Tiger Woods

I have reserved my comments about the Tiger Woods situation because I wanted to see the sports angle. he pulled out of his own tournament which is the sports part that I care about. The thing that sickens me the most about all of this is how we as a society have become slaves to tabloid journalism. When I was studying journalism in school, these type of stories were reserved for the seedy underbelly of journalist. Now people gladly watch and read the TMZ's, E! and Entertainment Tonight's of the world because they feel they need to know everything about a celebrity or in this case an athlete's life. I strongly agree with a part of Tiger statement, and that is somethings need to be kept in private so that a family can discuss, heal and move forward with it. Has our society become the sleazy that we want to know every salacious detail about ever person? Have we not learned our lessons from the Princess Di tragedy? These people need to stop trying to tear people down. It must make them feel better about themselves to try and destroy people. I did not know people lives were this bad where you would try and harm your fellow man.

I saw over the weekend how Yahoo had a headline about Elin, as if she was to blame for the accident. She was "the mysterious wife". It should not be about exposing spouses or children, they should be off limits. The irresponsible journalist out there really love to expose secrets lives instead of actually trying to find out facts about the story. With that said, Tiger's biggest mistake was trying to control the media and what came out. He is used to doing that with all the sports media outlets and rarely speaks in public forums. The media that is chasing him this time is a totally different beast he will stop at nothing to ruin him and his family. His wife is not a public figure. This is a daughter, wife and mother and these sleaze ball people should keep that in mind.

Tiger said he has personal failings and that he is working on those. He also promises to be a better husband and father and that is the most important thing for him. As children, we grow just wanting to make our parents proud. When you looked at him you saw a boy devoted to his father and mother. Tiger has now loss that innocence and he won't get that back from his public. He still has a chance with his children to keep that and that will make his parents proud.

I think people also saw perfection on the golf course and equated that to his personal life. Tiger Woods became a brand and when you saw the brand with the family, you saw perfection. He is still just a man and he fell. The brand will go on and he can still be perfect and do inhuman things on the golf course but now people see he is just a man. A lot of times, I believe we get those things confused when it comes to our athletes. They are not here to be role models to us or our children. They have faults and skeletons in their closets just like we do. You can celebrate the achievements, the wins and triumphs but remember to put it all in perspective. Their is only one perfect being and He is not on this earth.

To say I'm not disappointed in Tiger would not be truthful. As a black male its a little more difficult. Tiger introduced me to a game and a sport I never thought I could play. He broke down barriers for other minorities that encouraged us to play golf. He made golf more mainstream. I never watched a golf tournament until he won his first major at Augusta. I remember thinking how cool it was to see a person of color make history there. Will I still watch him play on Sunday's? Sure. Is there a little tarnish on his star? Yes. But I know that he can be forgiven and he can redeem himself because this is America and not everyone likes going through the garbage.

Championship Weekend

BCS Matchups


This week the fate of BCS teams will be decided. I am going to make my picks and give my BCS bowl breakdown.

The Civil War

Oregon State and Oregon play in the Civil War on Thursday night. In my opinion, this will be the best of all the match ups all weekend, especially if you like offense. Both team can light it up threw the air and on the ground. My pick is Oregon St. because no one really expects them to win. The thing about rivalry games is that the underdog can play more loose. That would send the Beavers to Pasadena and their opponent would be the Buckeyes of Ohio St. In a shocker, I do believe the winner of the Civil War will beat Ohio St. in Pasadena. Ohio St. can't score with these two teams.

Big East

Cincy over their past two games have looked shaky and now they face an angry Pitt team coming off a loss to their rival West Virginia. Another issue hanging over the Bearcats is all the speculation of if Brian Kelly is a candidate for the Notre Dame job. Notre Dame's opening. I think all the Notre Dame rumors with the team slumping on defense is the perfect situation for Pitt. Pitt has a super freshman at running back and will slow down the game. The Bearcats undefeated season ends on Saturday and Pitt will go to the Orange Bowl to face the winner of...


ACC Championship

The ACC has been the worse conference in CFB. The only team worth talking about is Georgia Tech. Tech already beat Clemson earlier this year and should handle them easily again. Like I said, its tough preparing for the triple option in a week. At least Clemson has played them and can fix some of their mistakes. Both these teams are coming off losses to their rivals but Tech was at least in their game.

Big 12

This is Texas game to lose. The BCS is set-up to showcase the Big 12 vs. the SEC. Texas is a superior team to Nebraska. Colt McCoy can cement his Heisman trophy with a big game. Not going out on a limb with this one, even though Nebraska can make it a game with their defense. But the Huskers can't score and the whole object is to have more points than the other team. Texas will go to the title game but who will they face...

SEC Championship

Alabama and it pains me to say this. I want nothing more than the Crimson Tide to fall flat on Saturday night. They are the most overrated team in the country. They have no passing game and they have had the officials help them win a game against LSU, and Auburn brain cramp at the end of the game. Now Florida's best defensive player is out of the game. Alabama fans think it is their birth-right to play and win in the National Championship. Maybe Superman Tebow can put on his cape and will his team to a win. Hopefully he can because I don't think I can take a month of Bear Bryant, and Nick "Car Salesman" Saban stories.

I think Texas will win if they play Alabama. Bama would be favored in that game and if memory serves me correct the last time Texas was an underdog in the Rose Bowl...

Why The Spread Is Killing Football

The Spread Offense

Apologies for not blogging over the holiday. But its difficult to post at the in-laws. I will have a couple of post over the next few days, so keep on reading and I appreciate all comments.

The Spread Offense is killing football as I know. The whole object is to spread the defense out and use the the whole field to your advantage. Defense's have to be in nickel or dime situations and your depth at the defensive back position is suppose to be put to the test. The guy who gets credit for this is Rich Rodriguez who used it at Tulane, Clemson and West Virginia. The reason why I say its killing football is simple. Teams who use this can't seem to run the ball consistently or get the tough yards when needed.

Pass Happy

Teams used to use the running game to set-up the pass. Now everyone is so pass happy they don't even get the running game going. Its not only a college problem, you see it in the pros as well. Take a look at the Patriots and Colts. Brady and Manning easily throw the ball 30-40 times a game. But neither of these teams rank very high in the league when it comes to running the football. Defense's can sit back and jam their receiver's because they know what's coming. All the fuss about Belichik's decision to go for it on 4th and 2 could have been moot if they would have ran the ball. The Patriots aren't built to run the ball consistently. I have previously stated that Florida and Texas don't have great running games. Tebow and McCoy are the their teams best option at running the football. I agree that the ball should be in your best players hands to make plays. But what about having balance in your offense. The knock against the West Coast offense was that is was the short passes and all you had to do was crowd the line. However, Bill Walsh and the 49ers teams that ran the true version of the offense always had a great run/pass balance. Roger Craig, Ricky Watters, Tom Rathman and William Floyd would agree. You want to keep a team off balance. The Spread doesn't add an element of surprise.

Tough Yards

4th and 2 and you throw the ball to a back out of the backfield!?!? Or how about Kansas in a rivalry game on their own 2 and they call a qb draw that results in a safety and them losing the game to Mizzou. If KU could have or would have used a rb to get out of the end zone, they probably would have won the game.These situations are examples of how using the spread cripples coaches into making dumb decisions. You need to be able to get the tough yards, hard yards. Franco Harris, John Riggins, Earl Campbell, Eric Dickerson, even Marhall Faulk could get the those tough yards when the game is on the line. When the Colts finally beat the Pats a few years, Peyton Manning audible out of a pass into a run and handed it off to Addai on a third and short, and it propel them to the win. It proved the toughness not only of the Colts but of Manning as well. Being able to break the defense will by getting that yard of two that can end a game is devastating to the psyche of a defense.

Its cool to light up the scoreboard but you also have to go back to the roots of the game and play some smash mouth football once in a while.

You Are What You Thought You Were

Notre Dame is America's college football team. Notre Dame is another one of those teams that college football needs to be good. They have an easy path to play in the BCS game every year. They even have their own network. The problem is the last five years the Irish have not been nearly as dominant as the Irish and their fans thought it would be. Now it looks like the Charlie Weis era is coming to an end.

When Weis was hired he said at his first press conference " You are a 6-5 team, and you are what you are. If you hired me to be a .500 coach then you hired the wrong guy." Weis is a .500 coach and Notre Dame is who they are. A school that thought it was so superior that it could lure the offensive genius of the New England Patriots to their school and restore the Golden Domer's to the top of the college football world. What they did was dump Tyrone Willingham before his contract was up. That was wrong and now the school is suffering from that.

Weis, along with Eric Mangini, Romeo Crennel, Josh McDaniels and Bill Belichik have all benefited from one player. Tom Brady. He has made and makes all these guys better coaches. Brady is the one who makes adjustments on play calls and throws the ball around the field. Weis was given so much credit as being the architect of the Patriots offense that Notre Dame people overlooked that he had one of the greatest qb's in history. Your play-calling looks a lot better when you have a super stud running your offense. Charlie Weis just couldn't coach up his stellar recruiting class.

To be a college football head coach, you are the face of the school, especially in South Bend. Being smug to the press and not being around in the community can definitely hurt you. Charlie didn't like all the responsibilities that come along with being the head guy. The NFL is a business and franchise's are run like such. You can isolate yourself completely with your players and in the complex. College football requires you to mingle with high school coaches, recruits and even alumni events. There are reports that Weis didn't like doing those things. You have to go to the chicken dinners and ice cream socials even if they seem cheesy.

Its one thing to be a great coordinator, its another thing to be a head coach. Even though head coaches have their specialities, you still have to know how to manage people and make sure you have the right people in place. Weis's offense have been pretty good but his defense's have been awful. They can't stop the run or the pass. As the head coach you can't be so concerned with one side of the ball. Some guys are just great coordinator's and not head coaches. Charlie probably should go back to the NFL and help some of the terrible offenses there.

Charlie Weis is who we thought he was. A great coordinator who didn't bring America's college football team back. Hopefully Notre Dame does the right thing and not let him off the hook.

The Rivarly That Was

Michigan-Ohio St.


Today is the 106th meeting between Ohio St. and Michigan and I barely remebered. This game always got the country set for the Thanksgiving holiday, but with these two teams struggling some what most of the nation won't be paying attention. The only drama is to see if Michigan can become bowl eligible with a win. The Buckeyes are already going to the Rose Bowl, but there will be no National Championship game in Columbus this year. How far have these two teams fallen in the past three years. Ohio State has won the last six up to this point and most of the games have not been fun to watch.




Ohio State




Ohio State have been thrashed, destroyed and man-handled by top 10 teams. USC, Texas, Florida, LSU to name a few have had their way with them. Coach sweater vest offense is so conservative that most feel that he plays not to lose. With as much talent as the Buckeyes send to the NFL, winning the Big Ten is just not good enough for Buckeye nation. Tressel recruits to win the Big ten, not to win BCS titles. His team can not compete with the other big time programs because of their lack of speed and quickness at all of their positions, not just the skill position.




Michigan



Michigan has been struggling for the last three years. The appeal of the Wolverines talent level has completely dropped off from where it used to be. Rich-Rod is only in year two of a six year deal. Rodriguez has a history of rebuilding programs but I don't know if the Ann Arbor faithful can wait. People in this area are used to competing for championships. Lloyd Carr got a pass because he did produce one national championship. Michigan is one of the schools that college football needs to be good. When Wolverines are competitive and winning, it brings national attention not only to the conference but to the rivalry.













I miss the days of Woody, Bo, Coop, and Lloyd. Where have you gone Troy Smith, Joey Galloway, David Boston? This game misses the flair of Woodson, Howard and Shawn Springs. Everybody paid attention when Ted Ginn, Rickey Dudley and Maurice Clarett were playing. If I am missing this game and its must-see attraction, I can only imagine what the fans of these two teams must be feeling.

Same Old Answer

I am a Grizzlies season ticket holder. I have been for the last 3 years. People in Memphis go to the games to see other star's from the league and to be entertained. The die-hard fans of the Grizzlies long for the days of Shane Battier and Hubie Brown. This city just wants a pro-franchise to support that wins. One of the jokes around town is the University of Memphis is the only sports franchise in town. With that said, I knew the signing of Allen Iverson would be a disaster not only for him but for this team. The Answer has had problems every where he has been. Allen signing here only tarnishes his already soiled and star-crossed legacy.

When the Grizz were mentioned in the running for Iverson over the early fall, I was shocked. In watching this team over the last few years it is very apparent what they have and need. An aging, selfish, former all-star proved not to be the solution. The Grizz can score with anybody there biggest problem is lack of defense and lack of an experienced point guard play. Iverson could only take away from the young nucleus. Iverson needs,wants and demands the ball. His feeling was clear from day one. Why should he be sitting on the bench playing behind Conley, and Mayo? Those kids grew up watching him play and he can still light it up with the best of them. His selfishness was shining through.

Allen needs to come to grips that his skills have diminished, especially on the defensive end. What made Allen great was his explosiveness and quickness. At 34, he has lost a lot of his quickness especially at the defensive end. In Detroit, he was consider a liability on that end of the floor. He can no longer defend point guards and let alone the bigger two-guards. The speed in which he used to get speed is no longer there.

What we see here is a superstar having a tough time coming to grips that he is on the downside of his career. These guys have a tough time stepping away from the spotlight and realizing their mortality when their playing days are over. Jerry Rice, Bruce Smith, Emmit Smith and even the great Michael Jordan just couldn't exit gracefully. I'm not saying that the Answer should retire but what he should do is come to grips with where he is at in his career and be willing to accept that role.

Interesting enough the woeful Knicks are not going to sign him. When team as bad as the Knicks pass up on you, there as some serious problems. The Knicks could use someone to fill up the seats in the Garden but why mess up an already toxic losing situation by adding the headache that is Allen Iverson. Nuggets coach George Karl said he would consider bringing him back if one of his guards got hurt. That doesn't make any sense because Denver has serious championship aspirations and Allen has made it clear that winning is not important to him. Reuniting him with Carmelo would only hurt the Nuggets.

So if Allen wants to play, I have the Answer for him. he should go to and should have gone to Charlotte with Larry Brown. Why the Bobcats? Its another young team but they lack scoring. Brown is the one guy that got through to Iverson. Allen had his only MVP season with Larry Brown and the 76ers. Also, Michael Jordan is there and is probably the only one who can help Allen make the transition to aging superstar easier.

Allen if you are listening, for the first time in your life, do the classy thing and go out gracefully. You are one of the best little men ever to play the game. Be willing to come off the bench and help a young team make it to the playoffs or go to a contender and help win yourself. When a coach and management ask you if you are willing to sacrifice yourself for the good of the team, give wisdom to younger players, be selfless when it comes to sharing the basketball. Give a different answer, not the same one you have given your whole career.

The Team No One Wants To Play

Scared Of Them

We ended the weekend with the same 6 unbeaten teams in college football. Florida, Bama, Texas, TCU, Boise St., and Cincy. I've chronicled each of these teams in details in the pass. The most balanced team of the bunch is TCU. They are fast, disciplined and very solid in all aspects of the game. There is one team out there that doesn't get mentioned a lot and is the most difficult to prepare for. This team offense is tough, they are stout on defense and if your team faced them in a BCS bowl they will have their hands full.

Georgia Yellow Jacket is the team no one wants to play.

The Yellow Jackets run the best offense in cfb, the Triple-option. Why do I think it is the best offense? Teams barely run it and it toughs to prepare for in a short amount of time. You need a stud d-linemen, linebacker and safety to be able to shut down the option on a consistent basis. Growing up I hated Nebraska football and they ran this offense to perfection. Watching them gash your defense while your screaming at the TV is a helpless feeling. That is the same way Ga Tech does it. Josh Nesbit is the qb, Jonathan Dwyer and Anthony Allen are the other running backs. What makes this team even more difficult is they have the duplicate of Calvin Johnson at the wide receiver position. So when you load up the box and sell out to stop the run, Demaryius Thomas is bigger, stronger and faster than your db's. That is why is tough to prepare for these guys week in and week out. Paul Johnson brought this offense over from Navy and this kids are running it to perfection. What I love about this offense is that they know how to pick up the short yard, which is what you need in a tough game.
The Ramblin' Wreck are a dangerous 1 loss team. They have their rivalry game before the ACC championship game. All the other BCS contender better beware of this team if they are playing them in the Orange Bowl.