Tom Friend on WashingtonPost.com

Tom Friend, author of the incendiary Gregg Williams piece that I wrote about Sunday, hosted a chat this morning on WashingtonPost.com. It's a must-read for any Redskins fan, particularly to see Friend's recommendation for who should ultimately succeed Joe Gibbs. All I'll say is, the mere mention of the name made me vigorously nod my head in agreement.
Tonight's Pick: Cincinnati over Baltimore (I know, I had completely forgotten about it too.)

Oh, How I Long For Kelvin Sampson

That didn't take long. Just 22 hours after reaching a new, zen-like attitude towards Skip Prosser's wretched coaching abilities, I'm back to my old, Skip-hating ways. Maybe inner-peace wasn't for me. Although, I'm convinced that watching his alma mater nearly get doubled up by Air Force would have tested even Confucius' resolve.
I'm clearly in no mood to write (Air Force won 94-58), so bullet points will have to suffice,

• This game took place in Colorado Springs, at an altitude of 6,500 feet, or about one mile higher than Winston-Salem. As any third-grader knows, the air is thinner at high altitude, which means it's harder to breathe, especially for people living at sea level. So what does John Wooden have his team do from the opening tip? Running up and down the court at a breakneck pace, of course. Yes, I know Wake's offense is built around an up-tempo pace, but coaches have to adapt their gameplans to fit the elements. Peyton Manning doesn't throw 50 times in a snowstorm, you dig?
• In the same vein, Prosser let Kyle Visser (no Jack Lalanne in the fitness department) play for the game's first 12 minutes without a break. By the time Visser came off the court he looked like Marlon Brando in the orange garden in The Godfather. After getting off to a quick 7-0 start, Wake was outscored 25-4 over the next 12 minutes. And it was a miracle they were able to get those four points.
  
• Prosser did call a timeout during that run, but seemingly failed to emphasize to his team that they would need to slow things down. Too often, Wake players would shoot the ball with 23 on the shot clock, miss, and then get beat down court by the more fit Air Force squad.
• After the Falcons hit three consecutive threes from the baseline, you'd think Prosser would have abandoned the 1-3-1. Or maybe after the fourth straight offensive possession that began with a pass to the left corner, Prosser would try to set up a high-screen or two. You'd think, wouldn't you?
• It's easy to understate just how open these Air Force players were. Believe me when I say, they were really, really, really wide open. At one point, I slow-mo'd the DVR to watch an Air Force possession and saw that Wake was trying to defend the quick passes by having four guys follow the ball. On one trip down the floor, Air Force had three guys open on the leftside perimeter because four Deacs had collapsed to the low-post. It was like watching chicken with their heads cut off, albeit only if the chicken were very poorly coached.
• Wake made no adjustments the entire game. None.
  
• This, in my eyes, is Prosser's worst offense: Midway through the first-half, with the game slipping away, Wake made a defensive stop and quickly brought the ball down the court. With 26 seconds remaining on the shot clock, freshman Anthony Gurley got the ball near the foul line, made an awkward spin move, jumped off his left foot and heaved an off-balance, fadeaway towards the hoop. It, predictably, bricked badly, and enabled Air Force to score off a fast break. To sum up, Gurley threw up an utterly terrible shot in an important situation. After the Air Force bucket, Prosser should have called timeout and taken his star freshman out of the game, reprimanding him for the ridiculousness that was his attempt. Of course, Prosser did no such thing. On Wake's very next possession, Gurley again received the ball and again took an ill-advised shot with defenders in his face, this time from beyond the arc. (Gurley, it should be noted, is 1-11 this season from downtown.) Somehow, though, this shot went in. My thoughts instantly turned towards Trent Strickland. Strickland used to do the same thing; heave up a terrible shot, receieve no criticism from his coaches, and then throw up an even worse shot the next time. Inevitably, one would fall and he'd play the rest of the game remembering only the shot that went in. It's like he had selective amnesia for his misses. Taking a page from the gospel according to Trent, Gurley made a terrible shot selection and missed on Wake's very next possession. Three straight atrocious shots, one miracle make = A freshman with unwarranted swagger. And Prosser enables all of this. (In a heartwarming coincidence, Gurley wears Strickland's old #33.)
• It's all good though, I suppose. As my buddy Falkow reminded me during the game; Wake is, and always has been, a football school.
  

Wednesday Reflections

* Originally, I had anticipated boycotting the ACC/Big 10 Challenge because of Wake Forest's exclusion. Then I realized that such an embargo, while noble and constructively petty, would only hurt me, Joe Q. College Basketball Fan. So, I watched. But you better believe I was bitching plenty, whoo boy!
Winning in Champaign is always a difficult endeavor, particularly with a handful of freshman, but Maryland was able to snap the Illini's 51-game non-conference home win streak last night. (Non-conference home win streaks make nice copy, but they're sort of like a person with the word "global" in their job title: More often that not, both things sound a lot more impressive than they really are.)
While it appears the Terps will be a factor in the ACC, there are still some major concerns for Gary Williams, the biggest of which is his team's weakness on the boards. It's also never good when your team shoots 50% and holds the opponent to 35%, yet the game is still in doubt in the final minute.
It's not even Decemeber yet, so Gary still has time to work on the kinks. Plus, he has to be thrilled with the performances of freshmen Bambale Osby and Greivis Vazquez.
The Dukies escaped last night with a win over a very mediocre Indiana team while proving, definitively, that they too will be a very mediocre team this season. (Duke had the fewest points in a victory since 1982 - Coach K's first season.)
Greg Paulus, who was benched in favor of freshman Gerald Henderson, actually fouled out of this game after refs called him for his patented "left-arm clear out" on two separate occasions, but the shock of having a Duke PG actually get disqualified for cheating was tempered by the fact that the Blue Devils made five more free-throws than Indiana attempted. Ahh, the comforts of college basketball season.
Paulus finished the game with five points and more turnovers than assists, but that didn't stop Dick Vitale from proclaiming his DQ as a "tremendous momentum-shift in this game, baby!" He went on to say that Paulus brings so much more to the floor than just statistics (a confused look, mainly) and his absence could cripple Duke. Yes, Dick, it could... From inverse assist-to-turnover ratios.
In other news, Josh McRoberts is still mind-numbingly ordinary. He has a good three inches on D.J. White yet couldn't move inside on him without a shoulder-dip. White played just as bad on the offensive end though, so much so that it's amazing Indiana had a chance to tie at the end of the game.
After a McRoberts inbound pass was stolen with 9.3 seconds left the Hoosiers had a chance to tie with a three. With no timeouts remaining, Errek Suhr got the ball in the corner and had a decent look from beyond the arc, yet inexplicably drove in the lane, realized he needed a three, dribbled back outside and dished the ball as time expired. The Hoosiers failed ot get off a final shot.
Blame the player all you want for the decision to drive baseline when his team needed a three, but there's only one person responsible for Indiana's stunning lack of late-game poise: Their coach, Kelvin Sampson.
Back when the Hoosiers hired Sampson, I wrote a lengthy diatribe about how the school's basketball program was now screwed because they had hired an imbecile. Normally, I'd just link to said rant, but since its so apropos today, here's the whole thing:

Next season will be the 20th year since Indiana’s last national basketball championship. It’s going to be about 20 more before they get another because, after the hiring of Oklahoma’s Kelvin Sampson, the Hoosiers have purchased a first-class ticket to mediocrity.
How on earth did Indiana decide on a tired, no-talent clown like Sampson when the coaching ranks are filled with either guys on-the-rise (Bruce Pearl, Jim Larranaga), major-conference stalwarts (John Beilein, Tom Crean) or former Dukies with wonderful hair (Quin Snyder)? Hiring Sampson after Mike Davis is like trading in a Geo Prism for a Hyundai Elantra.
Sampson has no upside. He has no potential. He’s climbed his own Everest (reaching a Final Four in 2002) and then fell-off it (one Tourney win in the past three seasons). Sampson has no redeeming qualities at all. He’s not young, he’s not talented, he’s not good and he’s already maxed-out his talent level. What the hell were they thinking?
Sampson’s eternal crappiness is made even more remarkable by the fact that he’s a pedestrian coach who can’t win even though he’s a dirty cheat. Sampson bolted OU with the program under investigation for alleged offenses that occurred under his watch. That Oklahoma can’t even have success while cheating says more about Sampson than any criticism I can come up with. I mean, say what you want about Jim Calhoun, but at least the man gets results from his blatant disregard for the rules.
Why would IU hire a coach whose ceiling is waist-high? Did they really want to distance themselves from Bobby Knight that much? It’s almost like this was an F-U to the legions who still expect The General to walk through the doors. "You want to force out Mike Davis? Well here's Mike Davis in 15 years!"
I also can’t help but think that the Sampson hiring came, at least in part, because of fear of the backlash that would come from hiring a white coach after canning a black coach who did a decent job (a la Notre Dame football). Of course, just because Scoop Jackson gets upset about the Irish’s Willingham-fiasco doesn’t mean everybody agrees with him. Scoop thinks black holes demonstrate how racist the astronomy community is.
But if that was the case, surely there were better black coaches who have never played under, coached for, or heard of Bobby Knight.
ESPN.com’s Jason Whitlock wrote a nonsensical column about why the Sampson hiring was great for Indiana. Almost every paragraph contained a “you get paid to write?!” moment. Some examples:

Whitlock: Sampson is as good as it gets. The winningest coach in the history of the Big 12 conference won 20 games nine straight years, advanced to the Elite Eight twice and one Final Four despite coaching just one NBA player.
Chase: The Big 12 began in 1995, doofus. Sampson is the winningest coach because he’s the only coach in the league who’s been there that long. Roy Williams left two years ago, Rick Barnes got there seven years ago, Eddie Sutton is a drunk and Baylor’s coach took part in a murder cover-up. If that’s the best compliment you can give Sampson, that’s a problem.
As for the making a Final Four: So did Mike Davis! And he actually won a game, unlike Sampson. The “coaching just one NBA player” thing is just as ridiculous. Coach K has coached zero NBA players and has three national titles!

Whitlock: Under Sampson, the Sooners always overachieved in conference play by giving a superior, more consistent effort than their opponents. OU's NCAA flameouts were somewhat predictable. Sampson never really had the horses, and his teams were generally worn out in March because they'd played harder for longer than just about every team in the country.
Chase: Maybe the Sooners wouldn’t be so tired if Sampson would give his players some rest. And who says they overachieved in conference play? Oklahoma only has one Big 12 regular season win and zero Tournament titles. If that’s overachieving I (and Indiana) shudder to think of what regular, old achieving will be like.
I love the “OU’s NCAA flameouts were somewhat predictable,” line too. Of course they were. Their coach is Kelvin Freakin’ Sampson!

Whitlock: Give Sampson a lottery pick -- let alone the all-star squad Williams had at UNC -- and he'll have no trouble winning in March.
Chase: Give him a lottery pick? What, this is a charity Whitlock is running? And what about Hollis Price and Kevin Bookout? Those guys were great JUCO and high-school players, respectively. Sampson also had a McDonald’s All-American signed up for this year. (Maybe he got all those phone calls.) Sampson couldn’t win the WNBA title if he had the Spurs and LeBron. Giving him Marvin Williams would just have cost Marvin Williams a few million on draft night.

Whitlock: Translation: Kelvin Sampson is best appreciated up close. You can't fully appreciate him from a distance.
Chase: So he’s sort of like Van Gogh in that way, I suppose. Well, I’d cut my ear off too if I had to “appreciate” Kelvin Sampson from up close.

Unlike Whitlock, I have some stats at my disposal to prove my point. Below is OU’s Tournament history since Sampson arrived:

2006 - #6 lost 1st round #11 Wisconsin-Milwaukee
2005 - #3 lost 2nd round to #6 Utah
2004 – No Tournament
2003 – #1 lost Elite Eight to #3 Syracuse
2002 – #2 lost Final Four to #5 Indiana
2001 - #4 lost 1st round to #13 Indiana State
2000 - #3 lost 2nd round to #6 Purdue
1999 - #13 lost Elite Eight
1998 - #10 lost 1st round to #7 Indiana in first round
1997 - #11 lost 1st round to #6 Stanford
1996 - #10 lost 1st round to #7 Temple
1995 - #4 lost 1st round to #13 Manhattan

That’s six straight Tournaments where Sampson has lost to lower-seeded teams. Hmm, Whitlock was right. I did need to get closer up before I could fully appreciate Kelvin!
The ’02 Final Four was an aberration (much like Lute Olsen’s National Championship), but can be explained by the easy-road OU took to get there. They beat a #15, #7, #4 and #12 seed to reach Atlanta. Not exactly George Mason-esque.
The following year, OU got to the Elite Eight as a #1 seed, but that road was even smoother, as they had to beat #16, #8 and #12, before losing to the first equally-matched team they saw.
Sampson supporters will point to 1999 when the Sooners made a surprising run to the Elite Eight as a #13 seed. (First thing, it's never good when supporters can point to one of ten seasons, but I digress.) Sampson rippers will say the Sooners underachieved all season (hear that Jason Whitlock?) and should have been a #5 seed in the Tournament if not for a terrible run in conference play. Anytime a major-conference team with a low-seed makes a run in the Tournament (see: Missouri), it’s usually because they finally play up to their abilities in March after a wasteful season.
At the beginning of his ode to Kelvin, Whitlock ran a quote from former Hoosier star Ted Kitchel: "[Hiring Sampson] is an absolute disgrace. I wouldn't hire that guy to coach my fifth-grade girls team. That guy is absolutely what we don't want at IU."
Kitchel was, of course, incorrect. I’d hire Sampson to coach a fifth-grade girls team any day. As long “any day” refers to a day when said fifth-grade girls team was playing a group of blind, wheelchair-riding nuns. But even then, I’d have to think about it.

Reading it again, I was probably a little out of line at points. Firstly, there's no way I'd think about ever hiring Sampson to coach a fifth-grade girls team against a bunch of blind, wheelchair-riding nuns. That's it. There is no secondly.
Sampson proved why he's the worst basketball coach in Division I last night with his appalling use of timeouts and his team's complete confusion in the game's final seconds. I know Sampson wasn't dribbling the ball down the baseline so it's technically not his fault that his player passed up the three, but look at it this way: Would a Mike Krzyzewski-coached team ever make such an inexcusable mistake late in a game?
Red Auerbach always used to say that a coach's work is done at practice, not in games. Sampson should have prepared his team for that very scenario every day in practice. But he didn't. Because he's an idiot. And a terrible coach.
Anytime Skip Prosser infuriates me this season, I'm going to get down on my knees and remind myself that it could be a lot worse, Kelvin Sampson could be Wake Forest's coach.
(Much (and by much, I mean very little) has been made of what makes me hate Kelvin Sampson so much. The Wolfman inquired this as I was ranting about it on the phone last night. After calming myself down, I responded that I don't like coaches who are schmucks. Jim Calhoun was an example I used. But at least I can respect Calhoun, the coach. Calhoun, the person? Huge schmuck. At least he can coach though. Sampson can't, yet gets showered with praise more than Tiki Barber, despite his total lack of all coaching accumen. I don't understand it. And it makes me mad. And that's all I have to say about that.

* The Redskins signed kicker Shaun Suisham yesterday to contend with the struggling Nick Novak. I've been advocating Novak's ousting since his first week on the job, but didn't really envision it coming from Shaun Suisham. (It should be noted that no decision has been made as to who will kick Sunday.) It's impossible to have any opinion of Suisham because all I know of him is what I read in today's Washington Post. If he proves himself to be better than Novak, he should start (particularly if he is stronger than Novak on kick-offs, which isn't saying much. Nor is saying he's better at field goals, but I suppose it's possible he could be worse. Slightly possible.)
I hate dumping on Novak because he's a Maryland guy, but he's really been awful. The Redskins were put in a terrible position after the win over Dallas because he ended up making the game-winner, but they should have swung the axe anyways, bad PR and all. Novak's miss from 37 yards last Sunday could have cost the 'Skins the game.
There was a lot of talk about signing Mike Vanderjagt this week, but I'm glad Joe Gibbs held off. Vanderjagt's damaged goods now; he's a Canadian, earringed version of Brad Lidge. For some reason kickers and relievers go off the deep-end more than any other people in sports (members of the Portland Trail Blazers, excluded.) I know those are high-profile, high-pressure gigs, but come on, guys. Man up a bit. You make millions to kick a ball through some yellow poles. It can't be that hard. Hell, I'm sure Kelvin Sampson could do it just fine.

The Chaz Rankings: Week 12
Hip-Hop Heads Edition

In a one month span that began last week, new releases from Jay-Z, Snoop, The Game, Nas, Cam'ron, Trick Daddy and Fabolous will be available for illegal downloads worldwide. Christmas-time always brings a spate of new music because, let's be honest, what would Christmas be without some tight rhymes about gin, juice and hos. In honor of this musical bonanza, today's Chaz Rankings will pair each NFL team with a similar rapper.

1) San Diego Chargers
The Game
The Game's new CD should be a masterpiece; but a falling out with Dr. Dre and redundant rhymes (seriously, how often can one rap about a '64 Impala?) make it a clunker. San Diego's season should be a masterpiece, but a lack of falling out with Marty Schottenheimer and past playoff woes are sure to make them a clunker.

2) Indianapolis Colts
Jay-Z
Both Jigga and the Colts have become too big for their own good. Kingdom Come is a bloated mess filled with overproduced beats and lazy rhymes, sort of a rap equivalent of Indy in the playoffs.
They're both at their best when there's no pressure (rumor has it Hov only returned from retirement to boost the fortunes of his struggling Def Jam company). For Indy, that's when they're rolling though the the regular season and for Jay-Z it's his guest appearances and mixtape releases (see: "Black Republicans" and "Brooklyn High", his Jim Jones diss).

3) Baltimore Ravens
Clipse
I hate to compare the Ravens to my favorite hip-hop group, but the similarities are too striking to ignore. Both were big in the early-aughts, then ran into contractual problems that sidelined them for a while. Still, they churned on the underground, eventually made some wise choices (Ravens drafting Ed Reed, Bart Scott and Terrell Suggs and sigining Steve McNair, The Clipse releasing two underground mixtapes) and are seeking a return to the top in 2006. Clipse's new album, Hell Hath No Fury, drops today and it makes Kingdom Come sound like a Raffi record.
And as an added bonus, Malice and Pusha T can borrow Jamal Lewis' celly if they need to get in contact with someone who'll be able to traffic those precious rocks to the community.

4) Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears Shufflin' Crew
Maybe Rex Grossman should try on Jim McMahon's headband whilst mooning a helicopter because, at this point, anything would be an improvement.

5) New England Patriots
Eminem
They used to be on top. Now they're just boring, predictable and dependent on their good name for fawning reviews.

6) Dallas Cowboys
Lil' Wayne
Everyone has annoited Lil' Wayne as the new greatest rapper alive (particularly after his remix of Jay-Z's "Show Me What You Got" proved vastly superior to the original). But, just like with Tony Romo, I'm not fully sold yet. Remember, last year everyone thought Ben Roethlisberger was the second-coming of Terry Bradshaw.
(Don't get me wrong, I'm very impressed with Romo. It's just that his resume isn't exactly as gaudy as it might seem. Wins over Tampa Bay and Arizona are mandatory, the victories over the Giants and Panthers are a lot less impressive now in light of those team's recent performances and the win against Indy was thanks to the Cowboys defense. I mean, Jeff Garcia put up 21 against the Colts too, you know? Romo's poise is something that can't be taught. And he's probably going to be a very good QB. But let's wait until the calendar turns to December before we start forgetting about Troy Aikman.)

7) New Orleans Saints
Master P
Two of the top 71, or so, things to come out of New Orleans.

8) Kansas City Chiefs
Baby
Larry Johnson can probably give him tips on diaper disposal.

9) Cincinnati Bengals
DMX
DMX makes Chris Henry look like an Eagle Scout.

10) Denver Broncos
11) Carolina Panthers
12) Jacksonville Jaguars
Memphis Bleek
Proof that there is no correlation between expectations and results.

13) Miami Dolphins
GZA
One of Wu-Tang's founders, GZA, calls himself "The Genius". Just like Nick Saban.

14) New York Giants
Puffy
All hype, no substance.

15) New York Jets
16) Seattle Seahawks
17) San Francisco 49ers
18) St. Louis Rams
19) Tennessee Titans
20) Minnesota Vikings
Lloyd Banks
Complete non-factors.

21) Washington Redskins
Fabolous
Both have fallen upon tough times of late, but each has my unconditional support.

22) Philadelphia Eagles
Proof
D.O.A. (Gotta give my buddy Ank credit for that one.)

23) Atlanta Falcons
Baby Bash
Mexico's finest.

24) Buffalo Bills
Vanilla Ice
If only to get people Googling "Vanilla Ice + Eli Manning + suck" to come to this site.

25) Pittsburgh Steelers
50 Cent
The sophomore slump claimed them both.

26) Green Bay Packers
27) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
28) Houston Texans
29) Oakland Raiders
30) Cleveland Browns
31) Detroit Lions
32) Arizona Cardinals
Ja Rule
If James Taylor were a rapper, he'd be Ja Rule. And if Ja Rule were a football team, he'd have his choice of any of these seven sorry squads. (I only mention James Taylor because at the Wake Forest Alumni tailgate on Saturday night, some Terp-alum moron drinking nearby was blasting crappy music out of his Dodge Dakota. The tunes suddenly took a turn for the better when the intro to 50's Get Rich or Die Tryin came on. But our joy was short-lived, because the guy took off the 50 and put on, yes, James Taylor. I've never wanted to punch anybody so badly in my life. Except maybe for J.J. Redick.

Monday Afternoon Cornerback

* Is this the year Art Monk finally gets enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame? If Peter King's change of position on the merits of Monk's inclusion is any indication, it just might be. King's MMQB takes a look at the dearth of modern receivers in the Hall and suggests maybe long-time voters should change their opinions on Monk and James Lofton. He includes the preposterous statistic that eight quarterbacks who played since 1980 currently have their busts in Canton compared to just one receiver. That's ridiculous.
I'll go into this more in January, as I always do. Maybe this year will be different. Hopefully. (Gibbs continued to support Monk's candidacy at his weekly press conference this afternoon.)

* With 9:33 left in their game against Tennessee, the New York Giants were up 21-0. Twenty-four unsanswered Titan points later, the Giants left Nashville with a devastating, possibly season-changing loss. That's a shame.
Because my DVR was acting up last night, I still haven't seen Eli's late-game pick or Mathias Kiwanuka's missed sack (you can criticize the play, just don't mention that his last name is hard to pronounce. Because making a good-natured joke about somebody's tongue-twisting last name is much more offensive than this), but I'm pretty excited about both. I'm actually recording the bastardized version of NFL Primetime for this very reason.
It's going to be fun to listen to idiots like Jeremy Shockey and Plaxico Burress rip Tom Coughlin and his coaching staff this week without having the self-awareness to realize that they suck just as much, if not more, than the Giants coaches. (Shockey, by the way, has become the most overrated player in the NFL. Besides grabbing camera-time with his petulant, on-field antics, what does he do, exactly? Catch one ball less than Ben Watson and have a lower yard-per-reception average than Owen Daniels?)

* Two schools placed five players on the postseason All-ACC football team. Neither was named Florida State, Miami or Virginia Tech. In an ongoing series of signs that the apocalypse is near, Wake Forest (along with Clemson) had the most players on the All-ACC team for the first time in school history.

* I'll write about the Wake/MD game and the upcoming ACC Championship later this week, but before I do I had to mention the most ridiculous playcall of the season. Up seven points with 7:21 left, Wake had a fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line. A field goal would have been a sure thing (one of those All-ACC members is kicker Sam Swank) and would have given the Deacs two-possession lead. For some reason that I still haven't heard explained, Grobe decided to go for the TD, thusly, making it possible for Maryland to possibly tie the game on their following possession should Wake have been stopped.
That the Rich Belton made it to the endzone is irrelevant. This was the single-dumbest playcall I've seen from any football team all season.
Let me first address the critics who will say, "but they made it, so it couldn't have been that bad a call": You can drive a car with your feet, but it doesn't make it a good freakin' idea. Just because a poor decision ends up working out, doesn't mean it was a good decision. By going for it, Jim Grobe ran the risk of swinging the momentum completely to Maryland's side. Playing on the road in a stadium filled with people begging for a reason to cheer, a 4th-and-goal stand and the possibility of tying a game that had, just moments before, is reason enough to play it safe.
Maybe Grobe figured that the fates would continue to smile upon Wake Forest this season. Maybe he wanted a little drama at the end of the game. Maybe he wanted to take himself out of the running for National Coach of the Year. Whatever the reason he decided to go for it, Grobe should feel fortunate that Belton's second effort got him across the goalline. If the Terps had held and marched down the field for the tying score, all those "Jim Grobe is a genius" articles would have been lost to Word caches forever.

The Pen Is Mightier Than Gregg Williams' Playbook

Now that was Redskins football: A grind-it-out, smashmouth offense with a ball-hawking, aggressive unit on the other side. Ladell Betts ran hard, Jason Campbell looked sharp and Carlos Rogers played like a guy who was picked #8 in the NFL Draft. It's just too bad it all happened the Sunday after Thanksgiving instead of the Sunday after Labor Day.
Who knows if Tom Friend's critical look at the real reason behind the 'Skins 2006 woes played any part, but there's little doubt that the unit that took the field today beared no resemblence to the poor tackling, out-of-position, undisciplined team that has been masquerading as a defense since week 1.
Read all of Friend's piece from ESPN: The Magazine and the recently-added sidebar. In it, he confirms what I've been suggesting all year; the mess at Redskins Park begins and ends with Gregg Williams. My conjecture had been that Williams' schemes were not suited to the types of players he had in certain positions. Too often Lemar Marshall would be covering a Jason Witten-type player 30 yards downfield. Sean Taylor biting on play-action would leave Carlos Rogers on an island, when he can barely swim.
Friend's analysis goes deeper, exploring why Williams' beloved Cover 2 has come back to haunt him this season and why the defensive coordinator's ego is a main reason why. The article is a fascinating look at the politics, petulance and ego-coaxing involved in NFL coaching. Read it, even if you're not a 'Skins fan. I'd like to hear some takes from others about their thoughts on Williams and Gibbs and Snyder in the comments section.
Oh, and about that "anonymous player who wouldn't go on record" as he was dropping the hammer on his coach? I have it on pretty good authority that it was Shawn Springs.
Either way, the Redskins defense gave their best effort today since the playoffs. They hit hard, wrapped-up, were in the right spot and made plays on passes, instead of simply tackling the receiver.
Whatever sort of reaction Tom Friend's article got in Redskins Park, it worked. Now let's just hope he has five more up his sleeve for the rest of the Fridays during the regular season.

Holy Freakin' Shit

Wake Forest Demon Deacons
2006 ACC Atlantic Division champions

NFL Picks: Week 12
Things I'm Thankful For Edition

Miami at Detroit
What I'm Thankful For: Fried turkey
Tastes just like chicken, if chicken tasted like turkey.
Pick: Detroit

Tampa Bay at Dallas
What I'm Thankful For: Wake Forest playing at Maryland for a berth in the ACC Championship Game
When my dad scored me four 50-yardline seats to this game back in September, I remember thinking how great it would be if the Deacs would be playing to become bowl eligible in the Thanksgiving weekend match-up in College Park. When Wake's season continued to defy expectations, it became evident the game would have more pivotal implications. But it wasn't until the middle of the Florida State blowout that I realized I'd be in attendance as Wake Forest tried to win their division and earn a berth in the ACC Championship Game. My college roommate is driving down from New York and a lot of people are coming north for the game, which promises to be a great time, no matter what happens.
(And yes, I realize the hypocricy of looking forward to a possible ACC Championship Game bid after I've been ripping John Swofford for expanding the conference so said Championship Game would be a possibility. Here's the way I look at it: Just because Swofford is a moron and ruined the greatest conference in America, doesn't mean I can't be selectively pragmatic about its implications.)
Pick: Dallas

Denver at Kansas City
What I'm Thankful For: That this game won't be available in New York
Unless Paul Tagliabue makes it a Giants home game, that is.
Pick: Kansas City

New Orleans at Atlanta
What I'm Thankful For: Papa John's Garlic Dipping Sauce
Garlic in liquid form. Along with the printing press and internal combustion engine, that has to be one of mankind's greatest inventions. Now if we can just get moving on Crowne Royal Lozenges, we'll be all set.
Pick: New Orleans

Pittsburgh at Baltimore
What I'm Thankful For: Duke's loss to Marquette
So many things to love about this, I don't know where to begin. Greg Paulus is still clearing out with his left arm every time he drives the lane, Josh McRoberts has added a shoulder-dip push into his limited repetoire and Coach K's heralded freshman look like they wouldn't be seeing much PT on Drake, let alone Duke.
Don't call this one an upset. Duke isn't going to be very good this season. Paulus is in over his head at the point and McRoberts has yet to backup any of the hype that accompanied his arrival in Durham. None of this bothers Dick Vitale, of course, who thinks the Dukies are still in "for a tremendous season, baby."
Pick: Pittsburgh

Jacksonville at Cleveland
What I'm Thankful For: The Nas/Jay-Z Song "Black Republicans"
The best rap track of the year will appear on Nas' upcoming Hip-Hop Is Dead album. Not after this one, it isn't.
Pick: Jacksonville

Cincinnati at Buffalo
What I'm Thankful For: That my Thanksgiving travel plans consist of a 15-minute drive
At what point to beleagured travelers simply start staging Thanksgiving on a Tuesday in July instead of spending countless hours in traffic or stuck in the airport on the day before the fourth Thursday of Novemeber?
Pick: Cincinnati

Arizona at Minnesota
What I'm Thankful For: Fake Mustaches
Pick: Minnesota

Houston at New York Jets
What I'm Thankful For: Elle Woods' law school admissions video essay
Yeah, I like Legally Blonde, so sue me. Just don't hire Elle Woods as your lawyer, because the way she got that chick from Scooby-Doo to confess on the stand was magnificent lawyering. If O.J. had Elle, he would have never had to have hypothetically-confessed to murder for money.
Pick: Houston

San Francisco at St. Louis
What I'm Thankful For: XM Radio
Where else can you hear Bob Dylan's radio show, a wide array of Latin music, dozens of sports channels, 50's standards and an uncensored rap station whose deejays exist solely to remind listners that the station is, in fact, uncensored all in one place? (An excerpt from the Mz. Kitti show, "yeah yeah, motherf_____s! That's f_____n what the f___ I'm f_____n talkin' da f___ about, n____z! Sheeeeeeeeeet, u kno that's the F_____N streetz! F___. We got this new f____n track from f____n Jay-f____n-Z and nasty Nas, F___! It's tha TRUTH, motherf_____s, f___. BROOKLYN! F___, u kno I'm just f____ playin' around. F___. F___. C_________. Balls." She curses for the sake of cursing. It's a ghetto version of Deadwood.) XM, that's where. And maybe Sirius. But Acura didn't offer that.
Pick: St. Louis

Carolina at Washington
What I'm Thankful For: That the ridiculousness of Dan Snyder's ego is well-documented
Read all about it.
Pick: Carolina

Oakland at San Diego
What I'm Thankful For: Ridiculous baseball contracts are back!
$136 million for Alfonso Soriano and $55 million for Juan Pierre were nice, but Gary Matthews jaw-dropping five-year, $50 million deal with Anaheim clinches it; the era of free-spending in baseball is back with a vengeance. What's next, $16 million for Cristian Guzman??!!! Oh, wait.
Pick: San Diego

Chicago at New England
What I'm Thankful For: The Onion
Whether it's fauxrticles about the Chicago Bears or douchebags with a new phone, The Onion manages to keep it fresh even after all logic indicated it should have gone stale long ago.
Pick: Chicago

New York Giants at Tennessee
What I'm Thankful For: Elisha Nelson Manning
That's right, I'm thankful for that under-throwing, poor-decision-making, crybaby Daddy's boy. For without him, whom would be the target of my vitrol? Plenty of people, I suppose, but it's never as fun as it is with Eli. (I'm not on board with the media finally seeing the light though, because I'm forseeing Elisha having a good game in the next few weeks, which will lead to the inevitable bevy of "Eli's back" stories.)
Pick: New York Giants

Philadelphia at Indianapolis
What I'm Thankful For:

Pick: Indianapolis

The Chaz Rankings: Week 11
'Chris Answer PTI's Questions' Edition

Bigger win for the Cowboys or loss for the Colts?
The loss to the Dallas Cowboys (#9) is is the best thing that could have happened to the Indianapolis Colts (#2). Since they weren’t going 16-0 anyway, it’s far better to get the loss out of the way before the perfect season becomes a distraction, a la last year. Now Indy can focus on winning homefield advantage and preparing for the playoffs.
As for Dallas, every win is a big win. I’m not a big believer in season-changing wins. (Maybe that’s because the Washington Redskins (#26) allegedly had two this year – in overtime against the Jacksonville Jaguars (#8) and the crazy finish with the Cowboys – and got hammered the following week both times… And about that Cowboys game, three times this weekend I heard people refer to Tony Romo as “3-1 as a starter, and would have been 4-0 if not for a once-in-a-lifetime play at the end of the ‘Skins game,” or some variation. But what about Nick Novak missing his very-makeable kick with 38 seconds left? Isn’t that well within the “what-if” parameters? All I’m saying is that it’s a dangerous game to play, like Stratego.) I’m not intrigued enough to look up how other teams have done after having “huge wins” this season, but I’d imagine their records aren’t too great. Momentum in football is overrated. Most of the time, teams that are said to have momentum are just playing very well. And the Cowboys are playing very well right now. In a weak NFC, that should be enough to get them in the playoffs (particularly with Eli Manning, of the New York Giants (#11) looking quite Eli Manning-like.)

Are the San Diego Chargers (#3) the best team in the NFL?
The three next to their name is a subtle form of foreshadowing, I feel, as is the #1 beside the Chicago Bears. However, that answer won’t be known until Shawne Merriman and Luis Castillo get back. (Isn’t it great how the Chargers two best defenders – both of whom didn’t play last week – have positive steroid tests on their resumes? And how nobody ever mentions this? Nothing suspicious about that! I seriously think O.J. could come back to play running back in the NFL and nobody would mention the fact that he’s a double-murderer, that’s how much power the NFL exercises over its broadcast partners.)
Frankly, it doesn’t really matter if San Diego is the best at the moment. Because once the playoffs start, nothing can change the fact that Marty Schottenheimer is their coach. Can you imagine how great an Indy/San Diego AFC Championship would be? It’d be perhaps the greatest match-up of playoff-underachieving coaches in history.
This doesn’t change the fact that LDT is the best player in football and Philip Rivers is playing the best quarterback of anybody not named Peyton.

With McNabb done, are the Philadelphia Eagles (#19) too?
Philly had lost three of four prior to McNabb’s injury, with the only win coming against the lowly Redskins. Clearly Donovan’s absence will be the excuse, but I’m not so sure the Eagles weren’t already done even if he was healthy. (And let’s face it, even if they made the playoffs, they weren’t winning anything, so stop your whining Philly fans. Remember, only the Giants are affected by injuries anyway.)

Are the Cincinnati Bengals (#13) back and are the New Orleans Saints (#10) slipping?
Drew Brees threw for 510 yards Sunday against Marvin “Vince Lombardi” Lewis’ defense. That came one week after Cincy gave up 49 points to the Chargers. Chad Johnson might be back. Carson Palmer might be back. And the Bengals might be back in the playoff hunt; but with that porous defense, they still aren’t a contender in the AFC.
Their recent record (lost three of four) indicates New Orleans was playing over its head for the first part of the season, but two of those losses were close and all have been to good teams, so it’s a tad early to be putting a fork in the Saints. (We’ll leave that to Michael Richards.)
I don’t think anybody really thought New Orleans was that good early in the year. The emotion of coming back to the Superdome was the biggest reason most thought Sean Payton’s team rolled to a 5-1 start. However, even in the losses, it’s clear Drew Brees is one of the better quarterbacks in the league, and with Reggie Bush starting to find his NFL groove, New Orleans has proven themselves to be very much for real. The Seattle Seahawks (#14), on the other hand… Not so much.

Are the Baltimore Ravens (#7) a real contender to win the Super Bowl?
With that defense it’d be foolish to say the Ravens aren’t a Super Bowl contender. Still, them winning the whole thing is a bit of a stretch with a decrepit Steve McNair and Jamal Lewis as the two featured offensive weapons.

Will Michigan and Ohio State have a rematch in the BCS title game?
Two weeks ago, I was all for a rematch if Ohio State (who have alumni currently playing for the Denver Broncos (#4), Carolina Panthers (#5), New England Patriots (#6), Pittsburgh Steelers (#15), Atlanta Falcons (#18), Minnesota Vikings (#22), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (#24), St. Louis Rams (#27), Cleveland Browns (#28) and Arizona Cardinals (#31))
and Michigan (alumni on the
played a close game. Then, after being persuaded to see the err of my ways (a rare occasion, to be sure), I decided that the two Big Ten teams should consider their match-up as a playoff game and the loser shouldn’t get another shot at the victor. But, in the days leading up to the game, I said that if Michigan were to lose a nail-biter, there would be grounds for them to conceivably meet OSU in the National Championship game. (OSU, I reasoned, would be out with a loss, because they were playing at home.) Today, I’m sticking by my final belief. Sort of.
If USC wins out, they deserve to play for the National Championship over Michigan. One close loss on the road in October and wins against Arkansas, Nebraska, Cal and Notre Dame would be enough to get them in. But if Notre Dame beats USC (or if the Trojans should fall to UCLA on the first weekend in December), Michigan should beat out the Irish and the Florida/Arkansas winner for the berth in the title game.

Mailbag!
The Cubs have landed Alfonso Soriano for a massive 8 years and $136 million. Is this a key piece to a championship puzzle, or an albatross for years to come?
First of all… Bravo, Jim Bowden. Bravo. Four months ago you could have gotten some nice prospects for Soriano, but instead you let your ego take over (or continued to give it free reign) and decided that since teams weren’t trading you the best prospects and throwing in the deeds to their stadiums, you weren’t going to cave-in. Now what do you have to show for it; JACK SQUAT and a farm system that’s more bare than Yogi, that’s what. I went back and looked at what I wrote at the trade deadline when Bowden insanely kept Soriano on the team instead of dealing him and, apparently, I was a little miffed then too.
Now, about the Cubs… They overpaid for a player who has never played under a long-term deal and will be 38 when the contract runs out. But baseball teams like the Cubs practically print money, so the dollars really don’t matter too much. This is why the Red Sox dishing out $51 million for the Japanese pitcher is fine. It seems like a lot of money to us, but if that’s what it takes to get one of the most powerful leadoff men in recent memory, then it’s worth it to the Cubs.
Did Soriano put up the best numbers of his career in 2005 because he was up for his first major contract? Almost certainly. But are Soriano’s non-contract year numbers still pretty good? Yes. And that’s why his signing is a good thing for the Cubs, short-term. Long-term? They’ll probably just eat half the contract while Soriano plays out his days in New York, but not on the Jets (#16).

Steve Spurrier is denying rumors that he’s the next coach at Miami? Would he even be the right man for that job?
Dude, did you not see what happened in Washington? Steve Spurrier is the right man for any and every job, including the Green Bay Packers (#21), Buffalo Bills (#23) and Houston Texans (#29).

Guys, the winning pick-four lottery ticket in Ohio on Saturday was 4-2-3-9 -- the final score of the game. Fishy?
That’s nothing. Knock this one around in your noggin’ for a bit: Take the final score (4,239) and multiply it by the number of times Michigan and OSU have played plus the members of the Ohio State marching band (328) and then multiply that by four less than Troy Smith’s number and, to that total, add 3.27816 times the capacity of Ohio State’s stadium and you’ll get 8675309, or the number of Tommy Tutone’s Jenny. And that’s just freaky.

Coach Nolan, of the San Francisco 49ers (#20) (not the Kansas City Chiefs (#12), Miami Dolphins (#17), Tennessee Titans (#25) or Oakland Raiders (#30)) looked good in his suit Sunday, but did you check out his shoes? They looked like golf shoes without the spikes!
Five years of subscribing to Esquire and Playboy have taught me two things: 1) Size might, or might not, matter; and, 2) The shoes makes the man.

You're With Me, Nino Brown

One year ago this week, Michael Irvin was arrested by police after a crack pipe was discovered in his car. Perhaps thinking that Thanksgiving brings back wistful memories of those precious, precious rocks, Chris Berman offered some unsolicited, Irvin-specific advice to his broadcast partner at the end of Monday Night Countdown tonight.
Because I'm an idiot, I decided to record this monumental moment with my cell phone, forgetting about my digital video camera that was lying unused upstairs. As a result, I'm having trouble uploading the video to the internet and the quality is as crappy as Eli Manning's quarterbacking ability. There's about a 50% chance this link won't work, but I really, really, hope it does. I'm also hoping some enterprising soul with more vision than myself will post this on YouTube. Because it's really good. Listen for it at the end of the 14-second clip.

Michael Irvin Gets Some Great Advice

Monday Afternoon Cornerback

If Biff Tannen were around, he'd no doubt notice the poetic justic: While writing a Monday Morning Cornerback my back feels like it was repeatedly jammed into a corner. A sharp one. With spikes. And Sean Taylor somehow involved. So I'm going to keep this brief and hope my heating pad can sort out the rest.

* Jason Campbell looked nice yesterday in his NFL debut. I say nice because "good" is going a little too far. For his first effort, however, he performed admirably. On a number of occasions he showed his physical strength, shedding tacklers and moving through the line. He also fired some pretty passes. What I liked most was Campbell's poise. He didn't seem to panic in the face of a pass-rush. He'd often look-off one or two receivers to find the check-down man. And he never seemed to get frustrated, even when some great passes were dropped or Ladell Betts couldn't find a wide-open hole to run through. (Had Betts managed to do anything on the ground, Campbell might have earned a victory in his introduction to the NFL. It's also important to remember that Campbell was playing without the 'Skins best receiver, Santana Moss, too.)
Still, it's a little too early to be penciling in Campbell as an All-Pro for the next decade. He threw some balls into the ground, had difficult recognizing defensive shifts and, overall, looked like a rookie. He has a long leash with fans, for now, which is interesting because had Mark Brunell made some of the throws Campbell did yesterday, those same fans would have been calling for his head. I wonder how long the Campbell honeymoon will be.

* The NFC is positively dreadful. Here's how bad its gotten: Currently sitting one-game off the Wild Card are the 5-5 San Francisco 49ers. Those Niners, by the way, have been outscored by 93 points this season. With San Fran's easy win over Seattle, I'm forced to assume two things:
1) Matt Hasselbeck will definitely return next week.
2) At this moment, the St. Louis Rams might be the worst team in football.

* I've been mentioning this for the past two years (way longer than Bill Simmons, mind you), but with a new Congress coming to Washington in January, it's time to get something done: We must stem the tide of people calling LaDainian Tomlinson "L.T." Now that he's finally getting recognition as one of the greatest backs of all-time, it's about time we nip this idiocy in the bud.
Listen, the abbreviated-name-as-nickname trend is bad enough. But do we really have to start identifying players by their initials, especially if said initals are the same as the greatest linebacker of the past 20 years who - gasp! - was also known by those initials??? How is this happening? How can anybody, in good conscience, call Tomlinson "L.T."? We already had an L.T. We don't need another. I advocated calling Tomlinson "LDT" or simply "Danie". Would it kill somebody to come up with a real nickname though? The man went to TCU, for crap's sake. Their mascot is a "horned frog". The possibilities are limitless!
Lastly, we can't keep reusing initials as there's only 676 possible initial combinations. Of those, only about 500 are probable. Do we collectively intend to keep recycling these two-letter atrocities until the following conversations are commonplace throughout the nation:
Man #1 - Yo, did you see KG blow-UP last night?
Man #2 - Garnett had a big game? How many did he score?
Man #1 - No, I'm talking about Kevin Goldthwaite, defenseman for the Houston Dynamo of the MLS.
Man #2 - I always knew you were a pinko. Man #2 punches Man #1 in the face.

* While researching that true-to-life depiction of the world we will live in if we're allowed to call LaDanian Tomlinson "LT", I went to MLS.com to find a soccer player with the same initials as Kevin Garnett. Imagine my surprise when I discovered MLS.com is not registed to Major League Soccer, but to a real estate group called Multiple Listing Services. (The soccer league's website is MLSNet.com. I won't link to it because, come on.
That's when you know you're sports league is completely lame; you don't even have enough cash to buy-out a bunch of realtors. Have fun with Beckham, idiots.

* My college roomate is an Eagles fan. In spite of this, I am still friends with him. Yesterday he called and asked for tips on "oven head-sticking". So, in lieu of the myriad comments I could make about Donovan's season-ending injury (so... hard... not... to.... type...), here's my example from August 13, when the Redskins season, for all intents and purposes, ended on a Clinton Portis block. Notice the loose clothing. For comfort is of the essence when ones head catches fire at 500 degrees.

NFL Picks: Week 11
Non-NFL Edition

As the NFL takes a backseat this weekend to college football, so will the week 11 picks. Yes, Wake Forest/Virginia Tech is that big, folks.
Interestingly enough, tonight's game isn't that big for the Deacs. It sounds strange to say, what with them at 9-1 and Virginia Tech at 8-2, but because the cHokies are in the Coastal Division and Wake has an edge in tiebreakers, the only game that really matters for Wake is next week at Maryland. If they win that, they're in the ACC Championship Game, no matter what happens today. (For the record, I'm vehemently rooting for the Terps today so that Wake/MD game becomes a "win and you're in" situation. I'll be there in College Park and putting the division title on the line would make an already-unexpectedly-huge game even bigger.)
Wake's shutout in Tallahassee was the most shocking result in the history of the modern ACC (when FSU joined the league in '91). Even though the 'Noles are down, few expected Wake to win. Few of those people expecte Wake to win with ease. And nobody expected them to put up 30 while handing Bobby Bowden his first home bagel ever. How the Deacs will follow that up is anyones guess.
Virginia Tech, while not a real member of the ACC, has recovered from their back-to-back losses in October to win four straight. While the season has been a relative disappointment, today's game is their playoffs. Without a win here, the Hokies will likely be shipped out to a mediocre bowl, while a win probably nets them an appearance in what used to be the Peach Bowl.
Analysts sick of being proven wrong by the Deacs are finally picking them to win this game, a change of heart which is oddly unsettling. (Damn, Corso and Herbstreit just picked the Deacs. Bastards.) Even though I complained about it, I sort of liked when they were the scrappy underdog whom nobody gave a chance.
I'm still holding steadfast to my theory that Riley Skinner will struggle if he's forced to lead a comeback, but with Wake Forest getting off to quick starts the past three weeks, this scenario has thankfully not unfolded.
As you'd expect, I'm picking Virginia Tech and won't be at all upset if my selection is proven correct. The only important game left on Wake Forest's schedule is next week. (Ahh, how that must be a thorn in the paw of all Hokies fans. They're not even important enough to care about. Unless you're a bail bondsman.)
The second-biggest game of the day takes place in Columbus. You might have heard about it; #2 Michigan is playing #1 Ohio State. No?
Anyway, I know as much about Big Ten football as Virginia Tech football players know about anything not related to armed robbery, so I'm going to give the floor to my buddy Jaffe, a lifelong Michigan fan and alum:

I admit I haven't watched many Ohio State games this year. Or ever. The sight of them sickens me. There's a lore among the schools, one I believe, that the Buckeye bus once ran out of gas on the way home from Ann Arbor, and rather than rely on someone from Michigan for help, Woody Hayes instructed his team to push the bus across the Ohio line. That's not rivalry. That's hatred. (I heard the same story, but instead of pushing the bus, Hayes just punched it across the border. - Chaz)

As a true Michigan fan I never believe we're going to win a big game. That said, this is one of the most complete Michigan teams I've ever seen. If the game were in the Big House, I might actually predict a win. (I was banned from predicting wins sophomore year, when we lost to Northwestern.) The offensive line resembles that of 1997; Jake Long will be every bit the pro
Jon Jansen is, and I wouldn't be surprised if others become as well known as Steve Hutchinson and Jeff Backus in a few years. If Mike Hart hadn't been injured last season, he would have broken all of Jaime Morris‚ rushing records; he still might break some. Mario Manningham deserves to wear #1 next season, as Anthony Carter, Derrick Alexander, David Terrell, and
Braylon Edwards before him (so, I guess he‚ll be a mediocre to terrible pro). Adrian Arrington is the best second receiver we‚ve had since Tai Streets. The defense is terrifying. While it lacks a Charles Woodson, who basically willed UM to the 97 title himself, it exceeds that team in overall talent. Lamar Woodley will make some NFL team as happy as Dwight Freeney
made the Colts. Branch and Taylor constitute the best DT combo the Wolverines have had in my lifetime. Harris and Prescott Burgess glide sideline to sideline like Ravens linebackers, and Leon Hall might be the most underrated defensive back in Michigan history. He's every bit as good as Ty Law. Even the perceived weakness "the other defensive backs"are only weak by comparison. If Morgan Trent ever played at 100 percent, he would be a number one corner.

The true MVP of this team is not a player, however, but a coach. Ron English should be the first person called by every single team in need of a change this off-season - and not simply because he fulfills the "required black coach interview." I heard another rumor, this one I also believe, that the only reason English didnt leave this past off-season is that Lloyd Carr
guaranteed him the head coaching spot when Carr retires. Carr might be driving the bus to Columbus, but if Michigan wins, it will be because Ron English's crew got out and pushed it.

Picks
Pittsburgh over Cleveland
Carolina over St. Louis
Atlanta over Baltimore
Tampa Bay over Washington
Philadelphia over Tennessee
Chicago over New York Jets
New Orleans over Cincinnati
Miami over Minnesota
Kansas City over Oakland
Houston over Buffalo
New England over Green Bay
San Francisco over Seattle
Arizona over Detroit
Dallas over Indianapolis
San Diego over Denver

Chris's Sports Blog 2006-2007 NCAA Basketball Preview

According to ESPN, the most wonderful time of the year is college bowl season. In the eyes of Staples, it's when kids go back to school. And for Andy Williams, it's whenever he and Petula Clark can get a little "alone time" in Branson, Missouri. But for me, college basketball season is my most favorite time of the year.
The NFL and college fotball have too much downtime during the season. Baseball's marathon season is enjoyable, but not on the night-in, night-out basis of college basketball. Important games are played almost every day, your favorite team plays two games per week and games that are of little interest to you are eminently watchable.
Mix-in a nicely divided schedule of Tournaments, made-for-TV games, Christmas breathers and conference play that are mere preludes to two Tournaments played over a four-week span and college basketball season is like a little piece of heaven on hardwood.
It is with these thoughts that I present the 3rd annual Chris's Sports Blog NCAA Basketball Preview. I'll preview the ACC first and then move to the national level. Check back all season for thoughts on the ACC, Dick Vitale and my diabolical plot to get Skip Prosser fired from Wake Forest so they can hire a coach who's actually heard of an offensive set.

The ACC
Projected Order of Finish
1) North Carolina
It's easy to forget how everybody assumed the Tar Heels were going to have a miserable 2005/2006 campaign in light of their championship team's mass departure. I picked them seventh in the ACC during this preview last season, and even that was a reach. But Hansbrough was better than advertised and David Noel blossomed into an excellent second-option. The Heels ended up stunning everybody by finishing second in the conference.
This year, nearly every pundit has the Heels in the Final Four thanks to Hansbrough and Roy Williams' stellar recruiting class (highlighted by Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington). Along with holdovers Rayshawn Terry and everybody's favorite walk-on Wes Miller, the Heels should be in good shape in a decidely weak conference.

2) Georgia Tech
Javaris Crittenton and Thaddeus Young. Get used to the names; for a year anyway. Paul Hewitt has brought in two of the nation's top recruits (Crittenton was rated the #1 PG by one of the billion recruiting magazine and Young won the MVP in the Jordan All-Star game) to compliment his seasoned starters Anthony Morrow and Ra'Sean Dickey. The Yellow Jackets have become a vogue pick in recent weeks, but they have the talent to back it up.

3) Virginia
Most years an ACC team comes out of nowhere to land a spot in the conference's top four. Carolina did it in 2006, Virginia Tech in 2005 (remember that? I didn't) and NC State in 2004 are just a few recent examples. One team this season is going to come out of the pack and make the leap and UVA has all the makings of being that squad.
They have a young, talented coach in Dave Leitao. Their backcourt is among the best in the nation. And the team is playing a new arena that will be sold-out and racous each and every time the Hoos step on the court. Those three factors should be enough to compensate for the Cavaliers' lack of size.

4) Duke
Can somebody explain to me how Duke is ranked #11 in the country right now? They lost their two best - nay, only - players and... I guess that's it. But it's enough. Duke lost their two best players. Now they're forced to rely on a soft presence in the middle who couldn't even contribute when he was getting defended by scrubs and the most overrated point guard in the land.
Sure, Greg Paulus led the ACC in assists last season, the first freshman to do so since Ed Cota, but he did so feeding the best shooter in the conference and a proficient big man. Assists won't come as easy dishing to David McClure.
Krzyzewski had another great recruiting class, but who else can step-in to fill the void left by the aforementiond tools and the about-to-be-mentioned one, Lee Melchionni? David McClure? You mean Ridgefield, CT's finest? Sorry, Ridgefield, you had your college superstar already and his name was Justin Redemer. Martynas Pocius? The best thing anybody can say about him is that some European teams offered him contrats this off-season. I suppose Trajan Langdon is lonely. DeMarcus Nelson? Please, I'm eating here.
Duke falls at #4 in my rankings for two reasons: Coaching and officiating, both of which go together hand-in-hand. Coach K is the greatest college basketball coach of all-time and he manipulates the refs like O.J. does the system. That alone is worth 10 ACC wins right there.

5) Boston College
I ranked these teams before BC got their asses handed to them by Vermont, but in the interest of integrity (and not cutting and pasting, I'm really bad at that), I'll keep them here. Most predictions I read had BC higher, but most of those predictions also didn't think Craig Smith was as great a player as I did. Jared Dudley always got a lot of hype too, but he never performed well when I'd watch BC games. Everyone raves about him, so he must be doing something right.
I am a fan, however, of sophomore PG Tyrese Rice. He was a little raw last season, but showed flashes of greatness at points. Sean Williams comes with a lot of hype (and an ankle bracelet), but I've never quite understood why. Talent-wise, BC is among the upper-echelon ACC teams, but with Al Skinner at the helm, that doesn't matter too much.

6) Maryland
Since Steve Blake left, the Terps haven't had a decent point guard to run the show. Say what you will about Chris McCray (and, chances are, if you use semi-big words he wouldn't be able to understand you anyway), but he always fit in better as a #2.
D.J. Strawberry is a fine player (and great defender), but he's no point guard. This year, Gary Williams has some new blood to fill the role in Greivis Vazquez (what is he, a Star Wars villian) and hopes to move D.J. over.
Looking at Maryland's roster, I have absolutely no clue why I picked them to finish 6th. Holy crap, Mike Jones is a senior? James Gist is a junior? Man, time flies when you're sucking. And how does Will Bowers still have his eligibility? Did Nick Fazekas lend him some?

7) Virginia Tech
The cHokies have been predicted as high as 3rd in some preseason ACC polls I've seen, to which I say, Marcus Vick must have laced whatever he sold you, Mr. Voting Man.
"Experience" and "senior leadership" are the two qualities mentioned most when discussing Virginia Tech's basketball team. I value those qualities in every college basketball as well as most aspects of my personal life, but they come with a caveat. Said players with said "experience" and "leadership" have to actaully be good in the first place. I mean, Colin Powell is a great leader, but I wouldn't want him running the point, you know?
VT could definitely slip into the NCAA Tournament with guys like Coleman Collins and Zabian Dowdell, but it will be interesting to see what happens when teams start to respect the Hokies instead of considering them pushovers.

8) Florida State
FSU finished 9-7 in the ACC last season, but was left out of the NCAA Tournament by a selection committee which refused to reward the 'Noles 316th ranked non-conference schedule. This year, Leonard Hamilton has improved his team's non-conference slate a bit (games at Pittsburgh and Wisconsin and home against Florida), but there are still too many Coastal Carolinas and St. Peters on there too. (Amazingly, FSU played at Florida last year and still finished with the low non-conference SOS which is kind of surprising. Wouldn't that game alone propel the 'Noles into at least the mid-200s? I mean, can Kenesaw State boast about playing a road game against the nation's top team? This is why I don't trust computers. Or the Swedes. Or really anybody of Nordic descent.)

9) Wake Forest
Rebuilding seems to be the theme of the bottom tertiary of the ACC standings. In no place will the rebuilding be as drastic as it will be in Winston-Salem. Eric Williams and Justin Gray have matriculated, as have Trent Strickland and Chris Ellis. For those keeping score, that's four starters; gone. Oh, and did I mentioned that said starters led a team that finished 3-13 in conference?
Here is where I'd normally go off about Skip Prosser but I figure, why bother wasting my breath now when Skip will give me plenty to write about over the coming months. Still, I"m but a single man and am powerless against my Skip-hatred. So here is an amuse bouche, if you will.
Prosser manlyly (not really a word, but say it and it sounds like it should be one) accepted a home-and-home with Bucknell and went up to Lewisburg to play the Bison earlier this week. It was the first time an ACC school had ever visited the campus. Bucknell shot out to an early lead and Wake was forced to come from behind for most of the game. Finally, early in the 2nd half, they took their first lead at 50-49. So what did Skip Friggin' Prosser do at the exact moment his team has seized momentum and quieted the racous crowd? Lombardi called timeout. He called timeout! Momentum? Gone. Advantage? Lost. Questionable game strategy discussed? Near certainty.
The only explanation for this is that Prosser saw one team giving up a big lead and another making a huge run and figured that it had to be his team giving up the lead. I can't fathom any other situation that would have made sense. Oh, except that it's SKIP PROSSER!
Not surprisingly, Bucknell went on a 8-0 run immediately after the timeout. Simply amazing.
The rest of the game was more of the same; Wake couldn't recognize when Bucknell was changing defensive sets, odd lineups were on the floor and there was no offensive strategy to speak of. It was like Skip just skipped all of Basketball 101 and tried to hit on the lifeguard at the pool two stories above the courts. Ahh, so damn frustrating.
There were, however, some good things to say about the game (which Wake would eventually win). PG Ishmael Smith (I'm already enjoy calling him "ish") runs the floor like Chris Paul. Unfortunately that's where the comparisons stop.
Anthony Gurley appears that he will become quite manly and Harvey Hale has added a little ball-fake to his repetoire that was slaying the Bucknell defenders. LD Williams didn't show much, nor did Jamie Skieen, but they could be alright. (Assuming Skieen shaves his cornrows off.)
I have to say, I was a little put-off by the number recycling (Gurley wearing Strickland's #33), Skieen rockin' Eric Williams #31) and LD Williams goin Craig Dawson style with #42.) But it's all good, wear 'em well is all.
Kyle Visser was dominant in the middle (albeit against Bucknell), but it was sort of amazing to see the offense run through him consistently, unlike last season when Williams would dominate the first four minutes of the game and then become a forgotten man afterwards. At least Prosser had the good sense to tell the team to keep feeding Visser. But, as things tend to do, that fell apart when Visser, who apparently worked with Chris Dudley in the off-season, began shooting free-throws. Hey, Kyle... Here's a tip: LOOK AT THE FUCKING BASKET BEFORE YOU SHOOT. I swear, that cat stares at the ground for five seconds, lifts his shot preparing for his release and then, at the last instant, steals a glance at his presumptive target. It's like he was taking shooting lessons from the bad guys in the Die Hard movies.
After all that, the main question becomes, why is Wake ranked #9 when they finished #12 last year and will be, unequivocably, worse now. The answer is a little convoluted and tricky and I took an Ambien about 40 minutes ago and it's starting to kick in so I can barely type or comprehend or comprehend if I have typed, so I better get moving with said answer: These new players are hungrier than the veterans were last season. In 2005 the Deacs had a legitimate shot of going to the Final Four with Chris Paul leading the way. But that devastating loss to West Virginia helped send CP to the NBA and, suddenly, a 2006 season that could have been a contending year became season 1: AP (After Paul). Once Paul left, the other good players (Justin Gray, Eric Williams) had only themselves to play for. They knew they had just blown their best shot and now they had nowhere to go but down. And down the Deacs did, all the way to 3-13.
The best thing to say about this season for Wake Basketball Fans is that a majority of the players on the roster have little connection to the Chris Paul era (Visser being the lone exception). They weren't in Winston the week the Deacs became the #1 team in the country. They weren't there later that week when Illinois took over that spot amid a sea of orange. They didn't see CP hit Julius Hodge in