A Letter To The Quarterbacks

Rewriting History

If you are Peyton Manning, you have to be loving this. Freeney is not a hundred percent and all the pundits say your team is going to lose because you don't have arguably your best defensive player. You have been doubted before in your career. You couldn't beat Florida, you wouldn't win a playoff game, you'll never beat the Patriots, you'll never win a Super Bowl. The naysayers have had a field day on what you couldn't do and you exorcised most of those demons. They question your speed, you ability to think on the fly, the efficiency of your coach, but you have proved them all wrong. Now you stand on the cusp of history. Win and you immediately leap past Brady as the quarterback of the decade. A second Super Bowl win puts you in the rarefied air of Montana, and Elway, the great of the greats. What will you make of this opportunity Peyton? Will you take this opportunity to seize the moment and rewrite history? Or will the absence of Freeney make you crumble under pressure? All year you have shown the ability to rise to the occasion. Now with all on the line an your team needing you now more than ever, will we see the guy who let Steve Spurrier torment him, or cerebral assassin who dissected Bill Belichik in 2006 and Rex Ryan and his defense in AFC Championship game? Sunday is your chance to rewrite history.


A Brees Of Fresh Air




So here you are carrying the weight of a franchise and city on your shoulder. a shoulder that was reconstructed. Your original team tossed you to the side after you led them to back to back playoff appearances. They brought in a young gun-slinger to replace you because you weren't tall enough in the pocket. Scouts, gm's and defenders have always doubted your size. The funny thing is no doubts your heart Drew. Initially you wanted to go to Miami to be partnered with Nick Saban and restore the glory to the Fins. The doctors said you had a 25% chance of playing again. The Dolphins did not want you. So it was off to New Orleans. A franchise that has never been to a Super Bowl, and only won 1 playoff game in its 20 some odd year existence. Then Katrina almost turned that city into a wasteland. Most guys would have ran away from the anguish and turmoil that the Saints were facing, instead you took on the responsibility of rebuilding the city. You recognized the love affair that this city has with its football team, and where others crumbled under the weight, you embraced it and made the Saints America's new team. Now on the cusp of you own personally history, you can elevate this franchise to champions. This city can experience a brand new rebirth from a Super Bowl title. The Tampa Bay Bucs are the only team to win the Super Bowl in their first appearance, Drew you can join that elite company if you win on Sunday.

5 days to the Super Bowl... and I can't wait

Character versus Championship

Is It Worth It?

Texas is currently the No. 1 team in the country until the new poll comes out and with Kentucky rolling through Arkansas,they will be on top of the polls. I don't have a problem with fans loving their school and thinking they are the best but I wonder at what cost do fans look past the character of players and coaches in order to have another banner raised in their gym?


The Salesman


Everywhere John Calipari has been the school or team has been left in worse shape than when before he got there. While at UMass, Marcus Camby received payments from an agent and the schools only Final four appearance was vacated. Calipari said he knew nothing about the payments but others feel otherwise. At Memphis, the school had to vacate all the wins in its most recent Final four run because of ineligible players as well as other wrongdoings by the school. Calipari drug out his leaving for the University of Kentucky by waiting several days to announce it. During his wait, he called all the recruits that were committed to Memphis and informed them he was leaving for Kentucky. The nations number one class fell apart, some went to Kentucky with John because of his promises. I don't fault him for going to Kentucky, he has a chance to be at a major university and compete with the big boys. The problem I have with him is that when he talks he is constantly selling himself and not the program. Its like listening to a used car salesman when he speaks and his actions seem to follow a car salesmen.Kentucky fans are all giddy that they have Calipari and his recruits, but in the end the school will probably have to vacate wins and any banners they get. Is it all the drama worth it to Wildcat Nation? They believe so.

The Un-Wildcats

John Wall and Demarcus Cousins are talented basketball players. Wall will be the number 1 pick in the NBA draft and probably could have skipped college. Cousins has decent size and some team will take a chance on him in the lottery. When I watch them play and what I believe will be the downfall of this Kentucky team is that these two guys play for themselves and not the team. On top of that, they both carry a lot of baggage. Wall has an arrest on his record and is not very disciplined. If you want to know about his character this says a lot. Roy Williams, coach of UNC did not recruit him and Wall lived in North Carolina. Duke was listed as a team that Wall was interested in but the school did not entertain him playing there even though they had a need at point guard. Some of the top schools stayed away because of Wall's flash. A lot of flash but not a lot of substance. Cousins is a kid who has been hyped and hyped and truly just thinks he is above reproach. You can tell Cousins doesn't respect other people or coaches for that matter. I saw the Wildcats first game and Cousins was out of position on a few plays and then got two quick fouls. Cal pulled him from the game and Cousins started yelling at his coach and then pouted as he sat on the bench. The look on Calipari's face was what that of what have I gotten myself into. A coach's job is to try and help and improve a player. Cousins thinks he knows it all and is not teachable. In their rivalry game against Louisville, on a loose ball Cousins threw an elbow at an opposing player and didn't get caught. He should have been kicked out of the game and suspended by the league, but nothing happen to him. You need to play with and edge and a little swagger but these kids can cross the line at times and it becomes arrogance. Wildcat fans love Big Blue and want the program back on top of college basketball.


Memphis should be happy the don't have to deal with all the hype. At the end of the day, I would rather have a team full of guys that have good character than a tainted championship.

Boring Divisional Football

Bad Football Weekend

The Divisional match ups are supposed to feature the top teams but it was just bad football played this weekend. I won't even discuss the no offense Ravens against the Colts. That game was awful to watch, no rhythm by either team offensively. The Saints plowed over the no defense having Cardinals. I think the Saints still having receivers and running backs running free Ken Whisenhut. Sometimes certain teams have your number in Kurt Warner's place its a stadium. Warner is 0-3 in the Superdome for his career. Kurt was the qb with the Rams who gave the Saints their first ever playoff win in franchise history back in 2000 and then the Rams lost to the Patriots in 2001 in the Superdome. If he does retire, he will be happy not to play there anymore.

Cowboy Haze

I wonder did the Cowboys really feel like they were going to beat the Vikings at home? They did not get any pressure on Favre and Sidney Rice was running fly patterns down the field. One of Rice's TD catches, Terence Newman was just running next to him, like he didn't know he caught the ball. The Cowboys looked unprepared and disorganized. I truly believe Philips was so excited about the first playoff win that they ere not prepared to take on the Vikings. Has a player looked better in a uniform but has not done a thing on field like Roy Williams? The Cowboys traded a lot of picks and are paying him a lot of money for him to stay chiseled but not make any plays. Who would have ever said Detroit got the better end of that deal but it sure looks like they did.


Same Old Norv

With that sad, I think there are sometimes a coach can only take a team so far. Take Norv Turner for instance. The Chargers got rid of Marty Schotenheimer for not only conflict with the GM but because he could not win playoff games. Norv Turner comes in and he can't win playoff games either. The Chargers are the regular season champs every year. They had an opportunity to beat the Jets and for some inexplicable reason they didn't. Dumb personal foul penalties and other miscues plagued them yesterday. I am not taking anything away from the Jets, they kept it close and capitalized on the Chargers mistakes. But the Chargers should have never put themselves in those situations. When your field goal kicker has missed two tries and looks very uncomfortable, do you run him back out there so he can miss another field goal and give the momentum back to the Jets? It was 4 and 3 and what was beating the Jets was misdirection plays. As a coach you have to make adjustments at the half and attack the Jets with the same plays that cause them problems until they adjust. The other miscue that Turner did was the onside kick toward the end of the game. You have to kick it deep because the Jets could not move the ball on you. Giving them the short field played right into the Jets hands. Norv has not shown any ability to take the Chargers to the next step and its ashamed with all of the talent they have. I don't think the Chargers will change coaches unless they can get a proven Super Bow winning coach like a Cowher to come there. Since that won't happen, expect the Chargers to win the AFC west and crumble in the playoffs.


Pounding The Rock

I had a post a few weeks ago on why I thought the spread was killing football. I took a couple of jabs for it but I still believe that you need a solid running game to set up the pass. The Jets completely validate my point. The opposing team totally knows what they are going to do but they can't stop it. By having a terrific ground game it pressures the opposing team to crowd the line of scrimmage and Mark Sanchez can make easier throws down field. Of course the Jets don't score a lot points this way but by pounding the ball it keeps the clock moving and it shortens the amount of possessions the opposing offense has. That's why having a dominating ground game is important.

Rocky Top Not Good Enough for Lane

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

"Girl, I just want to tell you something. You have been great, I have loved being with you. But I have changed over these last 408 days and I think its best that we go our separate ways. Its not you, its me." Signed John Callapari to Memphis, Brian Kelly to Cincinnati and now Lane Kiffin to Tennessee. I love how all these guys have fed this line to their previous employers fan base. UT fans feel like they have been dumped for an A-list celebrity by Lane Kiffin, which is what he did in essence. Lane came in and energized a lethargic fan base, and the school, recruits and alums all thought this was a long term relationship. Boy were they surprised when he left them high and dry at the altar. What I don't get is how can this guy cause all this drama with a 12-21 coaching record. Tennessee fans should have saw this coming. At the Chik-Fil-A Bowl the talk was how Lane was lamenting on how UT football did not have enough scholarships to offer top notch players and that the next two years would be rough. Kiffin wasn't talking very optimistically about his future, he was whining about the situation that he was in. When he took the job, he knew the cupboard was bare because the former coach stopped recruiting. I know that Kiffin was looking for a way out and Pete Carroll going to the Seahawks provided that opening. One could argue that USC got turned down by other coaches on their list but Kiffin could have easily turned him down as well. He did not want to be at Tennessee anymore. Period.

Lane must have terrific charisma and charm because for someone with such a head coaching record, he keeps getting jobs that are better and better. Granted he took the Raider job because he knew once you have Head Coach on your resume', you can go a lot farther in football and get another job that is bigger and better. He completely must have wowed Al Davis for him not to see that coming. Once he got fired he sat back and waited until UT called and took that job with the one condition that his dad would come and coach the defense. Now Lane is smack dab in the SEC with the likes of Urban Meyer and Nick Saban. Lane came in firing shots at everyone, including the Georgia coach Mark Richt, who by accounts is one of the nicest coaches around. The young Tennessee fan base was loving his brash style and in your face approach. But in watching the team this year, you could see that the relationship between the coach and school was a bit uncomfortable. Lane with all his flash wasn't really feeling Knoxville. Its tougher to play a good game than it is to talk one.

One other little fascinating part to Lane going to SC is that the AD and board of directors want him to have Norm Chow as his offensive coordinator. Chow and Kiffin worked together previously under Carroll and when Chow left Kiffin was promoted to the OC. While Kiffin was under Chow the two butted heads repeatedly and really don't get along. Its Lane's dream job but the school really doesn't trust him completely to have him run the offense. The school has to see as good as an energy guy and recruiter that Lane is, he is only as good of a coach as his assistants.

One thing I do understand is loyalty and honoring a contract, and living in the state of Tennessee, these people believe you should honor your word. What is getting lost in all this is what we are teaching future generations about loyalty and commitment. Kids who play for the school and the coaches in college don't see their coaches really committing to them so why should they.

I know I didn't even get into the violations that Lane did at Tennessee and the USC violations that he could have possibly been in on!! If I am a Volunteer fan, I would be happy Lane is gone.

Lane Kiffin's son turned 1 today. His middle name is Knox after the city in which he was born. I wonder will he change it to Trojan?

Wild Card Weekend

Got Their Manhood Taken

If I'm a Patriot find I have to be optimistic that with two first round picks maybe the team can shore up its defense. However, what took place in Foxboro yesterday was embarrassing to that franchise. The Baltimore Ravens came in and took the Patriots manhood away by the way they physically dominated them. Patriots players say that they sort of went through the motions. That was a playoff game and they didn't want to be there. The blame falls squarely on Belichek. This was the team he assembled. He doesn't have Peoli, Crennel or Weis to take the blame for this. The defense looked old and uninspired and Brady looked mortal for one of the few times in his career. Where the Pats normally had a Bruschi or Seymour or Rodney Harrison to make a big play on defense, no one stepped up. Normally the Patriots own both lines of scrimmage and the Ravens did whatever they wanted, especially running the ball down the Pats throat. Flacco only threw the ball 10 times and was barely touched. When the Giants beat New England in the Super Bowl two years ago, people wondered if the Pats dynasty had died. Their invincibility was taken from them that night. Teams don;t look at them the same way as previously when they were winning Super Bowls. Fans hate hearing the word rebuilding but that is what's going to have to happen in Foxboro for them to compete for another championship. If you hear a loud locomotive rumbling through the East Coast, its just Ray Rice and the Ravens steamrolling out of town with the Patriots old aura of invincibility.


A Video Game Broke Out During Wild Card Weekend

Aaron Rodgers had his face mask pulled on his fumble ( I found a picture to prove it) BUT that doesn't excuse the fact that he missed Greg Jennings two plays before and that would have won the game. The Packers came in talking a lot about how they were going to dismantle the Cardinals. Neither team played any defense but Zona made a defensive play to win the game when it mattered most. It was like watching Techmo Bowl on Nintendo the way the were marching up and down the field on each other. Probably one of the most entertaining games I have ever seen. The Cardinals repeatedly tried to give the Packers the game but they refused. I don't and will probably never have a Pro football Hall of Fame vote but Kurt Warner without a doubt deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. All he does is put our outrageous numbers in the regular and postseason and people always doubt him. If he decides to hang it up this year, his next stop should definitely be Canton.

Carroll To The Seahawks?

Seattle Seahawks Going Back To School

The Seattle Seahawks have fired their head coach Jim Mora. They informed Mora earlier today that he didn't win enough games to keep his job. That could be true but in watching a few of the Seahawks that team played uninspired football. The Mora firing is only half the story. Apprantly The Seahawks have targeted Pete Carroll as their new head coach. Carroll has been wooed by NFL teams ever since he has turned USC into a football factory. The Southern Cal football program had been dormant until Pete took over in the 90's after being booted from the NFL. Carroll has always stayed true to SC but I think the mounting NCAA violations maybe pushing him to leave the school.

Reggie, Reggie!!

Carroll is scheduled to give a deposition on the alleged Reggie Bush violation that were discovered a few years ago. If the NCAA finds that Carroll or someone on his staff provided Bush or his family with improper benefits then there National Championship and Bush's Heisman trophy will be taken away. Carroll's legacy would be tarnished. By leaving and going to the Seahawks he might be able to dodge the deposition and preserve any shot at keeping his legacy intact.




Seahawks can provide Carroll with the chance to run the whole show like he does at SC. Pete has said in the past that if he did go to the NFL he would want total control. The Seahawks and Paul Allen are looking for a GM and head coach. The Seahawks were trying to hire Mike Holmgren as the GM but he passed and took the Cleveland job. Carroll wanted to stay close to the water and on the west coast,in Seattle he has both. Paul Allen has the money to sign the players that Carroll wants. Hopefully Carroll is good at recruiting pro players as he is college kids. If he is, then the Seahawks will be contenders shortly.

Who would have imagined two months ago that possibly the Florida and USC coaching job could be open?

The Three Parts To The Mike Leach Drama

You Just Can't Put People In Closets


Mike Leach doomed himself the minute he told Adam James to go into a tool shed because he had a concussion. Leach should have know better being an attorney. In the end his firing wasn't about putting the kid in harm's way, it was all about Texas Tech not wanting to pay him his contract. The school was upset when last year after Leach's contract was up he was interviewing for other jobs. That is totally within his and his agent's right to try and find the best deal available. Tech was held hostage because although they are in a major conference,no one really knows where they are. Leach and his offense made their school and football team relevant. Mike Leach was getting all the credit and media love when the school was winning and he felt he was a tad bigger than the athletic department and school president. Such a life lesson to learn, never think you are bigger than the people who employ you. Mike Leach putting a 20 year-old in the closet was just stupid and irresponsible. When running a mid-major or major college program you are the CEO and face of that franchise. When employers get mad or agitated at their employees they don't lock them away in the parking garage because they are disgruntled. You either mediate with the kid with other people there or you get rid of him, its as simple as that.


Craig James is not innocent in this situation either. The ESPN analyst has been accused of throwing his weight around with Leach and the coaching staff in trying to get his son playing time. James was an SMU great as well as playing in the USFL and NFL. Every parent who has experienced some type of athletic greatness wants the same for their child. However if your child is not nearly as talented then you should back off your child and the coaches who coach him. That's not the biggest issue I have with James. Overbearing parents are almost the norm today. What I take issue with is how he said when his son told him he was locked in the shed he was stunned but didn't do anything. Then when he called him two days later after Leach supposedly locked him in the medical closet, that's when James informed the school. As a parent when your child informs you of someone mistreating them, why wait. Your initial response should be to correct your child, especially when someone is hurting your child, you wait until after he is hurt again. No parent would wait to report wrongdoing. James did not have a good relationship with Leach. Hopefully this does not hurt James's ability to call games because people see that his judgment might be clouded.

The third part is Adam James and his role in this mess. Adam was goofing off at practice and not paying attention when his coaches got mad at him. What I can't believe is that when Leach told him to go into tool shed, Adam should have said OK and then left the field. I don't know any young men when someone tells them to do something that sounds crazy that they actually go and do it. To me that shows the immaturity of this young man. You can respect authority figures but if they tell you something that is misguided you don;t have o listen to that piece of advice. Adam James did not like Mike Leach and the fact that he wasn't getting a lot of playing time. For some reason Adam James thought he was and is Michael Crabtree. No one knew that Adam James was even playing football, now his notoriety will be the kid who was locked in the shed. I'm sure that wasn't the publicity that he wanted.

The rest of this drama will be played out in the courtroom as Leach and Texas Tech work on a settlement. I believe Leach will get another job. If it is in college it will have to be at a non mainstream school. Leach's quirkiness and swashbuckling attitude doesn't work at the big schools. One place it could work is the Oakland Raiders, where it is rumored Leach could be headed. His attitude would fit in great in Raider nation, as long as he doesn't lock JaMarcus Russell in a closet after he turns the ball over five times.