Don't Blame Russell: Why Westbrook isn't to Blame for OKC's Shortcomings

In case you missed the first installment of my 2014-15 NBA Preview about LeBron James, you can find it right here.  

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Come back with me to the 2013 Playoffs for a second. It’s the First Round, Game 2, and Russell Westbrook was slowly dribbling the ball up the court towards head coach Scott Brooks, as the Oklahoma City Thunder were about to call a timeout. As Westbrook crossed half court and jogged closer to his coach, Rockets guard Patrick Beverley suddenly decided to go for a steal. Westbrook, who was taken off guard, awkwardly tried to defend the basketball. As he went for the steal, Beverley banged into Westbrook’s knee, tearing the Thunder guard’s meniscus. His season was over. So were OKC’s playoff chances. The Thunder were able to squeak by the Rockets, but then, despite having home court advantage, lost in the second round to the Grizzlies.

 

Why am I telling you this? Because OKC was screwed without Westbrook. Kevin Durant, while still having a nice playoff run (he averaged 30.8 points per game), seemed to tire at the end of every game, just because he literally had to carry the entire scoring load by himself. He didn’t have his buddy Westbrook, a ball of energy, athleticism, and competitiveness, attacking the basket like a kamikaze pilot, or getting out in transition to create easy points and opportunities for his teammates. They needed him on the court, and when he wasn’t there, they struggled. There would’ve been no reason for them to lose to that Grizzlies team if Westbrook was healthy. But because he wasn’t, they were eliminated.

 

 

I’ve heard a lot of dumb things about Westbrook over the years. Let’s quickly run through the highlights.

 

1. “If Oklahoma City was smart, they’d move Westbrook to the shooting guard position”. Every time I hear this, I wonder if that person actually watches any basketball. The best thing about Westbrook’s game is his ability to bring the ball up on every possession with a head of steam. He’s already quick and powerful enough in the half court, but if he gets a full running start (which he can on every possession), it’s literally impossible to stop him. He can get to the rim at will, and if the lane is closed off, he’s got one of the most deadly pull up jumpers in the game. Why would I want to take the ball out of that guy’s hands at the start of every possession when I know that he can sprint up the court with it and create instant offense for me at any time? He’s at his best when he's attacking the defense with the ball in hand. Why would I want to stick him at shooting guard and take it away from him? It makes no sense. Yeah, sure, he probably shoots too much. And yeah, I get it, he probably shouldn’t shoot more than Durant. So what? That’s his personality. Plus, it’s hard to argue with the results. They’ve been legitimate title contenders every year since 2011. And since when does every point guard have to be a pass first guy like Rajon Rondo? Westbrook is an athletic monster, a guy with triple double potential every time he steps on the floor. Why would I not want him to use his gifts? What’s wrong with letting that guy attack for 40 minutes every night?

 

2. “Why the heck does Westbrook dress like a combination of an English noble and Steve Urkel?”

 

Oh, no, I actually agree with that. Yeah, I have no idea what’s going on there. I literally have no clue why he chooses to wear what he wears. It makes no sense. I understand being trendy and keeping up with fashion, but sometimes Westbrook  looks like he’s wearing women’s clothes. I don’t get it. Let’s just move on.

 

3. “Oklahoma City would’ve been better off trading Westbrook than James Harden”. Yeah, that’s right, because any time I have the choice between a guy who plays defense like a turnstile (Harden) and a guy who is one of the most competitive dudes in the league, and someone you’d have to shoot with an elephant gun to keep him from trying to win, I’ll take the second guy all day, every day. Harden doesn’t care about defense, he’s not really a leader, and he shoots almost as much as Westbrook does. At least I know that Westbrook is going to show up every night and give it his all. He’ll compete on the defensive end every game, and he’ll never get to a point where he’s content to stay around the 3 point line for entire quarters and just start chucking shots from only there. He’s literally in attack mode from the tip to the final horn. Plus, while Harden is a skilled offensive player, he’s not the match up nightmare on that end like Westbrook is. Russell is terrifying. Harden? Not so much. But that doesn’t mean the Harden trade was justified. But more on that shortly.

 

4. “Westbrook is the reason the Thunder haven’t, and won’t, win a title”. What a silly, silly thing to say. While I’ll admit that Westbrook should shoulder some of the blame for OKC coming up short to this point, I’d also argue that every single member of that team is equally culpable for their failures. Does anyone remember how much Durant struggled during this year’s Memphis series? He had some terrible shooting performances (10 for 27 in Game 3, 5 for 21 in Game 4), and at times seemed unable or unwilling throughout the entire playoffs to move on offense when he was off the basketball. And don’t forget that Westbrook played the prominent role in their biggest win of the season, the comeback Game 5 win against the Clippers, when he stripped Chris Paul late and then followed it up by being fouled on a three pointer and sinking all the free throws. They don’t win that game, or that series, without Westbrook’s contributions. Would there ever be a situation where Harden would take the basketball from Chris Paul late in a game? The answer to that question is probably the same answer to the question, “Have you ever seen a turnstile take the keys out of a person’s pocket?”.

 

There are actually many bigger reasons as to why OKC has come up short in May and June, none of them having to do with Westbrook. The first is probably the most obvious and the most simple: they don’t have enough help around Durant and Westbrook. In the year 2014, I couldn’t have possibly created a scenario where a 39 year old Derek Fisher, who was five levels beyond washed up, should be playing major minutes for a championship contender. But he was, and he even played in crunch time in almost all of their important playoff games. There’s also no reason why Kendrick Perkins should be making 10 million dollars a year and starting for a team that has title aspirations. Perkins had a great run in Boston, but he might be the worst starting center in the NBA. He used to be a great post defender; now, he doesn’t even do that well. Reggie Jackson is a nice player off the bench (and he saved their season last year in that must win Game 4 in Memphis), Serge Ibaka is one of the best rim protectors in the league, and Stephen Adams and Nick Collison are solid big men who are great at fitting their role. Besides that though, who else on this roster is really a meaningful contributor? Jeremy Lamb literally gives them nothing, they lost Thabo Sefolosha this off season, and they replaced him with Anthony Morrow, who hasn’t ever really had a meaningful NBA moment. Plus, none of the guys I mentioned are contributors on the offensive end. They don’t have a knock down perimeter shooter, or anyone who can consistently go in the post and get points. Everything just falls to Durant and Westbrook. In the regular season, it’s good enough. But it hasn’t been, and won’t be, good enough in the playoffs.

 

I’m also not a huge Scott Brooks fan. I think he’s a nice guy, but I’m not sure how great of a coach he really is. He actually reminds me a lot of Doug Collins when he coached the Bulls in the late ‘80s. Collins was a nice guy, and he coached a young, talented team that just happened to have the greatest player of all time. But Collins didn’t really have much of an offensive system in place. In fact, from the things I’ve read (mostly in Phil Jackson’s book Eleven Rings), the Bulls offensive game plan basically boiled down to, “We’ve got Michael Jordan, let’s just put the ball in his hands as much as possible and hope he makes it work for us”. Yes, obviously that’s really oversimplified, but you get the point. They asked Jordan to do way too much, and the same thing happens with Durant and Westbrook. If you watch the end of every tight OKC playoff game this year, every possession is either a Westbrook or Durant iso. Either Westbrook would bring the ball up, dribble around for a while, and force up a shot, or he’d bring it up, flip it to Durant, and then everybody would watch as Durant would dribble around a take a tough, contested look. They have no ball movement at the end of games. And I think that falls on Brooks. They look like their offensive system is, “We’ve got Durant and Westbrook, let’s just have them shoot and create everything for us”. And that’s how you get 2-on-5 basketball at the end of every game, which is extremely inefficient. Obviously you want Westbrook and Durant doing most of the shooting, but how about somebody set a pick for Durant so he can get open? Or how about some pick and roll? Anything would be better than what they’re doing. I think Brooks, like Collins, is an A to B coach. He helped the team grow from a young, overmatched team, to a title contender in a short time. But OKC needs an offensive strategy, and they need a Phil Jackson. They need a B to C coach.

 

The final problem is the Harden trade, one of the cheapest, disappointing, dynasty-killing trades of all time. I understand that Harden was going to want a big pay day, but there’s no way you’re ever going to be able to convince me that they couldn’t have afforded to pay him. Think about this; The Sacramento Kings sold for $534 million, and the Milwaukee Bucks sold this year for $550 million. The Los Angeles Clippers sold for $2 billion. There’s an ownership group in Seattle that’s literally willing to pay whatever it takes to get an NBA team. Rich guys are (normally) smart. They wouldn’t be willing to drop millions of dollars on something that was going to cost them millions of dollars. They’ve been willing to throw cash around like it’s monopoly money. The league also just signed a 9 year, 24 billion dollar television deal with Turner and ESPN. I always thought it was a crap excuse, but the owners will never be able to use the, “We’re losing so much money!” argument ever again.

 

But it wasn’t just the Harden trade. The front office of the Thunder have continually proven to be cheapskates who have gripped tightly to money like it’s the One Ring. They’ve had so many opportunities to improve their team by just spending some money, but they just won’t. They could have amnestied that terrible Perkins contract and used that new found money to improve the team. But they didn’t. Last season, they could’ve traded for Arron Afflalo, one of the better two guards in the league, just before the trade deadline. But that didn’t happen either. They were in the Pau Gasol hunt, though I actually doubt they were serious contenders for his services because they weren’t going to pay more than about 6.5 million. Thad Young, who would be a great third scoring option on a title contender, basically went to the T’Wolves for nothing. You’re telling me OKC couldn’t have gotten him? Instead, their big free agent grab was Anthony Morrow and his career 10.4 points per game. What a player.

 

So maybe it makes sense that Westbrook and Durant don’t pass in crunch time. Why would they? Would you feel comfortable with Jeremy Lamb, Thabo Sefolosha, or Morrow shooting late in games? I wouldn’t.

 

OKC is going to be kicking themselves for letting the golden opportunity that they had go by the wayside. They, in the draft from 2007 to 2009, drafted Durant, Westbrook, Harden, and Ibaka. How many NBA teams have ever hit big time on 4 draft picks in like that in consecutive drafts? Do you realize how hard that is? That might not ever happen again. Durant’s contract is up after the 2016 season, and the last year of Westbrook’s deal is 2017. Why would either of them re-sign there? It’s not like OKC has really been all in, doing everything they can to win. They haven’t spent the money, they traded Harden, one of their best friends, for what ended up being one year of Kevin Martin, and they’ve defiantly held on to Kendrick Perkins. Oh, and Scott Brooks still coaches this team.

 

The window is closing quickly. Durant will already be out for the first month and a half or so of the season with a broken bone in his foot. It’s just another setback, one that might keep the team from having home court advantage in the second round of the Western Conference Playoffs.

 

But make no mistake; Russell Westbrook will be out there, gutting it out, giving his all. That’s more than you can say for their front office.

The Many Perceptions of LeBron James

 

LeBron James has been called many names throughout his NBA career. The perception and narrative of his play on the court has changed more times since he busted into the mainstream with his Sports Illustrated cover than any other athlete. He’s one of the most polarizing, scrutinized, and talked about athletes of all time. And he’s the biggest sports star of the social media era.

 

All of these things make King James an extremely interesting person to write and talk about. But why is he so interesting? Why has the narrative flipped on him so much? I think it has a lot to do with the Jordan comparisons. Kobe was, and still is, compared to Jordan, but most people knew after a while that this guy wasn’t Jordan, and he was never going to be able to live up to that standard. He didn’t have Jordan’s efficiency, he was never as popular as Mike, and His Airness was literally better at every facet of the game (except for three point shooting). But LeBron was different. At 18 years old, he was a physical specimen, unlike anything we’d ever seen before. And as he continued to grow, and his game continued to expand (he added a solid jump shot, and became a really good defender), the backlash against him began to grow. This guy couldn’t be as good as Jordan, because he just couldn’t be. So we invented or manufactured reasons to keep him down. Never mind the fact that he was saddled with a bunch of overpaid flops (Larry Hughes, Antawn Jamison, Shaq), guys masquerading as second bananas that weren’t actually that good (Mo Williams, Zydrunas Ilgauskas), or guys that had no business starting for championship contenders (Sasha Pavlovic). Despite all this, LeBron carried those teams to a shocking Finals cameo in 2007, back to back 60-plus win seasons in 2009 and 2010, and two straight number 1 seeds. And he was rewarded with two straight MVPs, which he definitely deserved.

 

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t think LeBron is as good as MJ. I would even go as far as saying that don’t think James can pass Jordan, even if he ends his career with 7 rings. Jordan is the greatest performer on the game’s biggest stage (the Finals), he played in a more difficult and physical era, and at his apex, he was the best player ever. No one, not even LeBron, could affect the game both mentally and with his play the way Jordan did. Plus, Jordan would’ve never had a performance like LeBron did in the 2011 Finals. But that doesn’t mean that LeBron wasn’t the best player in the NBA during his Cleveland tenure. And looking back on it, I think most people didn’t give him enough credit for the things he did there. I remember watching PTI the day after the Cavs were eliminated by the Celtics in the 2008 Eastern Conference Semifinals. Boston clearly had the better roster, but Cleveland was somehow (mostly on the back of LeBron) able to push the series to a 7^th game. In that Game 7, LeBron had 45 points, but the Cavs ended up losing. While talking about the game, Tony Kornheiser (who I normally like) basically said, “Yeah, LeBron had 45, but if you’re going to win, sometimes you have to find a way to 49”. What? That’s one of the dumbest things any sportswriter has ever said. He had 45 points! Where was his help? Oh wait, that’s right, he was depending on Turdo Sandowich to produce. And as Cleveland flamed out to lower seeded teams in the ’09 and ’10 playoffs, the haters were out more than ever. Skip Baseless probably burst all of the blood vessels in his head screaming about “Prince James” and “The Chosen One turned into The Frozen One”.

 

Now, I’m of the opinion, and will always be, that LeBron quit during Game 5 of that 2010 Celtics series. He got killed for it nationally, and he should have. I’d be madder at him, except he was playing with a bunch of clowns like Sasha Pavlovic and Boobie Gibson every year for the first 7 years of his career. And yeah, he didn’t always perform the greatest in clutch moments in his career. Neither did Magic Johnson. He was terrible in the clutch in Game 2, 4, and 7 of the ’84 Finals. And sometimes he passed up game winning shots because his teammates had better looks than him. So what? They wouldn’t have even been close to those situations if he wasn’t a beast all season. And it’s not like his numbers were horrible! In the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals, he averaged 38.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 8 assists! Those are crazy numbers! But after the series, he got most of the blame, at least from a lot of the sports media. He didn’t have a great 2007 NBA Finals, but I’ll give him a pass on that one because it was amazing that they even got there in the first place. That ’07 Cavs team might be the worst team to ever make the Finals. Boobie Gibson, a pudgy Donyell Marshall, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas and the 400 screws he had in his feet all played major minutes for that team.

 

So as the 2010 season came to a close, the perception was that LeBron was that, while he was a likable guy, he wasn’t a clutch player, or a competitor like Jordan was. But we still liked the guy.

 

That all changed on that fateful July day, the day that will forever be known as “The Decision”, the day that LeBron went on national TV and crapped on his hometown, as he uttered the unforgettable and iconic, “I’m taking my talents to South Beach”. People were already down on him because of the way he quit during the Celtics’ series, and everything exploded and morphed into an all time level of hatred and irrationality right then and there. James appeared arrogant and full of himself, and it didn’t help the next day during the Heat’s pep rally when he pronounced that the Heat would win, “Not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, etc.” titles. In the span of 48 hours, he became a likable guy who had some questionable moments in crunch time to an un-clutch villain, a guy who was hated by most of America.

 

His Miami tenure, predictably, got off to a rocky start, at least with the media and the fans. Everybody was rooting for him to fail, and the public took great joy every time he failed during the season. I remembered actively rooting against him. I was mad at the way he had handled his departure from Cleveland, mad about how he quit, mad about his attitude, and angry at him because I felt like he had cost himself on an all time scale. No great superstar had ever left his team to join forces on someone else’s team with two other superstars before. It just didn’t feel right.

 

You can imagine my frustration during the 2011 playoffs, as the Heat easily dispatched the entire Eastern Conference. I thought the Celtics would beat them, but they instead lost in 5 games. I thought for sure (or hoped) that the Bulls would beat them, but after blowing out Miami in Game 1, LeBron started checking Derrick Rose in crunch time, holding him to like 13% shooting, which effectively demolished Chicago’s mediocre offense and ended the series. LeBron never gets enough credit for being great during that playoff run. He assassinated the Celtics and the Bulls several times during those series (mostly in the clutch!), and he destroyed Derrick Rose, only the league MVP at the time, with his defense.

 

But then the 2011 Finals happened, and everything that every LeBron hater had said about LeBron during his career came true. He was miserable during that Finals, only scoring 18 points total in the 4^th quarters of that series. At times he appeared disinterested, or looked like he was playing hot potato with the basketball. He would stand on the perimeter and be content with just chucking shots from there, or he would just pass off to another teammate. He never really tried to put his head down and attack the basket, and he got owned by Jason Terry. Looking back on it, that Finals was probably one of the most puzzling sports occurrences of my life. His play in the playoffs leading up to that point made me think he had turned a corner; he was confidently shooting the basketball, and he wanted to have the ball in his hands at the end of games, because he wanted to be the one deciding how it ended. But then it all flipped when he got to the Finals. He turned into Chris Webber, Karl Malone, Elvin Hayes and every other memorably un-clutch superstar that ever played in the Association. And his critics were vindicated. He got killed nationally that summer, declared un-Jordan like, and people everywhere were asking questions like, “Is he ever going to win a title?”.

 

The only positive that came from the summer was the number of humorous LeBron jokes that sprouted up. You know, things like, “Did you hear about the new LeBron iPhone? It can only be on vibrate because it has no ring” or “If you ask LeBron for change for a dollar, he’ll only give you back three quarters”. I know, I know, knee slappers right? The funny thing was, I can only think of two times where LeBron’s poor play in a clutch situation really cost his team (The 2010 Eastern Semifinals and the 2011 Finals). The media would make you think that LeBron blew every single big game his teams ever played in, and that he sucked in the clutch every time. But if you look up his crunch time stats compared to the supposedly clutch Kobe Bryant, actually does quite well in comparison (Kobe, in the playoffs, on shots with less than 10 seconds to go that would tie or take the lead, is 5 for 22. LeBron is 6 for 14 on such shots).

 

But, like many times, the stats and numbers didn’t matter. Kobe had 5 rings, and LeBron was still hated. Plus, he had failed miserably on the game’s biggest stage. It was easy to pile on. And so everyone did.

 

Fast forward with me to Game 6 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals, the most important game LeBron had ever played in. His career sat on the point of a knife; and it was going to go one way or the other, depending on what happened that night. In Game 5 in Miami, Paul Pierce had canned a three right in LeBron’s mug near the end of the game that essentially clinched it for the Celtics, sending the series back to Boston with the Celtics leading 3-2. I didn’t think there was any way the Heat would win. They were going into Boston, against a proud veteran team who appeared to be a bad match up for them. But what happened that night was extraordinary. LeBron decided he was going to take it to his opponent, and he absolutely overpowered the Celtics for 48 minutes. And by the end of the night, America was wowed. He finished the game 45 points and 15 rebounds on 19 for 26 shooting. LeBron had silenced his critics with one of the greatest big game performances of all time. He hadn’t failed, and he hadn’t shrunk; instead, he had turned in a Jordan-esque performance. 

 

After that, title number one came quickly. Miami returned home and beat Boston in Game 7, and then defeated the young Oklahoma City Thunder in 5 games in the Finals. The King finally had his ring.

 

But then something really interesting happened. The perception of LeBron flipped. He was finally getting the credit he deserved. People started to recognize, and appreciate all the things he did on the court on a night-to-night basis. If anything, the media went overboard in praising him, maybe because they felt the need to overcompensate for all the negative coverage they had given him. Another annoying trend that started to develop was the renewed interest in pushing LeBron-Jordan comparisons. I saw some ESPN guys say the most ridiculous things, or manipulate facts and numbers, to favorably compare him to Jordan. There was such a rush to prop this guy up, when there really wasn’t any need to do it. We already knew he was great. They didn’t need to force it! And it got even worse after Ray Allen bailed the Heat out and they won title number two in 2013.  How did we get from crucifying for every mistake to praising him incessantly for everything he did? Why have we never been able to properly evaluate LeBron, without using hyperbole and unnecessary praise or criticism?

 

If LeBron retired today, he’d be one of the 7 greatest players of all time. 4 League MVPs, 2 Finals MVPs, 10 All Star games, 8 First Team All NBA selections, 5 time First Team Defensive selections, etc. He’s got the accolades. He’s one of the most unselfish players of all time, a guy who’d rather get his teammates involved than dominate the game with his scoring. When motivated, he’s one of the greatest and most versatile defenders the league has ever seen. And when he does attack, there’s no one in the league that can keep him from getting to the rim. He’s a historically unique player, one of those guys that will never see again. I mean honestly, when are we ever going to see a 6’8, 260 pound guy who can run and jump like a wide receiver, defend almost every NBA player, and also have the court vision of Larry Bird? I can’t see it happening any time soon. As for negatives, he, at times, has appeared a little full of himself (The Decision), he had some memorable and well documented screw ups in the clutch situations (though not as many as the media would make you think), and he’s not the competitor that Jordan was. But in terms of what he gives you on a night-to-night basis, he’s one of the greatest of all time, the best player since MJ.

 

This off-season, after the Spurs dispatched the clearly inferior Heat in the Finals, LeBron donned a new cape, one that he’d never really worn before: prodigal son. LeBron, unlike almost every American, decided he was going to move from South Beach to Lake Erie. He returned home to finish something he started the night he was drafted, which was to bring a title to Cleveland. His choice inspired my Angry Old Man to utter, “He’s restored my faith in humanity”. Not bad for a guy who screams about the downfall of humanity daily while he stuffs his face full of Doritos.

 

Plus, that choice did something really interesting for LeBron: it made everyone like him again. We love the story, and we loved how he decided to return. He is once again one of America's favorite sons.

 

I’m not quite sure what will happen with LeBron and Cleveland this year. They’ve got a lot of new players, and they play in the abysmal Eastern Conference. But one thing is for certain: LeBron is, and always will be, polarizing. We’ll see how the season turns out.

The Week in Football: Will Muschamp will be Fired, Texas A&M gets Blown Out, and Seattle is Crumbling

On Saturday, Florida was blown out 42-13 by Missouri, despite the fact that the Tigers had only 119 yards of offense. Missouri scored touchdowns on a kickoff, punt, fumble, and interception return. Translation: the Gators are abysmal and all time bad offensively, and they no longer make big plays, or any plays, in special teams. Here’s the craziest stat about the Will Muschamp era at Florida; since taking over as the head coach, he is 0-2 in games in which his defense allows less than 120 yards. During the last ten seasons, all other FBS coaches are 94-0 in the same situation.

Remember when Urban Meyer was there? The Gators were so explosive offensively, and it seemed like they always were getting a huge punt return that set them up with a short field, or they were busting through the line and blocking a punt. Where have all those big plays gone? They are in one of the most fertile recruiting areas in the country. How can they not be loaded with speedy athletes on offense? The days of Percy Harvin, Andre Caldwell, Riley Cooper, and Aaron Hernandez are long gone. In fact, they started to show signs of being limited offensively even during Meyer's last year. Plus, five years ago, they would’ve never given up two special teams touchdowns in the same game. Now? They lose games that way.

With results like this, it means one thing, and one thing only…..

This is Will Muschamp’s Last Year in the Swamp

He was already on the hot seat coming into this season following last year’s embarrassing 4-8 campaign. With performances like Saturday, he may get the axe before the season is over. He’s already lost the fan base; the stadium was loudly chanting “FIRE MUSCHAMP” during the game. I don’t think he can do anything to get them back, particularly when you look at what they have left on the schedule. They are currently 3-3. After an open date this week, they end the year with Georgia in Jacksonville, at Vanderbilt, at home  against South Carolina and Eastern Kentucky, and then in Tallahassee against Florida State. I’m going to go ahead and count Georgia and FSU as losses. They’ll probably beat Eastern Kentucky, but that South Carolina game looks more and more daunting, particularly when you consider the fact that Florida has great potential to show up, turn the ball over five times, and be incapable of generating anything offensively. And then there’s the game at Vanderbilt on November 8^th. If the Gators lose that game, Muschamp might get fired at the Nashville airport, and be barred from entering the team plane, forcing him to find his own way back to Gainesville.

Regardless of what happens in that Vandy game, Muschamp’s probably going to have to go at least 4-1 in their final five to keep his job. 5-6 or 6-5 won’t cut it, meaning he’ll have to beat either Georgia or FSU. Good luck with that.

So who will the Gators pursue to replace Muschamp? Dan Mullen has to be at the top of their list. He was the Gators’ offensive coordinator when Meyer had things rocking and rolling, and he’s done a really great job at Mississippi State. I think he’d be a slam dunk in the Swamp. If he can recruit athletes in Starkville, I think he’ll be able to do it in Gainesville. There really isn’t a downside for Mullen at all actually. He gets to move from one of the worst jobs in the SEC to one of the ten best jobs in the country. He also gets to leave the much tougher SEC West for the easy, by comparison, SEC East, which, at least this year, only has one really good team, Georgia. So that’s my prediction, at least right now.

The most depressing aspect about the Gators’ struggles? They beat Tennessee this year. I will now light myself on fire.

I Thought Kevin Sumlin was a Genius?

Texas A&M got clobbered on Saturday by Alabama. In fact, I’m not even sure that does justice to describe how bad A&M played. The "elite" Aggie offense only managed to gain 51 yards in the first half, as they trailed 45-0 at halftime. And it didn't help that the defense betrayed them once again. How is it possible that they could get torched by an Alabama offense that had only managed to score 24 points the last two weeks? I know I’ve written a lot about how defense matters less and less, but you still have to be able to get stops every once in a while. The Aggies can’t do that. That’s why I’m sort of down on all of these all offense-no defense coaches. I think Art Briles is a smart guy, and he’s done a great job at Baylor, but I wouldn’t hire him if I was the atheletic director at a big time program. They don’t play any defense, meaning they are forced to outscore every team they play, making every game a shootout. And when that’s the case, sometimes the other team gets a few more stops, and gets up by a few scores, making it so tough to come back. That’s what happened to them against West Virginia on Saturday. Or, in Sumlin’s case, your offense doesn’t show up at all, and you get physically, mentally, and emotionally overpowered in all facets of the game. As long as Sumlin is at A&M, they won’t win the SEC. You have to play some defense in this league to win it. Keep in mind that the “genius” Sumlin, the guy who had the offense that no one could contend with, is now 12-9 in the SEC.

Two more thoughts on Sumlin:

1. My Angry Old Man texted (I know, he actually texted! It was a miracle that he’s began to accept modern technology!) me something interesting about Sumlin on Saturday. I always appreciate when I can get insights from my Angry Old Man, a guy who spends most Saturdays screaming at the televison about how the world is going to hell in a handbasket. I guess a blind squirrel finds an acorn every once in a while. Anyway, he recalled that, after the South Carolina game on the opening Thursday of the season, Sumlin was running his mouth like a player would, talking about how his team wasn't getting any respect. Have you ever heard Nick Saban or any other great coach run his mouth and talk about “respect” after a game before? I certainly haven’t. You let your players do that. Why not say something like, “Yeah, we played great, but we’ve got a lot of things to work on. We’ll be happy about this one tonight, but we’ll be back to work tomorrow”. Just listen to what Saban said after the game on Saturday, one that they absolutely dominated. From Saban, ''I think this is as close as we can get to the Alabama football that we want to try to get from our players in terms of effort, toughness, emotional excitement and execution that we got throughout the game”. Nothing about not getting any respect, nothing about the “haters”, and nothing about “everyone that doubted us”. And there have been a lot of doubters the last few weeks. Bama silenced them. But Saban didn’t, and wouldn’t, talk about “respect”. Neither should Sumlin.
2. The Aggies miss Johnny Football. Say what you will about his off-field actions, but there was no doubt that he was going to show up every Saturday and bring his A game. He may not have  always played well (both his games against LSU come to mind), but he always played hard. And he covered up a lot of holes for them. They haven’t been a great running team since Sumlin got there, and they aren’t this year. But with Manziel, it didn’t necessarily matter, because he could make a few plays here and there with his legs, and he was always, no matter the down, or time of the game, capable of making a big play. The team doesn’t have that element this year. Kenny Hill is an above average quarterback, but he’s not the running, or big play threat, that Johnny was. Plus, I think they miss Manziel’s leadership and intensity on the sidelines. Where is that guy this year? I haven’t, at least yet, seen someone on this team that’s been able to rally everyone together like Johnny did. I think just having Manziel on the team made everybody believe, because he was a super hero. There was no way they would’ve gotten shut out, or blown out, if he was on the this year's team. We’ll see how this program does the next few years without him. We’ll see how much he made Sumlin.

My Four Team Playoff

1. Mississippi State. Coming off a bye week, the Bulldogs are rewarded with a road game in Lexington against Kentucky, a team that is reeling after a 41-3 beatdown in Death Valley at the hands of LSU. Kentucky, despite Saturday’s result, is an improved team. This will be an interesting game on Saturday. But for now, State is still number one.
2. Ole Miss. They easily dispatched my Vols on Saturday night, showing no signs of weakness (unlike Florida State). But watch out for their game on Saturday night at LSU. Gameday will be there, and LSU looks like they’re starting to figure some things out.
3. Florida State. They were outplayed on Saturday Night by Notre Dame. If Jameis Winston didn’t play so well in the second half (he completed his first 13 passes) the Irish probably leave victorious. But much like the Auburn game last year, or the Clemson game this year, the Seminoles found a way to gut it out, catch a few breaks, and win. And yes, just in case you were curious, the offensive pass interference call at the end of the game was the right one. I understand a lot of teams run pick plays and things like that, but you can’t block a receiver open by just shoving the defensive backs out of the way. That’s what the Irish did. It was the right call.
4. Alabama. The Crimson Tide are just ahead of Auburn in my book right now, simply because of their dominating win on Saturday. They looked better in that game than Auburn has all year. I still really don’t understand all the Auburn love. They struggled with Kansas State (and should have lost), blew out an average LSU team at home, and lost to Mississippi State. That’s it? Until they show me more, Bama takes the last spot.

The Indianapolis Colts have Won Five Games in a Row

I’m fully on the Colts’ bandwagon now. They destroyed Cincinnati yesterday, and they didn’t even play well offensively in the first half. However, that defense was awesome, as they held the Bengals to 135 yards, forced 10 three and outs, only gave up eight first downs,  allowed Cincy to run just 8 plays in their territory, and sacked Andy Dalton three times. If they can keep that level of defensive intensity up (and their numbers over the last five games seem to indicate that they can) then they may be the best team in the AFC at the end of the year. And let’s not forget that they’ve accomplished all of this without Robert Mathis, their best pass rusher, and the NFL’s sack champion in 2013.

Also, at what point are we really going to give Andrew Luck the credit he deserves? In 2012, when he was drafted, this was the worst team in the NFL. Since then, they’ve been to the playoffs twice, won a division title, and a wildcard playoff game. Heck, they might’ve been last year’s AFC Championship Game, or even the Super Bowl, if they hadn’t lost 7 offensive starters by Thanksgiving. Remember, they beat San Francisco, Seattle, and Denver last year, only the NFL’s three best teams. This season, they’ve started out 5-2. Luck has transformed everything. Normally, I hate boiling everything down to the QB, because I feel like that’s a typical Skip Baseless/Screamin’ A. Smith/ ESPN talking head thing to do, but in this case, I think it’s justified. Sure, they’ve gotten some great play from their defense, but they ask Luck to do so much for them offensively. They don’t run the ball all that well, forcing him to be great throwing the ball every week. And most of the time, he is. So let’s stop comparing Russell Wilson to him. There is no comparison between what Seattle asks Wilson to do, and what Indy requires Luck to do. Wilson is really good, but he’s not Luck.

Speaking of Wilson….

What’s Happened to Seattle?

I think they’ve lost their edge a little bit. The defense just doesn’t seem to have that aura of invincibility that they had last year. It probably has something to do with the fact that they’ve been physically overpowered a few times (mainly by San Diego and Dallas) this season. Also, they’re actually really limited offensively. Where are the great offensive playmakers on this team? Doug Baldwin? I love the way Marshawn Lynch runs, but he’s never been a big play threat, besides this. They won’t have that game breaker this year, because they traded away the only guy with that potential, Percy Harvin, who was apparently a Terrell Owens-esque personality in the locker room. Plus, they’ve had some injuries on the offensive line. It’s just so hard to repeat. There’s a reason that it’s been ten years since it happened in the NFL. Other teams get better, you start to lose your edge, you lose a few guys in free agency, some guys start to get selfish, you get a few guys injured, you don’t catch a few breaks, and the next thing you know, your team is 3-3. That’s pretty much the story of the Seahawks season. I still think they’ll make the playoffs, but they might not win the division, or have any games at home during the postseason. Then again, they do still have 10 games left. It’s still a long season. We’ll see how it plays out.

NFL Power Rankings

1. Dallas Cowboys. They’re first team to 6 wins, they’ve committed to a consistent offensive identity, and they’ve showed no signs of slowing down. Bring on the Redskins on Monday night. I can’t believe I’ve got Dallas ranked number one. I’m still sort of waiting for them to turn back into the Cowboys we all know and love, but it hasn’t happened yet. Maybe it won’t. But can you really see Tony Romo lifting up the Lombardi Trophy? I can’t either. But it could happen.
2. Denver Broncos. They’re as solid as ever. They absolutely dominated the Niners yesterday. It wasn’t even close, and Peyton Manning was brilliant, as he has been all year. This week, they’ll play the best Thursday night game of the year, at home against San Diego, for mid season division, and AFC, supremacy.
3. San Diego Chargers. I had to drop them two spots because of their loss to Kansas City, but I’m still really high on this team. What’s not to love? Phil Rivers would still get my MVP vote, Antonio Gates is having a young Antonio Gates year (27 catches, 363 yards, 7 touchdowns), and their defense is ranked 5^th in yards allowed. They’re still a great team. I can’t wait for that slugfest with Denver on Thursday night.
4. Arizona Cardinals. Despite all their injuries, they’re 5-1. If Carson Palmer can stay healthy, this team is a Super Bowl contender. That defense is really good, and they’ve got playmakers on offense. Plus, that division is worse than we thought it would be. Could we potentially be talking about the NFC West champion Cardinals? We’ll see.
5. Philadelphia Eagles. Another 5-1 team, and one that’s also had injury problems. They were off this week, and have a huge game in Arizona against the Cardinals on Sunday. It’s already shaping up to be a great NFL weekend.
6. Indianapolis Colts. They’ve won five in a row, their defense is playing great, and they’ve got the best young quarterback in the league. If either San Diego or Denver falters this season, expect Indy to be the one who takes their place in the AFC.
7. Detroit Lions. Statistically, they’ve got the best defense in the league. And they keep winning, even without Calvin Johnson. Once they get him back, watch out. It seems that the team has responded extremely well to the Mr. Blank Expression, head coach Jim Caldwell, who would react the same way to winning the power ball as he would to having his legs broken like James Caan in the movie Misery.
8. Baltimore Ravens. Fresh off flushing the Falcons season down the toilet, Baltimore appears to be inching back towards being a Super Bowl contender. How awesome has Steve Smith been for them this year? He’s given that offense an edge they didn’t have last year, and Joe Flacco a target that he’s sorely missed since they decided it would be a good idea to get rid of Anquan Boldin. You know, only one of their best players, as well as emotional leaders, during their Super Bowl run.
9. Green Bay Packers. Aaron Rodgers is quietly having an excellent year (66.8 completion percentage, 1,674 yards, 18 TDs, only 1 pick), and that defense appears to have settled in a little bit, or have at least been servicable. I don’t, at least at this point, buy them as a Super Bowl contender, but I believe in the power of Rodgers. I think he can get them there. The Packers are just one of those teams that I had to audible on. Sometimes you make a sweeping pronouncement on a team, but instead of being right, you end up whiffing worse than Casey at the Bat. That’s when you have to swallow your pride, except that you were an idiot about this team, and adjust accordingly. That’s what I’ve done with Green Bay.
10. Seattle Seahawks. I have no reason to leave them in the top 10, other than I think they’ve got enough pride in their locker room to get things turned around. They’re still talented. I’m not done with them yet.

Quickly, from my Angry Old Man, though we’ve already heard from his angry self once today, “You idiot, I know how much you love that garbage NBA regular season. I better not see you writing any crap about that until at least January or I’ll no longer have any sons. Your brother has already let me down enough times, you better not do the same!”

Unfortunatley for him, I’ll be writing at least a few things about the NBA this week before the season starts. I love every sport, but the NBA is my favorite. It’s been a long time since the season ended, and a lot of important things have happened. I can’t stay silent on them forever.

More Jameis Winston Drama, the Rise of Cleveland, and Game Picks

Notre Dame at Florida State is the biggest game of the college football weekend, but the contest seems to have taken a backseat to the most recent waves of controversy surrounding Jameis Winston. I wrote a few weeks ago, after Winston was suspended for the Clemson game for standing on a table and yelling an obscene phrase, that his biggest problem was that he was an immature kid, a knuckle head who was one because he’d been enabled to be one by the adults around him. Currently, he’s under investigation for signing autographs for money (which is an extremely dumb rule, but still, you have to follow it), and he’s also at the center of a federal investigation into the school’s handling of the rape allegation against him. You can read more about the Jameis Winston controversy here, but if the reports are true, Florida State acted criminally, and the adults around Jameis continued to do what they’ve always done, which is enable him to be a knucklehead, and maybe even be someone who got away with rape. And they did all of this so they could keep him eligible and win a few games? Really?

 

#5 Notre Dame at #2 FSU (victor in CAPS)

 

I don’t even really want to write about this game, just because it feels so trivial in comparison to what has transpired on that campus, but I just have a feeling that FSU is going to physically overwhelm Notre Dame on Saturday night. Don’t forget that this is the same Fighting Irish team that gave up 43 points to a bad North Carolina team only a week ago. Earlier in the week, I remembered two years ago when, in a similar situation, Notre Dame traveled to Oklahoma on a Saturday night. The entire country expected the Irish to get trampled by the Sooners, but they shockingly dominated Oklahoma the entire night. They controlled the clock, pounded the ball with the running game, and played extremely well on the defensive side of the ball.

 

However, shortly thereafter, I remembered two important details:

 

1. The 2014 Seminoles are much better than the 2012 Sooners.
2. The 2014 Irish are significantly worse than the 2012 Irish. The 2012 team would’ve never given up more than 40 points to a mediocre team. They saved that for Alabama in the national title game.

 

Florida State is much better than Notre Dame, despite all of the off the field problems. They’ll win comfortably on Saturday night.

 

#21 Texas A&M at #7 ALABAMA

 

Remember how much of a “genius” Lane Kiffin was a few weeks ago when the Crimson Tide dropped 42 points on Florida? What happened? Did he get dumb all the sudden? I’d argue he’s always been an idiot, but that might just be because he stabbed the Tennessee program through the heart. Regardless, the Alabama offense has really struggled the last few weeks. They only managed 10 offensive points against Ole Miss, and they were only able to put up 14 against Arkansas. 24 points in two weeks? Lucky for the Tide, they get to play the revolving door defense that is Texas A&M this week. If they can’t light that “defense” up, then Kiffin should probably never get a job as an offensive coordinator again.

 

Speaking of the Aggies, has their been a more meaningless game that’s happened this year than A&M’s dominating win over South Carolina on the opening Thursday of the season? Since then, we’ve learned that the Gamecocks actually aren’t that good (they lost to Kentucky and an extremely offensively limited Missouri team. They also surrendered 34 points to Vanderbilt, who would struggle to move the ball on a team full of blind guys), and that Texas A&M is the same school it’s been since Kevin Sumlin got there. Yeah, great, they move the ball, but they can’t stop anyone. I’m actually not a huge fan of Sumlin as a coach. Sure, his offenses are explosive, but this is his 7^th year as a head coach (4 at Houston and 3 at A&M) and he’s had seven bad defenses. Can we really call him a “genius” (as some have suggested) when he can’t figure out that side of the ball? And it’s not like they’ve completely dominated the SEC or anything, as he’s just 12-8 in conference games.

 

They’ll be 12-9 after this weekend. Alabama has struggled with this match up the last two years, but the Aggies aren’t quarterbacked by Johnny Football this year. Kenny Hill has played very well, but it won’t matter on Saturday. The Tide are at home, and I have to believe they’ll be able to get out of their offensive funk this week. They’re too talented on that side of the ball, and Blake Sims won’t have to worry about having pass rushers in his face the entire game, because the Aggies don’t have any. This will be a high scoring game, but Alabama will be able to get more stops, and they’ll win.

 

Tennessee at #3 OLE MISS

 

I’m sorry Vol Nation. I really am. I wish I could make a case in my head to pick the Vols. But I can’t. They travel to Oxford, the Rebels have one of the best defenses in the country, and Bo Wallace more than likely won’t throw three or four interceptions that will keep Tennessee in the game, because he’s actually done a great job of taking care of the ball this year. I just don’t see how Tennessee will be able to consistently move the ball on Saturday. If the offensive line couldn’t keep Worley upright last Saturday against Chattanooga, why would I have any reason to believe that would change tomorrow against the Ole Miss? The Rebels will dominate the line of scrimmage, and I see them winning comfortably. Once again, it will be another Saturday of disappointment as a Vol fan.

 

Other college picks

 

#14 Kansas State at #11 OKLAHOMA

#10 GEORGIA at Arkansas

Kentucky at LSU

#15 Oklahoma State at #12 TCU

MISSOURI at Florida

#23 STANFORD at #17 Arizona State

NFL

 

BROWNS at Jaguars

 

Last week, I stupidly picked the Jaguars to beat the Titans. What a dumb thing to do. I remember having reasons as to why I picked Jacksonville, but I conveniently forgot about one thing; it’s Jacksonville. Picking the Jaguars is kind of like punching a sleeping bear in the face. Maybe I’ll get away unscathed (meaning the Jags win), but I probably won’t. And even if I do, I’m still an idiot for doing it. Just remind me of this the next time I write something like, “I actually really like Jacksonville this weekend” or, “I see the Jaguars taking it on Sunday”.

 

But enough about the Jags. This is about the Browns. Looking at the Browns next three (Jacksonville, Oakland, and Tampa Bay), there’s a realistic chance that Cleveland could be 6-2 at the halfway point. If they could pull that off, this would be the greatest year in Cleveland sports in a long time. They improbably got LeBron to return, and they’d be 6-2, fighting for a playoff spot. What? Plus, they may have found that franchise quarterback they’ve been missing for so many years in Brian Hoyer. Things could not be going better for the city at the moment.

 

Then again, it’s still Cleveland. This is the city that hasn’t won a championship since 1964. It’s the same city that went through “The Drive” and Earnest Byner’s fumble in back to back AFC Championship games. It’s the same city that hasn’t won the World Series since 1948, and has had two devastating baseball defeats in recent memory (losing the 1997 World Series on the final at bat to the upstart Marlins, as well as blowing a 3 games to 1 lead against the Red Sox in the 2007 ALCS). It’s also the same city that’s been tortured and torched by Michael Jordan, as well as the city that LeBron walked away from in a heartless and cold way. Wouldn’t it be the most Cleveland thing possible to blow this game on Sunday, lose the next two, and instead be 3-5 at the halfway point?

 

I’m not picking Jacksonville this week, because that’s suicidal (much like punching a sleeping bear in the face), but I wouldn’t be shocked if the Browns went down there and blew it.

 

BENGALS at Colts

 

I probably haven’t given the Colts enough credit this year for being good (they’re 4-2), but I think Andrew Luck deserves a lot more praise than the team does. Make no mistake; this is not a good Colts team. They have no pass rush, and they aren’t an exceptional rushing team (16^th in the league in yards per game). Luck has just been great this year (66.2 completion percentage, 17 TDs, 1,987 yards), and they’ve quietly won 4 straight games. The Bengals have looked average at best the last two weeks, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, as the supposedly limited Patriots’ and Panthers’ offenses have torched Cincy the last two weeks. They’re also going to be without A.J. Green this week, which will hurt their chances.

 

So why am I picking the Bengals? Because I still think they’re a really good team. And while missing Green will hurt, they still put up 37 points last week on a Carolina defense that is much better than anything the Colts can trot out there. Plus, if you just compared the rosters of the two teams, there’s no comparison between the level of talent on the Bengals and the Colts. Cincinnati’s way better at the line of scrimmage and in the secondary. The Colts just have Luck. And for a lot of weeks, that would be enough. But it won’t be this week. The Bengals will get back on track.

 

49ers at BRONCOS

 

Denver has had an extremely tough schedule early in the 2014 campaign. They’ve played Indy, at Seattle, Arizona, and they had to fly all the way across the country to play the Jets last week, which wasn’t an easy game. They have the Niners this week, and then they’ll be rewarded with San Diego on Thursday. What a gauntlet to start the season! But I like how they’ve responded to it. San Fran seems like they are on their way back to being the Niners we all know and love, as they’re playing great defense again, running the ball effectively, and getting a few “WOW” plays from Colin Kaepernick every game. Interesting how all that locker room and Harbaugh controversy have died down now that they’re winning.

 

Will the Niners be able to consistently get pressure on Manning? That’s the question for Sunday night. The Jets were able to hang around because they were in Manning’s face the entire day. Denver is one of the worst rushing teams in the league (they’re 26^th in yards per game), meaning Manning’s going to be dropping back a lot. If they can generate a consistent pass rush, and control the clock with the running game when they have the ball, they can really make it tough on Denver. But I don’t think either of those things will happen. Denver’s defense has really impressed me this year. They won’t get bullied by anyone. Plus, San Fran still isn’t completely healthy on the defensive side of the ball, and that secondary, which is almost completely different from last year’s unit, has only played 6 games together. They, as a unit, haven’t faced a force like Manning yet. Denver will win on Sunday night.

 

Other NFL picks

 

Jets at PATRIOTS

Vikings at BILLS

Falcons at RAVENS

Panthers at PACKERS

Dolphins at BEARS

Saints at LIONS

SEAHAWKS at Rams

Titans at REDSKINS

Chiefs at CHARGERS

 

Giants at COWBOYS

CARDINALS at Raiders

TEXANS at Steelers

Enjoy football this weekend. You deserve it.

The Week in Football: Apologies to the State of Mississippi, and Dallas? Dallas?

My Angry Old Man has screamed and shouted his way to the top of my writing this week. “You idiot, when are you going to start listening to your father? I’ve been telling you and telling you how good the Mississippi schools were, yet you keep dismissing it! When are you going to start giving them some credit! Turn down that boom boom music and listen to my wisdom!”

 

I think it’s time that I publicly admit something; I owe the state of Mississippi an apology. My Old Man was right. I’ve picked against Miss St three times this year, and all three times they’ve come out early and smacked the other team in the mouth. I’ve also picked against Ole Miss twice this year, in back to back weeks. They shut down Alabama’s offense, and then destroyed Texas A&M the entire game on Saturday. I’m sorry Mississippi. I didn’t give you guys enough credit for being a really good team. I didn’t believe that they’d be able to physically dominate and put down all of their opponents this year. I guess that’s what happens when both schools have been largely irrelevant for all of my lifetime.

 

So where do these schools stand going forward? Let’s look at their schedules. Ole Miss still has tough games left at LSU and Arkansas, as well as a home date with Auburn. Mississippi St still has to travel to Alabama, and they’ll host Arkansas. Another game to keep an eye on is when they travel to Kentucky on October 25^th. The Wildcats have been quietly very competitive this year. That’s not going to be an easy game by any stretch of the imagination.

 

The Egg Bowl is on November 29^th in Oxford. Can you imagine how huge that game would be if both Mississippi schools were undefeated at that point, with the winner taking the SEC West? It would be bigger than all of the other Egg Bowls combined. I actually expect both schools to have at least one loss by then, but even if they did, that game could still be for the division title. I’m not sure the state of Mississippi could handle it. It might collapse in on itself. Or the entire state would divide by zero and cease to exist. It’s one of those two options. Either way, I’m rooting for it. Because any time a game called the Egg Bowl can end up being the biggest game of the college football season, I’m all for it.

 

TCU Blew it, and Defense is Dead

 

The most alarming game of this season happened on Saturday, when TCU surrendered a 21 point lead with 11 minutes to go, and lost 61-58. The Horned Frogs had only given up 58 points all year, but on Saturday, that didn’t matter. They got torched. And it was embarrassing. You can’t give up a 21 point lead in the 4^th quarter. You just can’t. But as I watched Sportscenter on Saturday night, one of the college football “experts” said one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard a media personality say. Instead of mentioning the fact that oh, I don’t know, TCU allowed Baylor to drive the field on them at will for the final 11 minutes of the game, he instead decided to make the point that the Horned Frogs didn’t do a good enough job of creating anything on offense that quarter. What? WHAT? How about the fact that Baylor went down the field almost unimpeded for the entire quarter? After Bryce Petty’s pick six, TCU just decided to stop playing defense. Or maybe they couldn’t. I’m not begrudging Baylor for being highly advanced offensively, or for scoring a ton of points, but seriously, does defense even matter anymore? I’ll admit that offensive play calling is way far ahead of defensive play calling, but it also hurts that every single rule in football favors offense. You can’t touch the quarterback, receivers are free to run over the middle without the threat of getting their clock cleaned, and on and on and on. I just wish the rules wouldn’t be so slanted in favor of the offense. I wish the rules would give the defense a chance. 61-58? Really? Even the SEC, the league historically with great defense, gets torched. Does getting stops even matter any more? Or do you just have to be able to score a bunch of points quickly? The college game is much different than it was ten years ago. The physicality has slowly been taken out of football, and now we get 300 shootouts every weekend. And when you consider that everybody can score points now, it really makes you scratch your head and wonder what the heck happened to Missouri on Saturday. If you get shut out in this era of college football, your school should probably discontinue its football program.

 

My 4 Team Playoff

 

Every week from now to the end of the season, now that I’ve seen at least 6 games from every school, I feel like I can start trying to make sense of the college football landscape, as well as who is deserving of being in the 4 team playoff.

 

1. Mississippi State. They’re the best team in the country, and they’ve got the most impressive wins. Dak Prescott should be the Heisman front runner, if he isn’t already. And their defense is very good, though they could easily get torched at some point this year, just like every defense.
2. Ole Miss. They’re better than Florida State, at least in my opinion. They’ve got 2 extremely good wins, which is two more than Florida State has (unless you want to give them credit for that Oklahoma State win, which was impressive, but less so than beating Alabama and Texas A&M). Plus, they’ve got the best defense in the country, and it doesn’t even matter that it’s the best that money can buy.
3. Florida State. Just because they’re undefeated. If they can get by Notre Dame this weekend (and I think they will), their schedule is full of a bunch of cupcakes. If road games against Louisville and Miami are your toughest tests, you should probably go undefeated, which means they’ll make the 4 team playoff.
4. Baylor. I have them here now because they’re undefeated, but I think the winner of their game at Oklahoma on November 8^th will end up determining who gets this spot, assuming the winner leaves this game with only one loss. There offense is so explosive, but they excel at playing that revolving door defense.

 

The Dallas Cowboys are the Best Team in the NFC

 

That’s a sentence that I never thought I’d type. But it’s true. It was weird how they physically dominated Seattle. They pounded the rock with DeMarco Murray, and Romo made some really nice throws. Dez Bryant outplayed Richard Sherman, and that Dallas defense was actually really good. I thought they’d be in trouble on that side of the ball this year when they lost Sean Lee and DeMarcus Ware, but other guys (Rolando McClain) have stepped up and been great for them. They’ve got the best offensive line in the league, and they’ve actually committed to an offensive strategy that isn’t, “Let’s have Tony Romo throw 50 times a game”. As long as they keep the ball on the ground, and Murray can stay healthy, Dallas will win the division and maybe have the best record in the NFC. It’s in play. Then again, we’re still talking about the Cowboys, the team that’s disappointed its fans more than Nic Cage disappoints moviegoers. The most Cowboy thing to do is go 8-8 or 9-7, all while still giving the fans hope, only to lose the last game of the season for the division and have the season end. That’s what happened the last three years. The second most Cowboy thing to do is have a great regular season, finish something like 13-3, have the best record in the NFC, and then lose the first playoff game. That’s what happened in 2007. It could happen again. We’re still talking about the Cowboys. But for now, they’re the best team in the NFC.

 

What Happened to Seattle?

 

I thought they were the best team in the NFL, and I didn’t think there was any way that Dallas could go into that hostile environment, against that physical Seahawks team, and push them around for 60 minutes. But that’s what happened. If Dallas doesn’t have two special teams blunders (a blocked punt and a fumbled punt return), the game wouldn’t have even been close. I still think that defense is really good, but we’ve seen this year in their two losses (San Diego and Dallas) that as long as you’re willing to keep the ball on the ground, you can dominate the time of possession and tire that defense out. San Diego had the ball for about 42 minutes in their win, and Dallas held onto it for 37 minutes, and ran 70 offensive plays to Seattle’s 48.

 

And then there’s that offense. Can we please stop with the Russell Wilson hyperbole? I’m a fan of Wilson’s game, and I think he’s a really good quarterback, but he’s not one of the 10 or 12 best at that position in the league. There’s no comparison between what he’s asked to do and what the Colts ask Andrew Luck to do, or what the Packers ask Aaron Rodgers to do. He’s a nice player, but he’s not a 4000 yard passer, or a guy that frightens you with his ability to throw the ball down the field. And speaking of down the field, Seattle doesn’t have great offensive weapons. Percy Harvin doesn’t make those game changing plays anymore, and the biggest play Doug Baldwin has made all year happened on that blocked punt yesterday. The formula with them is the same that it’s always been: play great defense, control the clock with the running game, and have Russell Wilson make a few plays with his legs and in the passing game. But they aren’t going to win the Super Bowl, or get the 1 seed in the NFC, if that defense plays like they did yesterday. I hated how Sherman was fist bumping and yucking it up with Dez Bryant yesterday, because that’s so far from how he normally is. This is the same guy who yelled into Erin Andrews’ microphone about how Michael Crabtree was a sorry receiver. That’s who he is! It was weird how he went away from that and started congratulating Bryant during the game. He should have been talking smack to Bryant, not acting like they just went in together on a business deal. I hope the Legion of Boom hasn’t lost their swagger.

 

NFL Power Rankings

1. San Diego Chargers. I picked them to win the Super Bowl from the beginning of the year, and they’ve lived up to my expectations thus far. They’ve won five straight games, and Phil Rivers is the MVP of the league.
2. Dallas Cowboys. They’ve also won five straight games, they are the best running team in the league, and they’ve got the best win of the year, the win in Seattle yesterday.
3. Seattle Seahawks. I’m still a believer in the Seahawks, though I am concerned about they were physically overpowered in their two losses. They didn’t even really look all that good last Monday night against the Redskins either. But I can’t drop them lower than 3^rd.
4. Denver Broncos. Peyton Manning is having another great season, and Denver’s defense has really played well this year. It appears that the additions of Aqib Talib and DeMarcus Ware have really helped give them more of a physical, intimidating swagger on that side of the ball.
5. Arizona Cardinals. Carson Palmer is back quarterbacking this team, they’ve got one of the best defenses in the league, and it appears that Larry Fitzgerald has finally began to hit his stride after yesterday’s game (6 catches, 98 yards, 1 TD). Plus, that defense is awesome.
6. Philadelphia Eagles. They appear to have figured out their problems in the running game (Shady McCoy 22 carries for 149 yards yesterday), and that offensive line has started to get healthy again.
7. Detroit Lions. Their defense allows the fewest yards per game, and they’ve actually played pretty well on the road this year, which has been there problem the last few years.
8. Cincinnati Bengals. I’m still really high on this team even though they haven’t looked anywhere near as good after their bye week as they did before it. Keep an eye on that defense though (which was supposed to be strength). They’ve been torched the last two weeks by the supposedly limited Patriots’ and Panthers’ offenses.
9. Baltimore Ravens. They’re quietly 4-2. They’ve got a nice front seven, Joe Flacco looks like he might be earning that obscene contract he got last off-season, and Steve Smith Sr. has been a huge addition for them. He looks like he’s got three good years left.
10. San Francisco 49ers. I’m back on the Niners bandwagon. They are the only team in football that has victories over two 5-1 teams (Dallas and Philly). We’ll see what happens with them tonight.

 

Also, watch the baseball playoffs. They’ve been really exciting! And enjoy the Monday Night game. It’s the last football game that matters until Thursday. You deserve it.