Pac-10 Thoughts, Uncle Charley Says Enough to the Duke Bashing

First of all, per my buddy James' request, I wanted to jot down a few notes on my thoughts on the Pac-10. First of all, I agree with Joe Lunardi, ESPN's bracketoligist, that is the season ended today, the Pac-10 would deserve six teams in the dance: UCLA, Washington St., Oregon, Arizona, USC, and Stanford. The other four teams, Cal, Oregon St, Arizona St. and Washington, make up a relatively weak bottom tier of the league. Washington, in particular, has been extremely disappointing this season. Ranked in the top 10 to start the year after a strong finish last year (remember they should be beaten UConn in the Sweet 16 and let it get away), some good returning players, and one of the best freshmen in the land in 6-11 Spencer Hawes.

On the flip side, I love this Washington St. club. They remind me of Texas A&M< class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Acie Law to take over games down the stretch. But they are so well coached by Tony Bennett, who evidently learned a few things from his old man, and they just play great team ball and superior defense. This may be the least heralded Top 10 type team of all time. Seriously. This is another team that higher seeded teams hope will be eliminated before they have to play them in March. They have also proven they can win on the road, winning in Tucson and beat USC in LA.

As for the other squads, UCLA is chugging along, and is a legitimate title contender. I do not read anything into their loss at West Virginia, as Morgantown is a tough place to play, combined with the fact that it is difficult to go across the country in February to play a non conference game. They also have the coaching, the defense, the experience and the go-to guy, all the ingredients needed for a potential run deep into March.

Of the other tournament teams, I view Oregon and Arizona as teams least likely to get out of the first round. Arizona cannot play defense to save their lives, and Oregon seems to have some back to reality after a torrid start. Stanford presents an interesting case study, as they have some big wins this season (5 against the RPI top 50) and have these Freshmen twins who are getting better each week. They could be an interesting Sweet 16 darkhorse. USC has had a surprisingly good year under Tim Floyd, a very good college coach, but I just cannot get a good enough feel for them yet to predict their lot in the tourney.

Overall, I think the Pac-10 is way up from last year, probably the second best conference in the country behind the ACC. And speaking of the ACC....

Duke finally got on the schneid last night. They played great for the first 30 minutes, and completely squashed the spirit of BC, beating them to every loose ball, and getting dunk after dunk after dunk on the Eagles. BC woke up and made a run, but it was too late. Duke's recent four game losing streak has brought out the Duke haters by the millions. Duke is overrated, Duke gets all the calls, Duke is horrible, etc. Well, Charley Scher, otherwise known as Uncle Charley, has had just about enough of this. And he said "I'm Mad as Hell, and I'm Not Going to Take It Anymore." After reading Jim Donaldson's article in, as he calls it, the Providence rag yesterday, he instigated an exchange with the author. Here is the text from the article, followed by the exchange....

The Article: (Note: courtesy of the Providence Journal)

Memo to Boston College fans who’ll attend tonight’s basketball game against Duke at Conte Forum: When you win, don’t rush the court.

And you will win.

Playing Duke these days is like playing Notre Dame in a bowl game — it looks like a glamour game, but it’s really an easy “W.”

Everybody beats Duke now — Maryland, on Sunday in College Park; before that, two in a row last week — both, shockingly, at home, in front of the Cameron Crazies — to (gulp) arch-rival North Carolina and (gasp) Florida State; and, before that, a loss at Virginia.

That’s four in a row — the first time the Blue Devils have dropped four straight conference games since the 1995-96 season.

Yes, this is still lordly Duke, a Southern version of an Ivy League institution — the older buildings on campus even look like they were transported (you might even say copied) from Princeton — a school whose halls, and hoop tradition, are hallowed.

The mere mention of Duke prompts television analysts (and the Blue Devils are on TV all the time) like the voluble Dickie V. to ascend to Mount Everest heights of hyperbole and Billy Packer to get all teary-eyed in verbal veneration.

But the fact is that the Blue Devils are 5-6 in the ACC and aren’t even ranked in the top 25, while the Eagles are in first place at 9-2.

And that’s despite dumping shot-blocker supreme — and soon-to-be NBA first-round draft choice — Sean Williams for repeated rules infractions seven games ago.
Instead of falling apart in the aftermath of the talented Williams’ enforced departure, coach Al Skinner’s Eagles have pulled together and gone 4-2 in conference games (5-2 overall), including a win Sunday at Florida State, which — it needs to be repeated to be believed — recently beat Duke in Durham.

So, BC fans, unless you want to look like the sort of total yokels who’d make fans from N.C. State and Clemson seem sophisticated, then when your Eagles beat the Blue Devils tonight, you’ll give them a well-deserved cheer and then say: Bring on the Tar Heels — a real basketball team.
The reality is that Duke isn’t all that good. In large part because their longtime coach, the legendary Mike Krzyzewski, suddenly seems to be having as much trouble winning games as most people do spelling his name.

If ever a man is resting on his laurels, it’s Coach K.

His career record is dazzling: three NCAA championships — in 1991, 1992, and 2001 en trips to the Final Four; ten ACC tourney titles; eleven ACC regular-season championships; a total of 22 NCAA appearances in the last 23 years.

It’s no wonder Krzyzewski already has been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
But he certainly hasn’t been coaching like a Hall of Famer lately.
Last March, in the NCAA Tournament, his top-seeded Blue Devils, with a roster loaded with high-school All-Americans from across the country, were upset by LSU, led by three kids who went to high school in Baton Rouge.

Then, last summer, Coach K was in charge of the array of NBA All-Stars who made up Team USA in the World Basketball Championships. That star-studded aggregation of top talent wound up losing in the semifinals to Greece, 101-95. Two days later, the Greeks were trounced in the finals by Spain, 70-47 — raising the question of what the Spanish coach knows about defense that Coach K doesn’t?

How can it be that a team comprised entirely of NBA players — supposedly world-class athletes — and coached by a man who has a reputation as a hoops genius, couldn’t hold a Greek team that didn’t have a single NBA player to under 100 points? And yet that same Greek team couldn’t score 50 points against the Spaniards two days later?

Remember that old, homespun line about former Texas football coach Darrell Royal, of whom it was said: “He can take his his’n and beat your’n, or he can take your’n and beat his’n?”
Well, apparently you can give Coach K the most talented players in the world and he can’t design a defense that can keep a team of Greeks from surpassing the century mark.
Just like his more talented —or, perhaps more accurately, more highly touted — Duke team couldn’t beat the Bayou Bengals last March.

And now here are his Blue Devils, once again boasting a slew of highly recruited, high school All-Americans, yet most definitely not boasting of a sub-.500 record in conference play, having lost at home to the likes of Virginia Tech, tied for sixth place in the ACC.

So try to keep things in perspective, Eagles fans. Yes, it’s a kick to have Duke come to Chestnut Hill. But you’re the team in first place, not them. You’re the team favored to win. When you do, don’t rush the court. Everybody beats Duke — and Coach K —these days.

Uncle Charley's Response:

You, sir, are a clown. Could you be any more parochial in your thinking?
You couldn't possibly believe at least half of what you wrote, could you?.
On the other hand, you've probably received more attention today than you'll get the rest of the year. Which I'm sure was your intended purpose.

Donaldson's Reply:

If I'm a clown, then what's coach K?
If he's doing a Hall of Fame job of coaching and recruiting, then why is Duke under .500 in the ACC in mid-Feb.?
What does the Spanish coach know about defense that coach K doesn't?
And how did Duke, with a roster loaded with HS all-Americans from across the country, lose last March to LSU, which was led by three kids from Baton Rouge? Could it be that LSU did a better job of developing its talent?

Uncle Charley's Retort:

Coach K is a man with a raging ego and a bad dye job. He's also won three national titles and nearly 800 games. You are not exactly the Coach K of sports writers.
People dislike the media because you are so reactionary and short-sighted.
You can't judge the USA basketball program on one game. It didn't sink to where it is overnight, and it will take more than a year to straighten it out. You also can't judge K based on a four-game losing streak. The team's RPI was 18. The ACC is loaded, with the exception of Wake, Miami and N.C. State. There is no shame to losing to the four teams that beat Duke, three of which went down to the last minute.
He has 12 freshmen and sophomores and no seniors. That's primarily why they are struggling, although K's many distractions have affected this team.
The loss to LSU was one game. That happens in college basketball. It's not the NBA, with best of seven series. Duke gagged against LSU, no doubt.
I don't think it makes John Brady a great coach, and K a dog. LSU peaked
at the right time, and K undoubtedly deserves a large portion of the blame.
By the way, you are a really persuasive man. I guess all of the folks in Chestnut Hill read your column, because they sure stayed off the court after the game.

I guess we have to give the knockout to the Uncle. Donaldson was floored by the last line and did not even both to reply. If you are interested in writing Jimbo and telling him what a buffoon you think he is, please feel free. His email address is jdonalds@projo.com (please copy me at brian @dilsheimer.com, and I will forward to the Uncle for his enjoyment).

College Hoops Gets into Full Swing. 30 Days until We are Dancing

It is time to start getting into college hoops as conference tourneys start in 3 weeks, the selection show is only 26 days away, and the tourney itself (not including the ridiculous play-in game) starts in 30 days.

First of all, I would like to wish the man everybody would like to kick while his team is down, Coach K, a Happy 60th birthday. It is hard to imagine the guy that was only 38 when I started at Duke is now one of the elder statesmen of the sport. A lot of hoops fans resent Coach K because he has had too much success for their liking both on and off the court (remember, Duke was America’s favorite team from the mid 1980’s to the early 1990’s, a fact that was likely changed based on back-to-back championships and the unlikable combo (if they were not on your team) of Laettner and Hurley). At the end of the day, he has been more successful than anyone in his era (3 titles and 10 final fours) and anyone since John Wooden. And he has done it the right way, without cheating, without scandal. While the team is down this year due to its youth, inexperience, and lack of a “go-to” guy, Duke should be contending for Final 4 appearances again by next year.

Speaking of Duke, they face what is in my opinion a must win game at Boston College, who is currently 9-2 in the conference. My thought, which is not shared by the NCAA tournament selection committee, is that a team, even if it is my Duke team, does not deserve to go to the NCAA Tournament if they do not amass at least a .500 record in their conference, including their conference tournament. If you can’t win half the games against your conference foes, you should not go dancing, no matter how impressive your non-conference results were. If I were in power, I would enact that rule immediately. It would keep 1-2 high major teams out each year and give a nod to well-deserving mid major. And as we saw last year, teams like George Mason not only belong, not only can they compete, but they can win and add a whole new level of excitement to the dance. All that being said, I have a strong feeling Duke will win in Chestnut Hill tomorrow night. They will clearly be focused, so the question is can they be good enough? I believe they can be. BC does not possess the ultra quick guards that can give Duke fits trying to defend, but instead choose to play a slower tempo, more physical style. This should play well to the Blue Devils strengths, and while I do not think it will be easy, I do see Duke coming back to Durham with a win they desperately need.

While Kevin Durant gets all the attention (and rightfully so), my vote (if I had one) for Big XII Player of the Year would go to Acie Law IV of Texas A&M. This kid runs a great point guard, has splendid passing skills, can score at will, and repeatedly has put his team on his back in the latter stages of games this year. This kid’s play, the talent of their head coach, their overall balance of size and speed, and their team defense are all reasons that Texas A&M is a team that nobody is talking about that could easily end up in Atlanta at the Final 4. If you are North Carolina, Florida, Wisconsin, or Ohio State (the current #1 seeds), you do not want to see Texas A&M as the #2 or #3 seed in your bracket.

North Carolina has all the talent in the world. Many games, they have kids who could start for most every team in America that are only getting a handful of minutes. However, unlike some of the so called experts at ESPN, I do not see this Heels team cutting down the nets in Atlanta. They are still relatively inexperienced, and their go to guy, Tyler Hansbrough, seems to have plateaued from where his game was last year. In addition, N.C. State and Duke seem to have uncovered an effective way to play him. While Hansbrough likes to play physically and push people around, it seems as though he can be taken out of his game when people are proactively aggressive and physical with him. N.C. State used that strategy to beat the Heels, and Duke was on their way until Josh McRoberts picked up his 4th foul with Duke up 9 in the second half.

Florida has been playing fantastic ball for a couple months now. Their ability to repeat hinges on their ability to overcome the scare of their life that they are bound to get in the second or third round of the tourney this year. History says they will be hard pressed to do it. Their talent says if they can’t, it will be an upset.

The Missouri Valley Conference will get three teams in the tourney, plus a fourth if either Missouri State, Southern Illinois, or Creighton do not win the automatic bid. All of these teams could advance and cause problems in the tourney, especially Southern Illinois, who as a 6,7, or 8 seed, will be a match up that no higher seeded teams wants to face in the second round.

The Big 10 only deserves three bids to the big dance at this point (maybe someone gets hot and earns a 4th in next few weeks). They will probably get a 4th, but you cannot convince me that the 4th team from the Big 10 (whether it is Purdue, Illinois, Michigan St, etc.) deserves to get in this year, at least based on how they have played to date…..

Am I overrating the Colonial conference (VCU, Hofstra, Drexel, Old Dom), or does this league deserve multiple bids for the second straight year? I am telling you, this league is where the Missouri Valley was a few years ago. They have a ton of talented teams, who are not quite getting the recognition they deserve. And this group of teams does not include George Mason, who took an at large bid last year and went to the Final 4. Please give the Colonial an extra bid instead of a 4th bid to the Big 10.

Another mid major, the Mountain West, could potentially get 4 teams in the dance now that San Diego State is playing at the level expected of them coming into the season. Air Force is a lock to dance, UNLV is close to punching their ticket, and BYU and the Aztecs still have real shots. It will be interesting to see how this conference plays out, as at the end of the day, it will likely only get three bids….

That is all for now. I will be back later this week with a more general sports column that will include some additional college hoops thoughts….

20th Century Clips

I found this clip on youtube. It shows clips of all the great sports moments of the last century. My favorite was Bo Kimble shooting the free throw left handed. Enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdevBrokD6M

Stitzer's Take: The 2007 Jets QB situation

I know, I know, you have been unable to sleep lately trying to understand the nuances of the Jets quarterback situation. With that in mind, Stitzer has prvided a back in forth with Ray from Connecticut on just what we should expect from his version of Gand Green at the QB position next season....
__________________________________

TOON2388: good evening Ray, just about dark here at my office in San Marcos (30 miles north of downtown San Diego). In Chad we trusted in 2006. 2007?

R in CT: I think the offense is totally built around Chad at this point, and with Schottenheimer coming back, it seems only natural to at least start the season with Chad in charge.

T: agreed. I understand that Mangini's mantra is "every position is open for competition," but I think the team needs to know Chad is the starter before we get to the first mini-camp

R: I think all the players probably know that, and that Chad probably knows that it's his job to lose right now, as well it should be -- he had a very respectable season: a 64% completion percentage, 17 TDs, over 3,300 yards and an 82.6 passer rating. The only downside was the picks: 16, which is a little high, especially for a guy that has established a career based on short passing and accuracy.

T: the picks are a big concern. Without re-hashing all of them, my memory tells me that most were Chad's fault. I thought he played really well @ NE in the playoff game. Forget about the late pick returned for an int, @ 30-16, game was all but over. The one thing this staff will not do is put us in a 1992 situation when Coslet handed the job to Nagle because he felt "O'Brien could only take team so far." Clemens may be a stud down the road, but he will have to "win" the job, not have it handed to him.

R: I totally agree - this management team wants to (and thinks it can) win now, and will always play the guy that gives them the best chance. Right now, that's Chad, but if Chad falters and they think Clemens is ready, he will definitely get in.

T: I get frustrated when I hear what I call the "Neanderthal" fans say "you cannot with Chad, his arm is too weak." (These are the same folks who boo the QB when the o-line is not blocking anybody). There are limitations to what Chad can do physically - there is no doubt about that - but he is such a smart player, and this coaching staff was GREAT at developing game plans to Chad's and the team's strengths.


R: I really don't want to re-hash Chad's arm stuff -- I think arm strength is overrated. If it was all you needed, the aforementioned Browning Nagle would've been the greatest Jet QB ever! It's definitely part of the equation, but not the key element. Being able to read defenses and accuracy, for example, are just as important, if not more so.What's your take on Clemens?

T: I am hoping that we do not find out much about KC until 2009. If he is called on, I am expecting to see what Glenn Foley brought to the team in 1997. From everything I have read about his career at Oregon he should be able to come in as a leader and take charge of the offense. Your take on KC? Mr. Ramsey?

R: Did you mean 2008? I don't think they'd let a #2 pick sit for three years, although stranger things have happened. I wonder if this year is Chad's last shot as the starter?
As for Clemens, yeah, his NFL body of work has been less-than-impressive so far, but I seem to remember that Chad also struggled mightily his first season. It sounded like the coaching staff really worked out the players it drafted this year, in terms of mental preparation, and I understand that Clemens was a lot like Chad in that he spent many hours studying the playbook and hanging around Hofstra learning. Hopefully, that'll pay off.Ramsey is interesting -- I'm not under the impression he impressed anyone at any point, so the question is do you cut him in hopes of upgrading, or re-sign him to a more friendly deal? I guess ideally you're talking about your #3 -- I can't imagine the team would invest a draft pick for that spot, especially after drafting Clemens and having Brad Smith and Stacy Tutt both hanging around. They'll find an insurance policy, or if desperate, re-sign Ramsey.Well, out of all the free agents, one name that sorta jumps out at me (aside from Jeff Garcia and Matt Schaub, both of who will be looking for -- and probably getting -- starting jobs) is Tim Rattay. He was hurt early in the season and wasn't really ready when Simms went down, but when he finally got in for the final four games, he was 61 of 101 (60.4 completion rate) for 748 yards, 4 TDs, 2 Ints and a respectable 88.2 passer rating. I don't think he'll press either Clemens or Pennington for the starting job, but he would be an upgrade over Ramsey as an insurance policy, I think.

T: I meant 2009 - because if that is the case, it would involve 1 or 2 deep playoff runs in 2007 and/or 2008.

I do not think there is any doubt the Clemens is the #2 - he would have to take a big step backwards to have Ramsey be the #2 guy

Ramsey was a great "value" insurance policy - only cost a 6th rounder.

You male an interesting observation with Rattay. My gut feel is that we will not purse FA QBs or use a draft pick one.

Do you see Brad Smith taking more than 1 snap per game that he seemed to get last year?

R: I thought it was interesting last year in that preseason game that they let Smith run the offense a bit. I didn't think he was terrible, but everyone else (including the Jets apparently) don't think he could be a pro QB. It'd be interesting to see with the Mangini/Tannenbaum "flexibility" mindset how they use him, although I doubt he'll line up for more than emergency action and the occasional gadget-type play.Do you think Clemens will be back? Also, how big an impact do you think another season of having B-Schott coaching QBs will have? He's definitely going to be a head coach somewhere, probably sooner rather than later . . .

T: I was mildly surprised that Miami did not pull the trigger on Schott - look at the success we had by plucking an innovative assistant from a division rival. I just we win the Super Bowl before Schott leaves - have to believe he lands an HC gig within 2 seasons. Schott impressed me just as much as Mangini if not more. For him to build an offense around a guy who he was not sure might even be ready for opening day was quite an accomplishment. I also loved how he pounded the ball at the teams who could not stop the run and junked it almost entirely against teams that cannot stop the pass.

Do you see the offensive scheme, and thus what Chad is asked to do, changing that much?

R:
With the success they had, I cannot see them changing the scheme or the QB for that matter, in the immediate future -- this whole thing is tailored around Chad's strengths -- being able to read defenses, change plays, manage a fast-break offense (does that make Chad a point guard? I don't know much about basketball). And it's most likely that Clemens will have to emulate all Chad's mental abilities if he is to step in and run the team because they won't re-tailor the offense just to fit him. I assume that's why they drafted him, figuring that he had the proper mental make-up and smarts to run what they want to have.

T: Chad reminds my old SJU pal Mark Jackson, not going to blow by you with speed, but finds ways to get ball to his teammates where they have best of chance of succeeding. You have to go back to Al Toon to find as much YAC as the 2006 receivers generated - a lot of that is Chad getting ball to them in the right place at the right time.

Ari's Take: Indianapolis Celebrates

As my wife was jumping up and down celebrating her hometown team's victory in Super Bowl XLI from afar, Ari was celebrating in the midst of the pandemonium. Here is what he had to say.....

Though the windchill was close to 15 below last night, downtown Indy was rocking--though fairly safely, with only a few arrests. Game was mediocre with many mistakes in the North Miami muck, but the result is all that matters. The Colts were rather resilient, as they were all year. I called 27-17 last week, but close enough.

The archdiocese of Indianapolis and many others have called off school (and perhaps work) today, but I was 15 minutes early to work even though I watched the game in Terre Haute with Maria Sunday night, and thus drove 75 miles home this morning in dark and 20 below (coldest this former So Cal kid has ever felt) to shower, shave, put on coat and tie, unpack, finish typing this e-mail, etc

I do feel a tad "guilty" that I have lived in Circle City for seven months and seen the team win the title and others have waited 23 years. But then again, though I am not a Saint Louis (baseball) Cardinals fan, they are basically the local team in Indy too(and certainly in T.H. where Maria resides and fell in love with them last fall--lucky her! She and I also resided in Florida last year while the UF Gators won the hoops title and I departed one month prior to Miami's NBA crown), so that's two local "Hoosier" teams with titles. Amazing.

And while I will always remain a faithful Denver Bronco fan (the team I've cheered for since 1984), I was cheering for the Colts passionately this season, especially during the playoff run. But more so, I rooted for the CITY of Indianapolis, a fine place of which I am proud to be a resident and state employee. So what's next? Butler (currently 22-2 and top ten nationally) to the final four? A deep playoff run by the Pacers? How about pitchers and catchers reporting in nine days. That warms my heart up.

Parade today at 4:30pm, which is totally bizarre since it will be about 20 below with the windchill (single digits sans windchill), but they aren't wasting time apparently. I actually plan to be at the Pacers game tonight to boo Stephen Jackson as he returns with the Warriors, so I'll at least be indoors. Part of the parade/rally will be in The Dome, but the bulk will be outside. This is because the arrogant NFL as the Pro Bowl Saturday and the players must arrive for this meaningless game by Tuesday night.

Maybe I can "affect change" as I work for the City--particularly the War Memorials Commission--which is in charge of many of the sites where the parade might pass through or even start/end. It should pass one block south of my office around 4:45 or so. COLLLLD!

Here are some good links to blogs, articles and the like:


Colts cheers erupt in Baghdad (cool, very cool, indeed)

Indy celebrates Super Bowl victory (downtown aftermath)

Colts defeat Bears to win Super Bowl XLI (news summary from Indy Star)

Church parties on despite ban (interesting)

Indianapolis' legendary sports columnist, Bob Kravitz' essay (after the PC opening)

Blogging the game (long but intriguing with text messages from Edgerrin James included)

Indianapolis wins Super Bowl XLI (Terre Haute paper recap)

Unbearable defeat for Bears, fans (Chicago Sun-Times)

Bears fall in sloppy Super Bowl (Chicago Tribune)

City, suburbs react (Chicago)

Stomachs sinking all over Chicagoland (Chicago Trib blog)
In Iraq (Chicago focus)

"Super Bowl Sundae" (Rensselaer Republican--town halfway between the two cities where Maria's good friend hails from)


Did you know there were two "African American" coaches in the game last night? I just heard that....for the 157th time! SO demeaning and condescending to focus on that.

AJK

Super Bowl Pool Answer Key

Sorry these are not in a better format, But at least this way everyone will have access to everyone else's picks. Good luck to all. All picks are valid.

LeBron James scored 21 points today so if the Colts score 21 or more, they are the winner on question #15. If the Colts score 20 or less, LeBron James is the correct answer.

Answer Key:
1. Colts: Dils, Frank Nussbam, Sean Germon, How You Doing?, Linsky/Lease, Loftus/Donnelly, Michael Koffler, Brian Getson, Doug Cron, Touchdown Tommy, Jon Neidich, Bryan Boisi, A Keiser, Jon Kessler, Levine/Kaplan, Bobby P, The Landows, Team DREC, Broadway Joe Willie Stitzer, Izak Ondre, Coop, Kelly Lanham

Bears: Jodi Wallace, Craig Watson, Eric Haron, Adam Alpert, Scott Nurick, Littman, Jeff Berman, Mary Lou Baldwin, Tom Huang, Brownie, Krauss...NOW LITTMAN, Phreaks, J.P., Rick L., Mark Lenert, Rick Kaiser

2. Over: Dils, How You Doing?, Linsky/Lease, Adam Alpert, Loftus/Donnelly, Brian Getson, Touchdown Tommy, Bryan Boisi, Levine/Kaplan, Brownie, Team DREC, Broadway Joe Willie Stitzer, J.P., Coop, Kelly Lanham

Under: Jodi Wallace, Frank Nussbaum, Sean Germon, Craig Watson, Eric Haron, Scott Nurick, Michael Koffler, Littman, Jeff Berman, Doug Cron, Jon Neidich, A Keiser, Jon Kessler, Mary Lou Baldwin, Tom Huang, Bobby P, The Landows, Krauss NOW LITTMAN, Phreaks, Izak Ondre, Rick L., Mark Lenert, Rick Kaiser

3. Heads: Jodi Wallace, Frank Nussbaum, Sean Germon, Linsky/Lease, Eric Haron, Scott Nurick, Littman, Brian Getson, Jeff Berman, Touchdown Tommy, Jon Neidich, Bryan Boisi, Mary Lou Baldwin, Levine/Kaplan, Brownie, Team DREC, Krauss NOW LITTMAN, J.P., Izak Ondre, Kelly Lanham, Mark Lenert

Tails: Dils, Craig Watson, How You Doing?, Adam Alpert, Loftus/Donnelly, Michael Koffler, Doug Cron, A Keiser, Jon Kessler, Tom Huang, Bobby P, The Landows, Broadway Joe Willie Stitzer, Phreaks, Coop, Rick L., Rick Kaiser

4. Bears: Dils, Craig Watson, How You Doing?, Eric Haron, Scott Nurick, Michael Koffler, Littman, Jeff Berman, Doug Cron, Touchdown Tommy, A Keiser, Izak Ondre, Coop, Rick L., Mark Lenert, Rick Kaiser

Colts: Jodi Wallace, Frank Nussbaum, Sean Germon, Linsky/Lease, Adam Alpert, Loftus/Donnelly, Brian Getson, Jon Neidich, Bryan Boisi, Jon Kessler, Mary Lou Baldwin, Tom Huang, Levine/Kaplan, Brownie, Bobby P, The Landows, Team DREC, Krauss NOW LITTMAN, Broadway Joe Willie Stitzer, Phreaks, J.P., Kelly Lanham

5. Bears: Dils, Jodi Wallace, Craig Watson, Loftus/Donnelly, Scott Nurick, Littman, Doug Cron, Bryan Boisi, A Keiser, Tom Huang, Brownie, Team DREC, Krauss NOW LITTMAN, Rick L., Kelly Lanham, Mark Lenert, Rick Kaiser

Colts: Frank Nussbaum, Sean Germon, How You Doing?, Linsky/Lease, Eric Haron, Adam Alpert, Michael Koffler, Brian Getson, Jeff Berman, Touchdown Tommy, Jon Neidich, Jon Kessler, Mary Lou Baldwin, Levine/Kaplan, Bobby P, The Landows, Broadway Joe Willie Stitzer, Phreaks, J.P., Izak Ondre, Coop

No Sacks:

6. Bears: Dils, Frank Nussbaum, How You Doing?, Linsky/Lease, Adam Alpert, Michael Koffler, Doug Cron, Touchdown Tommy, Jon Neidich, Bryan Boisi, Jon Kessler, Mary Lou Baldwin, Levine/Kaplan, Brownie, The Landows, Team DREC, Broadway Joe Willie Stitzer, Phreaks, Kelly Lanham, Mark Lenert

Colts: Jodi Wallace, Sean Germon, Craig Watson, Eric Haron, Loftus/Donnelly, Scott Nurick, Littman, Brian Getson, Jeff Berman, A Keiser, Tom Huang, Bobby P, Krauss NOW LITTMAN, J.P., Izak Ondre, Coop, Rick L., Rick Kaiser

7. Bears: Dils, Frank Nussbaum, Craig Watson, Linsky/Lease, Eric Haron, Scott Nurick, Littman, Jeff Berman, Levine/Kaplan, Brownie, The Landows, Krauss NOW LITTMAN, Phreaks, J.P., Coop, Kelly Lanham, Mark Lenert, Rick Kaiser

Colts: Jodi Wallace, Sean Germon, How You Doing?, Adam Alpert, Loftus/Donnelly, Michael Koffler, Brian Getson, Doug Cron, Touchdown Tommy, Jon Neidich, Bryan Boisi, A Keiser, Jon Kessler, Mary Lou Baldwin, Tom Huang, Bobby P, Team DREC, Broadway Joe Willie Stitzer, J.P., Izak Ondre, Rick L.

8. Bears: Dils, How You Doing?, Michael Koffler, Brian Getson, Doug Cron, Jon Neidich, Bryan Boisi, Jon Kessler, Mary Lou Baldwin, Levine/Kaplan, Brownie, Bobby P, The Landows, Broadway Joe Willie Stitzer, Phreaks, Coop

Colts: Jodi Wallace, Frank Nussbaum, Sean Germon, Craig Watson, Linsky/Lease, Eric Haron, Adam Alpert, Loftus/Donnelly, Scott Nurick, Littman, Jeff Berman, Touchdown Tommy, A Keiser, Tom Huang, Team DREC, Krauss NOW LITTMAN, J.P., Izak Ondre, Rick L., Kelly Lanham, Mark Lenert, Rick Kaiser

No Turnovers:

9. Bears: Sean Germon, Scott Nurick, Michael Koffler, Jon Kessler, Phreaks

Colts: Dils, Frank Nussbaum, Linsky/Lease, Adam Alpert, Brian Getson, Touchdown Tommy, Jon Neidich, Bryan Boisi, Tom Huang, Brownie, Bobby P, Krauss NOW LITTMAN, J.P., Rick L., Rick Kaiser

No scoring: Jodi Wallace, Craig Watson, How You Doing?, Eric Haron, Loftus/Donnelly, Littman, Jeff Berman, Doug Cron, A Keiser, Mary Lou Baldwin, Levine/Kaplan, The Landows, Team DREC, Broadway Joe Willie Stitzer, Izak Ondre, Coop, Kelly Lanham, Mark Lenert

10. Manning: Frank Nussbaum, Sean Germon, How You Doing?, Linsky/Lease, Adam Alpert , Loftus/Donnelly, Scott Nurick, Littman, Brian Getson, Jeff Berman, Touchdown Tommy, Jon Neidich, Bryan Boisi, A Keiser, Jon Kessler, Mary Lou Baldwin, Levine/Kaplan, Brownie, Bobby P, The Landows, Team DREC, Krauss NOW LITTMAN, Broadway Joe Willie Stitzer, Phreaks, Coop, Kelly Lanham, Mark Lenert, Rick Kaiser

Grossman: Dils, Jodi Wallace, Craig Watson, Eric Haron, Michael Koffler, Doug Cron, Tom Huang, J.P., Izak Ondre, Rick L.

11. Addai + Rhodes: Dils, Jodi Wallace, Frank Nussbaum, How You Doing?, Eric Haron, Loftus/Donnelly, Michael Koffler, A Keiser, Jon Kessler, Mary Lou Baldwin, Bobby P, The Landows, Broadway Joe Willie Stitzer, Phreaks, J.P., Izak Ondre, Coop, Mark Lenert

Jones + Benson: Sean Germon, Craig Watson, Linsky/Lease, Adam Alpert, Scott Nurick, Littman, Brian Getson, Jeff Berman, Doug Cron, Touchdown Tommy, Jon Neidich, Bryan Boisi, Tom Huang, Levine/Kaplan, Brownie, Team DREC, Krauss NOW LITTMAN, Rick L., Kelly Lanham, Rick Kaiser

12. Over 78.5: Dils, How You Doing?, Linsky/Lease, Eric Haron, Brian Getson, Bobby P, The Landows, Krauss NOW LITTMAN, Broadway Joe Willie Stitzer, Izak Ondre, Coop, Rick L., Mark Lenert, Rick Kaiser

Under 78.5: Jodi Wallace, Frank Nussbaum, Sean Germon, Craig Watson, Adam Alpert, Loftus/Donnelly, Scott Nurick, Michael Koffler, Littman, Jeff Berman, Doug Cron, Touchdown Tommy, Jon Neidich, Bryan Boisi, A Keiser, Jon Kessler, Mary Lou Baldwin, Tom Huang, Levine/Kaplan, Brownie, Team DREC, Phreaks, J.P., Kelly Lanham

13. Wayne: Jodi Wallace, Frank Nusbaum, Craig Watson, How You Doing?, Adam Alpert, Scott Nurick, Michael Koffler, Brian Getson, Jeff Berman, Doug Cron, Touchdown Tommy, Jon Neidich, A Keiser, Jon Kessler, Mary Lou Baldwin, Tom Huang, Levine/Kaplan, Bobby P, Team DREC, Krauss NOW LITTMAN, Broadway Joe Willie Stitzer, Phreaks, Rick L., Kelly Lanham, Mark Lenert, Rick Kaiser

Berrian: Dils, Sean Germon, Linsky/Lease, Eric Haron, Loftus/Donnelly, Littman, Bryan Boisi, Brownie, The Landows, J.P., Izak Ondre, Coop

14. Peyton Manning: Dils, Frank Nussbaum, Sean Germon, Linsky/Lease, Loftus/Donnelly, Michael Koffler, Brian Getson, Touchdown Tommy, Mary Lou Baldwin, Levine/Kaplan, Brownie, Bobby P, The Landows, Krauss NOW LITTMAN, Coop

Field: Jodi Wallace, Craig Watson, How You Doing?, Eric Haron, Adam Alpert, Scott Nurick, Littman, Jeff Berman, Doug Cron, Jon Neidich, Bryan Boisi, A Keiser, Jon Kessler, Tom Huang, Team DREC, Broadway Joe Willie Stitzer, Phreaks, J.P., Izak Ondre, Rick L., Kelly Lanham, Mark Lenert, Rick Kaiser

15. Colts: Dils, Frank Nussbaum, Sean Germon, Craig Watson, How You Doing?, Linsky/Lease, Eric Haron, Adam Alpert, Loftus/Donnelly, Brian Getson, Jeff Berman, Doug Cron, Touchdown Tommy, Jon Neidich, Bryan Boisi, A Keiser, Mary Lou Baldwin, Levine/ Kaplan, Brownie, Bobby P, Team DREC, Broadway Joe Willie Stitzer, Phreaks, J.P., Izak Ondre, Coop, Kelly Lanham, Rick Kaiser

LeBron James: Jodi Wallace, Scott Nurick, Michael Koffler, Littman, Jon Kessler, Tom Huang, The Landows, Krauss NOW LITTMAN, Rick L., Mark Lenert

16. Bears: Dils, Craig Watson, How You Doing?, Linsky/Lease, Eric Haron, Adam Alpert, Loftus/Donnelly, Scott Nurick, Michael Koffler, Litman, Jeff Berman, Bryan Boisi, Jon Kessler, Mary Lou Baldwin, Tom Huang, Levine/Kaplan, Team DREC, Krauss NOW LITTMAN, Broadway Joe Willie Stitzer, Izak Ondre, Coop, Mark Lenert, Rick Kaiser

Colts: Jodi Wallace, Frank Nussbaum, Sean Germon, Brian Getson, Doug Cron, Touchdown Tommy, Jon Neidich, A Keiser, Brownie, Bobby P, The Landows, Phreaks, J.P., Rick L., Kelly Lanham

17. Over 44.5: Jodi Wallace, Frank Nussbaum, Sean Germon, How You Doing?, Linsky/Lease, Eric Haron, Adam Alpert, Loftus/Donnelly, Scott Nurick, Michael Koffler, Littman, Brian Getson, Jeff Berman, Doug Cron, Touchdown Tommy, Jon Neidich, A Keiser, Jon Kessler, Levine/Kaplan, Brownie, Bobby P, Team DREC, Krauss NOW LITTMAN, Broadway Joe Willie Stitzer, Phreaks, J.P., Izak Ondre, Rick L., Mark Lenert, Rick Kaiser

Under 44.5: Dils, Craig Watson, Bryan Boisi, Mary Lou Baldwin, Tom Huang, The Landows, Coop, Kelly Lanham

18. Yes: Jodi Wallace, Frank Nussbaum, How You Doing?, Linsky/Lease, Eric Haron, Adam Alpert, Loftus/Donnelly, Scott Nurick, Michael Koffler, Brian Getson, Jeff Berman, Doug Cron, Touchdown Tommy, Jon Neidich, Bryan Boisi, A Keiser, Jon Kessler, Mary Lou Baldwin, Tom Huang, Levine/Kalpan, Brownie, Bobby P, The Landows, Team DREC, Broadway Joe Willie Stitzer, Phreaks, J.P., Izak Ondre, Rick L., Kelly Lanham, Rick Kaiser

No: Dils, Sean Germon, Craig Watson, Littman, Krauss NOW LITTMAN, Coop, Mark Lenert

19. Yes: Dils, Jodi Wallace, Linsky/Lease, Eric Haron, Michael Koffler, Littman, Brian Getson, Touchdown Tommy, Jon Neidich, Mary Lou Baldwin, Levine/Kaplan, Brownie, Bobby P, Team DREC, Broadway Joe Willie Stitzer, J.P., Izak Ondre, Coop, Rick L.

No: Frank Nussbaum, Sean Germon, Craig Watson, How You Doing?, Adam Alpert, Loftus/Donnelly, Scott Nurick, Jeff Berman, Doug Cron, Bryan Boisi, A Keiser, Jon Kessler, Tom Huang, The Landows, Krauss NOW LITTMAN, Phreaks, Kelly Lanham, Mark Lenert, Rick Kaiser

20. Over 34.5: Dils, Jodi Wallace, Craig Watson, How You Doing?, Linsky/Lease, Eric Haron, Scott Nurick, Michael Koffler, Littman, Jon Neidich, Bryan Boisi, A Keiser, Jon Kessler, Mary Lou Baldwin, Tom Huang, Levine/Kaplan, Brownie, Team DREC, Phreaks, J.P., Izak Ondre, Coop, Rick L., Kelly Lanham, Mark Lenert, Rick Kaiser

Under 34.5: Frank Nussbaum, Sean Germon, Adam Alpert, Loftus/Donnelly, Brian Getson, Jeff Berman, Doug Cron, Touchdown Tommy, Bobby P, The Landows, Krauss NOW LITTMAN, Broadway Joe Willie Stitzer

Super Bowl Pick, Quick college hoops blurb

Most people are deep into their Super Bowl analysis. As for me, I am wondering who Stitzer would vote for if Bill Belichick were the republican nominee for President. He might just leave the country at that point…

As far as the Super Bowl is concerned, here are some things I think heading into the big game Sunday:

• The Bears’ offense is not as bad as people think they are. IN fact, Sexy Rexy makes consistently good decisions, he just does not always execute correctly. The Bears will score some points.
• On the flip side, the Bears’ defense is not as good as most people think. They have not stopped the run since Tommie Harris and Mike Brown got hurt, and there corners cannot cover people.
• Bob Sanders has been the Colts MVP of this playoff run, not Peyton Manning. And it hasn’t been close.
• Now that Peyton Manning got to the big game, all the pressure should come flowing off his shoulders, and he should be set for a huge game on Sunday to cement his legacy.
• Don’t they announce hall of fame inductions this weekend? If so, and Michael Irvin gets in, I will reiterate my stance that the hall of fame should not be for the very good but for the great and best, which he was not. Keyshawn Johnson already has more receptions than Michael Irvin had….
• Does Dwight Freeney still play in the NFL? His fall from grace after his first two years makes Jevon Kearse look like a perennial first team all pro.
• The AFC was balanced and really good this year. The NFC was balanced and (though improving) not as good. This will show itself to be true on Sunday.
• Is Prince still relevant? If not, what are he and his degenerative hip doing playing at halftime?
• Will Andy Reid be at the game just to get away from his deranged children? Who knew? Maybe he can send them off to live with T.O. as punishment.
• Marvin Harrison, who has been the best receiver in the NFL over the last decade, is being overlooked. How can this be? Look for Marvin (a Philly guy) to torch the Bears for 140+ yards and at least two touchdowns.
• America will learn Bernard Berrian’s name Sunday (even though some of us knew it when he played at Fresno St).
• Dallas Clark does not have a favorable matchup.
• The Colts will win and cover the 6.5 (that’s right, it went to 6.5 in at least one place). The game will also go OVER 48.5. My record on the NFL is 58-50 so far, including 1-0 in my Dils Game of the Year selections!
  
  I know this is a football weekend, but one college hoops note: Arizona may have been #6 in the RPI going into yesterday, but they are now 5-5 in the Pac-10 and have lost something like 6 of their last 8 overall, including the last two at home. They are officially on the bubble to get into the tourney, and may not make it if Marcus Williams does not get back in the lineup. And it is such a joy to watch UCONN on the outside looking in. It could not happen to a bigger scumbag that Jim Calhoun.
  
  Enjoy the Super Bowl Sunday. For my KP’s sake, go Colts!