Maddux Sports Blog

Here are eight things coming to mind tonight. Tomorrow we’re going to start our Super Bowl coverage, so we’ll get this out of the way first:

1. Michigan got the signing day miracle I was hoping for by signing Demar Dorsey. Not a bad class all in all – at least we didn’t lose anyone. Incidentally, Dorsey is an interesting example of how imprecise ranking recruits can be. Dorsey is the 12th ranked player in the country and the second best safety according to ESPNU. In contrast, Rivals has him at 167th overall, and 13th among the safeties. For the sake of my sanity I am going to believe ESPNU on this one.

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1. The more I think about it, the more I become convinced that Lane Kiffin is the worst hire a major contender has made in, well maybe ever. He’s proven nothing as a coach, he has absolutely no loyalty or staying power, and recruits won’t trust him as far as they can throw him after what he did to Tennessee. Remarkably terrible decision.

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The Colts may have got a win to move to 2-0 tonight, but I’m sure not convinced by them yet. They got very lucky to win that one given that they barely had the ball on offense, and they weren’t always impressive when they did. If Miami had any ability at all to manage the clock down the stretch then both of these teams would have been 1-1. I didn’t think that the Colts were going to be elite this year before the season, and I haven’t seen anything yet to make me change my mind.

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There is a ridiculous amount of stuff going on today, so let’s not waste any time:

For a second there last night I thought I was going to look like a genius with the Nelson Cruz pick in the Home Run Derby. It wasn’t as exciting as it has been some years, but it was still an interesting way to spend a few hours. I was impressed with Fielder – I frankly didn’t think that a guy that massive would have the stamina required to win the marathon that the Derby is. I was also surprised by how little Pujols had to show for himself in the event. I thought he would rise more under the pressure for his hometown fans. I’m sure glad I didn’t get sucked into backing him.

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We’ll delay our PS2 simulations for a day because there are just too many interesting stories bouncing around out there that need to be looked at:

1. Lane Kiffin – I can’t believe what a bizarre mess this has become, and given that it was the Raiders I expected it to get ridiculous. By leaving Kiffin twisting so long, Davis seriously damaged any progress his team could ake this year. BY getting rid of him in the ridiculous way he did – refusing to pay him what he is owed and then unleashing in a bizarre, barely coherent press conference – he has alienated any players that were still loyal to Kiffin, and has ensured a split in the locker room. It’s almost as if Davis doesn’t want to exist. I certainly won’t be touching this team in their next game, but my guess is that they are going to come out flat. I just don’t know how they can play well through this circus.

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