Other Happenings in Sports

There’s no doubting that Pete Carroll built one of the greatest college football teams ever. From 1996-2001, the Trojans were 37-35. Pete Carroll took over in 2001, and since then USC has a record of 86-18. But there’s no way Carroll will experience success anywhere near that in Seattle. College football dominance is based on recruiting. Hence, Pete Carroll could recruit better than anyone. Unfortunately for him, coaches in the NFL don’t recruit. I think Seahawks owner Paul Allen recognized the pro-style offense Carroll ran in SoCal, and plans on him being able to run a similar offense in Seattle. He’ll do that, for sure. But Pete Carroll just won’t have the talent he did when he was at USC. If you gave me the choice between Matt Barkley or Matt Hasselbeck, I’d take Matt Barkley. Until the Seahawks bring in better players, they can look forward to some more 5- or 6-win seasons over the next couple of years. What’s more significant in this story is that Carroll’s replacement will be former Oakland Raiders and Tennessee Volunteers football coach Lane Kiffin. When news of Carroll’s departure first surfaced, everyone wondered how USC could ever survive. Here’s how. Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin was the offensive coordinator at USC from 2001-2006, and will now be the top dog in Southern Cal. Also making the switch from Tennesse to USC are Carroll’s father and defensive guru Monte Kiffin, as well as the recruiting director there, Ed Orgeron. I really don’t think USC is left with a net loss at the end of all this (as long as they’re not slapped with any NCAA violations.) The fact that Lane Kiffin coached in the NFL and in the SEC will probably be a significant draw for future recruits; the fact that Lane Kiffin loves the spotlight will probably mean he’ll enjoy Southern California; and the fact that USC started only eight seniors last year means that Kiffin will have a lot of talent to work with. In five years, USC will have won one national championship, and the Seahawks will have had one winning season.

Just real quick, Mark McGuire came clean about steroids. I don’t care. I don’t care when you took them, why you took them, or what effects you claim they had on you. You used steroids and gave yourself an unfair advantage that skewed your natural ability—how much of McGuire’s success was natural, and how much does he owe to PEDs? “Grading” a user’s press conference is bull shit. Giambi used, A-Rod used, Pettite used, and Manny used. All these players had different excuses and, in many cases, they’re all perceived by fans in different ways based on how they admitted to steroid use. And that is preposterous. Anyone who has ever taken steroids should be treated the same.

What's Up With That: Blue Turf?

What’s up with Boise St.’s blue turf? I’ll be the first to admit that it looks awesome; it’s different, it’s noticeable, and it has put Boise on the map. Would Boise St. still be respected in college football if it did not have blue turf? Yeah, probably. But would they have won seven of the last eight Western Athletic Conference championships? I doubt it. High school athletes are not drawn to Boise St. because Boise is the sixth greenest urban area in the U.S., or because it’s the ninth hottest midsize city for entrepreneurs, not even because Idaho produces one-third of all the potatoes grown in the United States. It’s because they want to play on the blue turf of Bronco Stadium. But I do have a problem with it. In all honesty, I believe that it’s cheating. What color are the Bronco uniforms? Blue—they are the exact color as the turf they play on. Was this simply by accident? I think not. This year, the team even eliminated its orange pants to get the blue top on blue pants on blue turf camouflage look. You can’t tell me that when visiting
teams come to Bronco Stadium, they see the Boise players as clearly as they do their teammates. Especially if we’re talking about their peripheral vision. Do you have a better chance of seeing a blue jersey or a white jersey coming at you from the side? The home field advantage of Boise St. is one of the best in college football. Their players are essentially camouflaged by the field, and that’s not fair. What’s stopping Alabama from installing a crimson playing field? How many more TD’s would Tim Tebow have had if the Gators played on blue turf? Think about it: cornerbacks and safeties have their backs turned to the play until they see that no pass is coming, and then they locate Tebow immediately. If Tebow blended in with the turf he was playing on, I guarantee he’d have at least a half second extra time of not being noticed because the defensive backs wouldn’t know if he’s scrambling to the weak side or strong side. Boise playing on blue turf is an unfair advantage that the NCAA needs to take care of promptly.

Heisman Trophy 's Meaning in the NFL

The Heisman Trophy is awarded to the most outstanding college football player and is the most prestigious award in the NCAA. Each of the 74 players who have been honored with the award deserves tremendous praise for their collegiate careers. However, what is even more impressive is when such success at the college level translates into success at the professional level. And in recent years, that just hasn’t happened. You can attribute that disconnect from NCAA to NFL stars to whatever you want—hype puts too much pressure on Heisman winners, NCAA football is played too differently than NFL football that it’s incredibly hard to be great at both, NCAA starlets get too accustomed to playing at the college level that they cannot transition to the NFL—whatever it is, especially in recent years, there is substantial evidence that a Heisman winner has a hard time having the same success he did in college as he did in the NFL.

Since Barry Sanders won the award in 1988, there have been 20 recipients of the Heisman Award. Fourteen went drafted in the top five rounds of the NFL Draft, including ten first-rounders. So there’s no question as to how NFL front offices look at Heisman winners—they like them, a lot. However, only four have had any measurable success in pro football, and two have yet to appear in an NFL game at all. Eddie George (1995), Charles Woodson (1997), Ricky Williams (1998), and Carson Palmer (2002) are the only players since 1988 to have both won the Heisman Trophy in college, and to have started at least 10 games in 2 or more seasons in the NFL. Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford, good luck.

M. Vick (Not Who You Think)

When you think Virginia Tech QBs, who do you think of? I bet the first name that comes to mind is Vick. After all, no ACC player accounted for more total points for his team than Vick did for VT. He had an ACC-best 6 rush TDs for a quarterback, to go along with 17 passing TDs, 2nd in the ACC. Unfortunately, Vick went undrafted in the 2006 NFL Draft. I’m talking about Marcus Vick, of course, the younger brother of Michael by 4 years. So what happened to this replica of the 2001 Draft’s #1 overall pick? They are both scrambling quarterbacks, they both run a sub-4.50 40-yard dash, they both led Virginia Tech to 11-win seasons, and together scored 61 TDs at Virginia Tech in three seasons. If you look purely at the stats, you could argue that Marcus was the better quarterback of the two. In his only season with Virginia Tech, he completed 61.2% of his passes for 2393 yards and 17 TDs, all three numbers trump those of his older brother’s two seasons at VT.

If Marcus was a better passer on the field, he was worse off the field. His amazing junior year in college should have made him a lock to go in the first few rounds. However, his on-field and off-field demeanor were too foreboding for anyone to give him another chance at football. Countless traffic offenses, speeding tickets galore, possession of marijuana, charges of rape, and unsportsmanlike conduct on the field resulted in his permanent dismissal from the Virginia Tech football program. “It’s not a big deal, I’ll just move on to the next level, baby,” he said—the next level being the 2006 NFL Draft, where he told ESPN that he considered himself better than 1st rounders Matt Leinart, Jay Cutler, and his brother Michael Vick. Apparently NFL front offices didn’t think so, as all 32 teams passed on him. What I should say is that NFL front offices acknowledged his talent, but did not anticipate him staying out of legal troubles as he continues his football career, and thus were not consider signing him a good idea. He did end up signing with the Miami Dolphins as a WR/QB/returnman, but played only one game in the NFL. Since the ’06 Draft, those owners, GMs, and coaches who passed on his proved their wisdom. He’s been charged with several traffic violations, including driving with a suspended license; brandishing a firearm, which he claimed was actually his Blackberry cell phone, mistaken for a gun; DUI, eluding police, reckless driving, and driving with a suspended license—all in one night; no wonder he’s not playing professional football! As for his brother, that remains to be seen.

Guarding the Garden

When the Celtics acquired Kevin Garnett after the 2006-2007 season, they traded away their first round draft pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. So, the Celtics had but one pick in this year's draft: the 58th overall, third to last in the whole draft. They picked senior shooting guard Lester Hudson out of Tennessee-Martin. Almost 25 years old, he was oldest player selected in this year's draft. (It's too bad that college prospects get penalized for staying in college for four years, e.g. Tyler Hansbrough: ACC's all-time leading scorer, dropped to the Pacers at the 13th pick. In the past three drafts, 17 seniors went in the first round, compared to 22 freshmen. This year, we saw the first American player to sidestep the new rule requiring one year of college before entering the draft by playing professionally in Europe: 10th overall pick, Brandon Jennings.) The UT Martin Skyhawks led the Ohio Valley Conference (D-1) with 22 wins last season. Lester Hudson made headlines last year as a junior when he recorded the OVC's first ever quadruple-double (25 points, 12 rebounds 10 assists, 10 steals). A talented all-around player, Hudson was the only player in the nation to average 5+ points, 4+ rebounds, 4+ assists, and 2+ steals per game. He led the OVC in scoring with 27.5 points per game, which was good enough for second-best in the nation, behind Davidson's Stephen Curry (7th overall in the Draft). During his two years at UT Martin, he received a number of significant honors: two-time AP All-American Honorable Mention, back-to-back OVC Player of the Year, 7-time OVC Player of the Week (single-season record). Flying under the radar in a conference that has seen only one player get drafted to the NBA since 2004, Hudson was projected by ESPN to go in the late first round to early second-round. He had good numbers in college, but he's already older than Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard, Lebron James, Glen Davis, and Kendrick Perkins, and I don't know how much better this guy is going to get. Furthermore, the Celtics still have two young guards, J.R. Giddens and Gabe Pruitt, waiting for their chance to play at the Garden. Giddens and Pruitt (2008 and 2007 draft picks, respectively) have a team option for next season. Drafting another guard could be Danny Ainge's way of telling them that they better work their tails off, or this newcomer is going to take their spot. Or, maybe Ainge really likes the athleticism and maturity of Hudson and expects him to get a little bit of playing time next season. Regardless, it's nice to see a kid who actually graduated from college get drafted to the NBA.

Should K-Mack Go Pro?

In my recent post “Kyle McYankee”, I may have not emphasized the magnitude of McKenzie’s accomplishment. To have a chance to play in any professional sport is amazing. But personally, I think Kyle should play a few years at Tulane, gain some experience and confidence instead of joining the Yankees’ AA Trenton Thunder as a teenager. Moving up from way down in the farm system is no fun: pitching for maybe a hundred fans, with little media, and practically no life outside the team. Furthermore, if McKenzie decided to play at Tulane, a D-1 school that has made the NCAA regionals 12 of the past 16 years, he would undoubtedly be a regular part of the starting rotation, even as a freshman. Watching the 2009 College World Series in Omaha, second-seeded LSU sent out a reliever throwing a wee 92 mph in the all-important Game 1. McKenzie’s fastball has been clocked at 95 mph, not to mention his above-average off-speed pitches. Once Kyle has played a few seasons with the Green Wave, he’d likely be drafted in a higher round, get a chance at a bigger contract, and have a chance to skip the dreary early stages of the farm league. There must be something in that Louisiana water, anyway: this year, five Tulane baseball players were drafted in the first 25 rounds of the immense, 50-round MLB Draft. Not to mention, if Kyle signed with the Yankees now, he’d miss out on all the partying—I mean educational opportunities that Tulane has to offer. Plus, he’d have a chance to play for a team other than the Yanks.

From Rags to Riches: Jeremy Maclin

Electrifying, speedy, exciting, "fastest player in football"; only some of the traits that describe rookie wide receiver Jeremy Maclin out of Missouri. Drafted by the Phildelphia Eagles as the 19th pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, Maclin will bring explosiveness to the Eagles, even though they already have wide receiver DeSean Jackson (drafted last year by them in the second round). But I am not here to write about how he benefits the Eagles; I am here to talk about Maclin's true story to get fom rags to riches.

Born on May 11, 1988, Maclin's childhood was troubled, as he had built up scars over the years. Some conspicuous, some not. The invisible ones are the ones that, perhaps, made Jeremy Maclin what he is today. It is not an easy road to the NFL for any average person, but it is even harder when you go thorugh the trouble that Maclin has. He grew up with his two brothers and his perturbed mother; it was a struggle for Cleo Maclin, his father, to put bread on the table. He scrapped long hours of work, and they barely managed to get by. It was hard living, and at a young age, Maclin got interested in football. However, his parents were not always home to transport him to and from practice. Then came along Dr. Jeff Parres.

His Pop Warner football coach, Dr. Parres, started to drive Maclin to and from practice from the age of nine, all the while getting a glimpse of Jeremy's troubled off-the-field life. In fact, one night, as he was dropping off Jeremy at home, Dr. Parres noticed that the young boy had to practically break-in to his own house to get inside, resorting to limbing through the windows since he had been locked out. Maclin often went without dinner. And as the years went by, Dr. Parres started taking Maclin home to his own house to give him a proper place to live. Before long, Jeremy had become a part of the Parres family. Dr and Mrs Parres already had two sons, making their pseudo-adoption of Maclin all the more admirable. They appreciated Jeremy, and oserved that, "He’s [Jeremy] basically walked out of youth, and right into being a man." Then, Maclin was accepted to attend Univeristy of Missourri for the 2007 season to play football. As Mrs. Parres looks back, she notices that she never thought of Jeremy as a superstar. He was always just a great footall player, whereever he went, according to her.

Alhough it has become hard to look back, Jeremy Maclin will always remember not only the Parres family, but also his parents, as they had tried as hard as they could have. They sat with the Parres family during the Draft, awaiting anxiously for their son's crowning moment. Through all his troubles, Maclin also thanks God, to whom he has grown closer throughout the years. Reaching the NFL through the support of the Parres, his family, and the Lord, it is only fitting that Jeremy Maclin will play for Eagles next year in "The City of Brotherly Love".

Yes, Could You Please Have Our Butler Serve Ron a Hot Plate of Patrick Chung?

Although the Patriots, as usual, traded down (out of the first round) in the 2009 NFL Draft, they were able to pick up 3 great players in the second round: Patrick Chung with the 34th pick, Ron Brace with the 40th overall, and Darius Butler with the 41st pick overall. First, Patrick Chung. He was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and played safety at Oregon. He was known for his hard hits, and has been told that he plays like the Patriots Pro Bowl veteran, Rodney Harrison. With Harrison probably retiring, and safety James Sanders under-producing, Chung is just what Dr. Belichick ordered. He brings great football IQ and a great work ethic, two qualities Bill values most.
Next, big-boy Brace. Brace is listed at a tiny 6'3", 330 lbs. Hard to believe we even need a defensive linemen, with Vince Wilfork at his prime, and our scheme of a 3-4 defense. However, I do realize the importance of a backup for our big DL. Also, Wilfork's contract is up after the 2009 season, so it makes sense to prepare for life without Wilfork, who will likely be offered more money in free agency than the Pats are willing to spend. Brace brings a Wilfork-like style, a huge guy that can plug up the rushing lanes, and if Bill sees something in him, y'all better see it too.
Lastly, the flashy cornerback Darius Butler. A projected first-round talent, Butler fell right into the Pats' hands at pick 41. He is a small little ballhawk, listed at 5'10", but he sure makes up for his lack of size with his athleticism. There must be something in his blood, too: his uncle Gene Atkins was a great defensive back for nine seasons with the Saints and Dolphins, and his cousin Willis McGahee is a Pro Bowl running back for the Ravens. At UCONN, Butler was a premier cornerback in the Big East, while also getting some playing time at WR. As if that's not enough, the full-time kick returner at UCONN could be the next Bethel Johnson.

Even with zero first-round picks, Belichick pulled away from the 2009 draft with several valuable players, all the while managing to secure three more second round picks for the 2010 Draft. While these rookies may not as productive as, say, Jerod Mayo, these new batch of rookies will surely help the Pats, maybe even leading them to a Super Bowl XLIV victory...

Herzlich: A Promising Story Gone Bad

A great player, a great kid: these are only a few characteristics of Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich. A potential first-round pick for the NFL's 2010 draft, Mark had been focusing all of his energy on his last and final year of BC football, a year he thought would be his best. Tragically, however, early this month, Herzlich was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare type of cancer in the bones. The diagnosis was made public on May 14, and when asked about his initial reaction to his diagnosis, Herzlich said,"Obviously, I was shocked. I had been extremely focused on preparing for my senior season at Boston College and for life beyond that. Now, I must channel all that energy into facing my toughest opponent yet, and that is exactly what I will do." He has since moved to Pennsylvania to be with his family, where he can live every day with a new devotion. On NESN's Sportsdesk, Jayme Parker interviewed Herzlich. He stated, “From what the doctors have been saying, they don’t think it’s too promising that I’m coming back. I’m going to do everything in my power, everything I can, to come back out on the field. It’s something that I love. It’s my dream.” As a final thought, Herzlich said, "Every day I wake up and can be with my parents; that is a great day in my book now." It was a very promising story, one that has surely found a way into many's hearts. Mark's mother stated that they have been getiing letters from all over the country, ranging from little kids wanting to score for Mark, to NFL GM's. On the BC website, you can leave your name, and offer words of encouragement for Herzlich. There are hundereds of posts currently up, but I don't doubt that Herzlich and his family cherish each and every message.

Mark played in all of BC's 13 games as a true freshmen, all the while totalling 42 tackles and 5.0 tackles-for-loss. As a sophomore, he started all 14 games and finished with 97 total tackles, and a team-leading 12 tackles-for-loss. A junior last year, he was named ACC defensive player of the year and led his team in tackles, interceptions, pass break-ups, forced fumbles, and fumble recoveries. Herzlich even manages to double major in finance in marketing. In school, he uses his first name, Sandon, to separate football from academics. Truly a sad story, I must say that all my heart goes out to him and his family.

To leave Mark a message, click
http://bceagles.cstv.com/chat/051409aaa.html

Wildcat: A Possibility For the Patriots Offense?

Well, the draft of 2009 has come and gone, rolling through Radio City Music like a hurricane. And, in typical fashion, the Patriots dominated the draft. However, the Pats' most intriguing draft day move was not trading away several of their their early-round picks, or the 3rd round pick of North Carolina WR Brandon Tate, who will be out for 2009 with both a torn ACl and MCL. No, it was the pick of Kent State WR/QB Julian Edelman in the 7th round. His well-roundedness makes him a great candidate for the wildcat offense. The Dolphins wreaked havoc with their introduction of the wildcat offense last year; and since then, teams are starting looking for QB's with more than just QB skills. Pat White out of West Virginia perhaps is the best example of this, who was drafted in the 2nd round by none other than the Miami Dolphins. He can run (he set the record for most yards run by an NCAA quarterback), he can throw (second all-time in WVU total completions), and although he only worked out as a QB at the Combine in February, he can catch, too. Although he was a late-round pick, Edelman can bring variety and explosiveness to the Pats offense. And when asked about him, Belichick stated, "Edelman is a very good runner and we see him as a player who has some versatility, probably as a receiver, maybe a running back." The draft of Edelman foreshadows an onset of some sort of new style of offense (wildcat?) for the Patriots in 2010.