The Raiders Situation

I don't know what to believe on the ongoing Raiders-Kiffin saga. Do they want him gone or not? He won't comment and the Raiders deny the reports. It's a question of who do I trust less, rumor-passing sports reporters or the most secretive sports franchise in the America. I'm hoping the Raiders are right and they aren't firing Kiffin, who did a great job in his first year as a head coach anywhere, and showed he can manage a game and instill a good offensive system. Rob Ryan needs to go because in four years with the team, the Raiders haven't improved on defense, save one fluke year when teams didn't try to score on them because the Raiders offense was so horrible. Then again, it could be that Al Davis insists on playing man to man defense as other people have reported, and his defensive coordinator has no say over his own part of the team. I really don't want this to be true because it'll validate what everyone has said about Davis. It will also mean that Davis has to go for the good of the team. And that's the saddest thing about this whole mess. Davis has been a brilliant football mind for so long and has done more to push civil rights in football than any other owner (including Dan Rooney of the Rooney Rule fame). Davis hired black and Hispanic coaches before the league forced people to look that way. He had black players on his team early on, and he was always an outspoken advocate for equality in football. He had a good mind for the Xs and Os of football too. His power run, vertical pass scheme was brilliant in its time, but his time may have passed. The man who has unearth more coaching gems than anyone else (Shanahan, Gruden, Madden, Flores) seemingly had gotten another one in Kiffin. I hope he stays with that one. If not, the Raiders are back to where they started and this last year, full of hope and wins on the road and over AFC rivals, was a wasted one.

AFC/NFC Title Game Thoughts

1. LaDainian Tomlinson = overrated. There, I said it. I didn't think this day would actually come, but what a completely heartless, disgraceful no show by the former league MVP. Two carries, one catch, and a whole lot of time standing on the sideline while Michael Turner came in and showed that the Bolts don't necessarily need Tomlinson and Philip Rivers gutted out the game on a partially torn ACL and Antonio Gates played the whole game with a broken toe. Tomlinson talked big about his first championship opportunity and then didn't show up. LaDainian, that was the time to play hurt, to put your team on your back and at least try. He didn't once lobby the coaches to put him back in the game.

2. Now that's the Norv Turner I know and love. Here's a thought: You're down two scores with less than 5 minutes to go. You're at the 40 yard line facing a 4th and 10. You have the league's best running back, but he's moping on the bench, so he's a non-factor. But you do have a terrific backup in Michael Turner, a receiver playing to his potential in Chris Chambers and a decent, if injured, quarterback in Philip Rivers. You've moved the ball against the Patriots defense for most of the day. You're playing against the best offense in the league, against the most dangerous playoff quarterback in the league. All you need is 10 yards. Sure, let's punt instead. The Chargers never got the ball back. Brady and company worked the clock and the Chargers couldn't stop that Pats offense.

3. The return of Bad Brett Favre at the worst possible time. I actually don't have a lot to say here. I would have loved to see him play against the Pats in the Super Bowl.

4. Eli??!!?? in the Super Bowl?!?!?!? WTF?!?!? How did this happen? It all started in the last week of the season, when Eli came out and played like gangbusters against the Pats. The Patriots gaveth Eli confidence. Will they take it away in the Super Bowl?

Heisman Race and BCS mess

First, needless to say, I'm an idiot. I pretty much called this whole BCS mess for the last weekend and foresaw an LSU-Ohio State matchup but forgot to post about it. And sure enough, West Virginia and Missouri choked, though in Missouri's case, even Las Vegas expected them to lose. West Virginia came up small in a big situation like they always seem to do.
So why LSU and Ohio State? The Ohio State part is easy. They're a one-loss conference champion and those are rare this season, so they're in. The other conference champs? LSU destroyed Virginia Tech earlier this year, so they get the nod over them. USC lost to Stanford earlier this year, so they're automatically out. West Virginia just lost to Pitt so they're out. And then there's Oklahoma, who just demolished #1 Missouri. If LSU is in over Oklahoma, voters are saying basically that the SEC is a tougher conference than the Big 12 this year, and the Big 12 actually had a pretty good year. I think it should actually be Oklahoma-LSU in the BCS title game in the ultimate snub of the Big 10. Let's face it, the Big 10 was lousy this year and winning it was no great accomplishment. However this mess gets sorted out, there's going to be at least one team (either Ohio State, LSU or Oklahoma) that will have a legitimate gripe against the BCS. Then there's Hawaii, who arguably played a tougher schedule than Ohio State did this year. So add them in there too, though I don't think any team has ever jumped more than 10 spots in a poll before.

While this weekend further muddled up the BCS championship game, the Heisman race has never been clearer. The list of Heisman candidates and why they will or won't win:

Matt Ryan - threw 18 INTs this year. End of story. He's not that good, no matter how much ESPN and SI try to hype him up. I think he could be a pretty good NFL quarterback, but he turns the ball over.

Pat White - just lost to Pitt, has fumbled way too much throughout the season.

Dennis Dixon - had a great case to be the Heisman until he got injured. Then again, Oregon hasn't won since, so he might be the most valuable player to his team.

Colt Brennan - plays in the throw-happy Hawaii offense so his numbers are inflated a bit. Threw 14 INTs this year. Did lead his team to an undefeated season, but played no one all year long with the exception of Boise State.

Chase Daniels - put up great numbers this season (69.7 completion %, 33 TDs, 10 INTs), but his games against Oklahoma might have doomed him. Daniels had a great chance to shine in the national spotlight, but he couldn't lead his team to victory or even a close loss.

Darren McFadden - great numbers, but people almost expected more. Plays on a 4 loss team, which hurts. Had 3 monster games (Alabama, LSU, and South Carolina), two of which were on the road and 2 subpar games (Mississippi State and Auburn, 0 TD rushing and 3.1 and 2.5 YPC respectively). Played with less talent around him than most candidates.

Tim Tebow - Plays on a 3 loss team. Rushed for more than 800 yards and threw for more than 3,000 yards. Leading rusher and passer on his team. Broke the record for most rushing touchdowns in the SEC. College Football's only 20-20 man, throwing for 29 TDs and rushing for 22 TDs. Had 2 TDs in every game, even in down games against Auburn and Georgia. Had an unbelievable 7 TD (2 passing, 5 rushing) game against South Carolina.

It seems like a two-man race for the Heisman, but really, it's not. Tebow put up TD numbers that no one has ever seen, and TDs are the most important statistic. He somehow surpassed expectations and hype after helping Florida win the BCS championship as a freshman. It has to be Tebow this year.

What we've learned this season

1. LSU was a fraud.
I started to realize this from the first time I saw Matt Flynn play. I thought, here is a quarterback surrounded by the best possible supporting cast, but he's not up to starring. Les Miles compensated for that by gambling and riding a 3 headed monster at running back. The defense got exposed by Florida and Kentucky and hasn't been dominant since. So Les gambled more and more, playing percentages with fourth down conversions. LSU should have lost to Florida and Auburn this season, but their success on fourth down was the difference.

2. Nebraska might be the biggest disappointment this year.
The Cornhuskers were supposed to be a top 25 team this year and a dark horse national championship contender. Instead, they won't make a bowl game, their coach is a lock to get fired and their defense gives up 65 points to Colorado. The blackshirts have become the black and blue shirts, filled with battered egos and bruises from getting run over (277 yards to Colorado this week).

3. Tim Tebow is the best sophomore quarterback ever.
That's not an overstatement. No one has had a season like him. 20 passing TDs, 20 rushing TDs. He now holds the SEC single season rushing touchdowns record. He should win the Heisman.

4. Texas has officially returned to its previously simply good, not great status.
Minus Vince Young, Texas isn't invincible. They're still pretty good, capable of beating most teams on any given Saturday, but it's now been 2 straight losses to Texas A&M and that's how you can tell that they just aren't the same without the game-saving, playmaking quarterback.

5. This BCS Championship game is going to have at least one team unaccustomed to playing in REALLY BIG games.
Kansas, Mizzou, West Virginia, Ohio State. Which of these does not belong? Ohio State is used to getting to the big game, but the other three haven't sniffed the BCS Championship game in previous years. Mizzou and Kansas have never even been mentioned in the same breath as National Championship since the inception of the BCS.

Who's getting the ax first?

Yes, it's time to start looking at the coaches on the hottest seat. Let's go down the list.

Good as Gone:
Scott Linehan - Finally won a game, but unless he can string together 6 or 7 more where that one came from, he won't see what has to be a vastly improved Rams team take the field next season.

Coaching his way out of the NFL:
Cam Cameron - Still hasn't won a game. Team hasn't shown any improvement. He isn't starting rookies, so there's a possibility that the team could actually be worse next year. Hard to go worse than 0-16, but Cam's not setting up the future too well.

There's a fire underneath that seat, yet you're not coaching like there's a fire under your ass:
Brad Childress - Wow, bad. Got shut out by Green Bay. The only things he was able to hang his hat on, running and run defense, didn't show up in that game. The run defense was exposed by Ryan Grant. You've probably never heard of him. The pass defense is atrocious as always. They can't pass the ball. Now Adrian Peterson is out and there's nothing left for the Vikings. Plus, Childress loves to throw people that could help the team (Daunte Culpepper, Jeff George, Troy Williamson) under a bus.

The Guru that Wasn't:
Brian Billick - the most secure of the bunch, but coaching his way out of a job. Got Willis McGahee in the offseason only to have the offense pass twice as much as it runs. The defense doesn't scare anyone anymore and it looks like their Super Bowl window closed last year against the Colts in the playoffs. Not getting better with the current staff and roster. Plus, his obvious successor is already on staff: Rex Ryan.

Three Year Circle:
Mike Nolan - Nice guy, sharp dresser, but we've been through this before, haven't we? Peaked with a 7-9 season and an offense that scored 298 points and a defense that gave up 412. Ouch. It's looking more like his first season where the 49ers went 4-12 and couldn't score or defend anyone. Worse yet, they gave their 1st round pick to the Pats in exchange for Left Turnstile Joe Staley. The upside is there's a lot more talent on this team due to a couple of good drafts. The foundation for a Chiefs-style Big 3 (QB, RB, TE) is there. Will the next coach be able to take advantage of it?

Mangenius to Mandummy in one year:
Eric Mangini - Brilliant against a soft schedule last year, lousy against a better schedule this year. Angered the Patriots this year and hasn't been able to do much on either side of the ball. Forced the 3-4 defense on a team that didn't have the right personnel for it. Got a good RB, but the offense seems to have regressed. They thought they were so close last year. This year, they'll be lucky to get close to the Bills and far from the Dolphins.

Family problems lead to coaching problems:
Andy Reid - He ain't going anywhere unless he decides he wants to. Consistently, one of the best regular season coaches, yet his family situation is so messed up right now that he might put himself on the hot seat.

From Super Bowl to consistent Super Bust:
John Fox - He just can't get it done. There's no other way to put it. Looked brilliant in the Super Bowl year, had a great playoff run with Steve Smith and spare parts and then has consistently underachieved. In fairness, Jake Delhomme peaked his first year as a starter, but they could sure use him now. The running game is wildly inconsistent. DeAngelo Williams hasn't become the star people thought he would. David Carr is a big bust in Carolina. Turns out he just has a penchant for taking sacks. Maybe Houston's line wasn't that bad after all. The defense with all those big names and contracts is non-existent. He's still a pretty decent coach, but he might be killed by all those lofty expectations.

Keep the Sonics in Seattle

I shouldn't even have to post this. Moving the Sonics is like moving the Suns or the Pacers or Spurs. It just should not be done. The Seattle Supersonics have provided many great memories for the city of Seattle. Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp (before he got fat), Ray Allen, their NBA Finals run in 95-96, their surprisingly playoff run in 04-05, the 79 championship team, Lenny Wilkens, Nate McMillan, Spencer Haywood, the X-man, Dennis Johnson, Vin Baker (before he got fat), Derrick McKey's one good season, Desmond Mason's high-flying dunks, Flip Murray's one stretch of good games back in 03 when he was going off on a nightly basis for like a week and then disappeared forever, Paul Silas, that time Jerome James played half-way decent defense against Tim Duncan, Rashard Lewis draining 3s in the corner, drafting Kevin Durant. Look, Seattle is a world-class city that loves its Sonics. Oklahoma City just doesn't have the basketball tradition that the great Northwest does. Not a knock on Oklahoma City, I'm sure it's a fine city, but the Supersonics are Seattle sports. They were the first professional franchise in the city, and they're still the only ones to win a championship. Please, David Stern, don't take this team away from this city. Don't make the league even more generic by having a team name and a city that don't match (see Utah Jazz). Or worse yet, don't rename the team and make them into a generic animal name. Don't relegate the Northwest into cheering exclusive for the Portland Trailblazers. Think of the rivalry that could grow between the Blazers and Sonics over the next 10 years with Durant and Oden in their primes. In Oklahoma City, the Sonics become just another team, akin to the Charlotte Bobcats or the New Orleans Hornets. Hey, the Hornets are a fine team with a great point guard, but I just can't get excited about them. There's not a lot of history there. Owners move teams if they're not making money or if the fan base evaporates. This is so not the case with the Sonics. The new owner just happens to be from Oklahoma City and wants to move the team just because of that fact:

We didn’t buy the team to keep it in Seattle; we hoped to come here.” McLendon indicated that finances might not be the prime consideration in a move, stating that the team would likely perform better financially in Seattle.

Don't let this happen, NBA!

Fire Coach Cam?? Why Bother

Lemon to remain Dolphins starter

AP says that Coach Cam is giving Lemon the start again. Coach Cam, you are 0-8. You are not going to be 8-8 this year. It's not going to happen unless you trade your entire team for the Patriots entire team. The future is now. Play Beck. He's 26 years old already. You cannot afford to stash him away. He has 10 years at most in the league as a starting QB. Better make use of that now. You know what you have in Lemon. Lemon is a OK quarterback that can manage a game as long as you power rush 40 times a game and have Lemon throw about 15-20 times. Basically, use him like a Quinn Gray in Jax. Since this does not happen in Miami, Lemon has yet to win a game for the Fins this year. To repeat, Lemon is not a playmaker. He does not make things happen and teammates are not rallying around him. You need to see Beck. You need to see him as much as possible between now and the end of the season. There's a very good chance that the Fins will be drafting #1 overall. If a franchise quarterback is in that draft sitting there, the Fins cannot afford to pass that up again. We also need to find out if passing on Quinn was a mistake this year (I maintain that it was, prove me wrong, Coach Cam).

I say "fire Coach Cam? why bother" because it's looking like 0-16 for the fins or at best 2-14, and either of those records will probably get Coach Cam fired and the whole team blown up. I don't know what Cam saw in this team that made him think they were close to the playoffs. Everyone else (and I mean everyone) saw an aging defense, a punchless offense and nothing special on either side of the ball outside of Jason Taylor. Everyone knew (including Jason Taylor) that Trent Green was one hit away from a likely retirement and of course, that happened. Even if it didn't, Trent Green was not going to be a QB to maximize marginal talent. He had Gonzo and Priest and later LJ all those years in KC. His WRs may have been marginal, but he had the benefit of playing behind one of the best offensive lines in the league.

Do the right thing, Coach Cam. Play Beck. I think he gives you a better chance of winning than Lemon does. The team might be able to rally around him. We know what Lemon can do (not much, unfortunately). Let's see Beck. Maybe he's a playmaker. Maybe not. We'll never know if he's glued to the bench. Play Beck and run the ball with Chatman and another rookie that's glued to the bench, Lorenzo Booker. Play him too. Run your backs 35 times a game at least. Your team has demonstrated a good ability to power rush. That has been the only offensive strength all year. Power rush and play action, and maybe Beck will give you the victory that will allow you to avoid the most embarrassing head coaching resume of all time, Coach Cam.