger, faster version of Tebow) and "Superman" in the same backfield. The defense would have to defend against five possible outcomes
1) Percy Harvin tucking the ball and running behind the blocking of Tebow and Newton.
2) Percy Harvin fooling the defense faking a Quarterback Draw and passing instead
3) Percy Harvin pitching to either Newton or "Superman"who would
3A) decide to either sit back and pass or
3B) run with no viable options at receiver thus taking the option to new heights.

The offense is about deception, and the base option play fuels the rest of the scheme because it sets up the passing game and prevents defenses from over pursuing. Rich Rodriguez' spread offense has never required an intricate passing offense and never will. Unlike most schools that run the spread offense, West Virginia aims to open lanes for its prolific ground game, rarely putting the ball in the air more than 20 times a game.

Quarterback Pat White's accuracy which was once an Achilles Heal for the Mountaineers offense, has improved drastically. Through 4 games this season White has flawlessly heaved 6 TD's, 0 interceptions and completed %71.6 of his passes, a 14% increase from his freshman season, 6% from his sophomore campaign and was 20-of-22 for 196 yards with two touchdowns against East Carolina

The Mountaineers want the ball in the hands of its two junior Heisman candidates, quarterback Patrick White and running back Steve Slaton. Along with receiver Darius Reynaud, they form the fastest offensive trio in America, and are threats for six with even a hint of daylight. White is an underrated passer that rarely misses his target though he rarely has the opportunity to throw down field as the Mountaineers passing offense consists of dink and dunk passes, and screens but has since incorporated more vertical throws as quarterback White has developed. 6 foot 4 sophomore Jarrett Brown is not as elusive as White and has displayed decent passing ability as well as great straight forward speed.

This isn't the same offense that Joey Harrington led to a Fiesta Bowl victory in 2002. When coordinator Gary Crowton left Oregon for LSU in January, Coach Bellotti replaced him with, long time a spread-option devotee in New Hampshire's Chip Kelly who has incorporated the no huddle shotgun into Oregon's spread offense.
So far the transition has been smooth and the offense has looked spectacular, and Dixon has emerged as a darkhorse Heisman candidate.

6 foot 4, Atlanta Braves pitcher/ Ducks quarterback Dennis Dixon has apparently overcome his penchant for turnovers which crippled the Ducks late in 2006. So far this season revamped offense Oregon's, Dixon has quelled the quarterback controversy by passing for 932 yards, 11 touchdowns, 0 interceptions and using his sprinters speed to gain 291 rushing yards including this 80 yard gallop through the Houston defense.

Against Michigan the Ducks logged their own entry into the trickeration handbook by faking the Statue of Liberty and instead sending Dennis Dixon on a QB sneak up the middle for six.

Louisville Brian Brohm has lived up to and possibly eclipsed the lofty expectations that were set for him following his high school career. His final chance at the national championship he coveted so dearly withered because of his defense's critical lapses in pass coverage. The one knock against his much scrutinized abilities to emerge recently has been his perceived lack of arm strength which I tossed aside... until I noticed his Hail Mary ~~squirt~~ pass against Kentucky barely went 50 yards.
Backup Hunter Cantwell served as Brohm's apprentice long enough. Every time Mr. Glass got injured over the past two seasons, Cantwell filled in well and threw a bunch of touchdowns but also threw a lot of interceptions. Despite having never yet been a full-time starter at Louisville, in the spring of 2007 ESPN listed Cantwell as the top junior quarterback prospect in the nation.

Running Backs

Steve Slaton is the workhorse Heisman-caliber tailback for West Virginia with and may arguably be the best tailback in the nation. Freshman Noel Devine, the biggest recruiting coup in Mountaineers history has rushed fast out the gates rushing for 256 yards and 15.1 yards per carry in his first three games.

Slaton may be the fastest straight forward runner in the nation but Devine possesses uncanny balance, agility, elusiveness and an Barry Sander-esque ability to escape sure tacklers for a player of such small stature. So far, the diminutive freshman has wowed observers including his supremely divine humiliation of Maryland's defense. After Steve Slaton's departure, he will be involved in future Heisman discussion.

6-3, 260 pound fullback Owen Schmitt provides the muscle for the nations quickest backfield and often lines up at receiver. Schmitt isn't tough as nails, he's tougher than nails dipped in sulphuric acid left out in a Level 5 hurricane. He won't get the Sportscenter highlights but the freakishly strong Schmitt does all the dirty work blocking for the nation's best rushing offense. Legend has it, he once laid out the Juggernaut with a punishing block (No, not really but its called creative licensing).

Despite losing one of the best running backs in the last century of college football, the Sooners backfield may be improved this season with the implement of change of pace back DeMarco Murray. In his first start, the exciting Murray ran for a modest 87 yards and 5 touchdowns and now shares carries with leading rusher Allen Patrick and Chris Brown. Fellow freshman Moissis Madu has rushed for 166 yards on 28 carries. No Oklahoma running back has gotten more than 50 carries this season.

Junior Jonathan Stewart, is a tough between the tackles runner who has barreled through defenses for 500 yards and 4 touchdowns thru 4 games. While Stewart is more likely to plow through defenses, Jeremiah Johnson is a small but quick, shifty running back

Anthony Allen and George Stripling have succinctly been rumblin', tumblin' and bumblin' through defenses at a steady pace. Allen and Stripling have gained a combined 650 rushing yards and scored 7 touchdowns.

Kehstan Moore is the teams leading rusher, Highly touted freshman Chris Rainey has played limited action and Brandon James a a 5 foot 6, sophomore is a return specialist who is rarely utilized in the running game.

I'm tempted to say Florida has the weakest backfield in the nation based on my disgust with Urban Meyer's waste of elite running back talent(why does he even recruit them? It's hard to believe C.J. Spiller seriously considered transferring here) as useless decoys but Hawaii's leading returning rusher is quarterback Colt Brennan. Based on sheer production and on field talent West Virginia's running backs edged Oklahoma's trio of Allen Patrick, Chris Brown, Mossis Madu (25% of the U.S. population must have this name) and DeMarco Murray as the best backfield in the nation.

If a tailback runs the ball on a tropical island and nobody remembers it, does he exist? In Hawaii's pass heavy offense, Nebraska transfer Leon Wright Jackson has emerged by rushing for 112 yards... this season in limited carries. This guy was once a mega-recruit at Nebraska and now he's been demoted to this. Why would he transfer to Hawaii besides the occasional luau and tropical climate? Texas Tech running back Shannon Woods who rushed for 926 yards and 10 touchdowns last season has 224 rushing yards in addition to 5 touchdowns thus far this season. However, Woods is also used extensively as a receiver as well catching 19 passes this season after catching 75 in 2006.

Downright Offensive

Team

Rushing Yards Per Game

Passing Yards Per Game

Total Yards Per Game

Points Per Game

Florida

237.5 -11th

280.3-28th

520.5 -11th

49.3-6th

WestVirginia

357.0 -2nd

168.0-102nd

530.5-10th

47.3-9th

Hawaii

81.3-109th

461.8-2nd

550.5-6th

55.8-2nd

TexasTech
Louisville

85.0-106th
190.8-35th

521.0-1st
429.0-3rd

612.5-2nd
626.8-1st

49.5-5th
50.0-4th

Oklahoma
Oregon

252.5-10th
299.8 -4th

310.0-16th 237.0-50th

565.5-3rd
552.5-7th

61.5-1st 48.5-7th

Wide Receivers

The island trio of Davone Bess, Jason Rivers, Ryan Grice-Mullen caught a combined 214 passes for 3,168 yards and 36 touchdowns. Bess led the way with 96 receptions, 1,200 yards and senior Jason Rivers finished second by gaining 1,100 yards receivers. Mullen, who sat out a number of games in 2007 due to injury caught 85 passes for 1,228 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2005. At 6-2, 190 pounds, Rivers is the most physical of Hawaii's receivers while Bess who also returns punts is a quick, elusive player.

At receiver, the Ducks offer a dazzling duo in 6 foot 5, 240 pound mismatch waiting to happen, Jaison Williams and senior Brian Paysinger. Through 4 games, Jaison Williams has hauled in 18 catches for 267 yards and 4 touchdowns.

As a result of the plethora of talent and firepower in Urban Meyer's spread offense, there are not enough balls to go around and certain players statistics will suffer across the board which applies to Florida's receivers. Sophomore Riley Cooper has taken on a more role in the offense and has already surpassed his production from the previous season. Senior Andre Caldwell who allegedly runs a 4.3 40 yard dash spurned the NFL Draft for one more season in Gainesville after catching 57 passes for 577 yards and 6 TD's.

Percy Harvin is the Gators' extremely versatile receiver who makes his prescence known for his contributions as receiver, and runner. Harvin has the most NFL potential made his impact last season by earning MVP in the SEC Championship Game and scoring a touchdown in the National Championship against Ohio State. The most obvious comparison for Harvin has been California's DeSean Jackson and the Miami Dolphins recent 1st round draft selection Ted Ginn Jr.

6-foot-4, 230-pound junior tight end Cornelius Ingram, a former quarterback has transitioned to tight end nicely. Freshman Deonte Thompson, Florida's second leading receiver Louis Murphy, Cornelius Ingram, Harvin, Caldwell and Cooper will probably all be playing in the NFL one day. Michael Crabtree may appear to be the better receiving threat but considering how limited Texas Tech's offense is and how congested Florida's is Percy Harcin would be just as successful in Mike Leach's pass specific offense.

Texas Tech's phenomenal freshman receiver Michael Crabtree has become the Colt Brennan of wideouts with his dizzying statistical production and has made breaking records his agenda from the start. As a quarterback turned receiver, Crabtree was exalted as the most talented recruit to ever arrive in Lubbock, TX before he ever played a game. Through 4 games Crabtree is exceeding his hefty hype averaging 194 yards per game, 52 receptions and11 touchdown passes, all of which lead the nation for wide receivers. Diminutive teammate Danny Amendola is third in the nation with 40 receptions for 552 yards and 3 touchdowns.

West Virginia: Of the nation's elite offenses, the Mountaineers have the most unproven stable of receivers. Through 3 games, junior Darius Reynaud is the lone Mountaineers receiver with double digit receptions. He's just the type of receiver you'd expect in Rich Rodriguez' offense. Reynaud is a quick receiver who makes most of his impact after the catch as a shifty runner, similar to Florida's Percy Harvin. Don't be surprised if Reynaud lines up at tailback occasionally. Against ECU, Reynaud stormed through the defense for the 2nd consecutive season over by earning 100 total yards and 2 touchdowns running and receiving including a 62 yard romp on a reverse run which sent numerous ECU defenders colliding into each other.

Louisville: The Cardinals have one of the most talented receiving trios in the nation in Harry Douglas, Mario Uruttia, in addition to tight end Gary Barnidge. Though both receivers are equally potent, they have contrasting styles. Junior Mario Uruttia is a 6 foot 6 threat in the vertical passing game. If we were talking about the NFL draft, there is contrast to the 5-11, 170 pound senior Harry Douglas the better pro prospect among the two catches the bulk of Brohm's passes.

Douglass does all the little things Uruttia doesn't like catching passes over the middle as opposed to Uruttia who shies away from contact In 2006, Douglas made 70 catches for 1,265 yards as Louisville's #1 receiver and Uruttia caught 58 passes for 973 yards. Gary Barnidge is one of the more productive tight ends in the nation.

The Oklahoma Sooners have a trio of unheralded receivers who could match up with any in the nation. Malcolm Kelly is their All-Big 12 receiver returning for his senior year, Jermaine Grisham is their 3rd leading receiver and talented tight end. However, junior Juaquin Iglesias has emerged as Oklahoma's biggest play maker and Sam Bradford's favorite target at receiver. Iglesias has led the Sooners with 27 catches for 444 yards but Malcolm Kelly is still the Sooners best touchdown threat with 7 touchdowns and an average of 20 yards per catch.

The Mountaineers Lost offensive linemen, Dan Mozes, the 2006 winner of the Rimington Award winner to graduation as well as the loss of highly regarded offensive line coach Rick Trickett but they continue to reload on the frontline.

Oklahoma and Texas Tech have the nations best O-Lines year in and year out. Texas Tech's starting five boasts an average height of 6 foot 6 and an average weight of 336 pounds(2nd largest in the nation) which has obviously been useful in keeping the back of Harrell's jersey clean. Once again Oklahoma's offensive line led by future All-American Duke Robinson is perennially among the biggest, baddest and most imposing in the nation.

After reviewing the play, the ruling on the field is inconclusive. West Virginia's rushing offense is the best in the nation, Florida has the most versatile, unpredictable offense, Oregon has the most methodical offense, the Hawaii Warriors and Texas Tech are juggernauts in the passing game, but uncommitted to grinding it out. Louisville has the best vertical passing game in the the nation and stable of talented group running backs each season.

The artistry and complexity of offenses make them too intricate too compare. Perosnal preferences are the only markers and I'll take the genius of Urban Meyer combined with West Virginia's Pony Express over any offense. It eats up the clock, allows the defense to rest and allows for a balanced, albeit unpredictable offense.

--D.J. Dunson

Team

Passing

Rushing Yards

Total TD's

INT's

Tebow

1,096

358

17(7)

White

617

286

12(6)

Dixon

932

291

15(4)

Harrell
Brennan*

1963

1262

-22

19(1)

16(4)

Bradford
Brohm

1067

1697

12
13

15(1)

*in 9 quarters
parentheses- rushing TD's

Patriots Steal Jet Secrets ! Should We?

2007-09-14T11:00:00.000-07:00

Patriots Steal Jet Secrets ! Should We?

First the NFL won't let me reproduce games without express written consent of the NFL or ABC, then they have the audacity to remove all videos over 45 seconds from the Internet. Now their strict policies have backfired on them.
The revolution has begun. The Patriots who won their first Super Bowl after the September 11th disaster, self-proclaimed themselves America's team so shouldn't we all bring camcorders to the stadium and join in? I mean it'd be un-American not to.

But in all seriousness, "Jets, Lies, Videotapes!(gasp)" was how I responded to the most recent incident sullying what remained of Belichick's smoldering reputation. Straight from the chronicles of the James Bond espionage film series, the New England Patriots have brought Cold War techniques to the National Football League. Not even the Japanese could decipher the Navajo codetalkers during World War II. Who knew the NFL and Bill Belichick had so much in common with the last Great War? Without our history we are lost.

As if New Yorkers and Bostonians don't have enough latent animosity between each other. From Parcell's decision to coach the Jets after leading the Patriots to a Super Bowl, to Belichick's rejection of his Jets inheritance to coach the Patriots to three Super Bowls, Mangini's hiring out of Belichick's presidential cabinet along with other incidents which have inflamed the series, and the infamous "hug" transcendant controversy was bound to surround these two franchises.

Defections galore, the New New York-Boston rivalry has been building up to this for decades in baseball and has now infected the NFL version. All we need to do is insert the Pawtucket Redcoats(has n ne else ntice the symmetry of Red Sox vs. Yankees?) into the NL East to rival the Mets and we'll be on course to incite a full on Northern Civil War.

While the Yankees have the advantage historically over the Red Sox, the Patriots have ruled the series on the NFL side like a hammer on a nail.

Scandal has gripped everyone from celebrities to Congressmen, media personalities, and professional athletes yet until recently the coaching ranks had remained untainted.

But first lets start with the Evil Genius, Bill Belichick. Once so worshiped within the NFL community that his name was openly discussed as an additional engraving into the Lombardi Trophy, this isn't the first instance of Belichick's shady morals and low integrity coming to light.

For years, he's been an innovator, and a risk-taker always looking for even the slightest competitive advantage. Whether it has been utilizing Junior Seau at fullback, Mike Vrabel at tight end, Troy Brown at defensive back, or notoriously manipulating the injury report (Brady is still hampered by a right shoulder injury that has had him listed somewhere on the injury report for 49 straight weeks. Kudos for the toughness it takes to keep playing through an injury that would have sidelined a lesser man).

Just one week ago, Patriots All-Pro safety Rodney Harrison was busted for ordering shipments of Human Growth Hormones. For years head coaches have been upheld as symbols of morality and the voice of reasoning in the increasingly controversial world of sports.

While cheating with steroids, especially in baseball, has been thought as a way to break hollowed records, stealing signs contributes strictly to wins and losses. As Herm Edwards would proudly proclaim, "You don't play for records, you playyy... To WIN THE GAME!"

According to published reports, the supposed M.O. is that a cameraman would shoot video of the opposing defensive coaches during the first half, then bring it into the locker room. By matching up the plays to the pre-snap and in-play Polaroids for each play, someone with the Patriots staff would figure out the opposing team's defensive signals, allowing the Patriots to steal some of the defense's play calls during the second half. Using that, the Patriots coaches could prep Tom Brady by telling him the defense in his headset, or someone on the offense could be taught the stolen signals to pick it up from the huddle to set up line protection calls, audibles, etc.

Conspiracy theorists will now wonder aloud, is this how a 6th round pick out of Michigan became a sure fire Hall of Famer, 3 time Super Bowl MVP and Super Bowl champ? However, if this were true, wouldn't (the wildly overrated) Drew Bledsoe have been enough firepower to win a Super Bowl under Belichick? Maybe this was the final piece of advice, Parcell's gave to Bill Belichick that he did not have as coach of the Browns.

Performance enhancing drugs, DUI's and inappropriate e-mails were supposed to be left to the immature doings of young athletes. Just last week, Wade Wilson, a Dallas Cowboys assistant coach was suspended 5 games after it was revealed that he received shipments of HGH in the same investigation which yielded Harrison's HGH transgressions as well as ten other prolific professional wrestlers.

Last August, Lions defensive line coach Joe Cullen, was arrested and charged with indecent and obscene conduct, the night before the Lions' third exhibition at Oakland after a worker at a Dearborn fast-food drive-thru window saw him naked behind the wheel of his SUV and called the police, thus inspiring the Internet's most hilarious faux MySpace profile. Cullen was arrested and charged with drunken driving a week later, after the Lions' exhibition finale against Buffalo.

The Patriots organization, however is hardly foreign to the deep-rooted nature of cheating in football. On Dec. 12, 1982, a frigid day at Schaefer Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., the Patriots and the Dolphins were tied 0-0 with 4:45 left when the Pats called time before attempting a 33-yard field goal. Patriots coach, Ron Meyer turned to the stadium's snowplow operator, who was serving a 15-year prison term for burglary and out on work release, in the face of furious protests from Miami coach Don Shula - directed him to veer off course and clear a spot on the field for place kicker John Smith. Smith's subsequent field goal gave the Patriots what proved to be a winning 3-0 margin.

The following year, the NFL banned the use of snow plows on the field during a game. The fallout from Belichick's illegal procedures will have similarly significant effects, which will likely result in the approval of owners to allow defensive players to use radios in their helmets to make calls from the sideline, which quarterbacks have on offense. Ironically, the owners unanimously voted that mandate down in the off-season.

However, if you are a Patriots fan, you should be apprehensive about Belichick's increasingly bizarre, eccentric on and off-field behavior possibly derailing his caching ingenuity. Remember how revered Mike Tyson was within the boxing community before his eccentricities transcended his boxing talent and turned him into a social pariah? From an analytical psychological perspective if you watched Belichick he has the mannerisms of a guy on the brink of some type of nervous breakdown.

He recently divorced his wife after it was disclosed he was maintaining a relationship with a former Giants receptionist that helped precipitate their divorce and he has the demeanor of RoboCop without all the bad memories. Beneath that ragged hoodie, a catastrophe is stewing.

Former Patriots linebacker, Ted Johnson, who has shown early signs of Alzheimers attributes some blame on Belichick for pressuring him to participate in full contact practice drills three days after suffering a concussion in an exhibition game again August 2002. Johnson reported that during the drills, he suffered a second concussion.

I always knew that beneath the tattered hoodie of Bill Belichick was a secretive man with a dark persona, I just never suspected he was wired.

In the near future, I half expect to hear Belichick being booked for indecent exposure after being found spray painting game plans in graffiti on the side of Gillette Stadium.

As the integrity of coaching profession takes a dive, there are a few coaches with character out there, however, here are 6 random monumental factors which have degraded the public's once prestigious perception of coaching.

Dishonesty
Jon Chaney threatening to kill, and kick the a$$ of former UMass basketball coach John Calipari during a post-game press conference was a lapse in character for an otherwise respected head coach but still, it showed how dishonest coaches can be when its convenient. Instead of following through with his promise/threats Calipari later became head coach of a powerhouse Memphis Tigers program. Not even an attempted hit, hired gun or an accidental hit and run? How can a potential recruit believe anything Chaney says on the recruiting trail if he can't keep his word? Shameless.

High Price Strippers, Bad Tippers
Before PacMan Jones was making it rain in Las Vegas strip clubs, former Alabama coach Mike Price was taking it a step further at a Florida strip club. A story in Sports Illustrated said that Price had been seen at a strip club "making it rain" and yelling "Roll Tide, Roll!". As a result Price was fired as his tenure at Alabama was shorter than Greg Oden's rookie season(or his right leg, pick your pun). Mike rolled with the tide, on to UTEP a few years later.

Decision Making
He lied to his owner, his fans, chastized the media for insinuating that he would quit on his team and had the gall to trade in the sunny beaches of Miami, Florida-- for the hot and humid deep south backwaters of Tuscaloosa, Alabama and along the way earned the nickname O'Saban Bin Lyin'. Take that Saban clan. Enjoy your new shadow Nick Saban because you may have evaded Don Shula's(whose son he ironically replaced at Alabama hmmm...) but you'll never escape Bear Bryant's.

Dating

Isiah Thomas (twice) has lowered the bar for head coaches. His role as the Tony Soprano in the Knicks Nuggets hit/brawl has been well documented, however, more recently wall to wall coverage of his sexual harassment trial has served as another distraction and embroiled the Knicks in yet another controversy.
Retirement has been tough for Isiah Thomas and the fall has been steep. From sneaking kisses from Ladies Man and American idol, Magic Johnson as a player to rejection by low level employees as a coach, and passing women along to Stephon Marbury, things couldn't get much worse for Isiah Thomas. Is it that hard to get a date when your coaching a storied franchise whose downfall you helped precipitate with a payroll that puts the Yankees to shame? At least he has ...Zach Randolph.

Coaching Secrecy & Egotism

Former Iowa State basketball coach Larry Eustachy(see pic above) just likes to consort with his constituency. For me, it wasn't that he was drinking with students, partying with sororities or abandoning his wife and kids, it just reminds me how self-important other coaches are. While other coaches defend their game plans with the same vigilant secrecy as the Pentagon's security codes, you rarely see these men as humans. So while Dennis Felton is in Iraq meeting troops, Charlie Weis is hiding the identity f his starting quarterback and Al Gore... I mean Norv Turner(I confuse them for some reason) is locking up his gameplan before playing the Patriots, Eustachy is on campus getting to know his biggest fans. Why can't more coaches be as open as Good Ole Inebriated Larry?

Bad TV
The murder of former Baylor basketball player Patrick Dennehy was one of the more tragic events to occur in sports, however Coach Dave Bliss attempts to cover his NCAA violations was nearly as deplorable. What happened next inspired more than enough bad made for TV movies, creative Law and Order "based on true events" episode spins and docudrama ideas. There are enough bad ideas out there without head coaches in sports contributing to the plight. And the attempted cover-up was pretty bad too...

As for Eric Mangini, I just have two words for you.

Dunson Checks In: Name Calling

2007-09-10T19:04:00.000-07:00

Week 1
The first week of every football season, is always informative. You meet new people, the quiet guy in the back of the room starts to get more vocal and new cliques emerge. I learned that after Pat White and Steve Slaton move on to promising NFL careers, the future of Rich Rodriguez's spread offense is in good hands and legs with Jarrett Brown behind center and their Barry Sanders reincarnate Noel Devine(see pic above) in the backfield. Throw away ESPN's 150's rankings and real football fans know that it was Devine and not USC's Joe McKnight that was the real #1 high school prospect in the Class of 2007.. Oh Yeah, Steve Slaton and Pat White's 8 touchdown's between them was pretty impressive too. With USC's crowded backfield, one has to wonder though, where is Joe McKnight?

While Tim Tebow, Matthew Stafford, and Percy Harvin were becoming household names on a national stage last season as true freshman, hordes of other talented freshman, were hidden in the shadows of practice squads, and learning the playbooks for the opponents on scout teams. Particularly for Washington's Jake Locker, Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree, or Oklahoma's dynamic duo of DeMarco Murray and Sam Bradford Saturday was the day for these [so called] freshman to have their day in the sun.

Texas Tech which spreads the field and lights up the scoreboard with five wideouts and a pass heavy offense. will utilize Crabtree, who missed 2006 due to academic issues extensively. Crabtree might be the most talented receiver Leach has ever brought in, so look for him to explode onto the scene. Texas Tech fans have been salivating over this guy for a year, now it's time for the rest of the Big 12 to learn the name Michael Crabtree. In his Red Raider debut, Crabtree caught 12 passes for 106 yards and 3 touchdowns including a 42 yard catch and run.

Forget Reggie Bush, remember DeMarco Murray, the redshirt freshman that Mike Stoops brought in to replace Adrian Peterson wowed coaches all spring with his exciting running style and absolutely embarrassed the defense in spring practices but nobody could have anticipated his 5 touchdown 87 yard performance against North "not quite the Longhorns" Texas "maybe not so" Mean Green"eggs and ham in your face".
In a 42-12 victory over Syracuse at the onset of what generally is viewed as the nation's toughest schedule, Washington's redshirt freshman quarterback Jake Locker rushed 10 times for 83 yards with two touchdowns and completed 14 of 19 passes for 142 yards in 3 quarters of work. Locker runs a 4.5-second 40-yard dash at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds and has the same penchant for taking punishing hits as Florida's Tim Tebow instead of simply sliding. Tyrone Willingham's recruiting coup of Locker could be the impetus to revive the Huskers downtrodden Pac-10 powerhouse.

After watching Bill Callahan's potent passing attack led by Sam Keller I find myself missing the option at Nebraska, wondering how Wake Forest's starting quarterback last season, Ben Mauck, is already starting for the Cincinatti Bearcats, and if Appalachian State will be ranked in college football's Top 25 poll. Somehow, after a 416 yard, 6 touchdown 1st half performance ESPN.com's college football braintrusts had Colt Brennan 6th in their projected Heisman race behind John David Booty's who amassed 263 yards 3 touchdowns and 1 interception in an afternoon's work against Idaho.

Yet, it was after he left the game that one truly could appreciate Brennan's worth. After accounting for every single one of Hawaii's offensive yards in the 1st half, June June's Run & Shoot offense sputtered abit with backup Tyler Graunke under center in the 2nd half. After Brennan led the Rainbow Warriors to 42 second half points, Graunke came in and coughed up two interceptions and only completed 46 percent of his passes. Hawaii fans savor your Colt legend while you can.

Speaking Hawaii how would the Run & Shoot fare in a contest against the Spread Offense? For years, West Virginia has been the model for the spread, however, now teams across the country like Oregon, Florida, Louisville and Louisville have implemented varying degrees of the spread into their offenses. Minnesota's new offensive coordinator has even tinkered with the offense and created his innovative but mysterious spread coast offense.

When conference games begin next month across the nation, fans will be introduced to a few rising stars. Vanderbilt features two, young under the radar quality SEC players in dual threat quarterback Chris Nickson and wide receiver Earl Bennett. Bennett a junior from Birmingham, Alabama has quietly caught more passes in his first two seasons than any receiver in SEC history.

After his flawless 42 yards, 1 touchdown passing performance in Houston Nutt's "Wildhogs" formation will Darren McFadden finish the season with the highest passer rating in the country?

Week 2
It's become painfully transparent across the nation that Michigan-- or the Big 10 as a whole for that matter, does not have the team speed to defend the spread offense. In the past two weeks against Oregon and Appalachian State, both of which utilized the spread as well as lightning quick dual threat quarterbacks, Michigan's defense has looked especially putrid and has now lost 4 consecutive games.

Mental lapses and poor game management rued the day for the Michigan offense and should only tighten the noose and rev up the guillotine on Carr's rocky tenure in Michigan.
Ironically while Week 1 was the welcoming party for 2006's freshman scout teamers, Week 2 gave us an early glimpse of 2007's elite freshman class and the youth movement has begun.

Virginia Tech, which has finally pulled the plug on Sean Glennnon's reign as starting quarterback, a little earlier than I expected, and has now decided to start Tyrod Taylor as the first true freshman at quarterback under Frank Beamer and I couldn't be more excited. I honestly expected Ike Whitaker to be next in line but Tyrod Taylor is an incredible talent. Following his senior season, Taylor was rated as the #2 quarterback in the nation and the #1 dual threat and against LSU Taylor was surprisingly effective in his first college football action, passing for 72 yards and rushing for 44 yards and 1 touchdown in limited action.

With highly touted freshman Ryan Mallett, set to make his first start at quarterback versus Notre Dame because of Chad Henne's injury, it seems surreal that it has come to this for Hart and Henne, the one time freshman sensations who were destined to bring back a national championship to the Big House. Instead on Saturday September 15, we'll be forced to bare witness to the Clausen-Mallett Bowl between two proud, national championship winning but now woeful and winless football programs.

However, Georgia's SEC East woes continue after a spurious loss to Spurriers Gamecocks. After the offense looked offensively anemic against a Steve Spurrier coached defense(pause and ponder that fr a moment), I have to take my ~~visor~~ hat off to South Carolina. The backlash has already begun by unreasonable Georgia fans, however, I'm not surprised. Matt Stafford has unfairly taken the blunt of the vitriol from the fans despite the numerous dropped passes by our receivers the entire second half, the most crucial of which occurred on the final drives.
After the emergence of energetic dynamo Knowshon Moreno, where does true freshman, Caleb King fit into the equation next season?

I'm as big of a Steve Slaton supporter as anyone considering 3 years he was already a Terrapin in spirit before having scholarship snatched away, however, is it beginning to seem like Devine may already be the best running back in the Mountaineers backfield? The coaches have already promised to give Devine more carries and essentially hindering Steve Slaton's Heisman hopes.

Excuse me if I sound a little biased because I have picked West Virginia to win the national championship over the California and Pat White as my favrite to win the Heisman trophy but watching Devine shimmy, shake and plow past defenders for 146 yards and 1 touchdown, it seems as if he's defied the odds with his small stature and continued his old high school shenanigans. With Pat White's brother likely to become a West Virginia Mountaineer(or Louisville Cardinal), in the near future, the White patriarch will continue at West Virginia and leaves the program in dependable hands for the future.

Meanwhile in Gator country Tim Tebow has become college football's Rick Ankiel(without the HGH, but then again have you seen his head) , after a successful stint as a fullback turned quarterback and has succinctly launched his Heisman campaign with guns ablazin'. In less than two games of work, Tebow has Gator chomped opponents for 536 yards, 6 TD's and 0 interceptions , and earned the 2nd best passing efficiency rating in the nation. Tebow hasn't abandoned all of his scrambling tendencies by also rushing for 131 yards and two touchdowns. ESPN.com's projects Tebow passing for 3,600 yards, 36 touchdowns and 0 interceptions in addition to 800 rushing yards plus 15 touchdowns this season. Though it's early that sounds like a Heisman invitation to me. But then again it took Michael Vick 30 games before he threw his first career interception.
.
For all of the ballyhoo surrounding Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, Texas A&M's Stephen McGee has gotten lost in the shuffle. McGee, a versatile junior passed for 2,300 yards, 12 touchdown's and only 2 interception in 2006 but rushed for 600 additional yards as well as an impressive 62% completion rate. He famously drove his team down the field to score the winning touchdown against Texas last year. Oddly enough McGee has begun 2007 with an interesting stat line of 235 rushing yards in only 25 carries, however he has thrown for only 191 passing yards in two games which were both wins this season.
--D.J. Dunson Jr.

Top Player Rankings

2007-08-30T13:47:00.000-07:00

*=highlight tape is required reading
**=highlight tape is legendary

Quarterbacks

1. Colt Brennan (Hawaii, Sr.) - I'd originally planned on putting Brohm first but after a little internal conflict, some help from a wedgie board told me to go with Brennan. His mobility gives hime the advantage over Brohm. This is not a draft board its college football's pre-season.

2. Brian Brohm (Lousville, Sr.)- whenhis career his all said and done he may have established the greatest combination of high school and college quarterback careers of all time.
3. Andre Woodson (Kentucky, Sr.)
4. Pat White (WVU, Jr.)
5. Colt McCoy (Texas, So.)
6. John David Booty (USC, Sr.)
7. Chase Holbrook (New Mexico St., Jr.)
8. Chase Daniels (Missouri, So.)
9. Chad Henne Michigan, Sr.)
10. Bobby Reid (Oklahoma State, Jr.)
11. Dan LeFevour

12. **Matt Grothe (South Florida, So.)- last season's most underrated freshman quarterback. He led South Florida to a 9-4 record, including a 24-19 upset victory at No. 7 West Virginia.

13. Stephen McGee(Texas A&M)
14. Nate Longshore (California, Jr.)
15. Brian Johnson (Utah, Jr.) - Johnson, the heir apparent to Alex Smith completed 210 of 330 passes for 2,892 yards and 18 touchdowns and ran 152 times for 478 yards and eight TDs in 2005 before a knee injury sidelined him in 2006.
16. Tim Tebow (Florida, So.)
17. Matt Stafford (Georgia, So.)
18. Sam Keller (Nebraska, Sr.)
19. Erik Ainge (Tennessee, Sr.)
20. Matt Ryan (Boston College, Sr.)
21. Justin Willis (So.)
22. John Parker Wilson (Alabama, Jr.)
23. Chris Nickson (Vanderbilt, Jr.)
24. Juice Williams (Illinois, So.)
25 Josh Freeman (Kansas State, So.)

Running Backs

1. Steve Slaton (WVU, Jr.)
2. Darren McFadden (Arkansas, Jr.)
3. Ray Rice (Rutgers, Jr.)
4. Mike Hart (Michigan, Sr.)
5. C.J. Spiller (Clemson, So.)
6. P.J. Hill Jr. (Wisconsin, So.)
7. James Davis (Clemson, Jr.)
8. Felix Jones (Arkansas, Jr.)
9. Damion Fletcher (Southern Miss., So.)- Fletcher set the Southern Miss and Conference

USA

freshman rushing record with 1,388 yards, the 13th-highest total by a freshman in NCAA history. A consensus freshman All-America selection, Fletcher earned first-team all-league honors after notching seven 100-yard rushing performances and 11 touchdowns. Against the Gators in the 2006 season opener he earned 127 offensive yards which was more than Darren McFadden ran for against Florida.
10. Yvenson Bernard (Oregon State)
11. Chris Wells (Ohio State)
12. Ian Johnson (Boise State, Jr.)
13. Albert Young (Iowa, Sr.)
14. Jonathan Stewart (Oregon, Jr.)
15. Amir Pinnix (Minnesota, Sr.)
16. Brandon Ore (Virginia Tech)
17. Jamaal Charles (Texas, Sr.)
18. Donald Brown III (UConn)
19. Javarris James (Miami, So.)
20. Marlon Lucky (Nebraska, So.)
21. Tashard Choice (Georgia Tech, Sr.)
22. Allen Patrick (Oklahoma, Sr.)
23. Mike Goodson (Texas A&M)
24. Justin Forsett (California, Jr.) led the nation in ypc as Marshawn Lynch's backup last season.
25.** Mike Ford (South Florida, ?)

Wide Receivers/TightEnds

1. DeSean Jackson (California, Jr.)
2. Adarius Bowman (Oklahoma State, Sr.)
3. *Mario Manningham (Michigan, Jr.)
4. Sammie Stroughter (Oregon State, Sr.)
5. Chris Williams (New Mexico St., Jr.)- 19 year old junior who led the nation with 1,425 yards receiving on 92 receptions in 2006.
6. Jarrett Dillard (Rice, Jr.)
7. James Hardy (Indiana, Jr.)- 6 foot 7 combination of speed and size.
8. Marcus Monk (Arkansas, Sr.)
9. Davone Bess (Hawaii, Jr.)
10. Keenan Burton (Kentucky, Sr.)
11. Mario Urruttia (Louisville)
12. Dorien Bryant (Indiana, jr.)
13. *Percy Harvin (Florida, so.)
14. *Darrius Heyward-Rey (Maryland, So.) - A freshman All-American last year after he caught 45 balls for 694 yards and 5 TD's, he is poised for a monster sophomore season
15. Limas Sweed (Texas, Sr.)
16. Early Doucet (LSU, Sr.)
17. Earl Bennet (Vanderbilt, Sr.)
18. Travis Beckum (TE, Wiconsin) -Beckum led the Badgers in receptions (61) and receiving yards (903 yards) last year and his importance to the offense goes without saying.
19. Andre Caldwell (Florida, Sr.)
20. Harry Douglas (Louisville, Sr.)
21. Malcolm Kelly (Oklahoma, Sr.)
22. Hakeem Nicks - Even with the disastrous combo of Joe Dailey and Cam Sexton throwing him the ball last year, he still managed to rack up 39 catches for 660 yards and 4 TD's
23. Patrick Turner (USC, So.)
24.* Jacoby Ford - Probably the fastest player in the nation, Ford is a track star who showed glimpses last year of his potential on the football field. His ridiculous speed combined with raw receiving skills means Ford will probably be used much like Ted Ginn Jr. was at Ohio State as a game breaking kick returner and deep threat.
25. Fred Davis (TE)
*Andy Brodell (Iowa, Jr.)

Defensive Players

Defensive Tackles

Glenn Dorsey - After finishing last year as LSU's third-leading tackler (64, an unusually high number for a defensive tackle), Dorsey would have been a top 10 pick in last April's NFL Draft
Derrick Harvey
Sedrick Ellis

Eric Foster
Frank Okam
Roy Miller

Defensive Ends

Bruce Davis -No. 1 among college football returnees with 12.5 quarterback sacks in 2006
Calais Campbell(Miami, jr.) - No returning major-college player had more tackles for loss last season than Campbell's 201/2. He was one of eight Division I-A underclassmen to record more than 10 sacks. Drawn comparisons to Mario Williams with his size and has the potential to be the #1 pick in the '08 Draft.
Tyson Jackson-
Tommy Blake -
Corey Wooten
Chris Long -
Quentin Groves

Linebackers

Ali Highsmith (LSU, jr.)
Keith Rivers (USC, jr.)
Brian Cushing (USC, jr.)
Marcus Ball (Florida State, So.)
Sergio Kindle (Texas, So.)
James Laurinatis (Ohio State, Jr.)
Erin Henderson (Maryland, Jr.)
Vince Hall (Virginia Tech, jr.)
Xavier Adibi (Virginia Tech, jr.)
Micah Johnson (Kentucky, So.)
Tray Blackmon (Auburn, Jr.)
Dan Connor (Penn State, Sr.)
Philip Wheeler (Georgia Tech, So.)
Rey Maualuga (USC, Jr.)

Cornerbacks

Justin King (Penn State, Jr.)
Aquib Talib (Kansas, Jr.)
Antoine Cason (Arizona, Sr.)
Dajuan Tribble (Boston College)

Safeties

Kenny Phillips (Miami, Jr.)
Myron Rolle (Florida State, So.) - he's a genius on... and off the field. No joke.
Taylor Mays (USC, So.)
Tom Zbikowski (Notre Dame, Sr.)
Jonathan Hefney (Tennessee, Sr.)

Freshmen

*Arrelious Benn (WR, Illinios)- as the #1 ranked high school receiver he's already impresssed coaches in Champagne, Illinois and was named the #1 receiver during the summer.
**Joe McKnight (RB, USC)- #1 recruit in the nation, John David Booty has said he has the moves of reggie Bush and the hands of Steve Smith. His versatility has been compared to Reggie Bush.
**DeMarco Murray (RB, Oklahoma)- He simply dominated during spring practices and by mid-season he'll be known as one of the most exciting running backs in the nation.
Willy Korn (QB, Clemson) - may be the starter by mid-season
Eric Berry (CB, Tennessee)
Michael McNeil (S, Alabama, my bad Auburn)
**Terrance Toliver (WR, LSU)
**Noel Devine (RB, WVU)-
Ricky Sapp (DE, Clemson)- Clemson's legacy of great defenders continues
Michael Crabtree (WR, Texas Tech) -
Chris Culliver (WR, South Carolina) - This quick, speedy weapon will not only be expected to contribute as a wide receiver but also may get the nod as the Gamecocks' return man. Culliver will play -- and play often -- with Sidney Rice gone and Kenny McKinley unproven as a go-to guy. ((((((((

8. Marvin Austin, DT, North Carolin
Jimmy Clausen (QB, Notre Dame)
Keith Nichol (QB, Oklahoma)- great dual threat quarterback who is duking it out for the starter's position but freshman rarely win close quarterback competitions.
Donovan Warren (CB, Michigan)
Omar Bolden (CB, Arizona St.)
Everson Griffin (DE, USC)
*Chris Rainey (RB, Florida)
Major Wright (S, Florida)
Jerimy Finch (S, Florida)
Deonte Thompson (WR, Florida)
Cameron Newton (QB, Florida) - In Florida's spring game, the 6 foot 5, 248 pound freshman Newton completed 20 of 30 passes for 275 yards and won the backup job. An even bigger quarterback than Tebow, Newton also has good mobility, running the 40-yard dash in 4.55 seconds. He could see plenty of field action as Urban Meyer plans to continue utilizing a dual quarterback system.
**Antonio Henton (QB, Ohio State)- could be the starter by mid-season but as of now he's the backup to 23 year old junior Todd Boekman.
Ronald Johnson (WR, USC)
*Chris Galippo (LB/DE?, USC)
Gerald McCoy (Oklahoma, DT)
Marvin Austin (UNC, DT)
Mike Paulus (UNC, QB)
Jermichael Finley (WR, Florida)
John Clay (RB, Wisconsin)
Martez Wilson (Illinois, DE)
Torrey Davis (DL, Florida)
**Tyrod Taylor (QB, Virginia Tech) -redshirting this season but he's in the mold of Michael Vick but more accurate with his throws. The future of Virginia Tech football rests on his shoulders.
*Robert Marve (QB, Miami)- reminiscent of Steve Young, with his mobility and rocket arm. He could be Miami's answer to Tim Tebow.
**John Chiles (QB, Texas)- could've played receiver but he's committed to play QB and as of now he is #2 on the Longhorns' depth chart.

2007 NCAA Crystal (Foot)Ball Predictions

2007-08-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

2007 NCAA Crystal (Foot)Ball Predictions
8.29.07

Though the kickoff of the college football season is still a few months away, I've been doing some research, going with my instincts, and looking back at last season for clues as to what I expect to see this season. At the end of the season, I'll go back and see how I did. However, the summary of the 2007 season should be, a big year for Clemson, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Hawaii, Cal and of course West Virginia. Meanwhile, I expect Matt Grothe, DeMarco Murray, Andre Woodson, Bobby Reid and DeSean Jackson to become household names while Steve Slaton and Pat White build upon their legacies.

While The "U" rebuilds its fallen dynasty, Florida State searches for an offense, Georgia Tech searches for a big play receiver, the Tar Heels and Blue Devils try to I win multiple games in a season, and Wake Forest attempts to prove 2006 was not a fluke, the hidden dragon crouching Tigers of Clemson will win the ACC Championship.

Pat White will win the Heisman Trophy. Colt Brennan will come second. DeSean Jackson will finish third. He'll make the same leap, Vince Young and Troy Smith made in their progression as passers.

Darren McFadden will not be invited to New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation. First of all, he's going to have to share more carries with Felix Jones who is coming into his own and this season he's got more of a target on his back.

Felix Jones will rush for more yardage than Darren McFadden.

Junior California wide receiver DeSean Jackson will be the recipient of the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top wide receiver.

With the chance to finally carry the bulk of the carries, Kregg Lumpkin will rush for at least 1,100 yards and 10 TD's this season.

In a loss to Georgia in the season opener, Bobby Reid of the Oklahoma State Cowboys will pass for 250 yards, 2 touchdowns and rush for 80 yards.
Remember the last time we played a team which featured a quarterback with above average mobility. Against Georgia, QB Bernard Jackson ran right through our defense for 85 yards and nearly 200 yards passing. Reid is similar to Jackson but with a stronger more accurate arm and a more potent offensive attack. With Paul Oliver gone in the NFL Supplemental Draft, the young secondary will have to go through some growing pains in the season opener.

Illinois will win 8 games. They're setting the stage for a potential Big 10 title in 2008. Juice Williams is one of the fastest quarterbacks in the nation and once he perfects his passing skills will be a major threat His development is similiar to Troy Smith's.

Kentucky will pose a serious challenge Florida and Georgia for the SEC East crown.

Andre Woodson will be named SEC Player of the Year.

Andre Woodson will lead the SEC in passing yardage and Td's thrown. (how many you ask?)Oh just toss a number...3,600 and 33. This darkhorse Heisman candidate will improve slightly upon his breakout 2006 season where he led the resurgence of Kentucky's football program and accomplished something even Tim Couch could not do-- win(a bowl game). I picked him as my #1 players to watch back in January and he won't dissapoint, especially with wide receiver Keenan Burton returning.

Louisville will lose to Kentucky September 15 and West Virginia November 8.

By November, Ryan Perrilloux will be the LSU starting quarterback Early in the season,, the Tigers will use Perrilloux and Matt Flynn as a Cajun form of Tebow-Chris Leak if he rejins the team.

Ike Whitaker will inherit the starting quarterback position from Sean Glennon by November. Virginia Tech has the same issue at quarterback. Unfortunately, Beamer made a hasty decision by declaring Glennon as the starter before the spring even began. IBeamer's offenses and his teams experience their most productive seasons when he's got mobile quarterbacks,(Marcus Vick, Micheal Vick, Brian Randle) behind the center. Thats just what Whitaker.

When Wisconsin and Michigan face-off on November 10, both teams will be undefeated.

When Boise State and Hawaii meet on November 23, both teams will enter undefeated.

The winner of Cal v. USC on November 23rd will vie for the national championship at the Sugar Bowl on January 8th 2008.

Wisconsin will win the Big 10 title. The Badgers have the Big Ten's best record since 2004, but their 31 wins have gone virtually unnoticed outside the league because of the headlines grabbed by Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State. Now the bright lights are trained on Madison,given the return of 18 starters from a 12-1 team that won its New Years bowl game against Arkansas you can expect the Badgers to seize their opportunity. However, they will be left out the national championship game because of the Big 10's perceived weakness as a result of Ohio State and Michigan's performances against Florida and USC respectively last season.

Ohio State running back Chris Wells will rush for 1,300 yards and 15 TD's.

Tennessee will win only 8 games.

Notre Dame will win 8 games.

Troy will win the Sun Belt conference title.

Florida will not have a 1,000 yard rusher this season but will have at least 3 players rush for over 500 yards.

Percy Harvin will earn 700 receiving yards, rush for 500 yards and score 10 touchdowns.

Tim Tebow will have more wins than Stafford by the end of the season and Tebow will account for more yardage than Stafford. Wins: Stafford <>

Miami Hurricanes running back Javarris James will tally at least 1,100 rushing yards. As the cousin of Edgerrin James, Javarris will be the next installment in the pantheon of great running backs in Miami's history. James did not make his first start last season until the fourth game but still gained 802 yards. That was the second most by a Miami freshman since Clinton Portis (838 yards) in 1999.

Miami will win 9 games.

Noel Devine will account for at least 500 total yards in his freshmen campaign.

Colt Brennan will shatter at least 2 of his own NCAA passing records-- which means he'll lead the nation in pretty much ever major passing statistic category again.

Freshman quarterback Willy Korn will be the Clemson Tigers full-time starting quarterback by mid-October. No true freshman has played quarterback for the Tigers since 1994, but figure on that run ending in 2007. Korn, who graduated high school in time to attend spring practice, shot his way up to No. 2 on the depth chart behind Cullen Harper. He should close the gap even further during fall practice.

Ohio State's Antonio Henton, (redshirt freshman qb) will be the Buckeyes starting qb at some point this season.

Though he's currently number 2 on the depth chart, redshirt freshman running back (the guy is simply amazing) DeMarco Murray will eventually become the starter and his exciting style of play will quickly replace Adrian Peterson in the immediate recollection of Sooner fans, rush for 1,000 yards, 10 touchdowns and stay healthy through the entire season. His performance in the Sooners spring game was even more incredible, rushing for 103 yards on four carries. Plus he can play a little wide receiver out of the slot. His movements are Reggie Bush like and aftyer seeing him play I understand now why ESPN aired the Sooners spring game.

The Texas Longhorns will beat the Oklahoma Sooners in their single meeting this season and go on to win the Big 12 title game.

Nebraska will win the Big 12 North followed by Missouri in second place.

Jarrett Dillard of Rice will lead the nation in receptions.

Steve Slaton will lead the nation in rushing yardage

Pat White will rush for more touchdown's than Steve Slaton.

Pat White will continue his development as a passer and exceed 2,000 passing yards.

Pat White and Steve Slaton will each rush for at least 15 touchdowns.

More than two teams will finished 2007 undefeated

A non-BCS team will crash the party this season and the Hawaii Warriors will be that team to go undefeated into a BCS Bowl game-- but not the national championship. If nothing else but for the sake of college football fans everywhere I hope the coaching staff continues to wears those stylish Hawaiin shirts and straw hats.

TCU will win the Mountain West title.

Ray Rice will compile at least 200 more rushing yards than Darren McFadden.

Wisconsin running back, P.J. Hill will lead the Big 10 in rushing with 1,600 yards.

As much as I despise him, Nick Saban will win just as many games at Alabama as Steve Spurrier will atSouth Carolina this season.

Tommy Bowden will win more games than Bobby Bowden.

The Oregon Ducks will win 9 games.

C.J. Spiller will rush for over 1,200 yards, and 12 TD's. After he spent the off season flirting with a transfer to Florida, Tommy Bowden will make sure Spiller becomes a more involved piece of the offense.

Darius Reynard will be an All-American.

Pat White, John David Booty, and Andre Woodson will be named All-Americans.

The Big East champion will play for a national championship.

South Florida sophomore quarterback, Matt Grothe will establish himself as one of the top 10 quarterbacks in the nation. All I'm saying is when you get a chance catch a South Florida game. As a freshman, Grothe was already a moreefficient passer than Pat White though just as dangerous as a runner. In fact,Grothe led South Florida to a victory in their final game of the season over Pat White's Mountaineers which denied WVU of their second consecutive BCS bowl game. If I don't say so myself, Grothe is the definition of swaggarious. It seems like each conference has built their own specific brand of football and the Big East is establishing itself as a factory for exciting offensive players.

The California Golden Bears will win the Pac-10 and face West Virginia in the national championship game. I gotta explain why I picked Cal which constantly comes up short over the perennial championship contending Trojans. First off I don't wanna sound like Chris Berman and pick the same teams(Super Bowl XLII: Bills v. Niners) every season. It just doesn't happen in modern D-1 college football. Take for example, those great Miami Hurricane teams at the beginning of the millenium. They should have had a 3-peat, yet outside factors always seemed to deter them. The Trojans which used to have thatmagical aura about them seemed to have lost some of that charm after they ran into Vince Young. Last season, there was the failed two point conversion against Oregon Stae and the interception thrown by Booty which sealed the deal for UCLA. While, I have no doubt that it will return, right now the Trojans seem to have hit a wall, however, unlike those Hurricane teams Carroll seems to have learned from Butch Davis' mistake and plans to stay as long as he can keep this dynasty intact. Booty is a great quarterback, however, he just doesn't have that Leinart/Palmer aura about him or an x-factor on offense(i.e. Jarrett, Bush, Mike Williams, White,etc.)to take the load offhis back. With that said, the Trojans probably have the best defense since their 5 year BCS Bowl run began, however, their offense needs to gather some experience. As deepas theirdepth chart is, the majority of the high profile recruits they've stockpiled on offense are too inexperienced. With the arrival of Mitch Mustain, the Trojans now possess the top 2 quarterbacks from two seperate recruiting classes as well as a top 3 quarterback from the class of 2007 in Aaron Corp. After losing Steve Smith and Dwayne Jarrett to the NFL, Patrick Turner, the #1 wide receiver in the class of 2005, and Vidal Hazelton will have to assume more responsiblities. With that said, experience, rules for the Bears. DeSean Jackson will be a Heisman candidate and Nate Longshore will produce in Jeff Tedford's offensive system. Meanwhile, running back Justin Forsett proved last season that he can be a great featured back during Marshawn Lynch's absence due to injury. Now with Lynch's absence more permanent, I expect Forsett and the Golden Bears to finally break through for their best shot at a national title.

Angry at finishing second in the Big East last season, Steve Slaton, Pat White, and Rich Rodriguez will finish what Major Harris and Don Nehlen started by defeating Cal to win the 2008 college football national championship. -- D.J. Dunson

T

Could The Big Game Have Saved Vick In Atlanta?

2007-08-29T14:01:00.000-07:00

By now we all know, Michael Vick has become a convicted felon who likely won’t play in the National Football League again until at least 2009, however, because of salary cap considerations the Falcons top brass cannot reasonably cut Vick from the roster because of salary cap considerations…yet. But make no mistake, by this time in 2008, Vick’s salary will be undoubtedly dumped by the Atlanta Falcons.

However, what if circumstances were different and fortunes were reversed with say Peyton Manning or Tom Brady? No, this is not an in-depth personal commentary on the role of race in Vick’s legal trouble but rather a shallow analysis of talent and it’s affect on public perception.

It’s been well documented and I think we can all agree that Vick’s biggest mistake was fighting cute, cuddly animals like dogs so near and dear dear to the hearts of millions of Americans. The public, to say the least, has understandably responded in a vitriolic manner to detailed accounts of Vick’s transgressions.

However, the backlash against Michael Vick began long before his criminal activity came to light. This was just the last straw. For a franchise which has never earned two consecutive trips to the playoffs, the fan base had understandably grown intensely testy and irritable. Vick was already on the proverbial hot seat, this just gave them good reason to give him the [electric]chair.

The firing of Jim Mora, coupled with the hiring of Bobby Petrino signaled a call to arms for Vick. Coach Petrino’s mea culpa for Vick consisted of a 65% completion percentage, career high passing yards, consistent pocket passing as well as nothing less than a deep playoff push. Now with 2007 scrapped and 2008 unlikely, Vick’s make or break season will never happen and the remaining fans can only wonder what could have been.

In what if any way has the Michael Vick (on-field) experience had on the perception of scrambling quarterbacks in the NFL? Vick's on and off brilliance as a passer may have been the by-product of mediocre receivers but has still supplied ample ammunition to critics. How will his negative imprint impress on teams scouting similar college quarterbacks such as Pat White and Virginia Tech's Tyrod Taylor in the future? Will any NFL coach ever allow his quarterback to rush for 1,000 yards because of it's implied disruption to the passing game?

This is why Vick will never be accepted back as a quarterback in Atlanta by Athur Blank, Bobby Petrino(if he’s still here). The option quarterback experiment failed, the hypothesis, wrong, and the conclusion—inconclusive.

However, knowing all this would Falcons fans accept Vick more readily with open arms in 2009, if he had a Super Bowl victory as a Falcon on his resume?

If Peyton Manning or Tom Brady pled guilty next week to “conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activates and to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture” would the backlash be as overwhelmingly negative. Would diehard Colts or Patriots fans actually consider abandoning their MVP, (multiple)Super Bowl winning, Hall of Fame, all-time great quarterbacks or simply wait out the prison term and resume their journey to the Super Bowl upon their return with little hesitation?
You don't just throw away two or three trips to the Super Bowl for your franchise just because your quarterback spends 18 months holed up with a 6-8, 290 pound giant named Hank and spends a little extra time in a federal prison weight room. If anything Manning or Brady would probably comes back with stronger throwing arms and equipped with the new friendship of Hank, a suprisingly polished left tackle who's been defending your blindside successfully (i hope) since the first shower time. But I digress...
However, Falcons followers won't wait two years for the return of a quarterback who may not be the key to their Super Bowl success when he does return. Think about it, a Super Bowl victory means a trip to the White House, meet the president, develop a friendship and voila! 7 months later he's giving you a presidential pardon!

One has to wonder, though that if Vick was a 27 year old Super Bowl winning MVP quarterback on his way to the Hall of Fame, would Arthur Blank still feel the same way regarding his future with the team in 2009 as a 29 year old quarterback? Just look at how the Los Angeles Lakers handled Kobe ordeal in 2003. Do you honestly think they would have shown the same patience if the same circumstances had occurred to a player that was not the cornerstone in their dynasty? The chances are slim.
Granted Bryant was slighty younger than Vick is that season, Vick is no septuagenarian himself. All I'm saying is that people are more accepting of winners because champions are endearing forever. Arthur Blank is a businessman first and a fan second, and as we've heard a million times before, winning cures all malcontentment. Unfortunately Michael Vick will not get the opportunity to test out that theory.

Atlanta Hawks True Cornerstone

2007-08-29T11:21:00.000-07:00

MATRIX… RELOADED-- The NEXT… Shawn Marion

Every few years or so there are those NBA Drafts which tend to fade from our thoughts or get embedded in our collective memories. Whether it’s because they provide immediate superstars, and marquee players, or because the overall talent level is so paltry and mediocre. Less than three years later, the 2004 NBA Draft is already shaping as the latter. In a draft which featured breakout stars Ben Gordon, Emeka Okafor, Dwight Howard, Shaun Livingston, Kevin Martin and Luol Deng to name just a few, a few players are bound to get lost in the shuffle.
While Josh Smith was becoming a household name and garnering national attention at the 2005 Slam Dunk Contest in Denver as a high flying acrobatic rookie dunker, the 6’7 slasher was viewed inside of basketball circles as just that; an aerial side attraction. Observers who took notice of his shoddy jump shot combined with his mediocre perimeter skills, atrocious ball handling and lack of true post up skills questioned whether Smith had the potential to develop into an impact player on both ends of the floor. That season, his first, he averaged a paltry 9.7 points per game, 6.2 RPG, 1.95 BPG and was named me to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. Since, then his name has almost disappeared completely from the tongues and consciousness of the casual NBA fan, however, let’s not forget, he only turned 21 three short months ago. He may not have torn a whole through the NBA from the start similar to how Lebron, ‘Melo and

D-Wade have in recent years but different players peak at different rates. Now, it finally appears though, that one of the Hawks’ draft choices has panned out after recent whiffs on Josh Childress, Sheldon Williams, Marvin Williams as well as missing out on point gods Chris Paul & Deron Williams and sweet shooting guard Brandon Roy in consecutive years.

While his development could launch him into the stratosphere of a McGradyesque breed of player, the truth is Smith’s versatility is most comparable to the Sun’s all-everything forward Shawn Marion. Nicknamed The Matrix by TNT analyst Kenny Smith for his seemingly gravity-defying plays and freakishly quick release, Marion has established himself as a multidimensional threat, especially as finisher who can score off passes and has utilized his athleticism and jumping ability to become a good rebounder (10.1 RPG) and shot blocker (1.3 BPG). Marion’s style of play has benefited immensely from the Phoenix Suns’ frenetic pace as he has accumulated high field goal percentages off of mostly slam dunks in the transition game. Could you envision the havoc Smith would wreak upon opponents on fast breaks if he swapped places with Shawn Marion on the Phoenix Suns? Though, Marion was just a tadbit more effective as a rookie he did have the benefit of four years of college competition and experience to aid his development.

Either way both players possess freakish athleticism as well the ability to fill up the entire stat sheet and pile up near triple doubles night in and out. While his defensive prowess, especially his shot-blocking skills have received high acclaim league wide his offensive ability has yet to truly emerge. Though he no longer dribbles like a toddler, his shaky jumper and troubles with his free throw shooting have continued, hindering his offensive production.

However, Smith’s progress has been remarkable, nonetheless. After capitalizing on a career initially founded on his pure athleticism, Smith emerged in his second season to finish fourth in the NBA in total blocks and average 15.0 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 4.1 APG, 3.1 BPG and 1.0 SPG after the All-Star break. Now in his third season, Josh Smith has continued his strides toward superstardom by averaging career highs of 15.4 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 3.1 APG as well as 2.85 BPG which is 3^rd in the NBA. In his third season out of Mount Zion high school, the then-21 year old Tracy McGrady averaged an eerily similar 15.4 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 3.3 RPG, and 1.3 BPG before his breakout fourth season.

What’s more impressive is that Smith is also an efficient shot-blocker, ranking 7^th in the NBA in blocks per foul and on March 3^rd 2007, he broke the 500 block mark, making him the youngest player to do so in NBA history. In a loss earlier this season to the Nuggets, Smith had 21 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 blocks and 4 steals. According to Michael Jackson of ESPN Research, he becomes the first player since Hakeem Olajuwon in '93 to have a stat line of at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 blocks, and 4 steals in a single game. Thus far, in the month of March, Smith has begun on a torrid streak through the League, averaging 21.3 PPG, 9 RPG, and 3.3 BPG in the first 8 games while shooting 52.9 percent. In a lackluster offensive performance against the Kings March 19th, Smith still imposed his will on the game with a near triple double including 9 points, 10 assists, 12 rebounds as well as his customary 3 blocks.

Against the 76ers, on March 13^th, Smith finished with a monstrous night: 26 points, 17 rebounds, five assists, four steals, and three blocks and he has now put up career highs in points and rebounds in consecutive games. Hawks Coach Mike Woodson has utilized Smith and incorporated his abilities into the team’s concept nicely.

Along with Olympian Joe Johnson, (you can expect too see Josh suiting up for them in the next 5 years) the Hawks are on the precipice of becoming a consistent Eastern Conference powerhouse. Now if only that Marvin Williams kid could show them something to warrant his #2 overall NBA Draft selection …

The league should begin to take notice; here comes J-Smoove and in 2008, prepare to witness the emergence of an NBA superstar.
-- D.J. Dunson

Falcons Felon

2007-08-29T11:04:00.000-07:00
Falcon's Felon

I had moved on with my life but for some reason the Summer of Scandals seems to be breathing life into a whole new season. While Tim Donaghy is threatening to rat out 20 fellow refs in exchange for a reduced prison sentence, though his revelations could prove to be very minor, a highly ranked tennis pro is accused of fixing a tennis match and a doping scandal during the Tour de France which resulted in multiple raids of team headquarters, from the disqualification of multiple riders including the overall leader following the 12th stage. The address on 1915 Moonlight Road has cast a shadow on Vick's legacy and-- on my summer. Instead, the Most Exciting Player in the NFL has provided us with the final(hopefully) riveting melodrama in his celeb-reality public life and tumultuous year.

By pleading guilty to “conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activates and to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture”, Vick is admitting to a crime that carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

However, a more likely sentence is a year to a year and a half in prison, as prosecutors said they will recommend that the judge sentence Vick "at the low end of the applicable guideline range" if he "cooperates fully and truthfully." Judge Hudson could choose to reject the plea deal, and he does not have to follow the recommended prison sentence, which has been reported as 12 to 18 months.

Despite all of the negative publicity this is still Vick's first offense. albeit a serious one and even if he admitted to gambling, he is not Pete Rose and he did not bet on the NFL.

Has the government ever had evidence against a public figure so damning against one individual. The only way a jury would be even more sure of his guiltiness is if the prosecuting attorney uncovered his online dogfighting fantasy league, then caught Vick with the aid of an ESPN broadcasting crew while Mike wearing his drivers license on a keychain around his neck personally escorted his prized pitbull into the ring wearing an official #7 Falcons jersey, officiated a few matches with his grandmother and Jim Mora Jr. there to identify him.

Another interesting perspective which hasn't been explored by anyone has to be his brother Marcus' potential involvement. You can't tell me that sometime in between serving up liquor to minors, pistol whipping teenagers and doing his best Captain Morgan impression on All-American defensive ends, he surely had time for a late night diet of illegal dogfighting? He went to Virginia Tech and has publicly acknowledged living with his brother for a period time while he was suspended during the 2004 season from the Hokies football team. Do you honestly believe he kept Marcus out the family buisness the way Vit did Michael?

"I'm never there. I'm never at the house," Vick said. "I left the house with my family members and my cousin. They just haven't been doing the right thing. The issue will get resolved."
"It's unfortunate I have to take the heat behind it. If I'm not there, I don't know what's going on. It's a call for me to really tighten down on who I'm trying to take care of. When it all boils down, people will try to take advantage of you and leave you out to dry. Lesson learned for me," Vick added.

If Vick was any less unscrupulous he'd simply deny eyewitness accounts of his being at dogfighting by revising one of his earliest statements and offer up his brother as the sacrificial lamb. They look so much alike and Marcus has such a terrible reputation amongst law enforcement he'd probably be able to pull it off.

Our nation's correctional facilities are in an apparent arms race with Mark Cuban's upstart United Football League to stockpile talent and rival the NFL. All I know is that yard time in various prisons and penitenturies across the nation needs to be broadcast live on ESPN 2. Cuban's plan for his new league was to target prominent college football players drafted past the 2nd round, however he should be appealing to United States penal system which just released Tank Johnson, retains the playing rights to Maurice Clarett, former Panthers receiver Rae Carruth, Michael Vick, and is in the process of acquiring a star cornerback in Pac-Man Jones. They also have an illustrious history with the jerseys of Jim Brown, and former Super Bowl MVP Timmy Smith just to name a few hanging over their barbed wired fences.

The most elusive quarterback in the NFL seems to have found another loophole to dodge a potential lifetime suspension from the NFL. Sinced his indictment Vick seems to have manuevered the system to come out with the best possible outcome. By implying in his plea agreement that he provided the funds for the gambling but was never actually involved in the act itself, he distinguishes his actions from those of his fellow co-conspirators he is stil able to save face in the eyes of the NFL. The crafty part of this agreement is that the prosecuting attorneys probably agreed without much hesitancy because the gambling was a minor allegation in the grand scheme of things. Their ultimate goal is to put a stop to dogfighting not to end his career.

Essentially Vick comes out with a SuperFriends type association with the U.S. government by agreeing to be an informant in other criminal related cases. One can only hope he also has to co-star in an animated Scruff McGruff commercial and agrees to help take the bite out of crime.

Why should I care any more? Because nobody from Congress, CNN, ESPN or Dave Chappelle will let me forget it.

Sports has become so broad and vital to our nation that it should have it's own agency in the Department of Homeland Security with David Stern, Roger Goodell and Bud Selig serving as advisors to the president along with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman back at his old job serving coffee to Stern. The only problem would be Bud Selig's reluctance to show up to important engagements such as cabinet meetings.

In the wake of the tragic Minnesota bridge collapse, the most heated debate to emerge was whether or not lawmakers should siphon off taxpayer money to fund the Twins' proposed new ball ballpark. Let's see: Does public safety outweigh building a park which would allow Joe Mauer to hit more home runs? Next on the docket should whether the location of the Giants and Jets new joint stadium should be in New Jersey or on top of Ground Zero.

"Let that word resound from hill to hill and from mountain to mountain, from valley to valley across this broad land," he thundered in reverance "May God help those poor souls who would be so cruel. Barbaric! Hear me! " "One is left wondering," he said. "Who are the real animals: the creatures inside or outside the ring?"" Those were the over dramatic the words of the Senate's longest serving member last month in a teary eyed speech on Capitol Hill in front of Congress. May Spike, Lassie and Old Yeller rest in peace.

On the ther end of the spectrum, however, I understand the universal support from athletes better than most fans seem to. For all the backlash from envious fans who use the unwavering support from athletes as another excuse to express their thughts on the elitist, arrogant attitudes of athletes thinking they are above the law, where was the outcry from fellow Congressmen when Gary Condit was implicated in the suspicious disappearance of a female aide he was having an affair with? That's because athletes just like politicians, actors and members of any other occupation are part of a select fraternity.

How exactly do fans feel betrayed by Vick's trangressions? Are they betrayed that he won't be able to help their despondant franchise anymore or because he committed a heinous crime? He may be the face of the team, a celebrity and a iconic figure but outside the football field, he is still a human being and priority number one was to mount a defense or manuever the system to whittle his jailtime down to as few time as possible.

While the reaction to his apology has been mixed and has been analyzed and debated on by fans, reporters, columnists and Public Relations consultants as well as apology experts, one thing has stuck out in my mind though. Has anyone ever noted his apparent inclination to refer to himself as Michael Vick? During an interview following the news of his indictment "Every where around the world, people still support loves Mike Vick." Then during his contrite apology on Monday morning he referred to himself in the third person on three occasions which makes one wonder how much more he has to be be humbled.

Now Michael Vick has a lot of downtime for self reflection to redeem himself in the eyes of Charles Dunson and fans everywhere. In an act of cruel symmetrical irony the Falcons will host the New Orleans Saints, December 10, on Monday Night Football, the same day Michael Vick's immediate future will be decided by an unforgiving judge in a Virginia courtroom.

If anything this summer has opened my eyes to the varying levels of sports controversies. In this era of intense scrutiny and intrusiveness into the lives of athletes it's important to know what your dealing when you hear breaking news, sound bites from an exclusive interview taped yesterday or an excerpt from a soon to be released novel. Scandals are a lot like an exclusive club, everyone might not get in and even if you do there's no guarantee you'll gain access to the VIP section. Just think of the codes like you would if you were ordering hot wings; atomic,hot, medium, mild and apply them accordingly.

Code Atomic: Transcendently Scandalous(Kobe Bryant's Rape Accusation, Michael Vick Interstate Commerce, Floyd Landis Testosterone Levels, BALCO, Jose Conseco's "Juiced", etc.)

The Ebola virus of scandals latches itself onto every aspect of our society, provokes a response from everyone and things can get ugly. These usually stem from a single event which branches into a full blown disaster and it's impact extends beyond ESPN and into other non-traditional sports networks. The beauty of these scandals is that they don't even have to involve a high profile athlete as long as it threatens to hang a black cloud over the the landscape of an entire sport.

Characteristics of these sports scandals include a bevy of live press conferences which involve a lot of reveal nothing we didn' t already know except giving us another grasp of the gravity of the controversy at hand. They usually cause normally rational people to become irrational, overreact and to side with either the radicalists or the pacifists. In Vick's situation, there were the extremists who used the details in this case to vent against the ahem... sociopathic, criminal thuggery in professional sports today meanwhile, the pacifists tended to overlook and ignore overwhelming evidence in order to blindly follow an iconic quarterback. Most often, the participants become infamous figures synonymous with their respective scandal no matter what they've accomplished before or after.

Hot:Code Black: (Patrick Dennehy Murder, Punter Stabs Teammate)
Though usually underreported by the media, these are brought about by the most tragic of events and sometimes can reveal an even darker secret or a deep underbelly of more illegal activity. The most infamous example of this type of scandal was the Baylor Basketball Scandal in 2003, which was set off by the disappearance of junior basktball player Patrick Dennehey. Soon after teammate Carlton Dotson was implicated in the murder, Bliss confessed to a major violation of NCAA rules school investigators by making payments to Dennehy, estimated at $7,000. After Bliss resigned, it emerged that he had told players to make up a storyabout Dennehy being a drug dealer in order to pay for his tuition as a cover-up for Bliss paying Dennehy's tuition.

Medium: The Faux Pas(tennis match fixing scandal, Jose Conseco's "stuff" on A-Rod, Reggie Bush's Illegal Benefits)

This type of scandal is usually a diabolical creation of the media's which usually fizzles out after the media realizes they've jumped the gun. This usually occurs when the media sees smokes, senses fire and chooses to fan the flames while their reporters disperse to warn the citizens of the forthcoming catastrophy. In the end though, the flames usually promptly simmer out, but not before burning down their entire camp. Kinda like when Gerald Rivera hosted a live primetime special to open up Al Capone's vault and instead of finding Jimmy Hoffa's body or great riches they uncovered a dirty tub and illegal moonshine. Whatever happenned to the uproar over Jose Conseco's "stuff" on A-Rod's steroid use or the fallout of Reggie Bush's illeged illegal benefits while at USC?

Mild: The Sheffield(Rush Limbaugh, Kobe Shaq's media sparring, anytime Gary Sheffield speaks, Irvin's Romo comments )
Named for the King of Controversy, The Godfather of Mouth Diahrea himself, Gary Sheffield who creates a controversy everytime every time he gets in front of a mic. These are usually the foot in mouth stuck in cow maneur brain freezes which often possesses people when they get too comfortable behind a microphone and forget that they are on television not at one of their klan meetings or in a confessional with their priest. There are variations of the Sheffield ranging from the conspiracy theories ffered up by the Godfather of Controversy, to the entertaining verbal sparring between teammates such as Shaq and Kobe using ESPN's Jim Gray and Ric Bucher as their personal relationship counselors. These can best be avoided by not using tv personalities as your confidants or by avoiding the bar during happy hour for a little buzz to take the edge off when your about to sit down for a light hearted interview with Stephen A. Smith. Don't do it reporters, can small weakness... and alcohol. If your a racist rehearse the racial equality questions, and if you hate your star teammate don't call Chris Mortenson at 3 in the morning to vent because he has the World Wide Leader on speed dial . The end result is that these guys become pariahs and the bud of everyone's joke as a result of their respective comments until the outrage eventually subsides.
-- D.J. Dunson Jr.

Random Rant: Fallen Falcon

2007-08-29T11:01:00.000-07:00
Random Rant: Fallen Falcon

The first time I watched college football's National Championship Game on January 4, 1999, I was in awe over the elusive quarterback clad in maroon and orange from Virginia Tech weaving through the garnet and gold defenders of Florida State. For the next two years I watched him develop from the most exciting player in college football into the clear cut #1 overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft and the last place I ever thought of seeing him was in a courtroom. Oddly enough as Vick, sits on the shakiest ground in his career, Ladainian Tomlinson, the player he was essentially traded for is coming off a record breaking season which affirmed his status as one of the top running backs of his generation.
(The Chargers are becoming masters of this dodging a bullet act: See Eli Manning for Shawne Merriman and Phillip Rivers)

Unlike PacMan Jones and Chris Henry's respective legal run-ins, it appears the Vick bandwagon has run head on into an armored vehicle, the federal government. Now as immovable object meets elusive force Vick has no choice but to stand tall in the pocket and face the rush head on. Sure he may play in 2007, but the outlook beyond that appears gloomy and shrouded in mystery. This case is so high profile I half expect ESPN to add a "Vick Trial Tracker" to their BottomLine right next to their Bonds Chase For 756.

The NFL's most polarizing offensive player must now mount the most solid defense of his life against the federal government and I emphasize "federal" government because of their unreal 95% conviction rate while 90% of all federal cases plead out. However, the Feds have had their bulls eye on Vick since Day 1 in part because of his celebrity status but mostly the property belonged to him.

Even Surry County prosecutor Gerald Pointdexter, speculated about federal involvement when he said that he was "absolutely floored" that federal officials got involved, and that he believes he and Sheriff Brown handled the investigation properly. "What is foreign to me is the federal government getting into a dogfighting case," Poindexter said. "I know it's been done, but what's driving this? Is it this boy's celebrity? Would they have done this if it wasn't Michael Vick?" He went on to say "There's a larger thing here, and it has nothing to do with any breach of protocol." "There's something awful going on here. I don't know if it's racial. I don't know what it is."

Had Bad Newz Kennels merely fought local dogs in Virginia, it would have been a local matter, however, the moment it was discovered that dogs were transported across state lines it became a much more serious issue.

Even before the indictments were handed down and the rumors surfaced 3 months ago, Vick had shown signs of becoming a thorn in the side of the NFL's PR department. There was the infamous 2004 Ron Mexico incident which spawned a litany of herpes jokes which were granted new life each time Vick's name showed up on the tabloid pages and nearly on the police blotter. The underground movement for Ron Mexico apparel was so strong that the NFL had to issue a statement announcing a ban on the sale of any gear bearing the name 'Ron Mexico' on it.

Just last season, Vick was booed by home fans following a home loss which he responded to saluting them with his middle finger and in February of course, there was the Magic Bottle Incident at a checkpoint inside a Miami airport.

In a matter of two years Vick's reputation has spiraled downward from media darling, face of the NFL, and franchise savior to questionable quarterback and that of a salary cap burden on the field as well as radioactive spew to possible endorsments.

It is amazing how a simple drug raid and mystery informants have evolved into the Big Bang in Vick's NFL career and more importantly, his life.
Now it seems quarterback Michael Vick may have dug his NFL grave behind the brick mansion on Moonlight Road in rural Surry County, VA beneath pounds of dirt and a sea of swirling speculation which will certainly be unearthed in the coming months.

Now Vick will watch to see which of his three co-defendants will be the first to make a deal with federal prosecutors. Each of them will think seriously about turning on Vick and offering testimony against him in return for less time in jail.

Say what you want about Barry Bonds' alleged steroid use, Pete Rose's gambling or Kobe Bryant's adultery but the crimes Vick is accused of point to something darker and more sinister in Vick, if they are true. Chris Benoit's whose crimes were far worse, was another one of my childhood heroes, though to a lesser extent as I outgrew my wrestling infatuation. However, the effect when I heard the news was the same.

Whats most troubling is why Vick, a quarterback who has earned roughly $37 million of a 137 million dollar deal he signed in 2004, not including endorsements would risk his livelihood and over $100 million dollars on something as trivial as $6,000 here, $4,000 there and the occasional $60,000 purse baffles me. At least PacMan Jones went out on that fateful Vegas night 6 months ago under the assumption that he would not get involved with illegal activity. Vick on the other hand knew full well what he was doing as evidenced by the fact that he took the precaution of having the outhouses where the dogfighting took place painted in black ink so that they would not be seen at night.

The best explanation I could offer is that dogfighting began as his secondary career option/hobby in case that whole quarterback career didn't quite pan out. However, six years, 100 million dollars later, he was still at it. Why?

It seems as if everywhere we turn these days, in this increased age of media scrutiny, exposure and exorbitant contracts we've become privy to the private lives of professional athletes and the painting has been no Michelangelo. In fact, you'd think these athletes decision making was handled by toddlers.

"Hey Barry! Try this creme it's got lots of Vitamin A for buildin' strong bones. No you don't put it on you bagel, it's for your bicep, like your tryin to quit smoking."
"Yo PacMan, screw it just bring all 80,000-- in cash. You'll be putting a pretty girl through school. Think of it as a scholarship fund"

The Falcons front office could also be faced with a very difficult decision come next April when Vick's trial may just be beginning. If Vick can remain above the fray and translate his talent and the Falcons roster upgrades into a Pro Bowl-caliber season and a trip to the playoffs, the front office could become torn between whether to weather the storm with Vick or cut him immediately and draft a quarterback in the NFL Draft.

The first thing I did when Vick was convicted was relate his predicament to the case of another talented quarterback-- Charles Thompson(not to be confused with 2006 starter Paul Thompson) of the national champion Oklahoma Sooners who in 1989 was convicted in federal court of one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and sentenced on August 31, to two years in prison, effectively ending his dreams of ever embarking on a successful NFL career.

Though, the changes against Vick have no connection to drugs, they are considered especially heinous. Page 17 of the indictment indicates that on one occasion, Vick and two others killed eight fighting dogs that had shown in testing sessions they weren't strong enough to win fights:

In or about April 2007, PEACE, PHILIPS, and VICK executed approximately 8 dogs that did not perform well in "testing" sessions at 1915 Moonlight Road, by various methods including hanging, drowning and slamming at least one dog's body to the ground.
Page 12 of the indictment refers to one of the more chilling accounts:
In or about March of 2003, PEACE, after consulting with VICK about the losing female pit bull's condition, executed the losing dog by wetting the dog down with water and electrocuting the animal.

The words sprayed, splattered splashed and smeared in reference to the blood sound found lend to even more negative and gruesome images. The lengths he went to organize these events would make Preakness organizers jealous.

You see Vick is described as a professional, who pays as much as $40,000 for a dog, breeds animals from past champions and and participates in well-organized, high-stakes fights often planned months in advance, with purses of up to $100,000..think UFC meets Animal Planet. Savagery meets barbariasm.

However as I write this I must also elaborate on a perception which has been expressed in the media regarding the cruelty of hunting versus dog fighting. They may serve different purposes but their fates are still the same. Yet even as I try to create an argument, the comparisons are laughable.

From first hand experience I can tell you the biggest difference between dog fighting and say, deer/duck hunting for example. Dogs, including rottweilers and pit bulls are peaceful creatures by nature as are most animals in the wilderness. However, when bred to be fighters, these dogs become dangerous to society. While you may be skeptical to the idea that dogfighting is rampant throughout professional sports it's all too real for me and starting to make sense. I have the scars to prove it.

However, one interesting subplot which has emerged has been the emergence of the informant(s) who appeared an ESPN interview and provided prosecutors with the evidence necessary to bring an indictment against Vick. Conspicuously absent from the indictments was cousin Davon Boddie who stayed at the residence and at one time, Vick had indirectly, thrust the blame onto when he said back in April when he said, "I'm never there. I'm never at the house," Vick said. "I left the house with my family members and my cousin. They just haven't been doing the right thing."

How this revelation about Vick's dogfighting ring will resonate with me 1 year from now, 10 or 20 remains to be seen and depends on the outcome of his trial however, this hit me like a sack of bricks and could surely sting for a while. More than any other quarterback I wanted to see him succeed in revolutionizing the quarterback position and I still wish him all the best on the field in 2007, but I harbor no regret or sympathy for him in this situation. It doesn't seem fitting that instead of Ray Lewis or the Tampa Buccaneers, a dogfighting ring called the Bad Newz Kennels could eventually sack Vick permanently.
Expect 2007 to be a year to remember for Michael Vick and here's to hoping that this grounded falcon will keep on flying well into 2008... and beyond. So brace yourself for another year of fresh legal jargon, speculation, "motions" in no way related to the gridiron, press conferences and reintroduce yourself to Roger Cossack because it's been a while but don't fret because the at the rate today's athletes are going, he'll have a full time gig.
--D.J. Dunson

Full Michael Vick coverage
P.S. Is it just me or am I the only one not questioning the Falcons trading Matt Schaub. I'd take D.J. Shockley's potential and Joey Harrington's proven talent over Schaub's $48 million dollar mystery any day.

Beyond 756: Part 1

2007-08-29T10:54:00.001-07:00
Beyond 756: Next Stop, The Road To 869

Part 1
Congratulations Barry Bonds on passing Hank Aaron to become Major League Baseball's new Home Run King. Cue the triumphant orchestra for the most polarizing figure in American sports who has been the center of one of the most turbulent period in American sports history it's been a long strange journey laden with with obstacles at every corner.

Over the course of the past two weeks we've gotten to know Bonds' immediate family better than the Huxtables as he attempted to clear the final hurdle on the road to 756. I felt like I was watching Bonds on Bonds reruns every night during a surprising run of exciting extra inning, walk-off RBI winning baseball games.

It was a swing like any other we've ever seen yet it was a swing more majestic than any we've ever seen in a transcendent moment. On August, 7th 2007 at 8:50 PT, on a night which I realized the WNBA was still intact, a 3-2 pitch was driven 435 feet by Bonds to the deepest part of right field after a thundering swing of his maple bat which gave the Giants a 5-4 lead. As he trotted around the bases the buzz was electric throughout the confines of ~~SBC~~ AT&T Park.

Five years to the day MLB players agreed to be tested, Barry Bonds obliterated Major League Baseball's all-time home run record, Bonds lifted the weight of the world off his shoulders and officially put a nail in the coffin of the turbulent Steroid Era.

I've come to terms with Barry's place in history. He is the symbol of an era, unique from the rest of baseball history, after all Jose Conseco is the baseball historian of our generation . On a baseball timeline, the era from 1980 to 1990 will inevitable be placed in parentheses. Even if he is innocent, the negativity directed towards this era will be too much for him to overcome. Yet unlike, McGwire Bonds had accomplished things as a player before his alleged use began that steroids could not be attributed too. His resume speaks for itself-- nearly 3,000 hits, 756 home runs and counting, in additon to 514 stolen bases a myriad of Golden Gloves and is on pace to become the only player in Major League Basenball history with 2,000 RBI's besides Hank Aarn despite being walked considerably more than anyone to ever play the game.

After wringing my brain for months, I've come to a final conclusion. You see the perception of steroids in baseball is a recent concoction of society. 10, 15 years ago the perception of steroids in our society was much different but since then it has evolved the same way it has involved on race since the 1930's and the same way the use of aluminum bats is being debated in college baseball and other leagues. Not only were steroids rampant in wrestling, football, and body building but they were also widespread throughout the underbelly of baseball.

86 years ago Babe Ruth broke the home run record as a heavy drinking, gluttonous outfielder who probably thought weight training had something to do with competitive eating and 43 years later, Hank Aaron was a frail outfielder by todays standards, who never knew, or needed to know the definition of a tape measure Home Run. Take a borderline NFL running back like Ron Dayne stuff in the Giants backfield in 1970 and his career resembles that of a Hall of Famer than a journeyman.

As for the unfair advantage that steroids bring, they will always be there, chemicals or not. Some guys will work their tails off in the off-season, while others simply eat themselves out the league. Look at the career arcs of John Kruk(who's younger than Bonds, believe it or not) and Barry Bonds or Tiger Woods and John Daly, who was once had very prospering golf career. Hw good would the round and rotund David Wells have been if he had given any credence towards the prospect of conditioning. Mickey Mantle, himself drastically shortened his career when he began drinking alcohol heavily early in his career

The disconnect began when the negative medical aspects of steroids began to come to light, the same way the dangers of weight loss drugs are now beginning to gather attention. Is it fair to look back with today's perceptions? Even former Saints head coach Jim Haslett recently disclosed taking steroids as a player-- with about half the 1970's Pittsburgh Steelers!

This is not the first time scientific advancement has beget raw ability and it won't be the last. Heck, the LPGA's rules even allow transexuals on the pro tour! Michael Witte of Editor & Publisher asserts ridiculously that Bonds' elbow brace is being used not only for protection but also as a "mechanical assistant. The apparatus locks at the elbow when the lead arm is fully elongated because of a small flap at the top of the bottom section that fits into a groove in the bottom of the top section. The locked arm forms a rigid front arm fulcrum that allows extraordinary, maximally efficient explosion of the levers of Bonds' wrists. Basically, Bonds hands are quicker than those of average hitters because of his mechanical "assistant."

How about double amputee track star, Oscar Pistorius, born without fibulas, who is attempting to qualify for the 400 meters at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing?

Pistorius who runs with prosthetics called Cheetahs has caused an uproar in the track and field community because of the ridiculous notion that ~~his lack of a fibula bones~~ the structure of his prosthetics which allegedly allow him to have a longer stride than someone with their naturally-born legs. within his prosthetics gives him a competitive advantage. However, if the Cheetahs made their users better, then why aren't other Cheetah users able to compete with Pistorius? No one else using the Cheetahs is even as fast as Pistorius, not because of the technology but because of his speed.

During Sportcenter's "This Is Your Life" coverage of Barry Bonds' 756th home run, they ran the gambit of special guests including Barry's ~~ex-wife, his 1st grade English teacher, Bobby Bonds~~, ex-teammates, Lance Williams(the author of Game of Shadows), former competitors, Dusty Baker, Baseball Hall of Famers and Giants beat writers (from the Sacramento Bee?) the only person missing was his angry ex mistress Kimberly Bell.

One of the most resonating positive statements was made by ESPN's Baseball Tonight analyst John Kruk who said he first marveled at Bonds' ability back when he[Bonds] was a 24 year old rookie in 1986. The only two players he ever saw with a swing as pure as Bonds' were from the bats of Ken Griffey and Alex Rodriguez. Yet why he would taint such a marvelous career with the potential black cloud of steroids baffles many to this day.

Years from now we'll remember the 2007 Major League Baseball season for a number of significant reasons from Roger "Johnny Appleseed" Clemens' final return to the Yankees, A-Rod's 500th, Glavine's 300th and Frank Thomas' 500th. (Ironic that the Yankees hitting has them back in the Wild Card race instead of the expensive pitching services of ~~Carl Pavano~~ Roger Clemens)

From grand jury's to federal investigations ranging from tax evasion and perjury charges to the wrath of Bud Selig he has endured it all (so far)and outlasted even the toughest foes. As he wielded his bat with the skill and dexterity that a certain frontiersman once exhibited with his mighty axe, he knocked pitch after pitch after pitch out of AT&T Park into the depths of McCovey Cove.

Yet with great power came incredible accusations abut the suspicious origins of his record breaking success. . Steroid corruption infected the clubhouse from the bat boys, team trainers, team doctors, to the blissfully ignorant owners, management and I'll bet the managers as well.
He came into the game as a slender, quick, crafty and powerful outfielder with the Pirates of Pittsburgh.

As he began to near American baseball's immortality he had craved for so long, the detractors became increasingly vitriolic and injury began to quicken his body's deterioration as the intense scrutiny began to chip at his stone will.

2005's Game of Shadow which disclosed the detailed the steps Bonds took to achieve immortality and alleged his late power surge was paved with needles, syringes and cremes was more revealing than Halftime at Super Bowl XXXIX and severely tarnished his legacy.

The speculation that drugs took Bonds to the zenith of baseball was troubling. And as we know drugs of all kinds are harmful for you. Look what cocaine did to the lives and careers of Lawrence Taylor and Barack Obama. Marijuana nearly ruined Randy Moss, Calvin Johnson, Gaines Adams and Amobi Okoye. OK, bad examples.

When Congress detained Greg Anderson for his unwavering loyalty to Bonds, Barry kept homering on. Unlike the Dowd Report which banned Barry Bonds, George Mitchell's efforts may eventually prove to be futile.

For many I understand rooting for Barry Bonds to break Hank Aaron's HR record would have been like cheering for Craig Biggio after he gets plunked by his record breaking 287th pitch. Does he really deserve credit for this accomplishment or in Barry's case does BALCO deserve the credit? (Why does baseball even keep that stat?)

Unfortunately, the ambiguous fans who seem more confused than an 80 year old former NFL tight end with Alzheimers at a family reunion on whether to boo or celebrate whenever he hits another monumental home run will remain but Pedro Gomez will have to move out of Barry's basement and get his own place.

What's interesting is that as everyone is gaging the reaction of fans to his milestone HR's however looking down the road what will the scene be like at his Cooperstown Induction? Will fans make it their priority to tarnish his day or can time heal all wounds?

My solution. Take Pete Rose, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, (not Sosa because I've never heard an inkling of credible evidence against him) and place them in the same Cooperstown induction class. Not all were associated with steroids but each has been surrounded by swirling controversy which has tarnished their legacy. It's the Hall of Fame and like it or not, each was the embodiment of fame both on and off the field in their careers.

Plain and simple is that Bonds is a better than Henry Aaron or Babe Ruth, the same way Kobe Bryant, regardless of eras is a better player than Michael Jordan. His impeccable bat speed, hand eye coordination, awe inspiring power, flawless fielding ability and intelligence lent to his professional baseball bloodlines and helped him attain 7 MVP awards in 22 seasons.

>>> Part 2

The NBA's Off-season Drama... Or Comedy

2007-08-29T10:46:00.000-07:00
The NBA's Off-Season DramaJune 23, 2007

Welcome to the Dunson Files, where you’ll eventually enter a state of mind numbing madness. This is how it’s going to happen. I’ll slowly venture into a single topic, then, gradually delve into an array of random tangents in a more organized form of ADD. Sooner or later though, I’ll arrive back at my topic with a point in hand. The Lord isn’t the only one who works in mysterious ways.
It’s summer time again and with baseball in full swing but the playoffs still 4 months away, the season of speculation and trade rumors has begun. In the past month, according to the gullible media Kobe Bryant, Barry Bonds, Kevin Garnett, and the entire Celtics front office + Doc Rivers have been placed on the trading block. However, I’m going to expound on the state of the most high profile threesome without a DVD—the Celtics, Lakers and T’Wolves.

Though I think that Kobe’s griping after only three years is a little premature since he’s only three years removed from his last NBA Finals appearance, I understand his angle.

However, the problem with this Lakers team isn’t just mediocre talent but it’s their archaic offensive philosophy. In an age where half court sets are giving way to a faster, smaller league which thrives on scoring on the break, it appears bringing Phil Jackson back for another dance was the wrong choice. Teams which lack dominant big men have begun instituting quicker, more versatile and up tempo offenses. As successful as Jackson and his signature triangle offense had been in the past, the League is evolving.

Immediately following the Lakers abrupt playoff elimination, Kobe all but demanded a wholesale revamping of the Lakers roster. “Do something,” Bryant told reporters in Phoenix, “and do it now. The problem for me is frustration, 3 years from now and we’re still at Ground Zero.” The problem for the Lakers is that they’ve already committed to a system which is hurting them. Two years ago, in the wake of an abysmal regular season, they traded away Caron Butler in exchange for underachieving center Kwame Brown. While Caron Butler has developed into an All-Star forward, Kwame is still a serviceable big man who holds the ignominious honor of the lowest points per game average for a number one overall pick in NBA history.

In essence, the Lakers are the anti-Yankees; a franchise building with young, budding talent such as Kwame, Luke Walton and Andrew Bynum, none of these players possesses the potential to become a complementary piece on a championship contender. The dilemma is that with Kobe Bryant, the Lakers have become a middling franchise. They win just enough games to stay competitive but in the process avoid being in position to draft top tier players in the early picks of the Draft. While teams including the Celtics, Bucks and Grizzlies have faced criticism for their apparent tanking in their futile hopes of acquiring Greg Oden or Kevin Durant, they may have actually salvaged the careers of their respective superstars Paul Pierce and Michael Redd. –3/4/2007

As for Kobe Bryant, if I could give him a kibitzer, I would advise him to be patient and lay off Bynum, because whether you realize this or not, you’re in a better predicament than most observers believe. As skeptical as I have been at times of Andrew Bynum, he has shown flashes of brilliance from time to time and even though he’ll be entering his third season as a pro Bynum is still only 4 months older than Greg Oden. Kobe needs to stay put because the sports world is unpredictable and sometimes with teams unexpected results occur.

Must I remind you of the cautionary tale of another high schooler taken 4 spots after Bryant in the ’96 Draft by the Portland Trailblazers? While Kobe was putting the finishing touches on denying the Portland Trailblazers an NBA championship, I’ll never be able to shake the image of the young and talented Jermaine O’Neal wasting away on the Portland bench.

During the 2000 offseason he was traded to the Pacers and hasn’t looked back since becoming a perennial All-Star and Olympian while the Blazers have retreated into a state of complete disarray.

I just pray that Bryant changes his shady disposition in the next 4 months and takes Bynum under his wing this season or he could ruin a career. If the young and impressionable Bynum senses that Kobe lacks faith in him, his confidence could plummet and his potential obliterated in what I’ll coin as the Kwame Effect.

Kwame Effect

While there were others before him, Kwame Brown is the ultimate case study. After being drafted Brown’s first and second seasons were marred by the perfect combination of lofty expectations, verbal and psychological abuse from teammate Michael Jordan who often derided the young fella’ until he permanently unnerved the guy.

Mentally after the way, Jordan rode him every day in practice and chastised him publicly his confidence was visibly shattered.
` In his final days as a ~~Bullet~~ Wizard, Gilbert Arenas was forced to coerce the home crowd into not booing Brown when he entered the game. Brown's response was to threaten to punch Gilbert Arenas.

Another athlete who has suffered from the Kwame Effect is former Detroit Piston, Darko Milicic who’s first two seasons were filled with a bevy of splinters plus constant jabbing by head coach Larry Brown in practice and through the media.

Personally, I just can’t give up on Kwame and I hopelessly wait for the day he just turns that corner. It’s happened for Chandler, who has transformed into a rebounding machine and Eddy Curry who has become a legit All-Star caliber center. Unlike Kwame however, scouts say Bynum is gradually developing into an elite center. Before he does though, I just hope he does not resort to punching Kobe.

‘Truth’ be told though, of the NBA’s marquee players, the one who’s situation is most concerning has to be the Celtics’ resident superstar Paul Pierce. For the past 8 seasons Pierce has quietly carved out a legacy as one of the top scoring guards in our modern era behind Bryant and McGrady (Random thought: Am I the only one noticing the declining impact of the small forward in today’s game? But I digress....)

In terms of longevity, Pierce has outperformed Ray Allen, Vince Carter, Gilbert Arenas, Michael Redd and Dwayne Wade without a fraction of the fanfare. And therein lays the problem.

How a player of his caliber has remained under the radar to the casual fan for one of the most storied franchises in professional sports should make Bill Simmons cringe.

When did it get so hopeless for the Celtics that Kevin Garnett, one of the most unpretentious and frustrated players in the NBA expresses disinterest in a sure deal which would land him opposite Pierce in the Celtics lineup? Beside the fact that K.G. seems solely focused on the Phoenix Suns this year or in 2008, Garnett loved the Los Angeles Lakers as a child, and idolized Lakers legend Magic Johnson. However, a franchise whose arena is adorned with a myriad of championship banners and more retired numbers in its hollowed rafters than any franchise in professional sports could not pry Garnett from his frozen coffin in Minnesota for just one season?

A short list of the legends who have donned the Celtic green and white include Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, John Havlicek (the Celtics all-time leading scorer not…) and Larry Bird. Should I continue? I’ll do it anyway.

The Celtic HOF studded B-list is littered with names that would put every single team besides the Lakers to shame such as Ed Macauley (MVP of the very 1^st NBA All-Star Game played in—Boston Garden), Nate Archibald (the original Answer to Allen Iverson), Tommy “Gun” Heinsohn, JoJo White, K.C. Jones, Bill Sharman, Sam Jones, Dave Cowens, Robert Parish, Bill Walton, D.J. Johnson, Paul Silas, Kevin McHale, Cedric Maxwell and Reggie Lewis. Excuse the excessive namedropping but I needed a reprieve from this travesty but I’m sure somewhere Big Red was just reminded of the good old days.

Auerbach’s Apprentices

That’s right folks! Kevin McHale, one of the worst GM’s in NBA history and one of the best power forwards in NBA history could not sell K.G. on his former team.

It’s painfully obvious, these guys didn't take notes from Auerbach, arguably the best general manager and talent evaluator in the history of sports. It’s ironic that Danny Ainge (see picture below, I didn’t realize it was him at first either) one of the guys he brought in—has torn down the ‘House That Red Built’. Meanwhile, McHale has created one of the worst environments besides the Minnesota climate. You gotta love how McHale tried to throw his pal Danny Ainge a bone but Garnett didn't bite.

To me, this McHale & Ainge tragedy is playing out like a sitcom cross between Sanford and Son, Playmakers and The Producers (for those who don’t know it’s a comedic play about two con-men who attempt to cheat theatre investors out of their money in a Broadway flop. Sound familiar?)
"Coming to ABC, in the fall a comedy based on the true story of two bumbling NBA general managers living under the same roof as their legendary mentor, Red Auerbach in 8 Simple Rules For Running My NBA Franchise"

Just contact Michael J. Fox to audition for the role of Ainge, Paul McCartney as Kevin McHale and this guy from Arrested Development as the younger, wisecracking but demanding father figure, Red Auerbach. Bill Walton would frequently appear as the kooky neighbor who offers up his sage, philosophical advice on Western Civilization, basketball or both(you gotta see his real estate agent crossed with a sexual predator look) whenever Ainge and McHale get in a jam ala Wilson from Home Improvement(Walton once compared the Suns’ acquisition of Boris Diaw to the ushering in of the Age of Romanticism by Beethoven.). Larry Bird could co-star in a few episodes as the overachieving son who the Danny and Kevin are still trying to live up to.
Seriously I’m working on a script and treatment right after the draft because I'll have more real life material after that.) In fact what better script for a sports pilot than the NBA Draft? Of course just like LOST, I'd use flashbacks to describe how they ran their respective teams into the ground.
Ainge: "We have to go back Kevin."
McHale: "We Can't"
Ainge: "We gotta get back to the playooofffs!!!"

McHale Theory

In my opinion, I don’t believe McHale is as inept as he pretends to be. As a matter of fact, I have a very simple theory on why he could never provide K.G. with the assistance he needed. It came to me during the NBA Finals when my mind was drifting towards the NBA draft. As Mark Jackson was rounding out his Fave 5(another shameless Nextel promotion), I heard Kevin Garnett’s name mentioned as I wasn’t paying that much attention—it was Game 2 and I was busy watching highlights of the 02-03 Cleveland Cavaliers(Sidenote: the 02-03 Cavs won 17 games, fewer than the Ohio State Buckeyes basketball team at a time when the best basketball team in Ohio was St. Vincent St. Mary's HIGH SCHOOL.) A few moments later I look up and notice he has Kevin McHale at number five on his list of the top power forwards of all time. Ignoring the fact that he left off the immortal Bob Petit, it suddenly hit me like Carlos Zambrano’s right hook.

McHale isn’t a complete dunce, after all it was his decision to draft Garnett, he just wants to preserve his legacy. Somewhere during the development of Garnett he noticed his incredible athleticism, unrivaled intensity and realized K.G. was developing into a player better than he was, which was acceptable as long as he wasn’t leaving the first round of the playoffs.

This way, even though history would recognize K.G. as the better forward, McHale would always be more lionized for his winning mien. How would you feel if you’ve been the best salesman for 10 years, got promoted then heard through the grapevine that the guy who replaced you is even better. As his boss you’d probably be inclined make his life and job even harder. Give him a few extra tasks, projects and pretty much anything to make his job harder than yours was.

It was the perfect plan until he accidentally assembled a sufficient supporting cast which took the Garnett and the T’wolves to the brink of NBA glory. The next season, instead of attempting to appease the T’Wolves components he executed the next phase of his well formulated plan to divide and conquer the team from within. Here's his manifesto:

1) Secretly send Commissioner Stern, a detailed letter describing our illegal secret agreement with Joe Smith under the veil of “an informant”. After all that we'll sign Smith next season as a daily reminder of the three first round picks he’s lost because of one of the biggest draft busts of all time(8.5 ppg, 6.2 rebounds for Joe Smith’s career)

2) Deny Sam Cassell a contract extension and trade him to the Clippers, he won’t win anything there.

3) Get Sprewell's mind off of basketball by forcing him onto welfare to feed his kids ala “Pursuit of Happiness’

4) Acquire a malcontent, preferably a ball hawking showboat to replace Sprewell. Is Ricky Davis available?

5) Retool the roster to resemble the Bad News Bears.

6) Replace one of the best point guards he's every played with a one-dimensional, no defense player, with a propensity for firing off errant shots and whose decision making skills reminds fans of a Turrets Syndrome patient. It'll be like snatching the bike from some kid and replacing it with a four wheeler and a seat that's to small. It'll drive him nuts.
Who would suspect in-house sabotage at the hands of an adored Hall of Famer who moonlights as a former Beatle. I have got to work that into my script.
My other concern is for the future generations in the NBA. In my vastly irrelevant opinion, free agency and expansion did not usher in this era consisting of the top players starring on cellar dweller teams, maximum contracts did. Whenever, a team signs a player to another 100-120 million dollar contract, it restricts their ability to acquire other talent down the line at other positions. Thus, we arrive at this juncture, where a generation of elite players gripe over their team’s woes while simultaneously stuffing their piggy banks.

How has the value of superstars depreciated so drastically since the turn of the millennium? (The argument could be made: Would you send Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer and Kirilenko for Kobe Bryant? What would at one time have been considered a boneheaded trade, is now considered a reasonable option.) In this era of dynasties, such as the Patriots, Spurs and Pistons the concept of collecting superstar athletes has taken a back seat to the overall team concept.

If K.G. and Kobe are truly intent on winning NBA championships, they’ll set aside their egos, be content with the 100’s of millions of dollars they have accumulated over the course of their careers, and sign contracts for considerably less money with a contender or with their current franchises allowing them to actually acquire All-Star talent around them. But hey what do I know?

--D.J. Dunson

___________________________________________________________________

Quote of the Week

In this ESPN article on Barry Bonds' security detail as he approaches 754 Wardlaw, the man who protected Aaron, recalls April 8, 1974, and how he nearly overreacted (that’s an understatement) when Aaron circled the bases after hitting his record-breaking 715th home run and a pair of college-aged kids ran onto the field to join him.

Wardlaw, distracted by a giant hug Aaron's wife, Billye, was giving him at the time, didn't see the two men until they were next to Aaron.

"It was my fault," Wardlaw said. "My gut feeling was that they weren't threatening. But I still wish that had not happened. Over the years, a lot of guys have asked, 'Why didn't you shoot at them?' Well, about the worst thing I could have done is miss them with a .38 and shoot Hank. You're talking about going down in infamy. You're talking about taking one of the greatest moments in our sports history and turning it into a fiasco. And that's the last thing I wanted to do."

Image of the Week

Magic Conundrum & Billy D's Furture

2007-08-29T10:36:00.000-07:00
Magic Conundrum and The Future For Billy D.

Boy, Billy Donovan sure knows how to make a team feel special. By abandoning the Magic to return to his Gator-topia, he may have avoided one of the biggest mistakes of his career and for the second time forced me to write about him.

It’s too bad he didn’t heed the advice of Coach K, who faced a similar predicament when the Los Angeles Lakers offered him the head coaching position three years ago. However, the major difference between the two men lies in their decision making process.

Coach K mulled over his decision for what seemed like an eternity to view every possible perspective and appeared ready to accept the challenge until he received a last second plea from a passionate Duke fan, which altered his decision.

Donovan meanwhile, rushed through his decision making process, did not hasten to jump at the Orlando Magic’s Gator-bait and in the process nearly affected the future of another head coach—Anthony Grant. The Florida Gators who had been courting the former Florida assistant, nearly put both coaches careers in limbo on Saturday afternoon.

Can you imagine the moral and professional obligation that Jeremy Foley would have been facing, if Grant had hopped on that private jet back to Florida, accepted the head coaching position at a televised press conference only to have it retracted hours later?

One of two scenarios would have occurred. Either Foley would have simply taken the high road siphoned off Anthony Grant and welcome back Billy Donovan with open arms or he would have had to tell Billy D. to "hit the road jack" and head back to his lucrative NBA career.

But this is a moot point because at the last second Billy Donovan senses finally overruled his cents, 2.5 billion of them to be exact, at the 11th & a half hour. Well, with the past behind and the University of Florida in his immediate future, Donovan’s coaching future has two directions it could take at this point.

Scenario A
With the stipulations of his contract nullification being arranged at this moment, if Donovan wants to regain the faith of Gators fans, he should accept the Orlando Magic’s 5 year NBA ban, under the No-Compete Clause with no apprehension.

Not only will this quell the NBA rumors which will swirl for years to come but it should strengthen his recruiting pitch for prospects knowing that the only coaching job he would value over the Gators is inaccessible to him.

In this timeline, top basketball recruits will steadily ebb and flow into Gainesville. Meanwhile, Donovan will gradually attain iconic status on a football-centric campus—right behind Urban Meyer. Following his third national title, and then his fourth a few seasons later, athletic director Urban Meyer and the Board of Regents will agree to anoint the O’Connell Center, Billy D. Court.

In 2027, Donovan will finally make the decision to retire as Florida head coach, promising to spend more time with hiswife and grandkids, only to cry uncontrollably during his Farewell Speech. Heading home filled with regret, he’ll inform his wife that his heart still lies at Florida. After a few days of difficult negotiating, he’ll convince her to give him her blessings with the stipulation that he will sleep on the couch for the next 5 days.
Scenario B
My second scenario doesn't foresee such an auspicious ending fr Donovan and the Gators, Unable to shake the stigma of seeming discontentful, overambitious, and indecisive at Florida, elite recruits will hesitate signing with the Gators. (Patrick Patterson, already stated this reason as one of the factors in him committing to Kentucky over Florida.)
With the talent unavailable to sustain his previous levels of success, Donovan will and the Gators will struggle to reach the Sweet 16 the of the NCAA tournament.
With his NBA stocking declining, and his enthusiasm for coaching at Florida waning, he'll jump to the NBA as either an assistant or head coach.

This newest skid mark on the Orlando Magic’s petrous road to redemption is atypical of their franchise’s dubious and dysfunctional history. For a team which began with auspicious beginning in 1989, their fortunes have slowly crumbled into shambles. For all intensive purposes they remind me of the NBA version of the Boston Red Sox.

It’s been described as Hollywood East because of it’s bevy of tourist attractions, however, throughout, the NBA it has been ridiculed for it’s lack of fan support and for the past 18 years, the Magic have been one of the most poorly run and ill-fated franchises in the NBA. Unlike the ~~cheap, frugal~~ fiscally responsible Clippers and the Magic are willing to spend the cash to turn the franchise into a winner. In addition, unlike the recent tragic decline of the Boston Celtics, they don't have a storied past or a single NBA legend who left behind a legacy in a Magic uniform or a Conference Finals appearance as recent as 2002(to all those Boston fans. Enjoy your All-Pro NFL dynasty and your 162 game lead over the Yankees. If the Celtics are cursed, then so are the Knicks, Suns, Golden State Warriors, SuperSonics and Washington ~~Bullets~~ who vicariously constructed the current Detroit Pistons.Look at the roster.) But again, I digress...)

Sure they may have an NBA Finals appearance on their resume, but the wasted opportunities have been plentiful. While drafting Shaquille O’Neal with the #1 pick in the 1992 NBA Draft may be the crowning achievement in their history, it was their handling of their other number one selection, which may have sealed their bleak fate.

In the wake of a .500 season, which earned them the 11th worst record in the NBA, and miniscule odds of attaining the #1 pick in the draft lottery. On that night, in 1993, a life preserver from the basketball heavens descended into GM and chief operating officer, Pat Williams’ of the Orlando Magic’s laps.

However, on Draft night a month later the Magic figuratively drowned. Instead of pairing the finesse and athleticism of Chris Webber, with the physically overwhelming post presence of Shaquille O’Neal, Webber was immediately shipped off for the wildly overrated Penny Hardaway.
Don’t take this the wrong way but as good as Penny was in his prime which lasted all of 5 seasons, Chris Webber would lay claim to being one of the top two NBA power forwards over the next 12 seasons. Instead of molding the most dominant front court this side of Duncan and Robinson, the Magic would settle for Shaq and a poor man’s Tracy McGrady.
Following, the ’95 season, the Magic would lose the incomparable Shaquille O’Neal with no compensation to free agency.

With Shaq no longer around to carry the bulk of the load, and with injuries abound, Penny’s career would fall apart.

Sidenote: One of there most underrated acquisitions would be the procuration of Ben Wallace in the offseason of 1999.

Their opportunity for redemption would arrive 6 seasons after the exodus of Shaq, when the Magic set their sights on the trio of Tim Duncan, Grant Hill, and Tracy McGrady.

Instead, Duncan would remain in Texas defending The Alamo, Grant Hill would descend into an injury mired era comparable to baseball’s Ken Griffey Jr. while McGrady would develop into a perennial All-Star and the top scorer in the League on a mediocre team.

In the one of the cruelest ironies, Grant Hill would be traded from the Pistons to the Magic in exchange for the package of young Ben Wallace and Chucky Atkins in what was at the time considered the most one-sided trade in NBA history. However, history now remembers this as the trade which provided the Pistons not the Magic with the vital component to their championship team.

Ben Wallace would proceed to have the more productive career after The Trade, by winning 4 Defensive Player of the Year Awards(second only to Dikembe Mutumbo) and most importantly, an NBA title in the six years since.
Who remembers the ill conceived acquisitions of Dominique Wilkins on the perimeter and a creeky Patrick Ewing roaming the paint for the Magic? If you don't that's okay, no one does.

Tracy McGrady would never leave the first round as a member of the Orlando Magic after ironically capitulating a 3-1 series lead to the Detroit Pistons in 7 games in the ’03 playoffs.

In his fourth season with the Magic, problems with team chemistry, coaching, and management forced Orlando into a downward spiral. The season ended with Orlando failing to reach the playoffs and an impatient McGradyseeking a trade.

With a history that bleak, it’s no wonder Billy D. reneged. But he wasn’t the only high profile Magic employee under contract to turn the other cheek to the Orlando in recent years. 2005 first round draft pick, Fran Vazquez accepted the Magic’s rookie contract only to dupe management and return to Europe for slightly more cash.

Last season, we even witnessed Steve Francis’ once flourishing career mushroom right before our eyes. Dwight Howard is progressing at an accelerated rate, but their 2006 first round pick J.J. Reddick is decomposing on the bench for 48 minutes a night and the coach they hired Donovan to replace was the same man they dumped a decade ago!
Even now, the fate of their summer rests on whether to take a gamble and re-sign Darko Milicic to a lucrative contract based n his "potential".
Though Shaq has publicly stated that one of his post career ambitions was to buy the team but how far in the future could that be?
This franchise is a mess and they need a savior soon or else they can wave Adios! to Dwight Howard sometime in the near future. Until then the Magic Conundrum continues...
Links

Why does the media love to criticize the Oregon Ducks uniforms so often? I came across this link which ranked five of the ugliest Oregon unis of all time. In fact, they don’t even have the ugliest uniforms in the southwest corner of Oregon. If you wanna find those look no further than the bra straps the Oregon State Beavers will be wearing in 2007.
But his by far has to be the worst list of uniform rankings of all-time(In fact, maybe I should create a list ranking The Worst Rankings Of All-Time). Check out #3 and #1. Just click on The Worst College Football Uniforms Of All Time, Non-Oregon Edition (another Oregon cheap shot.)
Is it just me or does this seem to me like SI is predicting an NBA Finals Sweep? Bold Stance, blatant disrespect.
This photo below advertising the NBA Finals was posted on NBA.com, today! The image is a screenshot of what you'll see if you visit NBA.com/unbelievable. Something seems out of place. I just can't put my finger on it...

Quote of the Week
"NASCAR drivers don't use their legs, they use their feet. Placing your foot on and off the pedal does not require strength or conditioning. It is repetitive and retarded. So instead – accelerate, brake and bite me."

NASCAR is the only sport in America that allows spectators to bring coolers full of alcohol into the stadium. ... Alcohol is all well and good, but I am not cool with Billy Bob and Mary Ann conceiving a child on the track's infield. I'm sorry sport fans, but I don't think a brother and sister should be doing that sort of thing."
Quote of the Week II
"One more thing: Years from now, we will remember "Yao Ming over Jay Williams" the same way we remember "Bowie over Jordan," "Traylor for Nowitzki," "Carroll for McHale and Parish," "Aguirre over Thomas" and every other great draft day blunder in NBA history. I'm not just predicting it, I'm guaranteeing it."-- Bill Simmons in an ESPN article 5 years ago. Actually, this is the quote that he'll never live dwn for sooo many reasons.
This article has to be the greatest piece of anti-NASCAR bashing I have ever read, heard or imagined.
Scot Pollard of the Cavs giving his stance n drugs.