Grossman Makes His Decision -- No suprise here. King Rex is headed to the NFL.

McGahee's Knee is Really Mangled -- He tore the anterior cruciate, posterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his knee early in the fourth quarter Friday night. Pro Career will have to wait.

Rix Staying Put -- The FSU QB will have a chance to redeem himself. Lets hope he brings his alarm clock.
Meanwhile, Bowden says he doesn't want McPhearson back...yet. "Until his (criminal) situation is cleared up," Bowden said, "I won't even consider it."

Apparently its Florida day on Sportstakes -- The writers there are really upset about that pass interference call.

Top to Bottom -- The Collegefootballnews.com guys Rank the bowls from best to worst

In his Sporting News Q&A column, Mike DeCourcy seems to think that Tubby Smith is doing just fine.
Is it time yet to quit calling Tubby Smith one of the best coaches in the country? The improvement by Marvin Stone in less than a year under the individual instruction of Rick Pitino seems to be a clear indictment of Tubby's skills as a motivator and teacher.

Pitino has Louisville playing the way UK used to: fearless. UK now plays scared, and this is one UK fan that is tired. I don't believe I'm alone in this. Tubby seems like a nice guy. I'm a nice guy. But then again, I can't coach basketball. My question is, can Tubby?

Tim York

*** Tim: Gary Williams is a pretty good coach, isn't he? His team won the 2002 NCAA title. It made the past two Final Fours. And yet Danny Miller never flourished at Maryland the way he is at Notre Dame. Sometimes, a different system is better suited to a player's skills. Often, the player realizes he's run out of chances and starts to use his ability. Coaches love transfers because they know they've got all the leverage.

In NCAA Tournament games at UK, Tubby Smith's record is 14-4. That's 78 percent. This sort of thing does not happen by accident. The guy is a terrific basketball coach. If you want to talk about whether his program has recruited at the level it should, that's debatable. His coaching ability can't reasonably be questioned.
Comments??

Ohio State Dethrones the 'Canes



Greatest game ever? Maybe so

Clarett Comes Through -- After all the turmoil this week, Maurice Clarett was a huge factor in the Buckeye win.
Final Polls Have Dogs at #3 -- As if it really matters.
McGahee Hurt -- A really nasty knee injury. Probably means no NFL this season for the Miami back, and could sideline him for next year altoghether
An Important Lesson -- Larry Coker gets praise for being a good coach, and that may be true. But would a great coach allow his team to give this kind of bulletin board inspiration?
As for that controversial pass interference call, the ref says he "wanted to make double-sure that it was the right call."
Comments??

Lefty Walks Away

A great basketball coach (even Dickie V. says so), just packs it in, and says no more. The man that invented Midnight Madness, and won over 100 games at 4 different schools. I remember watching him as the Terps coach long ago. He also put GSU on the national map when he took that job.

Coughlin, Lewis Among Names Mentioned for Bungles Job -- Who the hell wants this job anyway. I mean, Coughlin maybe, but Lewis....no way

Woody Paige on the Bowl Mess -- Woody has me feeling a bit nostalgic.
Perk Up Mr. Paige -- ESPN is reporting that there may be hope.

Thoughts on the (snooze) Fiesta Bowl
The Hurrucanes are the team of destiny. They ouclass Ohio State in almost all aspects of the game. Even more imposing is the fact that Miami has a grudge over their snub in Heisman Voting. Clarett's a factor, but he is more hurt than you or I believe (if not he would have had contact drills this week), and after the blow up over attending a funeral, he is not likely to have his head in the game. McGahee and Dorsey run wild on the Buckeyes, who only manage a touchdown and a field goal.
Final -- Miami 35 Ohio St 10

Sensitivity The Rule These Days -- Tom Sorensen of the Charlotte Observer says that the "Beverly Hillbillies" Incident at the Contenintal Tire Bowl, is a big load of crap.

Philly Fan Flings a Rat on the Court During a 76ers Game -- ahahaha "It wasn’t known whether the rat was alive or dead when it was thrown.". And Matt Harpering does more to assure me that he is not a heterosexual. “That’s disgusting,” Harpring said after learning it wasn’t a fake."

Jeremy Shockey, Not Only a Moron, But A Dirt-Eating Moron -- "After he dived for a final pass that fell incomplete in a playoff loss to Trinity Valley his freshman year at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, Shockey scooped dirt into his mouth so he wouldn't forget what a loss tasted like."

Comments??

Chris Leak Part II

When we last left Chris Leak, he was talking about coaches telling him what he wanted to hear. Lets Pick things up where we left off.

Diary #3 -- This was one of the less spectacular diaries in the series. Details of an unofficial visit to NC. I guess the most significant statement in this diary is the fact that he mentions that Tennessee is still the leader in his process.

Diary #4 – We kick off diary #4 with a mention of the team that would later become Leak's top contender. Florida was not looking like a program to be reckoned with when this season began. The departure of Steve Spurrier, and a much less heralded new helmsman in Ron Zook. In this edition of the diary Leak makes an unofficial visit to Tennessee. The visit comes during a game when Tennessee is taking on an SEC foe….The Florida Gators.

Each of the last two weekends, I went to Knoxville. Last week, I went as a fan to watch my brother C.J. against Rutgers. Two weeks ago I went on an unofficial visit at the Florida game. Before the Florida game, I was hanging with my brother on the field during warm-ups and Coach Fulmer came over to say hello. He shook my hand and asked how my game went the night before. The game, you may recall, was played in a virtual monsoon. Nonetheless, it was pretty productive for me…A lot of people ask me how a game like that -- between two teams I'm considering -- effects my recruiting decision. I'd be lying if I said it didn't matter. Certainly how a team performs on the field will be one of the factors I consider when I choose a school… As for the Florida game, the one thing I took out of that was how impressed I was with Grossman and the Gators. It's kind of funny to be on a visit at Tennessee and leave the game impressed by Florida, but that's what happened. As for the Vols, you have to give them a break. I mean, what can you do when you fumble the ball eight times? Nothing.

Diary #5 – Big Trouble in Vol-Land

All hell breaks loose in the Leak recruiting process…with an unofficial visit to watch Tennessee take on Georgia. Chris’s brother C.J gets his first start, but is yanked early in the game, replaced with a freshman. This is the turning point in Leak’s flirtation with UT
Lets take a look.

My big brother C.J. was scheduled to start at quarterback for Tennessee -- the first time he's started since 2000 when he was still at Wake Forest. I couldn't wait. Even though it was pitch black outside when my alarm sounded, I sprung out of bed as if I'd slept until noon. Unfortunately, the early wakeup, the 200-mile drive to Athens, Ga. and all that extra excitement was pretty much for naught C.J. started, but didn't do much. On his first series, he handed off, handed off again, and then was sacked. On the second series, he handed off, handed off again, and then rushed for three yards. On the third series, he was benched. He came back for a series in the third quarter, but never got into a rhythm, never got a chance. My Dad and I were shocked. Earlier in the week, the Tennessee coaches told my Dad the team had one of its best practices of the year with C.J. at quarterback and that they couldn't wait for him to start. But less than five minutes in the game, true freshman James Banks -- not my brother -- was the quarterback. Though I don't think he'd admit it, my brother was crushed. So was my Dad. And so was I.

Wow….How things change. Leak may sound a bit like a spoiled child , but lets think a bit. Tennessee was the leader for his services. They made a big blunder, you can’t lie to a recruit, or his family, and expect things to be perfect. C.J. was not ready in this game. I saw it, I know for a fact he looked like crap. Banks was a far better option for the Vols to win this game. That being said…in the recruiting process, they made promises to Leak and his father that they could not keep.

Back to the Diary…..
What does it all mean? How does this affect me and my decision whether or not to attend Tennessee? That remains to be seen. C.J. was supposed to talk with his coaches this week to find out what happened. Then I'm going to talk to C.J. I don't want his situation to affect my decision, nor do I want my decision to affect what happens with him, but it's difficult to separate the two. A big reason I'm interested in Knoxville is to play with him.
For now, Tennessee is still the leader. And the margin between the Vols and the rest of college football's elite hasn't changed much. It's just that now, there are some questions and concerns about Tennessee, some chinks in their armor.

Chinks in their armor huh….read more, I think it goes deeper…..

It's important to me to go to a school that fits my offensive style. That's what the pros are looking for, guys who can sit back there in the pocket and move when they need to. Somebody who can read defenses. Not somebody who is taking off on every play.
But if that's what Tennessee wants, that's fine. It just means I'm the wrong guy for them.
Another smaller concern of mine is the way C.J. was treated. It's hard not to be disappointed, especially with how hard he's worked. He shredded his knee two years ago as a freshman at Wake Forest, transferred to Tennessee, worked tirelessly on his rehab, on learning the new offense, all the while knowing he was going to be a backup. He's back to 100-percent, was having great practices, then Casey gets hurt and C.J. is supposed to get his chance, but it never happens. We'll just have to wait and see what it all means.

Well…let’s break this down
Leak visits Tennessee for the Florida game…Things go badly for the Vols, and he sees good things in the Gators. Then the C.J. incident. At the end of diary 5 Leak goes on to praise Florida saying “Either way, Florida is a school that I'm seriously considering. If Tennessee is No. 1 right now, the Gators are 1A”. Sounds to me like the Tennessee staff has let this fish off the hook.

Next Edition of the Leak Chronicles….Chris and Fulmer have a public separation…played out on ESPN and in the papers.

Comments?

Passing the Torch

Last night's Sugar Bowl was a pretty good football game. Telling the story of two programs. One on the rise, the other in a period of transition. ABC showed an interesting graphic during the contest. Florida State has lost more games in the last two years than they did in the entire decade of the 90s. Interesting, considering what happened two years ago. The man now at the helm of The Georgia Bulldogs left FSU (where he served as offensive coordinator) to take the UGA job. Mark Richt is a good man, and one hell of a football coach. I was a little suprised at his levity in the pre-game interview, joking with his old mentor, its just not his style. This is the same man who took an icewater bath with 2 minutes to go, and didn't even flinch. Why should he? Richt has ice water in his veins.

The end of the game, the two shaking hands at midfield, it looked like a passing of the torch. This Bulldog was proud.

The Rest of the Links:

Sugar Bowl Stuff
Steve Hummer on Richt and Bowden
A Good Night For Musa Smith -- He is considering a jump to the NFL, but I think it would be good to have him back. I also think it would be better for him to wait another year.
Mark Bradley on Learning to Win -- Also some good press for Bruce Thornton. A player I have followed since high school.

Fiesta Bowl
Clarett is Right and Wrong -- William C. Rhoden of the NY Times (registration required) chimes in on the Clarett mess.

Other Bowls
The Willingham Honeymoon is Over -- At least Jay Mariotti thinks so. I agree. They looked like Crap

NFL Picks 1st Round of the Playoffs
Indianapolis at NY Jets (-6)
Pennington and the Jets have been rather good down the stretch. But you can never discount Payton and Dungy. Take away the home field 3 and it’s a 3 point game. I like the Colts no matter what the spread.
Winner: Indianpolis

Atlanta at Green Bay (-6.5)
Vick and the birds invade the frozen tundra. The Falcons have intangibles…..but here ist he real deal. Gruden and the Buccaneers showed the rest of the NFL how to stop Michael Vick. The Packers have seen the film, they know the drill. As good as the Falcons D has been, Green Bay can score the points and win. Take the pack, lay the line.
Winner: Green Bay (+6.5)

Cleveland at Pittsburgh (-7.5)
Tough call. The cardiac Browns are in the playoffs. Sometimes the Steelers have looked like Super Bowl contenders, other times they have looked like Vanderbilt. The Browns are well coached. The Steelers are not. BUT… Couch is out. And home field in the playoffs is critical. Take the Steelers straight up. But they won’t lay the 8.
Winner: Steelers (no cover)

NY Giants at San Francisco (-3.5)
A game to make the bookies rich. The 49ers have been really bad down the stretch. The Giants have been really good. Home field in San Francisco, that works in their favor. Giants have the hot hand. I would not lay money on this one if my life depended on it.
Winner: Giants