Well, I'm glad I did the Atlantic Division first. Not that it matters, because Duke still sucks at football, but QB Zack Asack decided to pull an Ann Coulter. Unfortunately for Asack, Duke's standards are a bit higher than the Universal Press Syndicate's, and Asack will not play football for the Dukies this season. With that in mind, I've moved them from last in the Atlantic to last in the Atlantic. Too bad for Ted Roof. He's recruited his tail off, only to have the guys who can stay healthy betray him in other ways. I hope he isn't judged by his wins and losses, because it's going to be another ugly year.
NCAA Football 07. For the first time ever, I acquired a new video game on the day of its release. And it's worth every penny. Sure, EA's latest college football title has its flaws (hang on to that thought), but there is so much to like.
PRO
Expanded playbooks. Both offensive and defensive playbooks are bigger this year, with the changes in the offensive playbooks being the most noticeable. There are more variations of formations, and there are more plays. Spread junkies will enjoy this game, as there are more spread formations and plays than you can fit in one custom playbook. Also new in the spread are option plays with wide receivers. Line up in four- or five-wide, and send your slot receiver in motion across the formation, and you can run him as the wing on an option play with your quarterback.
Momentum. It can be difficult, because momentum is probably tougher to reverse on this game than it should be, but it's a fun addition. Guys play better when they have the momentum, and when you're playing the computer, you're less likely to get some random 90-yard play out of nowhere when you've dominated the whole game (unless you screw something up). The one downside to it is that, as I mentioned, when you fall behind, it's excessively difficult to get a lot of positive momentum going.
Recruiting. I haven't done any offseason recruiting yet (only four games into my first season), but the in-season recruiting seems to be a little more well-done. You pick your guys like you did in NCAA 06, but I think I'm getting more feedback from potential recruits than I was getting in 06.
Practice. In Dynasty mode, you can conduct practices with your team. You can run skeleton drills, offense only, or the full squad in a full-contact workout. It's a good chance to work on some of the new plays available, so you know what works and what doesn't. It's also a good chance to see what you can do with the trick special teams plays available. Oh, yeah...
Better selection of trick plays on special teams. You can run the old Puntrooskie. You can pitch the ball to your placekicker for a fake field goal run. You can fake or execute reverses on kick/punt returns. Fun all around.
Announcing, part one. One of the wrinkles I noticed in ESPN College Hoops 2K5 was this: When you put in the names of the players, play-by-play guy Mike Patrick would actually say the names. And it wasn't just common names like "Wilkinson", "Tucker", or "Taylor". He said more obscure names like "Stiemsma" and "Butch" (Clearly, I am the Badgers in that game). On NCAA 07, which has some ESPN stuff in it, play-by-play guy Brad Nessler says a ton of players' names that he wouldn't normally say. Of course, you have to manually enter the names yourself (or send your memory card to one of the roster gurus available on various video game message boards), but if you enter the name, and it's the real player being depicted, Nessler will say the name at some point.
(Wisconsin examples: Mehlhaff, DeBausche, Ostrowski, Zalewski, Minton.)
CONS
The camera angle on kick/punt returns. It sucks. It's harder to see, and it was an unnecessary change.
The camera angle when making pre-snap reads. When you pan back to check your play against the defensive formation, the angle is different. It's much lower to the ground, and it's harder to see all your pass routes. This is more whiny than anything else, because now I have to memorize the pass routes on particular plays, especially for my outside receivers. Wah.
Announcing, part two. Not enough dialogue or graphic changes for me. Though I like all the Coke ads. I wonder what Coke had to pay to get their name splashed all over a video game of this caliber.
As you can see...more pros than cons. It's a fun game. And I'll probably buy it every year before I buy Madden that often, because of the fact that you can take a smaller Division I-A school and spend three or four seasons building the program into being a legitimate contender on the national stage. That's much more fun than you'll ever have in Owner Mode on Madden.
Noooooooooooooooo!!! Not THE HAIR!!! Steve Nash got a haircut, and apparently didn't think it was a big deal that he was ruining the most famous hair of any Canadian athlete. Now he'll never win another MVP. I hope he's happy. Of course, the upside is that maybe he'll play better defense now that he can actually see the player he's guarding.
The previews continue. ACC Coastal is coming, perhaps as soon as Sunday. I also hope to get the Big East and Big 10 done by next week. More Randomization tomorrow, time permitting.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
College football preview: ACC Atlantic Division
This is part one of my college football preview for 2006. Hope you enjoy it. I’ll be posting conference previews sporadically until they are done.
The preseason Top 25 won’t be out for some time...probably another month or so.
SOURCES
I used the following magazines/yearbooks/sources for information that you’ll read in the previews:
Phil Steele
Sporting News
Lindy’s
Blue Ribbon
Local newspapers
College websites
I tried not to use blogs. Not because blogs are unreliable (HELLO!), but because many of the blogs I read rely on information found within the sources listed, and I doubt that there will be any earth-shattering information posted in a blog that isn’t accessible elsewhere.
Once I’ve previewed all eleven conferences, I’ll link them on the sidebar for a few weeks so you can get at them more conveniently.
ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
1. Clemson Tigers
After that ugly 10-9 loss at Georgia Tech last year, it looked like Tommy Bowden had one foot out the door at Clemson.
Then, for the second straight year, the Tigers got hot late to finish bowl-eligible and save Bowden’s hyde (they were 1-4 to start 2004, and only didn’t go bowling by their own choice after the South Carolina fight).
Now, the Tigers will forge ahead without Charlie Whitehurst, who seemed to hold their starting QB job for about seven years.
In good shape: Offensive line. Bowden has to feel good about trying to break in a new QB behind this group. Unless someone tries to get Clemson up the EDSBS Fulmer Cup board, Clemson will have four seniors and a junior along the offensive front. LG Roman Fry is a versatile player who has settled in nicely at guard, while C Dustin Fry (no relation) should be one of the top linemen in the league. This group allowed just 23 sacks a year ago, and similar protection will be needed this year, as the new starting QB, senior Will Proctor, has thrown just 34 career passes.
Needs work: Proctor. He has the arm. He’s a good athlete. With James Davis running the ball, a good group of receivers, and that offensive line in front of him, Proctor’s job should be easy. But we know how it can be. Can Proctor step in after three years as an apprentice? Until we see Proctor in a game that isn’t against Florida Atlantic (Clemson’s opening foe), we won’t know for sure. But on a team loaded with talent and experience, there aren’t a lot of glaring holes.
Overview: The schedule is tough, and it gets tough in a hurry. After a season-opening layup with Florida Atlantic, Clemson jumps right into the Atlantic Division fire by traveling to Boston College and Florida State. The Tigers can and probably will win at least one of those games, which should put them in good position to make a run at the division title. Proctor benefits from a ton of good, experienced players around him, and Clemson will reach ten wins for the first time under Tommy Bowden.
2. Florida State Seminoles
The Seminoles finished at the top of the relatively weak Atlantic a year ago, and they upset Virginia Tech in the ACC title game. That upset led to Marcus Vick’s college career-ending stomp in the Gator Bowl, and it led to a classic matchup in the Orange Bowl, where FSU met up with Big Ten champion Penn State, and probably should have beaten Penn State.
That can only help this team in 2006, especially given the experience available on the coaching staff. But can they hold off a hard-charging Clemson team?
In good shape: Cornerback. Not many teams can lose a guy to the first round of the NFL Draft without losing a starter from the previous season. That’s what happened at FSU when Antonio Cromartie sat out the 2005 season with a knee injury, and then turned pro. Granted, J.R. Bryant, who should be ready to go this fall, only started the last six games of 2005, but he’s still a returning starter, as is sophomore Tony Carter. The Seminoles also have projected nickel back/track star Michael Ray Garvin returning.
Needs work: Defensive front seven. Star LBs A.J. Nicholson and Ernie Sims are gone, with Nicholson having misbehaved himself out of town, while Sims turned pro. While LB coach Kevin Steele has said he’s optimistic that Buster Davis can lead the group to a great season, the defensive line isn’t as certain. Mickey Andrews has a reputation for being great at reloading along the line, and he has to do it again, because DT Broderick Bunkley and DE Kamerion Wimbley were both top 15 picks in the NFL Draft. Rebuilding both the line and the linebackers at the same time could prove to be a challenge, especially when FSU has to deal with Miami and Clemson in their first three games.
Overview: Bowden has said he likes QB Drew Weatherford, who ended up posting decent numbers as a freshman. He has good size and a live arm, and receivers Chris Davis and Greg Carr combined for 14 TD catches last year, so he has people to throw to. The running game will be better with Lorenzo Booker and Antone Smith running behind an improved offensive line. If the defense rounds into form and Weatherford continues to get better, FSU will be a force.
3. Boston College Eagles
Tom O’Brien has built a model of consistency at BC. The Eagles have won six straight bowl games, but it is worth noting, as Blue Ribbon did, that BC has yet to win more than nine games in a season, and while O’Brien has won a school-record 43 games in the last five years, everyone around the program acknowledges that there is still work to do.
If O’Brien and coordinator Frank Spaziani are able to mold a solid defense, the Eagles might be able to break through and steal the conference title this year.
In good shape: Quarterback. Quinton Porter struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness a year ago, which meant that junior Matt Ryan got some playing experience, and he made the most of it. Ryan took over as the starting QB late last season and led the Eagles to wins over NC State, Maryland, and Boise State (bowl game). He finished 5-0 as a starter, and threw eight TD passes while hitting 62.1 percent of this throws. Not bad for a fill-in guy. O’Brien noted that Ryan’s presence seemed to spark the offense after a couple lackluster performances at Virginia Tech and North Carolina. Now, Ryan is the unquestioned starter, and the Eagles’ offense is in good hands as a result.
Needs work: Defensive line. Not only did the Eagles lose DE Mathias Kiwanuka, who was the Big East Defensive Player of the Year in 2004 and who posted 16.5 TFLs as a senior, but they also lost solid starting DT Alvin Washington. The Eagles struggled to consistently defend the pass a year ago, especially down the stretch, as they yielded an average of 257 pass YPG in their last five. If the secondary continues to be torchable (is that a word?), the pressure will really fall on the defensive line to make some plays in the offensive backfield.
Overview: O’Brien has built a very good program at Boston College, and while the focus is still on taking this thing to the next level, it doesn’t appear that he has the personnel for a title run this year. The Eagles should be able to move the ball and score points, but can they stop people often enough to win ten games? I’m not sure, but I do know that nine wins is certainly within reach, and if FSU or Clemson stumble, BC could find themselves in the mix for a BCS berth.
4. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
This is the kind of team Jim Grobe can make some noise with. Wake Forest has a very experienced and deep team returning for 2006, with a whopping 19 starters back, and 48 of 58 letterwinners returning from a 4-7 group last year.
The Deacons lost a large number of close ball games last year (four of seven losses by fewer than two TDs). They’re due some luck, and Grobe is hoping that some veteran experience can push them over the top.
In good shape: The running game. Yes, Chris Barclay and his four straight 1,000-yard seasons are gone. But Micah Andrews is back, and he might be a better fit for Grobe’s misdirection-driven run attack than Barclay was. Andrews started the season opener against Vanderbilt last year when Barclay was suspended, and he ran for 254 yards. He averaged 5.6 yards per carry for the season. Junior De’Angelo Bryant should also get some chances to run the ball.
Needs work: The Deacons’ offense has to take better care of the football. Both Andrews and starting QB Ben Mauk were turnover-prone a year ago, with Mauk throwing six picks to just one touchdown, and Andrews had critical fumbles in games against Nebraska and Maryland last year. It’s tough to win close games if you don’t take good care of the ball consistently.
Overview: Grobe has this program in a great position heading into 2006. The Atlantic Division has a lot of talent, but no clear-cut favorite. Meanwhile, Wake brings back 19 starters and plenty of experienced players. If Andrews can replace Barclay, and the defense can continue to improve, it’s reasonable to suggest that Wake Forest can go bowling.
The key on the defense will be the pass rush. The Deacons only produced 15 sacks a year ago, but Grobe feels that the line will be much improved this year. They’re still not very big on defense, but they have good depth and quickness along the line, and junior LB John Abbate continues to get better. Overall, Wake returns their top nine tacklers from a year ago, so improvement is a must.
Three of the four really tough games are at home, and if the Deacons can win one of them (Boston College, Virginia Tech, Clemson), a bowl game will likely be the reward.
5. Maryland Terrapins
After three straight years of double-digit wins, Ralph Friedgen’s program has come back to Earth. The Terrapins are 10-12 the last two seasons, and the natives are already getting restless in College Park, having apparently forgotten about the futility that preceded Friedgen’s hire.
Friedgen has shaken up the top of his coaching staff, as offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffewas fired resigned left the program, and defensive coordinator Gary Blackney retired. Friedgen, who was offensive coordinator at Georgia Tech before moving into the Maryland job, will take over play-calling duties. Chris Cosh is the new defensive coordinator.
In good shape: Much like Wake Forest, Maryland will be able to run the ball. Lance Ball took over as the featured back late last year, starting four games and running for over 900 yards. Ball has quickness, but he’s more of a bowling ball-type at 5-9 and 225 pounds. He’ll be joined in the backfield by the returning Josh Allen, who missed all of last year with a knee injury. Allen went for 922 yards in 2003 and was over 1,800 yards in his Maryland career before the injury cut short his 2004 season and eventually caused him to sit all of last season. Friedgen has two talented backs to call upon, and with a very good offensive line in front of them, both should be successful.
Needs work: Wide receiver. Simply put, Friedgen has no one he knows he can rely on. The running game should take pressure off the receivers, as should the presence of experienced senior QB Sam Hollenbach. But who will Hollenbach throw the ball to? Top tight end Vernon Davis is gone, as are Dan Melendez and Jo Jo Walker. Drew Weatherly is the top returning pass-catcher among the wide receivers, and he caught just ten passes a year ago.
Overview: The Terrapins have a deep and talented defensive front, and their secondary is going to be pretty good, so the defense should show signs of life after regressing in almost every major statistical category in 2005. With Hollenbach, the offensive line, and a potentially great running game, Maryland has some quality pieces in place. But they lack the depth, talent, or experience of teams like Clemson, Florida State, and Boston College, and Wake Forest appears to have leapfrogged the Terps, at least temporarily.
Maryland should still be in position to make a bowl game, but they may have to pull an upset on the road to make it happen.
6. North Carolina State Wolfpack
Like Friedgen at Maryland, Chuck Amato is starting to feel the heat. An 11-win season in 2002 has been followed, in succession, by years with 8, 5, and 7 wins. And like Friedgen, Amato is a victim of the “What have you done for me lately?” mentality that permeates college football. Amato has spear-headed one of the best six-year runs in school history. In fact, as Blue Ribbon notes, his 46 wins in six years are the most of any previous Wolfpack coach over a six-year stretch. Only former coach Dick Sheridan can claim to have taken NC State to five bowls in six years, and he also was behind a major fundraising drive that led to stadium upgrades.
Phil Steele points out that the 5-1 record NC State posted down the stretch in 2005 was their best finish since 1973, and Amato is behind the only wins posted by an ACC team in Tallahassee (NC State has won at Florida State twice under Amato).
I’m not saying Amato should be retained no matter what happens this year, but Amato is being treated unfairly. It shouldn’t be a surprise, as this same fan base ran a very good basketball coach (Herb Sendek) out of town despite a string of successes that had been unmatched over the last 20 years.
In good shape: Running back. The Wolfpack have a good one-two punch, with Andre Brown and Toney Baker both coming off strong freshman campaigns. The team averaged nearly 160 YPG rushing during their 5-1 finish, and it stands to reason that Amato and offensive coordinator Marc Trestman are going to try establishing the run from the get-go this season. This stable is so solid that Amato moved third running back Darrell Blackman to wide receiver. Considering that Blackman has been a very good kick returner and has elite speed, he’ll have a chance to make plays if he can refine his route-running techniques.
Needs work: Defensive line. Amato loses starting ends Mario Williams and Manny Lawson to the first round of the NFL Draft. The two combined for 25 sacks and 48 TFLs a year ago, and they will be very tough to replace. Amato likes redshirt freshman Willie Young, and he also has JUCO transfer Littleton Wright and senior John Amanchukwu to pick from. The three combined for one tackle at NC State a year ago, so there isn’t really a “sure thing” at the position. Also worth noting here is that DT John McCargo, a three-year starter, left early and was picked in the first round as well. McCargo, however, didn’t have the same kind of impact on the defense that Williams and Lawson did, and junior DeMario Pressley is a pretty good tackle. All in all, Amato has his work cut out for him trying to revamp this defense, especially up front.
Overview: The Wolfpack should be improved on offense. Marcus Stone takes over at QB, and he needs to be more consistent, but the running game will be there, and Blackman is going to be a great WR in a hurry if he can figure out how to run good routes.
The schedule, however, is a killer. The ‘Pack have two winnable non-conference home games to kick things off, but then things get interesting. A trip to Southern Mississippi is followed by a month-long homestand that brings Boston College, Florida State, and Wake Forest to Raleigh. With four road trips in five weeks to follow, NC State better win two of these three huge home games if they want to have a shot at a bowl game.
Simply put: Amato is in serious trouble. Even a minor bowl bid might not be enough to relieve the pressure from a strangely impatient fan base, and that minor bowl bid is going to be tough to come by.
The preseason Top 25 won’t be out for some time...probably another month or so.
SOURCES
I used the following magazines/yearbooks/sources for information that you’ll read in the previews:
Phil Steele
Sporting News
Lindy’s
Blue Ribbon
Local newspapers
College websites
I tried not to use blogs. Not because blogs are unreliable (HELLO!), but because many of the blogs I read rely on information found within the sources listed, and I doubt that there will be any earth-shattering information posted in a blog that isn’t accessible elsewhere.
Once I’ve previewed all eleven conferences, I’ll link them on the sidebar for a few weeks so you can get at them more conveniently.
ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
1. Clemson Tigers
After that ugly 10-9 loss at Georgia Tech last year, it looked like Tommy Bowden had one foot out the door at Clemson.
Then, for the second straight year, the Tigers got hot late to finish bowl-eligible and save Bowden’s hyde (they were 1-4 to start 2004, and only didn’t go bowling by their own choice after the South Carolina fight).
Now, the Tigers will forge ahead without Charlie Whitehurst, who seemed to hold their starting QB job for about seven years.
In good shape: Offensive line. Bowden has to feel good about trying to break in a new QB behind this group. Unless someone tries to get Clemson up the EDSBS Fulmer Cup board, Clemson will have four seniors and a junior along the offensive front. LG Roman Fry is a versatile player who has settled in nicely at guard, while C Dustin Fry (no relation) should be one of the top linemen in the league. This group allowed just 23 sacks a year ago, and similar protection will be needed this year, as the new starting QB, senior Will Proctor, has thrown just 34 career passes.
Needs work: Proctor. He has the arm. He’s a good athlete. With James Davis running the ball, a good group of receivers, and that offensive line in front of him, Proctor’s job should be easy. But we know how it can be. Can Proctor step in after three years as an apprentice? Until we see Proctor in a game that isn’t against Florida Atlantic (Clemson’s opening foe), we won’t know for sure. But on a team loaded with talent and experience, there aren’t a lot of glaring holes.
Overview: The schedule is tough, and it gets tough in a hurry. After a season-opening layup with Florida Atlantic, Clemson jumps right into the Atlantic Division fire by traveling to Boston College and Florida State. The Tigers can and probably will win at least one of those games, which should put them in good position to make a run at the division title. Proctor benefits from a ton of good, experienced players around him, and Clemson will reach ten wins for the first time under Tommy Bowden.
2. Florida State Seminoles
The Seminoles finished at the top of the relatively weak Atlantic a year ago, and they upset Virginia Tech in the ACC title game. That upset led to Marcus Vick’s college career-ending stomp in the Gator Bowl, and it led to a classic matchup in the Orange Bowl, where FSU met up with Big Ten champion Penn State, and probably should have beaten Penn State.
That can only help this team in 2006, especially given the experience available on the coaching staff. But can they hold off a hard-charging Clemson team?
In good shape: Cornerback. Not many teams can lose a guy to the first round of the NFL Draft without losing a starter from the previous season. That’s what happened at FSU when Antonio Cromartie sat out the 2005 season with a knee injury, and then turned pro. Granted, J.R. Bryant, who should be ready to go this fall, only started the last six games of 2005, but he’s still a returning starter, as is sophomore Tony Carter. The Seminoles also have projected nickel back/track star Michael Ray Garvin returning.
Needs work: Defensive front seven. Star LBs A.J. Nicholson and Ernie Sims are gone, with Nicholson having misbehaved himself out of town, while Sims turned pro. While LB coach Kevin Steele has said he’s optimistic that Buster Davis can lead the group to a great season, the defensive line isn’t as certain. Mickey Andrews has a reputation for being great at reloading along the line, and he has to do it again, because DT Broderick Bunkley and DE Kamerion Wimbley were both top 15 picks in the NFL Draft. Rebuilding both the line and the linebackers at the same time could prove to be a challenge, especially when FSU has to deal with Miami and Clemson in their first three games.
Overview: Bowden has said he likes QB Drew Weatherford, who ended up posting decent numbers as a freshman. He has good size and a live arm, and receivers Chris Davis and Greg Carr combined for 14 TD catches last year, so he has people to throw to. The running game will be better with Lorenzo Booker and Antone Smith running behind an improved offensive line. If the defense rounds into form and Weatherford continues to get better, FSU will be a force.
3. Boston College Eagles
Tom O’Brien has built a model of consistency at BC. The Eagles have won six straight bowl games, but it is worth noting, as Blue Ribbon did, that BC has yet to win more than nine games in a season, and while O’Brien has won a school-record 43 games in the last five years, everyone around the program acknowledges that there is still work to do.
If O’Brien and coordinator Frank Spaziani are able to mold a solid defense, the Eagles might be able to break through and steal the conference title this year.
In good shape: Quarterback. Quinton Porter struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness a year ago, which meant that junior Matt Ryan got some playing experience, and he made the most of it. Ryan took over as the starting QB late last season and led the Eagles to wins over NC State, Maryland, and Boise State (bowl game). He finished 5-0 as a starter, and threw eight TD passes while hitting 62.1 percent of this throws. Not bad for a fill-in guy. O’Brien noted that Ryan’s presence seemed to spark the offense after a couple lackluster performances at Virginia Tech and North Carolina. Now, Ryan is the unquestioned starter, and the Eagles’ offense is in good hands as a result.
Needs work: Defensive line. Not only did the Eagles lose DE Mathias Kiwanuka, who was the Big East Defensive Player of the Year in 2004 and who posted 16.5 TFLs as a senior, but they also lost solid starting DT Alvin Washington. The Eagles struggled to consistently defend the pass a year ago, especially down the stretch, as they yielded an average of 257 pass YPG in their last five. If the secondary continues to be torchable (is that a word?), the pressure will really fall on the defensive line to make some plays in the offensive backfield.
Overview: O’Brien has built a very good program at Boston College, and while the focus is still on taking this thing to the next level, it doesn’t appear that he has the personnel for a title run this year. The Eagles should be able to move the ball and score points, but can they stop people often enough to win ten games? I’m not sure, but I do know that nine wins is certainly within reach, and if FSU or Clemson stumble, BC could find themselves in the mix for a BCS berth.
4. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
This is the kind of team Jim Grobe can make some noise with. Wake Forest has a very experienced and deep team returning for 2006, with a whopping 19 starters back, and 48 of 58 letterwinners returning from a 4-7 group last year.
The Deacons lost a large number of close ball games last year (four of seven losses by fewer than two TDs). They’re due some luck, and Grobe is hoping that some veteran experience can push them over the top.
In good shape: The running game. Yes, Chris Barclay and his four straight 1,000-yard seasons are gone. But Micah Andrews is back, and he might be a better fit for Grobe’s misdirection-driven run attack than Barclay was. Andrews started the season opener against Vanderbilt last year when Barclay was suspended, and he ran for 254 yards. He averaged 5.6 yards per carry for the season. Junior De’Angelo Bryant should also get some chances to run the ball.
Needs work: The Deacons’ offense has to take better care of the football. Both Andrews and starting QB Ben Mauk were turnover-prone a year ago, with Mauk throwing six picks to just one touchdown, and Andrews had critical fumbles in games against Nebraska and Maryland last year. It’s tough to win close games if you don’t take good care of the ball consistently.
Overview: Grobe has this program in a great position heading into 2006. The Atlantic Division has a lot of talent, but no clear-cut favorite. Meanwhile, Wake brings back 19 starters and plenty of experienced players. If Andrews can replace Barclay, and the defense can continue to improve, it’s reasonable to suggest that Wake Forest can go bowling.
The key on the defense will be the pass rush. The Deacons only produced 15 sacks a year ago, but Grobe feels that the line will be much improved this year. They’re still not very big on defense, but they have good depth and quickness along the line, and junior LB John Abbate continues to get better. Overall, Wake returns their top nine tacklers from a year ago, so improvement is a must.
Three of the four really tough games are at home, and if the Deacons can win one of them (Boston College, Virginia Tech, Clemson), a bowl game will likely be the reward.
5. Maryland Terrapins
After three straight years of double-digit wins, Ralph Friedgen’s program has come back to Earth. The Terrapins are 10-12 the last two seasons, and the natives are already getting restless in College Park, having apparently forgotten about the futility that preceded Friedgen’s hire.
Friedgen has shaken up the top of his coaching staff, as offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe
In good shape: Much like Wake Forest, Maryland will be able to run the ball. Lance Ball took over as the featured back late last year, starting four games and running for over 900 yards. Ball has quickness, but he’s more of a bowling ball-type at 5-9 and 225 pounds. He’ll be joined in the backfield by the returning Josh Allen, who missed all of last year with a knee injury. Allen went for 922 yards in 2003 and was over 1,800 yards in his Maryland career before the injury cut short his 2004 season and eventually caused him to sit all of last season. Friedgen has two talented backs to call upon, and with a very good offensive line in front of them, both should be successful.
Needs work: Wide receiver. Simply put, Friedgen has no one he knows he can rely on. The running game should take pressure off the receivers, as should the presence of experienced senior QB Sam Hollenbach. But who will Hollenbach throw the ball to? Top tight end Vernon Davis is gone, as are Dan Melendez and Jo Jo Walker. Drew Weatherly is the top returning pass-catcher among the wide receivers, and he caught just ten passes a year ago.
Overview: The Terrapins have a deep and talented defensive front, and their secondary is going to be pretty good, so the defense should show signs of life after regressing in almost every major statistical category in 2005. With Hollenbach, the offensive line, and a potentially great running game, Maryland has some quality pieces in place. But they lack the depth, talent, or experience of teams like Clemson, Florida State, and Boston College, and Wake Forest appears to have leapfrogged the Terps, at least temporarily.
Maryland should still be in position to make a bowl game, but they may have to pull an upset on the road to make it happen.
6. North Carolina State Wolfpack
Like Friedgen at Maryland, Chuck Amato is starting to feel the heat. An 11-win season in 2002 has been followed, in succession, by years with 8, 5, and 7 wins. And like Friedgen, Amato is a victim of the “What have you done for me lately?” mentality that permeates college football. Amato has spear-headed one of the best six-year runs in school history. In fact, as Blue Ribbon notes, his 46 wins in six years are the most of any previous Wolfpack coach over a six-year stretch. Only former coach Dick Sheridan can claim to have taken NC State to five bowls in six years, and he also was behind a major fundraising drive that led to stadium upgrades.
Phil Steele points out that the 5-1 record NC State posted down the stretch in 2005 was their best finish since 1973, and Amato is behind the only wins posted by an ACC team in Tallahassee (NC State has won at Florida State twice under Amato).
I’m not saying Amato should be retained no matter what happens this year, but Amato is being treated unfairly. It shouldn’t be a surprise, as this same fan base ran a very good basketball coach (Herb Sendek) out of town despite a string of successes that had been unmatched over the last 20 years.
In good shape: Running back. The Wolfpack have a good one-two punch, with Andre Brown and Toney Baker both coming off strong freshman campaigns. The team averaged nearly 160 YPG rushing during their 5-1 finish, and it stands to reason that Amato and offensive coordinator Marc Trestman are going to try establishing the run from the get-go this season. This stable is so solid that Amato moved third running back Darrell Blackman to wide receiver. Considering that Blackman has been a very good kick returner and has elite speed, he’ll have a chance to make plays if he can refine his route-running techniques.
Needs work: Defensive line. Amato loses starting ends Mario Williams and Manny Lawson to the first round of the NFL Draft. The two combined for 25 sacks and 48 TFLs a year ago, and they will be very tough to replace. Amato likes redshirt freshman Willie Young, and he also has JUCO transfer Littleton Wright and senior John Amanchukwu to pick from. The three combined for one tackle at NC State a year ago, so there isn’t really a “sure thing” at the position. Also worth noting here is that DT John McCargo, a three-year starter, left early and was picked in the first round as well. McCargo, however, didn’t have the same kind of impact on the defense that Williams and Lawson did, and junior DeMario Pressley is a pretty good tackle. All in all, Amato has his work cut out for him trying to revamp this defense, especially up front.
Overview: The Wolfpack should be improved on offense. Marcus Stone takes over at QB, and he needs to be more consistent, but the running game will be there, and Blackman is going to be a great WR in a hurry if he can figure out how to run good routes.
The schedule, however, is a killer. The ‘Pack have two winnable non-conference home games to kick things off, but then things get interesting. A trip to Southern Mississippi is followed by a month-long homestand that brings Boston College, Florida State, and Wake Forest to Raleigh. With four road trips in five weeks to follow, NC State better win two of these three huge home games if they want to have a shot at a bowl game.
Simply put: Amato is in serious trouble. Even a minor bowl bid might not be enough to relieve the pressure from a strangely impatient fan base, and that minor bowl bid is going to be tough to come by.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Randomization: 07/18/06
A crowd of 30,000 is expected at Lambeau Field...but the preseason doesn't start for another four weeks. Training camp is still around ten days away.
And, no, there isn't a OMG HUGE SALE at the Packers Pro Shop inside the stadium.
So why are 30,000 people showing up at Lambeau Field today and tomorrow?
For the shareholders' meeting.
The Packers, if you didn't know, are the pro sports world's only publicly-owned franchise. And, every year, anyone who has shares in the team can go to Green Bay for the shareholders' meeting. Usually, the meeting draws a crowd in the 7,500-10,000 range...sometimes more, sometimes less. And since 1999, the meeting has been held outside Lambeau Field, either at the old Brown County Veterans' Memorial Arena or the new Resch Center.
This year, the Packers offered tours of the new locker rooms at the recently refurbished Lambeau Field, and they received some 30,000 requests for tickets to the Wednesday morning meeting. As a result, the team decided to make it a two-day event, with tours starting today and continuing tomorrow.
You don't have to like the Packers (there are plenty of us who do, though), but you have to respect their fans/owners. 70,000 people showed up for a scrimmage last year, and a similar crowd is expected for this year's scrimmage. Even after a 4-12 season, the fans still show up in droves.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm guessing that they aren't all looking forward to listening to a report on the team's finances. They want to see the players' area. Though the format of this get-together is, by any standards, unique to Green Bay. No other team gives free tours of the locker room areas to such a large group of people. No other team is required to reveal certain financial information to the public (the Packers have to because of their status as a non-profit stock corporation in Wisconsin - they don't have to give a more detailed report, as would be required by the Securities and Exchange Commission, because they are non-profit).
So I guess an alternate headline for this story could be "Only in Green Bay: Part 357".
Not that anyone should be surprised by such a story.
T.O. at it again. First came the book, which includes ridiculous stories about how former Eagles WR Terrell Owens was so terribly mistreated in Philadelphia, as well as at his previous NFL stop in San Francisco.
Then came a story last week where Owens alleged that ghostwriter Jason Rosenhaus (brother of Owens' agent, Drew Rosenhaus) misquoted Owens in the book.
Now, Owens is back to work, blaming his past problems on everyone's favorite target. No, not Jeff Garcia. The media.
Is anything his fault?
I will say that I think my favorite was when he told then-offensive coordinator Brad Childress (now the head coach of the Vikings) to only speak to Owens when Owens speaks to him first.
Why?
Because Owens felt that Childress was being confrontational.
Why?
Because Childress had the UTTER NERVE to say, "Hey, Terrell, how you doin'?".
Don't you just hate it when people do that?
File under "Searching for a storyline". I'll usually watch at least some of the British Open. It's a fun event, because the courses are so different than what you're used to seeing for major golf championships. And the weather is insanely unpredictable (Carnoustie comes to mind immediately).
(Not only that, but instead of the organizers making the golfers look stupid by making the course impossibly hard, the British Open usually features weather that makes the golfers look stupid. That's infinitely more entertaining, in my opinion, than the US Open.)
Anyway, the media always searches for storylines in events like these. Apparently, some form of "Tiger/Phil" isn't enough anymore. The media is about to blow up something much less interesting than "Tiger/Phil".
The pairings were announced for the first two rounds of the British on Monday, and they have paired defending champion Tiger Woods with three-time champion Nick Faldo.
Why should you care? Well, I don't expect you to care, but why will the media try to make you care?
Because Faldo has done some broadcast work for ABC, and during his role with ABC in the 2004 Buick Championships, Faldo was critical of Woods' swing.
Oh, no.
Not the swing. Don't be critical of the swing. We know Woods is sensitive to such criticism, but why would this be a big deal? Do you think that Woods, who is famous for his meticulous preparation for major championships, is going to let anything as minor as this upset his focus on Thursday and Friday?
Since the obvious answer is "No", ask yourself why this is a story when the focus ends up being on Woods' interaction, or lack thereof, with Faldo later this week.
And, no, there isn't a OMG HUGE SALE at the Packers Pro Shop inside the stadium.
So why are 30,000 people showing up at Lambeau Field today and tomorrow?
For the shareholders' meeting.
The Packers, if you didn't know, are the pro sports world's only publicly-owned franchise. And, every year, anyone who has shares in the team can go to Green Bay for the shareholders' meeting. Usually, the meeting draws a crowd in the 7,500-10,000 range...sometimes more, sometimes less. And since 1999, the meeting has been held outside Lambeau Field, either at the old Brown County Veterans' Memorial Arena or the new Resch Center.
This year, the Packers offered tours of the new locker rooms at the recently refurbished Lambeau Field, and they received some 30,000 requests for tickets to the Wednesday morning meeting. As a result, the team decided to make it a two-day event, with tours starting today and continuing tomorrow.
You don't have to like the Packers (there are plenty of us who do, though), but you have to respect their fans/owners. 70,000 people showed up for a scrimmage last year, and a similar crowd is expected for this year's scrimmage. Even after a 4-12 season, the fans still show up in droves.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm guessing that they aren't all looking forward to listening to a report on the team's finances. They want to see the players' area. Though the format of this get-together is, by any standards, unique to Green Bay. No other team gives free tours of the locker room areas to such a large group of people. No other team is required to reveal certain financial information to the public (the Packers have to because of their status as a non-profit stock corporation in Wisconsin - they don't have to give a more detailed report, as would be required by the Securities and Exchange Commission, because they are non-profit).
So I guess an alternate headline for this story could be "Only in Green Bay: Part 357".
Not that anyone should be surprised by such a story.
T.O. at it again. First came the book, which includes ridiculous stories about how former Eagles WR Terrell Owens was so terribly mistreated in Philadelphia, as well as at his previous NFL stop in San Francisco.
Then came a story last week where Owens alleged that ghostwriter Jason Rosenhaus (brother of Owens' agent, Drew Rosenhaus) misquoted Owens in the book.
Now, Owens is back to work, blaming his past problems on everyone's favorite target. No, not Jeff Garcia. The media.
Is anything his fault?
Owens said he doesn't think reporters are necessarily conspiring against him as much as using him "to gain viewers' attention." As a result, he believes that he is "misunderstood." He said other players have been, too, "but I feel like I have been one of the main guys who've been vilified."I really don't have enough time, energy, or desire to pour through all the stupid things that Terrell Owens has said and done throughout the last two years.
Why?
"That's the million-dollar question," he said. "Why me? ... At some point it does get to me. And I can't say it enough. Dude, I'm human and that's what I'm trying to get people to understand."
I will say that I think my favorite was when he told then-offensive coordinator Brad Childress (now the head coach of the Vikings) to only speak to Owens when Owens speaks to him first.
Why?
Because Owens felt that Childress was being confrontational.
Why?
Because Childress had the UTTER NERVE to say, "Hey, Terrell, how you doin'?".
Don't you just hate it when people do that?
File under "Searching for a storyline". I'll usually watch at least some of the British Open. It's a fun event, because the courses are so different than what you're used to seeing for major golf championships. And the weather is insanely unpredictable (Carnoustie comes to mind immediately).
(Not only that, but instead of the organizers making the golfers look stupid by making the course impossibly hard, the British Open usually features weather that makes the golfers look stupid. That's infinitely more entertaining, in my opinion, than the US Open.)
Anyway, the media always searches for storylines in events like these. Apparently, some form of "Tiger/Phil" isn't enough anymore. The media is about to blow up something much less interesting than "Tiger/Phil".
The pairings were announced for the first two rounds of the British on Monday, and they have paired defending champion Tiger Woods with three-time champion Nick Faldo.
Why should you care? Well, I don't expect you to care, but why will the media try to make you care?
Because Faldo has done some broadcast work for ABC, and during his role with ABC in the 2004 Buick Championships, Faldo was critical of Woods' swing.
Oh, no.
Not the swing. Don't be critical of the swing. We know Woods is sensitive to such criticism, but why would this be a big deal? Do you think that Woods, who is famous for his meticulous preparation for major championships, is going to let anything as minor as this upset his focus on Thursday and Friday?
Since the obvious answer is "No", ask yourself why this is a story when the focus ends up being on Woods' interaction, or lack thereof, with Faldo later this week.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Randomization: 07/17/06
Commissioner for a Day. Thanks to all who took part. I got a lot more feedback to this than I expected, and most of it was pretty good (even the critical stuff). I thought I'd take some time to share some responses, both from those who posted comments here, and from those who e-mailed me.
From the Major League Baseball piece comes this comment from reader Nicole:
Not only that, but I've heard complaints from friends of mine who are Cub or Twin fans and have visited Miller Park.
To me, if there is no rain the forecast, and the temperature is not forecast to drop below 55 or so, there is no excuse for the roof being closed. If you can't stay comfortable in that weather, then it's your problem, and the rest of the fans shouldn't have to suffer through indoor baseball in good weather because someone didn't bring a jacket. Would that same Brewer "fan", if attending Summerfest, not bring a jacket to a concert in similar weather?
I'm not asking for the roof to be open when it's foggy, or when it's 40, or when it's snowing.
We've had a good back-and-forth going in comments portion of the college football post. Reader "father figure" chimed in on the playoff issue, even though I really didn't bring it up (at least not directly):
First off, I apologize in advance, because I said I wouldn't make the playoff issue into an issue, because it's been pounded into the ground already.
But I have to argue the ridiculous "playoffs would hurt rivalries" argument. I despise that argument almost as much as the "academics" argument, which is also stupid, as is pointed out here.
Seriously, are you trying to say that no one should have playoffs? Are you trying to tell me that EVERY OTHER SPORT does it wrong, including every other NCAA-sanctioned level of college football?
Sounds like a really shaky argument to me.
I'll break the rest of this down.
Um. The bowl system worked last season, and it delivered us a great national title game. No one can deny that. But no one likes the bowl system in years where we have an odd number of unbeaten teams in "power conferences", which has already happened twice since the start of the BCS system. When we have an odd number of unbeaten "major-conference" teams, someone will be left out, and there is no way for a computer to be able to make the determination of who should be left out and who shouldn't be.
The answer to this can't be a "plus one" system, because then you're potentially setting it up where an unbeaten team has to beat someone twice to win the national title (and, according to you, the regular season win should be enough).
Example: USC finishes 12-0; UCLA, Auburn, and Michigan all finish 11-1, with UCLA's only loss coming to USC. In a "plus-one", you put USC against one of the other three, say Auburn, and have the other two face off. Then the winners face off in a "final game" for the national title. And if USC beats their opponent, they could end up facing UCLA for all the marbles.
How fair would that be?
And how fair would it be to deny UCLA a shot at the title, only because they have to play USC? After all, Auburn and Michigan could have lost to teams that UCLA beat for all you know, or they could have lost to UCLA in non-conference play.
And how is college football a "regional sport"? Is this a strike from some SEC elitist?
I'll give you credit. Every argument you present is much more valid than the lame "academic" argument that I've called out numerous times in the past. But, to me, they still don't work.
The only reason the college presidents won't go to a playoff system is because they are afraid that the payday won't be as big for them as it is in the bowls. Of course, this is a blasphemous argument, because there will be infinitely more television money available for a national college football tournament, especially in the first contract.
Clayton: "The Packers were terrible last year, and they didn't get better." ESPN's John Clayton, normally immune from Salisbury-esque hyperbole such as this, apparently has bought into the hype. Appearing on ESPN Radio early Monday morning, Clayton proclaimed that the NFC North will be the worst division in football "again" this season, and he said the Bears will win the division "going away".
Apparently, Clayton hasn't paid much attention to the events of the last few months.
Yes, the NFC Owens division is the best in the conference. The worst team in the division (Philly) has the best quarterback. That should tell you something.
But I found the "worst division in the league again" comment hilarious. The insanely overhyped AFC East was a worse division than the NFC North last year. The four NFC North teams combined for 29 wins, one more than the AFC East (and NFC West, for that matter). Not only that, but unlike teams such as St. Louis, San Francisco, Buffalo, and the Jets, the three non-playoff teams in the NFC North are probably going to be noticeably better this year. Minnesota added an elite offensive lineman and brought in a new coaching staff. Green Bay added strong run-stopping defenders Ryan Pickett and Marquand Manuel, while also using the draft to add strong upgrades on the offensive line and at linebacker, where A.J. Hawk and Abdul Hodge will both be starters by November, if not sooner. And Detroit brought in a coach who won't put up with the soft attitudes that poisoned the team the last two years, along with an offensive coordinator (Mike Martz) who will make good use of the great young talent the Lions have at running back (Kevin Jones) and at receiver (Roy Williams).
Yes, the Packers were subpar a year ago. But they had the top-ranked pass defense in the league, despite playing in an insane number of close games (two of their four wins came by a combined nine points, while eight of their 12 losses came by a combined 31 points). And there's no way they are so poor in turnover margin or close games again this year. Not only that, but it would be a cruel twist of fate if the 2006 Packers had to deal with as many injuries as the 2005 Packers did.
Just wanted to mention that one. Even "The Professor" can't be spot-on all the time, though I'd still take him over Salisbury, Schlereth, and Hoge (aka The Three Stooges of the NFL) any day.
From the Major League Baseball piece comes this comment from reader Nicole:
I disagree with your thoughts on Miller Park being closed too often. I've been to probably 10 games already this season and I feel like they've done a good job deciding what to do with the roof.I'll start with the "based on what's best for the fans" issue. First off, why would I want to screw over Brewer fans when I'm a Brewer fan? Secondly, if that were the case, and the Brewers were only looking out for the fans, there wouldn't be complaints lodged on talk radio and Brewer-related message boards every time the roof is closed on a May night where it's clear and in the 50s and 60s outside.
The thing I'm sure you have a problem with is that whether the roof is open closed is based on what's best for the fans.
While I can agree to a point with the thought that this is a professional sports game and thus the state of the roof should be whatever is best for the game, but that's just not practical. The fans are paying for this, in more ways than one. Besides the price of the ticket, us Milwaukee county citizens have been paying extra taxes to pay for the stadium for years now. The roof takes a while to close and I guarantee you that if it were to rain and they hadn't been ready and it started to rain inside, a ton of fans would go nuts and complain. The Brewers would never hear the end of "not being prepared".
...Ultimately, I think that while it is definitely an outdoor game, you have to account for the fact that this is Wisconsin. And I'd rather give up the perfect aura of outdoor baseball so that we don't have to see games in snow. Or wearing winter coats, gloves and scarves. In April.
Not only that, but I've heard complaints from friends of mine who are Cub or Twin fans and have visited Miller Park.
To me, if there is no rain the forecast, and the temperature is not forecast to drop below 55 or so, there is no excuse for the roof being closed. If you can't stay comfortable in that weather, then it's your problem, and the rest of the fans shouldn't have to suffer through indoor baseball in good weather because someone didn't bring a jacket. Would that same Brewer "fan", if attending Summerfest, not bring a jacket to a concert in similar weather?
I'm not asking for the roof to be open when it's foggy, or when it's 40, or when it's snowing.
We've had a good back-and-forth going in comments portion of the college football post. Reader "father figure" chimed in on the playoff issue, even though I really didn't bring it up (at least not directly):
As for a playoff, we already have one; its called the regular season. Seriously, the "classtime" argument against a college football playoff is weak. I'll gladly concede the fact that one or two additional games would not have a deleterious effect on most athletes' academics. The real reason we don't have a playoff is that playoffs are inherently inferior system systems are inferior to the currently existing bowl system. Playoffs reward excellenvce during one portion of the season, instead of season-long excellence. Playoffs would hurt the fierce rivalries that college football thrives on. National playoffs would be difficult to implement in a regional sport. I'm sure you have heard all of these arguments before. However, classtime should have no bearing on that argument. You are correct to point out the hypocrisy athletic directors display regarding classtime.Wait a second.
First off, I apologize in advance, because I said I wouldn't make the playoff issue into an issue, because it's been pounded into the ground already.
But I have to argue the ridiculous "playoffs would hurt rivalries" argument. I despise that argument almost as much as the "academics" argument, which is also stupid, as is pointed out here.
Seriously, are you trying to say that no one should have playoffs? Are you trying to tell me that EVERY OTHER SPORT does it wrong, including every other NCAA-sanctioned level of college football?
Sounds like a really shaky argument to me.
I'll break the rest of this down.
The real reason we don't have a playoff is that playoffs are inherently inferior system systems are inferior to the currently existing bowl system.
Um. The bowl system worked last season, and it delivered us a great national title game. No one can deny that. But no one likes the bowl system in years where we have an odd number of unbeaten teams in "power conferences", which has already happened twice since the start of the BCS system. When we have an odd number of unbeaten "major-conference" teams, someone will be left out, and there is no way for a computer to be able to make the determination of who should be left out and who shouldn't be.
The answer to this can't be a "plus one" system, because then you're potentially setting it up where an unbeaten team has to beat someone twice to win the national title (and, according to you, the regular season win should be enough).
Example: USC finishes 12-0; UCLA, Auburn, and Michigan all finish 11-1, with UCLA's only loss coming to USC. In a "plus-one", you put USC against one of the other three, say Auburn, and have the other two face off. Then the winners face off in a "final game" for the national title. And if USC beats their opponent, they could end up facing UCLA for all the marbles.
How fair would that be?
And how fair would it be to deny UCLA a shot at the title, only because they have to play USC? After all, Auburn and Michigan could have lost to teams that UCLA beat for all you know, or they could have lost to UCLA in non-conference play.
"National playoffs would be difficult to implement in a regional sport."You mean like college hockey, which has a playoff? Or college baseball, which has a playoff? Or college softball, which has a playoff?
And how is college football a "regional sport"? Is this a strike from some SEC elitist?
I'll give you credit. Every argument you present is much more valid than the lame "academic" argument that I've called out numerous times in the past. But, to me, they still don't work.
The only reason the college presidents won't go to a playoff system is because they are afraid that the payday won't be as big for them as it is in the bowls. Of course, this is a blasphemous argument, because there will be infinitely more television money available for a national college football tournament, especially in the first contract.
Clayton: "The Packers were terrible last year, and they didn't get better." ESPN's John Clayton, normally immune from Salisbury-esque hyperbole such as this, apparently has bought into the hype. Appearing on ESPN Radio early Monday morning, Clayton proclaimed that the NFC North will be the worst division in football "again" this season, and he said the Bears will win the division "going away".
Apparently, Clayton hasn't paid much attention to the events of the last few months.
Yes, the NFC Owens division is the best in the conference. The worst team in the division (Philly) has the best quarterback. That should tell you something.
But I found the "worst division in the league again" comment hilarious. The insanely overhyped AFC East was a worse division than the NFC North last year. The four NFC North teams combined for 29 wins, one more than the AFC East (and NFC West, for that matter). Not only that, but unlike teams such as St. Louis, San Francisco, Buffalo, and the Jets, the three non-playoff teams in the NFC North are probably going to be noticeably better this year. Minnesota added an elite offensive lineman and brought in a new coaching staff. Green Bay added strong run-stopping defenders Ryan Pickett and Marquand Manuel, while also using the draft to add strong upgrades on the offensive line and at linebacker, where A.J. Hawk and Abdul Hodge will both be starters by November, if not sooner. And Detroit brought in a coach who won't put up with the soft attitudes that poisoned the team the last two years, along with an offensive coordinator (Mike Martz) who will make good use of the great young talent the Lions have at running back (Kevin Jones) and at receiver (Roy Williams).
Yes, the Packers were subpar a year ago. But they had the top-ranked pass defense in the league, despite playing in an insane number of close games (two of their four wins came by a combined nine points, while eight of their 12 losses came by a combined 31 points). And there's no way they are so poor in turnover margin or close games again this year. Not only that, but it would be a cruel twist of fate if the 2006 Packers had to deal with as many injuries as the 2005 Packers did.
Just wanted to mention that one. Even "The Professor" can't be spot-on all the time, though I'd still take him over Salisbury, Schlereth, and Hoge (aka The Three Stooges of the NFL) any day.
Friday, July 14, 2006
Commissioner for a Day: College hockey
In my final installment of the Stealing Ideas for Good Material from Sports Illustrated series Commissioner for a Day series, I look at a sport I've become quite close to over the years: college hockey.
There was a time where college hockey was nearly a complete afterthought, even among hockey fans. Nowadays, though, the college game has seen great growth in the level of play, and more and more college players are jumping early to the professional ranks. The impact of college hockey on the NHL has never been greater, and it's getting better every year.
However, like everything else, including this blog, college hockey has its flaws. I'm going to use this post to try to identify what I think are the biggest flaws in the game, and how they can be fixed to make college hockey even better.
1. End this ridiculous emphasis on "hits from behind".
We saw the evidence begin to mount late last year. Instead of sending guys to the showers for questionable hits from behind, officials started calling boarding/charging/cross-checking/roughing/whatever to avoid having to throw guys out.
Well, unless those guys were named "Nick Kemp". Then they were perfectly happy to toss the kid for a perfectly innocuous hit.
(Sorry. I'm babbling and ranting again. I'll try to keep focus here.)
Anyway, I think I've made the point. Instead of calling "checking from behind", officials are going to call, well, anything else they can get away with, unless they deem it a dangerous hit.
In other words, they've found a way around the NCAA mandate on hitting from behind, and things are going to return to the way they were. Some officials will decide to be stringent and call anything along the boards that looks like a hit from behind, and they will not be afraid to throw players out of games.
Other officials will find something else to call on those hits, and they'll eventually miss a flagrant hit from behind.
(And if you remember, it was Don Adam missing an awful hit from behind by Denver's Geoff Paukovich on North Dakota's Robbie Bina that started all of this.)
The solution? Better education on what a flagrant hit from behind actually looks like. Better education on the standard that must be followed by all officials.
Hell, I'd rather see stop signs on the backs of college jerseys (as in youth hockey) than this mandate in place for another year. I'll credit the NCAA with trying to be proactive on an important issue, but they chose the wrong path.
2. Adopt the shootout to decide conference games that end in ties.
I'm adamant about something I posted in an earlier college hockey blog roundtable. If we are going to use the shootout in college hockey, its results can't be used as part of the RPI/PWR because the sample size of a college hockey season is just too small. The influence the shootout results could have on the selections for the NCAAs is too great, and it's not right.
That said, the more I think about the shootout, the more I like it, given what we all saw this past NHL season. Fans embraced it, and it was even great theater on TV. So I'll flip flop a little bit from my post earlier in the spring and say that it would be great to see the shootout in college hockey, but only during in-season tournaments and conference games, where the results would have only a small effect.
(My idea would mean that no conference game would end in a tie. The shootout winner would get two points, the shootout loser would get one point, and the game would "count" as a tie for RPI/PWR purposes. It minimizes the effect that the shootout has on the standings, while still giving the fans a chance to see someone win the game, and it gives the shootout at least some meaning.)
3. Use all available camera angles in instant replay.
If the only available angles are above the net and along the boards, then that's what you use. If there are other camera angles being used for TV coverage, then they need to be available for replay officials to use.
What good is technology if you're not going to use it right?
4. Adopt the rule that keeps a team that ices the puck from changing lines.
It's an experimental rule this season, meaning that conferences can use it, and it can be used in exhibition games.
It should be put in the books.
Teams will still ice the puck when they are heavily pressured, but they're going to think twice about doing it, because they know they will eventually have to get the puck cleared to the red line before they can get it all the way down the rink to get their line change. I think it had a hand in increasing the flow in NHL games last season, and it could have the same impact in the college game.
There was a time where college hockey was nearly a complete afterthought, even among hockey fans. Nowadays, though, the college game has seen great growth in the level of play, and more and more college players are jumping early to the professional ranks. The impact of college hockey on the NHL has never been greater, and it's getting better every year.
However, like everything else, including this blog, college hockey has its flaws. I'm going to use this post to try to identify what I think are the biggest flaws in the game, and how they can be fixed to make college hockey even better.
1. End this ridiculous emphasis on "hits from behind".
We saw the evidence begin to mount late last year. Instead of sending guys to the showers for questionable hits from behind, officials started calling boarding/charging/cross-checking/roughing/whatever to avoid having to throw guys out.
Well, unless those guys were named "Nick Kemp". Then they were perfectly happy to toss the kid for a perfectly innocuous hit.
(Sorry. I'm babbling and ranting again. I'll try to keep focus here.)
Anyway, I think I've made the point. Instead of calling "checking from behind", officials are going to call, well, anything else they can get away with, unless they deem it a dangerous hit.
In other words, they've found a way around the NCAA mandate on hitting from behind, and things are going to return to the way they were. Some officials will decide to be stringent and call anything along the boards that looks like a hit from behind, and they will not be afraid to throw players out of games.
Other officials will find something else to call on those hits, and they'll eventually miss a flagrant hit from behind.
(And if you remember, it was Don Adam missing an awful hit from behind by Denver's Geoff Paukovich on North Dakota's Robbie Bina that started all of this.)
The solution? Better education on what a flagrant hit from behind actually looks like. Better education on the standard that must be followed by all officials.
Hell, I'd rather see stop signs on the backs of college jerseys (as in youth hockey) than this mandate in place for another year. I'll credit the NCAA with trying to be proactive on an important issue, but they chose the wrong path.
2. Adopt the shootout to decide conference games that end in ties.
I'm adamant about something I posted in an earlier college hockey blog roundtable. If we are going to use the shootout in college hockey, its results can't be used as part of the RPI/PWR because the sample size of a college hockey season is just too small. The influence the shootout results could have on the selections for the NCAAs is too great, and it's not right.
That said, the more I think about the shootout, the more I like it, given what we all saw this past NHL season. Fans embraced it, and it was even great theater on TV. So I'll flip flop a little bit from my post earlier in the spring and say that it would be great to see the shootout in college hockey, but only during in-season tournaments and conference games, where the results would have only a small effect.
(My idea would mean that no conference game would end in a tie. The shootout winner would get two points, the shootout loser would get one point, and the game would "count" as a tie for RPI/PWR purposes. It minimizes the effect that the shootout has on the standings, while still giving the fans a chance to see someone win the game, and it gives the shootout at least some meaning.)
3. Use all available camera angles in instant replay.
If the only available angles are above the net and along the boards, then that's what you use. If there are other camera angles being used for TV coverage, then they need to be available for replay officials to use.
What good is technology if you're not going to use it right?
4. Adopt the rule that keeps a team that ices the puck from changing lines.
It's an experimental rule this season, meaning that conferences can use it, and it can be used in exhibition games.
It should be put in the books.
Teams will still ice the puck when they are heavily pressured, but they're going to think twice about doing it, because they know they will eventually have to get the puck cleared to the red line before they can get it all the way down the rink to get their line change. I think it had a hand in increasing the flow in NHL games last season, and it could have the same impact in the college game.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Happy National Sports Cliches Week!
It's not related to the Commissioner for a Day series (which, by the way, wraps up on Friday with college hockey)...but this is absolutely worth mentioning.
Apparently, it's National Sports Cliches Week.
(HT: Sports Cliches)
So get fired up, focus on one game at a time, be prepared to face a strong opponent, and play within yourself.
You don't want to underestimate anyone, you don't want to get caught off-guard, play not to lose, or come up just short.
Show your tremendous upside, be a blue-chipper, and you'll have a bright future in this game.
Apparently, it's National Sports Cliches Week.
(HT: Sports Cliches)
So get fired up, focus on one game at a time, be prepared to face a strong opponent, and play within yourself.
You don't want to underestimate anyone, you don't want to get caught off-guard, play not to lose, or come up just short.
Show your tremendous upside, be a blue-chipper, and you'll have a bright future in this game.
Commissioner for a Day: National Hockey League
(HT: Michael Farber)
If you're not a baseball/college football/NFL/NHL/college hockey fan, follow the links I've provided and check the list of "Commissioner for a Day" features available. They have plenty of sports represented. And I again thank them for the really cool idea that I have blatantly stolen all this week.
I'm a huge hockey fan, and this post is going to be relatively short. After all, the league just instituted a bunch of rules changes that, by and large, worked pretty well. That said, I still have some ideas to present.
1. Mandatory visors.
It has to happen before something really serious happens. I know the old guard will protest, and the old-school reporters and fans will scoff at the idea of mandatory visors.
It doesn't matter. For the safety of the players, it's a move that should have happened ten years ago. Certainly, you can't make active players wear them if they don't want to. But put it in now, and in ten years, everyone in the league will be wearing one.
Frankly, if what happened to Bryan Berard isn't enough to convince someone to put a face shield on, I don't know what else is going to convince them. Legislating it is the only remaining option.
2. Go back to ESPN.
Even if it means buying out the last year of the OLN deal, the NHL should go crawling back to the Worldwide Leader.
Does ESPN have serious flaws? Yes. There is no doubt that ESPN, your home for the 2006 International Brat-Eating Contest...LIVE from Sheboygan, WI, is not the perfect television partner.
But they're infinitely better than OLN. The NHL's reasoning behing taking the OLN offer was seriously flawed; sure, money is important, and so is having a partner who appreciates your product, but none of that matters if no one can see the network you're working with. OLN isn't growing, and their programming just doesn't fit the NHL's target demographic. ESPN's does. And no matter what the hardcore sports fan thinks of what's been happening at ESPN over the last five years or so, ESPN is still recognized as being all about sports.
Buy out the OLN deal, and take even one or two games a week on ESPN, with the same no-rights-fee, revenue-sharing deal that exists with NBC. Build the audience back, and everyone will be happy.
3. Go back to the "home team wears white" format.
I know the NHL wanted to give teams a chance to wear their alternate jerseys at home, while allowing teams going on the road to only take their white jerseys.
But the fans still aren't used to it after two years.
It doesn't help that most college hockey and high school hockey leagues still have home teams wearing white.
4. Goalies who venture outside their protected area to play the puck are fair game for reasonable physical contact.
No more "goalie interference" when a goalie who is not in his crease gets inadvertently bumped.
At the same time, no more trapezoid. You won't need it (not that it does any good now).
Any goalie who leaves the crease to play the puck can be hit, provided that it's within the context of the play. Guys who go out of their way to blow up the goaltender will still be penalized, but incidental and innocent contact must be permitted. Goalies have too many advantages in the rules, and as we saw from Dwayne Roloson's Playoff Diving Exhibition, they are going to take full advantage.
5. Do a better job promoting the individual stars.
Yes, hockey is a team sport. And the sport is a great one.
But people aren't going to respond to the marketing of the sport. They need to promote the creativity and gracefulness of players like Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Eric Staal, Marian Gaborik, and other young stars. They are the future of the sport. Start building them up now before it's too late.
And while you're at it, you can have those individual stars be the ones promoting the game, instead of Lance Armstrong, Howie Mandel, and Denis Leary.
(I really liked the "My Stanley Cup" ads, but I thought it was silly to have people with no ties to hockey talking about the legendary trophy. The players should have been doing that from the start, instead of just during the Stanley Cup Finals.)
(Well, except for Kiefer Sutherland. I'd pay to hear that guy read the Climax, Minnesota, phone book.)
If you're not a baseball/college football/NFL/NHL/college hockey fan, follow the links I've provided and check the list of "Commissioner for a Day" features available. They have plenty of sports represented. And I again thank them for the really cool idea that I have blatantly stolen all this week.
I'm a huge hockey fan, and this post is going to be relatively short. After all, the league just instituted a bunch of rules changes that, by and large, worked pretty well. That said, I still have some ideas to present.
1. Mandatory visors.
It has to happen before something really serious happens. I know the old guard will protest, and the old-school reporters and fans will scoff at the idea of mandatory visors.
It doesn't matter. For the safety of the players, it's a move that should have happened ten years ago. Certainly, you can't make active players wear them if they don't want to. But put it in now, and in ten years, everyone in the league will be wearing one.
Frankly, if what happened to Bryan Berard isn't enough to convince someone to put a face shield on, I don't know what else is going to convince them. Legislating it is the only remaining option.
2. Go back to ESPN.
Even if it means buying out the last year of the OLN deal, the NHL should go crawling back to the Worldwide Leader.
Does ESPN have serious flaws? Yes. There is no doubt that ESPN, your home for the 2006 International Brat-Eating Contest...LIVE from Sheboygan, WI, is not the perfect television partner.
But they're infinitely better than OLN. The NHL's reasoning behing taking the OLN offer was seriously flawed; sure, money is important, and so is having a partner who appreciates your product, but none of that matters if no one can see the network you're working with. OLN isn't growing, and their programming just doesn't fit the NHL's target demographic. ESPN's does. And no matter what the hardcore sports fan thinks of what's been happening at ESPN over the last five years or so, ESPN is still recognized as being all about sports.
Buy out the OLN deal, and take even one or two games a week on ESPN, with the same no-rights-fee, revenue-sharing deal that exists with NBC. Build the audience back, and everyone will be happy.
3. Go back to the "home team wears white" format.
I know the NHL wanted to give teams a chance to wear their alternate jerseys at home, while allowing teams going on the road to only take their white jerseys.
But the fans still aren't used to it after two years.
It doesn't help that most college hockey and high school hockey leagues still have home teams wearing white.
4. Goalies who venture outside their protected area to play the puck are fair game for reasonable physical contact.
No more "goalie interference" when a goalie who is not in his crease gets inadvertently bumped.
At the same time, no more trapezoid. You won't need it (not that it does any good now).
Any goalie who leaves the crease to play the puck can be hit, provided that it's within the context of the play. Guys who go out of their way to blow up the goaltender will still be penalized, but incidental and innocent contact must be permitted. Goalies have too many advantages in the rules, and as we saw from Dwayne Roloson's Playoff Diving Exhibition, they are going to take full advantage.
5. Do a better job promoting the individual stars.
Yes, hockey is a team sport. And the sport is a great one.
But people aren't going to respond to the marketing of the sport. They need to promote the creativity and gracefulness of players like Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Eric Staal, Marian Gaborik, and other young stars. They are the future of the sport. Start building them up now before it's too late.
And while you're at it, you can have those individual stars be the ones promoting the game, instead of Lance Armstrong, Howie Mandel, and Denis Leary.
(I really liked the "My Stanley Cup" ads, but I thought it was silly to have people with no ties to hockey talking about the legendary trophy. The players should have been doing that from the start, instead of just during the Stanley Cup Finals.)
(Well, except for Kiefer Sutherland. I'd pay to hear that guy read the Climax, Minnesota, phone book.)
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Commissioner for a Day: National Football League
(HT: The Great Peter King)
In case you're wondering, I'm not going to take over golf, NASCAR, or the NBA during this series.
Reader Trent e-mailed yesterday to ask how many of "those stupid Commissioner things" I'm going to do.
Monday - Baseball
Tuesday - College football
Wednesday - NFL
Thursday - NHL
Friday - College hockey
There's your answer, Trent. Only three more of these stupid things to go.
I love the NFL. It is a made-for-television spectacle, and they have mastered the "marketing and promotions" side of sports. Most of my serious issues with the NFL involve the morons that are hired to cover the game on television, but the NFL can't be to blame for the fact that ESPN continues to pay Sean Salisbury for his oft-illogical opinions.
There are some on-field imperfections, though.
1. That damn overtime thing again.
Reader Jeff commented on the college football post Tuesday, saying that the NFL's overtime system is actually worse than the one used in college football. I disagree. The NFL at least forces teams to earn their points in overtime.
But it's still not good enough.
Either force teams to score seven points to win the game, or guarantee each team at least one possession. As a more extreme alternative, I would go back to the old World League plan in 1974, which I discussed Tuesday. But I do agree with Jeff that sudden death sucks. Thank goodness no Super Bowl has ever gone to it.
2. Penalize receivers who put their arm out and signal for a flag on an incomplete pass.
It's rampant in the NFL today.
Quarterback throws ball. Receiver doesn't catch ball. Receiver runs to the official flailing around and flapping his hand in a "throw a flag" motion.
And, sometimes, it works.
It needs to stop, and the only way to stop it is to start penalizing repeat offenders for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Do officials run around mimicking the players when they screw up? Ever see an umpire pretend to be catching a ball, only to drop it because he was afraid to be plowed over by Kenoy Kennedy? That would be funny, and completely unprofessional. That's why the officials don't do that, and the players shouldn't be allowed to, either.
3. Speaking of penalizing players, start taking points off the board for unsportsmanlike conduct in the end zone.
I know it's technically a "dead ball" foul, but it seems to me to be the best deterrent. A selfish player isn't going to care if you push the extra point or kickoff back 15 yards. He will care if you take the touchdown he just scored off the board.
So the next time Terrell Owens is found to be taunting in the end zone after a touchdown, penalize his team 15 yards from the spot of the foul (the end zone), and make the team play from there. Then watch Bill Parcells break Terrell Owens in half on the sideline.
4. Ban the TV networks from taking a commercial break after a kickoff.
From my time in TV and radio, I know this is hard. The NFL allows for a total of 19 television timeouts per game (five in each of the first three quarters, and four in the fourth), plus one TV timeout at the end of each quarter.
To get all these breaks in without overlapping quarters, the networks are basically required to take as many chances as they are given to get those breaks in, so any time there is a score or a change of possession in the first eight minutes of a quarter, they need to cut to a break. Football isn't like baseball, where you know that the inning will eventually end, and it isn't like basketball or hockey, where media timeouts are taken when play stops at a certain point in a period/quarter/half.
But nothing is more annoying than when a team scores, and the network cuts to a break, followed by the kickoff, and another break. That's three minutes of commercial break time with about fifteen seconds of actual game action in the middle.
Here's the solution. Take a break away each quarter, and make three breaks in each quarter two minutes each. That way, the networks don't lose any actual ad time, and most people won't notice an extra 30 seconds tacked on to a commercial break.
5. Ban cut-blocking.
Yes, I realize that Green Bay will be employing this tactic this year. But I still hate it.
Cut-blocking, even when done properly, is dangerous and unnecessary. Block the guy straight up, man to man, and don't cut him down from behind or the blindside like a coward.
Are there any Denver fans out there that want to help me cope with the use of this tactic by my favorite team? Please feel free to clue me in on this one.
In case you're wondering, I'm not going to take over golf, NASCAR, or the NBA during this series.
Reader Trent e-mailed yesterday to ask how many of "those stupid Commissioner things" I'm going to do.
Monday - Baseball
Tuesday - College football
Wednesday - NFL
Thursday - NHL
Friday - College hockey
There's your answer, Trent. Only three more of these stupid things to go.
I love the NFL. It is a made-for-television spectacle, and they have mastered the "marketing and promotions" side of sports. Most of my serious issues with the NFL involve the morons that are hired to cover the game on television, but the NFL can't be to blame for the fact that ESPN continues to pay Sean Salisbury for his oft-illogical opinions.
There are some on-field imperfections, though.
1. That damn overtime thing again.
Reader Jeff commented on the college football post Tuesday, saying that the NFL's overtime system is actually worse than the one used in college football. I disagree. The NFL at least forces teams to earn their points in overtime.
But it's still not good enough.
Either force teams to score seven points to win the game, or guarantee each team at least one possession. As a more extreme alternative, I would go back to the old World League plan in 1974, which I discussed Tuesday. But I do agree with Jeff that sudden death sucks. Thank goodness no Super Bowl has ever gone to it.
2. Penalize receivers who put their arm out and signal for a flag on an incomplete pass.
It's rampant in the NFL today.
Quarterback throws ball. Receiver doesn't catch ball. Receiver runs to the official flailing around and flapping his hand in a "throw a flag" motion.
And, sometimes, it works.
It needs to stop, and the only way to stop it is to start penalizing repeat offenders for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Do officials run around mimicking the players when they screw up? Ever see an umpire pretend to be catching a ball, only to drop it because he was afraid to be plowed over by Kenoy Kennedy? That would be funny, and completely unprofessional. That's why the officials don't do that, and the players shouldn't be allowed to, either.
3. Speaking of penalizing players, start taking points off the board for unsportsmanlike conduct in the end zone.
I know it's technically a "dead ball" foul, but it seems to me to be the best deterrent. A selfish player isn't going to care if you push the extra point or kickoff back 15 yards. He will care if you take the touchdown he just scored off the board.
So the next time Terrell Owens is found to be taunting in the end zone after a touchdown, penalize his team 15 yards from the spot of the foul (the end zone), and make the team play from there. Then watch Bill Parcells break Terrell Owens in half on the sideline.
4. Ban the TV networks from taking a commercial break after a kickoff.
From my time in TV and radio, I know this is hard. The NFL allows for a total of 19 television timeouts per game (five in each of the first three quarters, and four in the fourth), plus one TV timeout at the end of each quarter.
To get all these breaks in without overlapping quarters, the networks are basically required to take as many chances as they are given to get those breaks in, so any time there is a score or a change of possession in the first eight minutes of a quarter, they need to cut to a break. Football isn't like baseball, where you know that the inning will eventually end, and it isn't like basketball or hockey, where media timeouts are taken when play stops at a certain point in a period/quarter/half.
But nothing is more annoying than when a team scores, and the network cuts to a break, followed by the kickoff, and another break. That's three minutes of commercial break time with about fifteen seconds of actual game action in the middle.
Here's the solution. Take a break away each quarter, and make three breaks in each quarter two minutes each. That way, the networks don't lose any actual ad time, and most people won't notice an extra 30 seconds tacked on to a commercial break.
5. Ban cut-blocking.
Yes, I realize that Green Bay will be employing this tactic this year. But I still hate it.
Cut-blocking, even when done properly, is dangerous and unnecessary. Block the guy straight up, man to man, and don't cut him down from behind or the blindside like a coward.
Are there any Denver fans out there that want to help me cope with the use of this tactic by my favorite team? Please feel free to clue me in on this one.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Commissioner for a Day: College Football
Monday was baseball. Today, I invite all my fellow BlogPollers (and everyone else) to discuss college football.
(HT: Stewart Mandel)
I know that everyone wants to fix the BCS. Well, everyone with any amount of common sense wants to fix the BCS. We can debate playoff/"plus-one"/current bowl system until we're blue in the face. But it's not changing. Probably ever. So I'm not going to propose a playoff system here. I would venture to guess that anyone who's ever read my work before or listened to me on the radio before knows how I feel on the issue.
I would recommend that any BlogPoller who wants to take part in this (call it an "informal roundtable", if you will) also avoid the issue. There are so many other issues in college football that we can probably have a meaningful discussion without ever bringing it up.
1. Find a way to make the games shorter.
I don't care if they have to change how the play clock is run. I don't care if they have to run the game clock after first downs or out-of-bounds plays. College football is in dire need of flow. And unless the wishbone is coming back into style at some point, we're not going to get that flow. The spread offense leads to a ton of clock stoppages.
Games that last close to four hours (without overtime - and more on overtime in a bit) are games that last too long. Even an enthusiastic college football fan is probably going to come to this conclusion.
2. Get rid of this stupid overtime system.
I see a few alternatives:
--> No overtime. Voters hate ties, and so, presumably, do the power ratings. Not only that, but fans allegedly hate ties, so we can't have them.
--> NFL-style overtime. It isn't perfect, either, as you'll find out when I take my turn as NFL Commissioner for a Day later this week. But it's better than this contrived drivel.
--> NFL-style overtime with a twist...each team has to have the ball at least once, and the game doesn't end until one team has the lead after each team has taken a turn. In other words, if you take the ball to start overtime and score a touchdown, you kick the extra point and kick off to your opponent as if it was regulation time. Your opponent must then score a touchdown and kick the extra point to keep the game going. It's a morph of the college and pro systems, and I think it's the best solution.
--> Another idea I kind of like, one that is similar to the preceding idea, is what I think the old WLAF used. There, you had to get to six points first, so taking the opening drive of overtime and settling for a field goal wasn't necessarily the best move.
--> The World League used an even more unique system in 1974. Borrowing from international soccer, they divided the fifteen-minute overtime into two halves of 7:30 each. The full overtime was played, with one team kicking off to the other at the start of each "half". (HT: Wikipedia)
--> Change the current system to start possessions at midfield instead of the 25. That way, teams actually have to gain a few yard to have a realistic chance to score points.
Pick any of these ideas, and you'll have a better system than the "take the ball at the opponents' 25-yard-line, so you're already in field goal range without gaining a yard" concept currently being used.
3. Ban colleges from hiring coaches away from teams who are still playing.
Stewart Mandel presented this idea in his Commissioner for a Day piece linked above, saying that college football needs a system similar to that in the NFL, where coaches cannot be hired until after their team's season is over.
(Mandel actually errs in his piece, saying NFL rules prohibit coaches on teams still playing from being interviewed. This is no longer the case, but any team that wants to interview a coach on a team that is still playing must get permission and conduct the interview at an approved time.)
It seems like common sense to me. Don't cause any distractions to teams who are still preparing for postseason games. They might only be bowl games, but they're important to the young men involved.
4. Allow games on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but limit teams to 250 miles of travel for games on those nights.
Personally, I like the idea of being able to flip on a college football game on a night when the only other programming on television is aimed directly at my wife.
But I don't like the idea of teams taking three days off of school to travel to those games. 250 miles of travel is a reasonable four-hour ride (assuming decent highways and light traffic), so players can be in school at least one of those three days they'd normally be gone.
(Toledo went to Fresno for a Tuesday game last year. That's just too much travel on a weeknight.)
Furthermore, teams that are traveling longer distances for a Thursday night game cannot leave until after all players have completed their class obligations on Wednesday, and teams traveling for a Friday game can't leave until at least Thursday afternoon.
To me, the schools need to at least fake the idea that college coursework is important for their athletes.
But at the same time, I don't want to take away chances for conferences like the MAC, Sun Belt, and Conference USA to get extra national exposure for their teams. Even with the advent of satellite packages and cable sports networks, the exposure is still lacking for these leagues.
5. Either tell the major polls that they can't conduct a survey until after everyone has played five games, or remove their influence from the BCS.
Too much of the BCS is determined in August, when the preseason polls come out.
At least part of that can be linked to the fact that the polls have wayyyyyy too much influence over the BCS rankings.
There are two solutions to this problem. You either tell the major polls that they are not to release a survey until after every team in Division I-A has played at least five games (so everyone has a good idea which teams are the best and which were overhyped in the preseason), or you remove their influence from the BCS completely. Doing that would mean that only computer rankings, which lack bias and are not prone to giving in to preconceived notions about teams, determine the BCS rankings.
6. Come up with a single uniform body to handle officiating.
I don't think that the individual conferences do a really bad job handling their officials. But they don't do a really good job, either.
If there were an independent firm that covered all college football officials, then we'd have similar standards for Sun Belt and Big Ten referees, which would hopefully remove the embarrassments we saw last year when mid-major conference officials tried to call bowl games involving major conference teams.
Granted, I'm not expecting to see Sun Belt officials working the National Championship Game anytime soon, but I still believe that the standard needs to be higher, and having one body overseeing all officials in all conferences would help do that.
(HT: Stewart Mandel)
I know that everyone wants to fix the BCS. Well, everyone with any amount of common sense wants to fix the BCS. We can debate playoff/"plus-one"/current bowl system until we're blue in the face. But it's not changing. Probably ever. So I'm not going to propose a playoff system here. I would venture to guess that anyone who's ever read my work before or listened to me on the radio before knows how I feel on the issue.
I would recommend that any BlogPoller who wants to take part in this (call it an "informal roundtable", if you will) also avoid the issue. There are so many other issues in college football that we can probably have a meaningful discussion without ever bringing it up.
1. Find a way to make the games shorter.
I don't care if they have to change how the play clock is run. I don't care if they have to run the game clock after first downs or out-of-bounds plays. College football is in dire need of flow. And unless the wishbone is coming back into style at some point, we're not going to get that flow. The spread offense leads to a ton of clock stoppages.
Games that last close to four hours (without overtime - and more on overtime in a bit) are games that last too long. Even an enthusiastic college football fan is probably going to come to this conclusion.
2. Get rid of this stupid overtime system.
I see a few alternatives:
--> No overtime. Voters hate ties, and so, presumably, do the power ratings. Not only that, but fans allegedly hate ties, so we can't have them.
--> NFL-style overtime. It isn't perfect, either, as you'll find out when I take my turn as NFL Commissioner for a Day later this week. But it's better than this contrived drivel.
--> NFL-style overtime with a twist...each team has to have the ball at least once, and the game doesn't end until one team has the lead after each team has taken a turn. In other words, if you take the ball to start overtime and score a touchdown, you kick the extra point and kick off to your opponent as if it was regulation time. Your opponent must then score a touchdown and kick the extra point to keep the game going. It's a morph of the college and pro systems, and I think it's the best solution.
--> Another idea I kind of like, one that is similar to the preceding idea, is what I think the old WLAF used. There, you had to get to six points first, so taking the opening drive of overtime and settling for a field goal wasn't necessarily the best move.
--> The World League used an even more unique system in 1974. Borrowing from international soccer, they divided the fifteen-minute overtime into two halves of 7:30 each. The full overtime was played, with one team kicking off to the other at the start of each "half". (HT: Wikipedia)
--> Change the current system to start possessions at midfield instead of the 25. That way, teams actually have to gain a few yard to have a realistic chance to score points.
Pick any of these ideas, and you'll have a better system than the "take the ball at the opponents' 25-yard-line, so you're already in field goal range without gaining a yard" concept currently being used.
3. Ban colleges from hiring coaches away from teams who are still playing.
Stewart Mandel presented this idea in his Commissioner for a Day piece linked above, saying that college football needs a system similar to that in the NFL, where coaches cannot be hired until after their team's season is over.
(Mandel actually errs in his piece, saying NFL rules prohibit coaches on teams still playing from being interviewed. This is no longer the case, but any team that wants to interview a coach on a team that is still playing must get permission and conduct the interview at an approved time.)
It seems like common sense to me. Don't cause any distractions to teams who are still preparing for postseason games. They might only be bowl games, but they're important to the young men involved.
4. Allow games on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but limit teams to 250 miles of travel for games on those nights.
Personally, I like the idea of being able to flip on a college football game on a night when the only other programming on television is aimed directly at my wife.
But I don't like the idea of teams taking three days off of school to travel to those games. 250 miles of travel is a reasonable four-hour ride (assuming decent highways and light traffic), so players can be in school at least one of those three days they'd normally be gone.
(Toledo went to Fresno for a Tuesday game last year. That's just too much travel on a weeknight.)
Furthermore, teams that are traveling longer distances for a Thursday night game cannot leave until after all players have completed their class obligations on Wednesday, and teams traveling for a Friday game can't leave until at least Thursday afternoon.
To me, the schools need to at least fake the idea that college coursework is important for their athletes.
But at the same time, I don't want to take away chances for conferences like the MAC, Sun Belt, and Conference USA to get extra national exposure for their teams. Even with the advent of satellite packages and cable sports networks, the exposure is still lacking for these leagues.
5. Either tell the major polls that they can't conduct a survey until after everyone has played five games, or remove their influence from the BCS.
Too much of the BCS is determined in August, when the preseason polls come out.
At least part of that can be linked to the fact that the polls have wayyyyyy too much influence over the BCS rankings.
There are two solutions to this problem. You either tell the major polls that they are not to release a survey until after every team in Division I-A has played at least five games (so everyone has a good idea which teams are the best and which were overhyped in the preseason), or you remove their influence from the BCS completely. Doing that would mean that only computer rankings, which lack bias and are not prone to giving in to preconceived notions about teams, determine the BCS rankings.
6. Come up with a single uniform body to handle officiating.
I don't think that the individual conferences do a really bad job handling their officials. But they don't do a really good job, either.
If there were an independent firm that covered all college football officials, then we'd have similar standards for Sun Belt and Big Ten referees, which would hopefully remove the embarrassments we saw last year when mid-major conference officials tried to call bowl games involving major conference teams.
Granted, I'm not expecting to see Sun Belt officials working the National Championship Game anytime soon, but I still believe that the standard needs to be higher, and having one body overseeing all officials in all conferences would help do that.
Monday, July 10, 2006
Commissioner for a Day: Major League Baseball
(HT: Sports Illustrated)
SI did a cool bit on its website, inviting their various national writers to take over the sport they cover as "Commissioner for a Day". It's such a cool concept (especially during the usually boring sports month that is July) that I figured I would steal it and post some thoughts on the various sports.
I'm going to start with Major League Baseball, simply because it was the first SI piece that I read (Tom Verducci had the honors), and because the All-Star Game is Tuesday night.
I invite all of you to post your thoughts on what you would do if you ran Major League Baseball for a day. Either post a comment or send me an e-mail.
1. The All-Star game would start at 8pm ET.
Any pregame filler has to start during the 7pm ET hour, because the first pitch of the All-Star Game is being thrown no later than 8pm ET.
"But Mr. Commissioner Ciskie, the network wants the ceremonies to air in 'prime time', and they're paying us a lot of money for broadcast rights."
I don't care. Much of the problem with the All-Star Game lately is the fact that MLB has coddled FOX way too much. They've taken a great exhibition game that could stand alone and turned it into a made-for-television event. It's not rocket science. You need to market this game to the kids before you lose them all to football and soccer, and you're not marketing the game to kids when the "Midsummer Classic" regularly doesn't end until midnight ET. It doesn't matter that there isn't school the next morning. The eight-year-olds aren't staying up that late unless they're staying with the grandparents, and then they're not watching baseball.
Along the "stop coddling to the TV networks" lines...
2. At least two games in each Division Series, League Championship Series, and World Series must be scheduled in the afternoon.
The Division Series are in good shape as far as this goes, though the Yankees rarely play afternoon playoff games because OMG THEY HAVE TO BE ON IN PRIME-TIME!!!.
The LCS used to be in good shape, until FOX decided that regional coverage was better for ratings than a doubleheader.
And I can't remember the last time a World Series game was played in the afternoon.
Again, who are you marketing yourself to if you're Major League Baseball, families or the TV network?
If the defense is "ratings are better in prime-time", then why does the Super Bowl start at 6:20pm ET?
3. Players who hang over the plate and don't try to move away from pitches won't be awarded first base for being hit.
This can't be all-encompassing and I know that.
It's already a rule, and I know that, too.
But I'm tired of guys leaning into pitches because they're protected by huge chunks of body armor, or because they can twist their body so they're hit in a spot where it doesn't hurt much.
The rule is that you have to try to get out of the way, not that you have to move your body so you don't get hit in the hand or the forearm or the groinal region.
Pitchers have to be allowed to pitch inside without running the risk of a wayward curveball hitting someone in their elbow armor.
The NHL is living proof that you can indeed call the rulebook the way it is written without damaging the game.
4. Force teams with retractable roofs to have the roof open whenever there is no rain and temps are in the 60s or higher.
This is a real problem at Miller Park in Milwaukee, where the roof is closed on nice days all the time.
Obviously, if it's too hot, you close the roof. But the standard needs to be uniform.
Baseball is an outdoor sport. Don't abuse the technology.
5. Suspensions take effect immediately, with no appeal hearing taking place more than 36 hours after the indicent that led to the suspension.
Verducci posted this idea. I love it.
Baseball's system has always been dumb. A player gets suspended, and he basically gets to pick and choose when he serves the suspension. If a Yankee gets suspended, he can appeal long enough to play in that big series against the Red Sox, then when the Devil Rays come to town, he drops his appeal.
Players should be suspended immediately, and appeal hearings should be held within no more than 36 hours via teleconference.
6. Each team must set aside one "box seat" section once per home series, and sell all seats in that section for $20 or less, and they also must reserve a minimum of one luxury box per game to be given to a charitable organization.
I'm not in favor of mandating charity, but I think it would be a good step for baseball to improve their public relations as they continue to struggle through what is hopefully the tail end of the steroid era.
Not only that, but "Joe Fan" would be able to enjoy the "fat cat" seats every now and then. Doing it just once per home series would mean that owners wouldn't be killing their bottom line.
7. Make a promotional deal out of the "retro uniform" specials that most teams are doing, by setting aside one week per season as "Retro Week".
In Retro Week, every team would wear retro uniforms for a week's worth of games. Teams at home would charge "retro" prices for tickets, souvenirs, and food. Teams can use the "old school" look whenever they want, but every team wears old uniform designs for this entire week.
8. Put in a directive that replay will not be used in baseball.
Ever.
It's not hockey, and it's not football.
Bad calls will happen, but there aren't really any plays in baseball where the umpire can't possibly get the call right without the use of replay.
(If you watch replays of close calls at first base, it's incredible how many of them are called correctly. It's very rare that a first-base ump blows one of those calls.)
And no form of replay is going to realistically do anything about floating strike zones, which loom as the only serious problem with baseball umpires.
Well, except for...
9. Umpires will be subject to public discipline for overly confrontational actions toward managers or players.
Yes, it's sometimes funny when managers and umpires are face to face and jawing back and forth.
It's also getting old.
Umpires should walk away from such arguments. They've made their final decision. Eject the manager, coach, or player involved and get away from the confrontation. Too often these days we see umpires either instigating or at least not stopping these intense arguments.
Furthermore, anyone involved in a prolonged argument with an umpire should be subject to harsher penalties than just an ejection or a fine. The NBA suspends those who don't leave the court in a "timely manner" after being ejected. Baseball should do the same.
SI did a cool bit on its website, inviting their various national writers to take over the sport they cover as "Commissioner for a Day". It's such a cool concept (especially during the usually boring sports month that is July) that I figured I would steal it and post some thoughts on the various sports.
I'm going to start with Major League Baseball, simply because it was the first SI piece that I read (Tom Verducci had the honors), and because the All-Star Game is Tuesday night.
I invite all of you to post your thoughts on what you would do if you ran Major League Baseball for a day. Either post a comment or send me an e-mail.
1. The All-Star game would start at 8pm ET.
Any pregame filler has to start during the 7pm ET hour, because the first pitch of the All-Star Game is being thrown no later than 8pm ET.
"But Mr. Commissioner Ciskie, the network wants the ceremonies to air in 'prime time', and they're paying us a lot of money for broadcast rights."
I don't care. Much of the problem with the All-Star Game lately is the fact that MLB has coddled FOX way too much. They've taken a great exhibition game that could stand alone and turned it into a made-for-television event. It's not rocket science. You need to market this game to the kids before you lose them all to football and soccer, and you're not marketing the game to kids when the "Midsummer Classic" regularly doesn't end until midnight ET. It doesn't matter that there isn't school the next morning. The eight-year-olds aren't staying up that late unless they're staying with the grandparents, and then they're not watching baseball.
Along the "stop coddling to the TV networks" lines...
2. At least two games in each Division Series, League Championship Series, and World Series must be scheduled in the afternoon.
The Division Series are in good shape as far as this goes, though the Yankees rarely play afternoon playoff games because OMG THEY HAVE TO BE ON IN PRIME-TIME!!!.
The LCS used to be in good shape, until FOX decided that regional coverage was better for ratings than a doubleheader.
And I can't remember the last time a World Series game was played in the afternoon.
Again, who are you marketing yourself to if you're Major League Baseball, families or the TV network?
If the defense is "ratings are better in prime-time", then why does the Super Bowl start at 6:20pm ET?
3. Players who hang over the plate and don't try to move away from pitches won't be awarded first base for being hit.
This can't be all-encompassing and I know that.
It's already a rule, and I know that, too.
But I'm tired of guys leaning into pitches because they're protected by huge chunks of body armor, or because they can twist their body so they're hit in a spot where it doesn't hurt much.
The rule is that you have to try to get out of the way, not that you have to move your body so you don't get hit in the hand or the forearm or the groinal region.
Pitchers have to be allowed to pitch inside without running the risk of a wayward curveball hitting someone in their elbow armor.
The NHL is living proof that you can indeed call the rulebook the way it is written without damaging the game.
4. Force teams with retractable roofs to have the roof open whenever there is no rain and temps are in the 60s or higher.
This is a real problem at Miller Park in Milwaukee, where the roof is closed on nice days all the time.
Obviously, if it's too hot, you close the roof. But the standard needs to be uniform.
Baseball is an outdoor sport. Don't abuse the technology.
5. Suspensions take effect immediately, with no appeal hearing taking place more than 36 hours after the indicent that led to the suspension.
Verducci posted this idea. I love it.
Baseball's system has always been dumb. A player gets suspended, and he basically gets to pick and choose when he serves the suspension. If a Yankee gets suspended, he can appeal long enough to play in that big series against the Red Sox, then when the Devil Rays come to town, he drops his appeal.
Players should be suspended immediately, and appeal hearings should be held within no more than 36 hours via teleconference.
6. Each team must set aside one "box seat" section once per home series, and sell all seats in that section for $20 or less, and they also must reserve a minimum of one luxury box per game to be given to a charitable organization.
I'm not in favor of mandating charity, but I think it would be a good step for baseball to improve their public relations as they continue to struggle through what is hopefully the tail end of the steroid era.
Not only that, but "Joe Fan" would be able to enjoy the "fat cat" seats every now and then. Doing it just once per home series would mean that owners wouldn't be killing their bottom line.
7. Make a promotional deal out of the "retro uniform" specials that most teams are doing, by setting aside one week per season as "Retro Week".
In Retro Week, every team would wear retro uniforms for a week's worth of games. Teams at home would charge "retro" prices for tickets, souvenirs, and food. Teams can use the "old school" look whenever they want, but every team wears old uniform designs for this entire week.
8. Put in a directive that replay will not be used in baseball.
Ever.
It's not hockey, and it's not football.
Bad calls will happen, but there aren't really any plays in baseball where the umpire can't possibly get the call right without the use of replay.
(If you watch replays of close calls at first base, it's incredible how many of them are called correctly. It's very rare that a first-base ump blows one of those calls.)
And no form of replay is going to realistically do anything about floating strike zones, which loom as the only serious problem with baseball umpires.
Well, except for...
9. Umpires will be subject to public discipline for overly confrontational actions toward managers or players.
Yes, it's sometimes funny when managers and umpires are face to face and jawing back and forth.
It's also getting old.
Umpires should walk away from such arguments. They've made their final decision. Eject the manager, coach, or player involved and get away from the confrontation. Too often these days we see umpires either instigating or at least not stopping these intense arguments.
Furthermore, anyone involved in a prolonged argument with an umpire should be subject to harsher penalties than just an ejection or a fine. The NBA suspends those who don't leave the court in a "timely manner" after being ejected. Baseball should do the same.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)