Things just got a little more interesting in “Lob City.”
Chauncey Billups went down Monday with a torn Achilles tendon. It was announced today that Billups would be lost for the year, leaving a big hole to fill for the Clippers in their offense. Continue reading “Chauncey Billups Season-Ending Injury A Big Blow To Clippers”
Wednesday February 8, 2012
Duke at North Carolina
The new alternative home jersey is sharp. The Braves will wear this jersey at home on the weekends. The red jersey will move to home games on Friday night.
That’s a wrap on this NFL season. Congrats to the New York Giants on winning their second Super Bowl in four years and eighth (league and Super Bowl combined) overall. Eli Manning turned in another Super Bowl MVP performance, this time going 30/40 for 296 yards and a touchdown.
Note: Eli Manning this 2011 playoff season went (4-0) with a completion percentage of 66.4, nine touchdowns and just one interception.
Can’t forget about the defense of the Giants. They were essentially the reason New York went from (9-7) playoff question marks to the newly crowned champs that beat the number one and two seed on the road to do it. Lets put this in perspective folks: The Patriots averaged 28.3 points per game and the Giants held them to 17. That is with Brady turning in a record breaking performance halfway through the game.
Tom Coughlin basically punched his ticket to Canton with this victory on Sunday if he hadn’t done it already. All the man does is bring his teams together and coach solid football. He not only has two Super Bowl victories with the Giants but many forget his work with the expansion Jaguars in taking them to the AFC championship game in their second season of existence and turning in division titles in years three and four of the franchise. The man can coach and I think (like Eli Manning) its time to start recognizing these guys for what they are: an elite QB/coach tandem in the National Football league.
Notes:
This season is important.
On the broad shoulders of 23-year old Jason Heyward are not just the hopes of an offense. He carries the hopes of a franchise, a city, and a race. He wowed in 2010 with a record setting rookie season. He stumbled a bit in 2011 with some “experts” going as far as saying the Braves may want to consider trading him should he fall flat again a la Jeff Francouer. Word to the wise: talent like this kid has is once in a generation, and this year he’s going to show the baseball world what they have to look forward to for years to come.
I for one can’t wait.
Check out The Locker Super Bowl Live Blog tonight starting at six! All with Twitter, Facebook, and/or any other social media beyond welcome to participate. Reblog and help a guy out!
“Business is a combination of war and sport.” -Andre Maurois
The Colts had a lousy season.
There really is no other way to describe a season that saw the team go (2-14), lose its star quarterback, and go through two back-up quarterbacks; one of which was summoned out of retirement.
Things were tough in Indy, but you never got the sense that something major was going to happen because Peyton Manning would be back. He would come in and save the day and show all that despite this seasons disaster they were a good football team with him behind center. As the weeks went on the recovery process became vaguer. Things got scary in a hurry because no one knew if number 18 would even be able to throw after three neck surgeries. Coupled with the fact that there weren’t many explanations as to why the star was on the sideline looking more coach than Superman it became panic time.
Something else came with rock bottom. Something that no one else realized could have hurried the franchise and community altering quarterback out of a Colts uniform.
Andrew Luck.
What do you do if you’re Jim Irsay? Next week and you have to call Peyton Manning in for a meeting in a city he rejuvenated, a stadium his arm built, and a franchise he saved and tell him what? You’re going in a different direction despite the fact he was recently cleared to play? Do you trade the number one pick and miss out on the heir apparent to the Colts quarterback throne? Do you keep the pick and Manning and set your club back by handcuffing them with over $145 million invested in one position?
I don’t envy his position at all. On one side you’re getting the consensus number one overall pick in Luck. A franchise changing right arm (sound familiar?) and an almost sure thing; on the other you’re letting go of a player who has led your team to two Super Bowls (winning one), 141 victories, 8 division titles, and did I mention you will be playing in the stadium that will be forever know as “The Place Peyton Built?” Good luck with thos choices.
At the same time all the public back and forth, the Twitter wars, the statements, and the questions are irrelevant at this point. Eventually, Jim Irsay is going to have to sit down with Manning and decide whether now’s the time to cut ties is or not.
Manning, too, needs to go the route of Derek Jeter and keep quiet. It isn’t a coincidence those medical reports were released today because that doesn’t happen without the patients consent. Irsay was correct to insinuate some politicking was going on in the Manning camp and frankly it needs to stop until after the Super Bowl. What is being dubbed a spectacular job by the city of Indianapolis hosting the Super Bowl is being overshadowed by the sideshow that is Peyton/Irsay. Not to mention there is a great game that will be played Sunday and Peyton ought to give his brother Eli some respect and lay low.
Both of these men have done too much for the city and the franchise for it to be overshadowed by theatrics. Business is business, and the sooner both get down to it the better it will be for everyone.
So much for the good feelings.
Urban Meyer, the newly minted head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes, made headlines for more than just being Urban Meyer. It has been reported that Wisconsin head coach, Bret Bielema, was less than impressed about some of Meyer’s recruiting practices that differ from the longstanding tradition of recruiting for the conference. From SB Nation:
“One issue Bielema would talk about — and it’s perfectly legal under current NCAA rules — is Meyer’s recruitment of players who already had given verbal commitments to other Big Ten schools. It has been a longstanding “gentlemen’s agreement” in the league that coaches wouldn’t recruit players who had publicly given commitments to schools.”
Michigan State University head coach Mark Dantonio agrees calling Meyer “unethical.”
It sounds to me that longstanding rule only served the best interests of Universities who had something to sell. I have no problem with what Meyer is doing because as Bielema said “it’s perfectly legal under current NCAA rules..” The ultimate goal is building a championship program and that really should be all other coaches care about.
Brady Hoke, Michigan’s head coach, sees no problem with Meyer’s style:
http://vp.mgnetwork.net/viewer.swf?u=fda6d56e9f57102faba2001ec92a4a0d&z=CMH&embed_player=1
Too much stock shouldn’t be put on this. Just sounds like a few coaches who have issues working a little harder. If anything Meyer should be a wake up call to them and their programs. They only have to look at his fingers to see what is actually working in college football these days.
Video Source: http://www2.nbc4i.com/sports/2012/feb/02/brady-hoke-in-columbus-41598-vi-37401/