It’s a bit late to be getting to this since the first round is almost in the books, but there has been other pressing stuff to cover so a look at the Aussie Open hasn’t happened yet. I was spurred to do it today by a comment on yesterday’s post. Without further ado:
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Way, way under the radar, the Dolphins have signed a former Penn State linebacker named Cameron Wake. He was undrafted in 2005, and headed to the B.C. Lions in the CFL. I’ve watched him play up here for two years, and I have honestly probably never seen a more viciously effective linebacker. He’s been the defensive player of the year in the CFL in both of his seasons, and he rushes the passer like you wouldn’t believe. He’s obviously taking a major step up in class, but Miami liked him enough to outbid at least four other teams and give him a million dollar signing bonus. If he gets a chance then he’ll be worth watching. If he comes through then remember where you heard it first.
We will obviously spend tons and tons of time looking at the Super Bowl from every different angle over the next two weeks, but before we get into the nitty gritty of it let’s look at the first thoughts that came from watching the two games today:
North Carolina Tar Heels: As I write this, the team that so many thought would be number one in the nation, is 1- 2 in the ACC and 15- 2 overall. Thus far the #6 Heels have lost to unranked Boston College and #3 Wake Forrest. Both of which are division opponents. Their lone ACC victory came last night as they beat the unranked Virginia Cavaliers 83- 61. How good is North Carolina? Time will tell but my feeling is that they are not as good as many of us thought they were.
I know which way I think I am leaning in both of the NFL conference championships, but there is still a long time before the games kickoff, and that means I have lots of time to drive my self crazy with speculation and analysis. Before I can be totally comfortable with my picks, there are several questions I have to wrestle with. Among them:
The Detroit Lions have their man. Tennessee defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is the sucker who has signed his name to a contract and agreed to take over this mess of a franchise. This is such an interesting situation that it raises all sorts of thoughts and questions. Instead of weaving them onto a cohesive narrative, I’m just going to be lazy and throw them all out in point form.
I read an article today saying that Tiger Woods was back practicing. It was a new article. This is just a sign of how sick golf is without Woods as a star – this same article has been written about a million times over the last two weeks, even though nothing has really changed and Woods is no more talkative than he ever is. It’s almost as if people hope that writing about his return will make it happen.
I’m amused by all the discussion of the benching of Donovan McNabb, the implications and the meaning. Growing up in Canada, I guess I am conditioned to be used to seeing stars benched. If a goalie is having a bad game he’ll often get the hook, no matter how big of a star he is. The player might not like it at the time, but it gets their attention usually, and they often come back next time and play like they are supposed to. I don’t see, then, why football is any different. McNabb got benched at half time of the Eagles’ game against Baltimore for one simple reason – he was totally, incredibly, and irredeemably awful. He was 8/18 for 59 yards and two picks. He deserved to be benched. The Ravens totally had his number, and Andy Reid, a guy who is now notably being referred to as a genius again after being washed up just a couple of weeks ago, had no reason to believe it was going to get any better. Since then, though, McNabb has pouted about the decision, pretended it wasn’t an issue when it clearly is, and done everything but move on and let it go. Here’s the thing, though – since McNabb was benched he has played much better, and he has led his team to where they should be. In other words, the move worked just like it was supposed to. I don’ get why we are still talking about this like it is a big deal almost two months after it happened. The way McNabb is dealing with it you would think the guy was somehow violated, not given a shot to regroup for another day. The sense of entitlement that he has, and that he is allowed to get away with, is ridiculous.
Before we get to the games, I want to look at the reports out of Denver for a second. Word is that Josh McDaniels, the 32 year old offensive coordinator of the Patriots, is going to be named the new head coach. I have mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, I like that Denver wants to break into new blood to get some new ideas. I wish Cleveland had done the same thing. They also got a guy who is hot after turning a raw QB into a budding star. On the other hand, though, Bill Belichick has yet to really prove himself as a breeder of strong coaches. Far from it, in fact. Romeo Crennel got fired after creating a mess. Eric Mangini takes over that messing after failing in his first try. You can throw in the disaster that is Charlie Weis, too. The first coach after a legend like Shanahan is going to have it tough at the best of times, so I am not convinced that a young coach with a bad pedigree is a great gamble. A more established assistant might have been a better risk – especially since they are in a very winnable division.
It’s all over. No more college football for almost nine months. Nine long, painful months. I’ll miss it. There are millions of reasons, but here are 10:
1. Good teams are often good bets. The final top five of the year is likely to be made up of Florida, Oklahoma, USC, Texas and Utah. Those teams are a combined 42-16-1 ATS, and that includes USC’s uninspiring 6-6 ATS mark. That’s a 71 percent win rate. What’s not to love about a sport where identifying the better team is often the biggest part of the battle.
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