Football Feud Gets Hot and Heavy

Whether or not you're a Houston Nutt supporter has little to do with how you should view Friday's "exchange" (for lack of a better phrase) between the Arkansas football coach and Democrat-Gazette sports editor Wally Hall. What should matter is good journalism, not unfounded opinions being spewed forth as fact simply to whip the natives into a frenzy.

In Friday's newspaper, Wally wrote an article in which he listed a number of grievances that he believes Razorback fans still have with Houston Nutt. The article was entitled "Media Not Responsible for Razorbacks' Mess." It should've been titled "Dear Houston." As I re-read the column right now, I believe the same things I did upon first review on Friday: the tone is accusatory, the point is misguided, and the facts are sketchy at best.

To begin with, never once have I heard or read about Houston Nutt blaming the media for this year's football recruiting class. If anything, Houston has taken the stance that this year's class satisfied all the needs his team had going into the off-season. Of course, that's what Houston has to say, or risk being labeled as an excuse artist. But that's just my point: Houston has not played the excuse card whatsoever, so claiming that he's blamed the media for his "difficulties" is not only inaccurate, it's libelous.

Wally's piece starts with that fallacy and degenerates from there. He goes on to claim that he has inside knowledge that since-transferred wideout Damian Williams played the last four games of the year against his own wishes with a separated shoulder. Now I'm the farthest thing from a medical doctor, but I can tell you this much based on my own separated shoulder experience in high school basketball: it is not possible to lift your arm above your waist, let alone catch passes in a football game. Williams would not have been on the field unless he said he was okay enough to play and had received clearance from the Arkansas training staff. To blame Houston for Williams being in the lineup is completely ridiculous.

I won't make this into a point-by-point rebuttal to Hall's article, it wouldn't be worth the time. Besides the fact that I think Wally is generally a pretty engaging writer. But needless to say, there are other quantum leaps in logic that Wally makes, including blaming Nutt for Casey Dick's back injury, alluding to an unnamed player who was forced to drive himself home from the hospital after a severe injury, and referencing low national recruiting rankings, all of which must apparently be Houston's fault alone.

Let me boil it down like this: I'm not a huge Houston Nutt supporter. But I do think the guy is a strong motivator who has shown resilience in weathering several previous pushes for his ouster. And let's not forget that he just won ten games---seven of them in the elite SEC---and certainly deserves kudos for that. On the flip side, there's no question his in-game tactics and decision-making leave a lot to be desired, and clearly he's the kind of person who will say one thing to your face, and then do the opposite, as he did with Gus Malzahn, Mitch Mustain and Damian Williams, among countless others.

Yet there's no way you can do anything other than laud Arkansas' football coach for answering the bell on Friday morning. After reading Wally Hall's morning "attack" in the newspaper, Houston called into a sports talk radio program in Little Rock that Wally co-hosts, and essentially called him out, point by point, for what he said were numerous "inaccuracies." Some will say, as an SEC football coach, Houston should have better things to do than to call into a talk show, but he's not the first big name to do that and he certainly won't be the last. Still, the big point made to me was that Houston stood up for himself and called the writer out, while Wally hushed up and cowered in a corner.

The audio is on the Internet; you can find it if you look for it. Once you hear it, tell me once, in the whole eleven minute clip, where you hear Wally Hall's voice? Tell me once where Wally defended what he wrote and offered factual statements to back it up . . . Can't do it? That's because Hall didn't do it. Instead he clammed up until Houston was done ripping him to shreds and then offered a feeble "I stand by my article."

Having worked in both print and broadcasting, I can tell you this much: it's one thing to be a newspaper writer and let your printed words speak for themselves as the end of the story on a given day. But once you venture into talk radio, once you put on the additional moniker of radio host, then you open yourself up to immediate response and interaction from whoever might be out there listening. And if you get a reaction from your chosen target, you better be ready to step up to the microphone and stand up for your statements. Otherwise, you come across---to me, at least---as scared and shaken, and it makes your initial article look like bloated, unfounded opinion posing as fact.

Say what you want about Houston Nutt, in my book, he won this round by knockout.


-JAB

Five Reasons Why Indianapolis Will Win Super Bowl XLI

1) Forget the 34 points New England scored in the AFC Championship---14 of those tied directly to turnovers. The Colts' defense has been playing on an extremely high level for the last month. Allowing just 32 yards rushing and eight points total to Larry Johnson and the Chiefs was a tremendous achievement in the first round; shutting down Jamaal Lewis and holding the Ravens to a mere six points was even more impressive in the second. With Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis creating constant pressure on the edges, Anthony McFarland plugging up the middle, and Cato June and Bob Sanders cutting off pretty much everything else, there's no doubt that Indy's defense is peaking at the right time of year. This unit is a long way from the near 400 yards it allowed against Jacksonville late in the season. Rex Grossman should be more than a little concerned.

2) There's no one defender on the Bears who can cover Marvin Harrison. Don't say Nathan Vasher. I just don't see it, not over a full four quarters. And if I'm going to buy into the Devil's Advocate stuff and say that Vasher can cover Harrison, well then who in the world is going to cover Reggie Wayne? Charles Tillman? Give me a break. The Colts' wealth at the wideout slots is scary impressive; when you mix in Dallas Clark over the middle and Joseph Addai out of the backfield, it's no surprise that Peyton Manning is difficult to read: he's got so many superb options. Chicago is a strong defensive team that defends the deep ball well, but can they shut Indy down over the middle throughout the course of Sunday's game? Doubt it.

3) It's Peyton's time to shine. You knew I'd go there eventually, didn't you? Manning threw a whole bunch of heavy weights off his back in getting through the AFC playoffs this year. And there was no better exorcism of past playoff demons for Peyton than to have to rally three times in the second half to beat his nemesis in the New England Patriots. But Peyton got it done---finally---and now he can do the one thing that he's always done best: go out and play. Manning has waited and longed for this opportunity throughout his career; now he finally has it. To think that Peyton can win this game by himself is ludicrous. Football is arguably more of a team sport than any other, and clearly Manning needs strong games from those surrounding him. But given enough time in the pocket, he will be sharp on Sunday night. Big players play big in big games. And given his performance all year long, Peyton is undoubtedly a big player now. Look for Manning to sail into the glorious sunset of a Super Bowl victory with the MVP trophy wrapped up in his arms.

4) Adam Vinatieri wins playoff games, period. In his postseason career, he has never missed a kick, be it a field goal attempt or an extra point. That cannot be overstated. Vinatieri was the key free agent signing for the Colts in this past offseason, and he probably was the biggest free agent pickup in all the NFL. Imagine where Indianapolis would be right now if Mike Vanderjagt was still their placekicker . . . probably on a golf course somewhere and not in the Super Bowl, I can tell you that much. Vinatieri is already a legend, and he will further cement his legacy by hitting a couple of big ones in XLI. Chicago has a great young kicker of its own in Robbie Gould, but he's never been in this big a spot before. Can he handle the pressure of the game and a head-to-head with Adam Vinatieri? Something makes me think not.

5) Tony Dungy will have his team ready to go. Dungy is a man of tremendous integrity and faith. Listen to any of his players, assistants, employers, former co-workers, friends or opponents talk about the guy and what you hear is the repetition of some key words: honesty, loyalty, dedication, resilience. Dungy is a coach who has taken plenty of heat---along with Peyton---for the Colts' previous failed Super Bowl runs. Various reasons abound for what wrong with those teams, but clearly Dungy was one of the main things Indianapolis had right. That's why Bill Polian and the Colts' front office have kept him around, because he keeps finding ways to win and get back to the postseason. Last year's tragedy of Dungy's son James is well-documented by now, and there's really no reason to rehash it here, but the fact of the matter is that Tony's faith---in God, in himself, in his career---never wavered through any of it. To see him opposite Chicago head man Lovie Smith (a fantastic coach in his own right) on Sunday will be a thing of societal beauty: it's the first time an African-American head coach has ever been to the NFL's big game, let alone two of them at the same time. But it's also a story of individual determination as well, because Dungy never let go the reins of a ship he's chartered through plenty of rocky waters before.


Super Bowl XLI Prediction:

Indianapolis 34 - Chicago 17

Peyton, Dungy and the Colts finally get it done.


-JAB

Razorback Basketball Utterly Inconsistent

Razorback basketball is a frustrating thing for its fans to watch right now. Losers of four out of five games, with a 13-7 record overall and a 2-4 mark in the SEC, a strong start to the season has faded into a distant memory. Game to game, play to play, there just isn't a lot of consistency for this team anywhere on the floor right now. Point guard Gary Ervin is clearly struggling to readjust to SEC play after a year off following his transfer from Mississippi State. Sandwiched around a couple of strong performances, Ervin has been erratic at best this season, making far too many careless turnovers, particularly in key late game spots. His play in the backcourt has almost overshadowed the strong freshman season shooting guard Patrick Beverley is turning in. A freshman from Chicago, Beverley looks like the real deal: a natural shooter who rebounds and passes well, plays strong man-to-man defense and displays boundless hustle.

Yet the dearth of depth at the guard slots has been a major thorn in the Hogs' collective sides. When Beverley is not making jumpshots, there just aren't many other options for Coach Stan Heath on the perimeter. Vincent Hunter plays smaller than his 6'10 frame and is far more comfortable staying away from the physical fray. Preston Cranford and Sean McCurdy are clearly not SEC-caliber players, while freshman Stefan Welsh hasn't shown nearly enough consistency to count on. Which leaves Arkansas' eggs at the guard spots almost exclusively in the baskets of Irvin and Beverley.

Given that note of struggling guard play, the frontcourt would be the logical next area turn to. But inconsistent performances have plagued Arkansas' big men as well. Junior forward Charles Thomas is a strong rebounder and defender, but his jumpshot still leaves much to be desired, and given his lack of range, he does not pull defenders away from the basket. Centers Steven Hill and Darian Townes remain enigmas as well. Hill---a junior and already the best shot-blocker in the SEC---does not possess any moves or shooting touch outside of point-blank range. If you don't get him the basketball in essentially perfect position, he's not going to score for you. Townes, on the other hand, has the offensive touch, but he's been astonishingly sub-par with his lack of defense in the post.

Which brings us to Sonny Weems. The University of Arkansas-Fort Smith transfer ranks right up there for the most athletic player in the league, but he's finding his own world of struggles in adjusting to the faster pace of the Division I level. How long until Weems reaches his comfort zone remains to be seen, but right now, he's been as up-and-down as anyone on the team. And it's all causing Coach Stan Heath a tremendous headache.

The fact of the matter is that Stan Heath is a likeable guy. He's nice, he's well-spoken and he's surprisingly low-key. But that stuff doesn't necessarily mean he's a great coach, let alone the right guy to steward the Arkansas basketball program going forward. Like it or not, five years into his tenure as the Razorbacks' coach, it's time to take full stock of where Stan Heath is at right now with this program. The first couple of years were not enough to judge him on alone, largely because of the damage Nolan Richardson had inflicted in his final years at the school. But right now, with Heath's own recruits on the floor, with a team that plays tremendous defense but still finds ways to get lowly losses to Ole Miss and South Carolina, you have to wonder when things are going to turn around. And if it doesn't start to happen soon---a critical stretch this week sees UA at Alabama and then home for Kentucky and Auburn---you have to wonder if it's ever going to happen at all.


-JAB

NFL's Final Four a Fascinating Mix

AFC Title Game a Familiar Matchup


Back in August, before the season started, I figured this had to be the year of Peyton Manning---or else. Or else his team may have begun to fully lose confidence in his ability to perform in the clutch. Or else his massive fan base could would have been forced to work the words "choke" and "artist" into a cheer. Or else, more importantly, Peyton Manning himself would likely have started to believe in his own cursed postseason fate.

Fortunately for Peyton and the Colts, it looks like the "or else" clause will never become part of the equation.

With a grind-it-out, defensively-sturdy performance, Indianapolis is back in the AFC Championship game, thanks to a 15-6 road victory against Brian Billick's Baltimore Ravens on Saturday, in a game that featured a grand total of zero touchdowns. (Kicker Adam Vinatieri continues to shine through as the best free agent signing of the past off-season.) The reward: a rematch with the New England Patriots, the team that has long stood in Mr. Manning's Super Bowl way.

Surely, it will be must-watch TV when the Colts and Pats get together for a 6:30 (EST) AFC title tilt early Sunday evening. Indianapolis has finally employed the tactics head coach (and long ago defensive whiz) Tony Dungy has wanted to use for years: stingy run defense, lockdown pass coverage and an offense that eats the clock and does just enough to win. Indeed, the Indy defense has put it all together in a hurry here in the postseason, giving up just eight points to the Chiefs and six points to the Ravens. It's all the more amazing when you think about the fact that the Colts gave up almost four hundred rushing yards late in the regular season to the Jaguars, a team that didn't even qualify for January. But here they are, playing strong up front and generating pressure on opposing lines behind Dwight Freeney, Robert Mathis and Anthony McFarland. With linebackers Cato June and Rob Morris tackling well and secondary playmakers Bob Sanders and Nick Harper making plays again, Indianapolis no longer has to rely on Peyton's shoulders to carry them through. In fact, you can make the argument that Indianapolis has been winning in spite of Peyton, with Archie's son throwing five interceptions through just two playoff games this year.

But I'll elect not to go there, not after acknowledging the fact that Peyton had to hoist the load for all those other Colts' playoff appearances in the past decade. And let's not forget that Manning was the one responsible for several key run audibles on clock-eating, point-gaining drives at the end of the first and second halves that ultimately led to Indy's winning of the game on Saturday.

No, this is a time for Peyton's supporters to be out and in full effect. New England presents a tremendous challenge for Manning's crew on Sunday. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are now a combined 12-1 in their postseason careers together at New England, truly an astounding mark given the current landscape of parity in the NFL. With Jabar Gaffney's emergence as a go-to receiver, rookie RB Laurence Maroney's success on the ground, and a defense that continues to make the important plays when they have to be made, New England will be no pushover at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis.

Sure, the Pats lost to the Colts earlier this year, 27-20 in a game played at Foxboro. And yes, Manning far outplayed Brady on that day, throwing for 325 yards against his counterpart's four interceptions. But the playoffs are a whole different world entirely, and you can throw everything out but the kitchen sink when trying to analyze this Sunday's game.

Watching New England's 24-21 win over San Diego was like sitting down for a movie you've already seen a dozen times before. Even with all the odds tilted in his favor, Chargers' coach Marty Schottenheimer still couldn't get through to a Super Bowl, falling to 5-13 all-time in the extra season. Time and again during the game it looked like San Diego was going to close it out, especially after a late Brady interception with the Chargers up by eight, but Belichick's Patriots kept jabbing away, and finally turned the tide on a Stephen Gostkowski field goal with a little over a minute left. No Vinatieri this time around for New England, and apparently no need.

Yup, both Indianapolis and New England earned their ways here. And both have their believers thinking February already.

On the line for the teams on Sunday: a trip to Super Bowl XLI in Miami.

On the line for Peyton: a chance to once and for all exorcise those Patriot (and AFC) playoff demons.


NFC's Championship a Terrific Twosome


Maybe all those "Donovan must go!" chants will finally subside in the City of (supposed) Brotherly Love.

Another supreme coaching job by the continually underrated Andy Reid wasn't enough to lift Philadelphia past New Orleans on Saturday, as the Saints' rags-to-riches story rolled on with a 27-24 victory. It is New Orleans who will travel to top seed Chicago for Sunday's 3:00 (EST) NFC championship game.

Eagles' QB Jeff Garcia was ordinary at best during his 15 for 30 passing performance against the Saints, and his output probably brought an end to all of the ridiculously unappreciative anti-McNabb talk that was bubbling from the red-hot cauldron of Philly sports talk during the past two months. RB Brian Westbrook's 116 yards on the ground were impressive, but his inability to take it in with a second-and-short setup inside the Saints' five yard line early in the fourth quarter was the game-changing series New Orleans' defense desperately needed.

Ultimately, New Orleans relied on its big name weapons to move the football when the game was hanging in the balance, and wow, did they come through: Drew Brees was an efficient 20 for 32 passing the football, Reggie Bush flashed some of his all-world moves in a series of spectacular runs, while Deuce McAlister had 143 yards on the ground in his best performance of the year.

Afterwards, Saints' coach Sean Payton spoke of his team's peformance in glowing terms, once again highlighting the motivation his squad derived from the post-Katrina plight of their home city of New Orleans. For a team that had won just three games a year earlier, it truly was the most remarkable single season turnaround of any team in NFL history.

And the prize for the Saints is a clash with the Bears in the Windy City. Chicago sure did look dead-in-the-sights for Seattle during large portions of the second half of their divisional playoff game yesterday. But the fact of the matter is, Lovie Smith's team did not fold when it very well could have against Mike Holmgren's pesky Seahawks. It certainly took all of Rex Grossman's and Thomas Jones' respective arsenals to squeak the Bears past NFC defending-champion Seattle, but the fact of the matter is the Bears' defense rallied itself to make important stops in all the crucial late game places.

How New Orleans handles a hostile road environment early on in this coming Sunday afternoon's game will go a long way towards determining who represents the NFC in this year's Super Bowl. If Drew Brees outplays Rex Grossman, it's likely the Saints' Cinderella story will continue. But it definitely won't continue in the cheesesteak capital of the world.

The Eagles---the hottest team in football over the past six weeks---were knocked out for the second time this season by a New Orleans' team that didn't even have a home stadium last year.

As Andy Reid can attest, coaching wits only go so far against superior talent.


AFC Championship Pick: Indianapolis 20 - New England 17

NFC Championship Pick: New Orleans 24 - Chicago 20


-JAB

The Top Ten Sports Stories of 2006

by Josh Bertaccini

1) December. With an NFL single season record of 31 touchdowns (and counting, with two games left), San Diego Chargers’ RB LaDainian Tomlinson has had a phenomenal individual season. But it is his selfless personality and speak-with-action leadership that have really lifted the Chargers to a 12-2 record and legitimate shot at the Super Bowl. Watching LT week-to-week is like watching a caged cheetah: you just know he’s going to break free eventually, and when it happens, you’ll never be able to catch him. Tomlinson has been very public with his respect for the many great running backs that came before him; it is clear now that he has emerged as one of the great running backs of all-time himself. LT is the sports story and personality of the year.

2) January. In a legendary performance in one of the greatest college football games ever played, Texas QB Vince Young rushes for 200 yards and throws for 267, leading his underdog Texas Longhorns to a come-from-behind 41-38 win over USC in the Rose Bowl for the National Championship. Young scrambles for the game-winning 12 yard touchdown on 4th down with under twenty seconds left. Texas finishes the year at 13-0, preventing USC from a repeat championship. The game is all the more remarkable for the amount of NFL talent on hand, with the likes of Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart and Michael Huff among the many big names who would shortly thereafter become first round NFL picks.

3) February. It was made for Hollywood, except it was real. Rochester, NY, high school senior Jason McElwain gets in a varsity game and goes bananas, hitting six straight three-pointers en route to a total of 20 points in three minutes. McElwain suffers from autism, and was the team’s manager for several years. His coach, Jim Johnson, added him to the roster before the team’s final home game so he could be given a jersey and sit on the bench with his team. Little did Johnson know McElwain would become a national sensation with his performance. Sometimes sports really do get through to the heart better than anything else. The movie is already in the works.

4) October. The Saint Louis Cardinals win their 10th World Series title, and first since 1982. With 83 wins, the lowest ever total for a postseason team, the Cardinals hold on to the NL Central division title in the last weekend of the season, then get red-hot in the playoffs. Cards’ skipper Tony LaRussa revamps his bullpen on the fly to impressive results, with dominating performances by his relievers throughout the post-season, and Saint Louis rolls through the Padres in the first round, the Mets in an epic seven game NLCS, and finally the Tigers in a five game World Series romp. David Eckstein is named World Series MVP.

5) February. The Pittsburgh Steelers become the only sixth-seeded wild card team ever to win the Super Bowl, defeating the Seattle Seahawks, 21-10 in Super Bowl XL. At 23 years of age, Ben Roethlisberger becomes the youngest signal-caller ever to win a Super Bowl Trophy, while wide receiver Hines Ward wins the game MVP award, with a five catch, one touchdown, 123 yard performance. It is the Steelers’ first Super Bowl title since 1980, fifth all-time, and first under head coach Bill Cowher. It will prove to be one of the easier moments for Roethlisberger in what will become a physically difficult year for him personally.

6) July. Floyd Landis “cheats” to win the Tour De France. The doping problem in the world of sport continues to plague competition, fans and the athletes themselves. In cycling, the target of media scrutiny had been American Lance Armstrong for the better part of the last half-decade. But Lance retired last year after his seventh consecutive Tour De France victory. This opened the door for someone else to grab the crown, and American Floyd Landis was the man to do it. The 30-year-old Landis came from nowhere to win the most famous title in his sport, only to see it all called into question less than two weeks after the race, when two of his urine tests came up positive for high amounts of testosterone, a cycling no-no. Landis maintained his innocence, and still awaits an arbitration hearing to determine the fate of his crown, but public opinion is surely not on his side.

7) December. Tiger is named PGA Tour Player of the Year after dominating the golf world in limited action; in the ’06 season, he won multiple majors in the same year for the fourth time and ended up with more tournament wins than anyone else. Still, the story of the year for the greatest golfer on Earth was one of grief and mourning. Tiger disappeared from the public golf scene for more than two months after his father Earl’s death on May 3rd. When he returned, Woods was better than ever, dominating the field for victories in all six of his final PGA events of the year. Tigers’ career major victory total is now at eleven; Jack Nicklaus’ career record mark is 18.

8) March. George Mason’s improbable Final Four run. Although Florida claimed its first national championship, the majority of college basketball fans will remember 2006 for George Mason’s improbable trip to the Final Four. The Patriots upset two of the previous year’s Final Four teams---including an exciting back-and-forth overtime win versus UConn---to become the first mid-major to make the national semifinals since Indiana State and Pennsylvania both did it in 1979. Led by seniors Tony Skinn, Lamar Butler and Jai Lewis, George Mason showed what true team chemistry could allow a team to achieve in the greatest-ever NCAA Cinderella run.

9) June. The Miami Heat win the NBA title. What do you get when you put together an all-time great coach, a Hall of Fame center, a veteran supporting cast and an emerging superstar who can drive to the basket better than anyone on the planet? The answer: an NBA Championship. Overcoming a two games to none hole at the start of the series, the Miami Heat win their first-ever franchise title with a six game Finals triumph over the Dallas Mavericks. Pat Riley and Shaquille O’Neal were the big names on the Miami team, but Dwyane Wade was the story. With a freakish package of speed, agility and fearlessness, Wade immediately put himself on the short list of best players on the planet.

10) May. Barbaro shatters his front right leg at the Preakness. Equestrian athletes are some of the most extraordinary physical specimens in all of sport; unfortunately, the same gifts that make them so breathtaking also make them highly fragile. Few people, however, expected to witness the scene that transpired at Baltimore’s famed Pimlico racetrack in this year’s Preakness Stakes. Kentucky Derby champion Barbaro was a heavy favorite to win the race and perhaps the Triple Crown as well. But something was clearly awry when Barbaro bounded from his gate too early. After a restart, Barbaro pulled up lame early in the race itself, with a broken front leg. Most horses with such injuries never recover, and usually they are put to sleep. But Barbaro’s owners couldn’t accept those facts, and put the horse through an extensive surgery and subsequent rehabilitation. The lengthy recovery continues, but as of now, Barbaro is alive, improving and continuing to overcome the odds.


HONORABLE MENTION:

-2006 Winter Olympics in Turin
-Carolina Hurricanes
-Florida Gators win first-ever NCAA men’s hoops title
-TO’s ongoing soap opera
-Endy Chavez catch
-Maurice Clarett sentenced to jail
-Italy defeats France for the World Cup crown
-Roger Federer dominates the men’s tennis world
-Andre Agassi retires
-Dicekay Matsuzaka
-Knicks/Nuggets' brawl

-Allen Iverson traded
-Lamar Hunt’s passing

Razorbacks Finish Special Football Season

Two heartbreaking losses to close out the year have a lot of Razorback fans feeling a bit glum these days. That's bound to happen when your team goes toe-to-toe with two of the best teams in the country (LSU and Florida) and comes up on the short end both times. I can hear the diehards bemoaning their team's predicament even now: "We were just a couple of plays away! If it weren't for the special teams mistakes, we'd be in the national title game! If only we could have passed the ball a little better!"

All the crying does is make you feel a little bit better about how it all went down. But it does nothing to change the three losses that 10-3 Arkansas will carry into its Capitol One Bowl matchup with Wisconsin. That game---slated for Orlando, Florida, at 1 o'clock on New Year's Day--- is a tough consolation prize for a fanbase that had visions of Arizona and New Orleans just weeks ago. Still, a "prize" it is for a team that barely missed its first-ever BCS appearance this year. In effect, Arkansas ended up with a pretty good deal out of it: the best non-BCS game there is and a very formidable opponent. One can make the argument that Wisconsin is a better team than Notre Dame, the school Arkansas would have been paired with had it made it to the Sugar Bowl in the Big Easy.

It's important for Arkansas fans to remember as well what this season was ultimately about. Sure, the fanciful talk of a national title appearance seemed great at the time, but there's a very slim margin of error in that regard for a team that wasn't even in the Top 25 polls at the start of the season. No, this year wasn't about that. Not yet, at least. This season the Arkansas Razorbacks went out and earned their way back into national relevancy. For the first time in a long time the Razorbacks were as good as any team in the country, and the national media respected them as such. The Hawgs were televised no less than eight times this year, which is a huge measuring stick for a program that was an afterthought for many college football pundits over the past five years. And Arkansas not only bashed heads with the best in the country this year, the Razorbacks beat a bunch of them too. You throw in Darren McFadden's amazing season (which will see him as a runner-up finalist to Troy Smith this weekend) and it's hard not to see Arkansas being back on a similar stage next year, with Darren McFadden as the early season Heisman favorite.

This was a truly great season for Arkansas football. The pills of defeat against LSU and Florida are tough ones to swallow, for sure, but they are better digestible when your brain wraps itself around the bright future that Razorback pigskin has in front of it.


-JAB

BCS Picture Hazy as Season Wraps

It will be nothing short of fascinating to watch watch the BCS picture fully unfold over the next two weeks. Does Michigan---with its season already finished---somehow stay at #2 in the rankings and make it to an Ohio State rematch and all-Big Ten national title game? Does USC win its last two games over Notre Dame and UCLA to grab a spot in its third straight championship game? Or does the SEC Champion---be it Arkansas or Florida---get a needed stumble from the Trojans and close out with enough momentum to slip into the second spot for Glendale? Can Notre Dame upset USC and ride historic sentiment all the way up the BCS ladder? So much left to be decided in a short amount of time, it's no wonder so many heads are spinning . . .

This much I already know for sure: Ohio State and Michigan should not rematch for the national championship. Plain and simple. The Wolverines had their shot at the Buckeyes and came up short. Say what you want about the final score being just a three point spread---anyone who actually watched the game knows the outcome was never in doubt. Ohio State controlled the flow of the contest pretty much from halfway through the first quarter on, allowing a meaningless touchdown to Michigan with a little over a minute left. To give the Maize and Blue another shot at the Buckeyes would be a supreme disservice to every other one-loss BCS contender in the country. Big Ten football is good, for sure, but it's in no way the best conference in the nation, let alone being that much better than every other league.

If life isn't fair (and we all learn early that it's most definitely not), then college football's BCS system is downright unjust. Surely, it's better than the way it was before 1998, when not having a ranking system that guaranteed a #1 vs. #2 matchup made the end of the season an absolute joke very year. But the joke is only slightly less funny now. The future of college football is bright, but to really take it to the next level of the American sports consciousness, an end of the year playoff system is required.

The way I see it, the BCS ranking system can still be used to help decide who makes it into the tournament. Whether it's four teams or eight (and I prefer eight), adding an extra game or two at the end of the year is in no way a major detriment to the student-athletes participating in the games. They're in winter break at Bowl Season every year anyway! The "missing class" argument went out the window a long time ago. And if the added time and effort for an extra game is such a big deal, then why not limit regular season slates to no more than 11 games? Some may urge caution before proceeding, and argue that the lesser bowls still have their place; I absolutely agree with that point as well. We all know the bowl system has survived as long as it has because of all the money in play. So I think you keep those money bowls for teams that don't qualify for the bigger payday BCS playoffs at the end.

Try looking at it like this: if an eight team playoff system were in place right now, Michigan's national title hopes would be not finished. Based on their strong overall season, the Wolverines would be no less than the #4 seed in an eight team tournament for the title. But as it currently stands in this deeply cruel world of NCAA Division I football, Michigan is got beaten by a better team in Columbus and is now headed to Pasadena for an at-large BCS date in the Rose Bowl.

As for now, the debate continues over who will play Ohio State in Glendale, Arizona, on January 8th, but clearly the conversation has been diverted from the more important issue of why college football still doesn't have a playoff system in place.

You know, the more I think about it, a playoff system will probably never happen. It just makes too much sense.

-JAB

Gameday in Fayetteville Another Sign Hogs are Back

I'm not big into hype. I realize I work in the media, folks, but that doesn't mean I buy into the constant publicity that frequently fills the content of our television and radio talk shows in this country. Not to get all Shakespearean on you this morning, but more often than not, sports hype is much ado about nothing. However, sometimes there is a reason for hype---to a certain extent, at least---and with ESPN's College Gameday program, it's always "all about" the school that is hosting the show for that particular week.

Unquestionably, College Gameday has emerged as the preeminent college football on television. Every Saturday morning during the football season, Chris Fowler (as good as any studio host working today) and analysts Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit hold court on the big college football stories and games of the day on location at a designated "school of the week." Frequently the chosen campus is home to a powerhouse amongst college football's giants, be it USC, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Texas, Florida, etc. But every once in a while, a darkhorse school emerges from the misty fog of the "lower" reaches of college football to host the program, and this week, for the first time ever, it's the University of Arkansas.

Bolstered mightily by all-world sophomore running back Darren McFadden, the Razorbacks are 8-1 overall, and an unblemished 5-0 in the SEC, hands-down college football's toughest conference. Arkansas is on an eight game winning streak since a season-opening loss to USC, this despite starting true freshman Mitch Mustain at quarterback for most of the season. However, that will change on Saturday against Tennessee when sophomore Casey Dick makes his first start of the year under center for Arkansas. Dick came off the bench for a struggling Mustain early on against South Carolina last weekend to lift his team to victory. The stat line was good for Dick---11 of 19 completions, 228 yards, 1 TD---with the end result (a road win in Columbia, SC) being even better. So it will be Dick again at Razorback Stadium on Saturday.

Arkansas has been clamoring for national respect all season long. Now the Hogs finally get some. Even though it's just a television show, ESPN hosting College Gameday at your school is a pretty big acknowledgement of the season you're having given the current landscape of college football. It's fun for the fans, it's great for recruiting and it adds just a little more fuel to Arkansas' fire in the great big hype machine that is today's sports media.

Given Tennessee's injuries problems at quarterback with Erik Ainge and running back with LaMarcus Coker, this is a game Arkansas should win. I realize the Hogs are 2-12 all-time against Tennessee, but this is the first time ever when Arkansas is actually the favorite going into the contest. And for good reason: Arkansas is the best team in the SEC right now. With a great offensive line, two tremendous tailbacks in McFadden and Felix Jones, an elite wide receiver in Marcus Monk, and a defense that's gotten better every week, I'll take it one step further and say that the Hogs are as hot as any team in the nation. . . .

Now just make sure, Razorbacks, when all the hype settle downs around 6 PM and the opening kickoff sails high into the air in Fayetteville, just make sure you win the game itself. That's the only way to capitalize on the accolades everyone's going to be waving in your collective faces all day long. It's one thing to start the day with people singing your praises, it's another thing entirely to end the evening with a stumble against the Vols and a complete about-face to your season.

Prediction:

Woo Pig Sooie! Arkansas gets out on Tennessee early and doesn't let the Vols breathe much after that.

Razorbacks 31 - Volunteers 17


-JAB

Josh's Official 2006-2007 NBA Predictions

y=division champ
x=playoff berth
(predicted conference ranking in parentheses)

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic Division

(y) 1-New Jersey Nets (2)
(x) 2-Boston Celtics (6)
3-Toronto Raptors (9)
4-Philadelphia 76ers (10)
5-New York Knicks (14)

Central Division

(y) 1-Detroit Pistons (3)
(x) 2-Chicago Bulls (4)
(x) 3-Cleveland Cavaliers (5)
4-Milwaukee Bucks (11)
5-Indiana Pacers (13)

Southeast Division

(y) 1-Miami Heat (1)
(x) 2-Washington Wizards (7)
(x) 3-Orlando Magic (8)
4-Charlotte Bobcats (12)
5-Atlanta Hawks (15)

Conference Finals: New Jersey over Chicago
NBA Finals: Phoenix over New Jersey

Best Player in East: (tie) Dwaye Wade, Miami, and Lebron James, Cleveland
Best Coach in East: Pat Riley, Miami
Best Rookie in East: Marcus Williams, New Jersey


WESTERN CONFERENCE

Northwest Division

(y) 1-Denver Nuggets (3)
(x) 2-Utah Jazz (6)
(x) 3-Seattle Supersonics (8)
4-Minnesota Timberwolves (12)
5-Portland Trailblazers (15)

Southwest Division

(y) 1-San Antonio Spurs (1)
(x) 2-Dallas Mavericks (4)
(x) 3-Houston Rockets (7)
4-Oklahoma City Hornets (11)
5-Memphis Grizzlies (14)

Pacific Division

(y) 1-Phoenix Suns (2)
(x) 2-Los Angeles Clippers (5)
3-Los Angeles Lakers (9)
4-Sacramento Kings (10)
5-Golden State Warriors (13)

Conference Finals: Phoenix over Dallas
NBA Finals: Phoenix over New Jersey

Best Player in West: (tie) Steve Nash, Phoenix, and Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas
Best Coach in West: (tie) Mike D'Antoni, Phoenix, and Greg Popovich, San Antonio
Best Rookie in West: Randy Foye, Minnesota

-JAB

All-Time Great Catch Fails to Lift Mets Past Cards

The Catch


Endy Chavez leaps high over the fence at Shea to make a snow cone grab, robbing Scott Rolen of a potential two-run go-ahead home run for the Cardinals with the score tied at one in the top of the sixth inning of Game 7 in the 2006 Mets-Cards NLCS.

Put it in the context of the other great ones and you see how rare a feat it was . . . Few defensive plays in any sport carry near the weight of history that baseball's elite postseason defensive gems do. Perhaps it's because of the sheer drama and intensity of baseball's always special October. Or maybe it's just the do-or-do nature of the players who play them, and the way we who love baseball can't help but watch, entranced again, to see how it will all unfold.

Remember them now . . . .

In the top of the eighth inning of Game 1 of the '54 World Series, scored tied at two between the New York Giants and the Cleveland Indieans, with his back 180 degrees to home plate, Willie Mays runs full steam into the vast open space of centerfield at the Polo Grounds---desperately stretching his glove out and nabbing Vic Werz' deep smash . . . On top of that Mays gets the ball back into the infield for an inning-ending double play. Mays' play sends the Giants on to a four game sweep of the Tribe . . . .

Just a year later, also in the top of an eighth inning, this time in Game 7 of the World Series between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Yankees, Brooklyn's Sandy Amoros laying out down the left field line, parallel to the ground below, snaring Yogi Berra's drive and spurring the Dodgers past the Yankees for a series victory . . . Amoros was also able to turn his catch into a double play.

And then in the third inning of Game 6 of the 1991 Fall Classic between the Twins and the Braves (in maybe the best World Series ever played), with the score tied at two, Hall of Fame centerfielder Kirby Puckett skies at the fence, going up and over the plexiglass with his glove and stealing a home run from Ron Gant, and the Twins rallied past the Braves to win the Series in seven games at home . . . Puckett would also win Game 6 with a home run in the bottom of the eleventh inning. Amazing.

And then the play we began with here, just last night in the sixth inning of tie game between the Mets and Cardinals, not in a World Series but in a league championship series Game 7 nonetheless, Endy Chavez up and over the fence and perfectly timing a snowcone grab of Scott Rolen's scorcher off of Oliver Perez. Unfortunately for Chavez, a 3-1 loss by his Mets to the Cardinals in the game will probably always render his catch the least signifcant of the four postseason moments in the grander context of future baseball discussions.


World Series Matchup


So it will be the Cardinals and the Tigers in a rematch of the 1968 World Series that went seven games. Detroit rallied from 3-1 down to win that best of seven set, and it's hard to discount the Tigers as the favorite to take it all again this time around. Bolstered mightily by its starting pitching all year long, Detroit has gotten great efforts up and down the rotation so far in the playoffs. What it's even scarier is the timely, clutch hitting that Magglio Ordonez has provided. We really haven't seen this much power from Mags since he left the ChiSox two years ago. If his hot streak continues, and Pudge, Monroe and Guillen are able to support him in the lineup, Saint Louis is in trouble.

But don't discount the Cardinals' overall grittiness. Saint Louis has overcome major injuries that have permanently or partially hindered almost every big name in the lineup---Mark Mulder, Jason Isringhausen, Scott Rolen, David Eckstein, and even Big Albert himself all on the list.

If Saint Louis is to pull off one last stunner, it's going to be largely on the shoulders of a suddenly dominant bullpen. With Wainwright, Kinney and Flores all getting big outs, the goal for the Cards' is to make it a seven inning game. The key will be how good a job Pujols and his supporting cast do of putting enough marks in the scoring column before then.


The Guys Behind the Final Two


The best battle of all will probably be watching the managers in the confrontation between Tony LaRussa and Jim Leyland. These guys are both Hall of Famers, and both have pushed all the right buttons in getting their teams to where they are. Leyland won the World Series with the young Florida Marlins in 2003, while LaRussa's single ring came at the helm of the Oakland Athletics in 1988. Both of these guys have tremendous regular season records with the likes of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Saint Louis Cardinals, but neither has won the big one "enough" times for the always-vocal naysayers out there. The naysaying should stop right now though. Regardless of who win's this year's title, they've both done phenomenal jobs just to get their teams to this unexpected point.


Prediction: Tigers in six


-JAB

Upset of Auburn Launches Hogs Into New Stratosphere

The tingly feeling Arkansas' road upset of #2 Auburn gave to its fans on Saturday will last through the month of October. With three utterly winnable games lined up against the likes of Southeast Missouri State, Ole Miss and Louisana-Monroe, it's hard to imagine the Hogs being anything less than 7-1 headed into the month of October. Already up by two full games in the SEC West race, the Razorbacks have seen a season of uncertainty rapidly develop into one of unbridled optimism.

And yet, there's one major side effect that accompanies Arkansas' new piece of real estate (#17 in the AP, #23 in the Coaches) in the Top 25 polls: raised expectations. A loss on the road against South Carolina in early November is no longer acceptable. A loss to Tennessee at home on the 11th of November may not be either. This is what happens when you win big games . . . People just expect more out of you.

Even with the weight of increased expectations in play, there are clearly many things to be excited about in terms of this year's young Razorback football team. With Darren McFadden emerging as the most dominant tailback in the SEC, with Felix Jones proving to be a phenomenal change of pace runner, with an offensive line that just dominated the second-ranked Tigers, with a talented young receiving corps starting to find its way, with a true feshman quarterback who's learning on the job what it takes to pilot the ship of a winning SEC team, with a Gus Malzahn playbook that's only just beginning to open up---there's no doubt that this team has barely scratched the surface offensively. And that bodes awfully scary for the remaining opponents on Arkansas' schedule.

Houston Nutt survived all of the September negativity and very well may prove to have the last laugh with this team. In addition to the improving offense, the defense has come a long way in a short amount of time, with the front four of Keith Jackson, Marcus Harrison, Jamaal Anderson and Antwain Robinson finally gelling as a unit and getting consistent pressure on opposing backfields. The linebacking corps is thin, for sure, but it's filled with steady tacklers in Sam Olajubutu, Weston Dacus and converted safety Matt Hewitt. And the secondary has plenty of speed, though it'd be nice to see the cover guys turn their heads to see the football on a few more plays.

What does it all boil down to? Arkansas is in a commanding position, solely in the driver's seat of the SEC West. Sweep the highly sweepable slate in October, take three of four from South Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi State and LSU in November (plausible at the least) and you'll get the chance to take your best shot at Florida in the SEC Championship game first week of December in Atlanta.

Win that one and you will be playing in a BCS game. Some would call it unrealistic dreaming, I call it a now distinct possibility. Arkansas just might end up the best team in the 2006 Southeastern Conference when all is said and done.

How would you feel about those apples, Razorback nation?

-JAB

Sports Week in Review: News, Notes and Nuggets

TO Tops Himself Once Again

Terrell Owens needs more attention than a three-day-old puppy. He's proven it time and again, with the latest chapter being this week's supposed "suicide attempt." Did TO mix his painkillers and supplements with the intent to kill himself? Probably not. But you can bet he didn't mind all of the media coverage the loopy cocktail garnered him.

There he was, smiling away at the camera yesterday afternoon, like the whole thing was some big joke. Like it was actually funny, for crying out loud! Clearly, Owens is imbalanced. He's just not all there in the brains department, never has been. Hence, the need for a publicist and entourage to explain and spin his every move. Although TO did a poor job in picking the publicist. Kim Etheridge, or whatever the overmatched lady's name is, not only placed the 911 call that triggered the whole police report, she also showed a complete lack of vocabulary and perspective in her speech to the media. A few of the highlights from Etheridge's ramble:

Statement #1: "A man of TO's statue would never do something like that."

My take: The word you were looking for was "stature." With an 'r'. A statue being an inanimate object, stature being a level of prestige and achievement.

Statement #2: "This whole is being overblown. Nothing happened, and that's the bottom line."

My take: If nothing happened, then why'd you call 911 in hysterics, then tell the police that TO was "swallowing a lot of pills" despite your telling him to stop? Because it was nothing? Ah, now I understand . . . except not.

Statement #3: "Terrell Owens has 25 million reasons not to kill himself."

My take: So money is the source of all happiness then, right? And rich people never get depressed or try to hurt themselves? Uh, yeah. Okay, Ms. Etheridge. The fact of the matter is that you are the most incompetent publicist in the history of publicists. Every thing you said at TO's press conference should be put on DVD and played back in public relations classrooms across the country for aspiring students as an example of everything you don't want to do.

But I digress. This whole story boils down to the fact that nothing Terrell Owens says or does should surprise anyone ever again. He is the poster child for the phrase "cuckoo for cocoa puffs." And the Dallas Cowboys knew this ahead of time and signed him anyway. Have fun reaping what you sow, Big 'D'.


Bye Week for the Hogs

Still basking in the afterglow of Leigh Tiffin's kicking meltdown, the Razorbacks enjoy a much needed bye this weekend. A 24-23 double overtime win over Alabama has Arkansas at 3-1 overall and 2-0 in the SEC for the first time since 1998. Call it luck if you want, but it doesn't change the fact that Arkansas is now on course for a really good season.

There are concerns about this year's team, for sure, but none are overwhelming: Highly touted freshman quarterback Mitch Mustain needs to be way better than his three interception performance against the Tide, but he will be . . . It's just going to take more SEC game experience for him to adjust to the speed of the games.

Tailback Darren McFadden continues his active recovery from a broken left toe. He's not 100% yet, but still leads the SEC in rushing with over 400 yards. As he gets healthier, the offense will undoubtedly improve its time of possession.

Defensively, it'd be nice to see all three units on the same page. Week in, week out, it seems like the defensive line, linebacking corps and secondary are improving, but one group still finds its way to a struggle. Last week it was the secondary (outside of Randy Kelly) and that was against a lackluster passing attack in Alabama. It would be nice to see the defense play with more cohesion against Auburn.

A bye week give the Hogs a great chance to rest up and get well. Auburn looms a week from Saturday and we'll have to wait until then to see just how much better Arkansas has gotten.


Cardinals Gunning for Historic Collapse

No team in baseball history has ever blown a lead of seven games or more with less than two weeks to go in the season. This year's Saint Louis Cardinals may be the first to do just that.

Up by 8 1/2 games over Houston with 12 left to play, the Cardinals' lead had shrunk to a whole 1 1/2 games by this morning. Surely, Albert Pujols' game-winning eighth-inning home run versus the Padres last night was a shot in the arm, but the fact remains that the Cardinals have been fading for the past two months. Whether or not they make the playoffs doesn't change the fact that this year's team is poorly constructed. Mark Mulder's terrible season has exposed Chris Carpenter as the only arm you count on in the starting rotation, and even Carpenter's been unreliable of late. Jason Isringhausen is hurt and likely done for the balance of the year, leaving the bullpen in shambles. And Albert Pujols has next to no help in the Cards' lineup. Chris Duncan is a promising young hitter, but Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds are battling injuries on the wrong side of the age slope.

Clearly, GM Walt Jockety needs to retool his club after the season, or at least change his approach to free agency. We'll know by the end of this weekend whether or not it's a playoff team he's overhauling. My guess is it won't be. The Astros are coming on like a torpedo and I think they'll win out.

Fasten your seat belts, Redbird fans, this weekend's action will have you gnawing your fingernails right till the final out on Sunday.


-JAB

Razorbacks Aim to Turn Tide Against 'Bama

In a span of just two weeks, the Arkansas Razorbacks have gone from a team with a stagnant offense to that of an improving, potent unit. Unfortunately, the club's defense has made an opposite transition, going from solid and energetic to slow and porous. It truly is amazing how much change and evolution this year's Arkansas football team has gone through in just three games. Let's not forget, even with all of the shuffling within the depth charts, the Razorbacks are still 2-1, regardless of what the Houston Nutt naysayers are hollering.

This weekend brings a challenge and a rival to Fayetteville when the Hogs host Alabama. The Crimson Tide were 10-2 a year ago for Mike Shula, winning the Cotton Bowl against Texas Tech. Of course, that was a a Tide team lead by NFLers Brodie Croyle and Demeco Ryans. Thus far though, Alabama has adjusted nicely to the lost of some key players, even with just 14 starters returning: at 3-0 overall, 1-0 in the conference, a lot of folks still like the Tide to be the surprise of the SEC this year.

I'm not buying it. Alabama hasn't really played anybody yet, with victories over the likes of Hawaii (25-17 at home), Vanderbilt (13-10 at home) and hapless Louisiana-Monroe. Senior running back Kenneth Darby is off to a slow start, averaging just 3.3 yards per carry. Sophomore QB John Parker Wilson has been steady, if unspectacular, but he's no Croyle. And the defense, the heart and soul of last year's Tide team, is vulnerable up the middle. Alabama will make a bowl game this year, for sure, but in my mind there's no way Shula matches last year's win total.

Arkansas should win this game at home. A five game losing streak in Fayetteville came to an end against Utah State, albeit in rather unspectacular fashion. But that doesn't cancel the fact that Arkansas hasn't beaten a good team at Razorback Stadium in over a year. For that to change, the Razorbacks need to use last week's offensive recipe against Vandy as a base. Give Darren McFadden 20 carries, give Felix Jones 10, give Michael Smith 5, and add the passing ingredients from there. Mitch Mustain is getting better in front of our eyes, folks, and make no mistake with a solid ground attack in place behind him, the Golden Child of Springdale is already a forced to be reckoned with when it comes to vertical passing. Expect Mustain to look deep for Marcus Monk, Damian Williams and London Crawford early against the Tide.

If Arkansas can continue to find balance offensively, it's going to be up to the defense to seal the deal on Saturday. After a strong start to the season, the front four of Keith Jackson, Marcus Harrison, Jamaal Anderson and Antowain Robinson has failed to generate much pressure on opposing backfields during the past two weeks. You couple that with a depleted linebacking corps that's already at a lack for speed, and it's no mystery as to why the Razorback defense is struggling so much against the run and in creating turnovers. (A startling stat: as of this weekend, Arkansas is the only Division I defense in the country without a turnover in its favor.) To counter the lack of speed, Houston Nutt and defensive coordinator Reggie Herring need to agree on some sort of a rhythmic blitzing scheme for this weekend. If Arkansas continues to sit back on 'D' and not send a defensive back every now and then to plug some holes up front, Darby will have a huge game for Alabama and the Razorbacks' run of poor performances at Razorback Stadium will continue with a loss against a rival.

-JAB

2006 NFL Predictions, Part Two: The NFC

National Football Conference

NFC East

y-Philadelphia Eagles 12-4
x-Washington Redskins 10-6
New York Giants 9-7
Dallas Cowboys 8-8

NFC North

y-Chicago Bears 10-6
Minnesota Vikings 7-9
Green Bay Packers 5-11
Detroit Lions 4-12

NFC South

y-Carolina Panthers 11-5
x-Atlanta Falcons 10-6
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7-9
New Orleans Saints 5-11

NFC West

y-Seattle Seahawks 12-4
Arizona Cardinals 7-9
Saint Louis Rams 5-11
San Francisco 49ers 3-13

z=best league record
y=division champ
x=playoff berth

NFC Championship: Carolina over Philadelphia
Super Bowl: Indianapolis over Carolina
League and Super Bowl MVP: Peyton Manning

Best NFC Offensive Player: Steve Smith, Panthers
Best NFC Defensive Player: Brian Urlacher, Bears
Best NFC Offensive Rookie: Vernon Davis, 49ers
Best NFC Defensive Rookie: Broderick Bunkley, Eagles
Best NFC Head Coach: Andy Reid, Eagles

-----

NFC East Notes: Philadelphia finally rids itself of the cancer that is Terrell Owens . . . The Eagles then fill that void by trading for Dante Stallworth in a savvy move . . . If Donovan McNabb can find his old form, and tailback Bryan Westbrook can find a way to stay healthy, the Eagles’ offense should be good . . . The defense was already strong and added free agent Darren Howard and draft pick Broderick Bunkley to the front four . . . Andy Reid is headed back to the playoffs.

Washington came on strong at the end of last season and had chances to win at Seattle in the playoffs . . . Joe Gibbs has proven he’s still an elite NFL coach, the question now is whether Mark Brunell can still do the job at quarterback . . . If he gets hurt, it’s former first round pick Jason Campbell to the rescue . . . With elite talents Clinton Portis and Santana Moss, and now TJ Duckett and Antwan Randle-El in the mix, it’s hard to imagine the Skins struggling to score points . . . The defense is already tough . . . If healthy, Washington will be a very tough out in the playoffs again.

New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin has himself a lot of expectations in the Big Apple this year . . . Free agents Lavar Arrington and Sam Madison bolster an already talented defensive unit . . . Offensively, it all boils down to Eli Manning . . . We’ll find out a lot about Eli this year: either he’s the real deal and an elite franchise quarterback or just an overrated sibling . . . He’s shown flashes of both ends of the spectrum . . . For Tiki Barber, Jeremy Shockey and Plaxico Burress to score points, Eli needs to be a field general . . . New York will be good, but maybe not good enough to make the playoffs in the most brutal division in football.

Same goes for Dallas . . . The Cowboys have an up and coming defense and a veteran coach in the Tuna, but offensively, it looks like the same old story with Drew Bledsoe . . . He hasn’t taken a team to the playoffs in a decade, and even with a strong backfield in Julius Jones and Marion Barber, along with a number of receiving weapons---Terrell Owens, Terry Glenn, Jason Witten---I don’t see it changing . . . Owens will be completely in the Bill Parcells' doghouse by Week 5 . . . Bottom line: Dallas needs to find a new quarterback, and maybe a new coach after what will be a competitive, but disappointing season for Big ‘D’ in '06.

NFC North Notes: Chicago repeats as champion in maybe the worst division in football . . . The Bears' defense is outstanding, anchored by all-world middle linebacker Brian Urlacher . . . Head coach Lovie Smith did a phenomenal job getting as much as he did out of a non-existent offense last year . . . This time around, it should be better, that is, if Rex Grossman can stay on the field . . . If veteran Muhsin Muhammad and youngster Cedric Benson are able to make maximum contributions, the schedule is reasonable enough that the Bears win ten again without trouble.

Minnesota was a hot sleeper pick by the so-called experts after a strong offseason . . . But then, the Vikes hit some hard times: #1 draft pick Chad Greenway, a much needed outside linebacker, tore his knee in camp and is done for the year . . . More troubling was the DUI arrest and subsequent release of top wideout Koren Robinson . . . He was Minnesota’s best big play threat last year . . . With the addition of free agent guard Steve Hutchinson, Minnesota’s lines look great on both sides of the ball . . . But Brad Johnson as the only quarterback? And Chester Taylor as the featured running back? First year coach Brad Childress has his work cut out for him.

It gets worse from there in the North . . . Green Bay added Charles Woodson and AJ Hawk, but the front seven is still suspect . . . And the offense lacks any real big play threats now that Javon Walker is in Denver and Ahman Green is older and slower . . . This will not be a pretty last year for Brett Favre in Cheesehead country . . . Aaron Rodgers, anyone?

The Detroit Lions are a terribly run organization and it stems from the top, where team president Matt Millen somehow still has a job . . . Atrocious drafting has left the cupboard bare at many positions, particularly on the defensive side of the ball . . . New coach Rod Marinelli is expected to resurrect the team with Jon Kitna at quarterback . . . He's a genius if he can get it done . . . Hey, at least it’s not Joey Harrington under center anymore.

NFC South Notes: This should be the year Carolina returns to the Super Bowl . . . John Fox has all the pieces on defense, led by the mighty Julius Peppers, while offensively the team has filled some slots nicely . . . Keyshawn Johnson will alleviate the double team pressure on Steve Smith by giving Jake Delhomme a legitimate second option . . . And Memphis running back DeAngelo Williams was a steal at the end of the first round . . . He could be starting in place of DeShaun Foster halfway through the year . . . If they get hot late---and the schedule shows it very well may happen---watch out for the Panthers in January.

Atlanta is a weird team . . . The Falcons’ unprototypical quarterback is a big reason for that... When he’s on his game, Michael Vick is the most unstoppable weapon in the league . . . When he’s off and missing receivers, you wonder why he’s even playing QB in the first place---he actually looks that out of position of times . . . Regardless, Vick says this is the year when his team finally puts it all together . . . If that’s the case, Warrick Dunn and Ashley Lelie better have monster years offensively and Jim Mora, Jr., needs to coach his guts out . . . Former Jet DE John Abraham was a key pick-up on defense; he should greatly enhance the Falcons' pass rush . . . But a deep playoff run still doesn’t strike me as all that likely for this team.

Tampa Bay overachieved for Jon Gruden last year, largely thanks to the play of rookie horse Cadillac Williams in the backfield . . . The Cadillac should have another strong year, but Chris Simms is far from a proven commodity under center . . . With the lefty Simms at quarterback, the offense may struggle to score touchdowns, but Derrick Brooks and the defense are still strong and will keep the Bucs in most games . . . They’ll be close to .500.

New Orleans will be the most exciting last place team in the league this year. Reggie Bush is the big reason why: he is the most electric tailback I’ve seen since Barry Sanders . . . Free agent pick-up Drew Brees is going to have to earn his big bucks with a limited receiving corps beyond Joe Horn . . . I wonder whether the Saints’ line can even keep Brees healthy . . . The defense still needs a lot of work, but new head coach Shaun Payton will help generate some long-needed optimism for the future of professional football in Louisiana.

NFC West Notes: History says the team that loses the previous year’s Super Bowl rarely makes it back to the playoffs . . . History will change with this year’s Seahawks. . . Sure they lost All-Pro Steve Hutchinson on the 'O' line, and there’s no way Alexander repeats last year’s 28 TD performance, but this club is still real good . . . Matt Hasselbeck is the best quarterback nobody talks about, while the defense added stud linebacker Julian Petersen . . . The late season schedule is pretty soft as well . . . Can Mike Holmgren win it all one year after getting jobbed by the officials in the Super Bowl? Maybe.

Arizona is a hot sleeper pick as well, but probably a year too early . . . The defense is average, but Dennis Green has great offensive weapons in place with Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin at the wideouts and now Edgerrin James in the backfield . . . Still, the offensive line is a little suspect and Kurt Warner likely won’t stay healthy for long . . . Matt Leinart better get his chin strip on real quick . . . It’ll be a trial by fire for the Cards’ rookie QB out of USC before long . . .

Saint Louis is in a transitional period after finally ridding itself of the egomaniacal Mike Martz . . . Scott Linehan replaces him as coach, and inherits talented offensive players in Torry Holt, Steven Jackson and Marc Bulger . . . But the defense reeks of ineptitude . . . It's very hard to envision Saint Louis being cohesive either side of the ball given its current corps . . . Give Linehan some time to create the team in his mold.

Time continues to wane on in San Francisco . . . Mike Nolan’s team did add a great weapon in tight end Vernon Davis out of Maryland, but he’s really the only big target QB Alex Smith has . . . Frank Gore will be counted on for the bulk of carries out of the backfield, but he has durability questions himself . . . The 49ers are still wallowing in the darkest period in franchise history . . . It's not going to end just yet.

-JAB

2006 NFL Predictions, Part One: The AFC

American Football Conference

AFC East

y-New England Patriots 12-4
New York Jets 7-9
Miami Dolphins 6-10
Buffalo Bills 5-11

AFC North

y-Pittsburgh Steelers 11-5
x-Cincinnati Bengals 10-6
Baltimore Ravens 8-8
Cleveland Browns 6-10

AFC South

z-Indianapolis Colts 13-3
Jacksonville Jaguars 9-7
Tennessee Titans 5-11
Houston Texans 2-14

AFC West

y-Denver Broncos 11-5
x-San Diego Chargers 10-6
Kansas City Chiefs 9-7
Oakland Raiders 6-10

z=best league record
y=division champ
x=playoff berth

AFC Championship: Indianapolis over New England
Super Bowl: Indianapolis over Carolina
League and Super Bowl MVP: Peyton Manning

Best AFC Offensive Player: LaDainian Tomlinson, Chargers
Best AFC Defensive Player: Dwight Freeney, Colts
Best AFC Offensive Rookie: Joseph Addai, Colts
Best AFC Defensive Rookie: Haloti Ngata, Ravens
Best AFC Head Coach: Bill Belichik, Patriots

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AFC East Notes: New England loses David Givens, Deion Branch, Willie McGinest, Eric Mangini, and perhaps most importantly, Adam Vinatieri . . . But Bill Belichik and Tom Brady are the best in the league at what they do, which is win football games . . . First round pick Laurence Maroney will help Corey Dillon greatly at the tailback position . . . The schedule is kind of soft as well, with games against the NFC North out of conference . . . These Pats will undoubtedly roll through an easy division with their balance on both sides of the ball . . . In all honesty, the rest of the AFC East stinks this year . . . Yet if this team is going to be a legitimate Super Bowl threat, some of the unknown wide receivers will need to step up quickly.

The New York Jets ended the Herm Edwards’ era after last year’s 4-12 disaster and start over with Eric Mangini, a Belichik protege . . . There are no big play offensive threats on this team for quarterback Chad Pennington, and now RB Curtis Martin’s Hall of Fame career is likely over . . . The offensive line will be better, but Gang Green starts two rookies up front in D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold . . . Can Pennington stay healthy for a full year? He hasn’t done it yet . . . Stud rusher John Abraham is gone on the 'D' side, which hurts the team's transition to the 3-4 alignment . . . Eric Mangini will make this team more competitive right away, but how much so remains to be seen . . . The Jets are rebuilding.

Miami figures to be improved via the ground game with Ronnie Brown’s added experience and the departure of the disinterested Ricky Williams . . . Is Dante Culpepper an upper echelon quarterback? Nick Saban thinks so, we’ll find out . . . I can’t shake the visions of Culpepper’s turnover plagued start without Randy Moss for Minnesota last year . . . Miami’s defense loses Sam Madison but still has immense talents in Jason Taylor and Zack Thomas . . . Bottom line: I am not a big believer in Dante.

Buffalo could be really bad . . . New head coach Dick Jauron really doesn’t have much to work with . . . JP Losman as your quarterback? Gimme a break . . . That was a questionable pick two years ago and it smells worse now . . . RB Willis McGahee is decent, but can the line open up some holes for him please? . . . LB Takeo Spikes coming back helps the defense immeasurably . . . #7 overall pick Donte Whitner has a lot of work to do to justify his high selection slot on draft day . . . Sometimes, the fans tell you everything: the overall vibe from Upstate New York is that this team will be brutal again.

AFC North Notes: Pittsburgh tries to repeat as champion without Jerome Bettis or Antwan Randle-El . . . No Big Ben for the first game or two either as he recovers from an appendectomy (unrelated to his near-fatal motorcycle accident in June) . . . But you have to figure Roethlisberger will be tough as always when he returns . . . Running back Willie Parker should make additional strides and stud receiver Hines Ward is a horse for this team . . . The ‘D’ will be very good again as well, with elite safety Troy Polamalu’s flappy hair leading the way . . . Bill Cowher is a great coach and the schedule is favorable late . . . The Steelers have a real shot at a repeat.

Cincinnati hinges almost entirely on the strength Carson Palmer’s left knee . . . Can he really be fully healthy just seven months after an ACL tear? It’s unprecedented in sports history . . . If not, it’s Anthony Wright to the rescue . . . Yuck . . . But if Palmer can get it done, the offense will be ferocious again with Chad Johnson, TJ Houshmanzadeh and Rudi Johnson leading the way... The emerging best trio of linebackers in the league---Odell Thurman, Brian Simmons, David Pollack---should make Marvin Lewis’ defense tough again as well . . . The schedule is rough, but the Bengals have the swagger to get back to the playoffs.

Baltimore gets a little more stability at QB with Steve McNair, but he’s more than getting up there in years . . . How long will he stay healthy? Probably not long, and then it falls on the up-and-down Kyle Boller . . . Will Jamaal Lewis be better? He can’t possibly be worse than he was last year . . . The defense is still strong and scary with Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs and Chris McAlister . . . First round pick Haloti Ngata helps at the nose tackle as well, but it’s going to take a lot of pixie dust for Brian Billick to conjure up 2000’s since-dormant magic.

Cleveland will be competitive again under Romeo Crennel . . . He clearly knows how to motivate, but is Charlie Frye an NFL quarterback? I’m not sure anyone can honestly answer that question just yet . . . Braylon Edwards looked great late last year before tearing his ACL: can he still be a gamebreaker so soon after the injury? The defense gains the ageless Willie McGinest but needs more pieces . . . The Browns just aren’t there yet.

AFC South Notes: Indianapolis should have won it all last year, but folded up in its first playoff game against the Steelers . . . Clearly, the extended undefeated string to start the year meant nothing: it’s all about getting hot late in the season like the Steelers . . . This year the Colts have an average-looking strength of schedule . . . The big loss in free agency was obviously Edgerrin James, but to me, that’s not a huge hole . . . James is great, for sure, but he’s getting up there in mileage . . . LSU RB Joseph Addai was a steal at the end of the first round . . . I believe he and Dominic Rhodes can carry the load left by the departed Edge . . . And really, with the Colts, doesn’t it always boil down to Peyton Manning? He still has tremendous wide receiver targets in Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne and Brandon Stokley . . . Meanwhile Dwight Freeney, Corey Simon and a great secondary are the heart of a solid and improving ‘D’ for Tony Dungy . . . If Peyton doesn’t break through and win it all this year, I just don’t think it’s ever going to happen for him.

Jacksonville won a lot of close games last year, so logically that should flip on them this year . . . Make no doubt, this team is young and talented in a number of key spots, but nobody survives week in, week out tight games for long . . . Can the RBs---Fred Taylor in particular---stay healthy? Based on the past, probably not . . . Can Matt Jones be a number one wideout with the retirement of Jimmy Smith? We will see . . . Byron Leftwich is a warrior and the defense will be good, but a playoff spot may be just out of reach this time around for Jack Del Rio’s crew.

Tennessee is at least a year away, but the fun in Titans land will be watching how Texas QB Vince Young adapts to the NFL . . . Head coach Jeff Fisher says he plans to play Young at least a little in every game . . . Drew Bennett and Tyrone Calico are a good tandem at wide receiver, but will they mesh with veteran QBs Kerry Collins or Billy Volek at all? The running game---with Chris Brown and Travis Henry---could be a pleasant surprise . . . The defense has speedy young talents in LB Keith Bulluck and CB Pac-Man Jones . . . But putting it all together for a winning season is nowhere near in the cards . . . Jeff Fisher’s run could be nearing an end.

Houston is just horrible . . . The 'O' line still stinks, David Carr has next to nothing to work with, and now they’ve lost versatile RB Domanick Davis for the year with a knee injury . . . Hmmm, Houston sure could use a running back right about now . . . Like Reggie Bush . . . Wouldn’t the Texans love the chance to draft him? Oh that’s right, they had it and they passed . . . Not that Mario Williams won’t be a good DE in time, but I feel no sympathy for this inept franchise whatsoever . . . That booing sound you hear is the Texans’ crowd directing its venom towards owner Bob McNair at every home game this year.

AFC West Notes: Mike Shanahan and the Broncos had a great season last year . . . QB Jake Plummer finally took care of the football, the defense was outstanding and the Broncos cruised to the AFC title game with home field advantage . . . A year later, question marks arise around Mike Bell as the starting tailback and Javon Walker, the big offseason addition at wide receiver . . . Walker’s coming off a bad knee injury while Bell has no NFL experience and wasn’t even highly touted at the draft, falling to the sixth round . . . Denver will be good again, but a slight step back from last year is to be expected . . . Just wait till rookie quarterback Jay Cutler gets a chance to play, Bronco fans . . . The future looks exciting in the Mile High city.

San Diego just has to be better . . . The Chargers were one of the most frustrating teams in the league last year, losing a lot of close games early and never recovering . . . RB LaDainian Tomlinson and TE Antonio Gates are monsters, but QB Drew Brees is gone . . . We’ll finally find out if Philip Rivers is the real deal, and I think he is, even without a bevy of good wideouts . . . The defense’s 3-4 scheme is heaped in talent in the front seven with the likes of Shawn Merriman, Jamaal Williams and Luis Castillo . . . If Marty Schottenheimer doesn’t get the Bolts back to the playoffs this year, he’ll be shown the door.

Kansas City will struggle in Herm Edwards’s first year . . . Expect 1,500 yards from Larry Johnson, but the rest of the Chiefs’ offense is only getting older . . . Hall of Fame Tackle Willie Roaf retired . . . And the rest of the vets: Trent Green? Eddie Kennison? Tony Gonzalez? These guys are clearly on the wrong side of the slope . . . With Herm in place of Dick Vermeil, Kansas City will be better defensively for sure, but playoff bound, I think not.

Oakland brings back former coach Art Shell, which once again shows you that Al Davis is senile and has no idea what he’s doing . . . The Raiders really haven’t been relevant in three years and I don’t see that changing this season . . . Aaron Brooks is a slight improvement over Kerry Collins, but can he help Randy Moss be freaknasty again? Consistency will be the key for Lamont Jordan and the rest of an offense coming off a disappointing year . . . The defense still isn’t very good and they lost CB Charles Woodson to the Packers . . . Silver and Black in last again.

-JAB

(Tomorrow, "Part Two: The NFC")

Arkansas Hopes for Another Upset of USC

It's an out of conference game, but to Arkansas Razorback fans, it means a whole lot more than that. The USC Trojans come to Fayetteville on Saturday for what should be a fantastic college football atmosphere all day long. It's the first game of the year and the first meeting between the schools since last year's 70-17 debacle at the Coliseum. That utter embarrassment needs to be avenged for everyone associated with the Arkansas football program and yet the only way to fully do it is to beat the vaunted Trojans in front of 80,000 rabid fans at Razorback Stadium. Is it likely? No. Possible? You better believe it.

As is often the case, the homefield advantage will be huge in this one. I usually give the home team a seven to ten point edge; for this game it could be even greater. It's the end of an offseason filled with hype and hope and anticipation for the resurrection of a once mighty Razorback program. The fans will undoubtedly play a key role in this game.

Another big storyline to follow revolves around star tailback Darren McFadden and his broken left big toe. D-Mac is one of the elite running backs in the country for sure, but he was supposed to miss at least the first two weeks of the season while recovering from a fit of foot rage at a Little Rock nightclub. If he plays---and I think he will---even in a limited role, it will be a major boost emotionally for his teammates.

Then there's the quarterback situation. A lot of folks in Arkansas wanted Mitch Mustain to play right out of the gates, but the coaching staff realized that wasn't the smartest of moves. Instead, the beleaguered Robert Johnson gets a chance to rectify his poor play of a year ago. If Johnson can use his athleticism to make some plays and get key first downs, the Razorbacks very much have a chance to be in this game.

The defense was significantly improved even by the end of last year and there's no reason to think it won't pick up where it left off with so many returning starters. The big thing Arkansas needs from its defense is the shutting down of the big play. Don't let receivers Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith beat you deep. Obviously USC is without Leinart and Bush and White this time around, but you still can't take the talented newcomer Trojans lightly. Seventy points won't happen again (it better not for the coaches' sakes), but that doesn't mean giving up forty would be a whole lot better. Be physical, bring the energy and make the Trojans slug it out with you.

In the end, I see it being a close game in the fourth quarter. The fans, the atmosphere, the vengeance factor---it's all on Arkansas' side. Still, USC is USC, plain and simple. A win over the Trojans would be historic, regardless of the time of year for the victory. Let's not forget, 32 years ago Arkansas avenged a road loss from the previous season by beating USC at home. Sometimes history has a funny way of repeating itself.

Prediction:

Arkansas 31 - USC 28


-JAB

Headed for October: Tigers, Mets on Cruise Control

As August moves through its final two weeks, the Major League Baseball season slides into the closing forty game stretch of the year. While most teams are clawing and jockeying for a chance at the postseason, two clubs continue to coast their respective ways toward October. In the American Leauge it's the Detroit Tigers, while on the Senior Circuit it's the New York Mets. Neither of these teams has been a familiar presence in postseason discussions in recent years (the Tigers haven't even made the playoffs since the Eighties), but each is the only sure-thing lock in either league to make it to October this year. Here's a look at the down-the-stretch chances for two teams that have played from the front of the pack for most of the season:


The Detroit Tigers

Jim Leyland already has his name etched on this year's A.L. Manager of the Year Award. The veteran skipper instilled a winner's mentality in Motown as soon he got his feet within the city limits. Let's not forget that the Tigers have been a laughingstock for the better part of two consecutive decades now. And all Leyland did was erase that mentality by absolutely not allowing the losing to continue. (In retrospect, Leyland's late April public outburst after a lackluster Tigers' performance was probably the spark that lit the team's season-long fire.)

Undoubtedly it has been the pitching that has carried this Tigers team in the win/loss column though. Young hurlers like Jeremy Bonderman, Justin Verlander and Zach Miner have matured in a hurry, while the volatile Kenny Rogers continues to be an ageless wonder: he's not dominant by any stretch, but he keeps his team in games and eats up plenty of innings. Overall, the starting staff has had tremendous game-to-game consistency this year, while the bullpen has been nothing short of brilliant. To me, it's no surprise that the Tigers have the best bullpen and the best record in baseball. That's just how it usually seems to work in the bigs, isn't it folks? For the Tigers, relievers like Fernando Rodney, Joel Zumaya and Todd Jones have been absolutely fantastic.

With Pudge behind the plate and Guillen at short, the defense has been stellar in Detroit, as you might expect with those elite gloves in the mix. The offense is a bit of a concern, though. While Magglio Ordonez and the aformentioned veterans Ivan Rodriguez and Carlos Guillen are putting up solid numbers, no one on the team has been anywhere near spectacular with the bat and there's not a lot of help coming from the rest of the roster. Chris Shelton fizzled so badly after a hot start that he was demoted to the minor leagues, forcing Detroit to trade for first baseman Sean Casey. Craig Monroe and Marcus Thames have put up solid power totals this year, but both are experiencing outages of late.

Prognosis: The Tigers are good, legitimately. Their best record in all of baseball is far from a one-time fluke, but instead the result of great all-around pitching, timely offense and a phenomenal manager. Even with the White Sox and Twins applying pressure in the A.L. Central, it's hard to envision Detroit not staving them off in the final forty games. Still, a run deep into October is far from a given. Pitching wins games, surely, but you need to have enough offensive punch and power to buoy it as well, especially in the playoffs when runs are even harder to come by. Look for the Tigers to capitalize on their tremendous regular season by winning their best-of-five first round set before falling in the American League Championship Series.


The New York Mets

Who said you can't buy your way into the playoffs? Taking a page from George Steinbrenner's book across town in the Bronx, the Mets have made Queens a hot baseball spot once again with a bevy of free agent talent. General Manager Omar Minaya (with owner Fred Wilpon's once-unlikely financial blessing) has been aggressive and savvy in the past couple offseasons and the results are evident on the field.

One-hundred million-dollar centerfielder Carlos Beltran has bounced back supremely from a lousy and greatly disappointing first season in New York. His thirty-five plus home runs, clutch road hitting and standout defense have anchored the Mets all year long. Additionally, Carlos Delgado's thirty plus home run total has justified New York's acquisition of the first baseman's forty-million-dollar salary; he's been a perfect fit as the clean-up hitter. Catcher Paul Loduca has returned to his New York roots with a fine .300 plus average and strong defense as well, but it's the left side of the infield and youngsters David Wright and Jose Reyes---two of the only homegrown Mets on the active roster---who continue to make significant strides. Wright has clearly cooled off since the All-Star break, but his average is still over .300, his power numbers are about to reach career highs and his defense at the hot corner has been very strong. Similarly, shortstop Jose Reyes has displayed even more of his wealth of physical tools this year. Leading the majors in stolen bases with fifty and counting, Reyes is hitting right near .300 with an impressive new power stroke. He's already hit a career high in home runs and actually hit three in a single game last week. Already one of the best defensive infielders in baseball, Reyes is now one of the best all-around infielders in the game, period.

On the mound, big money free agent pitchers Pedro Martinez, Tom Glavine and Billy Wagner (who cost a combined $140 million between them) have turned in solid years to lead the way. Martinez looks to be cruising toward the postseason with a bit of disinterest in recent regular season starts, but as long as he's healthy, the Mets have themselves as good a big game ace as there is. Glavine has faltered after a phenomenal start, but he'll be the second starter, while the battle for third is anyone's guess: the resurrected El Duque Hernandez? Out-of-nowhere John Maine? Steve Trachsel? At the least, the Mets bullpen has been sturdy all year long, with setup men Pedro Feliciano, Roberto Hernandez and Aaron Heilman feeding the closer Wagner nicely. Although Wagner has shown some signs of wear and tear this year, he appears to be reaching maximum velocity more and more of late.

Prognosis: Willie Randolph will need to make some tough decisions about his pitching rotation over the next month. How he sets it up in October could decide just how long the Mets are playing there. Clearly New York has as good an offensive and defensive team as anyone in baseball, but is there enough starting pitching there to seal the deal? Maybe. The Mets are going to win the National League simply because no one else in the league can play with them this year. The Cardinals? The Dodgers? Gimme a break. If Pedro Martinez and Tom Glavine can keep on drinking those mouthfuls from the fountain of youth for two more months, the Mets will topple the American League's best and win the whole thing right now in 2006.


-JAB

Pennington Giving It All One More Time

As a Jets fan, it's hard not to root for Chad Pennington. Maybe part of my sports brain is stuck in 2002, when Pennington broke onto the scene and emerged as the NFL leader in quarterback efficiency rating, or maybe it's stuck in 2004, when the Marshall grad fought through a fraying right shoulder to lead the Jets within a field goal of the AFC championship game. Whatever the case, I like Chad, and probably always will. He's one of those players who doesn't blow you away with his physical tools so much as he just gets it done with his aptitude for the game, his decision-making, his precision soft touch and, most of all, his leadership. Additionally, he's always handled himself with class in front of the fans and (almost always) in dealing with the media.

Alas, the injury bug has never been kind to Chad. It started with the broken left wrist suffered in a 2003 preseason game against the Giants, got worse when he tore his right rotator cuff in a mid-season game against the Bills in 2004, then got plain ridiculous when he tore the same right shoulder in week three against the Jaguars in 2005. Here's the sad, plain truth: Chad Pennington, the face of the Jets franchise for the past four years, has never played an entire sixteen game schedule. And this past offseason it looked like Pennington wouldn't have another chance to get it done with the Jets: his eleven million dollar salary cap hit had to be restructured for New York to fit it in. The only way to get that done was for Chad to agree to take a pay cut in 2006, something most professional athletes wouldn't even consider. Yet, sure enough, Pennington took an eight million dollar pay cut to come back to the Jets.

You see, Chad Pennington wants to be the starting quarterback for the Jets. He wants to live up to the "face of the franchise" billing he's gotten since bursting onto the scene in 2002. He continues to talk about bringing the Big Apple another professional football championship and returning the Jets' franchise to the top of the heap. Despite all of the injuries and all of the doubters, Chad Pennington continues to believe. And as a diehard fan of Gang Green, you should already know that I continue to believe as well.

Will the Jets make the playoffs this year? No. Will they finish with a winning record? Probably not. But if Chad Pennington can stay healthy for a full year---a humongous if given his history---if he can stay on the field and serve as a leader under center for Eric Mangini's in-progress club, the Jets will be able to call 2006 a success. In all truth, with Patrick Ramsey as the only other ready-to-go starting quarterback option on the roster, the Jets have no choice but to hope for a gutsy bounce-back from Pennington.

I'm pulling for him too. Emotionally, it's not like I really even have a choice anymore. That #10 jersey is still hanging in the closet, a little faded from all the dust and all the time off, but still in there somewhere towards the front. Now please, Chad, please just stay healthy. . . .


-JAB

Loss of Paul Eells a Sudden Blow

I never met the man. I had spoken with him on and off the air during an interview on "Morning Rush" just four days before his passing, but I'd never met Paul Eells in person. Still, speaking with him Thursday morning, I got the feeling like he was as humble and ego-free a sports broadcasting superstar as there was in the business, and make no doubt, Paul Eels was definitely a superstar.

You don't serve for 28 seasons as the play-by-play football voice for a school and a team with as rabid a fanbase as that of the Arkansas Razorbacks and not become a legend and a star. The natural delivery and smoothness of his broadcasts on air, the famous "Touchdown, Arkansas . . . Oh, My!", the steady warmth and enthusiasm coming through---just listen to a few minutes from any of his gamecalls and you're surely to find heaps of it there. The man was great at what he did, without question. But that's only part of the tale.

Eells spoke with me off the air on Thursday morning. He told me he'd heard good things about my talk show already, this after just a few days in the area on ESPN 96.3. He spoke of his desire to be a part of the program, to "come on whenever" we wanted him. He wished me the best of luck and sounded utterly genuine when we said goodbye. "I really look forward to meeting you soon," he said. "Keep up the hard work, get to know the state's history, get to know the fans, and I have no doubt you'll love living and working in Arkansas . . . This is a really great place."

On the air that morning, he spoke of how "blessed" he was to have had the "honor and the privilege of being behind the microphone for the Razorbacks for nearly three decades." He described the story of how he came to be the voice of Arkansas football back in 1978, relating how close he came to not taking the job:

"I had been the play-by-play announcer for Vanderbilt football for eleven years, and I was happy with my position and I liked the life I had there. I really didn't think I'd be leaving it anytime soon. But then the Arkansas job became a real possibility, and I went to go see the school and meet everyone there and, you know, it really just worked out---I can honestly say something about it suddenly felt so right . . . I knew right then that it really was for me, and here I am at seventy years old getting ready for my 29th year with the team."

The light in his voice was a beautiful thing to hear. I mean this was a man who worked hard---Eells was also the Sports Director for Channel 7 television in Little Rock---yet there he was sounding deeply excited and energetic about doing something he'd been doing for a long time. No one could have known then that he would be killed in a car crash on Interstate 40 just four days later, this in a terrible two car accident that left another woman dead and a state full of Razorback fans in mourning. It wasn't supposed to be like this, it wasn't supposed to happen so sudden, so soon . . . This was Eells' team, too, after all! He was looking forward with great anticipation like all Razorback fans to see just how good the team could be this year, to see just how good the running backs would be, to see just how good golden child Mitch Mustain would be---to see it all, and decribe it all, as he'd done every autumn for the past thirty years. How could he now be gone, just like that?

Harry King, longtime Arkansas newspaper columnist for Stephens Media, was a close personal friend of Eels'. King made an appearance on "Morning Rush" Tuesday when word of the accident was coming out. The talk show quickly evolved into a rumination on the profound loss of the broadcast legend. King revealed, "Paul was probably in the last year or two of doing play-by-play for the Razorbacks as it already was . . . I don't think he was going to be doing it that much longer, but it doesn't change the fact that everyone who knew Paul, everyone he came into contact with and everyone who loved him---we are all feeling the deep loss of someone special today."

And from what I can tell, that's really what it boiled down to with Paul Eells. He was a special talent at what he did: he had the skill, the passion and the excitement for it, and he was a tremendously selfless people person on top of that. He made just about everyone he came into contact with on an everyday basis feel like they mattered, from co-workers to fans to the guy at the gas station . . . And I think that's clearly evident from the outpouring of grief and emotion from people all over the state and all over the country this week. People who'd met Eells many times, just once, or, like me, never at all---we felt like we already knew him. He was that nice and that sincere.

Arkansas football will go on, as it should. That's just what you do in life when you lose something forever. You keep on going. And surely that's how Paul Eells would want it. He'd want the next voice of the Razorbacks to be welcomed in with open arms, just as he was. But surely that's not going to be possible. No one can replace shoes that large. No one should even try. I just hope the person who gets to put on the next pair is half as gracious and half as kind as the last guy.


-JAB